Posted: Apr 14, 2021 / 10:52 AM CDT / Updated: Apr 14, 2021 / 10:52 AM CDT
This picture taken on November 17, 2020 shows a syringe and a bottle reading Vaccine Covid-19. (Photo by JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images)
BROWNSVILLE, Texas (KVEO) Texas Southmost College (TSC) will be having a student only COVID-19 vaccination clinic on Thursday.
According to a release, students 18 and older will be able to take the vaccine. To receive the first dose, students will need to register at this link. Students will need their student ID and school email to register.
This will be a park-and-walk clinic at the Texas Southmost College ITEC center, located at 301 Mexico Blvd. on Thursday, April 15, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Registration will remain open until all slots are filled, states the release.
Students must show their appointment confirmation at the clinic.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) Sanford Healths largest COVID-19 vaccination clinic in South Dakota just hit a milestone with 80,000 shots distributed. Now that clinic is opening up to walk-in traffic.
Seth Elkins and Hayleigh Johnson both got their first dose of Pfizer vaccine today at Sanfords walk-in clinic.
I just want to get back to normal, get back to traveling and I guess kind of get back to normal, said Seth Elkins.
If you want things to go back to normal I think you should do everything you can to help do that and one of the easiest things is to just get a vaccine, said Hayleigh Johnson.
Okay relax, quick poke, said a Sanford nurse.
Nur Abdirahim is also here for his first shot.
I want to do my part, get that herd immunity going. Keep people safe so I dont get anybody sick, said Nur Abdirahim.
Pharmacists here have drawn up more than 80,000 doses of vaccine and counting since the first shots were given out a little over three months ago. Its enough shots to create a strong track record.
We have had less than one percent that have had any troubles. Its really been very minimal, said vaccination clinic director Terri Carlson.
Clinic director Terri Carlson says anyone can now get a shot and the lines are minimal, so theres no reason to wait.
Get your vaccine, its important. Its important for your own health, its important for the health of those around you. The side effects of the vaccine are minimal compared to the benefits of getting that vaccine and your ability to avoid a hospitalization, said Carlson.
While some just dont like shots, the people we talked with today say it was no big deal.
They put it in my arm, pulled it out, that was about it, I barely felt it, said Abdirahim.
Ive had lots of shots, lots of blood work done and it was one of the most mild shots Ive gotten in a long time, said Elkins.
Your muscle is nice and relaxed, heres that poke, said a Sanford nurse.
Im very afraid of shots, so I was very scared coming in today but it felt like nothing basically. I was very surprised, not hardly even a pinch, said Johnson.
The walk-in clinic is open Wednesday and Thursday from 8 to 5 at the Sanford Imagenetics building.
The clinic is only giving second shots to people by appointment on Friday. The clinics director says there will be more walk-in opportunities next week as well.
Heres what you need to know:People drinking at a pub in South London on Monday, as Britain begins to re-emerge from one of the longest lockdowns in the world.Credit...Andrew Testa for The New York Times
On Monday, Britains lockdown one of the longest and most stringent in the world finally began drawing to an end.
For people across Europe, struggling with yet another wave of the pandemic and demoralized by a vaccine rollout that, outside Britain, has been deeply troubled, this is hardly a time to rejoice.
And Britons who have lost more than 150,000 people to the pandemic know better than anyone that they are facing a wily adversary, a shape-shifter of a virus that spins off variants that can threaten medical advances with a few mutations.
But just past the stroke of midnight on Monday, a few select establishments in England served their first drinks since being forced to close in December and January, and more than a year after the first of three national lockdowns was imposed to limit the spread of the virus.
Later in the morning, thousands of gyms, salons and retail stores opened their doors for the first time in months, bringing a frisson of life to streets long frozen in a state of suspended animation. Friends reunited, and families shared a meal at outdoor cafes for the first time in months.
The weather may have been chilly there were even some snow flurries and pubs were limited to outdoor service. But the moment was embraced with an enthusiasm born of more than a year of on-and-off deprivation and uncertainty, one in which a once-unimaginable level of government decree became a way of life.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson called it a major step forward in our road map to freedom.
Monday was the start of a phased reopening that is scheduled to culminate on June 21, when the government says it hopes to lift almost all restrictions in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are following separate but similar timetables, which means that some of the restrictions eased on Monday in England will remain a while longer in those places.
Lockdowns of one form or another have become so commonplace around the world that it can be hard to recall a time when they did not exist. The word began entering the popular lexicon in the weeks and months after the virus first emerged in China and the authorities there moved aggressively to restrict the movement of its citizens.
While no country matched Chinas draconian measures, liberal democracies have been engaged in a yearlong effort to balance economic, political and public health concerns. Last spring, that meant about four billion people half of humanity living under some form of stay-at-home order.
Britain, which held out longer than many of its European neighbors, entered its first national lockdown on March 26, 2020.
At the height of the epidemic in January, Britain was averaging almost 60,000 new coronavirus infections and more than 1,200 Covid-19 deaths each day. In the past week, the daily averages were about 2,500 cases and 36 fatalities.
On Monday, as Britons flocked to shops and restaurants, there was widespread hope that after so many false dawns, there will be no going back.
The Biden administration and Michigans Democratic governor are locked in an increasingly tense standoff over the states worst-in-the-nation coronavirus outbreak, with a top federal health official on Monday urging the governor to lock down her state.
As the governor, Gretchen Whitmer, publicly called again for a surge of vaccine supply, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at a White House news conference that securing extra doses was not the most immediate or practical solution to the outbreak. She said that Michigan whose metro areas include 16 of the 17 worst outbreaks in the nation needed to enact shutdown measures to stamp out the crush of infections.
The answer is not necessarily to give vaccine, said the director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky. The answer to that is to really close things down, to go back to our basics, to go back to where we were last spring, last summer, and to shut things down.
Michigans outbreak driven by a highly infectious virus variant, loosened restrictions, travel, youth sporting events and uneven compliance with the remaining rules is by far the worst in the country. The state is averaging seven times as many cases each day as it was in late February, and hospitalizations have roughly doubled in the past two weeks. Nonetheless, Ms. Whitmer has stopped well short of the far-reaching shutdowns that made her a political lightning rod last summer, with armed protesters storming the Statehouse to demand an end to coronavirus restrictions.
The Biden administration, however, has held fast to distributing vaccines by state population, not by triage, shying away from anything that could look like inequitable distribution or political favoritism at a time when vaccine supply remains tight in many places.
Its important to understand how weve approached vaccine distribution from the beginning: Its done with equity in mind. Its done with the adult population in mind, the White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, said Monday. We dont pick by our friends. We dont pick through a political prism.
Michigans renewed fight with the virus was a warning for other states seeing new increases in cases and could have far-reaching consequences. Reports of new cases have increased by 45 percent in Illinois over the past two weeks, with especially high infection rates around Peoria. And as new, more contagious variants spread, caseloads are rising in Minnesota, Pennsylvania and several other states.
In an interview on Sunday with CBSs 60 Minutes, the Federal Reserve chair, Jerome H. Powell, said the American economy had brightened substantially as more people have been vaccinated and businesses have reopened. But he cautioned that there really are risks out there, specifically coronavirus flare-ups, if Americans return to normal life too quickly.
The principal risk to our economy right now really is that the disease would spread again more quickly, Mr. Powell said.
In recent days, Ms. Whitmer, an ally of President Bidens, has diverged repeatedly from the president, asking him in a private call last week for extra vaccines, and, after being turned down, continuing to press her case in public that vaccination is the answer.
Bobby Leddy, a spokesman for Ms. Whitmer, said the state was suffering not from a failure of policymaking, but from the new variants that are more contagious and from Michiganders who are not complying with the governors orders. Which is why its important for us to ramp up vaccinations as quickly as possible, he said.
Ms. Whitmer was joined in the call for more vaccines by Representatives Fred Upton, a Republican, and Debbie Dingell, a Democrat, who sent a letter last week to Mr. Biden pleading for extra doses for their state.
Ms. Whitmer, who called last week for voluntary pauses to indoor dining, youth sports and in-person high school, said on Monday that she planned to extend existing restrictions on in-person officework for six more months. She has also appealed to Michigan residents to take more personal responsibility, language that echoed Republican governors and contrasted sharply with her own response to earlier surges.
Starting later this month, about 51,000 New York City public school students who have been learning remotely for the past year will be able to return to classrooms, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday, including middle and high school students.
The announcement marks one of the most significant changes prompted by last months guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that schools could reduce social distancing between students in classrooms to three feet from six. For now, only elementary schools will switch to three feet.
Students in all grades who signed up for in-person classes over the last several weeks will be able to return starting April 26, Mr. de Blasio said. Previously, the city had committed only to bringing back elementary school students who wanted to switch to in-person classes.
Though a large number of families are eager for their children to return to classrooms, the families of about 650,000 of the citys roughly 1 million students have decided to have them continue learning from home through the end of the school year in June. The families have made that choice even though the city schools have had very low transmission, and tens of thousands of educators are fully vaccinated. Last week, the city also eased a school closure rule that had led to frequent temporary closures, which frustrated many parents.
It is difficult to generalize why hundreds of thousands of families have kept their children home. Some parents may prefer to keep a remote schedule for the next few months for the sake of consistency. Other families have expressed concern about relatively high test positivity rates in New York Citys wider population. Some parents of high school students in particular are concerned that their students would be learning from their laptops even in classrooms.
Mr. de Blasio has said he expects most schools to offer full-time in-person instruction for all or most students for the final months of the school year. The mayor said the school system would be operating at full capacity come September, with all students able to attend school full-time.
New York City health officials said on Monday that infections with the coronavirus variant that first emerged in Britain, B.1.1.7, have been increasing in every borough, but slightly more in southern Brooklyn, eastern Queens, and Staten Island. Genetic analysis shows that B.1.1.7 now accounts for about 30 percent of cases sequenced citywide.
The data, which was included in new maps and a report released by the city, represents the first time officials have offered a ZIP-code level look at how worrisome variants have been spreading in New York, overtaking original versions of virus and clustering in some parts of the city more than others.
The report and maps, which were published Monday afternoon on the citys health department website, also show that a variant first emerged in New York City, B.1.526, has been increasing at even a faster clip, and now represents some 45 percent of cases genetically sequenced in the city. The maps released Monday show that while B.1.526 is found in all five boroughs, it is slightly more common in the Bronx and parts of Queens.
Overall, more than 70 percent of genetically sequenced coronavirus cases now circulating in the city represent worrisome variants. The data, which spans January 1 to March 27, represents less than 5 percent of all positive test results in the city, as sequencing capabilities remain limited. As a result, it only provides a glimpse of the full picture of how the variants are impacting each community.
New York City has remained at a high plateau of coronavirus cases since February, with some 3,000 to 4,000 new cases reported per day, according to city data. The spread of these variants is likely a key reason that cases have not fallen more even as vaccinations rise, the citys health department said in the report.
Hospitalizations have been falling, but very gradually, as the most vulnerable get vaccinated. Deaths have also been declining, but at a slower than desired pace, and have been averaging about 50 per day.
The United States has seen an exponential rise of B.1.1.7, which is now the most dominant variant across the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That variant is about 60 percent more contagious and 67 percent more deadly than the original form of the coronavirus, according to the most recent estimates.
It has slammed Europe and helped fuel the worst-in-the-nation outbreak in Michigan. Until recently, the variants rise in the United States was somewhat camouflaged by falling infection rates overall, leading some political leaders to relax restrictions on indoor dining, social distancing and other measures. The C.D.C.s efforts to track down the variants have greatly improved in recent weeks and will continue to grow, though Britain, which has a more centralized health care system, began a highly promoted sequencing program last year that allowed it to track the spread of the B.1.1.7 variant.
Vaccines do appear to be effective against the variant.
Less is known about the B.1.526 variant, which was first documented by researchers in the Upper Manhattan area of New York City last November and has since spread widely through the city and beyond. City officials have said that the variant may be more transmissible, and is outpacing even B.1.1.7 in some neighborhoods.
But it is still unknown whether the variant has an impact on disease severity, re-infection, or vaccine effectiveness. The city said it has no evidence that it does, but that it is studying those possibilities.
The city also warned on Monday that the P.1 variant, which was first identified in Brazil, is increasing its presence, though its incidence as a percentage of total cases remains very low.
The city did not release data or a map showing where P.1 cases have been identified. It has previously said that the variant accounted for 1.3 percent of sequenced samples as of late March just 24 total cases of P.1. The variant maps released on Monday also excluded all ZIP codes where the total number of sequenced cases was fewer than three.
P.1 is also more transmissible than original versions of the virus, and there is some evidence of immunity evasion among both people who previously had Covid-19 and fully vaccinated people. It is spreading widely in South America and has appeared in many states.
The citys report did not mention the B.1.351 variant, first found in South Africa, which can partially dodge the bodys immune system response. The city had previously reported sequencing 6 total cases of B.1.351.
New York will no longer require international travelers arriving in the state to quarantine though it continues to recommend they do so, according to new guidance released by the Health Department.
The change was intended to bring the state in line with travel recommendations issued earlier this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In that guidance for international and domestic travel, the C.D.C. said that people fully vaccinated against the coronavirus could travel safely at low risk to themselves but should still follow health precautions in public such as wearing masks. Federal health officials also said that they preferred all people avoid travel while the threat of the virus remained so high in the United States. The C.D.C. also cited a lack of vaccine coverage in other countries, and concern about the potential introduction and spread of new variants of the virus that are more prevalent overseas.
The C.D.C. requires all international travelers arriving in the United States to show proof of a recent negative test result before boarding their flights. When fully vaccinated Americans travel abroad, they only need to get a coronavirus test or quarantine if the country they are going to requires it. However, the guidance says they must have a negative coronavirus test before boarding a flight back to the United States, and they should get tested again three to five days after their return.
New York State health officials said in their guidance, released Saturday, that they still recommend all international travelers get tested three to five days after arriving in the state.
They also suggested that unvaccinated travelers should self-quarantine for as many as 10 days and avoid people at risk of serious illness from the virus for two weeks.
The new international guidance came after the state also ended its requirement that domestic travelers to New York quarantine upon arrival. At the time, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo traced the decision to the pace of vaccinations and a decline in virus figures across the state, though the state was adding new cases at a higher rate than the country as a whole.
As of Sunday, the states average daily positivity test rate over the previous week was at 3.27 percent. Virus-related hospitalizations were at 4,083, their lowest number since Dec. 2, according to Mr. Cuomos office.
According to a New York Times database, New York State is adding new virus cases at the fifth-highest rate in the country. As of Sunday, the state was reporting an average of 37 new virus cases a day for every 100,000 residents over the last week. The nation as a whole was averaging 21 new cases per 100,000 people.
The state of Pennsylvania and the city of Los Angeles are accelerating plans for wider Covid-19 vaccine eligibility this week, as the United States approaches universal eligibility for adults.
Most states and U.S. territories have already expanded access to include anyone over 16. Others, including Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington State, have plans in place for universal adult access to start in the next few days. All states are expected to get there by Monday, a deadline set by President Biden.
Some states have local variations in eligibility, including Illinois, where Chicago did not join a statewide expansion that began Monday.
California as a whole has set Thursday as its date, but Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles said on Sunday that all residents age 16 or older in his city, the nations second largest, would become eligible two days earlier. In Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf said on Monday that all adults there would be eligible on Tuesday, six days earlier than previously planned.
We need to maintain acceleration of the vaccine rollout, especially as case counts and hospitalization rates have increased, Mr. Wolf said in a statement.
Expanded eligibility has not always brought immediate access. Demand for vaccination continues to outstrip supply in much of the nation, with people scrambling to book scarce appointments as they become available. And supplies of Johnson & Johnsons one-dose vaccine will be extremely limited until federal regulators approve production at a Baltimore manufacturing plant with a pattern of quality-control lapses, the White Houses pandemic response coordinator said on Friday.
We urge patience as we continue to ramp up our operations, obtain more doses, and enter this new phase of our campaign to end the pandemic, Mr. Garcetti said.
More than 120 million people or more than one-third of the U.S. population have now received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The nation is administering about 3.2 million doses a day on average.
Two of the three vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. those made by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are authorized for use in adults. The third, from Pfizer-BioNTech, is authorized for anyone 16 or older, and the company is seeking to expand that range to include youths 12 to 15. No vaccine has yet been authorized for use in younger children.
Global Roundup
Even as India hit a record for daily coronavirus infections, and its total caseload rose to second in the world behind the United States, the images that dominated Indian news media on Monday were of a crowded religious festival along the banks of the Ganges River.
The dissonance was a clear manifestation of the confusing messages sent by the authorities just as Indias coronavirus epidemic is spiraling, with a daily high of 168,000 cases and 900 deaths reported on Monday.
Yet millions of devotees have thronged the holy city of Haridwar for the monthlong Kumbh Mela, or pitcher festival, when Hindu pilgrims seek absolution by bathing in the Ganges. Officials have said that about one million people will participate every day, and as many as five million during the most auspicious days, all crowded into a narrow stretch along the river and searching for the holiest spot to take a dip.
Already, fears are running high that one of the most sacred pilgrimages in Hinduism could turn into a superspreading event.
Dr. S. K. Jha, a local health officer, said that an average of about 250 new cases had been registered each day recently. Experts have warned that many more infections are going unrecorded, and that devotees could unwittingly carry the virus with them as they return to their homes across the country.
India is in the grip of the worlds fastest growing outbreak, with more and more jurisdictions going back into varying stages of lockdown. Infections are spreading particularly fast in Mumbai, the countrys financial hub, and the surrounding state of Maharashtra, where the government has announced a partial weekday lockdown and near-total closure over the weekends.
The situation is also worsening in the capital, New Delhi, which reported more than 10,000 new cases on Sunday, surpassing the previous daily high of nearly 8,500. The state government has imposed a curfew and ordered restaurants and public transport systems to run at half capacity. Arvind Kejriwal, Delhis top official, has said more restrictions may follow.
Hospitals in several states are reporting shortages of oxygen, ventilators and coronavirus testing kits, and some are also running low on remdesivir, a drug used in serious Covid-19 cases. India has halted the export of remdesivir until the situation improves.
India is also trying to ramp up its vaccination drive, with about three million people being inoculated daily and 104 million doses administered so far. But with many vaccination centers nationwide expressing concern over possible shortages, Indias large pharmaceutical industry has sharply reduced its exports of the AstraZeneca vaccine in order to keep more doses at home, creating serious challenges for other countries that had been relying on those shipments.
On Monday, Indian experts recommended the use of Russias Sputnik-V coronavirus vaccine, which would become the third available in the country if approved by the authorities.
After months of lower-than-expected infections and deaths from the virus, critics say Indian officials have sent dissonant messages about the seriousness of the crisis. Police officers are enforcing curfew and mask rules, sometimes resorting to beatings captured on videos shared across social media. But senior political leaders, including the prime minister, Narendra Modi, have been holding large rallies for local elections.
Mr. Modis Hindu nationalist government has also allowed the religious festival to proceed in contrast to what happened last spring, at the start of the pandemic, when Indias health ministry blamed an Islamic seminary for fanning a far smaller outbreak. Critics say rhetoric from members of Mr. Modis party contributed to a spate of attacks against Muslims, a minority of about 200 million people in a Hindu-dominated country of 1.3 billion.
In other news around the world:
Bangladesh has announced a weeklong lockdown, closing offices, factories and transport services starting Wednesday, and banning domestic and international flights. The country is facing its severest coronavirus outbreak so far, averaging nearly 7,000 daily new infections, according to a New York Times database, as the virus sweeps across South Asia.
In France, all people over 55 are eligible to receive the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines starting Monday, as the authorities try to ramp up their vaccination campaign after a sluggish start. Health Minister Olivier Vran said on Sunday that France would also extend the period between the first and second shots of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to six weeks from four, echoing Britains strategy. Over 14 million people have received a first injection.
High schools reopened in Greece on Monday after five months closed. The reopening only applies to senior high-school classes, and pupils and teachers will have to take a virus test twice a week before returning to classrooms. Thousands did so at home on Sunday, with just 613 positives out of some 380,000, a rate of 0.16 percent, according to state television. Stores in the country reopened last week.
The worlds wealthy nations should commit $30 billion to a global mass vaccination campaign, Gordon Brown, a former prime minister of Britain, said on Monday. Lower-income countries inoculation efforts are trailing far behind richer nations and the divide has led to allegations of a vaccine apartheid, Mr. Brown warned in an op-ed for The Guardian. The costs may still be in billions, but the benefit will be in trillions, he wrote.
Anna Schaverien, Constant Mheut and Niki Kitsantonis contributed reporting.
Schools and colleges across New York State will be allowed to hold graduation ceremonies for students this spring, with restrictions depending on type of venue or its capacity, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said on Monday.
Outdoor ceremonies with more than 500 people, for example, must not exceed 20 percent of the venues capacity, and attendees must have proof of vaccination or a recent negative coronavirus test result. Indoor ceremonies with fewer than 100 people cannot exceed 50 percent of the venues capacity, though the vaccination or test requirement in that case will be optional, Mr. Cuomo said.
After the pandemic hit last spring, officials in New York and across the nation warned that graduation ceremonies could fuel the viruss spread, and many such events were canceled.
Colleges and universities began experiencing major outbreaks after students returned in the fall, and more than 120,000 cases have been linked to U.S. colleges and universities since Jan. 1. As theyve been shuttled back and forth to campuses, depending on whether theyve been open or closed, scientists have feared students were spreading the virus.
This spring, vaccinations have tracked upward, but dangerous virus variants are spreading and case counts remain high in many places. That has left colleges struggling to find a consensus on how best to mark commencement.
Mr. Cuomo said that New York States new rules on graduation will take effect on May 1. But he said officials are still encouraging drive-through or virtual graduation ceremonies as safer options, and he warned that the pandemic was far from over.
According to a New York Times database, New York State is adding new virus cases at the fifth-highest rate in the country. As of Sunday, the state was reporting an average of 37 new virus cases a day for every 100,000 residents over the last week. The nation as a whole was averaging 21 new cases per 100,000 people.
A monoclonal antibody cocktail developed by the drug maker Regeneron offered strong protection against Covid-19 when given to people living with someone infected with the coronavirus, according to clinical trial results announced on Monday. The drug, if authorized, could offer another line of defense against the disease for people who are not protected by vaccination.
The findings are the latest evidence that such lab-made drugs not only prevent the worst outcomes of the disease when given early enough, but also help prevent people from getting sick in the first place.
Using the cumbersome drugs preventively on a large scale wont be necessary: Vaccines are sufficient for the vast majority of people and are increasingly available.
Still, antibody drugs like Regenerons could give doctors a new way to protect high-risk people who havent been inoculated or who may not respond well to vaccination, such as those taking drugs that weaken their immune system. That could be an important tool as rising coronavirus cases and dangerous virus variants threaten to outpace vaccinations.
Regeneron said in a news release that it would ask the Food and Drug Administration to expand the drugs emergency authorization currently for high-risk people who already have Covid but are not hospitalized to allow it to be given for preventive purposes in appropriate populations.
Theres a very substantial number of people in the United States and globally who could be a good fit to receive these drugs for preventive purposes, said Dr. Myron Cohen, a University of North Carolina researcher who leads monoclonal antibody efforts for the Covid Prevention Network, a National Institutes of Health-sponsored initiative that helped to oversee the trial.
Not everyones going to take a vaccine, no matter what we do, and not everyones going to respond to a vaccine, Dr. Cohen said.
Regenerons new data come from a clinical trial that enrolled more than 1,500 people who lived in the same household as someone who had tested positive for the virus within four days. Those who got an injection of Regenerons drug were 81 percent less likely to get sick with Covid compared to volunteers who got a placebo.
NORTH KANSAS CITY, Mo. There are thousands of vaccine appointments available across the metro this week.
Operation Safe said it had 2,000 appointments available on Thursday and Friday at its Cerner clinic location. Those who sign up will receive the Pfizer vaccine.
The appointments are for people who have not received the first dose of a vaccine yet. Later clinics will be held for those who need second shots.
Operation Safe said Tuesday that it scheduled everyone who completed interest forms. Now its looking for anyone age 16 and older who still wants to be vaccinated.
The group says its easy to sign up, fill out an online form and you will receive information about how to schedule an appointment. If youve already taken this step, but have not received an invitation, resubmit your information by filling out the form again.
Appointments arerequired,and walk-up requests will not be accommodated.Invitations will bedistributedbased on the number of vaccines available andin the order of form completion.
If the clinic in North Kansas City is not convenient for you, there are may other options in both Missouri and Kansas.
MOSCOW (AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday he got his second COVID-19 vaccine shot, three weeks after getting the first dose.
The Russian leader announced getting the jab, which was kept out of the public eye, at a session of the Russian Geographical Society, in which he took part via video link.
Right now, before entering this hall, I have also gotten the second jab. I hope everything will be fine. I dont even hope as much as Im sure of it, Putin said.
The president told reporters after the event that he didnt experience any adverse effects after the second shot. As you see, everything is normal, no side effects, Putin said, adding that doctors told him he developed a good immune response after the first shot.
Putin got his first coronavirus shot on March 23, also out of sight of the cameras, and the Kremlin wouldnt reveal which of the three vaccines currently approved for use in Russia the president has taken.
The Russian leaders vaccination comes several months after widespread immunization against COVID-19 started in Russia a delay that puzzled many, with some critics arguing that it was contributing to the already existing public hesitancy about the vaccine.
Russian authorities have given regulatory approval to three domestically developed shots Sputnik V, EpiVacCorona and CoviVac. All three received authorization before completing advanced trials experts say are necessary to ensure their safety and effectiveness in line with established scientific protocol.
However, a study published in February in the British medical journal the Lancet showed that Sputnik V is 91% effective and appears to prevent inoculated individuals from becoming severely ill with COVID-19, although its still unclear whether the vaccine can prevent the spread of the disease. No data on efficacy of the two other vaccines have been released.
Russia has been actively marketing Sputnik V abroad, despite the comparatively slow rollout at home and limited production capacities. Dozens of countries have approved the use of Sputnik V, and many signed deals with the Russian Direct Investment Fund that bankrolled the vaccine to get shipments of the shot.
A February poll by Russias top independent pollster, Levada Center, showed that 62% of Russians were reluctant to get vaccinated with Sputnik V.
COVID-19 vaccines have passed rigorous reviewsandare highly effective.
Scientists had a significant head start developing the COVID-19 vaccines. COVID-19 is very similar to other viruses, which already have vaccines.
Testing was thorough and successful. All COVID-19 vaccines were tested in clinical trials involving tens of thousands of people to make sure they meet safety standards and protect adults of different races, ethnicities, and ages, including adults over the age of 65.
There is no COVID-19 virus in the vaccine.The vaccine imitates the infection so that our bodies create antibody defenses to fight off COVID-19.
Side effects are mild, temporary, and normal signs that your body is building protection. You may experience pain and swelling in the arm of the injection. Throughout the rest of your body, you may experience fever, chills, tiredness, and headaches.
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Although European health systems have faced the most challenging public health threat they have ever experienced, the promising side effects have undoubtedly been the disruptions catalysed by digital health. During this time of crisis, digital health has stepped in to provide expedient health care services that offer effectiveness, safety and even humanity for patients suffering from chronic conditions or who need immediate health care. In recognition of this, the European Commission recently proposed the EU4Health programme as part of a COVID-19 recovery response programme. The initiative aims to raise 5.1 billion for the digital transformation of the EU health sector and ensure preparedness for future cross border health threats.
Germany has steadfastly remained at the forefront of the digital health transformation during the pandemic by continually innovating and adapting legislation accordingly.In 2019, DiGA Fast-Track was created by the Digital Healthcare Act (DVG) and various legislative changes, which meant that apps could be prescribed by doctors and costs are reimbursed through German health insurance. On 5 October, eleven months after the Germany federal government passed the DVG, two health apps officially became available for prescription.
However, the acceptance of digital health has not always been so widely present in Germany. Dr Susanne Ozegowski, head of corporate development and digitisation atTechniker Krankenkasse (TK) and HIMSS EMEA advisory board member, told Healthcare IT News: "In Germany, until three years ago, digital health didn't play a big role. There were a few fitness and wellness apps but hardly any digital health applications which had a relevant impact when it came to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
"That changed when the minister of health, Jens Spahn, came into office three and a halfyears ago who really pushed the issue of digital health overall."
Since January 2021, all statutorily insured 72 million German citizens have been legally entitled to a national electronic patient record (ePA).Discussing this recent initiative, DrOzegowski added:"The technical infrastructure is in place, it is clear now what the parameters are. Patients already actually have access, becauseas of January 1 of this year, they have the opportunity to use an electronic health record, which is part of that telematics infrastructure. The decisive next step will be that providers get access and that the ePA really becomes a relevant part in the standard procedures of care.
"I think the electronic patient record is one of the major things that we need in Germany. Otherwise, you're going to have all this fragmented health data here and there, but you need a common digital infrastructure in order to have real exchange of information, and the opportunity for better care decisions based on each individual's health data."
Reflecting on the region-wide benefits to come from the pandemic, Dr Ozegowski explained: "COVID has also helped in the acceptance that we need to do more in healthcare on a European level. Here two things came together: COVID, of course, but then also the fact that Germany had the EU presidency in the second half of 2020."
"That has led to Germany pushing for a European health data space - which requires interoperability on a European level - but also the implementation of the EU patient summary in Germany, which is in essence a shortened version of the electronic health record that will be interoperable with the EU standard."
Telemedicine platforms are also a large component of Germany's plans to rapidly roll-out digital health services. Earlier this month, operators of telemedicine platforms reported a growth rate of over 1,000%, with more than 20,000 medical doctors and psychotherapists offering appointments through video-consultations. Online appointments are reimbursed, provided that one of the 20 platforms certified by the Federal Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) is used.
Discussing the increase in teleconsultations, in a Q&A for the Deutsches rzteblatt, Professor Jrgen Debatin, head of the Health Innovation Hub of the German Federal Ministry of Health, said: "[]it is above all digital technologies that keep us together as a society in this situation.This also applies to medicine."
As a consequence, manufacturers of practice software are bolstering investments in integrated solutions for online health consultations. During the pandemic, German CompuGroup Medical (CGM) decided to create its own video-consultation solutioncalled Clickdoc available to all doctors free of charge until further notice. According to CGM, since its launch, around 5,000 doctors have registered for this KBV-certified video-consultation.
German video-consultation platform, Doctor Konsultation.deis also one of the providers who have experiencedstrong growth in demand in the wake of the pandemic. "We are currently experiencing an openness to the video-consultation that is new to this extent," said a company spokesperson.
France adopted a new healthcare act in 2019, based on the government's 'My Health 2022' plan which seeks to expand the country's eHealth focus. Amongst its plans, France wants to improve interoperability; roll-out nationwide electronic health records (EHR) to become the cornerstone of eHealth platforms; leverage the use of AI in health; establish a data hub for healthcare data sets; and invest further in the recent introduction of telemedicine by the public health system.
Telemedicine usagehas been breaking records in the country, prompting health minister, Olivier Vran to announcea decree to ease the conditions for the practice of telemedicine. Furthermore, the country has recently kick-startedtrials for a digital vaccine passportand is showing promising progress in utilising health tech to get the country back to normality. Starting from this month, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) AOKpass app will be trialled for passengers travelling to the French Caribbean territories of Martinique and Guadeloupe.
In Norway, the Directorate for eHealth has encouraged healthcare professionals to leverage video-consultations and hassetup an overview of solutions already in use in the sector - either as a standalone video platform or from the EHR system. The main EPR solutions with video for doctors in Norway are The PatientSky, which works directly in the browser, and Pridok, a cloud-based system with integration of standalone video solutions, Confrere, Helseboka and Helsenorge.
For psychologists and psychiatrists, the directorate has suggested a number of standalone video solutions and EHRsolutions with integrated video such as Aspit Psykbasewhichintegrates withAspit MeetorConfrere(on request).
The Norwegian Health Network (NHN) / Helsenorge is actively encouraging more providers to offer video-consultations in collaboration with helsenorge.no, enabling more widespread access to video solutions forresidents.
The Norwegian Directorate of Health and the Norwegian Directorate for eHealth have recently put together a 'corona portfolio' to collate input from small and large actors on digital solutions that can help solve the crisis. The input is categorised and disseminated for further assessment from various working groups with representatives from NIPH, the Norwegian Directorate of Health, the Norwegian Health Network or others if relevant.
Rune Pedersen, director of Patient Pathways, at the Norwegian Centre for eHealth Research told Healthcare IT News: "A large national digital platform is currently planned and partly operative. This platform will in the future contain interoperability and semantic solutions. FHIR is a national interoperability standard, and SNOMED-CT has been chosen as common terminology.
"National services for patients and professionals are included. These are several and in progress. The work is hosted at the Directorate of eHealth, and led by the government. One of for regions has bought and will implement EPIC in both the primary and specialist healthcare. The implementation is planned started in 2022. The municipalities are planning a national procurement of common HER systems through KS, a municipal common organisation."
Although this procurement is at an early stage, three of four regions haveadopted an open EHR driven system for specialist healthcare, which is being implemented from 2021. Pedersen added that this approach aims for efficiency and safety, with a large focus on interoperability between services.
As a result of the pandemic, the use of virtual care and telemedicine has been established as a major component of delivering care. Europe's health system governance will continue to invest and reimagine health systems to ensure that telemedicine and other digital health technologies are improved and adapted to emerging regulations and ever-changing patient demand.
These digital health models reduce the risk of infection for the patient and for hospital staff and also free up hospital resources for prioritised areas. Most importantly, and paradoxically, digital health models that were once critised for dehumanising care have played an invaluable role in connecting clinicians and patients across Europe. As this area evolves, the European Commission's Communication on Digital Transformation of Health and Care aimsto continue gaining support and momentum in empowering citizens and building a healthier society through the greater use of digital products in the sector.
Find out more about the European digital health strategy at the 'A New Agenda for Europe: Leveraging the European Health Data Space' sessionat theHIMSS21 & Health 2.0 European Health Conferenceon 7 June, 2021.
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.
Harrisburg, PA - The Department of Health today announced that beginning Wednesday, April 14 an indoor walk-in COVID-19 testing site will open to the public in Monroe County. This site is available through a partnership with AMI Expeditionary Healthcare (AMI).
The virus is still present in our communities, which is evident by the recent rise in COVID-19 cases statewide, Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said. This reinforces the need for continued testing across the state. We encourage anyone who feels they need or want a test to take advantage of all COVID-19 testing clinics if they think they have been exposed to COVID-19. Much of the news and attention has shifted to COVID-19 vaccines, but testing is still a critical part of our response to ultimately stop the spread of COVID-19.
Beginning Wednesday, April 14 through Sunday, April 18, testing will be available daily from 10 AM to 7 PM at the Middle Smithfield Community Center, 5200 Milford Road, East Stroudsburg, PA, 18302.
Up to 450 people can be tested per day. Mid-nasal passage swab PCR tests will be performed. Testing is on a first-come, first-serve basis and is completely free. No appointment is necessary. Testing is also open to individuals who are not county residents. Patients must be ages 3 and older and are not required to show symptoms of COVID-19 in order to be tested. Patients are encouraged to bring a photo-ID or insurance card. Registration will also be completed on-site. The turnaround time for testing results is two to seven days after testing.
The AMI testing site will be open to anyone who feels they need a test. It is important that even people with no symptoms who have tested positive isolate in order to stop the spread of COVID-19.
There are three other COVID-19 testing sites currently operating across the commonwealth in Centre, Delaware, and Luzerne counties. Delaware County extended its testing site through April 30. Luzerne County continues to make COVID-19 testing accessible for elderly individuals who do not drive or have access to transportation.
In addition, Pennsylvanians can find testing sites in their area on the locator map here.
Individuals who are tested should self-quarantine while they await their test results. Individuals who live with other people should self-quarantine in a private room and use a private bathroom, if possible. Others living in the home with the individual awaiting test results should also stay at home. The department has additional instructions for individuals waiting for a COVID-19 test result. Individuals who test positive will receive a phone call from AMI while individuals who test negative will receive a secured-PDF emailed to them from AMI.
The department believes that increased testing in counties will help determine the prevalence of the virus and assist the county in moving forward. There are currently 46 counties in the commonwealth where the percent of positive cases is above 5 percent on the Early Warning Monitoring Dashboard. Each county is being monitored as the state continues to examine all available data.
The department has contracted with AMI to perform pop-up COVID-19 testing in counties across the state since September 2020. The contracts were funded by the federal Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) Enhancing Detection grant. Counties under the initial contract, as well as the total number of patients tested, can be found here.
From March 2020 through April 11, 2021, the department has received 12,212,240 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results. From May 2020 through April 11, 2021, the department has received 2,507,706 antigen test results. The total combined number of tests reported to the department is 14,719,946 since COVID-19 testing began in the commonwealth. The number of Pennsylvanians who have been tested by PCR or antigen tests is 5,597,173, which roughly equates to 43.7 percent of the Pennsylvania population. Some people have been tested more than once.
Counties in need of a long-term COVID-19 testing site should contact the Pennsylvania Department of Health to discuss the possibility of setting up a pop-up site through AMI.
For the latest information for individuals, families, businesses and schools, visit Responding to COVID-19 on pa.gov.
While vaccine supply from the federal government remains limited, the Department of Health is working to ensure the vaccine is provided in a way that is ethical, equitable and efficient. To keep Pennsylvanians informed about vaccination efforts:
The Wolf Administration stresses the role Pennsylvanians play in helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19:
Updated Coronavirus Links: Press Releases, State Lab Photos, Graphics
MEDIA CONTACT: Barry Ciccocioppo - ra-dhpressoffice@pa.gov
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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) Gas prices in western Massachusetts have decreased in the past week by 0.8 cents.
According to Gas Buddy, the cheapest price for a gallon of gas in Springfield is $2.45, the most expensive is $2.89 per gallon. Comparing to nearby areas, Worcester is currently $2.70 a gallon, Connecticut is $2.87 a gallon and Hartford is $2.80 a gallon.
The national average price of gasoline has decreased 2.1 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $2.85/g Monday. The national average is down 0.5 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands $1.02 per gallon higher than a year ago.
It has been a fairly tame last few weeks at the pump for most areas after a particularly active February and March when prices were screaming higher, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. After surging back then, weve seen the price increases fade, and while we havent seen much of a decline, prices have been holding near their yearly highs. For now, it feels like the risk of seeing the national average climb to $3/gal has been delayed by a recent surge in COVID-19 cases both here and abroad, limiting the upside to gasoline demand, but should things begin to improve, especially as we get closer to the start of the summer, we still have potential to see summer gas prices at their highest levels in years. Make no mistake, gas prices this year will be tied to the hip of the Covid situation.
Drivers in our area are currently paying 4.8cents more per gallon than they were a month ago.
Historical gasoline prices in Springfield and the national average going back ten years:
