Category: Corona Virus

Good Morning farm country. Davis Michaelsen here with your morning update for Wednesday, March3. From Pro Farmers First Thing Today, these are some of the stories we are watching this morning:

Corn futures faced pressure through the overnight session and the market is down 1 to 5cents, with old-crop contracts leading the decline. Soybean futures are a penny higher in the front-month but 2 to 5 cents lower in deferred contracts. SRW wheat futures are down 5 to 6 cents, while HRW and HRS wheat futures are posting losses more in the 1 to 3cent area. Crude oil futures are pushing to the upside, while the U.S. dollar index is posting modest gains.

Chinese soybean futures on the Dalian Commodity Exchange shot more than 3% higher to another record-high on Wednesday, the second record-breaking move this week. Rising prices for edible oil and expectations for delayed arrivals of Brazilian soybeans have lifted the market.

The Senate today will begin its long floor process on the latest coronavirus/stimulus aid bill. The chamber will have another late-night vote-a-rama, potentially on Thursday, on amendments to the bill. Senate Democrats hope to pass the bill by the end of the week.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday said that the U.S. will now have enough Covid-19 vaccines for every adult by the end of May and that the government will start a new program aimed at vaccinating all teachers by the end of March.

Senate Finance Committee members are frustrated with the administration of Mexican President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador as seen in a set of written questions for USTR nominee Katherine Tai. At least nine members of the committee raised concerns about recent Mexican government actions that threaten U.S. farm exports and energy trade.

House Democrats have unveiled an expansive climate bill. The measure would zero out domestic greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The 981-page draft bill would set a U.S. goal to reduce greenhouse emissions by at least 50%, from 2005 levels, by 2030 it calls for a federal clean energy standard that sets an interim goal of 80% clean electricity by 2030 and 100% by 2035.

African swine fever (ASF) has been detected in piglets being illegally transported through Chinas Yunnan province, the countrys ag ministry reported. Six of the 36 piglets involved had died and another six were sick. This comes at a time when concern about another wave of the virus is rising.

Boxed beef values dropped on Tuesday, narrowing the spread between the grades. Movement picked up a bit to 112 loads. The sharp price retreat adds to ideas the product market has likely topped.

Nearby lean hog contracts sustained heavy losses Tuesday, a signal that a deeper correction may lie ahead, with the front-month violating uptrending support drawn off the lows since mid-January. But strength in the product and cash market could also help to stem the selling.

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Pro Farmer's First Thing Today: Coronavirus Aid Bill, Vaccine Supply Update and More - Agweb Powered by Farm Journal

BISMARCK North Dakota surpassed a total of 100,000 positive COVID-19 tests Wednesday, March 3, according to figures released by the state Department of Health.

That means that more than 13% of the state has registered a confirmed case of the virus since the pandemic began.

But even as Wednesday represented a benchmark, public health experts have long projected that there have been many more undocumented cases of COVID-19 in the state. One study by Columbia University researchers released in January even suggested that North Dakota's fall surge pushed infections to more than 60% of the population, a figure that would put the state close to herd immunity.

Public health officials have also celebrated a remarkable turnaround in North Dakota's virus outbreak in the last few months. Case numbers entered a sharp decline after a peak in mid-November. With case numbers now hovering in the high 500s and low 600s, North Dakota's virus levels are at their lowest point since last July.

And though the drivers of North Dakota's sharp reversal last fall have been debated in both political and public health circles, Dr. Paul Carson, a infectious disease specialist at North Dakota State University, noted in December that spread of the virus through much of the state's more risk-inclined population may mean that there have been many fewer people left for it to infect.

Following are the North Dakota Department of Health COVID-19 case rates, deaths, hospitalizations and vaccinations as of Wednesday. Because all data is preliminary, some numbers and totals may change from one day to the next.

North Dakota's active case count increased by 29 on Wednesday. Cass County reported 16 positive cases, while Burleigh County reported 12 additional cases.

ACTIVE HOSPITALIZATIONS: 20

DEATHS, NEWLY REPORTED: 1

TOTAL DEATHS: 1,448

The Department of Health reported the death of one Ward County man in his 70s.

FIRST DOSE ADMINISTERED: 137,039 (18.7% of the population)

COMPLETED SERIES (2 DOSES): 77,797 (10.6% of the population)

North Dakota continues to rank among the top states in the country in the vaccine rollout. A total of 232,079 shots have been administered to North Dakotans, and 91% of the doses received by the state have been administered. The Department of Health urges residents to seek more information at http://www.health.nd.gov/covidvaccinelocator.

As a public service, weve opened this article to everyone regardless of subscription status. If this coverage is important to you, please consider supporting local journalism by clicking on the subscribe button in the upper righthand corner of the homepage.

Readers can reach reporter Adam Willis, a Report for America corps member, at awillis@forumcomm.com.

Excerpt from:

Over 100,000 North Dakotans have had a confirmed case of COVID-19 | INFORUM - INFORUM

News that the governor of Texas, Republican Greg Abbott, would lift the states face-mask mandate and allow businesses to fully reopen on March 10 was met with a wave of alarm on Wednesday, as health officials warned that the U.S. is not out of the woods, even as the vaccine program looked set to get a needed boost.

Abbott announced the news in a tweet that was immediately greeted with dismay.

Gilberto Hinojosa, chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, said the move was extraordinarily dangerous and will kill Texans.

This will set us back, not move us forward.

Our countrys infectious-disease specialists have warned that we should not put our guard down even as we make progress towards vaccinations. Abbott doesnt care, Hinojosa said in a statement.

[O]pening Texas prematurely will only lead to faster COVID spread, more sickness and overcrowding in our hospitals, and unnecessary deaths. There is no economic recovery without beating the coronavirus pandemic. This will set us back, not move us forward, said the statement.

Texas has the third highest number of deaths after California and New York at 44,353, according to a New York Times Tracker. The Lone Star State has had 2.7 million confirmed cases of COVID since the start of the pandemic, the tracker shows. Just 13% of the states population has received at least one vaccine jab so far, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and just 6.8% of the states population has received two doses.

Dr. Irwin Redlener, a pediatrician who is head of theColumbia University National Center for Disaster Preparedness, said he was mortified and disgusted by the Texas move, which he called completely reckless.

If we dont have consistent policies around mass business openings, school openings, that means that theres going to be hideaways for the virus to start replicating even quicker, and that will spread to other communities that are being more responsible, Redlener told Sirius XM Doctor Radio Reports. So its not only reckless for the citizens of Texas; its reckless for all of us. So that will retard our ability to get this pandemic under control in America.

Dr. Lauren Ancel Meyers, a professor of integrative biology and director of the University of Texas COVID-19 Modeling Consortium, agreed. The fact that things are headed in the right direction doesnt mean we have succeeded in eradicating the risk, she said, as the Associated Press reported.

She said the recentdeadly winter freeze in Texasthat left millions of people without power forcing families to shelter closely with others who still had heat could have amplified transmission of the virus, although it remains too early to tell. Masks, she said, are one of the most effective strategies to curb the spread.

Companies responded to Abbotts move by saying they would continue to require customers and employees to wear face masks. Retailers Target Corp. TGT, +0.07% and Macys Inc. M, +4.14% said they would continue to do so, according to Reuters, while General Motors GM, -2.66% and Toyota TM, -0.25% 7203, -0.61% said they would stick with a face mask mandate for workers, the New York Times reported.

Kroger Co. also responded by saying it will continue to require its shoppers in Texas to wear face masks, as MarketWatchs Tonya Garcia reported.

To ensure the continued safety of our customers and associates, the Kroger Family of Companies will continue to require everyone in our stores across the country to wear masks until all our frontline grocery associates can receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the grocer said in a statement.

See: As governor reopens Texas, HPE says it will remain cautious

Local businesses got in on the act, too.

The news came as the head of the CDC continues to warn that a recent decline in U.S. case numbers has stalled at a level close to 70,000 new cases a day and about 2,000 deaths, as new variants that are far more infectious than the original virus circulate.

Just because were not getting 4,200 fatalities in a day were quote-unquote only getting 2,000 fatalities a day thats still horrible, really horrible, said Redlener. So we should not minimize where we are or somehow say, now were at a place where we can get back to normal. We cannot.

The U.S. continues to lead the world by case numbers and fatalities. With just 4% of the global population, the U.S. accounts for 28.7 million of the global case tally of 114.8 million, or about 25%. It has suffered 517,833 fatalities, or about 20% of the global toll of 2.55 million.

The news overshadowed President Joe Bidens announcement Tuesday that the White House is expecting to take delivery of enough coronavirus vaccine for all adults by the end of May two months earlier than anticipated.

Biden said supply would be greatly boosted by the news that Merck MRK, +0.62% will help produce rival Johnson & Johnsons JNJ, -1.76% newly authorized one-shot vaccine, likening the partnership between the two drug companies to the spirit of national cooperation during World War II.

For more, see: U.S. Covid vaccine supply to be boosted by Merck helping make J&J vaccine

Biden also cautioned against a rush to return to life as it was before the virus hit, echoing the concerns of his governments health experts.

The U.S. government stopped a clinical trial evaluating convalescent plasma as a treatment for people with mild to moderate forms of COVID-19, saying the experimental treatment likely has no benefit to these patients, MarketWatchs Jaimy Lee reported. Convalescent plasma is blood plasma gathered from people who have recovered from COVID-19; that plasma, which carries COVID-19 antibodies, is then given to people who are currently sick to help them recover from the disease. In this particular trial, the plasma was given to patients with at least one comorbidity who came to emergency rooms with mild or moderate symptoms of COVID-19. The NIH said that more than 100,000 people in the U.S. have been treated with convalescent plasma during the pandemic.

Country music legend Dolly Parton received her first shot of Modernas COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, quipping she got a dose of her own medicine, MarketWatchs Mike Murphy reported. Partondonated $1 million to COVID-19 researchat Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., last year, which in turn helped the development of Modernas coronavirus vaccine. Im so excited. Ive been waiting a while, Parton, 75, said in a video posted Tuesday on social media. Im old enough to get it, and Im smart enough to get it.

A COVID testing center in the Netherlands was hit by an attempted bombing attack early Wednesday, according to Dutch media reports. The blast at a center in the town of Bovenkarspel, about 40 miles north of Amsterdam, blew out windows. The Netherlands has been hit with a wave of protests against a nationwide curfew that was imposed in January amid a wave of new cases.

New York will allow weddings of up to 150 people starting March 15, but with safety rules that include socially distanced dance zones, the Guardian reported. The move comes even as health experts fret about a new variant of the virus that has been uncovered in New York City that is more infectious than the original virus. All attendees must show proof of a negative PCR test within 72 hours of a wedding, or show proof of a negative rapid test within six hours of the event.

Slovakia has become the latest country to impose a curfew in an effort to contain one of the worlds highest mortality rates, AFP reported. Slovaks will be asked to stay home from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., according to a government decree. The country of 5.4 million has the worlds highest rate of COVID deaths at 24 per 100,000 people, according to an AFP tally. In the neighboring Czech Republic, enforcement is being stepped up to restrict movement by people among the countrys districts.

Japan is considering a two-week extension of a state of emergency in the Tokyo area due to continuing pressure on the medical system from COVID-19 cases, Reuters reported. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will hold an advisory board meeting on Friday to decide on extending the emergency beyond the March 7 deadline. Suga said a shortage of beds in the capital region and a slow decline in infections prompted him to consider the move.

Read now: Money pressures from COVID-19 may finally push hospitals to stop wasting billions of dollars

Almost 65 million people have recovered from COVID-19, the Johns Hopkins data shows.

Brazil has the second highest death toll at 257,361 and is third by cases at 10.6 million.

India is second worldwide in cases with 11.1 million, and fourth in deaths at 157,346.

Mexico has the third highest death toll at 187,187 and 13th highest case tally at 2.1 million.

The U.K. has 4.2 million cases and 123,530 deaths, the highest in Europe and fifth highest in the world.

China,where the virus was first discovered late last year,has had 101,027 confirmed cases and 4,836 deaths, according to its official numbers.

The U.S. private sector added jobs in February at a slower pace than in the prior month, according to theADP National Employment Report released Wednesday.

Private-sector payrolls expanded by 117,000 jobs in February after adding a revised 195,000 in the prior month, MarketWatchs Greg Robb reported. This was a larger job gain in January than the initial estimate of an increase of 174,000.

Economists polled by the Wall Street Journal forecast a gain of 225,000 private sector jobs in February. The ADP report is produced with Moodys Analytics.

Overall, this report left cause for concern as the recovery remains tepid in the labor market, said T.J. Connelly, head of research at Contingent Macro.

Separately, the huge services side of the U.S. economy grew more slowly in February as businesses ran into shortages or delays in obtaining key materials, MarketWatchs Jeffry Bartash reported.

A survey of top business leaders at companies such as banks, hospitals and home builders slipped to a nine-month low of 55.3% last month from a two-year high of 58.7% in January, the Institute for Supply Management said Wednesday.

Readings above 50% signals that businesses are expanding, and numbers above 55% are usually a sign of broad strength.

The Federal Reserve will release its Beige Book report on economic conditions at 2 p.m. Eastern time.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.39% was up early Wednesday, while the S&P 500 SPX, -1.31% was down 0.5%.

More:

Expert 'mortified and disgusted' by Texas reopening plan; it 'will kill Texans,' says top Democrat - MarketWatch

Another two Mainers have died as health officials on Wednesday reported 147 more coronavirus cases across the state.

The number of coronavirus cases diagnosed in the past 14 days statewide is 2,219. This is an estimation of the current number of active cases in the state, as the Maine CDC is no longer tracking recoveries for all patients. Thats up from 2,176 on Tuesday.

In recent days, Maine has seen new coronavirus cases stabilize in the low triple digits. That comes after Maine saw an accelerating decline in confirmed virus transmission from mid-January when cases reached a record-high 830 through mid-February when they slipped below 100 for the first time in months.

Since then, Maine has seen active cases tick up, the seven-day average climb and a rise in its positivity rate.

Were not sure at this time what that increase may represent, Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah said during a Tuesday press conference. He said that his agencys epidemiologists are looking for patterns that may explain the trends Maine is seeing.

Shah said Maine has seen a remarkable decline in cases, but that decline has slowed.

While were not seeing those multiple of hundreds of cases that we saw six, seven, or eight weeks ago, were not seeing a continuation of that reduction, he said.

Two men in their 50s and 70s from York County have succumbed to the virus, bringing the statewide death toll to 705.

Wednesdays report brings the total number of coronavirus cases in Maine to 45,091, according to the Maine CDC. Thats up from 44,944 on Tuesday.

Of those, 35,411 have been confirmed positive, while 9,680 were classified as probable cases, the Maine CDC reported.

The new case rate statewide Wednesday was 1.10 cases per 10,000 residents, and the total case rate statewide was 336.90.

Maines seven-day average for new coronavirus cases is 171.6, down from 173.6 a day ago, up from 148.6 a week ago and down from 294.4 a month ago. That average peaked on Jan. 14 at 625.3.

The most cases have been detected in Mainers in their 20s, while Mainers over 80 years old make up the majority of deaths. More cases and deaths have been recorded in women than men. For a complete breakdown of the age and sex demographics of cases, hospitalizations and deaths, use the interactive graphic below.

So far, 1,545 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus. Of those, 67 are currently hospitalized, with 24 in critical care and eight on a ventilator. Currently, 110 out of 399 critical care beds and 255 out of 319 ventilators are available. Meanwhile, 446 alternative ventilators are available.

The total statewide hospitalization rate on Wednesday was 11.54 patients per 10,000 residents.

Cases have been reported in Androscoggin (4,849), Aroostook (1,288), Cumberland (12,647), Franklin (909), Hancock (918), Kennebec (3,674), Knox (658), Lincoln (585), Oxford (2,239), Penobscot (3,963), Piscataquis (303), Sagadahoc (890), Somerset (1,251), Waldo (595), Washington (725) and York (9,593) counties. Information about where an additional four cases were reported wasnt immediately available.

For a complete breakdown of the county by county data, use the interactive graphic below.

Overall, 1,886,417 COVID-19 tests have been administered and the statewide positivity rate is 2.84 percent.

An additional 5,431 Mainers have been vaccinated against the coronavirus in the previous 24 hours. As of Wednesday, 236,784 Mainers have received a first dose of the vaccine, while 127,647 have received two doses.

As of Wednesday evening, the coronavirus had sickened 28,771,556 people in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as caused 518,900 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.

Nationwide, 80.5 million doses of the vaccine have been administered, an increase of 1.9 million doses since Tuesday, according to Bloomberg.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the number of second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered in Maine.

Link:

2 more Mainers have died and another 147 coronavirus cases reported across the state - Bangor Daily News

Windfalls for Some States

In his survey, Peter DeGroot, head of municipal research and strategy at J.P. Morgan, found a handful of states, including Idaho, South Dakota and New Mexico, that managed to take in even more money last year than in 2019. The survey also identified several states where tax revenues have not yet bounced back because they depend heavily on tourism, oil and gas, or coal extraction among them Hawaii, Nevada, Florida, Texas and West Virginia.

Ms. Sheiners analysis showed that Idaho had the biggest revenue recovery of any state. She conducted her research with Byron Lutz, an economist with the Federal Reserve.

The head of Idahos Division of Financial Management, Alex J. Adams, said in an interview that the rebound had taken officials by surprise, and that they thought one reason was an influx of new residents from California, seeking to escape that states high cost of living a trend that started before the pandemic but accelerated last year. Mr. Adams also said Idaho didnt pause construction when the lockdowns happened, which helped economic activity.

Idahos Republican governor, Brad Little, said in his State of the State address in January that 2020 revenue collections were strong enough to send $295 million back to the taxpayers, and still have enough to invest in better highways, bridges and broadband access. He also wrote to Idahos congressional delegation last year, urging it to oppose the use of no-strings federal dollars to bail out mismanaged states.

With some states now enjoying windfalls and others still struggling, Mr. White said a smaller amount of money, more carefully targeted to the states that needed it most, would be the most efficient approach for Congress. But getting assistance to those governments that truly need it, without sending unnecessary aid to those that do not, will require some exceptional creativity, he said.

To some extent, the states surprising recoveries reflect the timing of events last year. The pandemic started just as many state lawmakers were reviewing initial budget proposals for the coming fiscal year. The proposals, drawn up weeks before the shock, forecast a year of strong tax collections.

Then, in a matter of weeks, millions of people lost their jobs. State officials think of unemployment as a powerful driver of their fiscal affairs; research from past recessions suggests that a single percentage-point increase in the unemployment rate can produce $45 billion worth of state budget woe.

Here is the original post:

Why The Coronavirus Did Not Bring The Financial Rout That Many States Feared - The New York Times

TAMPA (WFLA) Florida added 1,700 coronavirus cases Monday to bring the cumulative total to 1,910,921.

Of note, this is the lowest single-day increase reported since Oct. 5, but also the lowest number of tests since that time.

New cases reported(1,910,921 total since start of pandemic):

Percent positive:

The Florida Department of Health said it received 33,559 PCR or antigen lab results from across the state on Sunday. Of those tests, the state says 8.73% were positive.

Percent positive includes people who have been tested multiple times for the virus but a person is only counted once each day, even if multiple results are received for them.

Percent positivity:

The percent positivity for new cases was 6.32% on Sunday.

Percent positivity for new cases is the number of people who test PCR (nose swabs) or antigen-positive for the first time divided by all the people tested that day. That does not include people who already tested positive once and have been re-tested to see if theyre still infected.

New Florida resident fatalities(30,999 total since start of pandemic):

Health officials reported 147 new coronavirus deaths among Florida residents in Mondays report, increasing the total number of Floridians killed during the pandemic to 30,852. The total of non-resident deaths is 557.

The daily report from the health department does not provide the exact date of each death, which means the deaths reported may not be from the past 24 hours. It can sometimes take weeks for fatalities to be logged.

New hospitalizations(79,426 cumulative since pandemic began):

COVID-19 vaccinations administered(3,017,661 total people vaccinated):

Heres a county-by-county breakdown of cases in the Tampa Bay area:

Total Cases:111,550Deaths: 1,504

Total Cases:66,646Deaths: 1,451

Total Cases:27,065Deaths: 742

Total Cases:31,962Deaths: 595

Total Cases:33,426Deaths: 649

Total Cases:57,150Deaths: 1,140

Total Cases:11,310Deaths: 399

Total Cases:7,252Deaths: 304

Total Cases:9,763Deaths: 404

Total Cases:2,794Deaths: 29

For more information on coronavirus in Florida,visit the live DOH Dashboard.

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Florida coronavirus: State reports lowest case increase since October - WFLA

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Two positive coronavirus trends are converging in Ohio, with case rates and hospitalizations continuing to dip just as Ohio expects to be able to significantly increase the number of available vaccines.

The average of 1,928 cases a day over the last week is the lowest the average has been for any seven-day period since Oct. 19. And the numbers of coronavirus patients statewide the last two days of 1,161 and 1,181 are lower than at any point since that same mid-fall day.

Meanwhile, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Monday that Ohio expects this week to receive 96,100 of the newly approved single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, bringing this weeks total to 448,390, some of which will be administered as second doses. As a result, starting Thursday, DeWine is opening age-based vaccination eligibility to those 60 and up, a change from the existing 65-and-up criteria.

Heres closer look of the most recent trends, including deaths, hospitalizations, cases, tests and vaccines. A chart showing county-by-county details is at the bottom of this story.

The number of newly reported coronavirus cases has dropped off significantly in Ohio.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

Hospitalizations have been on the decline in Ohio for weeks after the rapid spike in the fall. The 1,118 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 on Monday is down from 1,374 a week ago and from 2,519 on Feb. 1.

Mondays preliminary count from the Ohio Hospital Association survey represents a 78% drop from the record of 5,308 on Dec. 15.

Among Mondays patients were 295 in intensive care units, down from 367 a week ago and the record of 1,318 on Dec. 15.

About 34% of the states hospital beds were vacant Monday, including 34% of the ICU beds - about the same as a week ago.

Patients hospitalized with coronavirus in Ohio has dropped to mid-October levels.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

Ohio reported 13,496 cases in the last week, an average of 1,928 a day. This is down from averages of 2,016, 2,732, 3,295, 4,346 and 5,370 the last five 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 (111,987 cases), Cuyahoga (95,705) and Hamilton (73,287). 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.

The last two days marked the lowest number of reported new COVID-19 cases in Ohio since October.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

The dropping case numbers come as more Ohioans have received vaccines.

The 1,687,834 vaccinations started through reporting on Monday is up from 1,451,107 last week and 853,965 a month ago on Feb. 1.

This means about 1-in-5 of Ohios 9.1 million adults have been vaccinated to date.

These are estimates in part because the Ohio data for vaccines includes some people from other states who work in Ohio - at least 36,289 so far - yet some Ohioans may have received vaccinations in other states.

The counties with the most vaccines started are Cuyahoga (173,370) and Franklin (170,302).

Among the 1.5 million receiving their first dose, 912,354 have received all recommended doses.

Roughly 19% of Ohio's adults have been received at least one vaccination dose for the coronavirus.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

The state has now reported 17,346 deaths caused by the coronavirus. This includes more than 4,000 added last month after the state health department discovered it had failed to include these in previous reports. The work to catch up on reports from the Centers for Disease Control, however, is not yet complete, according to the health department, making the total unclear.

The counties with the most deaths are Cuyahoga (1,750), Franklin (1,212), Hamilton (974) and Summit (930). This includes the addition of 55 Cuyahoga County deaths to the totals in the last week. Death totals for all counties are shown in the graphic at the bottom of this story.

Among the dead are at least 7,462 patients of nursing homes and other long-term facilities statewide, according to the the states last update on Thursday.

Deaths attributed to coronavirus appear to have peaked late last year. But it is unclear to what extent the state is up to date on death reporting since Dec. 31, as it works to correct underreporting the Ohio Department of Health discovered.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

Seventy-nine percent of the deaths have been to people age 70 and older, breaking down this way: under age 20 (11), in their 20s (23), in their 30s (93), in their 40s (227), in their 50s (844), in their 60s (2,413, in their 70s (4,569) and at least 80 years old (9,166).

Those age 80 and up have accounted for 53% of the known coronavirus deaths, in comparison to 44% of all known Ohio deaths in 2018. Those in their 70s have accounted for 26% 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 (1,166), in their 20s (1,924), in their 30s (2,548), in their 40s (3,907), in their 50s (7,125), in their 60s (10,810), in their 70s (12,003) and at least 80 years old (10,899).

For the deaths in which race was reported, 84% 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 is the age breakdown for coronavirus hospitalizations and deaths in Ohio.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 750,000 on Thursday, Jan. 7.

Among the cases reported to date are 138,592 listed as probable, those cases included by a wider variety of tests or identified through non-testing evidence. This total is up from 134,362 last week.

The state reported 10,056,602 tests to date, including 251,204 in the last week, up from an unusually low 186,137 the previous week. There were 244,876 two weeks ago and 269,548 three weeks ago.

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 need to use this link instead to view the county-by-county chart.

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See new coronavirus case counts for each Ohio ZIP code amid sharply falling numbers

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

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See how sharply Ohio coronavirus cases, hospitalizations have dropped, and vaccines increased; county and sta - cleveland.com

COLUMBUS (WCMH) Gov. Mike DeWine said that Ohio is expanding the pool of who is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccines, among other updates he gave Monday on the pandemic. You can watch his comments in the player above.

As of March 1, a total of 968,874 (+1,452) cases have been reported since the pandemic began, leading to 17,346 (+49) deaths, and 50,382 (+103) hospitalizations. A total of 1,687,834 residents or 14.44% of the population has started the vaccination process.

The first doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine are scheduled to arrive in Ohio this week, giving the state an additional option on top of the vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. DeWine said the state will receive 448,390 doses of vaccine to be administered this week including 96,100 from Johnson & Johnson by far the greatest number since vaccinations began in December.

With more vaccine available, DeWine said the state is expanding who is eligible for it. Starting Thursday, all residents 60 and older will be eligible, up from those 65 and older. Also becoming eligible are people with Type 1 diabetes, those who are pregnant, bone marrow transplant recipients and those with ALS. In addition, people in certain occupations childcare services, funeral services, and law enforcement and corrections officers will become eligible, too.

DeWine said the group includes an estimated 900,000 residents.

The state is concluding its efforts to vaccinate the school workforce after DeWine set a target date of March 1 for schools to be open to, at minimum, partial in-person learning. DeWine said over 90% of districts met that deadline, with only eight remaining on complete distance learning.

And of those eight, DeWine said seven are making progress on plans to reopen in the next several weeks. In January, half of the states schools were on complete distance learning, DeWine said. The vaccination program included some 200,000 teachers, support staff and others.

Last week, Ohio schools showed theirfewest number of casessince October.

The Ohio Department of Health reported that it is reconciling death totals, which will cause a fluctuation in numbers over several days.

Excerpt from:

Coronavirus in Ohio Monday: COVID-19 vaccine eligibility expanded to those 60+ as more doses made available - NBC4 WCMH-TV

WASHINGTON (CNN) TheCDCreports more than 75-million doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered as ofSunday.

CDCdata shows that nearly 50-millionAmericans have now received at least one dose of the vaccine.

Around 25-millionAmericanshave now been vaccinated with both shots.

Currently,1.7million vaccine doses are being given a day in theU.S., based on the seven-day average.

With the newJohnson andJohnson vaccine coming online next week, which requires just a single dose, the pace is expected to increase.

Continued here:

75 million coronavirus vaccine doses administered in the US - WBNG-TV

Vaccination delays hit San Diego County hard in February as the region ushered in the anniversary we never wanted to see: one year since the coronavirus pandemic began impacting every part of our lives. Here's a look back at what happened in February 2021 in San Diego County during the coronavirus pandemic.

San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) officials confirmed there have been 260,356positive COVID-19 cases and 3,303 deaths since Feb. 14, 2020.

Here's theSan Diego County Public Health Orderas of Feb. 6, 2021:

https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20490129-sd-publichealthorder-feb2021

Feb. 28Cases: 262 new COVID-19 cases were reported, bringing the county's total to 260,356. Out of 13,819 tests reported to the county, the percentage of new positive cases was 2%.

Deaths: 19 new COVID-related deaths were reported, bringing the regions total to 3,303.

Feb. 27Cases, Deaths: 450 new COVID-19 cases were reported to the County on Feb. 26. The regions total is now 260,094. 13,284 tests were reported to the County on Feb. 26, and the percentage of new positive cases was 3%.

Deaths: 13 new COVID-19 deaths were reported Feb. 26. The regions total is 3,284.

Feb. 26Vaccine Site Closure: San Diego's Petco Park vaccination super station will once again close starting Saturday due to a nationwide shortage of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, a county spokesperson confirmed to NBC 7.

The County spokesperson said the closure would last through Tuesday.

Second-dose appointments will be rescheduled automatically, the spokesperson said. Those impacted by the delays are advised to check their MyUCSDChart account or look for an email with details about their new appointment date.

Deaths: Eleven new COVID-19 deaths were reported Feb. 25. The regions total is 3,271. Five women and six men died between Feb. 16 and Feb. 24. Of the 11 deaths reported Feb. 25, five people who died were 80 years or older, three were in their 70s, one was in their 60s and two were in their 50s. Ten had underlying medical conditions and one has medical history pending.

Feb. 25Vaccines: CVS Pharmacies said it has 49,140 doses of the Pfizer vaccine to distribute across 40 additional sites in California starting Feb. 25.

Deaths: Thirty new COVID-19 deaths were reported Feb. 24. The regions total is 3,260. Twelve women and 18 men died between Jan. 14 and Feb. 24. Of the 30 deaths reported Feb. 24, 10 people who died were 80 years or older, nine were in their 70s, eight were in their 60s, one was in their 50s and two were in their 40s.

Twenty-seven had underlying medical conditions, two did not and one has medical history pending.

ICU Admissions, Hospitalizations: 13,095 or 5.1% of all cases have required hospitalization. 1,580 or 0.6% of all cases and 12.1% of hospitalized cases had to be admitted to an intensive care unit.

Feb. 24Vaccines: Public health officials announced the county would begin vaccinating those in Phase 1B, Tier 1 starting on Feb. 27. That includes those in theeducation and childcare sectors, non-medical emergency first responders and the food and agriculture sectors, which opens the vaccination pool to another half-million San Diegans.

Because of the high number of people who will likely be seeking appointments, there will be considerable strain on the appointment and vaccination systems at first, County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said.

"There will not be half a million appointments available on Saturday or Sunday or Monday or for many weeks coming forward. So, we need folks to be patient," Fletcher said.

In two more days, teachers, law enforcement, and grocery workers will be eligible to get a coronavirus vaccine in San Diego County. NBC 7's Audra Stafford explains.

The county said it planned toset aside 12% of all vaccine doses for school personnelin order to get that group quickly immunized as schools reopen.

K-12 educators should expect appointment information from their individual schools or districts. Higher education and childcare workers will be able to make appointments through the county-run website.

Law enforcement personnel will make appointments through their departments, who are partnering with Scripps Health for vaccinations. Other non-emergency responders and those in the food and agriculture sectors can go to the county website to schedule appointments.

Read more on how Phase 1B, Tier 1 vaccines will work, here.

As of Feb. 24, more than 783,000 vaccine doses had been administered in San Diego County, a rate that County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher called "impressive" despite shortages that canceled thousands of appointments throughout the month of February. One in five San Diegans had received their first dose and almost 68% of seniors had been vaccinated up to this point, he added.

Cases: There were 658 new cases of COVID-19 for a total of 258,463 confirmed cases since Feb. 14, 2020. The number of new daily cases was the lowest it's been since November 2020, the county said.

Deaths: There were 12 more COVID-related deaths reported, bringing the total to 3,230.

Feb. 23Vaccination Sites: Two moresmaller vaccination clinics opened this week in San Diego County: a site in Otay Mesa on Feb. 22 and one in Lemon Grove, set to open on Feb. 28. Both will aim to vaccinate about 500 people a day. Appointments must be made in advance.

California Relief Package: California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a $7.6 billion coronavirus relief package that will give at least $600 one-time payments to 5.7 million Californians who qualify, while setting aside more than $2 billion in grants for struggling small businesses.Read more here.

Plan includes $600 stimulus payments for 5.7 million Californians, reports NBC 7's Nicole Gomez.

Case Rate:San Diego County's adjusted case rate -- a state metric used to determine a county's ability to reopen businesses -- continues to trend downward. On Feb. 22, California officials measured San Diego County's case at 15, down from 22.2 the week prior. For the region to move into the less restrictive Red Tier, San Diego County must have a case rate less than 7.

SDUSD Reopening Plan:San Diego Unified school board member Richard Barrera said staff members are slated to return to campuses the week of April 5, with students at all grade levels returning the following week, dependent upon whether the county had returned to the red tier and vaccines being fully available to staffers. SDUSD is the second-largest school district in the state and students have been in distance learning mode only since mid-March 2020.

San Diego Unified School District announced its school reopening plans. NBC 7s Audra Stafford shares when SDUSD would reopen and when it would take to keep that target.

Other School District News: The La Mesa-Spring Valley School District announced students will be able to return to in-person learning on April 19, and said the date will not change unless forced by law.

The Encinitas Union Elementary School District announced it will reopen April 12. The K-6 district said students will return for in-person learning 5 days a week from 8 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

Feb. 22Vaccines: After a temporary closure due to the delays of coronavirus vaccine shipments to San Diego County, UC San Diego Health said the vaccination super station at Petco Park wouldreopen on Feb. 23. Second-dose appointments had been rescheduled automatically, a spokesperson said.

Cases:County officials said 321 new cases of coronavirus had been reported, bringing the countys total COVID-19 case tally to 257,351 since the pandemic began in February 2020. The county's adjusted case rate remains at 22.2 cases per 100,000 residents. That number needs to dip below 7.0 for San Diego to move to the red tier of the states Blueprint for a Safer Economy, which loosens and tightens restrictions on businesses and activities in counties in California, depending on a countys case rate.

NBC 7's Dave Summers irons out the confusion surrounding the status of the downtown super station.

Feb. 21Youth Sports:The State of California announced it would loosen restrictions regarding youth sports. However,a judge ruled no one can stop San Diego County sports teamsfrom practicing and playing as long as they follow similar COVID-19 safety protocols as college and professional teams. That includes weekly COVID-19 testing.

Cases: The county reported a total of 517 positive COVID-19 cases.

Deaths:Two new COVID-related deaths were reported, bringing the regions total to 3,190.

After a long time-out due to the pandemic, thousands of San Diego area athletes can return to sports this week. NBC 7s Joe Little gives us the details.

Feb. 20Vaccines:The temporary closure of Petco Park's vaccination super station was extended into Feb. 22 as the East Coast continued to face harsh winter weather conditions impacting the shipment of vaccines across the U.S., including to San Diego County.

The winter freeze in the midwest and on the east coast is causing yet another delay in the distribution of the moderna vaccine at Petco park. NBC 7's Dave Summers talked to people affected and tells us what impact the delay could have on people waiting for a second dose.

Cases: The county reported a total of 711 positive COVID-19 cases. A total of 18,194 tests were reported to the county on Feb. 19, and the percentage of new positive cases was 4%.

Deaths:19 new COVID-19 deaths were reported, bringing the regions total to 3,188.

Community Outbreaks:Three new community outbreaks were reported for a total of 26 in the past 7 days.

Feb. 19Vaccines: The federal government said it was ramping up efforts to get all delayed shipments of the coronavirus vaccine to their destinations by the end of next week.

We have the mechanism in place to be able to administer all the doses we get in San Diego County, said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer. In the meantime, were asking San Diegans to be patient. As the delayed doses arrive, we will administer them to everyone who has an appointment and release new time slots.

Public health officials said youth sports competitions could resume next weekin parts of California and could be back for a vast majority of the state by the end of March under a plan that clears the way for abbreviated spring versions of high school football, field hockey, gymnastics and water polo.

Deaths:Thirty-four new COVID-19 deaths were reported, bringing the regions total is 3,169.

Feb. 18Vaccines:A San Diego County spokesperson told NBC 7 that the Petco Park Vaccination Super Station would be closingon Feb. 19 and Feb. 20. The closure also had the potential to extend into Feb. 21 and Feb. 22 (which we would later learn it did), depending on the arrival of those vaccines that were delayed. All scheduled appointments would be rescheduled via MyChart.

Meanwhile, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said on Feb. 17 that it was canceling all Feb. 18 coronavirus vaccination appointments at the Balboa Municipal Gymdue to insufficient supply. The department said those who had their appointments canceled would receive a confirmation email, plus as a follow-up email with rescheduling instructions.

Cases: 810 new COVID-19 cases were reported, bringing the total number of cases in San Diego County to 254,990.

Deaths:Thirty-six new COVID-19 deaths were reported, bringing the regions total to 3,135.

While the site itself is run very efficiently, getting there can be a challenge, reports NBC 7's Artie Ojeda

Feb. 17Vaccine Delays, Again: Severe winter storms across the U.S. impacted shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine to San Diego, meaning the county would likely have to temporarily close some vaccination sites, again.

"A second set of delays is going to have a very significant impact on our system," Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said.Read more here.

Meanwhile, the county'svaccination super station at Petco Park reopenedafter a three-day closure due to another delayed shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. The reason for that delay was not known, but all appointments were rescheduled for next week. It is unclear how Wednesday's update will affect these appointments.

Vaccines: Fletcher said San Diego County hopes to begin vaccinating those in Phase 1B, Tier 1, by March, which includes essential workers like teachers, law enforcement officers and food workers. The county has administered 633,000 vaccines. About 17% of the local population has received their first shot and about 5% of the population has had both.

COVID-19 in California: Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers agreed to a $9.6 billion spending deal that will provide a new round of small business grants, $600 stimulus checks for low-income individuals and more housing assistance for farmworkers infected by the coronavirus.Read more here.

Cases: There were 539 new COVID-19 cases reported, bringing that tally to 254,180.

Deaths: There were 57 more COVID-related deaths reported in San Diego County, for a total of 3,099.

Feb. 16Vaccines:San Diego County received a shipment of the COVID-19 vaccinethat had been delayed a week prior, which had led to shortages and at least one county-run vaccination site to shut down for days.

Cases: 698 cases were reported, bringing the regions total to 253,641. San Diego County's updated adjusted case rate was 22.2 cases per 100,000, for a 6.4 positivity rate over 7 days.

Deaths: Five new COVID-19 deaths were reported; the regions total went up to 3,042.

Feb. 15Vaccinations: San Diego's vaccination super station at Petco Park was closed again on Feb. 15 due to a shortage of coronavirus vaccines. Public health officials said an expected shipment was delayed, forcing them to close the vaccination site until Feb. 16. Other super stations had enough supply to last through at least this date.Read more here.

San Diego Fire-Rescue, on the other hand, said it still had enough doses to keep its vaccination site running this week, urging people 65 and olderto make appointments through the fire department's portal.

Cases: There were 693 new COVID-19 cases reported in San Diego County for a total of 252,943 cases. No other data was updated on Monday due to the Presidents' Day holiday.

Feb. 14Bleak Anniversary: Feb. 14, 2021, marked one year since San Diego County public health officials began tracking COVID-19 cases in our region.

NBC 7 takes a look back on one year since local leaders declared a health emergency due to the coronavirus.

Cases: There were 568 new COVID-19 cases reported by the county, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in a year in San Diego County to 252,250.

Deaths: There were 28 deaths recorded; in one year, there had been 3,037 COVID-related deaths in San Diego County

Community Outbreaks:Eight new community outbreaks were reported, bringing that tally to 62 in the past seven days.

Feb. 13Cases: San Diego County public health officials reported 891 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the tally to 251,682 since Feb. 14, 2020.

Deaths: There were 30 new COVID-related deaths recorded; the total number of COVID-related deaths in San Diego County was 3,009.

Community outbreaks:Seven new community outbreaks were reported; 64 in the past seven days.

Feb. 12New Vaccination Super Station:Afifth vaccination super station openedin San Diego County on Feb. 12, this time at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on Jimmy Durante Boulevard. The county-run site is operated through a partnership with Scripps Health in order to provide up to 5,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine a day, based on supply.

Vaccines:The county confirmed an expected delivery of Moderna vaccinesdid not arrive in San Diego on Feb. 12 as planned, which would lead to delays in vaccinations and halt some appointments around the county. The county said priority would be given to second-dose appointments with whatever doses of the vaccine that the county still had available. Those who were scheduled to receive their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine may have to be rescheduled, depending on availability at each vaccination site, the county said.

Cases: 817 additional COVID-19 cases were reported by county public health officials; the tally was now at 250,791.

Deaths:24 new COVID-19 deaths were reported, bringing the regions total to 2,979.

Scripps President and CEO Chris Van Gorder spoke at the opening of San Diego County's fifth Vaccination Super Station on Feb. 12, 2021.

Feb. 11

Vaccines: With a limited supply of the COVID-19 vaccine in San Diego County, officials said they would prioritize appointments for people in need of their second dose. The county said it would also open more vaccination sites around the county; this week, locations would open in Vista and Del Mar.

As of Feb. 11, San Diego County had administered 550,707 of the total available 651,450 doses of the coronavirus vaccine; 3.3% of the population is vaccinated with both doses.

While the county is currently unable to offer vaccines to people in Phase 1B, Tier 1 -- educators, first responders and food and agriculture workers county public health officials said they are currently working on partnerships for vaccine sites for these specific groups.

Vaccines at CVS:Starting Feb. 12, several CVS Pharmacies in San Diego County will have Moderna COVID-19 vaccines available by appointment only.

Help for Seniors: For seniors who do not have transportation to vaccine sites, the county is providing pick-up and drop-off directly to their homes. Additionally, the county has launched a program to provide in-home vaccinations to homebound seniors.

Cases of COVID-19 Strains: There are now 163 confirmed and 47 probable cases of the B.1.1.7 strain in San Diego County, though the strain hasn't been seen as frequently as experts had thought, Dr. Eric McDonald said, adding, "but it IS increasing."

Hospitalizations: Hospitalizations continue to trend downward but not as quickly as case statistics. "We will have to see where this goes, but we are hopeful that people continue to understand the actions that brought our case count down are the actions we need to continue our case counts going down," Fletcher said.

Cases: 1,113 cases of COVID-19 were reported, bringing the total to 249,974.

Deaths: Over the past two days more than 100 people had died from COVID-19 in San Diego County; more than 80% were seniors. The total number of COVID-19 related deaths in San Diego County stood at 2,955 at this point.

The vaccine getting in the arm of a senior can save their life. And that is why our focus is presently on senior citizens," Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said.

Feb. 10Vaccines:Two San Diego County vaccine super stations operating in conjunction with Sharp Health Care said the arrival of a new shipment of vaccines had opened hundreds of potential appointments this week.

Case Data:San Diego County reported its lowest daily positivity rate since well before the "second wave," or the extended case surge that began in November 2020 and peaked in the middle of the holiday season: 810 new cases out of 19,461 tests for a rate of 4%.

The 14-day daily positivity average, at 6.5% on Feb. 10, continued to fall from it's high of 14% in mid-January. It hovered around 2 to 3% in late summer 2020 after the first major surge.

Deaths:51 new deaths were reported. Death reports usually lag over the weekend and at the beginning of the week, so higher mid and late-week, single-day death reports aren't unusual.

Hospitalizations:COVID-related hospitalizations were down 45% over the last 30 days, while COVID-related ICU admissions were down 24%.

Confirmed patients with COVID-19 in San Diego County.

Community Outbreaks:The county was not showing any progress in curbing community outbreaks. Nine new outbreaks were reported for a total of 70 over the last seven days, which was the most over the last nine weeks.

See the rest here:

Coronavirus Vaccine Woes & the Anniversary We Never Wanted: What Happened in San Diego in February 2021 - NBC San Diego