Coronavirus vaccine and COVID variant updates for 12-24-2021

Vaccine 4 1 1 - Daily News on the Covid-19 and Coronavirus Vaccines

Remember all those healthcare workers the government wanted fired if they didn’t get vaccinated? Turns out they now realize that created a real problem. With the Omicron wave coming and hospitals understaffed, federal officials loosened the rules that health care workers have to stay out of work 10 days if they test positive. They can now get back it after seven days if they test negative and don't have symptoms.

Yesterday we told you about the Pfizer at home treatment pill getting approved to fight COVID, now they’ve authorized a second pill. This time it’s Merck’s molnupiravir. But it’s been made clear Pfizer’s Paxlovid is preferred because Merck's pill’s ability to head off severe COVID is much smaller than initially announced and the label will warn of serious safety issues, including the potential for birth defects.

China put a city of 13 million people into lockdown, part of the country’s “zero tolerance” policy just weeks before it’s set to host the Winter Olympics. In the northeastern city of Xi’an, one person from each household will be allowed out every two days to get necessities. Everyone else stays home around the clock. People who were in hotels at the time became stuck there.

If you have a fake vaccine card in New York, you’re no longer a clever scamp, you’re a criminal. The governor signed legislation criminalizing fake Covid vaccination cards. The new law makes the falsification of cards a misdemeanor and creates a new felony of "computer tampering in the third degree for intentional entering, alteration or destruction of 'computer material' regarding COVID-19 vaccine provisions."

We leave you with the frequently asked question of the week, so is everybody going to get COVID sooner or later? The experts say not necessarily. You’ll probably be exposed, but whether or not you get infected and what it does to you still depends on public policy and how you behave. Bottom line, even if you’re fully vaccinated, mentally prepare to test positive at some point. But no need to get overly alarmed when, or if, you do.

In the United States cases were up 38%, deaths are up 6%, and hospitalizations are up 11% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since December 14.

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Alaska, Michigan, New Mexico, Arizona, and Maine.

There are 10,989,003 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Washington DC 64%, Connecticut 58%, New Jersey 56%, Maryland 53%, and North Carolina 41%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Hopkins, TX. Cuyahoga, OH. Tompkins, NY. Pike, IL. Franklin, PA. Washington DC. Adams, PA. Lake, OH. Essex, NJ. And Winona, MN.

There have been at least 813,991 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 76.8%, Rhode Island at 75.9%, and Maine at 75.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Idaho unchanged at 46%, Wyoming at 47.2%, and Alabama at 47.3%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 61.7%.

Globally, cases were up 16% and deaths down 10% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 23,950,299 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 236,519. The U.K. 106,122. France 84,272. Spain 60,041. And Germany 45,848.

There have been at least 5,384,260 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

---

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.