Category Archives: Corona Virus

Early in its existence, Covid-19 gained an ability that would prove decisive in its relationship with human beings. The virus picked up a seemingly small change in its genetic code. It was likely an unfortunate accident a fragment of genetic information from another virus got muddled up with that of the coronavirus while they were both infecting a bat.

Included within this tiny piece of genome, however, were the instructions that altered a key part of the virus its spike protein. This important protein studs the outside of the coronavirus and is the part that attaches to the outside of cells, helping the rest of the virus to sneak inside where it can replicate.

This change to Covid-19's spike protein meant it could hijack an enzyme found in the human body called furin. This enzyme acts like a pair of molecular scissors, normally cutting open hormones and growth factors to activate them. But when furin snips part of the Covid-19 spike protein, which is normally folded in a series of loops on the outside of the virus, it opens like a hinge.

"This exposes a new sequence in the spike protein," says Yohei Yamauchi, a reader in viral cell biology at the University of Bristol, UK, who has been studying how this change may have led Covid-19 to become more infective in humans. "It is one of the changes that make this virus really different from previous coronaviruses that caused Sars and Mers."

This new mutation meant Covid-19 could suddenly latch onto an important molecule found scattered around the outside of human respiratory cells called Neuropilin 1. This molecule helps to transport material inside cells and deeper into tissues the mutation was like handing Covid-19 the keys to a new door into our cells and meant the virus could replicate in greater numbers in the human airways.

Although this mutation was just one in Covid-19's short existence, it proved to be important. Some researchers believe it may be one of the key mutations that allowed the coronavirus to jump species and begin causing a rapidly spreading disease in humans. But almost as soon as it did this, it began picking up other mutations.

Read more from the original source:

How Covid-19 mutations are changing the pandemic - BBC News

CRISPR-wielder Mammoth Biosciences will team up with Agilent Technologies to help launch its upcoming COVID-19 diagnostic test, designed to handle more than 4,000 samples per day.

Applying the gene editing technology allows the system to operate much faster than standard PCR-based molecular lab tests, according to Mammoth. The companys CRISPR-based DETECTR assay uses Cas12 enzymes to identify and tag the coronaviruss specific genomic sequences and provides a visual result that can be read by a machine.

The two companies hope to increase the tests throughput speed even more by connecting it with Agilents automated liquid handling systems and sample readers. Dubbed DETECTR BOOST, the platform aims to process about 1,500 samples over an eight-hour shift.

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"A highly-automated workstation for SARS-CoV-2 testing provides the capacity needed to bring routine, robust testing to the broader market, said David Edwards, associate marketing vice president for Agilents mass spectrometry division. By partnering with Mammoth Biosciences, we will be able to provide a simplified workflow that addresses the specific needs of high-throughput clinical testing laboratories.

Similar methods have been explored for COVID-19 tests that can be read with a smartphone camera and a darkened box using fluorescent molecules that produce a faint glow when matched up with the viruss specific genetic material. Prior to the pandemic, the technology was being developed for HIV testing in low-resource areas.

GlaxoSmithKline has also tapped Mammoth to develop a CRISPR-based coronavirus test that could be available over the counter.

More recently, Mammoth announced a contract with MRIGlobal through the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, known as DARPA, to develop CRISPR-based diagnostics and biosurveillance technologies for the Department of Defense. This includes the development of a hand-held device capable of screening for 10 pathogens simultaneously and a lab system that can spot more than 1,000 targets at once.

RELATED: Pairing CRISPR with a smartphone camera, this COVID-19 test finds results in 30 minutes

Co-founded by CRISPR pioneer and Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna, Ph.D., Mammoth previously received funding support from the National Institutes of Health through its Shark Tank-esque diagnostics competition known as the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics initiative, or RADx. The company said it plans to submit its test for an FDA emergency authorization in the near future.

Mammoths mission is to address challenges across healthcare by harnessing the full potential of the CRISPR platform to read and write the code of life," said Mammoths co-founder and CEO, Trevor Martin, Ph.D. This partnership will help address the need for more widespread testing options for COVID-19, helping to fill the gap in the market as testing labs run into supply issues or reach capacity.

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Mammoth Biosciences teams with Agilent to deliver CRISPR-based coronavirus tests - FierceBiotech

For Immediate Release: January 26, 2021

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As part of the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations continuing efforts to protect consumers from potentially dangerous or subpotent hand sanitizers, the agency has placed all alcohol-based hand sanitizers from Mexico on a countrywide import alert to help stop products that appear to be in violation from entering the U.S. until the agency is able to review the products safety. Over the course of the ongoing pandemic, the agency has seen a sharp increase in hand sanitizer products from Mexico that were labeled to contain ethanol (also known as ethyl alcohol) but tested positive for methanol contamination. Methanol, or wood alcohol, is a substance that can be toxic when absorbed through the skin and life-threatening when ingested. Methanol is not an acceptable ingredient in hand sanitizer or other drugs.

Under the import alert, alcohol-based hand sanitizers from Mexico offered for import are subject to heightened FDA scrutiny, and FDA staff may detain the shipment. As part of their entry review, FDA staff will consider any specific evidence offered by importers or manufacturers that the hand sanitizers were manufactured according to U.S. current good manufacturing practice requirements. This marks the first time the FDA has issued a countrywide import alert for any category of drug product.

"Consumer use of hand sanitizers has increased significantly during the coronavirus pandemic, especially when soap and water are not accessible, and the availability of poor-quality products with dangerous and unacceptable ingredients will not be tolerated," said Judy McMeekin, Pharm.D., FDA Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs. Todays actions are necessary to protect the safe supply of alcohol-based hand sanitizers. We will continue to work with our stakeholders to ensure the availability of safe products and to communicate vital information with the health and safety of U.S. consumers in mind.

The FDAs analyses of alcohol-based hand sanitizers imported from Mexico found 84% of the samples analyzed by the agency from April through December 2020 were not in compliance with the FDAs regulations. More than half of the samples were found to contain toxic ingredients, including methanol and/or 1-propanol, at dangerous levels. The agency has posted and regularly updates a list of hand sanitizer products that consumers should not use, which include those that FDA has found to contain methanol and/or 1-propanol. In most cases, methanol does not appear as an ingredient on the product label.

The agency continues to take action to help prevent potentially dangerous or violative hand sanitizers from entering the United States by placing specific products on import alert, proactively working with companies to recall products and encouraging retailers to remove violative products from store shelves and online marketplaces. As part of these actions, the agency has also issued 14 warning letters since July 2020 for distributing hand sanitizer with undeclared methanol, inappropriate ethanol content, misleading claimsincluding incorrectly stating FDA approvaland improper manufacturing practices. The FDA continues to proactively work with Mexican government authorities, manufacturers and retailers to ensure potentially dangerous or violative products are not distributed to consumers.

The agency reminds manufacturers, distributors, repackagers and importers they are responsible for the quality of their products and urges manufacturers to test their raw ingredients to ensure they meet labeling specifications and are free from harmful contamination. The FDA recently issued a guidance outlining the agencys policy for drug manufacturers and compounders to test alcohol or isopropyl alcohol for methanol contamination prior to using the alcohol to produce drugs, including hand sanitizer products.

Methanol-contaminated hand sanitizers are a serious safety concern, and the FDA is aware of adverse events, including blindness, cardiac effects, effects on the central nervous system and hospitalizations and death, primarily reported to poison control centers and state departments of health. Methanol exposure can result in nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, permanent damage to the nervous system or death. Although people using these products on their hands are at risk for methanol poisoning, young children who ingest these products and adolescents and adults who drink these products as an alcohol substitute are most at risk.

Consumers who have been exposed to hand sanitizer contaminated with methanol and are experiencing symptoms should contact their local poison control center and seek immediate medical treatment for potential reversal of the toxic effects of methanol poisoning. The FDA encourages health care professionals, consumers and patients to report adverse events or quality problems experienced with the use of hand sanitizers to FDAs MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program (please provide the agency with as much information to identify the product as possible). For more information, consumers should refer to the FDAs guidelines on safe use of hand sanitizer as well as a question and answer page.

Need help now? Call 9-1-1 if the person is unconscious or has trouble breathing. Call Poison Help at 800-222-1222 to connect to your local poison center. Learn more at https://poisonhelp.hrsa.gov/.

The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nations food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.

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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Takes Action to Place All Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers from Mexico on Import Alert to Help Prevent Entry of...

by: Rachel Estrada, KIAH, Nexstar Media Wire

HICKSVILLE, NEW YORK MARCH 18: An image of the sign for a Walgreens as photographed on March 18, 2020 in Hicksville, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

HOUSTON (NEXSTAR/KIAH) You may have seen signs on Walgreens doors indicating its pharmacies dont yet have the COVID-19 vaccine available. But get ready, because it could be soon.

The COVID-19 vaccine is on the way, Walgreens said in a statement posted on its website.

However, you wont be able to just walk in and receive it. There will be a process in place for you to get your vaccine injection.

Walgreens, with more than 9,000 pharmacies, is offering in-store coronavirus vaccinations at some locations, but you have to set up an account online and be pre-screened.

The company said its following state and local eligibility requirements, which vary by state.

Walgreens is following directives for Phase 1 distribution, saying as of Friday, it had administered over 1 million vaccinations in long-term care facilities and to other vulnerable populations.

Walgreens is working closely with state governments to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines as states advance their Phase 1A and 1B distribution and administration plans for additional vulnerable populations, the company said. Prioritized populations vary based on state guidelines and may include healthcare workers, people ages 65 and older, and individuals with pre-existing conditions.

In a recent press conference, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said only a fraction of vaccines set aside for long-term care facilities in the state has actually been used.

There are 412,188 of those doses for long-term care and nursing home residents that either have not yet been reported or are waiting to be given, he said.

Even so, Walgreens said it expects vaccines to be available to the general public in spring 2021, depending on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and federal, state and local governments.

Walgreens says people who get vaccinated still need to wear a mask, practice social distancing and wash their hands. The company also said you cannot get the COVID-19 from the vaccine.

For more on commonly asked questions, watch Walgreens COVID-19 information video.

Read more from the original source:

How to get the COVID-19 vaccine from Walgreens - WFLA

Posted: Jan 29, 2021 / 11:17 AM EST / Updated: Jan 29, 2021 / 11:20 AM EST

The number of children infected by COVID-19 is increasing and experts are concerned about a new strain of the virus that seems to be spreading faster in kids.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, nearly 2.7 million children have tested positive for COVID-19.

Over the latest two-week period, there were nearly 377,000 new cases among children a 16% increase.

Still, children are highly unlikely to die from the virus. Children account for only .19% of all COVID-19 deaths, the academy said.

But in Fort Worth, two children have died in recent days at Cook Childrens Hospital. Only one other child had died at the hospital in the months since the virus started.

J.J. Boatman of Vernon celebrated his ninth birthday just a few weeks ago.

He was full of energy, said his aunt Annette Cliver. He was always running around smiling, playing, always playing with his sisters and cousins. And he was full of life.

But Monday morning, he suddenly got very sick, Cliver said.

One minute he was OK, you know, and then the next minute he woke up not feeling so good and didnt look so good, she said.

His family rushed him to the hospital and he was airlifted to Cook Childrens. He died Tuesday.

Another boy younger than one also died at the same hospital in recent days.

Experts say children generally do much better fighting the virus, but they are hardly immune to it.

One doctor said the recent increase in pediatric cases could be due to the same reason adult cases have gone up.

Youve got to look at the timing of the uptick, said Dr. Curtis Galke of the University of North Texas Health Science Center. Weve just come off of a holiday season where a lot of people were together. So it would be expected we would have an uptick in all ages of people being diagnosed.

Theres also concern about a new strain of the virus.

While the new type is known to spread faster, especially in children, doctors say theres no evidence its any more deadly.

The dynamic of the virus really hasnt changed, Galke said. Kids get it just like adults get it. But the majority of the kids dont have the same types of symptoms and recover very, very quickly from it.

Its not clear which version of the virus J.J. Boatman had.

His family said he had asthma but otherwise was healthy and active until he got so sick, so fast.

You dont think its going to happen to you or somebody you know. But it does, his aunt said.

See more here:

9-year-old boy dies suddenly from COVID-19 complications - WFLA

'You cannot get COVID-19 from these vaccines. You cannot. All right? None of them are live viruses,' UT Health Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Robert Leverence said.

SAN ANTONIO A question the Vaccine Team has received a lot is whether or not you can get COVID-19 from the coronavirus vaccine.

"You cannot get COVID-19 from these vaccines. You cannot. All right? None of them are live viruses."

That's the short answer from UT Health Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Robert Leverence.

The vaccine was developed using a relatively new technology called mRNA.

With that being said, Dr. Leverance said it is possible to contract COVID-19 after you have gotten the first dose of the vaccine.

And the reason is due to the fact that COVID-19 is prevalent in the community right now.

Last month, an Austin doctor shared her story of testing positive after getting her first dose.

"I have no doubt in my mind that this is just really bad luck that we had."

Around the time Dr. Emily Porter and her husband got the vaccine their son was sick.

It turned out he had COVID-19, and had already infected his parents before they were vaccinated.

Dr. Leverance said if you develop a fever or other symptoms of the virus after your vaccine, it's best to get tested.

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Vaccine Team: No, the coronavirus vaccine will not give you COVID-19 - KENS5.com

Heres what you need to know:Experts from the World Health Organization at the airport in Wuhan, China, on Thursday.Credit...Ng Han Guan/Associated Press

More than a year after a new coronavirus first emerged in China, a team of experts from the World Health Organization arrived on Thursday in the central city of Wuhan to begin hunting for its source.

But in a sign of Beijings continuing efforts to control the investigation, the team of scientists and W.H.O. employees almost immediately ran into obstacles. Two scientists were unable to enter China at the last minute and remained in Singapore because they had tested positive for coronavirus antibodies, the W.H.O. said on Twitter.

The Chinese authorities required the remaining 13 experts to undergo two weeks of quarantine in Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in late 2019.

The investigation, which aims to gain an understanding into how the virus jumped to humans from animals, is a critical step so that another pandemic can be avoided. But getting answers is likely to be difficult.

Heres what to know about the investigation.

China set up hurdles and pushed for control.

Apparently worried about drawing renewed attention to the countrys early mistakes in handling the pandemic, Chinese officials have used a variety of tactics over the past year to hinder the W.H.O. investigation.

After resisting demands from other countries that it allow independent investigators onto its soil to study the origin of the pathogen, China let two W.H.O. experts visit in July to lay the groundwork. They were not allowed to visit Wuhan, where the virus first emerged.

For months, China delayed approving a visit by a full team of experts, frustrating the health agencys leaders. When the visit seemed to be finalized this month, it fell apart when Beijing declined to provide visas for the visitors, according to the health agency.

Now that the investigators have arrived, critics say Beijings desire for control means the inquiry will probably be more political than scientific.

Tracing the virus will be a painstaking task.

The team that has come to Wuhan will face a city radically transformed from when the virus first emerged, in late 2019. The city, which went into lockdown on Jan. 23 last year and became a symbol of the viruss devastation, has since been held up by Chinese officials as a success story in vanquishing the virus.

The W.H.O. experts have decades of experience plumbing the depths of viruses, animal health and disease control. But tracing the source of the virus that as of Thursday had killed almost two million people worldwide and infected more than 92 million will be painstaking. While experts believe the virus originated naturally in animals, possibly bats, little else is known.

How much access the team gets in China will be critical, public health experts say.

The team will have to sidestep attempts to politicize its inquiry.

The pandemic has hurt Chinas reputation, with many foreign governments still angry that Beijing did not do more to contain the crisis in its earliest stages. So Chinese propagandists are trying to use the W.H.O. inquiry to help shore up Chinas image and portray the country as a mature superpower.

Complicating that effort could be new virus flare-ups in recent weeks that have prompted fresh lockdowns in China. In all, more than 22 million people have been ordered to remain inside their homes double the number affected a year ago in Wuhan. On Thursday, Chinas National Health Commission reported a coronavirus death in the mainland for the first time since May.

The major concern here is the origin of the outbreak has been so politicized, said Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations. That has really narrowed the space for the W.H.O. to have an independent, objective and scientific investigation.

The overwhelming Covid-19 surge in California is as deadly now as it has ever been, and hospitals in much of the state are still full to bursting. But officials see signs that the situation may soon stop getting worse.

There are some good things to report, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a video message posted late Tuesday night. Were starting to see some stabilization both in I.C.U.s as well as in our positivity rate.

One region of the state, the area around Sacramento, has improved enough to lift a strict stay-at-home order and allow some businesses to reopen at partial capacity, including restaurants offering outdoor dining and hair salons.

Three other large regions, home to tens of millions of people, remain under the most stringent tier of restrictions, which shut down nearly all nonessential businesses and ban residents from gathering with anyone they do not live with.

Dr. Mark Ghaly, the states secretary of health and human services, said Tuesday that the number of Covid-19 patients being admitted to hospitals each day was dropping. He called that the biggest signal to me that things are beginning to flatten and potentially improve.

Nationwide, the numbers largely remained grim, though in the Northern Plains, cases this week were about a quarter of their peak in mid-November, when the region was among the hardest hit in the country. A day after the U.S. recorded yet another daily record for deaths more than 4,400 reported deaths remained high on Wednesday.

And even as the pressure eased in some parts of California, hospitals across Southern California and the Central Valley were full, and the state reported a record total of more than 720 virus-related deaths on Tuesday, according to a New York Times database.

California has struggled to get its vaccination program into high gear, and had only used one-quarter of its available doses by Tuesday. Governor Newsom said Wednesday that the state would start a new system to alert residents when theyre eligible.

There is no higher priority than efficiently and equitably distributing these vaccines as quickly as possible to those who face the gravest consequences, he said in a statement. To those not yet eligible for vaccines, your turn is coming. We are doing everything we can to bring more vaccine into the state.

Dr. David Lubarsky, the chief executive of U.C. Davis Health, said Tuesday that the top priority should be getting shots into arms, rather than spending resources to ensure that people dont cut the line. If you are so hellbent on making sure Patient A should come before Patient B, before Citizen C, you cant get people in the door in a sufficient manner, he said.

Dr. Lubarsky said that as of Tuesday, roughly 12,000 of U.C. Davis Healths 13,000 employees had received at least a first vaccine dose. New Covid cases among the staff plummeted to about 20 in the last week, from a recent average of 135 a week.

Setting up mass vaccination centers and opening up eligibility are positive steps for the state, he said.

I think they are moving 100 percent in the right direction, Dr. Lubarsky said.

Johnson & Johnson expects to release critical results from its coronavirus vaccine trial in as little as two weeks but probably wont be able to provide as many doses this spring as it promised the federal government because of manufacturing delays.

If the vaccine can strongly protect people, as some outside scientists expect, it will offer big advantages over the two vaccines authorized in the United States. Unlike those, which require two doses, Johnson & Johnsons could need just one, greatly simplifying logistics for local health departments and clinics struggling to get shots in arms. Its vaccine can also stay stable in a refrigerator for months, whereas the others have to be frozen.

But the encouraging prospect of a third effective vaccine is tempered by apparent lags in the companys production. In the companys $1 billion contract signed with the federal government in August, Johnson & Johnson pledged to have 12 million doses ready by the end of February, ramping up to a total of 100 million doses by the end of June.

Federal officials have been told that the company has fallen as much as two months behind the original production schedule and wont catch up until the end of April, when it was supposed to have delivered more than 60 million doses, according to two people familiar with the situation who were not authorized to discuss it publicly.

Dr. Paul Stoffels, Johnson & Johnsons chief scientific officer, said he expected to see clinical trial data showing whether the companys vaccine is safe and effective in late January or early February. He declined to provide details about the companys production capacity.

The federal government, faced with an unrelenting surge in Covid-19 cases, issued a new appeal on Tuesday regarding which Americans should be vaccinated first. Here is what it might mean.

Who is now eligible to be vaccinated, according to federal guidance?

On Tuesday, Alex M. Azar II, the health secretary, urged all states to open up eligibility to everyone 65 and older and to adults of any age with medical conditions that put them at high risk of becoming seriously ill or dying from Covid-19.

In all, that is more than 150 million people almost half the population. They now join millions of health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities who had previously qualified.

Mr. Azar did not specify which conditions would make someone eligible for vaccination now; presumably it will be up to governors to decide, as will the question of what documentation to require. But the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published a list of particularly high-risk conditions, including cancer, diabetes and obesity.

How does eligibility vary by state, and why? Although the C.D.C. issued recommendations last month for which groups states should vaccinate initially, while the vaccine supply is still relatively low, the priorities are not binding and each state has come up with its own groupings. Nor can the federal government require states to change the prioritization plans they have already announced, although the new pressure from Mr. Azar, and growing public impatience as deaths from the virus keep hitting new peaks, may sway many to do so. In coming up with priority groups, state officials considered criteria like who is most likely to die if they contract Covid-19 including people of color as well as the elderly and the sick and which professions are critical to helping the economy fully reopen. Each states unique demographics also played a role.

I qualify now. How do I sign up?

This depends very much on what state or even what county you live in. Some local public health departments have set up portals where people can make appointments; others are holding mass vaccination events and inoculating people on a first-come, first-served basis. Generally, doctors offices and pharmacies have asked that patients and customers not call them seeking vaccine appointments just yet, and instead wait to be contacted. Most pharmacies are not yet offering the vaccine, but CVS, Walgreens and a number of other chain pharmacies, including some in grocery and big-box stores, will soon start doing so through a partnership with the federal government.

With the federal government saying that older people and those with underlying medical conditions should get vaccinated next, what happens to essential workers whose jobs require them to come face to face with other people? Are they eligible now, too?

In some states, yes. Health care workers in every state were the first to be offered the vaccine. And before Mr. Azars directive this week, several states had already opened vaccination to certain categories of frontline essential workers, such as police officers, firefighters, teachers, child-care workers and public transit employees. But other states that had planned to start offering the vaccine to some essential workers in the coming weeks may reprioritize now, based on Mr. Azars new guidance. There is nothing stopping states from opening vaccination to a new priority group before they have reached everyone in an earlier group, but supply is an important consideration.

How many vaccine doses does the United States have access to? So far, Pfizer and Moderna, the only two companies whose vaccines have been approved for emergency use here, together have pledged to provide 400 million doses over the next seven months. Both vaccines require two doses, so that will be enough for 200 million people, out of roughly 260 million who are eligible at this point to be vaccinated. Children younger than 16 are not yet eligible for Pfizers vaccine, and those younger than 18 cannot yet take Modernas. Johnson & Johnson, which has a single-dose vaccine candidate in late-stage clinical trials, has a contract with the federal government to provide 12 million doses by the end of February, and a total of 100 million doses by the end of June. But the company has fallen behind on its production schedule.

How many people have been vaccinated so far? The publicly available data lags by at least a few days, so it is hard to know for sure. But the C.D.C. reported on Wednesday that about 10.3 million people had received an initial dose, out of a total 29.4 million doses distributed around the country so far. That includes nearly 1.1 million doses that have been given to residents and staff members in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

After falling over the summer, coronavirus infections among children, teens and young adults rose steadily from September through mid-December, paralleling the viruss trajectory among older adults in the U.S. population, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Wednesday.

Of 2.8 million coronavirus infections diagnosed in children and young adults under the age of 25 between March 1 and Dec. 12, 2020, the incidence was lowest among children ages 10 and younger, who accounted for 18 percent of the cases. The majority of infections in those under 25 nearly 60 percent were among young adults aged 18 to 24, the study found.

The authors said the findings lend support to the argument that child- care centers and elementary schools can operate safely when community transmission rates are low and mitigation measures are followed.

Were recommending that child care centers and schools, especially elementary schools, be the last settings to close after all other mitigation measures are deployed, and the first to reopen, said Erin K. Sauber-Schatz, an epidemiologist at the C.D.C. and team lead of the agencys community interventions and critical populations task force.

The study was one of two published this week that also looked at how often children have been hospitalized.

In the C.D.C. study, which drew data from 44 states, the District of Columbia, two territories and an associated state, 2.5 percent of infected children and adolescents under 25 were hospitalized, compared with 16.6 percent of sick adults, and just 0.8 percent were transferred to intensive care.

The largest percentage of hospitalizations in this group occurred among children under 5 years old. Some 654 patients under the age of 25 died, about 0.1 percent.

But another study of children, adolescents and young adults, published in JAMA Pediatrics on Monday, has come to a very different conclusion. Researchers at the University of Minnesota found a troubling increase in hospitalizations among infected children and adolescents.

The study was based on data from 5,364 patients aged 19 and under who were hospitalized in 22 states between May 15, 2020, and Nov. 15, 2020. The cumulative average rate rose to 17.2 hospitalizations per 100,000 children in November from 2 per 100,000 children in May.

The increase was not surprising in itself, simply because more children were becoming infected over time. But the percentage uptick was more than double the rise in adult hospitalization rates over the same period, said Pinar Karaca-Mandic, an expert in health economics at the University of Minnesota and the senior author of the research report.

This demonstrates that Covid still has the potential to cause serious illness in children, said Dr. Karaca-Mandic, who also is co-lead of the universitys Covid-19 Hospitalization Project. Its not like children are immune. Its not like children are not at risk.

While older adults continue to be at the greatest risk, some hospitals may not be properly equipped to care for the youngest patients, she added.

Sometimes I feel like the message of lower risk in children may have been misinterpreted as no risk by many, she added. Our study is showing that is not the case.

More than 50 million people in the United States who are 65 or older as well as younger people with underlying conditions are now cleared to receive a coronavirus vaccine in the wake of the federal governments abrupt course reversal on who should get priority.

But thats much easier said than done.

Some experts have suggested that declaring so many more people eligible might actually make the process of signing up for a vaccine and getting one even more complicated.

This is creating a lot of confusion and chaos and anxiety days before a new administration comes in, Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers, told NPR on Wednesday morning.

The challenges are many.

States have struggled to set up phone and online sign-up systems, and many of the oldest Americans, who are most at risk of death from a coronavirus infection, have struggled to use them, encountering complicated registration sites, error messages and other roadblocks. Appointments have been booked as soon as they open up. Some in the first priority groups have succeeded in booking their shots but weeks out. Servers have crashed amid skyrocketing demand. Some areas have multiple sign-up systems, increasing confusion.

In Georgia, a man spoke to Atlantas Channel 2 Action News about how he had called the Troup County Covid hotline more than 100 times to try and make an appointment for his mother.

No ones ever picking up, Eric Moore said. I promise you, I called 134 times.

There are also questions about how to prioritize people at increased risk of severe illness from Covid-19, an expansive category that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates includes more than 100 million adults with conditions such as obesity, which affects at least 40 percent of adults, diabetes, cancer, and chronic lung and heart disease.

The federal governments revised guidance, announced by Alex M. Azar II, the secretary of health and human services, at a news conference on Tuesday, is not binding. As with testing and tracing earlier in the pandemic, each state has been left to devise its own plan based on local needs, at times creating confusion and scattershot approaches.

In New York, there was concern about the crush of demand outpacing availability. The governor said Tuesday the state would accept the new federal guidance to prioritize those 65 and older after eligibility had just been expanded statewide to include residents 75 and older and more essential workers.

On Wednesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City acknowledged that people may be frustrated by trying to make appointments online or on the phone.

As eligibility continued to expand, he said the city would keep administering doses over the next few weeks and then were going to run out of the vaccine. The city usually receives about 100,000 doses per week, the citys health commissioner said Tuesday at a City Council hearing to address problems with the rollout. But officials dont find out until a couple of days beforehand.

Even with normal supplies that we expect to have delivered next week, we will run out of vaccine at some point next week unless we get a major new resupply, the mayor said Wednesday.

Other states were reassessing their vaccination plans based on the new federal guidance, though some may not change course. In Arkansas, Dr. Jose Romero, the health secretary, said that Gov. Asa Hutchinson would stick to his plan of opening vaccinations to people 70 and older and some essential workers starting Monday.

The federal government has delivered about 29.4 million doses to states, territories and federal agencies as of Wednesday, and about 10.3 million doses had been administered. The Trump administration originally said that 20 million Americans would be vaccinated by Jan. 1.

West Virginia, South Dakota and North Dakota had administered the most first doses per capita among states, federal data shows. California, where the virus is raging, was among the states that had administered the fewest of its doses just 26 percent of those the state had already received. The state is moving to loosen eligibility and open mass vaccination centers, including one at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Mr. Azar said on Tuesday that the country was on track to reach the rate of one million vaccinations a day in about a week, and stressed that data collection about each states progress has been slow and faulty. He also faulted states that had been overly prescriptive and trying to micromanage every single dose of vaccine and said the government would send more doses to states based on their success in distributing ones they had already received.

The allocation will also be based on the size of a states population of people 65 and older, not on its general adult population, he said. It was unclear, however, whether that would hold past Jan. 20, when President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. takes office.

Mr. Biden is expected to announce details of his own vaccination plan which will include federally supported mass vaccination clinics on Thursday. Mr. Biden has set a goal of 100 million shots administered in his first 100 days.

As of Wednesday, the country had recorded more than 23 million cases and more than 380,000 deaths, according to a Times database. New cases have increased steadily since the fall, and a record number of deaths were reported on Tuesday: more than 4,400.

At least 60 sitting members of Congress more than one in 10 have tested positive for the coronavirus or are believed to have had Covid-19 at some point since the pandemic began. The list includes 44 Republicans and 16 Democrats.

Thats a higher proportion than the general population. As of Wednesday, a bit fewer than one in 14 Americans were known to have had the virus, according to a New York Times database, though many more cases have probably gone undetected.

Five House members have reported positive tests since the attack on the Capitol last week, when many lawmakers were holed up in a secure location together and some refused to wear masks a situation that angered several Democrats, including Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington, one of those who has since tested positive.

And on Wednesday, Representative Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts said that her husband, Conan Harris, who was at the Capitol to see her sworn in, has also tested positive. In a statement, Ms. Pressley said that Republican colleagues who had refused to wear masks while in a confined space had displayed an arrogant disregard for the lives of others.

Congresss attending physician warned members afterward that it was possible they were exposed while sheltering and recommended that they be tested.

Congress has struggled to stem the spread within its ranks in recent weeks. Most members who have tested positive have done so since the election in November, as cases have surged across the country.

Representative Jake LaTurner, Republican of Kansas, said he received word just after the attack on the Capitol last Wednesday that he had tested positive. He did not return to the House floor for a vote early on Thursday.

Representative Gus Bilirakis of Florida and Representative Michelle Steel of California, both Republicans, were absent from the House floor when the mob entered the Capitol because each had received positive test results earlier that morning. Representative Chuck Fleischmann, Republican of Tennessee, said on Sunday that he had tested positive after exposure to Mr. Bilirakis, with whom he shares a residence.

transcript

transcript

Were speeding up the process of giving vaccines all the time. Yesterday, 28,599 doses given. We are opening up mega-sites, 24/7 mega-sites. We talked yesterday about CitiField, and again, thanks to the New York Mets for stepping up. Thats fantastic. Thats going to serve a lot of people. Well, weve heard back from the New York Yankees. And we welcome them into the fold too. Were working with them now to work out a plan to use Yankee Stadium as well. And thats got to be great for the people of the Bronx. So that plan is in motion, well announce it when the details have been worked through. But theres going to be more and more sites, not just stadiums, but more sites of all kinds, more hours reaching more people. And now anyone 65 years old or over does qualify. So if youre 65 or over, regardless of your health situation obviously, youre vulnerable, weve talked about this before you have the right to be vaccinated. You can sign up now. We have sites, as I said, 24/7 sites, and sites with other hours, extended hours, all over the five boroughs. On the 24/7 sites, yesterday, we opened a site at 125 Worth Street, right here, in the City Hall area, Lower Manhattan. Today, Staten Island, the Vanderbilt Clinic on Staten Island open 24/7 from this point on. And again, more sites coming in Staten Island. Saturday, the Health and Hospitals Corona Clinic in Queens will go to 24/7. And obviously, CitiField will be right behind that. Were going to just keep building and building out capacity.

An additional three cases of a variant of the coronavirus, which has been surging in the United Kingdom, have now been identified in New York, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 15, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Wednesday.

State officials have narrowed down the new cases of the more contagious variant to two clusters, one on Long Island and another stemming from a jewelry store in Saratoga Springs, where the first case of the variant was discovered on Jan. 4.

Amid mounting evidence that the variant is continuing to spread in New York, hospitalizations statewide continued to climb more than 8,920 people reported Wednesday and state and city officials scrambled to accelerate a sluggish rollout of the vaccine.

Were locked in a footrace between its quick distribution and the spread of new cases, Mr. Cuomo, a third-term Democrat, said in a statement.

Both New York City and the state have added large vaccination sites in recent days. On Wednesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the city was working with the New York Yankees to use their home stadium, in the Bronx, though there is no opening date yet.

The announcement followed the mayors reveal on Tuesday that Citi Field, the Mets stadium in Queens, would become a mass vaccination site starting the week of Jan. 25. The site at Citi Field will operate seven days a week and is expected to have the capacity to vaccinate 5,000 to 7,000 people a day.

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W.H.O. Finally Lands in China to Begin Tracing the Coronavirus - The New York Times

WILMINGTON While the town currently does not have any vaccine doses and thus remains behind schedule in terms of its distribution, Health Director Shelly Newhouse informed the Board of Selectmen on Monday that the amount of positive coronavirus cases in town has fallen recently and that her department is expecting to receive a fresh shipment of doses sometime next week.

Our numbers are trending downward, which is very nice. I think that this is going to be the trend for a little while, we may see another little spike after February vacation, but I think that this is where we want to be, Newhouse said.

The news comes a week after 70 local first responders received their first doses of the Moderna vaccine at a clinic in town.

Unfortunately, despite requesting 1,500 doses from the state, Newhouse said that she expects to only receive 100 and that the town still remains in the first distribution phase, despite the fact that phase two of the statewide vaccination process is scheduled to kick off next week.

Specifically, workers in congregate care settings (e.g. correctional facilities, shelters), home-based health care workers and non-COVID-facing health care workers still need to receive their first shots before the town can move ahead.

She also urged anyone who was supposed to be vaccinated already but hasnt yet to schedule a time with the towns health department to visit a clinic.

On a more positive note, Newhouse told the board that once the town does receive its shipment, she expects for them to keep coming in each week and for them to gradually increase in amount.

Its going to start off slow, but itll just keep going up and up and up, she said.

Once the vaccines are received, the town will hold vaccination clinics at Shriners Auditorium every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from nine until noon, with more times and days added as officials get more doses.

Newhouse said that walk-ins wont be allowed and that online registration, be it on the departments website or Facebook page, will come on a first-come first-serve basis. Residents who are 75 years or older can call the Senior Center to receive help with registering.

According to Newhouse, phase one only covers the first of the two shots needed to get 95% to 97% immunity, but she said that people will have the opportunity to sign up for their second shot immediately after they receive their first.

In the meantime, she said everyone should continue to practice the same safety protocols in order to reduce the spread of the virus.

Hopefully, people will still keep up the good work with wearing masks, social distancing and playing by all the rules, I think thats really what is helping, Newhouse said.

As for the recent debate over whether or not residents should start wearing two masks when they go out in public, Newhouse told the board that she stands in line with what fellow health officials are recommending.

Two masks are better than one, she said. And the tighter it is to your face the better, you should have a tight seal. So if you put two masks on youre that much more protected.

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Everything Wilmington residents need to know about the coronavirus vaccine rollout - Lowell Sun

The Oregon Health Authority on Tuesday reported 1,203 new coronavirus cases and 54 deaths, equaling the highest fatality count announced on a single day since the start of the pandemic.

Thirty-two of those deaths occurred in 2020, state officials said late Tuesday.

December was already Oregons deadliest month of the pandemic, accounting for at least 483 deaths nearly equal to all deaths from March, April, May, June, July and August combined. Decembers tally appears poised to surpass that when officials disclose dates for the newest deaths announced Tuesday.

State officials said it took a while to identify some of the deaths reported Tuesday because of a lengthy confirmation process.

The counting of deaths from death certificates may take time to process because they are determined by physicians and then sent to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for further review before the cause of death is ultimately determined, officials wrote in a news release. Once this information is confirmed, the information is reported back with a final cause of death to states. This lagging indicator is now being captured today.

State officials are not optimistic Oregons death count will improve immediately. Despite vaccination efforts, its still expected to take several months to inoculate the most vulnerable, including those living in congregate care, where more than half of all Oregonians with COVID-19 have died.

Tuesdays death toll equals the 54 previously announced by the Oregon Health Authority on Dec. 15, although one of those deaths was later removed from the states official tally.

Among the latest deaths reported Tuesday were two people in their 30s and two centenarians.

Where the new cases are by county: Baker (8), Benton (16), Clackamas (98), Clatsop (11), Columbia (1), Coos (9), Crook (19), Curry (8), Deschutes (56), Douglas (21), Gilliam (1), Harney (3), Hood River (11), Jackson (61), Jefferson (19), Josephine (39), Klamath (46), Lake (3), Lane (89), Lincoln (6), Linn (24), Malheur (32), Marion (97), Morrow (4), Multnomah (265), Polk (10), Tillamook (2), Umatilla (53), Union (5), Wasco, (10), Washington (155) and Yamhill (21).

Deaths: State officials initially did not disclose detailed information about the 54 deaths, but eventually released that information late Tuesday. Each person had underlying health conditions or state officials were working to determine if the person had underlying medical conditions.

Oregons 1,614th COVID-19 fatality is a 75-year-old man in Deschutes County who tested positive on Dec. 2 and died on Dec. 28 at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend.

Oregons 1,615th COVID-19 death is an 84-year-old man in Deschutes County who tested positive on Jan. 1 and died on Jan. 8 at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend.

Oregons 1,616th COVID-19 fatality is a 99-year-old woman in Deschutes County who tested positive on Jan. 4 and died on Jan. 9 at her residence.

Oregons 1,617th COVID-19 death is an 89-year-old man in Deschutes County who tested positive on Nov. 24 and died on Dec. 30 at his residence.

Oregons 1,618th COVID-19 fatality is a 59-year-old man in Jefferson County who tested positive on Dec. 23 and died on Dec. 18 at his residence.

Oregons 1,619th COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old woman in Jefferson County who tested positive on Dec. 30 and died on Jan. 2 at St. Charles Medical CenterBend.

Oregons 1,620th COVID-19 fatality is an 88-year-old woman in Klamath County who tested positive on Dec. 22 and died on Jan. 4 at her residence.

Oregons 1,621st COVID-19 death is a 69-year-old woman in Klamath County who tested positive on Dec. 17 and died on Dec. 26 at Sky Lakes Medical Center.

Oregons 1,622nd COVID-19 fatality is a 79-year-old woman in Jackson County who tested positive on Dec. 18 and died on Dec. 26 at her residence.

Oregons 1,623rd COVID-19 death is an 83-year-old woman in Klamath County who tested positive on Dec. 28 and died on Jan. 9 at her residence.

Oregons 1,624th COVID-19 fatality is a 91-year-old woman in Klamath County who tested positive on Dec. 28 and died on Jan. 6 at her residence.

Oregons 1,625th COVID-19 death is a 73-year-old woman in Lake County who tested positive on Nov. 16 and died on Dec. 22 at Lake District Hospital.

Oregons 1,626th COVID-19 fatality is an 89-year-old man in Lane County who tested positive on Dec. 11 and died on Jan. 5 at his residence.

Oregons 1,627th COVID-19 death is a 96-year-old man in Lane County who tested positive on Dec. 18 and died on Jan. 5 at his residence.

Oregons 1,628th COVID-19 fatality is a 96-year-old woman in Lane County who tested positive on Dec. 26 and died on Jan. 5 at her residence.

Oregons 1,629th COVID-19 death is a 94-year-old woman in Linn County who tested positive on Dec. 7 and died on Dec. 28 at her residence.

Oregons 1,630th COVID-19 fatality is an 84-year-old man in Linn County who died on Dec. 29 at his residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death.

Oregons 1,631st COVID-19 fatality is an 86-year-old woman in Marion County who tested positive on Nov. 30 and died on Dec. 23 at her residence.

Oregons 1,632nd COVID-19 death is a 94-year-old woman in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 4 and died on Dec. 23 at her residence.

Oregons 1,633rd COVID-19 fatality is a 79-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 11 and died on Dec. 24 at his residence.

Oregons 1,634th COVID-19 death is an 87-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive on Nov. 30 and died on Dec. 23 at his residence.

Oregons 1,635th COVID-19 fatality is a 101-year-old woman in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 14 and died on Dec. 29 at her residence.

Oregons 1,636th COVID-19 death is a 71-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 21 and died on Jan. 4 at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center.

Oregons 1,637th COVID-19 fatality is an 85-year-old woman in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 22 and died on Jan. 1 at her residence.

Oregons 1,638th COVID-19 death is a 94-year-old woman in Marion County who tested positive on Jan. 2 and died on Jan. 2 at her residence.

Oregons 1,639th COVID-19 fatality is a 59-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 18 and died on Dec. 27 at his residence.

Oregons 1,640th COVID-19 death is a 73-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 9 and died on Jan. 1 at Adventist Hospital.

Oregons 1,641st COVID-19 fatality is a 65-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 22 and died on Dec. 22 at Adventist Hospital.

Oregons 1,642nd COVID-19 death is a 77-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 18 and died on Jan. 2 at her residence.

Oregons 1,643rd COVID-19 fatality is a 90-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 8 and died on Dec. 25 at his residence.

Oregons 1,644th COVID-19 death is a 95-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 22 and died on Dec. 22 at Adventist Hospital.

Oregons 1,645th COVID-19 fatality is an 80-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 9 and died on Jan. 4 at Oregon Health Science University.

Oregons 1,646th COVID-19 death is a 77-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 6 and died on Dec. 25 at Providence Portland Medical Center.

Oregons 1,647th COVID-19 fatality is a 33-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 1 and died on Dec. 30 at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center.

Oregons 1,648th COVID-19 death is a 78-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Nov. 23 and died on Jan. 3 at her residence.

Oregons 1,649th COVID-19 fatality is a 55-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Nov. 13 and died on Dec. 30 at Hillsboro Medical Center.

Oregons 1,650th COVID-19 death is a 95-year-old man in Polk County who tested positive on Dec. 29 and died on Jan. 5 at his residence.

Oregons 1,651st COVID-19 fatality is a 63-year-old woman in Umatilla County who died on Dec. 27 at her residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death.

Oregons 1,652nd COVID-19 death is a 97-year-old woman in Wasco County who died on Dec. 30 at her residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death

Oregons 1,653rd COVID-19 fatality is an 88-year-old woman in Washington County who tested positive on Dec. 23 and died on Jan. 5 at her residence.

Oregons 1,654th COVID-19 death is a 96-year-old woman in Washington County who tested positive on Dec. 10 and died on Jan. 2 at her residence.

Oregons 1,655th COVID-19 fatality is an 88-year-old woman in Yamhill County who tested positive on Nov. 16 and died on Dec. 29 at her residence.

Oregons 1,656th COVID-19 death is an 87-year-old man in Yamhill County who tested positive on Dec. 18 and died on Jan. 4 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center.

Oregons 1,657th COVID-19 fatality is a 63-year-old woman in Yamhill County who tested positive on Dec. 20 and died on Dec. 23 at Willamette Valley Medical Center.

Oregons 1,658th COVID-19 death is a 30-year-old woman in Josephine County who tested positive on Nov. 17 and died on Nov. 27 at Rogue Valley Medical Center

Oregons 1,659th COVID-19 fatality is a 72-year-old man in Clackamas County who tested positive on Nov. 14 and died on Jan. 2 at his residence.

Oregons 1,660th COVID-19 death is a 91-year-old woman in Coos County who tested positive on Jan. 4 and died on Jan. 9 at her residence.

Oregons 1,661st COVID-19 fatality is an 85-year-old man in Columbia County who tested positive on Dec. 18 and died on Dec. 29 at Legacy Meridian Park.

Oregons 1,662nd COVID-19 death is an 85-year-old man in Clatsop County who tested positive on Dec. 3 and died on Dec. 31 at Legacy Meridian Park.

Oregons 1,663rd COVID-19 fatality is an 86-year-old man in Clackamas County who tested positive on Dec. 28 and died on Dec. 29 at Legacy Mt. Hood Medical Center.

Oregons 1,664th COVID-19 death is a 49-year-old woman in Clackamas County who tested positive on Dec. 13 and died on Jan. 4 at Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center.

Oregons 1,665th COVID-19 fatality is a 65-year-old man in Clackamas County who tested positive on Dec. 26 and died on Dec. 30 at Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center.

Oregons 1,666th COVID-19 death is an 88-year-old man in Clackamas County who tested positive on Dec. 12 and died on Dec. 30 at Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center.

Oregons 1,667th COVID-19 fatality is a 100-year-old man in Clackamas County who tested positive on Dec. 9 and died on Dec. 30 at his residence.

The prevalence of infections: The state reported 1,030 new positive tests out of 16,847 tests performed, equaling a 6.1% positivity rate.

Who got infected: New confirmed or presumed infections are among the following age groups: 0-9 (52); 10-19 (124); 20-29 (226); 30-39 (226); 40-49 (188); 50-59 (170); 60-69 (100); 70-79 (45); 80 and older (44).

Whos in the hospital: The state reported 403 Oregonians with confirmed coronavirus infections in the hospital Tuesday, down six from Monday. Of those, 93 were in intensive care units, up nine from Monday.

Vaccines administered: Oregon has administered 115,060 doses, up 10,465 since Monday (with 6,668 administered Monday and 3,797 administered earlier but not previously reported). State officials did not disclose an update on how many doses have been received.

Since it began: Oregon has reported 127,780 confirmed or presumed infections and 1,667 deaths, among the lowest case and death rates in the nation. To date, the state has reported 2,856,686 lab reports from tests.

-- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt

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Oregon ties record with 54 reported coronavirus deaths - OregonLive

Several gorillas at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park have tested positive for the coronavirus, becoming what federal officials said on Monday were the first known apes in the nation to be infected.

Zoo officials said on Monday that they believed the gorillas were infected by an asymptomatic staff member who had been following safety recommendations, including wearing personal protective equipment when near animals.

Veterinarians are closely monitoring the troop, which is made up of eight western lowland gorillas. The infected animals are expected to make a full recovery, officials said.

Aside from some congestion and coughing, the gorillas are doing well, Lisa Peterson, executive director of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, said in a statement.

Three animals are exhibiting symptoms like coughing, officials said. But because gorillas live together in troops, we have to assume, the zoo said, that all members of the family group have been exposed.

The number of western lowland gorillas, which can be found in central Africa, has declined by more than 60 percent over the past two decades, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

Zoo officials learned that at least two gorillas had been infected with the coronavirus after they were observed on Wednesday coughing and showing other mild symptoms, the zoo said in the statement.

On Friday, tests by the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System showed that the coronavirus was present in the troops fecal matter, the zoo said. On Saturday, tests by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories, which provides testing for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, confirmed the troop was infected, the zoo said.

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park has been temporarily closed since Dec. 6 amid the lockdown in California, and the primate habitat where the gorillas are housed poses no public health risk, officials said. Last year, as the pandemic spread across the country, the zoo installed additional protective barriers to ensure that there was more than six feet separating visitors and susceptible species, officials said.

The gorillas in San Diego are among the latest animals to become infected with the coronavirus, which has killed more than 375,000 people in the United States, according to an analysis by The New York Times.

In April, the first case of human-to-cat transmission was detected when a tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York City tested positive for the virus. In August, minks on two farms in Utah tested positive. In December, the countrys first coronavirus infection in a snow leopard was detected at the Louisville Zoo in Kentucky.

The 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo Safari Park and the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research are both in the city of Escondido, Calif., about 30 miles north of the San Diego Zoo. All three are part of the San Diego Zoo Global organization.

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Gorillas at Zoo in San Diego Test Positive for Coronavirus - The New York Times