Category: Covid-19

Whether a new coronavirus variant takes hold in the coming weeks could determine if Michigan will undergo another seasonal COVID surge or enjoy its first quiet winter in three years.

Modeling from The COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub offer projections for the next six months, with a handful of different scenarios based on vaccine uptake and the emergence of hypothetical new variants. Health officials have looked to these models throughout the pandemic to help estimate upcoming trends.

The latest models suggest Michigan could see COVID cases and hospitalizations continue to plateau or even decline this fall if there are no new immune-escaping variants of coronavirus that gain traction through the end of the year.

On the other hand, a new variant with the ability to evade existing immunity could open the door to another rise in infections, hospitalizations and deaths this winter, much like omicron caused in 2021.

Its the kind of situation where I would love it if we got a pleasant surprise and we ended up not having a winter spike, but I think we probably should prepare for one, said Marisa Eisenberg, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan who assists the state with infectious disease modeling. History has shown that usually we do get one.

The difference between Scenario Hubs most pessimistic scenario (new variant, low booster uptake), and its most optimistic scenario (no new variant, high booster uptake early on), is about 600,000 hospitalizations and 70,000 deaths nationwide.

The group estimates early booster availability and uptake would avert 6-12% of cases, 10-16% of hospitalizations, and 12-15% of deaths.

Related: COVID questions: Are the new vaccine boosters still free? Whos eligible?

Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 continue to make up more than 95% of sequenced samples in the U.S. Another omicron subvariant known as BA.2.75, originally identified in India, made up 1.3% of sequenced U.S. cases last week and is being monitored by the World Health Organization.

Predicting what the actual new variant is going to be and when it might emerge is a really tough problem, Eisenberg said. It depends so much on transmission happening not just in Michigan but all around the world, and other variables.

There are a lot of different variants that (the World Health Organization) and others are keeping track of. Whether any one of those is likely to kind of emerge and become the next dominant variant is tough to say.

Michigans COVID-19 trends have been consistent from week to week throughout the summer, with steady increases over the last three months. During the last week, the state reported an average of 1,849 cases and 17 deaths per day -- up from 1,588 cases and eight deaths per day three months ago.

Similarly, hospitals were treating 1,174 COVID patients as of Tuesday, Sept. 20, compared to 777 such patients on June 21.

The latest numbers arent far off from mid-September 2021, when the state was reporting about 2,772 cases and 21 deaths per day. Case counts were likely more accurate then, due to less availability of at-home testing.

In the months that followed, a more infectious variant known as omicron took over delta as the dominant strain in the U.S., resulting in spikes in case, death and hospitalization rates. By mid-January, there were more than 17,500 cases being reported per day in Michigan, and hospitalizations neared 5,000 COVID patients as health systems begged for residents to exercise caution.

The models from Scenario Hub show potential for another spike near the end of the year. They also leave the door open for rates to continue plateauing even despite a hypothetical new variant, as its difficult to predict the infectiousness of a hypothetical new variant.

Another big factor at play will be how much of the population will get the new bivalent vaccines. The updated booster shots, which became available to Michiganders earlier this month, were made to offer protection against the original coronavirus strain from the start of the pandemic, as well as omicron BA.4 and BA.5.

Absent of a new variant, the models project early boosters could prevent 2.4 million cases, 137,000 hospitalizations, and 9,700 deaths from COVID.

The bivalent booster will help fight the omicron subvariants, including BA.4 and 5, said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Michigans chief medical executive, in a prepared statement. COVID-19 vaccines remain our best defense against the virus, and we recommend all Michiganders stay up to date.

About 63% of Michiganders got an initial dose of the original vaccines. Of them, about 59% got an initial booster dose. The state hadnt published any data on bivalent booster uptake as of Wednesday, Sept. 21.

Scenario Hub notes that even the best models of emerging infections struggle to give accurate forecasts greater than a few weeks out due to unpredictable variables like changing policy environment, behavior change, development of new control measures, and random events.

Eisenberg said its getting harder to make these models, because the picture of existing immunity and re-infection is getting increasingly complicated with the evolving coronavirus variants. Still, they remain useful.

Theyre not trying to project whats going to happen, she said. Theyre saying if we get a new variant, heres what it might look like. If we dont, heres what it might look like.

To find a vaccine near you, visit the online vaccine finder tool and enter your ZIP code. If youre looking for a bivalent booster, select one or both of the bivalent shots from Pfizer and Moderna.

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Will Michigan see a quiet winter or another COVID-19 surge? - MLive.com

Micro-level social structures and the success of COVID-19 national policies  Nature.com

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Micro-level social structures and the success of COVID-19 national policies - Nature.com

Introduction: The 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) rapidly spread throughout the world, with diverse negative consequences in all fields, including the continuity of treatment for patients with other diseases. The public hospital for high-complexity procedures affiliated with the So Jos do Rio Preto School of Medicine, So Paulo, Brazil, normally has a high annual quantity of outpatient appointments. However, the consequences of COVID-19 led to a reduction in the number of appointments, exams, and outpatient procedures. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on outpatient care for individuals with urological conditions at a university hospital.

Patients and Methods: A retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted involving the analysis of all outpatient appointments for individuals with urological conditions at the Urology Clinic of the So Jos do Rio Preto Hospital, So Paulo, Brazil,between January 2019 (pre-pandemic period) and December 2020 (after the first year of COVID-19). The variables of interest were sex, age, and affected organs of the genitourinary system.

Results: Among the 4,972 outpatient appointments involving patients with urological conditions in 2019, 70.7% involved males and the largest portion of patients were in the seventh decade of life (40.02%). Among the 4,584 outpatient appointments in 2020, 69.9% involved males and the largest portion were in the seventh decade of life (47.07%). Significant differences were found in the number of outpatient appointments between 2019 and 2020 in all age groups (p < 0.0001). The most affected organs of the genitourinary system in both 2019 and 2020 were the prostate (46.07% and 56.31%, respectively), bladder (30.56% and 22.48%, respectively), and kidney/ureter (22.85% and 19.68%, respectively), with no significant differences between the two years.

Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic exerted an impact on outpatient care for individuals with urological conditions at a university hospital, leading to a reduction in the number of appointments. No change was found with regard to the sex of the patient. In contrast, an increase was found in the number of patients 60 years of age or older during the year of the pandemic. The most affected organs of the genitourinary system were the prostate, bladder, and kidney/ureter in both years analyzed.

The 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) that emerged in Wuhan, China [1] spread rapidly throughout the world [2,3]. Diverse negative consequences were felt in all fields, including the continuity of treatment for patients with other diseases. Changes occurred in the understanding of priorities in the health field, as human resources (medical and paramedical staff), materials, drugs and hospital beds in wards and intensive care units were prioritized to provide care for patients infected with COVID-19. Social distancing also contributed to the reduction in appointments, exams, and treatment for patients with other conditions.

Routine urological care was impacted and discussions were necessary on how to provide care for these patients [4]. One initiative in Brazil was Law n 13.989/2020, which addressed the use of telemedicine during the crisis caused by SARS-CoV-2[5]. Throughout the world, guidelines were formulated to assist in the determination of which outpatient procedures should be performed and which should be suspended [6-8].

Moreover, residents in urology may have had their education compromised due to the reduction in the number of outpatient appointments, despite the use of telemedicine. Indeed, the changes imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic led to a reduction in the participation of residents in urological activities [9,10].

The university hospital affiliated with the So Jos do Rio Preto School of Medicine,So Paulo, Brazil, is a high-complexity institution with a large number of annual outpatient appointments. The consequence of COVID-19 led to a reduction in the number of appointments, exams, and outpatient procedures. In this context, investigating the impact of the pandemic on urological outpatient care is justified. Despite the risk of contamination, patients with urological conditions should be seen, provided that safety guidelines and protocols are respected since such patients run the risk of the aggravation of certain clinical conditions.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on outpatient care for individuals with urological conditions at a university hospital considering possible associations with sex, age, and affected organs of the genitourinary system.

A retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted involving the analysis of all outpatient appointments for individuals (irrespective of ethnicity) with urological conditions at the Urology Clinic of the So Jos do Rio Preto Hospital, So Paulo, Brazil,between January 2019 (pre-pandemic period) and December 2020 (after first year of COVID-19). This study received approval from the Human Research Ethics Committee of the So Jos do Rio Preto School of Medicine (certificate number: 47083921.0.0000.5415).

Data were collected from the computational system of the hospital. The variables of interest were sex, age, and affected organs of the genitourinary system in patients with urological conditions in 2019 and 2020 (first year of the pandemic).

The data were entered into spreadsheets in the Excel program. Descriptive analysis involved the calculation of frequencies as well as central tendency and dispersion measures. Pearsons chi-squared test was used for the comparison of frequencies. The IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 23.0 (Released 2014; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States)and GraphPad InStat 3.10 (Dotmatics, Boston, United States) programs were used for all analyses, with a p-value 0.05 considered indicative of statistical significance.

Among the 4,972 outpatient appointments involving patients with urological conditions in 2019, 70.7% involved males and the largest portion of patients were in the seventh decade of life (40.02%). Among the 4,584 outpatient appointments in 2020, 69.9% involved males and the largest portion were in the seventh decade of life (47.07%).

No significant difference was found in the comparison of the sex of the patients with urological conditions in outpatient care between 2019 and 2020 (p = 0.7727, chi-squared test). In contrast, significant differences were found in the number of outpatient appointments between 2019 and 2020 in all age groups (p < 0.0001) (Table 1).

The most affected organs of the genitourinary system in 2019 were the prostate (46.07%), bladder (30.56%) and kidney/ureter (22.85%). No significant reduction or increase occurred in 2020; the most affected organs were also the prostate (56.31%), bladder (22.48%), and kidney/ureter (19.68%) (Table 2).

The results of the present study show a reduction in the quantity of outpatient appointments of individuals with urological conditions at a university hospital during the pandemic. The male sex predominated in both the year before and the first year of the pandemic. A reduction occurred in the number of appointments for all age groups, except individuals 60 years of age or older, for whom an increase was found in 2020. Individuals less than 20 years of age accounted for the least number of appointments in the period studied.

In the analysis of the main organs of the genitourinary system, the prostate, bladder and kidney/ureter were the most affected in both years. Patients with prostate conditions accounted for the most appointments, irrespective of the pandemic, possibly due to the fact that such conditions are more prevalent among patients 60 years of age or older [11]. Moreover, the guidelines recommend not interrupting therapy in cases of prostate diseases without medical approval, which justifies appointments of patients in this age group even during the pandemic.

Conditions that affect the bladder require medical care, as symptoms such as hematuria, micturition pain, and urinary retention should be prioritized [12]. In the present study, the quantity of outpatient appointments diminished in the first year of the pandemic, which may be related to patients visiting emergency rooms for care.

Analyzing the quantity of outpatient appointments in patients with conditions of the kidneys and/or ureter, a slight increase was found in 2020, suggesting that these patients maintained clinical follow-up irrespective of the pandemic. Situations such as compromised renal function, fear of invasive procedures or aggravated pain due to a lack of medical follow-up may explain this finding [13,14].

A reduction of approximately 10% was found in the quantity of outpatient appointments for individuals with urological conditions in the first year of the pandemic compared to the previous year. However, some patients may also have been seen at the emergency service of this tertiary university hospital, which is a regional reference center for a population of approximately two million residents (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatstica, Conjuntura Econmica, 2021).

In the scenario of the pandemic, outpatient appointments for patients with urological conditions should be maintained at tertiary centers that have the necessary infrastructure to deal with complications related to COVID-19 and provide safe specialized care for patients [15]. Moreover, outpatient follow-up of these patients is necessary, since some conditions, such as prostate cancer, may progress due to the situation of the pandemic [15].

The COVID-19 pandemic exerted an impact on outpatient care for individuals with urological conditions at a university hospital, leading to a reduction in the number of appointments. No change was found with regard to the sex of the patients. In contrast, an increase was found in the number of patients 60 years of age or older during the year of the pandemic. The most affected organs of the genitourinary system were the prostate, bladder, and kidney/ureter in both years analyzed.

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Impact of COVID-19 on Outpatient Care for Urological Conditions at a University Hospital - Cureus

Updated Sept. 22, 2022 3:38 pm ET

Health authorities encouraging retooled Covid-19 boosters are facing resistance from an unlikely corner: people who had embraced vaccines earlier in the pandemic.

The authorities have expressed hope that sluggish booster rates would pick up as people seek the reformulated shots, which target the latest versions of Omicron.

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Some Who Rushed to Covid-19 Vaccine Hold Off on Boosters - The Wall Street Journal

Under a tentative deal Washington state employees would get $1,000 bonuses for receiving a COVID-19 booster shot.

The agreement between the state and the Washington Federation of State Employees also includes 4% pay raises in 2023, 3% pay raises in 2024 and a $1,000 retention bonus, The Seattle Times reported.

Gov. Jay Inslee announced this month that all pandemic emergency orders will end by Oct. 31, including state vaccine mandates for health care and education workers. But he has said a vaccine mandate will continue to be in effect for workers at most state agencies.

Most employees were required to have their initial series of vaccination by October of last year or be fired. New state employees have had to be vaccinated before their official start date.

We want to have healthy people so people dont miss work, Inslee said earlier this month. The vaccine still remains a very important thing.

The Washington Federation of State Employees represents nearly 47,000 workers with roughly 35,000 state employees impacted by the tentative deal. The union said it would help address widespread staffing shortages and workplace safety issues.

The union called the deal, which still must be approved by both sides, the highest compensation package in the unions history.

Inslees office declined to speak to the specifics of the tentative agreement announced by the union.

Offering incentives for boosters reflects the feedback and recommendations we heard from employees and labor partners, Jaime Smith, an Inslee spokesperson, said.

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$1k bonus for getting COVID-19 booster? Thats the proposed deal - OregonLive

The thought of a new virus impacting businesses is probably the last thing anyone wants to hear after two years dealing with Covid-19.

But the declaration of a public health emergency in the U.S. means that companies should also increase their awareness and preparations for the monkeypox virus. Companies should now build a plan that details how they will respond to the virus and what tactics they will implement to mitigate its impact. From a strategic or tactical perspective, ignoring the virus is no longer a viable business option.

While CDC data shows that there are more than 23,000 total confirmed monkeypox/orthopoxvirus cases in the United States, at the time of writing, unfortunately there remains real potential for the virus to mutate into a more contagious strain and directly impact businesses, or to enter into child or youth communities where the spread can accelerate.

Following are five aspects of the monkeypox virus that business leaders should be aware of, and how businesses can be better prepared for it.

The CDC explains that the viruss numerous symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, chills and back ache. While some of the symptoms are also very similar to those presented by Covidincluding muscle aches and respiratory issuesthe trademark symptom of monkeypox is a painful, itchy and visible rash which can be very unsightly. The virus is contagious from the time a person becomes symptomatic until their rash heals, all scabs have fallen off, and a fresh layer of skin has grown.

Infected employees will need a long recovery time, away from work, for up to four weeks; many businesses owners and decision makers are not aware of this. This extended period out of the office or away from production lines is what could create the biggest challenge for businesses. A cluster monkeypox outbreak, in which several employees become infected and isolate at home, will only compound matters.

When creating a response plan, anticipating longer employee recovery periods, therefore, becomes paramount. While many businesses may be able to increase the workload of healthy employees to compensate for those out of work, the real challenge comes when specific training or skills are required for certain positions. There may be no one to pass work to in the event of a cluster outbreak. Businesses should build the capability to source and train employees with the required skills to provide their services and solutions without any interruption.

One development after more than two years dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic is higher expectations from employees that their employer will be prepared to keep them safe and keep the business operating through the next major health crisis.

We have all recently experienced what it takes to survive a pandemic, leaving little room for excuses for any business that is not prepared for the next one.

This preparationfulfilling the duty of care businesses have to their workers and contractorscommences with having the processes in place to monitor their horizon for virus and pandemic risks before the business is directly impacted. Preparation also involves having the appropriate processes, plans and tools in place to be able to respond effectively when the next major virus event occurs.

Companies with effective duty of care plans will notice a number of benefits. First, its reassuring to employees when they know that their employer is actively monitoring and managing potential risks and working to keep them safe. Productivity levels can also be maintained during outbreak conditions, since businesses can minimize staff absences due to illness and avoid continuity issues as a result of outbreaks and numerous sidelined workers.

Finally, an effective duty of care program has external benefits for a company. It ensures that a business can keep its commitments to customers and partners, and it directly impacts how parties upstream and downstream view it. They will perceive the company is being more resilient to risk, responsible and a better place to do business with.

One specific point about how to prepare for monkeypox and any future viral threat comes from the lessons of Covid-19. When contact tracing is done correctly, it helps to slow or stop the spread of a virus. Organizations with effective contact tracing systems were able to identify and isolate people that were exposed to a person testing positive for Covid-19.

However, Covid-19 also revealed the slow and ineffective nature of phone-tree contact tracing methods. A variety of factors contributed to this methods disadvantages, including the lag time involved when trying to locate potential contacts, reliance on unverified and untrustworthy data, and invasive phone calls made at inconvenient times to employees.

Phone-tree contact tracing is very difficult to do well at scale. Calling hundreds of employees on an ongoing basis requires a large investment in people and additional infrastructuresomething that many business owners may not want to do.

New best practices, however, have been established by top-performing organizations during the coronavirus pandemic. These companies can now contact trace quicker, more precisely and effectively because they have instant access to employee proximity data. They also minimize the risk of quarantining employees that do not need to be sent home and this also helps to maintain productivity levels

Businesses preparing for the next pandemic must now ditch the redundant phone-tree contact tracing methods.

Following the significant impacts of Covid-19, pandemic risk has reached the board level and is now a high-level consideration in many organizations, particularly when it comes to making decisions about the companys biggest asset: its employees. Workers, partners and customers expect company decision-makers to have mitigation protocols in place to effectively manage pandemic risk.

Corporate boards typically make informed and proactive decisions based on their access to accurate and insightful data. Decision-making about employees without trustworthy data is tantamount to guess work, which can put a company at risk.

The type of workforce data required by a board for decision-making in relation to pandemics typically concerns employee well-being and access control, virus testing, and the identification of cases and high-risk virus close contacts, so an organization can slow or stop the spread of a virus through its teams. Access to this level of data in relation to monkeypox or any virus will help them manage their risks better, protect employees and supply chains, and ensure continuity of business.

Boards who ignore planning for monkeypox may not be able to meet corporate compliancy requirements. It is important that the company has the necessary protocols in place, approved by the board, to manage employee risks, deliver uninterrupted value to shareholders and partners, and meet customer service-level agreements.

Finally, when companies plan their response to manage the monkeypox virus, one of the most important best practices established by top-performing businesses in the Covid-19 pandemic has been the use of an integrated, multidisciplinary task force to tackle the challenge.

Due to the need for a timely response, the execution of a virus response plan cannot be a siloed activity. A multidisciplinary team, backed by the company board, must be tasked to work together to formulate an integrated plan with key roles, responsibilities, strategies and tactics that will guide the business in its response to, and management of, an outbreak.

Ideally, this team should consist of senior executives from HR, business continuity, IT, health and safety, communications, and finance. All of those business leaders must be involved because their domains will be impacted by an outbreak of the virus at work.

Businesses with an integrated plan in place will also be able to respond faster. This speed of response is the key in more effectively mitigating a virus that can wipe staff out for extended periods.

There is no place for complacency for companies in dealing with the threat of monkeypox and reusing a Covid-19 plan to manage a monkeypox outbreak could put a company at risk.

Allowance for a longer recover period of up to four weeks must be made. Companies now have a higher expected duty of care to everyone up and down their supply chain, and to all internal stakeholders. Employees, partners, clients and suppliers will now expect them to have a pandemic management plan in place.

The management of pandemic risk is now receiving a higher priority from company directors and the C-suite. Best practice is to ensure an integrated and multidisciplinary team is charged with not only getting a company pandemic-ready but monitoring the horizon for risks and taking the necessary mitigating steps to protect the business. Monkeypox is the first new virus where new pandemic-ready standards will be applied, but it wont be the last.

Clint Van Marrewijk is the CEO and co-founder of SaferMe, a provider of contact tracing technologies.

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Five Reasons Not to Ignore the Monkeypox Virus - EHS Today

A person in the stands wears a mask before Dr. Anthony Fauci threw out the first pitch, at a baseball game between the Seattle Mariners and the New York Yankees, on Aug. 9 in Seattle. Fauci is President Biden's chief medical adviser and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Ted S. Warren/AP hide caption

A person in the stands wears a mask before Dr. Anthony Fauci threw out the first pitch, at a baseball game between the Seattle Mariners and the New York Yankees, on Aug. 9 in Seattle. Fauci is President Biden's chief medical adviser and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

President Biden said in a 60 Minutes interview Sunday that the COVID-19 pandemic is a thing of the past.

"The pandemic is over," he said. "We still have a problem with COVID. We're still doing a lot of work on it. But the pandemic is over. If you notice, no one's wearing masks. Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape, and so I think it's changing, and I think [the Detroit auto show resuming after three years] is a perfect example of it."

His remarks came as Biden's own administration seeks an additional $22.4 billion from Congress to keep funding the fight against COVID, and as the United States continues to see hundreds of related deaths every day.

But is it still a pandemic? The National Institutes of Health defines the term as "an epidemic of disease, or other health condition, that occurs over a widespread area (multiple countries or continents) and usually affects a sizable part of the population."

Globally, there have been about 612 million cases of coronavirus. The number of new daily cases peaked in January for many countries, including the U.S. (806,987), France (366,554) and India (311,982), according to Our World in Data, an international organization of scientists.

We've come a long way since then on Saturday, there were about 493,000 cases worldwide but there are still thousands of cases being detected every day, and many estimates could be off, as many cases are going unreported.

From Aug. 16 to Sept. 17, there were 19.4 million new cases worldwide, with some of the most significant increases happening in Japan (29%), Taiwan (20%) and Hong Kong (19%). The U.S. had a 3% increase in cases during that time period, equivalent to 2.5 million incidents.

In Japan, there is a daily cap on the number of people who can arrive in the country and individual tourist visits have been banned, though those guidelines are expected to be reversed soon. Additionally, on Sep. 7, the country lifted its requirement to take a test within 72 hours of landing in Japan, as long as you are vaccinated, according to Nikkei.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also eased up on COVID-19 restrictions, such as issuing the same guidance to both vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans and shortening the quarantine period from 10 days to five. Though, it has not publicly declared the end of the pandemic.

Public health experts weren't impressed with the president's language. Dr. Megan Ranney, who heads Brown University's school of public health, used one of Biden's favorite words against him, calling the idea that the pandemic is over "malarkey."

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Joe Biden says the COVID-19 pandemic is over. This is what the data tells us - NPR

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of September 19, 2022, there are currently 1,850 active COVID-19 cases statewide. There have been three deaths reported since the last report, with a total of 7,367 deaths attributed to COVID-19.

DHHR has confirmed the deaths of an 83-year old male from Wood County, a 43-year old male from Mercer County, and a 75-year old female from Monongalia County.

As a grandfather, I am particularly sensitive to the grief children are suffering from the loss of a grandparent or beloved neighbor, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary. I encourage all West Virginians to get vaccinated and boosted to help prevent further tragedies due to COVID-19.

CURRENT ACTIVE CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (14), Berkeley (100), Boone (20), Braxton (8), Brooke (13), Cabell (80), Calhoun (12), Clay (4), Doddridge (5), Fayette (62), Gilmer (7), Grant (14), Greenbrier (62), Hampshire (17), Hancock (18), Hardy (27), Harrison (73), Jackson (15), Jefferson (50), Kanawha (152), Lewis (16), Lincoln (17), Logan (43), Marion (62), Marshall (21), Mason (19), McDowell (44), Mercer (127), Mineral (27), Mingo (24), Monongalia (91), Monroe (20), Morgan (8), Nicholas (27), Ohio (33), Pendleton (6), Pleasants (1), Pocahontas (6), Preston (33), Putnam (56), Raleigh (78), Randolph (31), Ritchie (9), Roane (18), Summers (15), Taylor (20), Tucker (20), Tyler (9), Upshur (25), Wayne (15), Webster (5), Wetzel (7), Wirt (22), Wood (65), Wyoming (77). To find the cumulative cases per county, please visit coronavirus.wv.gov and look on the Cumulative Summary tab which is sortable by county.

West Virginians ages 6 months and older are eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. All individuals ages 6 months and older should receive a primary series of vaccination, the initial set of shots that teaches the body to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. Those ages 5-11 years are recommended to get an original (monovalent) booster shot when due, and those ages 12 years and older are recommended to get an Omicron booster shot (bivalent) at least two months after completing their primary series.

Visit the WV COVID-19 Vaccination Due Date Calculator, a free, online tool that helps individuals figure out when they may be due for a COVID-19 shot, making it easier to stay up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccination. To learn more about COVID-19 vaccines, or to find a vaccine, visit vaccines.gov, vaccinate.wv.gov, or call 1-833-734-0965. Please visit the COVID-19 testing locations page to locate COVID-19 testing near you.

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COVID-19 Daily Update 9-19-2022 - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

Mike Stucka USA TODAY NETWORK| The Gaston Gazette

New coronavirus cases increased 3.5% in North Carolina in the week ending Sunday as the state added 21,189 cases. The previous week had 20,480 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

North Carolina ranked third among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States decreased 7.7% from the week before, with 436,694 cases reported. With 3.15% of the country's population, North Carolina had 4.85% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 24 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

Gaston County reported 385 cases and four deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 516 cases and one death. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 75,439 cases and 915 deaths.

Within North Carolina, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Yadkin County with 552 cases per 100,000 per week; Graham County with 486; and Caldwell County with 367. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.

Adding the most new cases overall were Wake County, with 2,150 cases; Mecklenburg County, with 1,974 cases; and Guilford County, with 1,022. Weekly case counts rose in 60 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Wake, Johnston and Randolph counties.

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

Across North Carolina, cases fell in 39 counties, with the best declines in Gaston County, with 385 cases from 516 a week earlier; in Cleveland County, with 216 cases from 306; and in Orange County, with 223 cases from 302.

In North Carolina, 49 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 30 people were reported dead.

A total of 3,162,491 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 26,414 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 95,658,236 people have tested positive and 1,053,419 people have died.

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Sept. 18. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

Hospitals in 15 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 14 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 22 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.

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Gaston County reported 385 additional COVID-19 cases this week - Gaston Gazette

Mike Stucka USA TODAY NETWORK| Plaquemine Post South

Louisiana reported far fewer coronavirus cases in the week ending Sunday, adding 5,618 new cases. That's down 40% from the previous week's tally of 9,360 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Louisiana ranked 30th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States decreased 7.7% from the week before, with 436,694 cases reported. With 1.4% of the country's population, Louisiana had 1.29% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 24 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

Johns Hopkins University has been getting data on an erratic schedule from Louisiana, skewing week-to-week comparisons.

Iberville Parish reported 36 cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 81 cases and zero deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 10,859 cases and 154 deaths.

Across Louisiana, cases fell in 58 parishes, with the best declines in East Baton Rouge Parish, with 319 cases from 678 a week earlier; in Lafayette Parish, with 276 cases from 564; and in Ouachita Parish, with 299 cases from 563.

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

Within Louisiana, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in East Carroll Parish with 598 cases per 100,000 per week; Caldwell Parish with 544; and Union Parish with 344. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.

Adding the most new cases overall were Caddo Parish, with 421 cases; Orleans Parish, with 415 cases; and Jefferson Parish, with 350.

In Louisiana, 54 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 46 people were reported dead.

A total of 1,448,503 people in Louisiana have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 17,977 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 95,658,236 people have tested positive and 1,053,419 people have died.

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Sept. 18. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

Hospitals in 15 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 14 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 22 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.

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Iberville Parish reported 36 additional COVID-19 cases this week - Post South