Category: Corona Virus

NEW YORK (AP) Experts are still studying how good COVID-19 vaccines are at preventing people from spreading the virus, but say the risk is low. The current vaccines are highly effective at preventing people from getting seriously sick with COVID-19. But even if vaccinated people dont get sick, they might still get infected with the virus without showing any symptoms. Given the uncertainty, experts say fully vaccinated people should continue to wear masks and social distance in public and when visiting with unvaccinated people at high risk for severe illness if infected.

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Can I still spread the coronavirus after I'm vaccinated? - WBNG-TV

Congressional leaders held a candlelight vigil outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on February 23, 2021 to mark the more than 500,000 U.S. deaths due to the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 was the third leading underlying cause of death in 2020, according to a study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday. Al Drago/Getty Images hide caption

Congressional leaders held a candlelight vigil outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on February 23, 2021 to mark the more than 500,000 U.S. deaths due to the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 was the third leading underlying cause of death in 2020, according to a study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday.

COVID-19 was the third-underlying cause of death in 2020 after heart disease and cancer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on Wednesday.

A pair of reports published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report sheds new light on the approximately 375,000 U.S. deaths attributed to COVID-19 last year, and highlights the pandemic's disproportionate impact on communities of color a point CDC Director Rochelle Walensky emphasized at a White House COVID-19 Response Team briefing on Wednesday.

She said deaths related to COVID-19 were higher among American Indian and Alaskan Native persons, Hispanics, Blacks and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander persons than whites. She added that "among nearly all of these ethnic and racial minority groups, the COVID-19 related deaths were more than double the death rate of non-Hispanic white persons."

"The data should serve again as a catalyst for each of us [to] continue to do our part to drive down cases and reduce the spread of COVID-19, and get people vaccinated as soon as possible," she said.

The reports examine data from U.S. death certificates and the National Vital Statistics System to draw conclusions about the accuracy of the country's mortality surveillance and shifts in mortality trends.

One found that the age-adjusted death rate rose by 15.9% in 2020, its first increase in three years.

Overall death rates were highest among Black and American Indian/Alaska Native people, and higher for elderly people than younger people, according to the report. Age-adjusted death rates were higher among males than females.

COVID-19 was reported as either the underlying cause of death or a contributing cause of death for some 11.3% of U.S. fatalities, and replaced suicide as one of the top 10 leading causes of death.

Similarly, COVID-19 death rates were highest among individuals ages 85 and older, with the age-adjusted death rate higher among males than females. The COVID-19 death rate was highest among Hispanic and American Indian/ Alaska Native people.

Researchers emphasized that these death estimates are provisional, as the final annual mortality data for a given year are typically released 11 months after the year ends. Still, they said early estimates can give researchers and policymakers an early indication of changing trends and other "actionable information."

"These data can guide public health policies and interventions aimed at reducing numbers of deaths that are directly or indirectly associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and among persons most affected, including those who are older, male, or from disproportionately affected racial/ethnic minority groups," they added.

The other study examined 378,048 death certificates from 2020 that listed COVID-19 as a cause of death. Researchers said their findings "support the accuracy of COVID-19 mortality surveillance" using official death certificates, noting the importance of high-quality documentation and countering concerns about deaths being improperly attributed to the pandemic.

Among the death certificates reviewed, just 5.5% listed COVID-19 and no other conditions. Among those that included at least one other condition, 97% had either a co-occurring diagnosis of a "plausible chain-of-event" condition such as pneumonia or respiratory failure, a "significant contributing" condition such as hypertension or diabetes, or both.

"Continued messaging and training for professionals who complete death certificates remains important as the pandemic progresses," researchers said. "Accurate mortality surveillance is critical for understanding the impact of variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and of COVID-19 vaccination and for guiding public health action."

Officials at the Wednesday briefing continued to call on Americans to practice mitigation measures and do their part to keep themselves and others safe, noting that COVID-19 cases continue to rise even as the country's vaccine rollout accelerates.

The 7-day average of new cases is just under 62,000 cases per day, Walensky said, marking a nearly 12% increase from the previous 7-day period. Hospitalizations are also up at about 4,900 admissions per day, she added, with the 7-day average of deaths remaining slightly above 900 per day.

Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist at New York University who served as a COVID-19 adviser on the Biden transition team, told NPR's Morning Edition on Wednesday that she remains concerned about the rate of new infections, even as the country has made considerable progress with its vaccination rollout.

She compared vaccines to a raincoat and an umbrella, noting they provide protection during a rainstorm but not in a hurricane

"And we're really still in a COVID hurricane," Gounder said. "Transmission rates are extremely high. And so even if you've been vaccinated, you really do need to continue to be careful, avoid crowds and wear masks in public."

Read the rest here:

COVID-19 Confirmed As 3rd Leading Cause Of Death In US Last Year : Coronavirus Updates - NPR

Clay County Public Health administrator Kathy McKay says they were expecting this with the change of seasons.

"Some of that has to do with, of course, there's spring break in March and some other gatherings," McKay said.

Looking at North Dakota's active case numbers, the state has just over 1,100 active cases, compared to 683 in the state's first peak in May of 2020.

However, the 14-day rolling average is not as bad at roughly 4.2% now, compared to 5.6% last spring.

Dr. Rich Vetter with Essentia Health says it's safe to say we're in the third wave, but we have yet to reach its peak.

"The trend line is ticking up still; it hasn't really plateaued," Vetter said.

He says it's difficult to tell how high this third wave could get, but he does not believe it will get as bad as the record-setting second peak the state saw last fall.

The vaccine is proving to be effective against serious COVID-19 infections, so there is hope there will be fewer hospitalizations during this latest wave.

"Typically the case numbers go up first and then the hospitalizations come later," Vetter said. "We're hoping that as we've tried to vaccinate as many of those high-risk people as possible, that the people who are contracting are the younger, healthier folks who hopefully won't need hospitalization."

Still, they encourage younger and healthier people to get the shot and for everyone to take the usual pandemic precautions.

"Mask up, keep your social distance and get the vaccine when you can because this virus is not going to wait, it's still circulating," McKay said.

More:

Region may be experiencing third wave of coronavirus infections | INFORUM - INFORUM

Another reminder that the pandemic isn't over arrived Wednesday, when Champaign County saw its active case count rise by 34, the UI campus reported a second straight day of 22 positive tests and Carle Urbana checked in another new COVID patient.

"We have to stay the course, because we are not out of this yet," C-U Public Health Administrator Julie Pryde said Wednesday night. "While we have vaccinations, and are getting them out as fast as possible, we still only have about 28 percent of our county fully vaccinated. That is how many are protected; everyone else is susceptible to infection.

"We have the B117 variant in our community. It is more infectious, and it is causing more serious illness in younger individuals. Everyone needs to continue the tough work of masking and distancing. It is also important to get the first vaccine that you have access to."

Of 8,173 new tests, 49 came back positive Wednesday in Champaign County, bringing its pandemic total to 18,978.

Active cases increased by 34, to 323, while hospitalizations rose by two, to 12.

Active close contacts in quarantine now total 482, up by 24 overnight.

Heres an updated rundown of county ZIP codes with active cases, according to health district data:

Here's a breakdown of Champaign County positive tests by age group over the course of the pandemic:

Here's a breakdown of COVID deaths by age group over the course of the pandemic:

The countys pandemic totals, according to the health district:

As new case totals ticked upwards statewide, only two of the area's eight counties saw their seven-day positivity rates decrease Wednesday Champaign and Iroquois:

Note: Champaign County's rate, as calculated by the Illinois Department of Public Health, excludes the UI's daily saliva testing. The county's rate if UI testing were included: 0.6 percent, unchanged overnight.

Twenty-two cases emerged from 8,688 tests Tuesday on the UI campus, according to data updated Wednesday.

That makes back-to-back 22-case days, tying for the second-highest day of March. Only on March 8, when the campus reported 23 new cases, was higher.

The campus' seven-day positivity rate rose slightly, from 0.12 to 0.15 percent. The total number of cases throughout the pandemic now stands at 6,409.

Over the past week, the campus has reported 82 positive tests 54 involving undergrads, nine faculty/staff members, nine grad students and 10 classified as "other."

Heres a daily breakdown of tests and unique cases on campus since March 1:

Two of the 17 COVID patients hospitalized in Urbana is in intensive care, according to data updated Wednesday by Carle Health.

In all, 35 patients with COVID-19 were hospitalized in Carle's five facilities in the region (an increase of two overnight), with six of those in ICU (also up by two).

Carles BroMenn Medical Center in Bloomington had 15 COVID patients, with four in ICU.

Carle's Eureka Hospital, Hoopeston Regional Health Center and Richland Memorial Hospital all had one COVID patient apiece.

Below is an overview of daily totals since March 1 for Carles Urbana and Bloomington hospitals.

Since March 2020, 1,450 COVID patients have been discharged from Carle facilities and 302 hospitalized patients have died.

Follow this link:

Wednesday's coronavirus updates: 'We have the B117 variant in our community. It is more infectious, and it is causing more serious illness in younger...

The CDC now says that the UK variant accounts for 26 percent of COVID-19 cases in the U.S.

It is now looking like the UK variant of COVID-19is the predominant strain in many parts of the U.S., so what does that mean?

Lets connect the dots.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now says that the UK variant accounts for 26 percent of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. The variant, which was first discovered in the United Kingdom in September, did not appear in the U.S. until the very end of December. Now it is the predominant strain in at least five regions -- with Florida having the most confirmed cases.

This new data is not exactly shocking for health officials. The UK variant is believed to be much more contagious than the original virus with some estimating it is 50 to 90 percent more transmissible.

Now research in the British Medical Journal has found the UK variant comes with a greater risk of death. Something researchers had suspected but were waiting on the data.

Now U.S. health officials are in a race between vaccines and this variant.

If we can get herd immunity against coronavirus it can slow the spread of the UK variant, even if it is more contagious and potentially more deadly.

Some experts are now predicting that could happen by summertime.

Read more here:

UK COVID variant is now the predominant strain in many parts of the country | Connect the Dots - KHOU.com

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Countries in the Americas could see a worse surge in coronavirus cases than the previous surge last year, with Brazil, Uruguay and Cuba already suffering more, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Wednesday.

FILE PHOTO: A traveller has her temperature checked at the Jose Marti International Airport amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Havana, Cuba, November 15, 2020. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

Director Carissa Etienne said the end of the Southern Hemisphere summer, following holidays where people grouped together and spread cases, had prompted spikes. She urged citizens to stay at home and governments to think hard before lowering movement restrictions.

So far this year, over 19.7 million COVID cases and 475,000 related deaths have been reported in the Americas, she said.

Vaccines are rolling out - 124 million people have received one dose and 58 million have received two, PAHO said.

More have begun to arrive through the COVAX vaccines alliance, a total of 2.5 million in the past 30 days, with all countries in the region to receive some COVAX doses in the next week, according to PAHO assistant director Jarbas Barbosa.

Vaccine supply continues to be our greatest challenge, admitted Etienne, saying the organisation was scouring the globe for more supply, asking countries to hand over surpluses.

There have been far too many examples of vaccine nationalism, she said.

The current system is hard-wired for inequity and that is not acceptable, Etienne said.

At present Brazil, Peru, Chile, and Paraguay are reporting the highest COVID-related death rates, and the recent influx in cases is overwhelming hospitals, PAHO said.

At least one of the three COVID variants of concern have been identified in 32 regional countries, with Brazils P1 in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, the United States, Canada and Mexico.

PAHO is still studying variants impact, it said, but the incident manager Dr Sylvain Aldighieri noted reports from Brazil that young adults were filling hospital intensive care in higher numbers than in 2020.

The P1 variant is clearly contributing to the spread of cases in Brazil, he added.

Reporting by Aislinn Laing, Editing by Franklin Paul and Marguerita Choy

See the article here:

Coronavirus surge could be worse than the last for the Americas: PAHO - Reuters

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA/AP) Now that Florida is making coronavirus shots available to people age 40 and up, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis says hes going to get his vaccine.

DeSantis, 42, will join about 6 million people in Florida who have already received at least the first dose of a vaccine.

DeSantis said at a news conference Wednesday he will get the shot sometime this week, but he didnt say where or when or if hell do so in front of media.

Im not sure were going to do it on camera, well see. If you guys want a gun show, maybe we can do it, but probably better off not, DeSantis said at a news conference. We will let you know when I get the jab.

Florida will open vaccines to anyone who wants them beginning Monday.

Overall, Florida has had nearly 2.1 million confirmed cases of coronavirus resulting in about 34,000 deaths.

See original here:

Gov. DeSantis to get COVID-19 vaccine this week - WFLA

Michigans coronavirus numbers are now at their highest point in 2021.

When you see that Michigan is the second-highest state in the country right now for coronavirus cases, its a gut punch, said Melissa Samuel, CEO of the Health Care Association of Michigan.

Its a surge with some unique characteristics. Below is a look at the geographic areas where the outbreaks are most severe and the age groups most impacted.

Here are the trendlines in recent weeks.

Highest case numbers are among younger adults

Young adults in their 20s have had the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in the past three weeks and the surge in that age group was been particularly apparent in the past week.

Were definitely seeing the impact of St. Patricks Day, said Emily Toth Martin, a University of Michigan epidemiologist.

Source: Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

Twenty-somethings accounted for 10,842 new cases since March 5, and more than half of those have been reported since the weekend after St. Pats Day.

The chart below looks at the numbers for three seven-day periods from Saturday through Friday. These are not cumulative totals, but the numbers of new cases reported during each seven-day period.

Source: Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

Also significant is the rise in cases among people under 20.

In the past three weeks, people under age 20 have accounted for 21% of new cases compared to 13% during the first year of the pandemic. Daily average case rates since March 5 are up 195% for children under 10 and 205% for ages 10-19 compared to the average for the previous year.

Experts attribute the increase to the reopening of schools and resumption of school sports, but say classrooms and sports field themselves may not necessarily be the source of infection. Rather, it could be the activities around school, such as athletes and their families eating together after a competition.

On Friday, Ann Arbor Public Schools has paused all spring sports after a recent surge in COVID-19 cases involving student-athletes has resulted in more than 150 quarantined or paused from participation.

This is an important time to remind families of the importance of limiting socializing outside of your household unit, said Paul DeAngelis, the districts executive director for high school education. While COVID-19 protocols have been followed carefully on school campuses, we are aware that off-campus socializing has contributed to some student-athlete cases.

Ann Arbor Public Schools pauses spring sports after surge in COVID-19 cases

Also significant is the much slower rise in cases among those 70 and older, an age group much more likely to be vaccinated. In the first year of the pandemic, Michiganders 70 and older accounted for 12% of cases on average. Thats plummeted to 4% in recent weeks.

The proportion of cases involving patients in their 60s also has dropped, from 12% during the first year of the pandemic to 9% in recent weeks.

Geographically, worst outbreaks are in the Thumb and stretch of northern Michigan

The top 10 counties in per-capita case counts since March 1, in order: Huron, Missaukee, Sanilac, Wexford, St. Clair, Otsego, Lapeer, Macomb, Tuscola and Roscommon.

Huron, Sanilac, St. Clair, Lapeer and Tuscola are in the Thumb region and adjoin Macomb County.

Missaukee, Wexford, Otsego and Roscommon are in the northern Lower Peninsula and include the cities of Cadillac, Grayling and McBain.

Below is a map that shows per-capita case rates so far for the month of March. You can put your cursor over a county to see the underlying data. (Cant see them map? Click here.)

Those top two regions are among the most politically conservative in the state. In the 2021 election, 76% of Missaukee voters backed Donald Trump, the highest percentage in the state.

On average, 67% in those four northern Michigan counties voted for Trump, the same average who backed Trump in the Thumb region.

Macomb, which is Michigans third-most populated county, is easily most conservative of the three metro Detroit counties, which also include Wayne and Oakland. About 53% of Macomb voters backed Trump in 2021.

However, the correlation between partisanship and case counts tends to fall apart outside of the highest-ranked counties.

Washtenaw, Michigans most liberal county and home of University of Michigan, ranks 48th among the 83 counties in new case counts during March, and Wayne, the second-most liberal, ranks 26th.

The bottom 10 counties in new case counts: Iron, Alger, Luce, Baraga, Menominee, Schoolcraft, Dickinson, Marquette, all in the Upper Pennisula, and Ogemaw and Gratiot in the northeast Lower Peninsula.

In raw numbers, metro Detroit -- Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, which have 39% of the states population - account for 44% of the new cases this month.

Thumb region has highest increase in positivity rates

Huron and Sanilac counties, both in the Thumb, rank No. 1 and 2 in percentile increases in positivity rates on coronavirus diagnostic tests so far in the month of March.

And Tuscola, Lapeer and St. Clair, which also are in that region also rank in the top 10, along with Macomb, Otsego, Oscoda, Crawford and Wexford.

Five counties -- all in the Upper Peninsula -- have seen their positivity rates drop this month: Delta, Schoolcraft, Luce, Baraga and Keweenaw.

The map below is shaded by changes in seven-day average positivity rates on March 1 compared to March 26. That shows us where case rates have increased the fastest. (Cant see the map? Click here.)

Hospitalization rate highest in southwest Michigan

On Friday, 1,940 people were hospitalized in Michigan for COVID-19, up from 824 on March 1.

The number in intensive care units has increased from 195 to 394 during that time.

Southwest Michigan has the highest per-capita rate of hospitalizations, although metro Detroit easily has the highest raw numbers.

The breakdown of hospitalizations as of Friday by region:

Meanwhile, the Michigan Health and Hospital Association says the age composition of COVID-19 patients has shifted, with a higher proportion of younger adults in hospitals. That reflects the success of widespread vaccination among senior citizens.

The graphic below shows the age breakdown for new COVID-19 hospital admissions on Thursday, March 25, compared to the surge this past fall/winter.

Chart courtesy of Michigan Health & Hospital Association.

Too soon to know impact on death count

The state has reported 492 deaths so far in March compared to 925 in February.

However, deaths are a lagging factor when it comes to coronavirus metrics. It takes several weeks after an increase in cases to see an increase in deaths, and a month or two to know the full impact of a surge on the death count.

Deaths were trending down for the first half of March. But in the last 10 days, the seven-day average number of deaths reported daily has increased from 15 to 22. Considering the spike in hospitalizations last week, that daily average is likely to rise.

Still, age is the biggest risk factor for dying of coronavirus, and almost two-thirds of people age 65 and over have had at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Health experts are hopeful that high vaccination rate will blunt the increase in deaths from this surge.

Read more on MLive:

Michigans COVID-19 numbers increasing at troubling pace. Whats going on?

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When congregations cant congregate: Pandemic forces Michiganders to rethink church

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COVID-19 cases in Michigan nursing homes drop 96%, deaths drop 99% since late December

Here is the original post:

Who and where Michigans coronavirus surge is hitting hardest - MLive.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio - With the sharp winter decline in Ohio coronavirus cases over, there has been a spring uptick - with newly reported cases up about 10% in the last week.

The Ohio Department of Health through Monday has now reported 1,013,119 coronavirus cases, 52,817 hospitalizations and 18,526 deaths.

This includes 11,925 newly reported cases in the last week.

Vaccinations, meanwhile, have sharply increased with 35% of the states 16 and older population now having received at least one shot.

Heres a closer look at the latest trends.

Newly reported coronavirus cases in Ohio have edged up in March after months' of declines.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

A total of 963 coronavirus patients were reported in Ohio hospitals on Monday. Though marking a significant improvement from a few months ago - there were a record 5,308 patients Dec. 15 - there has been little change this month.

The patient count has stayed within a range of 823 to 963 since March 5, according to daily surveys by the Ohio Hospital Association. The number is up from 854 a week ago.

Among Mondays patients were 251 in intensive care units, up from 224 a week ago. The high was 1,318 on Dec. 15.

As vaccines started, with initial targeting of older Ohioans, younger people have made up a larger share of the hospitalizations. In January, those age 70 and older accounted for 49% of the admissions. In March, this age group accounts for 32%.

About 33% of the states hospital beds were vacant Monday, as well as 33% of the ICU beds - little change over recent weeks.

Coronavirus hospitalizations in Ohio remain above early fall levels.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

The state reported starting vaccines for 454,155, people in the last week, up from 431,824, 393,144, 309,434 and 236,727 and the previous four weeks.

The 3,276,391 vaccinations started through reporting on Monday means about 35% of Ohios population age 16 and up has received at least one shot. Younger people are not approved to receive vaccines.

These are estimates in part because the Ohio data for vaccines includes some people from other states such as those who work in Ohio - at least 78,931 so far - yet some Ohioans may have received vaccinations in other states.

Ohio reported an average of 1,704 cases a day in the last week.

This compares with averages of 1,551, 1,516, 1,550, 1,928, 2,016, 2,732, 3,295, 4,346 and 5,370 the last several weeks, and down from close to 6,700 a day at the end of December.

The counties with the most cases are Ohios three largest counties - Franklin (117,227 cases), Cuyahoga (101,402) and Hamilton (76,137). Case rates per 100 residents, hospitalizations and deaths for every county in Ohio can be found in the chart at the bottom of this story.

Here are the number of coronavirus cases reported in Ohio by day over the last three weeks.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

The state has now reported 18,526 deaths caused by the coronavirus, though the total likely is an undercount by hundreds, if not thousands.

The Ohio Department of Health announced on March 2 that it was dropping efforts to track deaths in a timely manner, saying the change would delay death reporting by up to six months in some cases. The health department is now awaiting details from the federal Centers for Disease Controls for all deaths, and updates are now being made just twice a week.

Illustrating how far the paperwork now lags, the state is not yet reporting any deaths that occurred in the last week, and just 20 since mid-March.

To date, the state has reported 205 deaths in March, 1,260 in February, 3,616 in January and 5,442 in December.

The counties for which the most deaths have been reported are Cuyahoga (1,991), Franklin (1,316) and Hamilton (1,142).

Among the dead are at least 7,055 patients of nursing homes and other long-term facilities statewide, according to the the states last update on Wednesday. This was down from 7,462 earlier this month, as the state removed hundreds of deaths in changing the way fatalities are reported. Most of these will be added back later once the paperwork is processed by the CDC.

Though death reporting by the Ohio Department of Health lags by months, it appears December was the deadliest month.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

Three-in-four of the deaths have been to people age 70 and older, breaking down this way: under age 20 (5), in their 20s (22), in their 30s (93), in their 40s (251), in their 50s (903), in their 60s (2,641), in their 70s (4,977) and at least 80 years old (9,634).

Those age 80 and up have accounted for 52% of the known coronavirus deaths, in comparison to 44% of all known Ohio deaths in 2018. Those in their 70s have accounted for 27% of the coronavirus deaths, in comparison to 21% of all Ohio deaths in 2018 ahead of the virus.

But for hospitalizations, the cases are more spread out age-wise: under age 20 (1,273), in their 20s (2,064), in their 30s (2,707), in their 40s (4,134), in their 50s (7,540), in their 60s (11,357), in their 70s (12,486) and at least 80 years old (11,256).

For the deaths in which race was reported, 86% of the people are white, and 12% are Black. For total cases, 75% are white and 13% Black.

Ohios overall population is 82% white and 13% Black. But among Ohioans at least 70 years old - the age group accounting for three-quarters of the deaths - Ohio is 89% white and 9% Black.

Here are the number of Ohio coronavirus hospitalizations and deaths by age group.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

The first three cases were confirmed on March 9. The total topped 100,000 on Aug. 9, 250,000 on Nov. 8, 500,000 on Dec. 8, and 1 million on March 22.

Among the cases reported to date are 153,696 listed as probable, those cases included by a wider variety of tests or identified through non-testing evidence. This total is up from 149,946 last week.

The state reported 10,938,593 tests to date, including 214,267 in the last week, in comparison to 216,174 the previous week.

The chart below is based on the most recent case data from the Ohio Department of Health. Cleveland.com calculated the cases per 100 rates based on 2019 census population estimates.

Rich Exner, data analysis editor for cleveland.com, writes about numbers on a variety of topics. Follow on Twitter @RichExner. See other data-related stories at cleveland.com/datacentral.

Some mobile users may have to use this link instead to see the county-by-county details in the chart above.

Previous coverage

See case rates by ZIP code

See coronavirus cases by day for each Ohio county, including per capita and cases in last seven days

Ohio deaths in 2020 increased by nearly 20,000, latest data shows

Ohio reports 34 coronavirus cases to vaccinated individuals among 400,000 cases statewide since shots began

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Ohio coronavirus cases up 10% in last week; see trends, update, including the percent vaccinated by county - cleveland.com

News6 p.m. New vaccination site will be dedicated to essential union workers A woman receives a Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine from registered nurse Gina Reed at a vaccination center established at the Hilton Chicago OHare Airport Hotel in Chicago, Illinois, on March 5, 2021. Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday announced a new vaccination site in partnership with the Chicago Federation of Labor that will help get doses of COVID-19 vaccine into the arms of essential union workers.

The announcement on Monday comes as the city expands eligibility requirements to whats called Phase 1C. That expansion includes residents ages 16 to 64 with underlying medical conditions, such as chronic kidney disease or cancer.

It also will allow the vaccination of other essential workers who had not previously been eligible.

You all know this, but it bears repeating. Chicago is 100 percent a union town, the mayor said in making the announcement at the vaccination site, the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 399, 2260 S. Grove St.

Its our union workers who make up the backbone of this city.

The vaccination site is at the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 399, 2260 S. Grove St. It is believed to be the first site in the nation run by the labor movement.

Read Manny Ramos full story here.

An Associated Press analysis of state data reveals that the coronavirus pandemic has ripped away several systemic safety nets for millions of Americans. It found that child abuse reports, investigations, substantiated allegations and interventions have dropped at a staggering rate, increasing risks for the most vulnerable of families in the U.S.

In the APs analysis, it found more than 400,000 fewer child welfare concerns reported during the pandemic and 200,000 fewer child abuse and neglect investigations and assessments compared with the same time period of 2019. That represents a national total decrease of 18% in both total reports and investigations.

The AP requested public records from all 50 state child welfare agencies and analyzed more than a dozen indicators in 36 states, though not every state supplied data for total reports or investigations. The analysis compared the first nine months of the pandemic March to November 2020 with the same time period from the two previous years.

And there are signs in a number of states that suggest officials are dealing with more urgent and complex cases during the pandemic, according to the analysis, though most child welfare agencies didnt provide AP thorough data on severity.

A loss in reports means greater potential for harm because there has not all of the sudden been a cure for child abuse and neglect, said Amy Harfeld, an expert in child abuse deaths with the Childrens Advocacy Institute.

Keep reading this story here.

The U.S governments first look at the real-world use of COVID-19 vaccines found their effectiveness was nearly as robust as it was in controlled studies.

The two vaccines available since December Pfizer and Moderna were 90% effective after two doses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Monday. In testing, the vaccines were about 95% effective in preventing COVID-19.

This is very reassuring news, said the CDCs Mark Thompson, the studys lead author. We have a vaccine thats working very well.

The study is the governments first assessment of how the shots have been working beyond the drugmakers initial experiments. Results can sometimes change when vaccines are used in larger, more diverse populations outside studies.

Read the full story here.

A joint WHO-China study on the origins of COVID-19 says that transmission of the virus from bats to humans through another animal is the most likely scenario and that a lab leak is extremely unlikely, according to a draft copy obtained by The Associated Press.

The findings offer little new insight into how the virus first emerged and leave many questions unanswered, though that was as expected. But the report does provide more detail on the reasoning behind the researchers conclusions. The team proposed further research in every area except the lab leak hypothesis.

The report, which is expected to be made public Tuesday, is being closely watched since discovering the origins of the virus could help scientists prevent future pandemics but its also extremely sensitive since China bristles at any suggestion that it is to blame for the current one. Repeated delays in the reports release have raised questions about whether the Chinese side was trying to skew its conclusions.

Weve got real concerns about the methodology and the process that went into that report, including the fact that the government in Beijing apparently helped to write it, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a recent CNN interview. China rejected that criticism Monday.

Read the full Associated Press story here.

If a cruise ship had been quarantined in the early days of a pandemic a generation ago, wed have only still photographs and perhaps some choppy and grainy videotape recording of events as they played out in real time.

But when the Diamond Princess liner was put on quarantine in February of 2020 with some 2,666 passengers and 1,045 crew members aboard, just about everyone had a cell phone handy and recorded untold hours of video and select footage from a number of those passengers and ship employees is utilized by director Hannah Olson in the compelling if incomplete-feeling documentary The Last Cruise, premiering Tuesday on HBO.

Spanning just 40 minutes, The Last Cruise opens with title cards explaining the Diamond Princess set sail from Japan on Jan. 20, 2020, when only a few cases of the coronavirus had been reported worldwide. It certainly wasnt a concern for the passengers and crew of the Diamond Princess, as evidenced by the home video we see at the outset of the story.

Keep reading Richard Roepers review of The Last Cruise here.

Read the original here:

Coronavirus live blog, March 29, 2021: New vaccination site will help get doses to essential union workers - Chicago Sun-Times