Category: Covid-19

The vaccine deployment in December 2020 signaled a turning point in the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of May 2021, 40% of the U.S. population was fully vaccinated. But as vaccination rates lagged over the summer, new surges of COVID-19 came, including Delta in the summer of 2021, and now the Omicron variant, which comprises the majority of cases in the U.S.

Researchers around the world have reported that Omicron is more transmissible than Delta, making breakthrough and repeat infections more likely.

The United States as of May 4 reached 996,145 COVID-19-related deaths and 81.5 million COVID-19 cases, according to Johns Hopkins University. Currently, 66.2% of the population is fully vaccinated, and 45.9% of vaccinated people have received booster doses.

Stacker compiled a list of the counties with highest COVID-19 infection rates in California using data from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and vaccination data from Covid Act Now. Counties are ranked by the highest infection rate per 100,000 residents within the week leading up to May 3, 2022. Cumulative cases per 100,000 served as a tiebreaker.

Keep reading to see whether your county ranks among the highest COVID-19 infection rates in your state.

New cases per 100k in the past week: 28 (50 new cases, +194% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 20,450 (36,826 total cases) 12.4% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 308 (554 total deaths) 35.7% more deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 46.5% (83,651 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 29 (19 new cases, +217% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 22,609 (14,715 total cases) 3.1% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 310 (202 total deaths) 36.6% more deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 43.0% (27,974 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 30 (13 new cases, -13% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 16,613 (7,233 total cases) 28.8% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 186 (81 total deaths) 18.1% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 49.0% (21,337 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 35 (22 new cases, -46% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 21,510 (13,510 total cases) 7.8% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 156 (98 total deaths) 31.3% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 72.3% (45,432 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 36 (23 new cases, +10% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 18,092 (11,649 total cases) 22.5% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 213 (137 total deaths) 6.2% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 54.9% (35,377 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 37 (57 new cases, +16% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 36,143 (55,277 total cases) 54.9% more cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 292 (447 total deaths) 28.6% more deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 45.1% (68,964 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 38 (60 new cases, +329% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 27,643 (43,490 total cases) 18.5% more cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 232 (365 total deaths) 2.2% more deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 54.5% (85,703 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 39 (7 new cases, -53% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 25,450 (4,591 total cases) 9.1% more cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 310 (56 total deaths) 36.6% more deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 62.5% (11,280 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 39 (351 new cases, +92% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 26,522 (238,749 total cases) 13.6% more cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 252 (2,265 total deaths) 11.0% more deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 53.6% (482,790 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 41 (32 new cases, -16% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 21,795 (17,146 total cases) 6.6% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 154 (121 total deaths) 32.2% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 49.2% (38,732 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 41 (40 new cases, +135% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 23,524 (22,811 total cases) 0.8% more cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 231 (224 total deaths) 1.8% more deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 60.5% (58,669 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 45 (99 new cases, +36% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 18,207 (39,908 total cases) 22.0% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 191 (418 total deaths) 15.9% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 53.2% (116,693 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 46 (129 new cases, -10% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 25,621 (71,145 total cases) 9.8% more cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 295 (818 total deaths) 30.0% more deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 51.8% (143,904 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 50 (277 new cases, +7% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 24,597 (135,447 total cases) 5.4% more cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 298 (1,643 total deaths) 31.3% more deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 57.0% (313,933 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 52 (9 new cases, -47% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 15,317 (2,635 total cases) 34.4% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 174 (30 total deaths) 23.3% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 44.9% (7,722 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 56 (563 new cases, -30% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 25,618 (255,954 total cases) 9.8% more cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 275 (2,748 total deaths) 21.1% more deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 61.2% (611,326 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 57 (1,413 new cases, +42% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 25,193 (622,412 total cases) 8.0% more cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 261 (6,457 total deaths) 15.0% more deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 58.7% (1,450,332 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 58 (16 new cases, -16% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 21,721 (6,041 total cases) 6.9% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 180 (50 total deaths) 20.7% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 47.8% (13,308 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 60 (60 new cases, +40% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 17,376 (17,333 total cases) 25.5% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 127 (127 total deaths) 44.1% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 63.2% (62,999 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 64 (124 new cases, +158% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 15,653 (30,186 total cases) 32.9% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 109 (210 total deaths) 52.0% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 60.9% (117,363 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 64 (12 new cases, +200% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 17,605 (3,311 total cases) 24.6% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 69 (13 total deaths) 69.6% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 55.0% (10,337 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 65 (260 new cases, +11% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 17,762 (70,750 total cases) 23.9% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 157 (625 total deaths) 30.8% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 67.0% (266,863 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 74 (2,354 new cases, +33% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 18,709 (594,132 total cases) 19.8% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 220 (6,998 total deaths) 3.1% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 72.6% (2,305,143 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 75 (635 new cases, +38% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 21,757 (184,065 total cases) 6.8% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 176 (1,486 total deaths) 22.5% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 72.1% (610,066 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 78 (36 new cases, +64% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 16,754 (7,691 total cases) 28.2% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 261 (120 total deaths) 15.0% more deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 53.5% (24,560 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 78 (591 new cases, +98% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 23,188 (176,728 total cases) 0.6% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 292 (2,225 total deaths) 28.6% more deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 61.5% (469,001 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 80 (32 new cases, +14% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 23,136 (9,197 total cases) 0.9% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 216 (86 total deaths) 4.8% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 52.5% (20,887 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 91 (200 new cases, -22% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 18,333 (40,425 total cases) 21.4% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 142 (314 total deaths) 37.4% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 70.5% (155,464 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 92 (260 new cases, +76% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 20,106 (56,923 total cases) 13.8% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 168 (477 total deaths) 26.0% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 64.1% (181,569 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 94 (418 new cases, +12% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 20,533 (91,679 total cases) 12.0% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 154 (688 total deaths) 32.2% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 69.2% (308,820 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 95 (2,077 new cases, -19% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 27,240 (593,862 total cases) 16.7% more cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 330 (7,191 total deaths) 45.4% more deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 56.9% (1,240,838 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 103 (56 new cases, +133% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 24,391 (13,288 total cases) 4.5% more cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 332 (181 total deaths) 46.3% more deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 52.4% (28,566 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 103 (3,451 new cases, +24% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 24,392 (814,292 total cases) 4.5% more cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 157 (5,238 total deaths) 30.8% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 80.3% (2,682,311 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 108 (94 new cases, +62% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 18,815 (16,322 total cases) 19.4% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 142 (123 total deaths) 37.4% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 68.8% (59,671 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 108 (467 new cases, +74% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 21,665 (94,041 total cases) 7.2% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 168 (731 total deaths) 26.0% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 72.9% (316,248 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 112 (503 new cases, +125% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 19,676 (88,078 total cases) 15.7% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 100 (449 total deaths) 55.9% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 67.2% (300,903 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 120 (12,029 new cases, +15% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 28,528 (2,863,983 total cases) 22.2% more cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 316 (31,712 total deaths) 39.2% more deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 73.2% (7,352,633 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 140 (653 new cases, -16% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 29,122 (135,763 total cases) 24.8% more cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 313 (1,458 total deaths) 37.9% more deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 54.5% (254,102 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 141 (191 new cases, +53% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 14,920 (20,225 total cases) 36.1% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 107 (145 total deaths) 52.9% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 66.3% (89,808 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 142 (1,638 new cases, +61% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 17,839 (205,778 total cases) 23.6% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 113 (1,301 total deaths) 50.2% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 82.3% (949,461 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 157 (2,624 new cases, +47% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 16,553 (276,662 total cases) 29.1% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 111 (1,851 total deaths) 51.1% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 81.6% (1,364,573 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 164 (813 new cases, +48% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 17,821 (88,095 total cases) 23.6% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 99 (488 total deaths) 56.4% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 78.6% (388,314 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 175 (3,381 new cases, +45% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 17,302 (333,565 total cases) 25.9% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 118 (2,281 total deaths) 48.0% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 85.5% (1,649,116 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 176 (50 new cases, +900% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 23,319 (6,621 total cases) 0.1% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 169 (48 total deaths) 25.6% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 55.3% (15,698 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 181 (250 new cases, +31% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 19,853 (27,347 total cases) 14.9% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 104 (143 total deaths) 54.2% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 79.0% (108,824 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 182 (2,828 new cases, +19% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 20,018 (310,697 total cases) 14.2% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 194 (3,007 total deaths) 14.5% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 67.6% (1,049,419 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 203 (525 new cases, -19% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 14,416 (37,312 total cases) 38.2% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 112 (291 total deaths) 50.7% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 87.4% (226,121 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 204 (558 new cases, +37% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 18,667 (51,000 total cases) 20.0% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 96 (262 total deaths) 57.7% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 75.3% (205,790 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 233 (2,057 new cases, +46% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 15,757 (138,909 total cases) 32.5% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 98 (860 total deaths) 56.8% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 83.6% (736,825 fully vaccinated)

New cases per 100k in the past week: 242 (1,852 new cases, +18% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 17,374 (133,181 total cases) 25.6% less cases per 100k residents than California Cumulative deaths per 100k: 92 (705 total deaths) 59.5% less deaths per 100k residents than California Population that is fully vaccinated: 84.4% (647,347 fully vaccinated)

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Counties with highest COVID-19 infection rates in California - KRON4

WINDOW ROCK

As COVID-19 numbers continue to decline and life returns to some semblance of normal, it is important to remember the children who are grieving the loss of a parent or caregiver during the pandemic who still need the support and resources of their communities.

This is according to a recently release study called Hidden Pain by the COVID Collaborative and Social Policy Analytics, that reports than 167,082 children under 18, or about one in 450 of all children in the United States, lost at least one of their caretakers from January 2020 to November, 2021.

For these children, COVID has done more than hurt their lives it has ended their world, the report states. Especially early in development, a parent or family caregiver fills a childs entire skyproviding most of his or her stability, confidence and care.

According to the report, more than 2000 Native children lost primary caregivers to COVID-19 in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah alone.

The study describes the COVID-19 pandemic as the single deadliest acute public health crisis in American history and a mass casualty event that has left a trail of grief.

Americas COVID-19 crisis has not ended, but we have begun to count the staggering size of our loss, state the researchers. These tragedies were experienced in the isolation of pandemic precautions and hospital wards.

Children who lost a parent, grandparent or other caregiver face uncertainty, stress and turmoil, they say.

The report advises policymakers and other leaders to face the responsibility to minimize the clinical, social, and economic impacts these children are encountering.

This group of children warrant special attention in the policy and practice responses to COVID-19 bereavement, it states.

The report found children from racial and ethnic minority groups were far more likely to lose a caregiver to COVID-19 than White, non-Hispanic children, meaning COVIDs hidden loss falls heaviest on minority children.

Higher mortality rates and larger household sizes among communities of color, combined with legacies of disinvestment, have led to consistently disadvantaged communities experiencing COVID-19 related orphanhood at the highest rates, the report states.

American Indian and Alaska Native and Hawaiian and Pacific Islander children had the highest rate of caregiver loss at nearly four times that of white children per 100,000 people.

The study reports the rates of caregiver loss for American Indian and Alaska Native children were more than 10 times those of white children in Mississippi, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota and Utah.

In Arizona, 1,142 Native American children out of a total of 5,980 lost a caregiver.

In New Mexico, 774, or about half of the 1,609 total children who lost caregivers, were Native American.

In Utah, 120 Native American children out of 1,323 total lost caregivers.

In total, 2,036 Native American children lost caregivers in the three states that comprise the Navajo Nation.

We are requiring these children and families to bear the heaviest burden of the pandemic, despite permitting them the fewest resources with which to carry on, states the report.

Overall, approximately 20% of children with a caregiver death were in the youngest age group (birth through 4 years old), 50% were elementary or middle-school age (age 5 through 13), and 29% were high-school age (age 14 through 17).

Many of these children already faced significant social and economic adversity, and these devastating losses can impact their development and success for the rest of their lives, said researchers.

Additionally, the trauma, uncertainty and stress associated with the loss of a caregiver can lead to depression, anxiety, PTSD, addiction, lower academic achievement and higher dropout rates, financial turmoil, and reduced employment into adulthood.

Caregiver death can contribute to negative psychological, economic, and social outcomes, especially for families from these under-resourced communities, and failure to mitigate these consequences is a missed opportunity, the report states. They have lost the most important people in their lives: their sources of care, comfort, love, and economic support.

Researchers say critical support needed for the children who lost caregivers can be provided by extended family, peer support groups, community-based intervention, counseling, grief camps, mentoring programs, increased access to mental health programs, financial assistance, and government and school engagement.

The grief and confusion of these young people is concealed by being scattered across the country, the report states. We must do everything necessary to rescue and comfort them.

Click to access HIDDEN-PAIN-FINAL.pdf

Related

The rest is here:

More than 2,000 Native children lost caregivers to COVID-19 - Navajo Times

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) Everyone has a unique experience with the COVID-19 pandemic. The students in yearbook class at Hardin Valley Academy are looking back at how they covered the pandemic since its start which would ultimately change their high school experience forever.

We have not had a normal year yet that Ive been making a yearbook, said Allison Harris, who took over teaching Hardin Valley Academys yearbook class in 2019. She said she and her students would have never anticipated what would lie ahead.

I had to get special permission to come back into the school so that I could go around to all the computers and download all the pictures and upload them to Google because that was the only way I could get them home, explained Harris.

Her students also had to adjust.

I got really comfortable with doing yearbook stuff, senior Alyssa Goldmann said. Then the second year rolled around, and then the pandemic happened, and then it got really hard because we went virtual.

Over the last couple of years since the start of the pandemic, Goldmann and her fellow senior yearbook classmate Alex Valentine have moved on to become editors of the yearbook. The pair spoke about how theyve been able to use their yearbook as a sort of time capsule to tell their schools story of the pandemic.

This is our COVID-19 spread that we had in our Visionary book when the whole school shut down and we just basically explained all the dates that occurred, Goldmann said of their 2019-2020 school yearbook. Like when we ran out of toilet paper, when the whole school shut down, when we went virtual and then the mask mandate happened.

Valentine explained the pandemic vocabulary added to that yearbook. It included words that were new at the time of publication, but that the entire world would learn quickly.

Obviously, like main ones, like social distancing and quarantine are added in there because thats all the words that started being thrown around and no one really knew what was going on so, Valentine said.

Covering sports and activities was another challenge that year, considering many teams and clubs barely could have a season.

Luckily, we had one game we could take photos of cause if not we would have to think of a whole new spread, sometimes we had to do that, said Goldmann of covering the schools baseball team in the 2019-2020 yearbook.

Valentine explained parts of the yearbook were made up of lists instead of group photos because the opportunity never came back around to take photos once the school went virtual.

Kind of hard to make a yearbook when you dont have pictures, Valentine said.

As they returned to school in the fall of 2020, there were a new set of challenges.

It was kind of hard because sometimes they wouldnt let us into events because you cant be on the football field when its like COVID season, explained Goldmann. It was very hard to identify people because you dont know who they are, and you cant see who they are under the mask.

Moving into the creation of that school years yearbook, they focused on the positive, titling it Thrive. Goldmann and Valentine say they saw it as an opportunity to show off how their classmates thrived during the drastic changes, they, and other high schoolers across the nation, were going through.

They created spreads about hair trends during quarantine, Q & A sections about what people did during their time virtually learning, and even talked about how different activities changed because of new COVID guidelines.

We had a graduation spread where they walked down Hardin Valley Road and they got to see pictures from that that we took, Valentine said.

The musical happened, but everyone was wearing a mask, so the book is filled with kids in masks, which is a weird thing to look at, added Harris.

Its something they hope gave their classmates a chance to feel seen in a year where so much was different.

I think it was just really nice for everyone to have that sort of closure on the year, Valentine said.

And as students may graduate onto other endeavors, Ms. Harris knows just how vital these books will be down the road.

Kids, they dont necessarily grasp the importance of them in the moment because they are so digital and theyre documenting their lives every day on Instagram and whatever, Harris said. It just gives you something to look at and point to with your kids, your grandkids, 50-years from now so you can say, This is what it looked like at school that year.

Read more here:

Kind of hard to make a yearbook when you dont have pictures: How award-winning HVA yearbook class documented COVID-19 pandemic - WATE 6 On Your Side

Covid-19: After 1 Million Deaths, the US Needs a Pandemic Commission  Bloomberg

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Covid-19: After 1 Million Deaths, the US Needs a Pandemic Commission - Bloomberg

As the Cheshire County Department of Corrections adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years, the county jail avoided large outbreaks, with only a single inmate hospitalized for the disease, according to the departments superintendent, Douglas Iosue.

Despite the widespread disruption the virus wrought throughout the Monadnock Region and beyond, the local criminal justice system from the courts to the jail has continued to operate mostly unimpeded through much of the pandemic, court and corrections officials said. Thats due in large part to changes in the systems protocols ranging from the lasting, like videoconferencing to help facilitate many court proceedings, to the short-term changes to jail operations designed to protect inmates and staff.

Even as the virus surged through New Hampshire and the country, COVID-19 only reached the general jail population twice in the past two years, according to Iosue, who became the jails superintendent in May 2020, after more than a decade as a case worker there.

He chalks that up to good planning and protocols that were founded in science and medical advice and luck.

The plan the jail has in place today has been refined and updated several times over the past two years, as the scientific understanding of the disease and how it is transmitted changed, Iosue said. The superintendent said he crafted pandemic protocols based on the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state guidance, as well as with input from the jails consulting medical director, Dr. Andrew Tremblay, and physician assistant, David Segal.

I do think weve done a very good job with this pandemic plan, Iosue said. You might call it best practice for how to manage COVID in a correctional facility.

But as has been proven time and time again the virus is unpredictable and no plan is a guarantee, Iosue said.

It was outright luck because even with the best plan I could never guarantee we could keep COVID out, he said. Its about reducing risk.

The jails pandemic plan is broken into three stages: preventative measures, outbreak-quarantine and extensive outbreak. Reducing risk happens in that first stage, as inmates are booked and admitted into the facility, Iosue said.

The latter two stages are only implemented when the virus moves past newly admitted inmates and into the general jail population, he said, noting the jail has only had to activate the Stage 2 protocols twice. First in September 2021, when 12 inmates and one staff member were infected. Then again in January and February, when 16 inmates six men and 10 women tested positive, the superintendent said.

Stage 3 protocols have never been activated at the Cheshire County Department of Corrections, according to Iosue.

Preventative measures start with R&D, or reception and diagnostics, the phase when inmates first arrive at the jail, Iosue said. That phase has always included a health assessment but with the pandemic it was extended, he said.

The jail population is transitory, with inmates continuously being booked and released. County jails house pretrial inmates and those serving short sentences, while state prisons house those who have been sentenced to significant time behind bars. In 2020, there were a total of 923 bookings at the jail, with the incarcerated population averaging about 100 people at any given time, according to Iosue. The population remained at about the same level in 2021, during which there was a total of 930 bookings, he said.

People coming into the jail from the community including new inmates, staff, attorneys and volunteers where COVID-19 is spreading present the most risk to the incarcerated population at the jail, the superintendent said.

Inmates coming in, we realized early on, are potentially a risk coming in from the community, Iosue said. Once they start to interact with the general [jail] population, thats where the risk increases to the rest [of the inmates] and staff.

The Cheshire County jail

The Cheshire County jail, shown Tuesday morning, on Marlboro Street in Keene.

The Cheshire County jail

One of two video court-hearing rooms, in the booking department at the Cheshire County jail in Keene, as seen Tuesday morning. The jail had one video court-hearing room prior to the pandemic and now has two, due both to COVID-19 and an increased number of federal inmates, according to Superintendent Doug Iosue.

The Cheshire County jail

An arraignment, taking place via video call, as seen in the booking department at the Cheshire County jail in Keene on Tuesday morning.

The Cheshire County jail

A video call station in F Block, for incarcerated females, as seen at the Cheshire County jail in Keene on Tuesday morning.

The Cheshire County jail

F Block at the Cheshire County jail in Keene. Cells F101-F106 are used to house and quarantine newly incarcerated females. This practice was in place prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the quarantine length was adjusted. Before, quarantine could last between three and seven days, on the longer end if detox was required. At the peak of the pandemic, quarantine could last up to 14 days, but is currently at 10.

The Cheshire County jail

A cart for hosting Zoom calls, as seen at the Cheshire County jail in Keene on Tuesday morning.

The Cheshire County jail

A cell in R Block a wing designated in the Cheshire County jail's COVID-19 guidelines for single occupancy as seen Tuesday morning. This block of single-occupancy male cells is used mostly for reception and diagnostics in the intake process.

The Cheshire County jail

Doug Iosue, superintendent of the Cheshire County jail in Keene, exits the R housing block there on Tuesday morning. This block is designated for single-cell occupancy under the jail's COVID-19 guidelines.

The Cheshire County jail

The Cheshire County jail on Marlboro Street in Keene.

The Cheshire County jail

The Cheshire County jail, shown Tuesday morning, on Marlboro Street in Keene.

The Cheshire County jail

One of two video court-hearing rooms, in the booking department at the Cheshire County jail in Keene, as seen Tuesday morning. The jail had one video court-hearing room prior to the pandemic and now has two, due both to COVID-19 and an increased number of federal inmates, according to Superintendent Doug Iosue.

The Cheshire County jail

An arraignment, taking place via video call, as seen in the booking department at the Cheshire County jail in Keene on Tuesday morning.

The Cheshire County jail

A video call station in F Block, for incarcerated females, as seen at the Cheshire County jail in Keene on Tuesday morning.

The Cheshire County jail

F Block at the Cheshire County jail in Keene. Cells F101-F106 are used to house and quarantine newly incarcerated females. This practice was in place prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the quarantine length was adjusted. Before, quarantine could last between three and seven days, on the longer end if detox was required. At the peak of the pandemic, quarantine could last up to 14 days, but is currently at 10.

The Cheshire County jail

A cart for hosting Zoom calls, as seen at the Cheshire County jail in Keene on Tuesday morning.

The Cheshire County jail

A cell in R Block a wing designated in the Cheshire County jail's COVID-19 guidelines for single occupancy as seen Tuesday morning. This block of single-occupancy male cells is used mostly for reception and diagnostics in the intake process.

The Cheshire County jail

Doug Iosue, superintendent of the Cheshire County jail in Keene, exits the R housing block there on Tuesday morning. This block is designated for single-cell occupancy under the jail's COVID-19 guidelines.

The Cheshire County jail

The Cheshire County jail on Marlboro Street in Keene.

New inmates are screened with a rapid COVID-19 test as part of the initial booking process, according to the jails protocols. Inmates who test positive are placed in holding cells until the medical team clears them. All inmates who do not test positive are moved to one of two blocks designated as single cell occupancy for a minimum quarantine period of 10 days, until they can safely be moved to the general population, the protocols state.

Basically, it is a lot of time spent alone in a cell with only an hour out a day, Iosue said.

Meanwhile, staff, attorneys and visitors entering the jail go through a screening process that includes questions about potential exposure or symptoms. Staff also must undergo temperature checks, he said.

Masking guidance for those visiting the jail has changed periodically throughout the pandemic, Iosue said. At present, people visiting the wings where new inmates are quarantining must wear a mask, while staff in the rest of the facility who are up to date on their vaccinations are not required to wear a mask, he said.

The jail began vaccinating inmates in April 2021. Upon booking, inmates are notified that the jails policy is to vaccinate unless they specifically opt out, according to the pandemic protocols. Inmates who are vaccinated receive $25 on their account as an incentive. About 40 to 50 percent of inmates at the facility are vaccinated, Iosue said. The jail cannot mandate vaccines, he added.

Early in the pandemic, the American Civil Liberties Union and other organizations expressed concern that people who were locked up were going to be super vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19, Iosue said.

At the time, if you remember, there was a lot of unknown, a lot of uncertainty, a lot of paranoia and fear, to some extent, as well, he said.

With incarcerated people forced into a group setting, many had concerns about whether there would be a mass outbreak and certainly, at many correctional facilities across the country there were, the superintendent said. This concern prompted some low-risk inmates about five or six people to be released from jail early or on GPS monitoring during 2020, he said.

But the Cheshire County Department of Corrections did not encounter its first outbreak until fall 2021, Iosue said. The outbreak in September prompted the facility to activate its Stage 2 protocol for the first time, he said.

During that September outbreak and the subsequent wave in January and February, the virus reached the general jail population, prompting all inmates to be tested and those who tested positive to be moved to temporary quarantine units, the superintendent said.

Those outbreaks mirrored the peaks nationally and in the state and in Cheshire County with COVID cases, Iosue said. Whether it came in from an inmate or staff and what the route of transmission was for the outbreaks, its impossible to say for sure.

Through the outbreaks, staff repeated the testing process until there was no more evidence of COVID-19 in the general inmate population, he said.

At times through the pandemic, staffing at the jail has been strained because of personnel who tested positive or had to quarantine due to close contact with someone who had COVID-19, Iosue said. Quarantine guidelines meant staff could be out of work for days at a time, he said.

There was more mandated overtime to cover openings when COVID was going on, the superintendent said. Because it was not just being out sick a day or two. You had to stay out a minimum of the most recent guidance is five full days after testing positive.

The jail was lucky that only one inmate ever required brief hospitalization due to COVID-19, Iosue said. Depending on the security risk posed by an inmate who has to be hospitalized, one or two staff members are required to monitor them at all times while they are out of the jail, he said, raising concern that this could have strained staff.

It was certainly a concern in the back of my mind: What would we do if we had people who were hospitalized for weeks and months due to COVID? the superintendent asked. What if we were to need to have not only one inmate needing that level of care and staffing? The most negative impact of COVID could have come with that.

Courts, transports and visitation

As the jail quickly adopted new health protocols throughout the pandemic, the courts system also altered operations to make proceedings more COVID-friendly.

At the start of the pandemic in spring 2020, the jail population dipped from about 100 inmates to between 70 and 80, according to Iosue. This was in large part due to the lockdowns that were in place and the population soon rebounded back to about 100 inmates, he said.

When the court system was really shut down, our census went down to the low 70s, the superintendent said. Which is the lowest its been in many, many years. It was clearly related to COVID.

Though court hearings slowed during the beginning of the pandemic, by August 2020, Cheshire County had become one of the first courthouses in the state to resume jury trials, according to Tina Nadeau, the chief justice of the N.H. Superior Court. The pandemic has not caused any lasting backlog at the court, she said.

Throughout the entire pandemic, the New Hampshire Judicial Branch remained open to the citizens of New Hampshire, Nadeau said in an email response to questions from The Sentinel. This was only possible because of the dedication of our court staff and the safety measures the Judicial Branch implemented and amended depending on the stage of the pandemic.

By the end of March 2020, the judicial branch had implemented initiatives to allow court proceedings to continue through the use of WebEx, a video conferencing platform, the chief justice said.

Iosue described the use of WebEx as one of the most important changes prompted by the pandemic.

[The courts] have significantly increased the use of video and a lot of that has continued even during periods of lower COVID-risk and transmission, he said. For the most part it has proved to be efficient without too many drawbacks.

While more significant court hearings require defendants and attorneys to be physically present in the court, this change with technology will never revert to pre-COVID completely, Iosue said.

Prior to the pandemic, use of WebEx was used sparingly, mostly for arraignments, at courts with the proper technology, Nadeau said.

Since the pandemic, the court has conducted listening sessions with members of the New Hampshire Bar Association, and learned that videoconferencing is beneficial in certain instances such as a negotiated plea and sentencing because of reduced travel times for attorneys and litigants, she said.

In other instances, where court proceedings are complex or contested, attorneys and litigants have found that resolving such cases in person is more appropriate, the chief justice said.

Sheriff Eli Rivera heads the Cheshire County Sheriffs Department, which is in charge of most of the regions inmate transports to and from the jail and court. Through the pandemic, the significant number of court hearings being held by video reduced the need to transport inmates, Rivera said.

COVID proved that it does work, that it can be done and a lot of cases were handled by video, he said. Now that restrictions have been lifted, were seeing courts go back to in-person and weve seen the increase in transports to in-person hearings again.

Through the heights of the pandemic, only one inmate would be transported per vehicle with staff and the inmate donning personal protective equipment, such as masks, for the duration, Rivera said. The sheriffs department has only recently returned to transporting multiple inmates at once, he said.

Even as the pandemic wore on many jail operations continued, including family and friend visitations and attorneys meeting with their clients, Iosue said.

Family and friend visitations had been done through on-site video conferencing even prior to the pandemic, with the visitor coming into the lobby and visiting their loved one at a booth with a small screen, the superintendent said. With the pandemic, more visitors used the option to video conference with inmates from home, he said.

As for lawyers visiting their incarcerated clients, that continued through the pandemic, Iosue said. When there were outbreaks in the jail, the courts were notified and some lawyers chose to use video conferencing options, he said.

Now two years into the pandemic, the jail has firm protocols in place but nonetheless remains vigilant, the department of corrections superintendent said.

I dont think any of us can be assured well be done with COVID, he said.

Continued here:

Coping with COVID-19: How protocols and 'luck' largely protected Cheshire County's justice system - The Keene Sentinel

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards encouraged state residents to stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters as hurricane season approaches, saying at a Wednesday afternoon news conference that he was about to get his second booster his fourth COVID-19 shot overall.

Edwards said COVID-19 cases have been increasing but hospitalizations and deaths have remained low. He said two deaths were reported Wednesday.

Im still waiting for the very first day since March of 2020 that I get a report from the Department of Health telling me that weve had none, Edwards said.

The Centers for Disease Control says adults age 50 and older are eligible for second boosters.

For the third year in a row we are entering hurricane season while COVID-19 remains a real threat to individuals and to families especially in the event that we have to do congregate sheltering, Edwards said.

Edwards noted that five hurricanes made landfall in Louisiana over the last two seasons and encouraged residents to be ready with plans for evacuation or sheltering and stockpiling supplies.

Among other officials speaking at Wednesdays news conference was Fire Marshal Butch Browning. He stressed the importance of making sure generators are well maintained and that they are operated a safe distance from a building to guard against carbon monoxide poisoning, a cause of death after storms.

Read more here:

Edwards getting 4th COVID-19 shot as storm season nears - The Associated Press - en Espaol

MILWAUKEE -- The Cincinnati Reds put slumping first baseman Joey Votto on the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday, making the move before a game against the Brewers.

Manager David Bell said Votto hasn't tested positive for the virus.

"We're precautionary as far as being able to put him on that COVID IL, which is really a day-to-day thing until we know more," Bell told Cincinnati reporters.

1 Related

Votto was in the original starting lineup to face the Brewers, but showed symptoms.

The six-time All-Star is hitting just .122 with no home runs and three RBIs, and had played in all 22 Cincinnati games this season. He has struck out 29 times in 74 at-bats.

Cincinnati is struggling with the worst record in the major leagues at 3-19. The Reds had lost six in a row and 17 of 18 going into the series opener against the Brewers.

The 38-year-old Votto tested positive for COVID-19 in March 2021.

On Monday, Votto linked to a blog post on Fangraphs.com that carried this headline: "Is This the End for Joey Votto?" On his Twitter account, he posted: "Five months to go. Enjoy the show."

He didn't offer any explanation for his tweet.

The Reds are scheduled to hold a Star Wars Joey Votto bobblehead giveaway at Great American Ball Park on Saturday night when they play Pittsburgh.

Read more here:

Cincinnati Reds put slumping Joey Votto on COVID-19 injured list - ESPN

Ozzy Osbourne arrives at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards on Jan. 26, 2020, in Los Angeles. Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP hide caption

Ozzy Osbourne arrives at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards on Jan. 26, 2020, in Los Angeles.

Ozzy Osbourne has been diagnosed with COVID-19, his wife Sharon Osbourne said on The Talk UK.

"I am very worried about Ozzy right now," Sharon Osbourne said tearfully on the talk show she began hosting just three days before sharing the news of her husband's diagnosis. "We've gone two years without him catching COVID and it's just Ozzy's luck he would get it now."

She said she is taking off time from the show to care for her 73-year-old husband, an original member of Black Sabbath and star of The Osbournes, a reality show with his family.

"It will take me a week to get my old man back on his feet again and I will be back in a week," Sharon Osbourne said.

In January 2020, Ozzy Osbourne, revealed that he has Parkinson's disease, which has no cure. Sharon Osbourne told Good Morning America that it wasn't "a death sentence by any stretch of the imagination."

When she gets back to see her husband, she said she wants to "hold him and kiss him with about three masks on."

Read more:

Ozzy Osbourne has been diagnosed with COVID-19 - NPR

Lots of countries loosening COVID-19 restrictions as May begins

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Lots of countries loosening COVID-19 restrictions as May begins - The Points Guy

Some schools reported increases in Covid-19 cases in April. Not everyone is worried about it  vtdigger.org

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Some schools reported increases in Covid-19 cases in April. Not everyone is worried about it - vtdigger.org