Monthly Archives: April 2022

In the middle of last year, the World Health Organization began promoting an ambitious goal, one it said was essential for ending the pandemic: fully vaccinate 70 percent of the population in every country against Covid-19 by June 2022.

Now, it is clear that the world will fall far short of that target by the deadline. And there is a growing sense of resignation among public health experts that high Covid vaccination coverage may never be achieved in most lower-income countries, as badly needed funding from the United States dries up and both governments and donors turn to other priorities.

The reality is that there is a loss of momentum, said Dr. Isaac Adewole, a former health minister of Nigeria who now serves as a consultant for the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Only a few of the worlds 82 poorest countries including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia and Nepal have reached the 70 percent vaccination threshold. Many are under 20 percent, according to data compiled from government sources by the Our World in Data project at the University of Oxford.

By comparison, about two-thirds of the worlds richest countries have reached 70 percent. (The United States is at 66 percent.)

The consequences of giving up on achieving high vaccination coverage worldwide could prove severe. Public health experts say that abandoning the global effort could lead to the emergence of dangerous new variants that would threaten the worlds precarious efforts to live with the virus.

This pandemic is not over yet far from it and its imperative that countries use the doses available to them to protect as much of their population as possible, said Dr. Seth Berkley, chief executive of Gavi, the nonprofit that runs the global vaccine clearinghouse Covax.

Countries in different parts of the world, including some in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, have seen their vaccination rates stagnate in recent months at a third or less of their populations. But Africas vaccination rate remain the most dismal.

Fewer than 17 percent of Africans have received a primary Covid immunization. Nearly half of the vaccine doses delivered to the continent thus far have gone unused. Last month, the number of doses injected on the continent fell by 35 percent compared to February. W.H.O. officials attributed the drop to mass vaccination pushes being replaced by smaller-scale campaigns in several countries.

Some global health experts say the world missed a prime opportunity last year to provide vaccines to lower-income countries, when the public was more fearful of Covid and motivated to get vaccinated.

There was a time people were very desperate to get vaccinated, but the vaccines were not there. And then they realized that without the vaccination, they didnt die, said Dr. Adewole, who wants to see countries continue to pursue the 70 percent target.

What momentum remains in the global vaccination campaign has been hindered by a shortfall in funding for the equipment, transportation and personnel needed to get shots into arms.

In the United States, a key funder of the vaccination effort, lawmakers stripped $5 billion meant for global pandemic aid from the coronavirus response package that is expected to come up for a vote in the next few weeks. Biden administration officials have said that without the funds, they will be unable to provide support for vaccine delivery to more than 20 under-vaccinated countries.

Some public health experts point to reasons for optimism that the global vaccination campaign still has steam. Despite the drop off from the February peak, the number of Covid vaccinations being administered each day in Africa is still near a pandemic high. And Gavi earlier this month drew a significant new round of funding pledges, securing $4.8 billion in commitments, although it fell short of its $5.2 billion goal.

There is also hope that a global Covid summit the White House plans to co-host next month could be an opportunity to generate momentum and funding.

But the drop in public demand has led some health officials and experts to quietly, and in some cases outright, question whether the 70 percent vaccination target is feasible or even sensible.

Reported fatalities from Covid-19 remain comparatively low in sub-Saharan Africa, although there is debate about how much of this reflects poor data tracking. The perception, however, in many countries in the region is that the disease does not pose a serious threat, certainly not as much as other pervasive health problems that demand attention with scarce health care resources.

Many lower-income governments are turning their focus to their economies and other health issues like H.I.V., said Fifa Rahman, a civil society representative to a W.H.O.-launched group coordinating the global Covid response. Theres a sense of a lot of competing priorities, but thats a symptom of the momentum being gone. Because when the momentum was there, everyone was like, Where are our vaccines?

In rural areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo, for example, where the reported Covid death rate is very low, there is a surge in measles cases threatening 20 million children. Yet the government says it cannot spare the resources to provide supplementary measles vaccinations this year, said Christopher Mambula, medical manager for Doctors Without Border in East Africa. In this kind of context, it makes little sense to continue to divert resources to widespread vaccination against Covid, he said.

As African governments have received more vaccines donated from wealthy countries and struggled to distribute even those supplies, their interest in ordering more doses has dropped.

The African Union still aims to vaccinate 70 percent of its population by the end of 2022. But with countries slow to use up donated vaccines, the bloc has not exercised its options to order more doses of the shots from Johnson & Johnson and Moderna.

The South African drugmaker Aspen Pharmacare earlier this year finalized a deal to bottle and market the Johnson & Johnson vaccine across Africa, a contract that was billed as an early step toward Africas development of a robust vaccine production industry. Aspen geared up for production, but no buyers, including the African Union and Covax, have placed orders yet, said Stephen Saad, Aspens chief executive.

The Serum Institute of India, the worlds largest vaccine maker, stopped its production of Covid shots in December last year, when its stockpile grew to 200 million doses; Bharat Biotech, another Indian firm that was a major producer, also stopped making vaccines in the face of low demand. The companies say they have no further orders since their contracts with the Indian government ended in March.

After the W.H.O. began promoting the 70 percent vaccination goal, many lower-income governments adopted the target for their own populations. The Biden administration also endorsed it last September, setting a deadline of September 2022.

At the time, two doses of the vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna were understood to offer very strong protection against even mild disease, and there was still hope that achieving high levels of vaccination coverage would tame the virus. But the emergence of new variants and the spread of the virus in Africa changed the calculus.

The vaccine regimens that had been planned for the developing world offered little protection against infection with the Omicron variant. And as sub-Saharan African countries were shut out of vaccine distribution for much of last year, more and more Africans gained protection against the virus from natural infection, which studies have shown works as well as two mRNA doses in preventing infection. New data from the W.H.O. shows that at least two-thirds of Africans had been infected with the virus before the Omicron wave.

Given these factors, some public health experts in Africa say the broad 70 percent goal no longer makes sense. Theres very little value to it. In fact, we will gain much more by getting to more than 90 percent of people above the age of 50, said Shabir Madhi, a professor of vaccinology and the dean of the faculty of health sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. About two-thirds of South Africans above age 50 are currently fully vaccinated.

Dr. Madhi said that South Africa could close down mass vaccination sites and instead redouble its efforts to seek out the most vulnerable at church services and at government offices that pay out monthly pension benefits.

Katherine OBrien, who directs the W.H.O.s work on vaccines and immunizations, said the agency encourages countries to focus on its most vulnerable citizens rather than vaccinating a random set of 70 percent of their populations. The aspiration she said, has always been 100 percent of health workers, 100 percent of older adults, 100 percent of pregnant women, 100 percent of the people who fall into those highest risk groups.

Countries can of course make decisions about what health goal they wish to prioritize, Dr. OBrien said, but finite resources should not be the obstacle to vaccinating against the coronavirus. The world has enough resources to do this, if countries want to do it, she said. And that should be really the North Star.

Some public health experts said that while the 70 percent vaccination threshold is clearly not achievable by its original deadline, it would be unwise and unethical to give up on that target over a longer time horizon. They expressed frustration about the growing gulf between wealthy countries vaccinating young children and offering healthy adults fourth vaccine doses, and the regions where the majority of people still do not have one dose.

Why are we making it one target for high-income countries and one target for low income? said Dr. Ayoade Alakija, a co-chair of the African Unions vaccine delivery program.

She said that even though many people in sub-Saharan Africa have been infected, there is still need for the additional protection that would come from a high level of vaccination coverage.

Modest vaccination coverage, she said, is not considered a good enough level of protection in England, its not a good enough level of protection in America. How is it OK not to be aiming for the very maximum, maximum we can? Aim for the sky and get to the top of the tree.

April 23, 2022

An earlier version of this article misspelled the surname of the chief executive of Gavi. He is Dr. Seth Berkley, not Berkeley.

See the article here:

Covid Live Updates: Testing, Lockdowns, and More News - The New York Times

Mask mandates returning to some college campuses

The final weeks of the college school year have been disrupted yet again by COVID-19 as universities bring back mask mandates. (April 22)

AP

New York's COVID-19 case tally surged 37% last week while hospitalizations spiked 24%, promptinghealth officials to expand recommendations to wear masks indoors in public spaces across 23 counties.

New York reported 49,500 cases in the week ending Sunday, up from36,180 new cases the prior week. COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals statewide last week totaled 3,219, up from 2,603.

New York ranked second among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows.

The uptick in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations stemmed in part from the spread of highly contagious omicron subvariants, health officials noted, with recent holiday gatherings held indoorsoffering potentialvenues for fuelingoutbreaks.

Nationally, coronavirus casesincreased about 57% from the week before, with 351,599 cases reported.Across the country, 42 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

Indoor mask wearingrecommendations for 23 "high-risk" countiesnow covered large sections of upstate New York, including much of the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier, according to the Centers for Disease Control guidelines based on COVID-19 infection rates and the strainon local hospitals. That's up from 10 counties on April 18.

Here are the "high-risk" NY counties:

Another 16counties across the state, including Westchester, currently fall under the "medium-risk" category, meaning recent case and hospitalization trends could soon warrant masking in public spaces.

While still well below the initial omicron strain's peak in earlyJanuary, when New York reported90,000 new cases in one day, the rise in infections and hospitalizations over the past month illustratedthe virus' ability to keep mutatingand spreading.

Some prior waves of infections during the pandemic, however, have receded as weather conditions improved and people spent more time outdoors where the virus struggles to spread.

Yet therise of the omicron subvariants has fueled the current uptick in cases, as authorities tried to balance the push to reduce pandemic-related disruptions to daily life against the need to renew calls forpeople to take steps to limit the virus' spread, such as mask wearing.

Further, New York'smask mandate for all public transit settings statewide will remain in place for the "short term" despite a Florida judge voiding a federal mask mandate for public transportation, Gov. Kathy Hochul said last week.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 deaths have begun to increase in New York after lagging behind infections and hospitalizations. A total of117 people were reported deadof COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday, up from59 deaths the prior week.

MASKS:Hochul: NY's mask mandate for public transit remains in place despite federal court ruling

Within New York, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in:

The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week. Weekly case counts rose in 61 of 62 counties across New York from the previous week.

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

New York ranked 7th among states in share of people receiving at least one shot, with 90.1% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 77.5%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are the most used in the United States, require two doses administered a few weeks apart.

In the week ending Sunday, New York reported administering another 193,193 vaccine doses, including 25,351 first doses. In the previous week, the state administered 245,669 vaccine doses.

A total of 5,123,612 people in New York have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 68,231 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 80,984,914 people have tested positive and 991,254 people have died.

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, April 24.

Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

Hospitals in 37 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 25 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 42 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.

Read more from the original source:

NY COVID cases surge 37%. CDC urges wearing masks in these 23 counties - The Journal News

Mike Stucka USA TODAY NETWORK| Bluffton Today

New coronavirus cases leaped in South Carolina in the week ending Sunday, rising 67.9% as 1,496 cases were reported. The previous week had 891 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

South Carolina ranked 40th among the states where the coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States increased 57.1% from the week before, with 351,599 cases reported.

With 1.55% of the country's population, South Carolina had 0.43% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 42 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

Beaufort County reported 74 cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 48 cases and zero deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 43,130 cases and 376 deaths.

Jasper County reported four cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported one case and zero deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 5,893 cases and 93 deaths.

Within South Carolina, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in McCormick County with 85 cases per 100,000 per week; Kershaw County with 69; and Allendale County with 46. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.

Adding the most new cases overall were Charleston County, with 180 cases; Greenville County, with 158 cases; and Richland County, with 154. Weekly case counts rose in 37 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Richland, Greenville and York counties.

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

South Carolina ranked 34th among states in share of people receiving at least one shot, with 67.3% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 77.5%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are the most used in the United States, require two doses administered a few weeks apart.

In the week ending Sunday, South Carolina reported administering another 1,078 vaccine doses, including 1,346 first doses. In the previous week, the state administered 1,096 vaccine doses, including 1,627 first doses. In all, South Carolina reported it has administered 7,389,108 total doses.

Across South Carolina, cases fell in five counties, with the best declines in Abbeville County, with 2 cases from 5 a week earlier; in Greenwood County, with 11 cases from 13; and in Bamberg County, with 0 cases from 1.

In South Carolina, 36 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 48 people were reported dead.

A total of 1,472,093 people in South Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 17,734 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 80,984,914 people have tested positive and 991,254 people have died.

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, April 24.

Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

Hospitals in 37 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 25 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 42 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.

Read the original here:

74 new COVID-19 cases reported last week in Beaufort County, 4 in Jasper County - Bluffton Today

As the fear of getting fined for not wearing masks set in after the DDMA order, people in the national capital have again started masking up in public places, especially at busy markets, railway stations, Metro, buses and ISBTs. The inspection by the Delhi Police and authorities at these places has also intensified again.

Delhi on Sunday reported 1,083 fresh COVID-19 infections with a positivity rate of 4.48 per cent, while one person died due to the disease, according to the health department. The infection tally in the national capital now stands at 18,74,876 and the death toll at 26,168. The capital had reported 1,094 COVID-19 infections on Saturday, highest since February 10, with a positivity rate of 4.82 percent and two deaths.

Meanwhile, Mumbai on Sunday reported 73 new coronavirus positive cases, which took its overall infection count to 10,59,286, according to PTI. The death toll in the metropolis remained unchanged at 19,562 as nobody succumbed to the infection during the day. On Saturday, the city had reported 72 cases.

A common anti-inflammatory drug has been found to be an effective antiviral agent in the treatment of mild and moderate Covid-19 patients. The drug, indomethacin, is widely used to treat various types of inflammation-related conditions. The study on Covid patients, by IIT Madras, has been published in Nature Scientific Reports.

THE DRUG: Indomethacin is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug available as capsules and a liquid suspension, to be taken orally. According to the US National Library of Medicine, indomethacin works by stopping the bodys production of a substance that causes pain, fever, and inflammation. It is used to relieve moderate to severe pain, tenderness, swelling, and stiffness caused by various kinds of arthritis, and pain in the shoulder caused by inflammation.

The findings: A randomised clinical trial was conducted by IIT Madras researchers at Panimalar Medical College and Research Institute, Chennai. Out of 210 patients admitted, 107 were randomly allocated to a control group and treated with paracetamol and standard care, while 103 patients were administered indomethacin along with standard care of treatment, a media release from IIT Madras said.

Also read | New Research: Common drug found effective against mild and moderate Covid

A UK patient with a severely weakened immune system had Covid-19 for almost a year and a half, scientists reported, underscoring the importance of protecting vulnerable people from the coronavirus. Theres no way to know for sure whether it was the longest-lasting Covid-19 infection because not everyone gets tested, especially on a regular basis like this case.

But at 505 days, it certainly seems to be the longest reported infection, said Dr. Luke Blagdon Snell, an infectious disease expert at the Guys and St. Thomas NHS Foundation Trust.

Visit link:

Coronavirus News Live Updates: India reports 2,541 fresh Covid-19 cases, slightly lower than yesterday; active cases over 16,500 - The Indian Express

According to the state Department of Public Health, the average age of those dying from coronavirus is now 79.

And the statistics DPH presents bear it out.

Currently, 91% of all deaths are among those 60 and up and 54% of all deaths are among those 80 and up.

The latest two-week period between April 3 and April 16 showed a surge of 8,697 cases to 13,113, which was an increase of 51%.

During that time there were 6,086 cases among those from the age of 0 to 19 and no deaths.

There were 16,166 cases among those from the age of 20 to 59 and just four deaths.

Those from the age of 60 to 80 and above had 4,496 cases and 57 deaths.

Those 80 and over suffered the most deaths, with 35, or 57%, of the 61 deaths during that period.

Since the beginning of the pandemic in March of 2020, those 80 and over have suffered 54% of all deaths, which is 10,943 out of 20,208 total deaths.

And during that time, that age group has had the fewest number of cases at 54,853, which is 3% of all 1,733,156 cases as of April 16.

Meanwhile, those from the age of 70 to 79 have suffered 4,678 deaths, which is 23% of the 20,208 total deaths as of April 16.

That groups percentage of deaths is less than half the 80 and over group, but their percentage of cases is slightly more at 4%.

Those from the age of 20 through the age of 59 account for 60% of all cases and 9% of all deaths.

Those numbers are 1,048,158 and 1,851, respectively.

Those 1,851 deaths is a death percentage of just 0.17%, or just under two-tenths of one percent, for the number of cases which afflicted the group.

And the youngest group of those afflicted with coronavirus, those from the age of 0 through 19, account for 24% of all cases and 0.11%, or one-tenth of 1%, of all deaths; those numbers are 416,395 and 23, respectively.

Meanwhile, as the number of cases rose, the number of those being cared for in intensive care units, or ICUs, fell.

On Friday, when the number of cases for the week ending April 22 hit 13,198, the number of those in ICUs fell from 37 to 25 since the week ending April 15.

And the number of those intubated with breathing apparatus declined from 15 to 12.

The numbers of those in ICUs and on breathing apparatus indicates this latest surge is less deadly.

On Friday, there were 389 people hospitalized statewide with 12 on breathing apparatus and 25 in an ICU.

The last time there were that many people hospitalized (391) on Feb. 28, about two months ago, there were 39 patients on breathing apparatus and 71 patients in ICUs.

George W. Rhodes can be reached at 508-236-0432.

Originally posted here:

Elderly continue to be hardest hit by coronavirus - The Sun Chronicle

BROOKVILLE, N.Y., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Results of a newly released Long Island University Steven S. Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling and Analysis national poll revealed what Americans think about wearing masks on planes and public transportation in light of a federal court order, that stated as of April 18, 2022, the CDC's Order requiring masks on public transportation conveyances and at transportation hubs was no longer in effect.

MIXED SUPPORT (42%) ON THE REMOVAL OF MASK MANDATES ONBOARD AIRLINE FLIGHTS

Americans were asked if they supported the removal of mask mandates onboard airline flights to reduce the likelihood of contracting the coronavirus; 42% of respondents said yes. Respondents with the highest support of the mask mandate removal were Republicans (73%), followed by Independents (41%) and Democrats (21%). Support of the mask mandate removal was higher in the Midwest (48%) and South (47%) than other regions in the Northeast (33%) and Pacific (35%). Respondents age 60 and older supported the mask mandate removal at a lower rate (34%) than other age brackets. Males supported the mask mandate removal at a higher rate (46%) than females (39%).

6 OUT OF 10 AMERICANS WOULD STILL WEAR A MASK WHILE TRAVELING

National poll results found that 64% of respondents said they would still wear a mask today if traveling by plane; 63% of respondents said they would still wear a mask today if traveling on public transportation. Political beliefs played a factor in respondents' choices: 87% of Democrats said they would still wear masks on planes; 84% of Democrats said they would still wear masks on public transportation; 61% of Independents said they would still wear masks on planes; 59% of Independents said they would still wear masks on public transportation; 38% of Republicans said they would still wear masks on planes; 41% of Republicans said they would still wear masks on public transportation.

71% OF AMERICANS BELIEVE WEARING MASKS REDUCES THE LIKELIHOOD OF CONTRACTING THE CORONAVIRUS

Respondents were asked if they believe wearing face masks reduces the likelihood of contracting the coronavirus: 71% of Americans said yes; 92% of Democrats said yes; 68% of Independents/Other said yes; 46% of Republicans said yes.

HALF OF AMERICANS (53%) SAID THE WORST OF THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC IS OVER

Respondents were asked if they believe the worst of the pandemic is over. Overall, 53% of respondents said yes, the highest since June 2021 through national polls conducted by the Long Island University Steven S. Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling and Analysis. Respondents with the highest confidence level that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic is over are Republicans (70%), followed by Independents (51%) and Democrats (43%).Respondents age 18-29 believe the worst is over at the highest belief rate (58%) compared to respondents age 60 and older (47%) at the lowest belief rate. Males believe the worst is over at a higher rate (57%) than females (49%).

53% OF AMERICANS SAID THEY CURRENTLY WEAR A MASK TO AVOID CONTRACTING THE CORONAVIRUS

Respondents were asked if they were currently wearing a mask in general to reduce the likelihood of contracting the coronavirus: 53% of Americans said yes; 73% of Democrats said yes; 48% of Independents/Other said yes; 34% of Republicans said yes.

62% OF AMERICANS REMAINED CONCERNED OVER RISK OF FAMILY CONTRACTING THE CORONAVIRUS (DOWN SLIGHTLY FROM 69% IN NOVEMBER 2021)

Americans were asked how concerned they are about someone in their family becoming seriously ill from the coronavirus: 62% of respondents said they are somewhat or seriously concerned as compared to 69% in an earlier November 2021 Hornstein Center national poll.78% of Democrats, 59% of Independents/Other, and 43% of Republicans said they are somewhat or seriously concerned.

75% OF AMERICANS ARE FULLY VACCINATEDAGE 12 AND OVER (UP FROM 69% IN NOVEMBER 2021)

76% OF AMERICANS ARE FULLY VACCINATEDAGE 18 AND OVER (UP FROM 71% IN NOVEMBER 2021)

90% OF AMERICANS ARE FULLY VACCINATEDAGE 65 AND OVER (UP FROM 86% IN NOVEMBER 2021)

According toCDC data, 75% of Americans age 12 and over are fully vaccinated as of April 24, 2022 (up from 69% on November 16, 2021). 76% of Americans age 18 and over are fully vaccinated (up from 71% on November 16, 2021). 90% of Americans over age 65 are fully vaccinated (up from 86% on November 16, 2021), indicating a promising way forward for the most at-risk population.

CDC AUTHORIZED COVID-19 BOOSTER VACCINES

CDC guidance on COVID-19 Booster Vaccines stated that Americans eligible for a second booster shot include adults ages 50 years and older, people ages 12 years and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised, and people who received 2 doses (1 primary dose and 1 booster) of Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine. Currently, the three vaccines that are authorized and recommended to prevent COVID-19 by the CDC arePfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine,Moderna COVID-19 vaccineandJohnson & Johnson's Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine.

METHODOLOGYThis Long Island University Steven S. Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling, and Analysis online poll was conducted through SurveyMonkey from April 21 22, 2022 among a national sample of 1,584 adults ages 18 and up. Respondents for this survey were selected from over 2.5 million people who take surveys on the SurveyMonkey platform each day. Data for this week have been weighted for age and gender using the Census Bureau's American Community Survey to reflect the demographic composition of the United States. The modeled error estimate for this survey is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

ABOUT THE LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY STEVEN S. HORNSTEIN CENTER FOR POLICY, POLLING, AND ANALYSISThe Long Island University Steven S. Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling, and Analysis conducts independent polling, empirical research, and analysis on a wide range of public issues. Our studies inform the public and policy makers about critical issues, attitudes, and trends shaping the world. Visit liu.edu/Hornstein for more information and results from this national poll.

ABOUT LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITYLong Island University, founded in 1926, continues to redefine higher education, providing high quality academic instruction by world-class faculty. Recognized byForbesfor its emphasis on experiential learning and by the Brookings Institution for its "value added" to student outcomes, LIU has a network of over 285,000 alumni, including industry leaders and entrepreneurs around the globe. Visit liu.edu for more information.

SOURCE Long Island University

Visit link:

Where Americans Stand on Coronavirus and Mask Mandates on Planes: Long Island University Hornstein Center National Poll - PR Newswire

A checkpoint in Ningbo, China. A growing number of Chinese cities are requiring truck drivers to take daily Covid P.C.R. tests.Credit...Agence France-Presse Getty Images

BEIJING Chinas mounting Covid-19 restrictions are creating further disruptions to global supply chains for consumer electronics, car parts and other goods.

A growing number of Chinese cities are requiring truck drivers to take daily Covid P.C.R. tests before allowing them to cross municipal borders or are quarantining drivers deemed to be at risk of infection. The measures have limited how quickly drivers can move components among factories and goods from plants to ports.

Shanghai and other major Chinese cities have imposed lengthy, stringent lockdowns to try to control Covid outbreaks. Previous interruptions in the supply of goods from Chinese factories to buyers around the world mainly involved the temporary closure of shipping ports, including in Shenzhen in southeastern China in May and June last year and then near Shanghai last summer.

The problem is not ships its that theres no cargo coming because there are no trucks, said Jarrod Ward, the chief East Asia business development officer in the Shanghai office of Yusen Logistics, a large Japanese supply chain management company.

The testing of truck drivers has been held up because some cities are doing mass testing of residents. Shanghai tested essentially all 25 million people within its borders in a single day on Monday and detected another 21,000 cases on Thursday.

Now, there is an acute shortage of truck drivers in Shanghai and in nearby cities like Kunshan, a center of electronics production. Many electronics components manufacturers are shutting down in Kunshan.

The key electronics suppliers to Apple, to Tesla, theyre all based there, said Julie Gerdeman, the chief executive of Everstream, a supply chain risk management affiliate of DHL that is based in San Marcos, Calif.

Apple declined to comment, and Tesla had no immediate reply to questions.

Many factories have tried to stay open by having workers stay on site instead of going home. Employees have been sleeping on mats on the floor for as long as four weeks in some cities in northeastern China. Companies have been storing goods in nearby warehouses while waiting for normal truck traffic to resume.

But as lockdowns stretch on in cities like Shanghai, Changchun and Shenyang, factories are starting to run out of materials to assemble. Some are sending their workers home until further notice.

Making car seats, for example, requires different springs, bolts and other materials. Mr. Ward said car seat producers had run out of components. Volkswagen said it had closed a factory outside Shanghai.

While Shanghais cases increase, its main rival in electronics manufacturing, Shenzhen, has emerged from lockdown. That is freeing workers and factories there to resume full-speed production.

Retailers and manufacturers in the West tried to adapt to previous supply chain difficulties in China by switching from ships to airfreight, but airfreight rates have more than doubled from last year.

The near-total suspension of passenger flights in and out of Shanghai has roughly halved the airfreight capacity there, said Zvi Schreiber, the chief executive of Freightos, a freight booking platform. The war in Ukraine has forced many airlines to schedule longer flights around Russia and Ukraine, which means each plane can make fewer trips in a week and often can carry less weight on each flight.

The war in Ukraine is also starting to hurt the availability of Soviet-era Antonov freighters, Mr. Schreiber said. These workhorses of the airfreight industry have been kept going in recent years almost entirely by Ukrainian maintenance bases that are now closed.

For companies, any additional disruptions to the global supply chain would come at a particularly fraught moment, on top of rising prices for raw materials and shipping, along with extended delivery times and worker shortages.

Excerpt from:

Covid News: At Least 53 People Test Positive After A-List Dinner in Washington - The New York Times