Disturbing number of Washingtonians over 65 havent received a COVID-19 vaccine, Inslee says – KING5.com

Disturbing number of Washingtonians over 65 havent received a COVID-19 vaccine, Inslee says – KING5.com

Knox Co. Health Dept. to allow COVID-19 vaccine appointments without waitlist starting Monday – WBIR.com

Knox Co. Health Dept. to allow COVID-19 vaccine appointments without waitlist starting Monday – WBIR.com

April 3, 2021

Starting on Monday, people not need to put their names on a waitlist to get a COVID-19 vaccine with the Knox County Health Department.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. The Knox County Health Department is making changes to the way it schedules people for vaccines. Starting Monday, people will be able to register for an appointment directly instead of putting names on a waitlist.

First, the health department said it would reach out to people currently on the waitlist to tell them about a new opportunity to schedule an appointment. Then, people will be able to schedule appointments online as they become available.

All phases are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, according to health leaders. Anyone 16 years old and older can receive a shot.

The department said that vaccine supplies are continuing to increase, allowing them to give more people the vaccine. They said they hope the new system will make the vaccination process easier for people.

As of Thursday, the health department said that 204,774 vaccinations were reported among Knox County residents 28.88% of people in the county had received at least one dose.

As of Friday, the waitlist was closed and people could no longer place their names on it as the health department moved into the new system.


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How to sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine in northern Nevada – KRNV My News 4
Explained: Making sense of Indias Covid-19 data – The Indian Express

Explained: Making sense of Indias Covid-19 data – The Indian Express

April 3, 2021

The coronavirus infection number has started to rise again. Previously, it had peaked in mid-September and declined steadily until February this year, until the current resurgence in a few states. The daily count of cases is back in the 70,000 range, while about 400 deaths in a day are being reported now. In a country that counts roughly 27,000 deaths a day as a baseline, the coronavirus death numbers do not seem very alarming.

The reasons for the five-month decline starting in September, and the current resurgence, are not very well understood. In fact, an analysis of the data leads us to more confounding questions, and some contradictory findings.

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The common metrics to assess the spread of Covid-19 are the numbers of cases and deaths. Although India has over 12 million cases now, the cases as a proportion of population are at 9.02 per thousand. India is outperforming many countries on this metric.

Coronavirus deaths in India are low no matter which parameter is assessed. The best parameter is Infection Fatality Rate (IFR). It measures deaths as a proportion of total infections (and not just confirmed infections). Total infections is estimated through serosurveys. The IFR in India is 0.08% according to initial government surveys. The US estimate is about 0.6%, about 8 times that of India. Almost half the difference can be attributed to Indias relative younger population. The reasons for the remaining difference are unknown.

Actual disease prevalence

To understand whether the low case numbers are real or due to lower testing, metrics such as Test Positivity Rate (TPR) are relevant. TPR is the ratio of positive results and total number of tests. A TPR below 5% is considered the benchmark for appropriate level of testing. The chart shows a 7-day rolling average TPR for US and India since April 1, 2020. Indias performance on this metric seems adequate barring the months leading up to the September peak.

An overlooked indicator is the actual prevalence of the disease in the population. This number is much more than the total cases confirmed by test results. It is determined through serosurveys.

The latest data indicates about 21% of the population was affected by Covid by December end. Comparisons with other countries are difficult because not all countries run countrywide surveys that match the Indian survey time-frame. An estimate for the US based on numbers in different states indicates a range of 15-20%. By this metric, India appears to have one of the highest spreads in the world.

This number can also be used to assess testing adequacy. A 21% spread equals about 280 million infected people. By December 31, the total number of cases identified were 10.3 million leading to ratio of 27 for total infected to total detected. In the US, this same ratio is around 2.5 (using 15% as prevalence for December-end). Therefore, in India for every detected case, 26 were missed. This assessment indicates testing has been very inadequate. It also raises the confounding question why was the TPR low if so many people were infected? Also, if testing wasnt the control mechanism for disease spread, then what led to the decline?

This also indicates that the decline in cases in India from mid-September was a true decline and not due to reduced testing.

A year into the pandemic, cases and deaths are low in India. The spread of the disease, however, is one of the highest. Testing appears to have missed many infections. It appears that the disease is widespread but is a milder form, one that escapes testing and does not cause serious illness.

Possible explanations

The daily number of infections (not just positive results, but total infections) is dependent on three factors:

* The number of infectious individuals who can transmit the disease

* The rate of transmission. This in turn depends on several parameters, including virus strain, susceptibility of population and exposure time.

* The number of susceptible individuals in the population. More people available for infection would increase new infections.

Strategies

Different strategies are deployed to control one or more of these three numbers in order to bring down the daily count of infections

STRATEGY 1: Reduce the number of infectious people in the population

This can be done through lockdown, which reduces the circulation of infected individuals. It can also be done through testing and quarantining, which means identification of infected individuals and their isolation.

STRATEGY 2: Reduce rate of transmission

Lockdown plays a role here as well, by reducing contact between infectious and susceptible individuals. Masks and physical distancing also help in this objective. So does adequate ventilation, because this dilutes the virus in the air surrounding a susceptible individual.

STRATEGY 3: Reduce the number of susceptible individuals

Here, vaccinations play an important role.

The three factors act together. In a situation wherein the infectious and susceptible population are high, reduction of cases is possible by controlling the rate of transmission (through distancing measures, for example). As the infectious population goes down due to better control, or the number of susceptible individuals goes down due to increased immunity, the contact between individuals, and consequently the rate of transmission, can be allowed to increase (relaxation on assembly, for example) without an upward effect on the new cases.

In India, serosurveys indicate that testing missed almost 24 out of possible 25 exposures. Consequently, testing and quarantining lever has not been the most effective, and is ruled out as a possible reason for the decline.

Explained, unexplained

LOCKDOWN: It doesnt explain the decline in the number of cases since strict lockdown ended way back in May. In the initial months, however, it did help the health system to prepare itself to deal with increasing cases.

MASKING, PHYSICAL DISTANCING: After the most recent round of relaxation in restrictions in public transport and gatherings, cases have increased in some states, indicating that these restrictions could have been a factor in controlling the spread earlier. However, many of these measures were being relaxed gradually from June onwards. It doesnt explain why the cases peaked in September, and did not continue to increase further. Nor does it explain why the recent increase in cases is still concentrated in a few states.

HERD IMMUNITY IN SOME CITIES: A serosurvey in August in Mumbai indicated 45% prevalence in slums and 18% in other areas. While these numbers are not near the threshold that is generally considered as herd immunity level, these could have potentially explained the decline when coupled with a low rate of transmission. But then, the current rise is maximum in these very cities, like Mumbai and Pune, which had reported high levels of immunity. Also, rural areas, which had lower prevalence rates earlier, are still showing a lack of any major rise.

PRE-EXISTING IMMUNITY: This is often referred to as the hygiene hypothesis, proposing that the Indian population has better immunity against coronavirus because it has been exposed to a lot of other infectious diseases earlier. This is still an untested hypothesis.

Reinfections

The lack of spread in rural areas in the absence of herd immunity could be explained by lower population density and higher natural ventilation. It is possible this rate is low enough to compensate for the higher susceptible population.

A decline in cities could be explained by a decrease in the susceptible population due to high disease spread, and the resulting acquired immunity. The recent surge then becomes difficult to explain unless re-infection rates are high. Re-infection is still poorly understood and it is possible that a milder initial exposure still leaves the individual susceptible to recurring exposure. A helpful analogy is the common cold, a mild reaction that does not really provide immunity from recurring infections. Another possibility is that a new strain with a higher transmission rate is the driver of the latest surge. At this point, however, it is a theory without any detailed evidence in support.

The above discussion indicates that we have to rely on many conjectures beyond the basic tactics/levers to explain the timing of decline, lack of spread in rural areas, and resurgence in some areas. With lack of certainty on factors contributing to the decline and the low death rates, it will be premature for individuals to breathe a sigh of relief and resume activities at a pre-Covid scale.


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Explained: Making sense of Indias Covid-19 data - The Indian Express
Coronavirus vaccines with a side of fried fish are on the Good Friday menu in Central City – NOLA.com

Coronavirus vaccines with a side of fried fish are on the Good Friday menu in Central City – NOLA.com

April 3, 2021

PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER | THE TIMES-PICAYUNE / THE NEW ORLEANS ADVOCATE

A mass vaccination event at Ashe Cultural Arts Center on Good Friday, April 2, will serve heaping platters of fried fish to all participants, free of charge.

In order to qualify for the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot, residents should be 18 and older, as required by federal law. Health officials are encouraging signups online because supply of the dose is limited.

The event is sponsored by the New Orleans East Hospital's mobile unit as part of a broader effort to encourage herd immunity.

The event will take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 1712 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.

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Coronavirus vaccines with a side of fried fish are on the Good Friday menu in Central City - NOLA.com
Fauci Expects Surge In Vaccinations To Keep A 4th Coronavirus Wave At Bay – NPR

Fauci Expects Surge In Vaccinations To Keep A 4th Coronavirus Wave At Bay – NPR

April 3, 2021

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies during a Senate hearing last month on the federal coronavirus response. Susan Walsh/Pool/Getty Images hide caption

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies during a Senate hearing last month on the federal coronavirus response.

More than 56 million people in the U.S. have now been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Yet cases are rising again in some parts of the country, notably in Michigan and states in the Northeast.

But Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Biden administration's chief medical adviser, predicts that the U.S. won't see a fourth wave of the coronavirus as severe as the previous three, thanks to the uptick in vaccinations.

"It's kind of like a race between the potential for a surge and our ability to vaccinate as many people as we possibly can," he said in an interview Friday with NPR's Morning Edition. "And hopefully, if you want to make this a metaphorical race, the vaccine is going to win this one."

But he cautioned against prematurely pulling back on measures such as mask-wearing and physical distancing.

"I believe strongly that every day that goes by, we get closer and closer to getting an advantage," he said.

Read NPR's interview with Fauci, edited for clarity, below:

I wonder if you could explain what we're seeing, with cases in some parts of the country really surging?

Well, there are a couple of factors that are going on. As you know, some of the states and cities have pulled back a bit on the mitigation methods, namely pulling back on mask mandates and pulling back on the guidelines of crowded places and physical distancing. That, together with the fact that we're having a dominant variant that is circulating throughout the country. A variant, meaning a mutational change in the virus that, in this case, is giving it the capability of spreading more efficiently from person to person. So I think when you combine those two things, pulling back on some of the guidelines of public health at the same time as you have a more efficient virus spreading through the community is leading to those increases that you just referred to.

If this is a fourth wave, could it get as bad as any of the previous three?

You know, I really don't think that's going to happen. I mean, we got to always keep our guard up for those things. But the factor that we have now that we didn't have then is what you just mentioned a moment ago the number of people that have been vaccinated. We have, you know, over 50 million people who are fully vaccinated, just short of 100 million who have received at least one dose. And we are vaccinating about 3 million people per day. So in some respects, it's kind of like a race between the potential for a surge and our ability to vaccinate as many people as we possibly can. And hopefully, if you want to make this a metaphorical race, the vaccine is going to win this one. Which I believe it will, if we continue with the vaccine program, which has really been quite successful, at the same time as we don't prematurely declare victory and pull back too much on our mitigation policy.

Michigan is averaging upward of 5,000 new cases a day, and the governor there is asking for more vaccines. What do you think of that idea of having the federal government take vaccine from less hard-hit places and send it to hot spots?

What is happening is that the distribution is being put very much the responsibility at the local level, giving governors and mayors and others to move around within the state. As far as we know, the allocation per state still remains at the pro rata level, where you do it on the basis of population. Now, that could change, but right now we're looking at the possibility of the states themselves making a redistribution depending upon where they're seeing the surge.

How do you think we're doing on the pace of vaccinations? It sounds like you are optimistic, you're positive. Could it be going any faster though?

You know, you could always do things a little faster, but for example, we're likely going to be over 30 million vaccinations this past week. That is really good. And what we're doing and it just was announced yesterday [Thursday] that there's a thing called the COVID Community Corps. What we're doing is to get trusted messengers in the community and giving them the necessary information to go out and get people to get up there and get vaccinated as soon as vaccine becomes available to them. So it's a rather big push. It's a public education campaign, and it's referred to as the COVID-19 Community Corps. I think that will accelerate the distribution of vaccine. So I'm pretty optimistic that that will be value added.

In some places there still is vaccine skepticism. Donald Trump and people in his administration who downplayed the pandemic are no longer in power. Our colleague Pien Huang has been reporting on how the CDC is trying to rebuild public trust. The Biden administration certainly has been letting science speak. You are one of the most prominent voices, but it just seems like a lot of people aren't listening. I'm thinking of reporting that we did over spring break where lots of kids headed down to Florida. I'm thinking of, like you said, local officials lifting mask mandates. Why isn't the message getting through?

Well, I think there are several factors that are coming in here now. I think in general we have what we're referring to as COVID-19 fatigue. This has been going on now for, you know, 14 to 15 months, and people are just fatigued at that. We can't give up. And that's the reason why the messaging that I and my colleagues do all the time is that we need to hang in there just a bit longer. We are going to get through this. We are going to get this behind us for absolutely certain. The one thing we don't want to do is pull back prematurely. But you're right. I mean, it's not easy to get people who've been going through this for such a long period of time to say, "I'm not going to go on a spring break, and I'm not going to take a vacation." Everybody wants to do that. But I'm telling you, I believe strongly that every day that goes by, we get closer and closer to getting an advantage. And that means the vaccines that are being distributed at over 3 million per day is going to get us to the endgame where we want to be.

With all of the vaccines and all of the cases, do you think we might be approaching herd immunity? I know that's a difficult question to answer. I'm just curious.

You know, it's an elusive terminology because we don't know exactly with this particular virus what herd immunity would mean. You know, herd immunity means you get enough people who are immune either from prior infections, which would render them to be immune or vaccine. Putting those two together, you reach a certain critical level in the community where people are protected, that really the virus has no place to go. I mean, obviously, the more people you get vaccinated, the more people that successfully recover from COVID-19, the greater number of people you'll have to contribute to this concept of herd immunity. Since we don't know exactly what that number is, you just have to keep trying to get as many people vaccinated as you possibly can. Add it to the people who have recovered from infection would also contribute to that herd immunity.

And lastly, what's your message for people who are going to get together this weekend for Easter?

You know, enjoy the holiday, but continue to abide by the public health measures. If you're vaccinated and you're in a family setting, you can do a lot of things. You can get together without a mask and have a good time.

Ziad Buchh, Elena Moore, Denise Couture and Fernando Pizarro produced and edited the audio version of this story. Avie Schneider produced for the Web.


Visit link: Fauci Expects Surge In Vaccinations To Keep A 4th Coronavirus Wave At Bay - NPR
These are the latest COVID numbers in Georgia for April 1, 2021 – 11Alive.com WXIA

These are the latest COVID numbers in Georgia for April 1, 2021 – 11Alive.com WXIA

April 3, 2021

Here's the latest COVID-19 case, death and hospitalization data from the state.

ATLANTA We're breaking down the trends and relaying information from across the state of Georgia as it comes in, bringing perspective to the data and context to the trends.

Visit the 11Alive coronavirus page for comprehensive coverage, find out what you need to know about Georgia specifically, learn more about the symptoms, and keep tabs on the cases around the world.

State and federal officials with the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are continually monitoring the spread of the virus. They are also working hand-in-hand with the World Health Organization to track the spread around the world and to stop it.

Appling 1879 63

Atkinson 767 16

Baldwin 3786 109

Barrow 8401 126

Bartow 10867 201

Ben Hill 1480 58

Berrien 1042 29

Bleckley 791 33

Brantley 899 30

Bulloch 5156 62

Carroll 7241 129

Catoosa 5385 61

Charlton 1044 23

Chatham 19506 394

Chattahoochee 2965 12

Chattooga 2174 60

Cherokee 21619 287

Clarke 12436 128

Clayton 22371 410

Coffee 4199 132

Colquitt 3466 73

Columbia 10764 157

Coweta 8409 181

Crawford 519 16

DeKalb 55219 873

Decatur 2106 54

Dougherty 5391 272

Douglas 11450 169

Effingham 3666 62

Emanuel 1713 51

Fayette 6423 142

Forsyth 17168 167

Franklin 2303 41

Fulton 78562 1193

Gwinnett 83585 1004

Habersham 4588 144

Haralson 1676 34

Henry 18283 272

Houston 9758 185

Jackson 8319 131

Jeff Davis 1275 37

Jefferson 1556 58

Laurens 3641 141

Liberty 3117 59

Lowndes 7582 136

Lumpkin 2718 61

Madison 2680 44

McDuffie 1620 39

McIntosh 668 14

Meriwether 1473 67

Mitchell 1498 73

Montgomery 707 20

Muscogee 13680 370

Newton 7191 207

Non-GA Resident/Unknown State 23707 445

Oglethorpe 1165 27

Paulding 10372 160

Pickens 2448 58

Randolph 463 32

Richmond 19207 389

Rockdale 5778 144

Seminole 731 17

Spalding 3861 147

Stephens 2932 75

Taliaferro 100 3

Tattnall 1824 42

Thomas 3487 112

Treutlen 622 22

Unknown 2462 11

Walton 7811 226

Washington 1599 56

Whitfield 14572 223

Wilkinson 723 27


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These are the latest COVID numbers in Georgia for April 1, 2021 - 11Alive.com WXIA
Rick Carlisle cleared to rejoin Mavericks after coronavirus scare – The Official Home – Mavs.com

Rick Carlisle cleared to rejoin Mavericks after coronavirus scare – The Official Home – Mavs.com

April 3, 2021

Rick Carlisle has rejoined the Mavericks for their trip to Washington after the teams 99-86 victory over New York under acting head coach Jamahl Mosley.

Carlisle, who was fully vaccinated three months ago, tested positive for the coronavirus Friday morning in New York and entered safety protocols while awaiting results of further testing.

He said before the game that his hope was that his morning test was a false-positive.

While its unknown if thats the case, clearly Carlisle got good returns on subsequent tests.

Rick has been cleared to travel with us to D.C., Mosley said, without elaborating.

Presumably, Carlisle will be back on the sideline Saturday against the Wizards. But it certainly was a strange Friday in New York.

In this year of the unexpected, I had an unexpected positive test this morning, Carlisle said on a conference call with reporters from his hotel room in New York about 90 minutes before the game. Theres a chance and theres a hope that it will be a false positive. Im fortunate to have been fully vaccinated since January. And so, this seems like possibly a mistake.

But for these reasons, obviously, Im entering the protocols. Ive been retested. There may need to be more retesting depending on what the league decides based on the entire situation. But Im hopeful that its a false-positive.

Carlisle had hoped to get his retest results in time to coach Friday night against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. But that didnt happen, so Mosley, who is Carlisles defensive coordinator and top assistant, took over as the Mavericks courtside leader.

Mose is great. Im happy for him, said Kristaps Porzingis. Hes been working really hard. Hes a great communicator. He knows how to bring everybody together.

Added Luka Doni: He was great. Its not easy, but he did an amazing job. He managed the game perfectly. Were just happy to have this win for him.

None of the Mavericks players were forced to enter the COVID-19 health and safety protocols, Carlisle said, because his positive test result happened before he would become contagious.

The game-day testing is designed so that if this kind of thing happens and someone is positive, they can be pulled from circulation before the incubation period starts and someone that is positive actually becomes contagious, Carlisle said. So theres a system to this. To my knowledge, it wont affect any players ability to play tonight or any coachs ability to coach or staff ability to support the team.

Interestingly, it was Carlisles 1,500th game as a head coach on Friday. Hell get credit for the win even though Mosley was the acting head coach. But clearly, the Mavericks were in good hands with Mosley, Carlisle said.

This is a great opportunity for him, Carlisle said before the game. Hes obviously in my opinion ready for this kind of opportunity and this is something hell thrive in.

I contacted Jamahl (Friday afternoon) and let him know that its highly possible and perhaps likely that he would coach the team tonight. I think the extra couple of hours is key. I said its up to him, but he may want to adjust his pregame routine, some of his workout stuff on the floor with players just so he can do a little more mental preparation, but thats totally up to him.

Ive been a big supporter of his for a long time. Ive been a very strong advocate for him in all the interviews hes had the last couple years. And I see this as a great opportunity for him to show what hes capable of and our guys will play their butts off for him.

Mosley has been a finalist for several head coaching positions during the past couple of years.

Carlisle said he has no symptoms, which is what makes the positive test so curious.

I feel great, he said. I worked out early this morning. I feel good. But this is just one of these situations where we all got to be light on our feet.

Twitter: @ESefko


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Hawaii to receive $32M in federal aid to support coronavirus vaccinations – KHON2

Hawaii to receive $32M in federal aid to support coronavirus vaccinations – KHON2

April 3, 2021

Posted: Apr 2, 2021 / 11:13 AM HST / Updated: Apr 2, 2021 / 11:13 AM HST

DOE employee Brian Hammond received his Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, March 5. (Courtesy: Department of Health)

HONOLULU (KHON2) The Hawaii State Department of Health will receive a total of $32,834,105 in new federal funding to support the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine statewide.

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) made the announcement on Friday, April 2.

Get Hawaiis latest news sent to your inbox, click here to subscribe to News 2 You, a daily newsletter.

The funds may be used for all vaccine distribution efforts, including operating vaccination sites, supporting staff and systems to track vaccinations, and conducting community outreach.

These federal funds will help us crush this virus and get shots into arms all across our state,Schatz said.Vaccination is the light at the end of the tunnel of this pandemic, and this new money will help us get there even faster.

This funding comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, which was signed into law on March 11, and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021, which was signed into law on December 27, 2020.


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Coronavirus in Minnesota: 12 more deaths; hospitalizations on the rise – MinnPost

Coronavirus in Minnesota: 12 more deaths; hospitalizations on the rise – MinnPost

April 3, 2021

MinnPost provides updates on coronavirus in Minnesota Sunday through Friday. The information is published following a press phone call with members of the Walz administration or after the release of daily COVID-19 figures by the Minnesota Department of Health.

Here are the latest updates from April 1, 2021:

Twelve more Minnesotans have died of COVID-19, the Minnesota Department of Health said Thursday, for a total of 6,860.

Of the people whose deaths were announced Thursday, five were in their 80s, two were in their 70s, four were in their 60s and one was in their 40s. Four of the 12 people whose deaths announced Thursday were residents of long-term care facilities.

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MDH also said Thursday there have been 521,667 total cases of COVID-19 in Minnesota. That number is up 2,138 from the total announced on Wednesday and is based on 43,117 new tests. The seven-day positive case positivity rate, which lags by a week, is 5.4 percent. That rate has been increasing for weeks and is above a 5-percent threshold state officials consider a concerning sign of disease spread.

As of Tuesday, the most recent day of data available, 1,682,545 Minnesotans, or 30.2 percent of the population, have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Thats up 24,369 from data reported the day prior. For tips on scheduling a vaccine appointment, consult the Minnesota Vaccine Hunters Facebook group, Vaccine Spotters Minnesota site or sign up for Vaccine Spotters alert notifications on Twitter. Fairview is now vaccinating anyone 50+, those with certain disabilities or health conditions and communities of color. More information can be found here.

Hospitalizations continue to rise. The most recent data available show 105 Minnesotans are hospitalized in intensive care with COVID-19, which is up from 102 in data reported Wednesday and up from 93 last Thursday. Data show 330 people are in the hospital with COVID-19 not in intensive care, up from 309 reported on Wednesday and 239 reported the week prior. The last time Minnesota had more than 100 people in the ICU with COVID-19 was late January, and the hospitalization levels are similar to last September, when a deadly surge in the virus was starting.

You can find more information about Minnesotas current ICU usage and capacity here.

More information on cases can be found here.

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Minnesota health officials continue to report new cases of more contagious COVID-19 variants in the state.

While MDH and its partners dont check every sample for evidence its a variant, they have been increasing surveillance and targeting clusters of cases or instances where people have traveled to measure spread of the variants. The B117 variant is believed to be 50 percent more contagious and resulted in a death rate 64 percent higher than other COVID-19 strains.

State Epidemiologist Dr. Ruth Lynfield told reporters Thursday the state has found 943 cases of the COVID-19 variant known as B117, which was first identified in the U.K. This is up from 479 cases last Tuesday.

Lynfield said that in 2,600 COVID-19 positive samples at one testing lab between March 22 and March 27, between 54-66 percent were found to be B117. In roughly 1,800 positive samples between March 16 and 20, about 50-65 percent were found to be caused by B117.

Among the 943 identified cases of B117, Lynfield said 36 people have been hospitalized and four people have died.

The state has identified 214 cases of variant first identified in California, which is also thought to be more contagious. Of those cases, four people have been hospitalized and two have died.

Health officials believe the 15 million ruined Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses at a Baltimore plant wont immediately affect Minnesotas allocation of the vaccine, said Kris Ehresmann, MDHs infectious disease director.

The state has been expecting an increase in J&J doses over the next several weeks. The vaccine is manufactured elsewhere in addition to the Baltimore plant. At this point, it would seem that it will not affect Minnesotas doses but we are waiting for final confirmation from CDC, Ehresmann said.

Lynfield told reporters that people infected with COVID-19 should ask their doctor if theyre a good fit to use monoclonal antibodies as a treatment. The drug, which is given via intravenous infusion, has been shown in studies to reduce hospitalizations among people at high risk of a severe case of COVID-19.

Lynfield said Minnesota has a supply of more than 9,000 doses and can infuse more than 2,000 people each week. It must be administered within 10 days of when symptoms of COVID-19 begin. The earlier the better.

Not all health care providers have antibody treatments, however. Patients or health care providers can get a referral to where they can get antibody treatments through the states Minnesota Resource Allocation Platform. People need to complete a screening questionnaire on the site.

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Current health guidance says that people who are vaccinated should still not attend large gatherings with unvaccinated people, even though theyre at less risk of severe disease.

Ehresmann said that guidance is because health officials did not know if fully vaccinated people could still be carriers of the disease while not developing symptoms, and may spread the disease to others who arent protected by vaccines yet.

New CDC research suggests vaccinated people arent asymptomatic carriers. Ultimately, Ehresmann said she expects guidance to change accordingly. But she said until there is a larger body of data and evidence, the rules around masking and distancing should still be followed as a safety net to protect others.

Some variants of COVID-19 are also thought to better evade immunity given through vaccination.

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Today on MinnPost

MDHs coronavirus website: https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/index.html

MDHs phone line for COVID-19 questions, Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m: 651-297-1304


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India great Sachin Tendulkar admitted to hospital with coronavirus – The Guardian

India great Sachin Tendulkar admitted to hospital with coronavirus – The Guardian

April 3, 2021

Sachin Tendulkar has been admitted to hospital with coronavirus. The 47-year-old, Indias leading run scorer in Test cricket, revealed last weekend that he had tested positive for Covid-19 and was quarantining at home with only mild symptoms.

However, in a post on his official Twitter account on Friday he confirmed he had been admitted as a precaution but hoped to be discharged in a few days.

Tendulkars tweet said: Thank you for your wishes and prayers. As a matter of abundant precaution under medical advice, I have been hospitalised. I hope to be back home in a few days. Take care and stay safe everyone.

He concluded by sending his wishes to his fellow members of Indias 2011 World Cup-winning squad on the 10th anniversary of the victory against Sri Lanka.

Tendulkar scored a record 15,921 Test runs for India during a 24-year international career and is widely regarded as one of the games most complete batsman.


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India great Sachin Tendulkar admitted to hospital with coronavirus - The Guardian