Category: Corona Virus

With the latest round of COVID test kits from the government set to arrive in the mail as early as this week, how can you get yours?

The first shipments are already being sent to homes across the U.S.

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic across Illinois today:

The first shipment in the latest round of at-home COVID test kits being sent to homes across the U.S. from the government are starting to arrive in mailboxes Thursday.

Test kits will be shipped for free to residences, according to the United States Postal Service. Those tests will come in two separate packages, with four test kits in each package, the USPS says.

You can now sign up to receive 8 free, at-home rapid antigen COVID tests in the mail, the federal government recently announced.

In previous rounds of test distributions residents could only claim up to four at-home COVID test kits per household.

Test kits will be shipped for free to residences, according to the United States Postal Service. Those tests will come in two separate packages, with four test kits in each package, the USPS says.

Here's how to sign upand get yours mailed to your home.

Chicago could soon reach a high alert level for COVID, but that doesn't necessarily mean mask mandates will return right away, the city's top doctor said Tuesday.

While masks are "strongly recommended" across the city with cases spiking, Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said she's watching a different metric to determine if mandates will return.

Read more here.

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise around the United States, Chicago's top doctor says she expects the city could soon reach a "high" community level.

"Unfortunately that is the direction that we're heading," Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said in a Facebook Live Tuesday, calling it a "point of concern."

Read more here.

COVID cases and hospitalizations are continuing to climb in Illinois, with the state now averaging more than 6,000 new probable and confirmed COVID-19 cases per day.

It's the first time in more than three months Illinois has seen the daily rate that high.

The good news is, COVID testing across Chicago and at Illinois remains free at many sites. And, the federal government is now offering residents double the number of free COVID rapid antigen tests during its newest round of kit availability, according to anupdate by the United States Postal Service.

If you're experiencing symptoms, or you believe you've been exposed, here's where you can find free COVID testing near you in Chicago and Illinois, for adults and kids.

The federal government is now offering residents double the number of free COVID rapid antigen tests during its newest round of kit availability, according to an update by the United States Postal Service.

Whereas in previous rounds of test distributions residents could only claim up to four per household, residents can now request up to eight of the tests, which will be shipped for free to their residences.

According to the government, each order may contain eight rapid antigen COVID-19 tests. Those tests will come in two separate packages, with four test kits in each package, according to the USPS website.

Here's how to get yours.

If you test positive for COVID, how long could that last?

According to theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention, some people who contract COVID-19 can have detectable virus for up to three months, but that doesn't mean they are contagious.

When it comes to testing, however, the PCR tests are more likely to continue picking up the virus following infection.

Read more here.

For the first time in more than three months, Illinois is averaging more than 6,000 new probable and confirmed COVID-19 cases per day, with hospitalizations also beginning to climb across the state.

According to the latest data from the Illinois Department of Public Health, the state is averaging 6,065 new cases of COVID per day over the last week. That marks the first time the state has eclipsed the 6,000-case barrier since Feb. 9, when Illinois was still descending from the heights of its omicron-driven surge over the winter.

In the last seven days, the states daily average of new COVID cases has gone up by 17.7%, according to IDPH officials. In the last month, cases have increased by 174%.

On Monday, Illinois officials reported 5,447 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, with zero new fatalities reported.

You can find more data here.

The Food and Drug Administration has authorized a first-of-its-kind at-home testing kit that will allow individuals to collect samples and have them tested for a variety of respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19 and influenza.

According to a press release issued Monday, the FDA gave authorization to Labcorps Seasonal Respiratory Virus RT-PCR DTC test.

Those tests, available without a prescription, can be used by individuals with symptoms of respiratory viral infection, according to the FDA.

The tests allow an individual to self-collect a nasal swab at home, similar to that of an at-home COVID-19 test. Instead of getting the results in the home, those samples can be sent to Labcorp for testing.

The tests can identify and differentiate between a variety of illnesses, including influenza A and B, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19, according to the FDA.

COVID-19 cases have been on the rise across Chicago and the city's top doctor said the trend will likely continue in coming weeks, sparking questions from concerned residents.

Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, says thatthe city's positivity rate has soared to nearly 5% in recent weeks, and she expects metrics to continue to rise in the coming days.

Read more here.

With nearly every Chicago-area county having reached the "medium community level" for COVID-19 and one Chicago suburb reaching "high" transmission levels, per guidance set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, what does that mean for you?

So what does that mean and what does it take to reach each level?

Here's a look at the guidelines.

As more test positive for the coronavirus across the Chicago area, many are turning to questions over treating the virus with the new antiviral COVID-19 pill.

Pfizer's Paxlovid pill has been used in several recent high-profile cases, including Vice President Kamala Harris.

But as more doctors prescribe Pfizer's powerful COVID pill, new questions are emerging about its performance, including why a small number of patients appear to relapse after taking the drug.

Here's what we know so far.

COVID-19 cases have been on the rise across Chicago and the city's top doctor said the trend will likely continue in coming weeks, sparking questions from concerned residents.

Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, says thatthe city's positivity rate has soared to nearly 5% in recent weeks, and she expects metrics to continue to rise in the coming days.

"In this wave...it's likely that we'll have even more cases before we see it turn around," she said. "And the last thing we want to do is to have people really see the hospitalization numbers going up significantly."

For those who contract COVID, there may be lingering questions. Here's the latest information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

With new, more contagious variants of COVID-19 spreading across the U.S. and nearly all of the Chicago area rising to a higher alert level, many are wondering what to do if they experience symptoms or test positive for the virus.

If you were exposed, when could symptoms start, how long are you contagious, how long should you quarantine for and when is the best time test?

Read more here.

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Illinois Coronavirus Updates: Free COVID Test Kits From the Government, Cases Still Rising - NBC Chicago

The waste water levels have now rebounded to where they were in late January.

Andrew Lover, an assistant professor of epidemiology in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, said in an e-mail that statewide were seeing quite a lot of virus in wastewater, noting results of testing not just by the MWRA in Suffolk County but in five other counties around the state.

The increases come as the states COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have been gradually rising for weeks, and the CDC has warned that most of the state is seeing high levels of the virus. The CDC recommends that when virus levels are high, people should mask in indoor public spaces.

With both waste water and case numbers rising, I think its pretty clear at this point that we are in a wave, Matthew Fox, a professor of epidemiology and global health at the Boston University School of Public Health, said in an e-mail.

The surge were seeing is real and ongoing, said Lover.

Fox said people should not panic because we know what to do. For anyone not vaccinated or boosted, go out and get your vaccine. For the rest of us, its time to consider masking again indoors, keeping in mind that this is a time-limited measure just until the wave subsides.

Federal health officials warned Wednesday that cases are increasing nationally and could get worse over the coming months, as the wave spreads out from the Northeast and Midwest.

Worried about the rising COVID-19 metrics, a coalition of Massachusetts public health leaders, infectious disease doctors, and community organizers on Wednesday called on the Baker administration to reinstitute mask mandates in public schools and on transportation. The group also urged the states Department of Public Health to issue an immediate advisory recommending use of masks inside public spaces and for people to avoid large gatherings until the current COVID surge subsides.

Governor Charlie Baker indicated he was not planning to reinstate a broad-based mask mandate. We believe that the best thing to do at this point is to make clear to people that vaccines work, he said Wednesday. There are treatments that now work as well. He pointed out that Massachusetts still requires masks in long-term care and in other health facilities.

Experts have raised concerns that the arrival of the Omicron subvariants BA.2 and now BA.2.12.1, are breathing new life into the pandemic at a time that the public is trying to return to normal after more than two years of pandemic disruption.

Some models have offered hope that the current Massachusetts wave could crest in the coming weeks. Experts think that would happen for a variety of reasons, including the immune protection people have gotten from vaccinations and previous infections.

How much protection people have gotten from being infected during the original Omicron wave earlier this year is a key question that has yet to be answered. Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, said at a briefing Wednesday, If it generated a lot of population immunity, then were going to see fewer infections into the summer, fall, and winter. If it generated only a modest amount of immunity, were going to see more infections.

Early this year, the Eastern Massachusetts waste water levels dropped precipitously from their Omicron peak. They bottomed out in early March, then began rising again. The rise was interrupted by a dip last month, but the levels have now more than bounced back.

The numbers remain at much lower levels than they were when the Omicron surge hit the region during the winter. The number of confirmed reported daily COVID-19 deaths has been in the single digits for weeks, only edging back over 10 in recent days.

Waste water from 43 communities, including Boston, converges at the MWRAs Deer Island plant on Boston Harbor for treatment before being piped miles into the ocean. The water is tested for traces of the deadly virus. The MWRA reports numbers for both the southern and northern regions of its system. The testing determines the number of SARS-CoV-2 RNA copies per milliliter of waste water.

In the northern MWRA region, the seven-day average was 1,273 RNA copies/mL as of Wednesday. Thats up from a low of 101 on March 9. The levels peaked at 8,644 on Jan. 5.

In the southern region, the seven-day average was 1,332 RNA copies/mL on Wednesday, up from a low of 92 copies/mL on March 1. But its a far cry from the high of 11,446 RNA copies/mL reached on Jan. 3.

Kay Lazar of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Material from prior Globe stories was used in this report.

Martin Finucane can be reached at martin.finucane@globe.com. Christina Prignano can be reached at christina.prignano@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @cprignano.

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The coronavirus levels in Eastern Mass. waste water keep increasing, suggesting cases will continue rising - The Boston Globe

A worker in a protective suit walks on a closed bridge during lockdown, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Shanghai, China, May 18, 2022. REUTERS/Aly Song

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May 19 (Reuters) - More Shanghai residents were given the freedom to go out to shop for groceries for the first time in nearly two months. Moreover, a deputy mayor said the financial hub will start to allow more businesses in zero-COVID areas to resume normal operations from the beginning of June. read more

* Eikon users, see COVID-19: MacroVitals https://apac1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/cms/?navid=1592404098 for a case tracker and summary of news.

* Britain's vaccine advisers said that an anticipated autumn COVID booster campaign would be aimed at people over age 65, care home residents, frontline health and social care workers and all adults in a clinical risk group. read more

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* The European health regulator endorsed the use of AstraZeneca's (AZN.L) vaccine, Vaxzevria, as a booster. read more

* China has removed some COVID-19 test requirements for people flying in from countries such as Britain and the United States and shortened the pre-departure quarantine for some inbound travellers, as it fine-tunes measures to cope with the Omicron variant. read more

* North Korea's first confirmed outbreak spread after a massive military parade in Pyongyang in April, the South's Newsis news agency said on Wednesday, citing lawmakers briefed by the South's spy agency. read more

* North Korea is ramping up production of drugs and medical supplies including sterilisers and thermometers, state media KCNA said. read more

* India has supplied COVID-19 vaccines to Cambodia and Thailand under an initiative of the Quad group of countries, New Delhi said, though not the Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) shot as originally planned. read more

* Several outbreaks of monkeypox in Africa have been contained during the COVID pandemic while the world's attention was elsewhere, and outbreaks in Europe and the United States are a concern, Africa's top public health agency said. read more

* The U.S. Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) said reports of heart inflammation linked to the Pfizer (PFE.N)/BioNTech (22UAy.DE) vaccine have been much lower in 5- to 11-year-old boys than in adolescents and young men. read more

* The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will act as soon as possible on Moderna Inc's (MRNA.O) application seeking approval of its COVID-19 vaccine for children under age 5, the agency's chief told lawmakers. read more

* The World Health Organization issued an emergency use listing for the single-dose COVID-19 vaccine from China-based CanSino Biologics (6185.HK). read more

* The question of COVID-19 vaccine patents was not discussed at a meeting of the health ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) countries in Berlin, German Health Ministers Karl Lauterbach said. read more

* Dalian and Singapore iron ore futures fell on Thursday, hit by worries about COVID-19 curbs in China, but Beijing's assurance that there is still policy space to cope with challenges facing the world's top steel producer calmed traders.

* A sharp slowdown in China's economy caused by its strict zero-COVID rules and Beijing's shift away from a traditional reliance on external demand have cast doubts over how much the country will contribute to future global trade and investment. read more

* Roughly half of Taiwanese companies that had previously suspended work in China due to COVID-19 control measures have resumed production as curbs ease, the island's economy minister said. read more

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Compiled by Dina Kartit; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Lisa Shumaker

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Factbox: Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus - Reuters

Another 175 new COVID-19 infections were reported Tuesday in the San Antonio area.

SAN ANTONIO Bexar County health officials indicated the local risk for COVID-19 spread remained at "low" but "worsening" Tuesday as hospitalizations rise and May sees a slight increase in new infections.

Another 175 cases were reported Tuesday, and May has brought an average of 182 new diagnoses a day so far; that's almost twice as many as the average of 96 new daily cases for the San Antonio area in April.

Meanwhile, local coronavirus hospitalizations have jumped in recent days. There were 90 patients hospitalized with symptoms Tuesday, up from 71 on Friday. Of those 90 patients, 22 are in intensive care and nine are using ventilators.

No new deaths have been reported since last week, however. Nearly 543,000 Bexar County residents have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

How Bexar County is trending

Vaccine Progress in Bexar County

The following numbers are provided by San Antonio Metro Health. A full breakdown can be found here.

The CDC states that "when a high percentage of the community is immune to a disease (through vaccination and/or prior illness)," that community will have reached herd immunity, "making the spread of this disease from person to person unlikely."

The City of San Antonio breaks down the vaccination rates by zip code on Metro Health's Vaccination Statistics page.

Coronavirus in Texas

The total number of coronavirus cases in the state since the pandemic began grew by 3,215 on Tuesday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. That total includes 2,180 new confirmed cases and 1,035 new probable cases. More details can be found on this page.

Tuesday's figures bring the total number of Texans diagnosed with COVID-19 to more than 6.79 million.

An additional 10 Texans have died from virus complications, meanwhile, raising the statewide death toll to 86,723.

Coronavirus symptoms

The symptoms of coronavirus can be similar to the flu or a bad cold. Symptoms include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Most healthy people will have mild symptoms. A study of more than 72,000 patients by the Centers for Disease Control in China showed 80 percent of the cases there were mild.

But infections can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death, according to the World Health Organization. Older people with underlying health conditions are most at risk.

Experts determined there was consistent evidence these conditions increase a person's risk, regardless of age:

Human coronaviruses are usually spread...

Help stop the spread of coronavirus

Find a Testing Location

City officials recommend getting a COVID-19 test if you experience fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea.

Here's a Testing Sites Locatorto help you find the testing location closest to you in San Antonio.

Latest Coronavirus Headlines

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COVID-19 in San Antonio: Where the numbers stand on May 17 - KENS5.com

Minnesota has identified its first COVID-19 cases involving the BA.4 and BA.5 coronavirus subvariants that have shown the ability in other nations to spread even in highly immunized populations.

Genomic sequencing of a sampling of positive coronavirus infections found BA.4 in four cases and BA.5 in one case with four involving residents outside the Twin Cities, according to the latest data from the Minnesota Department of Health. Identified specimens involving a BA.2.12.1 subvariant, which is causing high COVID-19 levels in the Northeast now, have increased over the past week from 47 to 131.

Whether these variants will accelerate COVID-19 cases in Minnesota is unclear. While earlier delta and omicron variants produced record infections this winter, a beta variant did not produce much viral spread locally last spring after it was identified in Brazil.

One reason for concern is that the two new subvariants spread rapidly in South Africa despite recent COVID-19 waves that should have left people there with short-term immunity after infection, said Dr. Gregory Poland, head of Mayo Clinic's COVID-19 vaccine research group.

"BA.4 and BA.5 ... very efficiently escape that immunity," Poland said in a podcast released this week. "So they are having a major surge with BA.4 and BA.5 driving up cases, hospitalizations and deaths."

Pandemic activity already is increasing in Minnesota, but growth in infections continues to outpace severe illness and hospitalizations. The state on Wednesday reported another 2,120 coronavirus infections.

Nearly 1.5 million Minnesotans have tested positive for COVID-19, including 68,742 people who have been infected more than once. The total excludes positive at-home test results that aren't reported to public health authorities. Minnesota's actual infection total could be above 3.3 million, including unreported and asymptomatic cases, according to federal estimates.

State health officials are hopeful that high immunity levels from recent vaccinations and infections are at least reducing severe COVID-19 illnesses. Hospitalizations in Minnesota of patients with COVID-19 have increased from 183 on April 10 to 440 Tuesday. However, hospitals are reporting a higher proportion of patients admitted for other purposes whose COVID-19 positive tests only turn up due to routine screening.

COVID-19 hospitalizations requiring intensive care have increased from a low of 20 on April 25 to 31 Tuesday. The latest ICU total only makes up 7% of the current COVID-19 hospitalizations, though. During earlier pandemic waves, ICU patients accounted for up to 30% of the hospitalizations.

Allina Health reported that COVID-19 positivity among symptomatic patients in the hospitals increased from about 3% in the week ending April 10 to about 16% in the week ending May 8. Among hospitalized patients with no COVID-19 symptoms, the comparable test positivity rate has increased from nearly 2% to almost 4%.

COVID-19 patients placed on ventilators because of severe lung problems declined from 48 in early February to only one earlier this month.

The state on Wednesday reported six COVID-19 deaths in seniors.

The age trend of COVID-19 mortality has shifted back toward seniors, who account for 82% of Minnesota's 12,575 deaths in the pandemic. Only 72% of deaths involved seniors since last June, when the delta variant took a larger toll among younger, unvaccinated adults. However, since March, seniors have once again made up more than 80% of Minnesota's COVID-19 deaths.

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New COVID-19 variants of concern found in Minnesota - Star Tribune

Gov. Charlie Baker touted Massachusetts high vaccination rate including among vulnerable residents at greater risk of developing serious coronavirus-related complications as he again resisted calls Thursday to reinstate COVID-19 safeguards to tamp down the commonwealths rising caseload.

More than 80% of adult residents are vaccinated against COVID, with around half of that demographic also boosted, Baker said during a press conference in Boston following a National Governors Association event focused on computer science education.

Meanwhile, the vaccination rate among seniors exceeds 95%, Baker said.

COVID is a very transmissible virus, and each new strain appears to be as transmissible or more so than the one before, Baker said. But I think at this point in time, for most people especially those who are vaccinated their experience with COVID is something akin to the flu. And I think thats an important piece to remember and remind people.

Bakers comments Thursday came two days after he abruptly canceled public events. A spokesman said the governor had tested negative for COVID but was not feeling well. Baker resumed in-person events Wednesday after testing negative for the virus in the morning.

Baker said officials are closely monitoring rising coronavirus-related hospitalizations, though that figure is lower compared to last year.

The vast majority of Massachusetts is experiencing high COVID-transmission levels, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Based on federal guidance, people living in Berkshire, Franklin, Worcester, Middlesex, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Plymouth, Barnstable and Dukes counties should resume wearing masks indoors.

Yet at Thursdays event at the Hotel Commonwealth in Kenmore Square, there was scant masking during an indoor panel discussion. Masks are also no longer required on public transit, such as the MBTA.

Baker said stricter coronavirus protocols are still required at settings like senior care facilities and primary care operations that serve vulnerable populations.

Certainly we welcome people who believe they need to wear masks to protect themselves to protect others that they may live with or work with, Baker said, as he urged Bay Staters to get vaccinated and boosted. But at this point in time, we pay a lot more attention to the vulnerable population. The vast majority of the population here in Massachusetts is vaccinated.

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Amid new surge, Gov. Charlie Baker resists mask mandate call, says COVID is akin to the flu - MassLive.com

THURSDAY 5/19/2022 1:53 p.m.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has reported 1,453,007 total positive coronavirus test results in the state and 12,961 total COVID-19 deaths.

The number of known cases per variant is no longer tracked as The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has updated its website, deleting that section.

Unable to view the tables below?Click here.

The DHS announced an attempt to verify and ensure statistics are accurate, some numbers may be subject to change. The DHS is combing through current and past data to ensure accuracy.

Wisconsins hospitals are reporting, that the 7-day moving average of COVID-19 patients hospitalized was 319 patients. Of those,39 are in an ICU. ICU patients made up 11.3%of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reports that 9,502,954 vaccine doses and 2,027,707 booster doses have been administered in Wisconsin as of May 19.

Unable to view the tables below?Click here.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services is using a new module to measure COVID-19 activity levels. They are now using the Center for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) COVID-19 Community Levels. The map is measured by the impact of COVID-19 illness on health and health care systems in the communities.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports seven counties in Wisconsin are experiencing high COVID-19 community levels. None of them are in northeast Wisconsin.

38 counties in Wisconsin are experiencing medium COVID-19 community levels, including Brown, Fond du Lac, Forest, Green Lake, Menominee, Shawano, and Winnebago County in northeast Wisconsin.

Every other county in Wisconsin is experiencing low COVID-19 community levels.

For more information on how the data is collected, visit the CDCs COVID-19 Community Levels data page.

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Wisconsin adds over 2,000 new cases of COVID-19, with 1.45M total positive - WeAreGreenBay.com

New Jersey on Thursday reported nine more COVID-19 deaths and 4,835 new confirmed positive tests with another 82 in-school outbreaks among staff and students in the latest weekly report.

The states seven-day average for confirmed cases increased to 4,034 on Thursday, up 26% from a week ago and up 138% from a month ago. Thats the highest seven-day average since Feb. 3.

There were 842 patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases reported across 70 of the states 71 hospitals as of Wednesday night. Hospitalizations still remain significantly lower than when they peaked at 6,089 on Jan. 10 during the Omicron wave.

There were at least 153 people discharged in that same 24-hour period ending Wednesday, according to state data. Of those hospitalized, 99 were in intensive care and 39 were on ventilators.

New Jerseys statewide transmission rate ticked up slightly to 1.29 Thursday. When the transmission rate is over 1, that means each new case is leading to at least one additional case and the outbreak is expanding.

The positivity rate for tests conducted on Saturday, the most recent day with available data, was 17.39%.

The state on Thursday also reported 1,338 probable cases from rapid antigen testing at medical sites.

The BA.2 strain of COVID-19 has been spreading in New Jersey for weeks, though at much lower rates than the Omicron surge in December and January. Officials have said the Omicron stealth sub-variant appears to spread more easily but generally does not cause more severe illness.

For the week ending April 30, BA.2 accounted for 91.4% of the positive tests sampled (slightly up from 89.4% the previous week), while the BA2.12.1 omicron subvariant accounted for 6% of positive tests sampled (down from 6.7% the previous week).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists nine New Jersey counties with high transmission rates Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Gloucester, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean and Sussex. Those in high-risk areas are recommended to wear a mask indoors in public and on public transportation and stay up-to-date on vaccination, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Eleven counties are in the medium risk category: Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Passaic, Salem, Somerset, Union and Warren. Cumberland County is at low. Masks are not recommended in the medium and low regions.

New Jersey has reported 2,012,287 total confirmed COVID-19 cases out of more than 17.7 million PCR tests conducted in the more than two years since the state reported its first known case March 4, 2020.

The Garden State has also recorded 328,963 positive antigen or rapid tests, which are considered probable cases. And there are numerous cases that have likely never been counted, including at-home positive tests that are not included in the states numbers.

The state of 9.2 million residents has reported 33,595 COVID-19 deaths in that time 30,537 confirmed fatalities and 3,058 probable.

New Jersey has the seventh-most coronavirus deaths per capita in the U.S. behind Mississippi, Arizona, Oklahoma, Alabama, Tennessee, and West Virginia as of the latest data reported Tuesday. Last summer, the state still had the most deaths per capita in the country.

The latest numbers follow a major study that revealed even a mild case of COVID-19 can significantly affect the brain. Long COVID the term commonly used to describe symptoms stemming from the virus long after a person no longer tests positive has been found to affect between 10% and 30% of those who contract the infection, regardless of whether they have a mild or serious case.

More than 6.89 million of the 8.46 million eligible people who live, work or study in New Jersey have received the initial course of vaccinations and more than 7.8 million have received a first dose since vaccinations began here on Dec. 15, 2020.

More than 3.74 million people in the state eligible for boosters have received one. That number may rise after the FDA on Tuesday approved booster shots for healthy children between the ages of 5 and 11. U.S. regulators authorized the booster for kids hoping an extra vaccine dose will enhance their protection as infections once again creep upward.

For the week ending May 8, with about 59% of schools reporting data, another 8,923 COVID-19 cases were reported among staff (2,461) and students (6,462) across New Jerseys schools.

Since the start of the academic year, there have been 116,771 students and 34,685 school staff members who have contracted COVID-19 in New Jersey, though the state has never had more than two-thirds of the school districts reporting data in any week.

The state provides total student and staff cases separately from those deemed to be in-school transmission, which is narrowly defined as three or more cases linked through contact tracing.

New Jersey has reported 807 total in-school outbreaks, including 5,671 cases among students and staff. That includes 82 new outbreaks in the latest weekly report ending May 16. The state reported 72 in-school outbreaks the previous week.

At least 9,049 of the states COVID-19 deaths have been among residents and staff members at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, according to state data.

There were active outbreaks at 315 facilities, resulting in 3,383 current cases among residents and 3,121 cases among staff, as of the latest data.

As of Thursday, there have been more than 525 million COVID-19 cases reported across the globe, according to Johns Hopkins University, and more than 6.28 million people died due to the virus.

The U.S. has reported the most cases (more than 82.9 million) and deaths (at least 1,001,296) of any nation.

There have been more than 11.4 billion vaccine doses administered globally.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Deion Johnson may be reached at djohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DeionRJohhnson

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N.J reports 4,835 cases, 9 COVID deaths with another 82 in-school outbreaks - NJ.com

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) Over 16,000 Oklahomans have died from the coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

OSDH announced in March thatit was discontinuing its daily situation updates that monitor the daily case counts, and instead, release weekly data on Thursdays.

On Thursday, data from the Oklahoma State Department of Health shows that the state has had 1,043,536 confirmed cases ofCOVID-19since March of 2020.

Thats an overall increase of 2,038 cases from last weeks numbers.

At this point, officials believe there are 2,621 active cases ofCOVID-19in Oklahoma.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Oklahoma has seen 16,050 deaths as of Thursday. Thats an increase of 54 deaths.

Officials say there were 79 Oklahomans hospitalized with COVID-19 on average over the past three days. Authorities also noted that there were 25 pediatric hospitalizations for COVID-19 included in that number.

Health leaders say over 2.82 million Oklahomans have received their initial COVID-19 vaccine, while 2.27 million have completed the series.

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CDC: Over 16,000 Oklahomans have died from COVID-19 - KFOR Oklahoma City

CLEVELAND -- Guardians manager Terry Francona missed so much time over the past two seasons that even a four-game absence was difficult.

"This was forced retirement," he said. "It wasn't very fun."

Francona and two of his coaches cleared health and safety protocols Wednesday and returned to the team after missing part of the past week after testing positive for COVID-19.

Francona was back for Wednesday's game against the Cincinnati Reds along with bench coach DeMarlo Hale and assistant hitting coach Justin Toole. The trio tested positive with coronavirus last week while the Guardians were in Chicago and returned to Ohio by bus as the team continued its trip to Minnesota.

However, Francona's return was delayed another day as the Reds and Guardians were postponed by rain. The series finale will be made up Thursday with an afternoon matinee.

The Guardians have dealt with two separate outbreaks in recent weeks, and the latest rash of cases has heightened the team's awareness.

"Up to this point I think we feel pretty fortunate," Francona said. "It was starting to work its way through. Once it gets into the clubhouse, everybody's breathing on each other. We live together.

"But I will say this, it's not like it's over and you can let your guard down. We're going to have to mask up indoors just to take care. Because once it happens, it's kind of too late."

First baseman Josh Naylor remains the only Guardians player currently sidelined with the virus. However, Naylor is close to returning and was back in the clubhouse. Francona said he could be n the lineup as early as Friday, when the Guardians open a three-game series at home against Detroit.

The 63-year-old Francona, in his 10th season with Cleveland, dealt with some symptoms over the weekend but has felt better the past few days. He missed most of the last two seasons to handle some serious health issues.

With Francona back, pitching coach Carl Willis returns to his normal duties after serving as acting manager.

Sandy Alomar and Mike Sarbaugh, the team's respective first- and third-base coaches, are still sidelined after testing positive.

Hitting coach Chris Valaika returned to the Guardians on Tuesday after missing three games.

The Guardians considered bringing up other coaches from the minors, but Francona said the team opted to shift healthy members of his staff into other roles to give the players some continuity.

"The biggest thing with Carl was, we're trying to keep some sense of normalcy," he said. "When you're missing seven guys, that's kind of hard. One, we know that the players will respect when Carl talks. We just wanted the games to be played like they're supposed to."

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Terry Francona returns to managing Cleveland Guardians following bout with COVID-19 - ESPN