Coronavirus: NRA cancels annual meeting due to Covid case surge in Houston - as it happened Financial Times
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) People in Oregon, regardless of vaccination status, will once again be required to wear masks in most public outdoor settings including large outdoor events where physical distancing is not possible beginning Friday.
The mandate, announced Tuesday by Gov. Kate Brown, is part of a growing list of statewide requirements implemented in Oregon in an attempt to slow the rapid spread of COVID-19.
Oregon is one of a handful of states with an indoor mask mandate in effect. But its the first to reinstitute a statewide mask requirement for outdoor public areas where people are close together, according to the governors office.
Over the past month, coronavirus cases, fueled by the highly transmissible delta variant, have overwhelmed hospitals in the Pacific Northwest state. On Tuesday, Brown said 1,000 people with COVID-19 were hospitalized, beating the states record set the previous day of 937 people.
The Delta variant is spreading fast and wide, throwing our state into a level of crisis we have not yet seen in the pandemic. Cases and hospitalizations are at a record high, Brown said in a statement. Masks are a quick and simple tool we can immediately deploy to protect ourselves and our families, and quickly help stop further spread of COVID-19.
Health officials say part of the reason for the new mandate is that theyre seeing instances where cases are clustering around outdoor events, such as music festivals.
The new mandate requires masks in outdoor settings in which people from different households are unable to consistently maintain physical distance. The rule does not apply to fleeting encounters, such as two people walking by each other on a trail or in a park.
While the rule does not apply to outdoor gatherings at private residences with individuals from different households, the Oregon Health Authority strongly recommends that people wear a mask during those scenarios.
Along with mask mandates, the governor has announced that staff and volunteers in K-12 schools, health care workers and state employees are required to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18.
Oregon was once described as a success story for limiting the spread of the coronavirus, after its Democratic governor imposed some of the nations strictest safety measures. Those restrictions were lifted June 30, and the state is now being hammered by delta variant, which was first detected in India.
On Monday there were just 47 adult intensive care unit beds available in Oregon. Currently more than 90% of the states ICU and hospital beds are full. Health officials say the overwhelming majority of people hospitalized are unvaccinated.
Many hospitals have canceled elective surgeries, and some patients are housed in hallways instead of rooms.
Brown has dispatched about 1,500 National Guard troops to hospitals around the state.
___
Sara Cline is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
CLEVELAND, Ohio Ohios COVID-19 case rate is rocketing sharply reaching a six-month high of 4,117 cases reported on Tuesday alone - and shows no sign of leveling off, according to data from the Ohio Department of Health.
While last year the rolling seven-day average for new cases was trending slightly downward by this point of the summer, this year cases have spiraled upward.
The seven-day average of cases per day tripled from 1,095 a day at the end of July to 3,296 on Tuesday. At the same point last year, on Aug. 24, the average was 941 cases a day.
Hospitalizations are also rising. The Ohio Hospital Association reported 2,095 coronavirus patients in its preliminary count for Tuesday, the first time it was over 2,000 since Feb. 8.
The number of coronavirus patients in Ohio hospitals on Tuesday topped 2,000 for the first time in months, and exceeds last summer's levels.
Here are a few more comparisons in the seven-day COVID-19 case rate and hospitalizations that illustrate the pandemics course in Ohio:
The rise in cases is happening even though COVID-19 vaccines have been widely available for months.
About 51% of Ohioans of all ages have gotten at least one shot of vaccine, and 60% of Ohioans 12 and up have started the vaccination process, according to ODH.
Rich Exner contributed to this story.
The NRA reached the "difficult decision" to call off the event after analysis of the "relevant data regarding COVID-19 in Harris County, Texas," the association said in a statement. It said it consulted with medical professionals, local officials and many members before the final decision was made.
"The NRA Annual Meeting welcomes tens of thousands of people, and involves many events, meetings, and social gatherings," the statement said. "We are mindful that NRA Annual Meeting patrons will return home to family, friends and co-workers from all over the country, so any impacts from the virus could have broader implications."
The cancellation comes as Texas is grappling with rising Covid-19 cases and shrinking ICU vacancies.
"The NRA looks forward to a Celebration of Freedom in Louisville in May 2022," the association said in its statement. "In the meantime, we will support many other NRA local events and smaller gatherings -- in a manner that is protective of our members and celebrates our Second Amendment freedom."
CNN's Jennifer Henderson contributed to this report.
Local health officials are encouraging residents in Guernsey and surrounding counties to get vaccinated and follow safety precautions including wearing a mask to help stop a significant increase in COVID-19 cases.
Guernsey County health officials reported 118 new COVID-19 cases in the past week.
"There is no question COVID-19 cases are increasing in Guernsey and surrounding counties," said Southeastern Med President/CEO Wendy C. Elliott. "Over the last week, cases in Guernsey County have increased by 168%."
Elliott said the case rates are based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID Data Tracker that also showed 20 new cases last week in Noble County.
"Subsequently, we are also seeing an increase in COVID-positive patients at the hospital," said Elliott. "It is unclear how many of these cases are due to the Delta Variant. What we do know for certain is vaccination continues to be the best weapon to prevent serious illness and hospitalization."
All three vaccinations, including the FDA-approved Pfizer, are available for free at local health departments and at area drugstores.
"We highly encourage everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated to help stop the rise in cases in our community," said Elliott.
New coronavirus cases statewide for the week of Aug. 16-22 totaled 21,227 a 21.8.% increase.
Guernsey County Health Commissioner Dr. Edward Colby said he has seen a dramatic increase in positive results for COVID-19 in the county and his own private practice.
"We have definitely seen an increase in the number of cases recently," said Colby, who reported more than a dozen positive COVID-19 tests in his own office in the past couple weeks.
The Cambridge-Guernsey County Health Department recorded 200 new COVID cases from Aug. 1 through Monday morning. Colby said more new cases were reported Monday and Tuesday.
"We are also seeing fully-vaccinated people with positive tests," said Colby. "They are not getting as sick, but they are testing positive. Eight of the nine I tested recently had a positive result for coronavirus."
The Ohio Department of Health says 14,814 Guernsey County residents (38.11% of the county's population) have started the vaccination process and $13,826 (35.57%) have been fully vaccinated.
In Noble County, 5.217 residents (36.13%) have started receiving the coronavirus vaccinations including 4,850 (33.62%) who have completed the process.
Colby encourages area residents to get vaccinated to avoid the more serious symptoms of the coronavirus. He also believes the refusal by the majority of the community to wear a mask has contributed tothe rising COVID-19 cases.
"People are not wearing masks anymore," said Colby. "Anywhere you go, you don't see very many people, if any, wearing masks. I'm afraid we are going to be right back to square one."
Last week, Guernsey County only reported 44 new COVID cases.
Throughout the pandemic the Cambridge-Guernsey County Health Department has reported 3,549 cases and 54 deaths.Meanwhile, Noble County has reported 1,426 cases and 40 deaths.
Ohio ranked 35th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows.
Weekly case counts rose in 74 of the state's 88 counties. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Cuyahoga, Stark and Franklin counties. Cases fell in 13 Ohio counties.
A total of 1,180,986 people in Ohio have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 20,689 people have died from the disease.
The CDC recommends the following steps to help prevent the spread of COVID-19:
Contact the health department, 740-439-3577, for more information regarding COVID-19 vaccinations.
COVID vaccine booster shots coming Sept. 20, Biden administration says
The booster shots will only be for recipients of certain vaccines and after a certain time period.
Staff video, USA TODAY
As a fourth wave of the coronavirus surges, Americans by a wide margin say protecting the common good is more important than ensuring personal liberty when considering whether to require people to get a COVID-19 vaccination or wear a protective mask.
An overwhelming 72%-28% of those surveyed by USA TODAY and Ipsos called mask mandates "a matter of health and safety," not an infringement on personal liberty. By 61%-39%, they endorsed requiring vaccinationsexcept for those with a medical or religious exemption.
"I think everybody should be able to make their own decision as long as they're not hurting someone else," said Donna Sharp, 54, of Wynne, Arkansas, a caregiver who was among those called in the poll. "But in the case of this, with the vaccine, in a way you are hurting other people if you don't get it and you spread it."
That view isn't universal, though.Nearly 1 in 5 said they hadn't gotten a COVID-19 shot and don't plan to anytime soon underscoring the complicated terrain ahead as the number of cases diagnosedand deaths recorded rise, especially in communities with low vaccination rates.
"I think the mandates and requirements are against our rights as being U.S. citizens," said Carlie Wright, 30, a stay-at-home mother of two sons from Logan, Utah, who has declined to get a vaccine or wear a mask."We shouldn't have government to control our lives and tell us what they can and can't do."
By more than 2-1, 70%-30%, Americans agreed that people havethe right to choose not to get the vaccinebut that they then don't have the right to be around the vaccinated. There was significant support for businesses, employers, colleges, restaurants, airlines and others to bar those who hadn't gotten the shot.
The COVID culture war: At what point should personal freedom yield to the common good?
That debate is reverberating across the country as school districts prepare to reopen in the next few weeks and businesses begin to bring backemployees who havebeen working remotely during the pandemic. The Biden administration last week threatened to cut off federalfunding to nursing homes that didn't require staffers to be vaccinated.InTexas and Florida, some school districts confronted governors over whether they could require masks.
The poll found broad backingfor tough steps against those who were eligible to get the vaccine but declined:
"It's a very fine line, but there comes a certain point a person's liberties end," said Michael Tricarico, 50, a transit system worker from Brooklyn. "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."
The fallout has affected his own workplace.This month, outgoing New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered that the state's MTA and Port Authority workers must get vaccinated by Labor Day or face weekly coronavirus testing.
Among those surveyed, some steps were seen as going too far; 62% opposed firing the unvaccinated from their jobs. But a majority also rejected the idea that nothing should happen to them as a result of their decision.
For most, the practical trumped the philosophical on a question of public health.By 75%-25%, they saidgetting the vaccine was less about protecting the individual and more about stopping the spread of COVID-19.
Which students missed class during COVID-19? We asked. And, schools dont know.
The USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll, taken online of 1,088 adults Aug. 17-18, has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
"I initially didn't want to get it, because you never know the long-lasting side effects," said Aleeah Baker, 18, a restaurant worker from Beaumont, Texas. But sheand others in her family got the vaccine because of concern for her niece, who lives in the same household and is too young to be vaccinated. "It's a little bit of extra security for me and my family."
Three-fourths of those surveyedreported getting at least one dose of avaccine. That group included 86% of Democrats, 73% of independents and 66% of Republicans.
Thepartisan differences sharpened over where the balance should be between the common good and personal liberty when it comes to the vaccine. Democrats by 78%-22% said protecting the common good was more important.Republicans by 62%-38% said protecting personal liberty was more important.
That perspective was particularly powerful among those who hadn't gotten the shot and had no plans to get one in the next few months. By 78%-22%, they said protecting personal liberty was more important.
David Lintz, 41, a property manager from Lubbock, Texas, hasn't been vaccinated and questioned whether it was necessary.
"If it came to point where the virus was so bad, if it was something more severe other than people having the sniffles or the flu, and I thought I could save my family by doing it, I would get it," he said in a follow-up interview. "Otherwise, there's really no point to get it."
In fact, the highly contagious delta variant has fueled an increase in COVID-19 rates in all 50 states. Texas is now reporting more than 100 COVID-19 deaths a day,and dozens of Texas hospitals have no available bedsin their intensive care units. Ninety-three percent to 98% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated, state officials say.
Nationwide, cases and hospitalizations are rising among children, who aren't eligible for the vaccine until age 12. Parents and school officials are fighting over back-to-school safety measures, and thousands of kids in public school districts are under quarantine after being exposed to the virus.
'I should have done it:' Unvaccinated man who survived COVID encourages others to get the shot
Addressing the pandemic is colored by a political overtone that otherrules and regulations to protect the common good arenot.
"Broadly speaking, Americans are in favor of mandates to further the public good," said Cliff Young, president of Ipsos."Yet in our deeply divided society, where COVIDhas become increasingly politicized, partisanship overrides such sense of collective community."
Requirements to wear a maskand get a vaccine ranked almost at the bottom of a list of20 measures designed to protect the public by setting building standards, licensing trade professionals, imposing speed limits and taking other steps.
Mosthad overwhelming and bipartisan support.At least 8 in 10 of those surveyed endorsed mandates for security screenings at airports, seat-beltusein carsand vaccinations for children against diseases such as measles and diphtheria before being allowed to attend school.
The majority supporton COVID-19 mandates was smaller but still significant. About two-thirds supported employer requirements that workers to be vaccinated and state and local mandates to wear masks. But fewer than half of Republicans endorsed those steps, one of the few policies on protecting the common goodthat showed a partisan divide.
"If your personal decisions have an effect on public safety, then that's the whole purpose of government, public health is to protect the rights of the many,"said Sanjay Krishnan, 44, a doctor in Manchester, New Hampshire, who was called in the poll. He has seen the jarring contrast between vaccine reluctance in the United States and the desperate search for vaccines in India, where he has relatives.
He has a response to Americans who say they have a personal right to refuse to get the vaccine. "I would argue, what about my personal freedom to be able to go out in public and go to places and to be safe from infectious disease?"
Tracking COVID-19 vaccine distribution by state: How many people have been vaccinated in the US?
The University of Iowas Hospitals and Clinics are currently participating in three COVID-19 vaccine trials that are all at different stages.
Jeff Sigmund
A medical student receives their Moderna vaccine along with other University of Iowa students on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021.
After over a year of participating in COVID-19 vaccination trials for various pharmaceutical companies, the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics is contributing to a vaccine booster study among other vaccine research to provide more knowledge and data.
UI Carver College of Medicine Executive Dean Patricia Winokur, who oversees vaccine trials at UIHC, said the university is very proud of its contribution to these historic trials.
To be part of the knowledge base that has brought a trial and to begin within a year is due a moment of pride, I think, for all of us here at the University of Iowa, she said. On a more practical side, I think it was an opportunity for us to learn firsthand about how well these vaccines were tolerated and to understand how comprehensive the follow-up was.
Winokur said this helps her and others involved in the trials mitigate concerns from the community about the vaccine since she saw the work first-hand.
UIHC has been involved with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine trials since summer 2020, when Cedar Rapids City Councilor Ashley Vanorny joined as a participant. Vanorny enrolled in the and received either a placebo shot or a shot with a booster dose on Aug. 6, 2021.
While she doesnt know which she received, she said, she is currently in the same position as people who are not participating in the trial and is excited to see what happens next.
Im just waiting, like everybody else, at this point in time to see how the science comes out, to see what gets approved through the FDA, she said. And if I received the placebo, then I would get caught up with that third shot.
RELATED: Local and state health officials urge Iowans to get vaccinated as Delta variant gains strength
Vanorny started as one of 270 participants in the Iowa City area. Winokur said 80 of the initial participants were selected for the booster shot trial. She said that trials should be wrapping up soon.
The data is accumulating, she said. That tells us we need to consider boosters.
The Food and Drug Administration approved booster doses for immunocompromised people on Aug. 13. Last week, federal health officials strongly recommended everyone get a booster shot eight months after their initial shots, and recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studies suggested vaccine effectiveness may wane over time.
The two-shot COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer is currently looking to receive full approval from the FDA. Vanorny said she is staying vigilant as a participant in the trials, as guidance or information can change daily regarding the vaccines.
Some of this can be confusing and frustrating, she said. Certainly as the science changes, as the circumstances change, so do the mitigation strategies Its really important for us not to get frustrated, to realize that the health care community is trying to get the best information out as soon as they have it, so that means information may change.
As a participant, Vanorny keeps a digital diary on an app to log potential symptoms. She said the only difference between the initial trial and the booster shot one is that she had to re-login to the app to continue documenting her experience.
Alongside Pfizer, Winokur said UIHC is participating in trials for the Novavax vaccine, and recently put out a call for participants in a trial for Sanofis vaccine.
Since most people who want to be vaccinated already are, she said it is becoming difficult to find participants for new trials.
Winokur said the Novavax trials are in follow-up currently, and UIHC is pushing the company to begin a booster shot study.
The Sanofi trial is looking to use messenger RNA in a different way than other vaccines, she said. Both Pfizer and Modernas vaccines use messenger RNA.
They are trying to get studies of a new messenger RNA platform, using COVID-19, she said. I think these platforms are here to stay. Theyve been very successful.
Winokur said she knows the Pfizer vaccine process did not skip any steps and wasnt rushed something shes heard as an excuse for why people dont want to get the vaccine.
However, Johnson County is the most vaccinated county in Iowa, which Winokur attributes to UIHCs participation in various trials.
I absolutely think that [the trials] has been one of the reasons our vaccination rates are higher in Johnson County than in some of the other counties, she said. I think our marketing and communications team has worked very hard to keep people updated and having that practical experience and being able to deliver that to the public has been very helpful.
Actor and film director Sean Penn said that everyone should be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine, which he saidshould be as mandatory as turning your headlights on in a car at night during a CNN interview on Saturday.
CNN host Michael SmerconishMichael SmerconishCNN's Smerconish lauds Trump on ,000 relief checks: 'Most effective thing he's done' post election Trump attacks former DHS secretary over criticism of federal crackdown Former Homeland Security secretary says DHS not meant to be 'president's personal militia' MORE asked Penn about thecircumstancessurrounding why he was holding off on working with the cast and crew of the Gaslit TV series. Variety reported that Penn had taken issue with the way that their studio, NBCUniversal, was managing COVID-19 requirements among its cast and crew.
The studio was requiring that all Zone A actors and crew members (those in close proximity) had to be vaccinated but did not impose that requirement on others, according to CNN. Penn has maintained that all actors and crew should be vaccinated.
Actor and activist Sean Penn says he believes Covid-19 vaccinations should be mandatory.
You can't go around pointing a gun in somebody's face, which is what it is when people are unvaccinated, he tells @smerconish. https://t.co/oKYltfCANn pic.twitter.com/4tfNWdobnh
I didn't want to feel complicit in something that was just taking care of one group, but not the other and I -- and I do believe that everyone should get vaccinated, Penn said.
I believe it should be mandatory, like turning your headlights on in a car at night, but obviously that's not going to happen tomorrow and yet, at least it can happen in some areas and businesses, a lot of businesses are starting to take the lead on that. So I'll go back to Gaslit, I'll go back when I can be assured that 100 percent of the crew has gotten vaccinated, he continued.
Penns remarks underscore the tension felt between Americans, businesses and localities that have tried to find ways to manage the COVID-19 as the delta variant spreads its way among unvaccinated communities, contributing to a surge of new COVID-19 cases.
Some cities, including New York City and New Orleans, have started imposing proof of vaccination requirements to enter indoor facilities. For many schools, mask mandates have been imposed with some pointing to the fact that some students are not yet old enough to receive the COVID-19 vaccines.
The United States logged 157,450 new cases on Friday, per data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A month prior, on July 20, the U.S. saw 52,765 new cases.
According to the CDC, 71 percent of those aged 12 years and older are partially vaccinated and 60 percent are fully vaccinated.
Editors note: The author of this story is a former employee of NBC News, a brand of NBCUniversal.
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) Richmond Christian School in Chesterfield has issued a statement on behalf of the school board in response to the string of recent arrests of two former teachers, as well as two of the school's leaders.
The school addressed the situation with each person, first saying that former volleyball coach Elisabeth "Rose" Bredemeier, who was arrested on Aug. 15, is no longer employed at the school, and that her alleged conduct "took place off campus and off-duty."
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said on Sunday that he has gotten his booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.
During an appearance on CBSs Face The Nation, Hogan told guest host Major Garrett that as a cancer survivor, he fell into the category of people with compromised immune systems.
Matter of fact, I did just this week, you know, strong advice of our - of our team of epidemiologists and my own oncologist. You know, the federal government said that people have immune- that are immune compromised, should get it, Hogan told Garrett. I had a cancer of the immune system, so I got it on Monday. I'm feeling great."
Maryland @GovLarryHogan, a cancer survivor, says he received his COVID-19 vaccine booster shot this week, heeding advice from epidemiologists and his oncologist: I got it on Monday and I feel great. pic.twitter.com/Whr4Dk6OX2
Hogan encouraged all Marylanders to get their booster shots when they become available.
The Biden administration last week said it would recommend booster shoots for most Americans about 8 months after they've been considered fully vaccinated, expanding the pool of people eligible for such shots beyond those with compromised immune systems.
