Coronavirus 4 1 1 podcast

Hope you didn't sell everything you own to go into the mask business. Data released by the CDC shows Covid levels have dropped enough that more than 90% of Americans can go without masks. The data shows nearly everyone in the country lives in an area with low to medium risk, though that data came out after the CDC tweaked how it measures risk. The new CDC guidance applies to everyone — including school kids and the unvaccinated. It does not, for whatever reason, apply to air travel, trains, or public transit.Yes, Omicron was reported as milder than the Delta variant, but that doesn't mean it's no big deal. Japanese scientists say it's at least 40% more lethal than seasonal flu. The case fatality rate of Omicron in Japan was about 0.13%, while the flu typically has a 0.006% to 0.09% death rate. They say more study is needed once all the restrictions are lifted. If you have arthritis, it's rare you feel lucky but when it comes to the pandemic, you may have been. Baricitinib is an oral drug commonly taken for rheumatoid arthritis, and an expansive study out of Oxford shows it reduced hospitalized COVID-19 patients' risk of dying by 13%. Scientists and doctors welcomed the addition of the pill to the few treatments already shown to help treat severe COVID, especially since the drug comes in generic versions low- and middle-income countries can afford.A couple of good news items for kids. The European Medicines Agency has authorized Moderna's vaccine for children aged six to 11, in addition to recommending boosters of Pfizer's vaccine for those aged 12 and up. And a new study has found Pfizer's vaccine is 91% effective at protecting young people ages 12 to 18 against infection for at least four months after their second shot.You may want to dust off the luggage as well. Rules requiring people to show a Covid-19 vaccine passport to access venues will be lifted in France March 14 and face masks will no longer be needed indoors except for on public transport. And vaccinated travelers to Italy will no longer have to test before entering the country. Unvaccinated travelers must still show proof of a negative test before entering. And once in country everyone must still get a “Super Green Pass” to stay at hotels, take trains, or eat at restaurants. In the United States, cases were down 55%, deaths are down 26%, and hospitalizations are down 43% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14. The five areas that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Arkansas, Maine, West Virginia, Tennessee, and the Northern Mariana Islands. There are 25,724,877 active cases in the United States.The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. Nome Census Area, AK. Bennington, VT. Linn, MO. Roanoke, VA. Pike, KY. Twin Falls, ID. Perry, KY. Fayette, AL. and Jerome, ID.There have been 956,262 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that's been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island at 80.7%, Vermont at 80.1%, and Maine at 78.4%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 50.3%, Wyoming at 50.6%, and Mississippi at 51%. The percentage of the U.S. that's been fully vaccinated is 65%.Globally, cases were down 25% and deaths down 27% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. There are 61,379,411 active cases around the world.The five countries with the most new cases: Germany 202,338. South Korea 198,802. Vietnam 118,790. Russia 93,026. And Japan 71,570. There have been 5,982,566 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for March 3rd, 2022. The US has a new plan for COVID. The White House said it's time for America to stop letting the coronavirus “dictate how we live.” Part of the new plan is a new “test to treat” program to provide free antiviral pills at pharmacies for anyone who tests positive. The plan also seeks to get ready for potential new variants and give employers and schools what they need to stay open.If you want them, you can get more free COVID tests from the government. The key there is “if you want them.” So far, a great many Americans have not shown much interest, which is why about half of the available supply is still available. Starting next week, you can order another group of tests at Covidtest.gov. The previous limit was four tests per residential address.Australia is now fully open to vaccinated travelers. Western Australia, which covers about a third of the country, became the last state to lift border restrictions today. This came four months after Sydney started a staggered reopening of quarantine-free travel. Western Australia was having good luck with contact tracing and isolation until the Omicron variant came along. Now they're reporting more than 1,000 new infections a day.Germany is also putting out the welcome mat again, removing all the countries currently on its list of “high-risk areas.” The list will now only include places where high infection rates are linked to more virulent variants than Omicron. Visitors will still have to show proof of vaccination or a negative test.Even if the pandemic is over, it's not over for those suffering with long COVID. And a new small study from the National Institutes of Health says many of the symptoms people are suffering from may be driven, in part, by long-term nerve damage. 59% had peripheral neuropathy, which is damage to the nerves that connect the brain to the outside world. Symptoms include weakness, fatigue, sensory changes, and pain in the hands and feet. The researchers don't sound totally confident, saying the study was of a very small and "biased data set" since the patients studied were already believed to have a neurological condition.In the United States, cases were down 58%, deaths are down 18%, and hospitalizations are down 44% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14. The five areas that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Tennessee. There are 25,845,090 active cases in the United States.The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. Nome Census Area, AK. Manassas Park, VA. Fayette, AL. Perry, KY. Elmore, ID. Ada, ID. Morgan, KY. Gooding, ID. And Bennington, VT. There have been 954,512 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that's been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island at 80.7%, Vermont at 80.1%, and Maine at 78.4%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 50.3%, Wyoming at 50.6%, and Mississippi at 50.9%. The percentage of the U.S. that's been fully vaccinated is 65%.Globally, cases were down 27% and deaths down 19% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. There are 61,540,184 active cases around the world.The five countries with the most new cases: South Korea 219,237. Germany 198,457. Vietnam 110,301. Russia 97,455. And Japan 61,843. There have been 5,972,440 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The CDC estimates there have been 140 million Covid-19 infections in the US, that's almost double the 74.3 million cases that have been reported as of January 31 and 43% of the country. The new number comes from antibody seroprevalence surveys, in which blood samples submitted to labs for unrelated reasons are tested for antibodies triggered by infection, not by vaccination. Wisconsin has the highest seroprevalence, with an estimated 56.1% of its population infected. A tragic statistic from an updated modeling study in The Lancet shows that the number of children around the world affected by COVID-associated orphanhood and caregiver death is estimated to have gone up dramatically. From around 2.7 million in April 2021 to 5.2 million in October 2021. That's the equivalent of one child orphaned every six seconds. The loss of a parent is linked to greater risk of dropping out of school, lower self-esteem, suicide, violence, sexual abuse, and developing anxiety, depression, and substance abuse problems. In England, one less thing to argue about. Mandatory Covid vaccinations for health and social care workers will be scrapped March 15. That policy met fierce resistance from some workers, and critics warned firing those not in compliance would worsen the serious staffing crisis in health and care services. But the damage is done; many have left their jobs, and some left the field altogether. If you want to go to Hawaii, you can say aloha unmasked and you don't have to hula six feet apart anymore. The state is lifting its strict entry requirements March 26. Travelers won't have to show proof of a vaccine or negative test to bypass a mandatory quarantine. And that five-day quarantine is going away, too. However, for now, Hawaii is keeping its indoor mask mandate. But it's Hawaii…go outside. We've heard there wasn't much risk of this, but researchers now think they've documented the first deer-to-human transmission of COVID. The culprit was a white-tailed deer in Ontario. It was found to have a new and highly divergent lineage of the coronavirus, and they found a person that had similar samples. Available data indicates it's unlikely the variant doesn't respond to vaccines, but maybe don't take any white-tailed deer onto public transportation or a cruise. In the United States, cases were down 59%, deaths are down 23%, and hospitalizations are down 44% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14. The five areas that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Ohio, Maine, Tennessee, West Virginia, and the Northern Mariana Islands. There are 25,989,717 active cases in the United States.The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. Manassas Park, VA. Nome Census Area, AK. Fayette, AL. Perry, KY. Morgan, KY. Elmore, ID. Aroostook, ME. Bennington, VT. And Ada, ID.There have been 952,629 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that's been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island at 80.7%, Vermont at 80.1%, and Maine at 78.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 50.2%, Wyoming at 50.6%, and Mississippi at 50.9%. The percentage of the U.S. that's been fully vaccinated is 64.9%.Globally, cases were down 30% and deaths down 20% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. There are 61,832,820 active cases around the world.The five countries with the most new cases: Germany 150,565. South Korea 138,993. Vietnam 98,762. Russia 97,333. And France 79,794. There have been 5,964,226 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Looks like Americans were definitely ready for the pandemic to be done. A new AP poll shows fewer people now than in January are worried they'll get infected, only 24%. Of those who say they still worry, about two-thirds are fully vaccinated while only 40% are unvaccinated. Most Americans think the virus will stick around as a mild illness. Public support for masking requirements has also gone down, but Americans are still more likely to favor than oppose mask mandates, 50% to 28%. They're still worrying in Hong Kong after another record 34,466 new infections yesterday and deaths continuing to climb. Now, authorities have begun assessing the possibility of locking down the entire city. It remains to be seen whether that would be done through legislation or some other way, but just the rumor of a lockdown sent shoppers racing to supermarket shelves to stock up. Pfizer's had a pretty good effectiveness record, but it turns out in kids, not so much. Data from the NY State Department of Health shows for kids 5 to 11, effectiveness waned quickly during the Omicron surge. It still protected against severe disease, though. Within one month, effectiveness against infection fell from 68% to 12% in that young age group. Schoolkids in California, Oregon and Washington won't have to wear masks anymore. The three Democratic governors of those states made a joint announcement to that effect yesterday. Those states have had some of the strictest safety measures during the pandemic and that included masking up 7.5 million school-age children. The change begins March 12 and applies to all kids regardless of vaccination status. COVID not scary enough for you? How about learning COVID tests can kill you? Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Centers Drug and Poison Information Center say those home test kits contain sodium azide. And they're getting a surge of calls about poisonings from it. New York and Texas are also sounding the alarm. The chemical is mainly used in car airbags and to kill bugs. Ingesting it can cause low blood pressure, dizziness, headaches, and heart palpitations. Large amounts of it can lead to respiratory failure and death. Of course, you're not supposed to ingest anything from COVID tests but somehow people manage to do so. In the United States, cases were down 62%, deaths are down 24%, and hospitalizations are down 44% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14. The five areas that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Ohio, West Virginia, Maine, Tennessee, and the Northern Mariana Islands. There are 26,171,931 active cases in the United States. The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Manassas Park, VA. Nome Census Area, AK. Perry, KY. Elmore, ID. Fayette, AL. Linn, MO. Morgan, KY. Ada, ID. Aroostook, ME. And Gooding, ID. There have been 950,472 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related. The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that's been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island at 80.8%, Vermont at 80%, and Maine at 78.9%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 50.4%, Alabama at 50.5%, and Mississippi at 50.8%. The percentage of the U.S. that's been fully vaccinated is 64.9%. Globally, cases were down 34% and deaths down 19% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. There are 62,674,400 active cases around the world. The five countries with the most new cases: South Korea 139,615. Russia 106,920. Germany 95,396. Turkey 64,275. And Japan 63,703. There have been 5,955,552 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Here's how we're doing. COVID is continuing to subside around the world with a weekly 16% decrease in deaths and 15% decrease in cases since Omicron first showed up. However, Asia's infections rose 4% and deaths were only down 0.9% with South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam and Hong Kong setting daily records last week. In fact, Hong Kong recorded 26,026 cases after never going above 100 every day until this year. New Zealand is also hitting five digits in cases for the first time.The FDA revised the emergency use authorization for Evusheld, a monoclonal antibody against Covid for immunocompromised people and those who can't be vaccinated for medical reasons. They now say you need twice the dose that's been being given. Those who already got the drug are being told to go back and get another injection as soon as possible. The agency said protection against symptomatic disease may not last as long as was shown in clinical trials since that was before the Omicron sub-variants emerged.What perfect timing! Face coverings are now optional for the US President's State of the Union address tomorrow. Congress is lifting its mask requirement on the House floor after the CDC eased guidelines last week. DC is now considered low risk based on the new metrics of what's happening in area hospitals. Of course, anyone who wants to can still mask up while listening to the speech.Things continue to loosen up in New York too. The statewide masking requirement in schools will be lifted by March 2. And New York City's Mayor is thinking about lifting vaccine mandates on restaurants, bars, and theaters by early next week. A mask mandate on the city's approximately 1 million schoolchildren could also be lifted. Again, any parent who wants to keep their kid masked can keep them masked. Oh boy, free (meaning paid for by taxpayers) COVID tests for everyone! But it's turning out to be one of the few free things that isn't wanted. Nearly half of the 500 million free tests still haven't been claimed. On day one there were over 45 million orders. After that, not so much. Less than 100,000 orders a day are coming in. Critics say the program would have been immensely helpful before the pandemic was largely over. In the United States, cases were down 63%, deaths are down 24%, and hospitalizations are down 44% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14. The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Ohio, West Virginia, Maine, Tennessee, and Missouri. There are 26,401,648 active cases in the United States.The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Manassas Park, VA. Nome Census Area, AK. Perry, KY. Elmore, ID. Fayette, AL. Linn, MO. Morgan, KY. Aroostook, ME. Ada, ID. And Gooding, ID. There have been 948,398 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that's been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island at 80.6%, Vermont at 80.1%, and Maine at 78.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 50.2%, Wyoming at 50.6%, and Mississippi at 50.9%. The percentage of the U.S. that's been fully vaccinated is 64.9%.Globally, cases were down 36% and deaths down 20% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. There are 63,676,869 active cases around the world.The five countries with the most new cases: South Korea 163,558. Russia 116,093. Germany 95,241. Vietnam 86,990. And Japan 69,661. There have been 5,948,460 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 25th, 2022. We're starting to learn a little more about the so-called stealth Omicron or BA2 variant. It's now causing more than a third of new Omicron cases around the world. It's been found in more than 80 countries and all 50 US states. It's called stealth because it can't quickly be differentiated from Delta using a certain PCR test. Early research suggests it spreads 30% faster than Omicron and can sicken people even if they've already had an Omicron infection. Vaccines still appear effective against it.We could have another change coming from the CDC today. They're expected to significantly loosen federal mask-wearing guidelines, meaning most of us will no longer be advised to wear masks in indoor public settings. The metrics driving the decision are hospitalizations and local hospital capacity.As we attempt to put COVID behind us, many of us who survived an infection are left with questions about exactly what it did to us. For example, a new study found in the year after contracting COVID, patients are at an increased risk for developing 20 cardiac problems. Those include stroke, heart attack, myocarditis and irregular heart rhythms. The researchers estimate COVID infections have led to 3 million cases of heart disease in the US alone. We always like to reassure those of you who are worried the big pharma companies not making enough money off of COVID vaccines. For Moderna, sales brought in $6.9 billion in the fourth quarter of 2021, and the company has signed purchase agreements for about $19 billion in sales for 2022 with options for an additional $3 billion to cover any updated boosters they're developing. So they're okay.And there's apparently another culprit being called out for spreading COVID and vaccine misinformation. It's people who do yoga. Some practitioners have been alarmed at the spread of anti-vaccination views in and around classes. One influencer who studies the practice said it's nothing new, there's a constant sense in yoga world that “I know better than doctors and the system.”In the United States, cases were down 65%, deaths are down 27%, and hospitalizations are down 43% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14. The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Maine, West Virginia, Ohio, Missouri, and Arizona. There are 26,814,308 active cases in the United States.The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Manassas Park, VA. Nome Census Area, AK. Perry, KY. Elmore, ID. Linn, MO. Morgan, KY. Houston, MN. Ada, ID. Aroostook, ME. And Gooding, ID. There have been 944,828 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that's been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island at 80.5%, Vermont at 80.1%, and Maine at 78.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 50.1%, Wyoming at 50.5%, and Mississippi at 50.8%. The percentage of the U.S. that's been fully vaccinated is 64.8%.Globally, cases were down 36% and deaths down 17% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. There are 65,116,099 active cases around the world.The five countries with the most new cases: Germany 218,431. South Korea 170,006. Russia 132,998. Brazil 95,493. And Turkey 79,708. There have been 5,927,592 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 24th, 2022. The US full vaccination rate is still quite a way from even 70%, and it doesn't look like it's going to get any better. Demand has all but collapsed, especially in states that weren't so hot on it to begin with. The average number of Americans getting their first shot is down to the lowest point since December 2020. Incentive programs didn't really work, and government and employer mandates are being challenged in every way they can be challenged.If you felt like crap the day after getting your second vaccine shot, it may be because the experts gave you some bad advice. US health officials now say some people really need to wait up to eight weeks between the first and second doses. For the rest of us who already got it, we were told to get it in three to four weeks. Not only does the longer interval help avoid side effects, the CDC says it also provides more lasting protection. A new report says the government in the UK is getting increasingly certain the pandemic did in fact result from a lab leak in Wuhan, China. In fact, it is now the official view. You'll remember that theory was rapidly dismissed by world governments and its proponents derided by health experts early in the pandemic. Many still call even trying to find out how the pandemic happened a distraction.Better late than never? The French pharmaceuticals giant Sanofi said its Covid vaccine, developed with GlaxoSmithKline, delivered positive results after nearly a year of delays and now they'll seek FDA authorization in the US. The results weren't just positive. Tests indicated a 100% effectiveness against severe Covid and hospitalization. It doesn't use mRNA technology; it's based on recombinant protein tech like Novavax's vaccine. If you start seeing smiling faces on employees of Target, that's because the store will no longer require its staff or shoppers to wear masks inside its stores. They will keep the one hour each week on Tuesdays when vulnerable guests can shop safely. In the United States, cases were down 66%, deaths are down 26%, and hospitalizations are down 43% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14. The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Maine, Arizona, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Ohio. There are 26,952,312 active cases in the United States.The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Manassas Park, VA. Nome Census Area, AK. Pointe Coupee, LA. Perry, KY. Houston, MN. Big Horn, MT. Elmore, ID. Morgan, KY. Glacier, MT. And Aroostook, ME. There have been 941,889 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that's been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island at 80.5%, Vermont at 80.1%, and Maine at 78.2%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 50.1%, Wyoming at 50.5%, and Mississippi at 50.7%. The percentage of the U.S. that's been fully vaccinated is 64.8%.Globally, cases were down 36% and deaths down 15% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. There are 65,659,102 active cases around the world.The five countries with the most new cases: Germany 219,859. South Korea 171,448. Russia 137,642. Brazil 133,626. And Turkey 86,600. There have been 5,916,526 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Covid 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Covid 411 podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 23rd, 2022. Hong Kong is going to test its entire population of 7.5 million people three times for COVID in March. To get that done, testing capacity will be boosted to 1 million a day or more. The city's reported about 5,000 new infections since February 15 and the healthcare system is buckling. A lockdown of the entire city, something that's been done a few times in mainland China, is not currently being considered.Amidst criticism of vaccine inequities, donations of the vaccine to Africa were well-intentioned, but the Africa CDC has a message for the do-gooders. Stop it. They want all donations paused until the third or fourth quarter of this year. They say the problem isn't a supply shortage, it's logistics challenges combined with vaccine hesitancy. As a result, there's a lot of vaccine just going to waste. Lots of numbers are falling, like case rates, death rates, hospitalizations, COVID restrictions, etc., but there's something else that has absolutely plummeted in demand. PCR tests. The CDC says nationwide demand for a COVID-19 PCR test has dropped 63% since early January. You could attribute part of that to the government mailing out free rapid tests but, PCR tests are a different, and proposedly more accurate way to find out if you're infected or not.Cruise lines, one right after the other, have been dropping their mask mandates. Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Virgin have either already stopped requiring masks in most indoor settings or will start next month. MSC Cruises and Disney have not made that decision yet. The new goal is making sure passengers are fully vaccinated and boosted.Throughout the pandemic, most of us have been amazed at what we didn't know. And even now in February of 2022, it's amazing what we still don't know. On that list of still unknowns is how many booster shots we'll need, how long immunity from vaccines lasts, are there more dangerous variants coming, why does COVID make some people seriously ill and give people long COVID while other people shrug it off, and where did COVID-19 come from? Science has no answers for these questions so you can continue to argue about them amongst yourselves. In the United States, cases were down 65%, deaths are down 19%, and hospitalizations are down 43% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14. The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Tennessee, Maine, Mississippi, West Virginia, and Oklahoma. There are 27,107,363 active cases in the United States.The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Manassas Park, VA. Marengo, AL. Pointe Coupee, LA. Attala, MS. Big Horn, MT. Perry, KY. Glacier, MT. Elmore, ID. And Washington, TN.There have been 938,938 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that's been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island at 80.3%, Vermont at 80%, and Maine at 78.2%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 50%, Wyoming at 50.5%, and Mississippi at 50.7%. The percentage of the U.S. that's been fully vaccinated is 64.7%.Globally, cases were down 34% and deaths down 16% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. There are 66,265,532 active cases around the world.The five countries with the most new cases: Germany 158,507. Russia 135,172. Brazil 101,285. South Korea 99,550. And France 97,382. There have been 5,904,723 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 22nd, 2022. If you want something to worry about, you can continue to worry about the Omicron variant BA2, because it's spreading about 30% more easily than the first Omicron, which as we recall spread pretty darn fast. Infectious disease experts are keeping a close eye on it because they assumed it would take off in the US like it has in Europe. So far that hasn't happened, but it's steadily spreading even as the Omicron surge keeps dissipating. Britain is scrapping the self-isolation rules starting Thursday to jump start the country's economy. People who test positive will no longer have to self-isolate for a minimum five days. That doesn't apply to Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, which set their own regulations. The reasoning is that COVID isn't going to suddenly disappear and waiting for that would restrict the liberties of the British people for a long time to come.Even as we report falling case numbers, there's still an average 2,200 people dying with COVID in the US daily. So who are these people? Doctors say it's still mainly unvaccinated people, most of whom are in their 30s and 40s, who had no underlying health issues. A smaller percentage of deaths are among fully vaccinated (and boosted) people who are either older or have preexisting conditions.We're all eager to put the pandemic behind us, or at least beside us. But the Cleveland Clinic says it's too soon to give the coronavirus endemic status. Doctors say they don't know if it's going to settle as a seasonal respiratory virus like the other coronaviruses or mutate and come back as something worse. It's a game of wait and see. They say right now, the precautions people take will most likely be based on their personal comfort levels. You may have heard it before, the place you're most likely to get sick is in a hospital. And it was thought that hospitals were an outstanding place to catch COVID as well. But a study has shown that the rates of acquiring COVID during a hospital stay were actually quite low, with only about 1.8% of patients contracting it during their stay at the highest peak of cases in December 2020.In the United States, cases were down 65%, deaths are down 15%, and hospitalizations are down 42% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14. The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Tennessee, Maine, West Virginia, Mississippi, and Oklahoma. There are 27,255,881 active cases in the United States.The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Marengo, AL. Manassas Park, VA. Pointe Coupee, LA. Attala, MS. Big Horn, MT. Perry, KY. Estill, KY. Floyd, KY. And Butler, KY. There have been 935,970 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that's been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island at 80.3%, Vermont at 80%, and Maine at 78.2%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 50%, Wyoming at 50.5%, and Mississippi at 50.7%. The percentage of the U.S. that's been fully vaccinated is 64.7%.Globally, cases were down 38% and deaths down 7% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. There are 67,132,248 active cases around the world.The five countries with the most new cases: Russia 152,337. Germany 111,824. South Korea 95,347. Turkey 85,026. And Japan 72,861. There have been 5,889,937 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 21st, 2022. The UK government announced those with COVID won't be legally required to self-isolate starting this week. That's part of the plan for “living with COVID” that will also probably see testing scaled back. The Prime Minister said, “We've reached a stage where we think you can shift the balance away from state mandation in favor of encouraging personal responsibility.” Of course, some of the government's scientific advisers are saying it's a risky move.Israel announced it's going to allow unvaccinated tourists to enter the country starting next month. But vaccinated or not, visitors will have to take a PCR test before flying and after landing. Israel has mostly restricted the entry of foreign tourists for the past two years and shut it down altogether late last year with the arrival of Omicron. Requirements for weekly testing of school children will also be halted in the coming weeks.The CDC is coming under fire for holding back vitally important coronavirus data. The New York Times reports there's an eyebrow-raising quantity of data that was either never released, released only recently, was partially released, or was released with limited access. For example, they've had data on hospitalizations for Covid across the U.S. for over a year, broken down by age, race, and vaccination status. Most of that data has never been seen.Now that the mRNA vaccine cat is out of the bag, what else can the technology be used for? Moderna has announced three of their next targets for it. The herpes simplex virus, the varicella-zoster virus, and a novel cancer vaccine. That gets added to some they'd already announced, including HIV, influenza, cytomegalovirus, and the Epstein-Barr virus.Further proof that COVID can get to anyone, Queen Elizabeth II has tested positive. And that's a big deal not only because she's a reigning monarch, but because she's 95-years-old. However, so far, her symptoms have been mild and cold-like. She's even continuing some light duties at Windsor this week. The Queen is fully vaccinated. In the United States, cases were down 65%, deaths are down 13%, and hospitalizations are down 41% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14. The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Tennessee, the third most fully vaccinated state of Maine, West Virginia, Mississippi, and Arkansas. There are 27,454,250 active cases in the United States.The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Marengo, AL. Manassas Park, VA. Pointe Coupee, LA. Attala, MS. Big Horn, MT. Perry, KY. Estill, KY. Floyd, KY. And Butler, KY. There have been 935,331 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that's been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island at 80.3%, Vermont at 80%, and Maine at 78.2%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama becoming the last state to be under the halfway mark at 50%, Wyoming at 50.5%, and Mississippi at 50.7%. The percentage of the U.S. that's been fully vaccinated is 64.7%.Globally, cases were down 38% and deaths down 6% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. There are 68,568,289 active cases around the world.The five countries with the most new cases: Russia 170,699. South Korea 104,828. Germany 104,131. Japan 77,153. And Turkey 70,355. There have been 5,886,362 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 18th, 2022. One influential model estimates 73% of Americans are, for now, immune to Omicron, and that could rise to 80% by mid-March. The coronavirus is still dangerous and tens of millions remain vulnerable. But at this point, experts say at least most immune systems have seen the coronavirus before and won't be as vulnerable. California is moving on. It became the first state to formally shift to an “endemic” approach to the coronavirus with a plan that emphasizes prevention and quick reaction to outbreaks rather than mandated masking and business shutdowns. A disease reaches endemic status when the virus still exists but becomes manageable as immunity builds.Is the White House aware of what stage of the pandemic we're in and that several states are dropping mask mandates? The administration says it's now going to focus on making sure kid-sized masks are distributed to pharmacies and community health centers. Regular masks don't always fit little faces well. The CDC does recommend kids 2-years old and up who aren't vaccinated stay masked in indoor public spaces.You'll notice the vaccination rates we've been reporting have been pretty much stuck. But now that we have some hindsight, what arguments did work in terms of convincing skeptics to get the shots? A Harvard Business School study says altruistic messages like protecting others or the economy worked better than self-protection messages. The study found mixed results at best for vaccine mandates making a difference.It was accused of being a super spreader event, but was it? The CDC has concluded that just because a person tested positive for Omicron after attending an anime convention in New York City late last year, it wasn't a super spreader event. They credit vaccinations and good airflow at the convention center. Plus, a lot of cosplay going on, so it was a place you were going to find a lot of masks anyway. In the United States, cases were down 68%, deaths are down 13%, and hospitalizations are down 39% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14. The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Mississippi, West Virginia, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Idaho. There are 27,940,922 active cases in the United States.The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Attala, MS. Big Horn, MT. Floyd, KY. Perry, KY. Marengo, AL. Butler, KY. Estill, KY. Clay, KY. And Letcher, KY. There have been 931,505 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that's been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island at 80.1%, Vermont at 79.9%, and Maine at 78.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.9%, Wyoming at 50.3%, and Mississippi at 50.6%. The percentage of the U.S. that's been fully vaccinated is 64.5%.Globally, cases were down 35% and deaths down 1% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. There are 70,345,679 active cases around the world.The five countries with the most new cases: Germany 227,613. Russia 180,622. Brazil 129,266. The United States 103,377. And South Korea 93,127. There have been 5,861,456 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 17th, 2022.Encouraging signs all over the world. Germany announced plans to end most of the country's restrictions by March 20. They believe infections have reached their peak so there's a three-step plan that will roll the restrictions back. In Switzerland, they will end health checks for incoming travelers and the need for COVID passes and masks to enter places like shops, restaurants, and cultural venues. And in Austria they'll end most restrictions March 5, though masks will still be required in some places.In other places, things aren't going as well. Despite a “zero-COVID” policy, Hong Kong continues to get hit hard, stressing hospitals. China's leader said it was Hong Kong's local government's "overriding task" to get control of the situation, and he reminded Hong Kong's Chief Executive Chinese Communist Party leaders have a high level of concern.It doesn't appear to be causing significant damage, but it sure is spreading. The World Health Organization says the Omicron sub-variant BA.2 accounted for 21.5% of all new Omicron cases worldwide in the first week of February. In the U.S., the prevalence of BA.2 has tripled from January 29 to February 5 but still makes up a very small proportion of new cases.The CDC lowered its travel warning for cruise ships from its highest level where it's been for seven weeks. At the beginning of that time, the CDC said travelers should avoid cruises no matter what their vaccination status. They still recommend being fully vaccinated and wearing quality masks indoors and in crowded outdoor areas. Remember your kooky friend who said you should fight COVID with vitamin D? Maybe not that kooky. A study shows people who were deficient in vitamin D were 14 times more likely to have a severe or critical case of COVID. And mortality for deficient patients was 25.6% compared to 2.3% for those with sufficient vitamin D. In the United States, cases were down 68%, deaths are down 13%, and hospitalizations are down 38% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14. The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Mississippi, West Virginia, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Idaho. There are 28,011,618 active cases in the United States.The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Attala, MS. Big Horn, MT. Floyd, KY. Perry, KY. Marengo, AL. Butler, KY. Estill, KY. Clay, KY. And Letcher, KY. There have been 928,490 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that's been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island at 80.1%, Vermont at 79.9%, and Maine at 78.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.9%, Wyoming at 50.3%, and Mississippi at 50.6%. The percentage of the U.S. that's been fully vaccinated is 64.5%.Globally, cases were down 37% and deaths down 3% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. There are 70,786,115 active cases around the world.The five countries with the most new cases: Germany 234,886. Russia 179,284. Brazil 147,252. The United States 114,668. And France 98,735. There have been 5,849,513 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 16th, 2022.The head of the World Health Organization's Europe office said their attention is turning to growing rates of infection in Eastern Europe, where six countries — including Russia and Ukraine — have seen a doubling of cases over the last two weeks. The concern is that vaccination rates have lagged in Eastern Europe. In the United States, it doesn't look like people are buying into the need for a booster. The pace of people getting booster shots has dropped to the lowest it's ever been. Of the 64% of the US that's fully vaccinated, only 28% have gone on to get a booster. People who got the one dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine are especially slow to get a second dose. Part of that may be because of the performance of the first rounds of vaccines. The CDC released data from a study showing the efficacy rate of mRNA vaccines waned after as soon as four months. However, it was quickly pointed out that the vaccines were key in reducing serious illness and death, and that the data only underscores the need for a booster shot. As health experts try to get kids vaccinated at younger and younger ages, how about unborn fetuses? Turns out if mom got a dose, then the baby did too. New research shows babies whose mothers were fully vaccinated with Moderna or Pfizer during pregnancy had a 61% lower risk of being hospitalized with COVID in their first six months of life.Whether the pandemic is over or not, the government spending machine clearly is not. The White House is telling Congress it needs $30 billion more dollars of taxpayer money to keep fighting COVID. Congress has already approved $5.8 trillion to battle the pandemic in a series of major bills across the last two administrations, and it's estimated 90% of that money has been spent.In the United States, cases were down 66%, deaths are down 6%, and hospitalizations are down 36% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14. The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Mississippi, West Virginia, Arkansas, Virginia, and Delaware. There are 28,114,769 active cases in the United States.The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Scott, TN. Unicoi, TN. Attala, MS. Big Horn, MT. Overton, TN. Perry, KY. Floyd, KY. McNairy, TN. And Cannon, TN. There have been 925,438 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that's been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island and Vermont at 79.9%, and Maine at 78%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.9%, Wyoming at 50.3%, and Mississippi at 50.5%. The percentage of the U.S. that's been fully vaccinated is 64.4%.Globally, cases were down 32% and deaths up 11% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. There are 71,379,697 active cases around the world.The five countries with the most new cases: Germany 177,515. Russia 166,631. France 142,253. Brazil 123,827. And the United States 94,818. There have been 5,836,409 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 15th, 2022.New York City fired 1,430 workers who didn't comply with the city's vaccine mandate. Hundreds more got the shots after being notified they were getting fired. Of the fired workers, about 64% worked for the education department. Hong Kong's going to offer vaccines to kids as young as 3. Previously, the age limit was 5. Schools extended a suspension of in-class teaching for two weeks to March 6. Additionally, only vaccinated people will be allowed in shopping malls and supermarkets, and churches, hair salons and other businesses have been ordered to close. Hong Kong has fully vaccinated 73% of its eligible population, not including children.Deltacron. It's real, but how dangerous is it? UK health officials confirmed they're monitoring the combination of Delta and Omicron and think it evolved in a Brit who caught both variants at the same time. Originally, the combo was dismissed, but UK health officials see it as a legitimate threat.Heartburn is no fun, but a new study says if you're on a heartburn medication, that could have helped ease COVID symptoms. Famotidine, the main ingredient in Pepcid, saw symptoms like breathing difficulties, abdominal pain, and changes to smell and taste resolve faster for those who were taking it. The lead in the study said it's not an anti-viral drug, but it can prevent inflammation.In New Zealand, the latest weapon to harass vaccine mandate protesters is Barry Manilow. Hundreds descended on the parliament building so police blasted a 15-minute loop of some of the more upbeat Manilow songs like Copacabana. It wasn't all Barry. They blasted the Macarena as well. The new tactic was tried when turning sprinklers on them didn't work. They just dug trenches and made drainpipes.In the United States, cases were down 67%, deaths are down 3%, and hospitalizations are down 35% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14. The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Mississippi, Virginia, West Virginia, Kansas, and Arkansas. There are 28,381,019 active cases in the United States.The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Scott, TN. Unicoi, TN. Overton, TN. Estill, KY. McNairy, TN. Cannon, TN. Fentress, TN. Perry, KY. And Macon, TN. There have been 922,474 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that's been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island at 79.9%, Vermont at 79.8%, with Maine at 78%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.9%, Wyoming at 50.3%, and Mississippi at 50.5%. The percentage of the U.S. that's been fully vaccinated is 64.4%.Globally, cases were down 30% and deaths up 13% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. There are 72,267,291 active cases around the world.The five countries with the most new cases: Russia 180,456. Germany 127,449. Japan 80,234. The United States 79,155. And Turkey 76,632. There have been 5,825,680 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 14th, 2022.A study published in Nature Medicine found U.S. veterans who survived Covid were more likely to have suffered some type of cardiovascular problem within the next year. And that's even if their infections were mild. That included a 52% greater likelihood of suffering a stroke, a 63% higher likelihood of a heart attack, a 72% higher likelihood of heart failure, and a 71% higher likelihood to have a-fib. A bill in California would mandate that all businesses make not just their employees, but also all their independent contractors get vaccinated. New employees would have to get at least one dose before they can start work and the second within 45 days of being on the job. The mandate would stay in place unless the CDC comes out and says COVID vaccinations aren't needed anymore.The FDA has granted emergency use authorization for bebtelovimab, a new monoclonal antibody designed to reduce risk of hospitalization and death from COVID. Just weeks ago, the FDA halted use of previously authorized antibody treatments when research revealed them to be ineffective against Omicron. Only those over 12 with mild to moderate symptoms in the early stages of COVID can get the new treatment.A plan to expand Covid vaccinations to all kids five to 11 in the UK has been delayed because the government and the vaccinations watchdog can't seem to agree on it. A decision is expected to be made February 21. Word has it the recommendation would expand vaccinations to children of that age group, but by way of a “non-urgent” offer to parents since the health risks to those kids is small.If you're unvaccinated and don't feel welcome anywhere, we have a place for you. It's Paraguay! People have created a colony in its poorest region as a refuge from "socialist trends worldwide,” which apparently include mandatory vaccinations. It was actually founded back in 2016 but is enjoying quite the influx of joiners. In the United States, cases were down 67%, deaths are down 3%, and hospitalizations are down 34% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14. The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Mississippi, Virginia, West Virginia, Kansas, and Arkansas. There are 28,545,272 active cases in the United States.The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Scott, TN. Unicoi, TN. Overton, TN. Estill, KY. McNairy, TN. Cannon, TN. Fentress, TN. Perry, KY. And Macon, TN. There have been 919,640 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that's been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island and Vermont are tied at 79.8%, with Maine at 78%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.8%, Wyoming at 50.3%, and Mississippi at 50.5%. The percentage of the U.S. that's been fully vaccinated is 64.4%.Globally, cases were down 31% and deaths up 12% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. There are 73,613,802 active cases around the world.The five countries with the most new cases: Russia 197,949. Germany 108,216. France 86,562. Turkey 73,787. And Japan 67,506. There have been 5,815,219 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

If the pandemic is ending, it doesn't feel much like it in Russia. The country reported nearly 200,000 new cases in yet another record. Of course, vaccination rates there are low, Omicron is prevalent, and there aren't that many restrictions. The bright side, while infections have soared, daily fatalities in the last few weeks have remained steady.The World Health Organization says Africa is moving to the “control phase” of the pandemic and increased vaccination rates should help the continent live with the disease. Of course, only 11% of Africa's adult population has been vaccinated due partially to inequities in vaccine access. The World Bank estimates the pandemic pushed up to 40 million people into extreme poverty in Africa.We've heard about the first responders, but what about the last responders? We're talking about mental health professionals. Experts who are now swamped with people seeking help, say many are struggling with the emotional and societal changes we've been through and they're having trouble adapting to a “new normal.” Words that frequently come up are “disconnected,” “lost,” and “malaise.” Chinese scientists say they have developed a new coronavirus test that's as accurate as a PCR test and gives results within four minutes. They usually take several hours. A sensor uses microelectronics to analyze genetic material from swabs, making it fast, easy, sensitive, and portable. The researchers said their results were a perfect match with PCR tests. All 33 cases were accurately detected, and none of the 54 people in the negative group got false positives.Sure you have your own problems but we know you're worried about the ability for millionaire celebrities to celebrate themselves conveniently. The 2022 Academy Awards will not be requiring proof of vaccination for attendees. They will be asked to show a negative PCR or rapid test on the day of the ceremony, maybe even on the red carpet.In the United States, cases were down 63%, deaths are up 4%, and hospitalizations are down 30% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14. The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Virginia, Mississippi, Ohio, Kansas, and South Carolina. There are 28,677,716 active cases in the United States.The areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Montana and Oregon 5%. And Idaho 1%. The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Scott, TN. Unicoi, TN. Wayne, MS. Monterey, CA. Estill, KY. Overton, TN. Tippah, MS. Perry, KY. And Imperial, CA.There have been 915,431 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that's been fully vaccinated: Rhode Island and Vermont are now tied at 79.7%, with Maine at 77.9%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.8%, Wyoming at 50%, and Mississippi at 50.4%. The percentage of the U.S. that's been fully vaccinated is 64.2%.Globally, cases were down 28% and deaths up 20% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. There are 74,441,569 active cases around the world.The five countries with the most new cases: Germany 247,128. Russia 197,076. The United States 179,237. Brazil 165,359. And France 153,025. There have been 5,788,579 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

If this guy finally says it, you know it must be true. Dr. Anthony Fauci said the U.S. is exiting the “full-blown” pandemic phase of the COVID crisis. He said things that limit COVID-19, including vaccinations, medical treatments, and prior infection, will alter the situation significantly in the coming months. He also very uncharacteristically said decisions will increasingly be made at local levels and there'll be more people making their own decisions on how they want to deal with the virus.The CDC says if the Pfizer vaccine gets emergency use authorization for children 6 months to 5 years old, the plan is to initially roll out about 10 million doses, but they've secured enough for all 18 million kids in this age group. It's specially formulated for them. What remains to be seen is the willingness of parents to get their kids of that age vaccinated. So far, the uptake on vaccinations for kids age 5 to 12 has been modest. The South African doctor who discovered the Omicron strain isn't impressed with how she was treated. She says she was pressured into describing the variant as more dangerous than it really is. Right out of the gate, she reported mild symptoms for those in her country. But she says she was told by scientists and politicians all over the world that her description was wrong, and she should stop using the word mild. She's not alone. A Pew Research study shows Americans are increasingly critical of how elected and public health officials handled the pandemic. 60% now say they've felt confused by the inconsistent recommendations. 49% say the CDC is doing a fair or poor job. And positive ratings of public health officials like Anthony Fauci have plunged 10 points since August. 60% think the President has done a fair or poor job on COVID. In the United States, cases were down 63%, deaths are up 4%, and hospitalizations are down 29% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14. The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Virginia, Mississippi, Ohio, Kansas, and South Carolina. There are 28,671,117 active cases in the United States.The areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Montana and Oregon 5%. West Virginia 2%. And Idaho 1%. The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Scott, TN. Unicoi, TN. Wayne, MS. Monterey, CA. Estill, KY. Overton, TN. Tippah, MS. Perry, KY. And Imperial, CA.There have been 912,208 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that's been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 79.7%, Rhode Island at 79.6%, and Maine at 77.8%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.7%, Wyoming at 50%, and Mississippi at 50.4%. The percentage of the U.S. that's been fully vaccinated is 64.2%.Globally, cases were down 26% and deaths up 23% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. There are 74,155,482 active cases around the world.The five countries with the most new cases: Germany 238,410. The United States 227,458. Brazil 183,533. Russia 183,103. And Turkey 108,563. There have been 5,775,363 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 9th, 2022. The World Health Organization expects the even more transmissible version of Omicron, BA.2, to increase in circulation around the world. What's not clear is whether or not it can reinfect people who caught an earlier version of Omicron. The agency is currently tracking four different versions of Omicron. Most states in the U.S. have confirmed the presence of BA.2, though it's circulating at a low level with 460 cases confirmed so far. It's been reported Johnson & Johnson shut down production in the only plant making usable batches of its vaccine late last year. It's in the Dutch city of Lieden. The stoppage is temporary but should last a few months. It's unclear why the company did it, but the New York Times reports the facility has turned its attention to making another vaccine for an unrelated virus. Turns out it can be done. The Air Force became the second military service to approve religious exemptions to the mandatory vaccine, granting requests from nine airmen to avoid the shots. Don't get excited, that's nine out of more than 6,400 requests. The Marines have granted three religious exemptions so far, while the Army and Navy haven't approved a single one. 32 athletes at the Beijing Olympics are now in isolation facilities after testing positive. They've got to stay there for seven days. Organizers acknowledge isolation is difficult and there is the possibility they'll miss competitions after years of training. So far, there have been 393 positive cases inside the Olympic bubble. If you lay awake at night worrying if Pfizer is making enough money, let us put your mind at ease. It will generate record-high revenue in 2022, expecting to sell $32 billion worth of its COVID shots and $22 billion worth of its COVID pill. And that's just for those two products. And yet, the company missed its fourth quarter revenue target, sending the stock down more than 5.7%. In the United States, cases were down 62%, deaths are up 25%, and hospitalizations are down 27% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14. The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Mississippi, Virginia, Ohio, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania. There are 28,795,422 active cases in the United States. The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Wyoming 15%. Montana 13%. Idaho and West Virginia 11%. And Oregon 8%. The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Whitman, WA. Adair, OK. Craig, OK. Tippah, MS. Wayne, MS. Bethel Census Area, AK. Okmulgee, OK. Cherokee, OK. And Scott, TN. There have been 908,816 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related. The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that's been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 79.6%, Rhode Island at 79.4%, and Maine at 77.7%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.7%, Wyoming at 50%, and Mississippi at 50.3%. The percentage of the U.S. that's been fully vaccinated is 64.1%. Globally, cases were down 22% and deaths up 23% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. There are 73,928,908 active cases around the world. The five countries with the most new cases: Germany 212,724. The United States 179,169. Brazil 171,483. Russia 165,643. And Turkey 111,096. There have been 5,762,582 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 8th, 2022.A story of mixed metrics. Yes, the Omicron wave has receded significantly in the US over the past few weeks. But more people are dying every day than died during the peak of Delta last summer. 2,400 people have died every day over the past seven days even though cases are a third of what they were three weeks ago. As we've explained before, the reason is the sheer number of people infected with Omicron meeting the unvaccinated population. The CDC says unvaccinated adults have a 68-times-higher risk of dying from Covid than boosted adults.There are claims out on the always reliable Internet that in fact, most of the world is still unvaccinated. But data from the University of Oxford's Our World in Data project show more than 60% of the world's population have gotten at least one dose. 52.1% are fully vaccinated. The UAE and Portugal are most vaccinated at more than 90%, while Chad, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burundi have less than 1% of people fully vaccinated. The governors of four states announced plans to lift statewide mask requirements in schools by the end of February or March. Those states are Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, and Oregon. All indicated a need for acceptance that the virus is here to stay and there must be a path back to normalcy for kids. A couple of California stories for you. The state is keeping its mask mandates for schools in place, but California is not extending its statewide indoor mask mandate. That means people who are vaccinated can show off their mouths starting February 15, the unvaccinated cannot. Los Angeles County, however, has its own stricter mask mandate in place that it will apparently keep in place no matter what the state does.Also in California, lawmakers passed legislation giving most workers up to two weeks of COVID supplemental paid sick leave. The idea is to fix it so infected people don't have to come to work and put everyone else at risk. The policy allows workers at businesses of 26 or more employees to take paid time off not just to recover from COVID, but to care for a sick family member, go get vaccinated, recover from immunization side effects, or care for a child who can't go to school because of closures or quarantines.In the United States, cases were down 57%, deaths are up 18%, and hospitalizations are down 24% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14. The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Mississippi, South Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and Guam. There are 29,145,580 active cases in the United States.The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Wyoming 25%. Montana and West Virginia 16%. And Idaho and Oregon 11%.The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Whitman, WA. Adair, OK. Craig, OK. Okmulgee, OK. Cherokee, OK. Bethel Census Area, AK. Scott, TN. Mayes, OK. And Imperial, CA.There have been 905,542 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related.The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that's been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 79.6%, Rhode Island at 79.4%, and Maine at 77.7%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.6%, Wyoming at 50%, and Mississippi at 50.3%. The percentage of the U.S. that's been fully vaccinated is 64.1%.Globally, cases were down 13% and deaths up 34% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. There are 74,687,082 active cases around the world.The five countries with the most new cases: Russia 171,905. The United States 156,487. Germany 138,867. Turkey 96,514. And Japan... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for February 7th, 2022.The adapt as you learn process continues. The CDC is now considering new changes to vaccine guidance that'd lengthen how much time should pass between doses, and they're doing this to lower the risk of heart inflammation for immunocompromised people. They generally don't respond as well to vaccines, and they're the only ones right now advised to get four vaccine shots. What's happening with the pandemic in the US? One way to gauge is to see what's going on in New York City. Over 15 days, they've seen a decline of more than 60% in infection rates and new cases. Citywide transmission is now on the verge of falling below “very high” levels. Even the number of unvaccinated residents getting COVID has fallen significantly in recent weeks. 43.6% of all fully vaccinated city residents have gotten boosted.But there's another way to detect infection rates nationwide to see what's going on and it's the closest thing we have to involuntary mass testing. That, of course, is wastewater testing. And now there's a new online portal where you can check to see how your city is doing. Actually, the map only tracks 232 sites, but you can still tell what areas are trending. For instance, lots of COVID-in-waste levels going up now are in Ohio. You should be able to find the site by searching CDC Covid wastewater surveillance. Whether or not China's zero tolerance policy on COVID is the right move remains to be seen, but one thing is pretty certain, some Olympic athletes are having a miserable experience there. Those who test positive are forced to isolate. And team officials from Germany, Belgium, and Russia say their people are enduring poor to no internet connection, bad food, and no training equipment in the quarantine hotels set up by Chinese officials. One biathlon competitor said, "My stomach hurts, I'm very pale and I have huge black circles around my eyes. I cry every day.”Sadly, not everyone or everything will survive the pandemic. Among the casualties is the oldest pub in Britain, which has been open since 793 AD. The pub, called Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, tried everything to stay open. The owners and staff are said to be devastated and heartbroken. A statement read, “The past two years have been unprecedented for the hospitality industry and have defeated all of us who've been trying our hardest to ensure this pub could continue into the future."In the United States, cases were down 57%, deaths are up 18%, and hospitalizations are down 23% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since January 14. The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Mississippi, South Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and Guam. There are 29,093,003 active cases in the United States.The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Wyoming 27%. Montana and West Virginia 17%. And Idaho and Oregon 12%.The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Nome Census Area, AK. Whitman, WA. Adair, OK. Craig, OK. Okmulgee, OK. Cherokee, OK. Bethel Census Area, AK. Scott, TN. Mayes, OK. And Imperial, CA.There have now been over 900,000 deaths in the U.S. recorded as COVID-related, at 902,624.The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that's been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 79.5%, Rhode Island at 79.4%, and Maine at 77.7%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 49.6%, Wyoming at 50%, and Mississippi at 50.3%. The percentage of the U.S. that's been fully vaccinated is 64.1%.Globally, cases were down 14% and deaths up 32% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since January 25. There are now over 75 million active cases around the world... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out 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... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out 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.... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out 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... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out 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... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. For the latest updates, subscribe... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Covid 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Covid 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Covid 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Covid 411... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. 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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for December 24th, 2021. Remember all those healthcare workers the government wanted fired if they didn't get vaccinated? Turns out they now realize that created a real problem. With the Omicron wave coming and hospitals understaffed, federal officials loosened the rules that health care workers have to stay out of work 10 days if they test positive. They can now get back it after seven days if they test negative and don't have symptoms. Yesterday we told you about the Pfizer at home treatment pill getting approved to fight COVID, now they've authorized a second pill. This time it's Merck's molnupiravir. But it's been made clear Pfizer's Paxlovid is preferred because Merck's pill's ability to head off severe COVID is much smaller than initially announced and the label will warn of serious safety issues, including the potential for birth defects. China put a city of 13 million people into lockdown, part of the country's “zero tolerance” policy just weeks before it's set to host the Winter Olympics. In the northeastern city of Xi'an, one person from each household will be allowed out every two days to get necessities. Everyone else stays home around the clock. People who were in hotels at the time became stuck there. If you have a fake vaccine card in New York, you're no longer a clever scamp, you're a criminal. The governor signed legislation criminalizing fake Covid vaccination cards. The new law makes the falsification of cards a misdemeanor and creates a new felony of "computer tampering in the third degree for intentional entering, alteration or destruction of 'computer material' regarding COVID-19 vaccine provisions." We leave you with the frequently asked question of the week, so is everybody going to get COVID sooner or later? The experts say not necessarily. You'll probably be exposed, but whether or not you get infected and what it does to you still depends on public policy and how you behave. Bottom line, even if you're fully vaccinated, mentally prepare to test positive at some point. But no need to get overly alarmed when, or if, you do. In the United States cases were up 38%, deaths are up 6%, and hospitalizations are up 11% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since December 14. The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Alaska, Michigan, New Mexico, Arizona, and Maine. There are 10,989,003 active cases in the United States. The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Washington DC 64%, Connecticut 58%, New Jersey 56%, Maryland 53%, and North Carolina 41%. The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Hopkins, TX. Cuyahoga, OH. Tompkins, NY. Pike, IL. Franklin, PA. Washington DC. Adams, PA. Lake, OH. Essex, NJ. And Winona, MN. There have been at least 813,991 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related. The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that's been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 76.8%, Rhode Island at 75.9%, and Maine at 75.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Idaho unchanged at 46%, Wyoming at 47.2%, and Alabama at 47.3%. The percentage of the U.S. that's been fully vaccinated is 61.7%. Globally, cases were up 16% and deaths down 10% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15. There are 23,950,299 active cases around the world. The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 236,519. The U.K. 106,122. France 84,272. Spain 60,041. And Germany 45,848. There have been at least 5,384,260 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Covid... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.