LANTANA, Fla. The latest figures show that COVID-19 vaccination rates are dropping in Florida.
The numbers are very telling from the Florida Department of Health. In Palm Beach County at the end of August, more than 10,000 people got a vaccine shot.
By the end of September, the number was just over 4,600.
WPTV on Monday spoke to a woman named Medre outside the Florida Department of Health center in Lantana where she received her first COVID-19 shot after weeks of resistance.
"I was between getting it or not getting it," Medre said. "Theres always a fear of the reactions, but we are seeing so many deaths and cases of COVID and I also have young children, so we have to take care of ourselves."
Medre was one of the few getting a shot here on Monday.
The numbers of those getting shots is quickly dropping, as Dr. Larry Bush of Wellington said.
"In Florida in the last several weeks, since the last week of August, every week the number of people getting vaccinated is decreasing," Bush said.
Since early September, the number of weekly vaccinations has dropped from over half a million to just over a quarter a million.
Bush said the decline may be for several reasons, including those still skeptical may be feeling better about monoclonal antibody treatments and other viral medications in the news.
"I clearly understand why people dont want to get vaccinated. They feel the risk is small and they wont get sick. We dont know enough about the vaccine and all that is somewhat true, but what we do know is the people who have the highest risk of dying are those who arent vaccinated," Bush said.
And dr bush says the age group that has some of the highest unvaccinated rates is adults 18-30, which he says is also the group that is most socially active.
A combination of higher Trump vote share and lower educational attainment help explain the lower COVID-19 vaccination rates in rural areas of the United States, according to a new study published in the Journal of Rural Health.
The researchers conclude that as the pandemic enters its second winter and vaccination rates vary widely across the U.S., mandates may be the most effective strategy for increasing vaccination rates and saving lives in rural areas.
Very few people who havent gotten vaccinated are going to change their minds at this point; theyve dug in their heals, and misinformation is rampant, said researcher Shannon Monnat, an associate professor of sociology at Syracuse University and director of the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion. The most effective way to prevent continued spread, reduce hospitalizations and save lives is to mandate vaccines.
According to public health officials, achieving high vaccination coverage is the best way to prevent coronavirus spread, promote economic recovery and save lives. But as of September 2021, only 66.6% of U.S. adults had been fully vaccinated, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In their published study, Rural-urban and within-rural differences in COVID-19 vaccination rates, researchers Monnat and Lerner Graduate Fellow Yue Sun compared COVID-19 vaccination rates across the U.S. rural-urban continuum and identified the major contributors to lower rates of vaccination in rural counties.
The study is summarized in the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion research brief, Why are COVID-19 Vaccination Rates Lower in Rural than in Urban areas of the U.S.?
Here are the researchers key findings:
The vaccination rate disparity is concerning given that COVID-19 infection and mortality rates are higher in rural areas, and rural hospitals have less capacity to deal with surges in severe cases, Monnat said. Right now, unvaccinated people are filling up emergency rooms and putting us all at risk. What happens when there are no beds available for people who have other serious illnesses or injuries?
Vaccines are an effective tool we have at our disposal to get us out of this pandemic, Monnat added. We simply must get vaccination rates up across the entire country.
For more information or to schedule an interview with a researcher, please contact Matt Michael, media relations specialist, by email at mmicha04@syr.edu or by phone at 315.443.2990 or 315.254.9037
With the Biden administrations vaccine mandate deadline fast approaching, and many states and private employers continuing to require vaccination, many unvaccinated American workers could soon lose their jobs if they dont comply with these inoculation requirements. That has already been the case for hundreds of health care workers and airline workers across the country who have refused the vaccine.
Among some of the arguments against the COVID-19 vaccine mandates is that immunity from a previous coronavirus infection should count as an alternative to vaccination. This topic has received a lot of attention of late, with NBA players and health care workers speaking out and citing natural immunity as what they believe to be a valid reason for refusing to get the shot.
Last week NBA player Jonathan Isaac said at a press conference that he wasnt getting vaccinated against COVID-19. His reasoning? Natural immunity.
I would start with Ive had COVID in the past, and so our understanding of antibodies, of natural immunity, has changed a great deal from the onset of the pandemic and is still evolving, Isaac said.
The natural immunity argument has also emerged as a potential legal challenge to states and federally mandated vaccination policies.
In New York, a vaccine mandate for more than 650,000 hospital and nursing home workers has prompted a flurry of lawsuits across the state brought by nurses and others who are seeking various exemptions, including one for people who have had COVID-19.
On Thursday a judge upheld the University of Californias COVID-19 vaccine requirement against a challenge by a professor who alleged he was immune to COVID-19 due to a prior coronavirus infection. The U.S. District Court judge overseeing the case said the university system acted rationally to protect public health by mandating the vaccine and not giving exemptions to individuals with some level of natural immunity. The ruling appears to be the first on the issue, and it may influence future rulings on this matter.
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But what does the scientific evidence say about which offers better protection natural immunity or vaccine immunity? The answer is, like almost everything around COVID, complicated.
Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, says the data available is mixed, with some studies pointing to natural immunity being as effective as some of the vaccines, and other studies suggesting the opposite.
When data is mixed, we say we have equipoise and keep on studying, Gandhi tweeted.
However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and most medical professionals in the U.S. widely recommend the COVID-19 vaccine for everyone who is eligible regardless of whether they have already been infected with the coronavirus.
According to the CDC and health experts supporting this guidance, one reason for this recommendation is that research has not yet shown how long protection from the virus lasts after recovering from COVID-19. In addition, the agency says one of its recent studies, which went through a rigorous multi-level clearance process, showed that vaccination offers higher protection than a previous coronavirus infection.
The peer-reviewed study of 246 Kentucky residents concluded that unvaccinated people who already had COVID-19 were more than 2 times as likely than fully vaccinated people to get COVID-19 again.
Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Childrens Hospital, told Yahoo News that another reason why those who have had COVID-19 should get vaccinated is because not everyone builds robust immunity after infection.
If you look at some of those early studies, people who are infected and recover have highly variable heterogeneous responses to the virus, Hotez said. Some have pretty strong, vigorous responses. Others have almost no virus, neutralizing antibodies or responses at all, and are highly susceptible to reinfection, Hotez added.
Since it is difficult to determine where someone may wind up on that scale, Hotez says the best thing to do is to recommend vaccination for those whove had the disease already.
But proponents of including natural immunity in the vaccine mandates equation are also basing their argument on scientific data. They point to certain studies over the past year that have shown that natural immunity offers significant protection against reinfection. These include studies out of Cleveland Clinic and Washington University, as well as Israel.
The Israel study, however, has been the one that has received the most attention recently.
According to the 778,658-person study, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, people who recovered from prior infection and remained unvaccinated were 27 times less likely to experience symptomatic reinfection from the Delta variant when compared to those who had not been infected and received two doses of the mRNA Pfizer vaccine. The study also found that a single dose of the vaccine in people with natural immunity boosted protection against the Delta variant.
In response to the Israeli study, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House chief medical adviser, said natural immunity was something that we need to sit down and discuss seriously. He added that the study didnt provide information on the durability of the protection from prior infection, and that there is a lot more that needs to be accounted for and studied further when it comes to this topic.
Other arguments that have been brought forth by opponents of the vaccine mandates is that in other countries, for example Britain and Israel, proof of prior infection is taken into account, with people being able to receive a vaccination passport for six months. In the United States, however, that is not the case.
Even though opponents have argued that vaccine mandates shouldnt be one-size-fits-all, many health experts believe that vaccinating people who have already had COVID-19 is, ultimately, the most responsible public health policy right now. Theres no doubt that natural infection does provide significant immunity for many people, but were operating in an environment of imperfect information, and in that environment the precautionary principle applies better safe than sorry, former CDC Director Tom Frieden told the British Medical Journal.
Hotez says this universal vaccination strategy is also the best approach at the moment because of the challenges that exist in testing peoples level of immunity or protection from COVID-19 on a large scale.
We do have tests to measure antibodies. In theory, you could even measure virus, neutralizing antibodies in a specialty lab, but thats not easy to do in a high-throughput way, he said. We do not have what we call a true correlate of protection. We do not have a blood test or even a series of blood tests that we can say definitively, you know, thumbs-up, thumbs-down, youre protected or not, he added.
Finally, health experts say vaccination is simply a more quantifiable, predictable and reliable way to protect the population right now, so Hotez emphasizes the importance of getting the shot, even if youve had COVID-19 before.
The bottom line is that if youre infected and recovered, youre still susceptible to reinfection, especially from this Delta variant. ... If youve not been vaccinated, get vaccinated; if youve been infected and recovered, get vaccinated, he said.
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Read more from Yahoo News:
Oakland County offersCommunity Clinicswith the ability to set an appointment online or simply walk-in to receive a vaccine. There are no barriers to getting the vaccine and there are more places than ever to find a shot. Many of the pharmacies and other health care providers in the area also have shots available and are welcoming walk-ins for doses.
Children of color lack access to COVID-19 vaccines, and that's sadly 'not a surprise,' experts say USA TODAY
President BidenJoe BidenTop GOP senator: 'Far-left Democrats are driving the bus and Joe Biden is just along for the ride' Political study should give Democrats a jolt Fauci says it's a 'false narrative' to think COVID-19 vaccine not needed if Merck drug approved MOREs top medical adviser, Anthony FauciAnthony FauciFauci says it's a 'false narrative' to think COVID-19 vaccine not needed if Merck drug approved Sunday shows preview: Biden amps up involvement in talks amid tug-of-war over infrastructure Fauci: Results from Merck pill to treat COVID-19 'impressive' MORE,said on Sunday that it is a false narrative to think that the COVID-19 vaccinewouldnot be needed if an antiviral COVID-19 treatment from Merckis federally approved.
This Weekco-anchor Jonathan Karl asked Fauci on ABC if theapproval ofthe antiviral treatment could make taking the COVID-19 vaccine unnecessary.
Oh, absolutely not. That's such a false narrative that someone says, Well now you have a drug. Remember, the easiest way to stay out of the hospital, and not die, is don't get infected, Fauci told Karl.
I mean this idea about We have a drug, don't get vaccinated, just doesn't make any sense,Fauci added.
Faucis comments come as the United States surpassed the grim milestone of 700,000 COVID-19 deaths.
He also said that many of those deaths could have been avoidable had they taken the COVID-19 vaccine, explaining if you look at the people who get hospitalized, and the people who die, it is overwhelmingly weighted towards the people who are unvaccinated.
"When you say 'Are some of those deaths avoidable?' They certainly are. In fact, looking forward now, most of the deaths could be avoidable if we get people vaccinated," Dr. Anthony FauciAnthony FauciFauci says it's a 'false narrative' to think COVID-19 vaccine not needed if Merck drug approved Sunday shows preview: Biden amps up involvement in talks amid tug-of-war over infrastructure Fauci: Results from Merck pill to treat COVID-19 'impressive' MORE tells @jonkarl as the U.S. surpasses 700,000 deaths from COVID-19. https://t.co/8flUwOVpbb pic.twitter.com/cjzGTnKN69
Merck said last weekthatits antiviral COVID-19 treatment, molnupiravir, was effective against COVID-19.The pharmaceutical giantsaid that inphase three trials, only 7.3 percent of those who received the medication were hospitalized for COVID-19 within 29 dayswhile 14.1 percent of those who received the placebo either ended up in the hospital or died.
Merckalso said that none of the people who received molnupiravir died during the trial, but eight people who received the placebo did.
Merck said that it would be applying for emergency authorization of the drug.
Washingtons vaccine mandate for state and health care workers is about to take effect, but the aftermath will vary depending on where you work.
Monday is the last day to get vaccinated in order to comply with the governors vaccine mandate, which requires state employees and health care workers to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18.
Workers who receive the Johnson & Johnson single-dose shot on Monday will reach the two-week post-vaccination mark and therefore be considered fully vaccinated just by the deadline.
How the vaccine mandate will impact your job largely varies, however.
Many health care workers in Washington are represented by unions, which attempted to bargain the impact of the governors mandate with employers.
Some unions have negotiated paid time off or a buffer period following the Oct. 18 deadline. Some hospitals have not been willing to bargain, however, so how quickly the impacts of the mandate are felt might depend on the employer .
Nurses at Sacred Heart Medical Center and Holy Family Hospital who do not have a verified exemption or are not fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 will be removed from the schedule but will not be separated from employment until Nov. 18, according to the memorandum of understanding agreed to between the Washington State Nurses Association and the hospitals.
Nurses will remain eligible for rehire if they get fully vaccinated or have an exemption approved during that time.
Exemptions are considered for nurses with certain medical issues, as well as sincerely held religious beliefs. Hospitals will provide reasonable accommodation on a case-by-case basis if a nurses exemption has been approved, which could include testing plans, more personal protective equipment or an alternative work assignment.
SEIU1199 NW health care union represents service and technical workers at MultiCare Deaconess Hospital, as well as nurses, service and technical workers at Valley Hospital. As of Friday, both bargaining units had not signed memorandums of understanding regarding the vaccine mandate.
There is no data available from the state that shows how many workers will leave the health care workforce as a result of the mandate.
In the past month, vaccination rates have increased statewide by 25%, Department of Health officials said last week.
Similarly, Providence Spokane hospitals have seen an uptick in staff members getting vaccinated. Providence has not released staff vaccination rates, though.
Across the board when we look at all departments, were seeing more and more people become vaccinated, which is phenomenal to see from the standpoint of a physician to reduce their risk of becoming very, very ill, Dr. Dan Getz, chief medical officer at Providence Spokane, told reporters Friday.
He thinks the mandate, as well as the current COVID risk with the delta variant, have led to an uptick in employees seeking vaccines.
The Washington State Hospital Association plans to collect hospital vaccination rates in the coming weeks and give that information to the state.
Staffing challenges in the health care sector were a problem in Washington state before the pandemic, especially in nursing.
The stress of the pandemic added insult to injury, with more health care workers leaving the industry as a result of pandemic fatigue and burnout.
Now, in the worst COVID wave the state has seen, health care workers will have to prove they have been vaccinated or have an approved exemption to continue working in hospitals, clinics and long-term care facilities statewide.
The governor believes that the mandate will not result in a large loss of personnel across the state.
We think the vast, vast majority of health care professionals, educators and state employees will stay committed to their service, Gov. Jay Inslee said in Spokane on Wednesday.
State Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah said it was hard to know how the mandate would impact staffing statewide.
Some workers unions have bargained for flexibility on the Oct. 18 deadline.
If workers are not vaccinated by then but are awaiting a decision on their accommodation or exemption, they can take paid or unpaid leave for up to a month to receive their decision or get vaccinated, if needed.
A spokesman from the governors office said some agencies began issuing separation notices on Friday but will rescind them if a workers vaccination status is verified before Oct. 18.
The state is not tracking separation notices, but will track how many people actually leave their jobs after Oct. 18.
As of Sept. 20, about 68% of state workers had verified vaccination status, according to data from the Office of Financial Management.
About 9% of state workers have applied for a vaccine accommodation, most of which are religious exemptions.
According to OFM, 5,778 medical and religious exemption requests have been submitted, although only 788 have received accommodations.
S-R Reporter Laurel Demkovich contributed to this report.
Sometimes, the simplest solution is the most effective. After months of advertising campaigns, lottery entries, gimmicky incentives, and outright pleas for Americans to get their COVID-19 shots, the White House, local governments, and businesses finally started getting tough, with vaccine mandates from Joe Biden, local leaders, and corporations taking effect across the country. And wouldnt you know it, requiring people to get vaxxed to work, attend school, and participate in other hallmarks of pre-pandemic life might be working better than promising them a free beer.
Despite a spate of recent headlines about workers walking off the job or getting fired for refusing mandatory vaccinations, a vast majority of employees seem to be complying with the new requirements. United Airlines, one of the first major corporations to make employment contingent on inoculation, announced Mondaythe day of its compliance deadlinethat 98.5% of its United States-based workforce had received at least one shot, with CEO Scott Kirby noting that number isnt even the final tally. That, Kirby said, will likely put the companys vaccination rate at more than 99%and the number of employees terminated under the mandate at fewer than 600. Everyone is safer when everyone is vaccinated, Kirby said, and vaccine requirements work.
Evidence of the effectiveness of mandates also came from Tyson Foods, which imposed a vaccine requirement for all employees at the beginning of August. At the time, not even half of its workers were vaccinated. On Thursday, the companys chief medical officer, Claudia Coplein, told the New York Times that its vaccination rate was now 91%a huge swing over the course of the last two months. The apparent success could be a model for other companies and governments, which have reached out to Tyson, per the Times DealBook newsletter.
There have been and will be some refusals that result in job losses, of course. There will continue to be high-profile vaccine truthers, such as NBA star Kyrie Irving, who has asked for privacy about his vaccination status. (Irving, Andrew Wiggins, and other NBA anti-vaxxers got a shout-out from Ted Cruz over their stand. NBA legend and activist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was less impressed: The NBA should insist that all players and staff are vaccinated or remove them from the team, he told Rolling Stone. There is no room for players who are willing to risk the health and lives of their teammates, the staff and the fans simply because they are unable to grasp the seriousness of the situation or do the necessary research.) But despite political divides over mandates, a growing body of evidence suggests that compliance with the requirements has been strong.
The mandates appear to be particularly effective in healthcare systems, including in New York, where 92% of workers statewide have now received shots. Holding firm on the vaccine mandate for health care workers is simply the right thing to do to protect our vulnerable family members and loved ones from COVID-19, said New York Governor Kathy Hochul, noting that those numbers have spiked in the past month. If mandates are similarly effective at other large businesses, which will have vaccine mandates or stringent testing requirements under the plan Biden announced earlier this month, it could have a profound impact on the battle against the pandemic. Right-wingers like Cruz and Tucker Carlson, whose Fox News program has been a geyser of anti-vaccine fearmongering and wild conjecture about the state of Nicki Minajs cousins friends testicles, are going to keep sowing doubt. But at the end of the day, they represent a smaller number than those who support the mandatesand they arent the ones signing Americans paychecks.
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She was an animal lover in Kentucky who was a "bright ray of sunshine" to all who knew her. He was a father of two and "young soul" in Florida who could often be found out on the water on his boat. They were excited about the next chapters in their lives -- for her, a wedding; for him, his first grandchild.
Samantha Wendell and Shane O'Neal both also resisted getting vaccinated against COVID-19 for months, stemming from feelings of either fear or fearlessness, before deciding to make an appointment to get the shot. But before they could, they contracted COVID-19 and, following weeks of severe illness, died last month after doctors exhausted all options, their families said.
Their two tragic tales were shared publicly on social media and to news outlets by grieving family members trying to make sense of what happened, and maybe prevent others from going through the same loss.
They also represent a population that public health experts are still trying to reach, as millions in the United States remain unvaccinated against COVID-19 as the more contagious delta variant continues to spread.
Days after returning home from her Nashville bachelorette party in July, Wendell, a surgical technician from Grand Rapids, started to feel sick, her cousin, Maria Vibandor Hayes, told ABC News. Her fiance, Austin Eskew, also fell ill, she said, about a month before the two college sweethearts were set to tie the knot on Aug. 21.
Eskew recovered, but Wendell's illness progressed to the point where she was having trouble breathing and needed to be hospitalized the second week in August, according to Vibandor Hayes. The next month was a "rollercoaster" of progress and setbacks, her cousin said. Wendell was moved to a hospital in Indiana, where she was put on a BPAP (bilevel positive airway pressure) machine to help with her breathing, but the week of her wedding she was intubated and put on a ventilator, Vibandor Hayes said.
Samantha Wendell was in the hospital on her wedding date before dying from COVID-19 on Sept. 10, 2021, family said.
After a few more weeks of ups and downs, Wendell's condition didn't improve and doctors told the family they had done everything they possibly could, her cousin said. She died on Sept. 10 from COVID-19 at the age of 29.
"I didn't think that this would be our story," Vibandor Hayes said. "Surely, we're gonna have a wedding to attend before the end of the year, Sam is gonna wake up and she'll be better and we're going to celebrate and live life. But that was not what was the case."
"I just never want another family to experience what our family has gone through, to say goodbye to somebody on the phone," she said.
Maria Vibandor Hayes, left, with her cousin Samantha Wendell in an undated photo.
It was particularly hard to see what her cousin went through because Vibandor Hayes is a COVID-19 long hauler, after contracting the virus in March 2020. "I remember how I felt, I remember how I thought I could possibly die," said Vibandor Hayes, who still suffers from brain fog.
The couple had appointments to get vaccinated after Wendell returned from her bachelorette party, but then they both got sick, Vibandor Hayes said. They had previously hesitated due to concerns of infertility, but Wendell's mother had encouraged them to get vaccinated ahead of their wedding and honeymoon, the cousin said.
Wendell was not alone in her fears of the vaccine -- others have hesitated on getting the shot due to unfounded rumors that it might lead to infertility. Medical experts and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have stressed there is no link between the vaccines and fertility.
"Misinformation killed my cousin," Vibandor Hayes said. "She is a smart young woman, she always has been. I feel like if she was able to look at things from another perspective and that if she had all the information at her hand, that she would have eventually not hesitated for so long."
Shane O'Neal, seen here in an undated photo, died on Sept. 3, 2021, after contracting COVID-19, his family said.
O'Neal was an avid outdoorsman who could often be found fishing, jet skiing or hunting, his daughter, Kylie Dean, told ABC News.
The resident of Maxville, outside Jacksonville, wasn't too concerned about getting vaccinated against COVID-19 -- he mostly kept to himself on his boat when he wasn't at his construction company, Dean said.
"He knew [COVID-19] was real, and he knew what was going on, but I don't think he lived his life in fear of it," Dean said.
The "turning point," she said, was the delta variant, which has fueled a surge of cases and hospitalizations, particularly in the Jacksonville area.
"He knew people affected by it, that it's not something that's going away, it's actually coming back with a vengeance almost," Dean said. "So that's why he was like, you know what, I'm just going to go ahead and do it."
The week O'Neal planned to get the vaccine, though, he tested positive for COVID-19 in early August, his daughter said. He was hospitalized a week later and eventually put on a ventilator. He was a good candidate for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment, a last resort for COVID-19 patients, though his hospital didn't have the machine available, Dean said. After she put out a plea for an ECMO bed, doctors were able to find him one. But his condition deteriorated, and he died in the early morning hours of Sept. 3 at the age of 40.
Kylie Dean with her father, Shane O'Neal, in an undated photo.
About 20 minutes after he died, Dean gave birth to her baby boy, O'Neal's first grandchild.
"I literally broke down, hysterically crying," Dean said of when she got the call that her dad was going to pass soon. "I didn't want him to die alone."
The family is still "in shock," Dean said. Her father was young and had no comorbidities, but his illness progressed rapidly.
Dean, an intensive care unit nurse, hopes to improve access to ECMO therapy and has been speaking out to warn others about the virus and urge them to protect themselves. "It's a monster and people need to be careful, she told ABC News Jacksonville affiliate WJXX.
Wendell's and O'Neal's stories are akin to others shared by family members. Other recent reports of people who planned to get vaccinated but died after contracting COVID-19 include a 53-year-old former Texas councilman, a 39-year-old Illinois teacher, a 48-year-old teacher in Florida, and a 20-year-old college student in North Carolina.
Nearly all COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths are among people who are unvaccinated, as health care workers and in some cases those hospitalized themselves plead for vaccination.
As of Wednesday, some 70 million people who are eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine remain unvaccinated, according to federal data. Over 65% of those ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated nationwide, which is low considering the level of access to free vaccines in the U.S., Rupali Limaye, director of Behavioral and Implementation Science at the International Vaccine Access Center, based at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told ABC News.
At this stage, two main forces may get someone who is hesitant vaccinated, Limaye said -- one is hearing about someone regretting not getting the vaccine, the other a vaccine mandate.
"If someone they know themselves is dealing with a very severe case, and someone they know dies from it or they're close to death, I think that tends to change their mind," Limaye said. "Or the vaccine mandate, because then that's sort of an economic sanction."
Hesitancy continues to be fueled by safety concerns and distrust of the vaccine development process, as well as the belief that preventative measures are unnecessary, she said. Public health experts continue to work to dispel misinformation, but hearing personal stories could be impactful.
"If it is someone that you know where you can hear from a friend, 'This is what happened to my mom,' I think that puts it into perspective for people a lot versus just public health folks saying you should get it," Limaye said. "I think it makes it much more real."
Vibandor Hayes said she has received "hate mail" from strangers after urging people to get vaccinated, but wants to continue to speak out to help prevent another family from experiencing the same heartbreak.
"If this is the gift she has left us, to share with others, then that's what we'll do," Vibandor Hayes said.
The DAAD continues to follow the developments on the coronavirus and adapts its activities flexibly to changing situations.
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In order to counteract the spread of the coronavirus, the DAAD continuously adapts its funding programmes to the dynamic pandamic situation. The protection of funding recipients, partners and employees is a priority.Please note the continu-ously updated information provided by the authorities, in particular the as well as the detailed which include all current warnings.
The pandemic continues to develop dynamically and is a cause for concern in many countries around the world. If you want to apply for a DAAD scholarship or maybe you already have received your letter of award, you will certainly have many questions as to whether, when and how it is possible to start a scholarship in the Corona-induced pandemic situa-tion.
If entry into your host country is not possible due to the pandemic, or if your host country is a virus variant area or a high-risk area, the DAAD would also like to support you in this difficult situation and offers flexible solutions in almost all programmes:
If you decide to travel to a corona risk area (high-risk area or area of variants of concern) you do so at your own risk. We strongly advise you to get vaccinated in this case before leaving Germany.
Please be sure to obtain detailed information about all the consequences of travelling to a corona risk area before you decide, in particular about the rules applicable on departure and return, quarantine and testing obligations, hygiene regulations and other rules of conduct. When making your decision, please also consider the general situation of the health system in your host country. We would also like to point out that the Federal Foreign Office has ruled out Corona-related emergency repatriations of German citizens.
Your scholarship office will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Please read the information compiled beforehand.
We ask our scholarship holders to make sure that they are registered in the crisis prevention list of the Federal Foreign Office, regardless of which country they live in. It is strongly recommended that you also note the emergency number, which can be found on the website of the respective German mission abroad, and that you also inform on the website of the respective embassy about further contact details.
If you are in a area of , please clarify in advance with your transport company whether your return journey is possible without any problems. If you have German citizenship or a residence in Germany, an applies and you may therefore enter Germany. However, you are obliged to provide proof of a test upon entry and to undergo a 14-day quarantine. This also applies to those who have been fully vaccinated an recovered.
If you wish to return to Germany due to the current pandemic situation, you find detailed information . We would like to ask scholarship holders who have returned to Germa-ny in the meantime to temporarily remove themselves from the crisis prevention list of the Federal Foreign Office.
Applications for ongoing calls for proposals will continue to be received and processed, Commission meetings will partly be held by Video conference or decisions will be taken on the basis of written documents.
If you want to apply for a DAAD scholarship or maybe you already have received your letter of award or you would like to travel to Germany for study or research purposes without a scholarship, you will certainly have many questions as to whether, when and how you may start your project in the corona-induced pandemic situation. The same applies to people who have in the meantime returned to their home country and are now considering re-entering Germany.
In the following, we would like to provide you with an overview of the entry options to Germany. Please also refer to the continuously updated information provided by the German authorities, in particular the (BMI) and the (BMG), which since 1 August classify countries of origin into two groups:
High-risk areasAreas of variants of concern
Based on the quarantine regulations of the German federal states, people who have stayed in one of these areas within ten days before entering Germany are required to register at before arriving in Germany and to carry proof of registration with them upon entry.
In addition, all entrants must currently have proof of entry. This can be proof of vaccination or recovery or a test certificate (see ).
Please also read the information on the website of the or the information on the website of the and the regarding entry from risk areas.
Please inform yourself regularly about the risk classification of your home country.
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If you are entering from a , you must be tested prior to entry and submit a negative test result to the airline, train or bus company. Proof of vaccination or recovery can also be presented instead. Proof may also be required at the entry control in Germany by the Federal Police.
In Germany you have to go into 10-day quarantine immediately after entering the country. Quarantine can be shortened from day 1 with proof of vaccination or recovery or from day 5 with negative test proof. As a precaution, we would like to point out that the DAAD cannot organize quarantine accommodations.
Areas of variants of concern
For people staying in so-called with a particularly high spread of mutations of the virus, transport to Germany as well as an entry according to the Corona Virus Entry Ordinance (CoronaEinreiseV) are currently generally prohibited. This also applies to fully vaccinated persons. Exceptions are only possible in very few cases, for example for persons with residence and right of abode in Germany ().
For students as well as scientists from areas of variants of concern this means that a presence study or a research stay in Germany for Wintersemester 2021/2022 cannot be ensured at the moment. Please note that entry is also not possible if a study place commitment has already been granted by the German university: Since entry is not possible, visas cannot be issued as long as a country is considered an areas of variants of concern.
The following entry requirements must also be observed:
Entry into Germany from EU member states and from "Schengen-associated" states is possible - unless the above-mentioned restrictions regarding areas of variants of concern or high-risk areas apply; no "compelling necessity" for entry must be demonstrated.
Furthermore, the following applies to entries from third countries:
A list of third countries from which entry is also possible without a valid reason for entry can be found on the .
For all other third countries the following applies (unless the above-mentioned restrictions regarding areas of variants of concern or high risk areas apply):
It is a prerequisite that the person entering the country has received a complete vaccination (in the case of a recovered person: one administered vaccine dose), that at least 14 days have passed since the last required individual vaccination, and that the vaccine is listed on the .
Upon entry, an or comparable proof of vaccination in English, French, German, Italian or Spanish must be presented.
Third-country nationals from all other countries may enter Germany for study purposes (including doctoral studies), if the studies cannot be carried out entirely from abroad (subject to restrictions for certain risk areas). Because institutions of higher education are organising the courses as a combination of online and in-person instruction, it is not necessary to provide any separate documentation of the need to attend in person.
Entry from third countries is also possible for research purposes (also subject to restrictions for certain risk areas). As a rule, the "economic necessity" of the stay required for skilled workers is assumed if the research activity is carried out at a recognised research institution. These are universities and other research institutions whose activities are mainly financed by public funds.
Proof of the requirement for presence in Germany is a prerequisite for entry (e.g. by presenting the employment contract, the hosting agreement or the letter of invitation from the university/research institution).
In addition, in the case of short-term stays (up to 90 days), it must be credibly demonstrated that the intended research activity cannot be carried out in the same way via online formats (e.g. video conferences).
Please take care of your visa application at a very early stage, as the visa sections of the German missions offer sometimes only a few dates for the application and therefore delays occur.
Information for DAAD scholarship holders:
As it is not yet clear for all countries of origin whether and when entry to Germany will be possible without any problems, we have provided you with the opportunity to start your scholarship project, i.e. your studies or research project, online from your home country or to postpone the start of the scholarship if entry to Germany is not possible for you. To find out whether this possibility exists for your programme and your country of origin, please contact your programme section.
Information about these possibilities as well as further questions and answers concerning the topic "DAAD Scholarships in the Corona Crisis" can be found .
For Erasmus students, the EU Commission has announced that in the event of changes in travel plans (return, cancellation), costs can be reimbursed up to the amount of the total scholarship agreed upon in advance. As most universities in the Erasmus area are closed, we ask all Erasmus students to contact their home university.
The National Agency for EU Higher Education Cooperation has two lists of (in German) for students and higher education institutions on coronavirus and Erasmus+.
The DAAD asks its member universities and project leaders to cancel all DAAD-funded trips from abroad to Germany until further notice. Likewise, there should be no more trips abroad. The DAAD is aware that cancellation costs are unavoidable.
The DAAD will generally endeavour to find accommodating arrangements for the projects funded. We recommend our member universities and project leaders to find out whether projects or stays can be postponed or, if necessary, replaced by virtual formats.
The central tendering run on 1 April remains in place furthermore, whereby the application deadlines may be adapted to the situation or further development of the corona pandemic (COVID-19 for short).
Information for project leaders on how to deal with the effects of the Corona crisis on project funding will be available (in German).
Information about the Erasmus+ programme and the corona virus can be found (in German).
As a matter of principle, we advise against all non-essential travel.
The DAAD has cancelled all business trips and events in Germany. Our offices abroad also react dynamically to the respective situation on site.
We recommend the following sources of information:
The pandemic caused by the corona virus affects all areas of life. Our universities are also massively affected: the start of lectures has been suspended or postponed, libraries and cafeterias are closed, campuses like almost all places in public life are deserted for the most part. Many students are affected in several ways; firstly, it is still uncertain whether and how the teaching of classes can be ensured; secondly, important sources of income have dried up for many students because their part-time job has fallen victim to the crisis. At the same time there are industries and areas (such as agriculture or retail) that are desperately looking for temporary jobbers. Also, the need for voluntary help is growing rapidly, e.g. at food banks or for elderly people. The DAAD would like to make a small contribution to bring these different groups together. We recommend the following offers to students who want to get involved or who are urgently looking for a part-time job:
The website of the Deutsches Studentenwerk, which offers advice for students with financial difficulties, is also highly recommended:
General information can be found here
