Nearly half of the new coronavirus infections nationwide are in just five states – a situation that is putting pressure on the federal government to consider sending more doses to hotspots the way it distributes vaccines.
New York, Michigan, Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey together reported 44% of new COVID-19 infections, or nearly 197,500 new cases, in the most recent seven-day period, according to state health agency data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. is. .
The large concentration of new cases in states that make up 22% of the U.S. population has prompted some experts and elected officials to urge the government of President Joe Biden to send additional doses of vaccination to those locations. So far, the White House has shown no signs of changing its policy of sharing the doses of vaccines based on population.
Also in the news:
►The federal government is extending access to the COVID-19 vaccine to all federally qualified health centers. The White House decision, announced Wednesday, increases the opportunities for subordinates to find vaccines in their communities. There are more than 1,400 health centers nationwide.
► The coronavirus variant first identified in Britain, formally known as B.1.1.7, is’ now the most common sex line in the United States’, ‘said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said Wednesday.
► The European Union’s drug regulator says it has found a ‘possible link’ between the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine and a rare coagulation disorder, but said the benefits of the shot still outweigh the risks. In a statement released on Wednesday, the European Medicines Agency does not place any new restrictions on the use of the vaccine in people aged 18 and older.
► A third of COVID patients in a study of more than 230,000 mostly Americans were diagnosed with a brain or psychiatric disorder within six months, scientists in the journal Lancet report. Among the patients who needed treatment in ICU units, more than 4 out of 10 suffered from diseases, the researchers found.
►In the past year, not a single cruise ship with passengers has departed from a US port, but this is changing. Norwegian Cruise Line on Tuesday announced plans to be back in service by the end of July, with cruises in Europe and the Caribbean. Passengers and crew will be expected to be “100% vaccinated” two weeks before boarding.
📈 Today’s numbers: According to Johns Hopkins University data, the U.S. has more than 30.8 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and 556,000 deaths. The global total: More than 132.6 million cases and 2.87 million deaths. According to the CDC, at least 219 million doses of vaccines have been distributed and 168 million have been administered.
📘 What we read: Why do children do better than adults against COVID-19? Their innate immune response may stop the virus sooner, according to a new study. Read the full story.
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Allergies and symptoms of COVID-19: how to distinguish them
As COVID-19 cases increase again in parts of the country, it is easy to conclude that a sore throat or runny nose may be signs of the disease. These types of reactions can be even more common at this time of year, as seasonal allergies start kicking in due to the high pollen count.
According to the CDC, nearly 8% of the US population has these types of allergies, which usually lead to symptoms around the nose, eyes and throat, just like COVID-19.
Here’s how you can differentiate them and deal with allergies during the pandemic.
Some colleges need vaccines this fall
The 2025 class coming to university this fall may have a new prerequisite: to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Rutgers University in New Jersey and Cornell University in New York State were among the first universities to announce that they would have to be vaccinated if they wanted to study in person during the fall semester. Brown in Rhode Island, Northeast Boston, Nova Southeastern University in Florida and Fort Lewis College in Colorado all announced similar policies. More schools are likely to join the list.
“It not only makes us safer. “Ultimately, it makes our entire community safer,” said Rutgers chief operating officer Antonio Calcado. Therefore, we think that this is the required way to be encouraging towards. “
– Chris Quintana
Itchy rash after your vaccination? You are doing well, says expert
Getting COVID-19 can cause all sorts of strange skin reactions. According to a new study, some of these may be rare, short-term side effects of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccination. The itchy and irritating reactions were seen in a database of 414 cases of delayed skin problems linked to the vaccines and reported to health professionals. The cases were collected between December and February before the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was approved, and are therefore not included. No one caused a life-threatening reaction, and found the senior author of the study, dr. Esther Freeman, is reassuring. Read more here.
“People can get skin rashes, and it can be surprising and a little scary, but these patients performed excellently, recovered and were able to go back and get their second dose,” said Freeman, director of global health dermatology at Massachusetts. General Hospital.
– Elizabeth Weise
Asian Americans among most affected by pandemic shutdowns
Asian Americans and Pacific islanders have been struggling with the country’s highest long-term unemployment for more than a year after the pandemic closed hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, beauty salons and other sectors of the economy. Although the unemployment levels driven by the economic downturn have returned to just before the pandemic, many Asian Americans are not sure when they will be able to work again.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 48% of the Asian community’s estimated 615,000 were unemployed during the first quarter of six months plus unemployed. The figure exceeds long-term unemployed among unemployed workers in the black population (43%), white population (39%) and Spanish population (39%).
– Marc Ramirez
Apollo 13-ing Vaccination Programs for Technical Officers
Local health officials facing the daunting duty of vaccinating their corner of America had to put together information technology systems in the face of unstable vaccine supply and strained staff and resources. Although the federal government spent millions on vaccination programs and management programs for provision, it was of little use to local officials, who scrambled to come up with systems themselves.
Becky Colwell-Ongenae, manager of the geographic information system of Will County, Illinois, said she feels like tech experts are ‘Apollo 13-in this explosion of the vaccine’, a reference to the 1970 spaceflight during which engineering averted a disaster in an oxygen tank. fail. “I got a plastic bag and tweezers, and I have to shoot moonshines at home,” she said. Read more here.
– Aleszu Bajak and Elizabeth Weise
US behind other nations in important detection of variants
The United States lags far behind many other countries in the use of the essential tool to keep abreast of variants – gene sequence – which increases the risk that a new variant may spread unnoticed here. Sequencing involves taking samples of positive tests to another laboratory to look for the genetic code of a virus, and for scientists to lay out an exact map of how to defeat it.
According to the COVID CoV Genomic, led by researchers at Harvard and MIT, the US falls 33rd in the world so far this year for its rate of sequence, between Burkina Faso and Zimbabwe. The top three countries – Iceland, Australia and New Zealand – follow between 55 and 95 times larger.
– David Heath
About 80% of the teachers, childcare providers who have been vaccinated
About 80% of teachers, school staff and child care workers received at least their first COVID-19 vaccine shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. The percentage comes from a CDC survey completed by 13,000 teaching staff and 40,000 child care workers across the country. The CDC said it was locating more than 7 million doses administered to the group, which were prioritized in early March in hopes of reopening schools in the US.
“We strive to ensure that teachers, school staff and childcare workers are vaccinated during March, have borne fruit and paved the way for safer personal learning,” said Rochelle Walensky, CDC director. “CDC will build on the success of this program and work with our partners to continue expanding our vaccination efforts as we work to ensure confidence in COVID-19 vaccines.”
Brazil, Argentina break records for deaths, infections
Both Brazil and Argentina have broken their own dismal records with COVID-19 infections and deaths as the rest of the world continues its race to continue vaccination, while more virus variants spread. Brazil – where the more contagious P.1 variant was discovered – saw its deadliest day on record on Tuesday with 4,195 deaths within 24 hours. More than 330,000 people have died in the country due to COVID-19.
Argentina also broke its record for infections and recorded 20,870 new COVID-19 cases in one day. The number of confirmed cases in the country has risen to more than 2.4 million.
Contributing Contributions: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on TODAY USA: COVID cases, update: Half of the new infections occur in just five states