Covid 4 1 1 podcast

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. 

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 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. 

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 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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