WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House says the Pentagon will deploy troops to assist getting Americans vaccinated against COVID-19.
Coronavirus senior adviser Andy Slavitt announced Friday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has approved a request for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
It means about 1,000 active duty military personnel will deploy to help state vaccination centers.
President Joe Biden has called for setting up 100 mass vaccination centers around the country within a month.
Two are opening in California, and Slavitt said military personnel will arrive at those centers in a little over a week.
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of February 5, 2021, there have been 1,970,429 total confirmatory laboratory results received for COVID-19, with 123,641 total cases and 2,100 total deaths.
DHHR has confirmed the deaths of a 60-year old male from Mason County, an 83-year old male from Wood County, a 77-year old male from Raleigh County, a 71-year old female from Ohio County, a 92-year old female from Harrison County, a 24-year old male from Berkeley County, a 49-year old male from Ohio County, a 59-year old female from Harrison County, a 72-year old male from Cabell County, an 89-year old male from Berkeley County, a 94-year old female from Hancock County, a 71-year old female from Ritchie County, a 73-year old male from Hardy County, an 88-year old female from Mercer County, a 66-year old male from Mason County, a 79-year old male from Raleigh County, a 79-year old female from Mingo County, an 86-year old female from Putnam County, an 86-year old female from Putnam County, and a 71-year old female from Grant County.
As this pandemic continues, it doesnt get any easier to report the deaths of our residents, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary. Our sincere condolences are extended to these families.
CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (1,138), Berkeley (9,127), Boone (1,473), Braxton (752), Brooke (1,932), Cabell (7,256), Calhoun (215), Clay (360), Doddridge (421), Fayette (2,468), Gilmer (658), Grant (1,010), Greenbrier (2,301), Hampshire (1,421), Hancock (2,521), Hardy (1,234), Harrison (4,570), Jackson (1,591), Jefferson (3,394), Kanawha (11,311), Lewis (894), Lincoln (1,147), Logan (2,514), Marion (3,455), Marshall (2,874), Mason (1,700), McDowell (1,285), Mercer (3,977), Mineral (2,521), Mingo (1,976), Monongalia (7,262), Monroe (899), Morgan (881), Nicholas (1,080), Ohio (3,438), Pendleton (595), Pleasants (777), Pocahontas (564), Preston (2,452), Putnam (3,925), Raleigh (4,283), Randolph (2,252), Ritchie (573), Roane (472), Summers (681), Taylor (1,036), Tucker (475), Tyler (585), Upshur (1,551), Wayne (2,447), Webster (271), Wetzel (1,023), Wirt (331), Wood (6,643), Wyoming (1,649).
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.
iStock.
The local fitness group Urban Athletic Club will have to pay $10,000 to the city of DC due to allegations that it violated Covid-19 public health emergency orders. The Office of the Attorney General announced the settlement in a press statement Thursday.
DC Attorney General Karl Racine filed a complaint against the group in December. It alleged that Urban Athletic Club did not follow guidelines regarding social distancing, mask-use, and the correct spacing and sanitation of equipment and workout stations. Per Mayor Muriel Bowsers phase two restrictions on gyms and fitness, clients must be masked while entering and leaving the gym, as well as while working out, if safe to do so. Additionally, clients must be six-feet-apart, equipment must be cleaned between sessions, and workout stations must have 10 feet of space around them.
After the suit was filed, Urban Athletic Club agreed to follow Mayor Bowsers public health orders while the case progressed.
According to the lawsuit, a DC resident reported in September that employees and clients at the Shaw gym were not practicing social distancing or appropriately wearing masks. The attorney generals office alerted the gym of the report, and owner Graham King acknowledged that patrons hadnt been complying with the mandate.
In several subsequent visits by an investigator, clients were seen entering and exiting the studio mask-less, according to the lawsuit, as well as working out on the sidewalk in front of the gym without masks or adequate social distancing. Additionally, the lawsuit says the gym erected an outdoor tent that did not provide proper social distancing from passersby walking down the street, and that equipment in the tent was not cleaned between uses. When an investigator entered the gym, the front desk employee was mask-less, says the lawsuit, as were some people working out indoors.
The lawsuit also includes screenshots of posts fromUrban Athletic Clubs public Instagram page, which are used as evidence that the group was not adhering to guidelines.
While the reports outlined in the lawsuit all took place at Urban Athletic Clubs Shaw location, the group operates spots at the Line Hotel, the Kimpton Glover Park Hotel, and the Watergate office building.
Per the settlement, the group must pay $5,000 to the city within a week, and then pay the additional $5,000 within the next six months. Urban Athletic Club will also have to abide by all city-wide Covid-19 precautions or risk paying another $10,000 penalty.
At the time of publication, Urban Athletic Club had not responded to requests for comment.
Join the conversation!
Associate Editor
Mimi Montgomery joined Washingtonian in 2018. Her work has appeared in Outside Magazine, Washington City Paper, DCist, and PoPVille. Originally from North Carolina, she now lives in Petworth.
A teacher at J. Frank Dobie High School died due to COVID-19. She was only 45 years old and had no underlying conditions.
HOUSTON Students at J. Frank Dobie High School are mourning the loss of their beloved teacher, 45-year-old Melissa Gutierrez. But her students say she was more than just a teacher.
"She loved everybody. Everybody that was around her felt love for her. A love beyond what a teacher should normally do," said Noah Torres, a senior at J. Frank Dobie High School.
Mrs. Gutierrez taught family consumer science at Dobie High school for 11 years. She actually graduated from Dobie in 1993. And she loved being a part of the school.
"That was her passion to be an educator, that was her calling. Even outside of school she was still trying to teach," said Joanna Gutierrez, Mrs. Gutierrez's daughter.
But on Dec. 29, 2020, she tested positive for COVID-19. Her daughters said they were shocked, because she was always very careful.
"My mom was the last person that we thought would have ever got it, because she was so prepared and cautious," Joanna Gutierrez said. "Not any time she (wouldn't) have worn her mask."
Her family said Mrs. Gutierrez had no underlying health conditions. They say she was intubated a week ago, but her lungs were just having a hard time. She died Tuesday.
"I was just in shock. There are no words to say. She was just a light in our life. Hard to imagine a person like that just gone," said Kristen Barba, a Dobie High School senior.
Even though her classroom is now empty, Mrs. Gutierrez leaves hearts full of love and memories and one last lesson for all of her kids.
"She would have wanted for everyone to be prepared, wear your mask, take it seriously and take care of each other," Joanna Gutierrez said.
HOUSTON Texas is set to receive more than 400,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine next week, the state health department announced Friday.
The federal government is providing 401,750 doses to the state for the week of Feb. 8. The Texas Department of State Health Services instructed the CDC to ship the doses to 358 providers in 135 counties, including 85 hub providers.
Texas DSHS said an additional 273 providers will receive doses next week with a focus on locations that serve older adults, such as health departments, pharmacies, federally qualified health centers, community and rural clinics, and some medical practices that specialize in care for older adults.
The state is also ordering 330,925 doses intended to be used as second doses for people first vaccinated a few weeks ago.
Texas providers have administered nearly 2.9 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. More than 2.2 million Texans have received at least one dose, and nearly 670,000 have been fully vaccinated. People are not required to be vaccinated in their county of residence, and the vaccine has been administered to residents of all 254 counties.
Not tech savvy? Dial 211 starting Monday and ask to speak with the reservation call center for Portland vaccinations.
PORTLAND, Ore On Monday, 168,000 Oregonians 80 and older become eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. Only about 3% of them will get a shot during their first week of vaccination events at the convention center or airport.
Those who will be eligible for the vaccine in the Portland area should know they won't be able to reserve an appointment until noon Monday. They will be able to use the automated scheduling tool on the Oregon Health Authority's (OHA) COVID-19 webpage.
If you're eligible, click that white speech bubble in the orange circle on the lower right side of the page, and it will take you through a series of questions. If there are times available, you'll be able to make a reservation.
People can also dial 211 and ask to be transferred to the reservation call center. Operators there will ask questions to make sure they qualify, then book a time at either the Portland International Airport drive-thru location or the Oregon Convention Center.
The first week, there will be about 1,000 doses available for seniors at the convention center and 4,450 at the airport drive-thru site. The airport got more because organizers assumed it would be easier for seniors.
In other parts of the state, the OHA urged seniors to contact their county health department for information on how to sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine shot.
Some, like Baker County, are pushing the information out to the public. Baker Countys announcement included information on how to sign up.
County residents can sign up at www.bakercountycovid19.com anytime, or by calling 541-523-0015 between 7:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on Monday, February 8 through Thursday, February 11. Spanish translators will be available, it read.
In the meantime, Gov. Kate Brown thanked seniors for something many do not have when it comes to waiting for these shots.
I want to say thank you to our seniors for your patience thus far and for your continued patience in the coming days and weeks," said Gov. Brown. "We are certainly still managing a scarce resource. There is not enough vaccine yet to give everyone eligible a shot when they are ready."
Many are angry they were pushed behind educators in the vaccine line even though most of the deaths from COVID-19 in Oregon are in the senior population.
Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen said during the same news conference Friday that there is some good news. He said Oregon ranks 12th in the nation in percentage of population that has received at least one dose of the vaccine (8.8%). The state is 16th in the nation for percentage of vaccine used (67%).
Allen said over the last seven days, more than 15,000 people were given a shot each day.
On top of that, he said the amount of vaccine coming to Oregon will soon go up from 52,000 first doses a week to 75,000. Because of that, he expects to move into the rest of 1B eligible population in two months, a month earlier than previously expected. 1B includes front line workers like grocery clerks and those with underlying medical conditions.
Do you have a story or comment for Pat? Email him at pdooris@kgw.com
Posted: Feb 3, 2021 / 11:38 AM HST / Updated: Feb 3, 2021 / 07:18 PM HST
HONOLULU (KHON2) The death of a male Halawa Correctional Facility inmate, between 50 to 60-years old, is being classified by the Hawaii Department of Health as a COVID-19-related death. This is the third COVID-19-related death among inmates. The first two (2) deaths, reported in November 2020 and January 2021, were Saguaro Correctional Center inmates.
[Hawaii news on the goLISTEN to KHON 2GO weekday mornings at 7:30 a.m.]
Halawa currently has three active positive inmate cases, two of which are in medical isolation at the facility and one hospitalized. There was one negative inmate result received Wednesday.
For more information on PSDs planning and response to COVID-19, inmate testing data, and information detailing the efforts made to safeguard the inmates, staff and public, visit their webpage.
British scientists are starting a study Thursday to find out if its OK to mix and match COVID-19 vaccines.
The vaccines being rolled out now require two doses, and people are supposed to get two shots of the same kind, weeks apart.
Guidelines in Britain and the U.S. say the vaccines arent interchangeable, but can be mixed if the same kind isnt available for the second dose or if its not known what was given for the first shot.
Participants in the government-funded study will get one shot of the AstraZeneca AZN, -0.12% vaccine followed by a dose from Pfizer PFE, -0.43%, or vice versa.
This study will give us greater insight into how we can use vaccines to stay on top of this nasty disease, said Jonathan Van Tam, the U.K.s deputy chief medical officer.
He said that given the challenges of immunizing millions of people amid a global vaccine shortage, there would be advantages to having data that could support more flexible immunization campaigns.
COVID-19 vaccines all train the body to recognize the coronavirus, mostly the spike protein that coats it. The ones from AstraZeneca and Pfizer use different technologies. AstraZenecas uses a common cold virus to carry the spike gene into the body. Pfizers is made by putting a piece of genetic code called mRNA the instructions for that spike protein inside a little ball of fat.
The British research is scheduled to run 13 months and will also test different intervals between doses, four weeks and 12 weeks apart.
A study published this week on the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine showed it was about 91% effective in preventing COVID-19. Some immunologists credit the fact that the vaccine uses two slightly different shots, made with similar technology to AstraZenecas.
But the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines are so different that its really hard to know if that would work, said Alexander Edwards, an associate professor in biomedical technology at Britains University of Reading.
Matthew Snape, the new studys leader at Oxford University, which helped develop the AstraZeneca vaccine, called for British volunteers over age 50 to sign up; scientists are hoping to enroll more than 800 people.
If the vaccines can be used interchangeably, this will greatly increase the flexibility of vaccine delivery, he said in a statement. (It) could provide clues as to how to increase the breadth of protection against new virus strains.
In recent weeks, Britain, the European Union and numerous other countries have been hit with vaccine supply issues: AstraZeneca said it would dramatically reduce the expected number of doses it could deliver due to manufacturing delays and Pfizer also slowed deliveries while it upgraded its Belgian factory.
It definitely hurts to lose someone of that caliber of that just extraordinary spirit, but at the same time, you know again, its a challenge. Its like okay, how are we going to honor him? How are we going to make sure that we do the things that always how up at Dotsonism, says Terrell Carter who was a fraternity member with Dotson in the Phi Beta Sigma Chapter.
Three members of the same family from the Santa Clarita area died from COVID-19 complications after attending a gathering with relatives around Thanksgiving.
Two brothers, 55-year-old James Mercadante and 51-year-old George Mercadante, died hours apart from one another, and their uncle, also named George Mercadante, who was in his 80s, passed away two weeks later.
James and Georges sister, Sarah Mercadante, thinks the virus may have spread during the family gathering, which she did not attend, as the symptoms of all three men started around the same time. Her brothers and uncle were all hospitalized.
I just kept thinking, Were strong and healthy, were strong and healthy,' she said. But no.
Sarah says she didnt get a chance to say goodbye to James, who died on Jan. 10, in person.
He said, God bless you, Sarah, and I love you. That was the last thing he said to me, she said. I would say, Youre young and healthy. Youre gonna get through it. Now I feel awful. He was the one being the most careful and he was the first one to pass away in the family.
Her other brother George died hours later. Then her uncle died about two weeks later, on Jan. 27.
Theres no rhyme or reason behind it. Its cruel. Its evil, Sarah said. You cant be in the hospital with your loved one when this is going on. Its gut wrenching.
James was a lead supervisor at Saugus High School and survived the 2019 mass shooting there. The school posted on Facebook saying that his kind personality and smile will be missed.
His sister says he was an active and strong bicyclist, hang glider and an Army veteran.
Strong and healthy as an ox. It knocked him out so fast, Sarah said.
Their brother George had a disability and James cared for him most of his life, she said.
He was basically the mind and heart of a child stuck in a grown mans body, Sarah explained.
Their uncle George, also an Army veteran, was hospitalized for several weeks before Sarah said she made the difficult decision to take him off life support. She says she fought for him to be treated with non-approved drugs under the Right to Try Act, but it was too late.
My uncle loved to travel and he was always a spur-of-the-moment, adventurous kind of guy even at 85. And strong as an ox as well, Sarah said.
Her parents, who are in their 80s, also tested positive for the coronavirus, but they recovered.
Whats gonna end up killing my dadis burying his two sons and his brother, she said.
Sarah says her outlook on the virus has changed.
When you watch three of your loved ones pass away on ventilators and life support right in front of you Every day Im dealing with a mix of emotions between grief and anger toward the virus, she said.
A friend of the Mercadante family set up a GoFundMe page to help with funeral expenses.
