Category: Corona Virus

The trend emerged at the tail-end of the omicron variant outbreak and has accelerated over the past two months, setting off alarm bells for state public health experts already expecting a surge in cases this summer.

Eva Lee, director of the Center for Operations Research in Medicine and Healthcare in Atlanta, agreed that the rate of hospitalizations among boosted people was on track to outpace other populations. However, she said its not a sign of vaccines losing all effectiveness it has to do with who is choosing to get boosted.

A big part of the people that are boosted are also the ones that are really at high risk already to begin with, right? Lee said. But what has remained and hasnt changed is the following: The people that are at risk remain at risk. That means the people that are immune-compromised and the people that are like the elderly people, and people who have coexisting conditions, their risk is still higher.

Overall, the number of people hospitalized with COVID remains at or near the lowest rate since the beginning of the pandemic. But state data shows that the most protected and least protected groups are starting to find themselves fighting for their lives in Georgia hospitals at nearly the same levels.

According to Georgia Department of Public Health data, unvaccinated groups were being hospitalized due to COVID at twice the rate of other populations at the beginning of March. By the end of April, there were 1.3 hospitalizations per 100,000 vaccinated and boosted Georgians compared to 1.6 hospitalizations for every 100,000 unvaccinated Georgians.

In addition to at-risk groups being more likely to get every shot available to them, omicron and its subvariants have presented a challenge for the U.S.s current vaccines. Breakthrough cases of less serious illness are now common, and health experts warn they are a sign of the vaccines waning immunity.

Prior to Omicron we could, with a booster, assume there was well over 90-95% vaccine effectiveness vs severe disease, Eric Topol, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in New York, wrote in a recent column sounding the alarm for a summer surge in COVID-19 infections. It is clear, however, from multiple reports ... that this level of protection has declined to approximately 80%, particularly taking account the more rapid waning than previously seen. That represents a substantial drop-off.

The growing number of breakthrough cases has prompted national health officials to discuss reformulating the current vaccines to specifically target omicron and its subvariants. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has a meeting scheduled for June 28 to evaluate vaccine efficiency and composition.

Georgia hasnt seen any noticeable uptick in COVID-19 deaths, but death reports often lag behind increasing hospitalization rates by several weeks.

While health experts are troubled by the rising hospitalization rates, they emphasize that COVIDs death toll would already be on the rise if the most at-risk Georgians werent vaccinated and boosted.

Raymond Fain knew he couldnt risk getting COVID-19. Given he has kidney disease, the 58-year-old made sure to not only get fully vaccinated but he took a Pfizer booster shot to boot.

Just two months later, during the onslaught of the omicron variant this winter, he was shocked to be told that in spite of his vaccinations he caught COVID. What followed was a bad sickness and two rounds of hospitalization that totaled nearly a month. But at the end of it, came another surprise: He lived.

I was sort of shocked that that disease that I caught didnt overcome me with the failed kidneys. You know what Im saying? Fain said.

Cleveland works with Fains doctor, both of whom have pleaded with their kidney patients to get vaccinated. Cleveland is all too familiar with kidney patients who get COVID and dont make it. Hes heard all the excuses, and hes ready to counter them.

Ive seen so much of that (kidney patients succumbing to COVID) that I do not hesitate to try to explain to my patients that Ive just seen this too many times to to be comfortable with them saying that they are afraid, Cleveland said.

The percentage of Georgia residents whove been vaccinated is among the lowest in the country the peach state currently ranks 45th. The states booster adoption rate is even worse, with less than half of all fully vaccinated people choosing to get one booster dose.

Theres also a large age disparity among those getting boosted. Nearly 60% of all Georgia seniors, people 65 and older, have gotten a booster dose, but theres a stark drop-off for younger populations. Only about 15% of 25- to 34-year-old Georgians are boosted.

The low booster adoption rate for younger people, who are less likely to be at a high risk of life-threatening infections, is an explanation for why boosted groups seem to be hospitalized at higher rates, health experts said.

All such people need to have vaccination and booster coverage but our (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has failed to convey their life-saving impact from the get go... Topol wrote in his column. Thats why we have 31% of Americans who had had 1 booster shot whereas most peer countries are double that proportion.

For Fain, hes surprised he was able to pull through his severe bout with COVID and get back on his feet, but his friends and loved ones havent let him forget how close he was to death.

Everybodys going to talk to me now, they say, Boy when you started, we thought you was going to get gone. You sounded so bad, Fain said. Yeah, but everything is okay now. Im strong.

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More of the vaccinated and boosted landing in hospital with COVID-19 - The Atlanta Journal Constitution

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A bill moving forward at the Ohio Statehouse would give $422 million from the massive federal coronavirus relief bill to the states smaller towns and township governments.

The Republican-controlled Ohio House voted Wednesday to approve House Bill 377, which formally allocates some of the $10 billion Ohio got from the American Rescue Plan Act signed in 2021 by Democratic President Joe Biden. The bill will go on to the Republican-controlled Ohio Senate for consideration and also would require Republican Gov. Mike DeWines signature to become law.

The money would get split by population among Ohios non-entitlement government units -- a term that covers cities of 50,000 people or less, village and township governments -- with the requirement that it is spent to directly reimburse costs associated with responding to the coronavirus pandemic and its associated economic effects. The money would be returned if not spent by the end of the states 2023 fiscal year.

The same group of local governments got $422 million last June from the previous round of ARPA funding, which is split into two years.

The Republican-controlled Ohio House approved the bill 75-9 on Wednesday, with all the no votes coming from some of the chambers most conservative Republicans.

Half of the $10 billion the state got from the ARPA will go to the state government, with the other half going to local governments.

Republicans, including DeWine, criticized ARPA before congressional Democrats and Biden passed it.

But since the coronavirus aid bill passed in 2021, the governor, whos running for re-election this year, has touted his plans to spend Ohios share of the money, which also include spending $1.5 billion to repay a federal loan to cover unemployment benefits paid during the pandemic; $756 million for local economic recovery initiatives, water and sewer grants, and pediatric behavioral healthcare facilities; $500 million to invest in Appalachian Ohio; $250 million in police grants; and $10.5 million to buy machines that can help solve gun crimes.

State Rep. Thomas Hall, a Butler County Republican who is one of HB377s sponsors, said during committee testimony the bill is about making sure Ohios 1,300-plus townships and other smaller local governments get their fair share of the federal relief money.

Whether or not you agree with the overall funding outlined in the American Rescue Plan, it is essential that all of Ohios local governments and their communities are treated equally under the bill, he said.

Reporter Jeremy Pelzer contributed to this story

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Ohio House approves sending hundreds of millions in federal coronavirus aid to small towns, townships - cleveland.com

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) WHO Thailand Situation Report 236 - 18 May 2022 - Thailand  ReliefWeb

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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) WHO Thailand Situation Report 236 - 18 May 2022 - Thailand - ReliefWeb

A firefighter from the Marins-Pompiers of Marseille (Marseille Naval Fire Battalion) administers a nasal swab to a child at a testing site for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Marseille, France, September 17, 2020. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

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May 16 (Reuters) - The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by peer review.

SARS-CoV-2 could be at root of mysterious hepatitis in kids

A chain of events possibly triggered by unrecognized infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus could be causing the mysterious cases of severe hepatitis reported in hundreds of young children around the world, researchers suggest.

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Children with COVID-19 are at significantly increased risk for liver dysfunction afterward, according to a report posted on Saturday on medRxiv ahead of peer review. But most of the children with acute hepatitis - which is generally rare in that age group - do not report a previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. Instead, the majority have been found to be infected with an adenovirus called 41F, which is not known to attack the liver. It is possible that the affected children, many of whom are too young to be vaccinated, may have had mild or asymptomatic COVID infections that went unnoticed, a separate team of researchers suggest in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology. If that were true, they theorize, then lingering particles of the coronavirus in the gastrointestinal tract in these children could be priming the immune system to over-react to adenovirus-41F with high amounts of inflammatory proteins that ultimately damage the liver.

"We suggest that children with acute hepatitis be investigated for SARS-CoV-2 persistence in stool" and for other signals that the liver damage is happening because the spike protein of the coronavirus is a "superantigen" that over-sensitizes the immune system, they said.

Face-down position unhelpful for awake patients

For hospitalized COVID-19 patients who are breathing on their own but with supplemental oxygen, lying face down might not help prevent them from eventually needing mechanical ventilation, according to a new study.

In the study, 400 patients were randomly assigned to usual care or to standard care plus intermittently lying on their stomach, a position known to improve the course of illness in sedated patients on mechanical ventilators. Over the next 30 days, 34.1% in the prone-positioning group and 40.5% in the usual-care group needed to be intubated and put on a ventilator, a difference that was not statistically significant. There might have been a reduction in the risk for intubation with prone positioning among some of the patients, researchers said on Monday in JAMA, but they could not confirm it statistically from their data. The average duration of prone positioning per day was roughly five hours, less than the target of eight to 10 hours per day.

"Long hours of awake prone positioning are challenging and highly influenced by patient comfort and preference," the researchers said. "The most common reason for interruption of prone positioning was patient request, which might have been related to overall subjective improvement or related to discomfort from prone positioning."

Click for a Reuters graphic on vaccines in development.

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Reporting by Nancy Lapid and Megan Brooks; Editing by Bill Berkrot

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Coronavirus may be linked to cases of severe hepatitis in children - Reuters

Should I wear amask?

The use of amask is advisedto protect others even if you have no symptoms.

After masks are worn, they must be used and disposed of properly to ensure their effectiveness and to avoid any increased risk of transmitting the virus.

The use of a mask alone is not enough to stop infections and must be combined with frequent hand washing with soap and maintaining physical distance.

COVID-19 is a new virus, and we are still learning about how it affects children and pregnant women. We know people of any age can be infected and transmit the virus. However, older people and/or those with pre-existing medical conditions seem more likely to develop severe illness. Cold, mild cough, fever, and body pain are the common symptoms of infection. We have also noted that other symptoms such as pain in the abdomen, loose motions, and vomiting are also present in children.

Clinical features or symptoms affecting children and adolescents, possibly associated with COVID-19, can include but are not limited to: fever, headache, body pain, tiredness, cough, breathlessness, poor feeding, loss of taste or smell (in a child more than eight years old), rash, red or pink eyes, swollen and/or red lips, tongue, hands, feet, gastrointestinal problems (diarrhoea, vomiting).

Seek medical attention. If advised by the doctor, then get your child tested for COVID-19. If advised by a doctor isolate/stay home.

Be watchful for danger signs and if any of these signs are present, seek urgent medical advice at your nearest hospital.

Indrawing of chestGrunting soundsThe child looks pale or bluePeripheries feel coldSunken eyeballs and dry mouthNot passed urine for more than 3- 4 hours (for children less than 5 years of age)Refusing to feedLooks drowsy or lethargicAbnormal body movementSevere diarrhea, vomiting or abdominal pain.

Step 1:Wet hands with running water

Step 2: Apply enough soap to cover wet hands

Step 3: Scrub all surfaces of the hands including back of hands, between fingers and under nails for at least 20 seconds

Step 4: Rinse thoroughly with running water

Step 5: Dry hands with a clean cloth or single-use towel

Wash your hands often, especially before eating; after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; and going to the bathroom.

If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water, if hands are visibly dirty.

Anyone planning a trip overseas should always check the travel advisory for their destination country for any restrictions on entry, quarantine requirements on entry, or other relevant travel advice.

In addition to taking standard travel precautions, and in order to avoid being quarantined or denied re-entry into your home country, you are also advised to check the latest COVID-19 update on the International Air Transport Association website, which includes a list of countries and restriction measures.

While traveling, all parents should follow standard hygiene measures for themselves and their children: Wash hands frequently or use an alcohol-based sanitizer with at least 60 per cent alcohol, practice good respiratory hygiene (cover your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze and immediately dispose of the used tissue) and avoid close contact with anyone who is coughing or sneezing.

In addition, it is recommended that parents always carry a hand sanitizer, pack of disposable tissues, and disinfecting wipes.

Additional recommendations include: Clean your seat, armrest, touchscreen, etc. with a disinfecting wipe once inside an aircraft or other vehicle. Also use a disinfecting wipe to clean key surfaces, doorknobs, remote controls, etc at the hotel or other accommodation where you and your children are staying.

At this time, there is not enough evidence to determine whether the virus is transmitted from a mother to her baby during pregnancy, or the potential impact this may have on the baby. This is currently being investigated. Pregnant women should continue to follow appropriate precautions to protect themselves from exposure to the virus, and seek medical care early, if experiencing symptoms, such as fever, cough or difficulty breathing.

Is it safe for a mother to breastfeed if she is infected with coronavirus?

All mothers in affected and at-risk areas who have symptoms of fever, cough or difficulty breathing, should seek medical care early, and follow instructions from a health care provider.

Considering the benefits of breastfeeding and the insignificant role of breastmilk in the transmission of other respiratory viruses, the mother can continue breastfeeding, while applying all the necessary precautions.

For symptomatic mothers well enough to breastfeed, this includes wearing a mask when near a child (including during feeding), washing hands before and after contact with the child (including feeding), and cleaning/disinfecting contaminated surfaces as should be done in all cases where anyone with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 interacts with others, including children.

If a mother is too ill, she should be encouraged to express milk and give it to the child via a clean cup and/or spoon all while following the same infection prevention methods.

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All you need to know about Corona Virus in India - UNICEF

Courtesy Image An illustration of the coronavirus provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

ALPENA COVID-19 is spreading faster in Northeast Michigan and putting more people in the hospital than it has in several weeks.

Public health officials say 113 Northeast Michiganders contracted COVID-19 in the past week, the largest number of newly infected residents in a single week since mid-February. And MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena reported eight COVID-19 patients in its care, the most since early March.

Its too soon to say whether the virus will again become more deadly. Public health officials say only one Northeast Michigander died this week after contracting COVID-19, but a rise in death counts has in the past lagged a rise in infections as those who contract the disease get worse over time.

The chart below shows the number of newly infected Northeast Michiganders reported by local health departments each week. NOTE: The health departments have occasionally adjusted numbers downward as data is reviewed, meaning new cases sometimes show as a negative number. The story continues below the graphic.

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still considered Alpena, Presque Isle, Montmorency, and Alcona counties as areas of medium risk for coronavirus spread. That means the CDC recommends those at most risk of serious illness such as the elderly talk to their doctors about whether they should wear a facemask in public, but the CDC doesnt recommend masking for the general population.

The CDC had for weeks considered the region an area of low risk for COVID-19 spread as public health officials reported low counts of new infections, deaths, and hospitalizations.

However, weekly new infections have been significantly higher since mid-April. Several Up North counties near Northeast Michigan are now considered areas of high risk.

The chart below shows the number of COVID-19 patients admitted at MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena each week. The story continues below the graphic.

The number of new infections is likely higher, as public health officials dont track at-home test results. The figure includes both confirmed infections and those treated as infected but not tested, such as family members of confirmed infected people.

The chart below shows the number of new COVID-19-related deaths reported each week by local public health departments. The story continues below the graphic.

Meanwhile, the state says about 59% of Northeast Michiganders 5 and older have received a complete initial round of coronavirus vaccine, and about 37% of adults had received a booster dose.

The chart below shows the number of Northeast Michiganders 5 and older fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The story continues below the graphic.

Since the pandemics start in mid-March 2020, public health officials have reported 11,511 infections among Northeast Michiganders, and 291 related deaths.

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COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations rise in Northeast Michigan | News, Sports, Jobs - Alpena News

Mike Stucka USA TODAY NETWORK| The Shelby Star

New coronavirus cases leaped in North Carolina in the week ending Sunday, rising 31.3% as 18,479 cases were reported. The previous week had 14,071 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

North Carolina ranked 21st among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States increased 21.4% from the week before, with 605,127 cases reported. With 3.15% of the country's population, North Carolina had 3.05% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 47 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

North Carolina reported more than 1,100 backlogged deaths on May 4 following a death certificate review. The state plans more reviews monthly. They will skew week-to-week comparisons significantly.

Cleveland County reported 73 cases and one death in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 62 cases and 22 deaths. Throughout the pandemic, it has reported 29,743 cases and 387 deaths.

Within North Carolina, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Swain County with 371 cases per 100,000 per week; Hyde County with 365; and Durham County with 363. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.

Adding the most new cases overall were Wake County, with 3,744 cases; Mecklenburg County, with 2,364 cases; and Guilford County, with 1,268. Weekly case counts rose in 76 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Wake, Mecklenburg and Durham counties.

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

North Carolina ranked 14th among states in share of people receiving at least one shot, with 84.3% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 77.7%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are the most used in the United States, require two doses administered a few weeks apart.

In the week ending Wednesday, North Carolina reported administering another 76,417 vaccine doses, including 23,214 first doses. In the previous week, the state administered 79,974 vaccine doses, including 21,125 first doses. In all, North Carolina reported it has administered 16,750,134 total doses.

Across North Carolina, cases fell in 23 counties, with the best declines in Cumberland County, with 529 cases from 797 a week earlier; in Alexander County, with 14 cases from 33; and in Jackson County, with 115 cases from 134.

It's back: After 2-year hiatus, the 7th Inning Stretch Festival will return to Shelby

Related: 3 things to know about Cleveland County's population increase

In North Carolina, 11 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 1,172 people were reported dead.

A total of 2,691,805 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 24,588 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 82,468,606 people have tested positive and 999,602 people have died.

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, May 15.

Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

Hospitals in 45 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 29 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 41 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.

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Cleveland County reported 73 additional COVID-19 cases this week - Shelby Star

Experts have also noted another symptom of long COVID prevalent in most people, which is sleep issues or insomnia.

Sleep disorders are one of the most common symptoms for patients whove had COVID-19, says Cinthya Pena Orbea, sleep medicine specialist at Cleveland Clinic.

Talking to Nexstar Media Group, she says, They report insomnia, fatigue, brain fog and sometimes we even see circadian rhythm disorders.

The circadian rhythm is an internal process that follows a 24-hour sleep-wake cycle. That said, circadian rhythm sleep disorder occurs when the body's internal clock goes haywire and does not match the immediate environment. This includes difficulty in falling asleep, waking up when you should be asleep or waking up too early and being unable to fall back to sleep.

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Coronavirus: The long COVID symptom that occurs at night - Times of India

Berlin, Ohio, US Holmes County in northeastern Ohio is a typical Midwestern community in the United States.

Large red barns dot the rolling landscape. Trucks carrying freshly cut lumber boom through village streets. Woods and lakes dominate the landscape between villages named Berlin, Strasburg and Dresden.

But in many ways, this is a place far from typical: At a time when approximately 77 percent of the wider United States population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, only about 19 percent of Holmes County residents have one of the lowest county-level rates in the country.

Approximately half of Holmes Countys 50,000 residents are members of the Amish community, a traditional Christian group that largely eschews modern technology and farms land in rural areas mainly in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.

Living an agrarian, communal lifestyle with faith and family ties at its core, few Amish community members in the county have been vaccinated, experts quoted in local media reports have suggested.

As the US surpassed one million COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University data, and as serious side effects from getting vaccinated initially a leading cause of hesitancy are found to be rare, 67 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated.

But that still means more than 100 million people have not received a COVID-19 vaccination, despite efforts from a diverse group, ranging from local health clinics to the White House, encouraging people to do so. Health experts have said taking all three vaccinations currently available to Americans is the best way to avoid COVID-19 hospitalisation and death.

Marcus Yoder, who runs a local heritage centre in Berlin, a village in the heart of Ohio Amish country, attributed the low vaccination rate in Holmes County to many of the same reasons people across the Appalachia region are not getting vaccinated.

One is a concern about government control; people also hear negative things in the media, he told Al Jazeera. Theres also a pragmatism people are saying, Well, Ive already had the virus, whats the point of getting vaccinated?'

The county has one of the lowest COVID-19 infection rates in the US, but experts believe that reflects a near absence of testing and reporting. Local health officials in Holmes County last year reported having to add new wings to their medical centres to cope with surges in infections.

According to the countys annual health report for 2021, close to one-quarter of all Holmes County deaths last year were COVID-19 related, compared with a US-wide rate of 13 percent.

While officials at the Holmes County Health District declined to speak to Al Jazeera, the total number of reported deaths in 2020 and 2021 in the county rose by nearly a third compared with 2019. As in other communities, that increase is likely attributable to COVID-19.

None of the Amish residents of Holmes County who shared their views on vaccinations and masks with Al Jazeera wished to be named. One woman working at a used book store in Berlin said she was unsure about the jabs safety, having heard from friends that it could cause significant side effects. I have heard of many people getting the virus even after they got vaccinated, she said.

Holmes County health officials have reached out to local members of the clergy, Amish community leaders and held clinics in rural areas in an effort to boost vaccinations. But continued low vaccination rates suggest those efforts have not worked; in October,Holmes County Health Commissioner Michael Derr was quoted by local media as saying, Were inching away at it.

Randy Kaesberg, who lives in Holmes County but is not Amish, said he was aware of the areas low vaccination rate, but was trying not to be concerned. Concern is a strong word. Im aware of it. I dont want to be concerned about things I cant control, he told Al Jazeera.

Kaesberg and his wife run a local store in Berlin, where unvaccinated shoppers are still asked to wear a mask. I dont need others to do as I do. But a lot of other people if you dont do as they do then you get some attitude.

But vaccine hesitancy is not isolated to Ohios Amish community.

Overall, Ohio is the eighth-least vaccinated state in the country, with almost 37 percent not getting a single dose. Places across the US have similar rates. For example, in Storey County, Nevada, just less than 30 percent of the population has received one jab, according to local health figures.

You see it all over. Its just a right-wing thought that this vaccine is bad, that its going to sterilise people, that theres a microchip in it that can track you, said James Moos, a commissioner and Democrat in Montanas McCone County, where just 18 percent of residents have received a jab.

People say its been developed too quickly; well, people didnt know what was going to happen with the polio vaccine, but they did it.

He said he and his wife, as well as the countys two other commissioners both Republicans are vaccinated. But the issue of vaccinations has roiled the community. At the height of the pandemic in 2020, a local school had to cancel sports competitions due to the spread of the virus, angering parents.

He added that efforts to reach people included sending a mobile vaccination clinic around the largely rural county last year. But while the McCone County Health Center continues to offer vaccination appointments on a weekly basis, people remain hesitant. One good thing is that the health centre mandated that all its employees be vaccinated, said Moos, adding that the centre is the largest employer in the county. I dont know how they managed that.

While many areas with low vaccination rates are rural or have low population densities McCone Countys 1,700 residents live in an area larger than the state of Delaware that does not mean people have escaped the virus.

Nearly 10 percent of the country lived in areas where less than half of the adult population was vaccinated as of November 2021, a recent Pew Research report found. Death rates in these low-vaccination counties were roughly twice what they were in counties that had 80 percent or more of their population vaccinated.

Today, as the last pandemic-related restrictions are lifted across the country, the US is not out of the woods yet. The BA.2 variant, already taking hold in Europe, has been recorded to be on the rise in New York City and New York state.

But for Marcus Yoder in Holmes County, talking to and interacting with Amish friends and contacts suggests a change in attitude in the community.

He said now that most of the broader US population is vaccinated, and side effects from getting the shot are not a major concern, scepticism may be falling. People, he said, are starting to get used to the idea of being vaccinated.

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Inside the US communities where many are still unvaccinated - Al Jazeera English

California coronavirus updates: US may be vulnerable to COVID-19 come this fall and winter season  Capital Public Radio News

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California coronavirus updates: US may be vulnerable to COVID-19 come this fall and winter season - Capital Public Radio News