Covid 4 1 1 podcast

This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for March 3rd, 2022. 

The US has a new plan for COVID. The White House said it's time for America to stop letting the coronavirus “dictate how we live.” Part of the new plan is a new “test to treat” program to provide free antiviral pills at pharmacies for anyone who tests positive. The plan also seeks to get ready for potential new variants and give employers and schools what they need to stay open.

If you want them, you can get more free COVID tests from the government. The key there is “if you want them.” So far, a great many Americans have not shown much interest, which is why about half of the available supply is still available. Starting next week, you can order another group of tests at Covidtest.gov. The previous limit was four tests per residential address.

Australia is now fully open to vaccinated travelers. Western Australia, which covers about a third of the country, became the last state to lift border restrictions today. This came four months after Sydney started a staggered reopening of quarantine-free travel. Western Australia was having good luck with contact tracing and isolation until the Omicron variant came along. Now they’re reporting more than 1,000 new infections a day.

Germany is also putting out the welcome mat again, removing all the countries currently on its list of “high-risk areas.” The list will now only include places where high infection rates are linked to more virulent variants than Omicron. Visitors will still have to show proof of vaccination or a negative test.

Even if the pandemic is over, it’s not over for those suffering with long COVID. And a new small study from the National Institutes of Health says many of the symptoms people are suffering from may be driven, in part, by long-term nerve damage. 59% had peripheral neuropathy, which is damage to the nerves that connect the brain to the outside world. Symptoms include weakness, fatigue, sensory changes, and pain in the hands and feet. The researchers don’t sound totally confident, saying the study was of a very small and "biased data set" since the patients studied were already believed to have a neurological condition.

In the United States, cases were down 58%, deaths are down 18%, and hospitalizations are down 44% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five areas that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Tennessee. 

There are 25,845,090 active cases in the United States.

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. Nome Census Area, AK. Manassas Park, VA. Fayette, AL. Perry, KY. Elmore, ID. Ada, ID. Morgan, KY. Gooding, ID. And Bennington, VT. 

There have been 954,512 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island at 80.7%, Vermont at 80.1%, and Maine at 78.4%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 50.3%, Wyoming at 50.6%, and Mississippi at 50.9%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 65%.

Globally, cases were down 27% and deaths down 19% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. 

There are 61,540,184 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: South Korea 219,237. Germany 198,457. Vietnam 110,301. Russia 97,455. And Japan 61,843. 

There have been 5,972,440 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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The CDC estimates there have been 140 million Covid-19 infections in the US, that’s almost double the 74.3 million cases that have been reported as of January 31 and 43% of the country. The new number comes from antibody seroprevalence surveys, in which blood samples submitted to labs for unrelated reasons are tested for antibodies triggered by infection, not by vaccination. Wisconsin has the highest seroprevalence, with an estimated 56.1% of its population infected. 

A tragic statistic from an updated modeling study in The Lancet shows that the number of children around the world affected by COVID-associated orphanhood and caregiver death is estimated to have gone up dramatically. From around 2.7 million in April 2021 to 5.2 million in October 2021. That’s the equivalent of one child orphaned every six seconds. The loss of a parent is linked to greater risk of dropping out of school, lower self-esteem, suicide, violence, sexual abuse, and developing anxiety, depression, and substance abuse problems. 

In England, one less thing to argue about. Mandatory Covid vaccinations for health and social care workers will be scrapped March 15. That policy met fierce resistance from some workers, and critics warned firing those not in compliance would worsen the serious staffing crisis in health and care services. But the damage is done; many have left their jobs, and some left the field altogether. 

If you want to go to Hawaii, you can say aloha unmasked and you don’t have to hula six feet apart anymore. The state is lifting its strict entry requirements March 26. Travelers won’t have to show proof of a vaccine or negative test to bypass a mandatory quarantine. And that five-day quarantine is going away, too. However, for now, Hawaii is keeping its indoor mask mandate. But it’s Hawaii…go outside. 

We’ve heard there wasn’t much risk of this, but researchers now think they’ve documented the first deer-to-human transmission of COVID. The culprit was a white-tailed deer in Ontario. It was found to have a new and highly divergent lineage of the coronavirus, and they found a person that had similar samples. Available data indicates it's unlikely the variant doesn’t respond to vaccines, but maybe don’t take any white-tailed deer onto public transportation or a cruise.  

In the United States, cases were down 59%, deaths are down 23%, and hospitalizations are down 44% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five areas that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Ohio, Maine, Tennessee, West Virginia, and the Northern Mariana Islands.  

There are 25,989,717 active cases in the United States.

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. Manassas Park, VA. Nome Census Area, AK. Fayette, AL. Perry, KY. Morgan, KY. Elmore, ID. Aroostook, ME. Bennington, VT. And Ada, ID.

There have been 952,629 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island at 80.7%, Vermont at 80.1%, and Maine at 78.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 50.2%, Wyoming at 50.6%, and Mississippi at 50.9%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 64.9%.

Globally, cases were down 30% and deaths down 20% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. 

There are 61,832,820 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: Germany 150,565. South Korea 138,993. Vietnam 98,762. Russia 97,333. And France 79,794. 

There have been 5,964,226 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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Looks like Americans were definitely ready for the pandemic to be done. A new AP poll shows fewer people now than in January are worried they’ll get infected, only 24%. Of those who say they still worry, about two-thirds are fully vaccinated while only 40% are unvaccinated. Most Americans think the virus will stick around as a mild illness. Public support for masking requirements has also gone down, but Americans are still more likely to favor than oppose mask mandates, 50% to 28%.

They’re still worrying in Hong Kong after another record 34,466 new infections yesterday and deaths continuing to climb. Now, authorities have begun assessing the possibility of locking down the entire city. It remains to be seen whether that would be done through legislation or some other way, but just the rumor of a lockdown sent shoppers racing to supermarket shelves to stock up.

Pfizer’s had a pretty good effectiveness record, but it turns out in kids, not so much. Data from the NY State Department of Health shows for kids 5 to 11, effectiveness waned quickly during the Omicron surge. It still protected against severe disease, though. Within one month, effectiveness against infection fell from 68% to 12% in that young age group.

Schoolkids in California, Oregon and Washington won’t have to wear masks anymore. The three Democratic governors of those states made a joint announcement to that effect yesterday. Those states have had some of the strictest safety measures during the pandemic and that included masking up 7.5 million school-age children. The change begins March 12 and applies to all kids regardless of vaccination status.

COVID not scary enough for you? How about learning COVID tests can kill you? Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Centers Drug and Poison Information Center say those home test kits contain sodium azide. And they’re getting a surge of calls about poisonings from it. New York and Texas are also sounding the alarm. The chemical is mainly used in car airbags and to kill bugs. Ingesting it can cause low blood pressure, dizziness, headaches, and heart palpitations. Large amounts of it can lead to respiratory failure and death. Of course, you’re not supposed to ingest anything from COVID tests but somehow people manage to do so.

In the United States, cases were down 62%, deaths are down 24%, and hospitalizations are down 44% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14. 

The five areas that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Ohio, West Virginia, Maine, Tennessee, and the Northern Mariana Islands.  

There are 26,171,931 active cases in the United States.

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Manassas Park, VA. Nome Census Area, AK. Perry, KY. Elmore, ID. Fayette, AL. Linn, MO. Morgan, KY. Ada, ID. Aroostook, ME. And Gooding, ID.

There have been 950,472 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island at 80.8%, Vermont at 80%, and Maine at 78.9%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 50.4%, Alabama at 50.5%, and Mississippi at 50.8%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 64.9%.

Globally, cases were down 34% and deaths down 19% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25.

There are 62,674,400 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: South Korea 139,615. Russia 106,920. Germany 95,396. Turkey 64,275. And Japan 63,703.

There have been 5,955,552 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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Here’s how we’re doing. COVID is continuing to subside around the world with a weekly 16% decrease in deaths and 15% decrease in cases since Omicron first showed up. However, Asia's infections rose 4% and deaths were only down 0.9% with South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam and Hong Kong setting daily records last week. In fact, Hong Kong recorded 26,026 cases after never going above 100 every day until this year. New Zealand is also hitting five digits in cases for the first time.

The FDA revised the emergency use authorization for Evusheld, a monoclonal antibody against Covid for immunocompromised people and those who can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons. They now say you need twice the dose that’s been being given. Those who already got the drug are being told to go back and get another injection as soon as possible. The agency said protection against symptomatic disease may not last as long as was shown in clinical trials since that was before the Omicron sub-variants emerged.

What perfect timing! Face coverings are now optional for the US President's State of the Union address tomorrow. Congress is lifting its mask requirement on the House floor after the CDC eased guidelines last week. DC is now considered low risk based on the new metrics of what’s happening in area hospitals. Of course, anyone who wants to can still mask up while listening to the speech.

Things continue to loosen up in New York too. The statewide masking requirement in schools will be lifted by March 2. And New York City’s Mayor is thinking about lifting vaccine mandates on restaurants, bars, and theaters by early next week. A mask mandate on the city's approximately 1 million schoolchildren could also be lifted. Again, any parent who wants to keep their kid masked can keep them masked. 

Oh boy, free (meaning paid for by taxpayers) COVID tests for everyone! But it’s turning out to be one of the few free things that isn’t wanted. Nearly half of the 500 million free tests still haven’t been claimed. On day one there were over 45 million orders. After that, not so much. Less than 100,000 orders a day are coming in. Critics say the program would have been immensely helpful before the pandemic was largely over. 

In the United States, cases were down 63%, deaths are down 24%, and hospitalizations are down 44% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Ohio, West Virginia, Maine, Tennessee, and Missouri.  

There are 26,401,648 active cases in the United States.

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Manassas Park, VA. Nome Census Area, AK. Perry, KY. Elmore, ID. Fayette, AL. Linn, MO. Morgan, KY. Aroostook, ME. Ada, ID. And Gooding, ID. 

There have been 948,398 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island at 80.6%, Vermont at 80.1%, and Maine at 78.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 50.2%, Wyoming at 50.6%, and Mississippi at 50.9%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 64.9%.

Globally, cases were down 36% and deaths down 20% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. 

There are 63,676,869 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: South Korea 163,558. Russia 116,093. Germany 95,241. Vietnam 86,990. And Japan 69,661. 

There have been 5,948,460 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 25th, 2022. 

We’re starting to learn a little more about the so-called stealth Omicron or BA2 variant. It’s now causing more than a third of new Omicron cases around the world. It’s been found in more than 80 countries and all 50 US states. It’s called stealth because it can’t quickly be differentiated from Delta using a certain PCR test. Early research suggests it spreads 30% faster than Omicron and can sicken people even if they've already had an Omicron infection. Vaccines still appear effective against it.

We could have another change coming from the CDC today. They’re expected to significantly loosen federal mask-wearing guidelines, meaning most of us will no longer be advised to wear masks in indoor public settings. The metrics driving the decision are hospitalizations and local hospital capacity.

As we attempt to put COVID behind us, many of us who survived an infection are left with questions about exactly what it did to us. For example, a new study found in the year after contracting COVID, patients are at an increased risk for developing 20 cardiac problems. Those include stroke, heart attack, myocarditis and irregular heart rhythms. The researchers estimate COVID infections have led to 3 million cases of heart disease in the US alone.  

We always like to reassure those of you who are worried the big pharma companies not making enough money off of COVID vaccines. For Moderna, sales brought in $6.9 billion in the fourth quarter of 2021, and the company has signed purchase agreements for about $19 billion in sales for 2022 with options for an additional $3 billion to cover any updated boosters they’re developing. So they’re okay.

And there’s apparently another culprit being called out for spreading COVID and vaccine misinformation. It’s people who do yoga. Some practitioners have been alarmed at the spread of anti-vaccination views in and around classes. One influencer who studies the practice said it’s nothing new, there’s a constant sense in yoga world that “I know better than doctors and the system.”

In the United States, cases were down 65%, deaths are down 27%, and hospitalizations are down 43% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Maine, West Virginia, Ohio, Missouri, and Arizona.  

There are 26,814,308 active cases in the United States.

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Manassas Park, VA. Nome Census Area, AK. Perry, KY. Elmore, ID. Linn, MO. Morgan, KY. Houston, MN. Ada, ID. Aroostook, ME. And Gooding, ID. 

There have been 944,828 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island at 80.5%, Vermont at 80.1%, and Maine at 78.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 50.1%, Wyoming at 50.5%, and Mississippi at 50.8%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 64.8%.

Globally, cases were down 36% and deaths down 17% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. 

There are 65,116,099 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: Germany 218,431. South Korea 170,006. Russia 132,998. Brazil 95,493. And Turkey 79,708. 

There have been 5,927,592 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 24th, 2022. 

The US full vaccination rate is still quite a way from even 70%, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get any better. Demand has all but collapsed, especially in states that weren’t so hot on it to begin with. The average number of Americans getting their first shot is down to the lowest point since December 2020. Incentive programs didn’t really work, and government and employer mandates are being challenged in every way they can be challenged.

If you felt like crap the day after getting your second vaccine shot, it may be because the experts gave you some bad advice. US health officials now say some people really need to wait up to eight weeks between the first and second doses. For the rest of us who already got it, we were told to get it in three to four weeks. Not only does the longer interval help avoid side effects, the CDC says it also provides more lasting protection. 

A new report says the government in the UK is getting increasingly certain the pandemic did in fact result from a lab leak in Wuhan, China. In fact, it is now the official view. You’ll remember that theory was rapidly dismissed by world governments and its proponents derided by health experts early in the pandemic. Many still call even trying to find out how the pandemic happened a distraction.

Better late than never? The French pharmaceuticals giant Sanofi said its Covid vaccine, developed with GlaxoSmithKline, delivered positive results after nearly a year of delays and now they’ll seek FDA authorization in the US. The results weren’t just positive. Tests indicated a 100% effectiveness against severe Covid and hospitalization. It doesn’t use mRNA technology; it’s based on recombinant protein tech like Novavax’s vaccine. 

If you start seeing smiling faces on employees of Target, that’s because the store will no longer require its staff or shoppers to wear masks inside its stores. They will keep the one hour each week on Tuesdays when vulnerable guests can shop safely. 

In the United States, cases were down 66%, deaths are down 26%, and hospitalizations are down 43% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Maine, Arizona, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Ohio. 

There are 26,952,312 active cases in the United States.

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Manassas Park, VA. Nome Census Area, AK. Pointe Coupee, LA. Perry, KY. Houston, MN. Big Horn, MT. Elmore, ID. Morgan, KY. Glacier, MT. And Aroostook, ME. 

There have been 941,889 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island at 80.5%, Vermont at 80.1%, and Maine at 78.2%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 50.1%, Wyoming at 50.5%, and Mississippi at 50.7%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 64.8%.

Globally, cases were down 36% and deaths down 15% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. 

There are 65,659,102 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: Germany 219,859. South Korea 171,448. Russia 137,642. Brazil 133,626. And Turkey 86,600. 

There have been 5,916,526 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Covid 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Covid 411 podcast.

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 23rd, 2022. 

Hong Kong is going to test its entire population of 7.5 million people three times for COVID in March. To get that done, testing capacity will be boosted to 1 million a day or more. The city’s reported about 5,000 new infections since February 15 and the healthcare system is buckling. A lockdown of the entire city, something that’s been done a few times in mainland China, is not currently being considered.

Amidst criticism of vaccine inequities, donations of the vaccine to Africa were well-intentioned, but the Africa CDC has a message for the do-gooders. Stop it. They want all donations paused until the third or fourth quarter of this year. They say the problem isn’t a supply shortage, it’s logistics challenges combined with vaccine hesitancy. As a result, there’s a lot of vaccine just going to waste.  

Lots of numbers are falling, like case rates, death rates, hospitalizations, COVID restrictions, etc., but there’s something else that has absolutely plummeted in demand. PCR tests. The CDC says nationwide demand for a COVID-19 PCR test has dropped 63% since early January. You could attribute part of that to the government mailing out free rapid tests but, PCR tests are a different, and proposedly more accurate way to find out if you’re infected or not.

Cruise lines, one right after the other, have been dropping their mask mandates. Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Virgin have either already stopped requiring masks in most indoor settings or will start next month. MSC Cruises and Disney have not made that decision yet. The new goal is making sure passengers are fully vaccinated and boosted.

Throughout the pandemic, most of us have been amazed at what we didn’t know. And even now in February of 2022, it’s amazing what we still don’t know. On that list of still unknowns is how many booster shots we’ll need, how long immunity from vaccines lasts, are there more dangerous variants coming, why does COVID make some people seriously ill and give people long COVID while other people shrug it off, and where did COVID-19 come from? Science has no answers for these questions so you can continue to argue about them amongst yourselves. 

In the United States, cases were down 65%, deaths are down 19%, and hospitalizations are down 43% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Tennessee, Maine, Mississippi, West Virginia, and Oklahoma. 

There are 27,107,363 active cases in the United States.

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Manassas Park, VA. Marengo, AL. Pointe Coupee, LA. Attala, MS. Big Horn, MT. Perry, KY. Glacier, MT. Elmore, ID. And Washington, TN.

There have been 938,938 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island at 80.3%, Vermont at 80%, and Maine at 78.2%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 50%, Wyoming at 50.5%, and Mississippi at 50.7%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 64.7%.

Globally, cases were down 34% and deaths down 16% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. 

There are 66,265,532 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: Germany 158,507. Russia 135,172. Brazil 101,285. South Korea 99,550. And France 97,382. 

There have been 5,904,723 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 22nd, 2022. 

If you want something to worry about, you can continue to worry about the Omicron variant BA2, because it’s spreading about 30% more easily than the first Omicron, which as we recall spread pretty darn fast. Infectious disease experts are keeping a close eye on it because they assumed it would take off in the US like it has in Europe. So far that hasn't happened, but it’s steadily spreading even as the Omicron surge keeps dissipating. 

Britain is scrapping the self-isolation rules starting Thursday to jump start the country's economy. People who test positive will no longer have to self-isolate for a minimum five days. That doesn’t apply to Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, which set their own regulations. The reasoning is that COVID isn’t going to suddenly disappear and waiting for that would restrict the liberties of the British people for a long time to come.

Even as we report falling case numbers, there’s still an average 2,200 people dying with COVID in the US daily. So who are these people? Doctors say it’s still mainly unvaccinated people, most of whom are in their 30s and 40s, who had no underlying health issues. A smaller percentage of deaths are among fully vaccinated (and boosted) people who are either older or have preexisting conditions.

We’re all eager to put the pandemic behind us, or at least beside us. But the Cleveland Clinic says it’s too soon to give the coronavirus endemic status. Doctors say they don’t know if it’s going to settle as a seasonal respiratory virus like the other coronaviruses or mutate and come back as something worse. It’s a game of wait and see. They say right now, the precautions people take will most likely be based on their personal comfort levels. 

You may have heard it before, the place you’re most likely to get sick is in a hospital. And it was thought that hospitals were an outstanding place to catch COVID as well. But a study has shown that the rates of acquiring COVID during a hospital stay were actually quite low, with only about 1.8% of patients contracting it during their stay at the highest peak of cases in December 2020.

In the United States, cases were down 65%, deaths are down 15%, and hospitalizations are down 42% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Tennessee, Maine, West Virginia, Mississippi, and Oklahoma. 

There are 27,255,881 active cases in the United States.

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Marengo, AL. Manassas Park, VA. Pointe Coupee, LA. Attala, MS. Big Horn, MT. Perry, KY. Estill, KY. Floyd, KY. And Butler, KY. 

There have been 935,970 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island at 80.3%, Vermont at 80%, and Maine at 78.2%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 50%, Wyoming at 50.5%, and Mississippi at 50.7%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 64.7%.

Globally, cases were down 38% and deaths down 7% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. 

There are 67,132,248 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: Russia 152,337. Germany 111,824. South Korea 95,347. Turkey 85,026. And Japan 72,861. 

There have been 5,889,937 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 21st, 2022. 

The UK government announced those with COVID won't be legally required to self-isolate starting this week. That’s part of the plan for “living with COVID” that will also probably see testing scaled back. The Prime Minister said, “We’ve reached a stage where we think you can shift the balance away from state mandation in favor of encouraging personal responsibility.” Of course, some of the government’s scientific advisers are saying it’s a risky move.

Israel announced it’s going to allow unvaccinated tourists to enter the country starting next month. But vaccinated or not, visitors will have to take a PCR test before flying and after landing. Israel has mostly restricted the entry of foreign tourists for the past two years and shut it down altogether late last year with the arrival of Omicron. Requirements for weekly testing of school children will also be halted in the coming weeks.

The CDC is coming under fire for holding back vitally important coronavirus data. The New York Times reports there’s an eyebrow-raising quantity of data that was either never released, released only recently, was partially released, or was released with limited access. For example, they’ve had data on hospitalizations for Covid across the U.S. for over a year, broken down by age, race, and vaccination status. Most of that data has never been seen.

Now that the mRNA vaccine cat is out of the bag, what else can the technology be used for? Moderna has announced three of their next targets for it. The herpes simplex virus, the varicella-zoster virus, and a novel cancer vaccine. That gets added to some they’d already announced, including HIV, influenza, cytomegalovirus, and the Epstein-Barr virus.

Further proof that COVID can get to anyone, Queen Elizabeth II has tested positive. And that’s a big deal not only because she’s a reigning monarch, but because she’s 95-years-old. However, so far, her symptoms have been mild and cold-like. She’s even continuing some light duties at Windsor this week. The Queen is fully vaccinated. 

In the United States, cases were down 65%, deaths are down 13%, and hospitalizations are down 41% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Tennessee, the third most fully vaccinated state of Maine, West Virginia, Mississippi, and Arkansas. 

There are 27,454,250 active cases in the United States.

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Marengo, AL. Manassas Park, VA. Pointe Coupee, LA. Attala, MS. Big Horn, MT. Perry, KY. Estill, KY. Floyd, KY. And Butler, KY. 

There have been 935,331 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island at 80.3%, Vermont at 80%, and Maine at 78.2%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama becoming the last state to be under the halfway mark at 50%, Wyoming at 50.5%, and Mississippi at 50.7%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 64.7%.

Globally, cases were down 38% and deaths down 6% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. 

There are 68,568,289 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: Russia 170,699. South Korea 104,828. Germany 104,131. Japan 77,153. And Turkey 70,355. 

There have been 5,886,362 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 18th, 2022. 

One influential model estimates 73% of Americans are, for now, immune to Omicron, and that could rise to 80% by mid-March. The coronavirus is still dangerous and tens of millions remain vulnerable. But at this point, experts say at least most immune systems have seen the coronavirus before and won’t be as vulnerable. 

California is moving on. It became the first state to formally shift to an “endemic” approach to the coronavirus with a plan that emphasizes prevention and quick reaction to outbreaks rather than mandated masking and business shutdowns. A disease reaches endemic status when the virus still exists but becomes manageable as immunity builds.

Is the White House aware of what stage of the pandemic we’re in and that several states are dropping mask mandates? The administration says it’s now going to focus on making sure kid-sized masks are distributed to pharmacies and community health centers. Regular masks don’t always fit little faces well. The CDC does recommend kids 2-years old and up who aren’t vaccinated stay masked in indoor public spaces.

You’ll notice the vaccination rates we’ve been reporting have been pretty much stuck. But now that we have some hindsight, what arguments did work in terms of convincing skeptics to get the shots? A Harvard Business School study says altruistic messages like protecting others or the economy worked better than self-protection messages. The study found mixed results at best for vaccine mandates making a difference.

It was accused of being a super spreader event, but was it? The CDC has concluded that just because a person tested positive for Omicron after attending an anime convention in New York City late last year, it wasn’t a super spreader event. They credit vaccinations and good airflow at the convention center. Plus, a lot of cosplay going on, so it was a place you were going to find a lot of masks anyway. 

In the United States, cases were down 68%, deaths are down 13%, and hospitalizations are down 39% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Mississippi, West Virginia, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Idaho. 

There are 27,940,922 active cases in the United States.

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Attala, MS. Big Horn, MT. Floyd, KY. Perry, KY. Marengo, AL. Butler, KY. Estill, KY. Clay, KY. And Letcher, KY. 

There have been 931,505 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island at 80.1%, Vermont at 79.9%, and Maine at 78.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.9%, Wyoming at 50.3%, and Mississippi at 50.6%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 64.5%.

Globally, cases were down 35% and deaths down 1% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. 

There are 70,345,679 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: Germany 227,613. Russia 180,622. Brazil 129,266. The United States 103,377. And South Korea 93,127. 

There have been 5,861,456 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 17th, 2022.

Encouraging signs all over the world. Germany announced plans to end most of the country's restrictions by March 20. They believe infections have reached their peak so there’s a three-step plan that will roll the restrictions back. In Switzerland, they will end health checks for incoming travelers and the need for COVID passes and masks to enter places like shops, restaurants, and cultural venues. And in Austria they’ll end most restrictions March 5, though masks will still be required in some places.

In other places, things aren’t going as well. Despite a “zero-COVID” policy, Hong Kong continues to get hit hard, stressing hospitals. China's leader said it was Hong Kong’s local government's "overriding task" to get control of the situation, and he reminded Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Chinese Communist Party leaders have a high level of concern.

It doesn’t appear to be causing significant damage, but it sure is spreading. The World Health Organization says the Omicron sub-variant BA.2 accounted for 21.5% of all new Omicron cases worldwide in the first week of February. In the U.S., the prevalence of BA.2 has tripled from January 29 to February 5 but still makes up a very small proportion of new cases.

The CDC lowered its travel warning for cruise ships from its highest level where it’s been for seven weeks. At the beginning of that time, the CDC said travelers should avoid cruises no matter what their vaccination status. They still recommend being fully vaccinated and wearing quality masks indoors and in crowded outdoor areas. 

Remember your kooky friend who said you should fight COVID with vitamin D? Maybe not that kooky. A study shows people who were deficient in vitamin D were 14 times more likely to have a severe or critical case of COVID. And mortality for deficient patients was 25.6% compared to 2.3% for those with sufficient vitamin D. 

In the United States, cases were down 68%, deaths are down 13%, and hospitalizations are down 38% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Mississippi, West Virginia, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Idaho. 

There are 28,011,618 active cases in the United States.

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Attala, MS. Big Horn, MT. Floyd, KY. Perry, KY. Marengo, AL. Butler, KY. Estill, KY. Clay, KY. And Letcher, KY. 

There have been 928,490 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island at 80.1%, Vermont at 79.9%, and Maine at 78.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.9%, Wyoming at 50.3%, and Mississippi at 50.6%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 64.5%.

Globally, cases were down 37% and deaths down 3% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. 

There are 70,786,115 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: Germany 234,886. Russia 179,284. Brazil 147,252. The United States 114,668. And France 98,735. 

There have been 5,849,513 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 16th, 2022.

The head of the World Health Organization's Europe office said their attention is turning to growing rates of infection in Eastern Europe, where six countries — including Russia and Ukraine — have seen a doubling of cases over the last two weeks. The concern is that vaccination rates have lagged in Eastern Europe. 

In the United States, it doesn’t look like people are buying into the need for a booster. The pace of people getting booster shots has dropped to the lowest it’s ever been. Of the 64% of the US that’s fully vaccinated, only 28% have gone on to get a booster. People who got the one dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine are especially slow to get a second dose. 

Part of that may be because of the performance of the first rounds of vaccines. The CDC released data from a study showing the efficacy rate of mRNA vaccines waned after as soon as four months. However, it was quickly pointed out that the vaccines were key in reducing serious illness and death, and that the data only underscores the need for a booster shot. 

As health experts try to get kids vaccinated at younger and younger ages, how about unborn fetuses? Turns out if mom got a dose, then the baby did too. New research shows babies whose mothers were fully vaccinated with Moderna or Pfizer during pregnancy had a 61% lower risk of being hospitalized with COVID in their first six months of life.

Whether the pandemic is over or not, the government spending machine clearly is not. The White House is telling Congress it needs $30 billion more dollars of taxpayer money to keep fighting COVID. Congress has already approved $5.8 trillion to battle the pandemic in a series of major bills across the last two administrations, and it’s estimated 90% of that money has been spent.

In the United States, cases were down 66%, deaths are down 6%, and hospitalizations are down 36% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Mississippi, West Virginia, Arkansas, Virginia, and Delaware. 

There are 28,114,769 active cases in the United States.

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Scott, TN. Unicoi, TN. Attala, MS. Big Horn, MT. Overton, TN. Perry, KY. Floyd, KY. McNairy, TN. And Cannon, TN. 

There have been 925,438 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island and Vermont at 79.9%, and Maine at 78%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.9%, Wyoming at 50.3%, and Mississippi at 50.5%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 64.4%.

Globally, cases were down 32% and deaths up 11% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. 

There are 71,379,697 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: Germany 177,515. Russia 166,631. France 142,253. Brazil 123,827. And the United States 94,818. 

There have been 5,836,409 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 15th, 2022.

New York City fired 1,430 workers who didn’t comply with the city's vaccine mandate. Hundreds more got the shots after being notified they were getting fired. Of the fired workers, about 64% worked for the education department. 

Hong Kong’s going to offer vaccines to kids as young as 3. Previously, the age limit was 5. Schools extended a suspension of in-class teaching for two weeks to March 6. Additionally, only vaccinated people will be allowed in shopping malls and supermarkets, and churches, hair salons and other businesses have been ordered to close. Hong Kong has fully vaccinated 73% of its eligible population, not including children.

Deltacron. It’s real, but how dangerous is it? UK health officials confirmed they’re monitoring the combination of Delta and Omicron and think it evolved in a Brit who caught both variants at the same time. Originally, the combo was dismissed, but UK health officials see it as a legitimate threat.

Heartburn is no fun, but a new study says if you’re on a heartburn medication, that could have helped ease COVID symptoms. Famotidine, the main ingredient in Pepcid, saw symptoms like breathing difficulties, abdominal pain, and changes to smell and taste resolve faster for those who were taking it. The lead in the study said it’s not an anti-viral drug, but it can prevent inflammation.

In New Zealand, the latest weapon to harass vaccine mandate protesters is Barry Manilow. Hundreds descended on the parliament building so police blasted a 15-minute loop of some of the more upbeat Manilow songs like Copacabana. It wasn’t all Barry. They blasted the Macarena as well. The new tactic was tried when turning sprinklers on them didn’t work. They just dug trenches and made drainpipes.

In the United States, cases were down 67%, deaths are down 3%, and hospitalizations are down 35% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Mississippi, Virginia, West Virginia, Kansas, and Arkansas. 

There are 28,381,019 active cases in the United States.

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Scott, TN. Unicoi, TN. Overton, TN. Estill, KY. McNairy, TN. Cannon, TN. Fentress, TN. Perry, KY. And Macon, TN. 

There have been 922,474 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island at 79.9%, Vermont at 79.8%, with Maine at 78%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.9%, Wyoming at 50.3%, and Mississippi at 50.5%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 64.4%.

Globally, cases were down 30% and deaths up 13% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. 

There are 72,267,291 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: Russia 180,456. Germany 127,449. Japan 80,234. The United States 79,155. And Turkey 76,632. 

There have been 5,825,680 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 14th, 2022.

A study published in Nature Medicine found U.S. veterans who survived Covid were more likely to have suffered some type of cardiovascular problem within the next year. And that’s even if their infections were mild. That included a 52% greater likelihood of suffering a stroke, a 63% higher likelihood of a heart attack, a 72% higher likelihood of heart failure, and a 71% higher likelihood to have a-fib. 

A bill in California would mandate that all businesses make not just their employees, but also all their independent contractors get vaccinated. New employees would have to get at least one dose before they can start work and the second within 45 days of being on the job. The mandate would stay in place unless the CDC comes out and says COVID vaccinations aren’t needed anymore.

The FDA has granted emergency use authorization for bebtelovimab, a new monoclonal antibody designed to reduce risk of hospitalization and death from COVID. Just weeks ago, the FDA halted use of previously authorized antibody treatments when research revealed them to be ineffective against Omicron. Only those over 12 with mild to moderate symptoms in the early stages of COVID can get the new treatment.

A plan to expand Covid vaccinations to all kids five to 11 in the UK has been delayed because the government and the vaccinations watchdog can’t seem to agree on it. A decision is expected to be made February 21. Word has it the recommendation would expand vaccinations to children of that age group, but by way of a “non-urgent” offer to parents since the health risks to those kids is small.

If you’re unvaccinated and don’t feel welcome anywhere, we have a place for you. It’s Paraguay! People have created a colony in its poorest region as a refuge from "socialist trends worldwide,” which apparently include mandatory vaccinations. It was actually founded back in 2016 but is enjoying quite the influx of joiners. 

In the United States, cases were down 67%, deaths are down 3%, and hospitalizations are down 34% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Mississippi, Virginia, West Virginia, Kansas, and Arkansas. 

There are 28,545,272 active cases in the United States.

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Scott, TN. Unicoi, TN. Overton, TN. Estill, KY. McNairy, TN. Cannon, TN. Fentress, TN. Perry, KY. And Macon, TN. 

There have been 919,640 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island and Vermont are tied at 79.8%, with Maine at 78%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.8%, Wyoming at 50.3%, and Mississippi at 50.5%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 64.4%.

Globally, cases were down 31% and deaths up 12% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. 

There are 73,613,802 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: Russia 197,949. Germany 108,216. France 86,562. Turkey 73,787. And Japan 67,506. 

There have been 5,815,219 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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If the pandemic is ending, it doesn’t feel much like it in Russia. The country reported nearly 200,000 new cases in yet another record. Of course, vaccination rates there are low, Omicron is prevalent, and there aren’t that many restrictions. The bright side, while infections have soared, daily fatalities in the last few weeks have remained steady.

The World Health Organization says Africa is moving to the “control phase” of the pandemic and increased vaccination rates should help the continent live with the disease. Of course, only 11% of Africa's adult population has been vaccinated due partially to inequities in vaccine access. The World Bank estimates the pandemic pushed up to 40 million people into extreme poverty in Africa.

We’ve heard about the first responders, but what about the last responders? We’re talking about mental health professionals. Experts who are now swamped with people seeking help, say many are struggling with the emotional and societal changes we’ve been through and they’re having trouble adapting to a “new normal.” Words that frequently come up are “disconnected,” “lost,” and “malaise.”  

Chinese scientists say they have developed a new coronavirus test that’s as accurate as a PCR test and gives results within four minutes. They usually take several hours. A sensor uses microelectronics to analyze genetic material from swabs, making it fast, easy, sensitive, and portable. The researchers said their results were a perfect match with PCR tests. All 33 cases were accurately detected, and none of the 54 people in the negative group got false positives.

Sure you have your own problems but we know you’re worried about the ability for millionaire celebrities to celebrate themselves conveniently. The 2022 Academy Awards will not be requiring proof of vaccination for attendees. They will be asked to show a negative PCR or rapid test on the day of the ceremony, maybe even on the red carpet.

In the United States, cases were down 63%, deaths are up 4%, and hospitalizations are down 30% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Virginia, Mississippi, Ohio, Kansas, and South Carolina. 

There are 28,677,716 active cases in the United States.

The areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Montana and Oregon 5%. And Idaho 1%. 

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Scott, TN. Unicoi, TN. Wayne, MS. Monterey, CA. Estill, KY. Overton, TN. Tippah, MS. Perry, KY. And Imperial, CA.

There have been 915,431 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island and Vermont are now tied at 79.7%, with Maine at 77.9%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.8%, Wyoming at 50%, and Mississippi at 50.4%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 64.2%.

Globally, cases were down 28% and deaths up 20% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. 

There are 74,441,569 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: Germany 247,128. Russia 197,076. The United States 179,237. Brazil 165,359. And France 153,025. 

There have been 5,788,579 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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If this guy finally says it, you know it must be true. Dr. Anthony Fauci said the U.S. is exiting the “full-blown” pandemic phase of the COVID crisis. He said things that limit COVID-19, including vaccinations, medical treatments, and prior infection, will alter the situation significantly in the coming months. He also very uncharacteristically said decisions will increasingly be made at local levels and there’ll be more people making their own decisions on how they want to deal with the virus.

The CDC says if the Pfizer vaccine gets emergency use authorization for children 6 months to 5 years old, the plan is to initially roll out about 10 million doses, but they’ve secured enough for all 18 million kids in this age group. It’s specially formulated for them. What remains to be seen is the willingness of parents to get their kids of that age vaccinated. So far, the uptake on vaccinations for kids age 5 to 12 has been modest. 

The South African doctor who discovered the Omicron strain isn’t impressed with how she was treated. She says she was pressured into describing the variant as more dangerous than it really is. Right out of the gate, she reported mild symptoms for those in her country. But she says she was told by scientists and politicians all over the world that her description was wrong, and she should stop using the word mild. 

She’s not alone. A Pew Research study shows Americans are increasingly critical of how elected and public health officials handled the pandemic. 60% now say they’ve felt confused by the inconsistent recommendations. 49% say the CDC is doing a fair or poor job. And positive ratings of public health officials like Anthony Fauci have plunged 10 points since August. 60% think the President has done a fair or poor job on COVID. 

In the United States, cases were down 63%, deaths are up 4%, and hospitalizations are down 29% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Virginia, Mississippi, Ohio, Kansas, and South Carolina. 

There are 28,671,117 active cases in the United States.

The areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Montana and Oregon 5%. West Virginia 2%. And Idaho 1%. 

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Scott, TN. Unicoi, TN. Wayne, MS. Monterey, CA. Estill, KY. Overton, TN. Tippah, MS. Perry, KY. And Imperial, CA.

There have been 912,208 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 79.7%, Rhode Island at 79.6%, and Maine at 77.8%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.7%, Wyoming at 50%, and Mississippi at 50.4%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 64.2%.

Globally, cases were down 26% and deaths up 23% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. 

There are 74,155,482 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: Germany 238,410. The United States 227,458. Brazil 183,533. Russia 183,103. And Turkey 108,563. 

There have been 5,775,363 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 9th, 2022.

The World Health Organization expects the even more transmissible version of Omicron, BA.2, to increase in circulation around the world. What’s not clear is whether or not it can reinfect people who caught an earlier version of Omicron. The agency is currently tracking four different versions of Omicron. Most states in the U.S. have confirmed the presence of BA.2, though it’s circulating at a low level with 460 cases confirmed so far.

It's been reported Johnson & Johnson shut down production in the only plant making usable batches of its vaccine late last year. It’s in the Dutch city of Lieden. The stoppage is temporary but should last a few months. It’s unclear why the company did it, but the New York Times reports the facility has turned its attention to making another vaccine for an unrelated virus.

Turns out it can be done. The Air Force became the second military service to approve religious exemptions to the mandatory vaccine, granting requests from nine airmen to avoid the shots. Don’t get excited, that’s nine out of more than 6,400 requests. The Marines have granted three religious exemptions so far, while the Army and Navy haven’t approved a single one.

32 athletes at the Beijing Olympics are now in isolation facilities after testing positive. They’ve got to stay there for seven days. Organizers acknowledge isolation is difficult and there is the possibility they’ll miss competitions after years of training. So far, there have been 393 positive cases inside the Olympic bubble.

If you lay awake at night worrying if Pfizer is making enough money, let us put your mind at ease. It will generate record-high revenue in 2022, expecting to sell $32 billion worth of its COVID shots and $22 billion worth of its COVID pill. And that’s just for those two products. And yet, the company missed its fourth quarter revenue target, sending the stock down more than 5.7%.

In the United States, cases were down 62%, deaths are up 25%, and hospitalizations are down 27% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Mississippi, Virginia, Ohio, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania.

There are 28,795,422 active cases in the United States.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Wyoming 15%. Montana 13%. Idaho and West Virginia 11%. And Oregon 8%.

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Whitman, WA. Adair, OK. Craig, OK. Tippah, MS. Wayne, MS. Bethel Census Area, AK. Okmulgee, OK. Cherokee, OK. And Scott, TN.

There have been 908,816 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 79.6%, Rhode Island at 79.4%, and Maine at 77.7%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.7%, Wyoming at 50%, and Mississippi at 50.3%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 64.1%.

Globally, cases were down 22% and deaths up 23% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25.

There are 73,928,908 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: Germany 212,724. The United States 179,169. Brazil 171,483. Russia 165,643. And Turkey 111,096.

There have been 5,762,582 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 8th, 2022.

A story of mixed metrics. Yes, the Omicron wave has receded significantly in the US over the past few weeks. But more people are dying every day than died during the peak of Delta last summer. 2,400 people have died every day over the past seven days even though cases are a third of what they were three weeks ago. As we’ve explained before, the reason is the sheer number of people infected with Omicron meeting the unvaccinated population. The CDC says unvaccinated adults have a 68-times-higher risk of dying from Covid than boosted adults.

There are claims out on the always reliable Internet that in fact, most of the world is still unvaccinated. But data from the University of Oxford's Our World in Data project show more than 60% of the world’s population have gotten at least one dose. 52.1% are fully vaccinated. The UAE and Portugal are most vaccinated at more than 90%, while Chad, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burundi have less than 1% of people fully vaccinated. 

The governors of four states announced plans to lift statewide mask requirements in schools by the end of February or March. Those states are Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, and Oregon. All indicated a need for acceptance that the virus is here to stay and there must be a path back to normalcy for kids.  

A couple of California stories for you. The state is keeping its mask mandates for schools in place, but California is not extending its statewide indoor mask mandate. That means people who are vaccinated can show off their mouths starting February 15, the unvaccinated cannot. Los Angeles County, however, has its own stricter mask mandate in place that it will apparently keep in place no matter what the state does.

Also in California, lawmakers passed legislation giving most workers up to two weeks of COVID supplemental paid sick leave. The idea is to fix it so infected people don’t have to come to work and put everyone else at risk. The policy allows workers at businesses of 26 or more employees to take paid time off not just to recover from COVID, but to care for a sick family member, go get vaccinated, recover from immunization side effects, or care for a child who can’t go to school because of closures or quarantines.

In the United States, cases were down 57%, deaths are up 18%, and hospitalizations are down 24% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Mississippi, South Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and Guam. 

There are 29,145,580 active cases in the United States.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Wyoming 25%. Montana and West Virginia 16%. And Idaho and Oregon 11%.

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Whitman, WA. Adair, OK. Craig, OK. Okmulgee, OK. Cherokee, OK. Bethel Census Area, AK. Scott, TN. Mayes, OK. And Imperial, CA.

There have been 905,542 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 79.6%, Rhode Island at 79.4%, and Maine at 77.7%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.6%, Wyoming at 50%, and Mississippi at 50.3%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 64.1%.

Globally, cases were down 13% and deaths up 34% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. 

There are 74,687,082 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: Russia 171,905. The United States 156,487. Germany 138,867. Turkey 96,514. And Japan...

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 7th, 2022.

The adapt as you learn process continues. The CDC is now considering new changes to vaccine guidance that’d lengthen how much time should pass between doses, and they’re doing this to lower the risk of heart inflammation for immunocompromised people. They generally don’t respond as well to vaccines, and they’re the only ones right now advised to get four vaccine shots. 

What’s happening with the pandemic in the US? One way to gauge is to see what’s going on in New York City. Over 15 days, they’ve seen a decline of more than 60% in infection rates and new cases. Citywide transmission is now on the verge of falling below “very high” levels. Even the number of unvaccinated residents getting COVID has fallen significantly in recent weeks. 43.6% of all fully vaccinated city residents have gotten boosted.

But there’s another way to detect infection rates nationwide to see what’s going on and it’s the closest thing we have to involuntary mass testing. That, of course, is wastewater testing. And now there’s a new online portal where you can check to see how your city is doing. Actually, the map only tracks 232 sites, but you can still tell what areas are trending. For instance, lots of COVID-in-waste levels going up now are in Ohio. You should be able to find the site by searching CDC Covid wastewater surveillance. 

Whether or not China’s zero tolerance policy on COVID is the right move remains to be seen, but one thing is pretty certain, some Olympic athletes are having a miserable experience there. Those who test positive are forced to isolate. And team officials from Germany, Belgium, and Russia say their people are enduring poor to no internet connection, bad food, and no training equipment in the quarantine hotels set up by Chinese officials. One biathlon competitor said, "My stomach hurts, I'm very pale and I have huge black circles around my eyes. I cry every day.”

Sadly, not everyone or everything will survive the pandemic. Among the casualties is the oldest pub in Britain, which has been open since 793 AD. The pub, called Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, tried everything to stay open. The owners and staff are said to be devastated and heartbroken. A statement read, “The past two years have been unprecedented for the hospitality industry and have defeated all of us who’ve been trying our hardest to ensure this pub could continue into the future."

In the United States, cases were down 57%, deaths are up 18%, and hospitalizations are down 23% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Mississippi, South Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and Guam. 

There are 29,093,003 active cases in the United States.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Wyoming 27%. Montana and West Virginia 17%. And Idaho and Oregon 12%.

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Whitman, WA. Adair, OK. Craig, OK. Okmulgee, OK. Cherokee, OK. Bethel Census Area, AK. Scott, TN. Mayes, OK. And Imperial, CA.

There have now been over 900,000 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related, at 902,624.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 79.5%, Rhode Island at 79.4%, and Maine at 77.7%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.6%, Wyoming at 50%, and Mississippi at 50.3%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 64.1%.

Globally, cases were down 14% and deaths up 32% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. 

There are now over 75 million active cases around the world...

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 4th, 2022.

Sweden has joined European nations removing coronavirus restrictions. The Prime Minister said, “It’s time to open Sweden again.” And apparently that will happen February 9. People can go to restaurants with no limits on occupancy or operating hours, and requirements for vaccine certificates and masks on public transportation will also be gone. Russia is considering loosening some restrictions too, even though they’re facing a record-breaking surge of infections.

If you’re on Medicare Part B, you’ve got free COVID tests coming, which you’ll be able to get over the counter. Medicare will cover up to eight free tests every month, starting in early spring. That actually only now matches what private insurers have been required to provide to people on their plans, so the government is playing a bit of catchup. 

Again, people you may have been calling whack jobs for two years may have been right. Israeli scientists have gathered the most convincing evidence to date that upping levels of vitamin D does help protect COVID patients from serious illness or death. They say they can even predict how people will do if infected based just on their age and vitamin D levels. Vitamin D deficiency is endemic across the Middle East, including in Israel, where nearly four in five people are low on it.  

The Olympics are putting the spotlight on China, which for two years has been trying to keep the spotlight off of it, at least when it comes to the origins of the novel coronavirus. A group of international scientists is again calling for a "comprehensive international investigation" into COVID’s origins. That’s 20 scientists from the U.S., U.K., Germany, New Zealand, France, Australia, India, and Japan. They want a new spirit of "openness and mutual trust" as the games commence.

It'd be easy to make fun of the Mayor of Los Angeles, except we’ve all probably done what he did. Or at least thought about it. He posed for pictures at SoFi Stadium during the NFC Championship game without a mask. HIV-positive Magic Johnson is standing there with him. Naturally the criticism started flying and the Mayor’s response was that he was holding his breath, so there was zero risk. 

In the United States, cases were down 49%, deaths are up 35%, and hospitalizations are down 16% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Mississippi, Arizona, Ohio, Connecticut, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania. 

There are 28,915,847 active cases in the United States.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Alaska 47%. Wyoming 42%. Idaho 36%. And West Virginia and Montana 30%.

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Whitman, WA. Adair, OK. Franklin, WA. Craig, OK. Santa Cruz, AZ. Clay, KY. Okmulgee, OK. Taylor, FL. And Carbon, WY.

There have been at least 896,557 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 79.5%, Rhode Island at 79.1%, and Maine at 77.6%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.5%, Wyoming at 49.9%, and Mississippi at 50.2%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 63.9%.

Globally, cases were up 2% and deaths up 40% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. 

There are 74,925,987 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: Brazil 286,050. France 274,352. The United States 255,994. Germany 240,218. And Russia 155,768. 

There have been...

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 3rd, 2022.

The U.S. Army will immediately start discharging soldiers who’ve refused to get the mandatory COVID vaccine. How many are possibly getting kicked out? 3,300 service members. The Army’s actually the last military service to outline its discharge policy. 3,000 soldiers have already been issued official written reprimands, which means they could be among the first to go.

History will establish what we got right and wrong in the pandemic. And a new report out of Johns Hopkins says the lockdowns recommended and promoted so heavily by experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci, which imposed enormous costs on economies, finances, education, and mental health, weren’t really necessary. The verdict from the new meta-analysis of dozens of different studies is lockdowns should be rejected out of hand as a pandemic policy. Lockdowns in the U.S. and across Europe reduced COVID mortality by a mere 0.2% on average.

Pfizer wants the FDA to authorize their vaccine for kids six months to five years old. But will parents get them vaccinated? Looking at what they’ve done with kids 5-11 says probably not. Only 30.5% of children 5-11 have gotten at least one dose and only 21.8% are fully vaccinated. A Kaiser poll recently found 52% of parents of kids that age are opposed to or unsure about vaccinating them, with 24% saying they “definitely won’t” vaccinate them.  

France says it will start administering Pfizer’s coronavirus antiviral drug this week. That’s the first pill for treating COVID that’s been approved in the EU. And why not? France is still reporting among the world's highest per-capita daily infections. The drug, Paxlovid, will be available in pharmacies starting Friday. 

How hard is it to get teachers back in the classroom? So hard that in New Mexico, 78 members of the National Guard have been called in to serve as substitutes. They get a few hours of training and a background check before being assigned. Most of them say they don’t feel prepared, but they are at least willing to show up. And they show up in uniform so perhaps conduct has improved a little. 

In the United States, cases were down 44%, deaths are up 39%, and hospitalizations are down 14% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Arizona, Mississippi, Ohio, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. 

There are 28,852,070 active cases in the United States.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Alaska 57%. Wyoming 52%. Idaho 41%. Montana 36%. And West Virginia 32%. 

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Franklin, WA. Pontotoc, OK. Murray, OK. Whitman, WA. Santa Cruz, AZ. Johnson, IL. Clay, KY. Mercer, KY. And Benton, WA.

There have been at least 894,211 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 79.4%, Rhode Island at 79.1%, and Maine at 77.6%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.5%, Wyoming at 49.9%, and Mississippi at 50.1%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 63.8%.

Globally, cases were down 1% and deaths up 36% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. 

There are 74,214,657 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: France 315,363. The United States 302,177. Germany 223,322. Brazil 188,552. And India 164,593. 

There have been 5,699,331 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 2nd, 2022.

In Pfizer’s mind, there is no such thing as too young. It’s asked the FDA to expand the use of their vaccine to most kids under 5 years old. Data’s being submitted on a rolling basis to fast-track approval of what will eventually be a three-dose vaccine for kids six months through 4 years old. Children are at much lower risk of developing severe illness from Covid, but their hospitalizations have increased during the recent surge.

The march to normalcy continues. Denmark scrapped most pandemic restrictions and no longer considers COVID “a socially critical disease.” There’s not a heavy burden on the health system and Denmark has a high vaccination rate. Norway is easing most measures. Limits on guests at private gatherings, a curb on alcohol service in bars and restaurants, and testing at the border have all been removed. And South Africa announced sweeping changes to many of the remaining regulations. Pretty much anyone without symptoms can live life as normal. 

Just checking in to see how people feel, a recent Monmouth poll asked if people agree with the statement “It’s time we accept Covid is here to stay, and we need to get on with our lives.” 70% agreed with that while 28% disagreed. Republicans and Independents felt that way at 89% and 71% respectively. But Democrats aren’t so sure. 51% of them disagreed with the statement. 

China might be hosting the COVID games instead of the Olympic Games. More and more athletes and team officials have tested positive. Since January 23, 200 tested positive, with a positive test rate of 2.9% for athletes and team officials. Everybody testing positive is placed in isolation, with Olympic officials monitoring symptoms, test results and contact tracing.

Sometimes the best of intentions just doesn’t work out. The remote Pacific area of Kiribati closed its borders right at the start of the pandemic, keeping the virus away for nearly two full years. This month, it opened back up, allowing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to bring home 54 of the island nation’s citizens. They were all tested three times in nearby Fiji, and put in quarantine with additional testing when they got home. More than half tested positive and now the island is infected. 36 cases ballooned into 181 by Friday.

In the United States, cases were down 42%, deaths are up 30%, and hospitalizations are down 11% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Ohio, Indiana, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico. 

There are 28,955,249 active cases in the United States.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Alaska 63%. Wyoming 56%. Idaho 43%. Montana 40%. And Oregon 35%. 

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Franklin, WA. Pontotoc, OK. Santa Cruz, AZ. Murray, OK. Whitman, WA. Mercer, KY. Muhlenberg, KY. Hopkins, KY. And Madison, ID.

There have been at least 890,528 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 79.4%, Rhode Island at 79%, and Maine at 77.5%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.5%, Wyoming at 49.8%, and Mississippi at 50%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 63.8%.

Globally, cases were up 4% and deaths up 32% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. 

There are now over 74 million active cases around the world, at 74,587,209.

The five countries with the most new cases: France 416,896. The United States 264,693....

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 1st, 2022.

The FDA granted full approval to Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, a shot that's already been given to tens of millions of Americans since its emergency authorization over a year ago. This means the FDA has completed the same rigorous, time-consuming review as dozens of other long-established vaccines. Theoretically, this means those who aren’t taking the vaccine because it’s too early and hasn’t been properly vetted, have one less argument to make. 

Tokyo has launched a mass booster shot drive at a temporary center run by the military to counter surging infections. Japan had only provided boosters to 2.7% of the population even though demand is intense. Reservation slots were filled within 9 minutes. The center will boost about 720 people a day.

So far, the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron is nothing to panic about. But it does look like it’s substantially more transmissible than the first Omicron, and we’ve already seen how transmissible that has been. In South Africa, which first reported the original, BA.2 levels are increasing but overall infections are decreasing. What experts do say is BA.2 might prolong the Omicron wave in some places.

New Orleans is set to become the nation's first major school district to mandate COVID vaccinations for kids 5 and up. But it’s not much of a mandate. State regulations will allow parents to easily opt out. No student is going to get kicked out and waivers are easy to get.  

If Omicron is so much less severe, why are so many people still dying? This week, Australia suffered its deadliest day of the pandemic so far, nearly 100 dead. In the US, Omicron is claiming around 2,200 lives a day – higher than the Delta variant. The reason is deaths lag behind surges in case numbers. And since Omicron is spreading faster and infecting far more people, more of the unvaccinated and at risk have been infected, and the outcome for them is not always so good.

In the United States, cases were down 35%, deaths are up 28%, and hospitalizations are down 8% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Ohio, Connecticut, Indiana, Arizona, and Pennsylvania. 

There are now over 29 million active cases in the United States, at 29,069,889.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Alaska 69%. Wyoming 66%. Idaho 55%. Montana 52%. And Arkansas 39%. 

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Whitman, WA. Franklin, WA. Pontotoc, OK. Crawford, IL. Murray, OK. Randolph, IL. Hopkins, KY. Kings, CA. And Morgan, KY. 

There have been at least 886,668 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 79.4%, Rhode Island at 78.9%, and Maine at 77.5%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.4%, Wyoming at 49.8%, and Mississippi at 50%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 63.8%.

Globally, cases were up 12% and deaths up 30% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. 

There are now 73,158,005 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 274,266. India 164,271. Russia 124,070. Germany 119,696. And Brazil 102,616. 

There have been 5,672,129 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 31st, 2022.

It’s just one city, but it’s a big one. The number of new cases in New York has fallen by more than half in a week according to the Governor’s office. The statewide positivity rate dropped to 5.73% Friday. Hospitalizations dropped from over 10,000 a week ago to 7,675 Friday.

Russia's in the news a lot these days, but not for COVID. Regardless, their daily count of new infections surged to more than 121,000 yesterday. That’s an eightfold increase from the beginning of the month. The number of new infections over the past 24 hours was at an all-time high. And Russia’s total fatality count is by far the largest in Europe.

A statement out of the Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization has modified its stand that bans on international travel are effective. Now they don’t think they provide any added value and only contribute to countries’ economic and social stress. It recommends not requiring proof of vaccination for international travel, if for no other reason due to the inequitable distribution of vaccines. 

The CDC, however, continues to be blind to the failure of travel bans and released yet more countries they warn Americans not to travel to. The list includes such popular destinations as Jamaica, St. Barts, St. Martin, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Fiji, Peru, and the UAE. The US has far more new cases per capita than many of these countries, which challenges the logic of the guidance, yet it is consistent with a hyperfocus on shutting down the travel and hospitality industry. 

Time for the “just don’t do this” story of the week. Owners of a Washington state bar held a “catch the virus” promotion. Employees quit, bands cancelled, and bar then tried to say it was all just a bad joke. Regardless, there were threats to burn down the pirate-themed bar, oddly in keeping with the theme, so one employee was held responsible and has been fired. 

In the United States, cases were down 33%, deaths are up 29%, and hospitalizations are down 5% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Ohio, Arizona, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. 

There are 28,732,901 active cases in the United States.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Alaska 76%. Wyoming 74%. Montana 67%. Idaho 55%. And Arkansas 44%. 

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Whitman, WA. Franklin, WA. Pontotoc, OK. Santa Cruz, AZ. Crawford, IL. Murray, OK. Randolph, IL. Hopkins, KY. And Kings, CA.

There have been at least 884,260 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 79.3%, Rhode Island at 78.9%, and Maine at 77.5%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.4%, Wyoming at 49.8%, and Mississippi at 50%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 63.6%.

Globally, cases were up 13% and deaths up 29% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. 

There are now over 73 million active cases around the world, at 73,081,557.

The five countries with the most new cases: France 249,448. India 173,162. Russia 121,228. Germany 109,029. And Italy 104,065. 

There have been 5,662,721 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 28th, 2022.

The European Medicines Agency has recommended Pfizer's coronavirus antiviral drug be authorized for use in the European Union. That’s the first time the agency’s recommended a pill for COVID. They said approving Paxlovid could help the infected avoid more serious disease and hospitalization. The drug’s been cleared in the U.S. and Britain, but the problem is supplies are extremely limited.

School districts continue to struggle with what the proper policies should be. Orange County Public Schools in Florida have made it clear to parents who worry about their child being exposed to COVID and want to keep them home, that it will no longer allow excused absences for COVID concerns. The district said managing assignments for large numbers of absent students is a strain on the teachers. 

It’s brought up a question of medical ethics. A Boston hospital is defending itself after a man's family says he was denied a new, much needed heart for not getting vaccinated. The 31-year-old father of two has atrial fibrillation, which has also been cited as a vaccine side effect, thus his concern. There are more than 100,000 candidates on waitlists for organ transplants and about half on waiting lists won’t get an organ within five years.

Did you get your free at home rapid tests yet? If you did, here’s some tips to make sure they’re accurate. You can’t expose them to extreme hot or cold temperatures. You have to read and follow the instructions, because they were developed for use in medical settings by trained personnel. And you have to read the results at just the right time. Waiting too soon could give you a false-negative. Waiting too late could give you a false-positive. And lastly, don’t believe them. If you tested negative but you’re feeling sicker than you ever have, seek medical attention.  

Does the public think the pandemic is over? An Associated Press poll shows only 15% will consider it over only when COVID is largely eliminated. 83% think it’s over when it’s mostly a mild illness. 59% think it’s essential they personally be vaccinated to safely participate in public activities. But only 37% of parents think it’s essential their kids are vaccinated before they return to normal. And only 47% of Americans think it’s essential they get a booster.

In the United States, cases were down 21%, deaths are up 34%, and hospitalizations are up 5% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Ohio, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Illinois. 

There are now over 28 million active cases in the United States, at 28,178,981.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Montana 97%. Wyoming 90%. Alaska 70%. Alabama 62%. And Oregon 54%. 

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Whitman, WA. Franklin, WA. Pontotoc, OK. Crawford, IL. Maverick, TX. Wyoming, WV. Colbert, AL. Lanier, GA. And Uvalde, TX. 

There have been at least 878,421 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 79.2%, Rhode Island at 78.6%, and Maine at 77.4%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.3%, Wyoming at 49.7%, and Mississippi at 49.9%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 63.5%.

Globally, cases were up 16% and deaths up 25% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. 

There are now over 71 million active cases around the world, at 71,437,312.

The five countries with the most new cases: The...

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 27th, 2022.

The World Health Organization said there were 21 million new cases last week and that’s the highest weekly number of the entire pandemic. However, despite that, the number of deaths was mostly unchanged. It also said the rate of increase appears to be slowing, with only half of regions reporting an increase. The biggest increase was seen in the Middle East. 

The restrictions have begun to fall away. Starting today in England, face coverings are no longer required anywhere in the country and a legal requirement for COVID passes to get into public venues has been scrapped. Austria will end its lockdown for unvaccinated residents Monday, one day before its vaccine mandate takes effect. And Denmark will no longer categorize COVID as a "socially critical disease" starting February 1.

Yesterday we told you about Pfizer and BioNTech starting a clinical trial to evaluate a new vaccine specific to Omicron. Today it’s Moderna. Their study will enroll about 600 people who will get a dose of the experimental Omicron-matched version.

Omicron doesn’t seem to care if you’ve had a case of COVID before or not. A new study out of England has found around two thirds of Omicron cases have been reinfections. It was thought a prior infection might offer some protection, but it looks like that’s not the case with Omicron. U.K. health officials estimate the risk of reinfection with Omicron is 5.4x greater than it is with Delta.

Americans know what they’re supposed to do, they just don’t do it. A new Harris poll shows more Americans do believe N95 and KN95 masks are more effective against COVID than surgical or cloth masks. But they aren’t wearing them. The White House is rolling out 400 million free N95 masks, hoping to change that. Only 29% wear the higher-grade masks.

In the United States, cases were down 14%, deaths are up 35%, and hospitalizations are up 9% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Ohio, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. 

There are 27,856,405 active cases in the United States.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Montana 101%. Alaska 88%. Wyoming 85%. Alabama 68%. And Idaho 57%. 

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Uvalde, TX. Nome Census Area, AK. Crawford, IL. Maverick, TX. Douglas, IL. Wyoming, WV. Colbert (KAHL-bert), AL. Santa Cruz, AZ. Newberry, SC. And Dimmit, TX. 

There have been at least 876,060 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 79.2%, Rhode Island at 78.5%, and Maine at 77.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.2%, Wyoming at 49.6%, and Mississippi at 49.9%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 63.5%.

Globally, cases were up 30% and deaths up 27% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since January 17. 

There are now over 69 million active cases around the world, at 69,915,639.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 533,313. France 428,008. India 284,469. Brazil 219,878. And Germany 188,759. 

There have been 5,625,803 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 26th, 2022.

The U.S. administration has thrown in the towel, withdrawing its rule requiring workers at big companies get vaccinated or face regular testing. The rule would have impacted more than 80 million U.S. workers and was to go into effect January 4. The Supreme Court halted the plan saying the Occupational Safety and Health Administration overstepped its authority.

The battle over facemasks in schools rages on in New York. An appeals judge restored the mask mandate one day after a judge in a lower court ruled the state lacked the constitutional authority to order people to wear face coverings. The governor's office is appealing the decision.

Pfizer and BioNTech have started a clinical trial to evaluate a new vaccine specific to Omicron. Current vaccines protect against serious illness and death, but Omicron has had no problem breaking through the vaccines to spread itself. The study will include as many as 1,420 participants.

Whether or not they work or add extra protection, most health officials say they do, America isn’t so hot on getting booster shots. The CDC says only 40% of fully vaccinated Americans have gotten a booster. And the average number of booster shots given per day has plunged from 1 million in early December to about 490,000 as of last week. Some analysts blame confusion amongst a sea of changing recommendations and guidance.

If you watch the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games from your couch, you’ll be as close to the action as the sports commentators you’re listening to. NBC Sports isn’t sending any of its announcing teams to China. They’ll be calling the action from Stamford, CT. 

In the United States, cases were down 14%, deaths are up 35%, and hospitalizations are up 9% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Ohio, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. 

There are 27,434,325 active cases in the United States.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Montana 98%. Alaska 90%. Wyoming 87%. Alabama 67%. And Arkansas and Oregon 56%. 

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Uvalde, TX. Nome Census Area, AK. Crawford, IL. Maverick, TX. Douglas, IL. Wyoming, WV. Colbert, AL. Santa Cruz, AZ. Newberry, SC. And Dimmit, TX. 

There have been at least 871,937 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 79.1%, Rhode Island at 78.4%, and Maine at 77.2%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.2%, Wyoming at 49.6%, and Mississippi at 49.8%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 63.4%.

Globally, cases were up 26% and deaths up 24% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since January 17. 

There are now over 68 million active cases around the world, at 68,965,937.

The five countries with the most new cases: France 501,635. The United States 443,072. India 283,540. Brazil 199,126. And Italy 186,740. 

There have been 5,614,043 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 25th, 2022.

The head of the World Health Organization says it’s a mistake to think Omicron is the last variant that will emerge. And as sorta proof, a sub-lineage of Omicron, BA.2, is under formal investigation by the UK Health Security Agency. 426 cases in the UK so far, and it’s been spotted in the United States. It’s called “stealth Omicron” because it can’t be distinguished from other variants using PCR tests. So far, they feel current vaccinations work well against it. 

If you’re wondering how often you need to clean the house, and yourself, Japanese scientists have found Omicron can survive longer than earlier strains on plastic surfaces and human skin. They say Omicron has a high "environmental stability" and that’s what has helped it replace Delta as the dominant variant. It lasts about eight days on plastic, and 21.1 hours on skin.

The FDA is revoking emergency use status for COVID antibody drugs from Regeneron and Eli Lilly. The agency says the two don't work against Omicron. The drugs were bought by the federal government and have been administered to millions of Americans. Alternate therapies from Pfizer, Merck, and GlaxoSmithKline are still okay but are in short supply.

We will continue using the term here in our report, but the CDC is trying to pivot the language from being “fully vaccinated” to being “up to date” with vaccination against COVID. Being up to date means you’ve gotten all the recommended shots at the intervals recommended. Which would make you fully vaccinated. But if it’s time to have a booster and you haven’t gotten it, you are not up to date, with no apparent repercussions for that yet.  

The damage done by COVID goes well beyond matters of health, both physical and mental. High school graduation rates dipped in at least 20 states after the first full school year that was disrupted by the pandemic. That would end nearly two decades of nationwide progress toward getting more students graduated. Some states loosened standards, but the rate dropped anyway.

In the United States, cases were up 2%, deaths are up 39%, and hospitalizations are up 18% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Ohio, Alaska, New York, Connecticut, and Tennessee. 

There are now over 27 million active cases in the United States, at 27,238,138.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Alaska and Montana 93%. Wyoming 83%. Alabama 81%. And the U.S. Virgin Islands 79%. 

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Waukesha, WI. Dane, WI. Uvalde, TX. Nome Census Area, AK. Maverick, TX. Santa Cruz, AZ. Dimmit, TX. Randolph, IL. Kodiak Island Borough, AK. And Wyoming, WV. 

There have been at least 868,494 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 79.1%, Rhode Island at 78.4%, and Maine at 77.2%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.2%, Wyoming at 49.6%, and Mississippi at 49.8%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 63.4%.

Globally, cases were up 34% and deaths up 23% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since January 17. 

There are now over 67 million active cases around the world, at 67,479,089.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 465,154. India 255,874. France 108,481. Spain 101,810. And Germany 90,962. 

There have been 5,603,837 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 24th, 2022.

So with things winding down for the moment, just how many more boosters are we going to need? The CEO of Pfizer says a once a year shot should eventually do the trick, and that would, for any number of reasons, be preferable to a booster shot needed every four months. He said Pfizer could be ready to file for approval of a redesigned vaccine to fight Omicron, and mass produce it, as soon as March.

But in Israel, they’re a fan of boosters. Their Health Ministry said a fourth dose given to people over 60 made them 3x more resistant to serious illness than triple-vaccinated people in the same age group. In fact, Israel’s green pass is no longer considered a viable indicator of protection because it only shows three shots. 

Students in the Los Angeles Unified School District were already required to stay masked throughout the school day but now many parents are being told, “your kid’s mask isn’t good enough.” Students are now prohibited from wearing cloth masks. They must wear "well-fitting, non-cloth masks with a nose wire" both indoors and outdoors. 

You’ve heard people say it. “Everybody’s just gonna have to get it.” Well, if that’s true, how close are we to every American having had COVID? Turns out not even a little bit close. Only one in five have been infected since the pandemic began. That number is likely much higher because of bad data and unreported cases, but it’d still be a long way from “everybody got it.”

You’re probably going to love me after I tell you this. New research shows red wine could help make you more resistant to Covid. Apparently, those who drink more than five glasses a week had a 17% lower risk. White wine drinkers who have one to four glasses a week had an 8% lower risk. Sorry beer drinkers, you have an almost 28% higher chance of getting Covid, no matter how much you drink.

In the United States, cases were up 2%, deaths are up 39%, and hospitalizations are up 19% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Ohio, Alaska, New York, Connecticut, and Tennessee. 

There are now over 26 million active cases in the United States, at 26,671,065.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Montana 91%. Alaska 86%. Wyoming 82%. Alabama 81%. And the U.S. Virgin Islands 78%. 

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Waukesha, WI. Dane, WI. Uvalde, TX. Nome Census Area, AK. Maverick, TX. Santa Cruz, AZ. Dimmit, TX. Randolph, IL. Kodiak Island Borough, AK. And Wyoming, WV. 

There have been at least 866,540 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 79%, Rhode Island at 78.3%, and Maine at 77.2%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49%, Wyoming at 49.6%, and Mississippi at 49.8%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 63.2%.

Globally, cases were up 32% and deaths up 21% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since January 17. 

There are now over 66 million active cases around the world, at 66,958,038.

The five countries with the most new cases: India 306,064. France 301,614. The United States 197,374. Italy 138,860. And Brazil 84,230. 

There have been 5,595,967 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 21st, 2022.

Spain is planning a different approach to future surges of infection. It won’t be treated as an emergency, it’ll be seen as an illness that’s here to stay. Portugal and Britain are taking similar steps. “Learning to live with the vaccine” used to be a philosophy attacked as anti-science and irresponsible government, but the tune is changing. The World Health Organization actually has no criteria for declaring COVID an endemic disease.

Here’s another thing that used to be attacked with regularity that now people are seeing differently, the idea of immunity of natural infection. California and New York health officials say those who were infected were better protected against the Delta variant than those who were vaccinated alone. The results do not apply to Omicron and the advice is still to get fully vaccinated. 

After two months, attempts in the U.S. to get children age 5-11 vaccinated hasn’t been going well. The number of first doses remains far below its early peak. There was a slight uptick in December, but then the number dropped again. Only 18.8% of kids in that age group are fully vaccinated.

With hospitals packed and stressed, when should you go there and when should you not add to the problem? Health experts say if you just have a cough, sore throat, fever, muscle aches — and you can keep fluids down and breathe okay, stay home, and treat it as you would a bad cold. If you’re short of breath during exertion, have severe chest pain or swelling of a limb, head to the ER. They add it’s very handy to have a fingertip pulse oximeter at home so you can check your blood oxygen levels.

The virus is horrible, but we continue to be our own worst enemy. An American Airlines flight took off from Miami, headed for London. But a woman in her 40’s refused to wear a mask as required. The airline wasn’t kidding about that rule, so it turned around and was back on the ground in Miami 90 minutes later. 128 other passengers paid the price for the woman’s behavior, and now she’s on the airline’s no-fly list. 

In the United States, cases were up 29%, deaths are up 48%, and hospitalizations are up 42% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Alaska, Michigan, Tennessee, New York, and Maryland. 

There are now 25,613,160 active cases in the United States.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Alabama 114%. Puerto Rico 111%. California 101%. The U.S. Virgin Islands 100%. And Mississippi 94%.  

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: West Feliciana, LA. Waukesha, WI. Uvalde, TX. Newberry, SC. Dane, WI. Teton, WY. Douglas, IL. Brown, WI. Tom Green, TX. And Kodiak Island Borough, AK.

There have been at least 860,146 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 78.9%, Rhode Island at 78.1%, and Maine at 77%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 48.5%, Alabama at 48.9%, and Mississippi at 49.6%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 63.1%.

Globally, cases were up 55% and deaths up 20% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending flat since January 17. 

There are now over 61 million active cases around the world, at 61,143,321.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 692,320. France 425,183. India 344,859. Italy 188,797. And Brazil 168,060. 

There have been 5,573,134 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 20th, 2022.

Now you’ll start to hear stories about the quest to return to normalcy. In the U.K., masks will no longer be mandatory in public places and COVID passports won’t be required for large events. Why? They’re seeing infections level off. Scientists there believe the Omicron surge “has now peaked nationally.” The Prime Minister also said hospital admissions and patients in ICU are stabilizing or falling.

Starbucks is no longer requiring its U.S. workers to be vaccinated. That reverses a plan it announced just earlier this month. They said they’re doing it because of the Supreme Court ruling rejecting the White House’s plan to require vaccines or regular COVID testing at companies with more than 100 workers. General Electric also suspended its vaccine mandate last week.

New York City's surge of cases looks like it’s falling as fast as it rose. After new cases increased 26-fold in one month, they’ve now fallen 57% over the last week according to ABC News. Hospitalizations are declining, and the number of wastewater samples that spotted the virus have also plunged.

More evidence that booster shots probably don’t do much in the way of stopping transmission. A study of breakthrough Omicron cases in South Africa, where the variant emerged early on, demonstrated Omicron’s ability to evade immunity generated by even the most powerful vaccine boosters. Researchers still say the vaccines protect against severe illness, but that it might not be a good idea to rely on vaccines alone in the pandemic fight.  

Amidst all this good news, the CDC remains at virtual war with the travel and hospitality industry anyway. Tuesday, they advised against travel to 22 more nations and territories, including Israel, Australia, Egypt, Argentina, the Bahamas, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos, and Saint Lucia. In fact, there are now over 100 countries and territories total on their “Level 4” don’t-go-there list. 

In the United States, cases were up 38%, deaths are up 43%, and hospitalizations are up 47% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Tennessee, Maryland, Michigan, New York, and Indiana. 

There are now over 25 million active cases in the United States, at 25,035,097.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Puerto Rico 126%. Alabama 121%. California 110%. The U.S. Virgin Islands 103%. And Louisiana 102%.  

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: West Feliciana, LA. Waukesha, WI. Newberry, SC. Dane, WI. Tom Green, TX. Teton, WY. Uvalde, TX. Milwaukee, WI. Kodiak Island Borough, AK. And Covington, MS.

There have been at least 857,674 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 78.6%, Rhode Island at 77.9%, and Maine at 76.8%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 48.2%, Alabama at 48.4%, and Mississippi at 49.1%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 63%.

Globally, cases were up 66% and deaths up 19% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 16. 

There are now over 60 million active cases around the world, at 60,920,589.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 710,928. France 436,167. India 315,158. Brazil 205,310. And Italy 192,320.  

There have been 5,563,818 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 19th, 2022.

The U.S. quietly launched its website for Americans to request free at-home COVID tests a day early. It’s COVIDTests.gov and the order form is run by the U.S. Postal Service. You can get four at-home tests per residential address. The White House said, “tests will typically ship within 7- 12 days of ordering” and they are anticipating a “bug or two.”

The World Health Organization’s chief scientist says there is no evidence that healthy children and adolescents need booster doses of COVID vaccine. But that train has already left the station in many countries. Israel is boosting kids as young as 12, and the U.S. FDA has authorized third doses of Pfizer for kids 12 to 15. Last week Germany became the latest country to recommend that all children 12 to 17 get a booster. Hungary has done the same. 

If you felt awful after getting vaccinated, a new analysis says you may have been faking it. The study has concluded up to three-fourths of adverse events can be attributed to the opposite of the placebo effect. With placebos, people think they feel better even if they were given a sugar pill instead of a real drug. But this time, people who took a placebo thinking it was the real vaccine reported feeling negative side effects from it. 

Should you try to catch Omicron to get it over with? The director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia gives us five reasons not to. 1, It's not a bad cold. It's still a potentially life-threatening disease. 2, You could get long Covid. 3, You could stress the healthcare system. 4, the kid population is still fairly vulnerable, and you could infect them. And 5) It’s stupid to catch a disease on purpose. And yes, he says, so were chicken pox parties in the old days. 

Chinese-ruled Hong Kong ordered the killing of 2,000 hamsters yesterday after 11 of them tested positive. There is no evidence domestic animals can infect humans. People who bought hamsters after Dec. 22 are being ordered to hand over their pet for culling.

In the United States, taking into account many states did not report statistics Monday, cases were up 62%, deaths are up 54%, and hospitalizations are up 54% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are New Mexico, Maryland, Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. 

There are now over 24 million active cases in the United States, at 24,488,337.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Puerto Rico 143%. Alabama 134%. The U.S. Virgin Islands 130%. And Louisiana and California 120%.  

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: West Feliciana, LA. Waukesha, WI. Teton, WY. Dane, WI. Covington, MS. Tom Green, TX. Greensville, VA. Milwaukee, WI. Kodiak Island Borough, AK. And Yazoo, MS.

There have been at least 853,951 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 78.5%, Rhode Island at 77.8%, and Maine at 76.8%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 48.2%, Alabama at 48.4%, and Mississippi at 49.1%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 62.8%.

Globally, cases were up 81% and deaths up 18% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 16. 

There are now over 58 million active cases around the world, at 58,938,768.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 546,714. France 464,769. India 277,740. Italy 228,179. And Brazil 132,254. 

There have been 5,553,993 deaths reported as...

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 18th, 2022.

Brace yourself, here’s a story about how more vaccine shots may not always be the answer. An Israeli hospital’s preliminary research suggests a fourth dose of vaccine adds only limited defense against Omicron. That makes things a little tricky politically because Israel just started giving people over age 60 fourth shots.

The US Surgeon General says don’t get too enamored of the good news you’ve been hearing. He says the Omicron wave started later in some parts of the country, so we shouldn't be looking for a peak in those places, and the next few weeks will be tough. He says the problem is we’re running out of healthcare workforce and the crush of COVID patients is still expected to get substantially higher.

Even where there are still doctors on the job, the stress on the system means those doctors are starting to get worn out and make mistakes. That’s what’s happening in England. A survey shows 25% of doctors in the NHS are so tired that their ability to treat patients has become impaired. In at least seven cases, patients were actually harmed.

Brace yourself again, an honest admission from a government bureaucrat. The Director of the CDC told the Wall Street Journal the messaging and communication around the pandemic should have been clearer. She said, "I think what I have not conveyed is the uncertainty in a lot of these situations."

Going to the Winter Olympics in Beijing? No you’re not. Tickets won’t be sold to the general public in response to the pandemic. However, if you’re a friend of Communist Chinese authorities, you might still have tickets distributed to you. But even then, you have to be a resident of China's mainland and in compliance with COVID countermeasures.

In the United States, cases were up 98%, deaths are up 57%, and hospitalizations are up 61% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Indiana, New Mexico, Michigan, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

There are 23,591,203 active cases in the United States.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Puerto Rico 159%. The U.S. Virgin Islands 151%. Alabama 144%. Louisiana 141%. And Florida 129%.  

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: West Feliciana, LA. Pitkin, CO. Teton, WY. Greensville, VA. Covington, MS. Tom Green, TX. Uvalde, TX. Kodiak Island Borough, AK. Rolette, ND. And Yazoo, MS.

There have been at least 851,449 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 78.5%, Rhode Island at 77.8%, and Maine at 76.8%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 48.2%, Alabama at 48.4%, and Mississippi at 49.1%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 62.8%.

Globally, cases were up 102% and deaths up 17% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are now over 56 million active cases around the world, at 56,773,810.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 389,553. India 222,579. Spain 110,489. Argentina 102,458. And France 102,144.

There have been 5,544,691 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 17th, 2022.

The US Department of Health and Human Services extended the Covid public health emergency for another 90 days. This will allow many public health protections and financial aid programs to keep going at least another three months. And states have been promised 60 days’ notice prior to any expiration of the emergency status in the future. This is the eighth extension.

France approved a law 215-58 that will ban unvaccinated citizens from all restaurants, sports arenas and other venues, essentially making them persona non grata. And that’s 9% of all French adults being reduced to second class status. Previously, the unvaccinated could get into establishments by showing a recent negative test, but no longer. There will also be increased penalties for fake passes.

The White House plans to buy and give out 1 billion rapid tests. But did they check with manufacturers and distributors to see if that’s even possible? They say it is, and the manufacturers say they can do it, but tests have been hard for the public to find. Research from Health Catalysts Group says the US has an estimated capacity of only 260 million tests this month, which is why critics say adding 1 billion more to demand will only crush the pipeline.

Speaking of hard-to-find tests, what do you do if your job requires that you get tested on a regular basis in order to show up, do your job and get paid? But you can’t find any? No one seems to have an answer for them, and the problem is hitting essential workers who can’t work from home – often people of color – particularly hard. The result is lost wages even though the worker may not even have COVID.

Has the Army found a super-vaccine? There’s talk they’ve developed a universal COVID vaccine that could successfully combat all variants. They’ve been working on it at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research for a year. In December, the Army announced its pan-coronavirus vaccine had completed Phase 1 of human trials with positive results. As opposed to mRNA vaccines, this one does use part of the actual COVID virus, but a harmless part. It also has less restrictive storage and handling requirements than current vaccines. 

In the United States, cases were up 98% down from 159% Friday, deaths are up 57%, and hospitalizations are up 61% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since December 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Indiana, New Mexico, Michigan, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. 

There are now over 23 million active cases in the United States, at 23,031,325.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Puerto Rico 157%. The U.S. Virgin Islands 153%. Louisiana 142%. Alabama 140%. And Florida 131%.  

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: West Feliciana, LA. Pitkin, CO. Teton, WY. Greensville, VA. Covington, MS. Tom Green, TX. Uvalde, TX. Kodiak Island Borough, AK. Rolette, ND. And Yazoo, MS.

There have been at least 850,605 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 78.5%, Rhode Island at 77.8%, and Maine at 76.8%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 48.2%, Alabama at 48.4%, and Mississippi at 49.1%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 62.8%.

Globally, cases were up 98% and deaths up 16% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15. 

There are now over 55 million active cases around the world, at 55,784,748.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 287,973. France 278,129. India 257,063. Italy...

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 14th, 2022.

The highest court in the land has ruled against the White House’s requirement that large businesses require employees to get a vaccine or test regularly and wear a mask on the job. And enforce all that. The good news for the White House is the court is allowing it to proceed with vaccine mandates for most healthcare workers. 

Looks like supply chain problems also apply to COVID drugs. Two brand-new pills anticipated to be an effective tool against the pandemic are in short supply. As such, they aren’t playing much of a role during this Omicron surge. Production is still being ramped up and the pills take five to eight months to manufacture. Doctors say they’re needed now, because two antibody drugs that were once the go-to treatments don’t work as well against Omicron.

The U.S. President announced the government will double to 1 billion the rapid, at-home COVID-19 tests to be distributed courtesy of taxpayers, often called “free,” along with “high-quality masks.” Also, starting next week, 1,000 military medical personnel will deploy across the country to help overwhelmed medical facilities ease staff shortages.

Speaking of the military, it’s getting smaller. The Army just relieved six active-duty commanders, including two battalion commanders, and issued 2,994 general officer written reprimands to soldiers for refusing to take the vaccine. They’re waiting on guidance now on kicking them out of the service. The Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines have so far granted zero religious exemptions. 

Like it or not, a national digital vaccine card is happening in America. The SMART Health Card is voluntary, for now, and has your information in a QR code. More states and companies have signed on and the card is widely available from more than 400 sources. The next step is getting more public places like venues, bars, restaurants, theaters, amusement parks, etc. to require the card so it soon becomes not that voluntary. 

In the United States, cases were up 159%, deaths are up 51%, and hospitalizations are up 82% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since December 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Indiana, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Maryland. 

There are now over 21 million active cases in the United States, at 21,455,773.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: The U.S. Virgin Islands 467%. Puerto Rico 293%, Louisiana 276%. Florida 241%. And Alabama 186%.  

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Teton, WY. Miami-Dade, FL. Greensville, VA. Pitkin, CO. Summit, UT. Tom Green, TX. Providence, RI. Rolette, ND. New York City, NY. And Logan, IL.

There have been at least 846,459 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 78.3%, Rhode Island at 77.5%, and Maine at 76.5%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 48%, Alabama at 48.2%, and Mississippi at 48.8%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 62.7%.

Globally, cases were up 132% and deaths up 10% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15. 

There are now over 51 million active cases around the world, at 51,329,047.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 806,493. France 305,322. India 253,496. Italy 184,615. And Spain 159,161. 

There have been 5,520,282 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 13th, 2022.

A report says around 458 local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement officers died in the line of duty in 2021, an increase of 55% and the most since 1930. 301 of those were Covid-related, making that the leading cause of death. That was also true in 2020 when at least 182 officers died of the virus.

You’ll notice that even as the vaccines open up to new, younger groups of people, the vaccination numbers in our daily report don’t seem to move very much. Authorities are starting to worry about alarmingly low vaccination rates in U.S. kids 5 to 11. As of Tuesday, just over 17% were fully vaccinated, more than two months after shots became available to that age group. 

More good news coming out of wastewater. This time it’s Boston’s. COVID samples from that city’s wastewater are trending sharply downward, suggesting the region is past the peak of the Omicron wave. The average number of coronavirus RNA copies per milliliter has dropped by over 40% in recent days. However, levels are still higher than levels found during previous surges.

Remember the Delta variant? You should because it’s still very much around and doing the damage it’s always done. The Director of the CDC said most reported Covid deaths in the U.S. are still from Delta, not Omicron. Officials are monitoring deaths over the next several weeks to measure the impact of Omicron on mortality.

People in the public eye are still learning that others are watching what they do throughout this pandemic. The U.K. Prime Minister apologized after admitting he attended a “bring your own booze” Downing Street garden party in May of 2020. He said he thought it was a work event at the time. Office employees were invited “to make the most of the lovely weather and have some socially distanced drinks in the garden” at a time when large outdoor gatherings were banned.

In the United States, cases were up 159%, deaths are up 51%, and hospitalizations are up 79% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since December 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Indiana, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Maryland. 

There are now over 20 million active cases in the United States, at 20,672,722.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: The U.S. Virgin Islands 466%. Puerto Rico 286%, Louisiana 268%. Florida 235%. And Alabama 177%.  

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Teton, WY. Miami-Dade, FL. Greensville, VA. Pitkin, CO. Summit, UT. Tom Green, TX. Providence, RI. Rolette, ND. New York City, NY. And Logan, IL.

There have been at least 843,624 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 78.3%, Rhode Island at 77.3%, and Maine at 76.5%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 48%, Alabama at 48.1%, and Mississippi at 48.8%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 62.6%.

Globally, cases were up 145% and deaths up 2% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15. 

There are now over 49 million active cases around the world, at 49,193,972.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 814,494. France 361,719. India 241,976. Italy 196,224. And Spain 179,125. 

There have been 5,510,327 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 12th, 2022.

Reinforcing just how lucky we are that Omicron is mostly mild, the World Health Organization says the variant is on track to infect more than half of all Europeans. The organization added they don’t think it should be viewed as a flu-like endemic illness yet either. The acting head of the FDA said most Americans will get COVID.

Quebec is going to start charging adults who won’t get vaccinated a financial penalty. That’s the first time a government in Canada has taken this step. The amount of the penalty hasn’t been decided yet, but it’s said it will be “significant.” They aren’t calling it a fine, they’re calling it a “health contribution.”

There might be something to that ventilation argument to fight COVID. Some researchers in the U.K. found the airborne infectivity rate goes down fairly quickly after being released into the air. 50 to 60% within seconds, and after 10 minutes, only 10% of the virus remained infectious. They say as the viral particles leave our wet, carbon dioxide-rich lungs, they dry out, and the loss of carbon dioxide increases the pH dropping infectivity. 

And a new study by Japanese researchers shows peak viral loads in people infected with Omicron, and thus the peak of contagiousness, happens 3 to 6 days after the onset of symptoms. This adds fuel to the criticism fire against the CDC’s revised recommendation that self-isolation time should be 5 days, not 10. In the testing, viral levels were still fairly high in almost all patients between 7 and 9 days.

The TSA is reporting 3,694 employees with active Covid infections. That’s about 7% of total screeners. The week before Omicron was first identified in the US, there were 275 cases. The surge in cases at the agency is a 1,243% increase since Thanksgiving. Over 96% of TSA employees are currently fully vaccinated. 

In the United States, cases were up 204%, deaths are up 36%, and hospitalizations are up 83% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since December 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Indiana, Delaware, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania.

There are now over 19 million active cases in the United States, at 19,885,128.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: The U.S. Virgin Islands 836%. Puerto Rico 389%, Louisiana 341%. Florida 278%. And Washington, DC 195%.  

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Teton, WY. Miami-Dade, FL. Pitkin, CO. New York City, NY. Summit, UT. Passaic, NJ. Nantucket, MA. Cass, IL. Hampden, MA. And Nassau, NY. 

There have been at least 842,139 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 78.2%, Rhode Island at 77.3%, and Maine at 76.4%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 47.9%, Alabama at 48.1%, and Mississippi at 48.8%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 62.6%.

Globally, cases were up 177% and deaths up 3% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15. 

There are now over 46 million active cases around the world, at 46,919,390.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 672,872. France 368,149. Italy 220,532. India 185,112. And Spain 134,942. 

There have now been over five and a half million deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide, at 5,503,822. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 11th, 2022.

Free tests are coming for American citizens, perhaps just in time for you to not need them. Starting Saturday, private health insurers must cover up to eight home COVID tests per month for people on their plans. Everyone else can submit receipts for reimbursement. This depends on your ability to find COVID tests. Later this month, the government is launching a website to start making 500 million at-home tests available via mail. 

We all kinda figured out this was true, but it’s still a little shocking to hear the Director of the CDC admit it. She said for the first time on CNN the vaccines are no longer effective at preventing transmission of the virus. And not just Omicron, for Delta as well. She said the vaccines are doing very well however protecting against serious illness and death.

A new reason to bless people who sneeze. An Imperial College London Study found that high levels of T-cells from the common cold can protect against COVID. A reminder…the common cold is a coronavirus. The findings could lead to more effective vaccines. The study did not say how long protection from these T-cells lasts.

Hospitals around the U.S. are letting more and more nurses and other workers currently infected with the coronavirus stay on the job. That’s if they have only mild symptoms, or none. It’s a way to cope with staffing shortages. That doesn’t completely go against the CDC, which says asymptomatic health care workers can go back to work after seven days, but it can be sooner if there are staffing shortages. 

Is the Deltacron variant real or a myth like the Loch Ness Monster? Our apologies if you believe in Nessie. Health experts are leaning on the side of dismissing reports of a fusion of Delta and Omicron, saying it’s probably just an error during genetic sequencing, specifically, the "lab contamination of Omicron fragments in a Delta specimen."

In the United States, cases were up 216%, deaths are up 17%, and hospitalizations are up 83% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since December 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Delaware, Wyoming, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.

There are 18,945,427 active cases in the United States.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: The U.S. Virgin Islands 858%. Puerto Rico 429%, Louisiana 364%. Florida 300%. And Washington, DC 221%.  

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Miami-Dade, FL. Teton, WY. New York City, NY. Pitkin, CO. Nassau, NY. Passaic, NJ. Summit, UT. Essex, NJ. Florida, PR. And Rockland, N.Y. 

There have been at least 839,372 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 77.9%, Rhode Island at 77.3%, and Maine at 76.8%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 47.7%, Mississippi at 48%, and Alabama at 48.2%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 62.5%.

Globally, cases were up 222% and deaths down 1% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15. 

There are now over 44 million active cases around the world, at 44,476,625.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 565,042. France 296,097. India 180,438. Italy 155,659. And the U.K. 141,438. 

There have been at least 5,493,864 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 10th, 2022.

COVID cases might be beginning to slow down. Looking just at New York, for the first time since mid-December, hospitalizations decreased by almost 100 patients Saturday. The daily percentage of new positive cases declined slightly for the third day in a row. This mirrors the trajectory in South Africa, which was a large spike, followed by a steep decline. No steep decline yet in the U.S. but the numbers look promising. 

The director of the CDC clarified the number of COVID hospitalizations among children. Yes, they’re rising during this surge, but it’s still not nearly the levels seen for older Americans. She also said there are actually about 3,500 children with COVID being treated in hospitals, correcting misinformation from a Supreme Court justice that there are 100,000.

Omicron is mostly mild, but it is not risk-free. Israel is seeing its first case of heart inflammation linked to an Omicron infection. A 43-year-old man who was fully vaccinated and boosted was infected and is being treated for myocarditis in intensive care. Other variants have been known to cause it and in very rare cases, it’s shown up in young men after getting an mRNA vaccine.

In one of the most cooperative vaccine states, California, uptake of booster shots isn’t very impressive. In some counties it’s as low as 23%. The state average is 38% but some high population counties including Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Diego, and San Bernadino are all lagging well behind that number. 

If you’re having trouble finding a COVID test, try China. It began mass testing of all, that’s right all, 14 million residents of the city of Tianjin. This after 20 people tested positive. The city is near Beijing where the Winter Olympics start February 4. Testing will get done in just two days. 

In the United States, cases were up 215%, deaths are up 16%, and hospitalizations are up 80% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since December 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Delaware, Wyoming, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.

There are now over 18 million active cases in the United States, at 18,146,166.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: The U.S. Virgin Islands 785%. Puerto Rico 399%, Louisiana 364%. Florida 292%. And Washington, DC 216%.  

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Miami-Dade, FL. Teton, WY. New York City, NY. Pitkin, CO. Nassau, NY. Passaic, NJ. Summit, UT. Essex, NJ. Florida, PR. And Rockland, NY. 

There have been at least 837,594 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 77.8%, Rhode Island at 77.2%, and Maine at 76.7%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 47.6%, Mississippi at 48%, and Alabama at 48.2%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 62.4%.

Globally, cases were up 213% and deaths down 2% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15. 

There are now over 42 million active cases around the world, at 42,848,957.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 308,616. France 296,097. India 180,438. Italy 155,659. And the U.K. 141,472. 

There have been at least 5,488,375 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 7th, 2022.

As with previous variants, Omicron is sidelining people we really need. More than 800 Los Angeles city police and fire personnel have been sidelined, which is adding to 911 response times. There’s also the absent health care workers and teachers. One in six of San Francisco's 3,600 teachers were out Thursday. Administrators and substitutes are stepping in but there’s not enough teachers for every classroom.

Japan has asked U.S. military members stationed there to stay on their bases. It’s not clear if a base curfew will be issued. Some officials are blaming them for the alarming rise of cases in Okinawa and Iwakuni where Americans have a large presence.

Africa's top public health official said severe lockdowns aren’t the best way to contain COVID anymore. He praised South Africa for not locking down when responding to the Omicron outbreak, saying, “We’re very encouraged with what we saw in South Africa during this period where they look at the data in terms of severity of infections.” Less than 10% of Africa's population has been fully vaccinated.

Three popular tourist destinations are now requiring visitors not just have proof of full vaccination, but boosters as well. On Maui, you’ll need one to dine inside or work out at a gym. France has a booster requirement for all tourists 18 and up. And the Netherlands announced the only vaccine certificates they’ll accept are those that show a booster dose on it. 

And if you’re going to Hong Kong, you aren’t going to Disneyland most of this month. It’ll be closed from January 7 to the 20th. The park said the closure was "required by the government and health authorities in line with prevention efforts taking place across Hong Kong." This marks the fourth time the park has been closed during the pandemic.

In the United States, cases were up 247%, deaths are down 3%, and hospitalizations are up 58% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since December 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Ohio, Michigan, Arizona, and Maine.

There are now over 16 million active cases in the United States, at 16,619,075.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Puerto Rico 619%, the U.S. Virgin Islands 508%. Louisiana 345%. Florida 284%. And Washington, DC 263%.  

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Miami-Dade, FL. Pitkin, CO. Essex, NJ. New York City, NY. Nassau, NY. Teton, WY. Summit, CO. Passaic, NJ. Vega Baja, PR. And Union, NJ.

There have been at least 833,957 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 77.8%, Rhode Island at 76.9%, and Maine at 76.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 47.7%, Alabama at 47.9%, and Mississippi at 48.7%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 62.3%.

Globally, cases were up 157% and deaths down 14% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15. 

There are now over 37 million active cases around the world, at 37,811,837.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 751,512. France 261,481. Italy 219,441. The U.K. 179,756. And India 114,484. 

There have been at least 5,471,856 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 6th, 2022.

So what’s really going on at hospitals? We hear Omicron is mild yet hospitalizations are so high systems are breaking. Mostly, the pain is from staff shortages, a combination of self-imposed shortages due to vaccine mandates and staff home sick with Omicron. ERs are getting crushed with people trying to just get tested for COVID. And two-thirds of patients in some places, test positive while in the hospital for something else. Hospitals are saying COVID patients aren’t as sick as in previous surges, ICUs aren’t as full, and ventilators aren’t needed as much.

In Chicago it’s a win for teachers and additional losses for students and their parents. Classes were cancelled for a second day after failure to satisfy the teacher’s union around safety protocols. The union wants remote learning, but Chicago’s public school leaders say that didn’t work and schools can safely stay open with protocols in place.

It certainly won’t help boost booster getting, but U.S. health officials said they are not changing the definition of “fully vaccinated” to include boosters. They’re just urging Americans to stay “up to date” on their protection by getting booster shots. That means federal vaccination mandates for travel or employment won't require a booster.

The number of Omicron breakthrough infections no longer supports the notion this is a pandemic of the unvaccinated, but France’s President went on the attack anyway. Using French vulgarity, Emmanuel Macron said his strategy is to keep pressuring the unvaccinated. Lawmakers are currently debating whether or not to ban the unvaccinated from leisure activities like eating out.

And the Grammy goes to…we’ll have to wait til later to find out. The 64th annual industry self-celebration event is postponed due to Omicron. It was going to be January 31, now there’s no telling when it will happen. Also, the famed Sundance Film Festival is moving all its in-person events in Utah online.

In the United States, cases were up 254%, deaths are down 3%, and hospitalizations are up 51% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since December 14. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire.

There are 15,951,678 active cases in the United States.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Puerto Rico 613%, Louisiana 336%, the U.S. Virgin Islands 314%. Florida 264%. And Washington, DC 258%.  

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Pitkin, CO. Miami-Dade, FL. Essex, NJ. Summit, CO. New York City, NY. Nassau, NY. Vega Baja, PR. Putnam, NY. Teton, WY. And Passaic, NJ.

There have been at least 832,115 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 77.5%, Rhode Island at 76.8%, and Maine at 76.5%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 47.5%, Mississippi at 47.9%, and Alabama at 48%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 62.2%.

Globally, cases were up 156% and deaths down 11% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are now over 35 million active cases around the world, at 35,993,713.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 704,661. France 332,252. The U.K. 194,747. Italy 189,109. And Spain 137,180.

There have been at least 5,464,589 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 5th, 2022.

The U.S. added more than 1 million people to its case count Monday that encompasses a surge in infections over the holidays. It doesn’t really count as a single day record since much of the reporting was delayed and came in all at once. But on the other hand, many are testing at home and don’t report to authorities, which means the numbers are probably being underestimated if anything. The CDC says Omicron now makes up around 95.4% of new cases. 

Speaking of those at home tests, you may not be able to find any. But if you do, expect to pay more. Walmart, Kroger and Amazon had been selling them "at cost" as part of a deal with the White House. Now the kits will go up to $23.99 for a package of two. And most places still have limits on how many you can buy. 

Things are getting very rough for residents of the Chinese city of Xi'an who are under a strict zero tolerance coronavirus lockdown. Business owners are suffering and many of the 13 million residents have started having trouble finding food as they are largely confined to their homes. And now another city, Yuzhou, has been placed under a similar lockdown after three asymptomatic cases were discovered.

You have enough problems without your body attacking itself, but a new study of 177 health care workers indicates those who recover from even mild cases often have elevated autoantibody levels that can cause the body to mistakenly attack itself months later. Gender also appears to make a difference, with males carrying the risk of autoimmune activation after symptomatic COVID, and females carrying the risk after asymptomatic exposure.

Add this to the list of things that no, you can’t do that. A teacher in New York was arrested New Year's Eve for allegedly giving a vaccine injection at her house to a 17-year-old boy. And no, his mother did not give her permission. While the teacher was a science teacher, she was in no way authorized to administer vaccines.

In the United States, cases were up 254%, deaths are down 3%, and hospitalizations are up 43% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since December 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire.

There are now over 15 million active cases in the United States, at 15,288,098.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Puerto Rico 615%, the Virgin Islands 342%, Louisiana 315%, Washington, DC 243%, and Florida 225%.  

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Pitkin, CO. Miami-Dade, FL. Essex, NJ. Summit, CO. New York City, NY. Nassau, NY. Vega Baja, PR. Putnam, NY. Teton, WY. And Passaic, NJ.

There have been at least 830,068 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 77.5%, Rhode Island at 76.8%, and Maine at 76.4%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 47.4%, Mississippi at 47.9%, and Alabama at 48%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 61.9%.

Globally, cases were up 146% and deaths down 14% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15. 

There are now over 33 million active cases around the world, at 33,999,521.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 567,696. France 271,686. The U.K. 218,724. Italy 170,844. And Spain 117,775. 

There have been at least 5,456,350 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 4th, 2022.

Another Covid variant has reportedly been found in France. The mutant strain has 46 mutations. About 12 cases have been spotted near Marseille, with the first linked to travel to Cameroon. But there’s little sign it’s outcompeting the dominant Omicron variant, which now makes up more than 60% of cases in France, and the strain has not spread rapidly since its discovery December 10.

It's a little chaotic out there as schools and workplaces try to figure out what to do now that the holidays are over. For workplaces, the problem is so many people out sick with COVID they simply can’t open or get the work done. For schools it’s the now familiar debate between in person and remote learning. Some schools are doing neither because too many teachers and substitutes are sick. 

It’s booster time for kids as young as 12. The FDA approved Pfizer’s booster for that age whereas before, it was only available to those 16 and above. Now a CDC panel has to decide later this week whether or not to recommend the boosters but when has the CDC ever not recommended vaccine shots? Kids should be able to get the booster as early as five months after their last dose.

We can argue as to whether or not they’re essential personnel, but COVID has a lot of people in Congress sick as well. It’s been recommended they go to a “maximal telework posture.” The seven-day average rate of infection at the Capitol's testing center went from less than 1% to more than 13%. Breakthrough cases have not led to any deaths or hospitalizations among lawmakers or their staff.

If you think your Starbucks barista is more essential than Congress, the company’s U.S. workers must now be fully vaccinated by February 9 or face weekly testing, and hopefully they’ll get the names right on the tests. Starbucks’ 228,000 U.S. employees must disclose their vaccination status by January 10. 

In the United States, cases were up 238%, deaths are down 3%, and hospitalizations are up 41% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since December 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Arizona.

There are now over 14 million active cases in the United States, at 14,517,726.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Puerto Rico 617%, Louisiana 313%, Washington, DC 252%, the Virgin Islands 235%, and Florida 222%.  

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Miami-Dade, FL. Pitkin, CO. Summit, CO. Essex, NJ. New York City, NY. Nassau, NY. Vega Baja, PR. Baltimore, MD. Charles, MD. And Prince George’s MD.

There have been at least 827,726 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 77.4%, Rhode Island at 76.5%, and Maine at 75.8%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 47.5%, Alabama at 47.6%, and Mississippi at 48.1%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 61.9%.

Globally, cases were up 127% and deaths down 14% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15. 

There are now over 32 million active cases around the world, at 32,130,741.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 408,874. The U.K. 157,758. Spain 93,190. Italy 68,052. And France 67,461. 

There have been at least 5,448,758 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 3rd, 2022.

Top federal health officials in the U.S. are now looking to add a negative test along with its five-day isolation restrictions for Americans who test positive but have no symptoms. You keeping up with all this? The CDC is adding the test not because of science, but due to pushback on its new recommendations of last week that isolation be shortened from 10 days to five.

Does anyone want to be in charge anymore? The US President said recently he doesn’t believe there’s a federal answer to COVID and the states should handle it. Now the Governor of Colorado is saying there won’t be any state restrictions and local municipalities should handle it. The state has had a nearly 250% increase in infections over the last two weeks. 

It may not be the most pleasant way to measure COVID but unlike at home tests, it sure is readily available, and more reliable. Health departments are increasingly using sewage samples for some coronavirus data that helps them better prepare. And bonus, you can also measure things like obesity, opioids, even polio. Coronavirus levels in those sewage samples across the country are higher now than at any point in the pandemic. 

Well now we’re just making up words. It’s been confirmed you can catch COVID and the flu at the same time, and that’s being called “flurona.” A pregnant woman in Israel is believed to be the world's first case of flurona. Her symptoms are mild, but the message from health officials is…get COVID vaccines, get a COVID booster, and get the flu shot too. 

You know how to discredit conspiracy theories? Don’t do exactly what the conspiracy theory says is going to happen. A tech start-up has a microchip that’s to be implanted in people’s arms so they can be scanned for their vaccination status. The managing director says he hears the criticism, but the technology is here to stay, like it or not.

In the United States, cases were up 202%, deaths are down 4%, and hospitalizations are up 30% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since December 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Michigan, Tennessee, Ohio, New Hampshire, and Arizona.

There are now over 13 million active cases in the United States, at 13,751,707.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Puerto Rico 495%, Louisiana 249%, Washington, DC 236%, the Virgin Islands 194%, and Florida 182%.  

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Miami-Dade, FL. Summit, CO. Essex, NJ. New York City, NY. Pitkin, CO. Nassau, NY. San Juan, PR. Bayamon, PR. Baltimore, MD. And Carolina, PR.

There have been at least 826,060 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 77.4%, Rhode Island at 76.5%, and Maine at 75.8%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming unchanged at 47.5%, Alabama unchanged at 47.6%, and Mississippi unchanged at 48.1%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is unchanged at 61.9%.

Globally, cases were up 121% and deaths down 11% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15. 

There are now over 30 million active cases around the world, at 30,639,261.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 185,122. The U.K. 137,583. Italy 61,046. France 58,432. And Canada 35,127.

There have been at least 5,443,453 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for December 31st, 2021.

Lots of concern about the number of children being hospitalized with COVID, and most of them aren’t vaccinated. The CDC says during the week of Dec. 22-28, an average 378 children 17 and under were admitted daily with the coronavirus, a 66% increase from the prior week. While it’s not being reported whether these cases are Delta or Omicron, the kids do seem less sick than those who came in during the Delta surge. 

As expected, Israel has approved dose number four the vaccine for the most vulnerable, becoming one of the first countries to do so. The Health Ministry said it will watch the data to see if the fourth shot needs to be expanded out to even more people.

Germany is dropping the requirement that travelers from Britain quarantine and provide negative COVID tests January 4. And in South Africa, they’ve lifted a midnight to 4 a.m. curfew, saying they believe the country’s passed the peak of its Omicron-driven fourth wave of the virus. South Africa’s currently at the lowest of its five-stage COVID alert levels.

Good news for you Johnson & Johnson recipients, two reports have shown those who get booster doses of that vaccine are well protected against severe disease and hospitalization from Omicron. One study showed vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization at 85% post booster. The other showed the vaccine stimulates a strong immune response from T-cells, which protect you even if the virus isn’t completely blocked.

If you think you can avoid the coronavirus by isolating yourself, try this on for size. Two-thirds of researchers in a remote station in Antarctica caught it even though they were fully vaccinated, PCR tested before arriving, and miles from civilization. So good luck with that isolation thing. 

In the United States, cases were up 153%, deaths are down 7%, and hospitalizations are up 14% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since December 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Michigan, Tennessee, New Mexico, Arizona, and Pennsylvania.

There are 12,933,384 active cases in the United States.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Puerto Rico 335%, Washington DC 168%, Louisiana 118%, Florida 104%, and Hawaii 101%.  

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Pitkin, CO. Summit, CO. Essex, NJ. Eagle, CO. New York City, NY. Nassau, NY. San Juan, PR. Washington, DC. Miami-Dade, FL. And Guaynabo, PR.

There have been at least 824,277 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont unchanged at 77.3%, Rhode Island at 76.3%, and Maine unchanged at 75.7%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 47.5%, Alabama unchanged at 47.6%, and Mississippi unchanged at 48.1%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is unchanged at 61.9%.

Globally, cases were up 68% and deaths down 12% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15. 

There are now over 28 million active cases around the world, at 28,254,090.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 565,987 – over a half million new cases in just one day. France 206,243. The U.K. 189,213. Spain 161,688. And Italy 126,888. 

There have been at least 5,428,687 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for December 30th, 2021.

Whoops. Germany’s health minister said their infection rate is likely two to three times higher than the statistics that have been reported. He said there’s a shortfall in staff that becomes particularly noticeable over holiday periods at local health offices, and that’s a key part of Germany's reporting chain.

France is taking the record-breaking surge seriously, increasing the pressure on the unvaccinated. The plan is to banish them from, well, society. Restaurants, cinemas, theaters, museums, and sports arenas, inter-regional trains and buses, and domestic flights. More than 4 million adults there remain unvaccinated, including more than 1 million who are over 65.

Will France’s strategy work? Let’s look at China, which has a zero-tolerance policy toward the virus and a population that’s in virtual total compliance. Cases rose for the fourth day in a row in the city of Xi’an, where 13 million people have been living under a comprehensive lockdown.

And again, all this over a variant that is by nearly all reporting, mild, with symptoms akin to allergies. The CDC Director said COVID deaths and hospitalizations are comparatively low given how fast and broad Omicron has spread. And Dr. Anthony Fauci agrees.

Let’s check in with those unvaccinated folks and get the latest on why they aren’t getting it. A new Census Bureau poll shows most, nearly half, are worried about potential side effects. Not trusting the vaccines and not trusting the government were also among the top reasons. And, being the Census Bureau, they broke down the demographics of the unvaccinated. 75% are under age 50. The unvaccinated also tend to have lower levels of education, be single, and African-American. 

In the United States, while cases were up 153% and breaking records, deaths are down 7%, and hospitalizations are up 11% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since December 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Michigan, Tennessee, New Mexico, Arizona, and Pennsylvania.

There are now over 12 million active cases in the United States, at 12,404,303.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Puerto Rico 275%, Washington DC 141%, Louisiana 96%, Hawaii 86%, and Florida 83%.  

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Pitkin, CO. Summit, CO. Essex, NJ. Eagle, CO. New York City, NY. Nassau, NY. San Juan, PR. Washington, DC. Miami-Dade, FL. And Guaynabo, PR.

There have been at least 822,892 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont unchanged at 77.3%, Rhode Island at 76.2%, and Maine at 75.7%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 47.4%, Alabama at 47.6%, and Mississippi unchanged at 48.1%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 61.9%.

Globally, cases were up 62% and deaths down 14% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15. 

There are now over 27 million active cases around the world, at 27,048,801.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 465,670. France 208,099. The U.K. 183,037. Spain 100,760. And Italy 98,030. 

There have been at least 5,421,557 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for December 29th, 2021.

The US Tuesday broke the previous record for most daily cases as infections accelerate. And most experts are saying Omicron is going to make for a very difficult January. One CNN medical analyst thinks the US could see half a million cases a day sometime over the next week to 10 days. The rate of booster doses has actually fallen in recent weeks. Only 32.7% of the U.S.’s fully vaccinated population is boosted.

As it often has, the new CDC guidance around isolating and quarantining has left many Americans confused and many medical experts critical. They want to know why let people leave isolation without getting tested in the middle of a wintertime spike in cases. They think the answer might be pressure from the private sector.

Speaking of the CDC, it’s revised down its estimates for how many US infection are caused by Omicron. Revised it down by a lot. They now say it accounts for about 59% of all cases, not 73% like it said previously. Want some more good news? Another leading immunologist in the UK says Omicron is “not the same disease we were seeing a year ago” and high Covid death rates in the UK are “now history.” A small CDC study shows people who had Covid and later get reinfected with Omicron appear to experience fewer symptoms. And a special envoy for the World Health Organization says that in pandemics, the expected pattern is the virus becomes more transmissible but less serious, and Omicron might be a step toward our relatively safe coexistence with the virus.

If you’re having trouble finding a rapid test to see if you have Omicron, don’t stress too much about it. The FDA says that when it comes to detecting the new variant, they’re more likely to give you a false negative anyway.

So how do you know if you have a cold, the flu, or COVID? An attending physician at Children's National Hospital tells CNN the early signs are alike for all three. Flu symptoms include fever, fatigue, body aches, sore throat, shortness of breath and vomiting or diarrhea.

Covid-19 infection can be distinguished by headaches and a dry cough. Maybe loss of taste and smell though that’s not common with Omicron. Night sweats are more common with Omicron. The best way to determine if it might be COVID is to factor in possible exposure you’ve had.

In the United States cases were up 105%, deaths are down 5%, and hospitalizations are up 6% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since December 14. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Alaska, New Mexico, Michigan, Arizona, and Ohio.

There are 11,981,273 active cases in the United States.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Puerto Rico 225%, Washington DC 111%, New Jersey and Louisiana 60%, and Florida 57%.  

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Pitkin, CO. Summit, CO. Essex, NJ. Hopkins, TX. Eagle, CO. Washington, DC. Miami-Dade, FL. San Juan, PR. Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. And New York City, NY.

There have been at least 820,708 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 77.3%, Rhode Island at 76.1%, and Maine at 75.6%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 47.3%, Alabama at 47.5%, and Mississippi at 48.1%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 61.8%.

Globally, cases were up 48% and deaths down 11% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 25,972,119 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 312,939. France...

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for December 28th, 2021.

The CDC shortened its isolation and quarantine recommendations for Americans based on data that if you’re infected, you’re most contagious two days before and three days after symptoms show up. If you’re infected, regardless of vaccination status, when you test positive you should isolate for five days, instead of the previously recommended 10. After that, if you have no symptoms, you can go back to normal but wear a mask everywhere — even at home around others — at least five more days. If you were in close contact with an infected person but haven’t tested positive yourself and aren’t fully vaccinated, you should quarantine 10 days at least. If you’ve had your booster, you can skip quarantine if you wear masks in all settings at least 10 days.

About those masks. If you’re wearing those blue surgical cloth kind, they’re now saying that’s not good enough. They reportedly don’t provide enough protection against Delta and especially Omicron. So you might run into places that require you have an N95 mask, which is great news for N95 mask companies because they run about $2 each. 

Why is COVID testing such a mess? An anonymous insider at an Australia pathology unit gives us one inside look at why it takes so long to process PCR tests, and their account has been verified by healthcare experts and other healthcare workers in pathology. It’s the largely meaningless and unsuccessful travel restrictions. With negative tests required for interstate travel, it’s crushing the system with high demand. The equipment used isn’t meant for this kind of volume, and people are being worked inhumanely and quitting. Testing clinics have been relying on batch testing which lumps a lot of tests together and only separates them out if there’s a positive. But now there’s too many positives to make that work.

Have anxiety and depression about getting vaccinated? Then what you need is a vaccination! New research claims COVID vaccinations help alleviate anxiety and depression by a whopping 30%! 

In the United States cases were up 105%, deaths are down 5%, and hospitalizations are up 6% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since December 14.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Alaska, New Mexico, Michigan, Arizona, and Ohio.

There are 11,700,527 active cases in the United States.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Puerto Rico 225%, Washington DC 111%, New Jersey and Louisiana 60%, and Florida 57%.  

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Pitkin, CO. Summit, CO. Essex, NJ. Hopkins, TX. Eagle, CO. Washington, DC. Miami-Dade, FL. San Juan, PR. Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. And New York City, NY. 

There have been at least 818,370 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 76.9%, Rhode Island unchanged at 75.9%, and Maine at 75.5%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Idaho unchanged at 45.8%, and Alabama and Wyoming at 47.3%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is unchanged at 61.7%.

Globally, cases were up 35% and deaths down 12% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15. 

There are once again over 25 million active cases around the world, at 25,437,273.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 213,050. The U.K. 98,515. Spain 53,654. Italy 30,810. And France 30,383. 

There have been at least 5,406,197 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for December 27th, 2021.

New extreme restrictions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, mostly effecting the hospitality and leisure industry. Each nation’s rules are different, but all feature limits on the size of gatherings, social distancing requirements, and tougher rules for pubs, restaurants and venues. Examples, in Wales even outdoor events are capped at 50 people, and in Northern Ireland, nightclubs must shut down, and all indoor standing events are banned.

One large city after another is either cancelling or downsizing their New Year’s Eve celebrations. Times Square will be scaled back with everyone vaccinated, masked, and distanced. Athens, Greece, and Berlin, Frankfurt, and Munich Germany have canceled firework celebrations. Also, cancellations in London, New Delhi, Paris, and Rome. However, the party’s still on in Vegas.

It was a holiday nightmare as flight cancellations in the U.S. approached 2,400 for the Christmas weekend as Omicron cases triggered air-crew shortages. The situation improved a bit Sunday. Travel experts say disruptions could extend into the New Year’s holiday weekend.

All of this over a variant that by the vast majority of accounts is mild, akin to allergies. But that doesn’t mean there haven’t been a few deaths from Omicron. New South Wales recorded its first such death, also believed to be the first in Australia. However, it was a fully vaccinated man in his 80s who was infected at an aged care facility and who had underlying health conditions.

So now where do we stand with vaccine hesitancy? Polling shows the percentage of US adults refusing to get the shot pretty much hasn’t moved since the vaccine rolled out, but the share of those who were hesitant about it went down from 31% in January to 18% in March. The numbers are going in the other direction for parents of kids 5 to 11 who definitely won’t vaccinate their child. That went up from 24% in September to 30% in October.

In the United States cases were up 83%, deaths are up 3%, and hospitalizations are up 8% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since December 14. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Alaska, New Mexico, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Arizona.  

There are once again over 11 million active cases in the United States, at 11,353,552.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Washington DC 82%, New Jersey 55%, Hawaii 54%, Florida 47%, and Connecticut 40%.  

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Essex, NJ. Hopkins, TX. San Juan, PR. Miami-Dade, FL. Cuyahoga, OH. Guaynabo, PR. Naranjito, PR. Bayamon, PR. Nassau, NY. And New York City, NY.

There have been at least 816,610 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 76.8%, Rhode Island at 75.9%, and Maine at 75.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Idaho at 45.8%, Wyoming at 47.2%, and Alabama at 47.3%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 61.7%.

Globally, cases were up 20% and deaths down 12% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are once again over 24 million active cases around the world, at 24,556,333.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 96,384. France 27,697. Italy 24,883. Russia 23,721. And Turkey 20,138.

There have been at least 5,399,891 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for December 24th, 2021.

Remember all those healthcare workers the government wanted fired if they didn’t get vaccinated? Turns out they now realize that created a real problem. With the Omicron wave coming and hospitals understaffed, federal officials loosened the rules that health care workers have to stay out of work 10 days if they test positive. They can now get back it after seven days if they test negative and don't have symptoms.

Yesterday we told you about the Pfizer at home treatment pill getting approved to fight COVID, now they’ve authorized a second pill. This time it’s Merck’s molnupiravir. But it’s been made clear Pfizer’s Paxlovid is preferred because Merck's pill’s ability to head off severe COVID is much smaller than initially announced and the label will warn of serious safety issues, including the potential for birth defects.

China put a city of 13 million people into lockdown, part of the country’s “zero tolerance” policy just weeks before it’s set to host the Winter Olympics. In the northeastern city of Xi’an, one person from each household will be allowed out every two days to get necessities. Everyone else stays home around the clock. People who were in hotels at the time became stuck there.

If you have a fake vaccine card in New York, you’re no longer a clever scamp, you’re a criminal. The governor signed legislation criminalizing fake Covid vaccination cards. The new law makes the falsification of cards a misdemeanor and creates a new felony of "computer tampering in the third degree for intentional entering, alteration or destruction of 'computer material' regarding COVID-19 vaccine provisions."

We leave you with the frequently asked question of the week, so is everybody going to get COVID sooner or later? The experts say not necessarily. You’ll probably be exposed, but whether or not you get infected and what it does to you still depends on public policy and how you behave. Bottom line, even if you’re fully vaccinated, mentally prepare to test positive at some point. But no need to get overly alarmed when, or if, you do.

In the United States cases were up 38%, deaths are up 6%, and hospitalizations are up 11% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since December 14. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Alaska, Michigan, New Mexico, Arizona, and Maine.  

There are 10,989,003 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Washington DC 64%, Connecticut 58%, New Jersey 56%, Maryland 53%, and North Carolina 41%.  

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Hopkins, TX. Cuyahoga, OH. Tompkins, NY. Pike, IL. Franklin, PA. Washington DC. Adams, PA. Lake, OH. Essex, NJ. And Winona, MN.

There have been at least 813,991 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 76.8%, Rhode Island at 75.9%, and Maine at 75.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Idaho unchanged at 46%, Wyoming at 47.2%, and Alabama at 47.3%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 61.7%.

Globally, cases were up 16% and deaths down 10% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 23,950,299 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 236,519. The U.K. 106,122. France 84,272. Spain 60,041. And Germany 45,848.

There have been at least 5,384,260 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for December 23rd, 2021.

How about a little good news for the holidays? Modeling by scientists in Scotland predicted 47 Omicron patients should have been hospitalized by December 19 if infection patterns were the same as Delta. So far, there have been 15 admissions. There’s more. The first UK data of its kind shows Omicron appears to have a 20%-25% reduced chance of a hospital visit and at least a 40% lower risk of being admitted overnight. There’s more. A new analysis by the University of Washington shows the Omicron surge will peak in a massive wave of infections by the end of January but produce far fewer severe illnesses for most people. There’s more. South Africa's seen a noticeable drop in new cases in recent days, signaling the Omicron surge has already passed its peak. And Omicron appears to have caused milder disease there with significantly less hospitalizations, patients requiring oxygen, and deaths.

The World Health Organization continues to be very displeased with how countries like the United States are pushing boosters. The White House recently announced a redoubling of efforts to get more boosters in more arms. The WHO Director General warned such efforts in rich countries risks prolonging the global pandemic fight. He correctly points out most hospitalizations and deaths are still from unvaccinated people, not unboosted people.

The FDA authorized the first pill against COVID, a Pfizer drug you can take at home to head off the worst effects of the virus. The pill, Paxlovid, is a faster way to treat early infections, however supplies will be extremely limited at first. All previously authorized COVID drugs require an IV or injection.

Nobody in the U.S. can feel special anymore, Omicron has now been confirmed in all 50 states, and that happened about three weeks after it was first detected in the country. And the message to stop traveling just isn’t sticking. Nearly 2 million people passed through TSA checkpoints Tuesday. That’s about the same number from the same day in pre-pandemic 2019.

In the United States cases were up 27%, deaths are up 4%, and hospitalizations are up 13% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since December 14. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Michigan, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Maine.  

There are 10,769,803 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Washington DC 66%, Connecticut 64%, New Jersey 58%, Maryland 53%, and North Carolina and Rhode Island 49%.  

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Hopkins, TX. Tompkins, NY. Cuyahoga, OH. Pike, IL. Winona, MN. Rains, TX. Monroe WV. Greene, IL. Lake, OH. And Washington, DC.

There have been at least 812,069 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 76.6%, Rhode Island at 75.7%, and Maine at 75.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Idaho at 46%, Wyoming at 47%, and Alabama at 47.2%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 61.6%.

Globally, cases were up 11% and deaths down 10% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 23,521,962 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 232,383. The U.K. 106,122. France 84,272. Spain 60,041. And Germany 45,848.

There have been at least 5,376,422 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for December 22nd, 2021.

The World Health Organization’s top official in Europe urged governments to get ready for a “significant surge” in cases due to Omicron, already dominant in several countries. And making the assumption it will be as severe as Delta, the official said it will push already stretched health systems further to the brink. Deaths in the region are 40% higher than a year ago, but no one can or will say if these extra deaths are from Omicron or other variants.

The U.S. announced new steps to fight the Omicron wave. 500 million free rapid tests for Americans, increased support for hospitals, and redoubling vaccination and boosting efforts. For the free tests, you’ll use a new government website to order them, and they’ll be delivered by the U.S. mail. While government websites and the U.S. mail do have their critics, that’s a shift from earlier when Americans were told to buy hard-to-find tests then get reimbursed by their insurer.

And it’s a good thing those tests are going to be free. Because several major pharmacies are saying we’re going to limit how many you can buy. For instance, Walgreens will let you get four at a time. There’s been a huge surge in demand because of Omicron and the holidays and travel restrictions and oh yeah, because the government keeps telling us to get tested.

Israel is rolling out a fourth, that’s right a fourth, dose of the Pfizer vaccine for people 60 and older, medical workers and people with suppressed immune systems. And they’re to get it just four months after getting the third dose, formerly known as a booster. Is it necessary? One health expert said, "We don't really have data yet on the level of immunity like we did when we decided on the third dose.”

If you thought there’d be a baby boom as a result of the previous lockdowns and working from home in the U.S., think again. The country’s population growth dipped to its lowest rate ever during the first year of the pandemic. From July 2020 to July 2021, the nation grew 0.1%.

In the United States cases were up 29%, deaths are up 4%, and hospitalizations are up 12% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since December 14. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Michigan, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Maine.  

There are 10,621,626 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Connecticut 60%, Washington, DC 57%, New Jersey 54%, and North Carolina and Maryland 49%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Hopkins, TX. Tompkins, NY. Cuyahoga, OH. Pike, IL. Winona, MN. Rains, TX. Monroe WV. Greene, IL. Lake, OH. And Washington, DC.

There have been at least 810,045 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 76.6%, Rhode Island at 75.7%, and Maine unchanged at 75.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Idaho unchanged at 45.8%, Wyoming unchanged at 47%, and Alabama unchanged at 47.2%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 61.5%.

Globally, cases were up 10% and deaths down 12% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 23,176,213 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 181,264. The U.K. 90,629. France 72,832. Spain 49,823. And Germany 35,049.

There have been at least 5,368,422 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for December 21st, 2021.

Moderna said a booster of its vaccine looks like it protects against Omicron in lab testing and this current version of the shot can still be a "first line of defense against Omicron." With Omicron spreading as fast as it is, the company didn’t see where there would be time to develop an Omicron-specific vaccine.

A win for Novavax. The EU gave the go ahead to its vaccine for use in the 27-nation bloc, making it the fifth approved COVID vaccine. It’s two-doses and right now it’s only for people 18 and older. If you don’t like new things, this is a protein vaccine that uses older technology that’s been around for years. Novavax is currently testing how its vaccine holds up against Omicron.

Few are denying Omicron is a rapid spreader, highly contagious. In very short order, it’s become the dominant version of the coronavirus in the U.S., accounting for 73% of new infections last week. That’s almost a six-fold increase in Omicron's share. Consider that you only started hearing about it as recently as November 26.

The President of the United States was at risk of joining our celebrity infections list. He was exposed to a staff member who recently tested positive, around them for about half an hour on Air Force One going from Philadelphia to South Carolina. The staff member was fully vaccinated and boosted. The president took an antigen test Sunday and a PCR test Monday, and both were negative.

It’s been two years. How are scientists and health officials in the U.S. doing at gathering accurate and timely data that help inform policy? Terrible. Politico talked to more than a dozen state and federal officials involved in case tracking, whose comments ranged from it being “particularly galling” to “a horrible job” to “it’s embarrassing.” In fact, since other Western countries do it significantly better, the US administration has relied on international sources for the last eight months. 

In the United States cases were up 21%, deaths are up 9%, and hospitalizations are up 16% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since December 14. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Michigan, Arizona, Alaska, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.  

There are 10,511,784 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Connecticut 71%, Washington, DC 66%, Rhode Island 61%, New Jersey 60%, and North Carolina 54%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Thompkins, NY. Pike, IL. Cuyahoga, OH. Winona, MN. Clay, IL. Pope, MN. Fayette, IN. Greene, IL. Piatt, IL. And Jefferson, IN.

There have been at least 807,945 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 76.5%, Rhode Island at 75.6%, and Maine unchanged at 75.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Idaho unchanged at 45.8%, Wyoming unchanged at 47%, and Alabama unchanged at 47.2%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 61.4%.

Globally, cases were up 4% and deaths down 10% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are once again over 23 million active cases around the world, at 23,058,341.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 143,530. The U.K. 91,743. Russia 27,022. Spain 26,568. And Germany 21,710.

There have been at least 5,360,383 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for December 20th, 2021.

How long will we have to wear masks on airplanes? How about forever? As in never again will we be able to fly without our face being covered. That’s what Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Meet the Press. He can’t see the end of mask wearing on planes ever, regardless of air purification systems touted by airline CEOs.

The Netherlands began a full lockdown that will last through January 14. The Prime Minister ordered most essential stores, as well as restaurants, hairdressers, gyms, museums and other public places to shut down. The public is urged to stay home, and households can only have two guests at a time.

Israel believes it can keep Omicron out if it can keep Americans out. Travel between the U.S. and Israel will be banned starting December 22. The U.S. joins Belgium, Canada, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, Switzerland and Turkey as being perceived threats to Israel.

Time for the celebrity infection report. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker announced they’ve tested positive for COVID-19, despite being fully vaccinated. Booker had also gotten a booster. Both are experiencing only mild symptoms and credit the vaccines. Also, Queen guitarist Brian May tested positive despite being fully vaccinated and what he called being “hermit-like.” May said he had two horrendous days.

Yes, it’s just a TV show but it is indicative of how serious New York City is getting about the Omicron wave. Saturday Night Live lost the live audience, the musical guest, and much of its cast and crew for its final episode of the season this past Saturday. Apparently, there was an in-house outbreak that included four actors. Others were fearful to come to the studio.

In the United States cases were up 21%, deaths are up 9%, and hospitalizations are up 16% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since December 14. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Michigan, Arizona, Alaska, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.  

There are 10,398,516 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Connecticut 69%, Washington, DC 62%, Rhode Island 61%, New Jersey 57%, and North Carolina 54%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Thompkins, NY. Pike, IL. Cuyahoga, OH. Winona, MN. Clay, IL. Pope, MN. Fayette, IN. Greene, IL. Piatt, IL. And Jefferson, IN.

There have been at least 806,439 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 76.3%, Rhode Island at 75.5%, and Maine at 75.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Idaho unchanged at 45.8%, Wyoming at 47%, and Alabama at 47.2%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 61.2%.

Globally, cases were up 4% and deaths down 11% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 22,963,723 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The U.K. 82,886. The United States 66,751. France 48,473. Russia 27,967. And Italy 24,259.

There have been at least 5,354,224 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants and new hotspots for December 17th, 2021.

After the meeting we told you about yesterday, the CDC has come out and said most Americans should get Pfizer or Moderna instead of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The advisers said a blood clotting problem has caused nine confirmed deaths after J&J vaccinations — while the other top vaccines don't have that risk and appear more effective. J&J will stay on the market because the condition is rare, but it is no longer considered a one dose vaccine.

You may as well accept that Omicron is everywhere, even in places that have had almost no cases of clinical infection. Take Orange County, Florida for example, home of Disney World and Universal. Wastewater testing shows Omicron is already the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the county. In fact, it represented almost 100% of the strains in the wastewater samples.

It’s become almost comically naïve, thinking travel restrictions will slow or stop the Omicron variant. But countries have to do something and travel is an attractive target. France is sharply restricting travel to and from Britain, putting limits on reasons for traveling and requiring 48-hour isolation on arrival. And Sweden will make citizens from its fellow Nordic countries show a vaccination certificate when entering starting next week.

We hear health care systems expressing grave worry about their ability to care for people. And here’s just one example of such a situation. Hospitals in England are 94% full right now and four out of five critical care beds are occupied. And this is before the expected massive influx of patients from Omicron.

Yeah, yeah, humans and all that. But what you really might want to know is can your pet get COVID? Well, the answer is yes, and they’d probably get it from you. However, it’s unlikely they’d get seriously ill, and the risk of them spreading it to other people is low. Still, as much comfort as they may provide, the CDC says if you’re infected you should stay away from your pet.

In the United States cases were up 40%, deaths are up 34%, and hospitalizations are up 21% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending flat since December 7. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Montana, Michigan, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.  

There are 10,204,336 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Connecticut 82%, New Jersey 67%, Rhode Island and North Carolina 65%, and Washington DC 59%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Pike, IL. Piatt, IL. Thompkins, NY. Franklin, ME. Aroostook, ME. Piscataquis, ME. Jefferson, IN. Edgar, IL. Clay, IL. And Roosevelt, NM.

There have been at least 803,633 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 75.6%, Rhode Island at 75.1%, and Maine at 74.5%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Idaho at 45.8%, Wyoming at 46.7%, and Alabama at 47%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 61.1%.

Globally, cases were up 8% and deaths up 1% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 22,569,787 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 144,871. The U.K. 88,376. France 60,866. Germany 53,057. And Spain 28,900.

There have been at least 5,335,758 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants and new hotspots for December 16th, 2021.

The Los Angeles school district is the latest in California to delay forcing thousands of unvaccinated students to return to distance learning. Officials decided enforcement would disrupt the education of about 27,000 unvaccinated students, overwhelm the independent study program which already has staff shortages, and risk losing teachers.

A federal appeals court panel lifted a nationwide ban against the vaccine mandate for health care workers but did block the requirement in about half the states. It’s not clear if the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid is going to continue suspension of the rule for all states or go ahead with a patchwork of policies. Plus, the court itself said it looks like mandate opponents will prevail as the case moves through the courts.

We hear about poorer nations having trouble accessing vaccines but guess who’s running short. Germany. The Federal Health Minister says they’re facing a shortage in the first quarter of 2022, right when Omicron will probably be wreaking havoc.

Did you get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine? CDC advisers are revisiting the benefits and risks of it today. They’ll hear presentations about thrombosis and TTS, a rare, serious type of blood clotting that’s been linked to J&J, but not Pfizer or Moderna. The CDC Director wouldn’t say if she still believes the benefits outweigh the risks.

Omicron is a rapid spreader. In the U.S., the percentage of cases caused by it jumped seven times in one week. But why? What makes it spread so fast? Preliminary data tells us Omicron multiplies about 70 times faster in our respiratory tract tissue than Delta does, then reaches higher levels in the tissue 48 hours after infection. This focus on the respiratory tract, instead of deep in the lungs, may suggest Omicron could cause less severe disease but scientists say it’s still too soon to conclude that.

In the United States cases were up 40%, deaths are up 34%, and hospitalizations are up 20% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 29. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Montana, Michigan, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.  

There are 10,124,028 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Connecticut 77%, New Jersey 65%, Rhode Island 63%, North Carolina 62%, and Washington DC 55%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Pike, IL. Piatt, IL. Thompkins, NY. Franklin, ME. Aroostook, ME. Piscataquis, ME. Jefferson, IN. Edgar, IL. Clay, IL. And Roosevelt, NM.

There have been at least 802,502 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 75.6%, Rhode Island at 75.1%, and Maine at 74.5%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Idaho unchanged at 45.8%, Wyoming at 46.7%, and Alabama at 47%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 61%.

Globally, cases were up 6% and deaths down 2% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 22,348,772 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 136,590. The U.K. 78,610. France 65,713. Germany 55,650. And Russia 28,363.

There have been at least 5,329,000 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants and new hotspots for December 15th, 2021.

Just one month after it was first detected in South Africa the CDC says Omicron now makes up about 3% of cases in the U.S. Delta still dominates at 97% of all Covid cases analyzed, but Omicron is gaining ground. It’s getting cloudier when the U.S. even had its first Omicron case. But the CDC confirmed Omicron in a symptomatic patient back on November 15.

No matter the variant, the virus seems to spread with relative ease and here’s one possible reason why. New published research shows more than 40% of those who tested positive didn’t have symptoms. For those under 20, the number is more than 60%. That means the virus had plenty of time and plenty of opportunity to spread undetected and untested.

Africa is experiencing its fastest surge in cases this year, up 83%. And while we often hear about African nations not getting fair access to vaccines, Nigeria had one million doses that expired and were thrown out. And they aren’t going to accept any more vaccines with short shelf lives. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation.

Italy is now requiring any unvaccinated visitor from another EU country to quarantine for five days after arriving. Those visitors from EU countries must get a negative test within 24 hours of arrival, and non-EU citizens who aren’t vaccinated have to quarantine 10 days. It’s also expanding the vaccine mandate to school personnel, law enforcement, the military and anyone working in a health care setting.

But in the U.K., they’re removing all 11 African nations from its red list just 16 days after it was reintroduced. But not because things are going well. The Health Secretary said Omicron has now spread so far the rules really no longer serve the purpose of COVID-19 prevention.

In the United States cases were up 47%, deaths are up 40%, and hospitalizations are up 21% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 29. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Michigan, Montana, Arizona, Kentucky, and Wisconsin.  

There are 10,075,594 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Connecticut 72%, New Jersey 66%, North Carolina 63%, Washington DC 59%, and Massachusetts and Delaware 54%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Allen, KS. Seward, KS. Pike, IL. Piatt, IL. Aroostook, ME. Piscataquis, ME. Fulton, PA. Clay, IL. Jefferson, IN. And Mason, IL.

There have been at least 800,343 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 75.2%, Rhode Island at 74.8%, and Maine at 74.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Idaho at 45.8%, Wyoming at 46.4%, and Alabama at 46.9%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 60.9%.

Globally, cases were up 6% and deaths down 1% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 22,157,993 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 108,566. France 63,405. The U.K. 59,610. Germany 40,795. And Russia 28,343.

There have been at least 5,320,236 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants and new hotspots for December 14th, 2021.

US health officials say Omicron does appear able to evade some of the immune protection of antibodies induced by vaccines but…preliminary data shows a booster raises protection high enough that it does well against the variant. Almost 80% of confirmed Omicron cases in the US are fully vaccinated. But about a third also had a booster. Omicron is now in 30 states.

The masks are back on in California. A rule has returned requiring people to wear masks indoors starting Wednesday through at least January 15. The per capita rate of new cases in California has jumped 47% in two weeks. As in the past, the state was unclear how the mandate would be enforced.

Turns out they weren’t kidding. The Air Force discharged 27 people for refusing to get the vaccine, making them the first service members to be removed for disobeying the mandate. November 2 was the deadline, and more than 1,000 airmen have refused the shot, and more than 4,700 are seeking a religious exemption.

The Supreme Court, and once you go there, there’s nowhere else to go, declined to block New York's vaccine mandate for health care workers, which does not allow for religious exemptions. Some health care workers sued the state saying the mandate violated their religious freedoms, but the highest court effectively said there are no religious freedoms in this matter.

A new AP poll shows Americans are worried about the Omicron variant, but not worried enough to do much about it. In fact, fewer say they’re regularly wearing masks or isolating compared to the first of the year. 36% are very or extremely worried they or a family member will be infected, that’s up from 25% in late October. 55% of those who are unvaccinated say they have little or no worry.

In the United States cases were up 49%, deaths are up 40%, and hospitalizations are up 22% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 29. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Michigan, Wyoming, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Arizona.  

There are once again over 10 million active cases in the United States, at 10,044,267.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Connecticut 77%, New Jersey 64%, Delaware and Washington DC 61%, and North Carolina 59%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Allen, KS. Seward, KS. Waseca, MN. Edgar, IL. Piatt, IL. Pike, IL. Jefferson, IN. Clay, IL. Vermilion, IL. And Fulton, PA.

There have been at least 798,710 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 75.2%, Rhode Island at 74.8%, and Maine unchanged at 74.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Idaho unchanged at 45.7%, Wyoming unchanged at 46.4%, and Alabama at 46.9%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 60.8%.

Globally, cases were up 6% and deaths down 2% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 22,083,874 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 95,343. The U.K. 54,661. Russia 29,558. Germany 28,804. And Turkey 18,796.

There have been at least 5,311,574 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants and new hotspots for December 13th, 2021.

While our Johns Hopkins number is not quite there yet, and with more deaths in 2021 than in 2020, the United States has now reportedly reached over 800,000 coronavirus-related deaths. Ahead is a potential surge in cases due to winter and the highly transmissible, but by all reports milder, Omicron variant. The new death toll is more than the entire population of North Dakota. It took 111 days for U.S. deaths to jump from 600,000 to 700,000, but the next 100,000 deaths took only 73 days. The death rate in the US was more than three times higher than Canada and 11 times more than Japan.

There are the health costs of COVID, and then there’s the long-term economic tragedy. The World Health Organization and World Bank reports that more than half a billion people globally were pushed into extreme poverty in 2021 due to healthcare costs during the pandemic.

The Director of the CDC says the pandemic and mask requirements won’t last forever. The main signs they’re looking for are when hospitals are no longer filled with COVID patients and daily deaths start to plummet. As for mask mandates like the one in New York City, the Director said, “Masks are for now, they’re not forever. We have to find a way to be done with them.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Britain faces a “tidal wave” of infections from Omicron and announced a huge increase in booster vaccinations to defend against it. Everyone 18 and older can get a third shot by the end of this month. It’s believed Omicron cases are doubling every two to three days in Britain.

Were you nervous about getting one vaccine shot? Or the second one? Did you wonder if the booster shot would be too much? Well how about 10 COVID vaccine shots in one sitting? New Zealand health authorities are checking out claims a man did just that, taking shots for other people for money. A vaccinologist said other than intense side effects, the man isn’t likely to be seriously harmed.

In the United States cases were up 40%, deaths are up 31%, and hospitalizations are up 23% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 29. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Kentucky, Michigan, Wyoming, West Virginia, and Montana.  

There are 9,979,825 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Connecticut 81%, Delaware 71%, Rhode Island 67%, and Massachusetts 64%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Waseca, MN. Seward, KS. Allen, KS. Edgar, IL. Vermilion, IL. Aroostook, ME. Piatt, IL. Fayette, IN. Sullivan, NH. And Clay, IL.

There have been at least 797,346 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 74.9%, Rhode Island at 74.7%, and Maine at 74.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Idaho at 45.7%, Wyoming at 46.4%, and Alabama at 46.8%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 60.5%.

Globally, cases were up 9% and deaths up 9% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are once again over 22 million active cases around the world, at 22,006,487.

The five countries with the most new cases: The U.K. 48,854. France 43,848. The United States 38,784. South Africa 37,875. And Russia 29,929.

There have been at least 5,305,655 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants and new hotspots for December 10th, 2021.

The number of COVID deaths in the US has been horrific, but researchers are again saying those deaths have been vastly undercounted. Especially among Native, Hispanic and Black Americans. New data at the county level for 2020 and January through October of this year gives more detail than ever, including where someone died, what other causes of death were on the death certificate, and whether a body was autopsied. Looking at the new data, public health experts say the true death toll is at least 20% higher than the official tally. That means the number of Americans who have died from the virus could be close to 1 million.

The FDA gave emergency authorization for 16- and 17-year-olds to get Pfizer’s booster once they're six months beyond their last dose. The CDC followed up hours later with a strong recommendation encouraging those teens to get the shot as soon as possible.

Being an anti-vaxxer in Austria is getting expensive. There are now plans to impose fines of nearly $4,000 on anyone who flouts the vaccine mandate coming in February to all residents 14 and over. It’s the first European country to implement a general vaccine mandate.

If your problem with the vaccine is that it’s not natural enough, how about a plant-based one? GlaxoSmithKline seems to have one that in tests has been shown to be 71% effective at protecting against COVID. Here’s where the irony kicks in. GlaxoSmithKline’s partner is Medicago, a subsidiary of Philip Morris, the cigarette people. And the plant being used is a close relative of tobacco.  

A new survey from the Public Religion Research Institute shows only 10% of Americans believe getting a COVID vaccine conflicts with their religious beliefs. 59% even say too many people are using religious beliefs as an excuse. 60% say there’s no valid religious reason to refuse a vaccine. They’re a bit more divided on whether religious exemptions should be allowed at all.

In the United States cases were up 27%, deaths are up 12%, and hospitalizations are up 20% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 29. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Kentucky, Michigan, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Tennessee.  

There are 9,841,074 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Connecticut 73%, Rhode Island 70%, Delaware 66%, Massachusetts 54%, and Illinois and New Jersey 51%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Waseca, MN. Seward, KS. Allen, KS. Fayette, IN. Vermilion, IL. Bennington, VT. Fountain, IN. Benton, MN. Sullivan, NH. And Piatt, IL.

There have been at least 794,647 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 74.4%, Rhode Island at 74.1%, and Maine at 73.5%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 46.3%, Alabama unchanged at 46.6%, and Mississippi unchanged at 47.4%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 60.4%.

Globally, cases were up 8% and deaths were flat over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 21,695,681 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 110,894. France 56,854. The U.K. 50,867. Russia 30,209. And Poland 27,458.

There have been at least 5,286,786 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants and new hotspots for December 9th, 2021.

Starting off with a little reassurance. Cases of Omicron have been reported by 21 countries in the EU. All of them have been either asymptomatic or mild with no deaths reported thus far. And the head of the CDC said out of the 42 known cases of Omicron in the U.S., only one has been hospitalized. In South Africa, reports are that even those who are landing in the ER are there for unrelated reasons but test positive during ER admission.

The connection from the very start between severe COVID and obesity has been largely played down and left unmentioned out of fear of political correctness. But the connection is real. Patients who were overweight were more likely to develop severe COVID and more likely to die. Now the New York Times reports researchers have found the virus directly infects fat cells and certain immune cells within body fat, prompting a damaging defensive response.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced tighter restrictions, urging people to again work from home and mandating COVID passes to get into nightclubs and large events. Also, starting Friday, the mask mandate will be widened to most indoor public places including theaters. They say the tighter restrictions will buy time to get more boosters in more arms.

Another milestone, the number of Americans fully vaccinated against COVID has hit 200 million. But that’s against the backdrop of rising cases, especially in highly vaccinated New England states. Deaths are running close to 1,600 a day on average, that’s back to what they were in October. Total U.S. deaths could hit 800,000 in a matter of days.

Around the world, the strategy is to exclude and isolate the unvaccinated. But one small school district in California is saying that’s exactly what we want. It’s setting up a separate in-person instructional program just for its unvaccinated students. As you would expect, the state doesn’t like that. The intent is to prevent unvaccinated students from losing face-to-face instruction when the state’s K-12 vaccine mandate—the only one of its kind in the nation—goes into effect.

In the United States cases were up 27%, deaths are up 13%, and hospitalizations are up 19% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 29. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Montana, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Michigan.  

There are 9,792,640 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Connecticut 69%, Delaware 66%, Rhode Island 65%, Massachusetts 50%, and Illinois and Indiana 49%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Waseca, MN. Fayette, IN. Allen, KS. Bennington, VT. Vermilion, IL. Sullivan, NH. Socorro, NM. Rush, IN. Powell, KY. And Neosho, KS.

There have been at least 793,225 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 74.2%, Rhode Island at 73.9%, and Maine at 73.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 46.2%, Alabama at 46.6%, and Mississippi at 47.4%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 60.1%.

Globally, cases were up 10% and deaths were flat over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 21,505,711 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 127,411. Germany 68,832. France 61,340. The U.K. 51,342. And Russia 30,752.

There have been at least 5,278,923 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

For the...

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants and new hotspots for December 8th, 2021.

The World Health Organization's office for Europe said kids 5 to 14 now account for the highest infection rates in the region. Overall cases and deaths have more than doubled in the last two months in the 53-country region, and the Omicron variant has been seen in 21 of those 53 countries.

Early data out of South Africa suggests the Pfizer vaccine appears to be less effective against Omicron. Researchers found there was about a fortyfold reduction in vaccine-induced antibodies that could neutralize the new variant. That means Omicron seems more skilled at evading the antibodies generated by Pfizer than the beta variant, which only saw a threefold reduction.

More home COVID testing is good right? The US administration is even talking about reimbursing home test kit purchases. But is it? Some health officials are pointing out that tests taken at home, regardless of whether they’re positive or negative, never get reported and that is going to make tracking COVID data, which was already a challenge, even harder.

Speaking of testing, the FDA says the Omicron variant may be more successful at evading tests for it. There are three kinds of tests, serology or blood antibodies, antigen, and PCR. If there are enough mutations in a variant, Omicron has 32 of them, that could generate more false negatives.

Here’s the latest thing people are saying can help with COVID, seaweed. Well, actually sea lettuce. Lab experiments show an extract of this algae could be beneficial in the pandemic fight. Other studies of other edible seaweed have shown promise but this one has been tested specifically as an antiviral treatment against certain viruses. Scientists say more seaweed tests are needed to be sure.

In the United States cases were up 28%, deaths are up 13%, and hospitalizations are up 18% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 29. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Montana, West Virginia, Michigan, and Kentucky.  

There are 9,715,064 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Delaware 62%, Connecticut 60%, Rhode Island 53%, and Indiana and Massachusetts 49%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Fayette, IN. Bennington, VT. Allen, KS. Waseca, MN. Vermilion, IL. Socorro, NM. Sullivan, NH. Rush, IN. Neosho, KS. And Valencia, NM.

There have been at least 791,514 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 74%, Rhode Island at 73.7%, and Maine unchanged at 72.9%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming unchanged at 46%, Alabama unchanged at 46.5%, and Mississippi unchanged at 47.1%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 60%.

Globally, cases were up 10% and deaths were flat over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 21,338,368 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 107,642. France 59,019. Germany 51,512. The U.K. 45,691. And Russia 31,096.

There have been at least 5,270,558 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants and new hotspots for December 7th, 2021.

The Mayor of New York City announced that all private employers, big and small, must now require their workers to get vaccinated, the most sweeping mandate of any big city or state in the U.S. And you must get the injection, there is no testing alternative. That will add about 184,000 businesses, including mom and pops, to those placed under previous mandates,

The European Union's drugs agency recommended approval of an anti-inflammatory medicine to treat adults hospitalized with severe COVID. Now it has to be confirmed by the EU executive commission. The drug is RoActemra from Roche, currently used to treat arthritis. It works by tamping down the protein interleukin-6, often found in excess in COVID patients.

In Spain, Christmas festivities at one hospital are suspected of infecting dozens of hospital staff. 170 people attended the Christmas dinner in a restaurant last weekend. And afterwards, 68 staff, including ICU nurses and doctors, tested positive. All took antigen tests before the event and were negative, and all of the infected staff were fully vaccinated.

As always, there’s not nearly as much of a war on COVID going on as there is a war on travel. The CDC has put five places in Europe on its list of "very high" travel risk destinations, including one of the very biggest for tourism, France. Also included on the list were Cyprus, Liechtenstein, and Portugal.

So will New Yorkers be mad about these new business vaccine mandates? Not if this Morning Consult poll is to be believed. It shows broad approval by Americans for strict measures to control COVID, as long it doesn’t cause businesses and services to shut down. The most commonly supported measures are better ventilation and enforcing social distancing. But masking and vaccine mandates also get the support of a comfortable majority, as in almost 70%.

In the United States cases were up 19%, deaths are up 5%, and hospitalizations are up 18% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 29. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Montana, Kentucky, Michigan, and West Virginia.  

There are 9,666,139 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Delaware 63%, Connecticut 61%, Rhode Island 56%, Indiana 50%, and Massachusetts 48%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Allen, KS. Bennington, VT. Koochiching, MN. Sullivan, NH. Jackson, IA. Benton, MN. Waseca, MN. Mille Lacs, MN. St. Clair, MI. And Socorro, NM.

There have been at least 789,742 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 73.8%, Rhode Island at 73.5%, and Maine unchanged at 72.9%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming unchanged at 46%, Alabama at 46.5%, and Mississippi unchanged at 47.1%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 59.9%.

Globally, cases were up 15% and deaths were up 3% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 21,181,006 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 88,380. The U.K. 51,459. Germany 39,330. Russia 32,136. And Hungary 22,699.

There have been at least 5,262,134 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants and new hotspots for December 6th, 2021.

At least 12 U.S. states have now identified Omicron cases, but US health officials remain more concerned about Delta. It’s accounting for 99.9% of all new infections and those infections are going up. Results from studies to gauge the severity and transmissibility of Omicron are expected in a few weeks. Cases of Omicron remain mild but that is not true of Delta. 

In Brussels, Belgium, police turned water cannons and tear gas on protesters against the tightening of COVID restrictions that aim to counter a surge of coronavirus infections. Thousands participated after the government tightened rules for the third week in a row. But an avalanche of new cases has strained the country’s health services.

The company’s President says Moderna could have a vaccine booster shot that targets the Omicron variant ready for authorization by March. Although the drumbeat of messaging has been that the existing vaccines protect fine against Omicron, he told the Financial Times he thinks the existing vaccines will be less effective against it than they’ve been against Delta and they’ve already started work on a new booster.

A new analysis in The American Journal of Cardiology has revealed a possible link between the vaccines and elevated risk of Myopericarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle. The CDC had almost 2,000 reports of the condition just in 2021 in people who got the vaccine. This is mostly happening in men 25 to 44, but most cases with clinical symptoms seem to resolve within six days.

Speaking of men and COVID, a study out of Colorado State suggests men spread coronavirus particles more frequently than women or children. The study was originally to see how the performing arts could safely return to the stage. After doing things like making subjects sing “Happy Birthday” over and over, they learned singing spreads more virus than instruments, adults emit more particles than kids, people who talk loud emit more virus, and men emit more than women, theoretically because they have bigger lungs. 

In the United States cases were up 19%, deaths are up 5%, and hospitalizations are up 18% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 29.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Montana, Kentucky, Michigan, and West Virginia.  

There are 9,637,520 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Delaware 62%, Connecticut 60%, Rhode Island 55%, Indiana 49%, and Illinois 45%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Allen, KS. Bennington, VT. Koochiching, MN. Sullivan, NH. Jackson, IA. Benton, MN. Waseca, MN. Mille Lacs, MN. St. Clair, MI. And Socorro, NM. 

There have been at least 788,363 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 73.5%, Rhode Island at 73.3%, and Maine at 72.9%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 46%, Alabama at 46.4%, and Mississippi at 47.1%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 59.6%.

Globally, cases were up 13% and deaths were up 2% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15. 

There are once again over 21 million active cases around the world, at 21,146,420.

The five countries with the most new cases: The U.K. 43,992. France 42,252. Germany 35,983. The United States 35,065. And Russia 32,602.

There have been at least 5,255,544 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants and new hotspots for December 3rd, 2021.

As expected, the US administration rolled out some measures to fight COVID and the new Omicron variant into winter. All in-bound international passengers must test within 24 hours of departure, and masks will be required on all planes and public transportation through March 18. Also, businesses will be urged expedite worker vaccine and testing mandates, and Americans with private health insurance can get reimbursed for at-home COVID tests. Those without private insurance can get tests through health centers and rural clinics.

Tracking the Omicron variant’s spread, it’s in five US states now, including California, New York, Hawaii, Colorado, and Minnesota. As for countries we add Spain, Singapore, India, and in Norway at least 50 people were infected in connection to a company Christmas party in an Oslo restaurant.

The Omicron studies continue in South Africa, and so far, they’ve found the variant is reinfecting people at 3x the rate of previous strains. Translated, that means it appears immunity from a previous infection won’t help you. However, more evidence is emerging that the existing vaccines still seem to offer protection against serious illness.

Your host got his booster shot yesterday and spent all day sick in bed. Your results may vary. However, I was mixing Pfizer and Moderna like a party animal. But here’s some reassuring news. A British study says the mRNA vaccines provide the biggest boost to antibody levels. The study also found boosters also helped generate a broad T-cell response against the Beta and Delta variants.

Be cautious when making sports stars your heroes. Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown has been suspended three games after violating NFL COVID-19 protocols. And here’s how he violated it. He and two other players bought fake vaccination cards this past summer. They know they did it and are not appealing. And they’re vaccinated now. Really.

With reporting affected by the Thanksgiving holiday, in the United States cases were down 1%, deaths are down 10%, and hospitalizations are up 16% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 29. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Montana, Michigan, Kentucky, and West Virginia.  

There are 9,520,781 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Rhode Island 52%, Indiana 48%, Massachusetts and Delaware 44%, and Connecticut 42%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Koochiching, MN. Jackson, IA. Bennington, VT. Sullivan, NH. Allen, KS. Neosho, KS. Clinton, IA. Shiawassee, MI. Socorro, NM. And Colfax, NM.

There have been at least 785,907 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 72.9%, Rhode Island at 72.6%, and Maine at 72.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia at 41.5%, Wyoming at 45.6%, and Alabama at 46.2%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 59.4%.

Globally, cases were up 12% and deaths were down 2% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 20,720,971 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 132,822. Germany 73,486. The U.K. 53,945. France 48,416. And Russia 33,389.

There have been at least 5,233,849 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants and new hotspots for December 2nd, 2021.

The UN Secretary-General has called the travel restrictions being placed by countries like the United States on one region like South Africa not only ineffective, but travel apartheid. The Omicron variant is already in 24 countries around the world, and as it turns out, it appears it didn’t originate in South Africa anyway. The Netherlands had cases a week before two flights arrived from South Africa carrying the virus. Nine cases were linked to a private event in Scotland, days before South Africa announced the existence of the variant. And Nigeria detected its first case in a sample collected weeks before South Africa alerted the world about Omicron.

Tracking the Omicron variant’s spread, it’s in the United States now. A fully vaccinated person in the San Francisco area came back from South Africa Nov. 22 and tested positive seven days later. South Korea confirmed the variant in five people linked to international arrivals. And Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates confirmed the first infections in the Persian Gulf region. So far, all symptoms reported have been mild.

A reprieve for healthcare workers in ten states who don’t want to take the vaccine. A federal judge blocked the vaccine requirement, saying the agency that issued the rule likely exceeded its authority. That stops the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from enforcing its healthcare worker mandate until the court can hear legal challenges brought by Missouri, Nebraska, Arkansas, Kansas, Iowa, Wyoming, Alaska, South Dakota, North Dakota and New Hampshire.

Well people who don’t like mandates sure aren’t going to like this. The chief of the European Union's executive arm said member nations should consider making vaccinations mandatory, period. The EU-wide vaccination rate stands at 66%. Germany’s new Chancellor, for one, said he’d back a proposal like that.

With reporting affected by the Thanksgiving holiday, in the United States cases were down 2%, deaths are down 16%, and hospitalizations are up 15% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since November 23. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Montana, West Virginia, Michigan, and Kentucky.

There are 9,449,555 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Rhode Island 51%, Indiana 47%, Massachusetts 43%, New Hampshire 41%, and Michigan 40%.  

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Koochiching, MO. Nodaway, MO. Shiawassee, MI. Colfax, NM. Sullivan, NH. Jackson, IA. Clay, IL. Neosho, KS. Dunn, WI. And Pope, MN.

There have been at least 782,104 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont unchanged at 72.9%, Rhode Island at 72.6%, and Maine at 72.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia unchanged at 41.5%, Wyoming at 45.6%, and Alabama at 46.2%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 59.4%.

Globally, cases were up 10% and deaths were down 4% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 20,471,414 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 120,441. Germany 71,887. France 49,610. The U.K. 48,374. And Russia 32,837.

There have been at least 5,223,657 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants and new hotspots for December 1st, 2021.

If you’re a non-US citizen coming into the US, prepare for some tougher testing requirements. And no, it doesn’t matter if you’re vaccinated or unvaccinated. Details should be rolled out tomorrow, but one policy being considered is requiring all air travelers to the U.S. be tested within one day of boarding their flight.

Omicron continues to go worldwide. Japan confirmed its first case, a fully vaccinated Namibian diplomat in his 30s who recently arrived from his country. He initially didn’t have any symptoms but has a fever now. And Brazil reported the first case of Omicron in both that country and Latin America; two travelers arriving from South Africa. France also reported its first case yesterday.

In Greece, they’re really getting tough on older folks. Residents over 60 must get vaccinated or face a $114 fine for every month they don’t. That takes effect January 16, and the fines will be added to citizens’ taxes. About a fourth of the country’s total adult population is unvaccinated.

Independent advisers to the FDA narrowly endorsed the first antiviral pill for adults at high risk for Covid-19. Some on the panel worried about the treatment's efficacy and risks to pregnant people. But the vote puts molnupiravir on track for FDA approval. One person who voted yes said, "I'm not sure this is really the one we've been waiting for, but it's the one we've got.”

If you’re looking for a reason to get fired, U.S. employers are here to help you. A national survey in mid-November shows most employers already have or will require employees to get vaccinated. So far, only 3% of employers said their mandates have resulted in a spike in resignations. Half even think mandates will help them recruit workers.

With reporting affected by the Thanksgiving holiday, in the United States cases were down 2%, deaths are down 16%, and hospitalizations are up 9% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since November 23. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Montana, West Virginia, Michigan, and Kentucky.

There are 9,419,966 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Indiana 41%, Massachusetts 40%, New Hampshire 36%. Michigan 34%, and Illinois 30%.  

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Koochiching, MO. Nodaway, MO. Shiawassee, MI. Colfax, NM. Sullivan, NH. Jackson, IA. Clay, IL. Neosho, KS. Dunn, WI. And Pope, MN.

There have been at least 780,140 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 72.9%, Rhode Island at 72.5%, and Maine unchanged at 72.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia unchanged at 41.5%, Wyoming at 45.5%, and Alabama at 46.1%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 59.3%.

Globally, cases were up 11% and deaths were down 3% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 20,281,671 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 106,876. Germany 55,880. France 47,177. The U.K. 39,716. And Russia 32,648.

There have been at least 5,214,863 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants and new hotspots for November 30th, 2021.

No matter how the new Omicron variant turns out, the World Health Organization would like to see more globalization when it comes to pandemics. Specifically, some sort of international accord to prevent, prepare, and respond to future outbreaks. A draft resolution stops short of calling for a treaty or legally binding instrument, but some are saying that’s what’s needed.

Scientists are hard at work in South Africa trying to assess how well the vaccines work against Omicron. Right now, it’s still unknown how well it can hide from immune defenses primed by vaccines. They’ll not only test AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, they’ll also use plasma from recovered patients to gauge the risk of reinfection with Omicron after recovering from previous versions of the virus.

Officials in New York City reinstated their mask advisory while indoors, that means places like grocery stores, building lobbies and offices, regardless of vaccination status. Masks are still required for public transit, health care settings, schools, and congregate settings like churches. Omicron has not yet been detected in the city, but officials know it’s only a matter of time.

They’re all mandated to get vaccinated, but which federal department do you think has the lowest vaccination rate so far? It’s the US Department of Agriculture at 86.1% according the White House. Next comes the Department of Veterans Affairs at 87.8%, and the Department of the Interior at 88.3%.

From the “it doesn’t pay to think you’re clever” department, a couple tried to escape the quarantine in the Netherlands after testing positive. But they got caught and are being held in forced isolation at a hospital. The pair fled the hotel where travelers who tested positive were staying after arriving in Amsterdam from South Africa and hopped a plane to Spain. Military police were there to greet them.

With reporting affected by the Thanksgiving holiday, in the United States cases were up 3%, deaths are down 10%, and hospitalizations are up 11% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 3. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Montana, West Virginia, Oregon, Michigan, and Kentucky.

There are 9,467,489 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: New Hampshire 49%, Massachusetts 47%, Indiana 45%, Michigan 41%, and Illinois 34%.  

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Scurry, TX. Mason, MI. Shiawassee, MI. Nodaway, MO. Houghton, MI. Sullivan, NH. Ionia, MI. Jackson, MI. DeKalb, IN. And Oceana, MI.

There have been at least 776,639 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 72.7%, Rhode Island at 72.2%, and Maine at 72.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia at 41.5%, Wyoming at 45.3%, and Alabama at 46%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 59%.

Globally, cases were up 14% and deaths were down 3% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 20,242,995 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 69,498. The U.K. 42,583. Germany 42,582. Russia 33,860. And Hungary 27,830.

There have been at least 5,199,349 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants and new hotspots for November 29th, 2021.

A lot of fear is being generated around the new coronavirus variant, now called Omicron. So first some good news or at the very least potential good news. The chair of the South African Medical Association, who was one of the first to notice the new variant, said symptoms appear to mild and treatable at home. Fatigue, body aches and headaches, not even a loss of smell or taste and oxygen levels remain normal. Almost half she treated were unvaccinated, hinting the current vaccines are somewhat effective against it. But even symptoms in the unvaccinated have been mild. And if you think she’s alone or lying, Israel’s chief of public health services says the potential for infection with omicron is “very high,” but vaccinated people become only slightly ill.

Speaking of very fast spread and very high infections, Omicron is quickly making its way around the world, unhindered by travel bans and restrictions, a tactic that went into place and was generally unsuccessful in keeping out the original virus and its variants. Omicron has been spotted in South Africa, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Britain, Israel, Hong Kong, Germany, Austria, and Italy.

As mentioned earlier, countries are imposing travel bans amidst the new variant in the hopes that maybe, somehow, this time they’ll work. The United States has done it. Israel is banning the entry of all foreigners. Morocco is suspending all incoming air travel for two weeks. The World Health Organization is urging no, don’t do that because it places a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods, it’s not scientifically based, and it just doesn’t work.  

Okay, time to answer the question “Why did the World Health Organization skip a couple of Greek letters when naming the new variant Omicron?” The variant prior to Omicron was Mu, which should be followed by Nu and Xi. Well they didn’t like Nu because it sounds just like the word new. And Xi can’t be used because it’s a common last name in certain countries and the whole point was to not stigmatize any country so…that led to Omicron. If Omicron is your last name, please write your local congressperson.

With reporting affected by the Thanksgiving holiday, in the United States cases were up 4%, deaths are down 10%, and hospitalizations are up 12% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 3. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Montana, West Virginia, Oregon, Michigan, and Kentucky.

There are 9,420,095 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: New Hampshire 51%, Indiana and Massachusetts 43%, Michigan 41%, and Illinois 32%.  

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Scurry, TX. Mason, MI. Shiawassee, MI. Nodaway, MO. Houghton, MI. Sullivan, NH. Ionia, MI. Jackson, MI. DeKalb, IN. And Oceana, MI.

There have been at least 776,639 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 72.7%, Rhode Island at 72.2%, and Maine at 72.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia at 41.5%, Wyoming at 45.3%, and Alabama at 46%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 59%.

Globally, cases were up 12% and deaths were down 4% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are once again over 20 million active cases around the world, at 20,159,495.

The five countries with the most new cases: Germany 38,444. The U.K. 37,681. Russia 33,548. France 31,648. And the Netherlands 22,133.

There have been at...

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for November 26th, 2021.

The news we’ve been dreading, another variant of COVID-19 that is more mutated, more contagious, and more capable of evading the vaccines we have thus far. It’s called B.1.1.529 and it’s been identified in South Africa, Hong Kong, and Botswana. Senior scientists describe it as the worst variant they’d seen since the start of the pandemic with 32 mutations in the spike protein. That’s twice as many as in the Delta variant.

Because of the new variant, South Africa has been placed under England’s red list travel restrictions. About 500 to 700 people usually go to the UK from South Africa every day. The ban will also cover flights from Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. Scotland says all arrivals from the countries must self-isolate and take two PCR tests, then starting 4am tomorrow, stay at a managed quarantine hotel. And Israel is banning citizens from traveling to southern Africa and barring the entry of foreign travelers from the region.

If you’re still arguing with a friend over which is the better vaccine, Pfizer or Moderna, a large scale study out of Hungary says Moderna beats Pfizer in effectiveness. In fact, so does Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine. Moderna was 88.7% effective in protecting against infection vs Pfizer’s 83.3%, and Moderna was 93.6% effective against COVID mortality vs Pfizer’s 90.6%.

As expected, the EU authorized Pfizer’s vaccine for use on kids aged 5 to 11 years old. That means shots are coming to millions of elementary school pupils. Of course, at least one country didn't wait for authorization. Vienna, Austria had already started vaccinating 5 to 11-year-olds.  

So with cases surging, ICU’s full, and staff vaccine mandates going into place, surely more healthcare workers are getting fully vaccinated, right? At the moment, as much as 30% of healthcare practitioners remain unvaccinated. HCPs working in children’s hospitals had the highest vaccination rates at 77%, followed by short- and long-term care ACHs at 70.1% and 68.8%, respectively. Critical access hospitals had vaccination rates of just 64%.

In the United States cases were up 20%, deaths are down 10%, and hospitalizations are up 11% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 3. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Montana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Oregon, and Michigan.

There are 9,401,200 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: New Hampshire 54%, Michigan 46%, Massachusetts 42%, Indiana 36%, and Illinois and Maine 31%.  

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Big Horn, MT. Nome Census Area, AK. Scurry, TX. Dodge, MN. Mason, MI. Shiawassee, MI. Bethel Census Area, AK. Crawford, PA. Nodaway, MO. And Goodhue, MN.

There have been at least 775,785 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 72.7%, Rhode Island unchanged at 72.2%, and Maine at 72.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia unchanged at 41.5%, Wyoming unchanged at 45.3%, and Alabama at 46%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is unchanged at 59%.

Globally, cases were up 16% and deaths were down 3% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 19,855,847 active cases around the world.

With U.S. reporting affected by the Thanksgiving holiday, the five countries with the most new cases: Germany 76,132. The U.K. 47,240. Russia 33,796. France 33,464. And Poland 28,128.

There have been at least 5,181,949 deaths reported as...

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for November 25th, 2021.

A human subject is testing a new experimental vaccine. And that human subject is Russian President Vladimir Putin. He’s already fully vaccinated, and he got his booster shot four days ago. But now he’s taken an experimental nasal version of the Sputnik V vaccine. He said so far, he hasn’t experienced any unpleasant effects after taking the nasal vaccine.

The U.S. President will require essential, nonresident travelers crossing U.S. land borders, like truck drivers and emergency response officials, to be fully vaccinated starting January 22. That brings the rules for essential travelers in line with rules for leisure travelers that went into place earlier this month.

Looking around the world, Slovakia's government approved a two-week national lockdown for both the unvaccinated and vaccinated. People can leave their homes only for limited, specific reasons. The Italian government decided to exclude unvaccinated people from some leisure activities like movies, sporting events, and dining out. Vaccinations were also made mandatory for law enforcement, military and all school employees. Denmark's government is seeking to reintroduce mask mandates in all public places. And Portugal is introducing new pandemic restrictions seven weeks after scrapping almost all of them because of the high vaccination rate.

This isn’t going to shock you, but a lot of people don’t follow the public health advice they’re asked to follow. A new survey shows that in England, one in four adults who test positive for COVID do not follow the rules for 10-day self-isolation. And that number is rising, up from 22% who fessed up to that in September.

In the United States cases were up 24%, deaths are down 6%, and hospitalizations are up 9% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 3. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Montana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Oregon, and Michigan.

There are 9,382,501 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: New Hampshire 55%, Michigan and Massachusetts 45%, and Illinois and Indiana 32%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Big Horn, MT. Nome Census Area, AK. Scurry, TX. Dodge, MN. Mason, MI. Shiawassee, MI. Bethel Census Area, AK. Venango, PA. Nodaway, MO. And Goodhue, MN.

There have been at least 773,770 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont unchanged at 72.6%, Rhode Island at 72.2%, and Maine at 72%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia unchanged at 41.5%, Wyoming at 45.3%, and Alabama unchanged at 45.8%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 59%.

Globally, cases were up 17% and deaths were up 2% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 19,654,645 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 103,899. Germany 73,966. The U.K. 43,676. Russia 33,558. And France 32,591.

There have been at least 5,165,169 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for November 24th, 2021.

The EU’s version of the FDA said Merck has put in its request to authorize its coronavirus antiviral, the first pill shown to treat COVID-19. They expect a decision to be made on molnupiravir within weeks. Earlier this month, Britain became the first country in the world to OK the drug.

It is just speculation and guesswork, but the World Health Organization's Europe office says its projections show the continent could see another 700,000 deaths in the pandemic by next spring. That means it would top 2 million total. The WHO Europe says boosters should be given as a priority to vulnerable populations, but its own international headquarters is still calling for a moratorium on boosters.

It's mask on, mask off depending on where in America you live. Health officials in Oregon announced they’re lifting statewide mask requirements in crowded outdoor settings. It was the first state to reimplement an outdoor mask mandate for both vaccinated and unvaccinated residents. But in Denver they’re renewing a mask mandate for indoor public spaces until January 3, even though 76% of Denver residents have gotten at least one vaccine dose.

The Governor of Minnesota has called up the National Guard to help long term care facilities as a huge surge in hospitalizations overwhelms the health care system. About 400 members of the Guard have been training as certified nursing assistants and temporary nursing aides. Only 2% of the state’s ICU beds are available.

A lot of people are very up front, even proud of the fact they have refused to get vaccinated. But new research shows there are some who are more than happy to lie about it when it’s convenient. Of those who aren’t vaccinated, 28% would consider lying about their status to eat in a restaurant that has a vaccine mandate. It’s a problem for businesses because they’re increasingly held accountable for verifying vaccination status. That’s added to the fact that 18% of consumers say they’re less likely to patronize a business with a mandate. And a New York survey found 67% of restaurants have lost customers due to the city's vaccine mandate.

In the United States cases were up 25%, deaths are down 8%, and hospitalizations are up 8% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 3. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Montana, Kentucky, Idaho, North Dakota, and West Virginia.

There are 9,329,193 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: New Hampshire 56%, Massachusetts 46%, Michigan 44%, Minnesota 32%, and Illinois 31%. 

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Big Horn, MT. Nome Census Area, AK. Scurry, TX. Dodge, MN. Bethel Census Area, AK. Shiawassee, MI. Mason, MI. Pope, MN. Nodaway, MO. And Dickenson, VA.

There have been at least 773,770 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 72.6%, Rhode Island at 72.1%, and Maine unchanged at 71.9%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia unchanged at 41.5%, Wyoming unchanged at 45.2%, and Alabama at 45.8%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 59.2%.

Globally, cases were up 16% and deaths were up 2% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 19,520,364 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 86,016. Germany 54,268. The U.K. 42,484. Russia 33,996. And France 30,454.

There have been at least 5,165,169 deaths reported as Covid-related...

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for November 23rd, 2021.

So you’re thinking about getting a booster shot. But you’re also thinking “how long will this one last?” Well the answer is, I know this is a shock, they don’t know. However, a small study out of Northwestern University is claiming neutralizing antibody levels against COVID decreased 25-fold after a booster compared to 10-fold nine months after getting the original doses. So they think the booster might last longer.

Germany and Denmark have been added to the list of places the CDC preferred you didn’t go. In fact, 13 European countries were added to the “avoid travel” list in the past four weeks, which brings the total of countries at Level 4 on the list to 76. Fun fact: based on the CDC’s criteria, America would also be on the list of countries they recommend Americans not travel to.

Right alongside the push to get kids vaccinated just happen to be new reports that more kids than ever are getting infected. The American Academy of Pediatrics says Covid-19 cases in children are up 32% from two weeks ago. In fact, they say kids represent more than a fourth of all new cases for the past week.

Just ahead of Monday’s deadline, a source reports more than 90% of federal workers had gotten at least one dose of vaccine. Again, there is no option offered to get regularly tested instead unless they managed to get a medical or religious exemption. Actually, when you count those exemption requests, more than 95% of federal workers are in compliance.

Well we told you about Germany being added to the don’t travel list, and someone who probably agrees with that is Germany’s health minister. He’s saying the rapid rise in cases means it's likely everyone in the country who isn't vaccinated will have caught COVID by the end of winter, and some will be dead. Obviously, many, many health experts say that’s not necessarily true.

In the United States cases were up 29%, deaths are down 9%, and hospitalizations are up 6% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 3. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Kentucky, and West Virginia.

There are 9,319,803 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: New Hampshire 59%, Michigan 47%, Massachusetts 41%, Minnesota 37%, and Illinois 32%.  

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Big Horn, MT. Scurry, TX. Bethel Census Area, AK. Dodge, MN. Mason, MI. Shiawassee, MI. San Juan, NM. Roseau, MN. And Jackson, MI.

There have been at least 772,381 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 72.4%, Rhode Island at 72%, and Maine at 71.9%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia at 41.5%, Wyoming at 45.2%, and Alabama at 45.7%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 59.1%.

Globally, cases were up 20% and deaths were up 2% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 19,404,315 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 74,156. The U.K. 44,917. Germany 40,489. Russia 35,681. And Hungary 27,209.

There have been at least 5,158,635 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for November 22nd, 2021.

In many of our minds, the year 2020 stands out as the most difficult where COVID-19 is concerned. However, in the United States, the number of 2021 coronavirus deaths have surpassed the total for 2020. And that is with the nation’s government and public health leaders having access to vaccines. The number will most definitely rise in the remaining weeks of the year.

But the country’s answer is, more vaccine. The FDA and CDC did as expected and expanded eligibility for booster shots to all adults Friday, offering additional protection for all those 18 and above who had their second shot of Pfizer or Moderna at least six months prior. Boosters had already been approved for J&J’s one-dose vaccine, for two months after the primary dose.

New and renewed restrictions in several European countries resulted in protests, some of them violent, and some leading to dozens of arrests. These are not small demonstrations, ranging from hundreds of participants in some cities to tens of thousands in Belgium.

Few people are wearing masks, political rallies, concerts, and home gatherings have resumed, and people busily shop in crowded marketplaces. This is in Zimbabwe. And the same is happening across much of Africa, which is less than 6% vaccinated. The World Health Organization says infections have been dropping there since July, and Africa makes up just 3% of the global total of COVID-deaths. The Americas account for 46% of them. So seriously, what is going on? Scientists have absolutely no clue. Some say it’s the continent’s relative youth, some say the populations are more spread out and are outdoors more, some say it’s genetics or past infections with parasitic diseases.

For those who still think we should find out how all this happened, US government documents newly released under the Freedom of Information Act show the Wuhan Institute of Virology was studying coronaviruses found in bats from Laos and Yunnan, China in the months before the outbreak. This means the bat origin and lab escape origin theories might both be true. US-funded researchers were sending viral samples from the bats to the lab according to leaked emails between EcoHealth Alliance and US government funders. Records of both genetic sequences were removed from an online database at the Institute in September of 2019.

In the United States cases were up 29%, deaths are down 9%, and hospitalizations are up 5% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 3. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Montana, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Idaho.

There are 9,336,118 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: New Hampshire 61%, Michigan 45%, Massachusetts 39%, Minnesota 37%, and Illinois 31%. 

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Big Horn, MT. Scurry, TX. Bethel Census Area, AK. Dodge, MN. Mason, MI. Shiawassee, MI. San Juan, NM. Roseau, MN. And Jackson, MI.

There have been at least 771,118 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 72.4%, Rhode Island at 72%, and Maine at 71.9%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia unchanged at 41.5%, Wyoming at 45.2%, and Alabama at 45.7%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is unchanged at 58.9%.

Globally, cases were up 18% and deaths were up 1% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 19,908,663 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new...

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for November 19th, 2021.

It’s known for its festive Christmas markets but health officials in Germany say they could be heading for a terrible Christmas. New measures were approved yesterday to rein in record infections and some German states are considering mandatory vaccinations for some professional groups like medical staff.

Again, it is good to be Pfizer. The U.S. government will pay the company $5.29 billion for 10 million courses of its potential COVID treatment if regulators authorize it. That’s about $529 per course if you’re doing the math. The President said in a statement the treatments “will be easily accessible and free,” although the taxpayers just paid $5.29 billion. Still, these treatments have been repeatedly called potential game changers.

Unvaccinated Army soldiers are starting to get their marching orders. They will not be allowed to re-enlist or be promoted. This also applies to reservists and National Guardsmen. 28% of the entire U.S. Army is not yet fully vaccinated.

New research shows the pandemic has brought on an "emerging public health concern" of people losing their sense of smell. Like, for a long time. The estimate is between 700,000 and 1.6 million people in the US who had COVID have lost or had a change in their sense of smell that has lasted more than 6 months, and that’s likely an underestimate. They say some may never regain it. Why is the sense of smell lost? Scientists have no idea.

If you don’t like needles or humans, have we got a story for you. A Canadian startup has built a vaccine robot that can dose you in the arm without a needle or any human help. You use an app to register with the robot, prove your identity by holding an ID card in front of its camera, the robot arm retrieves the vaccine and uses a sensor to find your arm, then injects the vaccine using a brief, high-pressure jet of fluid with no needle. If it detects you have COVID at the time, it starts yelling Danger Will Robinson. Okay that last part isn’t true.

In the United States cases were up 23%, deaths are down 13%, and hospitalizations are down 1% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 3. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Montana, West Virginia, Idaho, and Kentucky.

There are 9,279,227 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: New Hampshire 45%, Michigan 37%, Minnesota 36%. Rhode Island 32%. And New Mexico 31%.  

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Big Horn, MT. Dodge, MN. San Juan, NM. Scurry, TX. Grant, NM. Mason, MI. Wadena, MN. Roosevelt, MT. And Shiawassee, MI.

There have been at least 768,684 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont unchanged at 72.2%, Rhode Island unchanged at 71.8%, and Maine unchanged at 71.6%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia unchanged at 41.5%, Wyoming unchanged at 45%, and Alabama at 45.6%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is unchanged at 58.9%.

Globally, cases were up 15% and deaths were flat over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 19,646,839 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 99,146. Germany 64,164. The U.K. 46,807. Russia 37,374. And Poland 24,882.  

There have been at least 5,131,160 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for November 18th, 2021.

The US administration was counting on making businesses their enforcers for vaccination mandates. But the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is suspending said enforcement as ordered by the courts. OSHA had originally given employers with more than 100 employees until January 4 to comply under threat of thousands of dollars in fines.

U.S. taxpayers are paying drugmakers billions of dollars to scale up domestic production, but not for the U.S. It’s to ship out to other countries that have had poor access to vaccines. The U.S. has been criticized by the World Health Organization for moving ahead with booster shots when many countries have not had enough initial doses.

Looks like we might have to re-set our list of which states are most fully vaccinated, because they might change the meaning of fully vaccinated. The U.S. is considering that and several European nations are already moving toward not counting you as fully vaccinated unless you’ve had a second shot of J&J or a third shot of Pfizer and Moderna. For example, by December 15, anyone over 65 in France needs a booster to revalidate their vaccination pass. And in Austria, full vaccination status expires after nine months from your last dose.

How is the child vaccination effort going? The White House says about 10% of eligible kids aged 5 to 11 have gotten a dose of Pfizer since it was approved for them. That was about two weeks ago. It's more than three times faster than the adult vaccination rate when they first became available.

Do you ever wonder if other people have been worrying about the same things you’ve been worrying about during the pandemic? A 19-country study of global helplines has revealed what most people have had anxiety over. Mostly, it’s been fear of infection, loneliness, and concerns about overall physical health. Calls about relationship and money problems, as well as suicide-related issues were less prevalent than before the pandemic. The researchers were struck by how the worries were the same across nations.

In the United States cases were up 23%, deaths are down 13%, and hospitalizations are down 3% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 3. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Montana, West Virginia, Idaho, and Kentucky.

There are 9,239,157 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: New Hampshire 38%, Michigan 35%, Minnesota 34%. Rhode Island 30%. And Illinois and New Mexico 28%.  

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Big Horn, MT. Dodge, MN. San Juan, NM. Scurry, TX. Grant, NM. Mason, MI. Wadena, MN. Roosevelt, MT. And Shiawassee, MI.

There have been at least 767,432 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 72.2%, Rhode Island at 71.8%, and Maine at 71.6%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia at 41.5%, Wyoming at 45%, and Alabama unchanged at 45.5%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 58.9%.

Globally, cases were up 15% and deaths were flat over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 19,470,876 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 104,702. Germany 60,753. The U.K. 38,263. Russia 36,626. And Poland 24,239.  

There have been at least 5,122,852 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for November 17th, 2021.

Why is Europe struggling so much? We may have at least a partial answer. A new variant has been detected in several countries there that has some mutations scientists haven’t seen before. It’s called B.1.X and it’s been found in France, the UK, Switzerland, Scotland, and Italy. It’s not known yet if the mutation means it’s as or any more dangerous than Delta.

Yesterday we told you that some states and cities are not waiting on the FDA or CDC and are administering boosters to all adults 18 and over. And here they are. Arkansas, West Virginia, New York City, Colorado, California, and New Mexico. So far, about 15% of those who are fully vaccinated have also gotten a booster shot.

Things are not going well in Russia at all, but yesterday it announced it will resume allowing air travel to Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Mongolia starting Dec. 1. Remaining restrictions will also be lifted on flights to Cuba, Mexico, and Qatar. In all, Russia’s resumed flights with over 60 countries. Cases and deaths there are at record highs with a full vaccination rate at less than 40%.

A second set of states has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the administration's vaccine mandate for health care workers in the US. This one is on behalf of 12 states, added to a previous suit involving 10 states. The new ones are Louisiana, Montana, Arizona, Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, and West Virginia.

If standing outside in the freezing cold for hours packed in with a throng of people is your thing, good news for you. Times Square will be open for celebrations this New Year’s Eve, though only the vaccinated will be allowed access to the area. In 2021 there was a virtual ball-dropping celebration only.

In the United States cases were up 18%, deaths are down 15%, and hospitalizations are down 4% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 3. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Montana, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Idaho.

There are 9,235,181 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: New Hampshire 32%, Minnesota and Michigan 31%, New Mexico 29%, and Rhode Island 28%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Scotts Bluff, NE. Nome Census Area, AK. Dodge, MN. Big Horn, MT. San Juan, NM. Bethel Census Area, AK. Scurry, TX. Wadena, MN. Goodhue, MN. And Grant, NM.

There have been at least 765,762 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 72.1%, Rhode Island unchanged at 71.7%, and Maine at 71.5%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia unchanged at 41.2%, Wyoming unchanged at 44.8%, and Alabama unchanged at 45.5%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is unchanged at 58.8%.

Globally, cases were up 13% and deaths were down 3% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 19,364,712 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 87,133. Germany 39,985. The U.K. 37,243. Russia 36,818. And Turkey 25,101.  

There have been at least 5,114,140 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for November 16th, 2021.

A couple of openings to tell you travelers about. India started letting fully vaccinated foreign tourists enter the country on regular commercial flights. Infections are falling and vaccinations rising there. Visitors haven’t been allowed in since March 2020. Or maybe Cambodia’s more to your liking. It reopened its borders to fully vaccinated travelers two weeks earlier than planned and has one of the world's highest rates of immunization.

But here’s where not to go, especially if you’re using the CDC as your travel agent. The agency has advised against travel to the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Iceland because of rising cases there. However, they moved some countries to the level one low risk category, including Japan, India, Pakistan, Liberia, Gambia, and Mozambique.

Without waiting for authorization from the FDA or a recommendation from the CDC, all adults in New York City are now allowed to get booster shots. Three states, California, Colorado and New Mexico, are also shoving the federal government aside and taking matters into their own hands.

COVID sure hurt the melting pot on U.S. college campuses. International student enrollment fell by 15% or 1.1 million students during the 2020-2021 academic year. That’s the biggest drop since the late 1940s. Travel restrictions and delayed visa processing were largely to blame.  

Amazon agreed to pay $500,000 and be monitored by California officials to make sure that from now on, it notifies workers within a day about new coronavirus cases. It will also notify local health agencies within 48 hours. The half-million will go to enforce the state’s consumer protection laws. All of this is because of California’s “right-to-know” law that took effect last year.

In the United States cases were up 14%, deaths are down 14%, and hospitalizations are down 7% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 3. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Montana, Kentucky, Alaska, and Ohio.

There are 9,237,610 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Rhode Island 34%, Michigan 22%, Minnesota 20%, and New Mexico and South Dakota 15%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Scotts Bluff, NE. San Juan, NM. Grant, NM. Scurry, TX. Big Horn, MT. Wadena, MN. Bethel Census Area, AK. Otsego, MI. And Washburn, WI.

There have been at least 764,363 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont unchanged at 72%, Rhode Island at 71.7%, and Connecticut and Maine at 71.4%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia at 41.2%, Wyoming unchanged at 44.8%, and Alabama at 45.5%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 58.8%.

Globally, cases were up 12% and deaths were down 3% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 19,303,850 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 70,823. The U.K. 39,705. Russia 38,420. Germany 30,483. And Turkey 23,852.  

There have been at least 5,106,593 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for November 15th, 2021.

Austria has locked down…at least for the unvaccinated. We’ve seen it all before, new infections are surging, and ICUs are strained. In fact, Austria has one of Europe's highest infection rates and is the first to reinstate restrictions on daily movements. Austria has one of the lowest vaccination rates in western Europe at 65%, but that’s well above the United States’ 58-59%.

More vaccines are destined for the arms of children. Israel approved giving it to kids 5 to 11. That’s expected to start next week. Australia will likely start administering the shots for kids under 12 in January. They’ve already vaccinated 57.7% of children between 12 and 15. And of course the U.S. approved the vaccine for kids 5 to 11 earlier this month.

A company in England, Emergex, will soon start clinical trials of a second-generation vaccine that’s a skin patch that uses T-cells to kill infected cells. The hope is it can offer longer-lasting immunity than current vaccines. The antibodies in current vaccines stick to the virus and stop it from infecting cells, but T-cells find and destroy infected cells.

A massive real-world study compared how fast three vaccines lose their effectiveness over eight months. The good news is, they found while protection from infection may decline, protection against death seems to hold up. Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine apparently showed the greatest decline in protection. Moderna performed the best, with Pfizer in the middle.

Can you unvaccinate yourself? Well, the short answer is no. But vaccine “detoxes” are making the rounds on the internet. The pitch is you can get vaccinated to meet mandates, then cleanse yourself of the vaccine by bathing in a mixture of baking soda, Epsom salts, and the cleaning agent borax. Experts say all you’re going to do is irritate your skin and eyes.

In the United States cases were up 11%, deaths are down 16%, and hospitalizations are down 8% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 3. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Alaska, Wyoming, Kentucky, Montana, and Idaho.

There are 9,214,324 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Rhode Island 31%, Michigan 23%, Minnesota 20%, New Mexico 17%, and South Dakota 16%.

The highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Scotts Bluff, NE. Wadena, MN. Humboldt, NV. Grant, NM. San Juan, NM. Scurry, TX. Dodge, MN. Mille Lacs, MN, and Goodhue, MN.

There have been at least 763,092 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 72%, Rhode Island at 71.6%, and Maine at 71.4%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia unchanged at 41.1%, Wyoming at 44.8%, and Alabama at 45.3%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is unchanged at 58.5%.

Globally, cases were up 12% and deaths were down 2% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are once again over 19 million active cases around the world, at 19,231,229.

The five countries with the most new cases: Russia 38,823. The U.K. 36,517. Germany 29,048. The United States 24,193. And Turkey 21,624.  

There have been at least 5,100,195 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for November 12th, 2021.

It is just not looking good in Europe. Germany had a record-high number of daily cases yesterday as new measures are being considered. One of the country's top virologists warns another 100,000 could die in the next few months if the vaccination rate doesn't quickly accelerate.

To the south, in Austria, that country’s chancellor is stepping up threats of lockdowns for the unvaccinated as new cases soar. At least one province is definitely taking that step next week. Their rate of new cases is three times that of Germany’s.

Russia’s preparing new restrictions that will only allow vaccinated people with QR codes to access most public places, shops, transportation, and restaurants. Fewer than 40% of Russians are fully vaccinated, which combines with lax public attitudes and government’s reluctance to toughen restrictions in making the situation there worse.

Denmark, also headed for at least a limited lockdown. The Dutch public health institute announced the highest daily tally of new cases since the pandemic began, and this is in a country where more than 84% of the adult population is fully vaccinated.

A common question being asked now is why, in places like Denmark, and in states like Vermont where vaccination rates are over 70%, are cases and breakouts so bad? It’s a fair question. Most experts claim it’s the start of a seasonal spike in places with cooler weather. Or that vaccines given early in 2020 are waning. Or maybe people are gathering indoors without masks now. You starting to get the idea nobody knows? Either way, the hope is that because of high vaccination rates, these case surges won’t lead to out of control hospitalizations and deaths.

In the United States cases were up 7%, deaths are down 13%, and hospitalizations are down 12% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 3. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Alaska, Wyoming, Oregon, Kentucky, and Idaho.

There are 9,183,252 active cases in the United States.

With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Utah 29%, New Mexico 20%, Arizona and Michigan 15%, and Colorado and Minnesota 14%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Lincoln, WV. Nome Census Area, AK. Bethel Census Area, AK. Humboldt, NV. Scotts Bluff, NE. Grant, NM. San Juan, NM. Fayette, AL. Carbon, UT. And Wadena, MN.

There have been at least 759,636 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont unchanged at 71.8%, Rhode Island at 71.5%, and Connecticut and Maine at 71.2%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia unchanged at 41.1%, Wyoming at 44.6%, and Alabama unchanged at 45.2%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is unchanged at 58.5%.

Globally, cases were up 8% and deaths were down 1% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 18,982,709 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: Germany 50,377. The United States 43,596. The U.K. 42,408. Russia 40,759. And Turkey 24,898.  

There have been at least 5,079,013 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for November 11th, 2021.

So far, the White House is very happy with the whole get kids vaccinated thing. They say it’s off to a strong start, but they worry that so was the adult vaccination effort, then it peaked and lost momentum. About 900,000 kids aged 5 to 11 will have gotten their first dose in their first week of eligibility.

The World Health Organization gave us some bad news, coronavirus deaths rose by 10% in Europe in the past week. But they also gave us some good news, Europe is the only region in the world where cases and deaths are steadily increasing. WHO's Europe director warned if more actions aren’t taken, the continent could see another 500,000 deaths by February.

A coalition of 10 states sued the federal government to try to block a vaccine requirement for health care workers. The suit contends the requirement threatens the jobs of millions of health care workers and could “exacerbate an alarming shortage” in health care fields, particularly in rural areas. Some states are also suing over the mandate that federal contractors’ workers be vaccinated, as well as businesses with more than 100 employees being mandated to make their workers get vaccinated or wear masks and get tested weekly.

It's amazing what a difference one little gene can make. In 2020, studies showed there were genetic differences that resulted in higher risk of severe COVID. Now researchers at Oxford have pinpointed one gene, LZTFL1, that’s mostly involved. It’s a gene more common in the ethnic communities that have been hardest hit, and it’s very active in the layer of cells lining the airways and lungs. This unlucky gene reduces lung cells’ ability to repair damaged tissue, and it causes more copies of the two proteins that allow the virus to infect cells to be made.

It might be a second blue Christmas in Germany, with its famous Christmas markets potentially being closed for a second holiday season in a row. Soaring cases in Germany are a very real threat to those markets, which would be opening in about a week. 67% of Germans are fully vaccinated, far more than the United States.  

In the United States cases were up 7%, deaths are down 13%, and hospitalizations are down 12% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 3. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Alaska, Wyoming, Oregon, Kentucky, and Idaho.

There are 9,165,878 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Utah 29%, New Mexico 20%, Arizona and Michigan 15%, and Colorado and Minnesota 14%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Lincoln, WV. Nome Census Area, AK. Bethel Census Area, AK. Humboldt, NV. Scotts Bluff, NE. Grant, NM. San Juan, NM. Fayette, AL. Carbon, UT. And Wadena, MN.

There have been at least 758,877 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 71.8%, Rhode Island unchanged at 71.4%, and Maine at 71.2%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia unchanged at 41.1%, Wyoming at 44.5%, and Alabama at 45.2%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 58.5%.

Globally, cases were up 10% and deaths were up 1% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 18,837,281 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 94,376. Germany 45,416. The U.K. 39,329. Russia 38,058. And Turkey 27,259.  

There have been at least 5,072,046 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for November 10th, 2021.

Pfizer’s ready for booster shots for all adults, but are U.S. regulators? The request is in to allow anyone 18 and older to get boosters of the Pfizer vaccine. Up to now just older Americans and groups especially vulnerable to the virus have had access to dose number three. The FDA says it will move quickly on the expansion if warranted.

A big change in Britain. All health care staff who work with the public will now have to be vaccinated starting in April, even if that means thousands of desperately needed healthcare workers might quit their jobs. More than 100,000 health workers are currently unvaccinated there.

Quick, do you know how many different COVID vaccines there are now? Well, if you’re just counting the ones approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization, there’s now eight. The latest one is called COVAXIN, and it’s been assessed for quality, safety, and efficacy.

It sure is good to be the pharmaceutical company Merck. The U.S. government is going to buy another $1 billion worth of its COVID-19 pill. That’s after a $1.2 billion purchase agreed to in June. The drug, called molnupiravir, has been shown to halve the chances of dying or being hospitalized for those most at risk of severe COVID if given early in the illness.

Every desperate incentive to get people vaccinated has been offered so this will come as no surprise. A brothel in Austria is offering a free, uh, “fling” with the prostitute of your choice if you get the shot right there at the bordello. The only drawback is you have to be in the mood on Mondays from 4 to 10pm. One happy customer said, “I would have gotten vaccinated anyway.” Uh huh.

In the United States cases were up 5%, deaths are down 15%, and hospitalizations are down 13% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending flat since October 25. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and West Virginia.

There are 9,153,680 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Utah 40%, New Mexico 21%, Arizona 13%, and Colorado and Nebraska 12%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Lincoln, WV. Nome Census Area, AK. Humboldt, NV. Bethel Census Area, AK. Grant, NM. Wadena, MN. San Juan, NM. Carbon, UT. Roosevelt, MT. And Holt, NE.

There have been at least 757,230 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 71.7%, Rhode Island at 71.4%, and Connecticut at 71.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia unchanged at 41.1%, Wyoming unchanged at 44.4%, and Alabama at 45.1%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 58.4%.

Globally, cases were up 10% and deaths were up 1% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 18,721,788 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 72,358. Russia 39,160. The U.K. 33,117. Germany 28,986. And Turkey 28,662.  

There have been at least 5,063,295 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for November 9th, 2021.

Citizens in Russia went back to work yesterday after a mandated, nine-day break to help cope with the surge of cases there. But they’re doing so as the record-breaking surge of infections and deaths continue. In fact, statistics show the work stoppage had no effect on easing cases.

Meanwhile Japan reported no daily deaths from COVID Sunday for the first time in 15 months, and infections are rapidly declining there. Japan was hit by several waves, including delta last summer. Cases started falling in September. Experts attribute it to vaccinations, widespread mask wearing, and disinfectant use.

Also, Britain had a decline in cases reported between November 2nd and 8th of 16.6% compared with the previous seven days. 57 more people died, meaning that seven-day total was up 8.2%. But declines in the number of deaths usually lag behind declines in cases.

Get ready for schools to teach reading, writing, and vaccination. The White House wants local school districts to host clinics that teach parents the benefits of vaccination, then vaccinate the kids. Federal officials are reminding school districts they can tap into billions of dollars in federal coronavirus relief money to stand up these efforts.

Yesterday we told you about the great Big Bird controversy. Today another story in the utter silliness column as Northern Ireland's health minister is suing Van Morrison for singing songs critical of the handling of the pandemic there. The “Brown Eyed Girl” singer’s lawyer says “the words used by him related to a matter of public interest and constituted fair comment.”

In the United States cases were flat, deaths are down 19%, and hospitalizations are down 13% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending flat since October 25. 

The five states that have the most deaths per million are Mississippi, Alabama, New Jersey, Louisiana, and New York.

There are 9,166,601 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Utah 38%, New Mexico 20%, Colorado 15%, Nebraska 14%, and Arizona 12%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Lincoln, WV. Bethel Census Area, AK. Park, MT. Wadena, MN. Grant, NM. Carbon, UT. San Juan, NM. Rolette, ND. And Coos, NH.

There have been at least 755,624 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 71.7%, Rhode Island unchanged at 71.3%, and Connecticut at 71.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia unchanged at 41.1%, Wyoming unchanged at 44.4%, and Alabama at 45.1%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 58.4%.

Globally, cases were up 7% and deaths were flat over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 18,652,346 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 50,809. Russia 39,400. The U.K. 32,322. Turkey 27,824. And Germany 20,580.

There have been at least 5,055,359 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for November 8th, 2021.

Things have gotten stricter in Los Angeles. One of the strictest vaccine mandates has gone into effect today. Proof of vaccination is required for entry into a wide variety of businesses. Restaurants, malls, theaters – both live and movie, nail places, hair places, gyms, yoga studios, museums, convention centers, and the list goes on. First offense gets a business a warning, but fines could later run from $1,000 to $5,000.

The US is pushing forward with a new air travel policy that will make many foreign would-be visitors ineligible to enter the country. Today, fully vaccinated foreign travelers can enter. But here’s the problem. The vaccines have to have been among those authorized by the FDA or that got an emergency use listing from the World Health Organization. Anyone who got, for example, Russia’s Sputnik vaccine, used in 70 countries worldwide, are out of luck.

More support for the old trope that you’re likely to get sick while in a hospital. Federal and state records show that more than 10,000 patients were diagnosed with COVID in a U.S. hospital last year after they were admitted for something else. Plus, about 21% of the patients who got COVID in the hospital from April to September last year died, compared to only 8% of other Medicare patients who died in the hospital during that time of non-COVID issues.

Amazingly, Tonga has recorded its first COVID case. In late October, a fully vaccinated passenger from a Christchurch repatriation flight tested positive while in hotel quarantine. Tonga’s enforced quarantine for anyone entering the country since early 2020. All of Tonga is now in lockdown for at least seven days with a curfew.

The vaccine debate has officially reached peak silliness. A purely fictional costumed kids’ character, Big Bird, was vaccinated, which of course cannot be true. He tweeted, "My wing is feeling a little sore, but it'll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy." That was met by criticism from some politicians aimed at the fictional bird costume. So we have people who aren’t real arguing about things that aren’t real. Welcome to COVID in America.  

In the United States cases were flat, deaths are down 19%, and hospitalizations are down 13% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending flat since October 25. 

The five states that have the most deaths per million are Mississippi, Alabama, New Jersey, Louisiana, and New York.

There are 9,228,410 active cases in the United States.

With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Utah 39%, New Mexico 20%, Nebraska 15%, Colorado 14%, and Arizona 12%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Lincoln, WV. Bethel Census Area, AK. Park, MT. Wadena, MN. Grant, NM. Carbon, UT. San Juan, NM. Rolette, ND. And Coos, NH.

There have been at least 754,429 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 71.6%, Rhode Island at 71.3%, and Connecticut and Maine at 71%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia at 41.1%, Wyoming at 44.4%, and Alabama at 45%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 58.2%.

Globally, cases were up 6% and deaths were down 1% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 18,704,978 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: Russia 39,165. The U.K. 30,305. Turkey 25,304. The United States 23,165. And Germany 20,701.

There have been at least...

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for November 5th, 2021.

As we reported yesterday, over 750,000 American lives have been lost to COVID. No other even in the country’s history, including the four-year-long Civil War, has generated more death and loss. 750,000 is also more than the populations of Vermont, Wyoming, or Alaska, which means we’ve lost the equivalent of an entire state.

The World Health Organization is getting increasingly concerned about Europe. The continent has seen a more than 50% jump in cases in the last month. It’s become the epicenter of the pandemic even though there’s plenty of vaccine. Inexplicably, poorer countries with less than 1% of the world's vaccines like Africa and Southeast Asia saw cases fall 9% last week.

Britain is first to grant conditional authorization to the first pill shown to successfully treat COVID, manufactured by Merck. It’s for adults 18 and older who’ve tested positive and have at least one risk factor for severe disease like obesity or heart disease. The regime is four pills twice a day for five days.

We’re heading into flu season and flu shot season, so you might be wondering, is it safe to get the COVID vaccine and a flu shot at the same time. Well, the World Health Organization says yes, and that when you do, it doesn’t compromise the effectiveness of either.

It’s still a major and deadly health issue, but a new poll suggests Americans are just about done with COVID as a political issue. The Reuters poll shows only 12% of U.S. adults rated public health issues as a top national priority. That’s down from 20% in February. What do they care about now? Inflation, economic growth, and supply chain issues that are leaving some shelves noticeably bare.

In the United States cases were down 6%, deaths are down 18%, and hospitalizations are down 16% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending flat since October 25. 

The five states that have the most deaths per million are Mississippi, Alabama, New Jersey, Louisiana, and New York.

There are 9,220,830 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: New Mexico 19%, Vermont 15%, Colorado 14%, Nebraska 11%, and Arizona and New Hampshire 9%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Park, MT. Grant, NM. Goshen, WY. Wadena, MN. Inyo, CA. Roosevelt, MT. Rolette, ND. San Juan, NM. And Carbon, UT.

There have been at least 751,554 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont unchanged at 71.4%, Rhode Island at 71.1%, and Connecticut at 70.9%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia unchanged at 41%, Wyoming at 44.2%, and Alabama at 44.9%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is unchanged at 58.1%.

Globally, cases were up 6% and deaths were up 3% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 18,459,078 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 81,033. Russia 40,217. The U.K. 37,269. Germany 35,662. And Turkey 29,482.

There have been at least 5,029,033 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for November 4th, 2021.

A new policy for the U.S. puts the burden of vaccination on employers. A temporary emergency rule mandates that businesses that employ 100 or more people make their employees get vaccinated or test them regularly. It’s the first time a federal standard deemed a respiratory virus an occupational hazard outside of health care. Some unknowns remain, such as how employers are supposed to enforce the mandate.

There’s concern from England’s deputy chief medical officer that too many people think the pandemic is over. He says there are hard months to come in the winter. He pointed out the current increasing numbers of deaths showed infections are penetrating into older age groups.

Colorado is experiencing its worst COVID surge in a year, so its hospitals have been given permission to turn patients away. Many of those hospitals report being at over 90% capacity. From October 3 to yesterday, the state has seen an almost 50% increase in virus hospitalizations.

So many reasons you don’t want to be in charge of a COVID response. In the Philippines, the President said local government officials will be punished if they fall behind their targets for vaccinations. He didn’t say exactly what that punishment would be but did say there’s no reason with supplies in hand vaccinations can’t be ramped up. The Philippines has fully immunized only a little over a third of its population.

A COVID related scandal in the NFL. Green Bay Quarterback Aaron Rodgers tested positive and will miss one, maybe two games. The scandal part is he had said he’d been immunized, but apparently that didn’t mean he’d been vaccinated. Rodgers pursued homeopathic treatment to raise his antibody levels and sought an exemption from COVID-19 protocols, which was denied. Critics are saying he’s been less than transparent about his vaccination status.

In the United States cases were down 8%, deaths are down 18%, and hospitalizations are down 16% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending flat since October 25. 

There are 9,218,010 active cases in the United States.

With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Vermont and New Mexico 18%, Colorado 15%, New Hampshire 14%, and Maine 8%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Park, MT. Grant, NM. Goshen, WY. Inyo, CA. Carbon, UT. Montrose, CO. Emery, UT. Rolette, ND. And Humboldt, NV.

There have been at least 750,410 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 71.4%, Rhode Island at 71%, and Connecticut at 70.8%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia at 41%, Wyoming at 44.1%, and Alabama at 44.8%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 58.1%.

The top five countries that had a 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people; Taiwan up 3%, Jamaica 2%, and The Philippines, Pakistan, and Ukraine 1%.

Globally, cases were up 6% and deaths were up 6% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 18,338,443 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 76,526. Russia 39,008. The U.K. 33,699. Turkey 29,796. And Ukraine 19,455.

There have been at least 5,021,129 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for November 3rd, 2021.

And now parents have a big decision to make. The Pfizer vaccine was given final clearance by U.S. regulators for children ages 5 to 11. Distribution can begin immediately. And those shots might be administered at doctor’s offices, pharmacies, or even schools. The formula is one-third the dose of the adult shot.

Eastern Europe is still the area to watch. Russia's reported record daily infections or deaths almost every day for the last month. A nationwide non-working period runs until at least November 7. Around 35% of that nation is fully vaccinated. Romania reported a record daily number of deaths yesterday with 37% vaccinated. And Bulgaria, where 25% are vaccinated, also had its highest daily pandemic death toll yesterday, as did Croatia.

Novavax has a customer for its two-dose vaccine. Indonesia has given the world's first emergency use authorization for it. The Novavax vaccine uses a different technology than the mRNA method other shots use and doesn't require extremely cold storage. The hope is it will be a big player for poorer, developing nations.

They said they’d do it, and they did. 9,000 New York City municipal workers were put on unpaid leave after refusing to comply with the city’s vaccine mandate. There is no option for weekly testing. The unvaccinated represent about 9% of the city’s total municipal workers. But 12,000 more unvaccinated workers are waiting on a ruling on their requests for medical or religious exemptions. So the total placed on leave could reach up to 21,000.

Another study of white-tailed deer suggests they harbor widespread coronavirus infections. Up to 80% of the Iowa deer population may carry the disease, with a rate of infection effectively 50 times worse than in humans. The good news is, they got it from us, but there’s no evidence to show we can get it from them. Plus, they’re really good at social distancing.

In the United States cases were down 8%, deaths are down 18%, and hospitalizations are down 16% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending flat since October 25. 

There are 9,220,239 active cases in the United States.

With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: New Mexico 19%, New Hampshire and Colorado 14%, Vermont 13%, and South Dakota and Arizona 5%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Park, MT. Grant, NM. Goshen, WY. Inyo, CA. Carbon, UT. Montrose, CO. Emery, UT. Rolette, ND. And Humboldt, NV.

There have been at least 748,173 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 71.2%, Rhode Island at 70.9%, and Connecticut at 70.7%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia at 41%, and Wyoming and Idaho at 43.9%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated remains 58%.

There were only four countries that had a 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people; Taiwan up 3%, Bangladesh and Oceana 2%, and Indonesia 1%.

Globally, cases were up 2% and deaths were up 3% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 18,269,994 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 59,288. Russia 39,008. The U.K. 33,865. Turkey 29,796. And Ukraine 19,455.

There have been at least 5,011,786 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for November 2nd, 2021.

Another horrific milestone has been crossed. The global death toll from COVID-19 has now topped 5 million people. This has happened in less than two years, and claimed victims from every corner of the globe, every color, every nationality, in both poor and wealthy nations. In fact the US, EU, Britain and Brazil — all upper-middle- or high-income countries — account for one-eighth of the world’s population but nearly half of all reported deaths.

The FDA is delaying their decision on Moderna's vaccine for 12- to 17-year-olds as they study the rare risk of heart inflammation. The company has been told the review could last until January. Moderna argues more than 1.5 million adolescents around the world have gotten its vaccine and the number of heart inflammation reports “does not suggest an increased risk.”

We’re hearing more and more about breakthrough infections but what about severe cases and even deaths from those breakthroughs? Figures in England show 4,500 fully vaccinated people died between January and September, most since the start of August. 10,000 additional fatalities were seen among people who’d gotten one jab.

Canada’s chief medical officers say the general population doesn’t need booster shots yet. They say they’ll keep watching the situation but right now, there’s no evidence of widespread waning of protection in those who’ve been vaccinated. Despite the advice, some provinces and territories are already administering boosters or plan to.

Even though many people are still scared of it, experts have been impressed with the performance of mRNA vaccines and are now contemplating additional future applications of it. For instance, a universal vaccine that would work across all four strains of flu that are always mutating, a vaccine against cancer that teaches the immune system to recognize mutations before they occur, a better vaccine against malaria, which still kills a half a million people annually – mostly babies and children, and a vaccine for HIV that induces antibodies to extinguish HIV before it takes hold.

In the United States cases were down 13%, deaths are down 12%, and hospitalizations are down 17% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending flat since October 25. 

There are 9,273,656 active cases in the United States.

With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: New Hampshire 28%, Vermont 26%, New Mexico 20%, Colorado 17%, and Maine 14%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Grant, NM. Carbon, UT. Stark, ND. Goshen, WY. Bethel Census Area, AK. Emery, UT. Rolette, ND. Wabasha, MN. And Montezuma, CO.

There have been at least 746,977 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 71.2%, Rhode Island at 70.9%, and Connecticut at 70.7%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia at 41%, Wyoming at 43.9%, and Alabama at 44.8%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 58%.

Only one country had a 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people; Thailand up 1%.

Globally, cases were up 7% and deaths were up 10% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 18,277,445 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 45,373. Russia 40,993. The U.K. 37,877. Turkey 23,948. And Ukraine 17,430.

There have been at least 5,005,401 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for November 1st, 2021.

If you think it’s important, for science and public health and safety reasons, to actually know how this COVID-19 pandemic started, you may as well forget it. U.S. intelligence officials said they can’t conclude the origin. They don’t know if it was from an animal, they don’t know if it was from a lab leak, they don’t know if the virus was genetically engineered…nothing. And that’s where they’ll leave it.   

The Mayor there says about 91% of New York City’s municipal workers are vaccinated as today’s mandatory deadline hits, a leap up from 83% Friday. The 9% who haven’t will go on unpaid leave starting today, which will create a corresponding shortage of police, fire, and EMS workers.

Dramatic reunions at Sydney airport as fully vaccinated Australians were allowed to fly home and stay home for the first time in 583 days. There was a lot to catch up on as countless weddings, funerals, and births had been missed. Wider lockdown restrictions are expected to be lifted for all residents December 1.

A health official there says China’s latest COVID-19 outbreak is developing rapidly. Authorities are being extra vigilant at ports of entry as infections boom in a northeastern border city. That was caused by the virus arriving from abroad. While the rest of the world figures out how to co-exist with COVID, China is maintaining its zero tolerance policy toward it.

Congratulations to the word “Vax,” the Oxford English Dictionary’s word of the year. Last year, the company said it was impossible to sum up 2020 in one word. But this year, they say the shorthand for vaccine “injected itself into the bloodstream of the English language. It’s clear the language of vaccines is changing how we talk – and think – about public health, community and ourselves.”

In the United States cases were down 13%, deaths are down 12%, and hospitalizations are down 17% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending flat since October 25. 

There are 9,342,326 active cases in the United States.

With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: New Hampshire 34%, Vermont 26%, New Mexico and Maine 20%, and Colorado 17%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Grant, NM. Carbon, UT. Stark, ND. Goshen, WY. Bethel Census Area, AK. Emery, UT. Wabasha, MN. Montezuma, CO. And Inyo, CA.

There have been at least 745,805 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 71.2%, Rhode Island at 70.9%, and Connecticut at 70.7%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia unchanged at 41%, Wyoming at 43.9%, and Alabama at 44.7%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 58%.

There were only four countries with a 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people; Ethiopia up 3%, Indonesia 2%, and India and Oceana 1%.

Globally, cases were up 8% and deaths were up 8% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 18,320,240 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: Russia 40,993. The U.K. 38,009. Turkey 23,948. The United States 19,975. And Ukraine 17,430.

There have been at least 4,999,456 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for October 29th, 2021.

As regular listeners probably know, rates of cases, hospitalizations and deaths have gone down significantly in the US since Delta peaked in September. But now health experts have a problem. Complacency and the believe it’s all over. Winter is coming, many kids still can’t get vaccinated, and the holidays mean lots of gatherings. Plus, many believe vaccination rates need be around 80-85% of adults – and we’re a long way from that.

Researchers think a cheap, generic anti-depressant could reduce the risk of severe COVID by almost one third in people at high risk. The drug is fluvoxamine, sold under the brand name Luvox. It’s mostly used to treat obsessive compulsive disorder and depression, but it also lowers inflammatory molecules called cytokines that can be triggered by an infection. It may also reduce blood platelets, which could help with the blood clotting often seen in COVID. A 10-day course costs about four bucks.

Approve all the vaccines for kids you want, parents still have to be willing to give it to them and a new Kaiser Family Foundation survey shows most aren’t. At least not right away. Only 27% say they’ll vaccinate their kids as soon as possible.

The military has been good at following orders. With the vaccination deadline still ahead for all branches, more than 90% of active-duty troops have gotten at least one dose. For the Navy the rate is more than 99%. If service members refuse, commanders have the options of administrative paperwork, nonjudicial punishment, or court-martial.

Yet another side-crisis that’s come out of the pandemic…we’ve forgotten how to drive. The government reports the number of U.S. traffic deaths in the first six months of 2021 was the highest since 2006. 20,160 people, which is 18.4% higher than the first half of last year. Behavioral research from March through June also showed speeding and not wearing seat belts is higher than pre-pandemic days.

In the United States cases were down 19%, deaths are down 15%, and hospitalizations are down 19% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since September 13. 

There are 9,355,413 active cases in the United States.

With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: New Hampshire 50%, Maine 31%, Vermont 27%, and Alaska and Colorado 18%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Boundary, ID. Goshen, WY. Humboldt, NV. Carbon, WY. Fergus, MT. Stark, ND. Carbon, UT. Grant, NM. And Emery, UT.

There have been at least 743,358 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 71%, Rhode Island at 70.6%, and Connecticut at 70.5%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia unchanged at 41%, Idaho at 43.6%, and Wyoming at 43.7%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 57.5%.

The five countries with the largest 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people; Taiwan up 4%, Brazil 2%, and Thailand, South America, and Indonesia 1%.

Globally, cases were up 4% and deaths were up 2% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 18,117,423 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 78,460. Russia 40,096. The U.K. 39,482. Germany 26,610. And Ukraine 26,071.

There have been at least 4,979,902 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for October 28th, 2021.

A judge in NY said no, she will not pause a vaccine mandate that starts Friday for city employees. A police union had requested a temporary restraining order. She did however order city officials to appear in court Nov. 12 to defend the vaccine requirement against a union lawsuit. As of Tuesday, 73% of police department personnel had gotten at least one dose, and the fire department’s vaccination rate was 68% as of Wednesday.

Merck said it’s okay with them if other drug makers make its COVID-19 pill. It’s the first pill that’s been shown to treat the condition. The ideas is to help millions of people in poorer countries get access to the drug. And Merck will get no royalties for as long as the World Health Organization says COVID-19 is a global emergency.

The number of new cases there is still pretty bad, but the German parliament isn’t going to extend the “epidemic situation of national scope” status when it expires next month. It will keep certain measures like masking in public places. Leading members said despite the new cases, the situation is different now that about two-thirds of the population has been vaccinated.

For some it appears there’s just no such thing as too much vaccine. The CDC updated its guidance for numerous immunocompromised people, saying they can get a booster dose at least six months after their primary vaccinations, which for some would be their fourth shot. In August, the CDC recommended the immunocompromised who got the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine ​​get a third dose, which wasn’t considered a booster.

As Americans argue over the vaccine because they’re so concerned about their health, guess what they’re doing more of. Smoking. For the first time in two decades, cigarette sales went up last year during the pandemic. The timing of the increase suggested cigarettes are among the items people stocked up on, fearing shortages.

In the United States cases were down 23%, deaths are down 17%, and hospitalizations are down 19% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since September 13. 

There are 9,358,631 active cases in the United States.

With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: New Hampshire 54%, Maine 32%, Vermont 31%, and Alaska and Colorado 20%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Goshen, WY. Boundary, ID. Nome Census Area, AK. Humboldt, NV. Stark, ND. Fergus, MT. Carbon, WY. Carbon, UT. Bethel Census Area, AK. And Inyo, CA.

There have been at least 741,231 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated were again not updated by NPR so remain: Vermont at 70.9%, Rhode Island at 70.4%, and Connecticut at 70.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia at 41%, Idaho at 43.4%, and Wyoming at 43.5%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 57.4%.

The five countries with the largest 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people; Taiwan up 4%, and New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, and Romania 1%.

Globally, cases were down 1% and deaths were down 2% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since October 22.

There are 18,021,385 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 76,361. The U.K. 43,941. Russia 36,582. Turkey 26,896. And Germany 26,099.

There have been at least 4,971,409 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for October 27th, 2021.

As expected, FDA advisors unanimously voted to endorse the Pfizer vaccine for kids five to 11. Federal authorization could come in the next few days. The pediatric version would be equal to a third of an adult dose. The panel said the benefits outweigh the risks that include a rare heart-related side effect seen in teens and young adults.

Things continue to look rough in Eastern Europe. The daily number of deaths in Russia hit another high yesterday even as most Russians stayed home from work this week. Ukraine and Bulgaria also reported record daily death tolls. In addition to closures, Russian authorities have strengthened enforcement of mask mandates. Further to the west, the Belgian government has reimposed some restrictions that were relaxed just a few weeks ago as hospitalizations increased 69%.

In the U.S., emergency rooms are slammed, but not with COVID patients. A secondary health crisis caused by the pandemic are all the people who put off seeking care for other issues, but who are now coming in even worse off. Many wind up on stretchers lining hallways for hours with plenty of noise and foot traffic going by.

Here’s a story about at least an attempt to return to normalcy. Louisiana is ending its statewide indoor mask mandate after seeing a sharp decline in new infections. However, the Governor is keeping some masking rules in place for the state’s K-12 schools. LSU said it’s keeping its indoor mask mandate no matter what the state says, and New Orleans indicated it also may not follow the Governor’s lead.

A report from the American Psychological Association says stress from the pandemic has people struggling to make even small decisions. Almost a third of adults question even basic day-to-day choices like what to eat or wear. It’s especially a problem for parents and Millennials. And there are problems making big decisions too, with 61% saying the pandemic has made them question how they’ve been living their lives.

In the United States cases were down 22%, deaths are down 11%, and hospitalizations are down 19% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since September 13. 

There are 9,362,598 active cases in the United States.

With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: New Hampshire 53%, Maine 31%, Vermont 30%, Rhode Island 19%, and Alaska 18%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Goshen, WY. Boundary, ID. Bethel Census Area, AK. Kodiak Island Borough, AK. Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK. Fergus, MT. Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK.     Humboldt, NV. And Stark, ND.

There have been at least 738,877 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated were not updated so remain: Vermont at 70.9%, Rhode Island at 70.4%, and Connecticut at 70.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia at 41%, Idaho at 43.4%, and Wyoming at 43.5%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 57.4%.

The five countries with the largest 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people; Taiwan up 4%, Oceana 2%, and South Korea, Ethiopia, and Australia 1%.

Globally, cases were down 1% and deaths were down 2% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since October 22.

There are 17,947,016 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 69,634. The U.K. 40,954. Russia 36,446. Turkey 29,643. And Germany 20,955.

There have been at least 4,962,804 deaths reported as...

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for October 26th, 2021.

New travel guidance from the US government. Most travelers to the United States are required to be vaccinated, however if you’re from a country that has a shortage of vaccines, you for some reason don’t have to be. Airlines must get contact info on passengers for contact tracing. And starting Nov. 8, all travelers must be tested, even if you’re fully vaccinated, to get on a plane bound for the US.  

Moderna says a study in kids 6 to 11 found two doses of their vaccine given 28 days apart produced a strong antibody response. The study was done using a half dose of the adult vaccine. The company will submit the data to regulators in an attempt to win authorization of the vaccine for children in that age range.

As with many things, there is no debate about giving children vaccines in China. With 76% of the population fully vaccinated and a zero-tolerance policy toward outbreaks, kids as young as 3 years old will start being vaccinated in at least five provinces.

What’s the best way to incentivize people to get vaccinated…you know, other than avoiding going on a ventilator? A study out of North Carolina says it’s cash. Guaranteed cash incentives slowed the decline in vaccine rates by half where offered. Researchers said rewards are especially effective if given immediately after the desired behavior, which is why some vaccine lotteries have not been effective.

A little bad news for some of you, and you know who you are. Researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse say regular use of marijuana can increase your chances of getting a breakthrough COVID infection. In fact, the study showed cannabis was the only substance that increased the risk based only on the substance and related behaviors.

In the United States cases were down 25%, deaths are down 13%, and hospitalizations are down 19% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since September 13. 

There are 9,388,349 active cases in the United States.

With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: New Hampshire 54%, Vermont 31%, Maine 28%, Rhode Island 19%, and Colorado and Alaska 16%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Goshen, WY. Boundary, ID. Humboldt, NV. Bethel Census Area, AK. Carbon, WY. Nome Census Area, AK. Stark, ND. Inyo, CA. Fremont, WY. And Park, MT.

There have been at least 737,316 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 70.9%, Rhode Island at 70.4%, and Connecticut at 70.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia at 41%, Idaho at 43.4%, and Wyoming at 43.5%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 57.4%.

There were only three countries with a 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people; India up 2%, and Oceana and Indonesia 1%.

Globally, cases were down 2% and deaths were down 4% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since October 22.

There are 17,893,223 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 48,771. Russia 37,930. The U.K. 36,567. Turkey 27,663. And Ukraine 14,634.

There have been at least 4,954,274 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for October 25th, 2021.

Sure you got one dose of Johnson & Johnson, or two doses of Pfizer or Moderna, but you may soon no longer be considered fully vaccinated. The head of the CDC said it may update its definition of what constitutes full vaccination as initial vaccine effectiveness wanes and booster shots are being promoted.

Say what you want about it, but the cottage industry of scaring pregnant women about the vaccines is enjoying success. In September, the CDC urged expecting mothers to get vaccinated because complications from COVID can truly be deadly for mother and baby. Risks include stillbirths, restricted growth, and pre-eclampsia. And yet, two-thirds of America pregnant women think the vaccines are more dangerous than COVID and have not been vaccinated.

While things continue to look good in many parts of the world, not so in eastern Europe. The number of infections so far there surpassed 20 million yesterday, and they’re dealing with the worst outbreak since the pandemic started. Less than half of the population in the region have gotten a single vaccine dose. With just 4% of the world's population, eastern Europe accounts for about 20% of all new cases reported globally.

A bleak prediction for unvaccinated Covid survivors from a study out of Yale and the University of North Carolina. On average, they should expect to be reinfected with COVID every 16 to 17 months. COVID hasn’t been around long enough, so they studied reinfection in a close viral relative to find out how long natural immunity can be expected to last without any help.

An enterprising fellow in Melbourne came up with a way to help those who want to avoid getting vaccinated but enjoy all the benefits therein. He’s selling a fake arm online. The idea is you put it in a coat sleeve and hide your real arm inside the coat. Helpful instructions are to remember to wince and pretend there's some pain when the needle goes in. It’s not known how many of these have sold, especially since most vaccine shot givers know what a real arm feels like.  

In the United States cases were down 25%, deaths are down 13%, and hospitalizations are down 18% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since September 13. 

There are 9,503,806 active cases in the United States.

With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: New Hampshire 50%, Vermont 36%, Maine 27%, Rhode Island 19%, and Colorado, Michigan, and Alaska 15%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Goshen, WY. Boundary, ID. Humboldt, NV. Bethel Census Area, AK. Carbon, WY. Nome Census Area, AK. Stark, ND. Inyo, CA. Fremont, WY. And Park, MT.

There have been at least 735,930 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 70.7%, and Connecticut and Rhode Island at 70.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia unchanged at 40.9%, Idaho at 43.1%, and Wyoming at 43.3%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 57.2%.

The five countries with the highest current infection reproduction rate are Czechia, Hungary, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Poland.

Globally, cases were down 2% and deaths were down 4% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since October 22.

There are 18,015,968 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The U.K. 39,962. Russia 35,660. Turkey 24,792. Ukraine 20,791. And the United States 17,580.

There have been at least 4,947,878 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide....

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for October 22nd, 2021.

Pfizer says a booster shot of its vaccine boosts prevention of symptomatic cases back up to 95.6%. And this data was compiled when Delta was the prevalent strain.

The CDC seems to be booster backers. Yesterday we told you they’ve decided mixing and matching boosters and original vaccines is okay. And, after saying those who got the Pfizer vaccine months ago are already eligible for a booster, they’ve added Moderna and Johnson & Johnson takers to that eligibility. The government says getting first shots to the unvaccinated is still the priority.

And so far, the public seems to be open to booster shots, certainly more than the number of people who are still considering getting the initial doses. The CDC reports there are 1.3 times as many boosters administered each day compared with first shots. And the FDA may soon lower the age range on its emergency use authorizations for boosters, depending on safety data.

Infections and deaths in Ukraine surged to all-time highs yesterday. Its vaccine inoculations are among the lowest in Europe. With a choice of four vaccines, only about 15% of the population is fully vaccinated. Only Armenia has a lower level. Restrictions are in place for public places and public transport.

Our question for today, are new variants of the coronavirus just going to keep emerging? Well, experts at Penn State say yes. But only if the virus can keep finding infectable people, because inside people is where new variants are made. Over half the world is still unvaccinated, so there are plenty of bodies to mutate in. However, these experts say that doesn’t necessarily mean new variants will be more dangerous. Why? It needs to adapt to us in order to spread more widely. Killing us doesn’t help it. Still, emerging variants are closely watched to see if they evade the protection we develop from vaccination and infections.

In the United States cases were down 25%, deaths are down 15%, and hospitalizations are down 19% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since September 13. 

There are 9,522,759 active cases in the United States.

With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: New Hampshire 33%, Michigan 24%, Colorado and Minnesota 13%, and Wyoming and Montana 6%.   

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Goshen, WY. Bethel Census Area, AK. Stark, ND. Kodiak Island Borough, AK. Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK. Pecos, TX. Inyo, CA. Fremont, WY. Humboldt, NV. And Glacier, MT.

There have been at least 733,064 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 70.6%, Connecticut at 70.1%, and Rhode Island at 70%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia at 40.9%, Idaho at 43%, and Wyoming at 43.2%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 57.1%.

The five countries with biggest 24-hour increases in the number of fully vaccinated people: Taiwan up 4%. Uzbekistan and India 2%. And Australia and New Zealand 1%.

Globally, cases were down 8% and deaths were down 9% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since October 8.

There are now under 18 million active cases around the world, at 17,863,755.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 80,835. The U.K. 52,009. Russia 36,339. And Turkey 28,465.

There have been at least 4,928,934 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for October 21st, 2021.

Sometimes it just doesn’t pay to be the leader of a country during a global pandemic. A leaked document suggests a Brazilian congressional panel is ready to recommend mass homicide charges be brought against President Bolsonaro over how he handled the virus. The charge is he deliberately allowed it to spread in hopes of achieving herd immunity.

As we reported yesterday, millions of Russians are under strict new restrictions. In Moscow, all unvaccinated residents over 60, and unvaccinated people with chronic diseases have to lock down at home for four months. Non-working days have also been declared from October 30 to November 7 across Russia.

The U.S. released its plan to vaccinate children 5 to 11. They’ll be able to get it at their pediatrician's office, a local pharmacy, or maybe even their school. Authorization to use Pfizer in kids is expected in a few weeks and those will be low dose shots.

Moderna won’t give up how to make its vaccine, so the World Health Organization has hired an African startup to hack the formula. Or at least get as close to it as they can. Moderna's patent is public but the way it’s written doesn’t disclose everything. Moderna has said several times they won’t enforce their intellectual property during the pandemic, so it’s safe for the startup to move ahead without much fear of getting sued.

They don’t have a choice in whether or not to get vaccinated, they haven’t organized protests against it, and so far, none of them have even said anything about it. 80 animals at the Cincinnati Zoo got two doses of vaccine designed for veterinary use. Handlers worked for weeks to get the animals comfortable with everything they’d see and feel when they got the injections.  

In the United States cases were down 22%, deaths are down 14%, and hospitalizations are down 19% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since September 13. 

There are 9,540,596 active cases in the United States.

With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: New Hampshire and Michigan 25%, Minnesota 15%, Colorado 14%, and Montana 9%.  

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Goshen, WY. Stark, ND. Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK. Lake, MT. Bethel Census Area, AK. Hale, AL. Hill, MT. Inyo, CA. Arenac, MI. And Orleans, VT.

There have been at least 729,434 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont unchanged at 70.6%, and Connecticut and Rhode Island at 70%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia at 40.9%, Idaho at 43%, and Wyoming at 43.2%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 57.1%.

The top five countries with a 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people: Oceana up 3%. Taiwan, South Korea, and Bangladesh 2%. And Australia 1%.

Globally, cases were down 9% and deaths were down 11% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since August 26.

There are 17,805,130 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 71,809. The U.K. 43,540. Russia 33,740. Turkey 30,862. And Romania 18,863.

There have been at least 4,918,215 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for October 20th, 2021.

Cases are going down worldwide, but in many countries, you certainly wouldn’t know it. For instance, some scientists are calling on the U.K. government to reimpose social restrictions and speed boosters as infection rates, which are Europe’s highest, keep going up. Russia had another daily record of deaths, and the country might declare a nonworking week. Romania hit daily records for infections and deaths…vaccine uptake is very low there. Latvia is going into a nearly monthlong lockdown that includes a curfew, with a vaccination rate that’s among the lowest in the EU. The Czechs just had the highest daily tally since late April. Poland is reporting an increase of almost 85% in new cases compared to the previous week. And New Zealand counted its most new cases of the pandemic Tuesday even as Auckland is in a two-month lockdown.

U.S. federal regulators are expected to authorize mixing and matching booster doses this week. The idea is to provide more flexibility and get more boosters into more arms. The FDA is expected to say using the same brand is preferable, especially for Pfizer and Moderna, but studies have found an extra dose of any type revs up antibody levels.

Yes, fully vaccinated people can still transmit the virus, but how likely is it that will happen? A new study shows not very likely. Experts at the University of Colorado School of Medicine examined several studies on breakthrough cases and concluded the CDC guidance on transmission from those cases may have been overstated. The study saw definitive proof the infected vaccinated pass along much less virus than the unvaccinated. This could affect guidance on mask requirements in the future.

News you don’t want to hear, a newly detected variant that’s an offshoot of Delta appears to be rising in England. You may start hearing about AY.4.2. Now, experts at the University of Cambridge say the two mutations involved should not be of concern because they don’t have that large of an effect on the virus. But it could be 10-15% more transmissible than the original Delta.

In the United States cases were down 20%, deaths are down 11%, and hospitalizations are down 19% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since September 13. 

There are 9,584,770 active cases in the United States.

With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Michigan 26%, Minnesota 20%, New Hampshire 15%, Colorado 14%, and Montana 10%.  

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Lake, MT. Goshen, WY. Stark, ND. Hill, MT. Waynesboro, VA. Lewis and Clark, MT. Arenac, MI. Todd, MN. Hale, AL. And Orleans, VT.

There have been at least 726,538 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 70.6%, and Connecticut and Rhode Island unchanged at 69.9%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia still unchanged at 40.8%, Idaho unchanged at 42.9%, and Wyoming unchanged at 43%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is unchanged at 57%.

The top five countries with a 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people: Oceana up 3%. Taiwan, South Korea, and Bangladesh 2%. And Australia 1%.

Globally, cases were down 8% and deaths were down 12% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since August 26.

There are 17,765,495 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 53,135. The U.K. 49,018. Russia 34,325. Turkey 29,240. And India 12,338.

There have been at least 4,909,698 deaths reported as...

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for October 19th, 2021.

84-year-old Colin Powell, the retired four-star general who became the country's first Black secretary of state and chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, died from complications of Covid-19. He was fully vaccinated. Powell had a cancer of a type of white blood cell.

France's High Authority for Health decided to no longer allow the Moderna vaccine to be injected as a booster dose against Covid-19. Now only Pfizer is used for boosters in those that are eligible. Sweden and Finland had already suspended use of Moderna for those under 30 due to potential heart risks. And Denmark and Norway formally advised against it for people under 18. Iceland suspended it as a booster dose altogether.

Japan is suddenly a big coronavirus success story. And if you ask them what they did, they’ll tell you “we have no idea.” Daily cases have plummeted, bars are packed, trains are crowded, and Japan never came anywhere near a lockdown. Some speculate it’s because of a late but fast vaccination campaign, bad weather in August that kept people home, or widespread masking, which was already embraced in that country even pre-pandemic.

Thousands of California parents were expected to keep their kids home from school to protest a vaccine mandate. Some teachers were also planning on not showing up to classrooms. Nearly 40% of state employees remain unvaccinated.

The question is, if we’re going to get booster shots, why weren’t the vaccine formulas revised to more closely target the Delta variant that’s been the biggest problem? The answer: The FDA okayed Pfizer boosters of the original recipe last month because studies showed it works good enough against Delta and the doses could roll out immediately without manufacturing problems.

In the United States cases were down 22%, deaths are down 19%, and hospitalizations are down 18% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since September 13. 

There are 9,675,650 active cases in the United States.

With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Michigan 28%, Minnesota 22%. Montana 13%, Colorado 11%. And Pennsylvania and North Dakota 8%.  

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Goshen, WY. Lake, MT. Stark, ND. Bethel Census Area, AK. Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK. Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK. Nome Census Area, AK. Todd, MN. Hill, MT. And Hale, AL.

There have been at least 724,502 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 70.5%, and Connecticut and Rhode Island at 69.9%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia unchanged at 40.8%, Idaho at 42.9%, and Wyoming at 43%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 57%.

Only one country had a 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people: Oceana up 2%.

Globally, cases were down 11% and deaths were down 15% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since August 26.

There are 17,863,141 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The U.K. 45,140. Russia 34,303. Turkey 24,114. The United States 17,947. And India 14,289.

There have been at least 4,901,756 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for October 18th, 2021.

The FDA’s advisory panel voted unanimously to recommend Moderna booster shots for emergency use authorization. That moves millions in the U.S. closer to booster eligibility. The decision now goes to the FDA, which should make a final ruling in a few days. Moderna’s boosters are expected to be a half dose.

Almost 1,000 people descended on Times Square Saturday to protest the vaccine and vaccine mandates. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., board chair of Children’s Health Defense, was a main speaker and said, “The vaccine is not safe and effective. We have no business giving this to little children. It is unethical, it is medical malpractice.” YouTube recently censored and banned the Children Health Defense’s channel.

Melbourne has spent more time locked down than any city in the world. But that’s about to change. It will lift stay-at-home orders this week. It’s a city of 5 million people, but there have been six lockdowns totaling nearly nine months since March 2020. Cases are still rising there but the double-vaccination rate will hit 70% this week.

Russia is still struggling. A record-high number of cases in 24 hours since the start of the pandemic, and 997 deaths. That’s just five fewer than the daily record-high of 1,002 reported just the day before. Authorities blame a slow vaccination campaign.

New guidance from the CDC on how you should celebrate the upcoming holidays and stay safe from COVID. It’s not really anything new. Get vaccinated, the unvaccinated should wear masks all the time, the vaccinated should wear masks in public indoor settings, gather outdoors if possible, protect kids 11 years old and younger who can’t get the vaccine yet, and avoid travel if you aren’t fully vaccinated.

In the United States cases were down 23%, deaths are down 17%, and hospitalizations are down 18% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since September 13. 

There are 9,677,817 active cases in the United States.

With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Michigan 28%, Minnesota 21%. Montana 15%, and Pennsylvania and Colorado 9%.   

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Goshen, WY. Lake, MT. Stark, ND. Bethel Census Area, AK. Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK. Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK. Nome Census Area, AK. Todd, MN. Hill, MT. And Wadena, MN.

There have been at least 724,177 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 70.4%, Connecticut at 69.7%, and Rhode Island at 69.6%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia at 40.8%, Idaho at 42.6%, and Wyoming unchanged at 42.7%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 56.7%.

There were only four countries with a 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people: Russia up 3%. And Indonesia, Australia, and Montenegro 1%.

Globally, cases were down 13% and deaths were down 17% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since August 26.

There are 17,865,612 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The U.K. 43,275. The United States 33,910. Russia 33,208. Turkey 28,537. And Romania 15,239.

There have been at least 4,897,649 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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