Category: Corona Virus

The California Department of Public Healths vaccines dashboard said more than 47.6 million vaccine doses have been distributed in California as of Tuesday. The states dashboard said 57.3% of Californians are fully vaccinated. Thats above the national average of about 45.3% fully vaccinated so far.

According to the Bloomberg vaccine tracker California is administering about 138,539 doses per day, down from 350,000 or more six weeks ago. California still has the highest daily rate of doses administered in the nation.

There were about 1,223 hospitalizations across the state from the coronavirus as of June 20, down from a peak of 22,853 on Jan. 6.

Here are the percentages for fully vaccinated people in select Southern California counties by age:

Los Angeles County: 10,413,173 doses administered.

Orange County: 3,396,883 doses administered.

65 and older: 68.4%50-64: 68.8%18-49: 54.2%Up to 17: 24.9%

Riverside County: 2,001,976 doses administered.

65 and older: 63.7%50-64: 56.6%18-49: 35.5%Up to 17: 15.6%

San Bernardino County: 1,652,005 doses administered.

65 and older: 61.3%50-64: 55.6%18-49: 35%Up to 17: 14.9%

The map below is from the California Department of Public Healths COVID-19 vaccinations dashboard and shows vaccinations by ZIP code. Click on the image to go to the site. It may take a few minutes to load.

Excerpt from:

Coronavirus: Vaccination percentages by age in Southern California counties as of June 23 - LA Daily News

The giant Olympic rings are seen over the sea, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, January 22, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo

TOKYO, June 23 (Reuters) - Japan hoped that hosting the 2020 Olympics would reprise the triumph of 1964, when it became the first Asian Olympics host and gained a huge economic boost.

But the coronavirus - which postponed the Games for a year - has muted excitement and potential financial gains.

With the Games due to open in just one month, Japanese society is very different from October 1964, when many people saw the Olympics as their country's proud return to the international community after its crushing World War Two defeat less than 20 years earlier.

AT HOME

In 1964, Japanese families were big and busy; nearly half of all households had at least four members and roughly a quarter had six or more. Men lived 67.7 years on average, women 72.9, and one in four people were 15 or younger. Only a scant handful were over 65.

Nominal annual salaries, on average, were one tenth of what they are today, with monthly paychecks just barely ahead of expenses. A bowl of ramen noodles cost a tenth of what it does today, but the price of bananas hasn't changed.

Eager to watch the Olympics, broadcast live for the first time, many bought their first televisions - even though a black-and-white set took nearly a month's salary. Buoyed by the Olympic mood, many snapped up other goods, aspiring to own the "Three Cs" - cars, coolers (air conditioners), and colour TVs.

Now, with men living an average of 81.4 years and women 87.5, the nation creaks under the burden of having nearly a third of its population over 65. Only 11.9% are under 15 and nearly a third of all households have only two people.

AT WORK

In 1964, unemployment was nearly non-existent. Men made up a vast proportion of the 47.1 million labor force, half the population; once married, most women became housewives.

More than 30% worked in manufacturing, producing the electronics and cars that made Japan's name, though nearly a quarter still worked in agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

Now, a vast majority work in services and 25% in manufacturing, after jobs flowed to cheaper overseas markets. Only 4% farm or fish.

Both men and women work in nearly 70% of households.

THE ECONOMY

In 1964, Japan was the fourth-largest economy by GDP in the world, behind the United States, France and the United Kingdom. Just four years later, it was second largest, a position it held for decades - aside from several years in the early 1970s - until China took its place.

Despite Japan's economic strides, nominal GDP - at 30.83 trillion yen ($280 billion) - was only 6% of what it was more than half a century later.

The yen was fixed at 360 to the dollar. Now it is around 110.5.

THE WIDER WORLD

In 1964 rigid restrictions about overseas travel, linked to foreign exchange rules, were lifted. Though travellers could only take $500 with them, 510,000 went abroad - a number that surged to 20.1 million by December 2019, just before the coronavirus struck. By a year later, travel had slowed to a trickle, and remains that way now.

Even with the Olympics, only 270,000 foreigners visited Japan in 1964. In 2019, there were some 31.9 million foreign visitors, their spending a major economic pillar. But numbers plummeted in 2020 to a 22-year low and have yet to recover due to coronavirus entry curbs. Foreign spectators for the Olympics have been banned.

($1 = 110.4000 yen)

Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Lincoln Feast.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Continued here:

Factbox: From triumph of 1964 to coronavirus: Japan then and now - Reuters

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 179.1 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths stands at more than 3.88 million. More than 2.7 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.

The Delta variant of COVID-19 is the biggest threat to U.S. attempts to eradicate the disease within its borders, U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said during a Tuesday press call.

US officials have also said that the country is likely to miss its target of delivering at least one COVID-19 vaccine to 70% of adults by 4 July.

The University of Oxford is testing an anti-parasitic drug - ivermectin - as a possible treatment for COVID-19. The research is part of a UK government-backed study to aid recoveries in non-hospital settings.

AstraZeneca said yesterday its COVID-19 vaccine is effective against Delta and Kappa variants, citing an Oxford University study.

The European Union has taken up an option to buy an additional 150 million doses of the Moderna vaccine from the US drugmaker.

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, will offer free COVID-19 vaccines to tourists.

Sweden will offer COVID-19 vaccines to all people aged 16 and over, the Health Agency announced yesterday. This expands the rollout, which was previously limited to those 18 and older.

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

Image: Our World in Data

India has declared a new COVID-19 variant to be of concern, saying nearly two dozen cases have been detected in three states.

The variant, identified locally as 'Delta plus', was found in 16 cases in Maharashtra state Federal Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan told a news conference.

The ministry said Delta plus showed increased transmissibility.

On Monday, India vaccinated a record 8.6 million people, as it begins to offer free shots to all adults.

The COVID Response Alliance for Social Entrepreneurship is a coalition of 85 global leaders, hosted by the World Economic Forum. Its mission: Join hands in support of social entrepreneurs everywhere as vital first responders to the pandemic and as pioneers of a green, inclusive economic reality.

Its COVID Social Enterprise Action Agenda, outlines 25 concrete recommendations for key stakeholder groups, including funders and philanthropists, investors, government institutions, support organizations, and corporations. In January of 2021, its members launched its 2021 Roadmap through which its members will roll out an ambitious set of 21 action projects in 10 areas of work. Including corporate access and policy change in support of a social economy.

For more information see the Alliance website or its impact story here.

The COVID-19 alert level in New Zealand capital Wellington has been raised over concerns the city might have been exposed to the Delta variant.

The city will move to the country's 'Alert Level 2' - one level short of lockdown - until midnight Sunday. The precautionary move comes after an Australian tourist tested positive for COVID-19 after returning to Sydney from a visit to Wellington.

"This is not a lockdown ... these are precautionary measures, which will remain in place while we contact trace and test all of those we need to," New Zealand's COVID-response minister, Chris Hipkins, said at a news conference in Wellington.

Under the alert level, offices, schools and businesses can remain open but will have to maintain social distancing rules. Sport and recreation activities are allowed, subject to conditions, but gatherings of more than 100 people are not allowed, including weddings, funeral and other events.

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.

See more here:

COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 23 June - World Economic Forum

Oregon health officials announced 267 new coronavirus cases Tuesday and one COVID-19 death.

The Oregon Health Authority also reported an additional 8,169 wasted vaccine doses in the last week, on top of the approximately 30,000 doses lost since the vaccine drive began in December. The state is urging health providers to prioritize vaccinating people, even if that means having to throw out unused doses.

At this point in the pandemic, we are going to stop the spread of COVID-19 one shot at a time, the health authority said in a news release.

Gov. Kate Browns office, meanwhile, is trying to make getting a shot more appealing by promising even more prizes, with only those whove received a shot eligible.

On top of the existing prizes, which include a $1 million pay-out, Browns office promised four travel packages to classic sites in Oregon, worth about $2,000 each. Ten counties have also decided to put up more than $700,000 in prizes and scholarships for people who have received shots by June 28 -- the day of the drawing.

If you have been waiting to get vaccinated, go get it done today, Brown said in a statement. Its never been easier to get a vaccine, so dont miss your shot to enter.

SEE STATE AND COUNTY COVID-19 TRENDS

Vaccines: Oregon reported 9,296 newly administered doses, which includes 4,708 Monday and the remainder from previous days.

Where the new cases are by county: Baker (12), Benton (4), Clackamas (22), Clatsop (2), Columbia (2), Coos (1), Curry (10), Deschutes (9), Douglas (12), Gilliam (1), Grant (1), Hood River (1), Jackson (14), Jefferson (1), Josephine (12), Klamath (2), Lake (1), Lane (18), Lincoln (4), Linn (10), Malheur (6), Marion (25), Morrow (1), Multnomah (25), Polk (12), Sherman (3), Umatilla (18), Union (2), Wasco (1), Washington (31) and Yamhill (4).

Who died: Oregons 2,757th death connected to the coronavirus is a 55-year-old Washington County woman who tested positive May 7 and died June 10 at OHSU Health Hillsboro Medical Center. The state is still confirming whether she had underlying medical conditions.

Hospitalizations: 146 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 are hospitalized, up two from Monday. That includes 35 people in intensive care, down one from Monday.

Since it began: Oregon has reported 207,105 confirmed or presumed infections and 2,757 deaths, among the lowest per capita numbers in the nation. To date, the state has reported 4,318,187 vaccine doses administered, fully vaccinating 2,110,737 people and partially vaccinating 246,521 people.

-- Fedor Zarkhin

The rest is here:

Coronavirus in Oregon: 267 new cases and 1 death as state promises more prizes for the vaccinated - OregonLive

COVID appears to be in retreat in the U.S. and other nations that have widespread access to vaccines. But some developing countries with high infection rates have become hotspots for viral variants that may be more transmissible or resistant to vaccinesand these variants can quickly cross national borders. For example, the B.1.167.2 variant (now dubbed Delta) that was first detected in India has spread to more than 70 countries and regions, including the U.S.

Much of the developing world lacks the capacity for viral surveillanceefforts to monitor the spread and evolution of new variants. This process requires expensive genomic-sequencing technology and trained workforces that many nations do not have. Nepal, for instance, has sequenced just 0.01 percent of the more than 600,000 cases reported in the country so far. New variants could undo hard-won progress in curbing the pandemic, according to Alina Chan, a postdoctoral fellow specializing in gene therapy and cell engineering at the Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. Variants that evolve to be able to reinfect previously infected people are likely to also reduce the efficacy of vaccines, she says.

Scientists and organizations around the world are now working to build capacity to hunt for variants in developing countries. They are mobilizing to deliver funds, training and equipment to where these resources are needed most, with aspirations of creating a lasting viral surveillance infrastructure. COVID is the catalyst, says Jairo Mendez-Rico, a microbiologist and adviser on viral diseases at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), headquartered in Washington, D.C. But we also need to survey for other pathogens that for sure will come in the future.

In India, 27 laboratories have now banded together to create the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG). The group plans to sequence 5 percent of all positive COVID cases in the country (the current rate is only 0.09 percent). Shahid Jameel, a virologist and director of the Trivedi School of Biosciences at Indias Ashoka University, says that bringing existing surveillance capacity under a single umbrella could, in principle, make that a feasible goal. But there are not enough trained field-workers, he says, and the laboratories have acute shortages of chemical reagents needed for genomic analyses.

International experts are now stepping in to help. Recently, a nonprofit volunteer group called INDIA COVID SOS formed to assist with the pandemic response in the country. It aims to scale genomic surveillance across India, as well among neighboring South Asian nations. Aditi Hazra, an epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School, co-leads the groups sequencing team, which meets regularly on video conference calls with the directors of Indias sequencing consortium. She says a key objective is to extend viral surveillance to more people in rural areas, where much of the population lives.

Rural surveillance is a priority in Africa as well. Millions of people on the continent live in remote areas that are also hot spots for disease outbreaks, says Akaninyene Otu, a medical doctor and a senior lecturer at the University of Calabar in Nigeria. Several new partnerships aim to boost sequencing in African countries. Otu highlights the Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Africa PGI), which launched last year with support from international donor organizations and private companies. Most of the sequencing capacity in Africa is concentrated in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Morocco and Egypt. The Africa PGI, which is headed by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is setting out to create a pan-African network of sequencing centers to serve the continents 54 countries.

In Latin American countrieswhich are currently reporting some of the highest COVID infection rates in the worldPAHO is spearheading the COVID-19 Genomic Surveillance Regional Network. Some countries in the region already have fairly strong sequencing capabilities, but the network is leading efforts to build surveillance capacity where it does not exist at all, which is the case throughout much of Central America. In the interim, two large reference labsone in Brazil and one in Chileare sequencing samples sent by other countries at PAHO's expense, Mendez-Rico says.

In addition to building partnerships and networks, scientists are also exploring low-cost sequencing technologies that could be deployed easily in the field. Nearly all of the SARS-CoV-2 cases sequenced so far have relied on large, expensive instruments housed in climate-controlled lab facilities. As an alternative, INDIA COVID SOS is encouraging wider use of a handheld sequencing device made by Oxford Nanopore Technologies in England. The device, called the MinION, can run on a battery pack, processes 96 samples at a time and uses software to generate whole genome sequences that can be stored on a laptop. We're looking for technologies that are cheap, efficient, scalable and portable, and this is an example, Hazra says.

Keith Robison, a computational biologist at Ginkgo Bioworks, a Boston-based biotechnology company, agrees that the MinION is a practical option for developing nationsespecially in rural settings. The portable technology was widely used during the recent Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other West African countries. You can generate sequences with it from anywhere, he says. The MinION has its drawbacks: the quality of the data is not as good as what the lab-based instruments provide, Robison notes. However, that can also be computationally corrected if you have many copies of the same sequence, he says.

Tue Sparholt Jrgensen, a postdoctoral researcher in microbiology at the Technical University of Denmark, argues that whole-genome sequences may not always be needed. All the important SARS-CoV-2 mutations identified so far, he says, sit on the same stretch of genome encoding the microbes well-known spike protein. Jrgensen says scientists can simply target this piece of the viral geome with an alternative method called Sanger sequencing. This method, which was used as part of the effort that led to the sequencing of the complete human genome back in 2003, is still employed by labs all over the world. Unlike whole-genome methods that sequence millions of genetic fragments simultaneously, the Sanger method sequences one fragment at a time. Sanger can't replace whole-genome sequencing, but you can use it for targeted analyses at a fraction of the cost, Jrgensen says. People have been using it in small labs for decades. Id use it to monitor for known variants, [to] qualify samples for whole genome sequencing and for contact tracing [of infected people] in hospitals.

Jrgensen and his colleagues are now working with health officials in Rwanda on plans to expand Sanger-based COVID surveillance in the country. If a new variant emerges in Rwanda and starts spreading [elsewhere] in Africa, then we want to know about it, he says.

Original post:

New Coronavirus Variants Are Urgently Being Tracked around the World - Scientific American

Commission backs firing of jail administrator over outbreak  Associated Press

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Commission backs firing of jail administrator over outbreak - Associated Press

Good evening. Im Karen Kaplan, and its Tuesday, June 22. Heres whats happening with the coronavirus in California and beyond.

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The Los Angeles Police Department has been using the motto To Protect and to Serve since 1955, and the sentiment applies to the citys firefighters and staffers in the countys Sheriffs Department as well. But if these first responders arent vaccinated against COVID-19, do they pose a threat to public safety?

Its a question that might have seemed farfetched back in December, when vaccine doses were scarce and only a select few were eligible to get them. Yet six months later, the states first responders are far less likely than other California adults to have rolled up their sleeves for shots.

About 72% of California adults have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, my colleagues Kevin Rector, Richard Winton, Dakota Smith and Ben Welsh report. So have 64% of Los Angeles residents ages 16 and older.

Those numbers are so low that the state is dangling $116.5 million worth of prizes in front of vaccine-hesitant people to get them off the fence.

But the general publics vaccination rate looks great compared with the stats put up by first responders.

Just 52% of LAPD officers are at least partially vaccinated, as are only about 51% of L.A. firefighters.

Across the state, about 54% of prison employees have begun their COVID-19 immunizations. At some sites, COVID-19 vaccines are so unpopular that only 24% of the staff is known to be fully vaccinated.

This despite the fact that nine LAPD personnel, two city firefighters, and 28 state corrections workers have died of COVID-19. Across all these agencies, more than 20,000 people have been infected with the coronavirus.

Two Los Angeles Police Department officers wear face masks as they speak with a Venice resident whose home was burned in a suspicious fire.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Theres general agreement among ethicists, activists and law enforcement experts that first responders should get to make their own health decisions. But the fact that so many have taken a pass on the COVID-19 vaccines has become a growing source of tension among city officials, public safety leaders and their rank-and-file workforces.

Police officers, firefighters and sheriffs deputies regularly interact with the public often in confined spaces like courthouses and jails, and with the states most vulnerable residents. Community leaders told my colleagues they think public safety officers have actually made the public less safe by spreading the virus.

The first responders reasons for avoiding the vaccine are similar to those cited by many Americans. Some feel theyve got enough immunity thanks to a past infection. Some arent convinced the vaccines are safe, or necessary. Some lean to the political right, where the vaccines have been ridiculed or wrapped up in conspiracy theories.

Whatever the reason, the stagnant immunization numbers have some officials contemplating COVID-19 vaccine mandates. On Tuesday, the L.A. Police Commission asked the LAPD to examine the feasibility and legality of a vaccine mandate for officers and report back on the findings. If the shots arent required and officers are allowed to work without wearing masks, one could argue that were endangering the public, said Commissioner William Briggs.

Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo, who heads the influential Major Cities Chiefs Assn., agrees that the country cant afford to see the vaccination numbers stay flat: As first responders, thats a significant public health issue. It isnt only a matter of their health, but others they come into contact with daily.

Bioethicist Arthur Caplan of NYUs Grossman School of Medicine said he hopes vaccine mandates can be avoided by getting public safety employees to see that getting the shots is just another way for them to protect and to serve.

These folks make a living trying to help other people, Caplan said. If we point out that they can maybe help other people by getting vaccinated, that will maybe get more pickup.

California cases, deaths and vaccinations as of 5:39 p.m. Tuesday:

Track Californias coronavirus spread and vaccination efforts including the latest numbers and how they break down with our graphics.

Before the pandemic, it took Dale Sieverding 60 minutes to get from his job in Santa Monica to his home near the Grove.

I hated the evening drive home in the past, said Sieverding, director of worship at St. Monica Catholic Community. No matter if I came home at 2 oclock or 7 oclock, it was an hour.

He didnt miss that commute during the 14 months he worked from home. But now that hes fully vaccinated, hes driving back and forth to the church three days a week. Ideally, he told my colleague Andrea Chang, hell keep logging the rest of his hours remotely.

We all learned the hard way that it takes a global pandemic to do away with L.A.s notorious traffic. Itll be harder still to emerge from the pandemic without bringing the gridlock back. (It may take an act of divine intervention.)

Even before the state officially reopened on June 15, freeways were clogged with cars, and congestion was approaching pre-pandemic levels. But traffic flows on the regions major arteries have changed. Morning commutes are still quicker than they were before the shutdown, but afternoon drives now creep along like old times. In some places, at certain times of day, the traffic is actually worse.

Consider I-5 North. In June 2019, a driver on the road at 10 a.m. could travel at an average speed of 43 miles per hour. A year later, when we were supposed to be staying at home, a drivers average midmorning speed was 61 mph. This month, it has slowed all the way down to 40 mph.

So much for those wild predictions or wishful thinking that the coronavirus would reduce L.A.s traffic once and for all. But that doesnt mean well all go back to our previous commuting routines.

Some workers, like Sieverding, are negotiating arrangements that will allow them to work from home at least some of the time. Others, like Tiffanie Trinh, an IT support technician for Taco Bell, are moving closer to their offices. And as we discussed last week, the boldest among us are quitting jobs that involved spending too much time on the road.

When people complain about traffic, theyre typically talking about two distinct things, Brian Taylor, director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UCLA, explained to my colleague Hayley Smith. The first is vehicle travel how much people actually drive. The second is congestion, which causes those frustrating delays when lots of people are going to the same place at the same time.

If we go back to pre-pandemic living and working patterns, driving and traffic levels are likely to be similar to before, Taylor said. But if enough of us change our living and working patterns, some of the pre-pandemic congestion may be averted.

There are reasons to be hopeful. At least 70% of U.S. workers say theyd prefer to keep working from home at least some of the time, according to a recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management. Employers are bound to accommodate at least some of those requests. (If you want yours to be one of them, check out our guide to persuading your boss to let you work from home forever.)

In addition, commuters who arent eager to spend so many hours behind the wheel may be willing to give mass transit a try. In L.A., Metro took advantage of the pandemics reduced traffic volume to install more bus lanes. Another incentive to leave the car at home: Many parking spaces have been given over to outdoor restaurant dining.

With any luck, our freeways will wind up looking more like this:

The southbound 110 freeway was practically deserted during the early days of the pandemic.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

than like this:

Rush hour at the intersection of the 110 and 101 freeways on June 15, the day Californias economy officially reopened.

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

By the way, if you need a refresher on how to cope with traffic and its dreaded cousin, parking, check out this column from Mary McNamara and learn from her mistakes.

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Coronavirus case rates are improving across L.A. County, but as usual with the pandemic, Black and Latino residents are faring worse than white and Asian American residents.

When calculated over a two-week period, case rates for the countys Black residents fell by 13% over the past month and by 22% for Latinos. That sounds good until you consider that during the same period, case rates dropped 33% for white Angelenos and 45% for Asian Americans.

A similar pattern can be seen with hospitalizations: Over the past month, theyve dropped 11% for Black residents, 34% for Latino and white residents, and 50% for Asian American residents.

As the weeks pass, we are seeing significant decreases which is great in our overall rates, but they also are not distributed equally among racial and ethnic groups in our county, L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said.

Speaking of significant decreases, L.A.s overall recovery has been so dramatic that by the end of last week, the county was reporting about two COVID-19 deaths a day over the previous seven days. Thats down from a peak of 241 deaths per day in January.

Heres another way of looking at it: The nine counties that make up the Bay Area Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano and Sonoma were reporting four deaths per day over the past seven days, down from a peak of 63. And there are only 7.7 million people in the Bay Area, while L.A. County alone tops 10 million.

The Bay Area was the coronavirus first stop in California, and the first known American COVID-19 fatality was a San Jose resident who died Feb. 6, 2020.

But L.A. Countys COVID-19 death rate overtook the Bay Areas less than two months later, on April 4, according to a Times analysis. When the outbreak was at its worst, L.A. County was reporting 2.39 deaths per day per 100,000 residents, while the Bay Area reported 0.82.

It took until June 11 for L.A. County to have a lower COVID-19 death rate than the Bay Area, my colleagues Rong-Gong Lin II, Luke Money and Sean Greene report. As of Thursday, L.A. was reporting 0.02 deaths a day for every 100,000 residents, compared with 0.06 in the Bay Area.

What accounts for L.A.s improvement? Some of it is due to vaccines: 57% of residents of all ages are at least partially inoculated, better than the national rate of 53%. The county also acquired significant immunity from the brutal COVID-19 surge that began in November. Late last month, the L.A. County Department of Health Services estimated that nearly 40% of residents had immunity through coronavirus exposure.

The truly sad part is that we could have made it to the other side without losing so many lives. Just look north: The Bay Area has reported 81 COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 residents over the entire course of the pandemic, while Los Angeles has had 242 deaths per 100,000 residents.

Santa Clara County, which includes San Jose, was the first in the state to adopt COVID-19 rules. Now it has passed a not-at-all-grim milestone. As of Monday, all of its local COVID-19 health orders had been phased out.

Dr. Sara Cody, the local health officer and public health director for the county, said the rules were no longer needed because residents there have embraced COVID-19 vaccines. Four out of five residents who are old enough to be vaccinated have received at least one dose, and among residents of all ages, 71% are at least partially vaccinated.

Nationwide, the number of daily COVID-19 deaths dipped below 300 for the first time since March 2020. According to trackers at Johns Hopkins University, average deaths are about 293 per day well below the mid-January high of more than 3,400.

New cases have also dropped dramatically. Theyre now running at an average of 11,400 a day. In early January, the country was reporting more than 250,000 new infections per day.

The U.S. donated more than 1.3 million doses of Johnson & Johnsons single-shot COVID-19 vaccine to Mexico, and they have started going into arms in Tijuana and elsewhere in Baja California. The Mexican state became the first in the country to make vaccines available to all adults.

Its part of a strategy that could speed the reopening of the U.S.-Mexico land border crossing, which has been closed to nonessential travel since March 2020.

We want to vaccinate the population of the 39 municipalities along the northern border so that the border can be opened as soon as possible, Mexican President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador said Thursday when the campaign got underway. That is the goal.

A nurse delivers COVID-19 shots at the Autonomous University of Baja California in Mexico.

(Alexandra Mendoza / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Todays question comes from readers who want to know: What should I do if my COVID-19 vaccine record doesnt show up in the states digital system?

First off, know that youre not alone. As of Monday afternoon, nearly 70,000 troubleshooting forms have been submitted to the California Department of Public Health. (Im personally responsible for several of them.)

But that doesnt mean you should give up. Californians have generated more than half a million digital COVID-19 vaccine records through myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov and you can join them, with a little perseverance.

People whove been vaccinated in the Golden State are supposed to be able to access their records by typing in their first and last names, date of birth and the cell phone number or email address they shared when they got their shot. If any of that information was entered into an immunization registry system incorrectly, no match will be found.

Problems can also arise if a persons record is already associated with an old (and perhaps long-forgotten) phone number or email address. Some readers have told us their entries appear to be missing altogether.

Whatever the problem, the way to resolve it is to submit the correct information to the state using an online troubleshooting form. Youll be asked to type in your name, date of birth, cell phone and email address. Then youll have to wait two to three weeks for staffers to review the new information, determine whether its legit and send you an email letting you know that fixes have been made.

When the state unveiled the digital vaccine record system on Friday, those looking to fix errors were asked to upload a photo of their Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 vaccination record card, along with a photo ID. Now the state will request them only when needed, said Sami Gallegos, press secretary for the states COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force.

If youd rather try to straighten things out over the phone, you can call a state hotline at (833) 422-4255. Additional troubleshooting tips are available at cdph.ca.gov/covidvaccinerecord.

And if you really want to, you can forget about the whole thing. The digital records arent mandatory; theyre intended to be a convenient backup for paper cards that are misplaced, said Dr. Erica Pan, the state epidemiologist.

We want to hear from you. Email us your coronavirus questions, and well do our best to answer them. Wondering if your questions already been answered? Check out our archive here.

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Need a vaccine? Sign up for email updates, and make an appointment where you live: City of Los Angeles | Los Angeles County | Kern County | Orange County | Riverside County | San Bernardino County | San Diego County | San Luis Obispo County | Santa Barbara County | Ventura County

Need more vaccine help? Talk to your healthcare provider. Call the states COVID-19 hotline at (833) 422-4255. And consult our county-by-county guides to getting vaccinated.

Practice social distancing using these tips, and wear a mask or two.

Watch for symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and loss of taste or smell. Heres what to look for and when.

Need to get tested? Heres where you can in L.A. County and around California.

Americans are hurting in many ways. We have advice for helping kids cope, resources for people experiencing domestic abuse and a newsletter to help you make ends meet.

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Coronavirus Today: To protect and to serve? - Los Angeles Times

(CNN) Vaccine-makers are preparing for a next possible phase of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout: booster doses.

Currently, three coronavirus vaccines are authorized for emergency use in the United States the two-dose Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for people 12 and older, the two-dose Moderna vaccine and the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccines for everyone 18 and older.

Researchers and health officials suspect that the immunity against Covid-19 these vaccines elicit in the body might wane over time possibly after a year or more and might not protect as well against coronavirus variants that could emerge and evolve.

A vaccinated person might need a booster dose of vaccine to stay protected against the original coronavirus strain and newly emerging variants somewhat similar to how a tetanus booster is recommended every 10 years or different flu vaccines are recommended each year.

Many people may be familiar with tetanus-toxoid vaccines that are recommended every 10 years thats a booster dose. Its reminding our immune system so that if we ever got exposed to that toxin, our immune system would remember it and respond very quickly, Dr. William Moss, professor and executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center atJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said in May.

In the case of COVID-19 vaccines, it remains unknown for how long immune protection lasts, but vaccine developers and health officials know it may not be forever and that emerging variants could escape immunity.

There is a little nuance with COVID-19 vaccines, Moss said.

While typical booster doses use same vaccine someone previously received to remind the immune system about immunity to a pathogen, any future boosters for the COVID-19 shot could use different vaccines altogether.

Currently, the need for and timing for COVID-19 booster doses have not been established. No additional doses are recommended at this time, theU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes on its website.

But Americans should prepare to have a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot within a year, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy told CNNs Wolf Blitzer in May, saying people should be prepared for the fact that we may need a booster within a year.

Despite such predictions, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that the bottom line is we dont know.

Were preparing for the eventuality that we might need boosters, but I think weve got to be careful not to let the people know that inevitably, x number of months from now, everyones going to need a booster. Thats just not the case, Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, said at a Washington Post Live event. We may not need it for quite a while.

Scientists at a number of companies that make COVID-19 vaccines have also predicted the need for boosters within a year but the scientific community is not in widespread agreement on this.

So far, studies have shown that mRNA vaccines those made by Pfizer and Moderna maintain more than 90% efficacy six months after getting vaccinated. And scientists say its likely much longer.

Other studies have looked at antibodies in the lab. While a decline is expected over time, Fauci told the Washington Post in May the steepness of that slope is unclear right now.

Experts say it is also unclear how these antibody levels correlate with real-world immunity, and to what extent other parts of the immune system such as T cells could factor into protection.

Whether booster coronavirus vaccine doses are modified or not, missing a booster dose if one is recommended in the future could leave someone less protected against COVID-19.

A person who skipped a booster is placing themselves at higher risk of getting infected, and getting disease from the SARS-Coronavirus-2, but I would also expect that theyre going to have some partial immunity and so they may be protected against more severe disease, Moss said. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes Covid-19.

Theyre just at higher risk of infection and disease than someone who got the booster, but they have more immunity than someone who was never vaccinated.

Scientists are also currently investigating whether it makes a difference if someone gets the same type of vaccine as a booster as the original dose administered.

This question of mixing and matching certainly is relevant to booster doses, Moss said. Its also relevant to any two-dose vaccine schedule, and its also an area of active research.

Researchers in the United Kingdom reported in May that people who got mixed doses of coronavirus vaccines receiving a different vaccine type as a second dose than the first dose appear to be more likely to experience mild side effects such as fever, chills, fatigue or headache.

But the side effects following mix-and-match vaccinations were short-lived and there were no other safety concerns, the researchers reported in theLancet medical journal.

Currently, the CDC says, Covid-19 vaccines are not interchangeable and there has been no decision either in the U.S. or globally on the need for booster doses yet, let alone which vaccine might be appropriate for any booster.

All three companies that currently have authorized coronavirus vaccines in the United States Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are investigating the potential use of boosters.

The data that I see coming, they are supporting the notion that likely there will be a need for a booster somewhere between eight and 12 months, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in May. But that remains to be seen and I believe in one, two months we will have enough data to speak about it with much higher scientific certainty.

The first dose of Pfizers coronavirus vaccine in the United States was administered on Dec. 14, 2020 five months ago. As time goes on, if people received their second dose of vaccine eight months ago, they may need a third one, Bourla said. This could be coming sooner than later, I believe from September, October. But this is something, again, that the data need to confirm.

Moderna is currently conducting booster shot trials, too.

The fight against the coronavirus pandemic is expected to continue through next year due to the emergence of variants, Dr. Stephen Hoge, president of Moderna, said during an earnings call in early May.

We think this is just the beginning, Hoge said. Therefore, were committed as a company to make as many updates to the vaccine, to add as many variants as we think are necessary, to ensure that when people receive a booster, it provides the broadest immune protection against the widest range of variants.

Johnson & Johnson is also looking into the potential for boosters.

We have ongoing and planned trials that will aid our assessment of the need for, and timing of, booster doses of our vaccine, according to an emailed statement from Johnson & Johnson in May.

Johnson & Johnsons coronavirus vaccine, along with Pfizers, Modernas and four others, are being tested as seasonal boosters in a study called Cov-Boost being conducted by the UKs National Institute for Health Research and the University of Southhampton.

The biotechnology companyNovavax has developed a coronavirus vaccinethat its chief executive officer Stanley Erck believes could be used as a booster shot for people who have already been vaccinated. The company plans to apply for emergency use authorization of its vaccine in the United States in the third quarter of 2021.

In the U.S., I think it will be the booster for everyone, particularly if we get it out late in the third quarter, Erck said in May. Its going to be time to start boosting whether its six months or at a year point.

The decision to use COVID-19 boosters is expected to involve two agencies the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the CDC and the regulatory process to get the shots into arms could vary depending on whether the booster is the same vaccine that was originally used or is a modified version.

So, if its the same vaccine, my understanding is that what would have to happen is that the CDC would have to recommend an additional dose with details around when that should occur, Moss said.

If its a modified vaccine, this is where things get interesting and I dont think we quite know, he said, but added that the regulatory process could be similar to what happens with flu vaccines each year.

Technically, whenever a vaccine like that is modified, its often considered a new vaccine and has to go through the whole process again. But there is a precedent, obviously, with influenza virus vaccines, not to do that, Moss said. So, the influenza vaccine each year doesnt have to go through a large Phase 3 trial.

Thats because the vaccine technology stays the same, and the only change is the flu virus itself that the vaccine targets to elicit immunity to a specific flu virus strain thats circulating.

CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will discuss the question of boosters Wednesday.

At this time, available information suggests that the FDA-authorized vaccines remain effective in protecting the American public against currently circulating strains of SARS-CoV-2. However, if there is an emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variant(s) in the U.S. that are moderately or fully resistant to the antibody response elicited by the current generation of COVID-19 vaccines, it may be necessary to tailor the vaccines to the variant(s), an FDA spokesperson said in May.

TheFDA updated its guidancefor vaccine developers in February, noting that manufacturers should generate the data to support authorization of a modified vaccine.

Further discussions will be necessary to decide whether in the future, modified Covid-19 vaccines may be authorized without the need for clinical studies, according to the guidance. But overall, vaccine developers are encouraged to perform exploratory studies on modified vaccines to boost immune responses.

Some research suggests that people who are immunocompromised could benefit from booster doses of vaccine.

For instance, organ transplant recipients might not have an adequate response to coronavirus vaccines because they take drugs to suppress their immune systems. That helps reduce the risk of the body rejecting new organs but may also limit responses to vaccines.

A third dose of coronavirus vaccine could help boost antibody levels among some organ transplant recipients who have not had robust responses to the standard vaccination schedules, according to a studypublished in the journal Annals of Internal Medicinein June.

Among patients in the study who had no measurable antibodies after receiving two doses of vaccine, one-third of them saw a rise in antibodies after a third dose and among those with low antibody levels after two doses, all of them saw an increase after a third dose.

When it comes to coronavirus vaccines, we dont really have a good sense of what level you need for protective immunity, Dr. Dorry Segev, an author of the study and founder of the Epidemiology Research Group in Organ Transplantation at Johns Hopkins University, said. We dont know if you need the same off-the-charts level of antibodies that people with normal immune systems have.

But for transplant patients, after a two-dose full vaccine series, the overwhelming majority have either no antibodies or low antibodies, Segev said.

When pharmaceutical companies tested coronavirus vaccines in clinical trials last year, they specifically excluded people who were taking immunosuppressive drugs due to potential risks.

Link:

COVID-19 vaccine boosters: What you need to know - WISHTV.com

The logo of the Tokyo Olympic Games, at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office building in Tokyo, Japan, January 22, 2021. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo

TOKYO, June 23 (Reuters) - As the clock ticks down to the opening of the Tokyo Olympics on July 23, just a month away, Japan is preparing to host a Games like no other in history, as it grapples with the coronavirus pandemic.

Although the global situation has improved from a year ago, when the Games were postponed for the first time except for war, flare-ups of the disease worldwide mean organisers must hold the sporting extravaganza under strict rules to limit the spread of the virus.

Here is a look at the circumstances of these unprecedented Olympics, the second time Tokyo has hosted them since 1964.

SPECTATORS

Foreign spectators have been banned, and organisers have put a cap of 50% of venue capacity, up to a maximum of 10,000. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga does not rule out holding the Games without spectators if Tokyo is put back under a state of emergency, from which it emerged on June 21. read more

Shouting will be prohibited, masks will be required and spectators will have to go straight to the venues and then straight home.

PUBLIC OPINION

While recent opinion polls show some shift towards approval for the Games, earlier surveys revealed that 60% to 80% of respondents would have liked them either cancelled or postponed again. A recent survey by broadcaster Asahi News Network found nearly 70% thought the Games would not be held safely and securely.

The Games have already lost meaning and Japan has been "cornered" into pressing ahead, Kaori Yamaguchi, a member of the country's Olympic panel and a judo medallist, wrote in an opinion piece this month.

BUSINESS ATTITUDES

By the end of May, a growing number of investors in Japanese stocks believed that cancelling the Games would be better for the market. At the same time, a Reuters survey found that nearly 70% of businesses also wanted either another postponement or cancellation.

Many sponsors had been uncertain how to proceed with sponsorship events until they knew for certain if spectators would be allowed.

Some business leaders have been even more outspoken. In May, Hiroshi Mikitani, who heads e-commerce giant Rakuten Group Inc, said Japan's low vaccination rate made it a "suicide mission" to host the Games.

MEDICAL SITUATION

Doctors have warned the Games' need for medical staff could pressure a healthcare system already stressed by caring for virus patients, and officials in some areas have said they would not prioritise Olympics-related patients.

Organisers, though, said in late May they had lined up about 80% of the staff needed, with target numbers cut about a third from 10,000 originally.

Organisers are working with 10 hospitals in Tokyo and 20 outside the capital to ensure a swift response to emergencies.

Repeated warnings on the Olympics from the government's top medical adviser, Shigeru Omi, have included remarks to parliament in early June that holding the Games during a pandemic was "not normal".

The World Health Organization said on June 21 it would discuss managing COVID-19 risks with Japanese authorities and the IOC. read more

Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Lincoln Feast.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Link:

Factbox: Tokyo Games in the shadow of coronavirus - Reuters

B-333295

May 28, 2021

The Honorable Ron WydenChairmanThe HonorableRanking Member Mike CrapoCommittee on FinanceUnited States Senate

The Honorable Maxine WatersChairwomanThe Honorable Patrick McHenryRanking MemberCommittee on Financial ServicesHouse of Representatives

Subject: Department of the Treasury: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds

Pursuant to section 801(a)(2)(A) of title 5, United States Code, this is our report on a major rule promulgated by the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) entitled Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (RIN: 1505-AC77). We received the rule on May 15, 2021. It was published in the Federal Register as an interim final rule (IFR) on May 17, 2021. 86 Fed. Reg. 26786. The effective date is May 17, 2021.

According to Treasury, it is issuing this IFR to implement the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund and the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund established under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). Pub. L. No. 117-2, 9901, 135 Stat 4, 223 (Mar. 11, 2021), 42U.S.C. 802 et seq. Treasury stated that section 9901 of ARPA amended title VI of the Social Security Act to add section 602, which establishes the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund, and section 603, which establishes the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (together, the Fiscal Recovery Funds). See generally 42 U.S.C. 801 et seq. Treasury also stated that the Fiscal Recovery Funds are intended to provide support to state, local, and tribal governments (together, recipients) in responding to the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and in their efforts to contain COVID-19 on their communities, residents, and businesses. Treasury stated further that the Fiscal Recovery Funds build on and expand the support provided to these governments over the last year, including through the Coronavirus Relief Fund.

The Congressional Review Act (CRA) requires a 60-day delay in the effective date of a major rule from the date of publication in the Federal Register or receipt of the rule by Congress, whichever is later. 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(3)(A). The 60-day delay in effective date can be waived, however, if the agency finds for good cause that delay is impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary to the public interest, and the agency incorporates a statement of the findings and its reasons in the rule issued. 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B), 808(2). Here, Treasury stated that notice and comment procedures are unnecessary for this IFR and the agency found good cause to waive such procedures under section 553(b)(3)(B) of the Administrative Procedure Act. Treasury notes that the requirements of advance notice and public comment do not apply to the extent that there is involved . . . a matter relating to agency . . . grants. 5 U.S.C. 553(a)(2). According to Treasury this IFR implements statutory conditions on the eligible uses of the Fiscal Recovery Funds grants, and addresses the payment of those funds, the reporting on uses of funds, and potential consequences of ineligible uses. Thus, for the same reason, Treasury stated that there is good cause justification that supports waiver of the 60-day delayed effective date under CRA.

Enclosed is our assessment of Treasurys compliance with the procedural steps required by section 801(a)(1)(B)(i) through (iv) of title 5 with respect to the rule. If you have any questions about this report or wish to contact GAO officials responsible for the evaluation work relating to the subject matter of the rule, please contact Shari Brewster, Assistant General Counsel, at (202) 512-6398.

Shirley A. JonesManaging Associate General Counsel

Enclosure

cc: Heidi Cohen Senior Legal Advisor for Regulatory Affairs Department of the Treasury

ENCLOSURE

REPORT UNDER 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(2)(A) ON A MAJOR RULEISSUED BY THEDEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURYENTITLEDCORONAVIRUS STATE AND LOCAL FISCAL RECOVERY FUNDS(RIN: 1505-AC77)

(i) Cost-benefit analysis

The Department of the Treasury (Treasury) analyzed the benefits and costs of this interim final rule (IFR). According to Treasury this IFR is primarily a transfer rule because it implements the transfer of $350 billion in aid from the federal government to states, territories, tribal governments, and localities, generating a significant macroeconomic effect on the U.S. economy. Treasury believes that this transfer will generate substantial additional economic activity including the channeling of funds to projects that would benefit public health and infrastructure. Treasury asserts that absent such fiscal relief, fiscal austerity among state, local, and tribal governments could exert a prolonged drag on the overall economic recovery, as occurred following the 20072009 recession. Treasury stated that this regulatory action will generate administrative costs relative to the pre-statutory baseline. Treasury also stated that it expects that the administrative burden associated with this program will be moderate for a grant program of its size. Notwithstanding, Treasury stated further that it lacks data to estimate the precise extent to which this IFR generates administrative burden for state, local, and tribal governments, but Treasury is seeking comment to better estimate and account for these costs, as well as on ways to lessen administrative burdens.

(ii) Agency actions relevant to the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA), 5 U.S.C. 603605, 607, and 609

Treasury notes that because this IFR is exempt from the notice and comment requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act, it is not required to conduct a regulatory flexibility analysis.

(iii) Agency actions relevant to sections 202-205 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995, 2 U.S.C. 15321535

In its submission to us, Treasury indicated that it did not conduct an Unfunded Mandates Reform Act analysis.

(iv) Other relevant information or requirements under acts and executive orders

Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. 551 et seq.

Treasury stated that notice and comment procedures are unnecessary for this IFR and the agency found good cause to waive such procedures under sections 553(b)(3)(B) of the Administrative Procedure Act. Here, Treasury notes that the requirements of advance notice and public comment do not apply to the extent that there is involved . . . a matter relating to agency . . . grants. 5 U.S.C. 553(a)(2). According to Treasury, this IFR implements statutory conditions on the eligible uses of the Fiscal Recovery Funds grants, and addresses the payment of those funds, the reporting on uses of funds, and potential consequences of ineligible uses. Treasury stated that it would also have good cause to waive notice and comment and delayed effective date requirements under section 553 due to the urgency of the public health emergency and demonstrated intention of Congress that provisions of the American Rescue Plan Act, Pub. L. 117-2, 135 Stat 4, 223 (Mar. 11, 2021), be implemented expeditiously, as well as the practical need for states to undertake necessary planning.

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 35013520

Treasury determined that there are information collections associated with state, territory, local, and tribal government application materials necessary to receive Fiscal Recovery Funds. Treasury stated that the information collections associated with this IFR have been reviewed and approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) pursuant PRAs emergency processing procedures and assigned OMB Control Number 1505-0271. Treasury also stated that the information collections related to ongoing reporting requirements, as discussed in this IFR, will be submitted to OMB for emergency processing in the near future. Treasury estimated the total burden hours to be from 851,850 to 1,151,850 hours and the total cost to be $41,570,280 to $56,210,280.

Statutory authorization for the rule

Treasury promulgated this IFR pursuant to sections 47014719 of title 12; section 321 of title31; and sections 802805 of title 41, United States Code; and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, Public Law 116-260, 520525, 134 Stat. 1182, 20792090 (Dec. 27, 2020).

Executive Order No. 12866 (Regulatory Planning and Review)

Treasury determined that this IFR is economically significant under the Order. Treasury noted, however, that it is proceeding under the emergency provision of the Order under section 6(a)(3)(D) based on the need to act expeditiously to mitigate the current economic conditions arising from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health emergency. Treasury stated that this IFR has been reviewed by OMB in accordance with the Order. Treasury stated further that this IFR is necessary to implement the American Rescue Plan Act in order to provide economic relief to state, local, and tribal governments adversely impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency. See generally American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Pub. L. 117-2, 9901, 135 Stat 4, 223 (Mar. 11, 2021), 42 U.S.C. 802 et seq.

Executive Order No. 13132 (Federalism)

Treasury stated that this IFR does not have federalism implications within the meaning of the Order and does not impose substantial, direct compliance costs on state, local, and tribal governments or preempt state law within the meaning of the Order.

Read the rest here:

Department of the Treasury: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds - Government Accountability Office