NPR -
May 18, 2021
Pfizer is planning to apply to the FDA in September for emergency authorization of the vaccine for children aged 2 to 11. Moderna is also conducting clinical trials in small kids for its vaccine. The FDA has already approved vaccinating those 12 and older. Currently there are a lot more families willing to volunteer in trials than spaces available in the trials.
NBC News -
May 18, 2021
State health officials said Monday that more than 25,400 Covid-19 vaccine shots were administered Friday, two days after the program was announced, making it the highest vaccination day in three weeks. … Vaccinations for residents ages 30 to 74 spiked by 6 percent after weeks of steady decline.
Gallup -
May 18, 2021
Before the CDC announcement last week that fully vaccinated people can forgo masks in most settings, the majority of U.S. workers reported doing their jobs remotely during the pandemic, including 51% in April. But this varied widely by job type, including 72% of white-collar workers and 14% of blue-collar workers. These rates have been fairly stable since last fall…
Kaiser Health News -
May 18, 2021
Amid a pandemic that left law enforcement agencies stretched thin and forced shutdowns that left young men with little to do, California registered a devastating surge in homicides in 2020 that hit especially hard in Black and Latino communities. The number of homicide victims in California jumped 27% from 2019 to 2020, to about 2,300, marking the largest year-over-year increase in three decades, according to preliminary death certificate data from the California DOH.
ABC News -
May 18, 2021
California won’t lift its mask requirement until June 15 to give the public and businesses time to prepare and ensure cases stay low, the state health director said Monday. … California's current rules say people who are fully vaccinated do not need to wear a mask outdoors unless they are attending crowded gatherings. But the state says those people must wear masks indoors unless they are meeting with other vaccinated people.
AP -
May 18, 2021
India’s total virus cases since the pandemic began swept past 25 million on Tuesday as the country registered more than 260,000 new cases and a record 4,329 fatalities in the past 24 hours. The numbers continue a trend of falling cases after infections dipped below 300,000 for the first time in weeks on Monday.
Politico -
May 18, 2021
State and federal lawmakers, with the support of unions, are looking to survivor registries created after 9/11 as a model for helping potentially millions of people with often-debilitating long-term symptoms of Covid-19. The efforts would center on creating data troves that so-called “long-haulers” could access to make informed decisions about their care, allow medical providers to study the coronavirus’ still-mysterious long-term effects on the body, and help them qualify for state or federal benefits.
STAT -
May 17, 2021
Sanofi and GSK announced positive results on Monday from a Phase 2 clinical trial of their joint Covid-19 vaccine, saying it generated strong levels of neutralizing antibodies in recipients across all ages studied. The partners said a large international Phase 3 trial will begin in coming weeks. The duo, two of the world’s largest vaccine manufacturers, is far behind in the effort to produce a Covid vaccine and lock down markets for their product, having suffered a setback in an earlier Phase 1/2 trial last year.
The New York Times -
May 17, 2021
For months, federal officials have vigorously warned that wearing masks and social distancing were necessary to contain the pandemic. So what changed? … Few vaccinated people become infected with the virus, and transmission seems rarer still; and the vaccines appear to be effective against all known variants of the coronavirus.
AP -
May 17, 2021
[Millions] are deciding whether to continue wearing face masks, which were both a shield against infection and a point of heated political debate over the last year. … Many are ready to put aside the sadness, isolation and wariness of the pandemic. Ditching face masks — even ones bedazzled with sequins or sports team logos — is a visible, liberating way to move ahead. Yet others are still worried about new virus variants and the off-chance they might contract the virus and pass it along to others...
NPR -
May 17, 2021
Walmart, the largest private employer in the U.S., announced Friday that customers are no longer required to wear masks in its more than 5,000 stores nationwide. The retail super store changed the rules one day after the CDC declared it was safe for fully vaccinated adults to resume most activities, indoors or out, in groups or individually, mask free and without social distancing. Walmart is requesting that customers who have yet to receive their vaccine continue to wear a mask, a Walmart news release said.
STAT -
May 17, 2021
Eight members of the New York Yankees organization who were fully vaccinated against Covid-19 tested positive for the coronavirus this week. And that news has led to a lot of people saying, wait, what?
AP -
May 17, 2021
Travelers in England were packing their bags, bartenders were polishing their glasses and performers were warming up as Britain prepared Sunday for a major step out of lockdown — but with clouds of worry on the horizon. Excitement at the reopening of travel and hospitality vied with anxiety that a more contagious virus variant first found in India is spreading fast and could delay further plans to reopen.
ABC News -
May 17, 2021
Police are reaching out to villagers in northern India to investigate the recovery of bodies buried in shallow sand graves or washed up on the Ganges River banks, prompting speculation on social media that they're the remains of COVID-19 victims. … While officials say the riverside burials have taken place for decades, the sheer numbers in the shadow of the pandemic are focusing more attention on the practice.
AP -
May 14, 2021
In a major step toward returning to pre-pandemic life, the CDC eased mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people on Thursday, allowing them to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings. … “Get vaccinated — or wear a mask until you do.” The guidance still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters, but it will help clear the way for reopening workplaces, schools and other venues — even removing the need for social distancing for those who are fully vaccinated.
The New York Times -
May 14, 2021
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines produce robust immune responses in pregnant and lactating women, and are likely to provide at least some protection against two dangerous coronavirus variants, according to a study published in JAMA on Thursday. Vaccinated women can also pass protective antibodies to their fetuses through the bloodstream and to their infants through breast milk, the research suggests. In a second study, published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology on Tuesday, researchers found no evidence that either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines damaged the placenta during pregnancy.