COVID-19 vaccines: These Lee and Collier ZIP codes have the highest vaccination rates The News-Press
Carole Funk gets a flu shot most years and is up-to-date on all her other vaccines. She refuses to get the Covid-19 shot.
A nurse practitioner for nearly 10 years, she believes Covid-19 can killshe knows people who have died. Still, she lost her job running an urgent-care clinic in Strasburg, Va., in September due to her refusal to vaccinate, and remains unmoved. Getting fired is not enough for me to overcome my fear that the side effects or adverse events of these vaccines are grossly underreported, Ms. Funk said.
Carter says workers' initial vaccination series must be completed by Dec. 31, unless they qualify for an accommodation or religious exemption.
ST PAUL, Minn. St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter announced Thursday evening that all city workers will be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of the year.
Carter says workers' initial vaccination series must be completed by Dec. 31, unless they qualify for an accommodation or religious exemption. He says to meet the requirement, workers will have to provide proof and attest to their vaccination status.
A spokesperson from the Mayor's Office confirmed Friday that attestation will need to be complete by Jan. 14 and employees who decline to provide proof of their status will not be able to work and may be subject to discipline.
"This persistent rise in positivity rates is particularly concerning as we head into winter," Carter said. "Amid our ongoing work to rebuild, we continue to hear from public health professionals, including our Minnesota Department of Health and the CDC, that the best way to prevent infection and reduce the spread of COVID is to get vaccinated."
Carter points todata from MDH, which shows the COVID positivity rate increased "threefold" since July, likely due to the delta variant. State data also shows unvaccinated Minnesotans are 15 times more likely to be hospitalized with infections and 30 times more likely to die from infections than those who have completed the vaccine series.
"This impacts each one of us individually, it impacts our families and it creates a strain on our emergency management and health care systems in our community," Carter said.
Carter went on to say the mandate will not include an opt-out for testing because community members have a "responsibility to do everything we can to protect" fellow workers and others in the community, which he says is not possible through testing.
"Since testing only provides a way to determine if someone has COVID after they've already contracted it, it offers no protection for an unvaccinated individual, nor for any individuals they interact with," he said.
Carter says more information about the mandate is forthcoming from the city's Department of Human Resources.
"Stay safe, keep your masks on, get vaccinated, and I look forward to continuing to be your teammate as we work together toward the brighter days ahead," he said.
On Facebook, Ward 7 Councilmember Jane Prince said she's "deeply disappointed" there is no testing option, which she says many frontline workers requested.
"I want to remind Mayor Carter that hundreds of our Saint Paul employees worked on the front lines when there were no safeguards from getting COVID," she said. "Why not respect the reasonable requests of our dedicated workers to put into place the same policy as our county, state and school district?"
Carter joins a number of cities and workplaces that have already introduced vaccine mandates to employees, including Gov. Tim Walz who announced in August that all state workers would be required to get vaccinated or show a negative test result weekly. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey imposed a vaccine mandate for city workers in September.
YORK COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) Every day,police officers, firefighters and paramedics accept some riskas theyservethe public.
During the pandemic, contracting COVID-19 added to potential dangers on the job, so when a vaccine became available, first responders were among the first to qualify.
As the United States approaches one year from the time the first shots were administered, 10 On Your Side found the rate of vaccinationvariesdrasticallyamong Hampton Roads public safety and fire departmentsin cities and counties that collected the information.
On the Southside, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach are not collecting information on the vaccine status of any city staff.
The lowest in the region, Suffolk Fire & Rescue and Portsmouth police both have less than 50% of their members vaccinated.
Norfolk combined its police and fire department data, reporting 66% of staff vaccinated.
Hampton and Newport News fire departments are 80% vaccinated, and both cities police departments arealso near that figure.
PERCENT OF STAFF VACCINATED AGAINST COVID-19
For a resident dialing 911 on the upper Virginia Peninsula, theres an evenhigherchance the responding firefighter or police officer will be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Williamsburgs fire and police departments take the top spots, with more than 90% of personnel vaccinated.
In James City County, 79% of firefighters and 68% of police officersgot the shot.
Similarly, in York County, the percent of vaccinated firefighters is higher than law enforcement.Eighty-four percent of the York County Fire & Life Safety divisiongot the vaccine, compared to73% ofthe countysheriffs office.
Fire Capt. Tyler Reid said he got the vaccine as soon as it was available to him, then became a vaccinator, helping others in the community get the shot.
I think there was a lot of excitementon the floor with the firefighters, Reid said. My wife is immune-compromised and I know a lot of guys I work with on the shift are in that same boat, so we were definitely ready to get the vaccine.
Still, the department had to deal with breakthrough infections and maintain strict safety protocols as the Delta variant began to surge, according to York County Fire ChiefStephen Kopczynski.
Its constantly on my mind,Kopczynski said.We wanted to do everything we couldto be able to provide that service to the public while keeping our personnel safe.
In York County, a vaccine mandate has not been enforced, but Reid said he is comfortable working among his unvaccinated colleagues because of the departments dedication to wearing proper personal protective equipment and other risk mitigation factors.
I would love to see the department get to 100% vaccinated, he said. Its a personal decision that I made and Id like to see others make it as well. I think the evidence is clear that itdefinitely reducesyour risk.
Kopczynski said he is not surprised to see around 16% of his crew refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.
Every year, we provide our personnel the opportunity to get the flu vaccine. Some folks decide not to get it, he said.
Kopczynski would not say if he thought a mandate should be enforced but said if it did happen, it would be a county-level decision.
Time helps us quite a bit, things like the formal authorization of the Pfizer vaccine,as an example, Kopczynski said. We believe through education of our folks we will gain further acceptance of the vaccine.
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For Immediate Release: October 20, 2021
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration took action to expand the use of a booster dose for COVID-19 vaccines in eligible populations. The agency is amending the emergency use authorizations (EUA) for COVID-19 vaccines to allow for the use of a single booster dose as follows:
Todays actions demonstrate our commitment to public health in proactively fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic, said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D. As the pandemic continues to impact the country, science has shown that vaccination continues to be the safest and most effective way to prevent COVID-19, including the most serious consequences of the disease, such as hospitalization and death. The available data suggest waning immunity in some populations who are fully vaccinated. The availability of these authorized boosters is important for continued protection against COVID-19 disease.
The amendments to the emergency use authorizations to include a single booster dose in eligible populations are based on the available data and information and follows the input from the members of our advisory committee who were supportive of the use of a booster dose of these vaccines in eligible populations, said Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., director of the FDAs Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. We are also taking action today to include the use of mix and match boosters to address this public health need. We will work to accrue additional data as quickly as possible to further assess the benefits and risks of the use of booster doses in additional populations and plan to update the healthcare community and public with our determination in the coming weeks.
Authorization of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Dose
To support the authorization for emergency use of a single booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, the FDA analyzed immune response data from 149 participants 18 years of age and older from the original clinical studies who received a booster dose at least 6 months after their second dose and compared it to the immune responses of 1,055 study participants after completing their two-dose series. The antibody response of the 149 participants against SARS-CoV-2 virus 29 days after a booster dose of the vaccine demonstrated a booster response.
The FDA also evaluated an additional analysis from Moderna comparing the rates of COVID-19 accrued during the Delta variant surge during July and August 2021, which suggest that there is a waning of vaccine effectiveness over time.
Safety was evaluated in 171 participants 18 years of age and older who were followed for an average of approximately six months. The most commonly reported side effects by the clinical trial participants who received the booster dose of the vaccine were pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, muscle and/or joint pain, chills, swollen lymph nodes in same arm as the injection, nausea and vomiting, and fever. Of note, swollen lymph nodes in the underarm were observed more frequently following the booster dose than after the primary two-dose series.
Ongoing analyses from the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) safety surveillance systems have identified increased risks of inflammatory heart conditions, myocarditis and pericarditis, following vaccination with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, particularly following the second dose. Typically, onset of symptoms has been a few days following vaccination. The observed risk is higher among males under 40 years of age, particularly males 18 through 24, than among females and older males.
The Moderna COVID-19 single booster dose is half of the dose that is administered for a primary series dose and is administered at least six months after completion of a primary series of the vaccine.
Authorization of Janssen (Johnson and Johnson) COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Dose
The authorization for emergency use of a single booster dose of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine is based on the FDAs evaluation of immune response data in 39 participants from a clinical trial including 24 participants who were 18 through 55 years of age and 15 participants who were 65 years of age and older. The study participants received a booster dose approximately 2 months after their first dose, and the results demonstrated a booster response.
Overall, approximately 9,000 clinical trial participants have received two doses of Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine administered at least two months apart and of these, approximately 2,700 have had at least two months of safety follow-up after the booster dose. Janssens safety analyses from these studies have not identified new safety concerns.
Earlier analyses from the FDA and CDC safety surveillance systems suggest an increased risk of a serious and rare type of blood clot in combination with low blood platelets following administration of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. This serious condition is called thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS). People who developed TTS after receiving the vaccine had symptoms that began about one to two weeks after vaccination. Reporting of TTS has been highest in females ages 18 through 49 years. In addition, safety surveillance suggests an increased risk of a specific serious neurological disorder called Guillain Barr syndrome, within 42 days following receipt of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine.
Authorization of Mix and Match Booster Dose
Today, the FDA is also authorizing the use of heterologous (or mix and match) booster dose for currently available (i.e., FDA-authorized or approved) COVID-19 vaccines. Following a presentation of clinical trial data from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committees discussion of information submitted for consideration, along with the agencys evaluation of the available data, the FDA has determined that the known and potential benefits of the use of a single heterologous booster dose outweigh the known and potential risks of their use in eligible populations.
A single booster dose of any of the available COVID-19 vaccines may be administered as a heterologous booster dose following completion of primary vaccination with a different available COVID-19 vaccine. The eligible population(s) and dosing interval for a heterologous booster dose are the same as those authorized for a booster dose of the vaccine used for primary vaccination.
For example, Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine recipients 18 years of age and older may receive a single booster dose of Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine, Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine (half dose) or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine at least two months after receiving their Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine primary vaccination.
In another example, Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine recipients falling into one of the authorized categories for boosters (65 years of age and older, 18 through 64 years of age at high-risk of severe COVID-19, and 18 through 64 years of age with frequent institutional or occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2) may receive a booster dose of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine (half dose), Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine or Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine at least six months after completing their primary vaccination.
The agency recognizes that health care providers and COVID-19 vaccine recipients will have questions about booster doses. The individual fact sheets for each available vaccine provide relevant information for health care providers and the vaccine recipients. The agency encourages health care providers to also follow the recommendations that will be provided by the CDC following a meeting of their Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and formal recommendations signed by the CDC director.
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Boilerplate
The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nations food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 241.6 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths stands at more than 4.91 million. More than 6.7 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.
COVID-19 travel restrictions between Sydney and Melbourne have been eased, as Victoria opened its borders to fully vaccinated residents of New South Wales.
COVID-19 hospitalizations have risen for the third consecutive day in France - a trend not seen for almost two months, health authorities said.
New confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Netherlands rose 44% in the week through Tuesday, with some hospitals cutting back on regular care to deal with the increase in infections.
Bulgaria will make a COVID-19 'Green Certificate' mandatory for indoor access to restaurants, cinemas, gyms and shopping malls. The pass shows someone has been vaccinated, tested negative or recently recovered from the virus.
Britain has reported 223 deaths within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test - the highest figure since March.
It comes as Britain announced it would open up the national COVID-19 vaccine booking service to those aged 12 to 15.
Singapore has reported 3,994 new cases of COVID-19, the highest daily rise since the beginning of the pandemic.
Romania has also reported a record number of daily COVID-19 deaths and infections.
Daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases per million people in selected countries.
Image: Our World in Data
Moscow's mayor has announced four months of stay-at-home restrictions for unvaccinated over-60s and the national government has proposed a week-long workplace shutdown. The moves come as the national death toll from COVID-19 hit another record daily high.
"The number of people hospitalized with a severe form of the disease is increasing every day," Mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on his website.
"The most alarming thing is the situation with COVID infection among the older generation," he added, saying over-60s accounted for 60% of patients, nearly 80% of people on ventilators, and 86% of deaths.
He ordered those over the age of 60 to stay at home for four months from 25 October, unless they've been vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19, and for businesses to move at least 30% of their staff to remote work.
Each of our Top 50 social enterprise last mile responders and multi-stakeholder initiatives is working across four priority areas of need: Prevention and protection; COVID-19 treatment and relief; inclusive vaccine access; and securing livelihoods. The list was curated jointly with regional hosts Catalyst 2030s NASE and Aavishkaar Group. Their profiles can be found on www.wef.ch/lastmiletop50india.
Top Last Mile Partnership Initiatives to collaborate with:
The Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was 93% effective in preventing hospitalizations among those aged 12 to 18, according to analysis released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The study took place between June and September when the Delta variant was dominant in the United States.
Also reassuring was that the data from 19 paediatric hospitals showed that among the 179 patients who were hospitalized for COVID-19, 97% were unvaccinated, demonstrating the vaccine's efficacy. Of the roughly 16% of patients hospitalized with severe enough COVID-19 to require life support, none were vaccinated.
The CDC data "reinforces the importance of vaccination to protect US youths against severe COVID-19," the study authors said.
Written by
Joe Myers, Writer, Formative Content
The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.
Toxic Effects from Ivermectin Use Associated with Prevention and Treatment of Covid-19 | NEJM nejm.org
We're breaking down the trends and relaying information from across the state.
ATLANTA We're breaking down the trends and relaying information from across the state of Georgia as it comes in, bringing perspective to the data and context to the trends.
Visit the 11Alive coronavirus page for comprehensive coverage, find out what you need to know about Georgia specifically, learn more about the symptoms, and keep tabs on the cases around the world.
State and federal officials with the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are continually monitoring the spread of the virus. They are also working hand-in-hand with the World Health Organization to track the spread around the world and to stop it.
Appling 2,760 94
Atkinson 1,167 29
Baldwin 5,231 161
Barrow 12,905 186
Bartow 15,328 298
Ben Hill 1,849 68
Berrien 1,527 45
Bibb 20,094 550
Bleckley 1,094 38
Brantley 1,879 70
Brooks 1,382 51
Bulloch 7,892 95
Butts 3,341 102
Camden 5,922 76
Candler 1,108 48
Carroll 9,924 151
Catoosa 8,264 86
Charlton 1,722 41
Chatham 32,812 623
Chattahoochee 5,048 13
Chattooga 3,645 86
Cherokee 30,838 416
Clarke 17,278 165
Clayton 34,768 658
Cobb 83,917 1,257
Coffee 6,249 177
Colquitt 5,455 123
Columbia 14,587 233
Coweta 12,600 320
Crawford 829 35
Dawson 4,130 65
DeKalb 79,249 1,180
Decatur 3,447 76
Dougherty 9,030 374
Douglas 17,423 229
Effingham 6,916 143
Elbert 2,008 67
Emanuel 2,676 69
Fannin 3,156 88
Fayette 9,621 202
Floyd 15,335 297
Forsyth 26,502 257
Franklin 3,267 66
Fulton 110,677 1,588
Gilmer 3,465 117
Glynn 12,317 298
Gordon 8,648 170
Greene 2,178 61
Gwinnett 111,111 1,336
Habersham 6,342 184
Hall 33,696 593
Haralson 2,361 45
Harris 3,149 77
Henry 28,705 454
Houston 15,890 276
Jackson 12,765 192
Jasper 1,009 32
Jeff Davis 1,803 42
Jefferson 1,847 66
Johnson 1,019 51
Laurens 5,754 195
Liberty 6,537 94
Lowndes 10,902 217
Lumpkin 4,426 85
Madison 4,182 64
McDuffie 2,222 58
McIntosh 1,385 26
Meriwether 2,178 95
Mitchell 2,171 89
Monroe 2,744 115
Montgomery 1,138 36
Morgan 1,849 32
Murray 6,186 123
Muscogee 20,630 537
Newton 11,047 304
Non-GA Resident/Unknown State 33,602 700
Oconee 4,374 72
Oglethorpe 1,678 37
Paulding 16,244 239
Pickens 3,571 84
Pierce 2,075 81
Putnam 2,581 77
Randolph 593 38
Richmond 26,359 543
Rockdale 8,884 211
Screven 1,341 32
Seminole 1,200 23
Spalding 6,708 244
Stephens 4,470 102
Stewart 1,325 28
Sumter 2,731 122
Taliaferro 128 3
Tattnall 2,664 69
Thomas 6,018 157
Toombs 4,356 147
Treutlen 882 40
Sevenmore Mainers have died while health officials on Wednesday reported there have been another 649coronavirus cases across the state.
Wednesdays report brings the total number of coronavirus cases in Maine to 99,256,according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Thats up from 98,607 on Tuesday.
Of those, 70,730have been confirmed positive, while 28,256were classified as probable cases, the Maine CDC reported.
Five women and two men have succumbed to the virus, bringing the statewide death toll to 1,109.
Three were from Cumberland County, two from Franklin County, one from Kennebec County and one from York County. Of those, six were 80 or older and one was in their 60s.
The number of coronavirus cases diagnosed in the past 14 days statewide is 6,055. This is an estimation of the current number of active cases in the state, as the Maine CDC is no longer tracking recoveries for all patients. Thats down from 6,242 on Tuesday.
The new case rate statewide Wednesday was 4.85 cases per 10,000 residents, and the total case rate statewide was 741.60.
Maines seven-day average for new coronavirus cases is 490.9, down from 528.1 the day before, up from 381.3 a week ago and up from 484.6 a month ago. That average peaked on Jan. 14 at 625.3.
The most cases have been detected in Mainers younger than 20, while Mainers over 80 years old make up the majority of deaths. More cases have been recorded in women and more deaths in men.
So far, 2,691 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus. Of those, 199 are currently hospitalized, with 68 in critical care and 34 on a ventilator. Overall, 47 out of 347 critical care beds and 191 out of 305 ventilators are available.
The total statewide hospitalization rate on Wednesday was 20.11 patients per 10,000 residents.
Cases have been reported in Androscoggin (10,471), Aroostook (3,736), Cumberland (21,443), Franklin (2,159), Hancock (2,667), Kennebec (9,470), Knox (1,872), Lincoln (1,751), Oxford (4,908), Penobscot (11,847), Piscataquis (1,280), Sagadahoc (1,918), Somerset (4,112), Waldo (2,332), Washington (1,755) and York (17,531) counties. Information about where an additional four cases were reported wasnt immediately available.
An additional 2,156 vaccine doses were administered in the previous 24 hours. As of Wednesday, 897,047 Mainers are fully vaccinated, or about 75.7 percent of eligible Mainers, according to the Maine CDC.
New Hampshire reported 377 new cases on Wednesday and eight deaths. Vermont reported 132 new cases and one death, while Massachusetts reported 2,045 new cases and 26 deaths.
As of Wednesday morning, the coronavirus had sickened 45,150,490 people in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as caused 728,671 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.
More articles from the BDN
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) We are more than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, and the doctors and nurses on the front lines are feeling fatigued; health care workers have been through a lot.
When I see patients in the ICU, and I tell them this is what we need to do to see if we can get your loved one better and hopefully them survive this COVID, and then they sit there and argue with you about treatments that they think that they are beneficial because theyve read on the internet, said Dr. Tony Hericks, medical director of Avera McKennans intensive care unit. And then I tell them well, I have several articles that I can show you about evidenced-based medicine why these arent helpful, but then you come back and tell me well, seven internet doctors told you that this will work, its very frustrating.
Matt Peterson is a nurse in a pulmonary unit for Sanford Health. Asked how it feels to hear misinformation, he sets the following scene.
I am working in the COVID unit, I can look out the window, and I see protesters, and Im sitting here holding oxygen up to someones face, and theyre gasping for air, and I can just look out the window and I can see signs that are just falsehoods and dont make sense, Peterson said. And I wish I could go out there and talk to them but its not going to change their minds, and thats very, very frustrating, its disheartening, and it wears on all the staff.
With regard to science, both Hericks and Peterson remind us that not all perspectives enjoy the same expertise.
All that misinformation that youre seeing out there on the internet is very concerning because I think instead of listening to those people that are here standing in this, dealing with this every day, youre more apt to listen to somebody randomly thats came up with some falsehood, Hericks said.
In Wednesday nights Eye on KELOLAND, well bring you additional thoughts from Hericks and Peterson as well as three other health care professionals when we look at fatigue among the people taking care of us during this pandemic.
