This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 21st, 2022. Spain is planning a different approach to future surges of infection. It won’t be treated as an emergency, it’ll be seen as an illness that’s here to stay. Portugal and Britain are taking similar steps. “Learning to live with the vaccine” used to be a philosophy attacked as anti-science and irresponsible government, but the tune is changing. The World Health Organization actually has no cr...
Jan 21, 2022•5 min
This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 20th, 2022. Now you’ll start to hear stories about the quest to return to normalcy. In the U.K., masks will no longer be mandatory in public places and COVID passports won’t be required for large events. Why? They’re seeing infections level off. Scientists there believe the Omicron surge “has now peaked nationally.” The Prime Minister also said hospital admissions and patients in ICU are stabilizing o...
Jan 20, 2022•5 min
This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 19th, 2022. The U.S. quietly launched its website for Americans to request free at-home COVID tests a day early. It’s COVIDTests.gov and the order form is run by the U.S. Postal Service. You can get four at-home tests per residential address. The White House said, “tests will typically ship within 7- 12 days of ordering” and they are anticipating a “bug or two.” The World Health Organization’s chief s...
Jan 19, 2022•5 min
This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 18th, 2022. Brace yourself, here’s a story about how more vaccine shots may not always be the answer. An Israeli hospital’s preliminary research suggests a fourth dose of vaccine adds only limited defense against Omicron. That makes things a little tricky politically because Israel just started giving people over age 60 fourth shots. The US Surgeon General says don’t get too enamored of the good news ...
Jan 18, 2022•5 min
This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 17th, 2022. The US Department of Health and Human Services extended the Covid public health emergency for another 90 days. This will allow many public health protections and financial aid programs to keep going at least another three months. And states have been promised 60 days’ notice prior to any expiration of the emergency status in the future. This is the eighth extension. France approved a law 2...
Jan 17, 2022•6 min
This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 14th, 2022. The highest court in the land has ruled against the White House’s requirement that large businesses require employees to get a vaccine or test regularly and wear a mask on the job. And enforce all that. The good news for the White House is the court is allowing it to proceed with vaccine mandates for most healthcare workers. Looks like supply chain problems also apply to COVID drugs. Two b...
Jan 14, 2022•5 min
This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 13th, 2022. A report says around 458 local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement officers died in the line of duty in 2021, an increase of 55% and the most since 1930. 301 of those were Covid-related, making that the leading cause of death. That was also true in 2020 when at least 182 officers died of the virus. You’ll notice that even as the vaccines open up to new, younger groups of people, th...
Jan 13, 2022•5 min
This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 12th, 2022. Reinforcing just how lucky we are that Omicron is mostly mild, the World Health Organization says the variant is on track to infect more than half of all Europeans. The organization added they don’t think it should be viewed as a flu-like endemic illness yet either. The acting head of the FDA said most Americans will get COVID. Quebec is going to start charging adults who won’t get vaccina...
Jan 12, 2022•5 min
This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 11th, 2022. Free tests are coming for American citizens, perhaps just in time for you to not need them. Starting Saturday, private health insurers must cover up to eight home COVID tests per month for people on their plans. Everyone else can submit receipts for reimbursement. This depends on your ability to find COVID tests. Later this month, the government is launching a website to start making 500 m...
Jan 11, 2022•5 min
This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 10th, 2022. COVID cases might be beginning to slow down. Looking just at New York, for the first time since mid-December, hospitalizations decreased by almost 100 patients Saturday. The daily percentage of new positive cases declined slightly for the third day in a row. This mirrors the trajectory in South Africa, which was a large spike, followed by a steep decline. No steep decline yet in the U.S. b...
Jan 10, 2022•5 min
This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 7th, 2022. As with previous variants, Omicron is sidelining people we really need. More than 800 Los Angeles city police and fire personnel have been sidelined, which is adding to 911 response times. There’s also the absent health care workers and teachers. One in six of San Francisco's 3,600 teachers were out Thursday. Administrators and substitutes are stepping in but there’s not enough teachers for...
Jan 07, 2022•5 min
This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 6th, 2022. So what’s really going on at hospitals? We hear Omicron is mild yet hospitalizations are so high systems are breaking. Mostly, the pain is from staff shortages, a combination of self-imposed shortages due to vaccine mandates and staff home sick with Omicron. ERs are getting crushed with people trying to just get tested for COVID. And two-thirds of patients in some places, test positive whil...
Jan 06, 2022•5 min
This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 5th, 2022. The U.S. added more than 1 million people to its case count Monday that encompasses a surge in infections over the holidays. It doesn’t really count as a single day record since much of the reporting was delayed and came in all at once. But on the other hand, many are testing at home and don’t report to authorities, which means the numbers are probably being underestimated if anything. The ...
Jan 05, 2022•5 min
This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 4th, 2022. Another Covid variant has reportedly been found in France. The mutant strain has 46 mutations. About 12 cases have been spotted near Marseille, with the first linked to travel to Cameroon. But there’s little sign it’s outcompeting the dominant Omicron variant, which now makes up more than 60% of cases in France, and the strain has not spread rapidly since its discovery December 10. It's a l...
Jan 04, 2022•5 min
This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for January 3rd, 2022. Top federal health officials in the U.S. are now looking to add a negative test along with its five-day isolation restrictions for Americans who test positive but have no symptoms. You keeping up with all this? The CDC is adding the test not because of science, but due to pushback on its new recommendations of last week that isolation be shortened from 10 days to five. Does anyone want to b...
Jan 03, 2022•5 min
This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for December 31st, 2021. Lots of concern about the number of children being hospitalized with COVID, and most of them aren’t vaccinated. The CDC says during the week of Dec. 22-28, an average 378 children 17 and under were admitted daily with the coronavirus, a 66% increase from the prior week. While it’s not being reported whether these cases are Delta or Omicron, the kids do seem less sick than those who came i...
Dec 31, 2021•5 min
This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for December 30th, 2021. Whoops. Germany’s health minister said their infection rate is likely two to three times higher than the statistics that have been reported. He said there’s a shortfall in staff that becomes particularly noticeable over holiday periods at local health offices, and that’s a key part of Germany's reporting chain. France is taking the record-breaking surge seriously, increasing the pressure ...
Dec 30, 2021•5 min
This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for December 29th, 2021. The US Tuesday broke the previous record for most daily cases as infections accelerate. And most experts are saying Omicron is going to make for a very difficult January. One CNN medical analyst thinks the US could see half a million cases a day sometime over the next week to 10 days. The rate of booster doses has actually fallen in recent weeks. Only 32.7% of the U.S.’s fully vaccinated ...
Dec 29, 2021•6 min
This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for December 28th, 2021. The CDC shortened its isolation and quarantine recommendations for Americans based on data that if you’re infected, you’re most contagious two days before and three days after symptoms show up. If you’re infected, regardless of vaccination status, when you test positive you should isolate for five days, instead of the previously recommended 10. After that, if you have no symptoms, you can...
Dec 28, 2021•5 min
This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for December 27th, 2021. New extreme restrictions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, mostly effecting the hospitality and leisure industry. Each nation’s rules are different, but all feature limits on the size of gatherings, social distancing requirements, and tougher rules for pubs, restaurants and venues. Examples, in Wales even outdoor events are capped at 50 people, and in Northern Ireland, nightclubs m...
Dec 27, 2021•5 min
This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for December 24th, 2021. Remember all those healthcare workers the government wanted fired if they didn’t get vaccinated? Turns out they now realize that created a real problem. With the Omicron wave coming and hospitals understaffed, federal officials loosened the rules that health care workers have to stay out of work 10 days if they test positive. They can now get back it after seven days if they test negative...
Dec 24, 2021•5 min
This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for December 23rd, 2021. How about a little good news for the holidays? Modeling by scientists in Scotland predicted 47 Omicron patients should have been hospitalized by December 19 if infection patterns were the same as Delta. So far, there have been 15 admissions. There’s more. The first UK data of its kind shows Omicron appears to have a 20%-25% reduced chance of a hospital visit and at least a 40% lower risk ...
Dec 23, 2021•5 min
This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for December 22nd, 2021. The World Health Organization’s top official in Europe urged governments to get ready for a “significant surge” in cases due to Omicron, already dominant in several countries. And making the assumption it will be as severe as Delta, the official said it will push already stretched health systems further to the brink. Deaths in the region are 40% higher than a year ago, but no one can or w...
Dec 22, 2021•5 min
This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for December 21st, 2021. Moderna said a booster of its vaccine looks like it protects against Omicron in lab testing and this current version of the shot can still be a "first line of defense against Omicron." With Omicron spreading as fast as it is, the company didn’t see where there would be time to develop an Omicron-specific vaccine. A win for Novavax. The EU gave the go ahead to its vaccine for use in the 27...
Dec 21, 2021•5 min
This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for December 20th, 2021. How long will we have to wear masks on airplanes? How about forever? As in never again will we be able to fly without our face being covered. That’s what Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Meet the Press. He can’t see the end of mask wearing on planes ever, regardless of air purification systems touted by airline CEOs. The Netherlands began a full lockdown that will last through January 14. The Pr...
Dec 20, 2021•5 min
This is Coronavirus 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants and new hotspots for December 17th, 2021. After the meeting we told you about yesterday, the CDC has come out and said most Americans should get Pfizer or Moderna instead of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The advisers said a blood clotting problem has caused nine confirmed deaths after J&J vaccinations — while the other top vaccines don't have that risk and appear more effective. J&J will stay on the market becau...
Dec 17, 2021•5 min
This is Coronavirus 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants and new hotspots for December 16th, 2021. The Los Angeles school district is the latest in California to delay forcing thousands of unvaccinated students to return to distance learning. Officials decided enforcement would disrupt the education of about 27,000 unvaccinated students, overwhelm the independent study program which already has staff shortages, and risk losing teachers. A federal appeals court panel lifted a natio...
Dec 16, 2021•5 min
This is Coronavirus 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants and new hotspots for December 15th, 2021. Just one month after it was first detected in South Africa the CDC says Omicron now makes up about 3% of cases in the U.S. Delta still dominates at 97% of all Covid cases analyzed, but Omicron is gaining ground. It’s getting cloudier when the U.S. even had its first Omicron case. But the CDC confirmed Omicron in a symptomatic patient back on November 15. No matter the variant, the vi...
Dec 15, 2021•5 min
This is Coronavirus 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants and new hotspots for December 14th, 2021. US health officials say Omicron does appear able to evade some of the immune protection of antibodies induced by vaccines but…preliminary data shows a booster raises protection high enough that it does well against the variant. Almost 80% of confirmed Omicron cases in the US are fully vaccinated. But about a third also had a booster. Omicron is now in 30 states. The masks are back on...
Dec 14, 2021•5 min
This is Coronavirus 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants and new hotspots for December 13th, 2021. While our Johns Hopkins number is not quite there yet, and with more deaths in 2021 than in 2020, the United States has now reportedly reached over 800,000 coronavirus-related deaths. Ahead is a potential surge in cases due to winter and the highly transmissible, but by all reports milder, Omicron variant. The new death toll is more than the entire population of North Dakota. It took...
Dec 13, 2021•5 min
