Tag: COVID-19

New variants threaten to reverse progress against COVID-19

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The rise of more contagious variants of the coronavirus are threatening an encouraging trend of falling COVID-19 cases across the country.

New U.S. cases of COVID-19 on Sunday dropped below 100,000 for the first time since November, a hopeful sign after a brutal post-Thanksgiving period that saw cases, hospitalizations and deaths spike.

Health officials are urging the public and governors not to ease up on precautions despite the somewhat improved situation, given that measures like wearing a mask and distancing from others are even more important when the virus is more contagious.  Continue reading.

Facebook says it will crack down on COVID vaccine misinformation

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Facebook says it will take tougher action during the pandemic against claims that vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccination, are not effective or safe.

Why it matters: It’s a partial reversal from Facebook’s previous position on vaccine misinformation. In September, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company wouldn’t target anti-vaccination posts the same way it has aggressively cracked down on COVID misinformation.

Details: Facebook is doing four things to crack down on misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccinations in general, following consultation with the World Health Organization: Continue reading.

Majority of Americans approve of Biden’s coronavirus response, poll finds

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Two in 3 Americans approve of President Biden’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a poll by ABC News-Ipsos, with widespread support for his efforts to pass a relief bill.

The survey was conducted Feb. 5 and 6 among 508 adults using the probability-based KnowledgePanel. Biden’s 67 percent approval on handling the coronavirus contrasts sharply with how Americans felt President Donald Trump handled the pandemic. In October, 61 percent said they disapproved of Trump’s response to the coronavirus.

Biden earned high marks among Democrats and political independents in the new poll, with 96 percent of Democrats and 67 percent of independents approving. Just a third of Republicans, 33 percent, voiced approval. Continue reading.

U.K. coronavirus variant spreading rapidly through United States, study finds

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The coronavirus variant that shut down much of the United Kingdom is spreading rapidly across the United States, outcompeting other strains and doubling its prevalence among confirmed infections every week and a half, according to new research made public Sunday.

The report, posted on the preprint server MedRxiv and not yet peer-reviewed or published in a journal, comes from a collaboration of many scientists and provides the first hard data to support a forecastissued last month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that showed the variant becoming dominant in the United States by late March.

The spread of the variant, officially known as B.1.1.7, and the threat of other mutant strains of the virus, have added urgency to the effort to vaccinate as many people as possible as quickly as possible. The variant is more contagious than earlier forms of the coronavirus and may also be more lethal, although that is far less certain. Continue reading.

House panel renews probe into Trump administration’s interference with covid-19 response

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Top Democrat makes new allegations of political appointees muzzling scientists.

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The head of a House oversight panel on Monday renewed its investigation into political interference in the nation’s coronavirusresponse, releasing new allegations of meddling in scientists’ work.

Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), chairman of the House select subcommittee on the coronavirus crisis, released emails from a Trump science adviser that he said showed how the administration worked to weaken guidance on who should be tested for the coronavirus. Clyburn also cited evidence that Trump appointees sought to boost access to unproven treatments for the coronavirus that were favored by the president.

The panel “is continuing these critical investigations … in order to understand what went wrong over the last year and determine what corrective steps are necessary to control the virus and save American lives,” Clyburn wrote to White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain and acting health and human services secretary Norris Cochran, in letters shared with The Washington Post.

Buttigieg in quarantine after possible Covid exposure

DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg is quarantining for the next 14 days after a member of his security detail tested positive for Covid-19. 

According to a press statement by DOT chief of staff Laura Schiller, the agent had been in close contact with Buttigieg, “including this morning prior to the agent’s positive result.“

Buttigieg also took a routine Covid PCR test Monday morning and the virus was not detected, nor is Buttigieg having symptoms. He has received the first dose of the vaccination and will get the second dose “when his quarantine is completed,” Schiller said. Continue reading.

Biden harnesses Defense Production Act to speed vaccinations and production of protective equipment

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The administration also said it would deploy 1,110 military personnel to support mass-vaccination centers

The Biden administration announced a handful of initiatives Friday aimed at accelerating mass inoculations against the coronavirus and expanding production of rapid tests and surgical gloves to help control the pathogen.

In the most immediate action, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin approved a request from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to deploy 1,110 troops to support vaccination sites. The first active-duty military personnel will arrive in California within the next 10 days, to begin operations around Feb. 15, said Andy Slavitt, senior adviser to the White House’s coronavirus response team. The service members, the majority of whom will be medical personnel, are expected to be stationed at five FEMA megasites, two of which are in Oakland and east Los Angeles.

“The military’s critical role in supporting sites will help vaccinate thousands of people per day and ensure every American who wants a vaccine will receive one,” Slavitt said during a Friday briefing. Continue reading.

House Democrats propose new pandemic assistance to help laid-off hospitality and service sector workers

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SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Rep. Andrew Carlson (DFL-Bloomington) and House Democrats are proposing new legislationto help laid-off hospitality and service sector workers return to their jobs. It’s one of many immediate actions that House Democrats are proposing to respond to the needs of workers, families, and small businesses hit hardest by the pandemic. High-quality video and audio of this virtual press conference will be available here this afternoon.

“In 2020, many of us had to cancel our travel plans for graduation, summer vacation, Thanksgiving, Christmas and so on. However, behind these visible personal impacts are our hospitality workers that are hit hard by the pandemic due to restaurant, hotel and airport layoffs.” said Rep. Carlson. “We need to pass legislation that will create a pathway forward to economic recovery for Minnesotans, especially communities of color who make up 71% of displaced hospitality workers. My new bill will ensure that these workers are heard and supported by their state government.”

Rep. Carlson’s bill applies to Minnesotans employed by hotels, airports, and event centers; the facilities attached to them, including restaurants, bars, and retail; as well as related services, including maintenance, security, ticketing, ground-handling, and food and beverage services. It also applies to an enterprise providing maintenance and security services to office, retail, or commercial buildings, like a staffing agency.

Continue reading “House Democrats propose new pandemic assistance to help laid-off hospitality and service sector workers”

US virus deaths surpass 450K; daily toll is stubbornly high

Coronavirus deaths in the United States surpassed 450,000 on Thursday, and daily deaths remain stubbornly high at more than 3,000 a day, despite falling infections and the arrival of multiple vaccines.

Infectious disease specialists expect deaths to start dropping soon, after new cases hit a peak right around the beginning of the year. New COVID-19 deaths could ebb as early as next week, said the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But there’s also the risk that improving trends in infections and hospitalizations could be offset by people relaxing and coming together — including this Sunday, to watch football, she added. Continue reading.

Your questions about Minnesota’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout, answered

If you’re confused by Minnesota’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout, you’re not alone. 

The plan has changed several times since Minnesota started administering vaccines in December, and more updates are on the horizon as the state nears completion of its first vaccine priority group.

Here’s the latest information about COVID-19 vaccines in Minnesota. Continue reading.