Friday’s 2,008 cases was the 73rd consecutive daily high of more than 1,000, despite officials not imposing any restrictions on social distancing in the country other than a lockdown at capital Seoul and other major population centers over the past 10 week.
The new cases were more than 1,500 and came from the Greater Seoul region, which is home to half the population of over 51 million people. Infections have risen as schools reopened, summer vacations ended, and people returned from work in the recent weeks.
Transmissions could worsen during the Chuseok holiday break in Korea, which is the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving. It begins on the weekend and runs through Wednesday. Millions of people travel to the region to visit relatives during Chuseok.
Lee Ki-il, Deputy Health Minister, stated that “we plead again for people who have not been fully vaccinated to not visit their elderly parents in their 60s and older.” Transmissions are happening in the greater capital region at indoor gyms and cram schools as well as churches and anywhere else there’s a lot of people. Residents of the Capital Area should be aware that they can get infected at any moment.
RENO, Nev. — Nevada officials fear that some state employees might follow through on threats of quitting their jobs if they are forced to receive COVID-19 shots.
They said that they expected most people to comply with Gov. Steve Sisolak has directed that all workers in prisons and health care facilities be vaccinated before Nov. 1, or they will face administrative leave or reassignment.
DuAne Young is the governor’s policy advisor. He says they are creating contingency plans for the possibility of more people quitting their jobs than anticipated and closely monitoring the situation.
He stated that they are confident there will be some attrition but that most state employees will “step forward and do the right thing.”
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SEATTLE — Seattle officials and King County officials issued a directive requiring proof that COVID-19 has been administered or a negative result to be admitted to certain establishments or large outdoor events.
The order was issued by Dr. Jeff Duchin, Public Health-Seattle & King County Health Office. It will be in effect on Oct. 25, Duchin stated that the order was prompted by high levels of COVID-19-related deaths and hospitalizations, as well as increased death rates due to the highly contagious delta variant.
This applies to outdoor events that have 500 people or more and indoor establishments like museums, theaters and gyms.
This order doesn’t affect outdoor dining, takeout orders, or shopping at grocery stores.
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JACKSON (Miss.) Mississippi is now the state with the highest COVID-19 death rate in the United States, surpassing New Jersey. About 1 out of every 320 Mississippians have died from the coronavirus.
On Thursday, the top state health official warned of more deaths.
Dr. Thomas Dobbs, State Health Officer, stated that “We are recording well over 2500 (cases) per day in recent days, which is far more than what we’d like to observe.” “A lot of this is going to translate into tragedy.”
At least 9,165 Mississippians have died from the virus since the outbreak. Mississippi has an estimated 3 million residents and one of the lowest vaccination rates in the nation.
New Jersey was decimated in 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic. This was long before vaccines were even available.
Dobbs stated that pregnant mothers were a particular concern during the Mississippi delta variant surge. According to the Department of Health, 15 Mississippi pregnant women died from coronavirus during the pandemic. Eight of these deaths took place between July 25th and September 16th.
Mothers who died were between the ages of 23 and 40 years old, with the median being around 30. Dobbs stated that 60% of the mothers who died were Black. None of the women had been fully vaccinated. One woman had her first shot.
Dobbs stated that although some were overweight, the majority of Mississippians are healthy so it shouldn’t be a surprise that they have such a high rate of health.
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HELENA (Mont. Officials at Helena’s hospital said that they were forced to adopt crisis care standards due to an increase in COVID-19-related patients.
St. Peter’s Health hospital has the maximum critical care resources. When hospital resources are insufficient to provide care for all patients, crisis standards of care can be implemented. In such situations, care providers may have to make decisions about how to allocate resources like medications and beds.
Dr. Shelly Harkins, chief medical officer at St. Peter’s Health, said that the hospital’s constraints are worse than those seen in the pandemic.
Harkins stated, “For the first-time in my career we are at a point where not all patients in need will receive the care we wish we could provide.” “We are now in a much worse place than we were during the first surge in winter 2020.
The morgue, advanced medical unit, and intensive care unit are all full. The morgue is still full so a freezer truck will be placed in the hospital’s parking lot.
St. Peter’s Health has been approached by hospitals in Utah, Idaho and Washington looking for beds to care for patients who are unable to be served in their own states. This news comes as Billings and Bozeman hospitals have announced this week that they are close to the need for crisis care standards.
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WASHINGTON – U.S. officials have approved Eli Lilly’s COVID-19 treatment as a new method of preventing the spread of the virus to people who have recently been exposed.
Thursday’s emergency approval by the Food and Drug Administration for children and adults over 12 years old with an infection and at high risk for severe COVID-19 was granted. The drug was previously approved for patients at high risk with confirmed COVID-19.
The FDA approved preventive use of a similar anti-inflammatory drug from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals earlier this summer.
Antibody drugs are the only treatment that has been shown to lower the risk of dying from COVID-19. This is especially true for patients who are not currently in hospital. The demand for these drugs has soared with the return of the delta variant, which sends cases soaring across the U.S.
According to federal officials, there has been a 20-fold rise in drug orders since mid-July.
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HONOLULU — Several schools in Hawaii are part of a state Department of Health program which provides COVID-19 testing to students, teachers, and staff.
Federally funded programs are voluntary and open to public and private schools. 161 of the 257 public schools have already registered and 59 schools have begun conducting tests.
The results of the nasal swab test are sent to a laboratory on the U.S. continental. The results will be available in three days.
Officials from the Health Department say that students can have their blood tested every week.
Parents can request that students who develop COVID-19 symptoms at school or have come in contact with someone who has, may be tested at school.
The vaccine is not available to children under 11 years old.
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HOUSTON — Two dozen Republican attorney generals have warned the White House about impending legal action if the proposed coronavirus vaccine requirement that would affect as many as 100,000,000 Americans is implemented.
Thursday’s letter is the latest sign of GOP opposition to broad new federal vaccine requirements that are applicable to private-sector workers, federal contractors, and health care workers. These were announced earlier in the month by President Joe Biden. This requirement will be enacted by a rule of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration as part of an overall effort to reduce the COVID-19 Delta variant’s rising popularity.
According to South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, the prosecutors called Biden’s plan “disastrous” and “counterproductive.”
The letter was also signed by South Carolina’s attorneys general.
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WAILUKU (Hawaii) — Patrons who wish to eat at Maui bars or restaurants will need proof of vaccination.
For indoor drinking and dining, as well as communal areas in business such as gyms that are part of Maui’s Safer Outside program, you will need to show your vaccination card.
According to The Maui News, some businesses have made adjustments to make it easier for more people to use their facilities.
Many restaurants and bars have closed their indoor seating completely.
Similar programs were launched Monday on Oahu.
The Maui rule does not allow for negative alternatives to the “Safe Access Oahu” program. Some people feel safer because of the Maui rule, while others believe that it makes it easier for them to choose their vaccines.
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HAVANA — Cuba has launched a COVID-19 vaccination program for children aged 2-10 years old on Thursday. It was initiated to stop the spread of the delta variant.
Cuba claims that two vaccines it has developed in its own country, Abdala or Soberana are both safe and effective. Each requires three shots. The government began vaccinating children aged 11-18 years in previous weeks.
Cuba is facing a constant outbreak of COVID-19. This puts heavy pressure on healthcare facilities and compounds economic problems. Doctors from other parts of the country have provided support for hard-hit areas like Ciego de Avila, Matanzas and Cienfuegos.
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WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is not often featured in the news. The Labor Department agency is now being questioned about federal COVID-19 vaccination mandates.
OSHA was directed by President Joe Biden to create a rule requiring employers with more than 100 employees to get their staff vaccinated.
OSHA was established 50 years ago by Congress to protect workplace safety. At the time, 38 workers died on the job each day. Despite the fact that the American workforce has increased by more than twice, this number is now closer to 15. OSHA creates rules to protect workers against dangers like toxic chemicals, rickety scaffolding, and cave-ins on construction sites.
According to OSHA director David Michaels of the Obama administration, “The danger in this case is an infectious worker.” Employers will be told by this rule: Take steps to ensure that potentially infected workers do not enter the workplace.
More than 650,000 Americans have been killed by the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Fisher Phillips, the rule will be effective in 29 states under OSHA’s jurisdiction. California and North Carolina will also have federally approved workplace safety departments. They will have up 30 days to adopt similar measures.
Celine McNicholas, former special counselor at the National Labor Relations Board, says that most employers should be relieved. This gives them a clear roadmap of what they should do.
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ROME — All workers from Italy, both public and private, must have a health card to gain access to the workplace. This is effective Oct. 15.
This is according to a Thursday decree by Premier Mario Draghi’s broad-based coalition government. Green Pass measures require proof that you have been vaccinated, or have had a negative result from a recent rapid test.
Unions and right-wing parties have urged employers to offer free coronavirus testing to their workers. Similar measures were taken in Slovenia and Greece this week.
The measures taken by Italy underline the government’s resolve to ensure that the country is not subject to another lockdown, despite the increase in new cases, mainly among non-vaccinated.
The Green Pass mandate covers 14 million workers in the private sector and 3.4 millions in state-supported jobs. The Green Pass mandate is only applicable to school employees. Previously, only medical personnel had to be vaccinated.
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LONDON — The Scottish government asked for military assistance to reduce long waiting times for treatment and ambulances.
The Ministry of Defense in Britain says it was contacted and is “working hard to determine where we can most effectively help.”
After a 65 year-old man from Glasgow died waiting for 40 hours for an ambulance, pressure on Scottish authorities increased. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon offered her sincere condolences to anyone who has endured or continues to suffer unacceptably long waits.
She claims that the COVID reality has made it difficult for emergency services to meet their challenges.
During the pandemic, the military was called upon several times to support civilian health authorities. Despite the fact that the numbers of cases have started to decline, Scotland has been able to register the highest per capita coronavirus rates in the U.K. over recent weeks.
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BEIJING — Chinese health officials claim that more than 1,000,000 people were fully vaccinated in China, the country with the largest population.
This represents 72% of the nation’s 1.4 billion inhabitants. According to a spokesperson for the National Health Commission, 2.16 billion vaccines have been given and 1.01 billion people are fully vaccinated.
This announcement comes as China is facing a new outbreak in the delta variant of the disease in the southeastern Fujian province, where 200 cases have already been confirmed over the past six days.
In an attempt to stop the spread of the virus, authorities have closed down schools and entertainment venues in affected areas and restrained travel from Fujian.
China has effectively stopped the spread of the disease by placing restrictions on entry and conducting mass testing when new cases are discovered. It also restricts entry to the country, and requires that people arriving in China be quarantined at a hotel for a minimum of two weeks.
