Category: Covid-19 Vaccine

CLEVELAND, Ohio Lake, Cuyahoga and Medina counties have the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates among Northeast Ohio counties, according to Ohio Department of Health data updated Sunday. The rates are for vaccinations started.

Overall, 54.4% of Ohioans of all ages have started the immunization process, and 63.6% of those ages 12 and up have received at least one shot, according to ODH.

Here are the Northeast Ohio counties, ranked by highest to lowest percentages for vaccinations started:

All of Ohios 10 most populous counties have rates of vaccinations started at 50% or above. In Franklin County, the most populous Ohio county and home to Columbus, nearly 60% of its residents have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination shot.

Here are the vaccination rates in Ohios 10 most populous counties. Counties are ranked by percentage of vaccinations started; county rank by population is in parentheses.

Dayton is the county seat of Montgomery County, Toledo is the county seat of Lucas County and Butler County is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area.

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Which NE Ohio counties have the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates? - cleveland.com

As the days shorten and people come indoors, what should we expect as we head into our second COVID-19 autumn and winter?

Last year, Thanksgiving and Christmas triggered a pandemic spike. Over holiday season 2020, Californias daily case counts climbed as high as 54,000. In contrast, the state is now reporting about 5,500 new cases a day.

While nothing is certain, there is more optimism.Were in a much better place than we were last year, said UC San Francisco epidemiologist Dr. George Rutherford.

I think well see a small to moderate winter surge, Rutherford predicted. It wont be as pronounced as last winters pandemic but may mimic the smaller spike in cases experienced in August, he said.

Why? Theres growing immunity and several pending steps by federal authorities to fight the virus. While there are still pockets of unvaccinated people in the Bay Area, overall vaccination rates in some counties for residents 12 and up have surpassed 80%. Statewide, 71% of eligible Californians are fully vaccinated. This population-wide protection is expected to climb still higher once children are eligible to get shots.

Heres a look at what the months ahead will bring.

CHILDREN WILL START TO BE VACCINATED

On Thursday, Pfizer submitted clinical trial data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to authorize emergency use of their vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11. Pfizers data shows that the vaccine is safe and triggers a robust strong immune response in kids.

The agency will meet on Oct. 26 to consider this plan suggesting we may see a decision and distribution of the vaccine for kids between Halloween and Thanksgiving.

The pediatric vaccine is not as straightforward as it sounds. It will hold one-third the dosage of the vaccine for older youth and adults, according to Pfizer. This likely requires dilution and perhaps a different formulation.

If successful, that move would help protect another 28 million Americans.

Its an important advance, said Rutherford. The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations is right up there with the worst of the childhood infectious diseases. We want to extend the existing technology not just to protect them from getting sick, but to prevent transmission.

WANING IMMUNITIES WILL GET A BOOST

Theres concern that as immunity levels in communities start to subside, there will be a new resurgence of cases. So far, only Pfizers vaccine has been authorized for booster doses. And its offered only to older and other vulnerable Americans, such as people with medical conditions or jobs that place them at higher risk of exposure. There are no imminent plans to expand the eligible population.

Americans are welcoming this third shot, according to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Of the 6.6 million shots given from Sept. 30 to Oct. 6, more than 2.6 million of them were booster shots, compared to 2 million first doses and 2 million second doses.

Next week, on Oct. 14 and 15, an FDA committee plans to discuss Moderna and J&J booster vaccines. If authorized, these vaccines may be offered to a narrower group of people than the Pfizer vaccine. Thats because overall immunity after the initial round of Moderna and J&J vaccines seems to hold up better over time than the Pfizer vaccine.

THERE WILL BE MORE MIXING-AND-MATCHING OF VACCINES

Also next week,the FDA committee plans to discuss whether people should be allowed to get a booster shot of a different vaccine than the one they originally received.

So-called mixing and matching of vaccines getting a first dose of Pfizer, followed by a second dose of Moderna is already used in Europe and other places, so it will likely be approved in the U.S. In fact, there have been recent studies suggesting that using two different vaccine technologies getting both the J&J and Pfizer vaccines, for instance may offer more vigorous protection than sticking with one type.

That could boost convenience. It could also assure better protection on university campuses, where a large number of Chinese and other international students have gotten the Sinovac or Sinopharm vaccines, which work less well than their foreign counterparts.

Pharmaceutical companies dont conduct mix-and-match clinical trials; they only research their own product. So the National Institutes of Health has structured a giant comparison study to help answer the mix-and-match question.

THERE WILL BE MORE TESTING

Earlier this year, we thought vaccinated people couldnt spread the virus. Thats changed.

For now, testing and knowing your status is going to be extremely important to keep businesses and schools running, said Dr. Michael Mina, an epidemiologist at Harvard Universitys Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases.

This past week, the FDA authorized a new COVID-19 home test that is expected to double the nations limited supply of non-prescription tests. The FDAs emergency use authorization of ACON Laboratories Flowflex COVID-19 home test means that tens of millions of additional tests will soon be available. While the consumer price is not yet known, large retailers such as Walmart, Amazon and Kroger have agreed to sell at-home tests at the cost they pay for them.

Production could double to 200 million monthly tests by February, according to the FDA. That could be enough to supply the schools and companies who carry out President Bidens vaccinate-or-test mandate for businesses with 100 or more employees.

Its important to test yourself promptly before traveling or attending an event, said Mina. Currently, many places allow testing up to three days before.

Thats like going through a TSA security checkpoint at the airport and then being allowed to go back home for three days and repack your bags, he said. Then when you come back, you dont have to go through security again. Thats not a good way to screen.

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COVID-19 vaccines and testing: A timeline of whats next - TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press

From Cambodia to Canada, dozens of other nations are now beating US in COVID-19 vaccinations  USA TODAY

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From Cambodia to Canada, dozens of other nations are now beating US in COVID-19 vaccinations - USA TODAY

A patient receives their coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine booster during a Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination clinic in Southfield, Michigan, U.S., September 29, 2021. REUTERS/Emily Elconin

Oct 9 (Reuters) - The United States has administered 401,819,240 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Saturday morning and distributed 487,277,035 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Those figures are up from the 400,669,422 vaccine doses the CDC said had been administered by Friday out of 485,713,525 doses delivered.

The Atlanta-based agency said 216,889,814 people had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 187,215,471 people were fully vaccinated as of 6 a.m. EDT on Saturday.

The CDC tally includes the two-dose vaccines from Moderna (MRNA.O) and Pfizer/BioNTech (PFE.N), , as well as Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ.N) one-shot vaccine.

Roughly 7.8 million people have received a booster dose of either Pfizer or Moderna's vaccine since Aug. 13, when the United States authorized a third dose of the vaccines for people with compromised immune systems who are likely to have weaker protection from the two-dose regimens.

Reporting by Maria Ponnezhath in BengaluruEditing by Paul Simao

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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U.S. administers nearly 402 mln COVID-19 vaccine doses, CDC says - Reuters

As the vaccine mandate deadline approaches, Washington State University officials reported an estimated 90% of employees are vaccinated.

PULLMAN, Wash. Editor's note: The above video on changes to vaccine exemptions at WSU was published in August 2021.

Student vaccination rates are even higher as COVID-19 cases have begun to drop dramatically compared to over a year ago, according to the university. Whitman County Public Health reported 526 confirmed COVID-19 cases involving members of the WSU Pullman community from Aug. 30 to Sept. 12 this time last year.

Our vaccination rates are high, and we know its the path that gets us through this pandemic, said WSU President Kirk Schulz. With a critical state deadline approaching for our employees, weve sought to work through pockets of hesitancy and uncertainty with compassion and understanding but with a firm commitment to making sure were doing everything possible to deliver a robust in-person educational experience.

Due to Gov. Jay Inslees vaccine mandate, all state employees are expected to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 or have an approved exemption for documented medical reasons or sincerely held religious beliefs. According to the mandate, those who fail to meet the requirements will be prohibited from engaging in work for the State of Washington, including public universities.

Students were asked to submit proof of vaccination by Sept. 10 or else face being put on hold from enrolling for the upcoming spring semester.

Of the approximately 10,000 full-and part-time WSU employees systemwide, 88% were fully or partially vaccinated as of Oct. 5. Verification efforts are continuing.

For students who have submitted documentation, reported vaccination rates at each of WSUs five physical campuses are more than 95%. The Pullman and Spokane campuses top the list at 98% each. Most students have either reported their vaccination status or requested an exemption, though percentages vary by campus and are still growing as compliance efforts continue.

More than 1,250 requests for medical and religious exemptions have been made by WSU students, faculty and staff. So far, nearly 800 have been approved and the review process is continuing. Final numbers will be available after Oct. 18.

For employees such as head football coach Nick Rolovich, the exemption requests go through a two-step process. The first is the blind review. Then, if an exemption is approved, the request moves to a separate accommodation review step where a determination is made whether the unvaccinated employee will be able to perform their duties without risking the health and safety of the community.

Nick Rolovich's longtime mentor and legendary coach June Jonestold USA Today on Saturday morning that Rolovich has applied for a religious exemption from Governor Inslee's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. According to Jones, Rolovich does not know yet if his exemption has been approved.

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WSU has approved nearly 800 religious and medical exemptions to COVID-19 vaccine mandate - KREM.com

A logo is pictured outside a building of the World Health Organization (WHO) during an executive board meeting on update on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Geneva, Switzerland, April 6, 2021. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

WASHINGTON, Oct 8 (Reuters) - The United States will accept the use by international visitors of COVID-19 vaccines authorized by U.S. regulators or the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said late on Friday.

On Sept. 20, the White House announced the United States in November would lift travel restrictions on air travelers from 33 countries including China, India, Brazil and most of Europe who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. It did not specify then which vaccines would be accepted.

A CDC spokeswoman told Reuters Friday, "Six vaccines that are FDA authorized/approved or listed for emergency use by WHO will meet the criteria for travel to the U.S."

Late on Friday, the CDC said that "earlier this week, to help them prepare their systems we informed airlines" of the vaccines that would be accepted and added "CDC will release additional guidance and information as the travel requirements are finalized."

Airlines for America, a trade group representing American Airlines Co (AAL.O), Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), United Airlines and others, said it was "pleased by the CDC's decision to approve a list of authorized vaccinations for travelers entering the U.S. We look forward to working with the administration to implement this new global vaccine and testing framework by early November 2021."

Some countries had pressed the Biden administration to accept WHO-approved vaccines, since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized vaccines are not widely used in all countries.

The United States will admit fully vaccinated air travelers from the 26 so-called Schengen countries in Europe as well as Britain, Ireland, China, India, South Africa, Iran and Brazil. The unprecedented U.S. restrictionshave barred most non-U.S. citizens who were in those countries within the past 14 days.

The new COVID-19 vaccine requirements will now apply to nearly all foreign nationals flying to the United States - including those not subject to the prior restrictions.

The CDC must still finalize and publish new contract tracing rules for international visitors, which it sent to the White House for review on Sept. 15.

The CDC must also detail rules for exceptions, which include children not yet eligible for shots, as well as for visitors from countries where vaccines are not widely available. The administration must also decide whether to admit visitors part of COVID-19 clinical trials or have recently contracted COVID-19 and are not yet eligible for vaccination.

Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler and David Gregorio

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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U.S. will accept WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccines for international visitors - Reuters

Many Republican governors reacted furiously after President Joe Biden said he would require employees at large businesses to either get vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to weekly testing. But Republican- and Democratic-led states alike already require hundreds of thousands of their citizens infants, toddlers and schoolchildren, mostly to be vaccinated against a panoply of diseases. In fact, mandatory childhood immunizations have been a feature of American society since the 19th century.

Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends routine vaccination against 16 diseases from birth through age 18. The CDC recommendations, in turn, inform individual states vaccine mandates: Typically, children who havent received the required shots for their age cant attend school (public, private or parochial) or enroll in child care programs, though there are exemptionsfor religious, medical or other reasons.

President Bidens new COVID-19 vaccine mandate ignited a political controversy. At the time, several news accounts pointed out that vaccine mandates were common at the state level, including in Republican-governed states. We wanted to know just how common such mandates were and how they differed from state to state.

To find out, we searched state statutes and rules governing immunizations required for entry to schools and child care centers, by far the most widespread state vaccine mandates. We also consulted the websites of each states health department and, when details were still unclear, news reports and other non-official sources.

Our information about recommended vaccines for infants, children and teens came directly from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For the history of vaccine development, approval and recommendations, we consulted the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration, as well as histories maintained by The College of Physicians of Philadelphia and the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia.

Under Bidens plan, all companies with more than 100 workers will have to either require their employees be immunized or undergo weekly testing. Biden also acted to mandate shots for federal contractors and most federal workers, and expanded a previously announced vaccine mandate for nursing-home workers to cover virtually all health care workers.

Some states already mandate certain vaccinations for specific categories of adults. New York, for example, requires that all workers in hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities be immunized against measles and rubella. Rhode Island requires child care workers to not only be immunized against several common childhood diseases, but to get an annual flu shot, too. Several states have specific vaccination mandates for college students.

But in the main, most vaccine mandates apply to children and teens. We studied state laws, regulations and information from state health departments to assess how widely mandated the CDCs vaccine recommendations are.

Of the 16 immunizations the CDC recommends for children and teens, all 50 states (plus the District of Columbia) mandate diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, measles, rubella and chickenpox. In addition, every state except Iowa mandates immunization against mumps. (The diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccines usually are given as a single combined shot, as are the measles, mumps and rubella vaccines.) Except for the chickenpox vaccine, which became available in the United States in 1995, all those vaccines have been around for 50 years or more.

Among newer childhood vaccines, though, state mandates are something of a mixed bag. Only two states (Alabama and South Dakota) dont require vaccination against hepatitis B at some point in a childs life, but about half (24) dont require it for hepatitis A. Just six states five of them in the Northeast require annual flu vaccines for child care or preschool enrollment, and none do so for K-12 students.

Three vaccines against rotavirus, pneumococcal disease and Haemophilus influenzae type b, or Hib typically are recommended for children younger than 5 years old. (Hib, despite what its name might imply, doesnt cause the flu, but it can cause a range of other ailments, from mild ear infections to potentially deadly meningitis and blood infections.) However, while all but four states mandate the Hib vaccine for day care or pre-K, 10 dont require the pneumococcal shot, and only eight require immunization against rotavirus.

The remaining two vaccines, against human papillomavirus (HPV) and meningococcal disease, are recommended for teens and older children around age 11 or 12. A majority of states (33, as well as D.C.) require the meningococcal vaccine, although Massachusetts is phasing in its requirement and Vermont only requires it for students living on campus. But only D.C., Hawaii, Rhode Island and Virginia require the HPV shot, which protects against cervical and other cancers but has been controversial because HPV is transmitted sexually.

Vaccination mandates in the U.S. date back to the 19th century, when many cities and states started requiring children to be immunized against smallpox; the Supreme Court upheld such mandates in a landmark 1905 decision. A combination vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis became available in 1948, and it was quickly added as a routinely recommended shot.

In 1977, the World Health Organizations Expanded Program on Immunization set a goal of giving every child in the world access to immunization against six diseases by 1990: dipththeria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, measles and tuberculosis, or TB. (Infants and small children are commonlyvaccinated against TBin countries where the disease is prevalent. In the U.S., however, only children who are specifically at risk for contracting TB or adults in high-exposure settings, such as health care workers are offered the shot.)

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Long before COVID-19, states have been mandating vaccinations - Pew Research Center

October 9, 2021, 9:31 AM HST * Updated October 8, 11:51 AM

A woman gets a COVID-19 vaccination at Lnai Community Health Center. Photo Courtesy: Hawaii Community Foundation

Kupuna can get the latest information on COVID-19 and vaccine booster shots from University of Hawaii Geriatrician Dr. Aida Wen and Health Department Outreach Specialist C.J. Johnson at a free webinar on Oct. 15 at noon.

The webinar will be on Zoom and simulcast on the AARP Hawaii Facebook page. To register to get a Zoom link go toaarp.org/nearyouor theAARP Hawai`i Facebook pageand click onUpcoming Events.

We think its crucial that kupuna get information from reliable sources about COVID-19, the vaccine booster shots, new variants and what the state is doing to make booster shots available for those eligible, said Kealii Lopez, AARP Hawaii State Director. Dr. Wen is an associate professor of geriatric medicine at the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii and C.J. Johnson, who has been a panelist on AARP Hawaii webinars before, will update us on the latest information on the state booster shot effort.

Kupuna and others can also go toaarp.org/vaccineinfoto get updated information about vaccines and booster shots andaarp.org/hifor updated information about vaccinations in Hawaii. The Department of Health also has a phone line thats open during business hours Monday through Friday at 808-586-8332. People with vaccine questions can also call the Aloha United Ways 211 Call Center at 2-1-1. The AUW211 call center is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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AARP Hosts Webinar with Information on COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters - Maui Now

Life for Louisiana State University students just got a little easier, with the school announcing on Friday it will no longer require proof of vaccination or a negative test against COVID-19 to enter its stadium.

The Baton Rouge school will remove its requirements beginning Oct. 16, when the team faces off against the Florida Gators. The decision comes as Louisiana is seeing less than 5% of COVID-19 tests returning positive results.

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"Active COVID cases continue to decline in our community, proving that what we're doing is working," LSU President William F. Tate IV said in a Thursday statement. "We're not out of the woods yet, but we're in a good position thanks to [the students'] efforts."

While Tiger Stadium will no longer require the vaccine or a negative COVID-19 test, students will still be required to wear masks in any indoor part of the stadium. Once students are seated in the stadium, they are free to take their masks off.

In addition to the amount COVID-19 cases decreasing, COVID-19 vaccination is increasing. As of Thursday, more than 83% of LSU students and 75% of the school's faculty and staff have been vaccinated, the school's president added.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

In Louisiana as a whole, over 52% of residents have received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose, with 46% fully vaccinated, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Original Location: LSU will no longer require COVID-19 vaccine or negative test to enter Tiger Stadium

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LSU will no longer require COVID-19 vaccine or negative test to enter Tiger Stadium - Colorado Springs Gazette

SUNY Oswego to require COVID-19 vaccination or negative test for indoor events  CNYcentral.com

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SUNY Oswego to require COVID-19 vaccination or negative test for indoor events - CNYcentral.com