More than 58 million COVID cases have been reported in the U. S. according to Johns Hopkins University The CDC has updated and clarified its COVID-19 booster guidance, unequivocally recommending that everyone ages 12+ receive a booster dose if eligible. Thousands of COVID tests in Chicago deemed “invalid” after not being shipped on time Princess Cruise Ship forced to dock in San Francisco after 12 passengers test positive for the virus More than 1 million COVID test in Florida expired last month, state officials say
According to the Associated Press, since mid-December, the hospitalization rate in young kids has surged to more than 4 in 100,000 children, up from 2.5 per 100,000.
The rate among children ages 5 to 17 is about 1 per 100,000, according to the CDC data, which is drawn from over 250 hospitals in 14 states.
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rochelle Walensky said, overall, “pediatric hospitalizations are at their highest rate compared to any prior point in the pandemic”.
“We regret having to cancel our guests’ long-awaited vacations and appreciate their loyalty and understanding,” the cruise line said in a statement. “Our top priority is always the well-being of our guests, our crew and the communities we visit.”
Adhanom stated, “Just like previous variants, Omicron is hospitalizing people and it is killing people.”
The CDC is also urging mask wearing and vaccines for those who are eligible to help combat COVID-19.
According to BBC, UK Health Security Agency data shows even three months after the booster shot, protection against hospitalization stills remains high at 95% for those 65 and older.
Israel has begun giving a fourth shot to manage the Omicron surge.
Visitors must now use a surgical paper mask, instead of cloth. They must also have negative COVID test within 24 hours of the visit.
All healthcare works will also need to receive a booster shot, there is no longer a test out option.
The United States reported 662,000 new COVID cases on Thursday, the fourth highest daily U.S. total ever recorded and just three days after a record of nearly 1 million cases was reported, according to the Reuters tally.
CDC Director Rochelle Walenksy stated, “We are still seeing those numbers rising,” noting that while cases outpaced hospitalizations and deaths, rising hospitalizations were primarily among the unvaccinated.
Deputy Postmaster General Douglas Tulino sent a letter to the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on Tuesday.
In the letter Tulino stated, “requiring the Postal Service to absorb what could inevitably be a dramatic loss of employees at a time when the labor market is extremely tight and in the middle of the Postal Service’s peak season would have a potentially catastrophic impact on our ability to provide service to the American public”.
The CDC recently updated its guidance of a ten-day isolation to five days, also not recommending a test before leaving isolation. Walensky defended the changes.
“We are now standing on the shoulders of years of science that has demonstrated that if you are infected, you are most contagious in the one to two days prior to your symptoms and the two to three days after your symptoms,” Walensky told Savannah Guthrie. “So, we know that the vast majority of your contagiousness by day five is really behind you.
A website that will allow people to submit COVID-19 rapid test requests will also be established by the administration.
This comes weeks after President Biden announced 500 million COVID-19 tests had been purchased by the administration to be issued to all Americans who wanted one.
According to the Associated Press, The Biden Administration is seeking to enforce a vaccine-or-testing requirement that applies to large employers and a separate vaccine mandate for most health care workers. The arguments were expected to last at least two hours.
The administration’s top Supreme Court lawyer, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar stated, keeping the vaccine mandate for health care workers on hold “will likely result in hundreds or thousands of deaths and serious illnesses from COVID-19 that could otherwise be prevented.”
Staff shortages and COVID patients swamping intensive care units are being cited as the reasons for the drastic measures, which will impact some who are waiting for life-changing operations.
At least three state governments; New York, Illinois, and Massachusetts, have already implemented or recommended state-wide delays so far.
She is classified as vulnerable to COVID due to her diabetes, which she has had since childhood.
His message was upbeat but he warned that people who have not yet got their booster shots should book their appointments as soon as possible.
Johnson remains under significant pressure from opposition parties and parts of the health services, including trade unions, to take tougher action on COVID but his government insists any new restrictions should be a “last resort”.
He thanked fans around the world and said the support was “greatly appreciated,” but did not give an update on his legal fight to be allowed to stay in Australia for the Open.
Meanwhile, 1 in 8 staff members at the jail have also tested positive. The county said about 65% of jail staff are vaccinated. No detainees or staff have required hospitalization so far, Acting Director of the prison Scott Anders said.
The outbreak has also forced St. Louis County Circuit Court to postpone jury trials all of next week.
She was originally granted a medical exemption because she had recently recovered from a COVID infection, but it now appears that is not being accepted as evidence enough to not have the vaccine.
It follows Novak Djokovic being placed into detention for the same reason - although authorities claim he refused to give an adequate explanation for being medically exempt.
It is not clear how many test kits households will be able to request or when they will get them but it is understood the scheme will be finalized in the coming days, with the Biden administration under pressure to make good on its pledge announced in December 2021.
FULL STORY: COVID Tests To Be Delivered to Homes Across U.S. by Mid-January
The 12 passengers - all vaccinated - are asymptomatic or have only mild symptoms, according to a statement from the Port of San Francisco. A Princess Cruises spokesperson told The Associated Press the vaccination rate on the ship was “approaching 100 percent.”
Authorities are now also asking cruise ships to test passengers who have not received their second doses or booster shots before letting them come ashore, while passengers who test positive will either go home or be taken to hotels for quarantine.
Psaki said it was “pretty rich” that DeSantis criticizes the Biden administration, accusing him of “not exactly advocating” the vaccine.
Cases have spiked since the Omicron variant was confirmed in the territory at the beginning of this week, with infections jumping to 35 on Tuesday, then 168 on Wednesday. President Jonathan Nez said the reservation was “the safest place to be” due to tougher restrictions than U.S. border towns and outside cities.
Director for England, Patricia Marquis, said in statement this morning that ministers “can no longer deny” that the latest COVID wave, and a lack of preparation, has triggering a staffing crisis in parts of the health service.
The country’s National Health Service (NHS) has been struggling to keep up with increased demand as COVID patients flood into intensive care following Christmas and New Year celebrations, which saw millions traveling across the country and gathering in large groups.
State media reported that North Korea’s leadership was agitated by “hostile forces” and suggested the U.S. and its allies are trying to prevent the Games from being a success to embarrass China.
In-mail COVID kits for CPS students were piled up at FedEx dropboxes last week, CBS Chicago reported, as parents feared many tests wouldn’t reach the labs in the 48-hour window to be processed.
FULL STORY: Thousands of Chicago Students’ COVID Tests Deemed ‘Invalid’ After Backlog in Shipments
However, a Guardian Essential poll in September last year found that over three-quarters of Australians (77pc) were in favor of mandates for inbound air passengers, while 69 percent believe those participating and spectating sporting events should also be fully vaccinated.
Djokovic’s legal team argues that he has the right to a medical exemption but the tennis star has so far refused to explain why, deeming it an invalid excuse by the Australian Border Force, who retracted his visa on Wednesday.
FULL STORY: Vax-Mandate Protesters Gather in Australia to Back Detained Tennis Superstar Novak Djokovic
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