Category: Corona Virus

Difficult delivery, staffing, scheduling, storage and handling requirements, and pandemic-related constraints make inoculations much harder than simply putting up a tent, inviting in the crowds, and jabbing arm after arm. Plus, a lack of funding hampered state health departments, officials said, while hospitals are strained by vaccinating staff even as they have responded to the fall-winter surge in COVID-19 cases.

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Hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 vaccines havent been used in Pa. and N.J. Heres why, and whats next - The Philadelphia Inquirer

The governors move promised to have implications most immediately for businesses now able to open at higher capacity and schools looking to reopen to in-person learning, after months of going remote.

This is something weve been pushing for, said Sonia Riggs, president and CEO of the Colorado Restaurant Association. Every week counts to this struggling industry. She described surveys of its 3500 plus members that found nearly all lost revenue in 2020, with an average loss of 40 percent. Thats a devastating figure in an industry where profit margins can be five percent or less. She said the pandemic has cost 64,000 Colorado restaurant workers their jobs.

I would say nearly all restaurants are in dire financial straits, Riggs said. Twenty-five percent capacity, while we are certainly grateful to have it, really isnt going to help folks stay open much longer. She said increased capacity coupled with federal funding to help restaurants survive is critical.

Its a great decision...this completely came as a surprise, said Beth Gruitch, owner of Rioja and three other Denver restaurants. Her eateries rely on in-person dining, rather than take out, and the pandemics economic punch had cut her staff of 200 down to 60. Its really difficult to stay afloat now she said, adding that her restaurants invested $10,000 to make outdoor dining viable.

She fumed that the communitys restaurants have struggled to stay open as people have been allowed to do something she sees as much more dangerous: traveling by air and eating at airports. Denver International Airport has been open at full capacity. They havent had any restrictions at the restaurants, she said.

The airport has insisted its implemented numerous public health measures. But Gruitch thinks the airport has been a bigger culprit than restaurants.

That's really disappointing, she said. It was all the people that are, I'm sorry, irresponsibly traveling, and all the restaurants (at DIA) are open and you can go there and have full dinners and there's not even six foot distancing.

Meanwhile, the governors move to ease virus restrictions comes as schools around the state are hoping to welcome students back to school in person.

We do worry and wonder about the timing of this decision, said Amie Baca-Oehlert, president of the Colorado Education Association, who said it caught the teachers union off guard. She worried COVID-19 cases could climb too sharply wiping out extensive new plans.

We are certainly worried about what it could mean for our ability to implement those plans for return to in-person learning, she said.

Patrick Mueller, a Lakewood parent, is watching closely to see how the situation will unfold for his first grader. He described his son as an extrovert, who hasnt had a playdate in seven weeks with somebody younger than me and has been looking forward to getting back to school.

Mueller said he was hoping it would be possible, but, we dont want it to happen if its not safe.

Local public health leaders in Colorado stressed cooperation was critical, while suggesting sudden changes in rules make it harder to communicate the changes with nuance.

We all need to be paddling together and working in the same direction, said Liane Jollon, executive director of San Juan Public Health in Durango. Working together on a global pandemic takes such an enormous whole of government and whole of community response.

The region in southwest Colorado covered by her department saw a decline in cases in December and was on the path to drop below 350 cases per 100,000 people, the threshold to move down from red to range on the dial, in the coming weeks.

The challenges in communicating with the public are intense, she said, with so many factors, like infection spread, economic impact, a return to school to consider.

I think its a key moment and its a confusing moment, Jollon said.

Tom Gonzalez, the public health director in Larimer County, agreed.

I do believe the next two weeks are going to be critical, Gonzalez said. "If we let our guard down, if we throw caution to the wind, if we're not wearing our mask, if we start mixing households, then that trajectory could go the wrong way. Up.

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Coronavirus Can Spread Fast When Restrictions Open Up. Polis Is Betting Colorado Will Be Different, But Public Health Experts Aren't Sure - Colorado...

RICHMOND, Va. -- In an effort to provide accurate, easy-to-read information on the on-going COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on our community, WTVR.com will update this post with the day's local coronavirus headlines and statistics.

COVID-19 IN VIRGINIA (Scroll to bottom for U.S. stats)

Positive COVID-19 Cases Since Start of Pandemic: 393,715 (Up 5,798 from Friday) People Hospitalized Since Start of Pandemic: 19,025 (Up 107 from Friday) COVID-19-Linked Deaths Since Start of Pandemic: 5,381 (Up 69 from Friday) Total Tests: 5,493,313 (Up 54,042 from Friday) All Health Districts Current 7-Day Positivity Rate Total: 16.5% (Up from 16.4% Friday)People Vaccinated with at least One Dose: 148,909 (Up 13,046 since Friday)People Fully Vaccinated: 6,848 (Up 2,957 since Friday)

Click here for complete city/county-by-county breakdown of COVID-19 cases in Virginia

NOTE: This data is provided from the Virginia Department of Health daily at 10 a.m. Officials said their cutoff for data is 5 p.m. the previous day. So your local health department may have issued an alert about a case before it is added to the statewide tally released the following day. Get the latest charts and updated numbers from VDH here. *

Depend on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for complete coverage of this important developing story.

COVID-19 LOCAL HEADLINES

COVID-19 vaccinations for Virginia police, firefighters, teachers begin next weekSome local health departments across Virginia will begin offering COVID-19 vaccines next week for limited portions of the general public as the state begins to move into its second phase of vaccine distribution. Read more.

240+ additional COVID-19 patients discharged in Virginia; hospitalizations upMore than 240 additional COVID-19 patients have been discharged from Virginia hospitals in the last 24 hours, according to data from the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. Read more.

Northam outlines plan, 25K goal for COVID-19 vaccination initiativeGov. Ralph Northam said Virginia is aiming to eventually vaccinate 25,000 people per day as the state's vaccination efforts enters a third week. Northam and other health officials outlined where Virginia stands with the vaccination effort, where improvements are needed, and gave us a better look at who comes next. Read more.

City offering Richmond small business owners PPE supply kitsRichmonds small businesses have prioritized staff and customer health and safety throughout the pandemic, Mayor Stoney said. I hope the ongoing support from my administration, whether in the form of PPE kits or recovery grants, shows them just how important they are to this city. Read more.

How you can send Valentines cards to long-term care residents in HenricoHenrico County is calling on the community to showcase their creative skills and make homemade Valentines Day cards for the Spread the Love initiative. Read more.

Health officials explain why Virginia's vaccine numbers are lagging behindVDHs Deputy Commissioner of Population Health Dr. Laurie Forlano said there will likely always be a gap between those two figures on the website for a number of reasons. Read more.

Infectious disease expert: COVID cases expected to rise in 'alarming fashion' in coming weeksHealth professionals warned of a post-holiday spike in COVID-19 infections, and Virginia has surpassed more than 5,000 new cases per day three out of the last five days after never reaching that mark previously. Read more

Free COVID testing offered in Richmond, Henrico this week as cases riseThe Richmond City and Henrico County Health Districts is offering free COVID-19 testing Tuesday, just one of several testing events planned for the week. Read more

180+ additional COVID-19 patients discharged in Virginia; hospitalizations dropMore than 180 additional COVID-19 patients have been discharged from Virginia hospitals in the last 24 hours, according to data from the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. Read more.

No new COVID-19 outbreaks reported SundayHealth officials are investigating 1,973 outbreaks of COVID-19 in the Commonwealth, according to Virginia Department of Health (VDH) data. More than 45,400 cases in the Commonwealth are linked to outbreaks. Read more.

US virus death toll hits 350,000; surge fearedData compiled by Johns Hopkins University shows the U.S. passed the threshold early Sunday morning. More than 20 million people in the country have been infected. The U.S. has begun using two coronavirus vaccines to protect health care workers and nursing home residents and staff but the rollout of the inoculation program has been criticized as being slow and chaotic. Read more.

Virginia nurse 'helping others get better' dies from COVID-19 on New Year'sThe family of Virginia nurse Syvie Robertson said she died from complications related to COVID-19 early New Year's Day. Robertsons family is opening up about their unexpected loss in hopes that people not taking the pandemic seriously will change course. Read more.

ODU to hold remote classes for first 2 weeks of spring semesterOld Dominion University will hold classes remotely for the first two weeks of the spring semester due to the coronavirus pandemic. Read more.

Virginia State Senator Ben Chafin dies from COVID-19 complicationsVirginia State Sen. Ben Chafin (R-Lebanon) has died from complications from COVID-19, the senators office confirmed Friday night. Read more.

Henrico School's Health Committee to review COVID data, discuss in-person reopeningThe Henrico County Public School's Health Committee will meet Monday to discuss when students should return to in-person learning. Read more.

Where to get a free COVID-19 test in ChesterfieldThe Chesterfield Health Department is hosting another round of free COVID-19 testing events in January in hopes of curtailing the spread of the virus. Read more.

Where to get a free COVID-19 test in Richmond, HenricoThree COVID-19 community testing events have been scheduled for the week of January 4 in the City of Richmond and Henrico County. Read more.

U.S. surpasses 20 million coronavirus cases at start of 2021America exceeded the mark Friday, less than a week after the country reached 19 million cases. COVID-19 deaths have also increased in the country, now totaling more than 346,000. Read more.

VCU Health responds to why some non-frontline workers are receiving COVID-19 vaccineAfter a few WTVR CBS 6 viewers reached out asking why some employees at VCU Health System who are not frontline workers in daily direct contact with COVID-19 patients received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, we investigated who is currently eligible to receive the vaccine, and found out they do qualify. Read more.

New Year's Eve could be 'perfect storm' for spreading COVID-19, area health experts warnLocal health leaders are warning Central Virginians that a typical New Year's Eve celebration is a perfect storm for spreading COVID-19, at a time when cases and hospitalizations are spiking. On the final day of 2020, more than 5,200 new cases were reported statewide and the Commonwealth reached 5,000 virus-related deaths. Read more.

New Year's Eve goes virtual; CDC offers ideas and guidanceThe CDC has guidance for Americans to celebrate safely, and include ideas like virtual concerts, having dinner over video chat, or having a dance party with the people in the house. Read more.

Woman 'waiting and praying' gets vaccinated at Virginia long-term care facility "I've been in solitary confinement in this room," 94-year-old Marjorie Adams said via a Zoom call from her room on Wednesday afternoon. "We had to be isolated, I appreciate all that I know." Read more.

Nurses split on COVID-19 vaccine: 'It may make me change my career'Healthcare personnel and long-term care residents are listed under Phase 1a in the Virginia COVID-19 Vaccination Prioritization Guidance. Although they take priority right now, not everyone is willing to roll up their sleeve. Read more.

COVID-19 variant found in California, health officials sayThe variant is no more dangerous than the original virus, but is more easily transmitted, according to experts. Read more.

Microbiologists say it's not really necessary to constantly disinfect surfacesYou actually go into hospitals where they're treating COVID-19 patients and you check the surfaces, and there's no infectious virus, none, said Dr. Emanuel Goldman, a microbiology professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Read more.

COVID concerns kept her from returning to work, now her unemployment benefits have stoppedThere are approximately 10,000 people who have refused to go back to work due to concerns about COVID-19 who are currently waiting for the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) to make a determination about whether or not they should receive benefits. Among them, a Virginia woman who works at a grocery store and is over the age of 80. Read more.

Virginia hospital workers strained due to post-holiday spike in COVID casesJust days after some families and friends gather for Christmas, Dr. David Lanning, VCU Medical Center Interim Chief Medical Officer, said they are seeing a post-holiday spike in coronavirus cases. Read more.

Long-term care facilities in Virginia begin receiving COVID-19 vaccineVirginias COVID-19 vaccination program expanded this week as residents and staff of long-term care and assisted living facilities started to receive the vaccine on Monday. Read more.

RVA health officials urge those who gathered for holidays to get testedThe data from holidays during the pandemic are clear, according to health officials: local COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations spike following holidays where families and friends gather in large numbers. With the expected rise in cases, health professionals are urging anyone who traveled or extended their immediate social circle during Christmas and into New Years to get a COVID test as soon as possible. Read more.

RVA business owners react to COVID-19 relief packageAs millions of Americans lost their unemployment benefits over the weekend, President Trump signed a second coronavirus stimulus bill into law to help the struggling economy. Read more.

Free drive-thru 'large-scale' COVID testing Tuesday at the DiamondThe Richmond and Henrico Health Districts plans to hold a free drive-thru COVID-19 community testing event at the Diamond on Tuesday. The "large-scale" event is set to last from 12 p.m. - 2 p.m. at 3001 N Arthur Ashe Boulevard. Read more.

Fauci says worst is probably still ahead; 80-85% needed for herd immunityDr. Anthony Fauci said the country is at a critical place during the pandemic, and that the worst is probably still ahead. Despite warnings about traveling and getting together with people outside a household, Fauci feared another surge on top of the current surge following the Christmas holiday. Read more.

US to require travelers from UK to post negative COVID-19 testThe United States is going to require airline travelers from Britain to get a negative COVID-19 test first. Read more.

Number of global COVID-19 cases tops 80 millionData compiled by Johns Hopkins University reported the mark Saturday morning after 472,000 cases were recorded Christmas Day. The number of deaths related to the coronavirus pandemic across the globe stands at 1.75 million. Read more.

As Virginia sets new COVID infection record, ER doc says holidays will test VirginiansA Central Virginia emergency room physician has issued a warning ahead of Christmas and New Year's Eve following a surge of coronavirus cases after Thanksgiving. Read more.

Study: COVID-19 antibodies may protect from reinfection for 6 monthsA recent study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that antibodies might protect people who've already had COVID-19 from being reinfected for at least six months. Read more.

CDC gives 'OK' to begin giving Moderna COVID-19 vaccineThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have given the green light to begin administering the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Americans age 18 and older. Inoculations using Modernas version of the vaccine could begin Monday morning. Read more.

20 COVID-19 outbreaks reported in Virginia SundayHealth officials are investigating 1,810 outbreaks of COVID-19 in the Commonwealth, according to Virginia Department of Health (VDH) data. More than 41,200 cases in the Commonwealth are linked to outbreaks. Read more.CDC advisory panel recommends older Americans, essential workers to be next in line for vaccineThis second wave of people comes after the first tier of health care workers and long-term care facility residents that was agreed to by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices earlier this month should get the first of the vaccine shots that started last week. Read more.

2nd COVID-19 vaccine authorized in US ships outInitial shipments of the second COVID-19 vaccine authorized in the U.S. have left a factory as the nation works to bring the coronavirus pandemic under control. Read more.

6 severe allergy cases from more than 250K shotsThe half-dozen cases of allergic reaction were reported as of Friday night, and included one person with a history of vaccination reactions. Read more.

General sorry for 'miscommunication' over vaccine shipmentsAn Army general in charge of COVID-19 vaccines apologized Saturday for miscommunication with states on the number of early doses delivered. Read more.

US clears second COVID-19 vaccine, adding Moderna shots to the fight against a worsening pandemicModernas vaccine has been hailed as a medical breakthrough. The vaccine has been considered 94.1% effective against the virus. Read more.

Virginia to initially receive fewer COVID-19 vaccine doses than anticipatedThe Virginia Department of Health (VDH) announced Friday that it will receive fewer doses of COVID-19 vaccines than anticipated by the end of the year. Read more.

Governor donates plasma to help those struggling with COVID-19Virginia Governor Ralph Northam donated his plasma Friday. As a COVID survivor, the governor's plasma contains COVID-19 antibodies that could help treat others with the virus. Read more.

Maryland, Virginia donate vaccine doses to Washington, DCD.C. health officials have complained for weeks that the initial allotment formula followed by the Centers for Diseason Control and Prevention provided Washington with just under 7,000 doses less than one-tenth of what would be needed for local health care workers. Read more.

US surpasses 17 million COVID-19 cases, records 1 million new cases in less than weekThe country is averaging more than 200,000 new cases of the virus every day, putting it on pace to record 1 million cases every five days, according to the COVID Tracking Project. Read more.

Claims for unemployment rise again as virus spread increasesThe number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose again last week to 885,000 as a resurgence of coronavirus cases threatens the economys recovery from its springtime collapse. Read more.

COVID vaccine arrives at VCU: 'I miss my family, I miss my mom'Healthcare workers at VCU Medical Center rolled up their sleeves Wednesday to get their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Read more.

State addresses COVID vaccine concerns from Black VirginiansHundreds of people gathered on a Zoom call Tuesday night to learn more about how Virginia health leaders will distribute the COVID-19 vaccine in the Black community. Read more.

Virginia's healthcare workers start receiving COVID-19 vaccinationsHealthcare workers in Virginia started receiving the state's first doses of a coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday, kicking off what is likely to be a months long process of inoculating people from the potentially deadly disease. Read more.

First Americans to receive initial doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine on MondayFollowing Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA and a formal recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) over the weekend, the first Americans are slated to receive Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine on Monday. Read more.

COVID-19 vaccine shipments begin in historic US effortThe first shipments of a COVID-19 vaccine for widespread use in the United States are headed from Michigan to distribution centers across the country. Read more.

Virginia senior keen to take COVID vaccine to 'feel safer' and 'not be so isolated'Joan Kerby lives in the Lakewood Retirement Community in Henrico, and hopes to get vaccinated soon."I would feel safer if I went into a grocery store, safer buying gas for the car, being out among people," she said. Read more.

Northam: Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine could arrive in 'next 24 to 48 hours'Gov. Ralph Northam said Virginia plans to "immediately begin" distributing the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine once it arrives in the Commonwealth over the "next 24 to 48 hours." Read more.

US preps for 1st Pfizer vaccine shipment after FDA approvalInitial doses are scarce and rationed as the U.S. joins Britain and several other countries in scrambling to vaccinate as many people as possible ahead of winter. Read more.

US leads world with 16 million cases of virusCases of the virus have been rising across much of the U.S., causing record death totals in recent days. Read more.

US allows emergency COVID-19 vaccine The U.S. has given the final go-ahead to the nations first COVID-19 vaccine, launching emergency vaccinations in a bid to end the pandemic. Read more.

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COMPLETE COVERAGE: COVID-19 HEADLINES (App users, click here for a complete list.)

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5:47 PM, Jan 09, 2021

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4:00 PM, Jan 09, 2021

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Stephanie Stone

3:44 PM, Jan 08, 2021

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COVID-19 in Virginia: LIVE updates for Saturday, January 9 - wtvr.com

PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) Fourteen new COVID-19 deaths were reported in Saturdays update from the South Dakota Department of Health.

The death toll is now at 1,570. The new deaths were 6 men and 8 women in the following age ranges: 40-49 (1), 50-59 (1), 60-69 (2), 70-79 (5), and 80+ (5).

On Saturday, there was a discrepancy in the deaths reported by gender; our data reflects what is currently being reported by the Department of Health. Weve reached out to the Department of Health for clarification and will update this story when we hear back.

On Saturday, 321 new total coronavirus cases were announced bringing the states total case count to 102,901, up from Friday (102,580). Total recovered cases are now at 96,291, up from Friday (95,783).

Active cases are now at 5,040, down from Friday (5,241).

Current hospitalizations are at 234, down from Friday (247). Total hospitalizations are at 5,871, up from Friday (5,851).

Total persons negative is now at 280,192, up from Friday (279,212).

There were 1,292 new persons tested reported on Saturday. Saturdays new person tested positivity rate is 24%.

The latest 7-day all test positivity rate reported by the DOH, is 14%. The DOH calculates that based on the results of the PCR test results but doesnt release total numbers for how many PCR tests are done daily. The latest 1-day PCR test positivity rate is 9.1%.

41 South Dakota counties are listed as having substantial community spread, while 14 South Dakota counties are listed as moderate community spread and 11 South Dakota counties are listed as minimal community spread.

Vaccine tracking is now being reported by the state, as of Friday, 19,585 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 20,699 doses of the Moderna vaccine have been administered to 36,221 total persons. Theres been 4,062 persons completed two doses of the Pfizer vaccine and one person completed two doses of the Moderna vaccine. Vaccine data does not include vaccine given to South Dakota Indian Reservations because that is federally allocated.

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COVID-19 in South Dakota: 321 new total cases; Death toll rises to 1,570; Active cases decrease to 5,040 - KELOLAND.com

Yes, there is a St. Corona.

Is she the patron saint of the current pandemic? Depends on who you ask.

Corona was a Christian martyr, probably 16 years old when she was killed by Romans about 1,800 years ago. One source said she was killed in Syria for expressing her beliefs.

Legend holds she was tied between bent palm trees and torn as the released trunks snapped upright. The veracity of that story and others are uncertain.

But is she the patron saint of pandemics?

Snopes.com says no. But a cathedral in Aachen, Germany, which houses Coronas relics, says a German tradition has long invoked St. Corona for protection against plagues.

And an artist recently told Rhode Island Catholic that her research shows that New Mexico pilgrim cattle farmers would invoke St. Corona to protect their herds from disease.

Of course, Coronas name has renewed interest in the long-forgotten saint and many are praying to her for help from the current pandemic.

Coronas feast day is May 14.

Other saints also are believed to offer help against disease.

St. Marianne Cope (1838-1918) was a Franciscan who worked with leprosy patients in Hawaii. She insisted that doctors and others working with the patients wash their hands in between patients.

In the 14th century, the Fourteen Holy Helpers were martyrs who were called upon during the Bubonic Plague. Devotion to the 14 started in Germany.

St. Anthony of Egypt is patron of people affected by skin diseases or infectious diseases, and St. Edmund is patron for victims of pandemics, as well as patron of kings.

Sources: mentalfloss.com/article/621871/st-corona-patron-saint-pandemics-epidemics-or-plagues, reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-germany-saint/german-cathedral-dusts-off-relics-of-st-corona-patron-of-epidemics-idUSKBN21C2PM, thecatholicsun.com/st-corona-pray-for-us/, thericatholic.com/stories/corona-the-saint-that-went-viral,11605, catholicnewsagency.com/news/the-fourteen-holy-helpers-plague-saints-for-a-time-of-coronavirus-41035, giveninstitute.com/st-marianne-cope/

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Facets of Faith: Coronavirus brings St. Corona to forefront; St. Cope told us to wash our hands - The Advocate

New York For Nancy Sinoway, a second coronavirus relief loan would increase the chances that her dressmaking business will survive.

I could use it for marketing, for new samples. I could use it as a lifeline, says Sinoway, who designs and makes dresses for occasions like weddings and proms. She was flooded with order cancellations starting in early March as the virus spread and large gatherings and events were abandoned.

Sinoway got a Paycheck Protection Program loan last May and used it to pay her three employees. But the loan money fell far short of what she needed to maintain her Port Washington, New York, shop. She was forced to close it and move the business into her home.

Millions of business owners like Sinoway are about to get help. The Small Business Administration and the Treasury Department are preparing to revive the PPP five months after its first two rounds of funding ended.

In the latest round, businesses that received loans last year will be able to borrow up to $2 million as long as they have no more than 300 employees and suffered at least a 25% drop in quarterly revenue. First-time borrowers with no more than 500 workers will be able to borrow up to $10 million.

The loans, which can be forgiven, will have five-year terms and carry an interest rate of 1%.

The SBA will initially accept only applications submitted by community financial institutions, or CFIs, lenders whose customers are minority-owned and economically disadvantaged businesses. Starting Monday, applications for first-time borrowers submitted by these lenders will be accepted, followed by applications for second loans on Wednesday. SBA said it would begin accepting applications from all its lenders within a few days of that initial period reserved for CFIs.

As with the first two rounds of the PPP, applications must be submitted online at banks and other SBA-approved lenders. All applications must be submitted and approved by March 31. Loan amounts are calculated using a companys payroll expenses; businesses can use either their 2019 or 2020 payroll to compute how much they can ask for.

Companies will have 24 weeks from the date they receive a loan to use the money. While 60% of the proceeds must be used for payroll in order for loans to be forgiven, companies can use the rest for employee health benefits, mortgage interest, rent, utilities and expenses that are essential to business operations.

The PPP is being restarted under the coronavirus relief bill Congress approved in late December, providing for $284 billion in new loans. The first two rounds, which began April 3 and ended Aug. 8, gave out more than 5.2 million loans worth $525 billion.

But for many businesses, including restaurants, gyms and retailers that depend on people gathering in large numbers or in close quarters, the money was nowhere near enough as the pandemic continued longer than anyone expected. Its estimated that well over 100,000 small U.S. businesses have failed since the outbreak began.

Moreover, many companies werent able to get loans, including newly formed businesses and those whose financial records didnt meet bank requirements. Many businesses applied to multiple banks, often because they couldnt get a response to their applications and subsequent inquiries and many of these business owners gave up in frustration or ran out of time.

Jason Tyler expects business at his limousine service to be down by as much as half this month. The corporate trips that provided as much as 80% of his revenue remain on hold, and without weddings and concerts, individual customers have little need for a limo. Tyler needs a second PPP loan to keep the business going.

Were going to use it pay our staff and honestly, Ive got to use it in marketing dollars, says Tyler, owner of Prestige Transportation, which serves the Kansas City metropolitan area. With his usual customers staying home, he needs to find new accounts to keep his revenue stable.

He used his first loan to pay the people who drive his seven cars, but there was one worker he couldnt afford to rehire. Tyler also sold one of his cars to bring in badly needed capital. Tyler is hoping business will start returning to normal in the spring, when more people hopefully will have been vaccinated.

Some owners, while struggling, arent rushing to apply for a second loan. Jim Sheets, who owns a framing store and art gallery in Rochester, N.Y., wants to see how much of his first loan will be forgiven before deciding on a second round.

Sheets store, Frame Shop of Henrietta, was closed for three months in the spring and has lost the business it usually gets from schools including Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Rochester. But business from homeowners is keeping Sheets afloat people spending more time at home are getting pictures framed to spiff up their surroundings.

The PPP loan Sheets got in the spring helped tide him over. He would consider another loan, but whether he applies will depend not only on whether he has to pay back any money from the first one, but also whether the sales momentum at his store continues.

At this point, I hope that I dont need it, he says.

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More coronavirus relief on the way for small businesses - theday.com

A few weeks ago, news broke that a more transmissible strain of the coronavirus, the B.1.1.7 lineage, has been circling around the United Kingdom.

The strain, thought to be up to 70 percent more transmissible than the original strain, thrust the United Kingdom into a lockdown. And the B.1.1.7 lineage has already been detected in several locations in the United States.

On Jan. 4, South African health officials announced they, too, have detected a new, seemingly more contagious strain.

Its no surprise that the coronavirus has mutated thats what viruses do. Most mutations are useless, but every so often, a mutation will improve a viruss ability to infect people.

Given the swift spread of the new variants, experts suspect the new strains contain mutations that make it easier for the virus to bind to our cells.

Theres currently no evidence the variants will affect the efficacy of the vaccines or cause a more severe illness.

Still, more studies are needed to understand the mutations and the impact they could have on the pandemic.

All viruses mutate often. Typically, the mutations arent functional and have no significant impact on the behavior of the virus.

As viruses mutate, their chance of survival increases. That is, the more diverse a species is, the more chances it has to survive, said Dr. Benjamin Neuman, a virologist at Texas A&M University Texarkana.

Mostly the changes are bad for each individual virus, but together, a population of weaker but more diverse viruses has a better chance of survival than the same sized population of identical viruses, Neuman said.

Sometimes, those mutations can improve the performance of the virus, as we may be seeing with the new variants detected in the United Kingdom and South Africa.

Just like a good engineer can usually find a way to optimize a machine, mutations can change the speed with which parts of a virus work, Neuman said.

Called the B.1.351 lineage, the new strain identified in South Africa is thought to be more transmissible.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the variant replaced other leading strains circulating around the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal provinces in November.

The strain has also been associated with a higher viral load, further suggesting its more transmissible than previous strains.

Some medical experts have sounded the alarm that the variant could potentially be resistant to vaccines or medications.

Theres no evidence that suggests the new variant in South Africa wont respond to the vaccines, experts say. Researchers will need to follow the variant to determine if it may reduce vaccine performance.

One of the mutations involves the spike protein, the piece of the virus that binds to receptors in our cells.

The vaccine immunizes people against the spike protein, which is why some infectious disease experts have expressed concern.

But the vaccine induces a broad immune response that will likely be able to recognize and respond to most variants.

I think its highly unlikely that theres going to be a variant that the vaccine completely doesnt touch, said Dr. Ellen F. Foxman, PhD, an immunologist and Yale Medicine Laboratory Medicine physician.

However, antibody treatment may not work as well if the virus has mutated, according to former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb. Antibody treatment consists of using antibodies taken from people who had COVID-19 to treat new patients.

The new strain identified in the United Kingdom, thats now also swarming around the United States, is thought to be up to 70 percent more infectious than the original variant dominating outbreaks in the United Kingdom.

Known as the B.1.1.7 lineage, the strain has caused the majority of cases in southern England and has been linked to an uptick in hospitalizations.

Its also caused a spike in infections among people under 20.

According to the WHO, like the variant detected in South Africa, the strain in the United Kingdom has mutations in the spike protein.

A more transmissible variant will inevitably make the pandemic harder to control. Though the strain isnt thought to cause a more severe disease, it could lead to more cases overall, along with more illness, hospitalizations, and deaths.

At this point, scientists believe the vaccines will be effective against the strain originally detected in the United Kingdom.

Neuman said the variants seem to be spreading more rapidly, and thats the one thing we can be certain of.

When you read about scientists suggesting things the new strain might do, you are really just seeing how an early step in the scientific process works we think, worry, spitball, imagine, hypothesize, and just wander through a series of what ifs until we hit on a question that might be answered with an experiment, Neuman said.

More research is needed to conclude if the spike protein mutations are whats causing the strains to be more transmissible and if the mutations could impact vaccine efficacy.

Foxman suspects there may be other mechanisms at play.

Other contributing factors, such as the populations habits and behavior, will need to be looked at, Foxman said.

Additionally, the virus is already transmitting faster because its more widespread than it was in March. When a greater percentage of the population is infected, viruses have an easier time spreading.

The evidence is all based on epidemiology, Foxman said. Its based on looking at the fact that this strain has spread more and been a higher proportion of cases than other genetic strains of the virus.

We dont yet have proof that the virus is biologically better at infecting our cells, Foxman added.

If the messenger RNA vaccines end up being less effective against variants, they can be quickly reworked to target new sequences.

Thats a big advantage of that type of vaccine, Foxman said, noting this scenario could introduce delays in the vaccine manufacturing and distribution processes.

SARS-CoV-2 remains about as preventable as a speeding ticket, no matter which variant we are talking about, Neuman said.

Wearing a mask thats tightly sealed around your face, washing your hands, and keeping a physical distance from others, especially in a crowded setting, can decrease your risk of developing COVID-19.

Those same things work no matter what the virus is, Foxman said.

Theres a lot to learn about the new variants. In the meantime, its best to stay vigilant as new strains arise.

Two new variants of the coronavirus have recently been detected in the United Kingdom and South Africa.

Due to mutations on the spike protein, the part of the virus that binds to our cells, both strains are thought to be more transmissible than previous strains.

More research is needed to determine if and how the mutations impact the viruss behavior.

Experts continue to stress the importance of wearing a mask, practicing physical distancing, and washing our hands. These measures will likely protect against all variants.

Read the rest here:

The Coronavirus Is Mutating: What We Know About the New Variants - Healthline

Another 13 Mainers have died as health officials on Thursday reported 535 more coronavirus cases across the state.

Thursdays report brings the total number of coronavirus cases in Maine to 27,625, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Thats up from 27,090 on Wednesday.

Of those, 23,193 have been confirmed positive, while 4,432 were classified as probable cases, the Maine CDC reported.

A man in his 40s and a man in hi 80s from Aroostook County; a woman in her 80s from Cumberland County; a man in his 60s and two women in their 90s from Hancock County; a woman in her 70s from Kennebec County; a man in his 60s and a woman in her 80s from Oxford County; and a man in his 70s, two men in their 80s and a woman in her 90s from York County have succumbed to the virus, bringing the statewide death toll to 385, according to Maine CDC spokesperson Robert Long. Nearly all deaths have been in Mainers over age 60.

Maines seven-day average for new coronavirus cases is 490.3, down from 513 a day ago but up from 426 a week ago and up from 289.9 a month ago.

Thursdays report marked the seventh time in the past 10 days when new cases exceeded 400 and the third time this week when they crested 500. It comes as elevated virus transmission continues its monthslong surge, bringing high levels of community transmission, which the Maine CDC defines as a case rate of 16 or more cases per 10,000 people, even to counties once largely spared the worst of the pandemic.

There are two criteria for establishing community transmission: at least 10 confirmed cases and that at least 25 percent of those are not connected to either known cases or travel.

So far, 1,135 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus. Of those, 202 people are currently hospitalized, with 55 in critical care and 25 on ventilators.

Long said that 42,317 Mainers have been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

A majority of the cases 16,472 have been in Mainers under age 50, while more cases have been reported in women than men, according to the Maine CDC.

As of Thursday, there have been 1,237,205 negative test results out of 1,271,403 overall. More than 2.6 percent of all tests have come back positive, Maine CDC data show.

The coronavirus has hit hardest in Cumberland County, where 8,140 cases have been reported and where the bulk of virus deaths 108 have been concentrated. Other cases have been reported in Androscoggin (3,011), Aroostook (804), Franklin (503), Hancock (608), Kennebec (2,036), Knox (399), Lincoln (334), Oxford (1,257), Penobscot (2,423), Piscataquis (136), Sagadahoc (461), Somerset (815), Waldo (392), Washington (416) and York (5,888) counties. Information about where an additional two cases were reported wasnt immediately available.

As of Thursday morning, the coronavirus had sickened 21,354,027 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 362,037 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.

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13 more Mainers die as another 535 coronavirus cases are reported across the state - Bangor Daily News

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, health officials have provided near-daily updates of new confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths.

Similarly, the state health department has kept a running count of probable cases and deaths, meaning they are likely to be COVID-19 infections, however they havent been confirmed by the most accurate of tests.

As of Tuesday, Jan. 5, the Department of Health and Human Services has tracked 42,232 probable cases -- 740 more than the day prior. The department has also tracked 741 probable deaths -- 28 more than the day prior. Thats in addition to the 504,410 cases and 12,867 deaths that have been confirmed as COVID-19.

Practically speaking, it doesnt matter for an individual case if its deemed probable or confirmed, said Dr. Dennis Cunningham, medical director of infection prevention for Henry Ford Health System.

If Im seeing you in the emergency room or a doctors office and you have the symptoms and the antigen test, thats probably enough for me to make a diagnosis, Cunningham said. If youre not sick enough to be in the hospital, thats more than good enough.

These (confirmed and probable) are just terms people who look at outbreaks use to track and better understand disease transmission.

But what makes a case probably COVID-19? According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a case is considered probable if an individual reports:

There are two main types of test for diagnosing an active COVID-19 infection: PCR and antigen. A coronavirus case isnt confirmed until an individual has a PCR test come back positive for COVID-19.

PCR tests are considered the gold standard in SARS-CoV-2 detection. They look for the RNA -- or genetic blueprints -- of the virus and a positive result means you have a current or recent coronavirus infection, Cunningham said.

An antigen test, meanwhile, seeks out the protein found on the outside of the virus. Positive results from an antigen test spark a probable case, according to MDHHS policy, until a PCR test can confirm its finding of an infection.

Cunningham said some antigen tests are really good but noted that they trade in some level of accuracy for speed. They may also be tricked by a similar protein found in another less-serious coronavirus, which can cause more of a common cold.

Both PCR and antigen tests are conducted by nasal swab. Both can have same-day results, though antigen tests typically offer the quickest turnaround times. Thus, its hard to know which youve had done without asking your test provider.

Lynn Sutfin, a spokeswoman for MDHHS, said there are cases where an individual might have symptoms of COVID-19 and a known exposure to a positive case in their home. In that case, that person would be considered a probable case, whether they got an antigen test but no follow-up PCR test, or whether they decided not to get tested all together.

Probable cases can be changed to confirmed cases, MDHHS, upon processing of a positive PCR test.

Similarly to cases, deaths can also be deemed probable under the same circumstances, or if a death certificate lists COVID-19 as a cause of death without a PCR test to confirm.

Sutfin said if someone dies after receiving positive antigen test results for COVID-19, they likely wouldnt have a PCR test done postmortem to confirm the diagnosis unless someone requested it.

Being a confirmed COVID-19 death or a probable death, Im not sure for many folks if it makes a lot of difference, she said.

National data, as well as data from some states, combine confirmed cases and deaths with probable ones, while others like Michigan report them separately. Michigan updates its counts most weekdays around 3 p.m. through its online COVID-19 dashboard.

For more statewide data, visit MLives coronavirus data page, here. To find a testing site near you, check out the states online test finder, here, send an email to COVID19@michigan.gov, or call 888-535-6136 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Read more on MLive:

128K Michiganders have received the coronavirus vaccine in first three weeks

Michigan to distribute 3.5 million free KN95 masks to protect against COVID-19

Michigan surpasses 500K confirmed coronavirus cases

Michigan lists 106 new coronavirus outbreaks and 943 ongoing clusters in Jan. 4 report

See original here:

What are probable coronavirus cases and why are they still increasing in Michigan? - MLive.com

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Albany County saw one more death and 283 new coronavirus cases overnight.

County Executive Dan McCoy said Thursday that there were also 20 more residents hospitalized, for a total of 163, a new record. Of those, 19 are in intensive care.

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Schenectady County is enlisting local organizations to help identify people 75 years and older who could be eligible to receive vaccines when a new round of inoculations begin.

"We're starting to prepare for the logistics of going into 1B," said Schenectady County Manager Rory Fluman on Thursday of the county's efforts to lay the ground work to vaccinate the next round of older people after the initial roll out of inoculations were given in skilled nursing facilities.

A letter put out by the county Department of Senior & Long Term Care Services indicated the next round could start as soon as the second week of January though Fluman said Thursday that county officials are awaiting word from the state Health Department and Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office on when they can officially start to administer the vaccines.

The letter to various organizations that offer services to the elderly population asks for help identifying people in that age range who may qualify for the vaccine.

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The Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) is in talks with the University at Albany to make its pooled saliva tests available to school districts to screen students and staff for COVID-19.

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Additional updates from Wednesday

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Coronavirus live updates: Albany County death toll up to 240 since the pandemic began - Times Union