As schools all across the country open their doors for the start of the new school year, more and more younger Americans are being exposed to the coronavirus. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the rate of infections in children has been on the rise, accounting for 22.4% of all cases across the U.S. last week, CBS News reported. For comparison, since the start of the pandemic, children have accounted for around 15% of all cases. "I can tell you that most of the places where we're seeing surges and outbreaks are in places that are not implementing our current guidance," CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said. Another factor is that children under 12 years old are not currently eligible to receive a vaccine.
Figures from the BBC show that more than 32,000 students were absent from school in Scotland this week due to COVID-19.More than 6,400 were not in class because they had contracted the virus, while more than 25,600 were self-isolating after possible exposure, the BBC said. The number of students with COVID-19 has gone up by nearly 3,500 this week. New rules in Scotland allow for students to miss just one or two days of class following a negative test. Previously it was 10 days, the BBC said.
An entire school district is shifting to online learning until after Labor Day as students and staff contract COVID-19, CNN reported. Connally Independent School District, located near Waco, Texas, is hoping that those who are isolated or have tested positive are able to return for in-person instruction next week following this temporary shift to remote learning. “This closure will also allow time for deep cleaning and sanitizing of all CISD facilities," the district told CNN. Two social studies teachers at the school district have died due to COVID-19 in the past two weeks. Over the past week, the school district has hosted testing for the community over the past week and is planning a vaccination clinic on Sept. 13.
Florida will begin giving $5,000 fines to businesses, schools and government agencies that require proof of vaccination for entry, The Orlando Sentinel reported. The fine comes after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill earlier this year banning so-called vaccine passports, except for employers that require vaccination of their staff. “Promises made, promises kept,” DeSantis spokesperson Taryn Fenske said Wednesday. Cruise ships are currently exempt from the fines after a federal court order blocked the law’s enforcement in the cruise ship industry. Florida has been one of the hardest-hit states in the United States’ latest coronavirus wave, with more than 15,000 patients currently hospitalized.
Kansas City Chiefs star safety Tyrann Mathieu has tested positive for the coronavirus, forcing him onto the NFL’s reserve/COVID-19 list 11 days before the Chiefs play their first regular season game, UPI reported. Mathieu, who was vaccinated against the coronavirus, is reportedly asymptomatic. For a vaccinated player to be removed from the coronavirus list, Mathieu will need to remain asymptomatic and take two negative tests at least 24 hours apart. The Chiefs will open their regular season by playing the Cleveland Browns at Arrowhead Stadium on Sept. 12.
For the first time since March 2, the number of daily fatalities in Mexico has exceeded 1,000, Bloomberg reported. Cases in the country have risen as the delta variant spreads across the country, and the virus now seems to be hospitalizing more children. “With school back in two weeks, we are going to be seeing a lot of traffic,” said Dr. Daniela Fernandez, a pediatrician. Just a quarter of Mexico’s population is fully vaccinated. Mexico has seen more than 258,000 confirmed coronavirus deaths, with a count of excess deaths placing the total number of fatalities closer to 400,000. Watch the video below for more.
Hospitals are paying top dollar to hire nurses after a staffing crisis and a rise in coronavirus cases has made nurses a valuable commodity, The Associated Press reported. Many nurses have quit, exhausted and demoralized by the ongoing pandemic, while others have left for lucrative jobs with traveling nurse agencies. The average pay for traveling nurses has soared from $1000 a week before the start of the pandemic to $5,000 today. The high prices for traveling nurses has left hospitals with less funding scrambling for staff. “The nurses who haven’t left, who have stayed with their facilities, they are seeing these other people come in now who are making more money. It provides a tense working environment,” Kroll said.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is debating shifting away from a “zero COVID-19” strategy toward a new policy of living with the virus, Reuters reported. The city has been the epicenter of Vietnam’s coronavirus outbreak, recording 241,110 coronavirus infections and 9,974 deaths, around half of the country’s total cases and more than 80% of its deaths, most of which have occurred in recent months. Vietnam’s prime minister, Pham Minh Chinh, said the country cannot rely on lockdowns and quarantines indefinitely. "The COVID-19 pandemic is evolving in a complicated and unpredictable manner and may last for a long time," Chinh said.
The United Kingdom’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) is not recommending the mass vaccination of kids aged 12 to 15, Reuters reported. Vaccines are available for the most at-risk children, which includes those with chronic major heart, lung, kidney, liver and neurological conditions. "The JCVI’s view is that overall, the health benefits from COVID-19 vaccination to healthy children aged 12 to 15 years are marginally greater than the potential harms," said Wei Shen Lim, Chair of COVID-19 Immunization for the JCVI. The British government, which has previously accepted the JCVI’s recommendations, will consult with other medical advisors before making a final decision.
Maine recorded another 665 infections and three coronavirus deaths on Friday as the state battles its third wave of the coronavirus, The Associated Press reported. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases has spiked from 164 new cases a day on Aug. 18 to 316 per day on Sept. 1, heights not seen since April. “We’ve had teenagers, we’ve had 20-year-olds, we have a lot of 40-year-olds and they have kids,” Nurse Shannon Calvert Calvert said, noting the one commonality between them is that almost all hospitalized patients are unvaccinated. “It’s heartbreaking because it isn’t uncommon for someone to make it into the ICU and not make it out.” Hospitals in Maine are treating the most coronavirus patients since February. Since the pandemic began, Maine has reported close to 77,000 coronavirus cases and 937 fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins University statistics.
With Australia’s vaccination campaign accelerating, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said it is time for the island nation to “come out of the cave,” the BBC reported. Australia had been operating under a stringent “COVID zero” plan deemed by some the “Fortress Australia” plan, where foreign arrivals were blocked and lockdowns were readily enacted, sometimes after a single case. Now, with the spread of the highly contagious delta variant and with one in two Australians under lockdown, Australia looks to change course. "This groundhog day has to end, and it will end when we start getting to 70% and 80%," Morrison said.
Australia is currently on target to vaccinate 70% of its population over 12 years of age by mid-October, after which vaccinated people will be granted more freedoms, but low-level restrictions like mask wearing and social distancing will continue. "It's not 'Freedom Day', it's not 'let's throw everything out the window and go party' -- that's not what's being proposed," said Professor Ivo Mueller, a health and immunity expert from the University of Melbourne. International borders will be opened once Australia is 80% fully vaccinated, with travel open only to the vaccinated and to those from “safe” countries.
Nearly one in 10 new coronavirus cases in Hawaii is among fully vaccinated people, and hospitalizations among breakthrough cases are also on the rise, KHON2 reported. Of the around 19,000 people in Hawaii who have tested positive in August, nearly 1,900 were fully vaccinated. “We’ve known from the beginning of this response to the pandemic that Hawaii is so unique,” explained Dr. Thomas Lee, a University of Hawaii assistant professor of epidemiology, noting that Hawaii's island status and demographic makeup makes it difficult to compare to other states. State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble said that more unvaccinated people are testing positive due to the delta variant, noting the possibility that vaccine efficacy wanes over time. “The good news is that the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in preventing severe infection, including hospitalization and death, remains robust, over 90% across multiple studies done around the U.S. and internationally,” Kemble said. “Vaccine continues to provide protection in the ways that matter most.”
Unvaccinated NHL players who test positive for the coronavirus during the upcoming season could be suspended without pay, The Associated Press reported. Players that are fully vaccinated and test positive for COVID-19 will be treated as if they have a hockey-related injury and will still be paid, the AP said. The new season begins Oct. 12 and officials estimated that about 90 to 95% of the players are or will be fully vaccinated by that date.
Tennessee currently has the highest number in new COVID-19 cases by population compared to any other state in the U.S., according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The seven-day case rate for the state stands at 790.1 per 100,000 people. Following behind Tennessee is South Carolina with a seven-day case rate of 717.4. Mississippi, Florida and Georgia follow to complete the top five states, WKRN reported. “If we were an independent nation, we would be #2 for new Covid cases per population,” former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Dr. Bill Frist said over Twitter, speaking of Tennessee. He added, “It’s time our leaders did more to prevent community spread and encourage Tennesseeans to take the the life-protecting step — for them and for others — of getting vaccinated. Without action, hundreds, even thousands, will needlessly die whose lives could have been saved.”
The rollout of COVID-19 booster shots beginning on Sept. 20 will only include the Pfizer vaccine dose in the U.S. According to Reuters, the booster shot developed by Moderna requires stronger data, and the FDA found its submission to be inadequate. A source told Reuters on Friday that the need for more data will delay Moderna’s process of rolling out a booster vaccine by likely a few weeks.
Chicago Cubs manager David Ross along with Jed Hoyer, the president of baseball operations, have tested positive for COVID-19, The Associated Press reported. A spokesperson for the team said that both are vaccinated and are feeling fine and quarantining. The Cubs are one of a handful of big league teams that have not yet reached the 85% vaccination threshold required for the relaxation of the MLB’s COVID-19 protocols, according to the AP.
Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde have decided to limit their contacts in the coming days after a family member tested positive for COVID-19, according to a statement from the palace. A spokesperson declined to say which member of the family had tested positive, according to Reuters. The royals’ activities planned through Monday were canceled or postponed, including making appearances at an event for everyday “heroes” Thursday and an International athletics meeting Friday.
Several European governments and airlines have banned cloth masks, arguing that they are not as effective as medical-grade masks at protecting against the coronavirus, Fast Company reported. The airlines that have banned cloth masks include Finnair, Air France, Lufthansa, Swissair, Croatia Airlines and LATAM Airlines, In early 2021, as new coronavirus variants spread throughout Europe, Germany and Austria both mandated that their citizens wear filtering facepieces – a European mask standard which is similar to a N95 mask – on their public transportation systems. Studies have shown N95 or surgical masks to be generally more effective than cloth masks, which may not abide by CDC standards and are rarely tested to ensure they perform consistently. “The most effective cloth masks are made from tightly woven materials and have a close seal on your face,” Dr. Christian L’Orange, a mechanical engineering at Colorado State University, said.
Amid a shortage of medical workers in his state, Idaho Gov. Brad Little activated the National Guard this week to support medical facilities that are short-staffed, UPI reported. About 370 additional personnel were deployed to hospitals. Little said in a recorded announcement that he had visited a hospital in Boise where the ICU was nearly full, with many patients on ventilators. At one point this week, only four ICU beds were available statewide. "Idaho hospitals are beyond constrained," Little said. "Our healthcare system is designed to deal with the everyday realities of life. Our healthcare system is not designed to withstand the prolonged strain caused by an unrestrained global pandemic. It is simply not sustainable."
Economists expected 720,000 new hires in August, but just 235,000 positions were filled, the lowest of new jobs reported since January, CNBC reported. The unemployment level did drop from 5.4% to 5.2%, in line with expectations. August’s poor jobs numbers come as some fear rising coronavirus cases in the United States could slow, or even halt, the U.S. economic recovery. “Ultimately, the delta variant wave is a harsh reminder that the pandemic is still in the driver’s seat, and it controls our economic future,” said Daniel Zhao, a senior economist at Glassdoor. The issue is not the number of open positions in the country; the job placement firm Indeed has estimated that there are roughly 10.5 million open positions in the country currently, a record for the U.S. labor market.
Anthony Fauci, the top White House medical adviser on the coronavirus pandemic, on Thursday addressed the newly-discovered mu variant of the coronavirus. At a press briefing, Fauci, responding to a question from a reporter, said the mu variant is "not at all even close to being dominant," but that U.S. health officials are "keeping a very close eye on it." Earlier this week, the WHO designated mu a "variant of interest," saying that it packs "a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape." Fauci said that constellation "suggests that it would evade certain antibodies, not only monoclonal antibodies, but vaccine convalescent serum-induced antibodies." Fauci added that the primary focus remains on the delta variant, which accounts for 99% of new cases across the U.S., according to CDC estimates.
Kidney damage can occur among those suffering from the coronavirus, with one study finding that non-hospitalized coronavirus patients with no previous renal problems have nearly twice the risk of developing end-stage kidney disease as a non-infected individual, Bloomberg reported. The study’s data shows that 7.8 extra people out of 10,000 of mild-to-moderate coronavirus cases will need dialysis or a kidney transplant. “This is really huge, and it will literally shape our lives for probably the next decade or more,” said Ziyad Al-Aly, the director of the clinical epidemiology center at the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System in Missouri. “What’s really problematic about kidney disease is that it’s really silent, that it doesn’t really manifest in pain or any other symptoms.”
Over 80% of Americans aged 16 or older have some sort of immunity against COVID-19, according to a new study of blood samples. According to CNN, most of the samples, which were surveyed by the CDC, had immunity through vaccination. The survey tested about 1.4 million blood samples, and found that about twice as many people have been infected by the virus as official reports suggest. "Several large studies have shown that among individuals who are seropositive from prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19 incidence is reduced by 80% to 95%, similar to vaccine efficacy estimates," the CDC wrote. ”The study will continue until at least December 2021, and results will be made available on the CDC's website.”
Preliminary data from Israel suggests that a coronavirus booster shot is able to quickly increase a persons protection against severe disease and infection of COVID-19. According to the study, patients who received a third shot of Pfizer experienced a drop in risk of infection by 11.4-fold and risk of severe disease drop by 10-fold after at least 12 days, Axios reported. Israel was the world’s first country to offer booster shots to its residents, with older adults being the first people they were made available to.
Two Tennessee school districts have announced temporary closures due to outbreaks of COVID-19 cases, ABC News reported. The closures of the Sumner County School District and Marion County Schools come one week after two other Tennessee county schools also closed due to the coronavirus. “We encourage everyone to practice safe, healthy measures during this break to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 within our community,” the Sumner County School District said in a statement. The district will be using “inclement weather days” for the temporary closure, according to ABC News. There won’t be in-person or online instruction, and school will resume on Sept. 13. Marion County School District will close from Thursday through Sept. 10 for “intensive cleaning and COVID-19 numbers.”
King County, Washington, the most populous county in the state, is bringing back outdoor mask mandates for large events and strongly encouraging people to wear masks in crowded outdoor settings amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, according to a statement Thursday by Public Health — Seattle & King County. The requirement will begin on Sept. 7 and applies to both vaccinated and unvaccinated people over the age of 5, The Associated Press reported. “With high rates of disease spread, and our health care system straining to keep up, it is time to take additional steps to keep ourselves and our communities safe,” the health department said.
Washington Nationals Vice President Bob Boone will resign from his position rather than comply with the team's new COVID-19 vaccine mandate, ESPN reported. The vaccine mandate was recently instituted for all non-uniformed employees. The Washington Post first reported Boone's resignation. Boone, 73, whose son Aaron manages the New York Yankees, had been with the franchise since 2005. "As a company, we have a responsibility to do everything we can to keep one another safe and felt that mandating vaccines was the absolute right thing to do for our employees and our community," the Nationals said in a statement last Friday, according to ESPN.
On Wednesday, Japan confirmed its first cases of the mu variant in two travelers arriving from abroad, The Japan Times reported. Both travelers arrived in the country in July and were asymptomatic upon their arrival in Japan. On Monday, the World Health Organization classified the mu variant as a "variant of interest," warning that the mu variant may possess “a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape,” meaning that coronavirus vaccines may be less effective against the variant. The mu variant was first detected in January in Columbia, and currently makes up 40% of cases in the country, but less than 0.1% of all cases worldwide.
The number of Americans who filed for unemployment last week was the lowest number since March 2020, or right at the onset of the pandemic's catastrophic impacts on the U.S. economy. The number of first-time jobless claims for the week ending Aug. 28 was 340,000, down from the estimate of 345,000 by Dow Jones, CNBC said. Economists examining the labor market are tracking two developments that are about to transpire or currently underway, CNBC said. The first is that federal unemployment benefits are set to expire Monday. Another factor is the reopening of public schools, which could allow parents to return to their office or job site.
A peer-reviewed study published Wednesday finds that coronavirus vaccines greatly reduce symptomatic infection and cut the risk of long-COVID in half, CBS News reported. The large-scale study, conducted in the United Kingdom using mass-testing data, provides some of the best evidence yet on the effectiveness of vaccines. "Among those who did experience a breakthrough infection, the odds of that infection being asymptomatic increased by 63% after one vaccine dose and by 94% after the second dose," the study's authors wrote in The Lancet. The study did not discern between different strains of the coronavirus, and much of the data was gathered before the delta variant surged in the U.K. Read the complete study here.
After announcing that he tested positive for the coronavirus, Joe Rogan, a 54-year old comedian and celebrity podcaster, said that he was taking a litany of drugs, including the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin, which health experts have warned should not be used to treat the coronavirus, CBS News reported. Rogan, who has been on tour in Florida, said that on Saturday, he began feeling rundown and had a headache. Rogan tested positive the following morning, and began a series of treatments, including monoclonal antibodies, ivermectin, Z-Pak, a vitamin D drip and prednisone. The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have both warned against taking the drug as a preventative measure or treatment against COVID-19, noting that poison control centers have reported an increase in callers who have ingested it.
The World Health Organization has announced that coronavirus variants will be named after constellations if they run out of letters in the Greek alphabet. Coronavirus variants were initially referred to by their lineage or their country or region of origin before the World Health Organization decided to formalize a naming scheme. While the practice was retired after 2020, tropical systems in the Atlantic Basin used to be named after Greek letters after the number of named storms exceed 20.
Beginning Sept. 22, Ontario residents will need to show proof of full vaccination to enter many establishments, Reuters reported. After previous public opposition to the idea, Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford cited the rapid spread of the delta variant when talking to journalists about the vaccine passport program. "We must take immediate action and we will, because we need to protect our hospitals. We need to avoid lockdowns," Ford said. Ontario is Canada’s most populous province. Starting Sept. 22, proof of full vaccination will be needed to enter all Ontario bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and indoor sporting facilities. By Oct. 22, vaccine information will be stored on mobile devices as a digital vaccine passport.
A rise in coronavirus cases across the United States has caused Paramount Pictures to push the release date of Top Gun: Maverick from its initial Nov. 19 release date to May 27, 2022, The Associated Press reported. Other fall films distributed by Paramount have also been impacted by the pandemic, with films like Clifford the Big Red Dog and Jackass Forever also being pushed back from their initial fall debuts. Some major films are still on track to release, including the next James Bond movie, No Time to Die, which is expected to premier on Oct. 8, and Marvel Studios’ Shang Chi, which debuts on Friday.
More than 1,000,000 new vaccinations, close to 200,000 new coronavirus cases, and just under 2,000 fatalities were reported Wednesday in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University figures. The positivity ratio ticked downwards to 10.64%. The U.S. again reported by far the most cases globally, with the next highest country, India, reporting just over 47,000 cases. Approximately 53% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated. Watch the video below for more.
Amid a supply shortage and a surge in new cases across the U.S., CVS Health has limited the number of COVID-19 at-home tests that can be bought online and in their stores, ABC News 10 reported. Customers are now being limited to six tests in an online order and four tests when purchased in a store. The limits apply to Abbott Laboratories’ BinaxNOW and tests from Ellume, according to an email from a CVS spokesperson, obtained by Bloomberg. The demand for the rapid tests boomed amid a rise in new COVID-19 cases, and a CVS spokesperson said in an email to ABC News 10 that the company was working with its suppliers to meet testing needs.
The consistent use of masks and COVID-19 testing could drastically reduce the number of coronavirus infections in susceptible K-12 students, according to research b North Carolina State University. The research found that without masks and testing, more than 75% of susceptible students, or students who haven’t been vaccinated or have no natural immunity, could get infected within three months in all settings. However, it concluded that universal masking could reduce student infections by 26% to 78%, and biweekly testing alongside masks could reduce infections by another 50%. Vaccines against the coronavirus are not yet available for children younger than 12. “To prevent new infections in the community, limit school absences, and maintain in-person learning, interventions such as masking and testing must be implemented widely, especially among elementary school settings in which children are not yet eligible for the vaccine,” the authors wrote.
Thousands of Americans went out to get their first COVID-19 vaccine the week following the Food and Drug Administration’s full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, according to data from an ABC News analysis. The analysis found that following the vaccine’s approval, the U.S. saw a 17% increase in the number of Americans receiving their first dose, whereas the rate of first doses had been stagnant prior to the announcement. “As expected, full approval was enough to convince at least some to finally get immunized,” Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital told ABC News. However, there are still people who have held out on receiving the vaccine even as new variants emerge.
New York prosecutors charged 15 people in a fake vaccination card conspiracy on Tuesday, including a New Jersey woman who calls herself “AntiVaxMomma” over Instagram, AFP reported. Jasmine Clifford, 31, is accused of selling about 250 fake vaccination cards, each priced at $200, to people trying to dodge the vaccine, including essential workers at hospitals and nursing homes, prosecutors said Tuesday. Clifford allegedly conspired with Nadayza Barkley, 27, to enter the names of at least 10 individuals into New York state’s database of vaccinated residents, for which the two charged an extra $250 fee, according to the DA’s office. Both were charged with offering a false instrument and conspiracy, with Clifford receiving an additional charge of criminal possession of a forged instrument. The other 13 individuals to be charged had bought the fake vaccination cards.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated another coronavirus strain as a “variant of interest.” The mu variant, or B.1.621, was added to The Who watchlist on Aug. 30 after it was detected in 39 countries and found to contain a cluster of mutations that might make it less susceptible to current immune protection, The Guardian reported. The data that suggests this is still preliminary, according to the report, and needs to be confirmed by further work. The mu variant was first identified in Colombia in January 2021, and since then there have been a few larger outbreaks recorded around the world, including in the U.K., Europe, the U.S. and Hong Kong. While the variant makes up less than 0.1% of coronavirus infections globally, it accounts for 39% and 13% of coronavirus infections in Colombia and Ecuador, respectively, according to The Guardian.
The Children’s Hospital Association, representing over 200 children’s hospitals, wrote to the Biden administration asking for help in addressing the “growing national pediatric hospital capacity crisis” as a wave of young COVID-19 patients strains the hospitals’ capacity.“We urge strong steps now to provide critical support for pediatric hospital capacity and encourage broad adoption of prevention strategies, such as masking and vaccinations, to protect our nation’s children,” the association’s CEO Mark Wietecha wrote on Aug. 26. The letter outlined a few reasons, other than the surge in the delta variant, as to why the hospitals were strained.
First, the pediatric health care system is financially strained as children’s hospitals are still carrying losses from earlier during the pandemic, the pandemic exacerbated the national children’s mental health crisis and a severe wave of the seasonal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) began early this season. In addition, the pandemic has taken its toll on the staff at children’s hospitals. “All of these factors are converging and unfortunately setting up the perfect storm threatening national pediatric hospital capacity,” Wietecha wrote.
Since the beginning of March, pharmacies and state governments around the United States have discarded 15.1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, NBC News reported, citing government data. Walmart, Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid each reported throwing out more than 1 million doses each. Walgreens reported the highest amount with almost 2.6 million tossed doses, NBC News said. Doses were listed as wasted for a number of reasons including a freezer malfunction or cracked vials, according to NBC News.
Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts was forced to leave Tuesday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays after learning he had tested positive for COVID-19, ESPN reported. Bogaerts was out in the field when Red Sox manager Alex Cora waved him to come back to the dugout. Bogaerts is now the sixth player on the Red Sox to test positive for the virus since Friday. "Obviously, Xander is the leader of the team," Cora said. "He's one of the best shortstops, if not the best shortstop in the league, and we're going to miss him."
One day after a surprising decision to release quarterback and former NFL MVP Cam Newton, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick took questions Wednesday morning. The six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach said Newton's vaccination status played no role in the team's decision. "No. Look, you guys keep talking about that," Belichick said, according to ESPN. "I would just point out that I don't know what the number is, but the number of players, coaches and staff members that have been affected by COVID in this training camp -- who have been vaccinated -- is a pretty high number. So I wouldn't lose sight of that." Newton missed several practices last week as he was away from the team for five days due to a "misunderstanding" of COVID-19 protocols, ESPN reported. Newton reportedly tested negative while he was away from the team and has never disclosed his vaccination status.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, spoke during a White House COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday about the upcoming Labor Day weekend and what people should consider before traveling. “If you are unvaccinated, we would recommend not traveling,” Walensky said, according to a CNBC report. Walensky added that people who are fully vaccinated and wear masks could travel with a lower risk of becoming ill, but that "people need to take their own these risks into their own consideration as they think about traveling.” Folks who plan to spend time with family or friends over the extended holiday weekend are recommended to spend time together outdoors rather than indoors if possible to help prevent transmission.
As the delta variant surges in the United States, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Florida and Arkansas have less than10% of their ICU beds available,CNN reported. Hospitals in northeast Georgia are more full than they’ve been at any point during the pandemic, the CEO of Northeast Georgia Health Systems, Carol Burrell, said. "We're looking to add space in hallways and conference rooms in waiting areas. Our emergency rooms and our urgent care centers are seeing higher volume than they've seen throughout this pandemic" Cases have surged nationwide, but the highest levels of cases and hospitalizations are in the south, where vaccination levels are among the lowest in the United States. "This to me seems to be a strong indication that the current epidemiologic curve that we're seeing is really a reflection of failure to vaccinate, not vaccine failure," said Dr. Matthew F. Daley at the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meeting.
The head coach of the Indianapolis Colts said that he is “frustrated” as he urges his players to get vaccinated before the start of the regular season, which is less than two weeks away. Frank Reich has always been an advocate for the coronavirus vaccines, but only 75% of the team’s roster is vaccinated, one of the lowest rates in the league, The Associated Press reported. Reich spoke out on the topic after four of the team’s projected starters were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, including the team’s new quarterback Carson Wentz. “I do try to listen and respect but I also don’t shy away from saying what I believe and what I believe is right — the research that I’ve done,” Reich said, according to the AP. Players are not required to get vaccinated, but unvaccinated players that are a high-risk close contact can be sidelined and potentially miss games. In contrast, vaccinated players can only be placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list if they test positive.
The Tennessee Department of Health is reporting that 1 in every 85 Tennesseans are currently infected with COVID-19. WSMV-TV, an NBC-affiliated news station, reported that not only was the state seeing an all-time high of nearly 3,000 people hospitalized due to the virus, 939 in the ICU and 645 on a ventilator, but 79 of those hospitalized are children. This is also an all-time high for the pandemic, the news station reported.Despite this, Gov. Bill Lee said on Monday during a press conference in Bristol, Tennessee, that there are no current plans to change the state’s mitigation strategies.
Since booster shots were first made available to immunocompromised Americans, more than 955,000 fully vaccinated Americans have received a third dose of a coronavirus vaccine, CNBC reported. Booster shots were first made available on Aug. 12. It is unclear if everyone who received a booster was actually immunocompromised, as a number of Americans have taken getting a booster shot into their own hands, with some “mixing and matching” different shots. Dr. Helen Keipp Talbot, a member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, told the committee that many hospitals in the south have begun administering third doses in health-care workers and patients. The United States currently plans to formally begin a booster shot program for the general public on Sept. 20.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announces masks will be mandatory for students, teachers and staff in public and private schools for the upcoming school year.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday announced masks will be mandatory for teachers, staff and school students, a reversal from his earlier position. The new order will take effect on Sept. 7, just as kids across the Keystone State are returning to class -- and at a time when new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations have been on the rise. Wolf's mandate will apply both to public and private schools throughout the state, and also includes day care facilities and other pre-schools. "Wearing a mask indoors is necessary to keep our kids in the classroom -- and to keep COVID out of that classroom," Wolf told reporters at a press briefing. He said he's received an outcry from concerned parents over the lack of a formal policy. Student athletes will be exempt from wearing masks while competing in a game.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines at preventing hospitalization in older Americans has slipped but remains over 80%, reported CBS News. The CDC presented its analysis Monday as part of a discussion regarding federal plans for a booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine in starting in September. The finding is the latest to suggest that protection against the coronavirus may wane over time, though the CDC cautions that drawing conclusions is not easy. "It actually may be very difficult for us to disentangle time, since vaccination and the impact of the Delta variant, especially in some populations that we know were vaccinated earlier in the time course. So if we see waning in the last couple of months, it could be really difficult," Dr. Sara Oliver, a vaccine official at the CDC, said.
The United States is expected to begin its booster shot program in September, with discussions ongoing about the recommended spacing between a second and third dose. "The number eight months has been thrown around. Six months has been discussed. And that's where the science will ultimately drive what those recommendations will be," Dr. Jay Butler, a top CDC official, told a Twitch livestream last week. Data from Pfizer and Moderna, as well as international studies, have suggested that booster shots may be needed sooner than six months after vaccination.
Once an October target for fully vaccinating 70% of the population is achieved, authorities in South Korea will start distributing COVID-19 boosters, Reuters reported. Booster shots will initially go to those at high risk of a serious coronavirus infection, including the elderly and immunocompromised. Others will be able to receive their third dose six months after being vaccinated. Many countries have moved forward with a booster shot program despite the World Health Organization’s plea for countries to delay a booster shot campaign until more of the world receives their first and second doses. Evidence continues to build that coronavirus vaccines lose some of their effectiveness after six months, especially among those at the highest risk of severe illness.
Although Israel has conducted one of the fastest vaccination rollouts around the world, it's currently dealing with record levels of new daily coronavirus infections, CNBC reported. About 63% of the country's population is fully vaccinated, but cases have been steadily rising since late July. A new all-time record for daily cases of 12,111 was set on Aug. 24, which broke the previous mark of 11,934 from January, CNBC said. Israel began its booster shot program in late July, first offering the dose to people over the age of 60 before expanding it to everyone 30 years and older last week. Israelis are not eligible to receive a booster shot until five months after their second dose, CNBC reported. The push for boosters shots comes as lawmakers in the country say they are looking to avoid imposing more lockdowns.
According to a newly-published study, the coronavirus vaccine produced by Moderna triggers a stronger antibody response than the vaccine made by Pfizer, MarketWatch reported. The study, which examined nearly 2,500 health care workers in Belgium, showed that both vaccines increased antibody levels, but the amount of antibodies created by the Moderna vaccine was "significantly higher." The study was published on Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association and researchers suggest that one reason for the higher antibody response may be due to the fact that the Moderna vaccine contains a higher amount of the active ingredient use in both Moderna's and Pfizer's vaccine. Another potential reason the researchers pointed to was the differing intervals between the first and second doses. Read the full study here.
After more than 3 million tests were conducted, over 258,000 new coronavirus cases were reported in the United States on Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University figures. In addition, 1,172 new COVID-19 fatalities were reported, bringing the national death toll to 638,844. The United States reported the most cases globally, with the second-highest number of new cases reported in Iran, where just 33,780 cases were identified. Just over 693,000 vaccine doses were administered in the United States on Monday. Watch the video below for more.
Hospitals in Florida, South Carolina, Texas and Louisiana are running low on oxygen as hospitalizations across the South soar, CNN reported. Hospitals are being forced to dig into reserve oxygen supplies or risk running out. "Normally, an oxygen tank would be about 90% full, and the suppliers would let them get down to a refill level of 30-40% left in their tank, giving them a three- to five-day cushion of supply," said Donna Cross, the senior director of facilities and construction at Premier, a health care performance improvement company. "What's happening now is that hospitals are running down to about 10-20%, which is a one- to two-day supply on hand, before they're getting backfilled." Hospitalized coronavirus patients often need oxygen, as a severe coronavirus infection makes it difficult for patients to breathe.
An instructional assistant at an elementary school in eastern Kentucky died from COVID-19 as a wave of the delta variant swept over several of the state’s school districts, The Associated Press reported. Heather Antle had been an aide at Lee County Elementary. The Lee County district has canceled in-person cases until Sept. 7 in response to the outbreaks among students and teachers alike, and several other school districts in the state have had to shutdown classes for multiple days due to the virus. “There was a time when some argued COVID did not spread in schools,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said over social media. “That time should be over.”
Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi announced new coronavirus restrictions as the island territory battles a rise in coronavirus cases, The Associated Press reported. The new pandemic measures will be in effect from Sept. 2 to Sept. 23, and will close certain private businesses and banning alcohol sales after midnight. Activities like concerts, weddings, birthday parties and anniversaries are also banned after midnight. Elective surgeries that require intensive care will also be postponed. “We’re on the right track, but there was no alternative,” Gov. Pierluisi said. Puerto Rico is requiring proof of vaccination to enter places like gyms, casinos and salons. According to Johns Hopkins University statistics, Puerto Rico has seen a sharp rise in cases throughout the month of August, with a seven day average close to 900 cases per day, bringing the cumulative caseload there to nearly 170,000.
Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob is quarantining for an unspecified amount of time after being in contact with a coronavirus patient, Al Jazeera reported. Sabri was sworn in as prime minister earlier in August and will miss the country’s National Day celebrations. Malaysia has had a successful vaccination campaign, with 62% of its adult population vaccinated. Despite this, daily cases in the country have been above 20,000 since August 5. More than 16,000 Malaysians have passed away from the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic.
High school athletes in Fairfax County, Virginia, will be required to provide proof of vaccination to play winter and spring sports, WTOP reported. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine will be required for all school activities that require a physical. Religious and medical exemptions will be allowed. “Vaccinating our students is a critical step in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 and minimizing any disruption to learning,” Superintendent Scott S. Bradbrand said. Data from Fairfax County Public Schools shows that 62.6% of 12- to 15-year-olds are fully vaccinated and that 74.9% of 16- to 17-year-olds are fully vaccinated.
On Monday, the Education Department announced that it is opening a civil rights investigation in five states regarding policies banning local school districts from implementing mask mandates, The Washington Post reported. The Education Department is investigating policies in Iowa, South Carolina, Utah, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Each state received a letter arguing that these states could be preventing individual districts from meeting the needs of students who are at higher risks of severe illness from the coronavirus, including students with disabilities. Earlier in August, Biden promised that the Education Department would use its authority to prevent state governors from interfering with school districts that wish to mandate masks.
Two Kid Rock concerts were cancelled last weekend after his bandmates tested positive for the coronavirus, CNN reported. Kid Rock turned to social media to explain the cancellations in a profanity-laden series of tweets. "I am pi**ed," the performer railed and, using an expletive to punctuate the point, added that "over half the band" has COVID. He also said that he has not tested positive, though many of those who are infected, "like me, have been vaccinated." Rock said. Other artists have recently been forced to postpone or cancel shows, including KISS front man Paul Stanley, who himself tested positive for the virus last week.
More than 2.6 million doses of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine in Japan have been suspended following contamination issues in vaccine batches, Reuters reported. Japan is battling its worst wave of the coronavirus yet, with daily infections exceeding 25,000 in the country. At least two died after receiving the suspended shots, though no connection has been made between their deaths and the vaccine. "It is unlikely, in my opinion, that contamination of foreign substances led directly to sudden deaths," said Takahiro Kinoshita, a physician and vice chair of Cov-Navi, a vaccine information group.
The shots were suspended after irregular materials were found in the vaccine doses. In Gunma, Japan, a tiny black substance was found in a Moderna vial, while black and pink substances were spotted in syringes and vials in other parts of the country. According to Japan’s health ministry, some of the substances may be attributed to incorrect needle placement, causing pieces of the rubber stopper to break off.
The European Union has officially recommended that its member states renew coronavirus-related travel restrictions and prohibit non-essential travel to the United States, The Associated Press reported. The European Council, which governs the EU, had recommended restrictions against the U.S. be lifted in June, but a sharp rise in cases due to the delta variant has caused a reversal in policy. "What is going on now is both entirely predictable, but entirely preventable. And you know we know we have the wherewithal with vaccines to turn this around," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US government's top infectious diseases expert., told CNN. "We could turn this around and we could do it efficiently and quickly if we just get those people vaccinated."
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser for the White House’s coronavirus response team, says that he supports coronavirus vaccine mandates for children returning to school, Reuters reported. Children under 12 are currently ineligible for the vaccine, though Fauci believes that a vaccine will be available before the holiday season. “We've [mandated vaccines] for decades and decades, requiring polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis" vaccinations,” Fauci told CNN’s State of the Union program. Many schools across the country have had to temporarily shut down and return to virtual learning following coronavirus outbreaks among students and staff.
A new study based on data collected in England shows that the delta variant doubles the risk of hospitalization compared to the previously dominant alpha variant, The Guardian reported. While the delta variant had long been known to be more transmissible, this study, which largely examined infections among the unvaccinated, suggests that delta infections may also be more severe. “This study confirms previous findings that people infected with delta are significantly more likely to require hospitalization than those with alpha, although most cases included in the analysis were unvaccinated,” said Dr. Gavin Dabrera, one of the study’s lead authors. Dabrera says that vaccination is still effective at combating the delta variant, though. “We already know that vaccination offers excellent protection against delta… it is vital that those who have not received two doses of vaccine do so as soon as possible.”
Just as Hurricane Ida was bearing down on the Louisiana coastline, the state's hospitals were packed with COVID-19 patients, The Associated Press reported. As of Sunday, according to the AP, nearly 2,500 patients were being treated for the coronavirus in hospitals throughout the state. Gov. John Bel Edwards admitted in an AP interview that Louisiana was in a "very dangerous place with our hospitals." He added, "I hate to say it this way, but we have a lot of people on ventilators today and they don’t work without electricity." And that was before Ida knocked out power to the entire city of New Orleans late Sunday night. Before that happened, however, some of the state's largest hospitals had already gone into emergency lockdown. More than 1 million customers were without power on Monday morning in Louisiana.
Some good news is that hospitals are better equipped for hurricane disasters than they were 16 years ago when Katrina struck. Dr. Jeff Elder, medical director for emergency management at LCMC Health, told the AP that changes were made in the wake of the Katrina disaster, including in many cases keeping backup generators in raised positions to stay above the floodwaters. Hospitals also took some preemptive measures, including transferring some patients to other facilities. For more on the preparation effort, watch the video below. And for the latest coverage of Ida and all of its impacts, visit AccWeather's Ida live blog here.
Chief medical adviser for the White House Anthony Fauci on Sunday said federal health officials are sticking with the recommendation to administer booster shots eight months after a fully vaccinated individual received a previous dose of the vaccine. Fauci's remarks come in the wake of news that the booster shot timeline could be accelerated to six months or even sooner. On Friday, President Joe Biden said health officials were contemplating beginning booster shots at five months. "We're still sticking with the eight months," Fauci said during an appearance on ABC's This Week. "However, as we've said, even in the original statement that came out, we're gonna have to go through the standard way of the FDA looking at the data -- and then the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. So, although we're sticking with eight, we're remaining flexible, that if the data tells us differently, we'll make adjustments accordingly." Watch Fauci's complete remarks on the topic below.
More than 36,000 new coronavirus infections and just over 950,000 vaccines were administered on Sunday, according to Johns Hopkins University figures. In addition, 277 coronavirus deaths were reported. The positivity ratio, which measures the percentage of tests that yield a positive result, continues to hover under 11%. Around 53% of adults in the U.S. are fully vaccinated, according to Johns Hopkins University figures. Watch the video below for more.
More and more people are rolling up their sleeves to get a coronavirus vaccine amid the surge of the delta variant and following the FDA’s full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. On Saturday, over 1 million Americans were vaccinated, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. California and Texas lead the way, the two states that inoculated over 100,000 of its residents. On a global scale, China lead the way with over 15 million vaccinations on Saturday, followed by Venezuela where over 4.6 million people got the jab. Watch the video below for more information about vaccinations and the spread of COVID-19.
The U.S. Open tennis tournament will require fans 12 and older to show proof of vaccination in order to attend the tournament as a spectator. Initially, the U.S. had indicated fans would need to show proof of vaccination and could also attend maskless. But in an announcement posted on Twitter, the USTA said the New York City Mayor's office was mandating proof of vaccination. The mandate will not apply to players competing in the tournament, Reuters reported. Action gets underway at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York, on Monday. Read the full statement from the USTA below.
Global pandemic events such as the COVID-19 or Spanish flu pandemics may not be as rare as previously thought, according to an analysis published Monday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.Researchers assessed new disease outbreaks from over the past 400 years and found that the probability of a pandemic with a similar impact compared COVID-19 in a give year is about 2%, which UPI reported meant a person born in 2000 had about a 38% chance of experiencing a major outbreak by now. And that probability is growing, researchers added, stressing the need to adjust the perception of pandemic risks and expectations for preparedness. “The most important takeaway [of our study] is that large pandemics like COVID-19 and the Spanish flu are relatively likely,” co-author William Pan said in a press release.
Just days after the Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the Pfizer vaccine, Delta Air Lines has announced a new policy based on an employee's vaccination status.Starting on Nov. 1, employees that are not vaccinated will have their monthly health care premium rise by $200, CNBC reported. “This surcharge will be necessary to address the financial risk the decision to not vaccinate is creating for our company,” CEO Ed Bastian said in a memo to all employees. “In recent weeks since the rise of the B.1.617.2 variant, all Delta employees who have been hospitalized with COVID were not fully vaccinated.” Around 75% of all delta employees are currently vaccinated, CNBC reported.
More and more people are rolling up their sleeves to get a coronavirus vaccine amid the surge of the delta variant and following the FDA’s full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. On Saturday, over 1 million Americans were vaccinated, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. California and Texas lead the way, the two states that inoculated over 100,000 of its residents. On a global scale, China led the way with more than 15 million vaccinations on Saturday, followed by Venezuela where over 4.6 million people got the jab. Watch the video below for more information about vaccinations and the spread of COVID-19.
Actor Eugene Levy announced on Twitter that the Schitt’s Creek: The Farewell tour has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, UPI reported. Levy, along with his son and co-star Dan Levy, had scheduled visits across North America to visit fans and talk about the Emmy-winning sitcom, which had aired for six seasons. However, the ongoing pandemic complicated plans. “Despite our best efforts to reschedule while keeping your health and safety at the forefront, we’ve found that state and local mandates vary too widely to do so in the near future,” the two actors wrote in a letter posted on social media. “So, we have made the difficult decision to cancel all tour dates that were scheduled pre-pandemic.” They added that tickets would be immediately refunded.
Many children across the U.S. are catching COVID-19 at school and passing it along to family members, even ones who are vaccinated.In the Los Angles Unified School District, 3,255 students caught COVID-19 in the two weeks leading up to classes. At Brevard Public Schools in Florida, over 3,000 students and staff members had to go into quarantine last week. Alysha Johnson’s 2-year-old daughter caught COVID-19 at a summer play group and passed it along to her despite being vaccinated, NPR reported. Johnson said “it was a pretty big deal” how bad her daughters symptoms were, but she felt relieved that her own vaccination likely protected her from developing serious illness as well. ”Time and time again we're seeing kids return to school and then come home — either after an exposure or sick themselves," said Dr. Nicole Braxley, an emergency medicine physician at Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Sacramento. "The virus sheds for a couple of days before the patient has symptoms. Entire families are suddenly exposed."
First it was eight months, then six months after an individual received a previous dose of coronavirus vaccine that health officials said would be the optimal time to receive a booster shot, and, on Friday, President Joe Biden indicated the timeline could be accelerated even more. The president, speaking to reporters at the White House alongside Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, said U.S. health officials are considering recommending booster shots be administered five months after an inidividual received a previous shot. Biden revealed that Israeli health officials advised beginning booster shots even earlier than eight or six months. "You started your [booster shots] program a little early," Biden said gesturing to Bennett, "and it's met with great results." Biden went on to say booster shots are still on track to begin on Sept. 20, pending FDA approval. Watch a clip of Biden's remarks below.
Legal barriers are preventing many Americans from knowing which variant of COVID-19 infected them. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) requires that genome-sequencing tests that could determine what variant of COVID-19 a patient has must be federally approved in order to be disclosed to a patient or doctor, Business Insider reported. According to the outlet, the labs have no real incentive to validate the tests, meaning most Americans and their doctors are unable to learn which variant of COVID-19 they contracted. "I don't think there's a lot of motivation, quite honestly, to get that done," Kelly Wroblewki, the director of infectious diseases at the Association of Public Health Laboratories, said. Ryan Forrest, a 30-year-old from Midland Park, New Jersey, is curious to know how he got infected. He attended a wedding, but had no personal interactions with the infected person, so he wonders what variant he caught. "It would have been nice to know just for curiosity more than anything else," Forrest said.
Amid an outbreak of coronavirus cases, school districts across the U.S. are beginning to move away from in-person learning or are following hybrid models. According to The Associated Press, more than 80 school districts or charter networks have stopped or pushed back in-person learning classes for at least one school or more across more than a dozen states. Some school districts were even forced to start the year later than planned, such as one district in Western Oregon after several staff members were exposed during training to a teacher who had tested positive. Dr. Tina Tan, a Northwestern University medical professor who chairs the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Infectious Diseases, told the AP that the work to keep COVID-19 out of schools goes beyond just requiring masks, but also includes pushing for vaccination, social distancing, ventilation and other precautions.
Many colleges across the country have addressed health concerns on campus amid a resurgence of the virus, but the way that students are behaving off-campus is raising concerns in the community. Students returned to San Diego State University ahead of the new semester, which started on Monday, but some students caused a commotion in the surrounding area over the weekend. “It was just an absolute young-adult, teenage free-for-all,” Susan Hopps-Tatum told NBC 7, a San Diego-based news station. "There were hundreds of students all surrounding the neighborhoods."
Cell phone video from the area showed a large party in the area with police driving by without taking action. This is causing concern in the community that the students could be spreading the virus to locals. According to NBC 7, the university sent out a letter reminding folks of the student code of conduct after “behavior off-campus that threatened the health and safety of members of our San Diego State University community.”
The mother of TV star Alexia Echevarria, who appeared in the Bravo reality TV show “Real Housewives of Miami,” died of COVID-19 on what was supposed to be Echevarria’s wedding day. Echevarria made the announcement over Instagram alongside three photos of herself with her mom and one image of her mother alone. “The last couple of days have been a rollercoaster of emotions for me,” Echevarria said. “I was on the road to marry the man of my dreams when I had to stop everything as my mother became ill. What was supposed to be the happiest day of my life today has turned out to be the saddest.”
U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, a congressman for Pennsylvania, announced on Thursday that “despite being fully vaccinated and taking the appropriate precautions,” he had tested positive for COVID-19 while in Washington for votes. This makes him at least the 11th member of congress to have caught the virus since July 19, according to GovTrack.us. Doyle said via tweet that he was “feeling okay” and was experiencing mild symptoms, but would be quarantining at the capital for 10 days, as the district requires.
An overwhelming majority of NFL players have been vaccinated leading up to the start of the regular season. As of Thursday, 93% of all players have been vaccinated, according to The Associated Press. All coaches and staff members are required to get the jab, and league officials wanted a similar policy for the players, but the NFL Players Association did not agree with the league taking such actions. “We’ve been discussing mandatory vaccination from the start,” NFL deputy general counsel Larry Ferazani said Thursday. “We would still love to see that mandate go into effect tomorrow.”
Although vaccinations are not required for players, those who chose to remain unvaccinated have to follow more stringent COVID-19 protocols. This includes wearing face coverings at all times when inside team facilities and to undergoing daily testing. Players who are vaccinated are still tested, but only once every 14 days, the AP said. During the first three weeks of August, just 1% of all tests conducted returned with a positive result. The regular season kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 9 with the Dallas Cowboys traveling to Florida to take on Tom Brady and the Super Bowl-winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
With an average of more than 1,700 patients filtering into emergency rooms across the state on a daily basis, hospitals in Texas are becoming overwhelmed, ABC News reported. About 14,000 of the 100,000 patients hospitalized across the U.S. are in Texas. Nearly 94% of available ICU beds are currently being used. "There are many patients that are not doing well," Dr. Shawn Nishi, an associate professor of critical care medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, told ABC News. "It's very chaotic, because these patients are very unpredictable. At one moment they look great and the next moment, they're dying. ... It is a 'hair on fire' time in the ICUs."
The City of San Diego has become the latest to require its city employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, “as a condition of continued employment,” according to a letter sent to all employees Thursday. The decision comes amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic spurred on by the delta variant as well as the FDA’s approval of the Pfizer vaccine, according to NBC San Diego. All employees, current and new hires, must be fully vaccinated and provide proof of vaccination by the end of the day on Nov. 2, according to the letter, unless an alternative date is agreed upon. An employee will be considered “fully vaccinated” when the city has documented that the they have received, at least 14 days prior, either the second dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine or a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, meaning city employees have until Oct. 19 to become vaccinated.
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