"The nurse that took care of him said he was positive and very friendly. She was honored to take care of him. She said most people are hateful but Damon was not," David Thibodeaux, Damon's brother, told CNN. "That's my brother. He is a very loving person."
Damon, 47, was wrongly convicted in Louisiana in 1997 and had been working as an Austin, Texas-based commercial truck driver since his prison release in 2012. He had rebuilt his life, according to his brother.
"He had no grudges, and should have been angry at the world, but he wasn't angry at anyone. He prayed to forgive those that incarcerated him," David said.
Damon was on the road, shortly after getting his second Moderna vaccine shot, when he started feeling symptoms of the virus, David said. The two brothers talked every day, and Damon called David and told him he wasn't feeling well a few days into his drive at the beginning of August.
"As we were talking, I was like, 'Man, it sounds like you're congested,' and he said that he wasn't feeling good and he was exhausted. He thought that he was getting a sinus infection," David said.
Damon was driving a truck to Jacksonville, Florida, from New York and told his brother he would get checked out after he made his delivery.
When Damon arrived in Florida, he called to tell David that he was headed to an emergency clinic. While he was waiting, David said, he passed out and fell on his face. Three or four days went by without any word from Damon.
"Then out of the blue, he called me barely able to talk. He'd go three or four words and then have to gasp for air, and he told me that he was in the hospital," David said. "And he said he tested positive for Covid pneumonia."
David said Damon went from bad to worse. His oxygen levels dropped and he was put on a ventilator because he couldn't breathe on his own.
The pair texted every day and for about a week. Damon's condition went up and down, according to David. His brother said he moved from the ventilator to oxygen and was clear of Covid but could not shake the pneumonia.
He started to get better and then the unexpected happened
Damon's health started to improved little by little, according to David. The Tuesday before his death, he told David that if his oxygen reached 95 or better, the medical staff said they could take off the oxygen tube and see how he did on his own.
On September 2, Damon called David and was hopeful for his recovery.
"He said, 'Bro, I'm ready to get out of here and come home,'" David said.
David told him he loved him, and he made plans to drive from Texas to pick Damon up.
Later that night, David got a call from the hospital. Damon's lungs had collapsed, and his heart had failed, hospital staff told him.
"(The nurse) said, 'We need permission to stop resuscitation,'" David said.
He said he couldn't believe what was happening because he had just spoken to his brother hours before, and Damon had no pre-existing conditions. But after hearing they had been trying to start his heart for 45 minutes, David knew his brother was gone. He gave the hospital permission to stop.
"As hurt and painful as it is, it's really inspiring (to see people touched by his story)," David said. "He's at peace."
Pam Wandzel, director of pro bono and community service at the law firm Fredrikson & Byron, got to know Damon from helping with his murder case. She told CNN he was grateful for his second chance at life.
"I've never met anyone who persevered so eloquently," she said. "He took advantage of every moment of it. He really explored himself and the world around him, and he accomplished a lot in these nine years. He was a remarkable man."
Wrongly convicted and was still seeking compensation
Thibodeaux was wrongly convicted in 1997 after he after falsely confessed to having raped and murdered his 14-year-old step-cousin.
His court-ordered release came after DNA and other evidence exonerated him. Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul Connick Jr. agreed with Thibodeaux's lawyers that he had confessed to a crime he had not committed.
Heres some good news to start your morning: California has less Covid-19 transmission than any state in the country.
Thats according to federal officials, who on Wednesday ranked the states current coronavirus case rate the lowest in the nation.
Sure, there are mask mandates and other measures to credit, but most deserving of thanks is the Golden States high level of vaccinations.
More than 82 percent of Californians aged 12 and older have at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. Only nine states have more of their populations immunized.
The surge of the Delta variant has been a real-life experiment in the effectiveness of vaccines, one that appears to have helped Gov. Gavin Newsom survive a recall election on Tuesday. For the most part, places with high vaccination rates have been protected from the virus.
And in California, the Delta surge appears to have done something else as well: pushed vaccination rates even higher.
The number of people getting vaccinated here began to stall in June, but then spiked as the Delta variant took hold in late July. Ultimately, about 1.6 million Californians got a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine in August, up from the 1.1 million who did so in July.
Its difficult to tease out what exactly led to the rise in vaccinations. California has recently mandated vaccines for state employees, teachers and health care workers. Theres also been new evidence of the strong protections the vaccines offer, even against the Delta variant.
Some Californians may have been persuaded to seek out a shot after witnessing first-hand harm wrought by the virus. Weve all heard stories of people hospitalized with Covid-19, struggling to breathe, and wishing they had gotten the vaccine.
Since early August, the biggest rise in vaccinations in California has been in the San Joaquin Valley, the Sacramento region and far Northern California parts of the state that have recently been hardest hit by coronavirus cases.
Those regions had low vaccination rates to begin with, so they admittedly had more room to increase. But its likely that some people were also influenced by seeing overwhelmed hospitals in their communities.
The question is: What gets you to make a different decision today than youve made the last few months? said UCSF epidemiologist Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo. I think fear is somewhat of a motivator, unfortunately.
Bibbins-Domingo told me she thinks that social pressure, community outreach and availability of the shots also play a role in who gets vaccinated. The coming months will reveal which strategies work best as California health officials try to encourage holdouts to get immunized.
The Delta variant is too contagious to wipe out, even in communities with high vaccination rates, Bibbins-Domingo said. But the shots will remain an essential part of minimizing future surges.
It all starts and ends with vaccination. It doesnt mean once you cross some magical threshold, the virus magically disappears, she told me. How many people are vaccinated its like how many barriers can you put up to withstand the onslaught.
For more:
Los Angeles County officials said Wednesday that proof of vaccination will be required to enter indoor bars, clubs and other drinking establishments starting next month.
Contra Costa County announced earlier this week that customers would have to show vaccine cards at bars, restaurants and gyms. San Francisco already has a similar mandate in place.
The unvaccinated are 11 times more likely than the vaccinated to die from Covid-19.
Look up Covid-19 rates in your California county with our coronavirus tracker. Or explore global trends in coronavirus spread here.
Researchers are beginning yearlong studies to examine any possible connections between vaccination and irregular menstruation.
California counties with the lowest vaccination rates were most likely to vote to oust Newsom, finds an analysis from The Los Angeles Times.
President Bidens proposal to make booster shots available to adults was supposed to roll out next week. But amid a chorus of dissent inside and outside government, the plans future is up in the air.
Read the full story from my colleagues.
Enjoy this cucumber salad with soy, ginger and garlic.
A writer went searching for Asian American history in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Read more about a California Gold Rush town called Chinese Camp.
UnderstandVaccine and Mask Mandates in the U.S.
Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. Well be sharing more in upcoming editions of the newsletter.
Between the wildfires, pandemic and drought, this summer in California hasnt been easy.
So with Sept. 22 marking the end of the season, Im asking for you to share what has helped you make it through. Maybe it was a vacation you had postponed, a trashy TV show, a delicious meal you cooked or your nightly stroll.
Email me your favorite summer memory at CAtoday@nytimes.com along with your name and the city where you live. If you want to include a picture, please make sure its oriented horizontally.
Fewer than five percent of career firefighters in the nation are women. This camp in Northern California is trying to change that.
In 2018, Alameda County fire captain Kimberly Larson started a nonprofit that hosts camps for high schoolers across the Bay Area to introduce women to nontraditional careers like firefighting, reports The San Francisco Examiner.
At this years camp, smaller than usual because of the pandemic, enthusiasm was at an all-time high.
So many of them this time around said were going to be firefighters, San Francisco Fire Capt. Julie Mau told the newspaper. Just very, very self-assured, very determined.
VIENNA, Sept 17 (Reuters) - A Vienna court on Friday heard the first of more than a dozen lawsuits being brought against Austria over an outbreak of the coronavirus at the ski resort of Ischgl in early 2020, where COVID-19 found a breeding ground in crowded bars.
The outbreak at Ischgl, which branded itself "the Ibiza of the Alps", was Austria's biggest and helped spread the virus across Europe. Hundreds of Austrians were infected and thousands of foreign tourists, particularly in Germany, say they were too.
Ischgl's first case was detected on March 7, days after Iceland announced that tourists had been infected there and 11 days after Austria's first infections were confirmed. Austria's public health agency has since said it believes the virus arrived in Ischgl far earlier, on Feb. 5.
Friday's case is being brought by the widow and son of a 72-year-old man who died of COVID-19 after a holiday there from March 6 to March 13. They are seeking roughly 100,000 euros ($118,000) in damages.
The private Consumer Protection Association (VSV), which helped bring this case and 14 others, accuses Austria of "multiple organ failure" since it blames the state at various levels, from the federal government to local authorities.
The authorities in the province of Tyrol say they responded appropriately given what was known at the time. Lawyers for Austria did not comment to reporters at the courthouse.
The plaintiffs say the authorities reacted too slowly and then inappropriately, including when Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced an immediate quarantine that prompted a chaotic exodus.
"What happened was a hurried, chaotic departure of thousands ... of holidaymakers, some of whom were still on the slopes when they heard of the chancellor's announcement," the plaintiffs' lawyer Alexander Klauser told reporters.
"People ran to their cars in ski boots."
($1 = 0.8488 euros)
Writing by Maria Sheahan and Francois MurphyEditing by Gareth Jones
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
BRIDGEWATER (CBS) In its weekly report of COVID-19 data, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education revealed that 1,230 Massachusetts kids had tested positive for COVID-19 in just three days time, from September 13 through September 15.
That represents only about 0.13 percent of the student population, most of which isnt eligible to be vaccinated yet.
I think this really needs to be a warning to many that were not back to business as usual, Dr. Mark Siedner, epidemiologist at Mass General told WBZ. I think this really does reinforce that mask mandates in school are going to be necessary until this wave is behind us or kids can be vaccinated.
Different school districts are finding ways to combat small outbreaks. In Bridgewater, 13 kids and two staff members tested positive in one fourth grade classroom at the Williams Intermediate School.
The entire class is now quarantined.
In an email to parents, the Superintendent wrote, [We] believe this cluster is only related to this classroom, however, we will continue to monitor this situation and work closely with local and state officials.
Parents of fourth graders who are not quarantined are concerned. I dont understand, Amy Harding of Bridgewater told WBZ. They all eat in the same cafeteria, like I dont know how its just that one classroom.
In addition to the 1,230 kids who tested positive for COVID-19 in the three-day span, 190 staff members statewide did, too, representing about 0.14 percent of the population.
Just as children return to classrooms, our country, unfortunately, finds itself in the midst of a COVID-19 resurgence that is heightening anxiety and leading many school communities to revisit their health and safety plans. As they do, it is essential that school leaders, teachers, and families are equipped with accurate information on the risk to themselves and their children.
It is easy to panic upon hearing of a teenager who suddenly died from COVID-19, or of an intensive care unit caring for multiple COVID-infected children on ventilators. But overreactions to these rare events can lead to interventions that might only divide communities further. What is needed now is transparency on what the data on children and COVID-19 are showing. That story is more reassuring.
It is true that with more than 65% of adults in the U.S. fully vaccinated, a greater number of children are becoming infected during this resurgence than before. However, this should not be surprising as children were out and about more this summer than last, often without masks, and are now attending after-school activities, participating in larger gatherings, and traveling more with their families. Were also facing a delta variant that is more contagious, a challenge compounded by stalled vaccination efforts across the country.
READ MORE: Many teens struggle with COVID-19 anxiety and depression. Which therapy is best? | Expert Opinion
Still, it is important to understand that while pediatric COVID-19 cases are numerically increasing, the disease has not become more serious in children. While more children have been hospitalized in this wave than prior ones, the overall numbers nationwide remain low. While nearly 100,000 adults in the U.S. are currently hospitalized for COVID-19, the pediatric hospital census (patient count) has remained near 1,500 children. The American Academy of Pediatrics weekly report from Sept. 2 on COVID-19 and children notes that the proportion of children hospitalized among all those infected remains at 0.9%, unchanged over the last year.
Given the uneven uptake of vaccines nationwide, it isnt surprising that most of these pediatric hospitalizations (nearly 70%) have been in the South. Just two states, Florida and Texas, accounted for nearly 30% of all children hospitalized last week, where the pediatric census reached 175 and 260 children, respectively. Areas throughout Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Tennessee have some of the lowest vaccination rates and have also been beset with similarly increasing pediatric hospitalizations, but at lower absolute numbers given these states smaller populations.
There is also a growing narrative that childrens hospitals are experiencing capacity constraints. This has been true for some childrens hospitals in the South, particularly those that provide care for large regions, but for most childrens hospitals in the country, current capacity constraints are not driven by COVID-19.
Non-COVID-19 viral illnesses are rapidly reemerging among children as they increasingly mingle. Furthermore, more youth are coming to childrens hospitals with psychiatric emergencies, signs that the youth behavioral health crisis that began before the pandemic has been exacerbated by the prolonged social isolation children have had to endure.
READ MORE: Philly parent: Schools need more input from families when making critical decisions | Opinion
The risk of hospitalization from COVID-related complications is high enough for us to strongly recommend that families immunize their older children and that we move as quickly as possible to approve vaccines for children under 12 years of age. But it is not sufficient to alter guidance to families about risk to their children.
While we tend to focus on school safety plans as the primary way to protect children against COVID-19 transmission, the best intervention is to surround them with vaccinated adults and ensure every adult they might encounter is also vaccinated. Texas where, per data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, only 57% of adults were fully vaccinated by mid-August during the height of the summer resurgence has seen some of the highest numbers of children hospitalized. Approximately 10% of all U.S. children live in Texas, yet more than 20% of all hospitalized children were in Texas hospital beds last week. In contrast, California where 67% of adults were fully vaccinated by mid-August and 12% of the countrys children live saw a peak census of only 8% of all children nationally. In our own area, Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia did not surpass a census of 10 children with COVID-19 throughout July and August, part of a broader Northeastern trend where hospital census has plateaued at 70 children in the entire region during the last two weeks before Labor Day.
During this uncertain time, scary anecdotes can do more harm than good. A more data-driven assessment of the COVID-19 risk to children as they return to school can better guide communities toward practical local solutions for navigating this year.
It is critically important that communities make their decisions locally with unbiased, tempered information on the true risk, alongside a frank discussion about those interventions namely adult vaccination that can best protect children outside of school walls.
David Rubin is the director of PolicyLab at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Susan Coffin is a faculty member at PolicyLab and a professor in the division of infectious diseases at CHOP.
BERLIN, Sept 17 (Reuters) - The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will have tight COVID-19 countermeasures in place to ensure the safety of all participants, the International Olympic Committee said on Friday.
Just over a month after the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Games, IOC President Thomas Bach said in an open letter that next year's Winter Games would also require strict measures amid the ongoing pandemic.
"While the pandemic is far from over, I would like to reassure you that together with our Chinese partners and friends, we are sparing no effort to make these Olympic Winter Games safe and secure for everyone," Bach said.
The Beijing Winter Olympics will be held from Feb. 4-20.
"As we did in Tokyo, we are putting in place rigorous COVID-19 countermeasures to ensure the health and safety of all Olympic participants in Beijing," the IOC president said, urging teams to get vaccinated and offering support in this process.
The vast majority of athletes and participants at the Tokyo Olympics were vaccinated.
Athletes were confined to the venues and the athletes' village while other stakeholders were also monitored in their movements, as polls had showed the majority of Japanese wanted the Games postponed or cancelled for fear of becoming a superspreader event.
The Tokyo Games had been delayed by a year and were eventually held in a state of emergency and without spectators or international visitors as Japan struggled with rising cases.
"The excellent cooperation that we are enjoying with our Chinese partners and friends, as well as the relevant Chinese health authorities, gives us all great confidence that we will again have safe and secure Olympic Games," Bach said.
Beijing will become the first city to host both Winter and Summer Olympics, after staging the 2008 Summer edition.
Reporting by Karolos GrohmannEditing by Toby Davis
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of September 16, 2021, there have been 3,644,765 total confirmatory laboratory results received for COVID-19, with 217,119 total cases and 3,313 deaths.
DHHR has confirmed the deaths of a 53-year old female from Mercer County, an 84-year old male from Wood County, a 65-year old male from Wood County, a 52-year old male from Ritchie County, a 79-year old female from Raleigh County, a 91-year old female from Preston County, a 56-year old female from Wetzel County, a 70-year old male from Kanawha County, a 52-year old male from Kanawha County, a 45-year old male from Greenbrier County, an 89-year old male from Wetzel County, a 77-year old male from Marion County, a 67-year old female from Preston County, a 46-year old male from Kanawha County, an 89-year old female from Raleigh County, a 33-year old female from Kanawha County, and a 56-year old female from Harrison County.
We are thankful for all the healthcare workers who are treating West Virginians battling COVID-19 and send our sympathies to these families, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary. I urge everyone to get vaccinated to prevent further loss of life.
CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (2,217), Berkeley (15,581), Boone (2,840), Braxton (1,574), Brooke (2,675), Cabell (12,343), Calhoun (741), Clay (953), Doddridge (918), Fayette (4,831), Gilmer (1,106), Grant (1,727), Greenbrier (3,992), Hampshire (2,500), Hancock (3,370), Hardy (2,026), Harrison (8,205), Jackson (2,961), Jefferson (5,765), Kanawha (20,112), Lewis (2,187), Lincoln (2,187), Logan (4,422), Marion (6,035), Marshall (4,528), Mason (2,930), McDowell (2,223), Mercer (6,959), Mineral (3,763), Mingo (3,722), Monongalia (11,012), Monroe (1,792), Morgan (1,653), Nicholas (2,751), Ohio (5,297), Pendleton (966), Pleasants (1,193), Pocahontas (919), Preston (3,800), Putnam (7,062), Raleigh (9,388), Randolph (4,239), Ritchie (1,112), Roane (1,034), Summers (1,150), Taylor (1,747), Tucker (819), Tyler (1,119), Upshur (3,228), Wayne (4,404), Webster (851), Wetzel (2,055), Wirt (637), Wood (10,556), Wyoming (2,942).
Delays may be experienced with the reporting of information from the local health department to DHHR. As case surveillance continues at the local health department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certain county may not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individual in question may have crossed the state border to be tested. Please visit www.coronavirus.wv.gov for more detailed information.
West Virginians 12 years and older are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. To learn more about the vaccine, or to find a vaccine site near you, visit vaccinate.wv.gov or call 1-833-734-0965. West Virginians ages 12 and older who have had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine can register for the second Do it for Babydog: Save a life, Change your life vaccine sweepstakes by visiting doitforbabydog.wv.gov.
Free pop-up COVID-19 testing is available today in Barbour, Berkeley, Boone, Cabell, Doddridge, Fayette, Greenbrier, Hampshire, Hancock, Hardy, Jefferson, Lincoln, Logan, Mineral, Mingo, Monongalia, Monroe, Ohio, Pendleton, Preston, Randolph, Taylor, Tyler/Wetzel, and Wood counties.
Barbour County
9:00 AM 12:00 PM, Barbour County Health Department, 109 Wabash Avenue, Philippi, WV
3:00 PM 7:00 PM, Junior Volunteer Fire Department, 331 Row Avenue, Junior, WV
Berkeley County
10:00 AM 5:00 PM, 891 Auto Parts Place, Martinsburg, WV
1:00 PM 5:00 PM, Shenandoah Community Health, 99 Tavern Road, Martinsburg, WV
4:30 PM 8:00 PM, Dorothy McCormack Building, 2000 Foundation Way, Martinsburg, WV
Boone County
12:00 PM 4:00 PM, Boone County Health Department, 213 Kenmore Drive, Danville, WV
Cabell County
8:00 AM 4:00 PM, Cabell Huntington Health Department, 1801 6th Avenue, Huntington, WV
Doddridge County
10:00 AM 3:00 PM, Doddridge County Park, The Barn, 1252 Snowbird Road South, West Union, WV
Fayette County
10:00 AM 2:00 PM, Fayette County Health Department, 5485 Maple Lane, Fayetteville, WV
3:00 PM 6:00 PM, Gateway Center, 1 Greyhound Lane, Smithers, WV
Greenbrier County
10:00 AM 3:00 PM, State Fair of WV Campground, 891 Maplewood Avenue, Lewisburg, WV
Hampshire County
10:00 AM 5:00 PM, Hampshire Memorial Hospital, 63 Sunrise Boulevard, Romney, WV
Hancock County
1:30 PM 3:30 PM, Lot beside of Hancock County Magistrate Office (under tent), 900 N. Chester Street, New Cumberland, WV
Hardy County
9:00 AM 12:00 PM, Hardy County Emergency Ambulance Authority, 17940 SR 55, Baker, WV
5:00 PM 8:00 PM, Moorefield High School, 401 North High Street, Moorefield, WV
Jefferson County
10:00 AM 6:00 PM, Hollywood Casino, 750 Hollywood Drive, Charles Town, WV
Lincoln County
9:00 AM 3:00 PM, Lincoln County Health Department, 8008 Court Avenue, Hamlin, WV (optional pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)
Logan County
12:00 PM 5:00 PM, Old 84 Lumber Building, 100 Recovery Road, Peach Creek, WV (optional pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)
Mineral County
10:00 AM 4:00 PM, Mineral County Health Department, 541 Harley O. Staggers Drive, Keyser, WV
Mingo County
10:00 AM 2:00 PM, Seven Eleven, 11 West 2nd Avenue, Williamson, WV
Monongalia County
8:00 AM 12:00 PM, WVU Recreation Center (lower level), 2001 Rec Center Drive, Morgantown, WV
Monroe County
9:00 AM - 2:00 PM, Church of God Fellowship Hall, 96 Bud Ridge Road, Union, WV 24983
Ohio County
9:00 AM 3:30 PM, Ohio Valley Medical Center (former main entrance/turning circle), 2000 Eoff Street, Wheeling, WV
Pendleton County
11:00 AM 5:00 PM, Pendleton County Health Department, 276 Mill Road, Franklin, WV
Preston County
4:00 PM 5:30 PM, Terra Alta Community Ambulance Squad Station, 1124 East State Street, Terra Alta, WV
Randolph County
10:00 AM 6:00 PM, Davis Health Center, 812 Gorman Avenue, Elkins, WV
8:00 AM 2:00 PM, Parking Lot across from Randolph-Elkins Health Department, 32 Randolph Avenue, Elkins, WV
Taylor County
2:00 PM 4:00 PM, Grafton-Taylor County Health Department, 718 West Main Street (parking lot at Operations Trailer), Grafton, WV
Tyler/Wetzel Counties
1:00 PM 4:00 PM, Wetzel-Tyler County Health Department, 425 South Fourth Avenue, Paden City, WV
Wood County
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM, WVU Parkersburg, 300 Campus Drive, Parkersburg, WV
For additional free COVID-19 testing opportunities across the state, please visit https://dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19/pages/testing.aspx.
LIHUE Thursday, the state Department of Health Kauai District Health Office announced 54 new COVID-19 cases, representing one visitor and 53 residents.
Of the 54 new cases, 14 are children and 40 are adults.
Nine of the cases are related to travel five interisland and four mainland. The remaining 45 cases are considered community-acquired. Thirty-eight of the community-acquired infections are close contacts of previously announced cases or are tied to an active cluster. The remaining seven community-acquired cases have no known source of infection, including two whom investigators have been unable to reach after repeated attempts or who have refused to provide information.
These cases bring the number of active cases to 269, with four hospitalized, and 2,005 cumulative cases.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of those who are hospitalized at this time are unvaccinated, county Managing Director Michael Dahilig said Thursday.
Earlier this week, the county identified two clusters in the last week, one in an educational setting and the other in a restaurant. The exact locations, however, were not disclosed.
Regarding cluster locations, the common feature of clusters is what people are doing, not where they are going, Kauai District Health Officier Dr. Janet Berreman said Thursday.
The high-risk behaviors that we see most often leading to clusters are large gatherings, especially indoors; unvaccinated individuals; inconsistent mask-wearing; crowding; and participating in activities while sick. Avoiding any setting where people are exhibiting these behaviors reduces your risk of being exposed and infected, she said.
Berreman said that only when the DOH cannot identify all associated close contacts will it release a specific cluster location.
However, we have a responsibility to protect the privacy for all residents as much as possible, Berreman said. If DOH is able to adequately identify and notify the close contacts, there is no need to publicly identify a location.
Today, the mobile vaccine clinic is at the Lihue Neighborhood Center, and Wainiha Country Market on Saturday, from noon to 3 p.m. each day. Hoola Lahui Hawaii representatives will be at Kekaha Neighborhood Center Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m., offering all three vaccines.
Gov. Steve Sisolak on Tuesday signed an emergency regulation requiring COVID-19 vaccination by Nov. 1 for a number of state employees. The requirement applies to those working with vulnerable populations in state-operated, licensed health care settings or state-operated detention facilities.
Affected individuals are those working in institutions that include Lakes Crossing Center, Northern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services Dini Townsend Hospital, and the Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities in Reno and Sparks.
The Nevada Board of Health voted on Friday in favor of the requirement. Their decision came during an emergency meeting held one day after President Joe Biden ordered new federal vaccine requirements including for federal health care workers, federal employees and contractors.
I am grateful to the Board of Health for passing an emergency regulation to require State staff who work with vulnerable populations in certain settings provide proof of COVID-19 vaccinations by November 1, Governor Sisolak said. I also want to thank the Medical Advisory Team for providing this policy recommendation and for the staff at DPBH for developing the proposal heard at the meeting.
The emergency regulation is effective for 120 days and must go through a public review process to be made permanent.
The COVID-19 vaccine is free, safe and effective. They are available at a number of locations throughout the state. Find a vaccine clinic online at NVCOVIDFighter.org.
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