For Immediate Release:
March 4, 2022
Mayor Lumumba lifts mask mandate, other COVID-19 restrictions
(Jackson, Miss.) Today, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba made significant changes to his Safe Recovery executive order which put restrictions on the public due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The Mayor made the decision after discussions with his COVID-19 Task Force.
The new order includes the the lifting of the citywide facial covering (mask) mandate. All restrictions previously implemented through any (order) related to face coverings are hereby lifted in their entirety, the order reads. The order follows a similar one issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week that also lifted mask wearing requirements.
The mayors new order also lifts all restrictions related to capacity and hours of Jackson businesses.
I have imposed restrictions and limitations on certain businesses with public health in mind, and also understand that such restrictions and limitations complicate the economic picture for many business ownersthis executive order seeks to provide a further economic lifeline to businesses by lifting some restrictions of business services, said Mayor Lumumba.
An ordinance allowing businesses to establish a temporary leisure and recreation district remains in place. Businesses in Jackson with alcohol permits may offer alcoholic beverages through carry out, drive-thru and curbside pickup.
Restaurants, bars and retail establishments affected by COVID-19 restrictions may contact the Citys Constituent Services Office at 601-960-2324 to request a temporary permit to create or expand an outdoor area for customers to consume food/alcohol and to expand business operations to public parking lots, sidewalks and streets closed to public access, and other areas within proximity of the business.
The new order is effective Friday, March 4, and supersedes any contrary provision.
See attached foradditional information:
The Daily Item
Health officials reported 1,158 new cases statewide. It was the seventh straight day with 1,252 or fewer, the first time that has happened since late July.
There were fewer than 10 new COVID-19 infections in the four Valley counties reported on Saturday, the third time that has happened since Feb. 27.
There were eight new infections in Union County, five each in Snyder and Northumberland counties and two in Montour, according to data reported by the state Department of Health (DOH).
The state reported no new COVID-19 fatalities on Saturday. The number of new deaths from the virus have declined every day in March after the state reported 116 on March 1.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Johns Hopkins University, across the nation, new cases were down 28 percent over the past week, hospitalizations were down 12 percent and deaths linked to COVID-19 were down 12 percent. In Pennsylvania, the number of new COVID cases is down 39 percent over the last week, deaths were down 18 percent and hospitalizations were down 16 percent.
At Bucknell University, there have been 19 positive cases this week, down from 80 recorded last week. There were 40 students in isolation.
Among school-age children in the Valley, there have been at least 11 new cases this week. The DOH reported eight new cases in Union County among students ages 5-18 in the seven-day window that ended March 1. There were fewer than five positive cases in Montour, Northumberland and Snyder counties. The state does not release exact numbers if fewer than five cases are registered to protect the patients identities.
According to the new CDC guidance, all four Valley counties were seeing high community levels of COVID-19. Across Pennsylvania, 43 counties had low rates up 27 from last week 16 had medium and eight had high. The COVID-19 community level is determined by the higher of the new admissions and inpatient beds metrics, based on the current level of new cases per 100,000 population in the past 7 days.
Across Pennsylvania, 76.7 percent of adults 18 and older are fully vaccinated according to the CDC and 67.1 percent of all residents are fully vaccinated, according to CDC reporting on Saturday.
As of noon Saturday, there were 1,089 hospitalizations statewide, down 67 from Friday and 6,427 since Jan. 15. The number of COVID hospitalizations statewide has dropped for 28 consecutive days and was at its lowest point since Aug. 16, 2021.
Statewide, there were 199 in intensive care units (ICUs), down 25, and 122 were breathing using ventilators, down six.
There were 62 patients hospitalized locally on Saturday, three more than reported Friday, all at Evangelical Community Hospital. There were 48 patients at Geisinger in Danville, two at Geisinger-Shamokin and 12 at Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewisburg.
Geisingers main campus in Danville had 11 patients in the ICU and seven on a ventilator, even with Fridays report. There were two COVID patients in the ICU in Shamokin, also the same as reported Friday.
At Evangelical, three patients were being treated in the ICU and the one was on a ventilator, also the same as Friday.
There were six inmate cases at the medium-security unit in Allenwood on Saturday, the only cases at the three facilities in Allenwood, the same numbers as reported Friday. According to the Bureau of Prisons, there were also 16 staff cases at USP-Lewisburg, an increase of one case since Fridays report.
As of Saturday, there were no active cases among those receiving services and fewer than five staff cases at the Selinsgrove Center, At Danville State Hospital, there were no active infections among those receiving services and fewer than five cases among staff members, according to the state Department of Human Services. At the North Central Secure Treatment Unit, there were fewer than five cases among youth and fewer than five among staff. The DHS does not report numbers fewer than five to avoid identifying individuals.
There were two inmate cases and no staff cases at the State Correctional Institution in Coal Township, according to the state Department of Corrections (DOC). Statewide, there were 73 inmate cases, down 17, and another 63 staff cases, down two.
GURNEE, Ill.Inside a factory that is the size of five football fields, thousands of workers from Abbott Laboratories race to meet demand for Americas dominant Covid-19 at-home test.
Some place test strips inside white, rectangular cards of paper that feature a pink stripe, before sealing them into a pouch. In other rooms, workers pack pouches, swabs and solution into bluish-purple boxes labeled BinaxNow. Trucks roll in to pick up new supplies between 3 a.m. and midnight, every day.
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With the lifting of masking mandates and vaccine checks in Chicago, this week seems to have marked a turning point in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chicago Department of Public Health data show the daily average of COVID-19 cases has plummeted since the omicron variant peaked in January and test positivity and hospitalizations are down and continuing to decline.
In a Feb. 28 livestream, CDPH commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady underscored the administrations decision to drop the mask mandates.
We are at a place where it is safe to be lifting these requirements. I expect that a lot of folks will continue to wear masks in the short term, which I fully support. We continue to make the recommendations based on the risk here and now, which thankfully is low.
As spring approaches, however, its also a reminder that weve been here before. Many will recall similar optimism last year, when preventative measures like mask mandates were dropped but were followed by a spike in cases due to the delta variant.
So should we be preparing for another variant to emerge? Dr. Geraldine Luna, CDPH medical director, said, hopefully not.
The way we have been accumulating data, the way we have acquired all these tools during these two years of the pandemic now we have our national wastewater systems, and syndromic systems, that we can anticipate those [variants,] Dr. Luna said. We dont expect to see anything [along the] lines of omicron variant, but we might see some cases up and down, and thats why were calling this part of the endemic it is learning how to live with COVID-19.
Dr. Evelyn Figueroa, professor of clinical family medicine at the University of Illinois Chicago, and director of the Pilsen Food Pantry, said the citys decision to relax masking now makes sense given infection rates.
We have to be nimble and we have to keep applying the test results and understanding when we have lower values of COVID infection we can be a little bit more lax, she said. Right now with our numbers being so low in the Chicago community it makes sense to reduce them and to let people have more of a personal choice to mask.
Immunologist and allergist Dr. Juanita Mora said she urges Americans to pay attention to what is happening around the world with COVID-19.
Look at whats happening, for example, in Hong Kong, New Zealand. Theyre currently running out of hospital beds, Dr. Mora said. You have a million people exiling out of Ukraine and its 20% of Ukraine thats currently boosted. So could we expect a variant coming up sooner? Could be possible. So thats why we need to be prepared.
For medically fragile people, Dr. Mora advises a cautious approach to reentering public spaces.
Go slow in taking off your mask, she said. Make sure we vaccinate everyone around us, boost everyone around a vulnerable population.
Now with a little room to breathe, Dr. Luna says the city is able to strategize for the future of living with COVID-19.
The city is very strong and vaccinated, said Dr. Luna. Vaccination and COVID-19 therapeutics are the pillars moving forward. Vaccination continues to be the strongest piece in controlling the disease.
At present, Chicago has a good supply of therapeutic drugs, and Drs. Figueroa and Luna say increasing awareness of those therapies is crucial in treating the infections that do occur.
For therapeutic drug options, its important to understand who needs which drugs. If youre thinking about monoclonal antibodies and antivirals, patients have to be a certain level of sick to qualify for those medications strategically and efficiently, said Dr. Figueroa.
The first reason people are not getting the drugs they should theyre not aware they have a window of five days to qualify for the pills and another window to qualify for IV infusions, said Dr. Luna. So if anyone 65 and older is listening call your doctors with minimal symptoms just to make sure. You might qualify to get these drugs and it might save your life.
(WHNT) The top health official in Alabama says COVID-19 is moving in the right direction again.
State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said in his monthly message that the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations and cases have declined while knowledge about the virus and its vaccine have grown. However, Harris did say the virus was unpredictable and another seasonal surge could happen.
All viruses mutate, and new variants continue to be identified, such as the highly infectious BA.2 subvariant of the Omicron variant, Harris stated. As COVID-19 restrictions around the world are ending, there is a possibility another seasonal surge will occur.
Harris said the solid red high-risk map of Alabama counties that has been seen over the last few months is starting to become multicolored, reflecting low, moderate, and substantial risks instead.
As of Saturday evening, only three Alabama counties were still labeled in the high-risk category, including Colbert, Coosa, and Lawrence counties. To see the full risk map of Alabama counties, visit the Alabama Department of Public Healths COVID-19 Dashboard.
Despite progress on cases and hospitalizations statewide, Harris noted his disappointment in Alabama being the least vaccinated state in the nation.
It is disappointing that Alabama remains the state with the lowest percentage of people fully vaccinated for COVID-19, and sad that more than 18,000 Alabamians have now died due to COVID-19, Harris continued. These sobering facts underscore the need for people to be cautious and protect the vulnerable in our state by judiciously masking indoors around people whose vaccination status is unknown and protecting the immunocompromised.
Harris said he is encouraged that there are more tools and research to mitigate the virus.
Remember to protect those at high risk by keeping up to date on your vaccinations and following preventive measures to reduce COVID-19 disease, Harris concluded.
As of Saturday, March 5, Alabama had recorded 1,282,945 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic started in March 2020. 359,411 of those cases were recorded in 2022 alone. The current positivity rate of COVID-19 tests statewide is 5.1%, down from a peak of 45.1% in early Februrary. 18,480 Alabamians have died as a result of the virus.
(STACKER) The vaccine deployment in December 2020 signaled a turning point in the COVID-19 pandemic. The vaccine deployment in December 2020 signaled a turning point in the COVID-19 pandemic. By theend 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 themajority of casesin the U.S.
Researchers around the world have reported that Omicron ismore transmissiblethan Delta, making breakthrough and repeat infections more likely. Early research suggests this strain may cause less severe illness than Delta and the original virus, however, health officials have warned an Omicron-driven surge could stillincrease hospitalization and death ratesespecially in areas with less vaccinated populations.
The United States as of March 2 reached 954,163 COVID-19-related deaths and 79.1 million COVID-19 cases, according toJohns Hopkins University.Currently, 65% of the population isfully vaccinated, and 43.8% have received booster doses.
Stackercompiled a list of the counties with highest COVID-19 infection rates in Florida using data from theU.S. Department of Health & Human Servicesand vaccination data fromCovid Act Now. Counties are ranked by the highest infection rate per 100,000 residents within the week leading up to March 1, 2021. Cumulative cases per 100,000 served as a tiebreaker.
Keep reading to see whether your county ranks among the highest COVID-19 infection rates in your state.
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 89 (156 new cases, -57% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 26,481 (46,264 total cases) 2.1% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 445 (778 total deaths) 36.1% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 91 (146 new cases, -50% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 20,108 (32,158 total cases) 25.6% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 392 (627 total deaths) 19.9% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 91 (65 new cases, -65% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 29,473 (21,128 total cases) 9.0% more cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 491 (352 total deaths) 50.2% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 92 (436 new cases, -48% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 21,789 (102,807 total cases) 19.4% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 219 (1,032 total deaths) 33.0% less deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 95 (109 new cases, -47% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 19,263 (22,168 total cases) 28.8% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 278 (320 total deaths) 15.0% less deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 95 (366 new cases, -43% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 21,830 (84,025 total cases) 19.3% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 250 (962 total deaths) 23.5% less deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 95 (13 new cases, -41% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 31,322 (4,272 total cases) 15.8% more cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 513 (70 total deaths) 56.9% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 97 (72 new cases, -45% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 23,434 (17,463 total cases) 13.4% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 549 (409 total deaths) 67.9% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 97 (18 new cases, -53% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 31,477 (5,821 total cases) 16.4% more cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 454 (84 total deaths) 38.8% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 99 (29 new cases, -65% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 29,565 (8,636 total cases) 9.3% more cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 462 (135 total deaths) 41.3% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 102 (977 new cases, -46% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 26,331 (252,188 total cases) 2.6% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 335 (3,208 total deaths) 2.4% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 102 (22 new cases, -48% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 32,352 (6,978 total cases) 19.6% more cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 459 (99 total deaths) 40.4% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 106 (79 new cases, -28% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 24,585 (18,249 total cases) 9.1% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 154 (114 total deaths) 52.9% less deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 107 (593 new cases, -42% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 21,003 (116,204 total cases) 22.3% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 333 (1,843 total deaths) 1.8% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 108 (45 new cases, -42% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 24,497 (10,167 total cases) 9.4% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 318 (132 total deaths) 2.8% less deaths per 100k residents than Florida
16 / 50Zhukova Valentyna // Shutterstock
New cases per 100k in the past week: 109 (656 new cases, -50% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 22,061 (132,792 total cases) 18.4% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 330 (1,988 total deaths) 0.9% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 110 (203 new cases, -54% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 26,241 (48,365 total cases) 3.0% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 317 (584 total deaths) 3.1% less deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 110 (51 new cases, -76% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 31,749 (14,736 total cases) 17.4% more cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 556 (258 total deaths) 70.0% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 111 (327 new cases, -54% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 29,044 (85,268 total cases) 7.4% more cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 206 (606 total deaths) 37.0% less deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 112 (245 new cases, -44% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 24,323 (53,328 total cases) 10.1% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 361 (792 total deaths) 10.4% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
21 / 50Georgia Guercio // Wikimedia Commons
New cases per 100k in the past week: 112 (22 new cases, -46% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 27,522 (5,399 total cases) 1.8% more cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 423 (83 total deaths) 29.4% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 114 (416 new cases, -41% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 22,660 (82,841 total cases) 16.2% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 550 (2,012 total deaths) 68.2% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
23 / 50Roman Eugeniusz // Wikimedia Commons
New cases per 100k in the past week: 114 (460 new cases, -43% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 23,614 (95,225 total cases) 12.7% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 337 (1,360 total deaths) 3.1% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
24 / 50Michael Rivera // Wikimedia Commons
New cases per 100k in the past week: 114 (52 new cases, -39% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 29,319 (13,387 total cases) 8.4% more cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 405 (185 total deaths) 23.9% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 118 (3,209 new cases, -32% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 43,310 (1,176,706 total cases) 60.1% more cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 384 (10,423 total deaths) 17.4% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 119 (178 new cases, -54% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 19,590 (29,318 total cases) 27.6% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 623 (933 total deaths) 90.5% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 119 (658 new cases, -40% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 21,867 (121,129 total cases) 19.1% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 324 (1,793 total deaths) 0.9% less deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 124 (55 new cases, -48% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 29,063 (12,909 total cases) 7.5% more cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 646 (287 total deaths) 97.6% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
29 / 50Daniel Wilton // Wikimedia Commons
New cases per 100k in the past week: 125 (242 new cases, -35% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 21,494 (41,682 total cases) 20.5% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 530 (1,027 total deaths) 62.1% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 130 (35 new cases, -39% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 31,975 (8,613 total cases) 18.2% more cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 449 (121 total deaths) 37.3% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 135 (978 new cases, -36% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 27,438 (198,867 total cases) 1.5% more cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 389 (2,822 total deaths) 19.0% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 136 (1,322 new cases, -37% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 21,352 (208,177 total cases) 21.1% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 323 (3,153 total deaths) 1.2% less deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 138 (1,060 new cases, -37% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 24,566 (189,298 total cases) 9.2% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 266 (2,049 total deaths) 18.7% less deaths per 100k residents than Florida
34 / 50Georgia Guercio // Wikimedia Commons
New cases per 100k in the past week: 139 (456 new cases, -2% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 22,323 (73,285 total cases) 17.5% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 351 (1,153 total deaths) 7.3% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 139 (47 new cases, -54% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 29,307 (9,888 total cases) 8.4% more cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 350 (118 total deaths) 7.0% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 141 (1,969 new cases, -36% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 26,837 (373,962 total cases) 0.8% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 188 (2,621 total deaths) 42.5% less deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 147 (56 new cases, -25% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 24,426 (9,282 total cases) 9.7% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 384 (146 total deaths) 17.4% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 149 (561 new cases, -40% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 30,076 (113,011 total cases) 11.2% more cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 288 (1,083 total deaths) 11.9% less deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 150 (199 new cases, -43% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 16,201 (21,454 total cases) 40.1% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 393 (520 total deaths) 20.2% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 151 (23 new cases, -44% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 28,181 (4,294 total cases) 4.2% more cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 735 (112 total deaths) 124.8% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 153 (662 new cases, -47% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 20,725 (89,894 total cases) 23.4% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 347 (1,503 total deaths) 6.1% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 153 (563 new cases, -32% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 23,001 (84,442 total cases) 15.0% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 390 (1,431 total deaths) 19.3% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 154 (13 new cases, -48% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 32,759 (2,759 total cases) 21.1% more cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 653 (55 total deaths) 99.7% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 159 (301 new cases, -36% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 18,692 (35,311 total cases) 30.9% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 392 (741 total deaths) 19.9% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 164 (442 new cases, -31% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 25,048 (67,390 total cases) 7.4% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 221 (594 total deaths) 32.4% less deaths per 100k residents than Florida
46 / 50Michael Rivera // Wikimedia Commons
New cases per 100k in the past week: 168 (14 new cases, +17% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 29,866 (2,495 total cases) 10.4% more cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 323 (27 total deaths) 1.2% less deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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New cases per 100k in the past week: 183 (34 new cases, -8% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 24,093 (4,477 total cases) 10.9% less cases per 100k residents than Florida Cumulative deaths per 100k: 431 (80 total deaths) 31.8% more deaths per 100k residents than Florida
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Counties with highest COVID-19 infection rates in Missouri
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.
Researchers around the world have reported that Omicron is more transmissible than Delta, making breakthrough and repeat infections more likely. Early research suggests this strain may cause less severe illness than Delta and the original virus, however, health officials have warned an Omicron-driven surge could still increase hospitalization and death ratesespecially in areas with less vaccinated populations.
The United States as of March 2 reached 954,163 COVID-19-related deaths and 79.1 million COVID-19 cases, according to Johns Hopkins University. Currently, 65% of the population is fully vaccinated, and 43.8% have received booster doses.
Stacker compiled a list of the counties with highest COVID-19 infection rates in Missouri using data from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and vaccination data from Covid Act Now. Counties are ranked by the highest infection rate per 100,000 residents within the week leading up to March 1, 2021. Cumulative cases per 100,000 served as a tiebreaker.
Keep reading to see whether your county ranks among the highest COVID-19 infection rates in your state.
New cases per 100k in the past week: 152 (49 new cases, -11% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 24,869 (7,995 total cases) 9.3% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 320 (103 total deaths) 4.2% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 159 (12 new cases, +140% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 18,714 (1,415 total cases) 17.8% less cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 529 (40 total deaths) 72.3% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 159 (21 new cases, -9% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 19,181 (2,529 total cases) 15.7% less cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 569 (75 total deaths) 85.3% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 159 (24 new cases, +50% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 23,808 (3,599 total cases) 4.6% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 324 (49 total deaths) 5.5% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 160 (23 new cases, +21% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 20,197 (2,898 total cases) 11.3% less cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 335 (48 total deaths) 9.1% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 160 (16 new cases, +167% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 21,498 (2,150 total cases) 5.5% less cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 240 (24 total deaths) 21.8% less deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 167 (490 new cases, +91% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 23,677 (69,393 total cases) 4.0% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 324 (949 total deaths) 5.5% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 167 (146 new cases, +33% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 25,618 (22,381 total cases) 12.6% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 334 (292 total deaths) 8.8% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 167 (11 new cases, -8% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 32,278 (2,121 total cases) 41.8% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 441 (29 total deaths) 43.6% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 170 (43 new cases, +79% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 21,509 (5,451 total cases) 5.5% less cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 241 (61 total deaths) 21.5% less deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 170 (151 new cases, +28% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 23,382 (20,715 total cases) 2.7% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 273 (242 total deaths) 11.1% less deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 177 (39 new cases, +8% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 27,032 (5,972 total cases) 18.8% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 190 (42 total deaths) 38.1% less deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 180 (15 new cases, +114% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 21,492 (1,795 total cases) 5.6% less cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 359 (30 total deaths) 16.9% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 181 (98 new cases, +44% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 22,173 (11,987 total cases) 2.6% less cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 255 (138 total deaths) 16.9% less deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 182 (73 new cases, +43% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 21,881 (8,778 total cases) 3.9% less cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 496 (199 total deaths) 61.6% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 182 (1,276 new cases, +45% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 29,528 (207,582 total cases) 29.7% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 331 (2,326 total deaths) 7.8% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 184 (33 new cases, +154% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 20,353 (3,642 total cases) 10.6% less cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 218 (39 total deaths) 29.0% less deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 185 (17 new cases, +6% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 18,324 (1,681 total cases) 19.5% less cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 578 (53 total deaths) 88.3% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 186 (46 new cases, +24% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 24,143 (5,975 total cases) 6.1% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 404 (100 total deaths) 31.6% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 190 (28 new cases, +47% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 22,433 (3,299 total cases) 1.4% less cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 632 (93 total deaths) 105.9% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 195 (17 new cases, +6% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 18,225 (1,585 total cases) 19.9% less cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 379 (33 total deaths) 23.5% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 199 (24 new cases, +118% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 29,368 (3,550 total cases) 29.0% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 405 (49 total deaths) 31.9% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 205 (32 new cases, +146% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 20,722 (3,227 total cases) 8.9% less cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 469 (73 total deaths) 52.8% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 207 (18 new cases, +64% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 25,521 (2,215 total cases) 12.1% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 484 (42 total deaths) 57.7% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 210 (32 new cases, +23% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 24,312 (3,702 total cases) 6.8% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 578 (88 total deaths) 88.3% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 211 (94 new cases, +31% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 22,325 (9,951 total cases) 1.9% less cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 514 (229 total deaths) 67.4% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 213 (25 new cases, -14% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 23,813 (2,799 total cases) 4.6% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 408 (48 total deaths) 32.9% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 220 (30 new cases, +50% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 23,379 (3,183 total cases) 2.7% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 286 (39 total deaths) 6.8% less deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 220 (48 new cases, +17% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 26,141 (5,705 total cases) 14.9% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 357 (78 total deaths) 16.3% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 222 (51 new cases, +50% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 22,174 (5,104 total cases) 2.6% less cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 387 (89 total deaths) 26.1% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 226 (46 new cases, +70% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 23,024 (4,694 total cases) 1.2% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 544 (111 total deaths) 77.2% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 233 (24 new cases, +167% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 23,494 (2,422 total cases) 3.2% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 233 (24 total deaths) 24.1% less deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 244 (22 new cases, -8% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 18,503 (1,669 total cases) 18.7% less cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 377 (34 total deaths) 22.8% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 249 (9 new cases, +29% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 18,994 (687 total cases) 16.5% less cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 332 (12 total deaths) 8.1% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 253 (15 new cases, +400% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 25,312 (1,501 total cases) 11.2% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 253 (15 total deaths) 17.6% less deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 254 (74 new cases, -46% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 24,228 (7,058 total cases) 6.5% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 371 (108 total deaths) 20.8% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 258 (12 new cases, +140% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 15,451 (720 total cases) 32.1% less cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 536 (25 total deaths) 74.6% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 267 (51 new cases, +50% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 25,376 (4,856 total cases) 11.5% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 230 (44 total deaths) 25.1% less deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 294 (29 new cases, -26% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 24,203 (2,384 total cases) 6.3% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 650 (64 total deaths) 111.7% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 303 (12 new cases, +50% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 24,072 (953 total cases) 5.8% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 303 (12 total deaths) 1.3% less deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 322 (92 new cases, +384% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 27,746 (7,916 total cases) 21.9% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 396 (113 total deaths) 29.0% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 336 (34 new cases, +89% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 21,442 (2,171 total cases) 5.8% less cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 356 (36 total deaths) 16.0% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 348 (34 new cases, +62% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 27,486 (2,687 total cases) 20.8% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 348 (34 total deaths) 13.4% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 350 (26 new cases, +53% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 22,664 (1,683 total cases) 0.4% less cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 458 (34 total deaths) 49.2% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 379 (50 new cases, +47% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 24,590 (3,241 total cases) 8.0% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 417 (55 total deaths) 35.8% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 410 (75 new cases, +477% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 22,987 (4,207 total cases) 1.0% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 311 (57 total deaths) 1.3% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 412 (50 new cases, +212% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 20,514 (2,489 total cases) 9.9% less cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 297 (36 total deaths) 3.3% less deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 592 (398 new cases, +385% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 27,970 (18,800 total cases) 22.9% more cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 402 (270 total deaths) 30.9% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 604 (50 new cases, +257% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 20,089 (1,663 total cases) 11.7% less cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 314 (26 total deaths) 2.3% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
New cases per 100k in the past week: 1,342 (160 new cases, +1,500% change from previous week) Cumulative cases per 100k: 20,940 (2,496 total cases) 8.0% less cases per 100k residents than Missouri Cumulative deaths per 100k: 520 (62 total deaths) 69.4% more deaths per 100k residents than Missouri
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(CNN) Borders closing, travelers stranded, and small businesses haemorrhaging money -- that's how those in the travel industry will remember the period two years ago, when the world closed down in a matter of days.
On March 11, 2020, Covid-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Authority, and countries around the world were beginning to figure out emergency border policies in a bid to protect their citizens.
In travel, that meant vacationers scrambling to get home, and communities torn between needing visitors, and fearing what they might bring.
The two weeks around March 11 dealt a blow to the travel world, the likes of which had never been seen before. It's one that many small businesses and employees have yet to recover from.
Here nine travel experts share their memories of March 2020 -- from the tour guide stranded in Italy, to the hotelier in Dominica, who was forced to close the hotel she'd just reopened after hurricane devastation.
The hotelier
Avril Coipel: "It was like something you read in novels."
Avril Coipel
The award-winning eco resort bad been destroyed in 2017 by Hurricane Maria. With virtually all the staff drawn from the surrounding area, it was a tragedy for the local communities, as well as for the hotel.
A grand reopening had been planned for February 2020, and things were looking good -- the hotel's great reputation meant the bookings were rolling in. More importantly, says Coipel, "the local communities were looking forward to the opening of the resort -- we hired staff who hadn't been able to get a steady job since 2017."
In December, just weeks from their reopening ceremony, she saw the news about a virus taking hold in China. "It sounded far away," she says. "When it reached Italy it still sounded far away. When we started hearing it was in the US, we said, OK, that's a little close -- and then suddenly it was in the Caribbean."
The pandemic would have devastating consequences for Coipel and her coworkers. On February 15, they'd had a grand reopening ceremony, attended by government ministers, while bookings stacked up. It looked like 2020 would be as successful as the good old days had been.
But soon after their opening, they were watching covid outbreaks on cruise ships in the news. By early March, the cancellations were rolling in as they watched footage of empty streets in Europe -- "it was like something you read about in novels," says Coipel.
"By the time it reached mid March, we'd had all our bookings canceled, all the way down to December," she says. "By the time we closed, we didn't have any guests. All the cards fell down."
The Rosalie Bay Eco Hotel, Dominica
Ambo Visuals
Rosalie Bay closed on March 23, as Dominica went into lockdown just after. Coipel had to lay off nearly all her staff, slashing a team of 51 to a skeleton crew of just four to handle cancellations, plus security and landscaping to stop the forest taking over the resort.
It was devastating for the local community, as well as for Coipel personally.
"We were full of hope, full of promise, looking forward to the future," she says.
"It was a very sad time -- you close, stay closed for two years, finally get in a position to reopen -- and six weeks later you have to shut down again. Our staff is 95% local, the resort is locally owned -- it has a high impact on the surrounding communities."
As for Coipel herself, she found it "extremely depressing."
"When you're very confident in what you're doing and finally find yourself in a position where you don't know what's going on, you don't like it," she says.
"But the pandemic was new, bigger countries were really struggling -- we didn't know if the same thing would happen to us in Dominica. As a small island, there was concern that our health infrastructure would be overwhelmed.
"We had to deal not just with the reality of closing the resort and laying off staff, but also rising panic."
She kept in close contact with other hotels on the island -- they advised each other, and "gave each other that mental encouragement that all of us needed."
Things would get better. The hotel reopened in July 2020 for domestic travel, and a month later for international visitors. The staff are back.
"2021 started looking up, and we think 2022 will be better," says Coipel.
The flight attendant
Dana Schaefer was told by her coworkers to 'have a gameplan.'
Dana Schaefer
It was mid-March 2020 when, taking stock while in North Carolina between flights, Dana Schaefer noticed her world had changed.
"I remember going through Charlotte airport and it was like a scary movie," says the flight attendant.
"It was just so empty, everything was closed -- it was just flight crews walking through, no passengers."
Based out of Miami, Schaefer was working for a major airline -- which, by that point, was telling crew to bring their own food with them on trips.
"Even on layovers people were getting stuck because we were flying with no passengers, and once restaurants and even hotel restaurants started closing, we didn't want to be without food," she says.
By then, Covid-19 had already been declared a pandemic. As someone mainly flying within the US, Schaefer says the realization of what was happening was "pretty gradual, and then, boom -- flights were canceled and there were no people in the airports."
As a relative newbie -- Schaefer had started flying in 2018 -- she was unsure what to expect, but her more experienced coworkers could see the writing on the wall, comparing it to the aftermath of 9/11 -- and saying this was worse.
"They were trying to make sure I had a gameplan, and wasn't thinking, it's no big deal," she says. In October 2020, she would be furloughed for eight months.
Schaefer remembers those days around March 11 as "very scary." Suddenly her catering trolley was laden with masks and gloves.
"Once people found out how contagious it was, I was scared to continue flying and risk exposing my family," she says.
"It was a big mystery [how it spread] and I remember being scared to touch anything on the plane. It felt like a waiting game -- even if I do my best to be protected, am I going to get it?"
It was her sociable personality that had encouraged Schaefer to be a flight attendant -- formerly in customer service, she made the leap because "you get to talk to so many different people and I love that." But all that swiftly changed. "My job went from being hands on to you really don't do anything," she says.
"It was honestly kind of depressing. We were just walking through and picking up trash, not really interacting with anyone. And then you'd get to your layover and weren't allowed to go out or do anything."
Now she's back in the air in what she calls "weird times," where passenger aggression is at an all time high. "I just hope it gets back to normal," she says.
The tour guide
Francesca made it back to her beloved Rome (pictured) in 2022.
Courtesy Francesca Folmi
By the time they started, Italy was the global center of the pandemic. Just 14 people turned up.
"I started the welcome meeting saying, 'OK, let's get the c-word out of the way, let's let out all our fears and frustrations, then that'll be it and we can put it behind us,'" she says.
"It's unbelievable now but I really thought it was going to be OK. There weren't restrictions locally, no suppliers had pulled out, the itinerary was due to go ahead."
That night, walking to dinner, the group was confronted by a woman wearing a mask, shouting at them to spread out from each other.
"You could see the panic on her face -- she was the first person in Italy on whom I saw the fear of the virus," says Folmi, from Guernsey, UK.
The next morning, they drove south for a tour of Pompeii, continuing to Naples. "Things were going at warp speed," says Folmi -- while there'd been no restrictions in Rome, by the time they arrived in Naples the hotel was asking them to stay six feet apart and to avoid common areas.
They were booked for dinner with entertainment; they got dinner. Not that it mattered.
"By the end they were getting on famously, they were super excited on the coach home," says Folmi.
"I put music on, and was thinking, finally, they're going to relax a bit more.
"And then my phone pinged with a news alert: Italy was going into lockdown, effective immediately.
"They were still singing Miley Cyrus."
As they got to the hotel, Folmi informed her group that the tour was over and she was going to help them get home. By the next morning, Contiki had offered all participants a refund, plus promised a discount for future trips.
"It felt awful," says Folmi. "They'd made these massive journeys -- Australia, Canada, America -- and I was going to send them home 48 hours into their trip."
Train travel was already restricted, but their coach was able to take them back to Rome. There, Folmi coordinated her charges' flights home from a hotel paid for by Contiki. International flights were being canceled across the board, and while most guests got out within 24 hours, one Australian woman had to wait five days. By then, Folmi's own flight had been canceled three times. They eventually left together.
Back in Guernsey, Folmi had to quarantine for two weeks as Italy was classed as a "hot zone." Then, "work evaporated." She finally made it back to guiding in January 2022.
"It made my heart swell," she says about her return to Pompeii. "I felt, yeah, we're back."
The airline executive
Marty St. George: "We started thinking, huh, something's going on."
Marty St. George
Every Thursday, he would fly from Oslo to London to work with the UK team, and on March 11, he took his flight as usual.
"I just had an overnight bag -- I'd left every bit of clothing, my computer, books, everything in my apartment in Oslo," he says.
That night, as the WHO declared a pandemic, then-President Donald Trump closed the US borders to arrivals from Europe. St. George's daughter called him in the middle of the night to tell him to come home -- so on March 12, instead of returning to Oslo, he flew from London to Boston.
"I went to dinner -- the restaurant was empty. Friday morning I flew to New York, thinking I should stop at the grocery store. I walked into Whole Foods to find the shelves empty, people yelling. I'd only left five days earlier and the place had collapsed."
"We started thinking, huh, something's going on, but we weren't sure what the cause was," he says.
"I remember hearing about it in China in January, and dismissing it. We didn't know what would happen in Europe.
"I thought it'd be a month and we'd get over it. I went through demand bumps in both Gulf Wars, after 9/11 and after the recession. I predicted another bump, not a tsunami."
Lunch with a friend from Hong Kong in February made him think differently. And by the last week of February, he says, "We knew something bad was happening" in aviation.
Airlines tend to use advance bookings as working capital -- in other words, to buy fuel. Without new bookings coming in but flights still running, the airlines were "bleeding cash," he says.
On March 8, much of northern Italy was placed into lockdown. Norwegian flew to Milan "so we had problems right off the bat," he says.
As for his own situation, when he rushed back to the US, he assumed he'd be back in Oslo soon. "At that point we all thought if we isolated for four weeks, it'd go away," he says.
Of course, it didn't. Finally, fed up of paying rent on an apartment he wasn't using, St. George asked his coworkers in Oslo to pack up his belongings and ship them to him in the US. He received them in May.
The B&B owner
Veronica Grechi finally opened her new rooms in 2021.
Velona's Jungle
Veronica Grechi's dream had always been to share her native Florence with visitors.
It did well -- so well, in fact, that in 2019 they bought the apartment below, and planned to open six new rooms. 2020 was going to be Grechi's year -- not only was she expanding the B&B, but she was having her first child in March. Also, this was the first year that, by January, she was fully booked for the year ahead. "I was thrilled," she says.
And then stories about a virus starting surfacing.
"When I heard the news, initially I thought there must be a mistake, that they were exaggerating," she says. "I didn't understand, and I didn't want to."
It soon became a "nightmare."
On March 9, she gave birth to her son, Elia, as Italy went into lockdown. Two days later -- the day Covid-19 was declared a pandemic -- Grechi, still in hospital, received a call from her cousin, a doctor. She'd called in on their grandmother, who was unwell -- and had called her an ambulance.
"She told me, 'Look, nonna had her lungs full,'" says Grechi. "That was when I realized that it was true -- so true that it had already arrived in my home."
In the meantime, Grechi's parents had also been complaining of a fever. "On the 13th, the ambulance took them away too," she says.
Two days later, her grandmother died, while her parents' conditioned worsened. Grechi was at home by now with her newborn, all thoughts of the B&B forgotten.
"We were destroyed," she says of her family, who couldn't even hold a funeral. "But all of Italy was feeling destroyed in those weeks.
"At a certain point, I thought, OK, I'll never work again but work doesn't matter anymore. The important thing is that people survive."
Her coworker, Giulia, became the "cancellation manager for nearly a year -- we had no enquiries, only cancellations." That entire year of proud pre-bookings either had to be refunded or turned into vouchers. Even now, in 2022, she has $11,000 worth of vouchers that still need to be redeemed.
Not that she was bothered about the B&B in March 2020, when both her parents were in ICU.
"One day the hospital called and said, prepare yourself because we have to intubate them. I thought they would both die. I called my brother, we said, at least they had a good life. After an hour they called back and said they were responding to oxygen helmets so wouldn't need intubation."
Her parents spent two months in hospital. It was June when Grechi was able to see them again.
"They saw Elia for the first time," she says. "We couldn't meet but I took him to their window and showed him to them."
Velona's Jungle tentatively reopened in July 2020, although visitors only started returning the following year. Her new rooms finally opened in fall 2021, and although business isn't what it was, Grechi hopes that 2022 will be better.
The tour operator
With how often viruses change, theres always the possibility of a new variant.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. Theres continued progress on COVID-19 metrics in the Carolinas. New CDC maps show transmission levels are improving in both North and South Carolina. Mecklenburg County has even shifted into low COVID-19 spread.
Health officials arent letting their guards down, with how often viruses change, theres always the possibility of a new variant.
Officially on the other side of the omicron surge, many people are breathing a sigh of relief as most restrictions are lifted. But, doctors warn we could always be a few mutations away from a new variant causing a destructive surge.
We are hopeful that another variant does not come that could change the COVID landscape and require additional healthcare interventions, Dr. David Priest with Novant Health said. But as we have learned, this pandemic has been unpredictable, and we have to be preparing for that moving forward.
Its why the federal government developed a variant playbook, to guide the response if another strain pops up. Theyre focusing resources on early detection, so action can be taken immediately, and certain safety measures can be put in place before it becomes widespread.
Were for the first time ever stockpiling at-home tests so that if something were to come, we would have those resources in a way that we havent previously in the country, Kevin Munoz, White House Assistant Press Secretary told WCNC Charlotte.
Government officials say there are plans in place for the accelerated development, approval, manufacturing, and delivery of updated tests, treatments and vaccines targeted for a new variant. Plus, vaccination will continue to be a key part of the plan because the more people who have immunity, the fewer hosts a virus has to mutate in.
The good news is 87% of adults have at least one shot in this country. vaccination is the absolute best protection against stopping the spread of new variants and saving lives, Munoz said.
The future is unknown, but health leaders say they have learned from the past.
Contact Chloe Leshner atcleshner@wcnc.comand follow her onFacebook,TwitterandInstagram.
