The White House announced on Monday that it would co-host the second global Covid-19 summit next month, a gathering intended to build momentum for vaccine donations and for ending what the White House called the acute phase of the pandemic.
The meeting, which was originally expected to be held in March, is now scheduled to take place virtually on May 12.
Efforts to subsidize more global vaccinations stalled in the United States after lawmakers stripped $5 billion from a pandemic relief package that could come up for a Senate vote in the next few weeks.
When lawmakers announced an agreement earlier this month on the $10 billion coronavirus aid package, which is centered on domestic coronavirus testing, vaccination and treatment, they turned away a push from the Biden administration and from some members of Congress to reinforce the nations global Covid-19 commitments, which some public health experts said were already lacking. Republicans had demanded that any new aid be financed in part by repurposing previously approved but unspent Covid-19 relief.
The emergence and spread of new variants like Omicron have reinforced the need for a strategy aimed at controlling Covid-19 worldwide, the White House said on Monday in a statement announcing the May summit, which will also be hosted by Belize, Germany, Indonesia and Senegal.
Global health experts are worried that the United States commitment to addressing the global pandemic is waning as President Bidens attention has been consumed by other matters, notably the war in Ukraine.
Peter Maybarduk, director for access to medicines at the advocacy group Public Citizen, called the summit late and necessary, and criticized the Biden White House for not fighting harder to get money from Congress for the global effort. He said the effort must go beyond vaccination, to expand access to testing and therapeutics in low- and middle-income nations.
If you are going to solve a global pandemic, you need the wealthiest governments to really commit to it, Mr. Maybarduk said. And if you dont have a highly prioritized U.S. leadership, the world is going to stumble through it.
About 16 percent of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose of a vaccine, compared to 80 percent of people in high-income and upper-middle-income countries, according to the Our World in Data project at the University of Oxford. Production problems, export bans and vaccine hoarding by wealthy nations have helped widen the gap.
The May summit will carry over themes from the first meeting, held in September, the White House said. Those themes include the logistical work of getting shots into arms, reaching high-risk groups with virus tests and treatments, building up more local and regional vaccine manufacturing capacity and increasing the number of public health workers.
The lowest-income countries are getting more vaccine supplies than before, but health officials say that the doses may arrive on irregular schedules, making it difficult to organize vaccination campaigns, particularly when local health systems are short of staff, transportation and storage facilities.
Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, a Democrat who helped negotiate the pandemic relief package, said on Sunday that the United States had millions of vaccine doses on hand that could be sent abroad before they expire.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin
The Supreme Court refused on Monday to block the Air Force from taking action against a lieutenant colonel and reservist who refuses to get a COVID-19 vaccine.Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch, said that they would have granted the application.
Lt. Col. Jonathan Dunn, an Air Force Reserve, filed his bid to block the COVID-19 mandate one week ago, citing his sincere religious objections to vaccination and his supposed natural immunity from having contracted the disease last summer.
Dunn said that the Air Forces mandate followed his infection, noting that 98 percent of airmen have now been vaccinated. More than 2,000 others are subject to medical and administrative exemptions, Dunns counsel claimed in their application.
After his request for a religious exemption was denied, Dunn sued and lost in federal court.
While the motion for a preliminary injunction was pending, respondents removed applicant from his command; he does not seek reinstatement to that post, but seeks only protection against further punishment, including a discharge, because of his religious beliefs, his lawyers wrote in their application for an injunction.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denied Dunns request for an injunction.
On Monday, so did the Supreme Court in a brief order silent on its reasoning and with three noted dissents.
Dunns attorney Donald Falk told Law&Crime that his clients litigation continues.
We are disappointed that the Court did not enter relief pending appeal, but look forward to completing expedited appellate proceedings in the Ninth Circuit, he wrote in an email.
Dunns case is hardly the only one challenging COVID-19 vaccine mandates in the military, nor is it the sole one filed for the Supreme Courts consideration.
In March, the Pentagon requested a stay of an order preventing the Navy from considering respondents vaccination status in making deployment, assignment, and other operational decisions.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, in a concurring opinion, granted that request for what he described as a simple overarching reason.
Under Article II of the Constitution, the President of the United States, not any federal judge, is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, Kavanaugh wrote on March 25.
That case had involved Navy SEALs who refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and the ruling in favor of the government also disappointed Alito and Gorsuch at the time.
By rubberstamping the Governments request for what it calls a partial stay, the Court does a great injustice to the 35 respondentsNavy Seals and others in the Naval Special Warfare communitywho have volunteered to undertake demanding and hazardous duties to defend our country, Alito wrote in a dissent at the time, joined by Gorsuch. These individuals appear to have been treated shabbily by the Navy, and the Court brushes all that aside.
Thomas also would have rejected that stay.
In December, a federal judge rejected a challenge against COVID vaccine mandates by Oklahoma National Guard members with a sobering statistic that the pandemic has in less than two years, killed more Americans than all killed in action in all of the wars the United States has ever fought.
The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.
Read the ruling, below:
(Image via YouTube)
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The vaccine deployment in December 2020 signaled a turning point in the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of May 2021, 40% of the U.S. population was fully vaccinated. But as vaccination rates lagged over the summer, new surges of COVID-19 came, including Delta in the summer of 2021, and now the Omicron variant, which comprises the majority of cases in the U.S.
The United States as of Apr. 15 reached 988,342 COVID-19-related deaths and nearly 80.5 million COVID-19 cases, according to Johns Hopkins University. Currently, 65.9% of the population is fully vaccinated, and 45.3% of vaccinated people have received booster doses.
Stacker compiled a list of the counties with highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in Rhode Island using data from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and Covid Act Now. Counties are ranked by the highest vaccination rate as of Apr. 14, 2022. Due to inconsistencies in reporting, some counties do not have vaccination data available. Keep reading to see whether your county ranks among the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in your state.
Population that is fully vaccinated: 70.5% (450,155 fully vaccinated) 14.1% lower vaccination rate than Rhode Island Cumulative deaths per 100k: 395 (2,525 total deaths) 18.6% more deaths per 100k residents than Rhode Island Cumulative cases per 100k: 34,763 (222,113 total cases) 6.1% more cases per 100k residents than Rhode Island
Population that is fully vaccinated: 74.8% (61,421 fully vaccinated) 8.9% lower vaccination rate than Rhode Island Cumulative deaths per 100k: 110 (90 total deaths) 67.0% less deaths per 100k residents than Rhode Island Cumulative cases per 100k: 24,592 (20,186 total cases) 24.9% less cases per 100k residents than Rhode Island
Population that is fully vaccinated: 78.1% (98,044 fully vaccinated) 4.9% lower vaccination rate than Rhode Island Cumulative deaths per 100k: 178 (224 total deaths) 46.5% less deaths per 100k residents than Rhode Island Cumulative cases per 100k: 26,014 (32,667 total cases) 20.6% less cases per 100k residents than Rhode Island
Population that is fully vaccinated: 78.3% (128,615 fully vaccinated) 4.6% lower vaccination rate than Rhode Island Cumulative deaths per 100k: 312 (513 total deaths) 6.3% less deaths per 100k residents than Rhode Island Cumulative cases per 100k: 29,743 (48,865 total cases) 9.2% less cases per 100k residents than Rhode Island
Population that is fully vaccinated: 78.6% (38,124 fully vaccinated) 4.3% lower vaccination rate than Rhode Island Cumulative deaths per 100k: 349 (169 total deaths) 4.8% more deaths per 100k residents than Rhode Island Cumulative cases per 100k: 28,167 (13,655 total cases) 14.0% less cases per 100k residents than Rhode Island
When Wendy* scales back her medication it hurts to breathe. Walking too far can be painful; even doing everyday tasks like putting out the washing or vacuuming is off the cards.
The 44-year-old mother-of-three isnt anti-vax. Despite being diagnosed with pericarditis after receiving two doses of the Covid-19 vaccination, shes trying to figure out how and when shell be able to get her booster.
The Wellingtonian still wholeheartedly believes the vaccine has served the vast majority of New Zealanders well, and the message from the Government and health officials stands: get vaccinated its the best thing you can do to protect yourself and others.
In this period, public health messaging has been one of the most important things we have had - if not the most important thing we have, Wendy says. But its a public health message that bypasses the individual.
READ MORE:* Covid-19: Were a year into NZs vaccine roll-out now what?* Covid-19: Is it dangerous to exercise after your vaccine booster? * Covid-19: Everything you need to know about vaccinations for under 12s* Coronavirus: Vaccine hesitancy will fade as more information comes to light - experts
Stuff
Immunologist Dr Maia Brewerton discusses side effects of the Covid-19 vaccination in a discussion with Roxie Mohebbi for Stuff's Whole Truth project.
Pericarditis inflammation of the tissue forming a sac around the heart is a known, very rare side effect of the Pfizer vaccine. Myocarditis is the inflammation of the heart muscle.
These conditions are treatable, and in most cases theyre mild and short-lived. The sooner you start treatment, the better the outcomes.
Covid-19 is more likely to cause myocarditis/pericarditis than the vaccine theres almost four-times higher risk and the risk of Covid-19 far outweighs the risk of the vaccine.
But those numbers are not much comfort to the small group of Kiwis suffering from this rare side effect.
ALDEN WILLIAMS/Stuff
The Covid-19 vaccine is overwhelmingly safe and effective. More than four million Kiwis over the age of 12 have had two doses of Covid-19 vaccine. Most people experience no adverse event after vaccination.
Wendy is one of a growing group of New Zealanders sharing their experience of adverse responses in the mainstream media, in the hope of being heard, acknowledged and supported.
Last week, a 35-year-old Wellington builder shared his experienced of being diagnosed with pericarditis after receiving the vaccine. Since having his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, hes been to hospital about a dozen times. Like Wendy, hes struggled to be heard and get the support he feels he needs.
The discussion isnt an easy one to have. Its a balancing act.
More than four million Kiwis over the age of 12 have had two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. Most people experience no adverse event after vaccination. Those who do usually experience a mild and temporary reaction.
The 10.9 million doses administered in New Zealand have saved lives, and helped the country avoid the large-scale infections experienced by other populations. And UK research shows those whove been fully vaccinated are about half as likely to develop long Covid, or long-lasting Covid-19 symptoms.
STUFF
Stuff's Whole Truth project has published more than 50 articles examining misinformation about the Covid-19 vaccine. These are the most common themes. (English subtitles.)
But there are risks as with any vaccine or medication.
So far, ACC has accepted 987 claims for vaccine related injuries 0.009 per cent of the total doses administered.
Among those accepted claims there are 77 for cardiac injuries like myocarditis or pericarditis. And at March 31, a total of 783 reports of myocarditis or pericarditis had been reported by people after vaccination.
Both of these things can be true: the data shows the vaccine is safe and effective for the vast majority of people; meanwhile, some people experience adverse reactions after the vaccine either directly or indirectly related to the vaccine.
People like Wendy say that in the fight to get the country vaccinated, and counter anti-vax rhetoric and misinformation, the second truth hasnt been properly heard or acknowledged.
For the most part, government officials, healthcare professionals, the media, and some of those whove experienced adverse reactions, have avoided having this conversation until now.
I have plenty of people to talk to. But nobody whos had my experience, and thats very isolating, she says.
While the Government says support is available for those unlucky few who have experienced an adverse reaction to the vaccine, those who spoke to Stuff say thats not their experience.
Christel Yardley/Stuff
New Zealand and global data continues to show that Covid-19 vaccines are safe for the vast majority of people. But the small group who do have an adverse reaction say there is a lack of acknowledgement, information and support.
Wendy developed chest pain soon after her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine her chest felt tight, then it hurt to breathe, walk, lie down. Eventually it subsided, but returned after her second dose in December. Shes still experiencing the symptoms, four months on.
Despite her diagnosis, the Ministry of Health denied Wendys request for a temporary vaccination exemption while she waited for her symptoms to subside, and to ensure the right booster was available to her. If the vaccine mandates were still in place, her lack of exemption could have impacted her job as a teacher.
Its easy to feel like theres nobody who understands, or no health professional who has the answers, she says.
9NEWS
Somebody had a real event after receiving the vaccination, and that needs to be recognised, acknowledged, and responded to, Immunisation Advisory Centre director Professor Nikki Turner says.
University of Aucklands director of the Immunisation Advisory Centre, Professor Nikki Turner, says individuals have a range of individual responses post-vaccination.
These could be something like a sore arm, or something rare and more serious like myocarditis or pericarditis.
Then there are a range of responses that may or may not be caused by the vaccine, such as tinnitus, migraines, and ongoing heart palpitations. Some of these responses could be due to anxiety related to needles, or to a fear of vaccination, Turner says.
The mandates added another layer. In this environment, those who were anxious, uncertain or against getting the vaccine may have been more likely to experience adverse reactions after receiving their jab.
Regardless of the response, or whether it was caused by the vaccine, those people should be treated with respect and compassion, she says.
Somebody had a real event after receiving the vaccination, and that needs to be recognised, acknowledged, and responded to.
Ross Giblin/Stuff
There are online forums riddled with conspiracy theories, misinformation, anti-vaccination statements, fear and grief. This spilled over into the real world, when protesters occupied Parliament grounds for more than three weeks.
When people dont feel heard and supported by the health system, they seek acknowledgement elsewhere. Some have become vulnerable to capture by those pushing an anti-vax agenda.
You dont have to go far to find Facebook groups and websites dedicated to those whove experienced some kind of event after receiving their vaccination. Some of these are pages riddled with conspiracy theories, misinformation, anti-vaccination statements and fear.
On April 11, the Ministry of Health was notified of the third death considered by safety monitoring officials to be linked to the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.
The teenager had myocarditis at the time of their death in December. However, there was not enough information at the time to determine the potential role of the vaccine.
In talking about the death, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield shared a message from the teens family: One thing I do want to say is the family was very clear that they didn't want this death, this unfortunate and very sad death, to in any way put people off from being vaccinated or to be used by groups to try and undermine vaccination efforts in New Zealand.
But in the days since, the teens death has been weaponised held up by some as a sort of proof of extremist conspiracies.
Supplied
Sanjana Hattotuwa, an independent researcher who works on The Disinformation Project, says countries with high-trust societies are struggling to get to grips with the erosion of social cohesion.
Sanjana Hattotuwa, an independent researcher who works on The Disinformation Project, says experiences and data relating to vaccine-related harm are increasingly being instrumentalised by anti-vax groups.
They prey on people whove had bad experiences with health services, authority, or who are vulnerable due to fear or grief.
Anti-vaccination conspiracy theories were a feature long before this pandemic, but things have escalated.
We should have known ... We knew what other countries had gone through I dont think the health agencies, institutions and ministries fully appreciated the instrumentalisation of the content they were putting out, Hattotuwa says.
The broader struggle for countries with high-trust societies is trying to get to grips with the erosion of social cohesion and trust. That has occurred at a pace where countries and institutions simply havent kept pace.
Amid the infowar surrounding the pandemic, official data has also been misconstrued or intentionally misrepresented by some groups.
In the case of adverse reactions, the Medsafe adverse events following immunisation reports have been used as fodder by the anti-vaccination crowd.
In a comprehensive written statement, Ministry of Health group manager of pharmacovigilance, vaccine effectiveness and population protection Dr Tim Hanlon talks about the range of messages and caveats in the Medsafe reports, which contextualise the data, and steer people to trusted sources of information.
The Medsafe reports advise people not to make any decisions about vaccination based on information contained in the report, and instead say any questions or concerns about receiving a vaccine should be raised with a healthcare professional.
Within the report there are statements like: the protective benefits of vaccination against Covid-19 far outweigh the potential risks of vaccination.
It provides stats to back up this statement. And it notes that a report can be submitted for any cause and is not necessarily associated with the vaccine.
Hanlon says the ministry has proactively communicated safety data as it becomes available, and the way the report is presented has change throughout the pandemic, based on feedback and the practices in other countries,
For example, the Medsafe reports now include the expected versus observed analysis, where the expected number of reports for something like pericarditis are placed alongside the actual number of received reports.
The Covid-19 Vaccine Independent Safety Monitoring Board has also provided expert advice on the safety of the vaccines, and there have been some proactive media releases from the ministry to communicate information around the safety of the vaccines.
But for those with a limited degree of science literacy, or pre-existing fear or mistrust, these messages and caveats may not go far enough to counter either unwitting or deliberate misinterpretation.
Immunisation Advisory Centres Turner says this is not a good enough reason to restrict the flow of information to the public.
Im very much in favour of us as a country learning how to do critical appraisal and understand science, not just assume that people can't figure it out.
She acknowledges the presence of a group thats created an industry out of anti-vax misinformation.
But the answer isnt to start covering up that data. Its to start calling out those people.
Almost 1 million eligible Kiwis have not yet received their booster shot. Ministry of Health group operations manager for the national immunisation programme Rachel Mackay says some of those people just havent got around to it yet.
But research by the ministry shows the main barriers for people who say they wont get the booster is because of concerns about the possible long-term and immediate side effects, Mackay says.
Jericho Rock-Archer
Dr Graham Le Gros the Wellington-based executive director of the Malaghan Institute and head of the Vaccine Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand thinks itll take 10 years to get a good understanding of trends, and complete risk profiles.
Dr Graham Le Gros the Wellington-based executive director of the Malaghan Institute and head of the Vaccine Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand says New Zealand has a good system for reporting events possibly related to vaccinations, and a high level of engagement from the public and healthcare professionals.
This means trends are quickly identified and information on any emerging risks is proactively released to healthcare professionals and the public.
But Le Gros thinks itll take about 10 years to get a complete understanding of all the specific risks that come with the vaccine as is the case with all new vaccines and treatments.
We still dont know enough about the vaccine and what it can do to the great variety of human beings we have in this country.
Worldwide, more than 11.4 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered. Countries are continuously monitoring any side effects, allergies or adverse reactions, which is constantly adding to the global understanding of how people react to the vaccines.
And, in New Zealand, there is a new national study to find out if people who developed myocarditis or pericarditis following the Covid-19 Pfizer vaccination had long-term health problems.
Matt Rourke/AP
More than 11.4 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered throughout the world. Theyve saved lives, and are overwhelmingly safe.
Wendy says she doesnt know how the Government or public health officials could have done things differently, or exactly how they should change their messaging to acknowledge the experiences of people like her.
But she wants information to be readily available to health professionals as well as consumers; she wants support; and she wants to feel heard.
Not just heard by the healthcare professionals she interacts with, but heard by the Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield, and the Government.
*Wendy is not her real name. Stuff has agreed not to identify her due to concerns her identity could be used by anti-vaccination groups to further their agenda.
A COVID-19 vaccination clinic in downtown Medford is reopening at the Jackson County Expo. Associated Press file photo
The Oregon Health Authoritys mass vaccination clinic at the Merrick building in downtown Medford is moving out to the Jackson County Expo.
The Merrick walk-through vaccination site closed down Saturday. Free COVID-19 shots will resume Thursday at The Expo, 1 Peninger Road, Central Point. Enter through Gate 1.
The vaccination site at The Expo will operate as a drive-thru clinic.
Its hours of operation are noon to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. COVID-19 vaccinations are available for people age 5 and older, including booster shots.
The Expo has hosted vaccination sites in the past.
WASHINGTON A federal judge in Florida struck down the mask requirement on airplanes, trains, buses and other public transportation on Monday, less than a week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had extended it through May 3.
The ruling left it up to individual airlines and local transit agencies to decide what to do, and by late Monday, the nations largest airlines had dropped their mask requirements for domestic flights. The Amtrak rail system said passengers and employees would no longer need to wear masks.
In a 59-page decision, Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, who was appointed by President Donald J. Trump, voided the mandate which also applies to airports, train stations and other transportation hubs nationwide on several grounds, including that the agency had exceeded its legal authority under the Public Health Services Act of 1944. Because of the ruling, the masking order was not in effect for the time being, and the Transportation Security Administration would not enforce it, a Biden administration official said on Monday evening.
The official said that the administration was still reviewing the decision and assessing whether to appeal it, and that the C.D.C. still recommended that people wear masks in enclosed public transportation settings.
It remained unclear to what extent local transportation agencies would seek to keep their mandates in place. Earlier in the day, before the administration official said the T.S.A. would not enforce the mandate, several state and local transit agencies across the country suggested they would keep their mask requirements for now.
Still, governments and businesses across the nation have largely loosened precautions, and now new known coronavirus cases are sharply rising again. When the C.D.C. extended its mask rule last week, it cited a desire to assess the potential severity of the Omicron subvariant known as BA.2, which recently became the dominant version among new U.S. cases. (On Monday, the city of Philadelphia reinstated a mask mandate in response, becoming the first major city to do so.)
President Biden had called on the C.D.C. to impose a mask mandate for travelers shortly after his inauguration, and the agency did so starting on Feb. 2, 2021. It extended that mandate several times. In July 2021, the Health Freedom Defense Fund, a Wyoming-based advocacy group, filed a lawsuit challenging its legality.
In a statement, the group called the ruling a victory for basic American liberty and the rule of law, and quoted its president, Leslie Manookian, as adding: Unelected officials cannot do whatever they like to our personal freedoms just because they claim good motives and a desirable goal.
In her ruling, Judge Mizelle adopted a narrow interpretation of the authority Congress granted to the C.D.C. to issue rules aimed at preventing the interstate spread of communicable diseases.
The law says the agency may take such measures as it deems necessary, and provides a list of examples, like sanitation. The judge wrote that this power was limited to things like cleaning property not requiring people to take hygienic steps.
If Congress intended this definition, the power bestowed on the C.D.C. would be breathtaking, she wrote. And it certainly would not be limited to modest measures of sanitation like masks.
If the governments broader interpretation of the agencys powers were accurate, she added, the C.D.C. could require businesses to install air filtration systems, mandate that people take vaccines, or even require coughing into elbows and daily multivitamins.
The ruling joins a tangle of litigation over various mandates attempting to curb the pandemic, most of which have centered on requirements, issued under various legal authorities, that different categories of people get vaccinated.
The outcomes of legal challenges to those mandates have varied. For example, a Federal District Court judge in Texas blocked an administration requirement that federal workers be vaccinated, but this month, an appeals court reversed that ruling.
In January, the Supreme Court blocked a Biden administration edict that large employers require workers to get vaccinated or submit to regular testing. But the Supreme Court has permitted military officials to take vaccination status into account when deciding where service members should be assigned or deployed and on Monday, it allowed the Pentagon to take disciplinary action against a reservist who refused to get vaccinated.
After the C.D.C. and T.S.A. issued their guidance Monday evening, the nations four largest airlines United, Delta, Southwest and American said they were dropping their mask requirements, as did JetBlue, Alaska, Spirit and Frontier.
Amtrak also said Monday night that passengers and employees were no longer required to wear masks on its trains or in stations.
Masks are welcome and remain an important preventive measure against Covid-19, said Kimberly Woods, a spokeswoman for the agency. Anyone needing or choosing to wear one is encouraged to do so.
In the hours after the ruling, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York City said it would keep its mask mandate in place. However, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority in the District of Columbia and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority in Philadelphia said that masks would be optional for passengers and employees.
President Trump appointed Judge Mizelle to the bench in November 2020, after he had lost re-election. A former clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas, she was 33 at the time, making her the youngest person Mr. Trump had appointed to a life-tenured judgeship. The American Bar Association declared her not qualified because of her lack of experience, but Republican senators confirmed her in a party-line vote.
Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University, said the Biden administration would have to appeal the decision if it wanted the mandate to continue. He also defended the agencys authority to issue the mask requirement.
If there were ever an instance where the C.D.C. has authority to act, the classic case is to prevent the interstate transmission of a dangerous infectious disease, he said.
In La Guardia Airport on Monday, passengers had mixed reactions to the ruling.
Patricia and Brendan Kennedy, who had just arrived on a Delta flight from Orlando, said the flight crew had reminded everyone to wear a mask on board.
Both said they would be happy not to have to wear masks in airports anymore, but they were divided about whether they wanted the requirement to remain in planes.
Ms. Kennedy said it made her feel better about flying. Mr. Kennedy said he was ready to be done with mask rules.
I wish the whole thing would just go away, he said.
At Terminal B, United employees checking in passengers were all wearing masks. A counter agent was surprised to hear that her employer was no longer requiring passengers to wear face coverings. That had not yet been communicated to her, she said.
Some in the airline industry greeted Judge Mizelles decision with relief.
David Neeleman, who has founded several airlines including JetBlue Airways and Breeze Airways, which started flying last year, said he welcomed the end of a mask mandate for passengers. Crew members at Breeze, where Mr. Neeleman is the chief executive, have been frustrated by having to police passengers, creating unnecessary tension in flight, he said.
If the government can decide they can have the State of the Union address without masks, then we certainly should be able to let people have that choice on an airplane, he said.
In her ruling, Judge Mizelle also faulted the agency for issuing the mandate under emergency procedures without delaying for public comment rejecting the idea that there was no time for that since the pandemic was then already a year old.
The C.D.C. issued the mandate in February 2021, almost two weeks after the president called for a mandate, 11 months after the president had declared Covid-19 a national emergency, and almost 13 months since the secretary of health and human services had declared a public health emergency, she noted. This history suggests that the C.D.C. itself did not find the passage of time particularly serious.
In stressing that 11 months had passed between when the president declared a national emergency and when the agency imposed the mandate, Judge Mizelle did not address the fact that there had been a change of administration in that time.
As of Sunday, there was an average of more than 37,000 new cases a day, an increase of 39 percent from two weeks ago, according to a New York Times database.
Though the figure remains far lower than the peak of the winter surge driven by an Omicron variant, experts believe that new cases are increasingly undercounted with the rise of at-home testing. Also, many people who are vaccinated and have received booster shots have not experienced serious illness from contracting the Omicron variant.
Pulling back on the travel mask requirement at this moment is very, very concerning, Saskia Popescu, an infectious disease epidemiologist and assistant professor at George Mason University, said.
Were definitely starting to see a trend up in cases, she said. My concern is that we may see what happened in the U.K., where they drastically pulled back restrictions and saw a significant surge, and this will contribute to rising numbers.
Charlie Savage reported from Washington, and Heather Murphy from New York. Reporting was contributed by Madeleine Ngo and Noah Weiland from Washington, and Niraj Chokshi, Adeel Hassan, Ana Ley and Roni Caryn Rabin from New York.
Written by Julie M. Posted on Apr 18, 2022 at 03:00
The entire world is facing an unprecedented health crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There are more than 476,252,151 cases of coronavirus worldwide and 6,162,631 deaths. Find out the results of countries and the development in the world regarding the Corona virus epidemic on Monday, April 18, 2022.
at Sunday 17 April 2022The virus COVID-19 touch. Contact. Link 476,252,151 (+123,838) confirmed cases And I did in total 6,162,631 (+339) dead In the Globalism. We now use open data provided by Google.
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Hipster-friendly coffee fanatic. Subtly charming bacon advocate. Friend of animals everywhere.
Editor's note: This story was updated on March 11 to include all Commonwealth Campus locations as having CDC yellow or green COVID-19 Community Levels.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. With cases of COVID-19 declining on Penn State campuses and across the state and nation, University officials are adjusting Penn States indoor masking policy to no longer require face masks be worn in many indoor common spaces on campuses in counties designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to have low or medium COVID-19 Community Levels beginning Monday, March 7.
Based on the new CDC guidance, at this time, all Penn State campuses except for the College of Medicine will adjust their masking requirements. At this time, the College of Medicine will continue the mask mandate in alignment with Penn State Health to support patient care.
The masking requirement will remain in effect in classrooms, labs and other academic and creative spaces on all campuses, regardless of CDC COVID-19 Community Level designation, due to high-density congregation. Face masks will continue to be encouraged in all other common indoor spaces. Additionally, masks will continue to be required where mandated by law, regulation or rule includingunder guidance particular to individual workplaces or health care settings, COVID-19 testing centers and public transportation.
On Feb. 25, the CDC announced new, county-by-county COVID-19 Community Levels, as a new tool to help communities decide what prevention steps to take based on the latest data. Levels can be low (green), medium (yellow) or high (orange), and are based on the number of new COVID-19 cases in each county as well as new hospital admissions and hospital capacity.
Green counties: CDC recommendations call for individuals to stay up-to-date on their vaccinations and to get tested if they have symptoms of COVID-19.
Yellow counties: The recommendations advise those who are at high risk for severe illness to talk to their healthcare provider about their individual need to wear a face mask.
Orange counties: CDC recommends all individuals wear a mask indoors.
Our community really stepped up in January and February, embracing our mitigation measures to help us be successful in maintaining in-person classes and activities, allowing our campuses to thrive, said Penn State President Eric Barron. In consultation with our COVID-19 operations team, and recognizing that all but one of our campuses (Schuykill) are in counties currently designated by the CDC to have low or medium COVID-19 Community Levels, we have determined that we have reached a point where we can allow each individual to choose to wear a mask and no longer mandate that they be worn indoors, except in our academic and creative spaces. We are hopeful the diligence of our community in mitigating this disease will continue throughout the spring semester.
Penn State officials will continue to closely monitor changing pandemic conditions nationally and in the areas surrounding Penn State campuses. The University will alter plans, including the reinstatement of indoor masking mandates, if necessary.
Regardless of a campus COVID-19 Community Level, individuals who have not indicated to the University they are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 must still test weekly for the virus. University contact tracing will continue, and quarantine and isolation space for students will remain available.
Individuals who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should not come to campus and should stay home. Faculty and staff should seek out symptomatic testing through their health care provider. At University Park, students living on campus or in the local community who are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 should continue toschedule testing appointments with University Health Services (UHS) via myUHS.Students living on or nearother Penn State campusesshould seek symptomatic testing via their campus health servicesor a local provider.
Kelly Wolgast, director of Penn States COVID-19 Operations Control Center, reaffirmed that since the beginning of the pandemic, Penn State has not seen any indications of virus transmission in classrooms or workspaces.
Our campuses are highly vaccinated communities and, along with declining case numbers, we are seeing hospitalizations decline as well at our local health care facilities, Wolgast said. Even with this shift in the masking mandate, individuals who feel that masking is something they wish to continue can of course continue this mitigation strategy.
Employees at Penn State who work in their own individual offices may request that visitors wear masks while in their private offices, and the University asks that community members cooperate with these requests.
Additional research protocols for mask wearing will be determined and disseminated by the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research.
The University continues to strongly encourage students, faculty and staff to stay up-to-date with their vaccinations, including booster doses. Students at University Park, Commonwealth Campuses and Dickinson Law who have received their booster shot canupload their vaccination records through myUHS.Faculty and staff who have received their booster shot can upload an image of their COVID-19 vaccination card into Penn StatesSalesforce Health Cloud, a secure online platform for collecting and storing health data.
For the latest information on the Universitys response to the coronavirus pandemic, visit https://virusinfo.psu.edu.
WASHINGTON (TND) Pfizer announced Wednesday that it has started testing its COVID-19 pill in children ages 6-17 years old who are at high risk of developing severe disease. The company will look into if the five-day treatment, Paxlovid, can keep children who are newly infected out of the hospital. It is looking to get about 140 participants in the trial and results should be released by ...
