Id been on hold a while, but probably no longer than 15 minutes, before a woman from the Cook County Public Health vaccination scheduling helpline answered the phone.
It had required dozens of calls and trips to the website to get through this far, but Id made it to the same stage two previous times in the past week, so my expectations were low.
The two previous occasions Id been politely told they didnt have any more vaccine appointments at this time and was advised to try back later.
So, when the woman answered the phone Monday, and I asked if she had any openings, Im sure my tone of voice sounded more defeatist than hopeful.
But then she said: Could you do 1:30 p.m. tomorrow in Tinley Park?
I almost jumped out of my chair.
Of course, I could do 1:30 p.m. in Tinley Park. I could do 1:30 a.m. if they wanted, not that I offered.
For minutes afterward, I was stunned. What was this strange feeling I was experiencing? Relief? Happiness? Yes, happiness. It had been a while.
Sure, another part of me felt guilty, knowing there are so many 70- and 80-year-olds in worse health still looking for the vaccine, but nobody consulted me when they set up the system and opened Phase 1B to anyone age 65 and older. Ill be 66 in a few weeks.
A short while after the call, an email arrived with a bar code confirming the appointment. The bar code really made it feel official.
I woke up Tuesday as excited as a kid on Christmas Day. Id never thought a person could be so excited about driving to Tinley Park.
Then I realized it really was like a kid on Christmas because it was only 3:30 a.m., so I answered the call of nature that calls more often when you get to be my age and headed back to bed.
I fretted all morning that something would still go wrong, that Id somehow made a mistake, but I neednt have worried.
The vaccination site was the Tinley Park Convention Center at 183rd and Harlem.
Dont tell Dr. Rick from the Progressive Insurance we cant keep you from becoming your parents commercials, but I printed out my confirmation email.
This proved handy when it came time to prove to a Tinley Park police officer that I had an appointment before I could enter the parking lot.
The lot was full, but not too full. I double-masked and headed inside with a steady flow of other gray hairs.
The email advised me to arrive 15 minutes early for check-in, so naturally I got there 30 minutes early because thats what old people do. Otherwise, they cancel our AARP membership and revoke our price discount at the movie theater.
I was greeted at the front door by a uniformed member of the Illinois National Guard, which reminded me they were assigned to staff the facility.
What I hadnt realized is that the Guard is basically running the whole show, from handling registrations to giving the shots and everything in between.
Allow me to attest they did an excellent job of it. Everything went smoothly.
After a few preliminaries that included taking my temperature, I was led to a young Guardsman from downstate Mount Vernon at one of the check-in desks.
He told me hes been working at the vaccine site three weeks now, 12 hours a day, six days a week. He didnt complain, but I could tell it was getting to him.
He checked my drivers license and insurance card, then led me to another desk where a female member of the Guard administered the vaccine.
I asked if I could take a selfie, but she explained photos are not allowed inside the room. She said Id feel a pinch, but I barely noticed.
Then she sent me to the waiting area where youre supposed to stay 15 minutes to make sure youre OK.
During that time, they schedule your follow-up appointment for the second dose. Im due back in a month.
As another nice woman explained, you really dont want to leave before you get that second appointment, otherwise its back to the phones and the websites.
I feel bad for everyone still caught in that particular hell, with millions of people chasing open appointments that only number in the thousands as vaccine slowly becomes available.
All I can say is dont give up hope. Some people are getting appointments, and eventually something should open up. The rest is easy.
Editors note: The county vaccine helpline phone number is (833) 308-1988
Posted: Feb 10, 2021 / 07:44 AM PST / Updated: Feb 10, 2021 / 07:45 AM PST
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) Dr. Nimisha Amin, a local pediatrician, joined 17 News at Sunrise.
Dr. Amin discussed a recent study suggesting annual vaccines, such as the flu vaccine, could possibly provide some protection against severe coronavirus symptoms in children. She also discussed a possible timeline for when different groups of children could get the COVID-19 vaccine and addressed concerns about obesity and mental health issues rising due to the pandemic.
(Feb. 10 2021) No new coronavirus cases were reported on Nantucket Wednesay, as none of Tuesday's test results were returned to the island.
Fourteen negative results from prior days' testing, however, were reported. Since the start of the pandemic, 1,159 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed on Nantucket.
No coronavirus-positive patients were hospitalized on the island Wednesday, but two were transferred off-island last week for a higher level of care, and one is at Nantucket Cottage Hospital "under investigation for COVID-19." Nineteen patients have been transferred to mainland hospitals since the start of the pandemic.
There have been 29 COVID-19 cases reported in the past week, a 4.2 percent positivity rate, including nine Sunday and seven Tuesday.
The positivity rate among asymptomatic tests is 1.5 percent (84 out of 5,462), town health director Roberto Santamaria told the Select Board recently.
Our Island Home nursing-home residents and staff have received their two doses of coronavirus vaccine, and first-responders received their first dose late last month, as the state rolled out its three-phase plan that also prioritized the staff and residents of congregate and group living facilities.
As of Monday, 1,054 first doses of the vaccine had been administered on the island, along with 199 second doses, hospital officials announced.
Registration for the second phase is now open (Click herefor story). Phase-two vaccinations, which prioritize those 75 and older, followed by those whose health conditions pose a greater risk for COVID-19 and front-line workers like supermarket employees and educators, began Feb. 3 at the VFW on New South Road (Click herefor story).
Click hereto read the hospital's latest vaccine update.
Free asymptomatic testing under the state's "Stop the Spread" program is administered indoors at the VFW from 8-10 a.m. Monday-Saturday, but is limited to 75 tests per day. Symptomatic testing is provided at the hospital's drive-through portico on Prospect Street from 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Hospital staff have collected 25,110 nasal swabs for testing since the start of the pandemic. In addition to the 1,159 positive tests 4.63 percent of the total number returned, 23,856 have come back negative and 95 are awaiting results.
One-thousand-eighty-eight of those who have tested positive since the start of the pandemic have recovered, hospital officials said. Sixty-seven patients are in isolation at home and there have been four deaths, the most recent Dec. 22, a man in his mid-80s.
The post-holiday surge in cases associated with Christmas and New Year's gatherings and travel, similar to the one that occurred around Thanksgiving, appears to be over, health officials said, but urged islanders to continue following COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions.
The Board of Health on Dec. 11 established a COVID-19 task force to better enforce and raise awareness of coronavirus regulations (Click herefor story).
Gov Charlie Baker late last month lifted the 9:30 p.m. restaurant closing time, and on Feb. 8 increased capcacity limits for restaurants, theaters, museums and other indoor locations from 25 percent to 40 percent (Click herefor story).
Part-time in-class learning for Nantucket public-school students resumed Jan. 14. The Nantucket Boys & Girls Club building was closed for nearly three months, but has reopened with limited capacity.
"I ask everyone on Nantucket to take personal responsibility and do all you can to reduce the potential for transmission in our community. That means wearing masks, staying physically distant, washing your hands, and not hosting or attending gatherings with people outside your immediate households," hospital president and CEO Gary Shaw said recently.
"Most of all, we want our community to stay healthy, we want our economy to remain open, we want our public schools to be able to return to in-person learning. To that end, we must work together and apply the simple preventive measures that will keep this situation from spiraling out of control."
There have been 1,086 coronavirus cases confirmed on Nantucket in the past five months, beginning Sept. 9 with a spike linked to workers in the trades, followed by a second surge in late September tied to a church function in which a communal meal was shared. A third spike in early November was again tied to workers in the trades.
Prior to Sept. 9, Nantucket had one of the lowest COVID-19 rates in the state per 100,000 population, and the fewest confirmed cases of any county in Massachusetts.
The state's current travel order requires all those entering Massachusetts from out of state, excluding Hawaii, to quarantine for two weeks or produce a negative COVID-19 test from the most recent 72 hours upon arrival. Failure to comply could result in a daily $500 fine.
The Board of Health on Oct. 6 voted to require all people on publicly-accessible property across the island to wear a mask, not just downtown and in Sconset, as was previously mandated, and limited public gatherings to 10 people or less indoors and outside.
It decided in mid-November against tightening restrictions to limit the total number of workers on a job site to six in an attempt to stop the spread (Click herefor story).
"People need to step up to stop the spread and avoid an economic shutdown," Santamaria said, urging everyone on the island to wear a mask when in public and at work. "If people don't act responsibly, there is not much we can do as a health department short of shutting things down. We would like to avoid a shutdown."
Nantucket Cottage Hospital does not have an intensive-care unit and only five ventilators. Shaw has said patients in need of acute respiratory care would be transferred to mainland hospitals if at all possible.
The criteria for symptomatic drive-up testing at the hospital includes at least one of the following signs or symptoms consistent with a viral respiratory syndrome: subjective/documented fever, new sore throat, new cough, new runny nose/nasal congestion, new shortness of breath, new muscle aches or anosmia (new loss of sense of smell). Close contacts of COVID-19 positive patients and pre-procedure patients can also be tested.
For more information about symptomatic and asymptomatic testing,click here.
Click hereto sign up for Above the Fold, The Inquirer and Mirrors twice-weekly newsletter, bringing you both the news and a slice of island life, curated with content created by Nantuckets only team of professionally-trained journalists.
For up-to-the-minute information on Nantuckets breaking news, boat and plane cancellations, weather alerts, sports and entertainment news, deals and promotions at island businesses and more, Sign up for Inquirer and Mirror text alerts.Click Here
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Chicago Teachers Unions leadership reached a tentative agreement Sunday to reopen city schools for families seeking in-person instruction, narrowly avoiding a strike, sources said. Any deal is contingent on broader union approval of the terms via a vote by the unions 25,000 members.
Union officials indicated a vote by CTUs 25,000 members could begin late Monday or Tuesday, but only after the House of Delegates decides whether to send the vote to the full membership.
Under the tentative framework, the first group of students and staff pre-K and special education cluster programs would return Feb. 11.
Heres whats happening Monday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
5:50 p.m. (update): Dems propose $1,400 direct payments to individuals as part of $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan
Democrats on a pivotal House panel have proposed an additional $1,400 in direct payments to individuals, bolstered unemployment benefits and more generous tax breaks for families with children and for lower earners as Congress began piecing together a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package on Monday.
The plan is expected to closely follow President Joe Bidens proposed package to address the tolls of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed over 460,000 Americans, and the nations still staggering economy, which has lost 10 million jobs since the crisis began last year. Biden, less than three weeks into his presidency, has declared that defeating the virus and fixing the economy are his top priorities.
The proposal by the Ways and Means Committee, which plans to vote on it by weeks end, would also expand tax credits for families with children, for lower-earning people and for Americans who buy health insurance on marketplaces created by former President Barack Obamas Affordable Care Act. It would also provide health care subsidies for some unemployed workers.
Spending by Ways and Means, one of Congress most powerful committees, is expected to exceed $900 billion, nearly half of Bidens overall plan. The House Education and Labor Committee also previewed its plans on Monday, a roughly $350 billion package that includes $130 billion to help schools reopen safely, $40 billion for colleges battered by the pandemic and gradually raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Top Democrats hope the House will approve the complete bill later this month and send a final House-Senate version to Biden for his signature before mid-March, when crucial emergency unemployment benefits will otherwise expire.
5:45 p.m.: Will County Board OKs $1.6 million contract to handle calls on COVID-19 vaccination
Will County Board members Monday approved a $1.6 million contract for a call center to handle the influx of phone calls to the Will County Health Department.
The action during a specially called county board meeting will aid in the response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the vaccine rollout.
The six-month contract with Harris & Harris, a Chicago based consulting firm, provides the health department with 25 employees to answer calls. The call center, which will be staffed remotely, should be up and running in the next 10 days and is being funded through the CARES Act, county officials said.
There is no question that this is an appropriate way to use these funds, County Board Minority Leader Mike Fricilone, R-Homer Glen, said in a statement.
Tentatively, the contract calls for operators to be available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, but those hours may be adjusted to include evening hours and some Saturday hours, said Mitch Schaben, chief of staff for County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant.
5:10 p.m.: Chicago health commissioner says librarians shouldnt get moved up in vaccine line
Chicagos health commissioner on Monday rejected the idea of adding librarians to the ranks of essential workers to get prioritized for COVID-19 vaccine, saying the infection rates arent high enough within that group to justify the move.
After a group of progressive aldermen and union leaders last week called for public library workers to be considered front-line workers and moved up the vaccine line, Dr. Allison Arwady said the stats dont support such a change.
Librarians in particular ... they are the lowest department for cases, honestly, Arwady said. Only city public safety workers, teachers and transit workers are among the latest group of those eligible to get vaccinated, with other city workers still waiting their turn.
4 p.m.: Democrats push to include higher minimum wage as part of $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan
Increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour would reduce the number of Americans living in poverty and boost wages for millions of Americans while adding to the federal debt and joblessness, a new report from the Congressional Budget Office projects.
The federal deficit would increase by about $54 billion over 10 years under a Democratic proposal to gradually increase the federal minimum wage to $15, largely because the higher wages paid to workers, such as those caring for the elderly, would contribute to an increase in federal spending, the estimate found.
Democrats are pushing to include the higher minimum wage as part of their $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan. House committees this week will begin crafting the legislation along the lines that President Joe Biden has requested, but its unclear whether the minimum wage proposal will make it into the final product. The bill is expected to include another round of direct payments to Americans, an expansion of the child tax credit and aid to states and local governments.
The decision on the minimum wage is a key early test for Biden as he seeks to build public support for his proposal and navigate differences within his own party about how far the COVID-19 legislation should go. Voices on the left like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the author of the wage legislation, want Democrats to fight now for the pay increase, but some moderates are wary, fearing the impact on small businesses during the pandemic.
The report from the Congressional Budget Office cites several positive and negative effects from raising the minimum wage. On the positive, the number of people living in poverty would fall by about 900,000 once the $15 wage is fully in place in 2025. On the negative, the number of people working would decline by about 1.4 million.
3 p.m.: Physicians group asks Pritzker to waive local background check requirements for doctors, nurses who want to volunteer at mass vaccination sites
A Chicago physicians group has asked the governors office to waive requirements that mandate fingerprinting and background checks for licensed health care workers before they can volunteer at mass vaccination sites, according to a letter sent to the office on Friday.
In the letter addressed to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, the Chicago Medical Society said the requirements, set by local governments, are unnecessary for health care workers who are already licensed and in good standing in Illinois, and instead act as barriers for the workers who are trying to lend a hand in the vaccination effort.
Im writing to express our concern about the requirement that licensed physicians and nurses need to be fingerprinted and have their backgrounds checked before administering COVID-19 vaccines at mass vaccination centers, read the letter, signed by the medical societys president, Dr. Tariq Butt, on behalf of about 17,000 area physicians.
The governors office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Tribune. The Chicago Medical Society said it has not received a response from the governor, but noted the letter was only sent on Friday.
2 p.m.: The pandemic is making filing taxes complicated: Send us your questions and well ask experts
With tax season nearly underway,2020 filing looks to be more complicated than most years. Illinois residents will see some changes ushered in by the coronavirus pandemic that could affect their returns.
Experts say people should be aware of certain situations, including working in a different state or claiming a stimulus payment, that could affect their tax liability.
12:40 p.m.: Illinois reports 16,110 people received COVID-19 vaccinations on Sunday
Illinois public health officials reported 16,110 vaccinations were administered Sunday, bringing the state total to 1,358,967.
The number of Illinois residents who have been fully vaccinated receiving both of the required two shots reached 299,172. The 7-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 51,794 doses.
Officials Monday reported 1,747 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 35 additional fatalities. The total number of known infections in Illinois is 1,148,088 and the statewide death toll is 19,668.
Mondays new cases resulted from 47,210 tests. The seven-day statewide positivity rate for cases as a share of total tests was 3.3% as of Sunday.
As of Sunday night, 2,161 people in Illinois were hospitalized with COVID-19, with 469 patients in intensive care units and 251 patients on ventilators. Jenny Whidden
11:10 a.m.: New variants raise worry about COVID-19 virus reinfections
Evidence is mounting that having COVID-19 may not protect against getting infected again with some of the new variants. People also can get second infections with earlier versions of the coronavirus if they mounted a weak defense the first time, new research suggests.
How long immunity lasts from natural infection is one of the big questions in the pandemic. Scientists still think reinfections are fairly rare and usually less serious than initial ones, but recent developments around the world have raised concerns.
In South Africa, a vaccine study found new infections with a variant in 2% of people who previously had an earlier version of the virus.
In Brazil, several similar cases were documented with a new variant there. Researchers are exploring whether reinfections help explain a recent surge in the city of Manaus, where three-fourths of residents were thought to have been previously infected.
In the United States, a study found that 10% of Marine recruits who had evidence of prior infection and repeatedly tested negative before starting basic training were later infected again. That work was done before the new variants began to spread, said one study leader, Dr. Stuart Sealfon of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.
Previous infection does not give you a free pass, he said. A substantial risk of reinfection remains.
risti Rubin, a registered nurse from Plainfield, left, gives second-grade teacher Amy Schmidt from Long Beach Elementary School in Montgomery a COVID-19 vaccination Sunday at Yorkville High School. (David Sharos / The Beacon-News)
10:40 a.m.: At Kendall County mass vaccination clinic, people are determined to get the shot
While football fans around the country celebrated Super Bowl Sunday, others like Amy Schmidt of Aurora got ready for the big sports day with a pre-game COVID-19 vaccination.
I ordered a lot of food so I dont have a lot to do at home today, said the second-grade teacher who works at Long Beach Elementary School in Montgomery. I love that Im able to get the vaccine its better than another helping of wings.
Over the weekend, officials from Kendall County rolled out their first mass vaccination clinic at Yorkville High School a two-day affair that included 4,000 inoculations and a volunteer staff of nearly 150 people.
We only learned a week ago we were going to get the vaccine and were able to throw this together in just a week, said Kendall County Health Department Director RaeAnn VanGundy. This has been a major community event thats been done with minimal help and were proud of that.
9:28 a.m.: Coronavirus vaccine rollout leads to frustration, resentment as Americans await their shots
For a vast majority of Americans, a coronavirus vaccine is like sleep for a new parent: Its all you can think about, even if you have no idea when you will get it.
People are scrolling through perpetually crashing websites at 3 a.m., or driving 150 miles each way in the snow. Others are lining up at grocery stores for hours on end, hoping to snag a leftover shot, or racing to hospitals amid rumors of extra doses.
Many more are tossing in bed in the dark, praying that tomorrow will be their mothers lucky day.
A small portion about 11% have received one or two shots of the vaccine, leaving the nation in a medical and cultural interregnum. Some of those with only one shot are in a precarious limbo, in states snarled over second-dose distribution.
8:29 a.m.: Grocery stores see business boom during pandemic, but workers feel forgotten with little extra pay and a long wait for COVID-19 vaccines
The race to distribute vaccines and the emergence of more contagious variants of COVID-19 have put a renewed spotlight on the plight of grocery workers in the United States. The industry has boomed in the past year as Americans have stayed home and avoided restaurants. But in most cases, that has not translated into extra pay for its workers. After Long Beach, California, mandated hazard pay for grocery workers, the grocery giant Kroger responded last week by saying it would close two locations.
And now, even as experts warn people to minimize time spent in grocery stores because of new coronavirus variants, The New York Times found only 13 states that had started specifically vaccinating those workers.
6 a.m.: College instructors question why they should wait longer for shots than Illinois K-12 educators
Under the states vaccination plan, most college instructors wont be eligible to receive COVID-19 inoculations until phase 1c, though their counterparts in primary schools can get the shots now.
That distinction frustrates higher education employees who say faculty and staff with in-person roles must be vaccinated with the same urgency, regardless of what grade level they teach.
With a high likelihood of COVID-19 outbreaks at colleges and universities, along with reported community spread associated with these outbreaks, prioritizing higher education faculty and staff for the vaccine is necessary for our students futures and our communities well-being, said John Miller, president of the University Professionals of Illinois, a union representing employees at seven of the states 12 public universities, along with other college workers.
Phase 1c isnt projected to begin until spring at the earliest. But under phase 1b, which started in late January, the state allows for K-12 education workers including teachers, support staff and childcare workers to schedule their doses. The city of Chicago adopted the same guidelines. Still, eligible teachers in the city and suburbs have reported difficulty accessing the vaccine due to limited supply.
Steve Wiley, manager of the Pilsen Food Pantry on South Throop Street in Chicago, puts together items on a client's shopping list on Feb. 4, 2021. The pantry is one of the community partners of the Greater Chicago Food Depository to receive a grant. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
6 a.m.: Four new food pantries to open on Chicagos South and West Sides
Four new food pantries are set to open this spring as part of a major grant from the Greater Chicago Food Depository, which is shifting its funding strategy to focus on communities of color disproportionately affected by hunger and poverty.
The food bank, which supplies pantries and charities in Cook County, on Monday announced that it has awarded $2.6 million to 26 community partners, the largest grant amounts it has given in memory.
Four grants are in excess of $200,000 to open new food pantries in the Chicago neighborhoods of Roseland, Englewood and Little Village, plus south suburban Dolton. The rest of the grants, between $25,000 and $75,000, are meant to help existing pantries expand capacity and offer home delivery.
In a departure from usual practice, the organization targeted neighborhoods that it identified as high-need based on rates of food insecurity, poverty, unemployment and COVID-19 infection and mortality. It also looked at race and access to quality food pantries.
The Greater Chicago Food Depository, founded 41 years ago, traditionally supported its pantry partners equally and measured impact based on pounds of food distributed, said CEO Kate Maehr. The pandemic, which highlighted the overwhelming need in some communities, prompted it to change its approach.
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This story has been updated.
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) Another South Dakota state lawmaker says he has COVID-19.
Representative Aaron Aylward, a Harrisburg Republican serving his first term, confirmed Monday he was diagnosed by a doctor late Sunday morning.
I decided to go in after not feeling well Saturday night/Sunday morning. I plan on going back (to session) next Tuesday, Aylward said in an email to KELOLAND News.
Aylward participated Saturday in the legislative coffee at Southeast Technical College with other state lawmakers from the Sioux Falls area.
He is the first legislator to contract the coronavirus since the 2021 legislative session opened January 12. Several senators, Helene Duhamel of Rapid City and Reynold Nesiba of Sioux Falls, reported catching COVID-19 after the governors December 8 budget speech to a joint gathering of House and Senate members.
Both former House Speaker Steven Haugaard of Sioux Falls and current Senate president pro tem Lee Schoenbeck of Watertown also have confirmed they had the disease. Representative Bob Glanzer of Huron contracted it last March and died.
House Speaker Spencer Gosch told KELOLAND News on Monday morning, Anyone that receives a positive COVID-19 test will be allowed to participate remotely. Those that feel that they were in close contact with someone with COVID-19 will be allowed to participate remotely until they have had the opportunity to get a COVID-19 test.
This will be the first time remote participation is triggered in the 2021 session. Most lawmakers participated remotely for the final day of the 2020 session March 30 because of COVID-19.
Rep. Aylward hasnt been wearing a face covering at the Capitol. The House encourages face coverings but doesnt require them in its chamber, lobby or committee hearings.
The Senate requires all non-legislators to wear face coverings in its chamber, lobby and committee hearings but doesnt require them for legislators.
Everyone was notified Sunday morning, Gosch said about Aylwards diagnosis.
Aylward wore a mask Saturday at the legislative coffee as did other participants and audience members.
South Dakota had 1,809 deaths among people with COVID-19 and 1,590 deaths caused by COVID-19, according to numbers released Sunday by the state Department of Health.
South Dakota currently ranks fifth among states, and sixth when New York City is added, for COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 residents, according to the federal CDC. The top 10 were NYC, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Rhode Island, SD, Connecticut, Louisiana, Arizona and North Dakota.
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) Virginia reported its lowest one-day increase in new coronavirus cases in over a month on Monday with just 1,700 total, a notable figure as Virginia sees cases trend down overall.
Reporting can typically be lower on Mondays, but Virginia is seeing a significant decrease in new cases on average. Cases are down about half on average compared to three weeks ago when Virginia saw a peak of 6,166 per day.
Still, case levels are higher than most of the pandemic, and the Virginia Department of Health also reported 42 new deaths and 2,285 current COVID-19 hospitalizations. Hospitalizations have dipped some, but deaths are still rising overall, with 49 per day on average.
Cases counts could however start to be affected by the new coronavirus variants from the U.K. and South Africa, which have been detected in Virginia. Theyre more contagious, and if virus levels overall stay high, that leaves the door open for future mutations that could become more resistant to current vaccines.
Statewide numbers
Vaccine distribution is improving in Virginia and there will be new options to get the vaccine for those eligible starting this week with CVS pharmacies.
Supply is still limited overall, but production is ramping up and there might be a new vaccine coming as early as March. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is less effective overall than the ones from Pfizer and Moderna, but health officials have emphasized its still very effective at preventing serious illness and death. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires just one dose, and 100 million doses could be distributed in the U.S. by June.
Key local metrics
Test positivity
Click here to viewmore coronavirus data from the Virginia Department of Health.
ITHACA, N.Y.Cornell University has upped its COVID-19 alert level to yellow in response to a cluster of positive coronavirus cases discovered among students.
In total, the school announced that it had found 42 cases in the past week. Twelve of those cases had been found in connection to a single cluster among students. For clarity, Cornell's "yellow" alert level means that "incidence remains low, but indicators show increased, or potential for increase in, transmissions."
The clusters were discovered as students return to campus from winter break though the school seemed to indicate that the 30 cases which were outside of the cluster were found using surveillance testing, not part of the arrival testing regimen, meaning that they indicate community spread as opposed to the virus coming into Ithaca from elsewhere.
"A rise in non-arrival positive COVID-19 test results indicates transmission has occurred locally due to lack of adherence to public health measures such as physical distancing, mask-wearing, and avoiding gatherings," the school announced. The school additionally revealed that the cluster itself stems from a Greek life party that was held in Collegetown in January.
In total, last week saw 71 positive tests at the school, though Cornell lists only 17 as being on-campus positives. The 71 positive tests represented a 0.24 percent positivity rate.
The higher risk level includes more intense restrictions on gatherings and testing, though the full extent of this specific activation of the yellow alert level wasn't specified:
However, Cornell President Martha Pollack did issue a statement that stated that the Cornell community should avoid gatherings of any size.
"Moving to COVID-19 alert level yellow prior to the first day of classes is not the start to the semester that we had hoped for," Pollack wrote. "And with Super Bowl weekend upon us, it is imperative that we each lead by example by following all public health and safety guidelines, including avoiding gatherings of any size."
Harrisburg, PA - The Department of Health today shared its weekly update on Pennsylvanias COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing data and encouraged Pennsylvanians to download theCOVID Alert PA app, as more than 778,000 have already done to aid in contact tracing efforts. There are 59 counties in the substantial level of COVID-19 transmission rate.
When you are diagnosed with COVID-19, we have public health professionals standing by to contact as many Pennsylvanians as possible to help inform close contacts and mitigate spread. In order for these proven health practices to be effective, we need residents to play their part and answer the call and participate in the case investigation, Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said. If residents participate in these proven public health practices as well as downloading the COVID Alert PA app, we can truly help mitigate the spread of this virus and keep our friends, family and loved ones safe.
Thecontact tracing processis not possible without a case investigation by a public health professional. Across the commonwealth, there are 258 case investigators who reach out to incoming cases who are younger than 19 and older than 64 to find out where they went and with whom they came into contact in order to prevent outbreaks while infectious. This case investigation typically takes between 30 and 60 minutes to complete. For those who are between 19 and 64 years old and reside in an area without their own county or municipal health department, they will be contacted by a contact tracer to complete a Connect & Protect Form to initiate a digital case investigation in effort to connect to more people.
For this reporting week between Sunday, January 24 and Saturday, January 30, there were 39,179 COVID-19 cases statewide. Of those cases reported within that week, 20 percent, or 7,836 cases, had a case investigation started within 24 hours of receiving the positive report. Public health professionals will continue calling to complete the case investigation after the 24-hour period. An additional six percent, or 2,351 cases, had a case investigation started within 48 hours.
Although public health professionals may call to start the case investigation, the case may not answer the call on the first attempt. The Department of Health leaves voicemails, texts, and sends a letter to the home requesting a return call. There were 7,934 people, or 20 percent of cases, in this reported week that were successfully contacted by a public health professional statewide.
In addition to the traditional case investigations, contact tracers will call to reach the case and share a Connect & Protect Form to initiate a digital case investigation. There are now a total of 325 contact tracers working to assist this process specifically. For this reporting week between January 24 and January 30, Contact tracers made 12,937 calls to reach 64 percent, or 8,227 individuals, successfully. Of the 7,030 that were sent forms, 43 percent, or 3,018 were returned. Since the implementation of the form on December 21, 2020 until January 30, we have received over 7,167 completed forms.
Therefore, there were 10,952 individuals, or roughly 28 percent of cases, who successfully completed a case investigation this week.
After the initial case investigation is complete, contact tracing begins. Within the same time period of January 24 to January 30, there were 1,509contact tracing staff working with local and county health entities, partner organizations and the Regional Response Health Collaboration Program within the Department of Human Services as well as volunteers from Co-County Wellness in Berks County and Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health. These staff monitored 5,761 contacts who were identified during the case investigations.
Currently, all of the allotted 1,090 people have been hired through Insight Global. Some of these staff have been promoted to perform case investigations to meet the immediate needs of increased caseloads. There are 50 case investigators, 40 supervisors, and 10 resource coordinators who also help to refer Pennsylvanians to services during quarantine across the commonwealth.
Since the implementation of the Contact Tracing Management System in early October through January 23 in those areas of the state where Pennsylvania Department of Health is responsible for contact tracing, 73,575 of 98,075 contacts, or 75 percent of the total contacts identified, were effectively reached to communicate their quarantine status and offer ongoing symptom monitoring.
Between January 24 and January 30 there have been:
On September 22, the department launchedCOVID Alert PA, a free mobile app that uses Bluetooth technology to let a person know that they have been exposed to COVID-19 without compromising the identity or location of either the person using the app, or of the person to whom they may have been exposed.
The Department of Health has made updates the COVID Alert PA app to allow 13- through 17-year-old residents with parental consent to download the app and four new languages. This app is interoperable with16 other states that also utilize the same notification exposure app technology.
In addition to the traditional case investigations and contact tracing process, there have been 1,347 cases that confirmed their positivity and uploaded their random IDs through the app. These uploads generated 649 exposure alerts to persons who have downloaded the app on their phones and who were in close contact (six feet for 15 minutes or more) to the case. Of those who received the alerts, 92 individuals requested a call back for further assistance from a trained contact tracer.
As the contact tracing program expands, the Department of Health continues to work in partnership with over 150 organizations, in addition to the county and municipal health departments, through regional partnerships to help gather and answer questions, identify problems and find solutions to improve contact tracing efforts within the region. Each regional partnership has met at least once, and includes public health staff, health providers, academic institutions, community organizations, and other stakeholders interested in helping to coordinate and engage around contact tracing efforts.
Organizations and entities interested in partnering in these efforts should reach out toRA-DHCONTACTTRACING@pa.gov.
You can find more information on the states contact tracing efforts at the Department of Healths websitehere.
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
Community preparedness and procedures materials
MEDIA CONTACT: April Hutcheson - ra-dhpressoffice@pa.gov
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The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of February 8, 2021, there have been 1,999,295 total confirmatory laboratory results received for COVID-19, with 125,106 total cases and 2,131 total deaths.
DHHR has confirmed the deaths of a 69-year old female from Berkeley County and a 73-year old male from Berkeley County.
The suffering this virus causes must be stopped, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary. West Virginia, I implore you to continue to take steps to keep yourselves and loved ones healthy.
CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (1,153), Berkeley (9,241), Boone (1,484), Braxton (756), Brooke (1,946), Cabell (7,312), Calhoun (217), Clay (361), Doddridge (432), Fayette (2,507), Gilmer (659), Grant (1,019), Greenbrier (2,326), Hampshire (1,449), Hancock (2,535), Hardy (1,242), Harrison (4,631), Jackson (1,614), Jefferson (3,451), Kanawha (11,445), Lewis (928), Lincoln (1,165), Logan (2,553), Marion (3,514), Marshall (2,914), Mason (1,709), McDowell (1,304), Mercer (4,015), Mineral (2,531), Mingo (2,008), Monongalia (7,365), Monroe (910), Morgan (891), Nicholas (1,102), Ohio (3,478), Pendleton (601), Pleasants (779), Pocahontas (569), Preston (2,468), Putnam (3,962), Raleigh (4,355), Randolph (2,283), Ritchie (582), Roane (477), Summers (682), Taylor (1,042), Tucker (477), Tyler (591), Upshur (1,578), Wayne (2,483), Webster (275), Wetzel (1,030), Wirt (332), Wood (6,709), Wyoming (1,664).
Delays may be experienced with the reporting of information from the local health department to DHHR. As case surveillance continues at the local health department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certain county may not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individual in question may have crossed the state border to be tested. Such is the case of Hardy County in this report.
When it comes to kids getting back in school she stands with the guidance the CDC recently released. She feels ok with kids getting back into the classroom as long as school districts have extensive safety measures in place and are properly distancing, using masks, sanitizing and following other safety procedures.
