Daily Archives: June 24, 2021

With the July Fourth holiday approaching, the White House acknowledged this week that Biden will fall shy of his 70% goal and an associated aim of fully vaccinating 165 million adults in the same time frame. The missed milestones are notable in a White House that has been organized around a strategy of underpromising and overdelivering for the American public.

White House officials, while acknowledging they are set to fall short, insist theyre unconcerned. We dont see it exactly like something went wrong, press secretary Jen Psaki said this week, stressing that Americans lives are better off than they were when Biden announced the goal.

As of Wednesday, 65.6% of Americans age 18 and older had received at least one shot, according to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control. The figure is expected to be over 67% by July 4.

A half-dozen officials involved in the vaccination campaign, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the missed target candidly, pointed to a combination of factors, including the lessened sense of urgency that followed early success in the vaccination campaign; a decision to reach for a higher goal; and unexpectedly strong recalcitrance among some Americans toward getting a shot.

Nonetheless, the White House says its not letting up on its vaccination efforts. Biden flew to Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday to urge people to roll up their sleeves as part of a nationwide month of action to drive up the vaccination rate before the holiday. The White House is rolling out increasingly localized programs to encourage specific communities to get vaccinated.

The best way to protect yourself against the virus and its variants is to be fully vaccinated, Biden said after he toured a mobile vaccination unit and met with frontline workers and volunteers. It works. It's free. It's safe. It's easy.

The White House always expected a drop-off in vaccination rates, but not as sharp as has proved to be the case. The scale of American reluctance to get vaccinated remains a source of global curiosity, particularly as many nations are still scrambling for doses to protect their most vulnerable populations.

When the 70% goal was first announced by Biden seven weeks ago, more than 800,000 Americans on average were getting their first vaccine dose each day down from a high of nearly 2 million per day in early April. Now that figure is below 300,000.

Paradoxically, officials believe the strong response to the early vaccination campaign has served to reduce motivation to get a shot for some. One of the most potent motivators was the high rate of COVID-19 cases and deaths. Now that those figures have dropped to levels not seen since the onset of the pandemic, officials say its become harder to convince Americans of the urgency to get a shot particularly for younger populations that already knew they were at low risk of serious complications from the virus.

Separately, two officials involved in the crafting of the 70% goal said that officials knew 65% would have been a safer bet, but that the White House wanted to reach for a figure closer to experts projections of what would be needed for herd immunity to bring down cases and deaths. Aiming for the higher target, the officials said, was seen as adding to the urgency of the campaign and probably increased the vaccination rate above where it would have been with a more modest goal.

Other officials said the White House, which has always cast the vaccination campaign as hard, nevertheless failed to grasp the resistance of some Americans to getting a shot when it set the 70% goal.

The hesitation among younger Americans and among Trump voters has been too hard to overcome, said GOP pollster Frank Luntz, who has worked with the White House and outside groups to promote vaccinations. They think they are making a statement by refusing to be vaccinated. For Trump voters, its a political statement. For younger adults, its about telling the world that they are immune.

Of the White House, Luntz said, I think they did as good a job as they could have done."

The White House points to all that the nation has achieved to play down the significance of the goals it will miss.

Back in March, Biden projected a July Fourth holiday during which Americans would be able to safely gather in small groups for outdoor barbecues a milestone reached months ago. Nearly all states have lifted their virus restrictions, businesses and schools are open and large gatherings are resuming nationwide.

The most important metric at the end of the day is: What are we able to do in our lives? How much of normal have we been able to recapture? said Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. And I think what we are seeing now is that we have exceeded our expectations.

The White House also has taken to crunching the vaccination numbers in new ways to put a positive spin on the situation. On Tuesday, the administration announced that 70% of adults 30 and over have been vaccinated removing the most hesitant population from its denominator. But even that statistic glosses over lower vaccination rates among middle-aged adults (62.4% for those aged 40-49) and millennials (52.8% for those aged 25-39).

The administration's predicament is all the more notable given what had been an unbroken streak of fulfilled vaccination goals. Before taking office, Biden pledged to vaccinate 100 million Americans in the first 100 days of his presidency a rate that the U.S. was exceeding by the time he was sworn in. Within days he suggested a goal of 150 million and ultimately easily met a revised goal of 200 million shots in the first 100 days.

Bidens 70% goal also was achievable, officials say if in retrospect too ambitious but critically relied less on the government's ability to procure shots and build capacity to inject them and more on individuals' willingness to get vaccinated.

We did that as a team, relying very heavily or exclusively on the docs and scientists, White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said Tuesday on how the targets were selected.

More significant than the 70% statistic, officials said, is the vast regional disparities in vaccination, with a state like Vermont vaccinating more than 80% of its population while some in the South and West are below 50%. Within states, there's even greater variation. In Missouri, some southern and northern counties are well short of 40% and one county is at just 13%.

With the delta variant first identified in India taking hold in the U.S., officials say the next vaccination boost may not come from incentives like lotteries or giveaways, but out of renewed fears of preventable illness and death. Other officials project a significant increase in vaccine uptake once the shots, which have received emergency-use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, receive final approval from the agency.

Heading into the end of the month, another Biden goal also was in doubt.

The president last month set a target of shipping 80 million COVID-19 excess vaccine doses overseas by the end of June. U.S. officials say the doses are ready to go, but that regulatory and legal roadblocks in recipient countries are slowing deliveries.

About 10 million have been shipped so far, including 3 million sent Wednesday to Brazil. Shipments are expected to pick up, but meeting the goal by June 30 appears unlikely.

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Falling short: Why the White House will miss its COVID-19 vaccination target - The Boston Globe

(WHTM) For some, it may feel like the COVID-19 pandemic is already over. For others, it may feel like it will never end. We know from history that pandemics do have to end eventually, but when exactly will this one be over, and what does it take to finally get back to normal?

The World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic in March of 2020. In his remarks on March 11, 2020, the WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly. It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death.

A specific and consistent definition of pandemic is fairly difficult to track down, but sources generally agree that a disease becomes a pandemic if it is widespread across countries, continents, and/or regions and if it can easily spread from person to person, infecting a significant number of people.

Simply put, A pandemic is anytime a disease spreads rapidly throughout the world, says Casey Pinto, assistant professor of public health sciences at the Penn State College of Medicine.

So a pandemic starts with a disease typically a novel disease like COVID-19 spreading quickly around the globe. But when and how does it end?

Thats a fantastic question that experts around the world are really kind of figuring out right now because its really hard to tell when a pandemic ends, says Pinto.

Contributing to the challenge of clearly determining the criteria for the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the WHO Director-General says that there has never before been a pandemic caused by a coronavirus.

The WHO defines several phases of an influenza pandemic, one of which is the post-pandemic period. In this phase, Levels of influenza activity have returned to the levels seen for seasonal influenza in most countries with adequate surveillance, according to the WHO.

COVID-19 is caused by a coronavirus, which is different from an influenza virus, but that post-pandemic definition may provide some guidance as to when this pandemic will finally be over.

While the specifics are hazy, the key takeaway for when a pandemic ends is when we can say the virus stops readily spreading among a population, says Pinto.

There are several factors that contribute to reaching the point when the virus stops easily spreading, but one big one is achieving herd immunity, Pinto says, and not just achieving herd immunity in one state or even one country. Because we are a society that is just so connected, we fly everywhere in the world, this is going to continue to manifest, says Pinto.

Achieving herd immunity in one place wont prevent the virus from continuing to spread in other areas. On top of that, we dont yet know how long immunity from the COVID-19 vaccines lasts, says Pinto, or whether the virus will eventually be able to circumvent the vaccines or the immunity previously infected individuals developed.

People are going to travel between states and between countries, so herd immunity will need to be reached around the nation and the world in order for the pandemic to end, Pinto hypothesizes. Although the exact threshold for herd immunity is unknown, experts estimate that we will need at least 70% of people to be immune to the virus.

Researchers can approximate the percentage of people who need to be immune to the virus in order to achieve herd immunity by comparing COVID-19 with other better-known diseases that are similarly contagious, explains Pinto.

So like measles, we know that we need about 93% of the population to be vaccinated or have natural immunity through being exposed in order to prevent an outbreak of measles. With COVID, because its nearly as contagious as measleswe know that we need about 90% [of people to be immune], Pinto says.

According to CDC data from June 23, 45.4% of the total U.S. population has been fully vaccinated, and just over 53% of Americans 12 years and older have been fully vaccinated.

Thats quite a distance from that 70-90% goal, but it cant just be 90% in the U.S., says Pinto, and this is where were going to run into trouble.

According to Our World in Data, about 10% of people worldwide are fully vaccinated, and the distribution of these vaccinations is not even across countries. Our World in Data reports that just 0.9% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Going from 10% to 70-90% of people vaccinated may feel impossible, but if weve learned one thing from past pandemics, its that they do eventually end.

Something else we can learn from previous pandemics, says Pinto, is that this coronavirus will probably never completely disappear.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, people have been comparing it to the 1918 flu. That pandemic took about 18-20 months to fully end, but that virus did not go away, and thats the same thing we think were going to see with COVID, Pinto says.

Much like the flu, experts like Pinto think COVID-19 will become endemic, meaning it will regularly occur in our population. And, just like with the flu, Pinto expects well need to periodically get revaccinated against the coronavirus to prevent serious illness.

However, the virus will hopefully be less deadly if it does stick around. Viruses want to live, explains Pinto, so if they quickly kill their hosts, they harm themselves, as well. Pinto anticipates that COVID-19 will mutate to become less deadly in the future.

Regardless of the future of COVID-19, Pinto reminds people that the pandemic is not over yet. Pinto encourages continued social distancing and thorough hand washing, and she notes that individuals who feel unwell should stay home to protect others, such as children who are not yet able to get vaccinated.

Pinto also encourages individuals to get vaccinated in order to protect themselves and to help the world get closer to herd immunity. We have no reported deaths from the COVID vaccine, but in the U.S. we have 600,000 deaths from COVID, Pinto says.

[The pandemic] will end, but we are not there yet, says Pinto. Were all doing our best. We can get through this together.

Continued here:

When will the COVID-19 pandemic really be over? - ABC27

While Illinois reports the lowest number of new COVID-19 cases since the early days of the pandemic, Missouri is one of a few states seeing increases in new cases

ST. LOUIS COVID-19 cases in the St. Louis area have remained consistent over the last few weeks, even as Missouri and Illinois are heading in different directions regarding the pandemic.

From June 17 to June 23, there were 988 new cases reported in the greater St. Louis area, marking the fourth consecutive week with fewer than 1,000 new cases. It's the first time since June of 2020 that the region reported fewer than 1,000 cases four weeks in a row.

There were 20 COVID-19 deaths reported in the last week in the St. Louis area, the lowest since April of 2020.

Those consistently low numbers are also reflected in the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force numbers, where COVID-19 hospitalizations have remained around 100 for the last few weeks.

The task force data for June 24, 2021 is as follows:

Missouri COVID-19 cases

While Illinois reports the lowest number of new COVID-19 cases since the early days of the pandemic, Missouri is one of a few states seeing increases in new cases.

From June 17 to June 23, Missouri reported 3,323 new COVID-19 cases, the highest single-week total since early May, but with significantly fewer PCR tests. As a result, the 7-day positivity reported by the state on June 23 was 6.8%, the highest since early February. While cases have increased, deaths have remained low, although health officials have often said deaths would be a lagging indicator in the pandemic, which spikes lagging about two weeks behind case increases.

Missouri vaccines

According to the state's data, the largest number of new cases per capita have come in the southwest portion of the state. Some of those counties have fewer than 20% of residents with at least one dose of the vaccine, and the increase in cases is starting to weigh on the healthcare system.

According to health department data, the hospital systems in the region have more than 300 COVID-19 patients for the first time since Jan. 28.

Locally, the vaccination rates in most counties are trailing the statewide averages. Missouri provides county-by-county data for both first and second dose rates. Only St. Louis County and St. Charles County are ahead of the statewide rates of 44.3% with at least one dose and 38.3% fully vaccinated. None of the counties in our area are at the national average of 53.7% with at least one dose and 45.6% fully vaccinated.

The state ranks 39th in the country in percent of the population with at least one dose with 44.3% and percent of the population fully vaccinated with 38.3%, according to CDC data.

Illinois COVID-19 cases

In Illinois, cases, deaths and positivity rates are all at their lowest points since the earliest days of the pandemic.

From June 17 to 23, the state reported 1,554 cases and 69 deaths the lowest single-week totals since March of 2020 and a seven-day positivity rate of 0.6% is the lowest on record.

Illinois vaccines

The state ranks 15th in the country in percent of the population with at least one dose with 58.6%. The state ranks 26th in the percentage of the population fully vaccinated with 44.7%, according to CDC data.

In Illinois, the health department provides county-by-county data for the percentage of the population that is fully vaccinated. Only Madison County is about the statewide rate of 44.7% fully vaccinated.

Top COVID-19 coverage of the week:

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COVID-19 cases heading in different directions in Missouri and Illinois, St. Louis area remaining consistent - KSDK.com

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Alaska on Wednesday reported 81 new coronavirus infections and one COVID-19-related death identified over two days, according to the state Department of Health and Social Services. The health department now updates its coronavirus dashboard on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Alaskas average daily case counts have increased slightly over the last week, but the states current statewide alert level remains low.

By Wednesday, roughly 54% of the states population age 12 and older had received at least their first dose of the vaccine while 49% of residents 12 and older were considered fully vaccinated.

Also by Wednesday, there were 16 people with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 hospitalized around the state, including four who are on ventilators.

The newly reported death, identified through a review of death certificates, involved an Anchorage man older than 80. In total, 367 Alaskans and seven nonresidents with COVID-19 have died since the pandemic reached the state last spring. Alaskas death rate per capita remains among the lowest in the country, though the states size, health care system and other factors complicate national comparisons.

Of the 75 cases recorded Tuesday and Wednesday among Alaskans, 25 were from Anchorage; 14 from Hooper Bay; nine from Wasilla; four from Unalaska; three from Eagle River; two from the Bethel Census Area; two from Big Lake; two from Chugiak; two from the Copper River Census Area; two from Fairbanks; two from Homer; two from North Pole; and one each from Bethel, Juneau, Kenai, Seward, Sitka and Soldotna.

Six cases were identified among nonresidents, including one each in Wasilla, Fairbanks, Kenai, Ketchikan, Unalaska and a location under investigation.

[Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that the state on Wednesday reported a virus-related death identified through a review of death certificates.]

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Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 81 total cases and 1 death reported for Tuesday and Wednesday - Anchorage Daily News

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of June 23, 2021, there have been 2,982,657 total confirmatory laboratory results received for COVID-19, with 163,689 total cases and 2,872 deaths.

DHHR has confirmed the deaths of a 68-year old female from Cabell County and a 73-year old male from Raleigh County.

Every life lost to this pandemic is a tragedy. Our thoughts go out to the families, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary. Choosing to have a COVID vaccine means choosing to help stop the loss of lives due to the pandemic. We each have a role to play in building community immunity in West Virginia.

CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (1,514), Berkeley (12,823), Boone (2,175), Braxton (1,009), Brooke (2,247), Cabell (8,869), Calhoun (382), Clay (543), Doddridge (640), Fayette (3,545), Gilmer (884), Grant (1,309), Greenbrier (2,886), Hampshire (1,920), Hancock (2,843), Hardy (1,572), Harrison (6,177), Jackson (2,243), Jefferson (4,793), Kanawha (15,476), Lewis (1,280), Lincoln (1,601), Logan (3,283), Marion (4,641), Marshall (3,536), Mason (2,056), McDowell (1,613), Mercer (5,149), Mineral (2,972), Mingo (2,750), Monongalia (9,387), Monroe (1,217), Morgan (1,225), Nicholas (1,899), Ohio (4,306), Pendleton (724), Pleasants (958), Pocahontas (680), Preston (2,958), Putnam (5,321), Raleigh (7,081), Randolph (2,851), Ritchie (756), Roane (660), Summers (863), Taylor (1,276), Tucker (546), Tyler (743), Upshur (1,964), Wayne (3,179), Webster (543), Wetzel (1,385), Wirt (456), Wood (7,936), Wyoming (2,044).

Free pop-up COVID-19 testing is available today in Barbour, Berkeley, Doddridge, Jefferson, Lincoln, Morgan, Putnam, Ritchie, Tyler/Wetzel, and Wayne counties.

Barbour County

9:00 AM 11:00 AM, Barbour County Health Department, 109 Wabash Avenue, Philippi, WV

1:00 PM 5:00 PM, Junior Volunteer Fire Department, 331 Row Avenue, Junior, WV

Berkeley County

10:00 AM 5:00 PM, 891 Auto Parts Place, Martinsburg, WV

10:00 AM 5:00 PM, Ambrose Park, 25404 Mall Drive, Martinsburg, WV

Doddridge County

Jefferson County

10:00 AM 6:00 PM, Hollywood Casino, 750 Hollywood Drive, Charles Town, WV

12:00 PM 5:00 PM, Shepherd University Wellness Center Parking Lot, 164 University Drive, Shepherdstown, WV

Lincoln County

Morgan County

11:00 AM 4:00 PM, Valley Health War Memorial Hospital, 1 Health Way, Berkeley Springs, WV

Putnam County

9:00 AM 4:00 PM, Liberty Square, 613 Putnam Village, Hurricane, WV

Ritchie County

1:00 PM 4:00 PM, Ritchie Regional, 138 S Penn Avenue, Harrisville, WV

Tyler/Wetzel Counties

Wayne County

10:00 AM 2:00 PM, Wayne Community Center, 11580 Rt. 152, Wayne, WV

See more here:

COVID-19 Daily Update 6-23-2021 - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

Story

Gov. Jay Inslee today announced that three proclamations related to the COVID-19 pandemic would be rescinded. These changes are made in anticipation of the June 30 reopening date, and while we remain in a state of emergency - it is expected that additional proclamations will be rescinded in the coming days and weeks.

Proclamation 20-30, whichsuspends statutory job search requirements for applicants seeking unemployment insurance. This rescission is effective July 4. Additional information for job seekers is available from the Employment Security Departmenthere.

Read the full proclamationhere.

Proclamation 20-46, which provides protections for high-risk workers, has been substantially replaced by Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill (ESSB) 5115 and was made immediately effective. This new law, which was signed and made effective immediately, is known as the Health Emergency Labor Standards Act (HELSA), applies to workplaces only during a declared public health emergency involving an infectious or contagious disease. The law includes protections for high-risk employees from discrimination during public health emergencies. Information about these protections is availablehere. This rescission is effective June 28.

Read the full proclamationhere.

Proclamation 20-76, which limited the fees that third-party delivery services could charge restaurants for delivering food to customers. This rescission is effective immediately.

Read the full proclamationhere.

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Inslee rescinds three proclamations related to COVID-19 | Governor Jay Inslee - Governor Jay Inslee