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Tag: COVID19

  • Latest COVID-19 Surge in U.S. is Drastically Undercounted | Health News

    Latest COVID-19 Surge in U.S. is Drastically Undercounted | Health News

    Federal overall health officers this 7 days warned Individuals that coronavirus cases are at a large stage, but with a caveat: Estimates are certain to be a major undercount of the real bacterial infections.

    “Depending on which tracker you use, we’re at about 100,000 infections a working day,” White Residence COVID-19 reaction coordinator Ashish Jha stated at a push briefing on Wednesday. “And we know that the variety of infections is truly considerably higher than that – really hard to know just how a lot of, but we know that a large amount of people today are obtaining identified working with dwelling tests.”

    Rapid exams, which present rapid final results and can be taken wherever, grant people today a practical way to decide if they have the coronavirus. The Biden administration this week started featuring a third round of free of charge fast tests, and Jha reported it has noticed “really outstanding demand” for the tests.

    But the rise in at-house screening will come with a downside – possibly hundreds of thousands of conditions are heading unreported to health departments. Some authorities say circumstances could be 5 to 10 situations larger than the official quantities, building the existing surge a great deal additional wide-reaching than it seems on the area.

    “I’ve been a large admirer of dwelling checks for the final two decades,” Jha explained. “But what that usually means is we are clearly undercounting infections.”

    Cartoons on the Coronavirus

    The Dangers of Undercounting Cases

    Experts concur that normal traits presented in coronavirus metrics are additional vital than personal facts points, but missing coronavirus circumstances nonetheless current some difficulties.

    One of the most important problems could be lacking information on specifically who is getting the virus. This sort of info is crucial for deciding wherever to direct assets and how to make coverage.

    “If we are at a place in which our telescope is pointed to a wholly diverse aspect of the sky, we have significantly less of an knowledge of what our case numbers necessarily mean and what we are lacking,” claims Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at Brown College.

    And particular populations are much more very likely than other folks to be still left out of the photo. Federal cash that protected exams for the uninsured dried up very last thirty day period. Meanwhile, a two-pack of speedy assessments expenses $24 at main merchants. These factors bring about an money barrier for who is finding analyzed, in accordance to Nuzzo.

    “The fact that we are executing significantly less tests now in people today with decrease incomes problems me that we are lacking surveillance in probably a single of our highest risk populations,” Nuzzo claims.

    Perry Halkitis, the dean of the Rutgers College of Public Wellness, concurs that the additional charges necessarily mean that only those people who can pay for screening are acquiring it. He notes that these kinds of costs put the load on poorer People, a great deal like other wellness crises.

    “At the commencing, it influences everybody. But disorders more than time as they evolve tend to lodge them selves in the most vulnerable,” Halkitis suggests.

    Also, missing coronavirus situations suggests specialists could have troubles recognizing a new variant when it pops up.

    “If folks are diagnosing themselves at house, or they are just not getting tested at all, we are missing the option to sequence and see if there is a new variant resulting in individuals bacterial infections,” Nuzzo claims.

    It is essential to begin researching a new variant as soon as attainable since the mutations in the virus could lead to modifications in the sickness. For instance, realizing that a new variant renders vaccines ineffective or targets certain populations would lead to modifications in mitigation methods.

    The craze is also an concern in other countries.

    “Due to testing and sequencing lessening in quite a few international locations, it is significantly challenging to know the place the virus is and how it’s mutating,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health and fitness Corporation, claimed this 7 days at a press briefing.

    And the virus has not stopped shifting. In the U.S., for instance, a new subvariant of omicron is poised to turn into the dominant strain in the coming months. It is thought to be 25{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} far more transmissible than BA.2, or “stealth omicron,” which is the present dominant pressure. More omicron subvariants that the U.S. has but to see are also circulating in other countries.

    When the U.S. just this 7 days begun sending a 3rd round of free house assessments to People, tests issues are lurking on the horizon.

    Jha warned that examination producing companies are laying off workers and shutting down manufacturing facility strains. That could lead to a different screening scarcity when the following coronavirus surge hits.

    “In the forthcoming weeks, we are heading to see them offer off their devices and get out of this small business,” Jha stated. “And we might very very well obtain ourselves devoid of more resources in the tumble, with no sufficient assessments, no domestic producing functionality, and us getting to count on other countries and other producers outside the house the United States to make confident that we can get checks for the American individuals.”

    Testing issues are not a new dilemma for the U.S. Each the delta and omicron waves resulted in tests shortages, prompting industry experts to urge the administration to occur up with a lengthy-expression source strategy. But that’s proved simpler mentioned than finished, as domestic issues over the coronavirus have declined and Congress has revealed small hunger for authorizing extra cash to struggle the pandemic.

    “From the commence, The us has unsuccessful to do more than enough COVID-19 testing,” Biden reported from the White Home in September.

    As the administration has pushed Congress for renewed coronavirus money, federal health officers have been warning that long run surges could infect about 100 million Us residents.

    Lots of industry experts agree that foreseeable future surges envisioned in the tumble and wintertime could be problematic. Of class, new coronavirus instances aren’t as relating to as they once have been, looking at vaccines and treatment plans are commonly accessible. But waning immunity opens the doorway to perhaps far more intense bacterial infections.

    “This is when we’re heading to see a lot more circumstances, we are going to see even a lot more hospitalizations, we’re likely to see even a lot more fatalities, for the reason that it is incredibly likely at that position in the tumble that people today will have shed their immunity if they have not been thoroughly vaccinated or boosted,” Halkitis states.

    The College of Washington’s Institute for Overall health Metrics and Analysis predicts that scenario counts will see a smaller peak in Could or early June just before heading back again down.

    “We don’t be expecting a key surge from that,” the institute wrote in a site this thirty day period. “We absolutely hope really huge quantities in the winter season, not so substantially in the tumble – maybe as many as 30{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of the U.S. inhabitants finding infected via the wintertime with Omicron. But we assume the outcomes to be a great deal, substantially reduce mainly because of antivirals.”

    Dwelling tests paired with lowered reporting from regional wellbeing departments has made the pandemic more complicated to observe, according to the institute. And should domestic take a look at manufacturing further more erode as Jha recommended, it will be tricky to rebuild.

    After screening infrastructure erodes, Nuzzo says, “it’s genuinely challenging to make back again when you require it.”

  • May 20 update from Health Department on COVID-19 cases

    May 20 update from Health Department on COVID-19 cases

    The Tompkins County Well being Department says there have now been 21,450 overall good instances in Tompkins County, 61 extra than on Thursday, and a full of 1,901,287 checks done. The Well being Section is also now reporting constructive self-test results that have been submitted via their on line portal. They say there are nine new positive self-check effects considering that Friday for a overall of 2,875 submitted.

    Related: TCHD: If you test positive on an at-household exam

    As of Friday at 8:30am, the Wellbeing Section suggests 808 checks had been performed in the past working day. The Tompkins County Wellbeing Division publishes NYS vaccine monitoring data, exhibiting 85,053 Tompkins County citizens have a initial dose and 77,701 have completed vaccination (which could be one or two doses, depending on vaccine).

    Linked: A lot of are eligible for 2nd booster or added doses, claims Wellbeing Division

    The Health and fitness Department states 5 individuals are presently hospitalized for COVID-19, two less than in Thursday’s update. As of a change in details very last wintertime, “TCHD is reporting only energetic instances who are hospitalized,” somewhat than together with individuals recovered from COVID who continue to be hospitalized for other explanations.

    “Of the modern uptick in hospitalizations, a extensive the vast majority have been of vaccinated folks,” Tompkins County Public Health and fitness Director Frank Kruppa tells us, but “of the people today who are vaccinated and have been hospitalized for COVID-19 associated good reasons, the development retains that they are mostly more mature adults, age 65+. This info details to the relevance of boosters and 2nd boosters for individuals age 65+.”

    There have been 62 deaths from COVID-19 recorded among the Tompkins County citizens, which includes the death of two location residents reported in early May possibly.

    On May possibly 19, Cornell University noted 72 new positive circumstances for May possibly 18, 272 energetic university student cases, and 56 active worker cases. Cornell only updates its dashboard on weekdays, and the timing of their updates doesn’t permit a direct comparison to the county’s stats.

    As of Could 19, Ithaca Higher education claimed 6 active scholar instances, with 571 recovered, and 8 lively personnel cases and 245 recovered personnel.

    The Well being Section says its figures contain screening that Cornell College began conducting on July 16, 2020. Cornell introduced its have COVID-19 info dashboard on August 25, 2020.

    Connected: New Cornell COVID-19 dashboard reveals check success and inform stage

    The Well being Department suggests the community needs to stop the spread of COVID-19 not just to guard them selves, but many others in our local community who are most vulnerable to acquiring extremely unwell – older grown ups, these who are immune-compromised, and those with fundamental continual wellness situations.

    Related: BA.2 variant probable, but not verified, between “ebbs and flows” of Tompkins circumstances, says Health and fitness Office

    TCHD’s Frank Kruppa claims, “There is a very substantial vaccination rate for our community, especially with the successes that have been described by our area schools. In addition to the arrival and surveillance tests, lots of of our new cases are arising from sustained shut contact with a favourable person, this means additional than 10 minutes in six ft of a good scenario. These close contacts are happening much more frequently in huge indoor gatherings that mix different groups of individuals.”

    “Over the earlier couple of weeks, our efforts have centered on vaccinating our younger people and providing booster doses to individuals who are suitable,” Kruppa suggests. “We are distributing self-exams and masks in the course of the county as we obtain shipments and thank our group companions for assisting in this energy.”

    For a lot more, adhere to 14850.com on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or subscribe to the 14850 Journal Day-to-day publication.

    Relevant: Coronavirus protection in 14850 Nowadays

  • COVID-19 funds may mask rural hospitals’ true outlook

    COVID-19 funds may mask rural hospitals’ true outlook

    By Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven

    Between the start of the pandemic and February 2021, rural hospitals nationwide received nearly $15 billion in federal relief dollars, according to researchers at UNC’s Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research. 

    But while the money helped slow the pace of rural hospital closures and enabled these facilities to care for critically ill patients during COVID-19 surges, it did little to address the financial crises facing them before the pandemic. The temporary federal funding may in fact make many rural hospitals appear more financially stable than they really are, according to four different analyses of rural hospital finance data. 

    These unrelated analyses come from the Sheps Center, the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, the Bipartisan Policy Center, and Chartis, a health care advisory group. 

    For instance, the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform – an independent center that does policy analysis – estimates that 13 of North Carolina’s 54 rural hospitals might be at risk of closing, nearly a quarter.

    While the exact numbers differ, the latter three studies estimate that hundreds of rural hospitals nationwide could be at risk of closure once the federal dollars stop flowing and hospital balance sheets return to normal. 

    What solutions exist?

    Some of the most common policy proposals offered to stem the tide of closures include expanding Medicaid, so hospitals care for fewer people without insurance, and eliminating Medicare sequestration — a payment policy whereby the federal government reimburses facilities either 98 or 99 percent of the actual cost of care, rather than the full 100 percent. 

    Many rural hospitals see more uninsured patients, more patients who are covered by Medicare or Medicaid, and fewer private insurance patients than urban hospitals do. Any changes to those federal programs can have a disproportionate impact on rural hospitals’ ability to stay financially afloat.

    “There is a lot of evidence about if you’ve expanded Medicaid, that it becomes a bigger source of revenue for these hospitals and helps sustain them,” said Julia Harris, a policy analyst at the Bipartisan Policy Center and co-author of the organization’s analysis about how the pandemic impacted rural hospitals. 

    “We’ve heard that from states that had expanded and had a lot of hospitals in trouble before,” she said. “They really felt that [Medicaid expansion] was a way that got a lot of their rural small hospital sites out of trouble.” 

    Brock Slabach, the director of the National Rural Health Association, worked for 20 years as the CEO of a rural Mississippi hospital. He estimated that between 13 and 15 percent of the people at his hospital had private insurance plans, meaning the other 85 percent had either Medicare, Medicaid, or no other payer but themselves. 

    “In my facility, 65 percent of my business was due to one payer and that’s Medicare,” Slabach said. In 2013, because members of Congress couldn’t agree on the budget, the federal government implemented automatic cuts to Medicare reimbursements through a policy called sequestration. The cuts have never been permanently resolved. 

    “Any impact that decreases my payment from that source inhibits my ability to maintain solvency as a hospital. So, when you look at sequestration, that’s the prime example.”

    The role of Medicare Advantage plans

    But, some experts disagree on the level of impact these changes could really have. 

    Harold Miller, the director of the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform and a professor of public policy at Carnegie Mellon, argues that while expanding Medicaid and eliminating sequestration would both be good policy changes for rural hospitals, neither would generate enough new funding to impact a facility’s bottom line. 

    “The people who are newly getting Medicaid are only a very small proportion of the thing that’s causing the hospital the loss,” Miller said. “That’s not the problem. The problem is [rural hospitals] actually in many cases are losing money on their privately insured patients.”

    Miller’s data show the situation in North Carolina is slightly more complicated than the nationwide trend. It is one of two states where small rural hospitals — meaning facilities with less than $30 million in annual expenses — did not see a decline in payments from private insurers between 2019 and 2020. 

    Nationally, though, Miller said small rural hospitals lose money caring for people with private insurance. This includes people who have Medicare Advantage plans.

    “Medicare Advantage started many, many years ago because of the notion that private health plans could do a better job of managing people’s health care than the government could,” Miller explained. “A Medicare Advantage plan is required to cover everything that traditional Medicare covers but it has the ability to charge different cost sharing amounts. It has the ability to have networks. It has the ability to do prior authorization.” 

    A chart from the researchers at the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform shows the change in margins between the two years calculated. They found that in every state except North Carolina and Pennsylvania small rural hospitals lost more money caring for patients with private health insurance plans between 2019 and 2020. Their analysis includes Medicare Advantage plans. Credit: Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform.

    In other words, it looks and acts more like a private health insurance plan than traditional Medicare does.

    Traditional Medicare covers 80 percent of costs for most services, potentially leaving a consumer on the hook for 20 percent. That 20 percent gets more expensive as people age and have more health problems. One way people on Medicare get around that cost is by purchasing a supplemental plan, which will cover the 20 percent. The supplemental plan comes with a monthly premium. 

    For seniors who don’t have any medical problems, any additional monthly cost can seem like an unnecessary expense, Miller explained. Instead, many will opt for Medicare Advantage plans that often don’t have any premium. But his analysis shows that in many states these plans — along with regular private insurance plans — don’t pay small rural hospitals enough to break even.

    An analysis by the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform shows that during the pandemic small rural hospitals lost more money caring for patients who had private insurance plans — including Medicare Advantage plans – than they did prior to the pandemic. Credit: Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform.

    “One of the concerns that I have personally about small rural hospitals is that people in their communities may increasingly be signing up for Medicare Advantage plans because they think they’re paying less for that and not realizing that they’re putting their hospital out of business,” he said. 

    Miller argues that in order to keep rural hospitals financially afloat, Medicare Advantage plans must be required to pay these facilities at higher rates.

    “It would be terrific to assume that we could require Medicare Advantage plans to pay providers more,” said Slabach, from the National Rural Health Association. 

    “But that’s a really complicated set of arrangements,” he said. “Congress could say that Medicare Advantage plans have to pay rural providers more. But I guess I’m not really sure if the government would ever do that because that implies that at some point, the government is going to have to pay more because eventually that’s where the money comes from.”

    A new payment model

    Even though the funds paid by private plans to rural hospitals look better on average in North Carolina than in the rest of the country, Miller argues that the financial systems supporting rural hospitals are so dysfunctional that they need to be fundamentally reimagined.

    In his organization’s analysis, they propose a payment structure whereby rural hospitals would receive a fixed payment that would be used to keep critical services up and running, such as the emergency room or a maternity ward, regardless of how much those facilities are used. In addition, as they do now, hospitals would receive regular reimbursements from insurers for the care they provide to people.

    “Emergencies vary from year to year: you have a COVID outbreak, you have a natural disaster, a hurricane, you have whatever. All of a sudden, a lot of people need the emergency room and it needs to be there,” Miller said. “In the years when you don’t have those disasters, it may not get enough revenue to cover its costs,” but still it needs to stay open. 

    Some say Miller’s model is similar to the new federally designated Rural Emergency Hospital policy, but he says it’s not quite the same. Under the proposal, Rural Emergency Hospitals would receive a fixed amount of funding to stay open and operate their emergency services, but they wouldn’t provide in-patient care, which Miller — and many others — feel are necessary services for community hospitals to offer.

    Federal regulators are still working on rules and guidance that would govern Rural Emergency Hospital policy, which goes into effect in 2023.

    Whatever you call it, said Mark Holmes, the director of the Sheps Center at UNC, a sustainable payment model for rural facilities will probably look something both like Miller’s proposal and the new Rural Emergency Hospital, with “some chunk of money paying for fixed costs and some chunk of money paying for variable costs.” 

  • Dogs Accurately Sniff Out COVID-19 at Airports | Health News

    Dogs Accurately Sniff Out COVID-19 at Airports | Health News

    By By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter, HealthDay Reporter

    Dogs Accurately Sniff Out COVID-19 at Airports | Health News

    (HealthDay)

    TUESDAY, May well 17, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Dogs’ ultra-delicate noses can detect illegal drugs and even most cancers, and a new analyze suggests they may also be equipped to sniff out COVID-19 in airline passengers.

    Not only that, these qualified canines can do so with an accuracy similar to a PCR nose and throat swab check, the researchers mentioned.

    “Our preliminary observations advise that pet dogs primed with a person virus form can in a few several hours be retrained to detect its variants,” Anu Kantele and colleagues claimed in the May well 16 issue of the journal BMJ Worldwide Health. Kantele is a professor of infectious disorders at Helsinki University Hospital and Faculty of Medication, Finland.

    Dogs have a superb perception of scent. They can detect a scent at amounts as reduced as just one part for each trillion, far surpassing any out there mechanical methods, the authors explained in history notes.

    It really is believed that pet dogs can get wind of particular risky organic compounds launched by a variety of metabolic processes in the entire body, like those manufactured by bacterial, viral and parasitic bacterial infections.

    In this analyze, four puppies previously trained to detect illicit prescription drugs, hazardous products or cancers have been properly trained above a several weeks to sniff out SARS-CoV-2.

    The pet dogs every single sniffed skin swab samples from 114 people who had analyzed beneficial for the virus on a PCR swab exam (together with 28 with no indications) and from 306 who experienced examined destructive. The two forms of COVID checks are PCR and antigen.

    Total, the puppies ended up 92{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} profitable at detecting contaminated individuals and 91{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} profitable at detecting uninfected folks. Of the samples from the 28 infected persons devoid of signs and symptoms, the puppies were just more than 89{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} prosperous at determining them as optimistic, the investigators found.

    The researchers then analyzed the canines at the Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport in Finland between September 2020 and April 2021. They had them place their noses to incoming travellers who had experienced PCR exams.

    The canines correctly determined 296 (99{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}) of 300 passengers with negative PCR benefits, but recognized a few PCR-positive individuals as adverse. Additional examination showed that a single of those 3 people was not infected, a single most likely experienced a write-up-an infection good take a look at final result and 1 essentially experienced the virus, according to the review.

    Due to the fact the level of infection among the airline passengers was so reduced (fewer than .5{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}), the researchers introduced the pet dogs with swabs from 155 folks who had examined constructive on a PCR examination. The canine the right way determined just underneath 99{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of them as constructive.

    If these samples experienced been involved in actual-lifetime airport exams, the dogs would have been 97{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} thriving at detecting contaminated men and women and 99{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} effective at detecting uninfected persons, according to Kantele’s group.

    Based mostly on these benefits, the researchers calculated the price of genuine positive final results (PPV) and correct destructive outcomes (NPV) in two hypothetical scenarios with populace an infection prices of 40{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} and 1{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}.

    For the 40{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} infection rate, they estimated the puppies would achieve a PPV of 88{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} and an NPV of 94.5{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}, indicating use of the canines would boost the probabilities of detection to close to 90{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}. For the population an infection fee of 1{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}, the puppies would realize a PPV of just beneath 10{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} and an NPV of just less than 100{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}.

    In the two eventualities, the substantial NPV supports the use of sniffer canines for COVID-19 screening in get to exclude individuals who never need to have a PCR swab take a look at, in accordance to the study authors.

    This use of dogs could be primarily crucial in the early levels of a pandemic when other means may well not be readily available and also to assist comprise an ongoing pandemic, the staff suggested.

    But although these findings are promising, they want to be verified in serious-lifetime circumstances.

    Resource: BMJ World-wide Health, news launch, May possibly 16, 2022

    Copyright © 2022 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

  • May 16 update from Health Department on COVID-19 cases

    May 16 update from Health Department on COVID-19 cases

    The Tompkins County Wellbeing Department states there have now been 21,206 overall good circumstances in Tompkins County, 139 extra than on Friday, and a full of 1,898,630 tests carried out. The Health and fitness Division is also now reporting beneficial self-take a look at effects that have been submitted through their on-line portal. They say there are 33 new beneficial self-check benefits given that Friday for a whole of 2,807 submitted.

    Linked: TCHD: If you exam positive on an at-dwelling check

    As of Monday at 8:15am, the Health Department states 412 exams were conducted in the former day. The Tompkins County Health Section publishes NYS vaccine monitoring details, demonstrating 84,930 Tompkins County inhabitants have a initially dose and 77,618 have concluded vaccination (which could be one particular or two doses, based on vaccine).

    Associated: Numerous are eligible for 2nd booster or added doses, claims Wellbeing Department

    The Overall health Division says 5 persons are at this time hospitalized for COVID-19, one far more than in Friday’s update. As of a change in info previous winter, “TCHD is reporting only energetic instances who are hospitalized,” alternatively than such as clients recovered from COVID who continue being hospitalized for other causes.

    “Of the new uptick in hospitalizations, a extensive the vast majority have been of vaccinated individuals,” Tompkins County General public Wellbeing Director Frank Kruppa tells us, but “of the people who are vaccinated and have been hospitalized for COVID-19 relevant good reasons, the trend retains that they are mainly more mature adults, age 65+. This knowledge details to the relevance of boosters and 2nd boosters for all those age 65+.”

    There have been 62 deaths from COVID-19 recorded among Tompkins County people, such as the demise of two spot residents described in early Could.

    On May 13, Cornell College described 38 new good situations for Might 12, 81 lively pupil circumstances, and 49 energetic staff circumstances. Cornell only updates its dashboard on weekdays, and the timing of their updates does not make it possible for a immediate comparison to the county’s data.

    As of May well 13, Ithaca College reported 23 energetic scholar scenarios, with 554 recovered, and 6 energetic staff conditions and 237 recovered workers.

    The Wellbeing Section suggests its figures contain screening that Cornell University commenced conducting on July 16, 2020. Cornell launched its very own COVID-19 info dashboard on August 25, 2020.

    Similar: New Cornell COVID-19 dashboard demonstrates check outcomes and alert degree

    The Wellbeing Section suggests the public wants to reduce the spread of COVID-19 not just to guard themselves, but other people in our group who are most susceptible to having quite ill – older grown ups, those people who are immune-compromised, and all those with underlying serious well being disorders.

    Relevant: BA.2 variant probably, but not verified, between “ebbs and flows” of Tompkins cases, suggests Overall health Division

    TCHD’s Frank Kruppa says, “There is a really significant vaccination price for our neighborhood, specifically with the successes that have been reported by our regional schools. In addition to the arrival and surveillance testing, several of our new scenarios are arising from sustained shut get in touch with with a beneficial particular person, meaning far more than 10 minutes in 6 ft of a optimistic scenario. These close contacts are developing more regularly in huge indoor gatherings that combine diverse teams of people.”

    “Over the past couple weeks, our initiatives have concentrated on vaccinating our young men and women and delivering booster doses to those who are suitable,” Kruppa says. “We are distributing self-exams and masks during the county as we obtain shipments and thank our community associates for assisting in this effort.”

    For additional, observe 14850.com on Fb, Instagram, and Twitter or subscribe to the 14850 Magazine Each day newsletter.

    Related: Coronavirus protection in 14850 Nowadays

  • COVID-19 update for May 11: Here’s what you need to know

    COVID-19 update for May 11: Here’s what you need to know

    Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the coronavirus situation in B.C. and around the world.

    Publishing date:

    May 11, 2022  •  14 hours ago  •  11 minute read  •  8 Comments

    Here's your daily update with everything you need to know on the coronavirus situation in B.C. and around the world.
    Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the coronavirus situation in B.C. and around the world. Photo by iStock/Getty Images Plus

    Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the COVID-19 situation in B.C. and around the world for May 11, 2022.

    We’ll provide summaries of what’s going on right here so you can get the latest news at a glance. This page will be updated regularly throughout the day, with developments added as they happen, so be sure to check back often.

    You can also get the latest COVID-19 news delivered to your inbox weeknights at 7 p.m. by subscribing to our newsletter here.

    Headlines at a glance

    • Two dozen COVID-19 violation tickets against three Chilliwack pastors who continued in-person worship services in violation of provincial public health orders have now been dropped.
    • As Paxlovid has become more widely used, some patients have reported that COVID-19 symptoms recurred after completing treatment and experiencing improvement.
    • An alarming possible complication of COVID-19 in young children is being investigated across the globe, but B.C. health officials say there’s still no evidence it’s been seen here yet.
    • The pandemic heightened the risk of overdose because of a decline in the quality of drugs, according to an SFU study.
    • North Korea has officially confirmed its first COVID-19 outbreak, with state media reporting a sub-variant of the highly transmissible Omicron virus had been detected in Pyongyang.
    • Moderna Inc has made all necessary submissions required by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for emergency use authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents and children.
    • 98{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of B.C. dieticians, physicians and surgeons are double vaccinated for COVID-19, the highest rate among regulated health professionals, Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday.
    • Ontario reports 19 new COVID-19 deaths, increase in hospitalizations.
    • Some NHL teams are coming up with alternate routes across the U.S.-Canada border this playoff season to avoid mandatory COVID-19 testing for international flights entering the U.S.
    • The head of WHO says China’s zero-tolerance COVID-19 policy is not sustainable given what is now known of the virus.
    • Passengers are still at risk of coronavirus infection while travelling on airplanes and also in airports, researchers warned.

    LATEST NEWS

    B.C. drops 24 tickets against pastors issued for violating COVID-19 orders

    B.C.’s Crown Prosecution Service has confirmed it dropped two dozen COVID-19 violation tickets against three Chilliwack pastors who continued in-person worship services in violation of provincial public health orders.

    The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, which represents the pastors, says the fines would have totalled $55,200.

    The Crown dropped seven tickets against Pastor John Koopman of the Chilliwack Free Reformed Church, 11 tickets against Pastor James Butler of the Free Grace Baptist Church and six tickets against Pastor Timothy Champ with the Valley Heights Community Church.

    Read the full story here.

    — The Canadian Press

    Acute hepatitis in children still unreported in B.C., but health officials keeping watch

    An alarming possible complication of COVID-19 in young children is being investigated across the globe, but B.C. health officials say there’s still no evidence it’s been seen here yet.

    During a briefing on Tuesday, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry was asked whether B.C. has had reported cases of acute hepatitis in kids who had contracted the novel coronavirus.

    She said one child with a liver ailment was recently investigated for a possible link, but it turned out not to be related to COVID-19.

    “This is one of those things that we’ve been watching along with our colleagues across the country,” said Henry.

    While more than 200 cases have been reported globally, she said none has been detected in B.C. Nonetheless, there is enough concern that pediatric physicians were reminded just last week that liver complications in children are a reportable condition, said Henry.

    Read the full story here.

    — Joseph Ruttle

    Some U.S. patients reporting COVID rebounds after taking Pfizer pills

    More than 2.8 million courses of Pfizer Inc’s COVID-19 oral antiviral treatment Paxlovid have been made available at pharmacies around the United States, with the Biden administration working to improve access to the drug.

    As Paxlovid has become more widely used, some patients have reported that COVID-19 symptoms recurred after completing treatment and experiencing improvement. Here is the latest information on these rebounds.

    Read the full story here.

    — Reuters

    COVID-19 increased risk of overdose due to poorer drug quality: SFU study

    The COVID-19 pandemic heightened the risk of overdose because of a decline in the quality of drugs, according to a study that authors say highlights the need for a safer supply not just for people who use opioids, but also stimulants.

    Researchers from Simon Fraser University surveyed 738 people who use drugs in Vancouver and found that nearly 37 per cent reported using poorer quality drugs.

    Those who reported a decline in the drug quality were more likely to report experiencing a recent non-fatal overdose, which is associated with an increased risk of a fatal overdose, said the study, which was published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

    Read the full story here.

    — Cheryl Chan

    North Korea officially reports first COVID-19 outbreak

    North Korea officially confirmed its first COVID-19 outbreak on Thursday, with state media reporting a sub-variant of the highly transmissible Omicron virus, known as BA.2, had been detected in Pyongyang.

    “There has been the biggest emergency incident in the country, with a hole in our emergency quarantine front, that has been kept safely over the past two years and three months since February 2020,” the state media said.

    The report said people in Pyongyang contracted the Omicron variant, without providing details on case numbers or possible sources of infection.

    The report was published as the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un chaired a Workers’ Party meeting to discuss responses to the first outbreak of the coronavirus.

    — Reuters

    Moderna completes FDA submission for use of COVID shot in adolescents, kids

    Moderna Inc has made all necessary submissions required by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for emergency use authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents and children, it said on Wednesday.

    The company is seeking approval for the use of its vaccines in three distinct age groups – adolescents aged 12 to 17 years, children aged six to 11 and those between six years and six months. The submissions for all three groups were made on May 9, it said.

    Although Moderna’s vaccine is approved by the FDA for use in adults 18 years and older, its use in other age groups has hit a roadblock as U.S. regulators have sought more safety data.

    Australia, Canada and the European Union though have approved the vaccine for use in six- to 17-year olds.

    — Reuters

    B.C. won’t offer fourth dose to people living at home and under 70

    B.C. will not offer a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine to anyone under 70 – unless they are living in care homes or assisted-living facilities, are First Nations, Métis or Inuit older than 55 or immune-compromised.

    This is unlike Quebec, that is now offering a fourth dose to all adults.

    So far in B.C., just over 78,000 people have received a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine, primarily in long-term care facilities.

    Over the next week 75,000 people aged 70 and over will be eligible for their fourth dose.

    The gap is between third and fourth doses is 182 days.

    More than a million people eligible for a third dose have not signed up.

    ‘Very encouraging’ – situation continues to improve in Quebec

    Quebec’s interim public health director says the COVID-19 situation continues to improve in the province.

    “It’s very encouraging,” Dr. Luc Boileau told reporters this afternoon.

    “The epidemiological situation is really going in the right direction.”

    Cases, hospitalizations, deaths and absences among health workers are falling, Boileau said.

    He said the picture has improved so much that he will no longer be providing weekly pandemic updates.

    — Montreal Gazette

    Dietitians, physicians and surgeons have highest COVID vaccination rate among health care workers

    Ninety-eight per cent of B.C. dietitians, physicians and surgeons are double vaccinated for COVID-19, the highest rate among regulated health professionals, B.C.’s provincial health officer said Tuesday.

    Ninety-four per cent of regulated health-care professionals have two doses of the vaccine, which Dr. Bonnie Henry said shows health-care workers see the value of being vaccinated.

    Health professionals with the lowest rates of vaccinations are naturopathic physicians at 69 per cent, chiropractors at 78 per cent and practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncturists at 79 per cent.

    Here is the list of groups, from most to least vaccinated:

    • Physicians and surgeons: 98{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}
    • Dietitians: 98{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}
    • Occupational therapists: 96.9{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}
    • Pharmacy technicians: 96.8{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}
    • Pharmacists: 96.7{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}
    • Psychologists: 96.1{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}
    • Optometrists: 96{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}
    • Dentists: 95.9{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}
    • Physical therapists: 95.2{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}
    • Opticians: 94.9{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}
    • Speech language pathologists: 92.9{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}
    • Denturists: 92.9{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}
    • Dental assistants: 92.8{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}
    • Dental hygienists: 92.6{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}
    • Audiologists/hearing instrument practitioners: 91.9{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}
    • Dental technicians: 90.7{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}
    • Massage therapists: 87.9{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}
    • Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists: 79{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}
    • Chiropractors: 78.1{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}
    • Naturopathic physicians: 69.2{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}

    Read the full story here.

    — Katie DeRosa

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    Ontario reports 19 new COVID-19 deaths, increase in hospitalizations

    Ontario is reporting 19 new deaths linked to COVID-19 today, after reporting no new deaths on Monday.

    The province says there are 1,555 people hospitalized with the virus, up from 1,213 the previous day.

    The number of people in intensive care decreased slightly today to 188 from 201 the day before.

    Health officials are also reporting 1,089 new infections detected by PCR testing, which is limited to certain groups.

    The scientific director of Ontario’s panel of COVID-19 advisers has said multiplying the daily case count by 20 would give a more accurate picture.

    Nearly 27 per cent of long-term care homes in Ontario have active COVID-19 outbreaks.

    —The Canadian Press

    NHL teams setting their own itineraries to avoid COVID-19 testing requirements at U.S.-Canada border

    Some NHL teams are coming up with alternate routes across the U.S.-Canada border this playoff season to avoid mandatory COVID-19 testing for international flights entering the U.S.

    The Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers both avoided testing requirements by taking buses across the border into the U.S. before then catching flights to continue their series in Tampa Bay and Los Angeles, respectively.

    Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe told CBC, “I think the biggest thing at this point of the year really is just to do all that we can to avoid any false positives or anything that might come up that would impact our group.”

    Read the full story here.

    — National Post

    WHO chief says China’s zero-COVID policy not ‘sustainable’

    The head of the World Health Organization said on Tuesday China’s zero-tolerance COVID-19 policy is not sustainable given what is now known of the virus, in rare public comments by the U.N. agency on a government’s handling of the pandemic.

    “We don’t think that it is sustainable considering the behaviour of the virus and what we now anticipate in the future,” WHO director-deneral Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a media briefing.

    “We have discussed this issue with Chinese experts. And we indicated that the approach will not be sustainable. … I think a shift would be very important.”

    He said increased knowledge about the virus and better tools to combat it also suggested it was time for a change of strategy.

    Read the full story here.

    —Reuters

    Scientists question the point of swabs up everyone’s nose: ‘We might have overdone it’

    For many people worldwide, having cotton swabs thrust up their nose or down their throat to test for COVID-19 has become a routine and familiar annoyance.

    But two years into the pandemic, health officials in some countries are questioning the merits of repeated, mass testing when it comes to containing infections, particularly considering the billions it costs.

    Chief among them is Denmark, which championed one of the world’s most prolific COVID testing regimes early on. Lawmakers are now demanding a close study of whether that policy was effective.

    “We’ve tested so much more than other countries that we might have overdone it,” said Jens Lundgren, professor of infectious diseases at Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, and a member of the government’s COVID advisory group.

    Read the full story here.

    — Reuters

    What are B.C.’s current public health measures?

    MASKS: Masks are not required in public indoor settings though individual businesses and event organizers can choose to require them.

    Masks are also encouraged but not required on board public transit and B.C. Ferries, though they are still required in federally regulated travel spaces such as trains, airports and airplanes, and in health care settings.

    GATHERINGS AND EVENTS: There are currently no restrictions on gatherings and events such as personal gatherings, weddings, funerals, worship services, exercise and fitness activities, and swimming pools.

    There are also no restrictions or capacity limits on restaurants, pubs, bars and nightclubs; and no restrictions on sport activities.

    CARE HOMES: There are no capacity restrictions on visitors to long-term care and seniors’ assisted living facilities, however, visitors must show proof of vaccination before visiting. Exemptions are available for children under the age of 12, those with a medical exemption, and visitors attending for compassionate visits related to end of life.

    Visitors to seniors’ homes are also required to take a rapid antigen test before visiting the facility or be tested on arrival. Exemptions to testing are available for those attending for compassionate visits or end-of-life care.

    Where can I get a COVID-19 test?

    TESTING CENTRES: B.C.’s COVID-19 test collection centres are currently only testing those with symptoms who are hospitalized, pregnant, considered high risk or live/work with those who are high risk. You can find a testing centre using the B.C. Centre for Disease Control’s testing centre map.

    If you have mild symptoms, you do not need a test and should stay home until your fever is gone. Those without symptoms do not need a test.

    TAKE-HOME RAPID ANTIGEN TESTS: Eligible British Columbians over the age of 18 with a personal health number can visit a pharmacy to receive a free take-home test kit containing five COVID-19 rapid antigen tests.

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