Covid 4 1 1 podcast

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...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. 

For the latest updates, subscribe for...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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....

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

For the latest updates, subscribe for free to...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. 

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.