SINGAPORE: Two adults were each given a full vial of the undiluted Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic in Hougang, with one needing hospitalisation after experiencing headache and increased heart rate, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Tuesday (Sep 20).
Responding to CNAs queries, the ministry said that it was alerted to the incident on Monday, which took place at a clinic under the ProHealth Medical Group on Sep 15.
One was hospitalised after experiencing headache and increased heart rate and has since been discharged. The other patient did not report any adverse reaction, said MOH.
MOH said that it takes a serious view of this incident and is carrying out a thorough investigation.
The clinic and doctor who administered the vaccine have been suspended from the National Vaccination Programme until further notice, the ministry added.
After dilution, vials of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine contain six doses of 0.3ml of vaccine, according to Singapore's Health Sciences Authority.
Speaking to Mediacorp's Channel 8 News,Mr Lim Tau Chiew, 57, said he had experienced headache and increased heart rate.
"I felt the side of my body cramping up, even to the point I felt my pulse quickening and my heart beat was increasing," said Mr Lim.
"I called my daughter for help and we waited for the ambulance to send me to the hospital."
According to Channel 8 News, the doctor involved is a locum and comes in twice a month. She has been working at the clinic for around two years.
CNA has contacted the clinic for more information.
In a separate incident last year, MOH said it was conducting a "thorough investigation" after a 103-year-old woman was erroneously given a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
The woman was admitted to Changi General Hospital for pneumonia and hyponatremia, and was subsequently also diagnosed to have suffered a stroke. She died the following month.
Last year, an employee at the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) was wrongly administered the equivalent of five doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine due to a human error.
Senior doctors were alerted immediately and the staff was assessed and found to be well, with no adverse reaction or side effects, SNEC had said.
A person in the stands wears a mask before Dr. Anthony Fauci threw out the first pitch, at a baseball game between the Seattle Mariners and the New York Yankees, on Aug. 9 in Seattle. Fauci is President Biden's chief medical adviser and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Ted S. Warren/AP hide caption
A person in the stands wears a mask before Dr. Anthony Fauci threw out the first pitch, at a baseball game between the Seattle Mariners and the New York Yankees, on Aug. 9 in Seattle. Fauci is President Biden's chief medical adviser and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
President Biden said in a 60 Minutes interview Sunday that the COVID-19 pandemic is a thing of the past.
"The pandemic is over," he said. "We still have a problem with COVID. We're still doing a lot of work on it. But the pandemic is over. If you notice, no one's wearing masks. Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape, and so I think it's changing, and I think [the Detroit auto show resuming after three years] is a perfect example of it."
His remarks came as Biden's own administration seeks an additional $22.4 billion from Congress to keep funding the fight against COVID, and as the United States continues to see hundreds of related deaths every day.
But is it still a pandemic? The National Institutes of Health defines the term as "an epidemic of disease, or other health condition, that occurs over a widespread area (multiple countries or continents) and usually affects a sizable part of the population."
Globally, there have been about 612 million cases of coronavirus. The number of new daily cases peaked in January for many countries, including the U.S. (806,987), France (366,554) and India (311,982), according to Our World in Data, an international organization of scientists.
We've come a long way since then on Saturday, there were about 493,000 cases worldwide but there are still thousands of cases being detected every day, and many estimates could be off, as many cases are going unreported.
From Aug. 16 to Sept. 17, there were 19.4 million new cases worldwide, with some of the most significant increases happening in Japan (29%), Taiwan (20%) and Hong Kong (19%). The U.S. had a 3% increase in cases during that time period, equivalent to 2.5 million incidents.
In Japan, there is a daily cap on the number of people who can arrive in the country and individual tourist visits have been banned, though those guidelines are expected to be reversed soon. Additionally, on Sep. 7, the country lifted its requirement to take a test within 72 hours of landing in Japan, as long as you are vaccinated, according to Nikkei.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also eased up on COVID-19 restrictions, such as issuing the same guidance to both vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans and shortening the quarantine period from 10 days to five. Though, it has not publicly declared the end of the pandemic.
Public health experts weren't impressed with the president's language. Dr. Megan Ranney, who heads Brown University's school of public health, used one of Biden's favorite words against him, calling the idea that the pandemic is over "malarkey."
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of September 19, 2022, there are currently 1,850 active COVID-19 cases statewide. There have been three deaths reported since the last report, with a total of 7,367 deaths attributed to COVID-19.
DHHR has confirmed the deaths of an 83-year old male from Wood County, a 43-year old male from Mercer County, and a 75-year old female from Monongalia County.
As a grandfather, I am particularly sensitive to the grief children are suffering from the loss of a grandparent or beloved neighbor, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary. I encourage all West Virginians to get vaccinated and boosted to help prevent further tragedies due to COVID-19.
CURRENT ACTIVE CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (14), Berkeley (100), Boone (20), Braxton (8), Brooke (13), Cabell (80), Calhoun (12), Clay (4), Doddridge (5), Fayette (62), Gilmer (7), Grant (14), Greenbrier (62), Hampshire (17), Hancock (18), Hardy (27), Harrison (73), Jackson (15), Jefferson (50), Kanawha (152), Lewis (16), Lincoln (17), Logan (43), Marion (62), Marshall (21), Mason (19), McDowell (44), Mercer (127), Mineral (27), Mingo (24), Monongalia (91), Monroe (20), Morgan (8), Nicholas (27), Ohio (33), Pendleton (6), Pleasants (1), Pocahontas (6), Preston (33), Putnam (56), Raleigh (78), Randolph (31), Ritchie (9), Roane (18), Summers (15), Taylor (20), Tucker (20), Tyler (9), Upshur (25), Wayne (15), Webster (5), Wetzel (7), Wirt (22), Wood (65), Wyoming (77). To find the cumulative cases per county, please visit coronavirus.wv.gov and look on the Cumulative Summary tab which is sortable by county.
West Virginians ages 6 months and older are eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. All individuals ages 6 months and older should receive a primary series of vaccination, the initial set of shots that teaches the body to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. Those ages 5-11 years are recommended to get an original (monovalent) booster shot when due, and those ages 12 years and older are recommended to get an Omicron booster shot (bivalent) at least two months after completing their primary series.
Visit the WV COVID-19 Vaccination Due Date Calculator, a free, online tool that helps individuals figure out when they may be due for a COVID-19 shot, making it easier to stay up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccination. To learn more about COVID-19 vaccines, or to find a vaccine, visit vaccines.gov, vaccinate.wv.gov, or call 1-833-734-0965. Please visit the COVID-19 testing locations page to locate COVID-19 testing near you.
Mike Stucka USA TODAY NETWORK| The Gaston Gazette
New coronavirus cases increased 3.5% in North Carolina in the week ending Sunday as the state added 21,189 cases. The previous week had 20,480 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.
North Carolina ranked third among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States decreased 7.7% from the week before, with 436,694 cases reported. With 3.15% of the country's population, North Carolina had 4.85% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 24 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.
Gaston County reported 385 cases and four deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 516 cases and one death. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 75,439 cases and 915 deaths.
Within North Carolina, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Yadkin County with 552 cases per 100,000 per week; Graham County with 486; and Caldwell County with 367. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.
Adding the most new cases overall were Wake County, with 2,150 cases; Mecklenburg County, with 1,974 cases; and Guilford County, with 1,022. Weekly case counts rose in 60 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Wake, Johnston and Randolph counties.
>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases
Across North Carolina, cases fell in 39 counties, with the best declines in Gaston County, with 385 cases from 516 a week earlier; in Cleveland County, with 216 cases from 306; and in Orange County, with 223 cases from 302.
In North Carolina, 49 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 30 people were reported dead.
A total of 3,162,491 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 26,414 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 95,658,236 people have tested positive and 1,053,419 people have died.
>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States
USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Sept. 18. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:
Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:
Hospitals in 15 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 14 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 22 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.
The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.
Mike Stucka USA TODAY NETWORK| Plaquemine Post South
Louisiana reported far fewer coronavirus cases in the week ending Sunday, adding 5,618 new cases. That's down 40% from the previous week's tally of 9,360 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.
Louisiana ranked 30th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States decreased 7.7% from the week before, with 436,694 cases reported. With 1.4% of the country's population, Louisiana had 1.29% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 24 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.
Johns Hopkins University has been getting data on an erratic schedule from Louisiana, skewing week-to-week comparisons.
Iberville Parish reported 36 cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 81 cases and zero deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 10,859 cases and 154 deaths.
Across Louisiana, cases fell in 58 parishes, with the best declines in East Baton Rouge Parish, with 319 cases from 678 a week earlier; in Lafayette Parish, with 276 cases from 564; and in Ouachita Parish, with 299 cases from 563.
>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases
Within Louisiana, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in East Carroll Parish with 598 cases per 100,000 per week; Caldwell Parish with 544; and Union Parish with 344. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.
Adding the most new cases overall were Caddo Parish, with 421 cases; Orleans Parish, with 415 cases; and Jefferson Parish, with 350.
In Louisiana, 54 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 46 people were reported dead.
A total of 1,448,503 people in Louisiana have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 17,977 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 95,658,236 people have tested positive and 1,053,419 people have died.
>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States
USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Sept. 18. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:
Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:
Hospitals in 15 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 14 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 22 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.
The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.
Mike Stucka USA TODAY NETWORK| Green Bay Press-Gazette
New coronavirus cases leaped in Wisconsin in the week ending Sunday, rising 10.2% as 8,635 cases were reported. The previous week had 7,835 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.
Wisconsin ranked 15th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States decreased 7.7% from the week before, with 436,694 cases reported. With 1.75% of the country's population, Wisconsin had 1.98% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 24 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.
Brown County reported 491 cases and two deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 466 cases and one death. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 96,165 cases and 586 deaths.
Door County reported 30 cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 19 cases and one death. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 8,067 cases and 78 deaths.
Kewaunee County reported 16 cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 31 cases and zero deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 6,410 cases and 61 deaths.
Oconto County reported 37 cases and one death in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 48 cases and zero deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 12,558 cases and 126 deaths.
Shawano County reported 79 cases and one death in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 91 cases and zero deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 13,177 cases and 157 deaths.
Marinette County reported 93 cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 121 cases and one death. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 13,244 cases and 135 deaths.
Within Wisconsin, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Menominee County with 702 cases per 100,000 per week; Florence County with 256; and Marinette County with 230. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.
Adding the most new cases overall were Milwaukee County, with 1,528 cases; Dane County, with 1,194 cases; and Brown County, with 491. Weekly case counts rose in 45 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Dane, Milwaukee and Marathon counties.
>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases
Across Wisconsin, cases fell in 26 counties, with the best declines in Fond du Lac County, with 136 cases from 196 a week earlier; in Racine County, with 286 cases from 325; and in Jackson County, with 47 cases from 81.
In Wisconsin, 70 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 29 people were reported dead.
A total of 1,851,886 people in Wisconsin have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 15,190 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 95,658,236 people have tested positive and 1,053,419 people have died.
>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States
USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Sept. 18. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:
Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:
Hospitals in 15 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 14 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 22 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.
The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.
New coronavirus cases leaped in Michigan in the week ending Sunday, rising 15.9% as 18,375 cases were reported. The previous week had 15,854 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.
Michigan ranked fifth among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States decreased 7.7% from the week before, with 436,694 cases reported. With 3% of the country's population, Michigan had 4.21% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 24 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.
Wayne County reported 3,427 cases and 38 deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 2,710 cases and 20 deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 480,854 cases and 8,373 deaths.
Oakland County reported 2,485 cases and 22 deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 1,947 cases and eight deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 348,751 cases and 4,104 deaths.
Within Michigan, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Clinton County with 407 cases per 100,000 per week; Dickinson County with 404; and Schoolcraft County with 358. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.
Adding the most new cases overall were Wayne County, with 3,427 cases; Oakland County, with 2,485 cases; and Macomb County, with 1,785. Weekly case counts rose in 55 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.
>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases
Across Michigan, cases fell in 27 counties, with the best declines in Huron County, with 27 cases from 90 a week earlier; in Muskegon County, with 211 cases from 248; and in Tuscola County, with 78 cases from 111.
In Michigan, 196 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 83 people were reported dead.
A total of 2,804,588 people in Michigan have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 38,317 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 95,658,236 people have tested positive and 1,053,419 people have died.
Note: In the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus data, cases and deaths for the Michigan Department of Corrections and the Federal Correctional Institution separately from Michigan counties.
>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States
USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Sept. 18. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:
Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:
Hospitals in 15 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 14 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 22 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.
The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.
In a recent study published in Vaccine, researchers assessed the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines on human fertility.
Claims that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines could cause irreparable harm to the population and may increase the risk of female infertility were made in response to the emergency licensing of the vaccines. The cross-reactivity with syncytin-1 and its potential similarity to the spike protein was proposed as the potential mechanism that purportedly associated vaccinations with decreased fertility in women of reproductive age.
Syncytin-1 is crucial for implantation, and its dysfunction could lead to early pregnancy loss, failed implantation, or later issues from aberrant placentation, such as preeclampsia. In males, it was hypothesized that the vaccine could influence spermatogenesis and sperm parameters, noting that the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been linked to male reproductive impairment.
In the present study, researchers summarized and assessed the available information related to the potential effect of COVID-19 vaccines on female and male fertility.
The study included studies that explored the impact of COVID-19 vaccines on fertility in females and males. The systematic review involved only studies that reported primary data. The team obtained data such as the first author, country, year, population, study design, age, gender, vaccine type, time vaccination-recruitment, number of vaccine doses, indicator employed to assess fertility, and main results corresponding to each study. Additionally, the researchers performed a descriptive analysis based on information including population, age, gender, indicator employed to assess fertility, and vaccine type.
When appropriate, the team performed random-effect meta-analyses for the same outcome concerning fertility indicators reported in two or more studies. The effect measure utilized for most fertility indicators comprised mean concentrations or rates. The first meta-analysis was conducted for any vaccine type used, followed by the analysis of the subgroup based on the specific vaccine administered.
The included studies were assessed with respect to the methodological quality of the study design. The cohort studies were assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa scale that evaluated quality parameters, including study group selection, comparability of the groups, and ascertainment of the results. The pre-post studies were assessed with the Before and After Quality Assessment scale to evaluate parameters such as clarity of study objective, enrollment of participants, description of eligibility criteria, sample size, and outcome.
The search for relevant studies resulted in a total of 1,489 records after excluding duplicate records. The screening process produced 39 articles that were deemed pertinent for the study. Eventually, 29 articles were included in the systematic review, while 20 were part of the meta-analysis. The 29 articles included ten performed in Israel, seven in the USA, six in Russia, three in China, one in Italy, one in North America, and one in Turkey.
In 16 of the studies conducted in Israel and the USA and one in Turkey, the COVID-19 vaccines assessed were two messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines, namely mRNA-1273 and BNT162b2. Additionally, six studies performed in Russia explored the adenovirus-vector vaccine Gam-COVID-Vac, three from China studied the inactivated vaccines, while three studies from Italy, the USA, and North America assessed vaccines including mRNA and viral vector-based.
Furthermore, 51.7% of the total studies were performed on females, 37.9% on males, and 10.3% on both populations. Approximately 52% of the studies included in vitro fertilization (IVF)/IVG patients, including 11 studies on females and two on males. Two studies performed in Russia, one in Turkey, and one in Israel involved healthy women subjects.
Additionally, seven studies were conducted on healthy males, one on two comparative cohorts of unhealthy and healthy men, two on men undergoing IVG or assisted reproduction technology (ART), and one on men belonging to a big database. With respect to the study design, 14 articles were pre-post studies, and 15 were cohort studies.
Quality assessment of cohort studies using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale showed that 13.3% of the studies were of good quality, 33.3% were of moderate quality, and 53.3% were of poor quality. Furthermore, the meta-analysis of five pre-post studies included 298 males who did not display a remarkable difference with respect to progressive motility prior to post-vaccination with any COVID-19 vaccine type. Notably, there was no significant difference in the subgroup analysis conducted based on the vaccine type used.
Sperm concentration post-COVID-19 vaccination with any type of vaccine did not remarkably vary in the meta-analysis of eight pre-post studies that included 451 males. The meta-analysis of six studies that included 346 males did not exhibit any significant variation in the sperm volume prior to or after vaccination with any vaccine type.
Furthermore, the biochemical pregnancy rate and clinical pregnancy rate did not differ significantly among the vaccinated and the unvaccinated cohorts. Also, estradiol levels did not show any significant difference between the vaccinated and unvaccinated women.
Overall, the study findings showed no association between COVID-19 vaccination and fertility impairment in women and men.
In the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no marked path out of the darkness, no experts with a proven playbook and no trucks packed with antidotes to the deadly virus. In March of 2020, the coronavirus leapt from a minor news event in faraway places to a plague at our front doors, and none of us was prepared, least of all schools suddenly asked to produce not only virtual instruction, but also meals, and, in many places in Georgia, internet access.
COVID-19 is better compared to a war than a natural disaster when you look at the death toll of those on the front lines. The World Health Organization estimates that 115,500 health care workers around the world died of COVID-19 between January 2020 and May 2021. The virus overwhelmed and depleted supplies and staff at Georgia hospitals with desperate health care workers reusing masks, gloves and gowns.
Today, at a safe distance secured by new vaccines, we can pick apart what schools should have done better during the pandemic, but we cant assert that they should have known better.
No one knew, as shown by the deaths of more than 6.5 million people around the world. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 10.5 million children globally lost a parent or caregiver to COVID-19. In the United States, the current estimate is that 225,600 children experienced the death of a parent or a custodial grandparent from the virus.
Yet, a national narrative is taking shape that school districts ignored the will of parents and remained virtual largely due to politics. Parents in Georgia districts that were remote the longest, including Clayton, Atlanta, Decatur and DeKalb, voiced many reservations about their children returning to classrooms. Most of these districts serve largely Black families, who had a higher proportion of family members or neighbors sickened and killed by the virus.
Because so many of our families were front line, they were not willing for our students to come back overall, Clayton County Superintendent Morcease Beasley told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. As a community, we basically made a decision that safety would be prioritized over everything else, which meant that students learned virtually.
It was a vocal parent base of CDC researchers, physicians and university employees that influenced the City Schools of Decatur to offer extended hybrid instruction. That influence also contributed to Decaturs decision to impose a COVID-19 vaccine mandate and later a booster requirement on its school staff, which earned the high-performing district a rebuke from Gov. Brian Kemp.
Decatur, Clayton and other metro districts didnt discount parents in their COVID-19 policies; they deferred to them in many instances.
Its an easy finger to point in hindsight while conveniently forgetting the 95 million COVID cases and 1 million-plus deaths in the U.S. 1 dead out of every 330 people, said University of Georgia professor emeritus of education Peter Smagorinsky. As if the best plan would be to just keep sending people into death traps, which presumably puts children first in the grave. Maybe, they think we shouldnt evacuate for raging fires and floods, either, because its the evacuation thats so disruptive.
The Tompkins County Health Department says there have now been 24,124 total positive cases in Tompkins County, 54 more than on Friday, and a total of 1,939,307 tests conducted. The Health Department is also now reporting positive self-test results that have been submitted through their online portal. They say there are 14 new positive self-test results for a total of 3,741 submitted.
Related: TCHD: If you test positive on an at-home test
As of Monday at 8:30am, the Health Department says 238 tests were conducted in the previous day. The Tompkins County Health Department publishes NYS vaccine tracking info, showing 88,192 Tompkins County residents have a first dose and 79,873 have completed vaccination (which could be one or two doses, depending on vaccine).
Related: Many are eligible for second booster or additional doses, says Health Department
The Health Department says six people are currently hospitalized for COVID-19, one fewer than in Fridays update. As of a shift in data last winter, TCHD is reporting only active cases who are hospitalized, rather than including patients recovered from COVID who remain hospitalized for other reasons.
Of the recent uptick in hospitalizations, a vast majority have been of vaccinated individuals, Tompkins County Public Health Director Frank Kruppa tells us, but of the individuals who are vaccinated and have been hospitalized for COVID-19 related reasons, the trend holds that they are largely older adults, age 65+. This data points to the importance of boosters and 2nd boosters for those age 65+.
Related: CDC and FDA have authorized vaccines for 6 months and up, says Health Department
There have been 67 deaths from COVID-19 recorded among Tompkins County residents, including the death of an area resident reported in mid September.
On September 11, Cornell University reported 144 active student cases and 46 active faculty and staff cases. Cornell has switched to weekly updates, and the timing of their updates doesnt allow a direct comparison to the countys statistics.
As of September 18, Ithaca College reported 7 active student cases, with 143 recovered, and 5 active employee cases and 29 recovered employees. (Ithaca College reset its recovered count to zero on August 1 to reflect the new academic year.)
The Health Department says the public needs to prevent the spread of COVID-19 not just to protect themselves, but others in our community who are most vulnerable to getting very sick older adults, those who are immune-compromised, and those with underlying chronic health conditions.
TCHDs Frank Kruppa says, There is a very high vaccination rate for our community, especially with the successes that have been reported by our local colleges. In addition to the arrival and surveillance testing, many of our new cases are arising from sustained close contact with a positive individual, meaning more than 10 minutes within six feet of a positive case. These close contacts are occurring more frequently in large indoor gatherings that mix different groups of people.
Over the past few weeks, our efforts have focused on vaccinating our young people and providing booster doses to those who are eligible, Kruppa says. We are distributing self-tests and masks throughout the county as we receive shipments and thank our community partners for assisting in this effort.
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