President Joe Biden’s coronavirus response coordinator said the US hit an encouraging milestone on Wednesday with 80% of Americans 12 years of age and older having received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. .
Jeff Zient, speaking at a White House briefing, estimated that in the past 10 days, at least 2.6 million children ages 5-11 received their first shot, about 10 percent of children of that age. there. It takes about 50 days to reach 10% of adults, he said.
“We know there is more work to be done,” he said. “But these important milestones represent important progress and show that we are on the right track in the fight against the virus.”
The US will invest billions of dollars in vaccine production capacity with the goal of producing at least one billion doses per year, Zient said. The goal, he said, is to prepare a vaccine for future pathogens within nine months of an outbreak. First reported in the New York Times, the investment calls for the government to work with industry to address immediate vaccine demand at home and abroad and prepare for future pandemics. .
Zient said the US has provided 250 million doses of the vaccine to 110 countries “for free, with no strings attached”.
Also in the news:
►C CDC encourage visitors to avoid several European destinations, including Iceland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, because of COVID-19 levels.
► “Dancing With The Stars” judge Derek Hough tested positive for COVID-19 before the show’s finale.
►A Northern California clinic gave 14 children the wrong dose of their COVID-19 vaccine over the weekend.
📈Today’s Number: The United States has recorded more than 47 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 766,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Global total: More than 254.7 million cases and 5.1 million deaths. More than 195 million Americans – 58.9% of the population – are fully immunized, According to CDC.
📘What we are reading: It’s time to reassess the reading expectations of children whose early learning has been disrupted by the pandemic. And that’s okay, experts say.
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Doctor accused of promoting false information resigns from hospital
A doctor has resigned at the Houston Methodist, days after the hospital suspended her work and accused her of spreading disinformation about COVID-19 on social media.
The hospital temporarily revoked Dr Mary Bowden’s hospital privileges on Friday, citing “unprofessional conduct” after Bowden repeatedly turned down vaccine duties and advertised ivermectin, the drug anti-parasitic drugs that federal health officials have not approved to treat the virus.
In her resignation letter, she described vaccination as an “important tool” in the fight against the pandemic. Bowden, an ENT specialist, denied spreading misinformation but said doctors “should pay more attention to drugs like ivermectin.”
The FDA in a September announcement wrote that “available data do not suggest that ivermectin is effective against COVID-19.” The agency said it had received “multiple reports” of patients requiring medical attention after self-medicating with ivermectin. Clinical trials are ongoing.
The hospital said in a statement that Bowden was using social media accounts “to express her personal and political opinions” about vaccines and treatments.
“These opinions, which are harmful to the community, do not reflect reliable medical evidence or the merits of the Houston Methodist, where we have treated more than 25,000 COVID-19 inpatients, and where All of our staff and doctors are immunized to protect our patients,” the statement said.
Florida teacher who sued hospital for ivermectin died of COVID
A Florida teacher who gained national attention for trying to get a hospital to administer her ivermectin died of COVID-19 symptoms. Tamara Drock, 47, of Loxahatchee, Florida, died Friday, 12 weeks after being admitted to Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center for treatment. Her husband, Ryan Drock, sued the hospital last month asking the hospital to use ivermectin, an FDA-approved drug to treat conditions caused by parasitic worms but not COVID-19. A settlement broke down after the family’s attorney said the doctor’s recommended dose of ivermectin was too low.
“I hope they named the law after her so no one has to do this,” Ryan Drock told The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Network. “If she had walked out of the hospital, she might have had the medication.”
– Scott Gleeson
22 states challenge Biden vaccine authorization in court
A second group of states filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Biden administration’s authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine for healthcare workers. The most recent lawsuit, dated Monday, was filed in Louisiana on behalf of 12 states and comes less than a week after another lawsuit challenging the rule was filed in Missouri representing 10 states. state.
“The federal government will not impose medical tyranny on the people of Louisiana without my best fight,” Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said in a news release announcing the lawsuit.
Both lawsuits say the vaccine authorization threatens to fire health care workers who don’t want to get vaccinated at a time when those workers are desperately needed. They also objected to a rule enacted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that violates federal law and unconstitutionally violates states’ powers. The Biden administration has yet to respond to either lawsuit.
The US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is based in New Orleans on Friday block a broader Biden administration vaccine authorization that businesses with more than 100 workers require employees to be vaccinated by January 4 or wear face masks and be tested for COVID-19 weekly.
Reverse Pandemic: It’s Time to Reassess Quality of Life
The pandemic has prompted many workers to reevaluate their lives and the role work plays for them, prompting some to set new boundaries, find new jobs, or maintain the side hustle has helped them get through downtime and layoffs. Nearly six in 10 American workers in an October survey by job search site LinkedIn said they’ve experienced a career awakening during the COVID-19 pandemic, whether it’s a desire to balance better work-life balance, decide to pursue a promotion, or redefine what success means.
The survey also found that a majority of American workers say the pandemic has changed the way they feel about their profession.
“We’ve found that a lack of fulfillment drives people to change, whether they’re looking for a new job, a new career, or choosing a job,” says Catherine Fisher, career expert at LinkedIn. extra”.
– Charisse Jones
Texas woman faces mask collision on plane
The federal government is accused a Texas woman of interfering with an airplane after a skirmish over masks during a flight from Alaska to San Francisco. Debby Dutton faces 20 years in prison if convicted. According to the criminal complaint, Dutton and her husband were passengers on a United Airlines flight on June 29 when a flight attendant noticed the mask on which Dutton’s husband was sleeping, falling off. When the flight attendant tapped the man on the shoulder and asked him to put his mask back on, authorities say Dutton began shouting and shoving the flight attendant.
Dutton is being charged with one count of interfering with cabin crew or flight attendants by assault, intimidation or intimidation.
– Jordan Mendoza
Michigan is now the worst COVID hotspot in the nation
Michigan launched next Tuesday the worst COVID-19 hotspot in the country, as the seven-day case rate rose to 503.8 per 100,000 residents, according to the CDC. A US TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. Cases for the week ended Monday stood at 584,449, up 15% from recent lows for the week ending October 26.
Michigan hospitals say they’re feeling the pressure as the number of COVID-19 patients jumped nearly 50% last month – from 2,097 hospitalized patients with confirmed cases of the virus on Oct. to 3,082 on Monday, according to state data. .
“We have both a strong surge in COVID-19 patients, but we also have hospitals that are dealing with staffing and health challenges,” said John Karasinski, a Michigan spokesman. staffing shortages, as well as a high number of non-COVID patients,” said John Karasinski, a Michigan spokesman for the Medical Association and Hospitals, which represents all 133 community hospitals in the state.
That means long waits in emergency rooms, hospitals having to postpone non-urgent medical procedures and some unable to accept new patient transfers, he said.
Most COVID-related hospitalizations and deaths in Michigan and nationally are among those not vaccinated.
– Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press
Contribution: Associated Press
