Wise, Cooke, Johnson and Grayson counties have all hit record-highs in both positivity rate and the 7-day average positivity rate in the past two weeks.
The COVID-19 positivity rate in Wise, Johnson, Cooke and Grayson counties have all seen a significant uptick from the end of 2020 going into 2021.
All of these North Texas counties have hit record-highs in both positivity rate and the 7-day average positivity rate in the past two weeks.
A county's positivity rate takes into account both the number of positive COVID-19 results and people tested. The 7-day average prevents outliers from impacting the results.
Wise County's positivity rate saw a large drop, nearly reaching 5% in early November. That's changed the past month and a half, with the rate breaking the 10% mark right before Christmas.
Wise County's current 7-day average is right above 10% and a record for the county.
"There's no magic bullet with COVID-19 or else you'd see different places solving it," Wise County Judge J.D. Clark said.
Clark says he and other county leaders are asking people to continue making smart decisions even with vaccine distribution beginning.
"The message we keep taking to everybody is we all have to accept the personal responsibility to listen to the information that's being put out there," Clark said. "We want to keep ourselves healthy and keep our families healthy."
Cooke County didn't have as much of a decrease during the fall as Wise County but has more than doubled its positivity rate from late November to early January.
The county's positivity rate has remained at or just below 10% since Dec. 22.
Johnson County's positivity rate hovered right above 8% from late November into the beginning of December. That number has gone up past 11% to start 2021.
"The telephone calls to my office have picked up dramatically," Johnson County Judge Roger Harmon said.
Harmon says, like many areas, his county is likely seeing this increase because of major winter holidays and people's desire to gather indoors.
"They have cabin fever, and they're tired of being cooped up," Harmon said.
Harmon also says due to Johnson County's rise in cases, people are noticing things getting worse and are ready to get the vaccine.
"We're all sitting on go," Harmon said. "We're waiting to get the vaccine."
Grayson County's positivity rate didn't dip as low as these other three counties. However, recent record highs have put pressure on the county's hospitals.
The Grayson County Office of Emergency Management in Sherman issued a "plea from your Texoma area hospitals" on New Year's Eve. The letter said ICU beds in the county are full, with coronavirus patients taking up 40% of them.
"It's not just the inventory of beds, it's workers," Grayson County Judge Bill Magers said.
With the county having an older population and some long-term care facilities, Magers says there are a lot of people in Grayson County ready to get the vaccine during the ongoing Phase 1B.
"We're taking care of our 1A, we're putting 1Bs on a list," Magers said.
Judges from all Wise, Johnson and Grayson counties say they don't currently know when the next set of vaccines will get to their counties. They are asking people living there for patience while hoping to have more answers for them in the near future.
Loved ones are mourning the loss of 30-year-old Ashley Gornick-Gomez of Northridge, who was 37 weeks pregnant with her sixth son when she was hospitalized with COVID-19.
Gornick-Gomez, a mother of six and a nurse at a Van Nuys congregate care facility, was taken to Kaiser Permanente hospital in Woodland Hills after she had difficulty breathing, family members said.
She didnt want to go anywhere near the hospitals because she thought, Id rather save that extra bed for someone that really needs it,' her husband Wilber Gomez said. We had to force her.
Doctors performed an emergency cesarean section and delivered a healthy baby boy on Dec. 20. But the mom and son were separated immediately.
What kills me right now is that she didnt even have a chance to hold baby Corey, Gomez said.
The following day, her condition worsened as she developed infections, pneumonia and fever, ultimately losing her fight, her family said.
Fridaynight she had a fever of 109, organs were failing, her mom Veronica Gornick said. And so we got to spend all of Saturday with her.
The family says Ashley worked with COVID-19 patients but was careful to protect herself with personal protective equipment.
Im in shock because she was very protective, wearing the mask, all the PPEs, her mom said.
She leaves behind six boys, the eldest being 11-year-old Ryan, followed by Jacob, Zachary, Maverick, Jordan and Corey, who is just over two weeks old.
I really loved how she dealt with work and always found some time in her day to help us with either school or have some time to hang out with us. She always found a way in her day to make ours better, Ryan said. I would call her a hero and a savior to those she took care of.
When I have some trouble with some stuff, mama helped me, 8-year-old Zachary added.
Ashleys mother added, Her boys meant the world to her. She loved her boys so so much.
Family members have set up a GoFundMe page to help with the familys expenses.
She was our Wonder Woman basically, our superhero, Gomez said.
What it is, is the same antibody thats produced by the vaccination, except this is premade and then you infuse it, and you shut down the infection much earlier than it would be otherwise. And it also reduces the symptoms and reduces hospitalization and the degree of severe illness, he further explained.
We worked really hard with our staff, getting them trained to administer the vaccine, Arline said. It has been an organization-wide effort to get to this point. We are very proud and very happy to be able to offer this service to our community.
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of January 6, 2021, there have been 1,570,248 total confirmatory laboratory results received for COVID-19, with 94,678 total cases and 1,481 deaths.
DHHR has confirmed the deaths of an 88-year old female from Kanawha County, a 43-year old female from Raleigh County, an 80-year old female from Mercer County, an 81-year old male from Kanawha County, a 75-year old male from Barbour County, a 59-year old female from Wood County, a 74-year old female from Mineral County, an 85-year old male from Kanawha County, a 95-year old female from Mineral County, a 64-year old male from Putnam County, a 77-year old female from Monongalia County, a 66-year old male from Monongalia County, an 82-year old female from Harrison County, a 62-year old male from Wayne County, a 97-year old male from Wood County, a 67-year old female from Cabell County, a 97-year old female from Mineral County, an 89-year old female from Hancock County, an 89-year old female from Mineral County, an 81-year old female from Cabell County, a 78-year old male from Cabell County, a 61-year old female from Upshur County, a 73-year old male from Hancock County, a 90-year old female from Morgan County, an 82-year old female from Mercer County, a 93-year old female from Mercer County, a 49-year old male from Cabell County, an 82-year old male from Kanawha County, a 75-year old male from Hancock County, a 73-year old female from Fayette County, a 79-year old male from Kanawha County, an 89-year old female from Cabell County, an 80-year old male from Wood County, a 67-year old female from Wood County, a 96-year old female from Hardy County, a 79-year old male from Kanawha County, a 78-year old male from Kanawha County, a 65-year old male from Tucker County, and a 63-year old female from Brooke County.
Too many families are experiencing the pain of loss due to COVID-19, said Bill J. Crouch, Cabinet Secretary. We must each do all that we can to stop the pandemic.
CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (899), Berkeley (6,920), Boone (1,137), Braxton (594), Brooke (1,565), Cabell (5,721), Calhoun (154), Clay (269), Doddridge (284), Fayette (1,913), Gilmer (444), Grant (826), Greenbrier (1,677), Hampshire (1,084), Hancock (2,060), Hardy (875), Harrison (3,348), Jackson (1,290), Jefferson (2,596), Kanawha (9,230), Lewis (602), Lincoln (855), Logan (1,840), Marion (2,194), Marshall (2,273), Mason (1,120), McDowell (1,040), Mercer (3,209), Mineral (2,194), Mingo (1,562), Monongalia (5,754), Monroe (699), Morgan (709), Nicholas (774), Ohio (2,687), Pendleton (351), Pleasants (607), Pocahontas (385), Preston (1,870), Putnam (3,190), Raleigh (3,003), Randolph (1,313), Ritchie (389), Roane (337), Summers (503), Taylor (777), Tucker (364), Tyler (407), Upshur (1,080), Wayne (1,846), Webster (177), Wetzel (775), Wirt (248), Wood (5,405), Wyoming (1,253).
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.
The FDA has learned of reports that some health care facilities are trying to stretch the number of limited doses by cutting them in half, extending the length of time between doses, or mixing and matching vaccines in order to immunize more people against COVID-19. Jeff Chiu/AP hide caption
The FDA has learned of reports that some health care facilities are trying to stretch the number of limited doses by cutting them in half, extending the length of time between doses, or mixing and matching vaccines in order to immunize more people against COVID-19.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning health care workers that any changes to the authorized dosing schedules of COVID-19 vaccines currently being administered significantly place public health at risk and undermine "the historic vaccination effort to protect the population" from the coronavirus pandemic.
The first and second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are approved to be delivered within a 21-day window, while the Moderna injections should be spread over 28 days. When given at those intervals, both vaccines are about 95% effective, according to the respective drugmakers.
But the FDA has heard suggestions that the number of limited doses could be stretched by cutting them in half, extending the length of time between doses, or mixing and matching vaccines in order to immunize more people against COVID-19.
In a statement on Monday, FDA officials said the changes are "premature and not rooted solidly in the available evidence."
The agency noted that during the clinical trial researchers only followed participants who failed to receive their scheduled doses "for a short period of time, such that we cannot conclude anything definitive about the depth or duration of protection after a single dose of vaccine from the single dose percentages reported by the companies."
Officials added: "If people do not truly know how protective a vaccine is, there is the potential for harm because they may assume that they are fully protected when they are not, and accordingly, alter their behavior to take unnecessary risks."
The national campaign to vaccinate people against COVID-19 has fallen far short of expectations. White House officials had projected that about 20 million people would be vaccinated by the end of December. But as of Monday morning, just 4.5 million people had received their first dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The federal government is responsible for shipping the vaccines, but the job of distributing the vials to the nation's health care professionals falls largely upon state and local governments and their success varies from state to state.
I think its horrible, said Jennifer Stevens, 51 of Hoffman Estates, who filled out the form Sunday night after seeing a story about it on the news. She thought that by filling out the form, she would receive updates about potential availability and locations for vaccination, but now shes not so sure. It shows just complete disorganization.
More than 100,000 people have received a vaccine for the coronavirus in New Jersey since the first doses were administered nearly three weeks ago with efforts expected to ramp up following the holidays, Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday.
The current total statewide number of people to receive at least one dose of the vaccine is 101,417, he said. The governor made the announcement the same day health care workers at University Hospital in Newark became the first people in the state to get the second dose of the vaccine.
New Jersey was awarded a little more than 400,000 vaccines in the month of December. Of that, approximately 120,000 doses have been reserved for long-term care facilities and 280,000 doses have been allocated to hospitals and community sites for front-line healthcare workers.
The state was awarded an additional 106,000 for the first week of January, according to the states website. Approximately 53,000 of those doses have been reserved for long-term care facilities with another 53,000 being allocated to hospitals and community sites.
State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said the total vaccinations are likely higher and there have been reporting delays from the sites, particularly at psychiatric facilities, on the shots being delivered.
Some of it is reporting, Persichilli said during the states latest coronavirus briefing in Trenton, noting the gap between available vaccines and the number that have been administered. Getting into the system has proven to logistically part of the problem.
In addition, the vaccination efforts were slowed by the holidays, she said. Some people elected to delay the shot due to potential short-term side-effects.
Murphy said he hopes to have the long-term care vaccinations completed by early February.
The next group of people considered 1B are expected to become eligible for the vaccinations in the coming weeks, though no timeline was available.
CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage
Murphy announced the latest number of people to be vaccinated during his regular COVID-19 briefing in Trenton. As of Wednesday, the last time Murphy gave an update, there had been 62,901 people vaccinated.
Two vaccination mega-sites will open in Morris and Gloucester counties this Friday, Persichilli said. Each will administer 1,000 doses a week for health care workers.
We do not stockpile, Persichilli said.
The federal government sends the doses directly to the (vaccination) sites, she said. There is no stockpiling by the state. The (vaccination) site has to claim it and verify the numbers so its a process.
Health officials on Monday reported 2,292 more cases in the state and another 38 confirmed deaths.
New Jersey has reported 494,317 total PCR (polymerase chain reaction) coronavirus positive tests out of more than 7.8 million tests since the state announced its first case March 4.
Rapid antigen tests have been in use for months, but had not been included in the total positives due to reporting issues. The state reported 822 antigen tests on Monday, bringing the cumulative total of available results to 50,838. The state is listing those as probable cases as the PCR test is considered more reliable.
The state of 9 million residents has now reported 19,244 deaths 17,223 confirmed and 2,021 probable fatalities from complications related to the virus.
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Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com.
The national drug regulator on Sunday gave emergency restricted approval for two vaccine candidates, Covaxin, developed by Bharat Biotech, and Covishield, a version of the Oxford-AstraZenecas vaccine that is being manufactured under licence by Serum Institute of India.
As the country took the final step to begin vaccinating priority groups against the novel coronavirus, AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria, who has been at the forefront of the governments management of the Covid-19 pandemic, released a video on the vaccination. This is what he said. (Edited excerpts)
Priority groups such as healthcare workers, frontline workers are first on the list, followed by people over the age of 50 years and the persons under 50 years with co-morbid conditions.
The eligible beneficiaries will be informed through the registered mobile numbers regarding the health facility where the vaccine will be provided, and the health schedule.
The vaccine will be voluntarily. However, it is advisable to complete the vaccine schedule in order to protect ourselves, our near and dear ones, our close contacts, family members, and co-workers.
Registration is mandatory for vaccination. The information on the session site (where vaccination will take place) to visit, and the time will be shared with the beneficiary only after registration.
A mobile phone application is being created to get registered.
Documents such as driving licence, health insurance, smart card issued by the Ministry of Labour, MNREGA guarantee card, MNREGA job card, official identity card issued by MPs, MLAs, PAN card, passbook of bank or post office, passport, pension documents, service identity card issued to employees by central/state government or public limited companies, and Voter ID cards can be used for registration.
Following online registration, beneficiaries will receive an SMS on their registered mobile number specifying the date, place, and time of vaccination. On getting the dose of the vaccine, the beneficiary will receive an SMS, and after all doses of vaccine are administered, a QR code certificate will also be sent to the registered mobile number of the beneficiary.
You should rest for at least half an hour after taking the Covid-19 vaccine. Any symptoms or discomfort must be reported to the nearest ANM or ASHA worker.
Safety is the most important factor, and all standard precautions as have been followed in the past for giving vaccine approval will be followed in this case too.
Yes, the Covid-19 vaccine introduced in India will be as effective as any vaccine developed in other countries.
The safety and efficacy data from clinical trials of vaccine candidates are examined thoroughly by the drug regulator of India before granting licence. Hence, all Covid-19 vaccines that receive licences will have comparable safety and efficacy. However, it is important that we ensure that the entire schedule of vaccination is completed with only one type of vaccine, as different Covid-19 vaccines are not interchangeable.
A person with active and symptomatic Covid-19 infection may increase the risk of spreading the same to others at vaccination site. Also, we do not know how effective the vaccine will be in such a situation when one already has an active infection. Active and symptomatic individuals should defer vaccination for at least 14 days after the symptoms are resolved.
It is advisable to receive the complete schedule of the Covid vaccine irrespective of past history of infection. This will help develop better immune response against the disease.
What about those who are on medication for illnesses like cancer, diabtetes, hypertension etc?
Individuals who have one or more co-morbid conditions should take the vaccine because they are part of the high-risk group. The medication will not interfere with vaccine efficacy.
As is true for other vaccines, some recipients may show some side effects like mild fever, pain at the site of injection, body ache, etc. States have been asked to make arrangements to deal with any Covid-19 vaccine related side effects as one of the measures towards safe vaccine delivery.
How many doses of the vaccine would have to be taken by a person and at what interval?
Two doses of vaccine, 28 days apart, are needed. This needs to be taken by all to complete the vaccination schedule.
When would antibodies develop? After taking first dose, after taking the second dose, or much later?
Protective levels of antibodies will generally develop two weeks after receiving the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine.
Does India have the capacity to store the vaccine at a temperature of 2 to 8 degree Celsius and transport them at required temperature?
India runs one of the largest immunisation programmes in the world. It already caters to the vaccine needs of more than 26 million newborns and 29 million pregnant women. The programme mechanisms are being strengthened and geared to effectively cater to the countrys large and diverse population.
(WXYZ) It's hard to believe that a year ago, the world was just learning about the coronavirus in China. The virus hadn't reached our shores yet, and now, a vaccine is being rolled out to put an end to the pandemic.
But the Better Business Bureau is warning people there are scammers out there who will try to capitalize on this moment.
If anybody is calling you for a test or to get you on a vaccine list, its a scam, flat out," BBB of Eastern Michigan and UP President and CEO Melanie Duquesnel said.
She said her own mother was targeted, but she happened to be there when the phone rang and picked up.
They call themselves Nevada CARES meaning part of the CARES Act. They wanted her date of birth and her Medicare card number," she said. The guy called back two more times. He was that insistent.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is warning the public that COVID-19 fraud is "rapidly evolving."
Back in June, the assistant inspector general released a video warning people to protect themselves against COVID-19 healthcare fraud.
Scammers could use your personal info to fraudulently bill federal health care programs and commit identity theft.
The latest concern is scammers offering a people a chance to avoid long vaccine lines and get an earlier dose if you pay for it.
(WXYZ)
The U.S. HHS said "you will not be asked for money to enhance your ranking for vaccine eligibility."
Money cant buy your place in line for this vaccine.
Remember, government officials will not call you or come to your door to obtain personal info for you to receive the vaccine, set up any tests, collect money or offer you any grants.
Also, real contact tracers won't ask for personal or financial information, or money.
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.
Visit our The Rebound Detroit, a place where we are working to help people impacted financially from the coronavirus. We have all the information on everything available to help you through this crisis and how to access it.
