Monthly Archives: June 2022

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) on Thursday announced he has tested positive for COVID-19.

I tested positive for Covid this morning after experiencing some mild symptoms. Im feeling good and grateful to be fully vaccinated and boosted. Will be working from home over the holiday week and already looking forward to next years Bristol 4th of July parade, Whitehouse tweeted.

COVID-19 cases remain higher than earlier in the spring, though much lower than the hundreds of thousands of cases seen during the winter.

Meanwhile, Congress remains unable to overcome an impasse on new COVID-19 relief funding, which the White House has said is necessary in order to provide updated vaccine shots and tackle emerging variants later this fall and winter.

The Biden administration announced it is paying $3.2 billion for more than 100 million doses of an updated COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer for this fall.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show 67 percent of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated and 47 percent of the population have received their first booster.

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Rhode Island senator tests positive for COVID-19 - The Hill

AUSTIN (KXAN) COVID-19metrics, including hospitalizations, are starting to trend upward again in Austin-Travis County. The local health authority attributed the uptick to the BA.4 and BA.5 offshoots of the omicron variant in a Travis County commissioners court meeting Tuesday.

The increase in cases comes as many prepare to travel over the Fourth of July holiday. Health leaders warn against traveling if youre sick or have been around someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends you avoid travel if:

You can find all of the CDCs travel recommendations here.

National data from the CDC shows COVID-19 hospitalizations are going up nationwide. Case numbers are also trending upwards, though health leaders have noted because of the prominence of at-home tests, those case numbers are underreported.

A number of counties in states along the West Coast, including in California, are in the CDCs high-risk category. So is much of Florida, the western border of Louisiana and the Gulf coast-side of Texas. Those risk levels are based on a weekly average of new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 people, percent of inpatient hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients and new COVID-19 admissions to hospitals per 100,000 people.

You can find the community levels for the county youre traveling to using this CDC tool.

Just a few weeks ago, the CDC lifted its reentry requirements, meaning you no longer need to provide a negative COVID-19 test to get back into the country. Non-U.S. citizens that intend to simply visit the United States are still required to show proof of vaccination.

The CDC has listed many countries in the high-risk category, meaning they recommend being up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations before traveling. Those countries include France, Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica and Italy. You can find the full list here.

There are no countries listed in the do not travel category as of Thursday.

Austin Public Health is recommending indoor masking and staying home if youre experiencing any symptoms, including what may feel like just allergies.

Were seeing concerning trends with our disease indicators which is especially worrisome as we head into a holiday weekend, said Dr. Desmar Walkes, the local health authority. The new omicron sublineages BA.4 and BA.5 are overtaking BA2.12 and are causing reinfections that are more likely to cause lung problems in at-risk people and may lead to hospitalization and the need for ICU care. Peopleofall ages and risk levels will be gathering and should be mindfulofeach other.

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What you need to know about 4th of July travel as COVID-19 cases trend upward - KXAN.com

Issued on: 30/06/2022 - 19:04

The World Health Organization said Thursday it expected "high levels" of Covid-19 in Europe this summer and called on countries to monitor the spread as cases tripled in the past month.

"As countries across the European region have lifted the social measures that were previously in place, the virus will transmit at high levels over the summer", WHO Europe regional director Hans Kluge told AFP.

"This virus won't go away just because countries stop looking for it. It's still spreading, it's still changing, and it's still taking lives."

With the milder but more contagious Omicron subvariant BA.5 spreading across the continent, the 53 countries in the WHO European region are currently registering just under 500,000 cases daily, according to the organisation's data.

That is up from around 150,000 cases daily at the end of May.

Austria, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg and Portugal were the countries with the highest incidence rates, with almost all countries in the region seeing a rise in cases.

After registering around 4,000 to 5,000 deaths per day throughout most of the winter, Europe is currently seeing around 500 deaths per day, about the same level as during the summer of 2020.

"We hope that the strong vaccine programmes most member states have implemented together with prior infection will mean that we avoid the more severe consequences that we saw earlier in the pandemic", Kluge said.

"However, our recommendations remain," he stressed.

The WHO urged people experiencing respiratory symptoms to isolate, to stay up to date with their vaccinations and wear masks in crowded places.

Kluge also urged member states to keep testing for the virus.

"We must keep looking for the virus because not doing so makes us increasingly blind to patterns of transmission and virus evolution," Kluge said.

He also called on countries to increase their vaccination rates.

"High population immunity and the choices made to lower risk to older people is key to preventing further mortality this summer," he said.

(AFP)

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Europe to see high levels of Covid-19 this summer, WHO says - FRANCE 24 English

In December 2021, the WHO Global Learning Laboratory issued a call for submissions for action briefs from countries which described initiatives, large or small, that aimed to improve or simply maintain the delivery of quality care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Four action briefs and one knowledge brief describe in detail the learnings from low- and middle-income countries including Kenya, Ethiopia, and India, that developed initiatives to maintain and improve the quality of care provided to patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. The actions and learnings described in the briefs cover the period from September 2019 to September 2020. These knowledge products are published on the WHO Global Learning Laboratory platform.

The action briefs cover the areas of:

If you wish to read more, please click here to view the content of these action briefs on the Global Learning Laboratory website.

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Quality of care in the COVID-19 context: a multi-country perspective - World Health Organization

Three quarters of adults now have a bank or mobile money account; gender gap in account ownership narrows

WASHINGTON, June 29, 2022The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred financial inclusion driving a large increase in digital payments amid the global expansion of formal financial services. This expansion created new economic opportunities, narrowing the gender gap in account ownership, and building resilience at the household level to better manage financial shocks, according to theGlobal Findex 2021 database.

As of 2021, 76% of adults globally now have an account at a bank, other financial institution, or with a mobile money provider, up from 68% in 2017 and 51% in 2011. Importantly, growth in account ownership was evenly distributed across many more countries. While in previous Findex surveys over the last decade much of the growth was concentrated in India and China, this years survey found that the percentage of account ownership increased by double digits in 34 countries since 2017.

The pandemic has also led to an increased use of digital payments. In low and middle-income economies (excluding China), over 40% of adults who made merchant in-store or online payments using a card, phone, or the internet did so for the first time since the start of the pandemic. The same was true for more than a third of adults in all low- and middle-income economies who paid a utility bill directly from a formal account. In India, more than 80 million adults made their first digital merchant payment after the start of the pandemic, while in China over 100 million adults did.

Two-thirds of adults worldwide now make or receive a digital payment, with the share in developing economies grew from 35% in 2014 to 57% in 2021. In developing economies, 71% have an account at a bank, other financial institution, or with a mobile money provider, up from 63% in 2017 and 42% in 2011. Mobile money accounts drove a huge increase in financial inclusion in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The digital revolution has catalyzed increases in the access and use of financial services across the world, transforming ways in which people make and receive payments, borrow, and save,saidWorld Bank Group President David Malpass.Creating an enabling policy environment, promoting the digitalization of payments, and further broadening access to formal accounts and financial services among women and the poor are some of the policy priorities to mitigate the reversals in development from the ongoing overlapping crises.

For the first time since the Global Findex database was started in 2011, the survey found that the gender gap in account ownership has narrowed, helping women have more privacy, security, and control over their money. The gap narrowed from 7 to 4 percentage points globally and from 9 to 6 percentage points in low- and middle-income countries, since the last survey round in 2017.

About 36% of adults in developing economies now receive a wage or government payment, a payment for the sale of agricultural products, or a domestic remittance payment into an account. The data suggests that receiving a payment into an account instead of cash can kickstart peoples use of the formal financial system when people receive digital payments, 83% used their accounts to also make digital payments. Almost two-thirds used their account for cash management, while about 40% used it to save further growing the financial ecosystem.

Despite the advances, many adults around the world still lack a reliable source of emergency money. Only about half of adults in low- and middle-income economies said they could access extra money during an emergency with little or no difficulty, and they commonly turn to unreliable sources of finance, including family and friends.

The world has a crucial opportunity to build a more inclusive and resilient economy and provide a gateway to prosperity for billions of people,saidBill Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the supporters of the Global Findex database.By investing in digital public infrastructure and technologies for payment and ID systems and updating regulations to foster innovation and protect consumers, governments can build on the progress reported in the Findex and expand access to financial services for all who need them.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, the lack of an identity document remains an important barrier holding back mobile money account ownership for 30% of adults with no account suggesting an opportunity for investing in accessible and trusted identification systems. Over 80 million adults with no account still receive government payments in cash digitalizing some of these payments could be cheaper and reduce corruption. Increasing account ownership and usage will require trust in financial service providers, confidence to use financial products, tailored product design, and a strong and enforced consumer protection framework.

The Global Findex database, which surveyed how people in 123 economies use financial services throughout 2021, is produced by the World Bank every three years in collaboration with Gallup, Inc.

Regional Overviews:

EAP

InEast Asia and the Pacific, financial inclusion is a two-part story of what is happening in China versus the other economies of the region. In China, 89% of adults have an account, and 82% of adults used it to make digital merchant payments. In the rest of the region, 59% of adults have an account and 23% of adults made digital merchant payments54% of which did so for the first time after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Double-digit increases in account ownership were achieved in Cambodia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Thailand, while the gender gap across the region remains low, at 3 percentage points, but the gap between poor and rich adults is 10 percentage points.

ECA

InEurope and Central Asia, account ownership increased by 13 percentage points since 2017 to reach 78% of adults. Digital payments usage is robust, as about three-quarters of adults used an account to make or receive a digital payment. COVID-19 drove further usage for the 10% of adults who made a digital merchant payment for the first time during the pandemic. Digital technology could further increase account use for the 80 million banked adults that continued to make merchant payments only in cash, including 20 million banked adults in Russia and 19 million banked adults in Trkiye, the regions two largest economies.

LAC

Latin America and the Caribbeansaw an 18 percentage -point increase in account ownership since 2017, the largest of any developing world region, resulting in 73% of adults having an account. Digital payments play a key role, as 40% of adults paid a merchant digitally, including 14% of adults who did so for the first time during the pandemic. COVID-19 furthermore drove digital adoption for the 15% of adults who made their first utility bill payment directly from their account for the first time during the pandemicmore than twice the developing country average. Opportunities for even greater use of digital payments remain given that 150 million banked adults made merchant payments only in cash, including more than 50 million banked adults in Brazil and 16 million banked adults in Colombia.

MENA

TheMiddle East and North Africaregion has made progress reducing the gender gap in account ownership from 17 percentage points in 2017 to 13 percentage points42% of women now have an account compared to 54% of men. Opportunities abound to increase account ownership broadly by digitalizing payments currently made in cash, including payments for agricultural products and private sector wages (about 20 million adults with no account in the region received private sector wages in cash, including 10 million in the Arab Republic of Egypt). Shifting people to formal modes of savings is another opportunity given that about 14 million adults with no account in regionincluding 7 million womensaved using semiformal methods.

SA

InSouth Asia, 68% of adults have an account, a share that has not changed since 2017, though there is wide variation across the region. In India and Sri Lanka, for example, 78% and 89% of adults, respectively, have an account. Account usage has grown, however, driven by digital payments, as 34% of adults used their account to make or receive a payment, up from 28% in 2017. Digital payments present an opportunity to increase both account ownership and usage, given the continued dominance of casheven among account ownersto make merchant payments.

SSA

InSub-Saharan Africa, mobile money adoption continued to rise, such that 33% of adults now have a mobile money accounta share three times larger than the 10% global average. Although mobile money services were originally designed to allow people to send remittances to friends and family living elsewhere within the country, adoption and usage have spread beyond those origins, such that 3-out-of-4 mobile account owners in 2021 made or received at least one payment that was not person-to-person and 15% of adults used their mobile money account to save. Opportunities to increase account ownership in the region include digitalizing cash payments for the 65 million adults with no account receiving payments for agricultural products, and expanding mobile phone ownership, as lack of a phone is cited as a barrier to mobile money account adoption. Adults in the region worry more about paying school fees than adults in other regions, suggesting opportunities for policy or products to enable education-oriented savings.

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COVID-19 Drives Global Surge in use of Digital Payments - World Bank Group

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) The COVID-19 death toll has gone up by two in South Dakota from the previous week.

According to the South Dakota Department of Health COVID-19 dashboard, 2,938 people have died during the pandemic, up two from 2,936 the previous week. The deaths were two men. New deaths were reported in the 70-79 (2) age range.

Active cases are now at 3,101, up from the previous report (2,780).

As of June 29, 56 of South Dakotas 66 counties are listed as having high or substantial community spread. High community spread is 100 cases or greater per 100,000 or a 10% or greater PCR test positivity rate.

There are now 53 people hospitalized due to COVID-19, down from last week (65). Throughout the pandemic, there have been 11,029 total people who have been hospitalized.

There were 1,254 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases reported.

The states total case count is now at 244,523, up from last week (243,269). That total does not include at-home positive results as those are not required to be reported to the state.

The latest seven-day PCR test positivity rate for the state is 24.2% for June 21 27.

The number of recovered cases is at 238,484.

There have been 1,720 Delta variant cases (B.1.617.2 and AY lineages) detected in South Dakota through sentinel monitoring. There have been 176 cases of the B.1.1.7 (Alpha variant), 4 cases of P.1. (Gamma variant) and 2 cases of the B.1.351 (Beta variant).

The number of Omicron cases is now at 1,168. The state is also reporting 108 Omicron BA.2 cases.

For COVID-19 vaccines, 74% the population 5-years-old and above has received at least one dose while 60% have completed the vaccination series. For booster doses, 33% of those eligible have completed their booster dose.

There have been 720,872 doses of the Pfizer vaccine administered, 500,070 of the Moderna vaccine and 38,206 doses of the Janssen vaccine.

There have been 1,259,148 total doses administered in South Dakota with 527,530 total persons receiving the vaccine.

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COVID-19 in South Dakota: Active cases over 3,000; Hospitalizations down - KELOLAND.com

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas took aim at Sesame Street's "Elmo" after the popular children's show puppet promoted COVID-19 vaccines for children on Twitter.

A minute-long clip posted on the show's Twitter page showed Elmo speaking with his loving TV puppet dad, Louie, about feeling "a little pinch" when got a shot. Louie then says he had questions about Elmo getting the vaccine, which he took to Elmo's pediatrician.

"I learned that Elmo getting vaccinated is the best way to keep himself, our friends, neighbors, and everyone else healthy and enjoying the things they love," Louie said.

"Elmo" retweeted the original tweet from the Sesame Street page, echoing that his vaccination will benefit his loved ones.

But the puppet's message didn't sit well with the junior senator from Texas.

Sesame Street Muppet 'Elmo' attends the Sesame Workshop's 13th Annual Benefit Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street, May 27, 2015, in New York. Sen. Ted Cruz speaks during a campaign event for Yesli Vega, a candidate for the 7th Congressional District, June 20, 2022, in Fredericksburg, Va.

WireImage/Getty Images

Cruz took to Twitter where he said Elmo "aggressively" advocates for vaccinating young children without citing scientific evidence.

The senator's tweet linked to a June press release in which Cruz announced he and 17 fellow members of Congress called on the Food and Drug Administration to answer 19 questions about the COVID-19 vaccine for kids.

"Why has the FDA recently lowered the efficacy bar for COVID vaccines for youngest children?" one question asks.

While the Sesame Street video with Elmo and Louie does not directly offer scientific evidence for the COVID-19 children's vaccine, a voice promotes asking questions about the vaccine and directs viewers to GetVaccineAnswers.org at the end of the video.

"Thanks, @sesamestreet for saying parents are allowed to have questions!" Cruz wrote, in an apparent flippant reaction.

The website mentioned in the Sesame Street video offers that research and clinical trials demonstrate the vaccine is safe and effective for children.

This is not the first time Cruz has gone after a Sesame Street character online.

An actor dressed as Sesame Street character "Big Bird" speaks during an Apple Inc. event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, Calif., March 25, 2019.

Bloomberg via Getty Images

In November, Elmo's fellow Sesame Street puppet, Big Bird, tweeted about getting the COVID-19 vaccine. At the time, Cruz called it "government propaganda."

Cruz's latest attack on a muppet comes less than two weeks after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the nationwide rollout of COVID-19 vaccines for children older than six months.

On Wednesday, the U.S. government bought 105 million COVID-19 shots from Pfizer for $3.2 billion with a late summer to fall delivery date.

Pfizer and Moderna produce the two vaccines approved for children under five years old.

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GOP's Ted Cruz feuds with Elmo over kids getting COVID-19 vaccines - ABC News

BOSTON (WWLP) The Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers (CHC) will receive $12.5 in grant funding to support 35 Community Health Centers state wide in continued COVID-19 testing and vaccination efforts.

Originally, $5 million for CHCs was included in a supplemental budget signed by Governor Baker in February 2022, but due to high demand for health services, an additional $7.5 million is being awarded from a COVID-19 response reserve established in that supplemental budget.

All CHCs that applied will be receiving funds ranging from $120,000 to $450,000. The money will be used for COVID-19 testing and vaccinations along with supply cost, mobile testing sites and renovations of facilities to create dedicated vaccination and testing space.

As Massachusetts continues to lead the nation in vaccination rates, we are continually investing in neighborhood-based organizations like community health centers who know how to reach the populations they serve,said Governor Charlie Baker. These organizations are a fundamental piece of Massachusetts health care system, and this funding will allow them to address the specific needs of the individuals they serve.

The Community Health Centers receiving grants are:

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Community health centers awarded grants for COVID-19 testing, vaccines - WWLP.com