Daily Archives: November 21, 2021

A man walks in front of a fire in a street of The Hague during a demonstration against the Dutch government's coronavirus measures on November 20, 2021. DANNY KEMP/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

A man walks in front of a fire in a street of The Hague during a demonstration against the Dutch government's coronavirus measures on November 20, 2021.

A resurgence of COVID-19 restrictions in a number of countries has resulted in protests, with some demonstrations turning violent and leading to dozens of arrests.

On Saturday night, the Netherlands saw protests at The Hague, with demonstrators lighting fires throughout the area, defacing property and pelting officers with rocks and fireworks, according to police. The disruption went on until around 1 a.m., and police took 19 people into custody before the night was over.

That demonstration also ended with five officers injured, according to the Associated Press. One officer suffered a knee injury as well as a concussion, and others sustained hearing damage, police said on Twitter.

Other COVID-related protests also took place across the Netherlands on Saturday, including in the cities of Amsterdam, Breda, and Katwijk. In Alkmaar and Almelo, fans broke into two soccer games, defying recent lockdown orders, the AP reported.

The night before, protests broke out in the Dutch city of Rotterdam with hundreds attending. Protestors are alleged to have thrown rocks at officers patrolling the scene in addition to setting off fireworks, according to local authorities. As events spiraled into disarray, authorities issued an emergency order and tried to clear the area with the use of a water cannon, officials said. Some in attendance are also alleged to have set fire to police cars and damaged property.

The protests have come in response to a three-week partial lockdown announced last weekend following a spike in COVID-19 cases.

Ahmed Aboutaleb, the mayor of Rotterdam, said that police "felt it necessary to draw their weapons to defend themselves," according to an Associated Press report. Three protestors were shot and are currently being treated at a hospital, police said in a statement. Authorities also claimed that they fired warning shots initially and that officers were also injured; one had to be hospitalized for a leg injury and another needed to be treated by a paramedic.

Police arrested 51 people on Friday on charges that include public assault, incitement, and violation of the emergency order, and around half of those taken into custody were minors, authorities said.

Friday's activities prompted criticism from Justice Minister Ferd Grapperhaus.

"The riots and extreme violence against police officers, riot police and firefighters last night in Rotterdam are disgusting to see," he said in a statement obtained by the Associated Press. He added, "Protesting is a great right in our society, but what we saw last night is simply criminal behavior. It has nothing to do with demonstrating."

Thousands of protesters opposing the Pandemic Legislation being tabled in the Victorian Parliament are seen with placards and flags in Flagstaff Gardens on November 20, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia. Darrian Traynor/Getty Images hide caption

Thousands of protesters opposing the Pandemic Legislation being tabled in the Victorian Parliament are seen with placards and flags in Flagstaff Gardens on November 20, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia.

Protests in the Netherlands are reminiscent of what's occurring in numerous other countries across Europe in recent days. In Austria, citizens have been protesting the government's recent decision to impose a nation-wide lockdown beginning on Monday, as well as plans to make vaccinations compulsory in February.

Thousands joined a demonstration in Vienna on Saturday, with around 35,000 people gathering in the city's Heroes' Square, The Guardian reports.

Days earlier, hundreds of protestors had gathered outside the Austrian embassy in France, according to Reuters. Meanwhile, on the island of Guadeloupe, a French territory, rioters have set fires in the streets, shot at police, destroyed property, and looted places of business, prompting French officials to deploy around 50 members of their special forces to help restore order on the island, according to an Al Jazeera report.

In Belgium, police estimated that around 35,000 people gathered for a protest on Sunday near a train station in Brussels. Events turned hectic, however, with protestors throwing objects at officers and police resorting to using water cannons and tear gas on the crowd, Politico reports. Italy and Croatia have also been the site of demonstrations regarding COVID restrictions, and in Melbourne, Australia, heated protests against vaccine mandates are entering their second day.

Amid the backlash, some health officials are worried that many countries should brace themselves for even more COVID-related deaths. Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, the World Health Organization's regional director for Europe, said earlier this month that Europe and central Asia are again "at the epicenter" of the COVID-19 pandemic. He warned that failure to act could result in half a million deaths by early next year.

"We are at another critical point of pandemic resurgence. Europe is back at the epicentre of the pandemic, where we were 1 year ago," Kluge warned. "The difference today is that we know more and we can do more. We have more tools and means to mitigate and reduce the damage to our communities and society."

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Protests have broken out across Europe in response to tightened COVID-19 restrictions - NPR

(The Hill) COVID-19 cases are climbing nationally as the U.S. barrels into its second holiday season during the pandemic, with most families planning this year to gather for Thanksgiving.

The U.S. is in better shape than at this point last year, when authorities confirmed well over 160,000 COVID-19 cases every day.

The daily average of new cases stands below 100,000 and almost 200 million Americans are fully vaccinated. They can feel good about enjoying a typical holiday season, top infectious diseases expertAnthony Faucisaid this week.

But with millions still unvaccinated and cases rising, experts are urging Americans, particularly the unvaccinated, partially vaccinated and vulnerable, to exercise caution when gathering with others.

There is concern that the rate of infection spreading is already so high as we head into the holiday season, said Amber DSouza, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Were definitely headed into our next surge, she added.

Nationally, the seven-day average for new COVID-19 cases is nearing 95,000, a 33 percent increase from two weeks prior, according to data from The New York Times. In the past two weeks, cases have increased in 39 states and D.C., and they have doubled in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Certain areas like the Midwest, New England and the Southwest in particular are dealing with surges.

The daily average of about 48,000 hospital admissions is flat from two weeks ago, while the 1,100 fatalities per day has dipped by 1 percent.

The case upticks come as many across the country plan for intergenerational gatherings next week, prompting public health experts to call on Americans to consider safety measures for their events.

The risk of different Thanksgiving gatherings vary, as indoor events are more dicey than outdoor and including unvaccinated guests poses more danger than limiting to fully vaccinated attendees. In the end, experts said it ultimately depends on how much risk individuals want to take.

Researchers, including Joshua Weitz, a professor of biological sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology, have developed a tool to help figure out the localized risk that at least one infected person will be at an event.

For events with 50 people, the calculator shows eight states have counties with an at least 95 percent risk level.

Even if we are fatigued, the reality is that cases are rising, and there remains far too many individuals who are unvaccinated, and that is contributing to increased spread as well as severe outcomes, said Joshua Weitz, a professor of biological sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

I think we should all be concerned that the things that we hold dear, that we enjoy doing may inadvertently lead to increases in cases and severe outcomes, he added.

About57 million people aged 12 and older remain unvaccinated and at higher risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19, in addition to ending up hospitalized or killed by the virus.

Still, experts dont expect any potential surge to reach the levels of last year with the majority of the country having immunity against the virus.

Almost 196 million Americans are fully vaccinated, and 32 million have received a booster dose, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. Among adults aged 65 and older who are more at risk for severe illness, 86.2 percent are fully vaccinated and 38 percent have gotten their booster.

Even with most Americans protected with the vaccine, however, the shots are not 100 percent effective, meaning breakthrough cases can still emerge. Experts also said waning immunity from the vaccine over time and high community transmission could lead to more breakthrough cases.

Although its too late to initiate any vaccinations to be fully protected by Thanksgiving next week, experts said hosts and visitors can still take precautions to mitigate spread during the holiday, including having attendees take rapid tests, hosting events outdoors and increasing ventilation.

Justin Lessler, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of North Carolinas Gillings School of Global Public Health, said even people going to fully vaccinated events can take steps to protect attendees.

I think that extra layer of doing a rapid test or something or other activities to try to help you make doubly sure that your dinner doesnt become a super spreading event is still worth doing, he said.

Older, immunocompromised and other vulnerable people should really consider a safety plan, he said, while adding but I dont think that safety plan has to be: call off the gathering altogether.

The U.S. has already made booster shots available to these at-risk populations in recent months, and the Food and Drug Administration expanded booster authorization for all adults on Friday.

The CDCs holiday guidance updated last month suggests for all eligible people to get vaccinated in order to protect those who cant, such as children, and those at risk.

For children aged 5 to 11, the Pfizer vaccine recently became available earlier this month so a vast majority will not be fully vaccinated by next week. Children younger than 5 are still not eligible for a shot.

To protect these children, Lori Handy, the medical director of infection prevention and control at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, recommended implementing additional layers of protection and ensuring that those with exposures or symptoms do not attend.

For children at risk due to medical conditions, she said its time to kind of be mama bear and protect your kids for a bit more this pandemic.

I would recommend people be as cautious as possible, she said. Find ways to get joy and happiness in the holiday season, but dont overdo it with very large gatherings where you could regret that event.

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COVID-19 cases rise with Thanksgiving gatherings on the way - NewsNation Now

BRUSSELS Ten of thousands of people demonstrated through central Brussels on Sunday to protest reinforced COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the Belgian government to counter the latest spike in coronaviruscases.

Many among the police estimate of 35,000 at the rally had already left for home when the demonstration descended into violence as several hundred people started pelting police, smashing cars and setting garbage bins ablaze. Police, responded with tear gas and water cannons and sought to restore order as dusk settled on the Belgian capital.

Three police officials and one demonstrator were injured in the clashes. In addition, 42 protesters were detained and two were arrested and charged in the violent spree that followed the march, said police spokesperson Ilse Vande Keere.

The marchers came to protest the governments strong advice to get vaccinated and any possible moves to impose mandatory shots.

Shouting Freedom! Freedom! Freedom! and singing the anti-fascist song Bella Ciao, protesters lined up behind a huge banner saying Together for Freedom and marched to the European Union headquarters. Amid the crowd, the signs varied from far-right insignia to the rainbow flags of the LGBT community.

The World Health Organization said last week thatEurope was the hot spot of the pandemic right now,the only region in which COVID-19 deaths were rising. The autumn surge of infections is overwhelming hospitals in many Central and Eastern European nations, includingUkraine,Russia,Romania,the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Over the past several days, there have been manyanti-vaccination marches in European nationsas one government after another tightened measures. Dutch policearrested more than 30 peopleduring unrest in The Hague and other towns in the Netherlands on Saturday, following much worse violence the previous night.

Austria is going into a 10-day national lockdown on Mondayfor everyone after first imposing a lockdown on the unvaccinated. Christmas markets in Vienna were packed Sunday with locals and tourists taking in the holiday sights before shops and food stalls are forced to close.

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Tens of thousands protest Belgiums tighter COVID-19 rules - PBS NewsHour

Not everyone who meets Carmen Lerma at community events knows what she's been through.

I thank God every day for being alive, and for giving me one more day to do something positive, Lerma said. When I wake up in the morning, thats the first thing I do. I give thanks and say please give me the strength to do as much as I can today.

On Saturday, at an event outside UMOS that Lerma helped organize, families were able to get free Thanksgiving turkeys, groceries, Walmart gift cards, and other resources. There was also a vaccine clinic, offering the flu shot, COVID-19 vaccine and booster shot.

A long-time community advocate born in Puerto Rico and raised in Milwaukee, Lermas mission is to get more of the city's Latino population vaccinated.

I am Latina, and being Latina, I understand that sometimes we're hesitant to do certain things for certain reasons," Lerma said. My mission is to educate as many people as I can that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe. Its meant to protect you enough for you to not go through what I went through.

It's been a little more than year since Lerma survived a double lung transplant, after her battle with COVID-19 did irreversible damage to her lungs. She's still practicing how to do normal things like cough and yawn.

The only thing I notice different is my chest and my lung areas are tighter, so whenever I sneeze or breathe, I can feel them expand, Lerma said. Many people dont realize after a lung transplant you have to relearn how to cough, yawn and sneeze. Those things dont just come naturally anymore.

Lerma has returned to working for UMOS part-time, mostly from home. She likes to keep busy but admits its remarkably harder to do so.

People need to understand what the coronavirus does and causes, Lerma said.

Lerma gets blood drawn every week, and takes 52 pills a day, to help keep her body from rejecting her new lungs.

She says her battle with COVID, and the toll it took on her body, also prompted other conditions, like hair loss, diabetes and a thyroid disorder.

At the end of October, Lerma needed emergency surgery for a stomach complication.

Doctors put me under to check on my lungs, and they found something wrong in my stomach, Lerma said. I dont remember much of it, but I have 30 staples in my stomach. Doctors told me I got very sick, very quick.

A passion to live and to help people continues to fuel Lerma through all the health challenges.

The trauma she's been through, though, has prompted insomnia and anxiety.

I'm not embarrassed to say that I need the help because it's really affecting me emotionally, Lerma said. Im supposed to wear a machine every night to help me breathe, and I cant get myself to put it on because it takes me right back to feeling like Im trapped under a mask in intensive care, like I was for 45 days last year.

The pain she still deals with and fights to overcome, giving her a new purpose.

I just want to make a difference, Lerma said. Not only have I suffered the repercussions of COVID, but I have friends and family who have died from it. People need to know how they can protect themselves and their families.

Carmen is working closely with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, and has helped plan nearly 40 vaccination clinics and discussions through the end of this year on Milwaukee's south side, which is home to Wisconsin's largest concentration of Latino families.

Our state's Latino population is among the community's hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic, and vaccination rates among this group are lagging.

Right now, about 45 percent of Wisconsin's total Hispanic and Latino population has been fully vaccinated.

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Milwaukee woman who survived COVID-19 and double lung transplant is using her story to help others - WTMJ-TV

BALTIMORE (WJZ) Maryland reported 1,006 new COVID-19 cases and ten new deaths, according to state health department data released Sunday morning.

The percentage of people testing positive decreased by .02% to 3.49%.

Hospitalizations increased by fifteen to 571. Of those hospitalized, 441 adults are in acute care and 130 adults are in intensive care. four children are in acute care and two are in intensive care.

Doctors say the new cases are fueled by dangerous strains targeting the unvaccinated. In an August press conference, Gov. Larry Hogan said the Delta variant, a strain that is reportedly two to four times more contagious than the original virus strain, accounts for nearly every new confirmed case in Maryland.

The vaccines are without a doubt our single most effective tool to mitigate the threat of COVID-19 and the surging Delta variant, and Marylands vaccination rate continues to outpace the nation, Hogan said.

Since the pandemic began, there have been 578,019 total confirmed cases and 10,888 deaths.

There are 4,059,346 Marylanders fully vaccinated. The state has administered 9,138,049 doses. Of those, 4,230,733 are first doses with11,054 administered in the past 24 hours. They have given out 3,741,082 second doses, 2,355 in the last day.

Thanks to the millions of people who have rolled up their sleeves, Maryland continues to be one of the most vaccinated states in America, said Governor Hogan of the eight million milestone mark. We have achieved these numbers with strong public health outreach, innovative lottery and scholarship promotions, and a relentless focus on equity.

Governor Hogan also announced earlier this month that 99% of Maryland seniors are now vaccinated and more than 50,000 children ages 5-11 years old have received a vaccination shot.

The state began to administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine again in April after the CDC and FDA lifted their pause on the vaccine due to a rare blood clot found in some women.

A total of 318,264 Marylanders have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 480 in the last day.

On September 24, after the CDC granted final approval for Pfizers booster, Gov. Hogan announced the immediate authorization of the booster shot for Marylanders who have received their second Pfizer shot at least six months ago. Hogan had already approved use for vulnerable populations in early September.

The state has administered 847,970 additional or booster vaccine doses, 18,803 in the last day.

The state reported 88.1% of all adults in Maryland have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

In August, the state launched a post-vaccination infections dashboard that is updated every Wednesday. There have been 34,450 total cases among fully vaccinated Marylanders as of Nov. 14.

Less than 0.93% of fully vaccinated Marylanders have later tested positive.

Of those cases, 2,471 vaccinated Marylanders were hospitalized, representing 13.02% of all COVID cases hospitalized in the state. 357 fully vaccinated Marylanders have died, representing 14.17% of lab-confirmed COVID deaths in the state.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES:

Heres a breakdown of the numbers:

By County

By Age Range and Gender

By Race and Ethnicity

Excerpt from:

COVID-19 In Maryland: More Than 1K New Cases & 10 Deaths Reported Sunday - CBS Baltimore

The United States passed yet another sobering milestonein the COVID-19 pandemic as the number of 2021 coronavirus deathssurpassed the 2020 total.

According to the latest available data from Johns Hopkins University, theU.S. has reached at least 770,691 COVID-19 deaths over the full course fo the pandemic.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that the total number of deaths involving COVID-19 in 2020 was 385,343.

That means that at least 385,348 COVID-19 deaths 15 more thanthe 2020 total have so far been recorded in 2021, andthatnumber will only risein the days and weeks to come.

In June, a Wall Street Journal analysisfound that global COVID-19 deaths in 2021 had alreadysurpassed2020 numbers. The newspaper reported at the time that 1.883 people haddied in connection with COVID-19 at that point in 2021, surpassing the global death toll of 1.88 million from 2020.

The grim U.S. milestone comes despite the fact that three COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized in the country, most recently for children as young as 5 years old.

About 69 percent of the U.S. population are at least partially vaccinated, while 59 percent are fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.

Among that group, Americans aged 65 years and older boast impressively high vaccination rates. Nearly 100 percent of peoplein that age rangeare at least partially vaccinated, while 86 percent are fully vaccinated, per CDC data.

While the U.S. started to celebrate a decline of COVID-19 cases in September, those numbers have steadily started trending upward again. Last week, 29 states saw higher COVID-19 counts than the week prior.

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US COVID-19 deaths in 2021 surpass last year's toll | TheHill - The Hill