Category: Covid-19

When covid is detected in sewage, students, staffers and faculty members are tested, which has allowed the school to identify and isolate infected individuals who aren't yet showing symptoms potentially stopping outbreaks in their tracks.

UC-San Diego's testing program is among hundreds of efforts around California and the nation to turn waste into valuable health data. From Fresno, California, to Portland, Maine, universities, communities and businesses are monitoring human excrement for signs of covid.

Researchers have high hopes for this sludgy new data stream, which they say can alert public health officials to trends in infections and doesn't depend on individuals getting tested. And because people excrete virus in feces before they show symptoms, it can serve as an early warning system for outbreaks.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds the practice so promising that it has created a federal database of wastewater samples, transforming raw data into valuable information for local health departments. The program is essentially creating a public health tool in real time, experts say, one that could have a range of uses beyond the current global pandemic, including tracking other infectious diseases and germs' resistance to antibiotics.

"We think this can really provide valuable data, not just for covid, but for a lot of diseases," said Amy Kirby, a microbiologist leading the CDC effort.

The virus that causes covid infects many types of cells in the body, including those in the respiratory tract and gut. The virus's genetic signature, viral RNA, makes its way into feces, and typically shows up in poop days before symptoms start.

At UC-San Diego and other campuses, researchers take samples flowing from individual buildings, capturing such granular data that they can often deduce the number of infected people living or working there. But in most other settings, due to privacy concerns and resource constraints, testing is done on a much larger scale with the goal of tracking trends over time.

Samples are drawn from wastewater, which is what comes out of our sewer pipes, or sludge, the solids that have settled out of the wastewater. They are typically extracted mechanically or by a human with a dipper on the end of a rod.

When researchers in Davis, California, saw the viral load rise in several neighborhood sewage streams in July, they sent out text-message alerts and hung signs on the doors of 3,000 homes recommending that people get tested.

But when covid hit the U.S. amid political chaos and a shortage of tests, local governments scrambled for any information they could get on the virus.

In rural Lake County, California, health officials had identified a handful of cases by sending nurses out to look for infected people. They were sure there were more but couldn't get their hands on tests to prove it, so in spring 2020 they signed up for a free sewage testing program run by Biobot, which pivoted to covid testing as the pandemic took off and now is charging to test in K-12 schools, office buildings and nursing homes, in addition to local governments and universities, said Mariana Matus, CEO and co-founder of the company.

The covid virus turned up in samples at four wastewater treatment facilities in Lake County.

The test data alone doesn't provide much value to health officials it needs to be translated to be useful. Scientists are still learning how to read the data, a complicated process that involves understanding the relationships between how much virus people excrete, how many people are using a wastewater system and how much rainwater is running into the system, potentially diluting the sewage, among many other factors. Since using wastewater to track diseases was not widespread before the pandemic, there's been a steep and ongoing learning curve.

Beleaguered public health officials have struggled to incorporate the new data into their already overwhelming workloads, but the CDC hopes it can address those issues with its new national system that tracks and translates wastewater data for local governments.

"Every piece of this system had to be built largely from scratch," Kirby said. "When I look at that, it really amazes me where we are now."

In the months since the system debuted, it has been able to detect an uptick in cases anywhere from four to six days before diagnostic testing shows an increase, Kirby said.

She hopes that by the end of next year the federal monitoring program will be used to check for a range of diseases, including E. coli, salmonella, norovirus and a deadly drug-resistant fungus called Candida auris, which has become a global threat and wreaked havoc in hospitals and nursing homes.

It's in these smaller communities with limited access to testing and doctors where the practice may hold the most promise, Naughton said. Covid laid bare long-standing inequities among communities that she fears will be perpetuated by the use of this new public health tool.

Public health and wastewater officials said they are thrilled by the potential of this new tool and are working on ways to address privacy concerns while taking advantage of it. Greg Kester, director of renewable resource programs at the California Association of Sanitation Agencies, wrote to CDC officials in June 2020 asking for a federal surveillance network. He can hardly believe how quickly that call became a reality. And he hopes it is here to stay, both for the ongoing pandemic and for the inevitable next outbreak.

"As vaccination rates increase and we get the variants, it's still going to be important because clinical testing is decreasing," Kester said. "We really want to make this part of the infrastructure."

This story was produced by KHN (Kaiser Health News), a national newsroom that provides in-depth coverage of health issues and that is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KHN is the publisher of California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.

Originally posted here:

Sewage is the latest disease detection tool for Covid-19 -- and more - CNN

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Heather Robertson has been on lockdown since March 2020. While restaurants, stadiums and stores have reopened across the state, Robertson and her Sugar Land family have not been afforded the comfort of pre-pandemic life.

Her 7-year-old son, Reid, had a liver transplant when he was 10 months old, leaving him immunosuppressed and more at risk for complications from COVID-19. Even before the pandemic, it was hard for Reid to fight off viruses.

Her other son, 11-year-old Reece, isnt under the same predicament. But with COVID-19 surging once again, masking optional at his school and vaccines not available for children under 12, he runs the risk of passing the virus along to his brother. So Robertson is scrambling to find a safer option for her kids.

That scramble is being replicated across the state by school administrators, teachers and other parents. For the second straight school year, schools must worry about how to keep their staff and their children safe and ensure that theyre providing the best possible education during a pandemic that has killed more than 50,000 Texans. Complicating the matter this year: Gov. Greg Abbott has banned mask mandates in schools and the state will not provide funding for remote learning.

Its still unclear when vaccines will be available for those under 12, but best-case scenarios suggest it could be late September or early October before theyre approved.

Worried parents across the state have found some hope this week as big-city school districts such as Austin, Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, San Antonio and other Bexar County schools opted to defy Abbott and require masking for everyone on campus.

Under Abbotts executive order, districts or government entities can be fined $1,000, but it is unclear how this would apply to school districts. Abbott, along with Attorney General Ken Paxton, made clear this week that they plan to take school districts to court if they dont comply with his order.

And Paxton on Wednesday told Dallas radio host Mark Davis that Texas could go the route of Florida, where the GOP governor there, Ron DeSantis, has threatened to pull the funding of school districts that violate his ban on mask mandates. Paxton said the Texas Legislature would have to be involved, but he thinks there are definitely avenues [Abbott] will look at well look at with him to enforce these laws.

In El Paso, where school started more than a week ago, Jewel Contreras sends her young daughters to school with masks, even though El Paso ISD is not requiring them.

That doesn't really do anything because they come home and theyre not wearing masks, she said.

Contreras said her daughter's dad is epileptic and if he gets sick it triggers seizures. If virtual learning was an option at El Paso ISD, they wouldnt have to worry about the potential health risks. If cases keep rising, Contreras said she will consider pulling her daughters out and home schooling them.

For Robertson, the Sugar Land parent, the same concerns arise. Masking is optional at Lamar Consolidated Independent School District, and like many other school districts across the state, there is no virtual learning option.

Last spring, when the pandemic hit, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath issued a waiver allowing districts to receive full funding for virtual learning. That has since expired and a bill that wouldve established and expanded virtual learning this fall died in the regular session after Texas House Democrats walked out to prevent passage of a GOP-backed bill that would outlaw local voting options, among several other changes to state elections.

During this months special legislative session, Senate Bill 15, another virtual learning bill similar to the one considered in the regular session, was approved by a committee in the Texas Senate on Tuesday. The bill allows for school districts and charter schools that received a C grade or higher in the most recent round of state accountability grades to offer remote learning to students. Under the bill, however, districts cant have more than 10% of their student population enrolled online.

The measure has provisions to keep virtual learning in place until 2027, but several senators cant get behind that. Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, suggested the bill end in 2023, when the Legislature will meet again.

Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, also expressed concerns over the bill going beyond 2023.

It seems to me that we are having a titanic shift in philosophy at some level over a crisis that we know is temporary, Perry said.

Either way, the future of the bill is uncertain. Democrats have not returned to the state House as they continue to protest the elections bill. Until enough of them return, the chamber cant pass any legislation.

Bob Popinski, director of Raise Your Hand Texas, an education policy and research group, said his organization believes the best form of instruction is in person. But with coronavirus scrapping plans, the organization supports bills like SB 15 that allow school districts to create their own local virtual learning programs.

Some school districts have heard the cries of parents and will offer virtual learning at the cost of their budgets. Austin, Frisco, Round Rock, Leander, Pflugerville, Richardson, Lake Travis and Del Valle school districts are each offering some form of virtual learning, mostly for kids under the age of 12.

Round Rock Independent School District has more than 2,000 students signed up for virtual learning, according to spokesperson Jenny Caputo. That will cost the district between $8 million to $10 million per semester, depending on final figures.

While Round Rock ISD did receive funding from the federal government through both the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan, that wont be enough to cover the costs because the district already had a deficit due to the shutdown of 2020.

We're just relying on our current budget on being able to find savings where we can, Caputo said. However, you know this isn't sustainable long term.

In Austin ISD, more than 7,000 families enrolled for the virtual option but only about 4,034 were accepted. Austin ISD spokesperson Eddie Villa said it will cost the district $10,100 per student, putting the bill at about $40.7 million. About 2,388 of those children are out of district. The district offered the option to out-of-district families because of limited virtual options during the latest coronavirus surge.

Villa said the districts plan is to pay for that through the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds, but that could change as the district looks at its finances.

Other districts offering virtual options will also look toward the federal money to pay for it. In Frisco, the school district has about 8,100 students choosing the virtual option, costing the district about $20 million.

Frisco officials, though, say they are going to use money that the state is giving them in discretionary ESSER funds. Frisco ISD is set to receive about $33 million.

I won't say that I didn't lose sleep over proposing this option, said Mike Waldrip, Frisco ISD superintendent. We just felt compelled as a district to do this in response to the disease level and what we're seeing in preliminary research that [the delta variant] may be affecting children differently and we've got this age group of children that don't have vaccination as an option.

In rural communities, such as Caldwell ISD, virtual learning is not only a funding issue, but an accessibility one, said Superintendent Andrew Peters.

Fifty percent of my families are in poverty, Peters said. They don't have strong internet, they're working off of a cellphone, you know, they don't have a big 20-inch computer screen.

Peters said a lot of people in those families got laid off during the pandemic, and while they want their kids to do well in school, sometimes they're more worried about what theyre going to eat rather than how their kid is doing on a computer screen.

I'm not opposed to [virtual learning], he said. I just don't think that our society is built for that kind of learning environment.

During Tuesdays Senate Education Committee hearing, senators especially expressed concerns over how recent STAAR test scores suggested that remote learning led to considerable learning loss for students over the last year and a half. Morath told senators that the percentage of kids excelling in virtual education is "very small and estimates that learning loss wiped out between 10 to 20 years of statewide educational gains.

In districts where fewer than a quarter of classes were held in person, the number of students who met math test expectations dropped by 32 percentage points, and the number of students who met reading expectations dropped by 9 percentage points compared to 2019, the last time the test was administered.

The learning loss was particularly exacerbated in Hispanic communities. Hispanic students in districts with over three-quarters of learning done remotely saw the largest drops compared with students in other demographic groups, with a 10-percentage-point decrease in the number of students meeting reading expectations and a 34-percentage-point decrease in those meeting math expectations.

But still, for parents like Robertson, virtual learning is the best alternative. She said at least if her children struggled, she was there to help them and still had the assurance that they were safe.

Her 11-year-old, Reece, will attend the Texas Connections Academy at Houston, a full-time virtual school that is part of the Texas Virtual School Network under the TEA. There are seven such schools and most teach grades between 3 to 12. Reid is in second grade, which isnt offered.

One of the schools, iUniversity Prep serves grades 5 to 12, but has a cap on how many students it receives each year. Spokesperson Kaye Rogers said the cap sits at about 1,400 and they usually attract kids who are actors, elite athletes or have health issues. The school has seen more calls coming from parents with coronavirus concerns but they havent been swarmed by requests, she said.

The Texas Tribune contacted the six other online schools but did immediately get a response for an interview request.

For now, Robertson is waiting for LCISD to approve her homebound instruction request. Usually, homebound instruction is given to students that are confined to their home or a hospital. Students receive at least four hours of instruction per week and otherwise independently work on assignments.

Still, Robertson is wary of homebound instruction because that will mean someone outside her household has to come to her home and give that work to her child. Another option for parents is home schooling. The Texas Home School Coalition, which advocates for and provides resources to home schooling families, has reported that its call and email volume doubled to 1,016 during the last week of July, up from 536 the week before.

In 2020 we saw the largest surge in home schooling in history. It appears that renewed concern about COVID-19 may be about to replicate a similar trend for 2021, THSC president Tim Lambert said in a statement.

Some teachers and parents are eager to return to classrooms. Stephanie Stoebe, a fourth grade teacher at Teravista Elementary School in Round Rock, said she isnt worried about going back to school in person. She is vaccinated and takes the precautions necessary to be safe, she said.

She has cleaning protocols in place and will move desks apart. She also emphasized that families can send their children to schools with masks on. Policy is beyond her control, she said, but what she can do is be optimistic and give her students the best possible year.

I'm really excited, Stoebe said. It's going to be a fantastic year.

At the end of the day, parents like Robertson will have to make the decision that is right for their children.

I've seen my child on a ventilator, she said. It's really frightening it changes you and I don't want that for anybody's child.

Disclosure: Raise Your Hand Texas has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

Join us Sept. 20-25 at the 2021 Texas Tribune Festival. Tickets are on sale now for this multi-day celebration of big, bold ideas about politics, public policy and the days news, curated by The Texas Tribunes award-winning journalists. Learn more.

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Texas schools have limited options to keep kids safe from COVID-19 - The Texas Tribune

Woman loses husband to COVID-19 complications, pleads with people to get the vaccine  KMPH Fox 26

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Woman loses husband to COVID-19 complications, pleads with people to get the vaccine - KMPH Fox 26

More than 190 million people have developed COVID-19 since late 2019, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Many other people have likely had the disease but never received a confirmed test result.

You may have had COVID-19 already without knowing it, although its impossible to know for sure unless you undergo an antibody test. And even a positive antibody test comes with a small chance of a false positive.

The most likely way to know that you had COVID-19 is if you had typical COVID-19 symptoms and received a positive diagnostic COVID-19 test when you were sick. But even gold standard PCR tests come with a chance of a false negative result, meaning you have COVID-19, but the test results indicate you do not.

If you didnt receive a positive COVID-19 test when you were sick, its harder to know if you had the disease.

There are no sure signs that you already had COVID-19. But there are some general symptoms you may have experienced, such as

Keep reading as we look at these signs in more depth

COVID-19 can affect many different parts of your body and cause general symptoms that have many potential causes. Some people with COVID-19 dont develop any symptoms.

Its impossible to know if you had an infection for sure without a positive COVID-19 test, but here are some of the potential signs.

Everybody experiences COVID-19 differently, and symptoms can mimic those of other respiratory infections. If you developed any of the most typical COVID-19 symptoms, especially after being in close contact with a someone who had COVID-19, it may be a sign that you had it, too.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the following are the most reported symptoms:

COVID-19, the common cold, and flu can be difficult to tell apart. Sneezing isnt a symptom of COVID-19 and may indicate you had a cold or allergies. Shortness of breath isnt a typical flu symptom but is one of the more common COVID-19 symptoms.

COVID-19 is thought to enter your cells through receptors for the enzyme called angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). The virus enters these receptors by tricking your body into thinking its the ACE2 enzyme.

ACE2 receptors are found in various parts of your eyes, such as your retina and the epithelial cells that line your eye white and eyelid.

Some people with COVID-19 develop eye symptoms like:

Eye symptoms are usually accompanied by more typical COVID-19 symptoms, but they may appear alone in some people.

Loss of taste or smell is commonly reported in people with COVID-19. A review of studies found that loss of taste or smell was reported in 47 percent of people and was most common in people with mild to moderate disease.

Some people with COVID-19 also experience a distortion of these senses. Symptoms affecting taste or smell seem to often appear before other symptoms.

An August 2020 study found that in a group of 11,054 people with COVID-19, symptoms affecting smell and taste appeared before general symptoms in 64.5 and 54 percent of cases, respectively.

COVID-19 symptoms often show up in a particular order. In a 2020 study published by the University of Southern California, researchers analyzed the development of symptoms in 55,000 people with COVID-19 and compared them to the symptoms of 2,000 people with influenza.

They found that influenza most commonly started with a cough, while the initial symptom of COVID-19 was most likely to be a fever.

A wide range of initial symptoms of COVID-19 have been reported in scientific literature. Just because you didnt develop a fever first doesnt necessarily mean you didnt have COVID-19.

Some people who develop COVID-19 have symptoms that persist for weeks or months after their infection. These symptoms have been referred to as long-haul symptoms.

Young adults, children, and even people with mild disease can develop long-haul symptoms. Its not clear why some people develop long-haul symptoms, but its thought long-term tissue damage and inflammation may play a role. Some of the most reported symptoms include:

There are four notable COVID-19 variants in the United States named after the first four letters of the Greek alphabet:

These variants seem to spread quicker than standard COVID-19, but the symptoms seem to be similar. For example, a May 2021 study found that the Alpha variant wasnt linked to a change in self-reported symptoms among people in the United Kingdom.

Some variants may cause certain symptoms more often than other variants. Early research published by the University of Edinburgh has found that the Delta variation is associated with an increased risk of hospitalization.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the presence of COVID-19 variants in a testing sample may potentially impair the results of some COVID-19 tests. Most tests should still be accurate, but the FDA continues to monitor tests that may be impacted.

Currently, commercially available COVID-19 tests only indicate whether you have COVID-19. They dont tell you if you have a particular variant. A COVID-19 sample needs to undergo a process called genomic sequencing for health professionals to identify variants.

Some rapid antigen COVID-19 tests can provide results in minutes. However, they come with a relatively high chance of receiving inaccurate results.

In a review of studies published in Cochrane,researchers analyzed the results of 64 studies and 24,087 nose or throat samples. The researchers found commercially available point-of-care antigen tests correctly identified confirmed COVID-19 infections in 72 percent of people with symptoms and 58 percent of people without symptoms.

The tests were most accurate during the first week of infection.

In people without COVID-19, the tests correctly identified a negative result in 99.5 percent of people.

Its impossible to know if you had COVID-19 judging by your symptoms alone, since most typical symptoms can also be signs of other respiratory infections.

The most likely way to know if youve had COVID-19 is if you had typical COVID-19 symptoms and a positive diagnostic test result when you were sick. A positive antibody test can also indicate that you previously had COVID-19.

No COVID-19 test is 100 percent accurate. Even if you tested negative for COVID-19 with a diagnostic or antibody test, theres still a small chance that you received a false negative; meaning it was inaccurate.

Read the original post:

Sure Signs You've Already Had COVID-19 Without Realizing It - Healthline

Over the 14-day period from July 25 to August 8, there were 138 people in the Juneau community who tested positive for COVID-19 (thats down from 169 during the previous two weeks):

The overall community risk level is modified Level 3 High. The 7- and 14-day case rates remain elevated at the very high alert level. The Delta variant is driving case transmission locally and statewide. The community is urged to be cautious. Everyone regardless of vaccination status is now required to mask when indoors in public places. It is highly recommended that individuals limit social contact to mitigate disease spread and allow for effective contact tracing. Individuals should test immediately if they have even mild symptoms. Travelers arriving/returning to Juneau are also encouraged to take a free test at the airport. The single most effective strategy to mitigate COVID-19 is to get vaccinated.

Vaccine update:

For more information, read the full Emergency Operations Center Reports, which include weekly recaps, here.

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Juneau's 14-day COVID-19 recap: July 25 Aug. 8 City and Borough of Juneau - City and Borough of Juneau

Everyone age 5 and up is required to wear a mask when in indoor public settings in Multnomah County whether vaccinated or not. Read more about the mask mandate.

Masks and physical distancing are still required state-wide in

Childcare operations

K-12 schools

airports and public transit

adult and youth detention facilities

healthcare settings

shelters and transitional housing

How to get a vaccine

Face coverings, masks and COVID19

Visit multco.us/covid19

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Starting August 13, due to the rising COVID-19 cases, masks are required in indoor public settings in Multnomah County whether vaccinated or not. -...

NEW YORK, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Shares of Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) hit a record high on Tuesday for the first time in more than 20 years as shares of COVID-19 vaccine makers have surged amid rising coronavirus cases in the United States.

Pfizer shares were last up 4.9% at $48.25, climbing as high as $48.57 during the session. The stock's previous intraday high was $47.44, reached on April 12, 1999.

The percentage gain was the stock's biggest one-day rise since Nov. 9, when Pfizer released positive data for its COVID-19 vaccine.

I think they are finally getting credit for the vaccine," said Jeff Jonas, a portfolio manager at Gabelli Funds, which owns Pfizer shares.

While investors had treated the vaccine before as "a one-time cash infusion ... it is really going to be a durable business, unfortunately," Jonas said, adding that Pfizer should be able to leverage the vaccine's technology for use against other types of disease as well.

Pfizer's share gains come as those of another coronavirus vaccine maker, Moderna Inc (MRNA.O), have also been on a tear.

While Moderna's shares were down 4% on Tuesday, they have soared some 78% since mid July, when S&P Dow Jones Indices announced it was adding the biotech company's stock to the benchmark S&P 500 index (.SPX). read more

U.S.-traded shares of Pfizer's partner on the vaccine, Germany's BioNTech (22UAy.DE), were down over 5% on Tuesday, but have climbed about 30% this month.

Shares of Novavax (NVAX.O), which last week delayed its timeline for its COVID-19 vaccine, were up 11% on Tuesday. read more

The rapid spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus has pushed cases and hospitalizations in the United States to a six-month high. read more

"The Delta variant has scared a lot of people into getting inoculated," said Peter Tuz, president of Chase Investment Counsel and an investor in Pfizer.

Pfizer in late July raised its 2021 sales forecast for its COVID-19 vaccine by 29% to $33.5 billion. read more

Ashtyn Evans, a healthcare analyst at Edward Jones, said Pfizer will be able to use the cash flow from the vaccine "for both internal research and development and for acquisitions to strengthen their pipeline."

Additional reporting by Noel Randewich in San Francisco; Reporting by Lewis KrauskopfEditing by Marguerita Choy

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Pfizer shares hit record high with COVID-19 vaccine stocks on a tear - Reuters

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) James Overton with American K-9 Interdiction trains dogs to detect explosives, drugs and bed bugs.

But the COVID-19 virus? They apparently can do that, too.

I was extremely skeptical of it, he said. Then the dogs proved him wrong.

10 On Your Side went to watch a training session at Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center in Portsmouth. Inside a large room, he had seven buckets set up with tubes attached. Inside each of the tubes was a sample taken from a cheek swab of patients. Six were COVID-19 negative and one was positive.

Overton and his training partner brought in the dogs one by one and let their sniffers go to work.

What the dogs are looking for is what they call a volatile organic compound, VOC, thats what gives off the odor for everything in the world and we know that the viruses dont have a lot of molecular weight behind them, so it gives off a very small amount of VOC. That was our concern initially going into this, Overton said.

Miles, a 3-year-old chocolate lab, started sniffing and went right to the positive sample. He did it again and again.

There are three dogs in the program. Theyve been training for about five months, and right now theyre about 90% accurate, according to Overton.

Its been really interesting watching, said Jan Phillips, the vice president of nursing with Bon Secours Mary Immaculate in Newport News, one of the hospitals providing the samples. The trainers are also getting samples from other Bon Secours and Sentara hospitals through a partnership with the Eastern Virginia Healthcare Coalition.

Ive seen the dogs perform a couple of times and they are spot on, Phillips said. She added that their patients are happy to volunteer samples. If something good can come out of this illness [theyre] suffering with, then [they] would like to help.

The plan is to use the dogs at sports stadiums, concerts, airports, cruise ships any large public event where COVID-19 could spread. People would swab their cheeks, maybe 10 at a time, and then the dogs could go to work.

If the dog alerts to COVID-19, the person would be taken for a PCR COVID-19 test to confirm.

There is still a lot of work to be done. The study will go into a double-blind phase with outside experts in both the medical and dog training fields in the next couple of weeks.

Overton told WAVY if all goes as planned, you could see the dogs before your next flight or concert within the next few months.

Get the free WAVY News App, available for download in the App Store and Google Play, to stay up to date with all your local news, weather and sports, live newscasts and other live events.

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Dogs sniffing out COVID-19 in Hampton Roads may one day help stop the spread - WAVY.com

Here's a sample of performers you'll find this year at Summerfest 2021

Here's just a small sample of performers you'll find this year at Summerfest

Lou Saldivar, Wochit

If you want to go to Summerfest 2021, you're going to have to have a COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test.

Milwaukee World Festival Inc., which operates the Milwaukee music festival, the largest in the United States, announced Tuesday morning thata COVID-19 vaccination or negative COVID-19 test result will be required to attend Summerfest, which runs Sept. 2 to 4, 9 to 11, and 16 to 18.

The requirement also covers the Wednesday standalone "preview" concerts before those dates at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater, as well as a Milwaukee World Festival-produced concert with Little Big Town and the BoDeans Aug. 13.

RELATED: Summerfest 2021 lineup: Here's the schedule by date, time and stage for the Milwaukee music festival

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Summerfest's move comes as more music venues and performers push for more safety measures as COVID-19 cases surge again in Wisconsin and around the country.

We collaborated with national health experts and music industry executives and determined this was the best course of action for Summerfest. Don Smiley, president and chief executive officer of Milwaukee World FestivalInc., said in a statement.

Milwaukee World Festival has been a community leader and a tremendous partner in prioritizing the health of festival staff, vendors, performers, and attendees throughout their planning, Milwaukee Health Commissioner Kirsten Johnson said in the same statement. We are pleased with their proactive decision to implement these additional safety measures and ensure festivalgoers can feel comfortable attending this beloved music fest responsibly.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett on Tuesday praised Summerfests decision, saying it was made based on science and out of concern for the safety of participants and the community.

Asked whether Summerfest should be postponed altogether given concerns about rising case numbers, Barrett said:From my perspective, I think people are still looking at the numbers, and we have to see whats going to happen over the next several weeks. It remains a very fluid situation, not in the right direction.

According to Milwaukee World Festival's statement, Summerfest attendees will be asked at the entry gate to show a valid COVID-19 vaccination card or proof of a negative test. An original vaccination card, a printed copy of a valid vaccination cardor a negative test will be accepted. Documentation may also be digital,such as a screenshot or photoon a phone.

For patrons who are not fully vaccinated, a negative COVID-19 test result must be obtained within 72 hours of attending the festival.

Masks will also be required for all children 12 and younger, according to a Summerfest spokeswoman. Children younger than 12 are not yet eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Also, children younger than 12 will not be required to provide a negative COVID-19 test.

Summerfest is not requiring masks for visitors over the age of 12,although in its statement the festival urged, per current Centers for Disease Control and Preventionguidelines, that attendees wear masks in indoor spaces on the Summerfest grounds. The CDC also recommends masks for unvaccinated people when they're at large gatherings.

Due to the fluidity of the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, Summerfest's safety protocols and procedures could change, the spokeswoman said. The festival plans to keep fans updated on its website.

Summerfest also said it would have information on refunds for general-admission and concert tickets on its website "in the days to come."

Summerfest 2021 had been set for its usual June-July dates but was postponed until September in the hopes of getting out from under the COVID-19 pandemic. It returns next month after being canceled in 2020, the first cancellation in the festivals 53-year history.

The pandemic also forced music venues in Milwaukee and much of the country to abruptly close their doors in March 2020. Only this summer have they begun to host shows again, prompted by growing vaccination rates and a decline in COVID-19 cases this spring.

But as cases have surged across the country in recent days with the rise of the more-contagious delta variant, music venues, and some performers, have beenpushing for more safety protocolssuch as requiring masks or proof of vaccination.

The Cactus Club began requiring proof of vaccination for all events beginning this week, and patrons must wear masks. Some touring artists coming to Milwaukee this year including Umphreys McGee at the Riverside Theater Friday, Jason Isbell at the Riverside in December,and Japanese Breakfast at Turner Hall Ballroom next month will also requireproof of vaccination or a negative test.

The number is bound to grow. Last week, Live Nation, the largest concert promoter in the world, openedthe door for artists to require masks and proof of vaccination or negative COVID tests for their tour stops.

Last month, Lollapalooza, the giant music festival on Chicago's lakefront, put in place restrictions similar to those Summerfest announced.On Tuesday, theBonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, which is scheduled for Sept. 2 through 5, announced the same requirements.

But not everyone is on board with those policies just yet. In fact, Milwaukee World Festival is hosting multiple shows at the amphitheater and BMO Harris Pavilion outside of Summerfestthathave yet to announce a vaccine or negative test requirement.

Those include: Chris Tomlin(Aug. 15 at the pavilion); Maroon 5 (Aug. 19 at the amphitheater); Doobie Brothers (Aug. 24, pavilion); Hall & Oates (Aug. 28, amphitheater); KISS (Sept. 5, amphitheater); Mt. Joy and Trampled by Turtles (Sept. 24, pavilion); Slipknot (Sept. 29, amphitheater); Alice Cooper (Oct. 1, pavilion) and Primus (Oct. 8, pavilion).

Ticket holders will be notified of any new protocols for those shows, and any new information will be posted on the amphitheater and pavilion websites.

Alison Dirr of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.

Contact Chris Foran at chris.foran@jrn.com. Followhimon Twitter at @cforan12.

RELATED: Here are all the Milwaukee concerts, venues that will require masks, proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test

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Milwaukee's Summerfest will require all attendees to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Another Maine hospital has decided to limit visitations as cases of COVID-19 continue to grow in the state.

Northern Light Mercy Hospital in Portland said it will limit visitations for adult inpatients to one visitor daily between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. The changes were set to go into effect on Wednesday.

The hospital said in a statement that there is no limit to the length of the visits, and the rest of the visitation policy remains the same.

Maine Medical Center in Portland announced a few days previously that it would limit visitation to one visitor daily starting on Monday.

Both hospitals said the changes were made because of the rising number of coronavirus cases in the state. Northern Light Mercys statement said the changes are being made for the safety of patients, staff, and care teams as community transmission of COVID-19 rises.

Cases of the virus remain low in Maine compared to many other states, but in recent days the number of daily case counts has been double the number from July.

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Another Maine hospital to limit visitation as COVID-19 grows - Associated Press