Public perception varies in the way three athletes -- Kyrie Irving, Aaron Rodgers and Novak Djokovic -- have handled their decision to not get vaccinated for COVID-19 over the past several months, according to a survey conducted for ESPN.
A majority of fans approve of how Irving has handled his decision, the survey conducted by Hart Research found. Overall, more respondents approve of how the Brooklyn Nets star has handled his vaccination status (45%) than disapprove (40%, with 15% saying they don't know). Those numbers climb to 46% approval, 41% disapproval and 13% don't know for self-described NBA fans.
For Rodgers, 49% of fans disapprove of how the Green Bay Packers quarterback has handled his vaccination status, with 40% approving and 11% not sure. The numbers are the same for all fans and self-described NFL fans.
For Djokovic, 46% of all fans and 48% of tennis fans disapprove of how he handled his vaccination status in relation to the Australian Open (he was eventually deported from Australia before the tournament started after discrepancies were found in his visa application). However, 42% of all fans and 43% of tennis fans approve.
Overall, the survey found that two in three sports fans want to see athletes vaccinated (66% to 34%), 55% agree that athletes have a responsibility to publicly disclose whether they are vaccinated (36% disagree; 8% do not have a feeling one way or the other), and 59% think unvaccinated players are hurting their team because they are more likely to miss games (33% disagree; 8% don't have a feeling one way or the other).
But 56% of those surveyed agree that unvaccinated players are standing up for their own rights by choosing not to get vaccinated (36% disagree; 8% are undecided).
The study was conducted for ESPN by Hart Research during Jan. 16-18 and surveyed 1,002 adults 18 and over in a nationally representative online survey.
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The "Defeat the Mandates" march took to the streets and monuments of Washington, D.C., as protestors and speakers called for an end to COVID-19 vaccine mandates nationwide.
A number of major U.S. cities including D.C., New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Boston have implemented citywide rules requiring residents to show proof of vaccination at certain establishments, such as restaurants and gyms.
The peaceful protest started around noon at the Washington Monument and headed first to the Lincoln Memorial, where it remained while a series of speakers took to the steps to share their experiences of the past year and their reasons to call for an end to the vaccine mandates.
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Between 30,000 and 35,000 people attended the protest, demanding an end to vaccine mandates and passports and a call for reasonable debate and the power of informed consent.
"You're going to hear a lot of people talk about on the left say this is a big, anti-vax rally it's people coming in to deny science," march organizer Will Witt, an author and political commentator for nonprofit PragerU, told Fox News Digital last week.
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"But this march is about the mandate, and this march is about the Draconian measures that we're seeing all across this country right now, especially in places like D.C., New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco."
Several groups sponsored the event, including the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance, World Council for Health, Vaccine Safety Research Foundation, and Childrens Health Defense headed by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Speakers included Dr. Robert Malone, inventor of mRNA technology used in COVID vaccines, Dr. Peter McCullough, Dr. Christina Parks, Dr. Paul Alexander, and Stephanie De Garay, mother of Maddie De Garay.
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The rally ended around 3:30 p.m.
This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.
Fox News' Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
Around 30,375 NHS staff at hospital trusts in England were off work due to being unwell with COVID or having to self-isolate each day in the week leading up to 23 January, according to data from NHS England.
This was down 15% on the average of 35,555 staff absences during the previous week, but still nearly double the 17,836 average days off in the seven days up to 19 December.
Professor Stephen Powis, NHS England's national medical director, said: "While it is positive to see more NHS staff back at work, pressure on the NHS is still intense, having seen the busiest week for ambulances taking patients to A&E since the start of December - up almost 2,000 on the week before last - all while pushing to deliver as many routine checks and procedures as possible, including vital diagnostic checks."
The figures also showed the biggest drop was in the North West, with the seven-day average down 25% from 7,485 in the week to 16 January to 5,654 in the seven days up to 23 January.
This was followed by London, which was down 22% from 3,810 to 2,961, then the Midlands, down 13% from 8,498 to 7,428.
That some patients had reactivated Epstein-Barr virus also made sense, Dr. Nath said, because other diseases have reawakened that virus, and its reactivation has been linked to conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome, which some cases of long Covid resemble, and multiple sclerosis. Dr. Deeks said it might be possible to give antivirals or immunotherapy to patients with reactivated Epstein-Barr virus.
There were other intriguing findings that experts said needed more substantiation. One was a suggestion that because people with lingering respiratory problems had low levels of the stress hormone cortisol, they might benefit from cortisol replacement therapy, which Dr. Heath said some doctors were already trying.
In another finding that he said might provide a way to document that patients neurological symptoms resulted from long Covid, the blood of people with lingering neurological issues contained elevated levels of proteins associated with disrupted circadian rhythms and sleep/wake cycles.
One patient in the studys primary group was John Gillotte, 40, a software engineer who contracted the coronavirus in March 2020. He was on a ventilator for about six days, after which he experienced delirium in the hospital when he closed his eyes.
I saw the devil, who was like 50 feet tall, screaming at me, throwing limbs that he dismembered off of other people, recalled Mr. Gillotte, who later had an image of the demon tattooed on his right arm, with depictions of hell below and heaven above to symbolize his progress from illness to recovery.
Mr. Gillotte, who moved from Seattle to Manhattan last year, said that for several months after his infection, he had experienced muscle weakness, lack of stamina, brain fog that impaired his concentration at work, an altered sense of smell and the perception that most food tasted like ashes.
He said that before Covid, he had a spontaneous ability to visualize specific colors with certain foods pink when he sprinkled pepper, blue with a type of liquor but now, he is dismayed to have lost those automatic connections.
A pair of Elton John concerts at the American Airlines Center in Dallas have been postponed because the singer recently tested positive for the coronavirus, the venue said on Tuesday.
The announcement came just hours before the planned start of a performance, which was to begin at 8 p.m. on Tuesday. The second concert had been scheduled for Wednesday.
Elton is fully vaccinated and boosted, and is experiencing only mild symptoms, the American Airlines Center said in a brief statement on its website.
The shows are part of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. The American Airlines Center did not give new dates for the concerts.
A new study suggests that getting infected by the novel coronavirus before or after COVID-19 vaccination can create so-called super immunity from COVID-19 although experts dont want you trying to deliberately catch the coronavirus.
The news: Researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University found that getting a vaccine shot after recovering from coronavirus provides protection similar to getting COVID-19 after vaccination, which has been noted to create super immunity.
Flashback: The Oregon Health & Science University previously published a study for the Journal of the American Medical Association that found breakthrough infections from the delta variant created a robust immune response against the delta variant or super immunity.
Why it matters: People who have this so-called super immunity are better protected from COVID-19 infection and severe symptoms, the researchers said.
What theyre saying: These results, together with our previous work, point to a time when SARS-CoV-2 may become a mostly mild endemic infection like a seasonal respiratory tract infection, instead of a worldwide pandemic, said study co-author Marcel Curlin, per The Oregonian.
Yes, but: Senior co-author Fikadu Tafesse told The Oregonian this is not a reason for people to intentionally catch COVID-19, saying there are long-term consequences to a COVID-19 infection that arent worth it.
The state Department of Health reported three more COVID-19 deaths in Washington County Wednesday, raising the total number of people who have died from coronavirus to 572.
Record-high case counts, fueled by the omicron variant, are starting to come down, according to Keara Klinepeter, Pennsylvanias acting secretary of health.
Although we are seeing a slight decrease in the seven-day moving average of COVID-19 cases, it is much too early to let down our guard, Klinepeter said in a statement Tuesday. What we have seen during previous surges is that hospitalizations remain high for a couple of weeks after case counts start to decline. That means that our frontline healthcare workers need our continued support and a commitment to get vaccinated, get boosted, wear masks in public indoor spaces regardless of vaccination status and get tested when appropriate.
On Wednesday, there were 242 additional COVID cases reported in the county, bringing the total number of cases to 47,006.
Greene County recorded 38 new cases, and has now has seen a total of 7,632 COVID cases. There was one more COVID death reported, raising the total to 92.
In Fayette County, a total of 27,924 COVID cases have been recorded. The county added 118 new cases. An additional COVID death raises the death toll to 575.
Statewide, as of Jan. 24, the daily average number of cases was 15,294, the DOH reported in its weekly briefing.
In Pennsylvania, the number of COVID-19 deaths is 39,932, with the total number of cases reaching 2,605,439.
The number of people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 Monday was 12.8% lower than Jan. 17.
The percent of available adult and pediatric ICU beds in the state rose to 16.1% and 14.2%, respectively.
Approximately 27.8% of all staffed adult ICU beds are COVID-19 patients, and 31.3% of all ventilators statewide are in use, according to the DOH.
Additionally, the DOH noted the first state-directed healthcare strike team is now deployed and more are on the way to help with the healthcare staffing shortage amid the pandemic.
Despite the slight decrease in cases, staffing resources are in high-demand from Pennsylvania hospitals and health systems, whose frontline healthcare workers are exhausted and in need of support while they continue to see record numbers, Klinepeter said.
Meanwhile, the DOH is advising residents to avoid seeking COVID-19 tests at hospitals, and instead use a COVID testing site.
According to the CDC, as of Monday, 75.3% of Pennsylvanians age 18 and older are fully vaccinated.
There was a 38.5% increase in vaccines administered from the previous week, the DOH reported.
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 355 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths has now passed 5.6 million. More than 9.93 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.
Japan's daily count of new COVID-19 infections surpassed 60,000 for the first time on Tuesday, broadcaster FNN said. The government is poised to expand infection control measures to try to contain the spread of the Omicron variant.
Russia reported a record number of COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours on Tuesday as the Omicron variant of the virus spread across the country, the government coronavirus task force said. New daily cases jumped to 67,809, from 65,109 a day earlier. The task force also reported 681 deaths.
South Korea's daily count of new coronavirus cases topped 8,000 for the first time on Tuesday, as the highly contagious Omicron variant spreads rapidly despite the recent extension of strict social distancing rules to slow infection.
Singapore had record low international arrivals in 2021, but saw signs of recovery after introducing a quarantine waiver system for vaccinated visitors and offering cash vouchers, its tourism authority said on Tuesday.
The Dutch government is expected to announce on Tuesday it will allow restaurants, bars and theatres to re-open despite record numbers of coronavirus infections. Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Health Minister Ernst Kuipers are expected to announce the new rules at a news conference at 7pm.
An Israeli government advisory panel has recommended offering a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose to all adults, on condition that at least five months have passed since they received the third or recovered from the illness, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.
The Czech Republic recorded 30,350 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, the highest daily tally since the pandemic started in the country of 10.7 million, as the Omicron variant of coronavirus spreads, health ministry data showed on Tuesday.
Daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases per million people in selected countries.
Image: Our World in Data
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday warned against assuming Omicron variant would herald the end of COVID-19's acutest phase, exhorting nations to stay focused to beat the pandemic.
"Its dangerous to assume that Omicron will be the last variant and that we are in the endgame," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a WHO executive board meeting of the two-year pandemic that has killed nearly 6 million people.
"On the contrary, globally the conditions are ideal for more variants to emerge."
Though Omicron has sent total cases soaring to nearly 350 million, its less lethal impact and the increasing prevalence of vaccines has led to optimism in some parts that the worst of the pandemic may have passed.
Tedros, the WHO's first African head who is running unopposed for a second term, urged discipline and unity in combatting the coronavirus.
"The COVID-19 pandemic is now entering its third year and we are at a critical juncture," he told a news conference earlier. "We must work together to bring the acute phase of this pandemic to an end. We cannot let it continue to drag on, lurching between panic and neglect."
In 2000, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance was launched at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, with an initial pledge of $750 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The aim of Gavi is to make vaccines more accessible and affordable for all - wherever people live in the world.
Along with saving an estimated 10 million lives worldwide in less than 20 years,through the vaccination of nearly 700 million children, - Gavi has most recently ensured a life-saving vaccine for Ebola.
At Davos 2016, we announced Gavi's partnership with Merck to make the life-saving Ebola vaccine a reality.
The Ebola vaccine is the result of years of energy and commitment from Merck; the generosity of Canadas federal government; leadership by WHO; strong support to test the vaccine from both NGOs such as MSF and the countries affected by the West Africa outbreak; and the rapid response and dedication of the DRC Minister of Health. Without these efforts, it is unlikely this vaccine would be available for several years, if at all.
Read more about the Vaccine Alliance, and how you can contribute to the improvement of access to vaccines globally - in our Impact Story.
The Omicron variant can survive longer than earlier versions of the coronavirus on plastic surfaces and human skin, Japanese researchers found in laboratory tests.
Its high "environmental stability" - its ability to remain infectious - might have helped Omicron replace Delta as the dominant variant and spread rapidly, they said.
On plastic surfaces, average survival times of the original strain and the Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta variants were 56 hours, 191.3 hours, 156.6 hours, 59.3 hours, and 114.0 hours, respectively.
That compared to 193.5 hours for Omicron, the researchers reported on bioRxiv ahead of peer review. On skin samples from cadavers, average virus survival times were 8.6 hours for the original version, 19.6 hours for Alpha, 19.1 hours for Beta, 11.0 hours Gamma, 16.8 hours for Delta and 21.1 hours for Omicron.
On skin, all of the variants were completely inactivated by 15 seconds of exposure to alcohol-based hand sanitizers. "Therefore," the researchers conclude, "it is highly recommended that current infection control (hand hygiene) practices use disinfectants... as proposed by the World Health Organization."
The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.
Subway passengers wearing masks in Lower Manhattan in December.Credit...Gabby Jones for The New York Times
Read the latest on the ruling on a New York State mask policy.
A New York State judge ruled on Monday that the states mask mandate had been enacted unlawfully and is now void, according to court documents.
Gov. Kathy Hochul had renewed a rule requiring masks or proof of vaccination at all indoor public places throughout the state in December, amid a winter virus surge, and said it would last a month. The state Health Department then extended the mandate an additional two weeks, to expire on Feb. 1.
In his six-page decision, State Supreme Court Justice Thomas Rademaker wrote that Ms. Hochul and state health officials lacked the authority to enact the mask mandate without the approval of state lawmakers, and that it violated the state constitution. Regardless of the well aimed intentions of state officials, such authority is entrusted solely to the State Legislature, Justice Rademaker wrote.
The office of the state attorney general, Letitia James, filed a notice of intent to appeal the ruling on Monday night. Emily DeSantis, a spokeswoman for the state Education Department, said the department had informed its schools that, as the legal issues are resolved, schools must continue to follow the mask rule.
While the ruling overturns the statewide mandate for masks in schools and public places, it does not reverse local mandates. City Hall officials, for example, said that the decision had no immediate impact on New York Citys schools since the citys education department had its own masking policies in place before the states mandate.
Ms. Hochul said in a statement on Monday that her office strongly disagreed with the ruling and would be pursuing every option to reverse this immediately.
My responsibility as governor is to protect New Yorkers throughout this public health crisis, and these measures help prevent the spread of Covid-19 and save lives, she said.
The Omicron surge has been receding in New York, but it is not over. An average of about 20,000 people in the state are now testing positive for the coronavirus each day, down sharply from the surges peak of 90,000 people who tested positive on Jan. 7. The positivity rate has also fallen, by half, from more than 22 percent to 10 percent.
But New Yorks daily case numbers remain far higher than at the start of the surge in early December, and hospitals are still straining to treat about 10,000 Covid patients statewide. Hospitalizations have begun declining but remain higher than at any point since May 2020. More than 130 people each day have been dying of the virus statewide.
Justice Rademaker, who has run on the Conservative Party line, was elected to the Supreme Court in Nassau County in 2019. The Supreme Court in New York is the highest trial court in the state, but not the court of last resort; the Court of Appeal is the highest court.
Following his ruling, some schools districts on Long Island began telling parents that masks were optional as of Tuesday morning.
While it is certain this decision will face legal challenges, until otherwise litigated, mask wearing will be optional for students and staff in the Massapequa Schools beginning Tuesday, the Massapequa school district posted on its website.
The Lindenhurst school district issued a similar message on Monday night, saying that it would work in accordance with the judges decision.
Until otherwise directed, the wearing of masks will be optional for all students and staff members, the district posted on Facebook. We are also aware that this decision will undoubtedly result in an appeal from the state, which could result in the restoration of the mask mandate until the court issues further ruling.
The ruling was applauded by some New York Republicans, including Representative Elise Stefanik, who said in a statement that it was a win for small businesses, parents, students, and the freedom of all New Yorkers.
Governor Hochuls authoritarian mandates were crushing New York small businesses that already have faced unprecedented challenges throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms. Stefanik said. By forcing masks on the children in our schools, these mandates have impeded the development of our next generation.
