Category: Covid-19

Bonn, Germany April 16: In this photo illustration a girl with a covid 19 Rapid test presenting a Cotton swab on April 16, 2021 in Bonn, Germany. (Photo by Ute Grabowsky/Photothek via Getty Images)

Do I need to get tested for COVID-19 if Im vaccinated?

No, you can skip routine testing, with some exceptions.

The latest guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says you dont need to be tested or to quarantine if youre fully vaccinated, even if youve been exposed to someone who was sick. An exception is if you develop COVID-19 symptoms such as fever, cough and fatigue.

The updated guidance reflects recent studies showing vaccinated people face very little risk of serious disease. Even if you get an infection, youll be less likely to spread it to others and any symptoms will likely be milder.

As a result, the CDC says vaccinated people can also be excluded from routine workplace screening, though many companies arent tracking employees vaccination status. Screening is still recommended for people working or living in homeless shelters or prisons, due to the higher risk of outbreaks.

The relaxed guidelines also dont apply to doctors, nurses and other health care workers, whose employers might still require testing. Guidance may vary by country.

U.S. citizens returning from abroad also still have to present a negative COVID-19 test before boarding their flights home, regardless of their vaccination status. Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 should still isolate for 10 days, the CDC says.

As vaccinations increase, many experts expect the CDC to further relax testing guidelines, even for vaccinated people with symptoms. Many common colds and viruses can cause symptoms resembling COVID-19, experts say, which could lead to a wave of unnecessary testing in the fall.

As we race to open back up, a whole variety of infections that we dont routinely test for are going to cause those same symptoms, said Dr. Rebecca Wurtz of the University of Minnesota. You should wash your hands and stay home from work, but theres no need to run out to be tested.

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Do I have to be tested for COVID-19 if Im vaccinated? - RochesterFirst

As coronavirus vaccination numbers continue to dip, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said this week the state continues to explore incentives including a possible lottery to encourage holdouts to get their COVID-19 shots.

Lots of other incentives (are) coming including potentially a vaccine lottery, so that people can actually win money, Pritzker said during an unrelated event in Rockford.

Pritzkers comments come as the number of people getting vaccinated has fallen off steadily. The most recent seven-day average for vaccinations was 41,234, Illinois public health officials said Wednesday. Earlier in the vaccination effort the daily average regularly topped 100,000.

Meanwhile, state officials Wednesday also reported 478 new and probable cases of COVID-19 and 9 additional deaths. It was the seventh consecutive day with fewer than 1,000 new cases in the state. The seven-day average of new cases in Illinois now stands at 763. Thats the lowest average in almost a year, when the state reported a seven-day average of 766 cases on June 27, 2020.

Heres whats happening Wednesday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area:

6:15 p.m.: The Bud Billiken Parade is returning after COVID-induced absence in 2020, organizers announced Wednesday.

The largest Black parade in the world, and second largest parade in the country, is coming back to the historic South Side neighborhood of Bronzeville, this time with the theme Back to School, Back to Life, Back to Bud Billiken.

Following its only cancellation last year due to COVID-19, the beloved parade is returning on Saturday, August 15th, with new safety measures, including COVID-19 testing, wellness checks, potential mask requirements and social distancing practices.

The parade will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Washington Park on Elsworth Drive from 51st to 55th streets in a closed tv set format, meaning it will be streamed as a series of short recordings instead of its traditional live format, said Chicago Defender Charities spokesperson Jakari Anderson.

We have to make sure we are being respectful to the community and neighborhood and following CDC guidelines, Anderson said, but despite challenges, the community is very happy that the parade is coming back.

5:30 p.m.: Pritzker signs 3-year cocktails-to-go extension that includes shot-for-a (COVID-19) shot provision

A three-year extension of the cocktails-to-go law created to help businesses during the pandemic, along with a provision that allows bars and restaurants to give a free drink to people whove been vaccinated against the coronavirus, was signed into law Wednesday by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

The measure, approved overwhelmingly by lawmakers over the weekend, would allow businesses to continue serving cocktails and now single servings of wine for takeout and delivery until Jan. 3, 2024. The existing state law was set to expire Wednesday.

Our hospitality industry has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic, said state Rep. Mike Zalewski, a Riverside Democrat, and the new law contains a number of initiatives designed to offer much-needed help, including an extension of cocktails to-go and shot and a beer incentives to help Illinoisans get vaccinated and then visit their favorite establishment for a drink.

State Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, said the cocktails-to-go service was a lifeline to restaurants that were forced to adapt to delivery service when in-person dining restrictions were imposed due to the pandemic.

Any tool we can provide to help keep this vibrant industry going while they are rebuilding is critical, she said.

4:40 p.m.: Back-aching work. Low pay. No health care: Heres why Chicago restaurant workers arent coming back.

Emilio Enriquez has climbed from busser to line cook during his seven years working in restaurants, and he still dreams of becoming a chef.

But he hasnt worked during the COVID-19 pandemic and wont look for a job until fall, once unemployment benefits no longer pay more than he would likely earn working and, he hopes, more people are vaccinated.

This is what I want to do in the long haul, said Enriquez, 25. Im just not ready to do that yet especially since Im making more at home.

Kodi Roberts worked as a restaurant server for 10 years until the pandemic. Unlike Enriquez, she has no plans to return.

It hit me pretty quickly, Roberts said. My body started bouncing back. My back stopped hurting. My nails started growing because I wasnt dipping them in buckets of bleach and sanitizer all the time. I felt like a person who could move through the world relatively well again.

As society inches toward normal and diners fill tables and booths once again, a question has hovered over the restaurant industry: Where are the workers? From white-tablecloth destinations to casual neighborhood spots, business owners have decried a labor shortage that has led some restaurants to scale back menus and hours. Some need servers and bartenders. Others need dishwashers and cooks. Some need all of the above.

A simple narrative has taken root: The workers are staying home to collect unemployment, especially as long as the federal government offers a $300 weekly surplus through Labor Day due to the pandemic. At least 24 states have pulled out of the bonus payments in recent weeks, usually with Republican legislators saying it will force people back into the workforce.

But Enriquez and Roberts underscore a reality: No single answer explains the restaurant industrys thinning labor force, nor can we predict when or whether it will return.

2:55 p.m.: Pritzker raises possibility of a lottery to encourage more people to get their COVID-19 shots

As coronavirus vaccination numbers continue to dip, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said this week the state continues to explore incentives including a possible lottery to encourage holdouts to get their COVID-19 shots.

Lots of other incentives (are) coming including potentially a vaccine lottery, so that people can actually win money, Pritzker said during an unrelated event in Rockford.

The governor offered no further details on how a lottery would work or when it might start. Ohio rolled out a vaccine lottery last month and officials said it led to an increase in vaccinations.

Illinois has offered tickets to Six Flags Great America and, in a bill passed at the end of the legislative session this weekend, opened the door for bars and restaurants to offer a free drink to those who have been vaccinated. The state legislature also authorized a lottery in the budget implementation bill that was passed this week.

This pandemic isnt over and there are many, many people who have not been vaccinated yet, Pritzker said Wednesday. I talked a little bit about the fact that more than two thirds of people in Illinois have been vaccinated, but that leaves a third and we are not at herd immunity, where we need to get to. So were doing everything at the state level to try to incentivize people to go get vaccinated.

Pritzkers comments come as the number of people getting vaccinated has fallen off steadily. The most recent seven-day average for vaccinations was 41,234, Illinois public health officials said Wednesday. Earlier in the vaccination effort the daily average regularly topped 100,000.

A total of 11,338,305 vaccines have been administered in the state since the effort began, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 67% of Illinois adults have received at least one vaccine dose. Nearly 51% of adults are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

2 p.m.: With mask mandates easing, can those who are vaccinated safely attend gathering or shop in places where unvaccinated people could be present?

The recent easing of COVID-19 restrictions has coincided with seasonal gatherings like graduation parties. So how can we safely mingle in social settings with friends and family members who are not vaccinated?

Similarly, many local stores have signs saying masks are optional but recommended for those who arent vaccinated. But those of us who are vaccinated still wear a mask indoors, at least for the short term?

And for families who are planning summer vacations, but have kids under 12 who are still too young for the vaccine, is there a safe way to travel that would mitigate risk for the unvaccinated?

An expert from Northwestern University answers your questions in our latest COVID-19 Q&A. Read the answers here. Karen Ann Cullotta

12:30 p.m.: COVID-19 vaccine protection may diminish need for yearly boosters, but more research needed, scientists say

Scientists have found clues that the worlds leading COVID-19 vaccines offer lasting protection that could diminish the need for frequent booster shots, but they caution that more research is needed and that virus mutations are still a wild card.

Critical studies are underway, and evidence is mounting that immunity from the mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna does not depend exclusively on antibodies that dwindle over time. The body has overlapping layers of protection that offer backup.

Pfizer and Moderna have fueled booster questions by estimating that people might need yearly shots, just like with flu vaccinations, and the companies are working to have some candidates ready this fall. But companies will not decide when boosters get used. That will be up to health authorities in each country.

Other experts say boosters may be needed only every few years.

I would be surprised if we actually needed a yearly booster shot, said Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine specialist at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia who advises the Food and Drug Administration.

12:05 p.m.: 29,322 vaccine doses administered, 478 new cases and 9 deaths reported

Illinois public health officials on Wednesday reported 478 new and probable cases of COVID-19 and 9 additional deaths. That brings the states totals to 1,383,065 cases and 22,842 deaths.

There were 35,697 tests reported in the previous 24 hours and the seven-day statewide positivity rate as a percent of total test is 1.5%.

There were 29,322 doses of the vaccine administered Tuesday and the seven-day rolling average of daily doses is 41,234. Officials said 67% of Illinois adults have received at least one vaccine dose and 51% of adults are fully vaccinated.

12:05 p.m.: Stimulus checks substantially reduced hardship for struggling Americans, analysis shows

Julesa Webb resumed an old habit: serving her children three meals a day. Corrine Young paid the water bill and stopped bathing at her neighbors apartment. Chenetta Ray cried, thanked Jesus and rushed to spend the money on a medical test to treat her cancer.

In offering most Americans two more rounds of stimulus checks in the past six months, totaling $2,000 per person, the federal government effectively conducted a huge experiment in safety net policy. Supporters said a quick, broad outpouring of cash would ease the economic hardships caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Skeptics called the policy wasteful and expensive.

The aid followed an earlier round of stimulus checks, sent a year ago, and the results are being scrutinized for lessons on how to help the needy in less extraordinary times.

A new analysis of Census Bureau surveys argues that the two latest rounds of aid significantly improved Americans ability to buy food and pay household bills and reduced anxiety and depression, with the largest benefits going to the poorest households and those with children. The analysis offers the fullest look at hardship reduction under the stimulus aid.

Among households with children, reports of food shortages fell 42% from January through April. A broader gauge of financial instability fell 43%. Among all households, frequent anxiety and depression fell by more than 20%.

12 p.m.: Chicago music festival organizers reveal how 2021 lineup decisions were made during the pandemic: We couldnt be more proud

My Chemical Romance was the first act to be announced for the 2020 edition of Riot Fest in Chicago. Were tired of you asking, so were bringing My Chemical Romance to Riot Fest. September 11-13, 2020, festival organizers tweeted in January 2020.

Large Chicago summer celebrations were canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, which left music festival organizers scrambling. Some had announced their 2020 lineups and sold tickets, which had to be refunded or reissued for 2021. And there was no guarantee that major events could even be held in Chicago this year. City leaders announced the official return of festivals just weeks ago as Chicago marches toward a full reopening.

The Tribune talked to organizers of some of the largest local music festivals about the challenges of pulling together band lineups amid the unpredictability of coronavirus. They said there are fewer international acts performing in Chicago than in years past as coronavirus-related safety and travel measures continue in some areas. You would think there was a fight for talent because several of these events are scheduled for late summer, but many organizers said the pandemic spurred cooperation as they waited for the green light together.

As a result, some artists are booked to play more than one show in the Chicago and Milwaukee area this summer since organizers relaxed the so-called radius clause of their talent contracts, which prevent performers from appearing at nearby concerts or festivals within a certain time period. The whole music community really came together and had a lot of camaraderie that I hope and pray stays that way coming out of this, Windy City Smokeout co-founder Ed Warm said.

9:49 a.m.: Chicago Cultural Center reopening Wednesday

The Chicago Cultural Center was set to reopen late Wednesday morning after being closed since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, city officials said.

The Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph St., built in the late 19th century as the citys main public library, was set to reopen at 11 a.m. Wednesday, according to a release from the mayors office.

New to the Cultural Center starting Wednesday is a Chicago-centric shop, BUDDY, a store selling Chicago-made art and other Chicago-made products thats the brainchild of the Public Medica Institute, according to the release.

Two art exhibits were scheduled to debut Wednesday at the Cultural Center, Jeremiah Hulsebos-Spofford: League of Nations and what flies but never lands?, according to the release.

For more information, check the citys website.

9:32 a.m.: Time Out Market Chicagos biggest food hall announces reopening date for indoor service and a stellar lineup of new vendors

After being closed since October due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Time Out Market Chicago announced it will indeed return, with a reopening date slated for June 17 and the addition of some beloved Chicago restaurant vendors.

Guests will notice significant changes to the vendor lineup, with 11 mostly new operations.

Chef Brian Fisher returns, as does chef Bill Kim, who will actually have two kiosks: the eponymous Bill Kims Ramen Shop, plus Urbanbelly. A pair of Logan Square favorites the Mexican restaurant Dos Urban Cantina and Asian fusion spot Mini Mott also return to the Time Out Market lineup.

Newcomers feature plenty of recognizable names, though, including Soul & Smoke, the Evanston barbecue spot the Tribune recently awarded three stars. Soul & Smoke is currently working out of a commissary kitchen in Evanston, but also works out of virtual kitchens in Avondale and the South Loop. Two Bronzeville institutions will also make their way north to the food hall: Shawn Michelles ice Cream and Cleos Southern Cuisine.

As Chicagos hospitality industry lurches back to life following a year of pandemic shutdowns, food hall operations have remained somewhat in flux: the Loops Revival Food Hall remains a standby, while Well St. Market went takeout full-time, and West Loops Politan Row remains in hibernation mode from the winter.

9:14 a.m.: Can Loretto Hospital rebuild trust after vaccine controversy and news of questionable business ties?

Loretto Hospital has treated and employed generations of people in the Austin community.

The hospital has been an anchor in the predominantly Black neighborhood an area thats dealt with both historic and recent health disparities, including far higher rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths than the city as a whole.

But over the last six months, controversies and questions linked to Loretto have shaken the hospital and its community.

And reporting by the Tribune and other local media outlets reveals questionable connections between Loretto and an associate of Ahmed. One of Ahmeds business partners, Dr. Sameer Suhail, has ties to at least four companies connected with the hospital, the Tribune found. Three of those companies were Lorettos highest paid independent contractors, earning nearly $4 million from the community hospital between July 2018 and June 2019, according to tax documents.

Its really been a pillar in the community, said Austin resident Dora Dantzler-Wright, of Loretto. Shes executive director of the Chicago Recovering Communities Coalition, an Austin nonprofit that provides services to people struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues. Its unfair to the people who live in the community that they cannot take pride in a hospital that has been there for years.

6 a.m.: Reaching people with vaccine hesitancy or limited access: Its really thinking creatively, says UIC team leader on $1.4 million grant

Recently, Carlos Millan had a conversation with a man who was worried about the COVID-19 vaccine.

The man had read somewhere that it could have an impact on his sperm, so he was reluctant to be vaccinated. After their conversation, recalled Millan, who completed the city health departments Vaccine Ambassador Course training, he feels a lot better.

Outreach to communities that are hesitant to get the vaccine, or have less access to it, will be a major focus this summer and fall as the city moves forward through this pandemic.

The University of Illinois at Chicago was recently selected by the National Institutes of Health as the main site for a multicenter collaboration to research and create outreach to communities disproportionality affected by COVID-19. The group aims to improve access to testing, treatment and clinical trial opportunities. The university will receive a $1.4 million NIH grant to increase vaccine confidence.

The UICs Dr. Molly Martin, associate professor of pediatrics at the College of Medicine and principal investigator on the NIH grant, said the researchers hope to use their understanding of access to the vaccine and information sharing through communities to go beyond COVID-19. For example, Black women face major health disparities, and what researchers find out about connecting with communities of color could help approach those issues as well.

6 a.m.: Effingham County Fair returns with new harness racing series, facilities upgrades

The organizers of the Effingham County Fair on Tuesday announced details about this years fair and associated horse races. They also discussed several upgrades to the facilities and reviewed other activities at the fairgrounds.

If you take me and put me down in that fairground 10 or 15 years ago and then put me down again today, its just amazing what weve accomplished, said County Fair Board President Phillip Hartke, before taking out a novelty Make Fairs Great Again hat.

This years fair will run from Saturday, July 31, to Saturday, Aug. 7, at the Effingham County Fairgrounds in Altamont.

This is a return to form after the fair canceled most of its events last year and modified the few remaining ones to comply with public health guidelines related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fair will feature traditional events, including a parade, talent show, rodeo, demolition derby and more.

Andrew Adams, Effingham Daily News, via Tribune Content Agency

Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.

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Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Heres what happened June 2 with COVID-19 in the Chicago area - Chicago Tribune

1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 171.6 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths stands at more than 3.69 million. More than 1.98 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.

India had 134,154 new COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, while deaths from the coronavirus rose by 2,887. The country's total COVID-19 caseload now stands at 28.4 million, while total fatalities are at 337,989, according to health ministry data.

The Indian government has ordered 300 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from local firm Biological-E, the health ministry said. The vaccine is still undergoing phase-3 clinical trials, before approvals can be given.

Britain is hosting health ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) wealthy countries in Oxford for a two-day summit, as pressure intensifies to do more to broaden access to COVID-19 vaccines across the world.

Meanwhile, health minister Matt Hancock said the government is in talks with Oxford and AstraZeneca for doses of an altered COVID-19 vaccine that better targets the beta coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa.

How the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out is going around the globe.

Image: Our World in Data

With 50 days to go until the Tokyo Olympics, Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto has said she is "100%" certain the Olympics will go ahead. But the Games, due to begin on 23 July, may go ahead without spectators if a coronavirus outbreak occurs, reports the BBC.

New COVID-19 cases in France stayed below 10,000 for the second day in a row on Wednesday as pressure on hospitals eased further and the daily death toll dropped sharply from last week.

Climbers returning from Mount Everest and other Himalayan peaks are struggling to find a return flight back home after Nepal banned most air travel to contain a surge in COVID-19 cases, mountaineering operators and hikers said on Wednesday.

2. Summit secures additional $2.4 billion for COVID vaccines for poor countries

Almost $2.4 billion was pledged by countries and private donors on Wednesday to COVAX, to make COVID-19 vaccines more available to people in poorer nations, reports Reuters.

The announcements, ranging from $2,500 from island nation Mauritius to millions of dollars and doses from wealthier countries, came during a video summit hosted by Japan and the GAVI Vaccine Alliance, which leads the COVAX facility alongside the World Health Organization.

The funds will allow COVAX to secure 1.8 billion fully subsidized doses for delivery to lower-income countries in 2021 and early 2022, enough to protect 30% of adults in those nations, GAVI said in a statement.

"We have taken a big step towards 'one world protected'," said Jose Manuel Barroso, GAVI chairman. The fresh funds brought total COVAX financing to $9.6 billion, he added.

One year on: we look back at how the Forums networks have navigated the global response to COVID-19.

Using a multistakeholder approach, the Forum and its partners through its COVID Action Platform have provided countless solutions to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide, protecting lives and livelihoods.

Throughout 2020, along with launching its COVID Action Platform, the Forum and its Partners launched more than 40 initiatives in response to the pandemic.

The work continues. As one example, the COVID Response Alliance for Social Entrepreneurs is supporting 90,000 social entrepreneurs, with an impact on 1.4 billion people, working to serve the needs of excluded, marginalized and vulnerable groups in more than 190 countries.

Read more about the COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, our support of GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, the Coalition for Epidemics Preparedness and Innovations (CEPI), and the COVAX initiative and innovative approaches to solve the pandemic, like our Common Trust Network aiming to help roll out a digital passport in our Impact Story.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, whose government pledged an additional $800 million, called the result "an extremely significant and meaningful step" toward equitable vaccine access.

The COVAX mechanism has distributed 77 million doses to 127 countries since February but has been stymied by India restricting exports of vaccines amid a major outbreak there.

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reiterated concerns that Western nations have vaccinated high percentages of their people, while health workers in places like Africa remain unprotected.

"Of the 1.8 billion vaccines administered globally just 0.4% have been administered in low-income countries," he said. "This is ethically, epidemiologically and economically unacceptable."

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

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COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 3 June - World Economic Forum

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of June 2, 2021, there have been 2,926,850 total confirmatory laboratory results received for COVID-19, with 161,967 total cases and 2,800 deaths.

DHHR has confirmed the deaths of a 79-year old female from Jefferson County, a 54-year old male from Barbour County, and a 65-year old female from Mingo County.

Every life lost to this pandemic is a tragedy, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary. Please schedule a COVID-19 vaccine to protect yourself and those around you.

CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (1,498), Berkeley (12,709), Boone (2,171), Braxton (977), Brooke (2,228), Cabell (8,812), Calhoun (371), Clay (539), Doddridge (626), Fayette (3,519), Gilmer (874), Grant (1,294), Greenbrier (2,861), Hampshire (1,909), Hancock (2,837), Hardy (1,553), Harrison (6,035), Jackson (2,208), Jefferson (4,759), Kanawha (15,342), Lewis (1,267), Lincoln (1,555), Logan (3,224), Marion (4,570), Marshall (3,519), Mason (2,037), McDowell (1,597), Mercer (5,068), Mineral (2,933), Mingo (2,692), Monongalia (9,349), Monroe (1,183), Morgan (1,223), Nicholas (1,858), Ohio (4,285), Pendleton (713), Pleasants (955), Pocahontas (679), Preston (2,934), Putnam (5,288), Raleigh (6,976), Randolph (2,782), Ritchie (751), Roane (651), Summers (840), Taylor (1,254), Tucker (544), Tyler (737), Upshur (1,935), Wayne (3,167), Webster (531), Wetzel (1,378), Wirt (448), Wood (7,895), Wyoming (2,027).

Delays may be experienced with the reporting of information from the local health department to DHHR. As case surveillance continues at the local health department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certain county may not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individual in question may have crossed the state border to be tested. Such is the case of Hancock, Jefferson, Ohio, and Preston counties in this report.

Free pop-up COVID-19 testing is available today in Barbour, Berkeley, Doddridge, Jefferson, Lincoln, Morgan, Putnam, Ritchie, Tyler/Wetzel, and Wayne counties.

Barbour County

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

1:00 PM 5:00 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

Doddridge 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

Morgan County

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

Putnam County

Ritchie County

1:00 PM 4:00 PM, Ritchie Regional, 138 S Penn Avenue, Harrisville, WV

Tyler/Wetzel Counties

Wayne County

10:00 AM 2:00 PM, Wayne Community Center, 11580 Rt. 152, Wayne, WV

Excerpt from:

COVID-19 Daily Update 6-2-2021 - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

June 03, 2021

CARBONDALE, Ill. A virtual conference next week will examine medical, legal and policy efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic and their impact on health policy.

The COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Impact on Health Policy: A Renewed Focus on Healthy and Equitable Communities is the theme of the 21st SIH/SIU Health Policy Institute. The virtual event is from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 8.

Eric D. Hargan, former deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will deliver the keynote address COVID-19s Impact on Health Policy Federal Considerations.

A panel presentation, COVIDs Impact on Illinois, will feature four state agency officials: Theresa Eagleson, director, Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services; Paula Basta, director, Illinois Department on Aging; Colleen Callahan, director, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and Grace Hou, secretary, Illinois Department of Human Services.

The conference includes breakout sessions on various topics such as childrens growth and development, mental health, and caring for an aging population and a moderated panel presentation on COVID-19 Health Disparities: A Path to Revitalizing Communities.

A symposium brochure provides additional details regarding speakers and topics.

The conference is intended for a variety of professionals, including physicians, nurses, psychologists, counselors, social workers, health care administrators, attorneys, law enforcement personnel, patient advocates, educators and students interested in health and health policy.

Continuing education credits are available where applicable. Registration information, including fees, is available at http://bit.ly/SIHSIUHPI. The registration deadline is 8 a.m. Monday, June 7.

Event sponsors include the SIU School of Law; Southern Illinois Healthcare; SIU School of Medicine Department of Population Science and Policy; the Illinois State Bar Association; Illinois Association of Healthcare Attorneys and the Illinois State Medical Society.

The rest is here:

Virtual conference will look at COVID-19's impact on health policy - SIU News

State health officials are encouraging employees in health care, hospitality and retail industries to get tested regularly for COVID-19, even if they dont have symptoms, in an effort to minimize virus transmission during the upcoming tourist season.

Maines Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday that its expanding free rapid testing at 61 sites across the state, most of them Walgreens pharmacies.

While COVID-19 rates are declining in Maine, testing remains critical to keeping our businesses open and our communities healthy as we get out and about this summer, DHHS Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew said. If youre concerned about your exposure to the virus through your job, we encourage you to visit any Walgreens location in Maine to monitor your health with a series of free, rapid tests.

Previously, only people with symptoms were recommended for testing, but because many younger people are asymptomatic, the hope is to limit spread among those who might not be aware they are carrying the virus. Although Maines vaccination rate is relatively high, there are still nearly 400,000 adults who remain at risk, and another 160,000 children under the age of 12 in Maine who are not yet eligible for a vaccine.

A list of testing sites is available online at: maine.gov/covid19/keepmainehealthy/testing.

Curtis Picard, president of the Retail Association of Maine, said the increased testing option is another tool for retailers to use to keep customers and staff safe.

It doesnt really change anything, but its good to know its available, he said.

Asked if he thought it might be seen as cumbersome for workers to get regularly tested, Picard said he didnt think so because there is no requirement.

Meanwhile, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported 61 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, the fourth consecutive day of fewer than 100 cases.

The seven-day daily case average now sits at 86, the lowest its been since Nov. 1, according to data from the Maine CDC. Thats down from 225 two weeks ago and a springtime high of 479 cases on average on April 17.

Two additional deaths were reported Wednesday as well the first COVID-19 related deaths reported since a week ago.

Hospitalizations also continue to decrease. As of Wednesday, there were 87 people in the hospital with COVID-19, including 29 in critical care and 18 on ventilators. The fifth straight day of declining numbers dropped the total to the lowest it has been since April 11.

Things are for the first time in months heading in a positive and favorable direction, CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah said Wednesday, referring to the virus as on the run, but not yet out of sight.

Cases, hospitalizations and deaths have been falling dramatically across the country as well. The daily cases average, about 16,000, is the lowest since the early days of the pandemic, although some of the decrease is a function of lower testing volume, especially in some southern states. Maines testing volume remains high and currently ranks eighth among all states over the most recent seven-day period, according to the U.S. CDC.

Since the first cases were detected in Maine nearly 15 months ago, there have been 67,880 confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 and 827 deaths. Both are among the lowest per capita of any state. Since vaccines have been in circulation, there have been 333 breakthrough cases, which means 99.96 percent of vaccinated people have not gotten the virus.

Shah said there is no question that vaccinations have been key to Maines declining trends, but he also said more work is needed.

The less virus thats circulating, the more epidemiological dead ends there are, he said.

Maines pace of vaccinations has been decreasing steadily for seven consecutive weeks and has fallen even more dramatically over the last week. Doses have not reached 10,000 on any day since May 21 after routinely eclipsing that mark daily from early March through early May.

Other states have seen similar declines. At peak in mid-April, the United States was administering more than 3 million shots every day. Now, the average is closer to 1.2 million per day.

Overall, Maine has administered 717,993 first doses, accounting for 60.6 percent of all residents over 12 who are eligible, and 703,619 final doses, representing 59.4 percent of all eligible residents.

Despite a steady decline, Maine trails only Vermont among states with the highest vaccination rate, according to a Bloomberg tracker. The top six states are all in New England. The bottom five states are all in the South. The U.S. rate is about 48 percent among those over 12.

Geographic disparities in vaccination rates also are seen in Maine. Southern counties and those along the Midcoast are leading the way with vaccination rates of 60 percent or higher among those eligible, and Cumberland County has even gone over 70 percent. On the other end, some rural counties are struggling to reach 50 percent. Looking at doses that were administered Tuesday, the figures range from 1,168 shots in Cumberland County to just eight shots in all of Piscataquis County.

Shah acknowledged that some counties are outperforming others but said even Maines lowest performing counties would be on par with California in percentage of population that is fully vaccinated.

Meanwhile, state officials and health care providers are increasingly working with businesses to offer smaller clinics. Some are dangling incentives as well.

Lambrew said the state had received at least 30 inquiries from Maine businesses about hosting small clinics on site. She also said the state is examining other ways to incentivize getting the vaccine, although no details have been confirmed.

Were always looking for good ideas, she said.

MaineHealth this week is partnering with Beckys Diner in Portland on a pop-up vaccination clinic that began Wednesday and continues Thursday. Anyone who gets vaccinated from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. also will get a $15 gift certificate to the landmark diner.

A Federal Emergency Management Agency mobile vaccination unit has been traveling the state will come to Portland next week, setting up at Rising Tide Brewery on Fox Street from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Thursday June 10 through Sunday June 13. The unit will then go to Old Orchard Beach from June 15-18.

As the state looks to fill gaps in vaccinations, more and more public places and businesses are starting to look like they did before the pandemic. Masks are not required for vaccinated individuals in most instances. Gathering limits are no longer in place.

Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor announced Wednesday that the positive trends on cases and vaccinations will allow the hospital to adjust its visiting hours to 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Patients are still limited to one visitor per day and visitors must still be screened for symptoms and wear masks while inside.

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State pushes to have regular COVID-19 testing for hospitality, retail workers - Press Herald

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed legislation on May 28 creating another statewide mandate for employers to provide emergency paid leave related to COVID-19. The COVID-19 Paid Leave obligations outlined in this article will begin 10 days from the governors signature, which means you will need to quickly adjust your policies and practices before the June 7 effective date. What do Bay State employers need to know about this latest legal compliance challenge?

How Much More Leave?

The law requires all public and private with employees in Massachusetts (other than the U.S. government) to provide up to 40 additional hours of paid leave to employees who are unable to work due to COVID-19. The amount of paid leave an employee is entitled to depends on the number of hours they work in a given week:

What Can Employees Use the Leave For?

Employees may use COVID-19 Paid Leave for the following qualifying reasons:

Further, employers must provide COVID-19 Paid Leave for employees to care for family members under the following circumstances:

Employers must retain the same employment benefits for those eligible for COVID-19 Paid Leave while they are on leave. These benefits include group life insurance, health insurance, disability insurance, sick leave, annual or vacation leave, educational benefits, and pensions.

Protections for Employees

Employers cannot compel employees to use other paid leave provided by the employer before using COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave. Retaliating against employees for using leave is also prohibited. Employers also cannot require, as a condition of taking leave, that an employee search for or find a replacement worker to cover their shifts while the employee is out on COVID-19 Paid Leave.

The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development will create and distribute a notice of rights under the COVID-19 Paid Leave law to employers. Employers must post this notice in a conspicuous location accessible to employees and additionally provide a copy to each employee.

What Will This Cost Employers?

Employees are entitled to full wage replacement, up to a cap of $850 per week per employee. In other words, any employee who earns less than $850 per week will receive full pay during their COVID-19 Paid Leave. Fortunately, the law creates a $75 million COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave Fund to reimburse eligible employers for the costs of this new mandate. Eligible employers will be reimbursed from the Fund for providing COVID-19 Paid Leave until the amount of the Fund is depleted. Information on which employers are eligible for reimbursement from this Fund is set forth below.

Differences Between COVID-19 Paid Leave and Leave under the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act (FFCRA)

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) signed into law by President Biden on March 11 extends paid leave under the FFCRA on a voluntary basis through September 30, 2021. As with the initial paid leave provided for under FFCRA, this voluntary paid leave is applicable to employers with fewer than 500 employees. APRA further extends tax credits available to employers with fewer than 500 employees who choose to grant employees paid leave. Though paid leave provided under the FFCRA and COVID-19 Sick Leave overlap in many areas, there are key differences in the two schemes employers should be aware of.

Term

Where the FFCRA has been extended until September 30, 2021, the COVID-19 Paid Leave will only be available until either (i) 15 days after the Fund issues notice that the $75 million amount is approaching depletion or (ii) September 30, 2021, , whichever occurs first.

Employer Eligibility

The extended FFCRA applies only to employers with fewer than 500 employees and is voluntary. Massachusetts COVID-19 Paid Leave applies to all employers with employees in Massachusetts, irrespective of size, and is mandatory.

Intermittent Leave

Employees will have the option of using COVID-19 Paid Leave intermittently and in increments as small as one hour. By contrast, in most situations, employees cannot take intermittent paid leave under the FFCRA. Intermittent leave is only available under the FFCRA when a non-teleworking employee must care for a child whose school or place of care is closed, or whose childcare provider is unavailable, because of COVID-19 related reasons. Otherwise, paid sick leave for qualifying reasons related to COVID-19 must be taken in full-day increments.

Reimbursement Eligibility

Reimbursement for COVID-19 Paid Leave is not available if the employer is eligible for tax credits under the ARPA. Therefore, reimbursement from the Massachusetts Fund is only available to employers with 500 or more employees. Employers with fewer than 500 employees are not eligible to be reimbursed by state the Fund for providing COVID-19 Paid Leave unless the leave does not qualify for reimbursement under the ARPA, such as if an employee took incremental leave that is unavailable under the extended FFCRA.

Employers will need to follow certain steps to seek reimbursement, such as submitting an application to the Executive Office for Administration and Finance. Reimbursements will be sent directly to employers within 30 business days. Given that the Fund is limited to only $75 million, employers are strongly encouraged to submit reimbursement requests as soon as possible.

Employers with fewer than 500 employees should apply to the federal government for reimbursement through payroll tax credits for all COVID-19 Paid Leave provided. The federal payroll tax credit is limited to $511 per day and $5,110 in the aggregate.

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Massachusetts Enacts Yet Another COVID-19 Paid Leave Obligation for Bay State Employers - JD Supra

West Virginia is expanding its incentives to encourage residents get vaccinated against COVID-19, with the state later this month starting weekly lottery drawings offering cash, trucks, guns and scholarships to those who've received at least one immunization shot.

Starting June 20, West Virginia will give out $1 million and other prizes each week up until Aug. 4, when two grand prizes of nearly $1.6 million and $580,000 will be announced, according to state officials.

Other prizes include two new custom-outfitted trucks, 25 weekend getaways to local state parks, five lifetime hunting and fishing licenses, five custom hunting rifles and five custom hunting shotguns. Two full four-year scholarships to any institution in West Virginia will also be awarded to vaccinated 12- to 25-year-olds.

"The prizes to me are secondary to the fact that we're trying to save your life," West Virginia Governor Jim Justice told a Tuesday news conference at which he detailed the blitz of coming incentives and made an impassioned case for getting vaccinated.

"All of our hospitalizations, all of all our our ICU units, all of our deaths, for the most part, are all people that have not been vaccinated. I don't know how it gets any simpler than that," the Republican governor said.

"These vaccinations are amazingly safe and they'll protect you I don't know how in the world people are sitting on the sidelines still saying, no, I'm not going to do one, I'm not going to do it," Justice continue. "Then they go off and they travel, and then there is absolutely what I would say is a lot of 'sad singing and slow walking,' and that's what goes on at a funeral."

Acknowledging that some might question the practice of essentially bribing people to get immunized against a deadly virus, the governor indicated that logic dictates he do whatever works.

"If you step back and think, now why in the world would you have to give away something to get somebody vaccinated. Unfortunately it's the way of the world in a lot of situations," Justice reflected. "The faster we get them across the finish line, the more lives we save."

The state also has a financial incentive to get more resident vaccinated. "If the tab just keeps running, the cost is enormous, the testing costs are enormous, the hospital costs are enormous," he said.

All West Virginians who have received one immunization shot are eligible, but must register to enter the lottery.

West Virginia continues to offer thechoice of a $100 gift card or $100 savings bond to those between ages 16 and 35 as part of an effort unveiled in late April to convince younger residents to roll up their sleeves.

The lottery has West Virginia joining other states and businesses trying to give hesitant Americans a reason to get vaccinated against a virus that has killed nearly600,000Americans. Kroger, the nation's biggest supermarket chain, last weeksaid it would give $1 million to five customers and free groceries for a year to another 50 to encourage more Americans to get vaccinated.

Ohio recently reported a spike in the count of those getting vaccinated after its governor said the state wouldaward $1 million to five vaccinatedresidents, prompting West Virginia's Justice to quip about one of the states bordering his: "I can't stand for Ohio to be ahead of us in anything."

In fact, West Virginia lags not only Ohio but also most of the country when it comes to vaccination rates, ranking 45th among the 50 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ahead of only Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Wyoming, the percentage of West Virginians 18 and older who've received a first shot on Tuesday stood at 49.2%, while that tally came to 56.9% in Ohio, the CDC found. Highest among the states is Vermont, at 82%.

Nearly 2,800 West Virginians have died of COVID, with five people dying of the infection since last Thursday, and 571 new positive cases reported in the state in the last 24 hours, the governor relayed. West Virginia's daily positivity rate is 4%, with 4,550 active cases, the state's lowest count since Oct. 27, 2020. "The good numbers are driven from the standpoint of we continue to get people vaccinated," Justice said.

Of the 207 West Virginians currently hospitalized with the virus, 81 are in intensive care, and in all probability none were vaccinated, Justice said. The same could be said for those who've died, he added. Knowing all that, "Why would I take a chance with my family or myself?"

As of Tuesday, 75% of West Virginians 50 and older had received at least one shot, and 51.2% of eligible residents 12 years and older had received their first shot, according to the state. Recent outbreaks had 14 nursing home residents becoming ill with COVID, all of them unvaccinated, according to the state's chief coronavirus health official, Dr. Clay Marsh.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday hinted the state could soon follow the lead of states dangling vaccination rewards, with little more than half of Illinois residents fully immunized.

"There are a lot of different incentives out there, and I hope people take advantage of them," Pritzker told an unrelated news conference in Peoria, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. "We're looking forward to potentially doing a vaccine lottery, as you've heard about in other states."

Lawmakers in Illinois recentlyapproved a budgetthat includes up to $7 million in prizes for vaccinated adults and as much as $3 million in scholarships for those younger than 18.

See the article here:

West Virginia's COVID-19 vaccine incentives include guns, trucks and cash - CBS News

Mount Everest, the world highest peak, and other peaks of the Himalayan range are seen through an aircraft window during a mountain flight from Kathmandu, Nepal January 15, 2020. REUTERS/Monika Deupala

Climbers returning from Mount Everest and other Himalayan peaks are struggling to find a return flight back home after Nepal banned most air travel to contain a surge in COVID-19 cases, mountaineering operators and hikers said on Wednesday.

Most regular international flights are closed through June as a deadly second wave of the coronavirus hit the Himalayan nation tucked between China and India.

Nepal issued 742 permits 408 of those to climbers aspiring to make it to the top of the world's highest peak, Mount Everest in the April-May climbing season. And hundreds of climbers are now returning from the mountains before the onset of annual monsoon rains.

Tashi Lakpa Sherpa, a senior official at Kathmandu-based private firm Seven Summit Treks, said climbers were finding it difficult to get home as only five weekly flights - to India, Qatar and Turkey - were operational.

"The situation could worsen as more climbers wind up their expeditions and return to Kathmandu in the next few days," Sherpa told Reuters.

Andrew Hughes, from the United States, said he had to pay for an expensive seat on a chartered flight to Qatar on Wednesday night due to the shortage of regular flights.

"We find ourselves in a situation where there is no transparency or rationale for the prohibition of outbound flights for foreign nationals," said Hughes, who returned from Everest last month.

Mexican climber Viridiana Alvarez, who had been stranded in Nepal for nearly three weeks after climbing Mount Annapurna, the world's tenth highest peak at 8,091 metres (26,545 feet), said she was lucky to find a seat on a chartered flight.

"There is no reason to be here because there is no climbing it is a little boring," said Alvarez, 38, who is also flying to Qatar on Wednesday night.

The Nepalese government has defended its decision to cut international flights in a bid to contain the pandemic.

"Instead of having no flight at all, I think this is enough for now," Raj Kumar Chettri, a spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) said. "If required we'll allow more charter flights."

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Everest climbers struggle to return home amid Nepal COVID-19 travel curbs - Reuters

A 16-year-old in Tel Aviv, Israel, receives a dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine on 23 January.

By Gretchen Vogel, Jennifer Couzin-FrankelJun. 1, 2021 , 1:55 PM

Sciences COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Heising-Simons Foundation.

The COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech appears to put young men at elevated risk of developing a heart muscle inflammation called myocarditis, researchers in Israel say. In a report submitted today to the Israeli Ministry of Health, they conclude that between one in 3000 and one in 6000 men ages 16 to 24 who received the vaccine developed the rare condition. But most cases were mild and resolved within a few weeks, which is typical for myocarditis. I cant imagine its going to be anything that would cause medical people to say we shouldnt vaccinate kids, says Douglas Diekema, a pediatrician and bioethicist at Seattle Childrens Hospital.

Israeli health officials first flagged the issue in April, when they reported more than 60 cases, mostly in young men who had received their second dose of vaccine a few days earlier. Around the same time, the U.S. Department of Defense began to track 14 such cases. In mid-May, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it, too, was reviewing myocarditis cases. Officials at the European Medicines Agency said on 28 May they had received 107 reports of myocarditis following the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, or about one in 175,000 doses administered. But relatively few people under age 30 have been vaccinated in Europe.

The Israeli panels findings come as Israel and many European countries are debating whether younger adolescents should be vaccinated against COVID-19. Israel has been vaccinating teenagers 16 and older since late January, and the Ministry of Health is scheduled to announce tomorrow whether vaccinations will be opened to children 12 and older.Other countries, including the United States and Canada, began vaccinating children 12 and older in mid-May.

From a parents perspective, this really comes down to risk perception, assessment of the data, says Diekema, who has studied risk-benefit trade-offs. Even if a link between myocarditis and the vaccine holds up, the condition is usually mild, requiring treatment only with anti-inflammatory drugs, whereas COVID-19 infection can also cause serious disease and long-term side effects, even in young people. As suspicion has percolated about a possible connection, I dont know many physicians who are changing their minds about vaccinating their kids, Diekema says.

In Israel, which relied almost exclusively on the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in its early and fast vaccination drive, the Ministry of Health in January assembled a panel led by Dror Mevorach, head of internal medicine at the Hadassah University Medical Center, to investigate the issue. Mevorach tells Science he and his colleagues identified 110 myocarditis cases among 5 million people in Israel who had received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in the month before their diagnosis. That translates to about one in 50,000 vaccine recipients, a number that isnt concerning given the background rate of myocarditis in the general population, where it is typically triggered by viral or bacterial infections, including COVID-19.

But the rate of myocarditis following vaccination among young men was higher. Ninety percent of the cases picked up in Israel appeared in men, and although myocarditis is normally more common among young men, the rate among those vaccinated was somewhere between five and 25 times the background rate, the report says. (Two cases of fatal myocarditis have also been reported in Israel, but the panel says investigations of those deaths were inconclusive; one patient may have had a more generalized inflammatory syndrome, and the other diagnosis was "not verified," the report says.)

The new analysis is very suggestive of a causal nature, between the vaccine and myocarditis, Mevorach says. I am convinced there is a relationship.

It does suggest that this is, at least statistically, a real phenomenon, says Peter Liu, a cardiologist and chief scientific officer of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. Diekema says its important to investigate even a hint of a signal, but cautions that while this report is suggestive it requires validation in other populations by other investigators before we can be certain the link exists. Other factors may be in play, Diekema says. Now that children are back to socializing and playing sports, his hospitals emergency room is seeing more viral diseases than weve seen in a year, and as a result, I would expect to see a little bump in myocarditis versus a year ago. Ideally, scientists should compare cohorts of vaccinated and unvaccinated youngsters at the same time, Diekema says, and hes heartened that such studies are now gearing up.

Myocarditis cases following the Moderna vaccine, which isnt in use in Israel, are also being investigated in the United States. Its not clear why the two vaccines, which both rely on messenger RNA (mRNA), might heighten the risk. One possibility is that the very high antibody levels that both generate in young people may also, in rare cases, lead to a sort of immune overreaction that inflames the heart. Theres no question these [vaccines] are extremely immune-generating, Liu says. Mevorach says he suspects the mRNA itself might be playing a role. The innate immune system recognizes RNA as part of the bodys defense against microbesincluding RNA viruses like SARS-CoV-2, he notes. I think that actually the mRNA is a kind of natural adjuvant, which ramps up the immune response, he says.

Diekema says the medical community is now on alert for youngsters with chest pain and other symptoms soon after vaccinationallowing them to be quickly identified, treated, and reported to health departments. Mevorach agrees that awareness among vaccinees, their parents, and their doctors is important for prompt and effective treatment. He says he and his colleagues treated about 40 cases. Only a few needed corticosteroids, he said, and most have recovered fully.

One important question is whether delaying the second vaccine dose might reduce any potential risk. There may be an opportunity to find out: Several countries have stretched the interval between the two doses from the 3 weeks tested and recommended by Pfizer to 12 or even 16 weeks, because they want to give as many people as possible at least one shot. A drop in myocarditis cases among those whose second dose was delayed might show up in data in the months ahead. Lowering the dose in young people may also be worth considering, Liu says. Pfizers and Modernas vaccines are now being tested at lower doses in children under 12, with results expected in the coming months.

Even if the link between the shots and myocarditis firms up, Liu says the vaccines benefitbeing well-protected from COVID-19outweighs the risks, even for young people, who are generally at lower risk of severe disease. But Mevorach says the trade-offs may be different in Israel, given its extremely low numbers of SARS-CoV-2 infectionsjust 15 new cases were diagnosed yesterday. He hopes the Ministry of Health will leave the decision on whether to vaccinate younger teens to their parents and doctors. At the moment, we no longer have an emergency, he says.

Update, 1 June 2021, 4.55 PM: Text has been added to this story about two reported fatal cases of myocarditis; the expert panel said investigations of those cases were inconclusive.

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Israel reports link between rare cases of heart inflammation and COVID-19 vaccination in young men - Science Magazine