Coronavirus vaccine and COVID variant updates for 12-02-2021

12/02/21 • 5 min

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

This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for December 2nd, 2021.

The UN Secretary-General has called the travel restrictions being placed by countries like the United States on one region like South Africa not only ineffective, but travel apartheid. The Omicron variant is already in 24 countries around the world, and as it turns out, it appears it didn’t originate in South Africa anyway. The Netherlands had cases a week before two flights arrived from South Africa carrying the virus. Nine cases were linked to a private event in Scotland, days before South Africa announced the existence of the variant. And Nigeria detected its first case in a sample collected weeks before South Africa alerted the world about Omicron.

Tracking the Omicron variant’s spread, it’s in the United States now. A fully vaccinated person in the San Francisco area came back from South Africa Nov. 22 and tested positive seven days later. South Korea confirmed the variant in five people linked to international arrivals. And Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates confirmed the first infections in the Persian Gulf region. So far, all symptoms reported have been mild.

A reprieve for healthcare workers in ten states who don’t want to take the vaccine. A federal judge blocked the vaccine requirement, saying the agency that issued the rule likely exceeded its authority. That stops the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from enforcing its healthcare worker mandate until the court can hear legal challenges brought by Missouri, Nebraska, Arkansas, Kansas, Iowa, Wyoming, Alaska, South Dakota, North Dakota and New Hampshire.

Well people who don’t like mandates sure aren’t going to like this. The chief of the European Union's executive arm said member nations should consider making vaccinations mandatory, period. The EU-wide vaccination rate stands at 66%. Germany’s new Chancellor, for one, said he’d back a proposal like that.

With reporting affected by the Thanksgiving holiday, in the United States cases were down 2%, deaths are down 16%, and hospitalizations are up 15% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since November 23.

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Montana, West Virginia, Michigan, and Kentucky.

There are 9,449,555 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Rhode Island 51%, Indiana 47%, Massachusetts 43%, New Hampshire 41%, and Michigan 40%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Koochiching, MO. Nodaway, MO. Shiawassee, MI. Colfax, NM. Sullivan, NH. Jackson, IA. Clay, IL. Neosho, KS. Dunn, WI. And Pope, MN.

There have been at least 782,104 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont unchanged at 72.9%, Rhode Island at 72.6%, and Maine at 72.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia unchanged at 41.5%, Wyoming at 45.6%, and Alabama at 46.2%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 59.4%.

Globally, cases were up 10% and deaths were down 4% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 20,471,414 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 120,441. Germany 71,887. France 49,610. The U.K. 48,374. And Russia 32,837.

There have been at least 5,223,657 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Vaccine 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Vaccine 411 podcast.

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This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for December 2nd, 2021.

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Montana, West Virginia, Michigan, and Kentucky.

There are 9,449,555 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Rhode Island 51%, Indiana 47%, Massachusetts 43%, New Hampshire 41%, and Michigan 40%.

There have been at least 782,104 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

Globally, cases were up 10% and deaths were down 4% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 20,471,414 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 120,441. Germany 71,887. France 49,610. The U.K. 48,374. And Russia 32,837.

There have been at least 5,223,657 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Vaccine 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Vaccine 411 podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Coronavirus vaccine and COVID variant updates for 12-01-2021

This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for December 1st, 2021.

If you’re a non-US citizen coming into the US, prepare for some tougher testing requirements. And no, it doesn’t matter if you’re vaccinated or unvaccinated. Details should be rolled out tomorrow, but one policy being considered is requiring all air travelers to the U.S. be tested within one day of boarding their flight.

Omicron continues to go worldwide. Japan confirmed its first case, a fully vaccinated Namibian diplomat in his 30s who recently arrived from his country. He initially didn’t have any symptoms but has a fever now. And Brazil reported the first case of Omicron in both that country and Latin America; two travelers arriving from South Africa. France also reported its first case yesterday.

In Greece, they’re really getting tough on older folks. Residents over 60 must get vaccinated or face a $114 fine for every month they don’t. That takes effect January 16, and the fines will be added to citizens’ taxes. About a fourth of the country’s total adult population is unvaccinated.

Independent advisers to the FDA narrowly endorsed the first antiviral pill for adults at high risk for Covid-19. Some on the panel worried about the treatment's efficacy and risks to pregnant people. But the vote puts molnupiravir on track for FDA approval. One person who voted yes said, "I'm not sure this is really the one we've been waiting for, but it's the one we've got.”

If you’re looking for a reason to get fired, U.S. employers are here to help you. A national survey in mid-November shows most employers already have or will require employees to get vaccinated. So far, only 3% of employers said their mandates have resulted in a spike in resignations. Half even think mandates will help them recruit workers.

With reporting affected by the Thanksgiving holiday, in the United States cases were down 2%, deaths are down 16%, and hospitalizations are up 9% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since November 23.

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Montana, West Virginia, Michigan, and Kentucky.

There are 9,419,966 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Indiana 41%, Massachusetts 40%, New Hampshire 36%. Michigan 34%, and Illinois 30%.

There have been at least 780,140 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 72.9%, Rhode Island at 72.5%, and Maine unchanged at 72.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia unchanged at 41.5%, Wyoming at 45.5%, and Alabama at 46.1%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 59.3%.

Globally, cases were up 11% and deaths were down 3% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 20,281,671 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 106,876. Germany 55,880. France 47,177. The U.K. 39,716. And Russia 32,648.

There have been at least 5,214,863 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Vaccine 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Vaccine 411 podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Coronavirus vaccine and COVID variant updates for 12-03-2021

This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for December 3rd, 2021.

As expected, the US administration rolled out some measures to fight COVID and the new Omicron variant into winter. All in-bound international passengers must test within 24 hours of departure, and masks will be required on all planes and public transportation through March 18. Also, businesses will be urged expedite worker vaccine and testing mandates, and Americans with private health insurance can get reimbursed for at-home COVID tests. Those without private insurance can get tests through health centers and rural clinics.

Tracking the Omicron variant’s spread, it’s in five US states now, including California, New York, Hawaii, Colorado, and Minnesota. As for countries we add Spain, Singapore, India, and in Norway at least 50 people were infected in connection to a company Christmas party in an Oslo restaurant.

The Omicron studies continue in South Africa, and so far, they’ve found the variant is reinfecting people at 3x the rate of previous strains. Translated, that means it appears immunity from a previous infection won’t help you. However, more evidence is emerging that the existing vaccines still seem to offer protection against serious illness.

Your host got his booster shot yesterday and spent all day sick in bed. Your results may vary. However, I was mixing Pfizer and Moderna like a party animal. But here’s some reassuring news. A British study says the mRNA vaccines provide the biggest boost to antibody levels. The study also found boosters also helped generate a broad T-cell response against the Beta and Delta variants.

Be cautious when making sports stars your heroes. Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown has been suspended three games after violating NFL COVID-19 protocols. And here’s how he violated it. He and two other players bought fake vaccination cards this past summer. They know they did it and are not appealing. And they’re vaccinated now. Really.

With reporting affected by the Thanksgiving holiday, in the United States cases were down 1%, deaths are down 10%, and hospitalizations are up 16% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 29.

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Montana, Michigan, Kentucky, and West Virginia.

There are 9,520,781 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Rhode Island 52%, Indiana 48%, Massachusetts and Delaware 44%, and Connecticut 42%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Koochiching, MN. Jackson, IA. Bennington, VT. Sullivan, NH. Allen, KS. Neosho, KS. Clinton, IA. Shiawassee, MI. Socorro, NM. And Colfax, NM.

There have been at least 785,907 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 72.9%, Rhode Island at 72.6%, and Maine at 72.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia at 41.5%, Wyoming at 45.6%, and Alabama at 46.2%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 59.4%.

Globally, cases were up 12% and deaths were down 2% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 20,720,971 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 132,822. Germany 73,486. The U.K. 53,945. France 48,416. And Russia 33,389.

There have been at least 5,233,849 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Vaccine 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Vaccine 411 podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.