As of 3/25/2022, a total of 350 confirmed and probable cases were reported in CDC week 11 (week ending 3/19/22), which is a weekly rate of 13.3 new cases per 100,000 residents.
As of the week ending 3/19/2022, about 81% of Dallas County residents age 12 years and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, including 98% of residents age 65 years and older; 86% of residents between 40-64 years of age; 78% of residents 25-39 years of age; 67% of residents 18-24 years of age; and 62% of residents 12-17 years of age. In the cities of Addison, Coppell, Highland Park, Irving, and Sunnyvale, greater than 92% of residents 18 years of age and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. In the cities of Cedar Hill, Desoto, Farmers Branch, Garland, Lancaster, and University Park, greater than 80% of residents 18 years of age and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
About 51.8% of COVID-19 cases diagnosed in Week 10 were Dallas County residents who were not fully vaccinated. In Dallas County, 41,310 cases of COVID-19 breakthrough COVID-19 infections in fully vaccinated individuals have been confirmed to date, of which 3,734 (9.0%) were hospitalized and 630 have died due to COVID-19.
Of all Dallas County residents tested for COVID-19 by PCR during the week ending 3/19/2022 (CDC week 11), 2.3% of respiratory specimens tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. For week 11, area hospital labs have continued to report elevated numbers and proportions of respiratory specimens that are positive for other respiratory viruses by molecular tests: parainfluenza (3.73 %), rhinovirus/enterovirus (32.46%), and RSV (2.18%).
There are currently 19 active long-term care facility outbreaks. A cumulative total of 6,443 residents and 4,362 healthcare workers in long-term facilities in Dallas have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Of these, 1,326 have been hospitalized and 898 have died. About 16% of all deaths reported to date have been associated with long-term care facilities.
There have been 3 outbreaks of COVID-19 in a congregate-living facility (e.g. homeless shelters, group homes, and halfway homes) reported within the past 30 days. A cumulative total of 840 residents and 295 staff members in congregate-living facilities in Dallas have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
New cases are being reported as a daily aggregate, with more detailed data dashboards and summary reports updated on Friday evenings, available at: https://www.dallascounty.org/departments/dchhs/2019-novel-coronavirus/daily-updates.php
The World Health Organization said Wednesday its increasingly concerned at the reduction in COVID-19 testing, surveillance and overall monitoring among its member countries, reminding the public that the coronavirus is still circulating at high levels.
COVID-19 remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, and it is too early to reduce the quality of surveillance, the agency said in its weekly epidemiological update.
Data are becoming progressively less representative, less timely and less robust, as many countries start to behave as if the pandemic has reached an endemic phase, where the virus is still present but is no longer infecting so many people that its overwhelming healthcare systems.
Until we reach the end of the acute phase of the pandemic, countries must maintain sufficient epidemiologic surveillance to inform evidence-based operational decision-making on crucial parameters, including vaccination strategies, vaccine composition, use of therapeutics, and tailored and appropriate public health and social measures, said the update.
The global tally of new cases fell in the week through March 27, a welcome trend after it rose in the two preceding weeks. But global deaths climbed to more than 45,000, up 43% from a week earlier, although that might be due to changes in how they are defined in some countries in the Americas and Asia.
The WHO also offered another update on some of the recombinant variants of the virus, includingone that has been unofficially named deltacronbecause it combines features of the delta and omicron variants.
Just last week, the agency assigned that variant Pango lineage designation XD under the system used to name and track variants as they emerge. It reiterated that, for now, there is no new evidence to suggest XD is associated with higher transmissibility or more severe outcomes but said it would continue to keep close tabs on that and other variants.
See: U.S. average daily deaths from COVID fall below 800 to lowest level since mid-August, and FDA allows second booster shot for people 50 and older
The news comes a day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the BA.2 subvariant of omicron accounted for 55% of new U.S. cases in the week through Saturday. The subvariant is more infectious than the original omicron but appears to be no more lethal.
The average number of deaths in the U.S. fell again after dipping below 800 on Tuesday for the first time since omicron took hold,according to a New York Times tracker.
The seven-day average death tally stands at 716, down 42% from two weeks ago.
New cases are averaging 29,253, down 9% from two weeks ago, and hospitalizations are down 34% at an average of 17,464.
But cases have started to climb again in states in the Northeast and South, and the pace of improvement in places where they are falling has slowed.
Other COVID-19 news you should know about:
President Joe Biden was scheduled to deliver remarks later Wednesday on the rollout of a new website to offer Americans help in accessing vaccines, tests, treatments and masks, according to a White House official. Biden will outline the infrastructure and tools and the systems the government has put in place to help the country battle COVID.Biden is also expected to urge Congress to allocate the funding needed for the next part of the program and to highlight the risks if lawmakers fail to act.
See: Biden to receive second COVID vaccine booster shot: White House
A sharp rise in COVID deaths during Hong Kongs fifth wave has led to a shortage of coffins, the South China Morning Post reported. In some instances, coffins are understood to have been stolen or the subject of mix-ups in funeral homes.
Adagio Therapeutics Inc. ADGI, -8.07% said its experimental COVID-19 monoclonal antibody worked as a treatment and for pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis in a Phase 2/3 clinical trial. Adagio said it plans to seek authorization from the Food and Drug Administration in the second quarter of this year. The drug, adintrevimab, was put into clinical trials before the emergence of the omicron variant, the company said; however, Adagio noted that it then conducted a pre-specified exploratory analysis among a group of participants in the pre-exposure cohort, and when compared to placebo, a clinically meaningful reduction in cases of symptomatic COVID-19 was reported.
See now: BioNTech reports soaring earnings, revenue on COVID vaccine, plans $1.5 billion in buybacks
CureVac CVAC, +1.45% said it dosed the first participant in a Phase 1 clinical trial for the new mRNA COVID-19 vaccine its developing with GlaxoSmithKline GSK, +0.27% GSK, -0.49%. The study is being conducted in the U.S. and is set to enroll 210 adults. The company said it expects to have data in the second half of this year. Continued innovation and progress in the development of mRNA-based vaccines is a critical prerequisite to combat the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Klaus Edvardsen, CureVacs chief development officer, said in a news release.
Heres what the numbers say
The global tally of confirmed cases of COVID-19 topped 485.8 million on Tuesday, while the death toll rose above 6.13 million,according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University.
The U.S. leads the world with 80 million cases and 978,842 fatalities.
TheCenters for Disease Control and Preventions trackershows that 217.5 million people living in the U.S. are fully vaccinated, equal to 65.5% of the population. But just 97.4 million are boosted, equal to 44.8% of the vaccinated population.
Cases of the novel coronavirus are dropping everywhere across the globe even in regions where there have been recent outbreaks.
Driving the news: A World Health Organization report released Wednesday said that cases of the coronavirus have dropped across the world, including the Western Pacific region, where cases have been rising since winter, according to CBS News.
Yes, but: Deaths caused by the coronavirus have surged by 40% in the last week which is likely due to changes in how COVID-19 deaths were reported across the Americas and by newly adjusted figures from India, according to CBS News.
What they said: Data are becoming progressively less representative, less timely and less robust, WHO said, per ABC News. This inhibits our collective ability to track where the virus is, how it is spreading and how it is evolving: information and analyses that remain critical to effectively end the acute phase of the pandemic.
1. More than 3 in 4 Americans (77%) support the relaxing of CDC guidelines on masking and social distancing in areas with low Covid rates.
3. Among that last group, more than 4 in 10 want there to be no future Covid regulations or mandates put in place.
What these polls makes clear is that, almost no matter what, most people do not want to go back to where we were three months ago, or a year ago or two years ago.
And it's also why no politician is going to be leaping to put any sort of mandate back in place, even if the Omicron subvariant produces a bump in cases nationwide. (Covid cases are rising in 13 states this week compared to last week, according to Johns Hopkins University.)
There's no question the highly contagious subvariant will continue to spread in the coming weeks.
But it's equally clear that the days of government-mandated mitigations -- primarily through mask mandates -- are over.
The Point: The pandemic feels like it's over for the majority of Americans. Even if the virus isn't quite done with us yet.
Each vaccine has its own risks and benefits, but those that have been approved for use are effective at reducing risk of a COVID-19 infection. The best vaccine for an individual is one they can access and feel comfortable taking.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved or authorized three vaccines: Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Johnson & Johnsons Janssen. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend getting Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech if they are available.
However, different vaccines are available globally. Many countries are starting to approve the new Novavax vaccine and the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine that is common in Europe.
Like all medical treatments and medications, vaccines come with risks and benefits.
The data on COVID-19 vaccines show that side effects are minimal. While there have been rare instances of serious side effects, the risk of adverse events from a COVID-19 infection is much higher.
Read more to learn about the approval status, dosage, efficacy, and side effects of each COVID-19 vaccine.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, also called COMIRNATY, is an mRNA vaccine.
It uses a lipid, or a fatty acid, to deliver a piece of the viruss genetic code. However, it does not contain the virus rather, it contains a piece of messenger RNA (mRNA) that codes for the viruss unique spike protein.
The body responds to this spike protein as an intruder and develops the immune reaction it needs to fight it. The vaccine teaches the body how to fight the COVID-19 virus when it encounters the real thing.
The vaccines contents leave the body and do not alter a persons genetic code.
It does not contain:
The FDA has approved the vaccine for individuals over the age of 16. It has an emergency use authorization for people over the age of 5 and for booster shots.
The initial series is two injections, at least 21 days apart, and a booster requires a third shot.
The dosage is:
It is safe to mix and match this vaccine with others.
The vaccines side effects are typically mild, and some people report having more side effects after the second vaccine.
They commonly report cold and flu-like symptoms such as:
The side effects usually disappear within a few days. They happen because of the immune systems reaction to the injection, so having side effects shows that the vaccine is working.
According to the CDC, the full series of the vaccine is more than 95% effective at preventing laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infections in adults who are not immunocompromised and have no documented history of a COVID-19 infection.
In children ages 515 and people with immunocompromising conditions, the vaccine was at least 90% effective.
Among adults without immunocompromising conditions between March 11 and August 15, 2021, the vaccine offered 88% efficacy against hospitalization. This time period extends into the Delta wave of the pandemic.
Preliminary data from Pfizer showed that three doses of the vaccine could neutralize the Omicron variant.
Other research is still ongoing. A 2022 study found that in a lab setting, a booster could offer some immunity to Omicron.
The Moderna vaccine, also called Spikevax, is an mRNA vaccine
Although it works similarly to the Pfizer vaccine, it delivers a slightly higher dose.
Like Pfizer, it contains mRNA that gives instructions for fighting the spike protein on the COVID-19 virus. This produces an immune reaction that trains the body to fight the virus if it encounters it in the real world.
The vaccines contents leave the body and do not alter a persons genetic code. It does not contain any of the following:
The FDA has approved the Moderna vaccine for adults ages 18 and over. It also has an emergency use authorization as a one-dose booster 5 months after receiving another vaccine.
Moderna is not approved for use in children.
The initial Moderna series requires two injections, with a third shot as a booster.
It has earned an emergency use authorization for people over the age of 18. Each dose is 0.5 mL, and the two shots should be at least 28 days apart.
Like the Pfizer vaccine, it is safe to mix and match this vaccine with others.
Because they are both mRNA vaccines, the side effects of Moderna are similar to those of Pfizer.
Some people report mild cold or flu-like symptoms shortly after getting vaccinated with side effects more frequently appearing after the second vaccine than the first. Some common side effects include:
Among adults without immunocompromising conditions between March 11 and August 15, 2021, Moderna was 93% effective against hospitalization due to COVID-19. This time frame includes the Delta wave, but not Omicron.
A 2022 study found that an additional Moderna booster dose could provide some immunity against the Omicron variant while the two-dose series did not. Moderna is working on a booster specific to new variants.
The J&J/Janssen vaccine is a single-shot viral vector vaccine.
Unlike Pfizer and Moderna, it is not an mRNA vaccine. Instead, it works similarly to traditional vaccines.
The vaccine uses a weakened form of a harmless adenovirus that delivers genetic code for the unique COVID-19 spike protein. This creates an immune reaction that prepares the body to fight COVID-19. The vaccines contents leave the body and do not alter a persons genetic code.
It cannot infect a person with COVID-19 or the adenovirus, and it does not contain:
The injection is generally less effective than the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.
The CDC urges people to choose the mRNA vaccines unless they are inaccessible. While J&J/Janssen is safer than going unvaccinated, it may have worse side effects than other vaccines.
The FDA has approved the vaccine on an emergency use authorization basis for people over the age of 18. It has also given emergency use authorization for a booster at least 2 months after the first dose.
The vaccine is not approved for children or anyone under the age of 18.
The most common side effects of this vaccine include mild cold or flu-like symptoms such as nausea, fever, chills, and muscle aches.
Very rarely, however, a person may develop a blood clot.
The CDC estimates that roughly 3.83 people per million will have this side effect. However, the blood clot rate is much higher with a COVID-19 infection, with as many as 1 in 5 people experiencing a blood clot. Of 18.2 million J&J/Janssen vaccine recipients, just 57, or 1 in more than 300,000, have reported blood clots.
The J&J/Janssen vaccine is a single-dose vaccine. It has an emergency use authorization in the United States for people over the age of 18.
A person can also get a single dose booster, but the CDC recommends choosing Pfizer or Moderna instead. It is safe to mix and match this vaccine with others.
Between March 11 and August 15, 2021, a time period that included the Delta wave but not Omicron, the J&J/Janssen vaccine was 71% effective in preventing COVID-19 hospitalization.
The Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine works very similarly to the J&J/Janssen vaccine.
It uses an adenovirus to deliver the COVID-19 spike protein into the body. This creates an immune reaction that trains the body to fight the virus if it encounters it again.
The AstraZeneca vaccine does not have FDA approval in the United States. However, it is popular in Europe because it is less expensive to produce than mRNA vaccines and is easier to store.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends two doses of 0.5 mL each, and the vaccines should be 8 to 12 weeks apart. It is safe to mix and match this vaccine with others.
Some common side effects include:
In rare cases, the AstraZeneca vaccine may cause blood clots. The risk of blood clots from COVID-19 is exponentially higher.
The AstraZeneca vaccine prevents symptomatic infection in 6 out of 10 people. Early trials, prior to Delta and Omicron, showed an 80% efficacy at preventing hospitalization.
The Novavax vaccine uses older vaccine technology specifically, a protein subunit.
This vaccine delivers an antigen synthesized from the COVID-19 spike protein to train the body to fight the virus. It does not contain a live virus, and the spike antigen cannot replicate.
Novavax is not yet approved for use in the U.S., but a request for an emergency use authorization has been submitted. As of November 2021, it is approved for use in Indonesia and the Philippines.
The WHO recommends two 0.5 mL doses given 34 weeks apart.
It is safe to mix and match this vaccine with others.
Side effects include:
In clinical trials, the efficacy of Novavax against mild, moderate, and severe disease was 90%. Researchers do not know if it prevents infection or transmission and are conducting additional research.
There are four types of COVID vaccines in use or in clinical trials:
Current CDC guidelines suggest that vaccines are safe for most people including those who are pregnant, breastfeeding, and have immunocompromising conditions. A person should only avoid a vaccine if they have had an allergic reaction to a specific ingredient in that vaccine.
The availability of vaccines varies from location to location. In areas that offer multiple vaccines, a person can often choose their vaccine. This might require going to a specific provider or scheduling the vaccine for a specific day.
It is usually safer to get the first available vaccine to maximize a persons protection against COVID-19.
All currently approved COVID-19 vaccines are safe for use and reduce a persons chance of severe illness with the virus.
Although all vaccines come with side effects, the risk of side effects from COVID-19 remains much higher. Except for a severe allergic reaction or a known allergy, there is no reason to avoid a COVID-19 vaccine.
Washingtons State Board of Health plans to go over a recommendation againstincluding a COVID-19 vaccination requirement for school entry at its all-day meeting April 13. Petitions concerning the decision-making about such a requirement also will be introduced, and time for public comment is included on the meetingsdraft agendareleased today.
Action by the board on these issues is possible.
Even though the technical advisory group set up by the states Department of Health and the State Board of Health (SBOH) advised against a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for school children, the issue is listed on the draft agenda this way: Briefing Recommendations from the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to consider COVID-19 for Inclusion inWAC 246-105-030 Possible Action. That could mean the board will be considering more than just the majority decision of the group. Several TAG members did want the vaccine included on the vaccination schedule or weretorn about the timing of such a requirement.
The board has the final say on the matter, not the advisorygroup. However, the board saysthat it usually goes along with the formal recommendations it receives.
Not enough is known yet about the vaccine and its side effects, advisory group members said in their considerations, and the requirement felt out of line when theshots given for COVID-19 do not prevent transmission of the virus.
Lack of disease prevention makes this whole exercise of considering the inclusion of a COVID-19 vaccine questionable. TheWashington Administrative Codeoutlining school-entry requirements is titled, Immunization of child care and school children against certain vaccine-preventable diseases. COVID-19 is not a vaccine-preventable disease. Other, long-proven vaccines on the requirement list are well-demonstrated in prevention and an essential part of public health.
Submitting public commentfor or against the idea of COVID-19 vaccination inclusion is easy, as is registering to attend the online meeting or signing up to givecomments verbally. Instructions are on the SBOHsmeeting information page. (Know that written comments are due by noon on April 8.)
Washington Policy Center is hopeful that parents, in consultation with their childrens doctors, will remain in charge of determining whether a COVID-19 shot is best for a child without the pressure of a school-entry requirement. The advisorygroup the SBOH convenedwas right inrecommendingagainst the idea, given what we know about COVID-19 and vaccinerisks, as well as theprevention limitations of the vaccines.
As mothers who are also public health professionals, we follow the data. We've read extensively about the safety and efficacy of the adult Covid-19 mRNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. And now we are reading Moderna's news releases carefully, trying to piece together how quickly the company might submit a request to the US Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization for young kids. ("In the coming weeks," said Moderna.) Following the data has given us confidence in the vaccine's safety, and we both have tried to enroll our kids in vaccine trials (one of us succeeded with enrollment in the Moderna trial). And now, our families, like so many others, are awaiting news from the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine trials for babies, toddlers and preschoolers.We want a vaccine for our kids, especially now that many people are unmasking and a subvariant is threatening a new surge. But we know waiting for the FDA's stamp of approval is a critical part of the process; when a vaccine is available for our young kids, we will rest assured that it has been thoroughly vetted. In February, we found ourselves in a similar situation, on what seemed like the brink of FDA authorization for the Pfizer vaccine for kids 6 months through 4 years of age. But just as FDA scientists were poised to convene a public meeting to discuss authorization, they decided to delay their review until Pfizer could provide data from a third dose. Our dreams that our kids could get vaccinated as Omicron surged were dashed. Although frustrating, this underscored the scientific rigor and caution of vaccine trials and oversight. There are never shortcuts -- not even when we wish they would move quickly.
We'll know more about Moderna's trial data when the company applies for emergency use authorization. But what little we know seems hopeful: Last week's news release shared that kids 6 months through 5 years of age had similar immune responses to the 25 micrograms pediatric dosages as adults who also received two doses of the 100 micrograms adult dosage. The vaccine's protection against infection was also similar for the kids in the trial compared with adults who received two doses during the same time period when Omicron was dominant.
When we know more about the trial data, we'll be comparing what we know about the vaccine with what we know about Covid-19's risks for our kids, families and communities.
Nearly all kids are also just a few degrees of separation from someone at high risk, whether close connections (like friends, teachers or grandparents) or more distant connections (like friends of friends). Vaccinating kids of all ages can help to protect those of us who are especially vulnerable by breaking transmission chains and reducing the amount of virus circulating in the community. This enables all of us to get back to doing the things we love.
We invite others to join us in listening to the public meetings to learn more about the safety and efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccines for young kids. Scientists leading the trials will discuss their results and answer questions from the committees of experts who will review the data and make recommendations.
And until we're able to vaccinate them, we'll continue to use the proven tools that we know can keep our young kids safe: vaccinating those around them, making indoor air safer, masking, staying home when sick and testing. We can't wait to add vaccination to the tools accessible to our young kids.
We're hopeful the wait isn't much longer.
CureVac and GlaxoSmithKline said Wednesday that they had dosed the first patient in the first trial of what they call their second-generation messenger RNA vaccine for Covid-19.
The companies said that the development program to test the vaccine, known as CV2CoV, will serve as a proof of concept not just for the vaccine itself, but for CureVacs (ticker: CVAC) updated mRNA technology.
CureVac...
On March 31, Johnson County Department of Health and Environment will begin administering second booster doses of COVID-19 to those who are eligible.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment have endorsed a second booster with the following requirements for eligibility:
JCDHE will begin offering second boosters on March 31 to those who are eligible at its Mission COVID-19 vaccination clinic, located at 6000 Lamar Ave. Clinic hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on a walk-in, first come, first served basis. Starting April 5, the Mission clinic will be open on a walk-in basis on Tuesdays only from 1-6:30 p.m.
Boosters are also available at other providers, including physician offices, pharmacies and grocery stores or by visiting https://www.vaccines.gov/.
COVID-19 boosters strengthen the protection against severe outcomes from COVID-19. As we have seen with Omicron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants, the risk from COVID-19 continues.The vaccines are safe and effective, and we urge all those who are eligible to receive their first, second or booster doses said Sanmi Areola, PhD, JCDHE director.
Those with questions about booster shots can call 913-715-2819 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. They can also send an email to [emailprotected]. Emails are answered 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Spanish speakers will be available to answer calls or emails.
