CVS Health is conducting lab coronavirus testing (COVID-19) at 739 Roosevelt Rd Glen Ellyn, IL. Patients are required to schedule an appointment for covid testing in advance. Limited appointments are available to qualifying patients due to high demand. Test types vary by location and will be confirmed during the scheduling process.
The recent Delta-driven surge in COVID-19 cases affecting our region and nation is unfortunately not letting up. Over the last week, Public HealthSeattle & King County has reported an average of 344 new cases daily. Thats more than double the number of cases from just two weeks ago and nearly six times as many as a month ago.
Alongside this rise in cases are reports of outbreaks that often times involve more cases than earlier in the summerbefore Delta was circulating as widely. Many of the outbreaks are occurring in indoor workplaces and social events among people who were not wearing masks and where ventilation was poor. Many outbreaks involve situations where both unvaccinated and vaccinated people are in indoor spaces together. We have not identified outbreaks yet where everyone is vaccinated.
Overall, in the last three weeks, Public Health has observed a large percentage of outbreaks reported in non-healthcare workplaces, including an office with 61 employees and 27 reported cases. Outbreaks are also occurring in facilities hosting large social events, such as a 100-person birthday party held at a country club with 25 reported cases.
Across all recent outbreaks, most cases occurred in people who were unmasked. Vaccinated individuals who tested positive reported mild symptoms. All hospitalized cases exposed at social events have been among unvaccinated individuals, with no deaths identified.
Over the last several weeks, Public Healths investigation and epidemiology teams have received a substantial number of reports of outbreaks. Large numbers of people are becoming infected when gathering together in indoor public settings and not wearing masks or taking other precautions to prevent COVID-19, said Meagan Kay, Deputy Chief for the Communicable Disease Epidemiology and Immunization Section of Public Health. This is concerning given the reports are likely just a subset of the total number of outbreaks taking place and exposing our community.
A few patterns start to emerge from public health data when looking at three examples of recent outbreaks. Public Health appreciates the willingness of these three organizations to be forthcoming and help shed light on what our whole community can do to be safer.
An indoor music club: In mid-July, Public Health conducted an outbreak investigation when several people with a positive COVID-19 test attended the same indoor event. A total of 26 cases have since been identified among 374 people attending the event. While the investigation is still ongoing, of the 26 cases,18 reported they were vaccinated. No hospitalizations or deaths have been reported with this outbreak.
Event organizers reported that the club required attendees to provide documentation of vaccination, but vaccination status was not verified for staff and some staff were not vaccinated. Masks were optional, and the event included singing. Because of the large number of attendees, distancing was not possible. Ventilation was compromised with some fans not working and challenges pulling fresh air into the space with no ability to open windows.
What this tells us: Outbreaks in crowded, poorly ventilated indoor spaces tell us that these spaces remain a risk. Even if vaccinated, Public Health recommends wearing a mask in indoor public settings to lessen the risk, unless a state-approved method is used to assure that all people allowed inside have been fully vaccinated. Even then, attendees might choose to wear a mask to reduce their risk of COVID-19 even further.
An indoor fitness center: A fitness center held a charity workout event with approximately 70 people in attendanceabout 35 people attending in two segments. A total of 16 cases have been identified to date, including 13 attendees, two staff, and one household member of an attendee. Fourteen of the 16 cases were verified to be fully vaccinated. All 16 cases developed symptoms of COVID-19, but none were hospitalized. Physical distancing was not maintained during workout sessions, and masks were optional.
Public Health visited the site to evaluate their indoor ventilation. While the site was deliberate in having large floor fans in the building, the Public Health team found that the facilitys ventilation system could be improved to allow for more adequate airflow.
What this tells us: Inadequate ventilation continues to come up as a factor in public health outbreak investigations.
The virus builds up in enclosed spaces as infected people breathe. And the risk increases when people are singing, shouting or exercising, with closer contact, no masking, and longer exposure.
Open windows and doors whenever possible to maximize the movement of air. Building and business owners should evaluate their HVAC systems to increase outside airflow, upgrade filtration where possible and consider the need for portable HEPA filtration. Resources are available on Public Healths website and from CDC.
This outbreak also reinforces the importance of wearing masks in indoor public settings and maintaining physical distancing, regardless of vaccination status. Our outbreak data suggest that vaccinated people have been infected when in crowded indoor settings when not wearing masks. The COVID-19 vaccinesare incredibly effective, especially against serious illness, hospitalization, and death, and make it much less likely, but not impossible, that a person will catch and transmit COVID-19. With the more contagious Delta variant, when someone who is vaccinated gets infected, they could also potentially spread it to others. That is why wearing masks in indoor public settings is the best practice for everyone right now.
A childcare program: In early July, Public Health was notified that two people tested positive for the virus at a childcare serving 135 students. Public Health worked with the center and determined that all the classrooms had exposed students or staff and recommended everyone test negative prior to returning to the center. As of the end of July, a total of 36 cases have been identified (19 students, three staff, and 14 household contacts). The childcare program requires everyone age 5 years and older, regardless of vaccination status, to wear masks; compliance with the policy was reportedly good. From the investigation, the outbreak appears to have started when three students who were too young to be required to wear masks attended childcare while symptomatic. The Public Health team found that 60% of staff were fully vaccinated. The team is working with the childcare to offer vaccination resources.
What this tells us: Staying home when ill and keeping children with any symptoms home is the best practice right now with the virus still circulating. This is essential in childcare settings where physical distancing is challenging to maintain, and masks are not worn by younger children. For parents and caregivers, this can be very difficult to keep kids home, particularly when kids have mild symptoms. But getting a COVID-19 test, which is a simple swab that does not go deep into the nose, and waiting for a negative result to return to work or childcare, are the best ways to prevent spread to others.
We have high rates of COVID-19 in King County right now. The risk is highest for those who are unvaccinated, but this is a good time for everyone to remember that in addition to getting vaccinated, there are multiple ways to further reduce ones risk, and layered protections are the best protections, said Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer for Public Health Seattle & King County.
The most important way to end this pandemic remains increasing vaccination coverage in our community. It saves lives, prevents illnesses, and reduces the spread of COVID-19. Given we still have so many people at risk, including children and those who are immunocompromised, remember that getting vaccinated is the single most important tool we have right now to protect individuals and our community. In addition, we have other simple and effective tools masking, ventilation, staying home when ill, and physical distancing that can further reduce the risk for potentially serious COVID-19 infections.
There are approximately 370,000 King County residents who are eligible for vaccination and arent vaccinated who remain at risk for contracting the virus. Public Health urges all eligible people to get vaccinated as soon as possible to protect yourself and those around you.
In addition to vaccination, layered protection remains the best protection. That means using multiple strategies to reduce risk. We have great tools to fight COVID-19 first among them are vaccines but until were in a more stable and safer place, its important to remember there are other effective measures to further reduce our risk.
Originally posted August 5, 2021
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. The Arkansas Department of Health released the latest COVID-19 data for Thursday and the numbers show that active COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise within the state.
The ADH report shows that there are 900 new active cases bringing the total number of active cases to 21,461.
Health officials reported 397,238 total cases, which is a 2,777 increase from within the last 24 hours.
According to the ADH, 19 more people have been hospitalized for COVID-19, putting the total number of hospitalizations at 1,251.
In a 24-hour span, there have been 17 new deaths bringing the states total number of deaths to 6,247.
There are 3 new patients on ventilators, putting the total at 263.
Arkansas is continuing to vaccinate the public with 2,409,517 total vaccinations, which is an increase of 11,685 within the last 24 hours. The number of partially immunized Arkansans rose by 5,110, putting the total at 326,727.
A suspected COVID-19 patient receives care in Turku, Finland, the first country to join Solidaritys new phase.
By Kai KupferschmidtAug. 5, 2021 , 1:25 PM
After months in the doldrums, one of the worlds largest trials of COVID-19 treatments is finally restarting. Solidarity, a global study led by the World Health Organization (WHO), will test three new drugs in hospitalized COVID-19 patients: the cancer drug imatinib, an antibody named infliximab that is used to treat autoimmune diseases, and artesunate, an antimalarial.
The medicines have been shipped to Finland, the first country to have all approvals in place, says John-Arne Rttingen of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, who chairs the studys executive group. I expect that the first patients will probably be recruited there any day, he says. Other countries could soon join SolidarityPlus, as the new phase has been dubbed; more than 40 are in the process of getting ethical and regulatory approvals.
When the original Solidarity trial started in March 2020 it was a first: an effort to test drugs in dozens of countries simultaneously in the middle of a pandemic. By late in the year it had delivered verdicts on four treatmentsnone showed a benefitbut then became mired in negotiations with pharmaceutical companies and regulatory delays. Its great that Solidarity is proceeding with randomized clinical trials again, as they have already made an important contribution to our therapeutic approach during the pandemic, says Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute. We cant be at all complacent about needing better therapies for patients with severe COVID.
Although COVID-19 vaccine development has been a huge success story, only two drugs have proved to reduce COVID-19 mortality in hospitalized patients. In June 2020, the United Kingdoms Recovery trial found that dexamethasone, a cheap steroid, reduced deaths in that group by up to one-third. In February, Recovery investigators announced that tocilizumab, a monoclonal antibody that blocks the receptor for interleukin-6, reduced mortality a bit further. Both drugs work by dampening the overshooting immune response in severely sick patients.
The new drugs also target the immune system rather than the virus itself. In the severely ill patients included in Solidarity, its probably too late for an antiviral drug to work, Rttingen explains. (Monoclonal antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, for example, are most effective when given before serious disease develops.) But sicker patients could benefit from additional drugs that target the immune system, says Anthony Gordon, a critical care specialist at Imperial College London. Although dexamethasone broadly dampens the immune response and tocilizumab powerfully shuts off one particular pathway, There are still other pathways that we can block and maybe make a difference, Gordon says.
Imatinib, an oral drug used to treat some leukemias and other types of cancer, can also protect the epithelium lining the alveoli, where oxygen crosses from the lungs into the blood. A placebo-controlled trial in 400 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the Netherlands, published in June, showed patients on the drug spent less time on ventilators and were less likely to die. Although not statistically significant, the data were encouraging enough to spur larger studies, says Gordon, who is part of another international trial called REMAP-CAP that is also planning to test the drug.
Infliximab is an antibody given as a single infusion that blocks tumor necrosis factor alpha, a pivotal signaling molecule in the immune system, and is used to treat autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. Some observational data from large patient populations suggest the drug can also protect against COVID-19, Rttingen says.
Artesunate, an injected derivative of artemisinin and a powerful killer of malaria parasites, has also shown some antiviral activity in laboratory studies of SARS-CoV-2. But Solidarity is testing it because of another effect: The drug appears to reduce inflammation and counteract signals that attract immune cells into tissues. That could stop the immune reactions that damage the lungs in severe COVID-19.
Solidaritys revival was a long time coming. In October 2020, it published results from more than 11,000 patients in 400 hospitals that deflated hopesand punctured hypeby showing no benefit for four treatments: the HIV combination therapy lopinavir/ritonavir, the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, interferon-beta, and Gilead Sciencess antiviral drug remdesivir. The remdesivir arm was continued for a while to gather more datafull results are expected in the coming weeksbut by late January all arms had been stopped.
An independent expert committee picked the three new drugs soon after. The delay is due partly to negotiations with the manufacturers to ensure that the drugs would be available at affordable prices worldwide if they turned out to work, Rttingen says, and partly due to the time needed for regulatory and ethical approvals in participating countries.
We have definitely seen that there was a strong willingness to sort of work outside the normal system and really speed up processes in the beginning of the epidemic, and that seems to be less the case now, Rttingen says. Thats understandable, he adds, But it also demonstrates that these processes are not fit for emergencies. We need fast-track systems for the future, in all countries.
COVID-19 scams: Here are common scams and ways to avoid them
In a time where people are financially unstable, its no surprise that the scammers are out in full force.
Buzz60
A Dallas firefighter is facing felony theft charges after claiming he and his family members tested positive for COVID-19 and taking weeks of paid leave when he apparently went to a resort.
William Jordan Carter, 38, requested leave from work in March after he claimed his wife tested positive for COVID-19, according to an arrest warrant affidavit from the DallasPolice Department. A week later, he claimed that his daughter tested positive for the virus, which gave himadditional paid leave.
But days before he was supposed to return to work, Carter told DeputyChief Lauren Johnson that he tested positive for COVID-19. When she asked for a copy of his test results, he allegedly told her that he had not actually been tested for the disease, but he thought he may have had it.
Carter also could not provide test results for his wife and daughter, according to the affidavit.
City officials confirmed in court documentsthat Carter received a total of $12,548.86 during his leave.
But law enforcement whosubpoenaed Carters bank records foundthat he spent nearly $1,400 at the Kalahari Resort in Round Rock, Texas, during his time off.
The affidavitstates that after Johnson asked Carter for documentation of his familys alleged infections, she asked the man if any of this was true" and he stated I guess not.
What made you do this, Johnson asked him, to which he responded Greed, I guess, according to the document.
Johnson asked Carter if helied about him and his family testing positive for COVID-19 just so you wouldnt have to go to work," and he allegedlyresponded yes.
Dallas Police Department Detective Lee Allen wrote in the affidavit, "Suspect Carter took advantage of recommendations for First Responders to not report to work if they tested positive or became exposed to a person confirmed positive for COVID-19, with whom they lived."
Pandemic: California man fraudulently got $5M in COVID-19 relief money to buy a Ferrari, Bentley and Lamborghini, authorities say
Carter was arrested on Friday and charged with felony theft. His bail was set at $1,500, although he is no longer in custody.
Dallas Fire-Rescue placed Carter on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
The global tally of confirmed cases of the coronavirus-borne illness COVID-19 topped 200 million on Thursday, reaching a milestone that the World Health Organization had predicted just a day ago would come by next week in the latest sign of just how far and fast the virus has spread.
The official death toll, as recorded by Johns Hopkins University, stands at 4.26 million, although the WHO and other agencies have said the actual numbers are likely much higher given shortages of testing in some places and discrepancies in how countries record their numbers.
Latest tallies: Coronavirus tally: Global cases of COVID-19 top 200 million and U.S. to require foreign travelers are vaccinated
Coronavirus Update:MarketWatch has published a daily roundup of COVID-19 news every weekday since the pandemic began accessible here
With the highly transmissible delta variant rapidly infecting especially unvaccinated people, efforts to persuade vaccine resisters to get their shots and to get vaccine supply to underserved countries have become more urgent. Thats why the WHO on Wednesday called for a moratorium on boosters until poorer countries have got access to first doses.
The U.S., France and Germany appear to have rejected that plea. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday that was it was a false choice, arguing that the U.S. can both offer boosters to vulnerable people and continue to donate vaccines to others.
France and Germany both announced plans to offer boosters to their elderly and immunocompromised starting in September, Reuters reported. The WHO has repeatedly called for greater vaccine equity and has warned that allowing large parts of the world to remain unvaccinated while wealthier countries hog supply will allow the virus to continue to find hosts and create new variants, some of which may prove vaccine-resistant.
I understand the concern of all governments to protect their people from the delta variant, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. But we cannot accept countries that have already used most of the global supply of vaccines using even more of it.
The Biden administration is gearing up to make it a requirement for nearly all foreign visitors to the U.S. to be vaccinated, a White House official said Wednesday, the Associated Press reported. The requirement would come as part of the administrations phased approach to easing travel restrictions for foreign citizens. No timeline has been determined, as interagency working groups study how and when to safely move toward resuming normal travel.
But thanks to delta, now the dominant strain in the U.S., cases are rising in all 50 states, especially among the millions of Americans who remain unvaccinated. A New York Times tracker shows the seven-day average of cases at 96,000, up 131% from two weeks ago, and more than seven times higher than at the beginning of July.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Bidens chief medical adviser, warned Wednesday that the numbers could double to 200,000 cases a day in the coming weeks and the country could be in trouble by the fall.
What were seeing, because of this increase in transmissibility, and because we have about 93 million people in this country who are eligible to get vaccinated who dont get vaccinated that you have a significant pool of vulnerable people,Fauci told McClatchy in an interview.
The peak day for new cases was Jan. 7, when 295,880 were recorded. By June 14, that number had fallen to 8,069, before starting to climb again.
Dont miss: As the more contagious delta variant circulates, public health experts say herd immunity has become an even more distant goal
The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions vaccine tracker has barely budged in recent weeks with just 49.8% of the total population fully vaccinated. That means they have had two shots of the vaccines developed by Pfizer PFE, -0.29% with German partner BioNTech BNTX, -2.30% or Moderna MRNA, -0.67%, or one shot of Johnson & Johnsons JNJ, +0.19% one-dose vaccine, the only three that are authorized in the U.S. so far.
Among adults 18 and older, just 60.7% are fully vaccinated, while 70.2% have received at least one shot. Fauci said hes hoping the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will get full FDA approval in the coming weeks, at which point they can be mandated.
If we dont crush the outbreak to the point of getting the overwhelming proportion of the population vaccinated, then what will happen is the virus will continue to smolder through the fall into the winter, giving it ample chance to get a variant, which, quite frankly, were very lucky that the vaccines that we have now do very well against the variants particularly against severe illness, Fauci told McClatchy. Were very fortunate that thats the case. There could be a variant thats lingering out there that can push aside delta.
Moderna said Thursday its vaccine is still 93% effective six months after the second dose. This is different from what Pfizer Inc.said last week about its COVID-19 shot, which is thatimmunity can wane to 83.7% four to six months after getting the second shot. Both vaccines are two-dose mRNA vaccines that had efficacy rates of about 95% in clinical trials.
In other COVID news, Australias second biggest city, Melbourne, is entering a sixth lockdown as it struggles to contain an outbreak, ABC News reported. Melbourne joins the biggest city, Sydney, where soldiers are patrolling the streets to enforce a lockdown.
In China, Beijing is canceling all large-scale events for the rest of August, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing state media. China has been battling a series of COVID-19 outbreaks caused by the variant since mid-July, with new cases numbering 62 nationwide on Wednesday, according to the countrys National Health Commission. The events were canceled after authorities confirmed three cases of locally transmitted COVID Wednesday caused by the delta variant.
In New York City, the annual car show has been canceled because of delta, and country-music singer Garth Brooks is reconsidering whether to continue a stadium tour this year.
Meanwhile, in South Dakota, there are growingfears that COVID-19 infections will be unleashed among the 700,000 people expected to show up at the annual Sturgis motorcycle rally, as the AP reported. Last years event went ahead despite those same concerns with 460,000 attending and creating a superspreader event.
From the archives (September 2020):Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota in August linked to more than 250,000 coronavirus cases, study finds
The rally is a behemoth, and you cannot stop it, said Carol Fellner, a local who worried that this years event would cause a fresh outbreak of cases. I feel absolutely powerless.
Republican Gov. Kristi Noem has given the rally her blessing, as she did in 2020. Noem has mostly taken a hands-off approach to the pandemic, and will appear in a charity ride.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) 87 of Kentucky's 120 counties now have high transmission levels of COVID-19, according to state data.
In Thursday's COVID-19 report, 2,217 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the state. The current positivity rate has also gone up to 10.27%.
939 Kentuckians are in the hospital from the virus, 282 are in the ICU, and 108 people are on a ventilator.
Four more people have died from COVID-19, bringing the total number of those who died from COVID-19 in the state to 7,366.
A majority of Kentucky counties are considered to have high transmission levels by the state. That means the county has 25 or more average daily cases per 100,000 people.
Kentucky Department of Public Health
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of August 5, 2021, there have been 3,150,938 total confirmatory laboratory results received for COVID-19, with 168,733 total cases and 2,961 deaths.
DHHR has confirmed the deaths of a 61-year old male from Harrison County, a 60-year old female from Raleigh County, a 71-year old female from Upshur County, a 79-year old female from Cabell County, and a 74-year old male from Kanawha County.
We are thankful for our healthcare professionals and all on the front line who continue to do everything in their power to end COVID-19, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary. Our condolences are extended to these families for their loss.
CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (1,557), Berkeley (13,200), Boone (2,216), Braxton (1,065), Brooke (2,282), Cabell (9,258), Calhoun (407), Clay (549), Doddridge (654), Fayette (3,728), Gilmer (905), Grant (1,329), Greenbrier (2,940), Hampshire (1,948), Hancock (2,887), Hardy (1,598), Harrison (6,414), Jackson (2,327), Jefferson (4,899), Kanawha (15,816), Lewis (1,404), Lincoln (1,629), Logan (3,372), Marion (4,804), Marshall (3,681), Mason (2,163), McDowell (1,696), Mercer (5,338), Mineral (3,020), Mingo (2,842), Monongalia (9,567), Monroe (1,249), Morgan (1,286), Nicholas (1,975), Ohio (4,432), Pendleton (727), Pleasants (970), Pocahontas (699), Preston (2,990), Putnam (5,519), Raleigh (7,280), Randolph (2,923), Ritchie (782), Roane (681), Summers (875), Taylor (1,338), Tucker (556), Tyler (772), Upshur (2,068), Wayne (3,291), Webster (621), Wetzel (1,451), Wirt (476), Wood (8,124), Wyoming (2,153).
Free pop-up COVID-19 testing is available today in Barbour, Berkeley, Fayette, Hampshire, Jefferson, Lewis, Lincoln, and Mingo counties.
Barbour County
9:00 AM 3:00 PM, Barbour County Health Department, 109 Wabash Avenue, Philippi, WV
Berkeley County
1:00 PM 5:00 PM, Shenandoah Community Health, 99 Tavern Road, Martinsburg
10:00 AM 5:00 PM, 891 Auto Parts Place, Martinsburg, WV
Fayette County
2:00 PM 6:00 PM, Oak Hill High School, 350 Oyler Avenue, Oak Hill, WV
Hampshire County
10:00 AM 5:00 PM, Hampshire County Health Department, 16189 Northwestern Turnpike, Augusta, WV
Jefferson County
10:00 AM 6:00 PM, Hollywood Casino, 750 Hollywood Drive, Charles Town, WV
Lewis County
Lincoln County
Mingo County
10:00 AM 2:00 PM, Seven Eleven, 11 West Second Avenue, Williamson, WV
Kids are heading back to school soon. So we've compiled this helpful list of COVID-19 regulations. This is not a complete list and will be updated as more information enters the FOX 13 newsroom. Check back for updates.
Canyons School District
- Vaccinations: Not required- Masks: Not required- Testing: Not specified- Quarantine: Students who test positive for COVID-19 required to quarantine at home for 10 days.
Kane County School District
- Vaccinations: Not required to enroll in school or extracurricular activities- Masks: Face masks are not mandatory but students are welcome to wear them.- Testing: Testing will not be required in most circumstances, unless a school has more than 30 positive cases in 30 days.- Quarantine: If a student tests positive for COVID-19 they will be required to quarantine at home for 10 days.
Provo School District
- Vaccinations: COVID-19 vaccination not required to enroll in school or join an extracurricular team, but is encouraged for those eligible.- Masks: Face masks are not required but recommended.,- Testing: COVID-19 testing not required in most circumstances, including for extracurricular activities.- Quarantine: It's possible a student may be quarantined if they have COVID-19 or have been exposed to COVID-19. That decision will be made by the health department.
Tooele County School District
- Vaccinations: TBA- Masks: TBA- Testing: Testing will not be reuired to enroll in school or extracurricular activities unless 2% of students and staff test positive for COVID-19.- Quarantine: TBA
For details about any policy, please check the school district's website and social media pages or reach out to the school directly. This is not a complete list and schools may change policy without notice.
