Category: Corona Virus

Medical specialists transport a patient outside a hospital for people infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Moscow, Russia October 13, 2021. REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva

COPENHAGEN, Nov 4 (Reuters) - European countries must work harder to prevent the coronavirus spreading further as deaths and new cases surge, the World Health Organization's Europe head said on Thursday.

Current transmission rates in 53 European countries are of

"grave concern" and new cases are nearing record levels, exacerbated by the more transmissible Delta variant of the virus, the WHO's Hans Kluge told a media briefing.

"We must change our tactics, from reacting to surges of COVID-19, to preventing them from happening in the first place,"

he said.

The region saw a 6% increase in new cases last week of nearly 1.8 million new cases, compared to the week before. The number of deaths rose 12% in the same period.

If the region follows its current trajectory, Kluge said, another 500,000 COVID-19 related deaths could occur in the region by February next year.

"Today every single country in Europe and Central Asia is facing a real threat of COVID-19 resurgence or already fighting it."

Reporting by Nikolaj Skydsgaard;Editing by Alison Williams and Angus MacSwan

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

More here:

Europe faces real threat of COVID-19 resurgence, WHO Europe head says - Reuters

But what happened next sets off alarm bells for biosafety advocates: Agency staff adopted language that EcoHealth Alliance crafted to govern its own work. The agency inserted several sentences into grant materials describing immediate actions the group would take if the viruses they created proved to become more transmissible or disease-causing as the result of the experiments.

Although the experiments demonstrate a lack of oversight and present dangers to public health, according to several scientists contacted by The Intercept, none of the viruses involved in the work are related closely enough to SARS-CoV-2 to have sparked the pandemic.

In December 2017, the funding for some gain-of-function research was resumed under carefully constructed guidelines for Potential Pandemic Pathogen Care and Oversight, or P3CO but the language suggested by Daszak helped the group evade this oversight as well. In July 2018, NIAID program officers decided that the experiments on humanized mice which had been conducted a few months earlier would get a pass from these restrictions as long as EcoHealth Alliance immediately notified appropriate agency officials according to the circumstances that the group had laid out.

While it is not unusual for grantees to communicate with their federal program officers, the negotiation of this matter did not appropriately reflect the gravity of the situation, according to Jesse Bloom, a virologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The discussions reveal that neither party is taking the risks sufficiently seriously, said Bloom. MERS-CoV has killed hundreds of people and is thought to pose a pandemic risk, so its difficult to see how chimeras of MERS-CoV with other high risk bat coronaviruses shouldnt also be considered a pandemic risk.

In a written response to questions submitted in September and October, an NIH spokesperson told The Intercept that the rule that was supposed to trigger a stop to the research was added out of an abundance of caution. Similarly, in a letter sent to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform last month, NIH principal deputy director Lawrence Tabak called the rule an additional layer of oversight, implying that the agency had devised the rule itself. But the notes reviewed by The Intercept show that the language was inserted at Daszaks suggestion and that the NIH and EcoHealth Alliance worked together to evade additional oversight.

Daszak responded to the NIH on June 8, 2016, arguing that, because EcoHealth Alliances proposed hybrid viruses were significantly different from the SARS virus, which was already known to infect humans, the experiments were not gain-of-function research and should not be restricted.

Daszak also pointed out that WIV1, the parent of the proposed chimeric SARS-like viruses, has never been demonstrated to infect humans or cause human disease, according to the transcribed emails. And he said that previous research strongly suggests that the chimeric bat spike/bat backbone viruses should not have enhanced pathogenicity in animals. The NIH would go on to accept these arguments.

But the groups argument that its viral research did not pose a risk of infection appears to contradict the justification for the work: that these pathogens could potentially cause a pandemic. The entire rationale of EcoHealths grant renewal on SARS-related CoVs is that viruses with spikes substantially (10-25%) diverged from SARS-CoV-1 pose a pandemic risk, said Bloom. Given that this is the entire rationale for the work, how can they simultaneously argue these viruses should not be regulated as potential pandemic pathogens?

The NIH has not made the correspondence public. Instead, the agency arranged for an in camera review for select congressional staff. The staffers were allowed to read and take notes on printed copies of the written exchange an unusual approach for grant communications that are in the public interest. The Intercept reviewed notes taken by congressional staff.

Given the importance and interest in this topic, its important for the NIH to be fully transparent about the research they support and how they make crucial decisions about the regulation of research on potential pandemic pathogens, said Bloom.

Regulating risky research is the NIHs role. But Daszak gave his group a way out. If the recombinant viruses grew more quickly than the original viruses on which they were based, he suggested, EcoHealth Alliance and its collaborators would immediately stop its research and inform their NIAID program officer. Specifically, he suggested a threshold beyond which his researchers would not go: If the novel SARS or MERS chimeras showed evidence of enhanced virus growth greater than1 log (or 10 times) over the original viruses and grow more efficiently in human lung cells, the scientist would immediately stop their experiments with the mutant viruses and inform their NIAID program officer.

In a July 7 letter to EcoHealth Alliance, NIHs Greer and Stemmy formally accepted Daszaks proposed rule. The chimeric viruses were not reasonably anticipated to have enhanced pathogenicity and/or transmissibility in mammals via the respiratory route, the administrators concluded, according to the transcribed emails.

The language that the NIH later inserted into the grant was strikingly similar to what Daszak proposed: Should any of the MERS-like or SARS-like chimeras generated under this grant show evidence of enhanced virus growth greater than 1 log over the parental backbone strain you must stop all experiments with these viruses.

But when the scientists conducted the experiments in 2018, one of the chimeric viruses grew at a rate that produced a viral load of log 4 or10,000 times greater than the parent virus. Even so, the work was allowed to proceed.

Despite the careful wording meant to assure the agency that the research would be immediately halted if it enhanced the viruses pathogenicity or transmissibility, EcoHealth violated its own rule and did not immediately report the concerning results to NIH, according to the letter from NIHs Tabak.

In a letter sent to NIH on October 26, Daszak insisted EcoHealth Alliance did comply with all the requirements of its NIH grant, pointing out that the group reported the results of its experiment in its year four progress report, which it submitted to the agency in April 2018 and that no one at the agency responded to the description of the experiment. At no time did program staff indicate to us that this work required further clarification or secondary review, hewrote.

Daszak also argued intheletterthat the viral growth reported in the year four progress report did not correspond to the viral growth outlined in the rule he himself had devised. The experiment we reported to NIH actually shows genome copies per gram not viral titer.

Daszak emphasized that the growth of the chimeric viruses in the genetically engineered mice was enhanced only in the early part of the experiment. By day 6-8, there was no discernably significant difference among the different viral types, he wrote.

Yet virologists contacted by The Intercept dismissed both the distinction between viral titer and viral growth and the focus on the latter part of the mouse experiment, when the rate of growth between the viruses had evened out.

I dont agree with their interpretation, said Wain-Hobson, of the Pasteur Institute. He described the EcoHealth Alliances response as hairsplitting and said that viral growth inevitably peters out. Every growth of a virus comes to a plateau. This has been known since time immemorial, said Wain-Hobson, who explained that the eventual cessation of viral growth is due to a lack of nutrients. They have chosen this interpretation because it suits them.

NIH officials have previously stated unequivocally that the agency did not fund any gain-of-function research in Wuhan. The NIH has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology, said Anthony Fauci, the head of the NIAID, during a Senate hearing in May. Fauci is scheduled to testify before the Senate health committee tomorrow morning.

In its statement to The Intercept, an NIH spokesperson wrote, the Agency did not support the kind of gain of function research warranting the additional and unique P3CO oversight identified by stakeholders during extensive prior policy development. To claim otherwise is incorrect and irresponsible. And in his letter last month, Tabak reiterated the claim that the research was not gain-of-function.

But the correspondence with Daszak makes clear that at least some at the agency were concerned that EcoHealth Alliances proposed experiments met the criteria for gain-of-function research of concern as early as 2016.

According to Richard Ebright, a molecular biologist at Rutgers University who has criticized the lack of federal oversight of gain-of-function research, the fact that the NIH allowed EcoHealth Alliance to write its own rules is further evidence of the NIHs regulatory failure. This is like the teacher giving you the opportunity to write your own homework problem and grade your own homework when you turn it in. Then you decide the teacher is so lenient, theres no need to hand it in, said Ebright. The oversight process clearly failed.

Beyond the question of oversight, others question whether these experiments should be conducted at all.

In addition to the legalistic questions of whether EcoHealth and NIH were adhering to current guidelines, said Bloom, we urgently need a broader discussion about whether its a good idea to be making novel chimeras of coronaviruses that are at this point universally acknowledged to pose a pandemic risk to humans.

See the rest here:

NIH Officials Worked With EcoHealth Alliance to Evade Restrictions on Coronavirus Experiments - The Intercept

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 247.1 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths has now passed 5 million. More than 7.07 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.

The United States has begun its rollout of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11.

Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for emergency use in Indonesia, with its chief executive telling Reuters it expects decisions in India, the Philippines and elsewhere within weeks.

Bahrain has approved the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in children aged 5-11.

Zimbabwe has approved the Sinovac Biotech COVID-19 vaccine for 16 and 17-year-olds.

The Netherlands will impose new COVID-19 restrictions this week, in a bid to curb a recent surge in infections.

Japan has confirmed plans to gradually ease COVID-19 border restrictions, with the first changes potentially from next Monday.

Sydney will lift more COVID-19 restrictions for vaccinated residents ahead of schedule next week - but will delay easing restrictions for unvaccinated residents.

Greece has reported a record high single-day rise in new confirmed COVID-19 cases - 5,449.

Ukraine's capital Kiev has introduced tough new COVID-19 restrictions in an effort to tackle a surge in new cases.

Daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases per million people in selected countries.

Image: Our World in Data

Latvia has received shipments of medical supplies from the Netherlands, Finland, Hungary and Sweden as it fights a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

The Baltic country of 1.9 million people filed a request last week to the European Union for more than 130 ventilators and hundreds of vital signs monitors, BNS news agency reported.

Over 1,500 people were being treated in Latvian hospitals on Sunday, the highest number ever, the public broadcaster reported. The country reported 1,641 new cases per 100,000 people in the week ending 24 October, the worst rate in the 27-member EU, European Commission data show.

"In peacetime no country has the capacity to deal with such a crisis," Latvian Health Minister Daniels Pavluts wrote on Twitter, thanking the countries for their donations.

Confirmed global COVID-19 deaths have passed 5 million, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre.

Cumulative confirmed COVID-19 deaths globally.

Image: Our World in Data

It comes as nearly 400,000 deaths were reported in the last 28 days. The United States has reported the most COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic, at 747,033.

Brazil has reported 607,922, while India has reported 458,437.

Each of our Top 50 social enterprise last mile responders and multi-stakeholder initiatives is working across four priority areas of need: Prevention and protection; COVID-19 treatment and relief; inclusive vaccine access; and securing livelihoods. The list was curated jointly with regional hosts Catalyst 2030s NASE and Aavishkaar Group. Their profiles can be found on http://www.wef.ch/lastmiletop50india.

Top Last Mile Partnership Initiatives to collaborate with:

Written by

Joe Myers, Writer, Formative Content

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

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COVID-19: Top news stories about the coronavirus pandemic on 2 November | World Economic Forum - World Economic Forum

Stronger rights for employees is an unexpected silver lining to the otherwise negative effects of ... [+] the coronavirus.

Throughout American history, theres been an ebb and flow to the power of the employee. The early stages of the industrial revolution showed the vulnerability of the American worker. In response, there was a rise in collective bargaining and labor unions. Yet the influence of collective action didnt take full effect until the New Deal.

But things flipped back after the 1981 strike of air traffic controllers. When then-President Ronald Reagan fired the striking workers and hired replacements, this led to a long-term weakening of labor union power.

In the past decade or so, the power pendulum has shifted back and forth between employers and employees. But the most recent swing appears to be due to the coronavirus pandemic and in the workers favor. Lets take a more detailed look and begin by examining the employment landscape in the years leading up to the arrival of the coronavirus.

Employers Have the Upper Hand

Employers have had several recent and notable advantages over their employees.

In 2017 the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) handed down two rulings that severely hindered employee rights. First, there was Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis. In this case, SCOTUS concluded that employers may require their employees to individually arbitrate employment disputes and forego their right to collective legal action.

Next, there was Janus v. AFSCME. Here, SCOTUS overturned decades-old precedent and ruled that public employers could no longer require their employees to pay union dues.

Attempts to pass federal legislation to mandate a $15/hour minimum wage or provide for paid family and medical leave had also failed. Additionally, caregiver discrimination was legal under federal law.

And not only had Congress failed to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, there had been no increase in the last 12 years. This had resulted in a 21% drop in earnings for the minimum wage worker due to inflation.

Gig workers were having trouble getting the same rights as employees. For example, Californias voters approved Proposition 22 in November 2020. This law gives gig-economy employers the right to classify their workers as independent contractors instead of employees.

While a California court just ruled that Proposition 22 violated Californias constitution (this decision is expected to be appealed), this hasnt stopped other states, like Massachusetts, from trying to follow Californias lead.

But due to political and social changes, the tide began to shift back in the employees favor.

Employees Get More Rights

Before the coronavirus, a major reason for greater employee power was due to the #MeToo movement. The effect of this increased awareness of sexual harassment, abuse and discrimination has been enormous.

Theres been an increase in the use of clawback provisions when wrongful behavior involves sexual misconduct by executives. Toxic corporate culture gets more attention, which can lead to legal action. And the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act no longer allows an employer to deduct the payment of money to settle a sexual harassment or abuse claim when the settlement is subject to a nondisclosure agreement.

Most federal employees are now eligible to take up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave, thanks to the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act (FEPLA).

The U.S. Department of Labor updated its regulations to make it easier for workers to be eligible for minimum wage and overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

States like Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia began cracking down on employers abusing noncompete agreements, especially with lower-wage earners.

Finally, in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, SCOTUS determined that sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination was illegal under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

This trend has continued with the coronavirus pandemic, although less through legislative or judicial methods and more through economic forces.

How the Coronavirus Has Continued to Shift Power Back to Employees

One of the biggest effects of the coronavirus has been with the labor market. Specifically, employers have trouble filling their open positions.

The enhanced unemployment benefits have been blamed, which some believe encouraged too many people to stay home and not work. But when those benefits ended, any effect on the worker shortage has been minimal.

The reasons for this labor market dynamic are probably best explained in someones Ph.D. dissertation, but some of the reasons likely include:

Whatever the reasons, workers are now more likely to quit to find a better job or strike to improve their working conditions at their current job.

But its not just employees feeling more comfortable with switching careers or taking collective action. Corporate boards that decide how companies are run are feeling the pressure to do more for workers in light of the coronavirus.

Corporate law has long established the legal duty of a corporate board to identity organizational threats and take reasonable measures to reduce or eliminate those threats. And its safe to say that the coronavirus poses both an economic and health threat to companies and their workers.

This means that corporate boards are likely to support the use of vaccine mandates for their workers, as well as other coronavirus risk mitigation measures, like wearing masking and regular testing. This makes sense, given how workers are more likely to support a vaccine or mask mandate than oppose it.

Corporate boards must also oversee these policies and take the necessary steps to also comply with applicable federal, state and local guidelines and laws.

The Bottom Line

Before the pandemic, the U.S. labor market was primed for major changes, especially for the benefit of employees. The coronavirus might be the push needed to bring about these changes.

Read more:

The Coronavirus And The Balance Of Power Between Employers And Employees - Forbes

(WXYZ) For months now, we've all been waiting for our world to return back to normal. Experts say the COVID-19 pandemic will end once we transition to endemic circulation.

This usually happens when death rates are slow and the spread of the virus slows way down.

The bad news most of us are likely stuck with COVID-19 for the rest of our lives. The good news is it will eventually fade into the background and cause minimal disruption in our daily lives.

A common example is the flu endemic. It still spreads and it can still kill people, but that isn't happening at high rates across an entire population.

"It's not that we flip a switch and then all a sudden we are in an endemic situation," Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the MDHHS Chief Medical executive, said.

There's no magic number or exact timeline for when the pandemic will end, but generally speaking, if more people get vaccinated and infections slow down, COVID-19 could become a manageable threat, thus entering the endemic phase.

"That will change how our COVID-19 response works," Bagdasarian said. "How our testing response works how our contact tracing and investigation works, so we are definitely looking long term."

Certain states and cities with high vaccination rates San Francisco are already beginning a phased approach to endemic status by easing COVID-19 restrictions.

Dr. Matthew Sims said in a lot of cases, the so-called return to normal may be happening too fast.

"It still has a lot of potentials to overwhelm the healthcare system at any given point when there's a new surge," he said.

With every pandemic, lessons are learned.

"I think that one of the things we've learned as a country is that we need to invest in public health infrastructure so that we are ready for the next pandemic and ready for public health threats in the future," Bagdasarian said.

Also, we as a society adopt new habits like mask-wearing. Something many people say they will continue to do once the pandemic ends.

Because the global response to COVID-19 was not uniform, it's likely our path to endemic status won't be either.

"There are going to be lots of different metrics that are involved and it will be a very slow and deliberate process," Bagdasarian said.

Now that kids between the ages of 5 and 11 are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, we could be one step closer to an endemic state.

Additional Coronavirus information and resources:

View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.

See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.

Visit our The Rebound Detroit, a place where we are working to help people impacted financially from the coronavirus. We have all the information on everything available to help you through this crisis and how to access it.

Read more from the original source:

What will it take to go from a pandemic to an endemic in Michigan? - WXYZ

Fourteenmore Mainers have died while health officials on Wednesday reported another 660coronavirus cases across the state.

Wednesdays report brings the total number of coronavirus cases in Maine to 105,781,according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Thats up from 105,121 on Tuesday.

Of those, 75,534have been confirmed positive, while 30,247were classified as probable cases, the Maine CDC reported.

Nine men and five women have succumbed to the virus, bringing the statewide death toll to 1,193.

Five were in their 80s or older, four in their 70s, four in their 60s and one in their 50s. Of those, four were from Androscoggin County, one from Aroostook County, two from Franklin County, one from Lincoln County, four from Penobscot County, one from Washington County and one from York County.

The number of coronavirus cases diagnosed in the past 14 days statewide is 6,525. This is an estimation of the current number of active cases in the state, as the Maine CDC is no longer tracking recoveries for all patients. Thats up from 6,514 on Tuesday.

The new case rate statewide Wednesday was 4.93 cases per 10,000 residents, and the total case rate statewide was 790.35.

Maines seven-day average for new coronavirus cases is 473.9, up from 466.9 the day before, up from 459.6 a week ago and down from 607.4 a month ago. That average peaked on Jan. 14 at 625.3.

The most cases have been detected in Mainers younger than 20, while Mainers over 80 years old make up the majority of deaths. More cases have been recorded in women and more deaths in men.

So far, 2,832 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus. Of those, 212 are currently hospitalized, with 76 in critical care and 37 on a ventilator. Overall, 55 out of 342 critical care beds and 213 out of 305 ventilators are available.

The total statewide hospitalization rate on Wednesday was 21.16 patients per 10,000 residents.

Cases have been reported in Androscoggin (11,099), Aroostook (4,133), Cumberland (22,340), Franklin (2,451), Hancock (2,959), Kennebec (10,135), Knox (2,114), Lincoln (1,873), Oxford (5,366), Penobscot (12,467), Piscataquis (1,353), Sagadahoc (2,067), Somerset (4,594), Waldo (2,544), Washington (1,992) and York (18,292) counties. Information about where an additional two cases were reported wasnt immediately available.

An additional 5,110 vaccine doses were administered in the previous 24 hours. As of Wednesday, 947,530 Mainers are fully vaccinated, or about 80 percent of eligible Mainers, according to the Maine CDC.

New Hampshire reported 381 new cases on Wednesday and four deaths. Vermont reported 173 new cases and one death, while Massachusetts reported 1,264 new cases and 28 deaths.

As of Wednesday morning, the coronavirus had sickened 46,182,380 people in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as caused 748,943 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.

More articles from the BDN

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14 more Mainers have died and another 660 coronavirus cases reported across the state - Bangor Daily News

The flu changes every year, and so does the flu vaccine. Will COVID-19 shots be the same?

The flu changes every year, and so does the flu vaccine. Will COVID-19 shots be the same?

By this time of year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wants everyone 6 months and older to have gotten a flu shot to helpprotect against seasonal flu. But with COVID-19, another contagious respiratory illness, its unclear what long-term timeframes will look like for vaccines.

Id love to predict for you when well know, said Dr. Aaron Milstone, M.D., M.H.S., a professor of pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and pediatric epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Childrens Center.

One thing we that we can be certain about from the pandemic is, its been very hard to predict the future, he said.

But he did refer to recently published Johns Hopkins School of Medicine data evaluating durability of natural immunity against the disease.

The studies are continuing on COVID-19 immunity, Dr. Aaron Milstone says, but its clear that the vaccines work. (Courtesy Johns Hopkins)It appears antibodies produced after COVID-19 infection and after vaccination last about the same amount of time: 9 to 12 months, Milstone said. But the vaccine prompts significantly higher levels of antibodies, especially if the two-dose regimen happens after an infection, a new Johns Hopkins Medicine study suggests.

The long-term durability of those who are infected and those who were vaccinated will continue to be followed over time as we get farther away from those events, said Milstone, the senior author of the study.

Time and more research will also be needed to see how long antibodies will last after booster doses of vaccines.

Right now, everyone vaccinated against COVID-19 with a Johnson and Johnson shot can get a booster shot after two months.

With the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, additional doses are recommended for people who are immunocompromised just so they can reach the immune response others get after two doses. And then booster shots are recommended after six months for the immunocompromised, and for people 65 and older and those over 50 with underlying medical conditions.

People 18 years and older who live in long-term care settings also should receive a booster shot, according to the CDC.

There are more data emerging to suggest that a third dose will further enhance the immune response. The durability of that third dose or booster remains unclear, Milstone said.

What is known, and what is clear, is that COVID-19 vaccines work.

Its terrific that we now have vaccines available for kids between the ages of 5 and 12 years old as were approaching the holiday season, Milstone said. The wide availability of booster shots and vaccines for kids will really help add to the benefits of masking, staying home if youre sick and washing your hands, to keep the community safe and allow us to hopefully have a great holiday season.

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New data on antibody immunity against COVID-19, but the real story is a work in progress - WTOP

Arizona has seen a slew of breakthrough COVID-19 cases among the fully vaccinated population, raising questions and concerns about the effectiveness of the vaccine.

Arizona has seen about 49,962 confirmed breakthrough cases among the states fully vaccinated population, per ABC15.

The breakthrough cases have been mostly among those who received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

Experts were also concerned that there was a higher share of people who got the Pfizer vaccine, meaning there would be a higher amount of Pfizer recipients who had breakthrough cases since more people got that vaccine overall, per ABC15.

Health experts told ABC15 that the recent surge of breakthrough cases in Arizona is tied to the vaccines waning effectiveness, specifically before the third booster shot.

However, experts recently told Roll Call, a data-driven political news site, that breakthrough cases will become more common as the coronavirus continues to circulate freely among a vaccinated population since the vaccine doesnt always stop the spread.

Carlos del Rio, a professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at Emory University School of Medicine, told Roll Call that the vaccine can stop hospitalization and death, which is most important.

Continued here:

Breakthrough COVID-19 cases surge in Arizona. Heres why - Deseret News

Homeopathic COVID-19 Treatment

Coronavirus-COVID19 imported 6-02-20 to test cropping of smaller versions

MADISON (WKOW) -- Instead of getting a COVID-19 vaccine, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers underwent a homeopathic treatment before the season started.

Homeopathic medicine has been around since the 1700s and uses products from plants, minerals or animals to treat diseases.

Dr. Aaron Henkel is a naturopathic doctor in Madison who uses some homeopathic treatments.

"The hope is that we're building our immune system, but we're also stabilizing it so that when we do fight a normal virus, like a coronavirus or like a flu virus, our bodies are adapted to be able to handle it well," he said.

Henkel said he's seen a lot of people looking for alternative treatment options over the past year and a half.

He said those treatments can range from taking supplements like Vitamin D or Zinc to sleeping more, lowering stress levels or exercising regularly. Hesaid he does believe masks and vaccines are good options that can prevent COVID-19 infection, but he said he wants people to have other treatment options, too.

"Vaccines definitely hold advantages for certain people, and I think they hold disadvantages for other people," Henkel said. "As a naturopathic doctor, I believe each individual person looks at the risks and they look at possible benefits and then, based on that, they choose."

However, Dr. Gregory DeMuri, an infectious disease specialist at UW Health, said homeopathic remedies offer no protection against COVID-19.

"There are no supplements, herbs, tinctures or homeopathic treatments that prevent COVID," he said. "The difference is the vaccine works."

DeMuri said getting vaccinated boosts the body's antibody response, which provides protection against infection from the COVID-19 virus. Other homeopathic remedies only treat symptoms after someone gets sick.

"There's not much you can take to keep yourself from getting COVID if you're going to be exposed other than the vaccine," he said.

Although they don't protect against COVID-19, DeMuri said homeopathic remedies do sometimes work against other viruses.

"There is some evidence that reducing stress levels and exercise and things can increase your resistance to the common cold," he said. "But for COVID, there's no evidence of that. Is it a good idea? Absolutely. Those are all helpful behaviors, and we, as physicians, want to encourage them. But don't rely on those things alone to prevent you from getting COVID. Get the vaccine."

DeMuri said the Packers are the latest example that vaccination is the only path forward out of the pandemic.

"[Rodgers']teammates who were vaccinated did not need to be quarantined," DeMuri said. "They're playing in Sunday's game. I think that should tell you everything. If we want to keep our athletic teams playing, if we want to keep our churches open, our schools open, our businesses open, people need to get vaccinated."

Read the rest here:

Homeopathic COVID-19 treatments: what are they and do they work? - WKOW

Duke Faculty and Staff,

Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine is now approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for use with children ages 5-11. As a result, Duke has scheduled dedicated vaccination clinic sessions for Duke University and Duke University Health System parents to bring their children in this age group for vaccination.

Appointments are requiredfor the the weekend sessions at the following locations:

Duke Health North Durham Clinic (4220 N. Roxboro Street, Durham):Times: 8 a.m. 4 p.m.

Duke Raleigh Hospital, MOB 9 (3300 Executive Drive, Raleigh)Times: 8a.m. 4:30 p.m.

After these dates, the sites will be open for all children ages 5-11 years old, regardless of whether they are the dependents of Duke parents or are Duke patients. Given the limited capacity of this location, parents should also consider vaccination options at their pediatricians office or other available opportunities.

The vaccine for children in this age group is administered as a two-dose primary series, 3 weeks apart, but is a lower dose (10 micrograms) than that used for individuals 12 years of age and older (30 micrograms). This vaccine has been proven to be 90.7 percent effective in preventing the transmission of COVID-19 among children ages 5-11.

The vaccination of children represents another important step toward protecting our loved ones, safeguarding our community from COVID-19, and bringing this pandemic to an end.

Sincerely,

Kyle Cavanaugh,Vice President, Administration

Carol Epling, MD, MSPHDirector, Employee Occupational Health and Wellness

Gail Shulby, RN, MA, CPPSChief of Staff to the Executive Vice President, Duke Health

Cameron R. Wolfe, MBBS (Hons), MPH, FIDSAAssociate Professor of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Duke HealthCo-Leaders of the Duke COVID Vaccination Work Group

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Vaccination of Children Ages 5-11 of Faculty and Staff - Coronavirus Response - Duke's Coronavirus Response