Daily Archives: June 24, 2021

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Ontario's soon-to-be top doctor says he's hopeful the COVID-19 pandemic will move to "an endemic state, where we can try to get back to normal," this fall.

Dr. Kieran Moore said Thursday the government is planningto restore basic public health functionsthat were cast aside during the pandemic, while continuing to trace contacts of new cases of the virus, identify emerging variants and respond to outbreaks in schools, jails, long-term care homes and other congregate settings.

"It's very important that all Canadians realize it's only 10 per cent of the globe that's going to have access to vaccines as we speak," said the province's incoming chief medical officer of health.

"We're so fortunate in Ontario and Canada to be leaders in being immunized. But 90 per cent of the globe is not immunized, and that's where the virus continues to circulate, where mutations will develop, and any returning traveller could bring the virus back into Canada at any given time."

Moore answered questions alongside Dr. David Williams, who will passhim the chief medical officer of health torchSaturday.

The pair celebrated Ontario's vaccination rate while cautioning that people shouldn't let their guarddown too quickly. More than 76 per cent of adults have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and about 29 per cent have both doses, they said.

Those rates are higher than the thresholds the government said Ontario would need to meetto move into Stage 3 of its reopening plan. But the province will start with Stage 2 on June 30, just two days earlier than planned.

"We'd rather be taking slow strides forward than trip going out the door," Williams said.

Ontarioofficialsreported six deaths and 296 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday.

-From CBC News, last updated at 7:25p.m. ET

WATCH | Cross-Canada push for vaccines:

As of 8:25p.m.Thursday,Canada had reported 1,411,652 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 9,349 considered active. A CBC News tally of deaths stood at 26,192. More than 34million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered so far across the country, according toCBC's vaccine tracker.

Nova Scotiareported five new cases Thursday, as New Brunswickreported two new cases, while no new cases were reported inNewfoundland and Labrador. P.E.I. did not report any cases as of late Thursday.

Nova Scotia's top doctor on Thursday alsodefended his decision to keep the border with New Brunswick closed, one that prompted protesters to blockade the main border crossing for almost 24 hours. Dr. Robert Strang said New Brunswick is taking a risk by opening to travellers from the rest of Canada, one that he isn't willing to take in Nova Scotia.

InQuebec, where a coroner's inquest into COVID-19 deaths in long-term care is ongoing, health officials reported 96 new casesThursday and four more deaths, though they said none of the deaths happened in the previous 24 hours.

In the Prairie provinces,Manitobareported two deaths and 106 new cases Thursday.

Saskatchewanreported 52 new cases Thursday, as itopened second dose eligibility to anyone who got a first dose at least 28 days ago.

InAlberta, health officials reported 73 new cases and one additional death, as British Columbia reported 75 new COVID-19 cases and three additional deaths.

Across the North, there were no new cases reported inNunavutor theNorthwest Territories, asYukon reported 18 new cases on Thursday.

-From The Canadian Press and CBC News, last updated at 9:05 p.m. ET

As of late afternoon Thursday, more than 179.7 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to data published on the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus tracking tool. The reportedglobal death toll stood at more than 3.8 million.

InEurope, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the continent is"on thin ice" in its battle againstCOVID-19,as EUleaders agreed that vaccinations should be sped up to fight thehighly contagious delta variant.

Also Thursday, Britain added 17 countries and territories, including Malta, the Balearic Islands and Madeira, to its "green" list of safe travel destinations amid pressure from airlines and travel companies to relaxrestrictions. People traveling to those destinations will no longer have to self-isolate for 10 days upon return.

Coronavirus infections continue to soar in Russia, with authorities reporting 20,182 new cases Thursday and 568 further deaths. Both tallies are the highest since late January.

Danish health officials are urging soccer fans who attended the Euro 2020 game between Denmark and Belgium in Copenhagen on June 17 to be tested after they found at least three people who afterward tested positive with the delta variant.

In Africa,officials said Thursday that the continent was facing adevastating resurgence of COVID-19 infections whose peak will surpass that of earlier waves.

"The third wave is picking up speed, spreading faster, hitting harder," said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa.

The delta variant"may have played a very significant role" in the third wavein at least 20 countries across Africa, said the director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, John Nkengasong.

More and more health centres are saying they are overwhelmed, and African countries urgently need vaccines to help battle the disease, he said.

In theMiddle East,Israel's government has postponed the planned reopening of the country to vaccinated tourists over concerns about the spread of the infectious delta variant of the coronavirus. Israel was set to reopen its borders to vaccinated visitors on July 1, after having largely closed the country during the pandemic.But after a rise in infections, the government willbe pushing that date until Aug. 1.

In theAmericas,Mexico will donate over 400,000 AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses on Thursday to the so-called Northern Triangle Central American nations of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, the Mexican foreign ministry said.

Officials offered new promises Thursday that Haiti would soon receive its first vaccine doses, as the country of more than 11 million people reels from a spike in coronavirus cases and COVID-19 deaths that have saturated hospitals.

In theAsia-Pacificregion,Australia's most-populous state, New South Wales, reported a double-digit rise in new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 for the third straight day as officials fight to contain an outbreak of the highly contagious delta variant.

Indonesia recorded its biggest daily increase in cases Thursday with 20,574 new infections.

-From Reuters and The Associated Press, last updated at 9:05p.m. ET

Excerpt from:

Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Thursday - CBC.ca

Oregon health officials announced 233 new coronavirus cases Wednesday and two new deaths.

The Oregon Health Authority reported just under 1,700 cases during the week ending Sunday, the agency said, the lowest number in nine months and a 4.7% drop from the previous week.

About 38,143 adults need to get at least one shot for Oregon to reach the 70% threshold Gov. Kate Brown set for removing all COVID-19 restrictions, the agency said.

As of Wednesday, 68.9% of Oregonians 18 and over have received at least one shot, compared to 65.6% of all Americans in that age group, according to federal health data. While exceeding the national rate, Oregons vaccination rate falls behind Washington and California. At least 73% of adults in both states have received at least one shot, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SEE STATE AND COUNTY COVID-19 TRENDS

Vaccines: Oregon reported 8,306 newly administered doses, which includes 4,465 Tuesday and the remainder from previous days.

Where the new cases are by county: Baker (7), Benton (4), Clackamas (14), Columbia (3), Coos (8), Crook (3), Curry (5), Deschutes (14), Douglas (11), Grant (1), Harney (2), Hood River (1), Jackson (18), Jefferson (4), Josephine (6), Lane (13), Lincoln (3), Linn (14), Malheur (2), Marion (29), Morrow (2), Multnomah (27), Polk (8), Umatilla (7), Union (1), Wasco (10), Washington (12) and Yamhill (4).

Who died: Oregons 2,758th death connected to the coronavirus is a 27-year-old Lane County woman who tested positive June 20 and died June 21 at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend.

The 2759th death is a 67-year-old Marion County man who tested positive May 30 and died June 20 at Salem Hospital.

Both had underlying medical conditions.

Hospitalizations: 155 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 are hospitalized, up nine from Tuesday. That includes 34 people in intensive care, down one from Tuesday.

Since it began: Oregon has reported 207,333 confirmed or presumed infections and 2,759 deaths, among the lowest per capita numbers in the nation. To date, the state has reported 4,326,249 vaccine doses administered, fully vaccinating 2,115,776 people and partially vaccinating 244,961 people.

-- Fedor Zarkhin

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Coronavirus in Oregon: 2 new deaths and 233 cases as weekly cases drop - OregonLive

Our data suggest a larger spread of the COVD-19 [sic] pandemic in the United States during the first six months than originally thought, the study said.

The study did not address how many people might have undiagnosed infections now. The US total of diagnosed infections has grown to around 33.4 million on Thursday.

A hallmark of the coronavirus pandemic is that there are people infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 who have few or no symptoms, said Dr. Matthew J. Memoli of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, one of several NIH institutes leading the study.

While counting the numbers of symptomatic people in the United States is essential to contend with the impact of the pandemic and public health response, gaining a full appreciation of the COVID-19 prevalence requires counting the people who are undiagnosed, he said this week in an NIH statement.

Researchers came up with their estimates after looking at blood samples from a representative sample of over 8,000 undiagnosed people, searching for antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, the NIH said.

The findings come as the United States is struggling to get as many people as possible vaccinated against the virus, while officials warn of the worrisome new delta variant.

Other studies have also suggested that large numbers of cases have gone undiagnosed. A Columbia University researcher estimated earlier this year, based on computer modeling, that the number of undiagnosed people continued to be multiple times higher than the number of diagnosed people.

Dr. Thomas Tsai, a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said the NIH study suggests that there may be a higher than expected level of infection-induced immunity currently in the US population, but he said he wasnt aware of any definitive estimate of that level.

It may sound reassuring that, in addition to the 177 million people who have gotten at least one dose of vaccine, there are many millions who may have some natural protection against the coronavirus after contracting it and never getting tested for it.

But experts emphasize people should get their shots even if theyve had COVID-19.

You should be vaccinated regardless of whether you already had COVID-19, the CDC says on its website. Thats because experts do not yet know how long you are protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. Even if you have already recovered from COVID-19, it is possiblealthough rarethat you could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 again. Studies have shown that vaccination provides a strong boost in protection in people who have recovered from COVID-19.

Tsai said, I think getting vaccination is still incredibly important. Especially with the delta variant which has been shown to have increased household transmission and increased severity of illness, vaccination remains important to protecting the health of individuals and their family members.

Jeremiah Manion of the Globe staff contributed to this report.

Martin Finucane can be reached at martin.finucane@globe.com.

Continued here:

New study suggests many were infected last year but never diagnosed with COVID-19 - The Boston Globe

Five deaths were recorded in the Northland in the seven-day period four in St. Louis County and one in Koochiching County.

Seven-day total of new cases and daily averages in Northland counties:

Of the 51 new cases in the Northland this week, 19 were in St. Louis County, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. When broken down by city, 15 cases were accounted for in data from St. Louis County.

New cases in St. Louis County cities June 18-24:

As of Thursday, the county's seven-day testing positivity rate was 0.7%, a 0.5% decrease from last week. The county conducted 2,560 tests June 18-24.

Carlton County logged six new cases in the last week, according to Minnesota Department of Health data, but when broken down by ZIP code, seven cases were recorded. Those new cases came from 542 tests, putting this week's testing positivity rate at 1.1%.

New cases in Carlton County ZIP codes June 18-24:

Between June 18 and 24, 2,736 more people became fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in the Northland and 1,444 people received a first dose of the vaccine. There are now 217,804 Northlanders who have received at least one dose and 205,207 are fully vaccinated.

Percentage of people with at least one dose in each county:

Duluth's health care systems continue to encourage residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as vaccine rates slow down. At St. Luke's, 77% employees and 96% of physicians are fully vaccinated as of June 15, according to Sue Miller, occupational health nurse.

Essentia Health did not provide specific numbers about staff vaccinations, but Chief Medical Officer Peter Henry said vaccines have been proven to be safe and effective at slowing the spread of the virus and reducing serious complications from it.

"We trust the guidance and science from top medical experts in the country and encourage everyone to receive the shot, including all of our staff members," Henry said.

Read the original post:

Northland COVID-19 cases decline for 8th consecutive week - Duluth News Tribune

(Washington, DC) The Districts reported data for Wednesday, June 23, 2021 includes 13 new positive coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, bringing the Districts overall positive case total to 49,297.

The District reported no additional COVID-19 related deaths.

Tragically, 1,141 District residents have lost their lives due to COVID-19.

Visit coronavirus.dc.gov/data for interactive data dashboards or to download COVID-19 data.

Below is a summary of the Districts current ReOpening Metrics.

Below is the Districts aggregated total of positive COVID-19 cases, sorted by age and gender.

Patient Gender

Total Positive Cases

%

Female

%

Male

%

Unknown

%

All

49,297*

100

25,695

100

23,438

100

164

100

Unknown

64

<1

20

<1

39

<1

5

3

0-18

6,395

13

3,175

12

3,197

14

23

14

19-30

13,269

27

7,288

28

5,928

25

53

32

31-40

9,762

20

5,023

20

4,702

20

37

23

41-50

6,303

13

3,178

12

3,112

13

13

8

51-60

5,825

12

2,872

11

2,939

13

14

9

61-70

4,203

9

2,116

8

2,081

9

6

4

71-80

2,109

4

1,142

5

962

4

5

3

81+

See the original post:

Coronavirus Data for June 23, 2021 | mayormb - Executive Office of the Mayor

Brazil counted a record number of new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, while Russia saw its highest tally since late January, highlighting the unequal state of the pandemic around the world and the need to promote vaccination.

Brazil counted 115,228 new infections in a single day, the most since the start of the outbreak, according to its health department, confirming that a third wave is underway. The nation of 212 million counted 2,392 new deaths, bringing its total to 507,109, the second highest official number after the U.S., according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University.

Both Brazil and Russia are lagging in getting their citizens vaccinated. Brazil has fully inoculated just 11% of its population, the Johns Hopkins data show, while Russia has achieved vaccination of just 10.8% of its population of about 144 million.

The U.S. program, meanwhile, has slowed in recent days, as fewer people are making vaccination appointments. The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions tracker is showing that 150.8 million people, or 45.4% of the overall U.S. population, are fully vaccinated, meaning they have have received two doses of the vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc. PFE, +0.36% with German partner BioNTech SE BNTX, -0.75% or Moderna Inc. MRNA, +3.82%, or one of Johnson & Johnsons JNJ, +0.46% single-dose vaccine. Thats up from 45.3% a day earlier.

The number of U.S. adults receiving at least one dose of a two-dose regimen increased to 65.6% from 65.5% a day ago. The Biden administration said Thursday thatover 70% of the U.S. population thats 30 or older has received at least one shot.

But experts are concerned over the take-up rate in the South, in particular, where many states are still below 40% of their populations fully vaccinated. The list includes Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. In Ohio, a lottery offering millions of dollars in prize money as an incentive to get a jab has ended, with the state vaccination rate still below 50%.

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine announced the Ohio program in May, and it generated a strong initial response, with a 43% boost in vaccinations in the first week.

Clearly the impact went down after that second week, DeWine said Wednesday.

Underscoring the risk posed by new variants of the virus, notably the delta variant that was first detected in India and is now in at least 85 countries, Danish health officials are urging soccer fans who attended the UEFA European Championship group-stage match between Denmark and Belgium on June 17 in Copenhagen to get tested for COVID, having found at least three people testing positive for the highly infectious variant. About 4,000 people were seated close to those individuals, according to the Associated Press.

See also: Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 is now in 85 countries and accounts for 20% of U.S. infections in past two weeks

India and Taiwan are still improving but new cases are increasing or still high South East Asia, Africa, Russia, Mexico and Brazil, Danske Bank analysts wrote in a note. In other words, COVID-19 risks are declining in the developed world due to mass vaccination but not in emerging markets and developing countries with limited access to vaccine.

In medical news, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it plans to add a warning about highly rare cases of inflammation of the heart in adolescents and young adults after being vaccinated with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, Reuters reported. Those vaccines use the same mRNA technology. CDC officials meeting Wednesday acknowledged a possible link to the vaccines, while stressing the protection they offer from COVID-19 more than offsets risks.

The U.S. government plans to study the immune responses of pregnant and postpartum women who have received a COVID-19 vaccine. The observational study, which is being funded by the National Institutes of Health, will also evaluate how and if antibodies are passed to infants via the placenta and through breastfeeding.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, said in a news release that tens of thousands of women have been immunized against COVID-19 and no safety concerns have emerged, but he noted that there are no robust clinical data about vaccinating this group of individuals. Pregnancy is considered a risk factorfor developing a more serious form of COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The global tally for the coronavirus-borne illness headed above 179.7 million on Thursday,according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University, while deaths climbed above 3.89 million.

The U.S. continues to lead the world in total cases at 33.6 million, with a death toll of 602,959.

India is second in total cases at 30 million and third by fatalities at 391,981, although those numbers are expected to be undercounted given a shortage of tests.

Brazil has the third highest caseload at 18.2 million, according to Johns Hopkins data, and is second in deaths at 507,109.

Mexico has fourth highest death toll at 231,847 and 2.5 million cases.

In Europe, Russia has overtaken the U.K. in COVID deaths. Russia has recorded 129,278 fatalities, while the U.K. has had 128,312, making Russia the country with the fifth highest death toll in the world and the highest in Europe. Russia reported 20,182 new cases on Thursday, its highest daily total since Jan. 24.

China,where the virus was first discovered late in 2019,has had 103,627 confirmed cases and 4,846 deaths, according to its official numbers, which are widely held to be massively underreported.

Read on: Breakthrough infections in people who have gotten their COVID-19 shots are very rare. But heres why Rick Bright wants the CDC to restart the sequencing of all viral strains.

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Brazil and Russia see fresh wave of COVID cases, showing pandemic is far from over in many places - MarketWatch

(Washington, DC) The Districts reported data for Tuesday, June 22, 2021 includes 9 new positive coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, bringing the Districts overall positive case total to 49,284.

The District reported no additional COVID-19 related deaths.

Tragically, 1,141 District residents have lost their lives due to COVID-19.

Visit coronavirus.dc.gov/data for interactive data dashboards or to download COVID-19 data.

Below is a summary of the Districts current ReOpening Metrics.

Below is the Districts aggregated total of positive COVID-19 cases, sorted by age and gender.

Patient Gender

Total Positive Cases

%

Female

%

Male

%

Unknown

%

All

49,284*

100

25,687

100

23,433

100

164

100

Unknown

64

<1

20

<1

39

<1

5

3

0-18

6,392

13

3,174

12

3,195

14

23

14

19-30

13,266

27

7,286

28

5,927

25

53

32

31-40

9,759

20

5,020

20

4,702

20

37

23

41-50

6,302

13

3,178

12

3,111

13

13

8

51-60

5,823

12

2,871

11

2,938

13

14

9

61-70

4,203

9

2,116

8

2,081

9

6

4

71-80

2,108

4

1,141

5

962

4

5

3

81+

Visit link:

Coronavirus Data for June 22, 2021 | mayormb - Executive Office of the Mayor