Total vaccine doses distributed: 659,895,815
Patients who've received the first dose: 250,763,600
Patients whove received the second dose: 210,358,008
% of population fully vaccinated: 63.4%
% of infections tied to the Omicron Variant: 99.5%
% of infections tied to the Delta Variant: 0.5%
Continued here:
Scientists who worked on the study discovered a potential cause for this drop in lightning activity: a decrease in atmospheric aerosols, tiny particles of pollution suspended in the air around us.
These aerosols -- produced through the burning of fossil fuels, among other things -- can paint a picture of what's going on across the earth's atmosphere, from weather patterns to natural and man-made events, experts say.
As countries around the world imposed quarantines, lockdowns and curfews aimed at limiting the spread of Covid-19, air pollution levels fell drastically, thereby reducing the amount of aerosols released into the air, according to the study.
"The aerosols help give water droplets in the atmosphere something to cling onto, so certainly having more aerosols will help potentially create conditions you need to have lightning," said Chris Vagasky, meteorologist and lightning applications manager at Vaisala, a private environmental monitoring company that tracks lightning around the world.
"Having more droplets in the atmosphere makes it possible to get those collisions of water and ice and things like that to create an electric charge imbalance, which leads to lightning."
Unstable atmosphere created an environment unfavorable to thunderstorms
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tripura University in India and Vaisala Inc., spent a three-month-long lockdown period from March to May 2020 measuring lightning activity by analyzing data from the Global Lightning Detection Network and the World Wide Lightning Location Network.
The study concluded that lightning activity and aerosols dropped significantly throughout Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas during the lockdown period.
Those results were supported by Vaisala's 2020 Annual Lightning Report, which recorded about 170 million lightning events in 2020 across the continental United States, down about 52 million from 2019.
This decrease in lightning marked the greatest change year-over-year ever recorded by Vaisala, according to Vagasky.
"When you look specifically at the March-May 2020 time period across the whole planet, there was higher than normal atmospheric pressure and lower than normal atmospheric instability," Vagasky told CNN.
"This created an environment across the planet that was unfavorable for thunderstorms to develop, and you need to have the right conditions for thunderstorms to develop before you can worry about the aerosols inside the clouds."
While aerosols play a major role in how much lightning we get each year, they are not the only important factor that comes into play, according to Vagasky. From large scale weather patterns to very small scale particle collisions inside of the thunderstorm, he added, it is likely that more than one specific factor resulted in a decrease in the amount of lightning produced.
Here is the original post:
How coronavirus lockdowns may have led to less lightning in 2020 - CNN
As cases seem to begin plateauing, Covid-19 hospitalizations in the Northeast are down by about 11% after reaching a peak about a week ago and have also dropped slightly -- about 6% -- in the Midwest region, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services. And new Covid-19 hospital admissions are beginning to decline nationwide, a sign total hospitalizations may soon begin going down too in every part of the country.
The HHS data includes both patients who are hospitalized because of Covid-19 complications and patients who may have been admitted for something else but tested positive for Covid-19. That has been true throughout the pandemic, but the share of patients who fall into each category may have changed over time.
"All of the current data is showing very encouraging trends, with many of our key health metrics consistently and substantially declining," Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Thursday. "But we're not out of the woods. Even though we have been able to attain considerable drops in the metrics, and they're continuing to drop, they're still much higher than they have been or where we need to be."
Also this week, Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker announced the state was seeing a decline in Covid-19 hospitalizations, and ICU and ventilator usage, and in Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont said cases and hospitalizations were also going down.
And in New York, the state's "percent positivity is in the single-digits," for the first time since December 20, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday.
But in other parts of the country, a different picture. Covid-19 hospitalization numbers were up about 15% over the past week in the West and up by about 6% in the South -- with many hospitals stretched thin from the surge in patients and the severe staffing shortages.
In Washington state, King County hospitals and healthcare leaders issued an "urgent plea" to residents to help relieve the pressure local healthcare systems are facing.
"While there are promising signs with cases on the decline the past few days, King County hospitals are still under tremendous strain from increased hospitalizations, staff shortages and difficulty discharging patients who no longer need care," their news release said. "In the previous month, COVID-19 hospitalizations increased over 700 percent."
Washington State Hospital Association President and CEO Cassie Sauer described it as "the most challenging situation we've seen to date" and noted the patients who are most severely impacted by the virus are almost all unvaccinated and not boosted.
"We've already had to cancel most surgeries delaying care that would help someone live a better, healthier life," the release added.
Hospitals urged residents to get vaccinated, get their booster shots, upgrade their masks and avoid crowded indoor places, among other recommendations.
CDC weighs 'pivot' on language on vaccinations
As the highly contagious Omicron variant continues to spread, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working to "pivot" its language around what it means to be fully vaccinated, Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a White House briefing Friday.
But the director stopped short of saying the definition of fully vaccinated needs to change, and instead focused on what it means to be "up-to-date" on Covid-19 vaccinations.
Fully vaccinated people who are eligible to receive a booster dose of vaccine but are not boosted are not considered "up-to-date" on their vaccinations, Walensky said.
"What we really are working to do is pivot the language to make sure that everybody is as up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccines as they personally could be, should be, based on when they got their last vaccine," Walensky said.
"So, importantly, right now, we're pivoting our language. We really want to make sure people are up-to-date," she added.
Speaking to CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Friday, Dr. Anthony Fauci said the CDC has not updated its definition of "fully vaccinated" because their recommendations are about "how well you are protected rather than a definition."
"It becomes almost a matter of semantics," said Fauci, who noted the terminology can confuse people.
"One of the things that we're talking about from a purely public health standpoint is how well you are protected, rather than what a definition is to get someone to be required or not required," said Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert.
New studies make powerful argument for boosters
Getting boosted was 90% effective at preventing hospitalizations during a period in December and January when Omicron was the dominant variant, according to a CDC study which looked at nearly 88,000 hospitalizations across 10 states. In comparison, getting two shots was 57% effective when it had been at least six months past the second shot.
Getting boosted was 82% effective at preventing visits to emergency rooms and urgent care centers, according to the study, which looked at more than 200,000 visits in 10 states. In comparison, getting two shots was only 38% effective at preventing those visits when it had been at least six months past the second shot. The study was published Friday in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
A second study, published in the same place, concluded people with three shots were less likely to get infected with Omicron. And the third study, to be published in the medical journal JAMA, showed having a booster helped prevent people from becoming ill with Omicron.
"I think it's the third dose that really gives you the solid, the very best protection," Dr. William Schaffner, a longtime CDC vaccine adviser who was not involved with the studies, said.
CNN's Mirna Alsharif, Deidre McPhillips, Katherine Dillinger,and Jacqueline Howard contributed to this report.
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Updated
Jan. 23, 2022, 11:15 a.m. ET
We asked our readers how the pandemic has changed their relationships. Thanks to all of you who shared your stories.
I entered into my first romantic relationship in a decade during this time. We connected on a dating app, met for a beer and spent three hours on a freezing cold patio. The next date was a hike, and on the way back to the car, I said: Wanna hold hands? Ive got hand sanitizer. We had a very hot makeout session next to my Christmas tree with no kissing (the masks stayed on!) when he dropped me off that day. I informed my pod that night that the masks were coming off for date No. 3. We just celebrated a year together. Linda Anzalone, Portland, Ore.
When the pandemic started, my husband and I were distant ships passing in the night. We have two young children and have been together since we were 17. All of a sudden, we were with each other all the time on opposite ends of the couch. Then, in an effort to escape a little from reality, we decided to try edibles (legal in our state!). For a few hours, were able to be giggly and worry free. We have rediscovered our feelings and love for each other, hidden under years of sleepless nights, hurt feelings and stress. It has been absolutely transformative. Mia Newton, San Jose, Calif.
Im polyamorous and pansexual, so being in multiple relationships at once was a staple of my prepandemic life. With the lockdowns, shelter-in-place orders and wave upon wave of new variants, living a polyamorous life has become almost impossible. While monogamous/ monoamorous folx can just hunker down and pod with their one partner, I have to make difficult decisions about which partner(s) Im going to continue seeing in person and which relationships are going virtual. But I will say that polyamorous folx have an advantage when it comes to navigating around Covid safety protocols. My monogamous friends are all complaining about how awkward and hard it is to negotiate Covid boundaries before a first date, but the polyamorous community is so used to navigating boundaries around multiple partners, sexual health, kink, etc., that navigating around Covid boundaries is second nature. Eliana, Atlanta
In June 2020, my wife left for Greece with the kidsbecause our house was filled with tension. My 13-year-old son felt trapped at home and the streets were empty. Its hard to remember how it was. They were gone for 15 months. I resented their leaving. Things happened while they were away a kidney stone and a torn meniscus. I closed a business. I moved out of our apartment. I visited Greece twice, toward the end of the 15 months. Their life was full of family, food and the Greek version of the lockdown. When my wife returned, we both had changed. We dont have much in common anymore. Our differences age, culture, work have become what defines our relationship more than what we have in common. I still love her, and I think she still loves me, but it is very difficult, and I am not sure if we will make it. Anonymous, New York City
My first date was fully masked, so I didnt know what the person I was dating looked like. At night, in low light, we unmasked about 12 feet from each other. I squinted to try to see what he looked like far away and in low light. Tiffany, Philadelphia
Read more:
Coronavirus Briefing: Love in the Time of Covid - The New York Times
COVID-19: Tips to find at-home tests
Starting January 19, Americans will be able to have at-home COVID-19 tests shipped to their homes, for free.
Staff Video, USA TODAY
While cases of coronavirus may be on the downswing, COVID-19 deaths on the Cape and across Massachusetts are climbing and most likely will continue to do so in the coming weeks, health officials said.
During the last 14-day interval reported Thursday by the state Department of Public Health, 16 people with COVID-19 in Barnstable County died.
The county 14-day fatality toll reported a week ago on Jan. 13 was even higher, with 21 people dying.
Those sorts of numbers havent been seen on Cape Cod since 18 Cape Codders with coronavirus diedin a two-week periodin late March 2021 during a surge in cases.
Statewide, deaths of people with COVID-19 are in a third wave that on Friday surpassed the daily count recorded in January 2021, when far fewer people were vaccinated than now.
Health officials say that while the hypertransmissible omicron variant may cause less severe disease for most, the sheer number of people being infected means that many susceptible people will have serious illness.
Tracking the virus: Cape records 4,880 new COVID-19 cases in last two weeks
A lot of people are still going to die because of how transmissible omicron has been, University of South Florida epidemiologist Jason Salemi told The Associated Press.
It unfortunately is going to get worse before it gets better.
The AP said models forecast 50,000 to 300,000 more Americans could die of coronavirus by the time the surge subsides in mid-March.
The number of new daily cases on Cape Cod has declined a bit in recent days.
The trend: Barnstable County has 4,540 new COVID-19 cases in 2 weeks more than twice report last week
State Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Truro, estimates that the peak of omicron in Barnstable County was Jan. 3-11, when seven-day case averages crushed previous records and reached into the 400s.
The number of new cases reported Friday, Thursday and Wednesday were 323, 324 and 347 by contrast.
The trend toward hospitalization, intensive care intervention and death tends to trail new case numbers by weeks, said Dr. William Agel, chief medical officer for Cape Cod Hospital and Cape Cod Healthcare.
I dont think were out of the woods yet, Agel said.
The 102 new daily COVID-19 deaths statewidereported by the DPH Fridayrepresents an omicron peak and tops the peak of 94 daily deaths reported Jan. 26, 2021.
Effects of the surge: Record-high COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations on Cape Cod omicron likely the cause
On highly vaccinated Cape Cod, the numbers show a slightly different picture. Death counts, while the highest they have been in months, are not as high as this time last winter.
The number of daily COVID-19 deaths in Barnstable County from early January to mid-February 2021 ranged from the low 30s to the mid-40s.
The 14-day death count didnt drop into the 20s until Feb. 24, 2021,when 24 people with coronavirus on Cape Cod were reported to have died during the preceding two weeks.
Through most of the summer and fall, the Cape's death count remained in the single digits, with an upward trend starting Dec. 23, when 11 people were reported to have died in the past 14 days.
CDC studies: Booster shots needed against omicron
Three studies released Friday offered more evidence that COVID-19 vaccines are standing up to the omicron variant, at least among people who received booster shots. (Jan. 21)
AP
Hope for a decline: Nantucket COVID-19 wastewater data shows decline in viral levels
A difference between this year and last winter is that Massachusetts residents with COVID-19 who are currently dying tend to be younger, said Brennan Klein, a postdoctoral researcher in the Network Science Institute at Northeastern University.
The demographics skew younger than the last wave, Klein said.
During last winters surge from Dec. 1 to Jan. 19, 58.6%of those with COVID-19 who died were over 80 years old, compared to 40.5% during that time period this year, he said.
By contrast, the number of people in the five youngest demographic groups who died during the same periods have more than doubled.
The percentage of those up to 19 years old who died climbed from 0.14to 0.40%.
For those 20to 29 years old, the jump was from 0.52to 1.10%; 30to 39 years old, 0.78to 1.95%; and for 40to 49 years old, 1.46to 3.98%. Those in the 50-59 age group went from making up 3.80% of COVID-19 deaths to 9.95%.
The age groups of 60-69 and 70-79 also comprise more of the COVID-19 death toll, going from 12.65to 16.51% and from 21.97to 25.59%, respectively.
The numbers have a lot to do with case demographics andwho is getting infected, Klein said.
Younger people are less likely to be fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC said last month that about 75% of people who are unvaccinated are under age 50.
Theres a three tofour times higher likelihood of death for unvaccinated people, and thats not even including booster data, Klein said.
The DPH reported that, as of Jan. 15, 5,152,666 people in Massachusetts have been fully vaccinated.Of that number, 348,510 or 6.8% were diagnosed with breakthrough COVID-19 cases,5,437 of whom were hospitalized and 1,244 of whom died.
So far the percentage of those fully vaccinated who have died is 0.02%, state public health officials said.
Klein said he shies away from calling omicron mild. It is quite a risky thing to be infected with.
He said the coronavirus fatality toll will continue to climb for a while since there tends to be lag of as much as four weeks between infection and death.
I expect it will continue to increase over the next two to three weeks, Klein said.
He said people should continue to take preventative measures, including wearing good quality masks and using prudent social behaviors.
Agel said people should get vaccinated and boosted and talk to their physician about alternative treatments if they are immune compromised.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.Cynthia McCormick can be reached at cmccormick@capecodonline.com and @Cmccormickcct.
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COVID-19 deaths still on the rise across Cape Cod and state - Cape Cod Times
The UK is past the worst of the Covid pandemic but should be braced for some possible bumps on the road, according to the scientist who helped shape Britains lockdown strategy.
Prof Neil Ferguson, an epidemiologist at Imperial College London, said things were looking up as the country passed the peak of yet another wave of coronavirus infections.
I am optimistic that the bulk of the pandemic, in terms of deaths and hospitalisations, is behind us. Though we should still be prepared for some possible bumps on the road, he said, adding that any new variants which were highly likely to arise may have a less dramatic impact than Omicron.
The very high level of immunity in the UK population acquired via both vaccination and infection means that the risk of a new variant causing unmanageable levels of healthcare demand is much reduced, he said. An additional positive is that if any new variant arises from Omicron not a certainty there is a fair chance it will retain the reduced severity of that strain.
Ferguson said a key development was Covid vaccines, in particular those based on mRNA technology, while important lessons had also been learned, such as the need for data to make informed decisions. Compared with now, in March 2020 we were basically blundering around in the dark in terms of our real knowledge of how much infection was in the country.
Another lesson was the need to tailor the speed of policymaking to the speed of the virus. That means in particular you may have to make decisions before you have the full picture on severity, he said.
With Omicron spreading rapidly in the UK late last year, ministers were faced with a stark message from scientific advisers: to avoid the potential worst-case scenarios, measures needed to be brought in quickly.
But while the UK government introduced plan B in England, it resisted calls to go further, despite stronger measures in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Ferguson said the political stance had evolved over time. I think were in a different place, in terms of how policymakers think about this two years in than we were back in February, March of 2020, he said, adding that the change had led to more nuanced and difficult decisions.
On Wednesday the prime minister announced that plan B measures in England would be lifted as cases were now falling. But Ferguson does not believe this will cause Omicron to come back in force.
Restrictions are always a trade-off between infection control and economic cost, he said. However, given that case numbers are in decline in all regions and that hospitalisations are starting to drop, I dont think lifting restrictions poses a large risk of causing a major resurgence. Though obviously trends will need to continue to be monitored closely.
According to Ferguson, scientists rarely interact with politicians, with Sir Patrick Vallance and Sir Chris Whitty acting as mediators. But at times there were frustrations, such as in autumn 2020 when the Alpha variant took off.
Because then we were seeing case numbers go up. There was a lot of misinformation around, frankly, at that point, he said.
Covid was evolving to become more transmissible and was not yet in a classic endemic disease scenario in the UK, he said. Flu mutated each year and could cause seasonal epidemics, but the immunity we have acquired over our lifetimes means it is manageable. And, as experts have noted, endemic does not necessarily mean mild.
[Covid] is going to become an endemic disease, which unfortunately kills people every year, said Ferguson. But, with careful management and building immunity, he hoped waves of infection would bring a lower toll of hospitalisations and deaths although it may be necessary to expand hospital bed capacity.
But politicians had short memories, he said, and he worries that we may stop preparing for the next pandemic once the immediate shock of coronavirus starts to fade from the national consciousness.
Im sure for the next 10 years, pandemic preparedness will be a top priority for governments, for research funders around the world, Ferguson said. What I worry about is in 15 or 20 years time, does that memory fade? Thats the real risk.
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UK is over worst of Covid but beware of bumps on the road, says Prof Ferguson - The Guardian
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) The Ohio Department of Health has released the latest number of COVID-19 cases in the state.
Numbers as of Friday, Jan. 21 follow:
The 21-day case average is above22,000.
The department reported 5,763 people started the vaccination process, bringing the total to 7,130,638 which is 61% of the states population. And 15,178 received booster shots.
The Ohio Hospital Association reported the following numbers related to COVID-19 patients:
Ohio schools reported more than 27,000 new coronavirus cases this week, setting a new record one week after cases shattered a previous record. Local doctors are sending a new warning to COVID-19 test-takers, due to data showing the effectiveness of throat swabs. Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, state health director, gave an update, Thursday, where he expressed hope that the omicron variant might soon decline but remained concerned over hospitalization levels.
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Coronavirus in Ohio Friday update: More than 19,000 cases, 700 deaths - NBC4 WCMH-TV
Majority of measures that have been in place for almost two years will be lifted on Saturday, prime minister says.
Ireland is to scrap almost all its COVID-19 restrictions on Saturday after coming through the storm of the Omicron variant that led to a major surge in infections, Prime Minister Micheal Martin has said.
Ireland had the second-highest incidence rate of COVID-19 in Europe just last week but also one of the continents highest uptake of booster vaccines, which has helped keep the number of seriously ill people well below the previous peak.
We have weathered the Omicron storm, Martin said in Fridays televised address, in which he said booster vaccines had utterly transformed the situation in the country.
I have stood here and spoken to you on some very dark days. But today is a good day, he said.
The country has been one of the most cautious in the European Union on the risks of COVID-19, putting in place some of the longest-running restrictions on travel and hospitality.
But following advice from public health officials, the government decided that bars and restaurants will no longer need to close at 8pm, a restriction put in place late last year when the Omicron wave struck, or to ask customers for proof of vaccination.
Capacity in indoor and outdoor venues is also set to return to full capacity, paving the way for full crowds for next months Six Nations rugby championship.
Some measures, such as the need to wear a mask on public transport and in shops, will remain in place until the end of February, Martin said.
Irelands hospitality sector, which has been particularly hard hit by one of Europes toughest lockdown regimes, welcomed the decision.
Nightclubs opened their doors for the first time in 19 months in October only to be shut again six weeks later.
While the economy recovered rapidly last year, about a third of employers have chosen to defer tax payments and the wages of one in 12 workers are still being supported by a state subsidy scheme set to end in April.
View original post here:
Ireland to drop almost all COVID restrictions - Al Jazeera English
Health officials on Saturday reported more encouraging signs that the Omicron wave may be past its peak in Los Angeles County, though the coronavirus is still circulating widely and a large number of people are becoming seriously ill with COVID-19.
The county saw 39,117 new infections Saturday, pushing the total for the week above the quarter-million mark, officials said. Thats a roughly 13% decline from the 291,000 infections of the previous week.
Hospitalizations continued their downward trend, falling to 4,698 on Saturday. Thats down from 4,814 on Thursday and 4,792 on Friday.
Officials also reported 72 COVID-19 deaths Saturday, the second-highest figure in the last seven days. L.A. County recorded 415 COVID-19 deaths in the last week. Deaths tend to lag behind increases in new cases and hospitalizations by several weeks.
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The test positivity rate remains high at 16%, though its slightly below last weeks figure, officials said.
The small decreases in new cases, hospitalizations and the test positivity rate suggest the coronavirus is no longer spreading exponentially, officials said. However, they added, the Omicron variant is highly transmissible and thousands of people are still becoming seriously ill.
We will need to remain cautious these next few weeks while transmission remains at the highest levels we have ever seen, L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. With an average of 35,000 new cases identified each day, it is very easy for any one of us to encounter an infected person during the week.
Ferrer advised Angelenos to avoid crowds, stay a safe distance from others, wash or sanitize hands frequently and wear a high-quality mask an N95, KN95 or KF94.
Unvaccinated people remain at highest risk of hospitalization and death due to COVID-19, but those who are vaccinated can still get breakthrough infections and suffer severe illness, particularly if they have chronic health conditions that make them more vulnerable to start with. Studies show that booster shots are essential for maximizing ones protection against Omicron.
During the week that ended Jan. 9, the risk of getting COVID-19 was 4.1 times higher for unvaccinated Californians than for those who got the shots. In addition, unvaccinated residents were six times more likely to be hospitalized and 17.8 times more likely to die of the disease, according to the most recent data from the state Department of Public Health.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, L.A. County has confirmed nearly 2.5 million coronavirus cases and 28,417 COVID-19 deaths.
Originally posted here:
COVID-19 spreads widely in L.A. County on Saturday - Los Angeles Times
