Category Archives: Corona Virus

There are two confirmed cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus in Ottawa, the Ontario government announced Sunday.

"Today, the province of Ontario has confirmed two cases of the omicron variant of COVID-19 in Ottawa, both of which were reported in individuals with recent travel from Nigeria. Ottawa Public Health is conducting case and contact management and the patients are in isolation," the statement said.

These are the first cases of the omicron variant confirmed in Canada, coming just days after the country implemented new travel restrictions on foreign nationals who had visited several countries in southern Africa over the preceding two weeks.

Those travel restrictions went into effect on Friday. The omicron variant was first identified by South African researchers and has provoked global concern.

Little is known about the new variant, dubbed omicron by the World Health Organization and labelled as a variant of concern. It is being linked to a rapid rise of cases in a South African province.

It is not known at this time whether the variant is more transmissible, or more dangerous to the health of those who are infected by it, than other coronavirus variants.

"The best defence against the omicron variant is stopping it at our border. In addition to the measures recently announced, we continue to urge the federal government to take the necessary steps to mandate point-of-arrival testing for all travellers irrespective of where they're coming from to further protect against the spread of this new variant," said the statement from Ontario Health MinisterChristine Elliott and Dr. Kieran Moore, the province's chief medical officer of health.

The provincial government urged residents to get vaccinated, including with booster doses, and to continue following public health guidance.

"Ontario is prepared and ready to respond to this new variant."

In a statement released Sunday, federal Health MinisterJean-Yves Duclossaid the confirmation of two omicron cases isa signal that the country's monitoring system isworking but to expect more cases of the variant.

"As the monitoring and testing continues with provinces and territories, it is expected that other cases of this variant will be found in Canada," Duclos said.

"I know that this new variant may seem concerning," headded, but said existing vaccines and public health measures were helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

In a separate statement, the Public Health Agency of Canada said border measures could change as the situation develops.

"The Government of Canada will continue to assess the evolving situation and adjust border measures as required," it said

Reacting to the news, epidemiologistDr. Christopher Labosemphasized the lack of information the world has so far about the omicron variant, noting that some other variants failed to take hold and out-compete the dominant strain.

"While it's important not to under-react, it's important not to overreact. We don't have a lot of information about whether this variant is actually more dangerous than the variants that we've dealt with," he said in an interview on CBC News Network.

Still, he said it was "better to be safe than sorry" and take precautions. But he said that until there was more information, it was not necessary to radically change behaviour, so long as you are vaccinated and otherwise acting in accordance with public health guidance.

"The stuff that worked before should work now."

The World Health Organization (WHO)released a statement on Sunday summarizing what it knowsabout the variant. It said it isstudying whether the variant ismore transmissible than those currently spreading, such as delta, as well as whether omicron increasesthe risk of reinfection, as suggested by "preliminary evidence."

The idea of travel bans in response to new variants has long been criticizedby some as an ineffective measure at stopping the spread of the virus. South Africa has said the travel measures are "unjustified."

Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO's regional director for Africa, said instituting travel bans targeted at southern Africa "attacks global solidarity."

"COVID-19 constantly exploits our divisions. We will only get the better of the virus if we work together for solutions," Moeti said.

In an interview on Rosemary Barton Livethataired prior to the government announcement onSunday, WHO special adviser Dr. Peter Singersaid it "wouldn't be a surprise" if the variant was in Canada.

He said the United Nations agency believestravel restrictions should be "risk-based and time-limited," part of a comprehensive package, rather than the only measure taken to mitigate the risk of a new variant.

"They're definitely not a silver bullet," he said. Singer argued the international community should not create situations that disincentive countries from being transparent about new variants.

Singer saidthe most importantthings Canadians can do to protect themselves are the same as they have been throughout the COVID-19 pandemic: get vaccinated and follow public health measures.

"This is a call for individuals to raise their guard. There are things individuals can do which help with any variant or any version of this virus, including omicron."

He urged Canada and other countries to redouble their efforts to provide resources to the global vaccination campaign, saying that'sthe best way to stop the spread of omicron and potential future variants.

Read more here:

Canada's first cases of the omicron coronavirus variant confirmed in Ottawa - CBC.ca

Gov. Phil Murphy received his coronavirus vaccine booster shot Sunday at the Monmouth Medical Center and encouraged other adult residents to get their shots as concerns mount over a new coronavirus variant and rising case numbers.

Murphy, 63, now joins more than 1.23 million people in New Jersey who have received third doses or boosters.

The governor, who recently returned from a three-night Thanksgiving trip to Orlando with his family, also posted photos on social media of his wife, First Lady Tammy Murphy, getting her booster shot and his family holding up their vaccine cards.

Murphy and his wife received their first coronavirus vaccine doses in April as they toured one of the states six vaccine mega-sites in Atlantic City. The couple both received the Pfizer vaccination.

On Sunday, they each received a third dose of the Pfizer vaccination.

Officials are encouraging everyone 18 and older in New Jersey who has received their second dose of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines six months ago or longer to get a booster shot. Thats after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced this month that it opened booster shot eligibility to all adults.

Anyone 18 and older who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was already eligible for a booster two months after the single shot.

More than 6.17 million people who live, work or study in New Jersey a state of about 9.2 million residents have now been fully vaccinated. More than 8 million people in the state have received at least one dose, and more than 1.23 million people have received third doses or boosters.

As of Monday, at least 87,500 children between the ages of 5 and 11 in New Jersey have received vaccine doses since federal authorities approved the Pfizer shots for that age group two weeks ago, according to the state.

Officials are urging all eligible residents receive a vaccine if they have not already, aiming to ward off a winter surge as coronavirus cases rise and holiday travel picks up.

On Sunday, New Jersey reported another 1,599 cases and an additional four deaths. The states seven-day average for new positive tests increased to 1,809, up 10% from a week ago and up 58% from a month ago.

In all, New Jersey, has reported 1,082,586 total confirmed cases out of more than 16 million PCR tests conducted since it announced its first case March 4, 2020. There have also been more than 164,627 positive antigen or rapid tests, which are considered probable cases.

The state of 9.2 million people has reported 28,250 have died from complications related to COVID-19 25,516 confirmed and 2,823 considered probable.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Jackie Roman may be reached at jroman@njadvancemedia.com or on Twitter @JacqueRoman.

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Gov. Murphy got his COVID booster shot and says you should too - nj.com

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- The Virginia Department of Health will be monitoring sewage in various parts of the state in an effort to predict future outbreaks of COVID-19.

The Danville Register & Bee reported Saturday that VDH is deploying up to 25 wastewater monitoring sites across the commonwealth.

That's according to a recent report from the University of Virginia's Biocomplexity Institute, which collaborates with state health officials. The report does not state where those monitoring sites will be. But VDH has been polling utilities to assess their willingness to participate in a sampling program.

Testing sewage can help health officials gauge COVID-19 infection in a community because people who are sick shed the virus in bodily waste, even if they're not showing symptoms. Combined with other programs that monitor COVID-19 infection in communities, the goal is to provide warnings before a surge begins.

This kind of testing of wastewater isn't new. It's been used for other infectious diseases, such as polio, VDH said.

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Virginia will test sewage to help predict COVID-19 outbreaks - WPTV.com

Traders wait at the Bahrain Bourse in Manama, Bahrain, November 8, 2020. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo

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Nov 28 (Reuters) - Most Gulf stock markets fell sharply in early trade on Sunday, with the Saudi index suffering its biggest single-day fall in nearly two years as fears of a potentially vaccine-resistant coronavirus variant rattled investors.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday designated a new COVID-19 variant detected in South Africa as being "of concern" - the fifth variant to be given the designation. read more

Saudi Arabia's benchmark index (.TASI) retreated by 4.4%, dragged down by a 3.4% fall for Al Rajhi Bank (1120.SE) and a 5.3% decline for Saudi National Bank (1180.SE).

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The kingdom has halted flights from and to Malawi, Zambia, Madagascar, Angola, Seychelles, Mauritius And Comoros Islands, Reuters reported on Sunday, citing the state news agency. read more

Dubai's main share index (.DFMGI) tumbled 4.8% for its biggest intraday fall since March 2020, with blue-chip developer Emaar Properties (EMAR.DU) losing 7.9%.

Among other losers, budget airline Air Arabia (AIRA.DU) plunged 7.1%.

In Abu Dhabi, the index (.ADI) dropped 2.3%, hit by a 3.1% fall for First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB.AD), the country's largest lender, and a 3% drop for telecoms company Etisalat (ETISALAT.AD).

The United Arab Emirates has suspended entry for travellers from South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Mozambique from Nov. 29 owing to concerns about the new variant of the COVID-19 virus, the state news agency reported on Friday. read more

The latest panedmic developments also sent oil prices, a key catalyst for the Gulf's financial markets, plunging by $10 a barrel on Friday for their largest one-day drop since April 2020. The new variant added to concerns that an oil supply surplus could swell in the first quarter.

The Qatari benchmark (.QSI) declined more than 2% as stocks fell across the board.

On Saturday Qatar Airways said it has banned travellers from South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique because of the spread of a new coronavirus variant.

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Reporting by Ateeq Shariff in BengaluruEditing by David Goodman

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Most Gulf bourses slide on fears over COVID-19 variant - Reuters

Winter has a way of bringing out the worst of the coronavirus. Last year, the season saw a record surge that left nearly 250,000 Americans dead and hospitals overwhelmed around the country. This year, we are much better prepared, with effective vaccinesand, soon, powerful antiviralsthat defang the coronavirus, but cases seem to be on the rise again, prompting fears of another big surge.

How bad will it get? We are no longer in the most dangerous phase of the pandemic, but we also have not reached the end. So COVID-19s trajectory over the next few months will depend on three key unknowns: how our immunity holds up, how the virus changes, and how we behave. These unknowns may also play out differently state to state, town to town, but together they will determine what ends up happening this winter.

Here are the basic numbers: The U.S. has fully vaccinated 59 percent of the country and recorded enough cases to account for 14 percent of the population. (Though, given limited testing, those case numbers almost certainly underestimate true infections.) What we dont know is how to put these two numbers together, says Elizabeth Halloran, an epidemiologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. What percentage of Americans have immunity against the coronavirusfrom vaccines or infection or both?

This is the key number that will determine the strength of our immunity wall this winter, but its impossible to pin down with the data we have. This uncertainty matters because even a small percentage difference in overall immunity translates to a large number of susceptible people. For example, an additional 5 percent of Americans without immunity is 16.5 million people, and 16.5 million additional infections could mean hundreds of thousands more hospitalizations. Because unvaccinated people tend to cluster geographically and because many hospital intensive-care units run close to capacity even in non-pandemic times, it doesnt take very many sick patients to overwhelm a local health-care system.

Read: Why health-care workers are quitting in droves

Whats happening in Europe, says Ali Ellebedy, an immunologist at Washington University in St. Louis, is also a red sign. Several countries in Western Europe, which are more highly vaccinated than the U.S., are already seeing spikes heading into winter. Cases in Germany, which has vaccinated nearly 70 percent of its population, have increased sharply, overwhelming hospitals and spurring renewed restrictions on the unvaccinated. The U.S. does have a bit more immunity from previous infections than Germany because its had bigger past COVID waves, but it still has plenty of susceptible people.

The strength of immunity also varies from person to person. Immunity from past infection, in particular, can be quite variable. Vaccine-induced immunity tends to be more consistent, but older people and immunocompromised people mount weaker responses. And immunity against infection also clearly wanes over time in everyone, meaning breakthrough infections are becoming more common. Boosters, which are poised to be available to all adults soon, can counteract the waning this winter, though we dont yet know how durable that protection will be in the long term. If the sum of all this immunity is on the higher side, this winter might be relatively gentle; if not, we could be in store for yet another taxing surge.

At the beginning of the pandemic, scientists thought that this coronavirus mutated fairly slowly. Then, in late 2020, a more transmissible Alpha variant came along. And then an even more transmissible Delta variant emerged. In a year, the virus more than doubled its contagiousness. The evolution of this coronavirus may now be slowing, but that doesnt mean its stopped: We should expect the coronavirus to keep changing.

Alpha and Delta were evolutionary winners because they are just so contagious, and the virus could possibly find ways to up its transmissibility even more. But as more people get vaccinated or infected, our collective immunity gives more and more of an edge to variants that can evade the immune system instead. Delta has some of this ability already. In the future, says Sarah Cobey, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Chicago, I think most fitness improvements are going to come from immune escape.

The Beta and Gamma variants also eroded immune protection, but they werent able to compete with the current Delta variant. There may yet be new variants that can. Whether any of this will happen in time to make a difference this winter is impossible to know, but it will happen eventually. This is just how evolution works. Other coronaviruses that cause the common cold also change every yearas does the flu. The viruses are always causing reinfections, but each reinfection also refreshes the immune systems memory.

Read: The coronavirus could get worse

A new variant could change the pandemic trajectory again this winter, but its not likely to reset the pandemic clock back to March 2020. We might end up with a variant that causes more breakthrough infections or reinfections, but our immune systems wont be totally fooled.

The coronavirus doesnt hop on planes, drive across state lines, or attend holiday parties. We do. COVID-19 spreads when we spread it, and predicting what people will do has been one of the biggest challenges of modeling the pandemic. Were constantly surprised when things are messier and weirder, says Jon Zelner, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan.

The Delta wave in the Deep South over the summer, for example, ebbed in the late summer and early fall even though many COVID restrictions didnt come back. If anything, you might have expected cases to rise at that moment, because schools full of unmasked and unvaccinated children were reopening. So what happened? One possible explanation is that people became more careful with masking and social distancing as they saw cases rising around them. More people in the South did get vaccinated, though the rates still lag behind those in the highly vaccinated Northeast. Are surges self-limiting because people are modifying their behavior in response to recent surges? Cobey says. Thats just a really open question. Weather may also drive behavior; as temperatures cooled down in the South, people might have spent more time outdoors.

Another possible factor in ending the summer surge is that the virus may have simply infected everyone it could find at the timebut that is not the same as saying it has infected everyone in those states. The coronavirus doesnt spread evenly across a region, like ink through water. Instead, it has to travel along networks of connection between people. COVID-19 can run through an entire household or workplace, but it cant jump to the next one unless people are moving in between them. By sheer chance, the coronavirus may find some pockets of susceptible people but not others in any given wave. Theres a kind of randomness to it, Zelner says. This winter, we should expect a local flare-up every time the virus finds a pocket of susceptibility. But its hard to predict exactly when and where that will happen. The countrys current COVID hot spots are Michigan, Minnesota, and New Mexico, three states with no obvious connection among them.

Read: America has lost the plot on COVID

By winters end, the U.S. will emerge with more immunity than it has noweither through infection or, much preferable, through vaccinating more people. To me, this winter is the last stand, Zelner says. However these three unknowns play out this winter, COVID will eventually begin to fade as a disruptive force in our lives as it becomes endemic. Were not quite there yet, but our second pandemic winter will bring us one step closer.

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Three Unknowns Will Define COVID-19 This Winter - The Atlantic

Each week, we answer frequently asked questions about life during the coronavirus crisis. If you have a question you'd like us to consider for a future post, email us at goatsandsoda@npr.org with the subject line: "Weekly Coronavirus Questions." See an archive of our FAQs here.

One of the most frightening aspects of COVID-19 now seems to be the potential that symptoms could linger after an infection. What is my risk of having long COVID-19 if I become infected? And does being vaccinated change that?

Over the past year, a flurry of research has been published about long COVID-19. Dozens of these studies try to estimate the risk of having lingering symptoms months after a coronavirus infection.

But when you look closely at the data, a huge inconsistency emerges: The estimates of the prevalence of long COVID-19 range wildly, from less than 5% to nearly 60% of total COVID-19 cases. So what's going on?

"It can be really confusing, even to scientists," says Christina Pagel, who directs the Clinical Operational Research Unit at University College London.

One of the major problems is with this term "long COVID-19." What scientists, doctors and the media have been calling "long COVID-19" isn't just one disease or disorder. "It's looking like what has been grouped together as 'long COVID' is actually two or three different groups of disorders," Pagel says.

Each one of those disorders may have a particular set of symptoms and causes. Some affect populations differently than others do or linger for a different period of time.

Many of the early studies focused primarily on people who have been hospitalized with COVID-19. "Obviously, these people will have more severe illnesses," says geriatrician Claire Steves at King's College London. Some people spend time in the intensive care unit or on a ventilator.

With this severe illness comes a high risk of organ damage, either because of the virus itself or the body's response to fight it. "Some people may have respiratory scarring and a kind of fibrosis that comes from having had inflammation in the lungs," she says.

Some people have inflammation in their heart muscle, called myocarditis. Some have inflammation in their blood vessels or brain. "In some individuals, there's definite evidence of changes in the areas of the brain that are sensitive to smell," Steves says.

This tissue damage and inflammation can cause a whole host of lingering symptoms, including a fast heart rate, severe fatigue, breathing problems and cognitive problems.

And organ damage can take a long time to heal, no matter the cause of it. In fact, whenever a person is critically ill in the hospital, symptoms can linger, says primary care doctor and bioethicist Zackary Berger of Johns Hopkins University.

"It's well known that people take a long time to recover after a critical illness," Berger says. "So I think it's not surprising that people who end up in the ICU would take longer to recover."

Studies have found that for people hospitalized with COVID-19, the risk of lingering symptoms six months after the disease is quite high, around 50%, Steves says.

Many news reports have suggested that the risk of getting long COVID-19 after a mild or moderate infection appears similar to the risk after a severe case. Indeed, some studies have found that up to 60% of people report one or more lingering symptoms six months after catching the coronavirus, including fatigue, brain fog, difficulty breathing, chest pain, coughing, joint and muscle pain, abdominal symptoms, headaches and anxiety or depression.

But many of these studies are missing what's known as a control group. That is, they don't take into account that these symptoms may be common in people who haven't had COVID-19 or who have had other kinds of infections. In other words, scientists aren't sure whether these symptoms are linked specifically to COVID-19 or are typical for recovery from many infectious diseases that no one has paid attention to.

"There's this belief that you have an infectious disease, you get your treatment for it and you're finished with it. You go back to work and you're fine," Berger says. "But for a lot of people, being sick isn't like that."

Take, for instance, a bout of pneumonia caused by bacteria. Antibiotics can end the infection. But then many people endure symptoms weeks later. "Half of the people have problems breathing a month after pneumonia," Berger says. "That's a lot of people, right?"

The same goes for the flu. And a study, published in September, demonstrates this idea clearly. Researchers in England analyzed the electronic health records of nearly 400,000 people with either a confirmed flu or COVID-19 diagnosis. Then they looked to see who had lingering symptoms. Nearly 60% of people with COVID-19 had at least one symptom lasting six months, but nearly 40% of people with the flu also had at least one persisting symptom similar to those seen in people with COVID-19.

"Plenty of people have lingering symptoms after infectious diseases," Berger says. "I think that's something we need to realize."

Thus, another type of "long COVID" may be people who take longer to recover from an infection, whether it's the flu, pneumonia or COVID-19. In other words, there may have been "long flu" or "long pneumonia" all along, but it simply went unappreciated.

There's growing evidence that SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19, can sometimes trigger several post-viral syndromes, or diseases known to occur after an infection. These include chronic fatigue syndrome, also called ME/CFS, and a blood circulation disorder called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS).

For example, one study, which included 130 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, found that 13% of them met the criteria for ME/CFS six months after their diagnosis.

Dr. Peter Rowe at Johns Hopkins University has evidence that mild illness can also trigger this disease. "We have a small sample size, but in those [patients] in whom function remains impaired [six months] after COVID-19 infection ... all have met criteria for ME/CFS," he wrote in an email to NPR. "I am referring here to the patients who have prolonged symptoms after mild COVID infections, not the hospitalized group, or those with organ damage after more severe acute COVID-19."

So after you take into account these other causes of so-called "long COVID," what's left is possibly a disorder that's specific to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. "There's no standard definition for this syndrome yet," says infectious disease epidemiologist Ira Longini at the University of Florida. "It's a collection of symptoms, including shortness of breath, brain fog, fatigue, but also an issue with one particular organ or tissue, such as the heart or brain."

This disorder could be tied to the virus invading an organ or tissue and persisting there, or some lingering inflammation left over from the body fighting off the virus, Longini says.

It's not known yet exactly what percentage of people will have this collection of symptoms months after COVID-19, but Steves at King's College London says her analyses from the U.K. indicate the risk is much lower in people who weren't hospitalized.

She says the Office for National Statistics in the U.K. has the best estimate, right now, for the prevalence of these long-COVID-19 symptoms in this population. That data includes self-reporting from more than a million people with COVID-19 diagnoses.

"Generally speaking ... that data show that the rate of long COVID, more than 12 weeks after an infection, is just under 5% of people," Steves says.

Given the enormous number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. (and around the world), even a rate of 5% means that more than 2 million Americans (and nearly 13 million people globally) will be affected by this specific cluster of COVID-19 symptoms for at least several months (and even more will struggle with other post-viral problems).

Luckily, Steves says, the percentage of people who have these lingering COVID-19 symptoms drops off drastically a year after the infection. "There are definitely individuals who still have symptoms for more than a year, even up to 18 months now," she says. "But there's a very small percentage of those individuals. Gradually most people are getting better. I see that in my clinic."

Still though, because so many people are affected, health care workers need to be on the lookout for signs of any type of long COVID-19 and keep an open mind about it, says Dr. Paddy Ssentongo, an epidemiologist at Pennsylvania State University. "Doctors have to listen to the patient. They tell you what's happening to them. They don't make up symptoms. Patients know best what's going on with their bodies."

The best way to reduce your risk of any type of long COVID-19 is to reduce your risk of getting a severe case of COVID-19. And to do that, Steves says, being vaccinated is at the top of the list. She and her colleagues have found that being vaccinated with two doses cuts the risk in half for having the COVID-specific cluster of symptoms after an infection.

But the overall effect of the vaccine on your risk of any kind of long COVID-19 is much greater, says Longini, of the University of Florida. "The vaccine reduces the probability of an infection with illness by maybe 70%. So overall, the reduction in long COVID among vaccinated people is more like 80 or 90%.

"That just shows you the power of the COVID-19 vaccines," he adds. They protect not just against acute disease but also against the various types of chronic illnesses associated with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

Read more here:

Coronavirus FAQ: What is long COVID? And what is my risk of getting it? - NPR

The Oregon Health Authority reported 1,160 new known cases of COVID-19 in Oregon on Thursday.

The agency also announced 13 new deaths, five which occurred in November. The rest are part of a backlog of nearly 550 deaths from earlier this year that the agency announced last month it hadnt yet reported.

Where the new cases are by county: Baker (11), Benton (20), Clackamas (95), Clatsop (9), Columbia (12), Coos (15), Crook (13), Curry (6), Deschutes (127), Douglas (72), Grant (4), Harney (2), Hood River (3), Jackson (67), Jefferson (10), Josephine (29), Klamath (20), Lake (1), Lane (80), Lincoln (15), Linn (66), Malheur (11), Marion (116), Morrow (8), Multnomah (141), Polk (27), Sherman (3), Tillamook (4), Umatilla (16), Union (10), Wallowa (1), Wasco (10), Washington (110) and Yamhill (26).

Fatalities: Those who died ranged in age from 43 to 89. Although officials determined all of these deaths were related to COVID-19, the health authority noted the death certificates in four stated that the disease was a cause of death or a significant contributor.

A 43-year-old Multnomah County man tested positive Aug. 17 and died Sept. 2 at his home.

A 59-year-old Jackson County man tested positive Aug. 25 and died Sept. 16 at Portland VA Medical Center.

A 74-year-old Clackamas County woman tested positive Sept. 1 and died Sept. 17 at Oregon Health & Science University Hospital.

An 88-year-old Marion County man tested positive Jan. 4 and died April 3 at his home.

A 64-year-old Curry County man died Aug. 13 at Curry Medical Center.

A 66-year-old Curry County woman died Aug. 5 at Curry Medical Center.

A 78-year-old Josephine County woman tested positive Nov. 8 and died Nov. 16 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center.

A 51-year-old Linn County man tested positive Oct. 29 and died Nov. 12 at Salem Hospital.

An 86-year-old Union County man tested positive Nov. 15 and died Nov. 16 at Grande Ronde Hospital.

A 52-year-old Washington County woman tested positive Aug. 27 and died Oct. 13 at OHSU Hillsboro Medical Center.

A 62-year-old Washington County man died Sept. 22 at Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center.

An 89-year-old Washington County woman tested positive Oct. 23 and died Nov. 6 at her home.

An 89-year-old Deschutes County man tested positive Nov. 12 and died Nov. 17 at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend.

Hospitalizations: Officials reported 419 COVID-19 patients hospitalized statewide, eight fewer than Wednesday. Of those, 104 were in intensive care units, four more than the previous day.

Officials said 6% of non-ICU beds are available for adults statewide, and 9% of adult ICU beds are.

Vaccines: The state reported 6,622 people have received their first doses since Wednesday. About 13% -- or more than 43,000 -- of Oregons 5- to 11-year-olds have received their first shots.

Since it began: Oregon officials have identified 382,990 confirmed or presumed cases and 4,886 deaths, ranking the state fourth lowest in cases and sixth lowest in deaths per capita in the U.S. To date, state officials have reported fully vaccinating 2,639,902 people or nearly 63% of the population. Another 6%, or 256,512 people, are partially vaccinated.

To see more data and trends, visit https://projects.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/

-- Aimee Green; agreen@oregonian.com; @o_aimee

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Coronavirus in Oregon: 1,160 cases and 13 deaths - oregonlive.com

Is a mandate a law? How will Biden's vaccine mandate be enforced?

Republican governors have threatened lawsuits, but the employers affected by the mandate hold the most ground to sue.

Staff video, USA TODAY

For parents who decline to vaccinate their children against the coronavirus because they believe COVID-19 only affects older people, pediatric specialists presentsome stark statistics:

Beyond the numbers, there are the heartbreaking stories of children struggling to breathe as desperate parents lament not getting them vaccinated even when eligible.

Dr. Kenneth Alexander, chief of infectious diseases at Nemours Childrens Health in Orlando, Florida, said the hospital has not treated many kids with the most serious form of COVID acute viral pneumonia but just a few instances leave a deep impression.

When these kids come to our hospital, theyre not getting enough oxygen; theyre gasping, theyre miserable, Alexander said. At best, theyre going to be in a hospital bed for five days on oxygen. But its those kids that end up in our intensive care unit on ventilators and with breathing tubes. They get blood clots in their lungs. Its very, very scary.

Alexander joined Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and other experts Thursday in a media session organized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to promote COVID vaccines for children, which are now authorized for those age 5 and older.

Their general message: The benefits of vaccines outweigh many times over any small risks they may carry.

While as a parent your primary concern is understandably the well-being of your child, its also important to know that vaccines have the power to stop epidemics, said Dr. Lee Savio Beers, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Children make up a significant part of our population, and vaccinating children will help control this virus so it cant continue to spread.

Also in the news:

Disney Cruise Line will require all guests ages 5 and older to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before setting sail starting Jan. 13, the company said.

The Detroitschool district said it will switch to online learning on Fridays in December in response to rising COVID-19 cases and the need for mental health relief.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who just returned from quarantine overseas after developing COVID-19 in Scotland, warned that a holiday season coronavirus surge was likelyand urged vaccinationsto keep infections and hospitalizations down.

German lawmakers approved new measures Thursday to rein in record coronavirus infections after the head of the countrys disease control agency warned Germany could face a really terrible Christmas.

Coronavirus deaths in Russia hit1,251 Thursday, breaking the record of 1,247 deaths fromWednesday. However,new daily cases appeared to be on a downward trend.

Today's numbers:The U.S. has recorded more than 47 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than767,000 deaths,accordingtoJohns Hopkins Universitydata. Global totals: More than 255million cases and 5million deaths. More than 195 million Americans nearly 59% of the populationare fully vaccinated,according to theCDC.

What we're reading:The pandemic has spurred many workers to reevaluate their livesand the role work plays in them, leading some to set fresh boundaries,find new jobs or maintain the side hustles that got them through the shutdowns and layoffs. Some workers shared their stories with USA TODAY.

Keep refreshing this page for the latest news. Want more?Sign up forUSA TODAY's Coronavirus Watch newsletterto receive updates directly to your inbox, andjoin ourFacebook group.

America's recovery from the delta variant surge dropped the pace of new infections to under 500,000 per week in late October. Now cases are above 600,000 per week and are rising in 34 states, a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows.

The numbers are not close to January, when weekly infections peaked at 1.7 million. But the recovery from one wave has reversed into another wave, more than six months after free, safe, effective vaccines became widely available to all adults. The United States is again reporting an average ofmore than 1 case every second.

Unvaccinated people remain at highest risk for infection. The good news: 80%of Americans 12 and over have had at least one coronavirus vaccine shot.

Melissa Nolan, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatisticsat the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health, told USA TODAY that seasonal flu infection increases risk in winter.

"Sadly, this virus will never leave our society," Nolan said. "To help mitigate spread as we go into this next winter respiratory disease season, it is vitally important that Americans get both their booster shot and their flu shot."

More than 60 health care organizations and public health experts on Thursday urged the business community to support the federal requirement that employeesfor companies with at least 100 employees be vaccinated for COVID. The American Medical Association and former CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden were among those signing the statement.

Instead of wasting time in court trying to overturn these mandates, business leaders should be focused on how to protect their employees from COVID through vaccination," said Dr. EzekielEmanuel, vice provost for global initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania, who organized the statement. "Thats the only way well be able to return to normal and stabilize our economy.

Obstacles to Emanuel's plan,however, include governors and lawmakersin many states that are backing lawsuits to block the requirement and putting forward legislation that would prevent k firms from requiring vaccination.

The U.S. government will pay Pfizer $5.29 billion for 10 million treatments of its COVID-19 drug if regulators approve it.Pfizer asked the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday to authorize the experimental pill, which has been shown to significantly cut the rate of hospitalizations and deaths among people with coronavirus infections.The FDA is already reviewing a competing pill from Merck and will hold a public meeting on it later this month.

We look forward to continuing discussions with governments around the world to help ensure broad access for people everywhere,Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said.

With Republicans touting their defense of personal freedom and Democrats condemning the special sessioncalled by Gov. Ron DeSantisas a political stunt, Florida lawmakers have approved measuresaimed at blocking any kind of COVID vaccine or test mandates.The Republican-controlled state legislature finished work Wednesday night on apackage of billsthat both defy the Biden administrations vaccine-or-test requirements for larger businesses and stop local governments from enacting such standards. DeSantis signed the bills into law Thursday.

DeSantis called lawmakers back to the Capitol primarily to fight the White House in what Democrats condemned as a political ploy to enhance the governors national image and affirm his support among Floridians who refuse vaccinations.Republicans disagreed.

Today were doing something to protect peoples rights, said Rep. Cord Byrd, R-Neptune Beach. We are a legislature and governor who believe in individual rights, including liberty. Its not a charade. Its not a stunt.

John Kennedy, Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee released avideotrying to persuade officers to join the state's highway patrol because it doesn't have any coronavirus-relatedmandates.During the 71-second video released to YouTube, Lee said the Tennessee Highway Patrol "won't get between you and your doctor," adding THP is offering to cover all moving expenses for any officer who leaves another state to join its force.

Earlier this month,Lee signed a new state lawbanning vaccine mandates and curtailing when mask mandates can be enacted. Lee specifically mentioned New York City and Los Angeles in the video. New York requirespolice officers and sheriff deputies to be vaccinated against COVID-19; Los Angeles does provide a testing option.

Adam Friedman,Nashville Tennessean

The Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize as soon as today a COVID-19 booster shot for anyone who wants one and is at least six months past their initial vaccination. Vaccines do a great job of preventing hospitalization and death, but their protection against infection starts to fade at about six months even in young, healthy people.That's why booster dosesmay be recommended for all adults or at least those over 30.

Ted Ross, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Georgia in Athenswho recently got a booster shot himself, said theU.S. government bought so many doses so long ago that many will go to waste if they aren't used soon.

"The thing boosters might help with is to help dampen the surge or increase we're going to see this winter," as people travel and spend more time indoors, Ross said. "That peak or that slope will hopefully not be as steep."

Karen Weintraub

Vaccine-or-test work rules are proving to be a costly compromise for governments. Virginias Department of Corrections requires unvaccinated employees who work in crowded settings to get tested every three days, and the restevery seven days. It cost the department nearly $7,000 to test 442 staff members over two days in October. The state is tapping federal COVIDrelief funds to pay for the testing.

Securing scarce testing supplies also can be difficult. The Virginia State Police had to wait more than a month to start a testing program in part because of delays in delivery.

Some experts say the option just isn't as effective as mandating vaccines anyway.

A vaccine-and/or-testing policy is second best, said Jeffrey Levi, a professor of health management and policy at George Washington University. A testing policy catches a problem early. It doesn't prevent a problem, whereas the vaccination requirement helps to prevent it.

Amanda Michelle Gomez and Phil Galewitz,KHN

Nearly 100 Maryland elementary school students received an incorrect dose of the coronavirus vaccine at a clinic last week, health officials said.Officials were notifying the parents of 98 students at South Lake Elementary School that doses of vaccine administered at a clinic at the Montgomery Village school on Nov. 10 were diluted more than recommended, the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services said in a news release.Students were given additional doses at a clinic Wednesday. Acting county Health Officer Dr. James Bridgers said staff already received more training on childrens doses.

Over the weekend, a health clinic in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Antioch gave 14 children under age 12 the wrong dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, raising a furor among parents.

Contributing: Mike Stucka, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

Read more:

Pediatricians warn of virus' impact on kids, urge parents to vaccinate them; weekly new infections again surpass 600,000: COVID-19 updates - USA TODAY

A doctor who spent the last two years saving the lives of COVID-19 patients has died after catching the virus.

Dr Irfan Halim stayed away from his family for four months at the height of the pandemic to protect them while he was working in COVID-19 wards.

He collapsed on 10 September while he was on shift at Swindon Hospital, where he caught the disease, according to his wife Saila.

He was treated in intensive care in Swindon until 23 September, when he was transferred to The Royal Brompton in London to receive specialist life support.

Dr Halim was placed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a machine that temporarily replaces the function of the heart and lungs.

The treatment is used for COVID-19 patients who cannot breathe for themselves, even with the help of a ventilator.

"Irfan and the NHS worked frantically to bring him home to his beautiful family, but tragically he passed away after a nine-week fight against COVID," according to a fundraising page set up in his memory.

Close friends and family said they set up the page for his wife and children "to ease the burden" of losing him.

Dr Halim, described as a "wonderful, talented and incredible NHS doctor who worked hard to help others", was the sole source of income for his family.

"Irfan was dearly loved and touched so many people's lives," the fundraising page said. "Sadly, he was taken far too soon from those who love him."

"Not only was he a loving husband, a devoted father of four young beautiful children, but an incredibly awesome human being to all that were blessed to have met him."

His wife said the day he collapsed from COVID-19 was "just another day saving lives".

"He fought hard to be with his children every day," she said.

"With a broken heart shattered in pieces beyond imagination I muster what little strength I have to write this message."

Sean Wright, who donated to the fundraiser, said: "The family will know this already but Dr Irfan Halim is a true hero and they should feel rightly proud of the sacrifice he has made for others.

"His actions speak to his character and his direct help to others will undoubtedly inspire others to be more selfless and kind (including myself)."

Phoenix D, another contributor, called Dr Halim's death a "devastating loss".

"The day before Irfan collapsed, he was texting excitedly about a surprise birthday party he was 'plotting' for his wife, Saila," he said.

"This guy was a genius, and I was so sure he would pull through. I had no doubt he would walk. I was wrong. RIP Irfan. You won't be forgotten."

More than 83,000 has been donated so far by at least 471 people.

The family's goal is 100,000.

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COVID-19: 'Incredible' NHS doctor dies with coronavirus after spending two years saving others with the infection - Sky News

Travellers from England who have had a booster or third dose of vaccine will be able to demonstrate their vaccine status through the NHS Covid pass, which will allow them to travel to countries requiring proof for entry, ministers have announced.

Israel, Croatia and Austria are among countries that have already introduced a time limit for the Covid-19 vaccine to be valid for quarantine-free travel.

However, it will not be necessary to show evidence of a booster for travel into England at this time, the Department of Health and Social Care said.

Evidence suggests immunity provided by two doses of any of the approved Covid vaccines has waned six months after the second jab.

Booster and third doses will not be added to the domestic Covid pass as it is not a current requirement for individuals to receive booster doses to qualify as fully vaccinated.

More than 13m booster and third jabs have been administered in the UK, providing those eligible with maximum protection as winter approaches.

The health and social care secretary, Sajid Javid, said: We want to make it as easy as possible for people to show their vaccine status if they are travelling abroad.

This update to the NHS Covid pass will mean people can have their complete medical picture at their fingertips if they are going on holiday or seeing loved ones overseas.

Getting a top-up jab is our best defence against this virus and I urge all those who are eligible to come forward and get boosted.

The NHS Covid pass enables people to demonstrate their Covid-19 status when travelling abroad or when visiting organisations who have opted to use the domestic certification process.

Booster and third doses will show up automatically in the digital Covid pass and will be visible from midday on Friday for users in England but will not immediately be available via the Covid pass letter service, which will be updated in due course.

The booster vaccine will appear on the Covid pass in Wales from 29 November.

However, evidence of a booster vaccine is not needed to enter venues in Wales that require a Covid pass for entry. Evidence of two vaccinations or a negative lateral flow test in the last 48 hours remain the requirement.

The announcement does not cover Scotland and Northern Ireland.

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Booster jabs to be added to Englands Covid pass for travel - The Guardian