Category: Covid-19

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of June 8, 2021, there have been 2,955,954 total confirmatory laboratory results received for COVID-19, with 162,636 total cases and 2,822 deaths.

DHHR has confirmed the death of a 62-year old female from Randolph County. We extend our sincere condolences to this family, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary. Lets continue taking every precaution we can to stop the spread of this disease, including scheduling a COVID-19 vaccination for yourself and all eligible family members.

CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (1,507), Berkeley (12,757), Boone (2,168), Braxton (991), Brooke (2,240), Cabell (8,829), Calhoun (372), Clay (540), Doddridge (630), Fayette (3,529), Gilmer (875), Grant (1,301), Greenbrier (2,872), Hampshire (1,912), Hancock (2,837), Hardy (1,563), Harrison (6,091), Jackson (2,220), Jefferson (4,763), Kanawha (15,399), Lewis (1,273), Lincoln (1,567), Logan (3,249), Marion (4,604), Marshall (3,528), Mason (2,040), McDowell (1,609), Mercer (5,087), Mineral (2,966), Mingo (2,712), Monongalia (9,371), Monroe (1,191), Morgan (1,222), Nicholas (1,874), Ohio (4,299), Pendleton (722), Pleasants (959), Pocahontas (680), Preston (2,941), Putnam (5,301), Raleigh (6,996), Randolph (2,812), Ritchie (754), Roane (654), Summers (854), Taylor (1,259), Tucker (545), Tyler (739), Upshur (1,947), Wayne (3,173), Webster (537), Wetzel (1,378), Wirt (453), Wood (7,912), Wyoming (2,032).

Free pop-up COVID-19 testing is available today in Barbour, Berkeley, Boone, Brooke, Clay, Grant, Jefferson, Lincoln, Logan, Mason, Mingo, Morgan, and Wyoming counties.

Barbour County

9:00 AM 11:00 AM, Barbour County Health Department, 109 Wabash Avenue, Philippi, WV

3:00 PM 7:00 PM, Junior Volunteer Fire Department, 331 Row Avenue, Junior, WV

Berkeley County

10:00 AM 5:00 PM, 891 Auto Parts Place, Martinsburg, WV

10:00 AM 5:00 PM, Ambrose Park, 25404 Mall Drive, Martinsburg, WV

Boone County

Brooke County

Clay County

1:00 PM 3:00 PM, Clay County Health Department, 452 Main Street, Clay, WV

Grant County

Jefferson County

10:00 AM 6:00 PM, Hollywood Casino, 750 Hollywood Drive, Charles Town, WV

12:00 PM 5:00 PM, Shepherd University Wellness Center Parking Lot, 164 University Drive, Shepherdstown, WV

Lincoln County

Logan County

12:00 PM 5:00 PM, Town of Man Fire Department, Administration Building, 110 North Bridge Street, Man, WV

Mason County

Mingo County

10:00 AM 2:00 PM, Kermit Fire Department, 49 Main Street, Kermit, WV

Morgan County

11:00 AM 4:00 PM, Valley Health War Memorial Hospital, 1 Health Way, Berkeley Springs, WV

Wyoming County

11:00 AM 3:00 PM, Wyoming County Fire Department, 12 Park Street, Pineville, WV

See the article here:

COVID-19 Daily Update 6-8-2021 - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) Even as case numbers plummet, vaccinations increase and the world reopens, the coronavirus is not gone. Thats why doctors continue to push prevention measures and increased testing.

Dr. Sampson Davis is an emergency room physician who is on a mission to open COVID-19 testing centers nationwide, including in Hampton Roads. Its a mission that is deeply personal to him, not just because of his work in medicine, but because of the loss he experienced to COVID-19.

Davis says we are almost at the finish line and cannot let our guards down.

As we reopen our doors, make sure that, if youre fully vaccinated, great, said Davis. If youre not, you want to still take the precautionary steps. COVID has killed a lot of people. Its taken a lot of our loved ones away.

Its a message that is personal for him.

When my brother lost his life to COVID last year, April 23. I was really charged on what can I do besides the obvious, being in the hospital, taking care of sick people, but how can I make people informed, said Davis.

That is why he is reminding people to get tested for COVID-19 and taking that a step further by opening testing centers.

Its very important that, as an emergency medicine physician, that I step outside the hospital walls and go into the community, said Davis.

Hes opened two centers in New York, one in Miami, and three in New Jersey, where he is based.

Although the vaccine is readily available, COVID testing is still necessary, Davis said. Testing is very helpful because it allows us to now let down our guards.

Davis eyes are now on Hampton Roads, and he is hoping to find community partners to open testing centers in the Seven Cities. He is also looking for medical professionals to help with the centers.

He hopes the sites will remind people to stay vigilant until we reach herd immunity.

If you want to be involved, you can contact Davis by clicking here.

More:

Doctor reminding people that COVID-19 is still out there; looking to start testing centers in Hampton Roads - WAVY.com

COVID-19: Healthy Kids | Wisconsin Department of Health Services  Wisconsin Department of Health Services

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COVID-19: Healthy Kids | Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Wisconsin Department of Health Services

EXPLAINER: The US investigation into COVID-19 origins  The Associated Press

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EXPLAINER: The US investigation into COVID-19 origins - The Associated Press

With COVID-19 vaccination rates waning and workplace outbreaks contributing to infections, Illinois' employers could play a key role in stamping out the pandemic, public health experts say.

Illinois Department of Public Health data showed Tuesday that 36% of virus outbreaks in the last 30 days were evenly spread among four locations: factory or manufacturing sites, restaurants, retail/sales and a generic workplace category.

"We need to figure out a way to get vaccines to where people work, live and congregate because not everybody has the flexibility to take time off, to find a clinic, and drive there," said Dr. Marina Del Rios Rivera, an emergency medicine professor at the University of Illinois' College of Medicine.

The solution is for more employers to hold workplace clinics with assistance from the state or county health departments, she said. "We've got to make it easy for people if we really want to eradicate this pandemic."

Currently, IDPH is reporting some of the lowest daily case rates since the pandemic began 15 months ago, but "I think we probably recognize that places with not enough physical distancing and inappropriate PPE provided always will be a source of outbreaks," Del Rios Rivera said, referring to personal protective equipment such as masks.

Sources include food-packing plants, factories and manufacturing sites where workers are in proximity and engaged in physical labor, she said. "Anytime you're exerting yourself there are more particles in the air that are shared."

Employers can take three key steps: Set up a vaccination clinic for workers and their families, permit employees to take time off to be vaccinated, and -- should anyone suffer side effects from vaccine doses -- allow workers to stay at home and recover.

The workplace approach "makes a lot of sense, especially in areas where we know have been responsible for outbreaks," Del Rios Rivera said.

Chicago passed an ordinance in April offering protection for workers who get the COVID-19 vaccine. The state "does not require employers in Illinois to allow employees to be vaccinated during working hours, but we strongly encourage it," IDPH spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said.

Employers who wish to hold a vaccination clinic can contact IDPH for assistance or their local health department. No cost is involved.

DuPage County is "partnering with municipalities, businesses, and community-based organizations to bring smaller COVID-19 vaccine clinics to individuals who have not yet been vaccinated," health department spokeswoman Stephanie Calvillo said.

Employers also can email the American Hospital Association at COVID19@aha.org to be connected with a local vaccine provider that can "work with you to host an onsite pop-up clinic, and usually make it happen in a matter of days," White House COVID-19 Coordinator Andy Slavitt said in a statement released Tuesday.

IDPH reported 365 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday with 11 more deaths from the respiratory disease. On Monday, 44,174 more COVID-19 shots were administered. The seven-day average is 42,852.

The federal government has delivered 13,919,385 doses of vaccine to Illinois since distribution began in mid-December, and 11,708,874 shots have been administered.

So far, 5,606,931 people -- 44% of Illinois' population -- have been fully vaccinated. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses several weeks apart.

The federal government has approved Pfizer's vaccines for individuals age 12 and older. There are 10,837,805 Illinoisans eligible for shots, according to the U.S. Census, and 51.7% of them are fully vaccinated.

Illinois hospitals were treating 791 COVID-19 patients Monday night.

The state's seven-day case positivity rate is 1.1%.

Total cases statewide stand at 1,385,854 and 22,974 Illinoisans have died since the pandemic began.

Labs processed 36,408 virus tests in the last 24 hours.

More here:

How employers can turn the tide of COVID-19 vaccinations - Daily Herald

UNITED NATIONS (AP) The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a declaration Tuesday calling for urgent action to end AIDS by 2030, noting with alarm that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated inequalities and pushed access to AIDS medicines, treatments and diagnosis further off track.

The declaration commits the assemblys 193 member nations to implement the 18-page document, including reducing annual new HIV infections to under 370,000 and annual AIDS-related deaths to under 250,000 by 2025. It also calls for progress toward eliminating all forms of HIV-related stigma and discrimination and for urgent work toward an HIV vaccine and a cure for AIDS.

Without a huge increase in resources and coverage for those vulnerable and infected, we will not end the AIDS epidemic by 2030, the assembly warned.

It said the coronavirus pandemic has created setbacks in combating AIDS, widening fault lines within a deeply unequal world and exposing the dangers of under-investment in public health, health systems and other essential public services for all and pandemic preparedness.

While the international investment response to the pandemic is inadequate, it is nonetheless unprecedented, the assembly said.

The response to the coronavirus by many nations has demonstrated the potential and urgency for greater investment in responding to pandemics, underscoring the imperative of increasing investments for public health systems, including responses to HIV and other diseases moving forward, it said.

The assembly adopted the resolution at the opening session of a three-day high-level meeting on AIDS by a vote of 165-4, with Russia, Belarus, Syria and Nicaragua voting no.

Before the vote, the assembly overwhelmingly rejected three amendments proposed by Russia.

They would have eliminated references to human rights violations that perpetuate the global AIDS epidemic and a rights-based collaborative approach by UNAIDS, the U.N. agency leading the global effort to end the AIDS pandemic They would also have dropped references to reforming discriminatory laws, including on the age of consent, on interventions to treat HIV among intravenous drug users including opioid substitution therapy, and on expanding harm reduction programs.

UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima welcomed the declarations adoption and told the assembly it will be the basis of our work to end this pandemic that has ravaged communities for 40 years.

Calling AIDS one of the deadliest pandemics of modern times, she said 77.5 million people have been infected with HIV since the first case was reported in 1981 and nearly 35 million have died from AIDS.

HIV rates are not following the trajectory that we together promised, she said. Indeed, amidst the fallout from the COVID crisis, we could even see a resurgent pandemic.

Byanyima said COVID-19 showed that science moves at the speed of political will and urged speeded up spending on innovations for AIDS treatment, prevention, care and vaccines as global public goods.

On the plus side, the assemblys declaration said that since 2001 there has been a 54% reduction in AIDS-related deaths and a 37% reduction in HIV infections globally, but it warned that overall progress has slowed dangerously since 2016.

The assembly expressed deep concern that in 2019 there were 1.7 million new infections compared to the 2020 global target of fewer than 500,000 infections and that new HIV infections have increased in at least 33 countries since 2016.

Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa, has demonstrated the most progress in tackling the AIDS epidemic but it also remains the worst-affected region, the assembly said. It called for urgent and exceptional action to curb the infections devastating effects, especially on women, adolescent girls and children.

Assembly members welcomed progress in reducing HIV-infections and AIDS-related deaths in Asia and the Pacific, the Caribbean, Western and Central Europe and North America. But they noted that despite progress, the Caribbean continues to have the highest prevalence outside sub-Saharan Africa, while the number of new HIV infections is increasing in eastern Europe, Central Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa.

Byanyima stressed the importance of ending inequalities in the availability of drugs, and ensuring that medicines that can prevent deaths of people living with HIV are manufactured by multiple producers at affordable prices, especially in the global south, where the disease is concentrated.

This moment calls for us to work together across sectors, across countries, she said. Populisms false promises are proving no match to biology: As COVID reminds us, were not just interconnected, were inseparable.

We cannot end AIDS in one country or one continent. We can only end AIDS everywhere, Byanyima said.

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UN urges action to end AIDS, saying COVID-19 hurt progress - WBOY.com

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that most of the remaining COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted once 70 percent of New Yorkers aged 18 or older have received the first dose of their COVID-19 vaccination series. State'sNew York Forwardindustry specific guidelines including capacity restrictions, social distancing, cleaning and disinfection, health screening, and contact information for tracing will become optional for retail, food services, offices, gyms and fitness centers, amusement and family entertainment, hair salons, barber shops and personal care services, among other commercial settings.Large-scale event venues, pre-K to 12 schools, public transit, homeless shelters, correctional facilities, nursing homes, and healthcare settings must continue to follow the State's guidelines until more New Yorkers are vaccinated.

Unvaccinated individuals will still be responsible for maintaining proper social distancing of six feet and wearing a mask as per federal CDC guidance.Consistent with the State'simplementationof the recent CDCguidance, masks will still be required forunvaccinated individuals.Large-scale event venues, Pre-K to 12 schools, public transit, homeless shelters, correctional facilities, nursing homes and health care settings will be exempt from the restriction lift. In those settings, New York State's existing COVID-19 health protocolswill remain in effect.

"The lifting of our COVID restrictions is a sign of how hard New Yorkers have worked to contain the spread of the virus and protect their communities,"Governor Cuomo said."With numbers trending at record lows, it is clear that the vaccine is effective and that it is an invaluable tool against the virus. While we have come so far it is still imperative that those who have not received the vaccine do so, so that they may enjoy the state's reimagined reopening to the fullest extent possible."

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Governor Cuomo Announces Most Remaining COVID-19 Restrictions to Be Lifted When 70% of Adult New Yorkers Have Received First Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine...

In many European countries and the United States, COVID-19 lockdowns began in March 2020. The Imperial College London COVID-19 Response Team and others proposed that having people stay home would help limit the spread of the virus.

Governments instituted lockdowns to try to prevent a catastrophic number of deaths and ensure that hospitals did not become overwhelmed. Nonessential businesses closed, people stayed home, and schools utilized online learning methods.

However, the lockdowns led to new problems regarding other areas of health and well-being. One such area was sleep hygiene.

According to a recent longitudinal study, which now appears in the journal Sleep, sleep quality declined during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The study examined increases in screen use during the lockdowns and how this negatively affected sleep quality.

Sleep impacts many areas of health. Getting enough quality sleep helps people feel rested, but sleep also contributes to our ability to learn and form memories, recover from injuries, and fight infections.

Not getting enough sleep or having poor sleep quality can contribute to the onset of many physical health problems, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and obesity.

People are also at increased risk of mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression when they regularly do not get enough sleep.

Karl Rollison, a professional life coach and registered hypnotherapist, told Medical News Today, When we sleep well, we feel well; we experience improved vitality, concentration, productivity, and mental resilience.

Quality slumber is the bodys opportunity to repair damaged cells and flush out harmful toxins, leaving us feeling refreshed.

When people use screens before bed, it can have a negative impact on their sleep quality. As the National Sleep Foundation notes, there are several reasons for this:

Electronic use can disrupt sleep, such as when a text alert wakes someone up in the middle of the night, and delay when people actually fall asleep, such as when they feel the need to reply to one more message or play one more game.

Rollison explained it this way: Like any process, the clearer the instruction given, the more efficiently a system will operate. Our 24-hour sleep/wake cycle is controlled by a part of our brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). It monitors environmental light levels and produces varying degrees of the sleep hormone melatonin accordingly.

The darker the environment, the more melatonin we produce and the better we sleep. Light emitted from electronic devices [confuses] the SCN with vague, contradictory signals, which results in sleep disruption.

Research about how the use of electronic devices impacts peoples sleep quality is ongoing. The COVID-19 lockdowns saw a new social situation with an immense increase in the use of electronic devices.

The researchers behind the new study hypothesized that this increase may be linked with a decline in sleep quality.

The study, which the researchers conducted using data from Italy, examined how increased screen exposure during the COVID-19 lockdowns affected sleep quality.

In Italy, there was a total lockdown in place from March 9 to May 4, 2020. It required most of the general population to stay home.

The COVID-19 lockdowns saw a dramatic increase in the use of the internet and electronic devices. This was related to multiple factors, such as the increased use of video calls replacing in-person meetings and an increase in the number of people working from home.

The researchers note that this increase was likely because people were trying to compensate for limited social interaction and fill up new free time.

The study involved 2,123 participants and used several surveys to evaluate sleep quality during the third and seventh weeks of lockdown.

The first round of surveys used the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Insomnia Severity Index to evaluate the participants sleep quality and identify problems with insomnia. A person may have insomnia if they have difficulty falling or staying asleep.

The participants provided information related to their demographics, and the scientists gave them the option to fill out several questionnaires related to anxiety, depression, and perceived stress. The researchers note that these factors normally affect sleep quality, and they sought to account for them in their findings.

The second round of surveys included all previous surveys but with one additional question. The new question asked if the participants had increased, maintained, or reduced their screen time in the 2 hours before bed since the time of the initial survey.

The study found a decline in sleep quality for people who increased their screen time exposure in the 2 hours before bed. In contrast, those who reduced their screen time in the 2 hours before bed reported an improvement in sleep quality.

Contributing study author Prof. Michele Ferrara summed up the results to MNT:

Our results showed that respondents who increased screen time (35.4% of participants) reported decreased sleep quality, exacerbated insomnia symptoms, reduced sleep duration, prolonged sleep onset latency, and delayed bedtime and rising time.

Conversely, respondents reporting decreased screen exposure (only 7.1% of participants) exhibited improved sleep quality and insomnia symptoms. Finally, participants preserving screen time habits did not show variations of the sleep parameters.

However, the study did have limitations. For example, it could not prove that increased screen time before bed caused a reduction in sleep quality. Other limitations included the population sample, which had a higher prevalence of women and young people and did not include adolescents.

Also, screen time data relied on self-reporting from the participants and did not measure how large the increase or decrease was for each participant.

Similarly, the scientists could not assess the impact of different types of electronic devices and other factors, such as room lighting or the use of blue light-blocking glasses.

The authors agree that more research is necessary to look at these factors and how they affect sleep.

Nevertheless, the researchers note that the studys findings line up with previous data about the impact of electronic device use on sleep quality. Prof. Ferrara notes:

The evidence of a strong relationship between screen habits and the time course of sleep disturbances during the lockdown period suggests that [] raising public awareness about the risks of evening exposure to electronic devices could be crucial to preserve general sleep health. This applies to both the ongoing pandemic and the future, as technologies will find more and more space in our daily routine.

Original post:

COVID-19: Lockdowns linked to increased screen time and sleep problems - Medical News Today

Most COVID-19 restrictions will vanish June 15 but not everywhere in LA County  LA Daily News

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Most COVID-19 restrictions will vanish June 15 but not everywhere in LA County - LA Daily News

Drop-in shots and prize drawings hope to inspire more people to get vaccinated.

PORTLAND, Ore With a push on to hit a goal of vaccinating 70% of adults against COVID-19 by July 4 at the latest, Oregon and Washington are using a variety of incentives, and they are not alone.

At the main fire station in downtown Lake Oswego a drop-in vaccination clinic was underway Tuesday from noon until 6 p.m.

No need to register, no need to live anywhere near the city. It is open to anyone who wants the Johnson & Johnson shot.

Inside, firefighter Leah Gordon worked on her laptop as she waited to give the shot. It was very quiet.

Gordon said five people had dropped in for a shot during the first hour. But no one was there at 1 p.m.

Assistant Fire Chief David Morris said the clinic was a last-minute idea pushed on social media with the hope of serving those who make spontaneous decisions.

For some people scheduling doesnt work for them, he said. They have a lifestyle or businesses or personal lifestyle that does not allow them to schedule something. So, this gives them the opportunity - yeah, Im available and Im coming in today, Morris added.

His team will be at Lakeridge Middle school every Wednesday through June from noon until 7 p.m. with more doses for anyone who shows up.

Washington state launched its vaccine lottery to give people an extra reason to get the shot and picked its first $250,000 winner Tuesday. It will announce the winner several days later.

Kaiser Permanente is also joining the incentive game in all its territories across the country.

Wendy Watson is the chief operating officer of Kaiser Permanente Northwest.

I'm excited we're part of this last sprint to get to 70 percent, Watson said.

Kaisers deadline is July 9. You must get your shot by then to be eligible. Winners could get a variety of prizes from family trips to wellness retreats, gym memberships and more. The names will come from its pool of members who got vaccinated or nonmembers who get the shot at a Kaiser sites in several states, including everyone at the Oregon Convention Center.

Yes, you read that correctly. Everyone who got vaccinated at the Oregon Convention Center will be entered into Kaisers sweepstakes drawings.

We have vaccinated just shy of 300,000 people in Oregon Convention Center. All of those people will be automatically entered into this immunity sweepstakes, said Watson. They will join tens of thousands from other Kaiser areas who also got vaccinated against COVID.

Oregon is also offering a million-dollar statewide jackpot prize for one person who gets the vaccine and each county is offering a $10,000 prize.

The drawing is June 28 but so far the incentive has not brought a surge of new vaccinations.

All the incentives we're talking about are aimed at new people but they also include everyone who got the shot from last December on.

Have a question or comment for Pat Dooris? Email him atpdooris@kgw.com

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Rush to vaccinate against COVID-19 brings more opportunities and incentives - KGW.com