Stay ConnectedThe Covid 411 podcast provides daily updates, news, alerts, and information regarding the coronavirus, the many variants like Delta and Omicron, and COVID 19. Covid 411 aggregates information from a variety of sources including the CDC, WHO, and major media outlets to present a snapshot of Covid coverage and statistics.
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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.
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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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