Category Archives: Corona Virus

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) The Tennessee Department of Health reported 164 new COVID-19 cases, five new deaths, and 168 new inactive/recovered cases in Northeast Tennessee on Thursday.

Over the last seven days, Northeast Tennessee has added 1,106 new cases. During the seven days prior, the region reported 952 new cases.

There have been 47,007 cases reported in Northeast Tennessee since the pandemic began.

Over the last seven days, Northeast Tennessee has reported 54 new deaths. During the previous seven-day period, 60 deaths were reported.

There have been 909 deaths reported in Northeast Tennessee since the pandemic began.

There are currently 1,532 active cases in Northeast Tennessee, down nine from yesterday.

This marks the fourth consecutive day that active cases have declined.

The 7-day positivity rate is currently 11.92%.

The Tennessee Department of Health reported 3,154 new cases statewide, bringing the states total to 736,370 cases.

The health department also reported 169 new deaths, bringing the states total to 10,202 deaths. Thats the third highest number of new deaths reported so far. The record is 192 deaths reported on Jan. 26.

The current 14-day and 30-day death totals are at record highs, with 1,518 deaths reported over the past 14 days and 2,935 reported over the past 30 days.

There are currently 29,058 active cases in Tennessee, down 418 from yesterday. This marks the fourth day of declining active cases.

The health department reported 1,443 current COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state, down 49 from yesterday. Hospitalizations have declined daily since Jan. 20.

To date, there have been 17,469 hospitalizations across the state.

Health officials have reported 697,110 recoveries in Tennessee since the pandemic began.

The total COVID-19 case count for Tennessee is 736,370 as of February 4, 2021 including 10,202 deaths, 1,443 current hospitalizations and 697,110 are inactive/recovered. Percent positive today is 8.23%. For the full report with additional data: https://t.co/jlAz8a6Upp. pic.twitter.com/IzoSiNKX5U

The following data was reported in local counties: (number in parenthesis is change since yesterday)

Carter CountyTotal cases: 5,386 (+28)Inactive/recovered: 5,074 (+14)Deaths: 137 (+1)Active cases: 175 (+13)

Greene CountyTotal cases: 6,957 (+22)Inactive/recovered: 6,621 (+28)Deaths: 132 (+2)Active cases: 204 (-8)

Hawkins CountyTotal cases: 4,861 (+18)Inactive/recovered: 4,519 (+25)Deaths: 87 (0)Active cases: 255 (-7)

Johnson CountyTotal cases: 2,114 (+5)Inactive/recovered: 2,020 (+6)Deaths: 36 (0)Active cases: 58 (-1)

Sullivan CountyTotal cases: 13,445 (+55)Inactive/recovered: 12,728 (+48)Deaths: 249 (+2)Active cases: 468 (+5)

Unicoi CountyTotal cases: 1,727 (+2)Inactive/recovered: 1,650 (+5)Deaths: 47 (0)Active cases: 30 (-3)

Washington CountyTotal cases: 12,517 (+34)Inactive/recovered: 11,954 (+42)Deaths: 221 (0)Active cases: 342 (-8)

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164 new COVID-19 cases, five new deaths reported in NETN on Thursday - WJHL-TV News Channel 11

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) The South Dakota Department of Health reported 6 new deaths due to COVID-19, as active cases have dropped below 2,600 on Thursday.

Active cases of COVID-19 in South Dakota are at 2,517 on Thursday, according to data reported by theSouth Dakota Department of Health.

According to the latest update, 174 new total coronavirus cases were announced bringing the states total case count to 108,813 up from Wednesday (108,639). Total recovered cases are now at 104,508 up from Wednesday (104,305).

The death toll is now at 1,788. The new deaths reported include two men and four women in the following age ranges: 60-69 (2); 70-79 (1); 80+ (3).

Current hospitalizations are at 126, down from Wednesday (133). Total hospitalizations are at 6,334.

Total persons negative is now at 296,591, up from Wednesday (295,728).

There were 1,037 new persons tested reported on Thursday. Thursdays new person tested positivity rate is 16.7%.

The latest seven-day all test positivity rate reported by the DOH is 7.6%. The DOH calculates that based on the results of the PCR test results but doesnt release total numbers for how many PCR tests are done daily. The latest one-day PCR test positivity rate is 8.3%.

Vaccine tracking is now being reported by the state. As of Thursday, 51,633 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 58,053 doses of the Moderna vaccine have been administered to 76,454 total persons.

According to the South Dakota Department of Health, 15,995 people have received the second dose of the Moderna vaccine, while 17,237 people have completed the Pfizer vaccine series.

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COVID-19 in South Dakota: 6 new deaths reported; 174 new total cases; Active cases at 2,517 - KELOLAND.com

Honeywell CEO explains how a walk led to a mass Covid vaccination site in North Carolina

The idea for the three-day mass vaccination event held this past weekend at Bank of America Stadium was hatched on a walk among friends, according toHoneywell InternationalCEO Darius Adamczyk.

It just so happened Adamcyzk was joined by Carolina Panthers PresidentTom Glickand Atrium Health CEOGene Wood on the stroll. "In the Covid era, one of the social things you can still kind of do is go for walks outside with some of your friends, Adamcyzk said on "Squawk Box," explaining the men live in the same neighborhood.

They were discussing the slower-than-expected start to Covid vaccinations in the U.S. when they realized their respective organizations might be able to do something about it, Adamcyzk recalled. "We said, 'You know, maybe we could help here. Maybe we could partner as a team.'"

More than 20,000 people were ultimately vaccinated from Friday to Sunday at the football stadium, he said. "We did this in the course of three days Friday, Saturday, Sunday," Adamcyzk added. "Twelve hours a day, 20,000 people. Think about if we could do that, set up 50 or 100 of these kinds of sites across the country."

Kevin Stankiewicz

Tedros Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, raised the alarm on how weak cooperation between countries could hinder the global recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

In a post published by the Foreign Policy magazine, Tedros wrote: "Despite the growing number of vaccine options, current manufacturing capacity meets only a fraction of global need. Vaccines are the best chance of bringing this pandemic under controlunless leaders succumb to vaccine nationalism."

"International collaboration among scientists was critical to vaccine development, but now weak cooperation between nations is a major barrier to achieving worldwide vaccination at the scale needed to end the pandemic," he added.

Several countries, including the U.S., have been struggling to roll out the different Covid-19 vaccines amid amid limited supplies and logistical issues.

Fred Imbert

A medical worker prepares a syringe during vaccination with the Gam-COVID-Vak (Sputnik V) vaccine against COVID-19 at Sochi's City Hospital No 4.

Dmitry Feoktistov | TASS | Getty Images

Mexico is nearing approval for the Russian Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V after the results of an advanced study were published early in The Lancet, Mexican officials said, according to a report by Associated Press.

The Mexican government's pandemic spokesperson, Assistant Health Secretary Hugo Lopez-Gatell said the health ministry signed a contract Monday to receive 400,000 doses of Sputnik V this month, according to the report.

Once the Russian vaccine is approved, it will be the third to receive emergency approval in Mexico after prior emergency approvals of Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines, the Associated Press reported.

A dozen countries have already approved Sputnik V for use.

Rich Mendez

National Football League fans convene in downtown Tampa ahead of Super Bowl LV during the COVID-19 pandemic on January 30, 2021 in Tampa, Florida.

Octavio Jones | Getty Images

No NFL players tested positive for the coronavirus in the league's latest round of testing leading up to Super Bowl LV set for Sunday between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers Reuters reported.

In total, 2,567 tests were administered to 152 players and 278 team personnel in the latest round of tests, according to the report. The League releases results weekly and tests frequently, especially when there are doubts about safety.

According to the NFL Network, two players on the Kansas City Chiefs, receiver Demarcus Robinson and center Daniel Kilgore, were put on the reserve list after having close contact with a barber that recently tested positive for the coronavirus. Both players were masked during the interaction, the League said, according to the report.

Rich Mendez

The United States will begin shipping Covid-19 vaccine doses directly to retail drugstores on Feb. 11 as it looks to expand access to the life-saving shots nationwide, the Biden administration's Covid-19 response team said.

The federal program, which is separate from its partnership with CVS and Walgreens to vaccinate long-term care residents, will start with 6,500 stores nationwide, White House Covid response coordinator Jeff Zients said at a press briefing.

The U.S. is also increasing its weekly shipments of vaccine doses to states by 5%, he said. That means the federal government will now send a minimum of 10.5 million doses per week for the next three weeks across the U.S.

The administration has allocated 1 million doses to pharmacies in addition to the 10.5 million it has set aside for states, tribes and U.S. territories beginning next week, Zients said.

Noah Higgins-Dunn

The United States appears to be turning a corner on the Covid-19 pandemic as cases and hospitalizations rapidly fall across the country, but that progress could be thwarted by more contagious strains that have quickly taken hold in other parts of the world.

The seven-day average of daily new cases in the U.S. is down 41% from its peak last month and the number of people hospitalized with Covid-19 is down 29% from the peak.

But epidemiologists warn that the U.S. is at a dangerous point in the pandemic. They expressed concern that the declining numbers could lull the country into a sense of complacency when more caution than ever is needed. And while the numbers are off their peaks, the level of infection remains so high in most of the country that the loosening of restrictions as well as the spread of more contagious variants could still undo the country's progress, they say.

"There seems to be already a tendency, including in my own community, to start opening things up again, letting the bar stay open later and that sort of thing," Dr. Bill Schaffner, an epidemiologist at Vanderbilt University, said in a phone interview. "I'm worried about that because I thought we'd learned that lesson. As soon as you do that, cases start to go up again."

Will Feuer

Democrats will push forward on passing a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill without any Republican support.

Congress is set to take the first votes Tuesday toward passing a budget resolution, which allows lawmakers to use the reconciliation process. Through it, Democrats could pass an aid package with a simple majority vote in the Senate.

The party hopes to pass the budget resolution this week. It instructs committees to draft policies including $1,400 direct payments, a $400 per week unemployment benefit through September, state and local government relief and rental and mortgage assistance.

In announcing the Senate would move ahead with the budget measure, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said "time is a luxury our country does not have." He said he still hoped Republicans would join Democrats in passing a bill, a day after 10 GOP senators met with President Joe Biden about relief efforts.

Those Republicans put forward an aid proposal about a third of the size of the Democrats' plan.

Jacob Pramuk

99-year-old war veteran Captain Tom Moore at his home in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, April 16, 2020, after he achieved his goal of 100 laps of his garden - raising more than 12 million pounds for the NHS.

Joe Giddens | PA Images | Getty Images

Capt. Sir Tom Moore, who became a universally loved hero for his fundraising efforts during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, has died, his family said in a statement.

The 100-year-old recently suffered from pneumonia and was diagnosed with Covid-19 last week, his family said. The World War II veteran raised $53 million for the U.K.'s National Health Service by walking laps in his garden last year, according to Reuters.

"The care our father received from the NHS and carers over the last few weeks and years of his life has been extraordinary," his family said in a statement. "They have been unfalteringly professional, kind and compassionate and have given us many more years with him than we ever would have imagined."

Rich Mendez

Former U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang stands with his family at an event announcing his candidacy for New York City Mayor in upper Manhattan in New York City, January 14, 2021.

Mike Segar | Reuters

Andrew Yang, the former Democratic presidential candidate who is now running for New York City mayor, said he's tested positive for Covid-19 and is in quarantine.

"I am experiencing mild symptoms, but am otherwise feeling well and in good spirits," Yang said in a statement. Yang said he tested negative for the virus over the weekend but then tested positive Tuesday through a rapid test.

Yang said that his campaign team, who are subject to weekly testing if they attend in-person activities, have started tracing all of his close contacts. He will continue to attend virtual campaign events.

Noah Higgins-Dunn

Russia's Sputnik V vaccine was 91.6% effective in preventing the spread of Covid-19, according to a peer-reviewed phase 3 clinical trial published in The Lancet international medical journal, according to a report by Reuters.

"The development of the Sputnik V vaccine has been criticized for unseemly haste, corner-cutting, and an absence of transparency," Professor Ian Jones of the University of Reading and Professor Polly Roy, of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine told The Lancet.

"But the outcome reported here is clear and the scientific principle of vaccination is demonstrated," said the scientists, who were not involved in the study, according to Reuters. "Another vaccine can now join the fight to reduce the incidence of Covid-19."

Terri Cullen

UPS CEO Carol Tome stands with workers

Source: UPS

UPS reported better-than-expected revenue and profits over the busy holiday season, reflecting a boom in online shopping amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Shares of the company rose roughly 4% following its earnings report.

Revenue for the Atlanta-based logistics and delivery company rose 21% to $24.9 billion during the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31. Its domestic package division saw a 17.4% increase in year-over-year revenue as its network filled to the brink with deliveries from online retailers.

"Looking at the fourth quarter, our results were strong and considerably better than we expected," CEO Carol Tome said on the company's earnings call following the report. "This is the highest quarterly operating profit in the company's history, with record profit produced in each segment."

Noah Higgins-Dunn

Flor Rodriguez (L), 72, of Nevada, receives a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination from Southern Nevada Health District nurse Daliah Rubio at Jerome Mack Middle School on January 29, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ethan Miller | Getty Images

Pfizer plans to deliver 200 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine to the U.S. by May, earlier than its initial forecast of July, according to slides published by the company.

The company, also said it can potentially deliver 2 billion doses globally by the end of this year now that health-care providers can extract an additional sixth dose of the vaccine from the vials.

Pfizer, like other Covid vaccine makers, has been struggling to meet the demand for shots that hopefully will help bring an end to the pandemic. It recently enlisted the help of French drugmakerSanofito help produce 100 million doses of its vaccine.

In the slides published, Pfizer also said patients will "likely need to boost regularly to maintain immune response and to counter emerging variant strains."

Berkeley Lovelace Jr.

Concerns that coronavirus mutations could render available vaccines less effective were justified after the mutation "of most concern" occurred spontaneously in the U.K. variant, Reuters reports, citing a professor of outbreak medicine who is part of a panel that advises the British government.

The U.K. variant's mutation, known as E484K, has also been seen in the South African and Brazilian variants, according to Reuters. Studies have found that vaccines and antibody therapy are less effective against the South African variant.

Initially, early studies showed that vaccines worked just as well against the U.K. variant, called B.1.1.7, prior to the E484K mutation, the wire service reported.

"The mutation of most concern, which we call E484K, has also occurred spontaneously in the new Kent strain in parts of the country too," Calum Semple, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, told BBC radio.

Terri Cullen

BP reported its first full-year loss in a decade while Exxon Mobilposted its fourth-straight quarter of losses as business restrictions imposed for the ongoing pandemic drove oil and gas prices lower.

BP's fourth-quarter profit of $115million missed analyst expectations of $285.5 million and the U.K.-based oil and gas company warned the pandemic would continue to impact its performance, CNBC's Sam Meredith reports.

Exxon's fourth-quarter loss was $20.1 billion on revenue of $46.54 billion. The company earned 3 cents a share, excluding items, which was ahead of the 1 cent profit expected by analysts surveyed by Refinitiv, but revenue fell short of the Street consensus for $48.76 billion, CNBC's Pippa Stevens reported.

Melodie Warner

A Sun Tran employee offers free masks to passengers to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at the downtown bus station in Tucson, Arizona, U.S., June 20, 2020.

Cheney Orr | Reuters

The Biden administration's mask mandate for transportation took effect just before midnight Tuesday, requiring travelers on planes, trains, ferries and other modes of transportation to wear a face covering.

U.S. airlines have required travelers to wear masks on board since last spring, but workers have urged federal mask requirements to give more weight to the rule. The Trump administration recommended masks but stopped short of mandating them. Airlines have banned more than 2,000 people for refusing to wear masks on board.

"We recently got good news when President Biden signed an executive order mandating face masks across interstate travel, including airports and aircraft," Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian told employees on Monday. "This adds a layer of protection for our people who have been integral in enforcing our mask policy. To date, we've banned approximately 950 people for failing to comply with the mask requirement."

The Transportation Security Administration, one of the agencies that will enforce the rule, says travelers who fail to comply could face civil penalties.

Leslie Josephs

Global corporate travel spending fell by more than 50% last year to $694 billion as the coronavirus pandemic ended a decade of growth, a trade group estimates. It could take until 2025 to recover.

Business travel spending will likely increase by 21% this year, most of it at the end of the year as more people are vaccinated, estimates the Global Business Travel Association, whose members include airlines, hotel chains, travel agents and others.

While the group expects travel spending to grow, it will be at a slow pace. After China, the U.S. is the second-biggest corporate travel market. It was hard hit by the pandemic, with travel spending falling an estimated 61% to $121.7 billion last year. "A coordinated vaccination campaign across the US and North America will of course be paramount to ensuring a rapid return to pre-pandemic economic activity," the GBTA said in its forecast.

Leslie Josephs

Empty vials of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are seen at a first come first serve drive-thru vaccination site operated by the Lake County Health Department on January 28, 2021 in Groveland, Florida.

Paul Hennessy | NurPhoto | Getty Images

Pfizer expects to sell about $15 billion in Covid-19 vaccine doses this year.

The company, which is making its vaccine with German partner BioNTech, also forecast total revenue between $59.4 and $61.4 billion this year.

Pfizer, like other Covid vaccine makers, has been struggling to meet the demand for shots that will help bring an end to the pandemic. Pfizer has said it expects to deliver 200 million doses of its two-shot vaccine to the U.S. by July 31. It recently enlisted the help of French drugmaker Sanofi to help produce doses.

Berkeley Lovelace Jr.

Link:

Covid live updates: U.S. cases and hospitalizations drop; Mexico close to approving Russian vaccine - CNBC

The global tally for confirmed cases of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 climbed above 103.4 million on Tuesday, according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University, while the death toll rose above 2.24 million. The U.S. has the highest case tally in the world at 26.3 million and the highest death toll at 443,365, or about a fifth of the global total. The U.S. added at least 139,293 new cases on Monday, according to a New York Times tracker , and counted at least 1,990 deaths. Case numbers have been declining, however. The U.S. averaged 146,409 new cases a day in the past week, down 29% from the average two weeks ago. Hospitalizations have also been falling, according to the COVID Tracking Project. There were 93,536 COVID-19 patients in U.S. hospitals on Monday, down from 95,013 a day earlier and the lowest level since Nov. 29. The CDC's vaccine tracker is showing that as of 6.00 a.m. ET Monday, 32.2 million doses had been administered so far, which is more than the confirmed case tally. So far, 49.9 million doses have been delivered to states.Brazil has the second highest death toll at 225,099 and is third by cases at 9.2 million. India is second worldwide in cases with 10.8 million, and now fourth in deaths at 154,486, after being surpassed by Mexico late last week. Mexico has the third highest death toll at 159,100 and 13th highest case tally at 1.9 million. The U.K. has 3.8 million cases and 106,774 deaths, the highest in Europe and fifth highest in the world.

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Coronavirus tally: Global cases of COVID-19 top 103.4 million and U.S. vaccinations top case tally - MarketWatch

Here's the latest COVID-19 case, death and hospitalization data from the state.

ATLANTA We're breaking down the trends and relaying information from across the state of Georgia as it comes in, bringing perspective to the data and context to the trends.

Visit the 11Alive coronavirus page for comprehensive coverage, find out what you need to know about Georgia specifically, learn more about the symptoms, and keep tabs on the cases around the world.

State and federal officials with the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are continually monitoring the spread of the virus. They are also working hand-in-hand with the World Health Organization to track the spread around the world and to stop it.

Appling 1704 50

Atkinson 741 14

Baldwin 3507 91

Bartow 9088 155

Ben Hill 1429 50

Bleckley 753 32

Brantley 804 22

Bulloch 4621 46

Carroll 6503 112

Catoosa 4530 50

Charlton 976 15

Chatham 16638 296

Chattahoochee 2444 3

Chattooga 1962 53

Cherokee 18159 201

Clarke 11194 92

Clayton 18020 299

Coffee 3989 102

Colquitt 3055 56

Columbia 9749 119

Coweta 7196 112

Crawford 468 10

DeKalb 47298 619

Decatur 1986 47

Dougherty 4994 243

Douglas 9720 129

Effingham 3147 46

Emanuel 1636 51

Fayette 5202 103

Forsyth 14391 110

Franklin 2133 29

Fulton 68705 904

Gwinnett 74367 726

Habersham 4357 119

Haralson 1503 28

Henry 15565 201

Houston 8777 145

Jackson 7467 99

Jeff Davis 1164 33

Jefferson 1444 47

Laurens 3420 127

Liberty 2435 40

Lowndes 6925 115

Lumpkin 2528 43

Madison 2360 28

McDuffie 1460 31

McIntosh 543 10

Meriwether 1280 31

Mitchell 1413 68

Montgomery 670 19

Muscogee 11830 258

Newton 6310 155

Oglethorpe 1038 16

Paulding 8745 131

Pickens 2127 40

Randolph 423 30

Richmond 17142 296

Rockdale 4949 102

Seminole 677 14

Spalding 3324 108

Stephens 2711 66

Taliaferro 91 0

Tattnall 1651 32

Treutlen 576 19

Walton 6751 156

Washington 1493 39

Whitfield 13508 168

Wilkinson 661 21

The rest is here:

Coronavirus in Georgia | Another above-average day for deaths - 11Alive.com WXIA

Facts, not fear: We're tracking the latest numbers from the coronavirus pandemic in San Antonio and across Texas.

SAN ANTONIO We're tracking the latest numbers from the coronavirus pandemic in San Antonio and across Texas. Here are the latest numbers reported by Bexar and surrounding counties:

More county case information is available through theTexas Department of Health Services COVID-19 dashboard.

How Bexar County is trending

We've tracked how many coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Bexar County from the time officials began reporting cases in March 2020. The graphic below shows the number of cases since June and charts those daily case numbers along a 7-day moving average to provide a more accurate picture of the overall coronavirus case curve in our area and the direction we're trending amid the pandemic.

On Tuesday, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg reported an additional 1,260 new coronavirus cases in Bexar County. In all, 176,790 Bexar County residents have been diagnosed with the virus, more than 8 percent of the county's population. The county's 7-day moving average rose to 1,510.

Nirenberg also reported 15 new coronavirus-related deaths, raising the county's death toll to 2,167 since the pandemic began.

The number of patients in Bexar County hospitals rose slightly for a second day Tuesday. Five more coronavirus hospitalizations were reported on Tuesday in comparison to Monday, bringing the day's concurrent total to 1,176. 138 patients were admitted in the past day.

399 patients are in intensive care, while 232 patients are on ventilators.

This week's local positivity rate dropped to 11.4 percent, a decrease of 4.5 percentage points over the last week. The county's risk level remains at a severe level.

Coronavirus in Texas

The total number of novel coronavirus cases in the state since the pandemic began grew by 23,047 on Tuesday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. That total includes 18,951 new confirmed cases, 3,133 new probable cases, and a backlog of 963. More details can be found on this page.

Monday's figures bring the total number of Texans diagnosed with COVID-19 to more than 2.41 million.

Meanwhile, state health authorities reported another 331 deaths from coronavirus complications in Texas. In all, 36,870 Texans have died from COVID-19.

The number of COVID-19 patients receiving treatment for their symptoms throughout Texas decreased on Tuesday by 72. The concurrent total stands at 11,002.

The state estimates that about 1.993 million Texans have recovered, while 367,152 Texans remain ill with COVID-19.

The latest update from the Texas Education Agency showed that there have been at least 146,963 cumulative cases among staff and students across the state through January 24. That number comprises 93,542 positive student cases and 53,421 staff cases. More information can be found here.

The TEA releases new data on school cases on Fridays.

Latest Coronavirus Headlines

Coronavirus symptoms

The symptoms of coronavirus can be similar to the flu or a bad cold. Symptoms include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Most healthy people will have mild symptoms. A study of more than 72,000 patients by the Centers for Disease Control in China showed 80 percent of the cases there were mild.

But infections can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death, according to the World Health Organization. Older people with underlying health conditions are most at risk.

Experts determined there was consistent evidence these conditions increase a person's risk, regardless of age:

The CDC believes symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 14 days after being exposed.

Human coronaviruses are usually spread...

Help stop the spread of coronavirus

Find a Testing Location

City officials recommend getting a COVID-19 test if you experience fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea.

San Antonio operates several no-cost testing locations, including two walk-up locations open Monday-Sunday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.:

Cuellar Community Center5626 San Fernando St.San Antonio, TX 78237

Ramirez Community Center1011 Gillette Blvd.San Antonio, TX 78224

Additionally, Freeman Coliseum offers drive-through no-cost testing from Monday through Sunday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. An appointment is required and can be made either onlineor by calling (833) 213-0643.

Here's a Testing Sites Locatorto help you find the testing location closest to you in San Antonio.

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Coronavirus Tracker: 97 new COVID-19 deaths reported in the last week in Bexar County - KENS5.com

A mutation that could allow Covid-19 to escape antibody protection has now been found in samples of a rapidly spreading strain in the UK, according to a report Monday by Public Health England.

The mutation, called E484K, was already part of the genetic signature of variants linked to South Africa and Brazil.

According to the PHE report, the mutation has been newly detected in at least 11 samples of the UK's B.1.1.7 strain. It also appears some of these samples may have acquired this mutation independently, instead of spreading from a single case.

This could mean a variant already known to be more transmissible also risks becoming somewhat resistant to the immune protection offered by vaccines, or more likely to cause reinfection among people who were previously infected, experts say.

"This doesn't appear to be great news for vaccine efficacy," said Joseph Fauver, associate research scientist in epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health.

He added the new finding is also something to keep monitoring in the US, where efforts to look for variants through genetic sequencing have lagged behind the UK. The fact that we've only seen this in the UK "may be a result of their robust genomic surveillance program," Fauver said.

Experts say it's too early to predict whether this development will greatly impact the trajectory of Covid-19 in the UK and around the world.

However, there is some research suggesting that E484K may be a key culprit behind why certain vaccines appear less effective in South Africa.

Novavax recently announced its vaccine was 89% effective in its Phase 3 UK trial, but only appeared 60% effective in a separate Phase 2b study conducted in South Africa. Similarly, in Johnson & Johnson's Phase 3 trial, efficacy differed by country: 72% in the US versus 57% in South Africa. In both trials, 90 to 95% of cases in South Africa were linked to the B.1.351 variant, which contains the E484K mutation.

But much of the early evidence on this so-called "escape mutant" comes from research in the lab, showing that antibodies appear less able to bind spike proteins arising from the mutation.

The latest example comes from a new study finding that antibodies from vaccinated people were less effective at neutralizing a synthetic virus resembling those in the PHE report -- meaning, they contained pivotal mutations from B.1.1.7, plus E484K.

Adding the E484K mutation appeared to raise the bar for the level of antibodies needed to prevent the lab-made virus from infecting cells, when compared to B.1.1.7 mutations on their own.

The study sampled blood from 23 people who had received a single dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine three weeks prior, with a median age of 82. The study was not able to demonstrate how this impacted people's actual likelihood of becoming infected with virus variants.

Citing the genomics database GISAID, the study also tallied a slightly higher total of cases than the PHE report: two unrelated cases in Wales and a cluster of more than a dozen in England, appearing as early as the first half of December 2020.

Paul Bieniasz, a virologist at the Rockefeller University, noted that the E484K mutation has "appeared sporadically" in multiple samples for months, but until recently it didn't appear to offer the virus an advantage in populations with no preexisting immunity.

But it's a different story in places like South Africa, where many people had been previously infected. On Monday, Dr. Anthony Fauci noted "a very high rate of reinfection to the point where previous infection does not seem to protect you," citing the work of colleagues in South Africa.

The B.1.1.7 strain first spotted in the UK has now been found in at least 70 countries worldwide, including about 470 known cases in the US, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Experts say that aggressive testing, adhering to Covid-19 guidelines and rapidly rolling out vaccines are more important than ever in light of these spreading variants.

"We need to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as we possibly can," Fauci previously said. "Even though there is a diminished protection against the variants, there's enough protection to prevent you from getting serious disease, including hospitalization and deaths."

CNN's Nina Avramova contributed to this report.

Excerpt from:

Coronavirus strain in UK picks up mutation that could impact vaccines, experts say - KMOV.com

A coronavirus variant from Brazil has been detected in a sample from the Bay Area, underscoring the urgency of ramping up inoculation efforts as researchers try to learn whether it, as well as others circulating in California, could undermine the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.

Researchers at Stanfords Clinical Virology Laboratory screened nearly 1,000 specimens during the last two weeks and found one case of the Brazilian variant, P.2, said Dr. Benjamin Pinsky, the laboratorys medical director. They reported the finding to public health authorities on Jan. 25.

The researchers also identified four cases of a variant from the U.K., B.1.1.7, that appears to spread more easily, may be more virulent and is already known to be circulating in California, Pinsky said. And they found that about 29% of the specimens had the L452R mutation, a feature of ahomegrown variant that has been increasingly detected across the stateand may have helped drive the most recent case surge.

Its definitely possible that they already contributed to the humongous surge weve seen over the last six weeks or so, said Dr. Edward Jones-Lopez, an infectious diseases expert at USC. And it could get even worse if these strains are indeed fitter than previous strains and people lower their guard and we are not very logistically efficient in delivering vaccines.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.

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Coronavirus variant from Brazil found in Bay Area, other U.S. cities - KTLA

Johnson & Johnson said Friday that its single-dose Covid-19 vaccine reduced rates of moderate and severe disease, but the shot appeared less effective in South Africa, where a new coronavirus variant has become common.

Overall, the vaccine was 66% effective at preventing moderate to severe disease 28 days after vaccination. But efficacy differed depending on geography. The shot was 72% effective among clinical trial volunteers in the U.S, but 66% among those in Latin America, and just 57% among those in South Africa. Though markedly below the levels seen with the first two authorized Covid-19 vaccines, those rates are above the thresholds originally set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a vaccine to be considered useful.The vaccine reduced severe disease alone by 85%, and prevented Covid-related hospitalization or death, Johnson & Johnson said.

In a pandemic, if you can, with a single-dose vaccine, very quickly eliminate the severe consequences of death, hospitalization, and severe disease, thats whats important for society, Paul Stoffels, the companys chief scientific officer, told STAT.

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Eric Topol, director and founder of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, called the results disappointing, but added that a vaccine that prevents the most serious outcomes, such as hospitalization and death, is still valuable. It reinforces how lucky we were that the first two were more effective, he added.

Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, cautioned at a press conference against making too much of comparisons to prior vaccines, calling the result extraordinarily important, noting that severe disease was reduced across the board, even in regions where new variants of the virus were common.

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So this has really important domestic and global public health implications, Fauci said, things that we know about this particular candidate that even add to the importance globally, namely the minimal cold chain requirements, the inexpensive nature of it, the fact that it is one shot and that the company can actually produce in a reasonable period of time, billions of doses.

The results set off a new phase in the battle against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19. Different vaccines against the virus are proving to have varying levels of efficacy, but also distinct attributes that could make them more or less valuable in certain contexts.

Results from the first two authorized vaccines, one from partners Pfizer and BioNtech and a second from Moderna, were considerably stronger, reducing symptomatic infection by about 95%. But those vaccines require two doses. They also come with distribution challenges since they are required to stay at ultra-cold temperatures.The new variant of the virus that was first identified in South Africa, B.1.351, throws another monkey wrench into the equation. It appears to make vaccines less effective. Novavax, another vaccine manufacturer, said Thursday that its vaccine was 90% effective in the U.K. but just 49% effective in South Africa. The existence of such a variant raises the possibility that vaccine makers will have to develop booster shots to protect against it. They might even need to do so regularly, as new strains of the coronavirus emerge.

The efficacy of authorized vaccines appears to be somewhat lessened by the B.1.351 strain in test-tube experiments, but have not been put to the test against it yet in clinical research.

The policy implications of having different vaccines with different levels of efficacy are huge, said Carlos del Rio, a professor of infectious diseases at the Emory University School of Medicine. To deal with this pandemic and stop the spread, I think you use all the tools in the toolbox.

The J&J results are from an interim analysis of a study of 44,325 volunteers in which 468 symptomatic cases of Covid-19 occurred. They are being unveiled Friday morning at a press conference with the National Institutes of Health, which helped run the study as part of the U.S. vaccine effort, known as Operation Warp Speed. Because the study is still ongoing, the data could still change.

Unlike the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, which are based on a new technology called mRNA that uses the bodys own cells to produce a key viral protein, the J&J vaccine uses a type of virus called an adenovirus to deliver genes that produce those same viral proteins. A similar technology was used in the vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca.

J&J said that the trial did not result in any significant safety concerns about the vaccine. A case of stroke in one volunteer, which prompted researchers to pause the trial this fall, was determined to be unrelated to the vaccine, Stoffels said. Fevers occurred in 9% of those who received the vaccine, and fevers of more than 104 degrees occured in 0.2% of vaccine recipients. Serious adverse events were more common among those who received placebo than the vaccine.

No matter the age of volunteers in the study, the vaccine appeared to have strong efficacy, Stoffels said. There had been concerns its effectiveness might be less robust in older people.

Akiko Iwasaki, a virologist at Yale University, said that the results for both the Novavax and J&J vaccines were strong. She noted that its difficult to compare the J&J results to those from other trials, because the earlier trials counted cases of mild Covid-19 whereas the J&J study included only sicker ones.

Regardless, Iwasaki emphasized the importance of simply vaccinating as many people as possible, because the current lack of immunity in the majority of the population, and the high number of cases, is giving the virus an opportunity to mutate more often.

Weve got to get the first dose to as many people as possible, Iwasaki said. These variants that are more transmissible and potentially even more lethal are on the rise. I think time is really what were fighting against.

Kert Viele, a statistician at Berry Consultants, made a similar point. Approving more vaccines, and expanding global supply, could mean communities reach herd immunity, in which enough people are inoculated against a pathogen to halt chains of transmission. If we can lower global cases, Viele said, we will reduce the emergence rate of all of these strains to everyones benefit, and thus the need for such reformulations in the future.

One hope is that the efficacy of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine could rise if it is given as a two-dose regimen. Johnson & Johnson is running another large study, enrolling 30,000 patients, testing two doses of the vaccine given 57 days apart. However, Stoffels said, waiting that long between doses will slow results. He expects results of the two-dose study to read out in the summer or fall.

The population in the study was diverse and broad, J&J said. Patients came from the U.S. (44%), Central and South America (41%) and South Africa (15%). Women made up 45% of the study, and men 55%. Among participants globally, 59% were white, 45% Hispanic or Latinx, 13% were Black, 6% were Asian and 1% were Native American. Volunteers had health conditions including obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and HIV.

The J&J vaccine will be far easier to distribute than the mRNA vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech. The vaccine will remain stable for two years at -4 degree Fahrenheit, and will remain stable for up to three months if kept at between 36 degrees and 46 degrees Fahrenheit.

Johnson & Johnson expects to file with the FDA for an emergency use authorization in early February, and, assuming the vaccine is authorized, will have some product ready to ship immediately after getting a go-ahead. The company declined to give specifics on how much would be available, except to say it expects to make all of its 2021 supply commitments.

Read the rest here:

J&J's Covid vaccine is 66% effective, a weapon but not a knockout punch - STAT

DETROIT The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 556,109 as of Thursday, including 14,491 deaths, state officials report.

Thursdays update includes 1,872 new cases and 80 additional deaths, including 67 from a Vital Records review. On Wednesday, the state reported a total of 554,237 cases and 14,411 deaths.

New COVID-19 cases have plateaued and deaths are starting to slow. Testing has been steady with more than 40,000 diagnostic tests reported per day on average, with the 7-day positive rate average around 6%. Hospitalizations continue to decline over the last several weeks.

Michigans 7-day moving average for daily cases was 1,727 on Wednesday, near the lowest since October. The 7-day death average was 68 on Wednesday. The states fatality rate is 2.6%. The state also reports active cases, which were listed at 76,800 on Wednesday -- near the lowest its been since November.

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According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 25.6 million cases have been reported in the U.S., with more than 429,000 deaths reported from the virus.

Worldwide, more than 101 million people have been confirmed infected and more than 2.1 million have died. More than 55 million have recovered, according to Johns Hopkins University. The true numbers are certainly much higher, because of limited testing, different ways nations count the dead and deliberate under-reporting by some governments.

Michigan COVID-19 vaccinations: How to find appointments, info on phases

Coronavirus headlines:

VIEW: Tracking Michigan COVID-19 vaccine doses

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VIEW: Tracking coronavirus cases, outbreaks in Michigan schools

Michigans top doctor reported mostly positive news Monday when she updated the states most important COVID-19 metrics.

Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the chief medical executive for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said the states metrics are showing signs of improvement.

READ: 8 takeaways from Gov. Whitmers update on COVID-19 in Michigan

Michigans case rate is at 203 cases per million people, she said. Thats down 72% since the November peak.

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The states percent positivity is at 6.2%, which is also coming down, according to Khaldun.

So thats a good sign, she said.

The percentage of inpatient beds currently occupied by COVID-19 patients is at 9.2%, she said.

New COVID variant in Michigan: 13 cases in Washtenaw County, 4 cases in Wayne County

One cause of concern is the new variant of the virus. Officials have confirmed 17 cases of that variant, as of Monday. Khaldun is worried about how the spread of the variant will affect the case, positivity and hospitalization rates.

Michigan restaurants will officially be allowed to resume indoor dining Feb. 1 with a curfew and other COVID-19 safety restrictions in place.

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The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services released its next COVID-19 order Friday. The revised restrictions go into effect Feb. 1 and last three weeks, until Feb. 21.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the order will allow indoor dining at restaurants, concessions at entertainment venues such as casinos, movie theaters and stadiums, personal services requiring mask removal and non-residential gatherings of up to 10 people from two households.

The pause has worked, Whitmer said. The efforts we have made together to protect our families, frontline workers and hospitals have dramatically reduced cases and we have saved lives. Now, we are confident that starting Feb. 1, restaurants can resume indoor dining with safety measures in place.

We are pleased to see the improvements in case rates, hospitalizations and percent positivity that have allowed us to reopen more activities, said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health at MDHHS. However, we must remain vigilant, especially since we now have a new more easily transmitted variant of this virus present in our state.

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Michigans risk for a coronavirus outbreak has recently decreased -- but has not altogether vanished -- nearly one month into the new year, according to data from Covid Act Now.

The state of Michigan is now labeled as high risk for a coronavirus outbreak by Covid Act Now -- a group of technologists, epidemiologists, health experts and public policy leaders that monitors and identifies each states risk level for a COVID-19 outbreak.

At the beginning of 2021, Michigan -- like much of the country -- was considered to be experiencing an active or imminent outbreak, which is a critical risk level. As of Thursday, Jan. 21, the states risk level has decreased due to fewer new COVID-19 cases reported each day, as the remainder of the country continues to struggle with virus spread.

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Michigan is one of only five states labeled as high risk for an outbreak, which is the orange color on Covid Act Nows national map. Three states -- California, Arizona and South Carolina -- are colored maroon, meaning they are experiencing a severe coronavirus outbreak. All remaining states, except Hawaii, are colored crimson on the map, which is considered the critical risk level. Hawaii is labeled as experiencing slow disease growth.

Read more here.

Michigan has released a preliminary timeline to show a projection of when other phases can expect to begin receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

Michigan recently moved into the 1B phase, which includes essential workers like teachers and opens up appointments for residents over the age of 65. Some counties have started vaccinating at this level, while some are still waiting to increase vaccine supply.

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The preliminary timeline is fluid. It states very clearly, Dates are estimated and expected to change based on vaccine availability. And vaccine availability is limited right now -- but it should be improving in the near future.

See the timeline here.

Michigan is moving on to a new phase of COVID-19 vaccinations, including teachers, first responders, childcare providers and residents 65 years of age and older.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Wednesday that the new phase of vaccinations will begin Monday, Jan. 11.

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We are pleased to move the state forward in the next stage of vaccinations, said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive for MDHHS. These vaccines are safe and effective, and we especially want our first responders, teachers and older adults to get vaccinated as soon as possible. The strategy we are announcing today is efficient, effective, and equitable, focusing on making vaccine available to those who have the highest level of risk, whether it is because of where they work or because of their age.

See the full story here.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is strongly encouraging Michigan public schools to reopen for in-person learning by the beginning of March.

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Public schools in Michigan were shut down during the fall due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. Their buildings have been closed for about two months -- since the state reported thousands of COVID-19 cases per day in November.

The value of in-person learning for our kids is immeasurable, and we must do everything we can to help them get a great education safely, Whitmer said. Over the last 10 months, medical experts and epidemiologists have closely followed the data and have learned that schools can establish a low risk of transmission by ensuring that everyone wears a mask and adopting careful infection prevention protocols.

I strongly encourage districts to provide as much face-to-face learning as possible, and my administration will work closely with them to get it done.

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Read more here.

Michigan COVID-19 daily reported cases since Jan. 1:

Jan. 1 -- 2,994 new cases

Jan. 2 -- 2,995 new cases

Jan. 3 -- 2,496 new cases

Jan. 4 -- 2,496 new cases

Jan. 5 -- 2,291 new cases

Jan. 6 -- 4,326 new cases

Jan. 7 -- 4,015 new cases

Jan. 8 -- 3,625 new cases

Jan. 9 -- 2,706 new cases

Jan. 10 -- 2,268 new cases

Jan. 11 -- 2,268 new cases

Jan. 12 -- 1,994 new cases

Jan. 13 -- 2,694 new cases

Jan. 14 -- 2,698 new cases

Jan. 15 -- 2,598 new cases

Jan. 16 -- 1,932 new cases

Jan. 17 -- 1,421 new cases

Jan. 18 -- 1,422 new cases

Jan. 19 -- 1,738 new cases

Jan. 20 -- 2,031 new cases

Jan. 21 -- 2,165 new cases

Jan. 22 -- 2,157 new cases

Jan. 23 -- 1,601 new cases

Jan. 25 -- 3,011 new cases (case count for two days)

Jan. 26 -- 1,476 new cases

Jan. 27 -- 1,681 new cases

Jan. 28 -- 1,872 new cases

Michigan COVID-19 daily reported deaths since Jan. 1:

Jan. 1 -- 88 new deaths

Jan. 2 -- 89 new deaths

Jan. 3 -- 40 new deaths

Jan. 4 -- 40 new deaths

Jan. 5 -- 189 new deaths (117 from vital records)

Jan. 6 -- 51 new deaths

Jan. 7 -- 176 new deaths (138 from vital records)

Jan. 8 -- 38 new deaths

Jan. 9 -- 222 new deaths (207 from vital records)

Jan. 10 -- 23 new deaths

Jan. 11 -- 24 new deaths

Jan. 12 -- 100 new deaths

Jan. 13 -- 32 new deaths

Jan. 14 -- 139 new deaths (107 from vital records)

Jan. 15 -- 29 new deaths

Jan. 16 -- 103 (90 from vital records)

Jan. 17 -- 10 new deaths

Jan. 18 -- 10 new deaths

Jan. 19 -- 41 new deaths

Continued here:

Coronavirus in Michigan: Heres what to know Jan. 29, 2021 - WDIV ClickOnDetroit