Category Archives: Covid-19

The Michigan state health department isincreasing the threshold for the number of COVID-19 cases that would constitute an outbreak at a K-12school.

Themove willresult in fewer reported outbreaks and inconsistent state data, coming at a time when school outbreaks are on the rise and local health leaders are pleadingfor a statewide mask mandate.

As of Monday, an outbreak at a school must have three or more associated cases. For the past 18 months, an outbreak consisted of two or more cases. The new definition will not be applied to older outbreaks.

If this change had been implemented at the start of September when manystudents returned to classrooms, the state could have excluded almost25% of new school outbreaksreported in that time frame.

Outbreakson college campuses and child care/youth programs still will be counted if there are two or more associated cases. The two-case threshold also will continue to count as an outbreak in other settings, such as at restaurants, offices, manufacturing/construction sites and others.

More: Michigan's local health leaders want statewide K-12 mask mandate after threats, harassment

More: CDC approves Pfizer COVID-19 booster shots for essential workers, 65 and older, others

Department spokeswoman Lynn Sutfin acknowledged the change may lead to fewer reported outbreaks in K-12 schools.But she saidthe department followed standard procedure and changed its definition because of guidance from theCouncil of State and Territorial Epidemiologists.

She said the change "represents the assessment of a larger body of public health participation and has been highly vetted and approved."

The council issued school-specific guidance onAug. 6 thatnotes there is no national standard forthe number of cases that constitute an outbreak. That has led to confusion, according to the council. Definitions ranged from two cases to 15 cases, depending on the state.

So, the council's guidance suggested defining an outbreak at a school as three or more cases. Previously, it suggested two or more cases, and continues to use that definition for outbreaks at health care venues and other facilities.

Janet Hamilton, executive director of the council, said Tuesday she could not speak to Michigan's individual decision to shiftits definition.

Broadly, she said a national work group arrived at the updated outbreak definition after substantial deliberation. The group felt it was easier to track down the information necessary to show an outbreak that involves at least three people as opposed to two.

"I think the challenge with this is with two casesin an individual school or setting, it was very hard to establish potentially whether or not those individuals had or hadn't always had contact with one another," Hamilton said.

"So we wanted to set a threshold where, essentially, we could say,with some level of confidence, we really do believe that there is more than just sporadic transmission occurring."

It's more challenging to conduct effective contact tracing in schools, Hamilton said, suggesting experts generally need to get information fromparents who have become less forthcoming over the past year.

However, she said that does not mean that a school couldn't have an outbreak involving two students.

"It's hard. It's not a perfect science," said Hamilton, an epidemiologist who previously attended the University of Michigan.

Changing the threshold of what constitutes an outbreak in K-12 schools from two cases to three, but not in other settings, will make it very difficult to compare outbreaks based on exposure site, said Dawn Misra, chair of the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at Michigan State University.

It is kind of silly to have two different standards. It doesn't entirely make sense. … What's special about schools? she said.

With how transmissible the delta variant is, and knowing that many K-12 schools have dropped mask requirements and other mitigation measures this year, the reality of COVID is that if two or three people are sick, there will be 10 cases in a couple of days, Misra said. The best way to protect students and their families and keep schools open is to get shots into the arms of those who are eligible for COVID-19 vaccines, and to require masks.

State data shows the highest case rates among the 10- to 19-year-olds, most of whom have the option of being vaccinated, she said.

Statewide, K-12 schoolshave reported 74 new outbreaks with two associatedcases since Sept. 7, according to the health department.That's about a quarter of the 306 new outbreaks recorded during that time.

More: COVID-19 cases in Michigan schools doubled in a week: Where there are outbreaks

More: Michigan budget bill bans state COVID-19 vaccine mandates, many local school mask rules

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and health department director Elizabeth Hertel have declined to institute a statewide mask mandate. Instead, they've called on local health and education leaders to institute such a rule.

However, local health leaders have repeatedly asked state officials to mandate masks in all schools, saying the patchwork requirements that vary by county and by school district are driving spread of the virus.

"Compliance is all over the board," said Norm Hess, executive director of the Michigan Association for Local Public Health."And that is very concerning because last year, when there was more uniform guidance and orders and compliance with masking in classrooms, the transmission in classrooms was pretty well contained.

"But this year is a whole new ballgame. There's masks, there's no masks, there's all sorts of variation in policies.We believe that the impending wave is going to be worse, that we're going to see a surge that is much worse and that we will have more classroom transmission."

Some local administrators were confused and frustrated after Whitmer did not immediately disavow portions of the state budget that would withhold funding from county health departments that ordered masks in schools.

Whitmer's office has since indicated the governor believes this language is unconstitutional and unenforceable.

Two new studies published Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that schools without mask requirements saw much higher rates of coronavirus transmission than those with mask mandates.

Data from about 1,000 schools in Arizonas Maricopa and Pima counties from July 15-Aug. 31 found that the odds of a school-associated coronavirus outbreak were3.5 times higher in those without mask requirements than in those with them.

Another study analyzed outbreaks in K-12 schools in 520 counties across the U.S. from July 1-Sept. 4. Those with mask rules had a transmission rate of 16.32 cases per 100,000 students. Those without mask requirements had a transmission rate of 34.85 per 100,000 students.

It's rare for COVID-19 to result in severe outcomes for children. However, coronavirus hospitalizations among children are rising in Michiganand students have the capacity to spread the disease to the hundreds of thousands of adults who work in schools statewideand their relatives at home.

On Monday, 35 children withsuspected or confirmed casesof coronavirus had been admitted for treatment at hospitals statewide. That compares with just 13 children hospitalized with suspected or confirmed cases two months ago.

Every day last week, more than 315 Michigan children under the age of 12 were newly diagnosed with the virus that's a rise of 80 cases in kidsper day over the week before.

Contact Dave Boucher: dboucher@freepress.com or 313-938-4591. Follow him on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.

Read the original post:

Michigan's new definition of a COVID-19 school 'outbreak' will mean fewer are reported - Detroit Free Press

Indiana man wound up in hospital, wants everyone to get COVID vaccine

Mark Green, a COVID-19 patient regrets not getting vaccinated on Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, at Hancock Regional Hospital, Greenfield Ind.

Michelle Pemberton, Indianapolis Star

INDIANAPOLIS When Mark Green,who has an underlying lung condition,left his appointment with pulmonologist Robert Klinestiver in July, the physician hoped he had convinced his patient to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

But Green, like so many in Indiana, had doubts, deep ones, about the vaccine, so strong that even an extensive talk with his doctor could not allay his fears.

When Green and Klinestiver next met about two months later, Green lay in bed in a critical care unit, battling a severe case of COVID. The 58-year-old New Palestine, Indiana, man greeted his physician wanly and sheepishly.

By this point, Green has no doubts about the vaccine.

Pausing to take deep breaths from the high flow oxygen device to which he was tethered, Green said he would like to tell everyone to "just go get the vaccine."

He said there's no reason to hesitate.

I didn't take the vaccine myself because I was scared, the unknown, what would happen two or three years down the road, Green said. Once I got sick, I kind of realized, it didnt matter what happens down the road. It matters what happens now. … You got to weigh the here and now or maybe never.

Before, Green said he was worried about the one little dose of vaccine. Over the past 11 days in the hospital, though, he has had what he describes as pounds of medicine pumped into him to keep him alive. And, he said, hes concluded that even if there are no guarantees that nothing will go wrong with the vaccine, its better to be vaccinated now and worry later.

On Friday, as Green's wife, Amy, and a nurse kept watchful eyes on the machine pinging out his heart rate and oxygen saturation level, Green recorded a video with IndyStar in the hopes that he could change at least one persons mind about the vaccine.

Green has heard ofother patients with his condition in the hospital hooked up to a ventilator and he's hopeful that won't happen to him.

The next few days could prove critical ones for Green, Klinestiver said. Some patients in his condition take a turn for the worse. Others continue to go in the right direction and eventually make it home.

Only time will tell.

Both Mark and Amy Green were againsttaking the vaccine. Amy still isn't sure.

They were worried about the unknown.

They discussed the pros and cons at length. They did not doubt COVID-19 was real; they know people who had been sickened by it, includingMark Greens 88-year-old mother.

Health officials have said repeatedly the vaccine is safe and effective, preventing people from developing severe cases of COVID-19 and dying.

But for every argument the Greens heard in favor of the vaccine, it seemed, there was one against. Itsdevelopment and approval just seemed rushed, Mark and Amy agreed. People had politicized it, and their politics fall on the Republican side of things. Not one doctor could promise him beyond a shadow of a doubt that problems with the vaccine would not arise in the future.

The Greens aren't alone in that thinking, despite the repeated efforts of both public and health officials.

Too often, Klinestiver says, his patients say politely "no thanks"when he tries to convince them to take the vaccine. While Klinestiver says he can understand much of this reluctance, he also knows the flip side of the vaccine: That hospitals have been filling up with COVID-19 patients, sometimes leaving little to no room for others to receive care.

And, almost all of these COVID-19 patients, particularly the very sick, have a singular thing in common: They were not vaccinated.

Thatfrustrates him.

COVID-19: Current pandemic has killed about as many Americans as the 1918-19 Spanish flu

When the pandemic first hit, most of the sickest patients were elderly. Now Klinestiver said, the hospital is full of people in their 50s and 40s. Some in their 30s have even died.

Thats the salt in this wound, you know, he said. Its so hard to watch a person in their prime of their lives die.

The Greens had heard all these arguments, but nothing swayed them. Most people they know are not vaccinated. No one in their direct family Mark, Amy, their five adult children is vaccinated.

Marks 88-year-old mother had planned to get vaccinated, but four days before her appointment, she fell and broke her hip, setting off a cascade of health problems, including her own bout with COVID-19 while in rehab.

She recovered.

Neither Mark nor Amy think of themselves as being anti-vaccine. They just had qualms about this particular vaccine, many of which from the outside seem to be largely driven by false information.

The amount of conflicting information made it political, said Amy, who adds she has had flu and pneumonia shots in the past. With this vaccine, however, she said, she felt like the government and officials were shoving it down peoples throats and not giving individuals a choice in whether or not they wanted it.

Daughter doesn't get to know her mother: Woman dies from COVID-19 days after giving birth

Coronavirus Pandemic: Florida man dies of COVID-19 just minutes before his first grandchild is born

Everythingchanged when Mark got the virus.

At first, he thought he had picked up a bad stomach virus that was going around. A few days later, though, a COVID-19 test revealed he was positive, and after four days, the virus settled in his chests and lungs.

Two weekends ago, their doctor told Amy she should plan tobring Mark to the hospitalSept. 13.

But that Sunday night, Mark was having too much trouble breathing, and the pulse oximeter they were using to track his progress showed his oxygen levels had dipped dangerously low. Amy didnt wait. Nor did Mark protest.

I just got to the point I didnt care, he said.

As of Friday, Mark had spent a week and a half in the hospital, and even under a best case scenario, he still has a long haul in front of him.

Things could go either way for Mark. He might need that ventilator. He could also recover without it.

Before he can be discharged from the hospital, he will need to be weaned off his current high doses of oxygen, Klinestiver said. He will still be on oxygen when he leaves, just far less than what hes on now. He will need to work on his legs, which have become debilitated during his illness.

Full recovery, if it comes, could take months, said Klinestiver, who had another patient in his 40s, perfectly healthy who ran every day. That patient spent two or three weeks in the hospital on high doses of oxygen, teetering on requiring a ventilator. He avoided that but spent six months on oxygen and only now is beginning to start running again.

Green accepts the path forward is a long one.

Now,he plans to do his part to persuade others not to wind up where he has been for the past 10 days. He thinks it's crazy the vaccine has been politicized.

Im not pro-vaccine. Im pro-health, he said. The vaccine is what makes you healthy. You get the vaccine, its going to make you healthy, keep you healthy and not let this happen to you.

FollowShari Rudavsky on Twitter: @srudavsky.

See the original post here:

Man hospitalized with COVID-19 begs others to get vaccinated: 'Weigh the here and now' - USA TODAY

More than 99 percent of United Airlines U.S.-based employees who did not seek a religious or medical exemption from the companys COVID-19 vaccine mandate got the shots, while 593 who refused to comply will lose their jobs.

Chicago-based United shared the results of compliance with its vaccine requirement Tuesday, its deadline to provide proof of vaccination.

This is a historic achievement for our airline and our employees as well as for the customers and communities we serve, United CEO Scott Kirby and president Brett Hart said in a memo to employees. Our rationale for requiring the vaccine for all Uniteds U.S.-based employees was simple to keep our people safe and the truth is this: Everyone is safer when everyone is vaccinated, and vaccine requirements work.

Less than 3 percent of the companys 67,000 U.S. employees requested religious or medical exemptions. Earlier this month, United said employees granted exemptions would be placed on temporary leave Oct. 2, while those whose requests were denied would have five weeks to get the shots or face termination.

That deadline was pushed back after six employees filed a lawsuit against the airline alleging it failed to provide reasonable accommodations for employees seeking religious and medical exemptions.

Five of the employees said the company granted their request but only offered unpaid leave, while a sixth said his request was administratively denied, according to the lawsuit, which is seeking class-action status and was filed in federal court in the Northern District of Texas last week.

United said it would aim to resolve requests for accommodations by Oct. 15.

The airline previously said employees in customer-facing roles who sought exemptions would be placed on leave until the pandemic meaningfully recedes, while those in jobs requiring fewer interactions could return once United developed testing and safety protocols.

People granted religious exemptions were told they would be on unpaid leave, while those granted medical exemptions would be on medical leave, which can include some form of compensation.

United is moving ahead with terminating the 593 employees who did not get vaccinated or request an accommodation, though that number could shrink if they change their minds about the vaccine, United said. Company officials said they did not expect their departures to affect operations.

While some employees are leaving United because of the vaccine requirement, some people applying for jobs at the airline volunteered that they were especially interested in career opportunities at United because of the vaccine requirement, a spokesperson said.

While United is the only major U.S. carrier to require the COVID-19 vaccine, Delta Air Lines plans to begin charging unvaccinated employees on the companys health plan a $200 surcharge each month, starting Nov. 1.

Atlanta-based Delta said 82 percent of its employees were vaccinated as of last week, up from 75 percent when the fee was announced last month. Earlier this month, Delta also began requiring unvaccinated employees get weekly COVID-19 tests while community case rates are high.

American Airlines and Southwest Airlines have not provided updates on the share of their workforce that has been vaccinated. Both carriers have encouraged vaccines but stopped short of mandates or fees.

All four carriers would be required to force employees to get vaccinated or get tested for the virus regularly under a mandate President Joe Biden issued earlier this month.

Bidens order directed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to develop a rule requiring companies with at least 100 employees to adopt vaccination mandates or weekly testing programs, with penalties of up to $14,000 per violation.

In a letter to employees earlier this month, executives at American said they were waiting for more details on the order but expected it would affect the airline.

While we will review the details of the plan and determine the path forward for American, what we know is that the presidents actions underscore the importance of team members getting vaccinated against COVID-19 and sooner rather than later, executives said.

Story by Lauren Zumbach, Chicago Tribune.

More articles from the BDN

Read this article:

Nearly 600 United Airlines employees losing their jobs for refusing COVID-19 vaccines - Bangor Daily News

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) It was a short five months ago when Gov. Kristi Noem said the state was very, very close to herd immunity and the state was a national leader in COVID-19 vaccinations.

But over the past several weeks, the Delta variant started coursing through South Dakota like a horse on a track.

Herd immunity, also known as population immunity, is the indirect protection from an infectious disease that happens when a population is immune either through vaccination or immunity developed through previous infection, according to the World Health Organization.

On May 5, during atourism news conference in Sioux Falls, Noem said the state was very, very close to herd immunity with COVID-19. At that point, about 47% of the states 16 and older population were fully vaccinated. As of Sept. 27, 58% of the states 12 and older population are fully vaccinated. The FDA approved vaccines for those 12 and older in mid-May.

In early January 2021, health officials and Noem were praising the state for its leadership in vaccination rates.

The state hasnt been a leader in vaccinations for a while. And based on the incremental increases in the number of vaccinations, those who arent vaccinatedare preventing thereturn ofthe state to a leader role.

Sioux Falls public health director Dr. Charles Chima said in a Sept. 1 news conference the current surge in COVID-19 cases is now a pandemic of the unvaccinated.

Dr. Mike Wilde of Sanford said in the same joint news conference that projections showed the Sioux Falls area was three to four weeks away from another COVID-19 peak in cases and hospitalizations.

From Sept. 1 through Sept. 27, cases increased by 10,346.

From Sept. 1 through Sept. 27, the number of fully-vaccinated individuals increased by 14,155.

The number of hospitalizations has often been a point of emphasis for the Department of Health and Noem.

Back on April 17, 2020, Secretary of Health Kim Malsam-Rysdon said the curve flattening the state was discussing wasnt about reducing the number of people who get COVID-19, but reducing the number of hospital beds needed. The state has gone from projecting a need of 10,000 hospital beds to 2,500 beds in the middle of June 2020. It was also preparing for the possibility of 5,000 beds.

The state was preparing for the worst case scenario, Malsam-Rysdon said about projections and modeling on Aug. 20, 2020. That work has been completed.

Although the state has never needed 10,000 or 5,000 or 2,500 beds at one time during a COVID-19 peak, based on how health systems in the state have had to respond since March of 2020, the question might be: How could the state ever handle a need for 5,000 beds for COVID-19 patients and others?

On Sept. 1, Wilde and Dr. David Basel of Avera McKennan said their hospitals were being stretched with COVID-19 patients. Most of the patients in hospital beds and ICU beds were unvaccinated COVID-19 patients.

We are in a true crisis setting, Dr. Shankar Kurra, Monument HealthsVice President of Medical Affairs in Rapid City said in a Sept. 22 KELOLAND News story.Its putting immense stress, not just on the health system but on our health care workers. It is not sustainable if we continue on this path.

As of Aug. 27, Monument announced it had 78 hospitalized COVID-19 patients across its five hospitals in the Black Hills region. It planned to add more ICU beds.

Even the additions filled quickly as the hospital announced on September 14 that all ICU beds were full.

The state is weathering this phase of the pandemic with few mask mandates in schools or in cities.

In the fall and winter of 2020, a number of schools and cities had mask mandates.

The city of Sioux Falls had a mask mandate from approximately mid-November 2020 through March 2021. Cities such as Huron and Brookings also had mask mandates.

The Sioux Falls School District had a clearly defined indoor mask policy for staff and students during the 2020-2021. It is encouraging masks for staff and students this year.

The Sioux Falls City Council, for example, emphasized the importance of vaccinations at a Sept. 14 informational meeting but few who attended the meeting were wearing masks, even as Chima said during the same meeting that mask wearing was important.

Entertainment venues, including the PREMIER Center, are operating with few or no COVID-19 restrictions.

While Mitchell, Huron and Yankton schools have mask mandates, there were more in 2020-2021.

The recent 2021 COVID-19 peak may be near or may have been reached, depending on which data point is emphasized.

The state reached 19,240 active cases on Nov. 19, 2020. But highs of deaths and hospitalizations were reached at different points.

The state hit 1,033 total deaths on Dec. 3, 2020, and on Dec. 31, there were 1,488 total deaths. Daily reported deaths included 22 men and 17 women on Dec. 16 and 41 total reported deaths on Dec. 24.

There were 437 total deaths on Nov. 1, 2020. Deaths increased by more than 1,000 from that 437 on Nov. 1 to 1,488 on Dec. 31.

Active hospitalizations hit 607 on Nov. 10, 2020.

The state had 7,132 active cases on Oct. 14, 2020, which was weeks before the state hit its peak in cases and hospitalizations. There were 304 people in the hospital on that day.

The 2021 surge has included 60 deaths reported from September 21 to September 27. The death toll was 2,069 on Sept. 21 and 2,129 on Sept. 27.

The September 2021 high for active cases was 7,927 cases on Sept. 20. The highest hospitalization day was 236 on Sept. 21.

Although the S.D. DOHs 2020 COVID-19 modeling was to predict a worst-case scenario, other models and projections did not have as high death totals as the 2,109 dead as of Sept. 22.

KELOLAND News reported on Aug. 21, 2020, that a study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluationsaid South Dakota would have reached its COVID-19 peak in December 2020 if the current situation continued with no additional restrictions such as a mask mandate. The study projected about 254 people would die. If the state had a mask mandate, an estimated 183.4 people would have died from COVID-19, according to the study.

The study projected that 33.45 of the 74 available ICU beds in the state would be needed on Dec. 1, 2020. Another 125 of all available hospital beds would be needed.

The state outperformed some of the health model projections for deaths and other data in the fall and winter of 2020 round of the pandemic.

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation projects that the state will have continued deaths and cases well into the winter.

Daily deaths will climb to four per day by the end of December 2021.

As of Sept. 27, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation projected 2,399 will have died by Dec. 1, 2021, in the worst-case scenario. The projected number of deaths based on current conditions continuing is 2,264. By mid-December, the state will have 1,400 cases of COVID-19 both confirmed and not confirmed.

Current conditions include the pace of vaccinations, participation in social distancing and mask wearing including any mandates.

Health experts within the state and outside of South Dakota have said the Delta variant is impacting a younger segment of the population than the strain experienced in 2020.

Multiple state health agencies are reporting an increasing number of COVID-19 deaths and cases in residents under 60.

As of Sept. 27, there were 17,399 cases in the 10 to 19 age range and 7,236 cases in the 0 to 9 range. The 20 to 29 range has the most cases with 25,183. Also, the state has 23,667 cases in the 30 to 39 range, 20,162 in the 40 to 49 age range and 19,469 cases in the 50 to 59 age range.

As of Sept. 27, 496 individuals under 30 have ever been hospitalized.

South Dakota has 227 deaths in those under 60 including nine in the 20 to 29 range.

The Centers for Disease Control said cases in the 18 to 29 age range has accounted for the largest cumulative number of COVID-19 cases compared to other age groups but still has a lower death rate than other age categories.

The deaths in the 18 to 29 age range in the U.S. represent .6% of all deaths. The deaths in age categories under 17 do not represent more than .1% of all COVID-19 deaths.

The rate of death in the 30 to 39 range is four times higher than the 18 to 29 range, according to the CDC.

Original post:

COVID-19: The story of two pandemic peaks so far in South Dakota - KELOLAND.com

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of September 28, 2021, there are currently 13,542 active COVID-19 cases statewide. There have been 10 deaths reported since the last report, with a total of 3,578 deaths attributed to COVID-19.

DHHR has confirmed the deaths of a 43-year old female from Marion County, a 75-year old male from Kanawha County, a 72-year old female from Marion County, a 43-year old male from Wood County, a 71-year old male from Hampshire County, a 72-year old female from Preston County, a 92-year old female from Mineral County, an 89-year old female from Kanawha County, a 97-year old female from Marion County, and a 36-year old male from Cabell County.

We extend our sincere condolences to these grieving families, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary. The COVID vaccine is free, safe, and effective. Please take time to schedule an appointment today.

CURRENT ACTIVE CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (84), Berkeley (712), Boone (189), Braxton (148), Brooke (98), Cabell (692), Calhoun (35), Clay (44), Doddridge (63), Fayette (314), Gilmer (35), Grant (129), Greenbrier (291), Hampshire (172), Hancock (224), Hardy (92), Harrison (764), Jackson (244), Jefferson (325), Kanawha (950), Lewis (215), Lincoln (130), Logan (319), Marion (586), Marshall (244), Mason (161), McDowell (238), Mercer (562), Mineral (298), Mingo (277), Monongalia (346), Monroe (84), Morgan (87), Nicholas (201), Ohio (230), Pendleton (40), Pleasants (78), Pocahontas (45), Preston (353), Putnam (447), Raleigh (552), Randolph (119), Ritchie (107), Roane (118), Summers (103), Taylor (133), Tucker (29), Tyler (113), Upshur (203), Wayne (382), Webster (50), Wetzel (149), Wirt (69), Wood (684), Wyoming (185). To find the cumulative cases per county, please visit http://www.coronavirus.wv.gov and look on the Cumulative Summary tab which is sortable by county.

Delays may be experienced with the reporting of information from the local health department to DHHR. As case surveillance continues at the local health department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certain county may not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individual in question may have crossed the state border to be tested. Please visit http://www.coronavirus.wv.gov for more detailed information.

West Virginians 12 years and older are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. To learn more about the vaccine, or to find a vaccine site near you, visit vaccinate.wv.gov or call 1-833-734-0965. West Virginians ages 12 and older who have had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine can register for the secondDo it for Babydog: Save a life, Change your lifevaccine sweepstakes by visitingdoitforbabydog.wv.gov.

Free pop-up COVID-19 testing is available today in Barbour, Berkeley, Boone, Brooke, Cabell, Clay, Doddridge, Fayette, Grant, Greenbrier, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, Lincoln, Logan, Marion, Mingo, Monongalia, Monroe, Morgan, Nicholas, Ohio,Preston, Raleigh, Randolph, Taylor, Upshur, and Wyoming counties.

Barbour County

3:00 PM 7:00 PM, Junior Volunteer Fire Department, 331 Row Avenue, Junior, WV

Berkeley County

10:00 AM 5:00 PM, 891 Auto Parts Place, Martinsburg, WV

1:00 PM 5:00 PM, Shenandoah Community Health, 99 Tavern Road, Martinsburg, WV

4:30 PM 8:00 PM, Dorothy McCormack Building, 2000 Foundation Way, Martinsburg, WV

Boone County

12:00 PM 4:00 PM, Boone County Health Department, 213 Kenmore Drive, Danville, WV

Brooke County

10:00 AM 12:00 PM, Weirton Salvation Army, 794 Cove Road, Weirton, WV (optional pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

1:30 PM 3:30 PM, Wellsburg Banquet Hall, 12th Street, Wellsburg, WV (optional pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

Cabell County

9:00 AM 6:00 PM, Cabell-Huntington Health Department Parking Lot, 703 Seventh Avenue, Huntington, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=MavCabell)

8:00 AM 4:00 PM, Marshall University Campus Parking Lot, 1801 6th Avenue, Huntington, WV (optional pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com)

Clay County

1:00 PM 3:00 PM, Clay County Health Department, 452 Main Street, Clay, WV

Doddridge County

10:00 AM 3:00 PM, Doddridge County Park, The Barn, 1252 Snowbird Road South, West Union, WV

Fayette County

10:00 AM 2:00 PM, J.W. & Hazel Ruby West Virginia Welcome Center, 55 Hazel Lane, Mount Hope, WV

Grant County

11:00 AM 5:00 PM, Petersburg City Parking Lot, South Main Street (across from Walgreens), Petersburg, WV (please do not block the fire station entrance)

Greenbrier County

9:00 AM 3:00 PM, State Fair of WV, 891 Maplewood Avenue, Lewisburg, WV 24901 (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVGBC)

Hampshire County

10:00 AM 5:00 PM, Hampshire Memorial Hospital, 63 Sunrise Boulevard, Romney, WV

Hardy County

12:00 PM 7:00 PM, Hardy County Emergency Ambulance Authority, 17940 SR 55, Baker WV

5:00 PM 8:00 PM, Moorefield High School, 401 N. High Street, Moorefield, WV

Jefferson County

10:00 AM 6:00 PM, Hollywood Casino, 750 Hollywood Drive, Charles Town, WV

Lincoln County

9:00 AM 3:00 PM, Lincoln County Health Department, 8008 Court Avenue, Hamlin, WV (optional pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

Logan County

12:00 PM 5:00 PM, Town of Man Fire Department, Administration Building, 110 North Bridge Street, Man, WV (optional pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

Marion County

10:00 AM 9:00 PM, Dunbar School Foundation, 101 High Street, Fairmont, WV

Mingo County

10:00 AM 2:00 PM, Kermit Fire Department, 49 Main Street, Kermit, WV

9:00 AM 3:30 PM, Delbarton Volunteer Fire Department, 68 Farley Avenue, Delbarton, WV

Monongalia County

12:00 PM 4:00 PM, WVU Recreation Center (lower level), 2001 Rec Center Drive, Morgantown, WV

Monroe County

9:00 AM 2:00 PM, Church of God Fellowship Hall, 96 Bud Ridge Road, Union WV, (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVMRC)

Morgan County

11:00 AM 5:00 PM, Valley Health War Memorial Hospital, 1 Health Way, Berkeley Springs, WV

Nicholas County

9:00 AM 3:30 PM, Summersville Regional Medical Center, 400 Fairview Heights Road, Summersville, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVNL)

Ohio County

9:00 AM 3:30 PM, Ohio Valley Medical Center (former main entrance/turning circle), 2000 Eoff Street, Wheeling, WV

Preston County

4:00 PM 5:30 PM, Terra Alta Community Ambulance Squad Station, 1124 East State Street, Terra Alta, WV

Raleigh County

9:00 AM 4:00 PM, Beckley-Raleigh County Health Department, 1602 Harper Road, Beckley, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=MavBeckleyRaleigh)

Randolph County

8:00 AM 2:00 PM, Parking lot across from Randolph-Elkins Health Department, 32 Randolph Avenue, Elkins, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVRDC)

Taylor County

10:00 AM 12:0 PM, Grafton-Taylor County Health Department, 718 West Main Street (parking lot at Operations Trailer), Grafton, WV

Upshur County

8:00 AM 3:30 PM, Jawbone Park, corner of Florida Street and Madison Street, Buckhannon, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVUSC)

Wyoming County

11:00 AM 3:00 PM, Wyoming County Fire Department, 12 Park Street, Pineville, WV

For additional free COVID-19 testing opportunities across the state, please visit https://dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19/pages/testing.aspx.

Visit link:

COVID-19 Daily Update 9-28-2021 - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca speaks during a news conference in Ankara, Turkey, January 24, 2020. REUTERS/Cagla Durak

ANKARA, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Turkey will "never" close schools again despite a recent rise in COVID-19 infections and the government is mulling various methods to continue in-person education, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.

After months of online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, Turkey reopened schools this month, while removing most restrictions over the summer. It also began asking for a negative PCR test or proof of vaccination from teachers and also for certain public events.

Turkey's daily infections have risen over the last month at a rate higher than most peer countries to just below 30,000 per day, as have average positive tests, according to global data.

Daily deaths, which rose to around 250 this month, have fallen slightly and Turkey's vaccination rate based on population is higher than most peers.

Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting on Monday, Koca said a quarter of coronavirus cases detected since schools reopened were among those aged up to 17. But the priority was to continue in-person classes under all conditions, he said.

"I have said that we will keep schools open this year under any circumstances. It's not about being the last to close, they should never close," state broadcaster TRT Haber quoted Koca as saying.

He said Ankara was also mulling education options including weekend classes and other methods. Turkey will keep shopping malls open.

Some 52% of Turks have received two vaccine shots under a national programme that has administered more than 108 million jabs. More than 63,000 people have died from COVID-19 in Turkey, according to the World Health Organization.

Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu,Editing by Daren Butler and Angus MacSwan

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read the rest here:

Turkish health minister says schools will never close despite high COVID-19 infections - Reuters

Syracuse, N.Y. Newlyweds Lynn and Austin Carpenter had recently moved into an apartment and were expecting their first child when she suddenly became ill.

Lynn, a volunteer firefighter and patient care aide at a group home, was told she had pneumonia when she went to a hospital Sept. 1 and was sent home, her father-in-law Richard Carpenter said.

Two days later, Austin, a full-time EMT and volunteer firefighter in Dryden, noticed his wife wasnt breathing right. Her blood pressure and respirations were dropping, and she was pale and sweating. An ambulance brought her to Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca.

Lynn, 21, tested positive for Covid-19 and was put on a ventilator.

She was airlifted to Crouse Hospital in Syracuse later that evening on Sept. 3. She still had 2 1/2 months until her Nov. 18 due date. But five days later, on Sept. 8, doctors asked her husband for permission to perform an emergency C-section, his parents said.

Lynns body was starting to shut down so it could compensate for her fetus, her in-laws said.

... In order to save both (Lynn and the baby), they had to take the baby, said Austins mother, Cindy Carpenter. They figured it would be better for both of them so they could recuperate separately and she could get the medications she needed that she couldnt get because of being pregnant.

Doctors told Austin it was a matter of life or death, Richard Carpenter said.

They told him he could lose one or both, Cindy Carpenter added. It was very scary.

On Sept. 8, Lynn gave birth to a 3-pound, 12-ounce baby boy who was 12 inches long. It was Austins first day out of quarantine so he was there for the birth, but he couldnt hold his son, Dawsyn Lynn Avery Carpenter.

Immediately after the birth, Dawsyn was brought to the hospitals neonatal intensive care unit and Lynn went to an intensive care unit for Covid patients, her father-in-law said.

Austin, 24, drives each morning from Enfield, about 10 miles west of Ithaca, to the hospital in Syracuse to be by his wifes side and hold his baby boy. He took photos of Dawsyn and showed them to his wife as she lay in a hospital bed, hooked up to the ventilator.

Lynn was heavily sedated the first week she was in the hospital, but then only partially sedated the following two weeks. She used a whiteboard to write messages when she was awake, but couldnt speak.

On Saturday, Lynn came off the ventilator.

On Sunday, she held her baby for the first time.

She had tears of joy, Cindy Carpenter said after seeing a photo that captured the moment.

Lynn can now talk, but only in a whisper. On Monday, she refused pain medications and said she wants to start walking, her father-in-law said.

She wants to get home with her family, he said.

But the family isnt sure when she and the baby can go home yet.

Dawsyn weighs just over 5 pounds now. Hes healthy, but still in an incubator at times, his grandparents said. Its likely Dawsyn wont be able to go home until hes at least 35 weeks gestational age, said Richard Carpenter, who is also an EMT.

Based on what the family has been told, chances are Lynn will remain in the hospital after her baby goes home. While Lynn continues to recover, the Dryden community is rallying around the family.

The Neptune Hose Co. No. 1 of Dryden, the fire department where both Lynn and Austin volunteer, is hosting a benefit chicken barbecue starting at 3:30 p.m. Friday for the couple and their newborn.

Other first responders and a family member have given Austin gas gift cards to help him get to and from Syracuse. A family friend had food delivered to the couples apartment. Austins parents and Lynns mom, Jennifer Spinner, are helping care for the couples two dogs.

A firefighter friend created a GoFundMe with hopes of raising $100,000 to help pay the couples bills. Anyone who wants to send a donation instead of giving online can also mail it to Lynn and Austin Carpenter, in care of Richard Carpenter, 55 Maple St., Lot 5, Harpursville, NY 13787.

Its a financial nightmare, Richard Carpenter said.

Lynn Carpenter has health insurance, but it wont cover all the medical expenses, he said. She also hasnt been able to work since the end of August when she became ill. She believes she may have caught the coronavirus from a Unity House colleague who previously tested positive, her in-laws said.

Austin Carpenter took time off his job as an EMT with Dryden Ambulance to be in Syracuse with his wife and baby. He told his dad he has about three weeks of savings, but that wont cover all the hospital bills.

Lynn planned to get vaccinated, but had not yet during her pregnancy, her father-in-law said. Austin also is not yet vaccinated, but hospital staff is encouraging him to do so before he brings the baby home so he likely will soon, Richard Carpenter said.

Christine Nash, the couples friend who created the GoFundMe fundraiser, said the money raised will help as their bills are mounting to astronomical highs.

Nash shared Lynns Facebook post from over the weekend:

This has been one hard journey these last few weeks being stuck in the hospital undergoing surgeries, having to have Dawsyn and not being able to see my son until just yesterday and not being able to speak to him or hold him and compared to that the other hardest of them all is learning to walk again. I do wanna thank my husband who has been by my side dealing with me in the hospital every day. The days I wanna quit, the days I cry because nothing ever feels like its going to get better and Im stuck reliving past memories like those will be my last and even the good days. I also wanna thank the family who has come to visit, checked in, and FaceTimed with me. And to everyone on here who has sent messages and prayers and the go fund me page really just everything. Everything that you all are doing to help me and my family in this hard time. Thank you all for coming together for me. Its nice to know I have such a crowd of supporters and it helps me to keep fighting on. So thank you everyone its much appreciated!

Nash said she hopes others will help Lynn, Austin and Dawsyn Carpenter.

If ever a family deserved help from the public, its this one, Nash wrote. These are people that save lives on a daily basis and run into danger without a second thought.

Dryden Volunteer Firefighter Lynn Carpenter is seen helping in the community before she contracted Covid-19. Lynn worked part-time with Dryden schools with after-school activities and worked as a patient care aid at Unity Home based out of Ithaca.

Have a tip or a story idea? Contact Catie OToole: cotoole@syracuse.com | text/call 315-470-2134 | Twitter | Facebook

The rest is here:

Pregnant volunteer firefighter on ventilator fighting COVID-19, gives birth 2 1/2 months early in Syracuse - syracuse.com

The James Webb Space Telescope is scheduled to head to space on Dec. 18, 2021. With it, astronomers hope to find the first galaxies to form in the universe, will search for Earthlike atmospheres around other planets and accomplish many other scientific goals.

I am an astronomer and the principal investigator for the Near Infrared Camera or NIRCam for short aboard the Webb telescope. I have participated in the development and testing for both my camera and the telescope as a whole.

To see deep into the universe, the telescope has a very large mirror and must be kept extremely cold. But getting a fragile piece of equipment like this to space is no simple task. There have been many challenges my colleagues and I have had to overcome to design, test and soon launch and align the most powerful space telescope ever built.

The Webb telescope has a mirror over 20 feet across, a tennis-court sized sun shade to block solar radiation and four separate camera and sensor systems to collect the data.

It works kind of like a satellite dish. Light from a star or galaxy will enter the mouth of the telescope and bounce off the primary mirror toward the four sensors: NIRCam, which takes images in the near infrared; the Near Infrared Spectrograph, which can split the light from a selection of sources into their constituent colors and measures the strength of each; the Mid-Infrared Instrument, which takes images and measures wavelengths in the middle infrared; and the Near Infrared Imaging Slitless Spectrograph, which splits and measures the light of anything scientists point the satellite at.

This design will allow scientists to study how stars form in the Milky Way and the atmospheres of planets outside the Solar System. It may even be possible to figure out the composition of these atmospheres.

Ever since Edwin Hubble proved that distant galaxies are just like the Milky Way, astronomers have asked: How old are the oldest galaxies? How did they first form? And how have they changed over time? The Webb telescope was originally dubbed the First Light Machine because it is designed to answer these very questions.

One of the main goals of the telescope is to study distant galaxies close to the edge of observable universe. It takes billions of years for the light from these galaxies to cross the universe and reach Earth. I estimate that images my colleagues and I will collect with NIRCam could show protogalaxies that formed a mere 300 million years after the Big Bang when they were just 2% of their current age.

Finding the first aggregations of stars that formed after the Big Bang is a daunting task for a simple reason: These protogalaxies are very far away and so appear to be very faint.

Webbs mirror is made of 18 separate segments and can collect more than six times as much light as the Hubble Space Telescope mirror. Distant objects also appear to be very small, so the telescope must be able to focus the light as tightly as possible.

The telescope also has to cope with another complication: Since the universe is expanding, the galaxies that scientists will study with the Webb telescope are moving away from Earth, and the Doppler effect comes into play. Just like the pitch of an ambulances siren shifts down and becomes deeper when it passes and starts moving away from you, the wavelength of light from distant galaxies shifts down from visible light to infrared light.

Webb detects infrared light it is essentially a giant heat telescope. To see faint galaxies in infrared light, the telescope needs to be exceptionally cold or else all it would see would be its own infrared radiation. This is where the heat shield comes in. The shield is made of a thin plastic coated with aluminum. It is five layers thick and measures 46.5 feet (17.2 meters) by 69.5 feet (21.2 meters) and will keep the mirror and sensors at minus 390 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 234 Celsius).

The Webb telescope is an incredible feat of engineering, but how does one get such a thing safely to space and guarantee that it will work?

The James Webb Space Telescope will orbit a million miles from Earth about 4,500 times more distant than the International Space Station and much too far to be serviced by astronauts.

Over the past 12 years, the team has tested the telescope and instruments, shaken them to simulate the rocket launch and tested them again. Everything has been cooled and tested under the extreme operating conditions of orbit. I will never forget when my team was in Houston testing the NIRCam using a chamber designed for the Apollo lunar rover. It was the first time that my camera detected light that had bounced off the telescopes mirror, and we couldnt have been happier even though Hurricane Harvey was fighting us outside.

After testing came the rehearsals. The telescope will be controlled remotely by commands sent over a radio link. But because the telescope will be so far away it takes six seconds for a signal to go one way there is no real-time control. So for the past three years, my team and I have been going to the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore and running rehearsal missions on a simulator covering everything from launch to routine science operations. The team even has practiced dealing with potential problems that the test organizers throw at us and cutely call anomalies.

The Webb team will continue to rehearse and practice until the launch date in December, but our work is far from done after Webb is folded and loaded into the rocket.

We need to wait 35 days after launch for the parts to cool before beginning alignment. After the mirror unfolds, NIRCam will snap sequences of high-resolution images of the individual mirror segments. The telescope team will analyze the images and tell motors to adjust the segments in steps measured in billionths of a meter. Once the motors move the mirrors into position, we will confirm that telescope alignment is perfect. This task is so mission critical that there are two identical copies of NIRCam on board if one fails, the other can take over the alignment job.

This alignment and checkout process should take six months. When finished, Webb will begin collecting data. After 20 years of work, astronomers will at last have a telescope able to peer into the farthest, most distant reaches of the universe.

[Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend. Sign up for our weekly newsletter.]

See the original post:

James Webb Space Telescope: An astronomer on the team explains how to send a giant telescope to space and why - The Conversation US

The James Webb Space Telescope is scheduled to head to space on 18 December this year. With it, astronomers hope to find the first galaxies to form in the universe, will search for Earth-like atmospheres around other planets and accomplish many other scientific goals. I am an astronomer and the principal investigator for the Near Infrared Camera or Nircam for short aboard the Webb telescope. I have participated in the development and testing for both my camera and the telescope as a whole. To see deep into the universe, the telescope has a very large mirror and must be kept extremely cold. But getting a fragile piece of equipment like this to space is no simple task. There have been many challenges my colleagues and I have had to overcome to design, test and soon launch and align the most powerful space telescope ever built.

Young galaxies & alien atmospheres

The Webb telescope has a mirror over 20 feet across, a tennis-court sized sunshade to block solar radiation and four separate camera and sensor systems to collect the data.It works kind of like a satellite dish. Light from a star or galaxy will enter the mouth of the telescope and bounce off the primary mirror toward the four sensors Nircam, which takes images in the near infrared; the Near Infrared Spectrograph, which can split the light from a selection of sources into their constituent colours and measures the strength of each; the Mid-Infrared Instrument, which takes images and measures wavelengths in the middle infrared; and the Near Infrared Imaging Slitless Spectrograph, which splits and measures the light of anything scientists point the satellite at.This design will allow scientists to study how stars form in the Milky Way and the atmospheres of planets outside the Solar System. It may even be possible to figure out the composition of those atmospheres.Ever since Edwin Hubble proved that distant galaxies are just like the Milky Way, astronomers have asked: how old are the oldest galaxies? How did they first form? And how have they changed over time? The Webb telescope was originally dubbed the First Light Machine because it is designed to answer those very questions.One of the main goals of the telescope is to study distant galaxies close to the edge of the observable universe. It takes billions of years for light from those galaxies to cross the universe and reach Earth. I estimate that images my colleagues and I will collect with Nircam could show protogalaxies that formed a mere 300 million years after the Big Bang when they were just two per cent of their current age.Finding the first aggregations of stars that formed after the Big Bang is a daunting task for a simple reason: These protogalaxies are very far away and so appear to be very faint.Webbs mirror is made of 18 separate segments and can collect more than six times as much light as the Hubble Space Telescope mirror. Distant objects also appear to be very small, so the telescope must be able to focus the light as tightly as possible.The telescope also has to cope with another complication since the universe is expanding, the galaxies that scientists will study with the Webb telescope are moving away from Earth, and the Doppler effect comes into play. Just like the pitch of an ambulances siren shifts down and becomes deeper when it passes and starts moving away from you, the wavelength of light from distant galaxies shifts down from visible to infrared light.Webb detects infrared light it is essentially a giant heat telescope. To see faint galaxies in infrared light, the telescope needs to be exceptionally cold or else all it would see would be its own infrared radiation. This is where the heat shield comes in. The shield is made of a thin plastic coated with aluminium. It is five layers thick and measures 46.5 feet by 69.5 feet and will keep the mirror and sensors at minus 234o Celsius.The Webb telescope is an incredible feat of engineering, but how does one get such a thing safely to space and guarantee that it will work?

Test & rehearseThe James Webb Space Telescope will orbit a million miles from Earth about 4,500 times more distant than the International Space Station and much too far to be serviced by astronauts.Over the last 12 years, the team has tested the telescope and instruments, shaken them to simulate the rocket launch and tested them again. Everything has been cooled and tested under the extreme operating conditions of orbit.I will never forget when my team was in Houston testing the Nircam using a chamber designed for the Apollo lunar rover. It was the first time that my camera detected light that had bounced off the telescopes mirror, and we couldnt have been happier even though Hurricane Harvey was fighting us outside.After testing came the rehearsals. The telescope will be controlled remotely by commands sent over a radio link. But because the telescope will be so far away it takes six seconds for a signal to go one way there is no real-time control. So, for the past three years, my team and I have been going to the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, United States and running rehearsal missions on a simulator covering everything from launch to routine science operations. The team even has practised dealing with potential problems that the test organisers throw at us and cutely call anomalies.

Some alignment requiredThe Webb team will continue to rehearse and practise until the launch date in December, but our work is far from done after Webb is folded and loaded into the rocket.We need to wait 35 days after launch for the parts to cool before beginning alignment. After the mirror unfolds, Nircam will snap sequences of high-resolution images of the individual mirror segments. The telescope team will analyse the images and tell motors to adjust the segments in steps measured in billionths of a metre. Once the motors move the mirrors into position, we will confirm that telescope alignment is perfect. This task is so mission critical that there are two identical copies of Nircam on board if one fails, the other can take over the alignment job.This alignment and checkout process should take six months. When finished, Webb will begin collecting data. After 20 years of work, astronomers will at last have a telescope able to peer into the farthest, most distant reaches of the universe.

The writer is Regents professor of astronomy, University of Arizona, United States. This article first appeared on http://www.theconversation.com

View post:

Looking at the ends of the universe - The Statesman

The Inspiration4 crew takes a selfie from SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule. Photo: Inspiration4

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: | Subscribe to This Podcast

The crew of Inspiration4 is safely here on the ground after spending three days in low Earth orbit.

It was the first all-civilian space mission, launching on SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center. Inside their Crew Dragon capsule, the crew flew higher than the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope.

But before they launched, the mission was gaining lots of buzz. A Netflix documentary followed the crew during training and people came to Floridas space coast to watch this historic mission launch off this planet.

Well hear from some of those people that came out to cheer Inspriation4 on and ask them what made them turn to the sky and watch these four launch into space.

Then, is the crew astronauts? Its a complex question. Well chat with a spaceflight historian Amy Foster and retired NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman about what it takes to be called an astronaut and if this crew meets the definition.

Looking back at Inspiration 4s launch, and the future of commercial astronauts thats ahead on Are We There Yet, here on WMFE Americas Space Station.

Read more here:

Can We Call The Inspiration4 Crew Astronauts? - WMFE