Category: Corona Virus Vaccine

WASHINGTON With a new surge of coronavirus infections ripping through much of the United States, the Food and Drug Administration has accelerated its timetable to fully approve Pfizer-BioNTechs coronavirus vaccine, aiming to complete the process by the start of next month, people familiar with the effort said.

President Biden said last week that he expected a fully approved vaccine in early fall. But the F.D.A.s unofficial deadline is Labor Day or sooner, according to multiple people familiar with the plan. The agency said in a statement that its leaders recognized that approval might inspire more public confidence and had taken an all-hands-on-deck approach to the work.

Giving final approval to the Pfizer vaccine rather than relying on the emergency authorization granted late last year by the F.D.A. could help increase inoculation rates at a moment when the highly transmissible Delta variant of the virus is sharply driving up the number of new cases.

A number of universities and hospitals, the Defense Department and at least one major city, San Francisco, are expected to mandate inoculation once a vaccine is fully approved. Final approval could also help mute misinformation about the safety of vaccines and clarify legal issues about mandates.

Federal regulators have been under growing public pressure to fully approve Pfizers vaccine ever since the company filed its application on May 7. I just have not sensed a sense of urgency from the F.D.A. on full approval, Dr. Ashish K. Jha, the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, said in an interview on Tuesday. And I find it baffling, given where we are as a country in terms of infections, hospitalizations and deaths.

Although 192 million Americans 58 percent of the total population and 70 percent of the nations adults have received at least one vaccine shot, many remain vulnerable to the ultracontagious, dominant Delta variant. The country is averaging nearly 86,000 new infections a day, an increase of 142 percent in just two weeks, according to a New York Times database.

Recent polls by the Kaiser Family Foundation, which has been tracking public attitudes during the pandemic, have found that three of every 10 unvaccinated people said that they would be more likely to get a shot with a fully approved vaccine. But the pollsters warned that many respondents did not understand the regulatory process and might have been looking for a proxy justification not to get a shot.

Moderna, the second most widely used vaccine in the United States, filed for final approval of its vaccine on June 1. But the company is still submitting data and has not said when it will finish. Johnson & Johnson, the third vaccine authorized for emergency use, has not yet applied but plans to do so later this year.

Full approval of the Pfizer vaccine will kick off a patchwork of vaccination mandates across the country. Like most other employees of federal agencies, civilians working for the Defense Department must be vaccinated or face regular testing. But the military has held off on ordering shots for 1.3 million active-duty service members until the F.D.A. acts.

The City of San Francisco has said its roughly 44,500 employees must be fully vaccinated within 10 weeks of F.D.A. approval. The State University of New York, with roughly 400,000 students, is on a parallel track.

A number of health care systems have issued similar mandates to employees, including Beaumont Health, the largest health provider in Michigan, with 33,000 employees, and Mass General Brigham in Massachusetts, with about 80,000 workers.

Aug. 9, 2021, 6:53 a.m. ET

Full approval typically requires the F.D.A. to review hundreds of thousands of pages of documents roughly 10 times the data required to authorize a vaccine on an emergency basis. The agency can usually complete a priority review within six to eight months and was already working on an expedited timetable for the Pfizer vaccine. The F.D.A.s decision to speed up was reported last week by Stat News.

In a guest essay in The Times last month, Dr. Peter Marks, the agencys top vaccine regulator, wrote that undue haste would undermine the F.D.A.s statutory responsibilities, affect public trust in the agency and do little to help combat vaccine hesitancy.

The regulators want to see real-world data on how the vaccine has been working since they authorized it for emergency use in December. That means verifying the companys data on vaccine efficacy and immune responses, reviewing how efficacy or immunity might decline over time, examining new infections in participants in continuing clinical trials, reviewing adverse reactions to vaccinations and inspecting manufacturing plants.

At the same time, senior health officials at the F.D.A. and other agencies are grappling with whether at least some people who are already vaccinated need booster shots. Several officials are arguing that boosters will be widely needed before long, while others contend that the scientific basis for them remains far from settled.

Two people familiar with the deliberations, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that if booster shots are needed, the administration wants a single strategy for all three vaccines currently authorized for emergency use.

Different recommendations on boosters for different vaccines, they said, could confuse the public. Fully approving a vaccine and then authorizing a booster for it soon after might also offer conflicting messages about its effectiveness.

Understand the State of Vaccine Mandates in the U.S.

While research is continuing, senior administration officials increasingly believe that at the least, vulnerable populations like those with compromised immune systems and older people will need them, according to people familiar with their thinking. But when to administer them, which vaccine to use and who should get shots are all still being discussed.

In a study posted online last week, Pfizer and BioNTech scientists reported that the effectiveness of Pfizers vaccine against symptomatic disease fell from about 96 percent to about 84 percent four to six months after the second shot, but continued to offer robust protection against hospitalization and severe disease.

Administration officials said Moderna and Johnson & Johnson needed to present data as well and Moderna had been asked to do so quickly. Officials have said other studies will also influence their decision-making, including data that the government is collecting on the rate of breakthrough infections among tens of thousands of people, including health care workers.

Pfizer is expected to submit an application for a booster shot to the F.D.A. this month. While the F.D.A. could authorize such shots, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would need to recommend them after a meeting of its outside committee of experts.

A decision to fully approve Pfizers vaccine will give doctors more latitude to prescribe additional shots at least for certain Americans, including those with weakened immune systems. The C.D.C. had been exploring possible special programs for that group, but administration officials said it became clear that by the time any such initiative got underway, the Pfizer vaccine would already be fully approved and doctors could prescribe a third shot.

Roughly 3 percent of Americans or about 10 million people, by some estimates have compromised immune systems as a result of cancer, organ transplants or other medical conditions, according to the C.D.C. While studies indicate that the vaccines work well for some of them, others do not produce the immune response that would protect them from the virus.

Some people are trying to get booster shots from pharmacies or other providers on their own, without waiting for the federal governments blessing. Officials in Contra Costa County, home to 1.1 million people in Northern California, were so eager to offer boosters that on July 23 they told vaccine providers to give extra shots to people who asked for them without requiring further documentation or justification.

Then, realizing that policy violated the F.D.A. rules on vaccines authorized for emergency use, the county reversed it this week.

Jennifer Steinhauer contributed reporting. Susan C. Beachy contributed research.

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F.D.A. Aims to Give Final Approval to Pfizer Vaccine by Early Next Month - The New York Times

Ohio is at a "new stage of the pandemic" where vaccinated Ohioans are safe from the surging delta variant of the coronavirus while unvaccinated are not, Gov. Mike DeWine said Friday.

The name of the game today is vaccines. This is where we win. This is where we dont win, DeWine said at his first COVID-19 briefing in six weeks. We have two Ohios. We have people who are vaccinated who are very, very safe today. We have people who are unvaccinated who are not safe and are more in peril because of this delta variant.

But DeWine doesn't plan to mandate masks or issue other health orders to stem the latest surge. And while he hasn't ruled out more state incentives to get vaccinated, the Republican governor didn't announce one on Friday.

Individual choice is what we are about at this point in the pandemic because we have the vaccine, DeWine said. Schools are making choices now. We believe in local education, local schools making decisions. Businesses, hospitals are all making decisions based on the facts.

Of the 18,662 people with COVID-19 hospitalized since Jan. 1 in Ohio, 98.4% were not fully vaccinated, the Ohio Department of Health reported Friday. The agency plans to report that number every Thursday.

The most recent round of genomic sequencing of coronavirus test samples show the delta variant is dominant in Ohio. From July 4 to 17, 86.4% of samples sequenced were of the delta variant, up from 1% in May.

Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, the Ohio Department of Healths chief medical officer, said the delta variant is absolutely more contagious."

That simply means it takes less of the virus to go from an infected persons nose and mouth to another persons nose and mouth, Vanderhoff said.

Since June 24, the average number of new cases reported has risen from 265 to 1,473 a day while the number of COVID-19-positive patients receiving treatment in Ohio rose from 307 on June 24 to 857 Thursday.

Ohio got rid of its COVID-19 heat map in May. But a map showing community transmission from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows 75 of Ohio's 88 counties have "substantial" or "high" transmission. The CDC recommends all residents of those counties, whether vaccinated or not, wear face masks while indoors in public.

Local health commissioners are prohibited from enacting mask mandates or other sweeping health orders because of Senate Bill 22, passed in March and effective in late June. The new law bars DeWine from declaring an emergency within 60 days of the previous one expiring, which happened June 18.

School districts across the state have been setting their own mask policies in recent weeks, after state officials recommended but not mandated that schools require masks for unvaccinated students and staff. Vanderhoff said if he had a child who was not vaccinated, he would want them to wear a mask.

About 5.8 million Ohioans, or about 49.7% of the state's population, received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine as of Thursday. About 61% of Ohioans over age 18 have received at least one dose, the CDC reported, and 57.3% have been fully vaccinated.

Vaccinations have picked up in recent weeks. About 8,200 first shots were given per day last week, according to state vaccine data. That's up from about 4,300 per day during the second week of July but much less than the 60,370 given per day on average in March.

DeWine said the state is willing to help counties with local vaccine incentives, such as Columbus Public Health's recent $100 offering and satellite vaccination sites.

Jackie Borchardt is the bureau chief for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

Delta variant: Why the respiratory illness is so easily transmissible

The Delta variant is one of the most contagious respiratory illnesses. Find out why its easily transmissible.

Just the FAQs, USA TODAY

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'Were at a new stage of the pandemic:' 98% of Ohioans hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated - The Cincinnati Enquirer

Even though they can contract the delta variant, vaccinated people are far less likely to end up in the hospital.

The US is experiencing a spike in COVID-19 infections again (more than 11,000 new caseson Wednesday) due to the highly contagiousdelta variant, with outbreaks particularly impacting areas with low vaccination rates. But it's not just unvaccinated people. Arecent studyreleased by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the delta infection has similarly high viral loads in vaccinated and unvaccinated people. So what does that mean asmore of these breakthrough casesare happening?

Currently,165 million peoplein the US have been fully vaccinated, a little over half the country's total population. The CDC's researchsuggesting that vaccinated people infected with delta can also easily transmit the virus was the key factor motivating the new federal guidance that fully vaccinated individuals continue to wear masks indoors. At the same time, the CDC report underlines that the number of cases and deaths among fully vaccinated people is very small compared with the number among the unvaccinated.

CNET's experts deliver everything you need to know to live a happy and balanced life. Delivered Thursdays.

Should you be concerned about getting COVID-19if you've been inoculated? Since there's more community spread and there are more breakthrough cases despite vaccination, new data suggests yes. We'll explain what a breakthrough coronavirus infection is, how it's possible for fully vaccinated people to become infected and what it all means. This information comes from the CDC, the World Health Organization and other experts.

A breakthrough COVID-19 infection is when a fully vaccinated person becomes infected with the coronavirus without any symptoms, experiences symptoms, is hospitalized or dies from the infection. A small percentage of fully vaccinated people can get COVID-19 if exposed to the virus, but they're much less likely to become sick, according to the CDC.

If someone's fully vaccinated and does test positive for coronavirus, it's likely they'll have milder symptoms (see below) or be asymptomatic, Dr. Clare Rock, a Johns Hopkins medical professor, told me.

Now that it's been found that fully vaccinated people can be infected with high viral amounts of the delta variant, the CDC is concerned they can transmit the virus. If you do become ill, experts urge you to isolate yourself to prevent others from getting sick, especially people with medical vulnerabilities.

Now playing: Watch this: What to do if you lose your vaccination card, and how...

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Someone can become infected with COVID-19 just before or right after they get the vaccination, because it takes roughly two weeks before the vaccine is most effective. However, even after the immunity builds up, there's still a chance they can become infected, according to the WHO, since the vaccines aren't silver bullets against disease (though they're highly effective).

With millions of unvaccinated people around the world, new variants will emerge, Rock says. For example, the delta variant can pose a threat to people who are fully vaccinated -- especially those who have high-risk medical conditions (see the next section).

Someone who's fully vaccinated has a much smaller risk of experiencing severe symptoms from COVID-19. People who've received all their doses of a vaccine are less likely to be hospitalized or die than those who haven't been vaccinated,the CDC says. Vaccinated people typically see symptoms like a runny nose, which they mistake for a sign of a common cold, Rock said.

But that's not to say serious cases can't happen. The CDC says some fully vaccinated people can still be hospitalized and die. This can include people who have medical conditions that make them immunocompromised, Rock said, including those with cancer and people who've had organ transplants -- in general, people who are more vulnerable.

It's possible for a fully vaccinated person to become infected with COVID-19.

If you're fully vaccinated but worried about getting sick, you can take the following precautions.

At this time, there's not a clear answer. Though some people say a booster shot may be necessary down the line, the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration don't agree with that, at least not yet. Scientists are continuing to study the immunity of fully vaccinated people to get a better idea of how well the vaccines protect them.

Moderna is currently researching if and when a booster shot may be necessary. For instance, vulnerable people who don't have a robust immune system, such as those with serious medical conditions, may need an additional shot, Rock said.

Pfizer says it's working on a booster shot for its COVID-19 vaccine (PDF) to enhance immunity for those who've already received both doses. The UK is also prepping for booster shots, with vaccine experts in Britain saying a booster shot may be needed before winter.

The variant causing the most concern right now is thedelta variant, which is now thedominant strain in the USand other countries. This variant has caused an increase in COVID-19 cases, which is also affecting people who are fully vaccinated.

In comparison with the alpha variant, researchers have found delta to be60% more transmissible, and hospitalization risks are much higher in unvaccinated people.

In most instances, the cases are happening in areas with low vaccination rates. For instance, US states like Louisiana and Florida havelow vaccination ratesand their COVID-19 cases are surging again.

Wearing a mask can help you protect yourself from COVID-19.

The breakthrough infections don't mean the vaccines aren't powerful.

"The effectiveness against severe disease is still substantial," Dr. Anthony Fauci said during a White House press briefing July 22. "Get vaccinated. It offers good protection against disease."

The main reason for breakthrough cases is the number of people who still haven't been vaccinated. Once more people are fully vaccinated, the virus likely won't infect as many people. Until then, the virus can continue to mutate and spread, creating new variants.

For more information, here's everything to know about the delta variant. Also, here are more details about a potential COVID-19 booster shot, and here's info on the debate over whether fully vaccinated people should wear masks.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

Read more here:

Breakthrough COVID cases and fully vaccinated people: Here's the latest - CNET

In summary

Californias vaccination mandate for medical workers is the toughest in the nation. California also ordered all visitors at hospitals and other medical facilities to be vaccinated or test negative for COVID-19 beginning next Wednesday.

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California today issued the first order in the nation that requires COVID-19 vaccinations for health care workers, allowing only for religious or rare medical exemptions.

Employees of hospitals, nursing homes, doctors offices, clinics and other medical facilities have until Sept. 30 to get at least one dose of the vaccination, under the new order issued by Dr. Toms J. Aragn, Californias public health officer. In the meantime, they must either be vaccinated or undergo mandatory weekly testing, under the states previous order issued last week.

California also ordered visitors to hospitals, skilled nursing homes and facilities for the developmentally disabled to be fully vaccinated or show a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours. The order applies only to indoor visits and goes into effect on Wednesday.

The new requirement for medical workers tightens Gov. Gavin Newsoms move last week to require health care workers and state employees to be vaccinated or submit to weekly testing.

State health officials were not immediately available to explain why the requirements for health care workers wont go into effect until the end of September.

The orders come as California along with the rest of the nation grapples with a surge of cases propelled by the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus, which represented about 86% of cases as of July 21, according to the California Department of Public Health.

As we continue to see an increase in cases and hospitalizations due to the delta variant of COVID-19, its important that we protect the vulnerable patients in these settings, Aragn said in a press release. Todays action will also ensure that health care workers themselves are protected. Vaccines are how we end this pandemic.

The exemption for medical and religious reasons could prove to be problematic. California eliminated similar exemptions for childhood vaccines because of overuse by many parents.

More than 9,500 new COVID-19 cases were reported today, a sharp increase from mid-June when the states economy largely reopened and just over 1,000 daily cases were reported.

State health officials said recent COVID-19 outbreaks in health care facilities often are traced to unvaccinated employees even though health workers were first in line to get the COVID-19 vaccines when they first became available in December.

A number of health workers, including certified nursing assistants, have been surprisingly reluctant to get vaccinated.

Its difficult to know how many of Californias hundreds of thousands of health care workers remain partially or completely unvaccinated, butfederal dataanalyzed by CalMatters provides a clue: About 23% of nearly 500,000 hospital workers in more than 350 California hospitals had not received a single dose of vaccine as of July 23.

As a result, Kaiser Permanente and other large health care systems have announced their own vaccine mandates for workers. Carmela Coyle, president and CEO of the California Hospital Association, an industry group, called the state order an important step in a long battle we face.

About 23% of nearly 500,000 hospital workers in more than 350 California hospitals had not received a single dose of vaccine as of July 23.

Unions representing health care workers have not been as outright supportive. Reluctant to visibly oppose officials vaccine mandates, one of the unions sent out a vague statement similar to those released last week.

Workers must have a seat at the table as these decisions and their implementation are discussed, Bob Schoonover, president of SEIU California and executive director of SEIU 721, which represents about 35,000 health workers, said in an emailed statement. SEIU spokesman Mike Roth declined to elaborate.

But another union leader voiced support for the states new, tougher mandate. While this order will not be embraced by all of our members, it will save lives and protect the health of healthcare workers and patients enduring another COVID-19 surge that is being spread primarily by unvaccinated people, Sal Roselli of the National Healthcare Workers Union said in an emailed statement.

Other states orders have not been as stringent. Massachusetts on Wednesday issued an order requiring nursing home employees to be vaccinated by Oct. 10, with exemptions only for religious or medical reasons. And Oregon announced a mandate similar to Californias original order, requiring health care workers to be vaccinated but allowing a testing alternative.

With slightly more than half of Californias eligible population fully vaccinated, nearly all new COVID-19 cases and deaths are occurring in unvaccinated people, state public health officials say, and hospitalizations have risen at an alarming rate.

More than 5,500 Californians are currently hospitalized for COVID-19, with about one-fifth of them needing intensive care.

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California first in nation to mandate vaccinations for health care workers - CalMatters

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Austin moves to COVID-19 Stage 5 here are the new guidelines for the vaccinated, unvaccinated - KXAN.com

With a new wave of COVID-19 infections climbing across the state, Georgia Public Health officials are encouraging vaccinations and hospitals are preparing for more admissions from the unvaccinated majority.

We have seen a spike in cases, said Leigh Davis, Jefferson County Health Departments Nurse Manager. As of today (Aug. 4) we have 34 active cases.

The county averaged between one and two active cases per day between April and late July. The spike began on July 29 and was up to 10 by Aug. 2.

I have two new cases this morning, but the day is not over, she said.

As of Monday, Aug. 2, the COVID case rate in Georgia had increased 204 percent over the last two weeks. Officials have said that as of Aug. 1, new cases of the virus have reached the highest daily number since February, totaling 4,612 statewide. Hospitalizations have increased by about 50 percent since mid-July and deaths increased by about 18 percent.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates the Delta variant accounts for 78 percent of new COVID cases in the state. State public health officials explained that this variant spreads more than twice as easily from one person to another than earlier strains and the highest spread of cases and severe outcomes are in places with low vaccination rates.

Unfortunately, we can expect COVID numbers to keep growing. People who are unvaccinated or skip their second dose of vaccine are targets for infection, said Kathleen E. Toomey, M.D., M.P.H., commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health. Getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and the Delta variant. High vaccination coverage will reduce spread of the virus in your community and elsewhere and help prevent new variants from emerging.

While the Delta Variant has caused some vaccinated individuals to show symptoms of a new infection, most of these breakthrough infections are mild and virtually all deaths continue to be among the unvaccinated.

The majority of the cases Davis has seen in Jefferson County have been among the unvaccinated.

As of Aug. 4, Jefferson County residents have been administered 12,516 doses of the corona virus vaccines, Davis said. Around 6,807 have had one dose and 39 percent of the countys residents are fully vaccinated. In neighboring Glascock County, 25 percent of the population has had both shots.

Across the state 46 percent of Georgians have had at lease one shot and 41 percent are fully vaccinated.

We are doing well compared to other counties around us, but still, at 39 percent it needs to increase, especially with this surge, Davis said.

Jefferson has a slightly higher percentage of vaccinated citizens than surrounding counties like Richmond, Burke, Washington and McDuffie and is roughly the same as Warren, Hancock, Columbia and Lincoln counties.

I highly recommend that if you can get a vaccine, to get a vaccine, Davis said. The ages are 12 and older. Thats the group we are looking at during this time, especially with school going back into session. If you are 12 to 99 or 102, get vaccinated if you havent been.

The Jefferson County Board of Education invited Davis office out to take part in its back-to-school event at Jefferson County High School last week where they were able to give out 36 vaccinations.

The CDC is telling us now, even if you have been vaccinated to wear your mask while you are indoors, Davis said. If you are sick, stay home. If you are having symptoms and you have the ability to go get tested, go get tested so you know for sure what you are dealing with. If you are running fever dont go into work, dont go into school. Thats how it spreads. Someone who is sick but has very mild symptoms will go to work or school and you end up potentially shutting those places down.

Local health departments stopped doing contact tracing in January when they focused their efforts on vaccinations. The tracing duties are now being conducted by specialists at the district level.

It appears that there are a lot of people not answering the phone for contact tracers, Davis said. I urge that if you have tested positive, definitely answer the phone and cooperate with the contact tracer and get enrolled with the 14-day contact tracing so they can watch and make sure your symptoms are better. That does help us with the data. When people dont answer the phone, then we cant notify those that have been potentially exposed.

At Jefferson Hospital

We are seeing an increase in positivity rate for testing. In the last two weeks we are seeing about an 18 percent positivity rate in our testing, said Jefferson Hospital CEO Wendy Martin.

In May and June that rate was around 5 percent and climbed to 10 percent in July.

The hospital has also seen more COVID-positive inpatients in recent weeks than they have had in months.

We are absolutely seeing an uptick in COVID activity in the hospital, Martin said. The volume we are currently seeing is manageable for us, but it concerns me that with the increased positivity rate we could eventually get to a point where we would be at capacity with COVID patients.

Jefferson Hospital is preparing to have more positive patients and has recently changed its visitation policy as a result of the increased COVID activity in the area.

No one under the age of 16 is currently allowed to visit and patients in the clinics and hospital setting are limited to one visitor per patient. The cafeteria remains open to the public for takeout, but masks are required within the building.

All of this is subject to change if we feel it is no longer safe to allow the community into the building, Martin said.

Vaccine Availability

Jefferson Hospital is now offering vaccines at all three of its clinic locations during business hours, Monday through Friday with or without an appointment.

Anyone can show up, complete your consent form paperwork and get your vaccine, Martin said. We have also begun doing off-site vaccine clinics at businesses, churches, etc. If there is any organization within the county that is interested in having us come on site and offer vaccines to their employees or members, please contact Dallas Turner at 478-625-7000 and we can help to facilitate that. We want to makesure that everyone has access to this.

The Jefferson County Health Department provides vaccinations to walk-ins every Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

We prefer doing them by appointment because it makes the process go a bit smoother, but you dont have to have an appointment. If there is anyone who cant do a Thursday and needs a different day, call us and we can make sure they get their vaccine, Davis said.

Jefferson Countys Health Department also offers both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. While it is primarily personal preference, Davis said that the Pfizer option is the only one that has been approved for people between the ages of 12 and 18.

Some people also like that with Pfizer you can come back within 21 days (as opposed to 28 with Moderna) to get your second shot, Davis said. So, it can give you immunity at least a week faster.

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Covid numbers climbing locally and state wide - The Augusta Chronicle

(WXMI) COVID-19 cases are once again surging across the U.S. The more aggressive Delta variant is among the biggest concerns in areas where vaccinations rates remain low.

Cases have gone up about four-fold in the last couple of weeks, we're pushing up towards 100,000 cases a day now and particularly so in those hotspots where vaccination rates are still quite low, maybe 30%. That would be Missouri and Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, says National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins.

In Michigan, while cases have increased over the past few weeks, nearly 4.7 million or 54% of people 12 and up are fully vaccinated, outpacing the national mark.

We do have the Delta variant in more and more counties that we are identifying every week. I am concerned that our cases are increasing and our percent of tests that are coming back positive are also increasing, says MDHHS Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun.

Vaccines are the single most effective way to prevent serious illness or death from COVID-19, but there are still what are called breakthrough cases.

8,200 fully vaccinated Michiganders have tested positive for coronavirus after getting their shots. That stat often making a buzz for the wrong reasons, when in reality it shows just how effective vaccines are.

Vaccines are not 100% effective in preventing people from getting the virus, but they are very close to that mark when it comes to preventing serious illness or death. Right now, 99.9% of fully vaccinated Michiganders have not gotten a serious case of COVID-19 that required hospitalization.

Out of those 8,200 breakthrough cases, 569 vaccinated Michiganders were hospitalized with a serious case of COVID, thats equates to roughly .01% of fully vaccinated people.

So in Michigan, if you are fully vaccinated, you have the same chance of catching a serious case of COVID as you do of finding a four-leaf clover on the ground.

John Rector, News 3

Virtually all COVID cases and deaths remain among unvaccinated people, and thats why health officials continue urging Americans to get their shots.

To find a location where you can get a vaccine, click here.

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Vaccinated people have the same chance of finding a four-leaf clover as they do of catching a serious case of COVID - Fox17

Australias coronavirus vaccine rollout began in late February. Here we bring together the latest figures to track the progress of the rollout, as well as presenting an interactive tool to show when you might be eligible to receive the vaccine.

Covid-19 in Australia

Active cases

Vaccinations

... fully vaccinated

... first doses

... ranked in OECD

Guardian graphic | Sources: covidlive.com.au, Our World in Data. Active cases includes both cases in hotel quarantine and locally-acquired cases. % fully vaccinated is using the total Australian population. OECD ranking is for % fully vaccinated

One of the biggest logistical exercises in Australias history, the delivery of coronavirus vaccines to more than 20 million people has begun.

The government was hoping to have 4 million people vaccinated by March and the entire country inoculated by October.

Here, you can see the current rate of vaccination compared with the rate of doses we would have needed to meet the governments goals for the early stages of the rollout, with the initial goal of 60,000 doses in the first week followed by 4m doses by the end of March. This assumes a linear rate of increase, but its quite likely the speed of vaccinations will ramp up as the rollout proceeds:

The federal government has released a forecast on future vaccine availability, broken down by vaccine manufacturer. Here you can see the latest data as of the 25th of June.

The vaccine rollout is not uniform across Australia, as the state and federal governments have divided the task between them.

The following chart shows how many doses have been administered per 100 people in each jurisdiction.

Note that the Australian rollout rate is higher than the sum of the state rates as vaccinations in GP clinics and aged and disability care are counted at the federal government level.

In the following two charts you can see how Australias vaccine rollout compares with other countries, in terms of doses administered per 100 people.

This first chart adjusts for the fact that countries started administering vaccines on different dates. It shows how Australia compares to select countries at equivalent points in their vaccine rollouts.

Here you can see how those same countries are doing across their entire vaccine rollout, on a doses administered per 100 people basis. Some are already more than halfway to vaccinating their populations.

Not all countries publish data on fully vaccinated people - those who have received two doses. Here you can see how Australia compares to OECD countries on the percentage of the population that are fully vaccinated.

The timing for when you should expect to get the vaccine is dependent on who you are, how old you are and what you do for work. The government has an interactive tool that takes into account all the factors that will determine which phase of the vaccine rollout you will be in.

Guardian Australia has gone through every state and territory press release to construct and maintain an up-to-date database of coronavirus cases, as well as maintaining live data feeds from other groups collating data.

This chart shows the epidemic curve for Australia, showing the progress in flattening the curve and how effective various measures have been in suppressing the outbreak:

Here, you can see the number of new deaths reported per day by the states and territories:

This chart shows the cumulative total of confirmed cases, with the contribution of each state and territory:

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Covid Australia vaccine rollout tracker: total number of people and per cent vaccinated, daily vaccine doses and rate of progress - The Guardian

Public health officials in South Korea have reported the countrys first two cases of the Delta Plus coronavirus variant. The variant, which is a mutation of the highly contagious Delta variant responsible for the recent surge in U.S. COVID-19 cases, was first identified in India.

The first case [in South Korea] was identified in a man in [his] 40s who has no recent travel records, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) told Reuters. Its unclear how the man became sick. The second case of Delta Plus was in a traveller who recently returned from the United States. That patient had been vaccinated with both doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Delta Plus started trending on Twitter soon after the news broke, with plenty of people expressing worry about what this means for the future of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, theres a lot public health experts dont know about Delta Plusbut there is some information as it continues to be monitored.

Delta Plus is a sub-lineage of the Delta variant. The original Delta variant has several mutations on its spike protein that make it more transmissible, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which lists Delta as a variant of concern. It also has the potential to reduce the effectiveness of some monoclonal antibody treatments and may partially evade the COVID-19 vaccine.

This mutation is seen in some but not all of the Delta variants, says David Cennimo, M.D., assistant professor of medicine-pediatrics infectious disease at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. It is a variation of the variant, if you will.

Delta Plus has a spike protein mutation called K417N, which is also found in the Beta variant that was first detected in South Africa, says infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. There are countless variants but only specific ones are tracked or labeled of interest or concerns, he says. Delta Plus is listed as a variant of concern by the WHO and CDCunder its technical name AY.1and aggregated with Delta.

Theoretically, the mutation could make [Delta Plus] even more infectious than Deltaand Delta is already highly adept at infecting people, Dr. Cennimo says.

This isnt the first time Delta Plus has been detected. There have been a few cases in the U.K., Portugal, and India, per Reuters. It has been detected in the U.S., according to The New York Times, and may be in a dozen countries.

Delta Plus was first detected in April in Indias state of Maharashtra, where its been declared it a variant of concern, the Times reports.

As of now, they seem to be the same as the symptoms of the Delta variant and earlier coronavirus strains, says John Sellick, D.O., an infectious disease expert and professor of medicine at the University at Buffalo/SUNY. According to the CDC, those include but are not limited to:

Experts are still trying to figure that out. Were not entirely sure what it means yet, says William Schaffner, M.D., an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Are there things about this Delta Plus variant that are different? Is it transmitted more or less frequently than the Delta variant? Is it more or less contagious and, critically, is it a variant that is only partially protected by our current vaccines? None of these questions have been answered yet. Its early days.

Dr. Adalja agrees. Theres no specific concern with this variant yet, over and above the concern with Delta, he says, adding that its unclear if the mutation will do anything to change the state of current COVID-19 cases.

We have to step back a bit and say, Lets see how this develops, Dr. Sellick adds. Were not going to modify our treatments and vaccines based on a few cases.

That said, its important for the public health community to track Delta Plus. We dont want to ignore it or blow it off, Dr. Sellick says. If it becomes dominant, it becomes an issue.

This article is accurate as of press time. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly evolves and the scientific communitys understanding of the novel coronavirus develops, some of the information may have changed since it was last updated. While we aim to keep all of our stories up to date, please visit online resources provided by the CDC, WHO, and your local public health department to stay informed on the latest news. Always talk to your doctor for professional medical advice.

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What Is the Delta Plus Variant? Here's What Experts Know About It So Far - Prevention.com

EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK, Fla. Florida is not shutting down and COVID-19 "hospital admissions have slowed," Gov. Ron DeSantis emphatically declared on Tuesday, despite yet another day of record coronavirus hospitalizations in the Sunshine State.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said 11,515 people were hospitalized for COVID-19 in Florida on Monday, including 2,400 in ICU beds.

RELATED: Florida hits record with 11,515 COVID-19 hospitalizations

In the face of that staggering number, DeSantis on Tuesday argued that statewide lockdowns have "failed time and time again throughout this pandemic" and "they have not stopped the spread."

"In terms of shutting down, we're not shutting down," DeSantis said during a news conference at Everglades National Park. "We're gonna have schools open. We're protecting every Floridian's job in this state. We're protecting people's small businesses."

WATCH NEWS CONFERENCE:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gives COVID-19 update

For the second time in just three days, Florida has recorded a record number of COVID-19 hospitalizations.

On Sunday, HHS reported that 10,593 people were hospitalized with confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Now on Tuesday, that number has climbed by 922 patients.

While DeSantis admitted that emergency room visits for COVID-like illness (CLI) went up "sharply" in July, he seemed to dismiss the record spike in hospitalizations, instead claiming they're now "plateauing."

"We are watching the CLI. That is plateauing. The hospital admissions have slowed. I don't think we've reached the peak yet. But I think we're gonna settle in hopefully this week or next week," DeSantis said.

Florida Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried -- who's running against DeSantis in the 2022 election -- quickly took to Twitter on Tuesday, saying the governor's claim that COVID-19 hospitalizations have slowed is simply "not true."

The governor on Tuesday said hospitals in Florida are seeing a lower median age of COVID-19 patients because more older residents are vaccinated against the virus.

According to the Florida Department of Health, 85% of Floridians ages 65 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of July 29.

Between 12-to-39-year-olds, the highest percentage of those vaccinated is just 49%.

WPTV

During Tuesday's news conference, DeSantis touted his administration's "Seniors First" vaccination strategy -- which started in late December and early January -- as a major factor in reducing COVID-19 mortality rates in Florida by 70% to 75% from this same time last year.

While the governor said almost 25,000 fully vaccinated Floridians have tested positive for COVID-19, he said their symptoms have been less severe.

"Yes, there are positive tests among vaccinated. At the same time, the mortality and all that data is very, very clear," DeSantis said. "We think that even amidst a lot of positive tests, you still see much less mortality than we did year-over-year. That's important."

RELATED: Palm Beach County health director compares current COVID-19 surge to worst of 2020

With DeSantis vehemently opposed to any type of coronavirus-related restrictions in the Sunshine State, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Monday urged the governor to do more to encourage people to get vaccinated and wear face masks, including allowing school districts to mandate facial coverings for students, which Psaki said is "not the current state of play in Florida."

"At a certain point, leaders are gonna have to choose whether they're gonna follow public health guidelines or they're going to follow politics," Psaki said. "And we certainly encourage all governors to follow the public health guidelines."

Psaki added that 20% of new COVID-19 cases nationwide are in Florida.

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Despite record COVID-19 hospitalizations, Florida's governor says 'admissions have slowed' - WPTV.com