Category Archives: Covid-19

Despite pleas for people to stay home and restrictions on dining and gatherings, New Jersey remains stubbornly stuck in the orange zone on the states weekly COVID-19 activity map.

For the sixth week in a row, all 21 counties are orange, indicating high coronavirus activity, according to data released by the state Department of Health Thursday.

The weekly COVID-19 Activity Level map breaks New Jersey into six regions and uses local health data to calculate where COVID-19 is spreading the fastest. If any region turns red on the map, virus levels are considered very high and all schools in those counties must switch to all-remote learning.

Because every region is still orange on this weeks map, schools across the state still have the option of opening for in-person classes when they return from winter break next week. But districts are still encouraged to consider switching to all-virtual learning while their regions are orange, according to state health guidelines.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

We urge everyone to stay safe. Avoid large gatherings. Social distance. Mask up, Gov. Phil Murphy said on Twitter Thursday after announcing 5,107 new coronavirus cases and another 90 deaths in his daily update.

Though they remain orange on the map, two part of the state the Northwest and the Central West showed a slight improvement over last week, according to the new data.

The percent positivity indicator dropped to moderate in the Northwest region of Morris, Passaic, Sussex and Warren counties after slightly less than 10% of COVID-19 tests in those counties came back positive.

In the Central West region of Hunterdon, Mercer and Somerset counties the percentage of people showing COVID-like symptoms dropped from high to moderate and the percent positivity fell slightly to 8.2%.

However, the case rates in both regions remained high, keeping the counties orange on the map.

All six regions in New Jersey continued to score a 3 on the state's COVID-19 Activity Level Index for the week ending Dec. 26. That means virus levels are "high" across the state.

The COVID-19 Activity Level Report calculates a score each week for each region using case rates, percentage of positive tests and the percent of people reporting cough, fever and other symptoms that might be the coronavirus.

The state was last red, indicating very high virus activity, in April. But it dropped to orange in May, then was green (low activity) or yellow (moderate activity) for most of the summer and fall as infection rates fell.

However, all six regions jumped to orange again in mid-November when the second wave of the pandemic hit the state.

The regions are:

-Northwest: Morris, Passaic, Sussex, Warren

-Northeast: Bergen, Essex, Hudson

-Central West: Hunterdon, Mercer, Somerset

-Central East: Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Union

-Southwest: Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem

-Southeast: Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland

This weeks map is based on data for the week ending Dec. 26 and likely does not include the results from people who were exposed to the virus during Christmas gatherings.

The color assigned for each region green (low), yellow (moderate), orange (high) or red (very high) is based on the COVID-19 Activity Level Index, or CALI, a score from 1 to 4 that health officials give each region weekly. The score is calculated using a formula that uses the case rate per 100,000 people, the regions seven-day average percentage of people who test positive and the percent of people who report coughs, fever and other symptoms that could be COVID-19.

As of Thursday, the pandemic has killed at least 19,042 people in New Jersey since the first death was reported in March.

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Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com.

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COVID-19 activity still high in every N.J. county, map says. But things are slightly better in these 2 regi - NJ.com

As office workers continue to stay home during the pandemic, cities that were in the middle of downtown comebacks are feeling uncertainty (Oct. 20) AP Domestic

SAN FRANCISCO Rory Cox shudders each time he steps outside the doors of his YuBalance fitness studio.

Its a damn ghost town, said Cox, 37, whose three studios have seen an 80% decline in business since the novel coronavirus hit inMarch. My number one marketing tool is people walking by. If theyre not out there, you lose.

Cox, like many of those he represents as founder of the San Francisco Small Business Alliance, loves this iconic and iconoclastic city, a place where tech start-ups havebrought both great riches and staggering inequality.

But if San Francisco, which this week joined much of Californiain a mandatory three-week lockdown, isnt able to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, he, along with his wife, Shala, and their 5-year-old son, may pack up and head to a small Virginia town where his mother lives andstart over.

Rory Cox, in black outfit, helps a lone client workout at YuBalance, one of three fitness studios Cox operates in San Francisco. The pandemic has seen business slide 80%. Cox is concerned that the recent exodus of big tech companies from town may permanently hinder the city's rebound from the pandemic.(Photo: Courtesy of Rory Cox)

If this city doesnt work hard to rebuild after the winter, youll have more boarded-up shops, more homeless people in doorways, more break-ins, he said. Detroit was the richest city in America in the 1950s. We could be candidates for that kind of fall.

With the COVID-19 vaccine beginning to roll out, how the biggest cities in the United States economic engines and cultural cauldrons such as New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Miami return from the deadliest global health crisis in a century mayin someways foreshadow how the United Statesbounces back.

An altered future seems inevitable. Just over half of those polled in September by the Pew Research Center said they expecttheir lives will remain changed in major ways after the pandemic. For some, that has meant moving; a June Pew survey revealed one in five said the outbreak made them or someone they know change residence.

But despite the budget shortfalls plaguing nearly every major city due to the pandemic, urban planners, economists and architects share a resoundingly positive consensus.They say that buoyed by a younger demographic drawn to jobs, social opportunities and public services, cities will survive this crisis much as they didthe Spanish Flu of 1918 and the terrorist attacks on 9/11, an echo ofEuropean capitals' resilience after the bubonic plague of the 1300s and cholera outbreakof the early 1800s.

Some even posit that a year from now the United Statesmight be in the midst of a new Roaring 20s, a reference to giddy good times that followedthe Spanish Flu.

Economists at the University of California, Los Angeles, released a study last week predicting a gloomy winter would be supplanted by a leap in gross domestic product from a weak 1.2% in the current quarter to 6% by next spring, with more growth in sight.

Part of that growth will depend on how quickly and effectively cities pivotin the wake of a landscape-altering pandemic. A lot of that will depend on how fast municipal financial coffers, depleted by lost real estate and sales tax revenue, fill back up or whether federal aidcomes to the rescue.

Consider these possible best-case-scenario changes most driven by employees continuing to work at least part-time from home that experts say could come to our urban centers as COVID-19 hits the nations rearview mirror:

The need for commercial real estate shrinks, with some office spaces converted into living quarters. A boom in available housing drives down ownership and rental costs, revitalizing downtowns.

Ridership grows for improved public transportation systems, as flexible work schedules mean a move away from traditional commuting hours and increased demand for all-day access.

Parks mushroom across cities as residents crave more open spaces as a reaction to both pandemic-era social distancing habits and more time spent outdoors over the past year.

Restaurants roar back as the need to socialize returns, leaning heavily on new habits that include using sidewalks and parking spots as outdoor eating options.

New York commuters, shown here in a 2017 photo, have long relied on the city's web of subway lines to move around of the world's greatest cities. Many urban planners expect New York to be able to return to its former bustling glory after the nation reaches a herd immunity to the COVID-19 virus, and in fact some predict city life could be more appealing than ever if buildings and open spaces are redesigned with a mission to provide residents even more room than before the pandemic struck.(Photo: Mark Lennihan, AP)

A bit less clear, experts add, is the prospect for social activities that formerly implied shoulder to shoulder contact with other patrons. Bars, concert halls and even museums likely will have to take a wait and see approach to operating their businesses.

But if managed correctly, the fundamental and enduring lure of city life could be at the heart of the nation's recovery, saidJanette Sadik-Khan, former commissioner of New Yorks Department of Transportation and principal with Bloomberg Associates, a philanthropic consulting group funded by former New York mayor and one-time presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg.

There are so many opportunities following the pandemic not just to restore what wasnt working before, but to move in a new direction, she said, adding thatthe energy, excitement and sense of place offered by major cities means there will be a natural desire to return to them.

Our streets can be used for so much more than moving and parking cars, such as front yards for residents or dining areas for restaurants, she said.

As cities morph in response to changing work habits and the memory of the pandemic, architecture will be pivotal toredesigning existing spaces so that they reflect new concerns surfaced by the pandemic, experts predict.

The most obvious change will involve improving both air flow and natural light in buildings, said Michael Murphy, CEO of Boston-based architecture firm, MASS Design Group. He added that restaurants and museums will need to be particularly watchfulgiven their tendency to attract the masses.

Architects and designers will need to play a large role in rebuilding systems of trust through the design of safe and healthy spaces that remind us of our shared humanity, he said.

Chicago's lakefront area is home to one of many bike lanes around the Windy City. Urban planners say that a post-pandemic city life should include a shift away from cars and toward more bikes lanes, parks and other open spaces, in part as a response to newfound social distancing tendencies.(Photo: LeoPatrizi/Getty Images)

If politicians at the highest level don't turn their attention and funding efforts toward big cities where the poor and people of color were physically and fiscally impacted disproportionately by the pandemic life in our leading metropolises is only likely to get worse, said Richard Florida, a professor at the University of Torontos School of Cities and author of The New Urban Crisis.

This is now in the hands of states and the Biden-Harris administration, Florida said of President-elect Joe Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris. Were going to need a pretty massive federal effort in the form of a bailout and fast. Its not just an opportunity, its an obligation. If we miss it, there will be hell to pay.

Cities may well be on their own. Congress continues to debate the next coronavirus relief package as stimulus funds are set to expire. But only $160 billion of the roughly $1 trillion new package would be earmarked for state, local and tribal governments, far short of the $500 billion requested by the National Governors Association.

Biden recently laid out a $1.3 trillion infrastructure spending plan, to be helmed by Pete Buttigieg, that would include helping to get public transportation rolling againaround the country. The spending proposal could face a tough battlein the Senate if Republican Mitch McConnell keeps majority control of the chamber.

Former mayor and presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, shown here last March with now President-elect Joe Biden, has been put forth by the president-elect as the nation's next transportation secretary. Biden hopes to allocate more than $1 trillion to the nation's infrastructure, which would include public transportation considered a key component in the revitalization of cities post-COVID-19.(Photo: Juan Figueroa, AP)

Some metro areas will have to rely even more heavily on natural selling points to build back stronger after the pandemic, said urbanist Florida.

New Yorks global appeal will bring back residents as soon as the worst of the pandemic is over, with perhaps younger families replacing retirees.In Florida, Miamis weather and no-tax-state status will prove a boon in the coming years, as will Los Angeles sunny climate, cultural offerings and nearby natural escapes.

Florida points to how some cities have been adding bike lines and closing streets to car traffic as evidence that the pandemic will only accelerate urban trends that already are underway. Hes bullish on the growth of so-called 15-Minute Neighborhoods, a concept wherein residents of a revitalized city will be able to shop, work and socialize within a few minutes walk of where they live.

Much more serious and deadly pandemics have not really even dented the arc of urbanization, said Florida. I think were in the infancy of this.

Urban experts all agree on one thing: all of these changes will be influenced directly by the degree to whether working from home becomes ingrained as a new normal.

While some businesses, notably technology companies, have signaled a permanent retreat from an office setting, most experts predict a hybrid model.

The answer to just how many days we return to an office will drive a lot of change, said Christopher Mayer, professor of real estate at the Columbia University Business School in New York.

WeWork, a co-working space concept that took off like a rocket before running into financial problems last year, could be among the newly hot solutions for city-based employers, who are facing a wholesale change to their commercial real estate needs after the pandemic energized the working from home concept.(Photo: Spencer Platt, Getty Images)

Overall, a diminished demand for office space one of the most prominent by-products of COVID-19 as well as the sense that new offices will require more room for each employee will bring a series of changes to the workplace environment.

These will include a boom in so-called hot-desking, where employees coming to an office space on different days use the same work stations, said Carlo Ratti, professor of Urban Technologies and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and director of the SENSEable City Lab.

Zoom, that pandemic work darling, isnt going away. But city businesses may start providing areas to conduct virtual meetings as a way of generating added revenue,Ratti said.

The way Starbucks became a place for email, these could be new places to patronize while Zooming, said Ratti.

The fact that the nation, admittedly some states more than others, has had to endure a collective quarantine for nearly a year means that as the vaccine takes hold there will be almost a frenetic desire to gather in public.

But those public spaces now will need to meet a new, higher standard, one that is safer and inspiring,said Rogier Van Den Berg, director of urban development at the World Resources Institute Ross Center for Sustainable Cities in Washington, D.C.

Tech giant Oracle, a longtime fixture in the Bay Area and most recently sponsor of the San Francisco Giants' stadium downtown, recently announced it would be moving its operations to Texas. Local business owners fear that such departures will make it harder for the city to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.(Photo: Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports)

People will want urban spaces to be more appealing, more green, more walkable, more biking, he said, adding that the default attitude will be to give our city leadersthe benefit of the doubt.After disasters of any kind, people do tend to forget very fast what theyve been through. They recover and move forward.

First, they have to stop losing residents, not to mention employers.

A SeptemberLinkedIn survey based on user profile zip code changes shows Hartford, Connecticut, leading the pack in citizen losses, largely due to jobs evaporating, while Austin, Texas, tops the list of cities gaining the most residents during COVID-19.San Francisco is third in resident departures, just behind New York.

While many experts predict a Big Apple return once a vaccine lets life resume, they are less bullish on the prospects of San Francisco, whose boom and bust cycles date back to the 1850s Gold Rush. The main reason: fleeing technology companies, which for the better part of 20 years have fueled the region's soaring standard and cost of living.

In the past week alone, Tesla and Oracle both announced they would be leaving the Bay Area for Texas, eager to avoid paying Bay Area wages and pricey office rents.

"I'm worried about San Francisco," said urban expert Florida. "Cities like Austin have been eating its lunch."

Terzo in San Francisco has kept its door open thanks to seating people in former parking spaces. Owner Laurie Thomas says its vital city officials continue to allow the appropriation of such spots if local businesses are to survive and the city is to bounce back from COVID-19.(Photo: Courtesy of Laurie Thomas)

Beyond being expensive San Francisco's median home price is now $1.3 million some residents have started to leave due to a pressing homelessness issue exacerbated by the pandemic, said Tom Radulovich, executive director of transportation advocacy group Livable City and a former director of Bay Area Rapid Transit.

The city has in many ways rested on its laurels while the tech economy boomed, he said. Now we might find ourselves in a position smaller cities are familiar with, needing to up our game in order to attract business.

San Francisco's downtown financial and tech district, home to its new but sparsely populated Salesforce Tower, has been hollowed out by the pandemic. Conventions and tourists have vanished. Many storefronts are boarded up. Residential rents have dropped 25%.

In the second quarter of this year, sales tax revenue slid43%. More recently, credit card receipt data suggested that 85% of restaurants in this foodie mecca had shuttered.

Will there physically be people in town to even come to our places to eat? asked Laurie Thomas, owner of Roses Caf and Terzo restaurant and executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association. If not, that will just kill us.

Thomas said she has survived by cutting back to a skeleton staff, providing outdoor dining and doing take-out. She said being able to keep offering patrons outdoor dining in what used to be parking spaces will be crucial to her future survival.

We need locals, but we also need tourists and conventions andtheres no telling when those come back. We need help, she said.

For San Francisco, as with other major American cities, the question "seems to be, What is the value of a city after a pandemic? said Ted Egan, San Franciscos chief economist. A major worry for us is if people who have mastered Zoom and have gotten used to being at home just dont feel they really need that in-person interaction anymore.

For the past two decades, this bay citys boom at the hands of tech giants such as Twitter, Google and Facebook has flooded the city with young workers with better than average salaries craving those very in-person interactions. They spent money on great restaurants, hip cocktail lounges, stylish boutiques and personal training.

Rory Cox and his wife Shala pose in one of a trio of YuBalance fitness studios they own in San Francisco. The couple is concerned the city will have a hard time bouncing back from the pandemic after residents and tech companies have left over the past months.(Photo: Courtesy of Rory Cox)

If they and their discretionary dollars aren't a part of a post-COVID-19 plan, fitness studio owner Cox may be among those leaving the big city life behind.But for the momenthe remains hopeful city officials will listen to merchants like him and empower an urban renaissance that attracts businesses, tourists and new residents to a greener, culturally energized andwork-life friendly San Francisco.

I met my wife here, I started my business here, we started our family here, its where wewant to be, said Cox. Many of uswantto keep this city alive and vibrant after this pandemic is over. People dont move here for Target and Chipotle, they move for the cool small businesses. We need to come back strong, and we'll need help."

Follow USA TODAY national correspondent Marco della Cava: @marcodellacava

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Will San Francisco, New York and other big cities recover from COVID-19? What a post-vaccine city could look like - USA TODAY

For Immediate Release: December 18, 2020

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the second vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The emergency use authorization allows the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine to be distributed in the U.S. for use in individuals 18 years of age and older.

With the availability of two vaccines now for the prevention of COVID-19, the FDA has taken another crucial step in the fight against this global pandemic that is causing vast numbers of hospitalizations and deaths in the United States each day, said FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn, M.D. Through the FDAs open and transparent scientific review process, two COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized in an expedited timeframe while adhering to the rigorous standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality needed to support emergency use authorization that the American people have come to expect from the FDA. These standards and our review process, which are the same we have used in reviewing the first COVID-19 vaccine and intend to use for any other COVID-19 vaccines, included input from independent scientific and public health experts as well as a thorough analysis of the data by the agencys career staff.

The FDA has determined that the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine has met the statutory criteria for issuance of an EUA. The totality of the available data provides clear evidence that the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine may be effective in preventing COVID-19. The data also show that the known and potential benefits outweigh the known and potential riskssupporting the companys request for the vaccines use in people 18 years of age and older. In making this determination, the FDA can assure the public and medical community that it has conducted a thorough evaluation of the available safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality information.

The Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine contains messenger RNA (mRNA), which is genetic material. The vaccine contains a small piece of the SARS-CoV-2 viruss mRNA that instructs cells in the body to make the viruss distinctive spike protein. After a person receives this vaccine, their body produces copies of the spike protein, which does not cause disease, but triggers the immune system to learn to react defensively, producing an immune response against SARS-CoV-2.

Guided by science and data, the agencys career staff determined that the vaccines known and potential benefits clearly outweigh its known and potential risks, and although not an FDA approval, the FDAs expectations described in our June and October guidance documents have been met, said Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the FDAs Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. Todays authorization demonstrates our steadfast commitment to the health of the American people, with the assurance that our scientific standards and the integrity of our review process have been maintained. This achievement is yet another testament to the dedication of FDAs career scientists and physicians, who have been working urgently to conduct comprehensive and rigorous evaluations of the data submitted for vaccines to prevent COVID-19.

FDA Evaluation of Available Safety Data

Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine is administered as a series of two doses, one month apart. The available safety data to support the EUA include an analysis of 30,351 participants enrolled in an ongoing randomized, placebo-controlled study conducted in the U.S. These participants, 15,185 of whom received the vaccine and 15,166 of whom received saline placebo, were followed for a median of more than two months after receiving the second dose. The most commonly reported side effects, which typically lasted several days, were pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, swollen lymph nodes in the same arm as the injection, nausea and vomiting, and fever. Of note, more people experienced these side effects after the second dose than after the first dose, so it is important for vaccination providers and recipients to expect that there may be some side effects after either dose, but even more so after the second dose.

It is mandatory for ModernaTX, Inc. and vaccination providers to report the following to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) for Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine: all vaccine administration errors, serious adverse events, cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS), and cases of COVID-19 that result in hospitalization or death.

FDA Evaluation of Available Effectiveness Data

The effectiveness data to support the EUA include an analysis of 28,207 participants in the ongoing randomized, placebo-controlled U.S. study who did not have evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection prior to the first dose of vaccine. Among these participants, 14,134 received the vaccine and 14,073 received placebo. The vaccine was 94.1% effective in preventing COVID-19 disease among these clinical trial participants with 11 cases of COVID-19 in the vaccine group and 185 in the placebo group. At the time of the analysis of these 196 COVID-19 cases, none in the vaccine group and 30 in the placebo group were classified as severe. After the analysis of these 196 cases was completed, one severe case in the vaccine group was identified and is awaiting confirmation. At this time, data are not available to determine how long the vaccine will provide protection, nor is there evidence that the vaccine prevents transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from person to person.

The EUA Process

On the basis of the determination by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services on Feb. 4, 2020, that there is a public health emergency that has a significant potential to affect national security or the health and security of United States citizens living abroad, and issued declarations that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of unapproved products, the FDA may issue an EUA to allow unapproved medical products or unapproved uses of approved medical products to be used in an emergency to diagnose, treat, or prevent COVID-19 when there are no adequate, approved, and available alternatives.

The issuance of an EUA is different than an FDA approval (licensure) of a vaccine, in that a vaccine available under an EUA is not approved. In determining whether to issue an EUA for a product, the FDA evaluates the available evidence to determine whether the product may be effective and also assesses any known or potential risks and any known or potential benefits. If the product meets the effectiveness standard and the benefit-risk assessment is favorable, the product is made available during the emergency. Once a manufacturer submits an EUA request for a COVID-19 vaccine to the FDA, the agency then evaluates the request and determines whether the relevant statutory criteria are met, taking into account the totality of the scientific evidence about the vaccine that is available to the FDA.

The EUA also requires that fact sheets that provide important information, including dosing instructions, and information about the benefits and risks of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, be made available to vaccination providers and vaccine recipients.

ModernaTX, Inc. has submitted a pharmacovigilance plan to the FDA to monitor the safety of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine. The pharmacovigilance plan includes a plan to complete longer-term safety follow-up for participants enrolled in ongoing clinical trials. The pharmacovigilance plan also includes other activities aimed at monitoring the safety profile of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and ensuring that any safety concerns are identified and evaluated in a timely manner.

The FDA also expects manufacturers whose COVID-19 vaccines are authorized under an EUA to continue their clinical trials to obtain additional safety and effectiveness information and pursue approval (licensure).

The EUA for the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine was issued to ModernaTX, Inc. The authorization will be effective until the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of the emergency use of drugs and biologics for prevention and treatment of COVID-19 is terminated. The EUA for Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine may be revised or revoked if it is determined the EUA no longer meets the statutory criteria for issuance.

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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FDA Takes Additional Action in Fight Against COVID-19 By Issuing Emergency Use Authorization for Second COVID-19 Vaccine - FDA.gov

The West VirginiaDepartment of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of December 18, 2020, there have been 1,365,174total confirmatorylaboratory results received for COVID-19, with 69,751 total cases and 1,091deaths.

DHHRhas confirmed the deaths of a 60-year old female fromBarbour County, a 74-year old female from Monroe County, an 83-year old male fromBerkeley County, a 77-year old male from Raleigh County, a 77-year old femalefrom Wyoming County, a 17-year old male from Kanawha County, a 64-year old femalefrom Kanawha County, a 58-year old male from Kanawha County, a 46-year old malefrom Mineral County, an 85-year old male from Mineral County, a 78-year old malefrom McDowell County, an 86-year old female from Wood County, a 65-year old femalefrom Wood County, a 78-year old female from Berkeley County, a 78-year old malefrom Hancock County, an 80-year old male from Cabell County, a 67-year old femalefrom Mingo County, a 61-year old male from Grant County, a 95-year old femalefrom Wyoming County, and an 84-year old female from Wood County.

Today is another hard day as West Virginianscope with the loss of loved ones, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary.These are peoplemothers, fathers, grandparents, brothers, and sisters. Ourdeepest condolences go out to the families who have lost loved ones in thispandemic.

CASESPER COUNTY: Barbour (591), Berkeley (4,981),Boone (873), Braxton (205), Brooke (1,097), Cabell (4,306), Calhoun (115), Clay(222), Doddridge (190), Fayette (1,448), Gilmer (267), Grant (636), Greenbrier(1066), Hampshire (753), Hancock (1,477), Hardy (585), Harrison (2,269),Jackson (973), Jefferson (1,990), Kanawha (7,503), Lewis (383), Lincoln (617),Logan (1,322), Marion (1,382), Marshall (1,741), Mason (872), McDowell (786),Mercer (2,060), Mineral (1,961), Mingo (1,186), Monongalia (4,512), Monroe(516), Morgan (518), Nicholas (538), Ohio (2,137), Pendleton (209), Pleasants(234), Pocahontas (309), Preston (1,237), Putnam (2,580), Raleigh (2,236),Randolph (977), Ritchie (277), Roane (253), Summers (346), Taylor (537), Tucker(255), Tyler (260), Upshur (683), Wayne (1,442), Webster (118), Wetzel (562),Wirt (170), Wood (3,993), Wyoming (995).

Please note that delaysmay be experienced with the reporting of information from the local healthdepartment to DHHR. As case surveillance continues at the local health departmentlevel, it may reveal that those tested in a certain county may not be aresident of that county, or even the state as an individual in question mayhave crossed the state border to be tested.

Please visit the dashboard located at http://www.coronavirus.wv.gov for more information.

Free COVID-19 testing daily events scheduled fortoday, Friday, December 18, 2020:

BerkeleyCounty

10:00 AM 6:00 PM, 891 AutoParts Place, Martinsburg, WV

BrookeCounty

10:00 AM 4:00 PM, BrookeHigh School Wellness Center Entrance (near pool), 29 Bruin Drive, Wellsburg, WV(pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

GrantCounty

12:00 PM 6:00 PM,Petersburg Elementary School, 333 Rig Street, Petersburg, WV

HarrisonCounty

9:00 AM 12:00 PM,Harrison-Clarksburg Health Department, 330 West Main Street, Clarksburg, WV (by appointment; 304-623-9308 andpre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

Logan County

2:00 PM 6:00 PM, Town of Man Fire Department, Administration Building,110 North Bridge Street, Man, WV (pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

Marshall County

Mason County

Mingo County

10:00 AM 4:00 PM, Hurley Drug Company, 210 Logan Street, Williamson, WV

Monongalia County

9:00 AM- 11:00 AM, WVU Rec Center, 2001 Rec Center Drive, Morgantown, WV.(Pre-registration at WV.getmycovidresult.com)

OhioCounty

11:00 AM 4:00 PM, Valley Grove Volunteer Fire Department, 355Fire House Lane, Valley Grove, WV (pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

11:00 AM 4:00 PM, Warwood Fire Station #9, 1301 Richland Avenue,Wheeling, WV (pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

11:00 AM 4:00 PM, Wheeling Island Fire Station #5, 11 NorthWabash Street, Wheeling, WV (pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

Putnam County

9:00 AM 3:00 PM, Teays Valley Baptist Church, 3926 Teays Valley Road,Hurricane, WV

Taylor County

Wayne County

10:00 AM 2:00 PM, Wayne County Health Department, 217 Kenova Avenue,Wayne, WV

Wood County

11:00 AM 2:00 PM, Mineral Wells Elementary, 1776 Elizabeth Pike, MineralWells, WV (pre-registration: http://www.ipsumcovidresults.com)

Wyoming County

11:00 AM 3:00 PM, Old Board of Education, 19 Park Street, Pineville, WV

Additional testing will be held on Saturday,December 19, 2020 in Berkeley, Hampshire, Hancock, Ohio, and Putnam counties.

There are many ways to obtain free COVID-19 testing in WestVirginia. Please visit https://dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19/pages/testing.aspx.

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COVID-19 Daily Update 12-18-2020 - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

In June, we reported that Black and Hispanic Americans faced higher rates of housing hardship than white Americans, and we emphasized the importance of identifying a long-term rather than a Band-Aid solution. Now, almost six months later, with COVID-19 cases skyrocketing, no significant efforts have been taken to mitigate the situation. Additionally, a change in administration will bring more delays, making the risk of a major housing crisis even more real. To make matters even worse, data from our recent survey indicates that the impact of COVID-19 on homeowners not only still exists, but it has significantly worsened, especially among Black and Hispanic households and young adults.

We explored how housing hardships changed over time based on nationally representative survey samples from two waves of the Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Survey, administered by the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis. The survey was administered in late April and early May (Wave 1) and late August (Wave 2) to over 5,000 nationally representative samples each time. To understand housing hardships over time, we focused on the following questions:

Data from our recent survey indicates that the impact of COVID-19 on homeowners not only still exists, but it has significantly worsened, especially among Black and Hispanic households and young adults.

Strikingly, the eviction/foreclosure rates for all respondents doubled in August, mainly driven by Black and Hispanic households reporting higher evictions/foreclosures than white households (Figure 1). For example, the eviction/foreclosure rate of Black and Hispanic respondents increased by 7 percent as compared to only 2 percent among white respondents. Additionally, Black respondents were almost twice as likely to be forced to move than non-Hispanic white respondents in Wave 2, despite being least likely to be forced to move during Wave 1. While the jump in eviction risk among Black households is certainly alarming, Hispanic respondents maintain the highest vulnerability to eviction among the three groups both in Wave 1 and Wave 2. The trends of rent/mortgage delinquency (Figure 2) and other delayed bill payments (Figure 3) were similar to the eviction and/or foreclosure experience. The disproportionate housing-hardships across racial/ethnic groups widened as the pandemic was prolonged and will continue to widen if no action is taken.

In addition to severe disparities in housing hardships based on race and ethnicity, we found a significant increase in hardship over time among young adults. In both survey waves, young adults (18-39 years old) were the most vulnerable to housing-related hardships, followed by middle-aged adults (40-54 years old), then older adults (55+ years old), and Wave 2 further widens the gap.

While a very small number of older adults reported housing-related hardship experiences during either wave of our survey, both middle-aged- and young adults faced more housing instability as the pandemic persisted. In particular, nearly twice as many young adults reported both eviction/foreclosure and mortgage/rent delinquency (or payment delay) in August as compared to May. This is compounding the financial situation of young adults who have had a shorter amount of time to accumulate protective financial assets, making it harder to weather the shock of the pandemic.

This situation could potentially widen the wealth gap for Black and Hispanic households, as well as young adults, and increase hardship for landlords. Additionally, Aspen Institute estimates that 30 million to 40 million people could lose their shelter when the eviction moratorium ends, exacerbating the situation for emergency shelters.

Despite the alarming trend in housing instability at the onset of the pandemic, the public sector provided short-term, ineffective solutions. Eviction moratoriums provided some relief, yet the current moratorium, which expires on December 31, does little to guarantee protections. Instead, this solutionmerely an agreement declaration between tenants and landlordspostpones impending housing and financial disasters rather than eradicate problems renters may confront after the expiration, including paying back missed bills. Furthermore, this measure could exacerbate the risks for mom and pop landlords, exposing them to housing hardship, bankruptcy, or foreclosure due to an erosion of liquid assets. And our findings imply that housing resolutions did little to reduce the risks of financially vulnerable groups.

More proactive and sustainable remedies are needed. Solutions should also be oriented not only to highly pronounced groups, such as Black and Hispanic families, but also to obscure and less pronounced groups, including young adults and noncorporate landlords. A universal housing voucher for those with income below a certain level is an effective remedy. This not only secures stable income for landlords, it also drastically reduces evictions and homelessness, as well as widespread discrimination against voucher tenants.

Obviously, universal vouchers have a cost. Though the expenditure seems huge, it is far less than tax benefits for homeowners. The Office of Tax Analysis at the U.S. Department of Treasury estimates that the exclusion of imputed rent in 2020 reduced federal revenues by $126 billion. And we have the money; as of September 2020, the Department of Housing and Urban Development still has $134.5 billion that has not been allocated.

In addition to monetary costs, theres a public perception challenge, too. Paying for universal vouchers requires public consensus that every member is related to one other, especially in the era of contagion. Every member of society is impacted by this housing situation. If Black and Hispanic families are unable to pay off their rent and mortgage, their financial risks shift to their landlords and mortgage lenders. If young adults are evicted, the coronavirus could spread rapidly to older generations. Indeed, stable shelter is not only a fundamental human need for individuals, but also an imperative tool for society to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

Link:

Housing inequality gets worse as the COVID-19 pandemic is prolonged - Brookings Institution

When the coronavirus outbreak led to widespread shutdowns and stay-at-home orders throughout the country in March, many Americans were forced to adapt and shift parts of their daily routines. Some of these adaptations have relied heavily on technology including adults working from home and students engaging in online learning. Many other activities like social gatherings, fitness classes, school activities and medical appointments went virtual for a time, though some of these activities have resumed in person in many places.

Over the course of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, Pew Research Center has studied Americans attitudes about the role and effectiveness of various technologies and their views about digital privacy and data collection as it relates to the pandemic. Here is what we found.

A month into the COVID-19 outbreak, 87% of U.S. adults said the internet had been at least important for them personally during the outbreak, including 53% who deemed the internet as essential for them personally, according to a survey conducted in April 2020. Americans views on the importance of the internet during that time varied greatly by age and educational attainment. Adults under the age of 50 were far more likely than those ages 50 and older to say the internet has been essential for them during the outbreak (63% vs. 41%). And while 65% of college graduates said that the internet had been essential for them during the outbreak, those shares dropped to about half or fewer for those with some college experience or high school education or less.

At the same time, roughly half of adults (49%) said that a major interruption in their internet or cellphone service during the coronavirus outbreak would be a very big problem for daily life in their household, according to a March survey. Another 28% said it would present a moderately big problem, and 16% said it would be a small problem.

Again, age and level of formal education are factors. Adults under the age of 65 were more likely than those 65 and older to say this type of outage would be a very big problem. And those with a bachelors or advanced degree were more likely than those with lower levels of educational attainment to say this.

Despite early fears about the internet buckling under pressure as traffic rose substantially since the beginning of the pandemic in the U.S., internet performance remained mostly stable and providers say speeds have decreased only slightly in some areas.

But even though the internet and mobile phones helped Americans fill the gap left by the decline in face-to-face contact with others, a majority of Americans (64%) said in March that the internet and phones would be useful but not be an adequate substitute for in-person interactions. On the other hand, 27% of adults said that conducting these everyday interactions online or by telephone because of recommended limits on social contact during the COVID-19 outbreak would be just as good as in-person contact. Roughly three-quarters of college graduates (73%) said that if their everyday interactions had to be done online or by phone, it would help but not be a replacement for in-person contact. That figure was lower among those who have some college experience (63%) and those with a high school education or less (56%).

Even as majorities deemed the internet important during the outbreak and described a potential disruption to their services as problematic, many Americans particularly those with lower incomes were concerned about paying for this connectivity. About three-in-ten broadband users (28%) said they worried a lot or some about paying their home broadband bill over the next few months, according to an April survey. Similarly, 30% of smartphone users expressed some or a lot of worry about paying for their cellphone bill over the next few months. Hispanics and adults who live in households with lower incomes were among those who were most likely to say they were worried about paying for these services. For instance, about half or more of broadband and smartphone users with lower incomes said they worried a lot about paying for both broadband and cellphone bills, compared with about one-quarter of those with middle incomes and roughly one-in-ten of those with higher incomes who expressed the same amount of worry.

Despite notable shares saying they were worried about paying their broadband and cellphone bills, a majority of adults overall said the government does not have a responsibility to ensure all Americans have a high-speed internet connection (62%) or cellphone services (65%) at home during the coronavirus outbreak, according to the same April survey. For both home internet and cellphone services, Democrats and independents who lean toward the Democratic Party were more likely than Republicans and their leaners to think the government should be responsible for ensuring access.

As schools around the country shut down due to the spread of the coronavirus, many parents were worried that the lack of a computer or high-speed internet connection at home would hinder their childrens ability to keep up with schoolwork. About six-in-ten lower-income parents with children whose K-12 schools closed in the spring (59%) said in an April survey it was at least somewhat likely that their child would face at least one digital obstacle while doing their schoolwork at home during the coronavirus outbreak. Three-in-ten parents who have middle incomes also thought it was at least somewhat likely this would be an issue, while 13% of those with a higher income said the same.

Across all parents whose childs school was closed, roughly three-in-ten parents (29%) said it was very or somewhat likely their child would have to do their schoolwork on a cellphone. About one-in-five parents said it was at least somewhat likely their child would have to use public Wi-Fi to finish their schoolwork because they lacked a reliable home internet connection (22%) or would not be able to complete their schoolwork because they did not have access to a computer at home (21%) during the outbreak.

While most Americans (80%) said in the same April survey that K-12 schools should have a responsibility to provide computers to at least some students during the outbreak, there were differences in whether people said this should be done for all students or just those who cant afford this technology.

Some 37% of Americans said schools should be responsible for providing laptops or tablet computers to all students in order to help them complete their schoolwork at home during the coronavirus outbreak, while 43% said schools should be responsible for providing this technology only for students whose families cannot afford it. Though Democrats and Republicans agreed that schools should be responsible for providing this technology to at least some students (44% vs. 42%, respectively), Democrats (45%) were more likely than Republicans (28%) to say schools should provide this technology to all students.

When it comes to data collection and digital privacy related to the COVID-19 outbreak, only a minority of Americans said in April that they thought cellphone tracking would be beneficial for curbing the spread of the virus. Some 38% said that if the government tracked peoples locations through their cellphone during the coronavirus outbreak it would help at least a little in limiting the spread of the virus. A larger share 60% said this type of tracking by the government would not make much of a difference in limiting the spread of the coronavirus.

In other efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus, many states launched large-scale contact tracing programs, which public health officials use to trace the spread of the virus by connecting with those who have tested positive for COVID-19 or those who have been exposed to a positive case. Half of adults said in a July survey they would be not at all or not too comfortable sharing location data from their cellphone with a public health official during the coronavirus outbreak. A slightly smaller share of Americans (41%) said they would be not at all or not too likely to speak with a public health official who contacted them by phone or text message to speak with them about the virus.

In that contact tracing survey, Americans also were asked in July about their levels of confidence in different groups when it comes to keeping their personal records safe. Half of adults said they were not at all or not too confident that the federal government would keep their personal records safe from hackers or unauthorized users. About four-in-ten adults (41%) said they lacked confidence that public health organizations will keep their records secure. A smaller share, 19%, said they were not at all or not too confident that their medical doctors or health care providers would keep their records safe.

More here:

How Americans view tech in the time of COVID-19 - Pew Research Center

They were educators, music teachers and community activists who served tirelessly for those living in poverty.

In less than two weeks, eight Roman Catholic sisters died of illnesses related to Covid-19 at a Wisconsin retirement home this month, a gut-wrenching loss that highlighted the risks of infection in communal residences, even as administrators said they took precautions against infection.

The deaths took place at Notre Dame of Elm Grove, about eight miles west of Milwaukee, in Waukesha County. Like most of the United States, Wisconsin is struggling to contain the spread of the coronavirus, and it has recorded at least 482,443 cases and 4,566 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, according to a New York Times database. There have been 34,176 cases in Waukesha, it shows.

The home was converted into a residence for elderly and sick sisters on a site historically used as an orphanage for children in the area in 1859. The first of the eight women died on Dec. 9, and the others in the days that followed, through Tuesday, Trudy Hamilton, a spokeswoman for the School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province, which established the home, said on Friday.

Sisters Rose M. Feess, 91, and Mary Elva Wiesner, 94, a religious educator and liturgist, died on Dec. 9, according to the homes site. Sister Dorothy MacIntyre, 88, died two days later, and Sister Mary Alexius Portz, 96, died two days after that, on Sunday. Sisters Joan Emily Kaul, 95, Lillia Langreck, 92, and Michael Marie Laux, 90, died on Monday. Sister Cynthia Borman, 90, died on Tuesday.

It was quite a shock in a short amount of time, Ms. Hamilton said. Their full biographies were not immediately available, she said, as administrators were trying to deal with the grim loss of so many dying in such a short period of time. We are playing catch up, Ms. Hamilton said.

Experts say that aging populations are particularly vulnerable to the virus, which thrives in transmission anywhere people are in close contact. The sisters lived communally, just as residents living in nursing homes, which have especially been hard hit by the pandemic.

The deaths at the residence reflected losses at similar facilities. At the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in Livonia, Mich., 12 Felician sisters died in April and May, followed by a 13th sister in June, of Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

In Wisconsin, at least five sisters at Our Lady of the Angels Convent, in a suburb of Milwaukee, died, starting in April. All five nuns were discovered to have the virus only after their deaths.

Dec. 19, 2020, 1:31 a.m. ET

In Waukesha County, the Medical Examiners Office does not require mandatory reporting of Covid-19 deaths, said Linda Wickstrom, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services. It is the prerogative of a business or congregate setting to either confirm or deny an outbreak or health status of individuals, she said in an email.

Sister Debra Marie Sciano, the provincial leader for School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province, said in an interview that the eight sisters at the Elm Grove campus had retired there after decades of service, in fields that included teaching, music education, crafts and poetry.

(A ninth sister, Sister Marcene Schlosser, 82, died at a separate S.S.N.D. campus in Mankato, Minn., on Dec. 14.)

Sister Debra said that the Elm Grove residence had followed federal guidelines to try to keep the sisters safe, with masks and social distancing protocols such as spacing a few at a time at dining tables, and curtailing the number of visitors.

Then on Thanksgiving Day, she was informed that one of the sisters had tested positive for the coronavirus. She was separated from the rest, and when others started to become sick, the group was cared for in one wing. Right after that, we began testing twice a week, Sister Debra said.

The 88 others who still live at the facility are required to stay in their rooms, where they eat and watch Mass on closed circuit televisions.

It has been rough, it has been very rough, she said. It is kind of like a gut-punch moment. The first was hard enough, and when it kept happening, there was a sense of deep loss.

Detailed biographies for some of the women, including quotes from them that were recorded on occasions celebrating 25 years of service, reflected lifetimes of work in education and in taking care of others.

Sister Mary Portz was a music teacher who said her greatest joy was teaching children piano lessons.

Sister Rose Feess loved teaching and working on the Indian Reservation in South Dakota with the Sioux Indians. Likewise, I have always been happy to work with the poor and underprivileged like the people of the streets who knock on my door, or Louie, the homeless man, who became our charge until God called him, she said, according to her profile on the site.

Sister Debra said Sister Dorothy was a teacher, as well as a dental assistant, and loved to do arts and crafts. Sister Michael taught in Guam, Alaska and Kenya. Sister Lillia was a poet, a special needs teacher and a strong advocate for peace and justice, Sister Debra said.

It really hurts, she said. But even as hard as it is for us, we try to celebrate their lives as well.

More here:

8 Catholic Sisters Die of Covid-19 Within a Week at a Wisconsin Home - The New York Times

The West VirginiaDepartment of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of December 17, 2020, there have been 1,353,347total confirmatorylaboratory results received for COVID-19, with 68,485 total cases and 1,071deaths.

DHHRhas confirmed the deaths of a 98-year old female fromBarbour County, a 78-year old male from Barbour County, an 81-year old malefrom Monongalia County, a 92-year old female from Brooke County, a 105-year oldfemale from Jefferson County, a 57-year old female from Ohio County, a 70-yearold female from Marshall County, an 84-year old male from Boone County, a 92-yearold female from Ohio County, an 85-year old male from Preston County, an 89-yearold female from Marshall County, a 100-year old female from Boone County, a 74-yearold female from Wood County, a 92-year old female from Brooke County, an 81-yearold male from Brooke County, an 80-year old male from Marshall County, a 75-yearold female from Hardy County, a 76-year old male from Mercer County, a 71-yearold male from Lewis County, an 85-year old female from Preston County, a 92-yearold female from Brooke County, a 76-year old male from Mercer County, a 59-yearold female from Harrison County, a 66-year old female from Wood County, a 61-yearold male from Wood County, a 76-year old male from Tucker County, a 60-year oldfemale from Barbour County, a 93-year old female from Kanawha County, a 74-yearold male from Monongalia County, a 90-year old female from Raleigh County, an 83-yearold female from Raleigh County, and an 81-year old male from Raleigh County.

Every life lost to this deadly virus leavesa hole in a family, a community and our state, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHRCabinet Secretary. I offer my deepest sympathies to all who are mourning aloved one today.

CASESPER COUNTY: Barbour (577), Berkeley (4,916),Boone (859), Braxton (190), Brooke (1,083), Cabell (4,221), Calhoun (112), Clay(216), Doddridge (183), Fayette (1,429), Gilmer (262), Grant (624), Greenbrier(1025), Hampshire (724), Hancock (1,441), Hardy (578), Harrison (2,205),Jackson (949), Jefferson (1,961), Kanawha (7,412), Lewis (369), Lincoln (596),Logan (1,292), Marion (1,347), Marshall (1,724), Mason (856), McDowell (773),Mercer (2,006), Mineral (1,941), Mingo (1,172), Monongalia (4,422), Monroe(505), Morgan (499), Nicholas (529), Ohio (2,102), Pendleton (202), Pleasants(228), Pocahontas (304), Preston (1,188), Putnam (2,560), Raleigh (2,212),Randolph (969), Ritchie (272), Roane (248), Summers (343), Taylor (530), Tucker(252), Tyler (254), Upshur (675), Wayne (1,417), Webster (114), Wetzel (549),Wirt (167), Wood (3,913), Wyoming (988).

Please note that delaysmay be experienced with the reporting of information from the local healthdepartment to DHHR. As case surveillance continues at the local healthdepartment level, it may reveal that those tested in a certain county may notbe a resident of that county, or even the state as an individual in questionmay have crossed the state border to be tested.

Please visit the dashboard located at http://www.coronavirus.wv.gov for more information.

Free COVID-19 testing daily events scheduled fortoday, Thursday, December 17, 2020:

Berkeley County

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

4:30 PM 8:00 PM, Dorothy McCormack Building, 2000 Foundation Way, Martinsburg, WV(pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

Boone County

Hampshire County

9:00 AM 3:00 PM, Hampshire County Fair Grounds (at the dining hall), Fairground Drive,Augusta, WV 26704

Hardy County

Jackson County

9:00 AM 12:00 PM, Jackson County Health Department, 504 Church Street South, Ripley, WV

Mingo County

11:00 AM 4:00 PM, Kermit Volunteer Fire Department, 49 Main Street, Kermit, WV

9:00 AM 3:00 PM, Williamson Health and Wellness Center, under the tent, 183 2ndAvenue, Williamson, WV

10:00 AM 4:00 PM, Hurley Drug Company, 210 Logan Street, Williamson, WV

Ohio County

11:00AM 4:00 PM, Valley Grove Volunteer Fire Department, 355 Fire House Lane,Valley Grove, WV (pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

11:00AM 4:00 PM, Warwood Fire Station #9, 1301 Richland Avenue, Wheeling, WV (pre-registration:https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

11:00AM 4:00 PM, Wheeling Island Fire Station #5, 11 North Wabash Street,Wheeling, WV (pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

Putnam County

9:00AM 5:00 PM, Liberty Square, 613 Putnam Village, Hurricane, WV(pre-registration: bit.ly/pchd-covid)

Taylor County

Wayne County

10:00 AM 2:00 PM, Wayne County Health Department, 217 Kenova Avenue, Wayne, WV

Wood County

12:00 PM 3:00 PM, New Hope Baptist Church, 1777 Rosemar Road, Vienna, WV

Additional testing will be held on Friday,December 18, 2020 in Berkeley, Brooke, Grant, Harrison, Logan, Marshall, Mason,Mercer, Mingo, Ohio, Putnam, Taylor, Wayne, Wood, and Wyoming counties.

There are many ways to obtain free COVID-19 testing in WestVirginia. Please visit https://dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19/pages/testing.aspx.

Originally posted here:

COVID-19 Daily Update 12-17-2020 - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

Yes, the timeline felt fast to me. I didnt know if I would get called at all. At the time when I signed up there had already been overwhelming demand to participate in the Pfizer trial. I knew the study slots were close to full.

With distribution of a coronavirus vaccine beginning in the U.S., here are answers to some questions you may be wondering about:

[Track coronavirus cases and hospitalizations across the state.]

What was it like for you, a researcher, to take part in a randomized trial?

The feeling of being randomized took me by surprise. I should note that the study staff were absolutely wonderful to me. They answered all my questions and treated me with the utmost kindness, dignity and respect. But even so, randomization was unsettling. Despite knowing full well what I signed up for, it even felt unfair for a moment. As a practicing nurse, I had already had a number of potential coronavirus exposures, though fortunately, I never actually contracted the virus. It would have meant a lot to me to get the active vaccine and I really, really did not want to be in the placebo group.

A month later, you received a second injection but it was a very different experience. You had soreness at the injection site, nausea, chills, dizziness and a fever that spiked to 104.9 degrees the next day. Although you later found out that these side effects are common, do you think it will be a barrier to some people getting the vaccine? And, are the side effects you experienced anything to worry about?

I have received many vaccines in my life and have never had a strong reaction like I did with this injection, if indeed I got the active vaccine. Side effects could be a barrier if people are not prepared for them. It is critical that we as health care providers explain potential side effects patients might experience so that they come back for the second dose and do not worry that the side effects are dangerous. In almost all cases, side effects are transient and minor. My experience of having multiple side effects is very rare.

The side effects you experienced are also similar to the symptoms associated with Covid-19. How can health care providers reassure people about its safety?

First, I would urge all health care workers to get the vaccine if and when it is offered. It can go a long way with patients to say, I trust this vaccine enough to have gotten it myself. Second, I would urge health care providers to plan enough time to have a meaningful conversation with patients about their questions and concerns around these vaccines. We must be very clear that it is impossible for mRNA vaccines to cause Covid-19 and that these vaccines do not contain coronavirus. Finally, I think health care providers should be sure to explain why side effects are happening. Vaccines work by activating the bodys immune system, and it is this activation that both teaches the body how to protect itself from the virus and causes side effects like fever, chills, muscle pain, etc. Health care providers should explain that side effects are, in a way, a positive sign that the vaccine is working.

Link:

What It Was Like to Participate in a Covid-19 Vaccine Trial - The New York Times

News Release

Thursday, December 17, 2020

NIH trial enrolling people hospitalized with COVID-19.

Two randomized, controlled Phase 3 clinical trials have begun evaluating investigational monoclonal antibodies for their safety and efficacy in treating people hospitalized with moderate COVID-19. The trials are part of the ACTIV-3 master protocol, which has an adaptive design allowing investigators to add new sub-studies of additional investigational agents. ACTIV-3is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

One sub-study is evaluating VIR-7831, a monoclonal antibody developed through a partnership between GlaxoSmithKline plc (Brentford, United Kingdom) and Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (San Francisco). The other sub-study is evaluating the combination of BRII-196 and BRII-198, two neutralizing monoclonal antibodies manufactured by Brii Biosciences (Durham, North Carolina and Beijing). Antibodies are infection-fighting proteins naturally made by the immune system. Antibodies can prevent viruses from infecting cells, sometimes by binding to the surface of the viruses. Synthetic versions of these antibodies, prepared in a laboratory, are known as monoclonal antibodies.

Participants in the new ACTIV 3 sub-studies will be randomized 1:1:1 to receive either a saline placebo, VIR-7831 or the Brii combination. The ACTIV-3 design allows researchers to evaluate each antibody in a small group of volunteers, and then to enroll a larger group of volunteers if the antibody appears safe and effective. Initially, researchers will enroll approximately 450 volunteers who have been hospitalized with mild to moderate COVID-19 with fewer than 13 days of symptoms. After five days, the participants symptoms will be assessed on a seven-point ordinal scale ranging from being able to undertake usual personal activities with minimal or no symptoms, to death.

If an antibody appears to be safe and effective, each sub-study will enroll an additional 700 people. Three-hundred-fifty of those people will be assigned to receive the intervention, and 350 will receive the placebo. The new group of volunteers may include those with more severe illness. The primary endpoint of the trial is the participants sustained recovery for 14 days after release from the hospital.

Prior to the addition of these therapeutics to the trial, ACTIV-3 previously tested a different monoclonal antibody known as LY-CoV555, developed by Eli Lilly and Company (Indianapolis). Following a recommendation from the Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) for this trial, ACTIV-3 investigators recently closed the sub-study, based on the low likelihood that the intervention would be of clinical value to the hospitalized patients in the study.

ACTIV-3 is part of the NIH Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) public-private partnership to develop a coordinated research strategy for prioritizing and speeding development of the most promising treatments and vaccines.

The VIR/GSK sub-study also is receiving funding support through Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. governments multi-agency effort to develop, manufacture and distribute medical countermeasures for COVID-19. The Brii sub-study is supported by funding from NIAID.

People interested in learning more about the trial can visit clinicaltrials.gov and search identifier NCT04501978.

NIAID conducts and supports research at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID website.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

NIHTurning Discovery Into Health

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Investigational COVID-19 therapeutics to be evaluated in large clinical trials - National Institutes of Health