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A mass vaccination area in Colorado was closed Wednesday after 11 people had “adverse reactions,” including nausea and dizziness after receiving the one-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
Centura Health said in a statement that it ‘followed our protocols and, in abundance of warning, made the decision – in partnership with the state – to interrupt the rest of the day.’
Two patients were transported to the hospital for observation while EMTs treated the other nine people with juice and water, the health department said.
More than 1,700 people received shots on the premises in Commerce City, a few miles north of Denver, so less than 1% of the vaccinations were among the problems. The 640 patients who could not receive their vaccine due to the break will be rescheduled for Sunday, Centura said.
“We know it can be worrying to hear that people are being transported to the hospital,” said COVID-19 incident commander Scott Bookman. “As far as we know, the side effects of today were in line with what can be expected.”
Also in the news:
► Baseball fans heading to the San Francisco Giants’ opening game on Friday must provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test result to be admitted, the team said on their website.
►Hawaii has announced plans to extend vaccination to all adults by April 19, making it the final state to commit to Biden’s call to lift admission requirements.
► Nearly half of the new coronavirus infections nationwide are in New York, Michigan, Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, a situation that is putting pressure on the federal government to consider sending more doses to hotspots.
►Idaho Governor Brad Little has joined the Government of Texas, Greg Abbott, in banning their state governments from requiring or issuing COVID-19 ‘vaccine passports’.
►Carmen Hernandez (104) drew a standing ovation from hospital workers when she was driven out of a Colombian hospital after defeating COVID-19 a second time.
📈 Today’s numbers: According to Johns Hopkins University data, there are more than 30.9 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and 559,000 deaths. The world total: more than 132.94 million cases and 2.88 million deaths. According to the CDC, at least 225.2 million doses of vaccines were distributed and 171.4 million were administered.
📘 What we read: Following COVID-19, post-traumatic growth can bring creativity and joy into your life. But maybe not until 2024. Read the full story.
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Philippine authorities have launched an investigation into the death of a 28-year-old man who was allegedly forced to do nearly 300 squat exercises after officials said he ignored quarantine rules last week. Darren Manaog Peñaredondo, 28, was apprehended by village guards on April 1 in General Trias City, south of Manila, while buying water after 6 p.m. The evening clock runs from 18:00 to 05:00
Arab News reports that he and other offenders were allegedly forced to do a hundred squats. If they could not do it at the same time, they would have to start again. Some, including Peñaredondo, ended up doing nearly 300 squats.
“Early Saturday morning he had convulsions but we were able to revive him at home” before he was rushed to hospital and died hours later, Peñaredondo’s cousin Adrian Lucena posted on social media.
The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that Michigan and other states with a high rate of coronavirus transmission should limit indoor youth sports and should now consider other steps, such as a possible interruption in the indoor dining room, to the spread of the virus.
“I would advocate for some sort of stronger mitigation strategies … to reduce community activity and reduce the wearing of the mask,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, CDC director, said during a White House COVID-19 response team newsletter.
Walensky’s remarks come one day after government Gretchen Whitmer attributed increasing cases in the state to pandemic fatigue and variants.
“It’s not a policy problem. It sounds like, you know, maybe we can adjust a little bit to the edges, but taking the steps back is not going to solve the problem. What we need to do is putting foot on the pedal on vaccines, begging people to do what we know keeps us safe: mask, remove, hand wash. ‘
Michigan’s case percentage currently leads the country, with 452.5 cases per 100,000 people.
– Kristen Jordan Shamus and Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press
The CDC has been warning since January that the highly contagious coronavirus variant first detected in Britain would become the dominant strain in the US, and that the time had come.
On Wednesday, the director of the CDC, dr. Rochelle Walensky said the variant, formally known as B.1.1.7, “is now the most common sex circulating in the United States.”
While this is not surprising, the recognition is important because B.1.1.7 is considered at least 50% more transmissible, and it is also more virulent than the original strain of the virus. The variant is thought to be a major factor in the current rise in infections in Europe, as well as the recent increase in US cases following a prolonged decline. Of the 17,017 cases reported in this country, 16,275 are of British descent.
The three vaccines authorized in the US are effective against the variant, which adds urgency to the country’s vaccination program.
Contributing Contributions: The Associated Press