Category: Covid-19

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Yucaipa mother of 5 dies of COVID-19 week after giving birth  San Bernardino County Sun

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Yucaipa mother of 5 dies of COVID-19 week after giving birth - San Bernardino County Sun

A lot has happened over the past month that had the potential to convince vaccine hesitant Americans to get the jab: More than 1,000 Americans are dying every day, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration fully approved one of the COVID-19 vaccines, and Republicans have been more emphatic that everyone even their supporters needs to get vaccinated.

But the effect has been mixed. Each month for the past four months, Morning Consult has asked Americans whether theyve gotten the vaccine and, if not, whether they plan to. The most recent results show a notable dip in the number of vaccine-hesitant Americans those who say they do not plan to get the vaccine, or are unsure if they ever will in some hard-hit states, while others barely budged even as COVID-19 cases climbed and prominent Republicans promoted the vaccine during the same period when the poll was conducted (July 24 to August 23). Packed ICUs and Ron DeSantis speeches arent always enough to sway people who reject the vaccine.

Take Florida, where new COVID-19 cases began climbing in early July. Now, the average number of deaths per day in the state is higher than at any other point of the ongoing pandemic. The day before Morning Consults most recent round of polling began, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis publicly promoted the vaccines, saying that they are saving lives and defended himself against pushback from Republican anti-vaxxers who thought he was doing too much to tout the vaccine. Vaccination rates in the state did climb during this period: from early July to early August, the number of doses administered daily increased by 50 percent, though they remain far below Aprils peak. But according to the Morning Consult survey, from July to August the percentage of Floridians unsure if they wanted to receive the vaccine only decreased by 0.6 percentage points less than the polls 1 percent margin of error. The number of vaccine refusers in the poll decreased by 1.2 percentage points.

In South Carolina, July and August also saw a cascade of new cases that rival the states peak in January. Some state Republicans but not all have stressed vaccination. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham has been promoting the vaccine since he received his first dose last year, doubling his efforts after he tested positive for a breakthrough case in August. But vaccination rates increased only modestly here, from a seven-day moving average of around 3,000 doses per day at the start of July to 5,206 at the start of August. And like other southern states, South Carolina barely saw a change among vaccine-hesitant residents between July and August polls. The percent of South Carolinians who said they did not plan to get the vaccine dropped from 22.9 percent to 21.6 percent, while those who were unsure was essentially unchanged at 12.6 percent.

Of course, not all states with the highest COVID-19 rates are run entirely by the GOP. In Kentucky, where Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, has promoted vaccines and mask-wearing, there also has been hardly any change in uncertainty and refusal rates over the last month despite increased vaccination rates in some of the states counties that were previously lagging. In fact, from July to August, the number of vaccine refusers in the state essentially stayed the same. And more or less the same number of people in the state are unsure whether they want the vaccine.

On the other hand, some states registered more of a change, although significant pockets of resistance remain. Mississippi, which has one of the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the country, saw a record-breaking wave of new cases in August. Some Republicans here, too, began publicly touting the vaccine over the last few weeks, such as state Sen. Jeremy England. England got his first dose of the vaccine in August, and made several lengthy social media posts promoting the vaccine, writing that The verdict is out. The vaccine works. Vaccination rates ticked up slightly in July, and have remained steady since. Mississippi also saw a notable drop in the number of people who say they refuse to get the vaccine: 30 percent of Mississipians said they dont plan to get the shot in the July poll, while 26 percent said so in the most recent poll. But that drop of 4 percentage points still means that more than one-quarter of the population is unwilling to get the jab. Meanwhile, the number of unsure Mississippians dropped less than 1 percentage point in the last month. The states Republican governor, Tate Reeves, said on Saturday that people in his state were less scared of the virus because they believe in eternal life.

Louisiana also has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country and saw a spike in single-day hospitalizations in July. That month, Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards said the rise in cases and hospitalizations in the state was scary and repeatedly pushed residents to get vaccinated. On top of that, Louisiana representative and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise said that he had high confidence in the vaccine four days after he received the jab himself. From then to now, however, theres only been a little bump in vaccines. Vaccine hesitancy and refusal rates, however, have declined by a few percentage points: the number of people who said they wouldnt get the vaccine dropped 4.3 percentage points over the last month, while the number of people who say theyre unsure if they want the jab dropped 0.6 percentage points. Its possible that conditions in the state will worsen after Hurricane Ida ripped through Louisiana over the weekend. Edwards told the Associated Press on Sunday that over 2,400 COVID-19 patients were in Louisiana hospitals, many of which are grappling with power outages and infrastructure damage after the storm.

All of this again shows how getting vaccinated has become less of a public health issue and more of an identity and political one if statements of support for vaccinations among political heavyweights in either party is moving the needle at all, it is doing so inconsistently. It seems theres a certain bedrock of anti-vaccine Americans for whom no amount of new cases or political statements is convincing, and the rest of the public is left grappling with the consequences.

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Vaccine Hesitancy Is Still Strong In Many COVID-19-Battered States - FiveThirtyEight

A COVID-19 test is given at a drive-thru site outside the Z.J. Loussac Library in Anchorage in July. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

A surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations in Alaska worsened over the weekend as the state tied a previous record for most patients hospitalized with the virus at one time.

The number of people hospitalized with the virus reached a pandemic-high of 151 for most of the weekend, Jared Kosin, president of the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association, said Monday. The last and only time that many people with COVID-19 were being treated in Alaska hospitals was in December 2020.

Weve hit new highs, and it looks like were not done yet, Kosin said Monday. Make no mistake: this is a crisis.

The next two weeks will be critical in determining how the crisis develops, Kosin said. So far, the latest influx of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations has shown little sign of slowing the state on Monday reported 1,155 new cases in residents and nonresidents over three days, according to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services dashboard that is only updated on weekdays.

By Monday, there were no ICU beds available in Anchorage, as reported by a municipal dashboard. In the Mat-Su, about a third of all hospitalizations were virus-related.

For weeks, Alaska hospitals have been operating at an unsustainable level due to the combination of busy summer admissions, staff shortages and the growing surge in high-needs COVID-19 patients. Providers are reporting lengthy ER waits, sporadic cancellations of elective procedures, and ICU patients competing for beds.

If things keep accelerating, then its the scenario that we dont talk about, that we havent talked about that other states unfortunately have gone through, Kosin said. That might look like surgeries canceled on a daily basis and the surgeries Im talking about are not cosmetic surgeries; these are cancer extractions, very serious, life impacting procedures plus field hospitals being stood up and an exhausted workforce being pushed even further past their breaking point.

I dont know how else to tell people this is a very serious crisis, and I hope people understand that and take action on it, Kosin said.

[Among the unvaccinated, delta variant more than doubles risk of hospitalization]

When asked which state or local interventions should be considered at this point, Kosin said anything that is going to make life easier for our front-line caregivers and our facilities, we should do. Even if these are heavy lifts at this point, we should be throwing every resource possible at this problem.

The hospital association has sent a list of demands to the state to consider, which includes addressing a staffing shortage by removing regulatory barriers that could be preventing health care staff reinforcements from the Lower 48 and using federal resources to increase nurse deployments to Alaska.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy and administration officials on Thursday said they were working on some of these demands to increase the number of people who can treat COVID-19 patients.

Dunleavy and other officials, in a news conference streamed on Facebook, said vaccination remains the best solution to the ongoing crisis. But the governor stopped a step short of urging vaccinations, instead saying Alaskans should talk to their doctor about getting vaccinated if thats what they want to do.

[Be vigilant: Vaccine breakthrough COVID-19 cases in Alaska are surprising, usually less severe and part of the reality of the pandemic for now]

Besides getting vaccinated, what individual Alaskans can do right now to support health care workers and health care facilities is wear masks indoors in public spaces, limit indoor gatherings, and wash their hands, Kosin said Monday.

Its those practical steps that will make the difference immediately, because that is going to slow transmission. And if transmission slows, thats going to slow hospitalizations, so it really does make a huge difference in the short term, Kosin said.

[An unvaccinated elementary school teacher took off her mask for a read-aloud. Within days, half her class was positive for delta.]

Alaska, which in January held the top spot in the nation for per capita vaccination, is now 33rd among states. The state on Monday reported that 60.6% of Alaskans 12 and over had received at least one dose of vaccine and 54.9% were fully vaccinated.

The states seven-day average test positivity rate was 7.27%.

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Alaska ties its record for most patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and reports over 1,000 new cases over the weekend - Anchorage Daily News

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reports 48 new individuals 47 residents and one nonresident identified with COVID-19 over the past three days. There are currently four people with COVID-19 hospitalized at Bartlett Regional Hospital.

The Juneau School District reports eight individuals whove tested positive for COVID-19 and were infectious while in school:

COVID-19 cases related to schools are posted on thedistrict websiteas they are reported (click on the green COVID-19 Cases block). Find more district related COVID-19 information atjuneauschools.org.

Statewide, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reports1,155 new peopleidentified with COVID-19 in the past three days 1,111 are residents and 44 are nonresidents. Alaska has had 83,991 cumulative resident cases of COVID-19 and a total of 3,917 nonresidents.

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48 new COVID-19 cases reported for Juneau over the past three days City and Borough of Juneau - City and Borough of Juneau

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) COVID-19 hospital inpatients in the Knoxville region are approaching a pandemic-era high, according to new data released Tuesday by the Knox County Health Department.

The 19 hospitals in the Knoxville region report 635 patients as of Aug. 30, including 169 in the ICU and 112 on ventilators. Its the most regional inpatients since Jan. 8 and just 35 fewer than the all-time high set on Jan. 7.

There were 201 total COVID-19 inpatients in the region on Aug. 1. Earlier this month,Tennessee Health DepartmentCommissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey revealed that the first half of August has seenmore new COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state than any full month of the pandemic.

Since the last update on Aug. 26, Knox County has reported 985 new active COVID-19 cases and 17 new deaths. There are now 4,654 active cases in the county, a percent increase of 275% since Aug. 4.

A total of 45 deaths have been recorded in Knox County in the month of August, making it the deadliest single month since February. A total of 701 people have died since the beginning of the pandemic.

As of Aug. 29, the seven-day COVID-19 positivity percentage average is 23.43%, meaning nearly 1 and every 4 tests administered in the last 7 days are positive. The 7-day average at the beginning of the month was 14.69%.

The Tennessee National Guard has been deployed to regional hospitals including The University of Tennessee Medical Center, Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System, LaFollette Healthcare and Johnson City Medical Center in Johnson City.

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Hospitalizations for COVID-19 in Knoxville region nearing record high - WATE 6 On Your Side

What if the stated goal is simply, Kids need to be in school, period. Considering the devastating costs of having children out of school last year, including dramatic and quantifiable learning loss in math and reading, this is a very reasonable and defensible goal. How might that then drive policy? Setting that goal would mean deploying more tools to keep children in school, like using rapid antigen tests and allowing kids who test negative to go to in-person class rather than mass quarantining hundreds or thousands of children who had close contact to people with the virus, as is happening now. Or, we accept that there will be more cases in children, recognizing that disease severity for a vast majority of kids is low.

Another hard question that is most likely also causing confusion and disagreement is how we define severe disease in children. Children can get Covid, but their death and hospitalization rates are much lower than for adults. The inflammatory syndrome MIS-C is rare. Long Covid has gained wide attention, but recent studies have shown that rates are low among children and not dissimilar to effects caused by other viral illnesses.

Were not being cavalier by raising these points. Consider that in Britain the government doesnt require masks for children in schools, and its not clear it will advise kids to get vaccinated, either. Britain has experts, as we do, and they are looking at the same scientific data we are; they most assuredly care about childrens health the same way we do, and yet, they have come to a different policy decision. Schools were prioritized over other activities, and the risks of transmission without masks were considered acceptable.

This reveals the crux of the problem in the United States. Its not just the C.D.C., but everyone including us public health experts who is not always connecting our advice or policy recommendations to clear goals. The conflict is not about masks or boosters, its about the often unstated objective and how a mask mandate or a boosters for all approach may or may not get us there.

We use schools as the example here, but much of the same applies to broader societal questions over mass gatherings, live entertainment and returning to offices. There are questions around how vaccinated people should live their lives if the vaccines reduce the likelihood of spread but dont absolutely and completely prevent breakthrough infections and transmission, which was never going to be the case.

If the goal is zero spread, which we think is not realistic, then the country would need to keep many of the most restrictive measures in place an approach that has serious public health consequences of its own. If the goal is to minimize severe disease, some states with high vaccination rates might already be there. Low-vaccination states would still have work to do before loosening restrictions. Treating the country as a whole just doesnt make sense right now because of the widespread differences in vaccination rates.

The emergence of the Delta variant has, understandably, caused many Americans to step back and use caution. But the same questions will be there when we emerge from this Delta surge, whether in a few weeks or next spring. We shouldnt let ourselves off the hook with easy decisions today. At some point, the country needs to have an honest conversation with itself about what our goals really are.

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Opinion | The Hard Covid-19 Questions Were Not Asking - The New York Times

If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and are at high risk for developing severe COVID-19, you may be eligible for monoclonal antibody treatment, which might prevent you from becoming sicker.

Antibodies are part of our natural defense against viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. But they take time for the body to make. Antibodies designed to attack COVID-19 have been developed, and in several studies have been shown to reduce the risk of progressing to severe COVID-19 and hospitalization when given early to people who test positive for COVID-19. This therapy is given as an infusion through an IV at one of the UNC Health infusion centers.

The criteria for patients to be considered for Monoclonal Antibody infusion therapy are:

Monoclonal antibody therapy needs to be given as soon as possible after symptoms start to workideally within 4 days and no longer than seven days.

To find out if you are at high risk and eligible for COVID 19 Monoclonal Antibody infusion therapy, please call the UNC COVID Help Line at 888-850-2684, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., 7 days a week.

Providers outside of UNC Health can also call the Help Line for information about whether patients meet detailed criteria and can be referred to a UNC Health clinic for monoclonal antibody treatment. UNC Health providers should check the intranet resources for treatment criteria and referral information.

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Monoclonal antibody infusion therapy for COVID-19 | UNC-Chapel Hill - UNC Chapell Hill

The Indianapolis Colts are hoping to get left tackle Eric Fisher back on the field sooner rather than later as he rehabs from a torn Achilles, but recent events have stalled that process.

Fisher was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list last week and is still expected to miss practice time as he quarantines following a positive test. Though asymptomatic, Fisher still has to quarantine for 10 days from the test, which was Aug. 26.

Head coach Frank Reich admitted this is a slight setback when it comes to getting back on the field.

Its a stinking shame because man I really think he was tracking. I really think he was tracking. I think hes doing really well. I think this is a little bump in the road for him not for his recovery but just as far as timetable. But you never know, Reich told reporters Sunday. Were going to keep every option open but just logically speaking, you have to say that this is a little bit of a bump in the road as far as timing, but hes at a good spot physically as far as his Achilles is concerned.

Whats encouraging is that this really just pushes the timetable back and shouldnt have an impact on his ability to pick up where he left off in rehabbing the Achilles.

That said, the time away from the team will provide a difficult challenge for Fisher and the medical team. Hes seemingly close to returning, but this positive test will push that timetable back a bit. Fisher has spent the entirety of training camp and the preseason on the PUP list.

In the meantime, the Colts will roll with Julin Davenport as their starting left tackle. The team placed Sam Tevi on the injured reserve list following a torn ACL while they also waived Will Holden as a part of the roster cuts ahead of Tuesdays deadline.

You can keep up to date with all the latest cuts with our tracker.

Hopefully, Fisher will be able to return soon from the COVID-19 list and then the PUP list shortly after, but the fact that he has to quarantine certainly pushes the timetable back a bit.

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Colts' Eric Fisher faces 'bump in the road' after positive COVID-19 test - Colts Wire

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A new report released by the Social Security Administration on Tuesday reveals new estimates of just how much the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the program's already ailing trust funds.

The results show the funds from which the program pays benefits have been "significantly affected" by both the pandemic and the ensuing recession of 2020.

Now, the fund that pays retirement and survivor benefits known as the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund will be able to pay full benefits as scheduled only until 2033. That is one year earlier than last year's projections.

At that time, the program will only be able to pay 76% of those scheduled benefits.

The Disability Insurance Trust Fund, meanwhile, will be able to pay benefits until 2057 eight years sooner than last year's estimates. At that time, Social Security will be able to pay 91% of those benefits.

Combined, both trust funds are estimated to be able to pay full benefits as scheduled until 2034, one year earlier than last year's projections, at which point 78% of benefits will be payable.

Notably, last year's projections did not take the effects of Covid-19 into account.

Though the depletion dates have been bumped up sooner, benefits will still be paid once those dates are reached.

In addition, though the cost-of-living adjustment for next year was projected to be 3.1%, that increase will likely be closer to 6% due to recent increases in the Consumer Price Index, senior administration officials said. That is in line with recent estimates.

That would be the highest increase in decades, due to recent price increases in areas like cars and energy. The COLA for this year was 1.3%.

While this report is the first to show the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on Social Security, the full effect of persistent inflation likely will not be known until next year's report, said Shai Akabas, director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center.

A sustained inflation rate of more than 2% could have a meaningful impact on the program's finances, he said.

Here's a look at more retirement news.

The Aug. 31 release date of the annual Social Security trustees report is also the latest in at least 25 years, Akabas noted. Typically, the report comes out in April, though it has been released later than that in the past.

"It's concerning from that standpoint of wanting to make sure we're keeping a close eye on the program's finances," Akabas said.

While the report's results point to the need to fix the program either through increased taxes, benefit cuts or a combination of both it is unlikely to spur lawmakers to act immediately, Akabas said.

That's because the estimates for the program are not as dire as projected in the immediate aftermath of the onset of Covid-19 last year. Prior to the economic recovery, the Bipartisan Policy Center had projected the trust fund used to pay retirement benefits could run out as soon as 2029 to 2033.

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Social Securitys funds have been significantly affected by Covid-19. Heres how that could impact your benefits - CNBC