Average daily Covid case counts in the U.S. are at less than half of the level recorded at the start of May, data compiled by Johns Hopkins University shows.
The country is seeing an average of 23,407 new infections per day over the past week, down from about 49,600 on May 1, a 53% drop.
Federal data shows the U.S. is reporting an average of 1.7 million daily vaccinations, and nearly 50% of the U.S. population has received one dose or more.
The seven-day average of daily U.S. Covid cases is 23,407 as of Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins data, down 23% from a week ago and 53% from the start of the month.
Case counts have not been this low since June 2020.
Average daily case counts have fallen by 5% or more in 44 states and the District of Columbia over the past week, a CNBC analysis of Johns Hopkins data shows.
Elsewhere, outbreaks are worsening. India is currently the epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic, but other countries from Argentina in Latin America to Nepal in Asia have also reported record increases in Covid cases in the last few weeks.
The country is reporting an average of 571 daily Covid deaths over the past seven days, according to Johns Hopkins data.
Wednesday's figures include 373 deaths reported for Oklahoma, which the state announced is part of an "ongoing effort to investigate and reconcile backlog of COVID-19 related deaths." In some situations, state health departments will attribute a batch of previously unreported cases or deaths to a single day, even if those may have occurred previously.
While this reporting issue makes the latest trend more difficult to interpret, the pace of daily nationwide Covid deaths has been on the decline for weeks.
About 1.7 million vaccine shots have been reported administered each day on average over the past week, CDC data shows, down 5% from one week ago.
Daily vaccinations have been on a mostly downward trend since peaking at 3.4 million shots per day in mid-April, though the average has hovered between 1.7 million and 2 million for nearly two weeks.
Nearly half of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of a vaccine with 40% fully vaccinated, CDC data shows.
On Wednesday, Pennsylvania became the 10th state to report that 70% of its adult population is at least partially vaccinated. The other nine states are Vermont, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Jersey, Rhode Island and New Mexico.
Another Mainer has died as health officials on Wednesday reported another 162 coronavirus cases across the state.
The number of coronavirus cases diagnosed in the past 14 days statewide is 2,546. This is an estimation of the current number of active cases in the state, as the Maine CDC is no longer tracking recoveries for all patients. Thats down from 2,686 on Tuesday.
That marks a sharp rebound in infections following a dayslong slide when new cases slipped below 100 for the first time in months, reaching lows not seen since last October. Its not yet clear whether the current downward trend represents an overall decline in transmission with more than half the states population fully vaccinated.
But the general decline from the late winter surge has many in the state feeling optimistic about a full economic recovery ahead of the start of Maines summer tourist season this weekend. A former epidemiologist told the Bangor Daily News that another surge is unlikely barring the emergence of a new variant or something really untoward.
A woman in her 70s from Cumberland County has succumbed to the virus, bringing the statewide death toll to 825.
Wednesdays report brings the total number of coronavirus cases in Maine to 67,294, according to the Maine CDC. Thats up from 67,132 on Tuesday.
Of those, 49,298 have been confirmed positive, while 17,996 were classified as probable cases, the Maine CDC reported.
The new case rate statewide Wednesday was 1.21 cases per 10,000 residents, and the total case rate statewide was 502.79.
Maines seven-day average for new coronavirus cases is 142.7, down from 148.7 a day ago, down from 225.6 a week ago and down from 360 a month ago. That average peaked on Jan. 14 at 625.3.
The most cases have been detected in Mainers younger than 20, while Mainers over 80 years old make up the majority of deaths. More cases and deaths have been recorded in women than men. For a complete breakdown of the age and sex demographics of cases, hospitalizations and deaths, use the interactive graphic below.
So far, 1,989 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus. Of those, 118 are currently hospitalized with 43 in critical care and 20 on a ventilator. Overall, 78 out of 386 critical care beds and 232 out of 319 ventilators are available. Meanwhile, 473 alternative ventilators are available.
The total statewide hospitalization rate on Wednesday was 14.86 patients per 10,000 residents.
Cases have been reported in Androscoggin (8,207), Aroostook (1,837), Cumberland (17,049), Franklin (1,331), Hancock (1,333), Kennebec (6,422), Knox (1,123), Lincoln (1,048), Oxford (3,543), Penobscot (6,072), Piscataquis (555), Sagadahoc (1,454), Somerset (2,169), Waldo (1,011), Washington (876) and York (13,264) counties.
For a complete breakdown of the county by county data, use the interactive graphic below.
Out of 6,517 COVID-19 tests reported to the Maine CDC in the previous 24 hours, 2.3 percent came back positive. Overall, 2,622,789 tests have been administered and the statewide positivity rate is 2.81 percent.
An additional 2,905 Mainers have been vaccinated against the coronavirus in the previous 24 hours. As of Wednesday, 706,853 Mainers have received a first dose of the vaccine, while 682,978 have received a final dose.
New Hampshire reported 79 new cases on Wednesday and no deaths. Vermont reported nine new cases and no deaths, while Massachusetts reported 228 new cases and 10 deaths.
As of Wednesday morning, the coronavirus had sickened 33,168,275 people in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as caused 591,035 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.
More articles from the BDN
Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline said Thursday that they have launched a large clinical trial of their COVID-19 vaccine that will enroll 35,000 adult volunteers in the United States, Asia, Africa and Latin America, and production of the vaccine could begin within weeks.
The study will test vaccine candidate formulas against the original coronavirus strain that spread from Wuhan, China, and against the variant first seen in South Africa, the pharmaceutical firms said.
If the trial is successful, regulators could approve the vaccine for use in the last three months of the year, the drugmakers said in a statement.
Manufacturing will begin in the coming weeks to enable rapid access to the vaccine, should it be approved, they said.
Their statement quoted Thomas Triomphe, who leads vaccine research and development at Sanofi Pasteur, as saying: We are encouraged to see first vaccinations starting to take place in such an important, pivotal Phase 3 study.
Earlier this month, the firms said their vaccine candidate triggered strong immune responses in all adult age groups in preliminary trials after an earlier setback, boosting optimism the shot may join the fight against the pandemic this year.
After two doses of the vaccine candidate, participants showed antibodies in line with those found in people who had recovered from the disease, according to results of the previous, smaller trial.
Regulators have already authorized a number of COVID-19 vaccines, though experts say more are needed as public health authorities around the world race to vaccinate their residents amid a pandemic that has already killed more than 3.4 million people and caused economic havoc.
UPDATED April 28, 2021 | 11:42 AM
Only in public or around unvaccinated people, according to the CDC. If youre around other fully vaccinated people in a private setting, go ahead and take your masks off. The CDC has relaxed its guidance for wearing masks outdoors.
Yes, you can visit one other household with unvaccinated people, indoors and without masks even, as long as they and anyone they live with are at low risk of developing a severe case of COVID-19. Avoid mixing with more than one household at a time.
Be sure to check and follow the rules in place for wherever youre headed, but in general, yes. And you dont have to quarantine when you return home.
The CDC recommends that you do not. In California, stadiums and other large venues that are opening are doing so with limited capacity and physical distancing and other measures in place.
Suggested reading for the vaccinated:
For those who arent yet:
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) The R.I. Department of Health says it is investigating at least one case of myocarditis, a condition that causes the heart muscle to become inflamed, and a possible connection to the COVID-19 vaccine.
A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) workgroup brought up several presentations on myocarditis following mRNA vaccines in its last meeting on Monday.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Technical Work Group concluded there are relatively few reports of myocarditis to date, and that these cases seem to occur:
Dr. Philip Chan with the R.I. Department of Health says the patient with myocarditis is doing well and was discharged from the hospital after one day.
There are also a couple of other cases that are under investigation, according to Chan.
I really want to emphasize that its very rare and uncommon, he said.
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), the incidence of myocarditis is approximately 1.5 million cases worldwide per year. The overall incidence is unknown and probably underdiagnosed, the NCBI reported.
Symptoms of myocarditis generally include chest pain, trouble breathing or irregular heartbeat, and according to Chan, while serious complications can occur, most people do well with supportive care.
Some people dont even end up in the hospital, but a lot of people do just to be monitored because of course anything concerning the heart is serious, he explained.
According to Chan, one of the most common causes of myocarditis is a viral infection, which could include the common cold, influenza or COVID-19.
Myocarditis is certainly uncommon, but it definitely happens, he said. Were actually in the time of the year that we tend to actually see more cases of myocarditis in the hospital because were seeing other viral infections that cause this.
As of Thursday, more than 544,000 people were fully vaccinated and another 100,000 were partially vaccinated, according to the R.I. Department of Health.
Chan said about 30,000 people younger than 18 have been vaccinated so far.
Health officials also reported 76 new positive cases Thursday and with more than 8,000 tests conducted the previous day, the daily positivity rate was 0.9%.
The data showed there were no additional COVID-19-related deaths in Rhode Island, so the death toll remained at 2,708.
Hospitalizations declined to 65, according to the Health Department, with 15 patients in the intensive care unit and 10 on ventilators.
Japanese doctor warns holding Games could lead to 'Olympic virus' strain
The head of a Japanese doctors union on Thursday warned holding the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer, with tens of thousands of people gathering from around the world, could lead to the development of a new "Olympic" strain of the coronavirus.
Although Japan has repeatedly pledged to hold a "safe and secure" 2020 Olympics in Tokyo after a year-long postponement, it is struggling to contain a fourth wave of the pandemic and preparing to extend a state of emergency that covers much of the country.
Japanese officials, Olympics organisers and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have all vowed the Games will go ahead, albeit under strict virus prevention measures. Foreign spectators have already been banned and a decision on domestic viewers is expected next month.
But even with these steps in place, worries remain about the influx of athletes and officials into Japan, where the vaccine process remains glacially slow and just over 5% of the population have received inoculations.
With people from over 200 nations and territories set to arrive in Tokyo, it will be dangerous to host the Games in July, said Naoto Ueyama, head of the Japan Doctors Union.
"All of the different mutant strains of the virus which exist in different places will be concentrated and gathering here in Tokyo. We cannot deny the possibility of even a new strain of the virus potentially emerging after the Olympics," he told a news conference.
"If such a situation were to arise, it could even mean a Tokyo Olympic strain of the virus being named in this way, which would be a huge tragedy and something which would be the target of criticism even for 100 years."
(Reuters)
Poker nights, yoga classes in the park, birthday parties and family reunions: All of them can become free COVID-19 vaccine clinics under Texas mobile vaccination program that expanded on Tuesday part of an effort to increase vaccine rates as supply increases and demand across the nation slips.
Groups of at least five people can schedule a mobile clinic to come to a house, a park, a place of business, an apartment just about anywhere they want, and on evenings or weekends if necessary by calling the states vaccine hotline, said Seth Christensen, spokesperson for the Texas Division of Emergency Management, which, along with the Texas Military Department, oversees the four-month-old State Mobile Vaccination Program.
This allows us to get a little deeper down into the community, Christensen said. We have the teams, we have the assets, and we have the vaccines available to reach more Texans and expand our reach.
More than 12 million Texans have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine, and more than 10 million about 42% of the eligible population ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated.
The task of vaccinating the majority of the states 29 million residents, a goal still potentially months from being realized, has been fraught with high rates of hesitancy, geographical challenges with Texans living in very remote areas, and other issues.
In Texas and nationwide, a slowdown in demand has spawned a host of ideas on how to reach those who still havent been vaccinated.
When the mobile vaccination program began in late January, it focused on hard-to-reach communities, rural Texans, homebound residents and senior citizens, vaccinating many of them in their own homes and partnering with groups to administer the shot to those priority populations, Christensen said. The mobile teams have administered more than half a million doses and supported local cities and other partners in the administration of another 400,000 doses, he said.
On May 6, as supply of the vaccine increased and vaccination rates among the states most vulnerable were hitting high numbers, state officials went public with the mobile program, setting up the Mobile Vaccination Team Call Center to take requests through the state hotline from businesses and other organizations to schedule on-site clinics for groups of at least 10.
Since then, the call center has received requests to schedule more than 160 mobile events to administer doses to more than 12,000 Texans, Christensen said.
The state has about 1,500 Texas National Guard personnel dedicated solely to the mobile vaccination effort, Christensen said, with a network of local fire departments and medical units as backup, he said.
In announcing the expansion of the program this week, Gov. Greg Abbott encouraged groups of Texans who wish to get vaccinated as a business, family unit, friend group, or more to schedule an event and help defeat the pandemic.
By working together to get more shots in arms, we will continue to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in communities across the state, he said.
Texans can schedule a clinic for groups of five or more by calling 844-90-TEXAS and selecting option 3. Texans who cant leave their homes or gather in groups can call that number and select option 1 to have a vaccine team visit their home.
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The woman allegedly yelled "no vaccine" as she drove through the tent.
May 27, 2021, 2:35 PM
4 min read
A Tennessee woman was arrested this week after authorities say she drove her SUV through a COVID-19 vaccination tent, nearly hitting several people while yelling "no vaccine."
Virginia Christine Lewis Brown, 36, of Greenback, has been charged with seven felony counts of reckless endangerment. She was released on bonds totalling $21,000 and has an initial court appearance set for June 7, according to the Blount County Sheriff's Office. It was unclear whether she had obtained an attorney who could speak on her behalf.
The incident in question occurred Monday morning at a COVID-19 vaccination tent set up in the parking lot of the Foothills Mall in Maryville, a suburb of Knoxville. According to an incident report, two deputies from the Blount County Sheriff's Office said they were at the location when they saw a blue Chrysler SUV speed through a cone course, past the check-in area and then through the tent, where several health workers and National Guard personnel were preparing to administer COVID-19 vaccines. The vehicle did not stop and was traveling at a "high rate of speed," deputies wrote in the incident report.
"I have worked at this location multiple times over the past few months and the area is clearly marked with signs and cones to advise the public of the event," one deputy wrote. "The driving behavior of Ms. Brown, as she approached the tent and exited the tent towards the waiting area, caught my attention due to how quickly the vehicle was traveling through the area."
PHOTO: Virginia Christine Lewis Brown, of Greenback, Tenn., is pictured in this booking photo on May 24, 2021.
The workers inside the tent ran over to the deputies, telling them what had just happened. They said they heard the driver shout "no vaccine" as she plowed through the tent and that she narrowly missed seven of the workers. Several workers told the deputies that they thought the driver was going to kill them, according to the incident report.
One of the deputies went after the vehicle and pulled it over. Brown allegedly told the deputy that she was driving through the tent to protest the vaccine and that she was only going 5 miles per hour. The deputy took Brown into custody without incident and transported her to the Blount County Jail, according to the incident report.
"While traveling to the jail, Ms. Brown made several statements about wanting to protest the vaccine," the deputy wrote in the incident report. "Ms. Brown stated she was driving through the course and once she got to the tent she told the personnel working she was not there for the vaccine."
At 81, William Shakespeare, or "Bill," became the second person in Britain to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in December. Jacob King/AP hide caption
At 81, William Shakespeare, or "Bill," became the second person in Britain to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in December.
William "Bill" Shakespeare, the first man in the United Kingdom to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, has died following a stroke.
The 81-year-old, whose famous name grabbed headlines around the world last year when he got the jab, died on Thursday, The New York Times reported, at the same hospital where he was inoculated.
On Dec. 8, Shakespeare became the second person in the country to get the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at the University Hospital in the central England city of Coventry. Margaret Keenan kicked off the country's vaccination campaign when she got the country's first shot at age 90.
In a statement released by the hospital, according to the BBC, his wife Joy said her husband was "so grateful" to have been one of the first people in the world to be vaccinated against the virus.
"It was something he was hugely proud of - he loved seeing the media coverage and the positive difference he was able to make to the lives of so many," she said. "He often talked to people about it and would always encourage everyone to get their vaccine whenever he could."
At the time, Shakespeare said: "It could make a difference to our lives from now on, couldn't it?"
The drama of his momentous jab was heightened by the fact that it took place just 20 miles from the birthplace of his playwright namesake.
"Taming of the flu: First man to get COVID shot in UK is named William Shakespeare," a front page of The New York Post quipped.
Beyond his landmark immunization, Shakespeare was known for his community involvement and political activism. He worked as an official at local schools and was a parish councilor for three decades.
Local councilor Jayne Innis described her friend to the Coventry Telegraph as a "life-long campaigner," who enjoyed photography, jazz and socializing.
Coventry Labour Party secretary Angela Hopkins told the publication that Shakespeare "walked hundreds of thousands of steps every year campaigning for the party."
Shakespeare's love for the natural world remains on display through the trees he helped plant in the village of Allesley back during the 1980s, and in the local forests he worked to preserve.
"Bill will be remembered for many things, including a taste for mischief," Innis said.
In addition to his wife, Shakespeare is survived by their two adult sons and his grandchildren.
German researchers on Wednesday said that based on laboratory research, they believed they have found the cause of the rare but serious blood clotting events among some people who received COVID-19 vaccines made by AstraZeneca Plc (AZN.L) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N).
The researchers, in a study not yet reviewed by experts, said COVID-19 vaccines that employ adenovirus vectors - cold viruses used to deliver vaccine material - send some of their payload into the nucleus of cells, where some of the instructions for making coronavirus proteins can be misread. The resulting proteins could potentially trigger blood clot disorders in a small number of recipients, they suggest.
Scientists and U.S. and European drug regulators have been searching for an explanation for what is causing the rare but potentially deadly clots accompanied by low blood platelet counts, which have led some countries to halt or limit use of the AstraZeneca and J&J vaccines. read more Other scientists have suggested competing theories for the clotting condition.
Johnson & Johnson, in an emailed statement said: "We are supporting continued research and analysis of this rare event as we work with medical experts and global health authorities. We look forward to reviewing and sharing data as it becomes available." AstraZeneca declined to comment.
Researchers at the Goethe-University of Frankfurt and other sites explained in their paper that vaccines using a different technology known as messenger RNA (mRNA), such as those developed by BioNTech SE with partner Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and Moderna Inc (MRNA.O), deliver the genetic material of the coronavirus spike protein only to fluid found inside cells, not to the nucleus of the cells.
All mRNA-based vaccines should represent safe products, the paper said.
The paper suggests that vaccine makers using adenovirus vectors could modify the sequence of the spike protein to avoid unintended splice reactions and to increase the safety of these pharmaceutical products.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Final day to receive the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the convention center KATU
