- Globally, there have been more than 301.9 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 5.4 million associated deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
- The United States has reported more than 59 million confirmed cases and more than 835,000 associated deaths.
- Currently, more than 245.6 million people in the United States have received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with more than 207 million people fully vaccinated. More than 72 million people have received a booster dose.
- In the wake of skyrocketing infection rates and breakthrough cases, a new studyTrusted Source from the CDC finds that among vaccinated people, only those with at least one risk factor experience severe illness.
Researchers looked at over 1 million fully vaccinated people between December 2020 and October 2021 to find even among those with a risk factor, the likelihood of severe disease was rare at only 1.5 cases per 10,000 participants.
According to the study, the 36 participants who did die had at least four risk factors, including being 65 years and older, immunosuppressed, or having other underlying conditions.
“Vaccinated persons who are older, immunosuppressed, or have other underlying conditions should receive targeted interventions including chronic disease management, precautions to reduce exposure, additional primary and booster vaccine doses, and effective pharmaceutical therapy to mitigate risk for severe outcomes,” study authors wrote.
They added that increasing vaccination coverage “is a critical public health priority.”
Today, Supreme Court justices heard arguments regarding enforcement of a White House vaccine-or-testing requirement that applies to large employers and a separate mandate focused on healthcare workers, reported The Associated Press (AP).
According to the news outlet, the court decision will likely determine the fate of vaccine requirements that affect over 80 million people.
“I think effectively what is at stake is whether these mandates are going to go into effect at all,” Sean Marotta, a Washington lawyer with clients that include the American Hospital Association, told AP.
The administration’s lead Supreme Court lawyer, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, argued that mandates are needed to avoid unnecessary hospitalizations and deaths.
According to Prelogar, a decision against the mandates “will likely result in hundreds or thousands of deaths and serious illnesses from COVID-19 that could otherwise be prevented,” reported AP
The Associated Press (AP) reported that France will now allow some COVID-19-positive health workers to continue treating patients in response to an “unprecedented” explosion of cases that has strained staffing at healthcare facilities.
“If they are tired, have a scratchy throat and prefer to stay at home, nobody will force them to come to work with COVID,” Romain Eskenazi, communications director for two hospitals in the French capital’s northern suburbs, told the news outlet.
According to AP, this is a “calculated risk,” as health officials balance the risk of disease spread with what the French government explained is a need to keep essential services running.
“If the system becomes very strained and 50% of our staff are positive, the less symptomatic will come to work because the patients will still need to be cared for,” Dr. Marc Leone, head of anesthesiology at the North Hospital in the southern city of Marseille, told AP.
“But we’re not in that situation yet,” he added.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) head Dr. Anthony Fauci offered grim news as Omicron variant sweeps across the United States.
He explained that while Omicron appears to be less severe than the Delta variant, its “profound transmissibility” means that many more children will face infection.
“And as many more children will get infected, a certain proportion of them — usually children that have underlying comorbidities — are going to wind up in the hospital,” he said. “That is just an inevitability.”
Fauci emphasized that one of the best ways to prevent children not yet eligible for vaccination from contracting the virus is to surround them with those who have already been vaccinated.
“Make sure that if they’re old enough to be able to tolerate a mask, put a mask on them, particularly in congregate settings,” he added. “The CDC is very clear about that. Just follow those guidelines.”
It's useful to know a situation day by day
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