Category Archives: Covid-19

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) Sen. John Thune wants federal mask requirements for children under the age of 5 to be stopped immediately.

Thune said a Head Start program in his hometown of Murdo was one of the first to complain about November requirements for masking and COVID-19 vaccination to receive federal funding. A lawsuit where South Dakota was listed as a plaintiff blocked the enforcement of the mandate.

South Dakotas senior U.S. Senator and the Senate Republican Whip has introduced a resolution to stop a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) interim final rule (IFR) that requires all staff and volunteers in Head Start educational facilities around the country to be fully vaccinated and wear a mask.

Thune, who is running for reelection and a fourth term, told KELOLAND News the federal government shouldnt be mandating masks or vaccines.

In my view at least, those are decisions that are better left to individuals in consultation with health care providers, doctors and their families, Thune said. These mask mandates just need to be done away with, particularly with kids under 5. The Biden Administration for whatever reason doesnt seem to get that.

He said he hopes the Senate gets a chance to vote on his resolution to end the Head Start mandates, which also requires children two years of age and older to wear a mask.

Its very frustrating, I think right now, to parents around this county partly because they want to be the ones who are in charge with their kids and partly because there isnt any science that shows, particularly with kids under 5, that masks make a considerable difference, Thune said.

As new coronavirus cases continue to drop nationwide, Thune said the federal government should remain prepared with more testing and keep vaccines available for people in case another variant causes a rise in cases and strains health systems.

Thune said getting rid of mandates would allow people to exercise their freedoms coupled with individual responsibility.

He pointed out the lack of masks at the Super Bowl in Los Angeles and added mask requirements at airports can also be frustrating.

My hope would be that the federal government, the transportation safety administration (TSA) would start to lift some of those mandates and people could start living normal lives again, Thune said. It permeates in a lot of different places in a lot of different levels in our society today. Whats most troubling and problematic is the impact it has on younger kids, particularly those kids under 5.

According to the Federal Election Commission, three other Republicans and one Democrat have registered and filed a financial report for the 2022 U.S. Senate election.KELOLAND News reached out to all the declared candidates for discussion on the COVID-19 pandemic. Responses will be added to this story.,

Brian Bengs, a former military attorney and Democrat candidate for U.S. Senate, said he, like many people, is burned out with COVID-19. However, Bengs said the pandemic isnt done yet and hed only support allowing more discretion with COVID-related mandates.

Bengs said he wouldnt support getting rid of mask mandates for air travel right now.

The close proximity is still a risk. What do I owe my fellow citizens? Im healthy or maybe Im not, I dont know. So do I have any obligation to my fellow citizens? I think that we do, Bengs said.

On decisions related to COVID-19, Bengs said hed follow the science and pointed to experts who study diseases and viruses at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

If the CDC says we can lean back or we can lean forward, Im going to defer to what the experts say, Bengs said.

The former Northern State University professor said there has to be a plan in place to deal with future pandemics.

The biggest lesson we should take away is that public health is not a political football and it shouldnt be treated that way, Bengs said. I think the situation would be different if the death rate was a lot higher. This one has enough of a death rate that we have a huge amount of people that are no longer with us because of the situation.

Mark Mowry, a candidate for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate, said Thunes Head Start resolution is a fine start, but hed like to see all COVID-related federal mandates end.

Mowry said Thune should join six other conservative senators threatening to not support short-term government funding to avoid a government shutdown unless a vote on defunding vaccine mandates is held.

He also pointed to the Canadian truckers protesting vaccine mandates and worried truckers in the U.S. might do the same.

I believe they need to do it in Canada and I believe we need to do it in the United States as well, Mowry said. The federal governments role should have ended long ago. We made that attempt to flatten the curve. We saw what the pandemic did health-wise.

Mowry said the cure has become more lethal than the illness itself.

We want local control, Mowry said. If New York or other states want to impose these kinds of mandates, fair, fine, not as a federal thing.

Mowry said he is running for U.S. Senate to use legislative power to influence policy in Washington D.C. and limit the executive branch of government.

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Sen. Thune calls for COVID-19 mandates to end, opponents weigh in on pandemic - KELOLAND.com

Milwaukee's Summerfestis not planning to require masks, proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative test results for entry in 2022, officials with parent company Milwaukee World Festival Inc. announced Wednesday.

The country's largest music festival canceled for the first time in its 54-year history in 2020 because of the pandemic drew mixed reactions for putting requirements inplace duringlast year's September festival.

In doing so last year, Summerfest was following the lead of other festivals, including Lollapalooza in Chicago, which implemented safety protocolsas cases began to grow again due to the delta variant. Beyond requiring proof of vaccination or a negative test for all guests, Summerfestofficials also required children under 12 to wear a mask in 2021, although that rule was not enforced.

For this year's festival taking place June 23 to 25, June 30 to July 2 and July 7 to 9 such requirements are not planned.

"MWF will monitor the situation and continue to work closely with health experts, while following local guidelines," festival officials said in a news release Wednesday that announced Rod Stewart's festival headlining performance at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater July 7.

More: Rod Stewart is headlining Summerfest as part of his 38-city summer tour, his first Milwaukee show in 10 years

More: These are all the arena, amphitheater and stadium concerts happening in Milwaukee in 2022

The news camea day after California's Coachella, arguably the country's most prestigious music festival, and itssister event Stagecoach announced that they would have no COVID-19-related protocols for their April events.

In addition to Stewart, Summerfest 2022 has revealed three other headliners for the amphitheater, which completed a $51.3 million renovation last year.

Jason Aldean will headline on opening night, with Gabby Barrett opening. Justin Bieber will play the amphitheater June 24, with openers Jaden, Harry Hudson and To?, a show initially scheduled for 2020, before COVID-19 forced the tour to postpone and Summerfest to cancel.And Halsey, who originally booked Summerfest shows in 2020 and 2021 before canceling their tours, will perform at the amphitheater July 2 with the Marias and Abby Roberts opening.

ContactPiet at (414) 223-5162 orplevy@journalsentinel.com. Followhim on Twitter at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.

Piet also talks concerts, local music and more on "TAP'd In" with Evan Rytlewski. Hear it at 8 a.m. Thursdays on WYMS-FM (88.9), or wherever you get your podcasts.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

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Milwaukee's Summerfest will not require masks, proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative tests in 2022 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Casco Bay is the absolute gem of southern Maine. From Phippsburg to Cape Elizabeth, the bay is loaded with exquisite harbors, perfect sailing, endless views, and some of the best seafood you will ever find.

With all of that being said, the bay may be best known for its incredible islands. All 136 of them to be exact. While most are uninhabited, there are plenty that have communities, full property rentals, daily excursions, fine dining and more.

One of those islands has a little bit of everything...or maybe a lot of everything. It's also has an amazing property available to rent.

Located off the coast of Falmouth, lies the 22-acre Clapboard Island. This little vessel of land features six beaches, walking paths, a deep-water dock, helicopter landing area and the most perfect beach house imaginable.

The 13 bedroom, 9 bathroom luxury home was built over 100 years ago by a railroad magnet, and has been restored in an amazing way. The home is loaded with coastal dcor and ocean themes. It also features a state-of-art kitchen and pantry and panoramic views of the island and bay.

Available for rent through clapboardisland.com, Clapboard Island is the perfect luxury spot for a family reunion, immaculate friendcation, or the greatest over-the-top romantic getaway you could ever imagine.

Enjoy Casco Bay from the most perfect spot there is, Clapboard Island.

Sitting right in the heart of Maine's incredible Casco Bay lies a true oasis that has a property available for rent.

Clapboard Island is an impressive 22-acre island that features beaches, walking paths, and an immense beach house.

The property is a perfect spot for a luxurious family reunion or friendcation.

Wow, check it out. An entire small and very secluded Maine island for sale in the middle of Wohoa Bay off the coast of Addison in Washington County.

There are so many grand features inside Shaq's waterfront mansion in Florida. The 31,000 square foot home has a custom rock waterfall, a basketball court and an aquarium room. See photos, below!

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Rent This Exquisite Island Property in the Heart of Casco Bay - wblm.com

In honor of American Heart Health Month, we went to examine how COVID-19 can impact your heart long-term.

WASHINGTON February is American Heart Month and its a great time to prioritize how we should take care of our hearts.

While many of the short-term impacts of COVID-19, including COVID long-hauler and myocarditis, have been documented, there is still a lot we dont know about long-term impacts.

There are a few conditions that are directly related to a COVID infection. Youve heard about long-COVID and that is your body's cardiovascular system responding [in] a funny way to a COVID infection. And that funny way you can last for six to 12 months. We also heard about myocarditis, which is a little swelling of the heart muscle that happens after or during a coronavirus infection, said Ameya Kulkarni, a cardiologist with Kaiser Permanente.

Doctor Ameya Kulkarni said another impact of the pandemic is an increase in blood pressure.

On average, patients blood pressure in the United States has gone up versus two years ago and its disproportionately affecting women, said Ameya Kulkarni, MD.

Experts said there are a number of reasons the pandemic could be contributing to an increase in blood pressure.

There are a variety of reasons for this. We are attending to so many more things at once than we ever were. Stress levels are higher than theyve ever been. Most of us are less active than we were. And are eating differently, said Ameya Kulkarni, MD.

The American Heart Association released a new $10 million research initiative, examining the deadly coronavirus' impact on the cardiovascular system.

While COVID-19 was initially thought to be a disease only of the respiratory system, it quickly became evident that its effects were not limited to any one system of the body. Cardiovascular complications in aggregate have commonly been reported among COVID-19 patients and most often include blood clots, heart inflammation known as myocarditis, disruption of the heart rhythm, heart failure and heart attacks, said Svati H. Shah, M.D. in a news release.

Svati H. Shah also explained frequently reported symptoms in patients who have effects long after their initial COVID-19 infection have cardiovascular-related aspects including fatigue, chest pain and shortness of breath. The patients also report effects on the central nervous system, including both psychological effects such as anxiety and depression, as well as cognitive effects such as confusion and deficits of memory and concentration. But, we have a lot still to learn through rigorous research to understand Long COVID.

The American Heart Association wants to remind you of a few simple steps you can take to monitor your heart health.

The five key personal health numbers that help determine risk for heart disease include total cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar and body mass index.

Experts with American Heart Association said even modest changes to diet and lifestyle can lower risk by as much as 80%.

The American Heart Association recommends that adult women get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity.

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When it comes to your heart health, theres still a lot we do not know about COVID-19s long-term impacts - WUSA9.com

Global: The global Covid death toll has passed 5.7 million, with a figure of 5,740,187 according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Meanwhile, infections have passed 390 million to a world wide figure of 394,995,479.

US: Covid -19 infections have now passed 76 million. Meanwhile, the US coronavirus death toll has increased to more than 902,000 according to Johns Hopkins University data.

New York state passed a marker in the decline of the latest viral surge: the percentage of tests returning positive is the lowest since the World Health Organization declared Omicron a variant of concern, on 26 November. New infections reported on Sunday were 5,680, with the percentage positive at 3.52%. Other measures of the Omicron surge remain elevated: Hospitalizations are roughly double the level of late November, and deaths are roughly four times as high.

More US schools are likely to begin lifting mask mandates soon as the overall risk from the Omicron wave eases, said Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. We can start to lean forward and take a little bit more risk and try to at least make sure that students in schools have some semblance of normalcy for this spring term, Gottlieb, a Pfizer Inc. board member, said on CBSs Face the Nation. A lot of kids havent really known a normal school day for two years now.

Canada: The mayor of Canadas capital has declared a state of emergency as protesters opposed to Covid-19 restrictions continued to paralyse central Ottawa. Jim Watson said the declaration highlights the need for support from other jurisdictions and levels of government.

UK: The UK reported another 54,095 Covid cases on Sunday, the lowest figure since 12 December. Infections have been declining since the Omicron wave peaked in early January, with the seven-day average down 5% to 83,474. Another 75 fatalities were reported Sunday. The country has stopped requiring those who test positive on lateral-flow devices to confirm the result with a laboratory PCR test. However, reinfections are also included as of last week.

UK travellers have been warned to check their half-term holiday plans to make sure they meet Covid vaccination rules when travelling to EU destinations as a growing number of countries impose new restrictions.

Meanwhile, Prime minister Boris Johnsons desperate efforts to save his premiership have been undermined with one of his most loyal backbench supporters saying it was now inevitable that Tory MPs would remove him from office over the partygate scandal.

Vietnam: More than 17 million Vietnamese students are due to return to school for the first time in about a year, the health ministry has said, as authorities announced plans to start vaccinating children from as young as five against Covid-19.

China: The Chinese city of Baise in Guangxi, population 3.57 million, has been locked down because of a Covid outbreak. The outbreak is tiny by global standards, but the curbs, including a ban on non-essential trips in and out, follow a national guideline to quickly contain any flare-ups. That news comes as Chinas chief epidemiologist, Wu Zunyou, says that as long as theres no other way to contain the spread of the virus, the country wont adjust its dynamic Zero Covid pandemic control policy.

Hong Kong: Hong Kong is set to report another record number of coronavirus infections, ramping up pressure on the government to contain the worsening outbreak. The city saw more than 600 cases on Monday, local media reported, citing people they didnt identify. All of the latest infections were local, with 136 listed as untraceable. Some 15 cases were detected in public housing estates in Tuen Mun and Sha Tin, where more than 7,200 residents have been tested, officials said. More than 300 preliminary positive cases were reported. There are invisible transmission chains in the community, Ronald Lam, director of health, said during the press conference. He added that is impossible to project the peak of the current wave.

India: Authorities in India have approved Russias one-jab Sputnik Light Covid-19 vaccine. It will be the second Russian-developed jab to be approved by the country, after Sputnik V was allowed in April 2021.

Indias central bank postponed its interest-rate review by a day as the nation and its neighbors mourn the death of celebrated singer Lata Mangeshkar after being diagnosed with Covid-19. She was 92 and had been hospitalized since 8 January. The Reserve Bank of Indias monetary policy committee will now meet February 8-10, the authority said in a statement late Sunday. Its decision will be announced Thursday.

Japan: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will instruct cabinet members to accelerate the pace of vaccinations to 1 million shots a day within the month, broadcaster NHK reported, without attribution. Kishida is to give the directive to health minister Shigeyuki Goto and others on Monday. Almost 79% of the population had two shots but only 4.8% had third as of Friday, when a little under 570,000 shots were reported.

The Japanese government is making final arrangements to extend a quasi-state of emergency in Tokyo and 12 other prefectures due to expire on 13 February, the Asahi reported, citing several unidentified officials.

Australia: Australia plans to open its borders to international tourists as soon as possible, a government minister said Sunday, following a report that they will be allowed back by the end of February after a Covid-related hiatus of almost two years. We are getting ready to open as soon as we can, Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said in an ABC TV interview. We dont have all the information we need to be able to take the decision, but we are very close.

Meanwhile, A group of anti-vaccination demonstrators and conspiracy theorists have blocked roads and targeted businesses in the Australian capital of Canberra ahead of the return of federal parliament on Tuesday. Hundreds of cars and trucks waving Australian flags, military insignia and campaign banners for former US President Donald Trump descended on the city over the past week to call for the end to vaccination requirements in businesses and places of employment. The protests in Canberra have echoed similar demonstrations in the Canadian capital Ottawa.

Philippines: The Philippines started giving Covid-19 shots to children aged 5 to 11, after receiving 780,000 Pfizer doses last week. The Southeast Asian nation aims to inoculate 15.5 million from this age group, as economic managers see allowing more activities for kids and their families as key to reviving consumer demand.

South Korea: South Koreas daily cases could increase to up to 130,000-170,000 at the end of February with the surge of the Omicron variant, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The numbers are based on forecast modeling conducted by experts. President Moon Jae-in said it is a serious situation as its difficult to predict how much the number of confirmed cases will increase and when the peak will be. But he said there is no need to be too concerned about the current situation. South Korea confirmed 35,286 more cases on Monday.

Thailand: Thailands Health Ministry will propose further easing of containment measures to the nations main virus task force later this week, the Bangkok Post reported, citing Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the ministrys Department of Disease Control. The ministry will encourage people to live with the virus rather than cope with lockdowns, the newspaper reported. Opas didnt give details of measures that may be relaxed.

Israel: The number of serious coronavirus cases in Israel reached 1,263 on Sunday, the highest reported since the beginning of the pandemic. Before Saturday the previous record of 1,193 severe cases was set in January 2021. At the same time, the number of new daily infections is declining, with about 38,000 new cases on Friday, compared with 49,500 the previous Friday, and a peak of more than 85,000 at the height of the Omicron wave. Israel was one of the first countries to roll out vaccines and booster shots, offering a fourth dose to higher-risk people last month.

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Covid-19 update: US coronavirus death toll passes 900,000 - Pharmaceutical Technology

11:59 PM ET

Elaine TengESPN

U.S. Olympic figure skater Vincent Zhou tested positive for COVID-19 a day ahead of the start of the men's competition.

According to a U.S. Figure Skating statement, Zhou, 21, tested positive during a routine COVID-19 screening and is undergoing additional testing to confirm his status. If he tests negative, he will be able to compete in the men's short program on Tuesday morning Beijing time. The men's singles competition is Zhou's final event at the Games.

A two-time Olympian, Zhou is expected to contend for a medal alongside six-time U.S. champion Nathan Chen and two-time reigning Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu.

He had competed in the men's free skate portion of the team competition Sunday morning Beijing time. Team USA won a silver medal minutes before the news of Zhou's positive test was released.

The news was especially stressful for Chen; the two have been part of the same practice group in Beijing.

"We basically said: 'Vincent, we're sorry to hear the news. We miss you. We wish you were here because you're a big part of this team. You helped earn the silver medal,'" American ice dancer Evan Bates said after filming a video for Zhou. "And we're just hoping for the best and that he'll be all cleared and be able to take part in his individual event.''

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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U.S. Olympic figure skater Vincent Zhou tests positive for COVID-19 ahead of men's event - ESPN

A testing clinic at the Sydney airport in December.Credit...Jenny Evans/Getty Images

Nearly two years after Australia slammed its borders shut to almost all noncitizens, the country will reopen this month to international tourists who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Monday.

If youre double vaccinated, we look forward to welcoming you back to Australia, Mr. Morrison said at a news conference.

Vaccinated tourists, business travelers and all other visa holders can enter Australia starting on Feb. 21, Karen Andrews, the countrys home affairs minister, said on Monday. Visa holders who are not fully vaccinated will face quarantine requirements and need a travel exemption, she added.

The decision will not open all of Australia to foreign visitors, as individual states control their own borders, and can impose flight caps or require quarantines.

Australias two most populous states, New South Wales and Victoria, have no quarantine requirement for incoming vaccinated travelers. But Western Australia, which has experienced fewer cases of the virus than any other Australian state, will continue to tightly control who can enter, including from elsewhere in Australia.

Australia has moved from a Covid Zero approach, in which it attempted to contact-trace and stamp out any outbreak of the virus, to one in which the country is living with the virus. The more contagious Omicron variant has swept across New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria in the past two months, resulting in an explosion in case numbers, but the wave has been subsiding.

Source: Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. The daily average is calculated with data that was reported in the last seven days.

In March 2020, Australia announced that it would close its borders to all noncitizens and nonresidents and prevent citizens already inside the country from leaving. Australians abroad who sought to go home faced a mandatory two-week hotel quarantine on arrival. For many, limited hotel spaces and frequent flight cancellations made it all but impossible to return.

Since late last year, the country has been steadily reopening its borders, with citizens permitted to enter New South Wales and Victoria without undergoing hotel quarantine. Australia is now allowing students and some laborers to enter, and travel corridors with countries like New Zealand, Singapore and Japan all of which, like Australia, have high vaccination rates have allowed in a trickle of tourists and others.

The countrys border policies were in the spotlight in January when the tennis player Novak Djokovic, who was not vaccinated against the coronavirus, had his visa canceled by the Australian government.

Speaking about the vaccination requirement at his news conference, Mr. Morrison appeared to refer to the tennis star: Events earlier in the year should have sent a very clear message to everyone around the world that that is the requirement to enter into Australia, he said.

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Covid-19 and Travel News: Live Updates - The New York Times

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 395 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths has now passed 5.74 million. More than 10.2 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.

Indonesia has banned foreign tourists from entering the country through Jakarta's airport, in a bid to slow a spike in COVID-19 infections.

The South African health regulator registered the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, clearing the way for its use in the country.

The seven-day rate for COVID-19 cases and deaths has fallen in the UK, with infections down 5% and deaths 7%.

Malaysia reported 9,117 new confirmed COVID-19 infections on Saturday, the highest daily figure in four months.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has signed off the Food and Drug Administration's full approval of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine in those aged 18 and over. It becomes the second fully approved COVID-19 vaccine in the United States.

More than 17 million Vietnamese students are due to return to school today for the first time in around a year after the COVID-19 pandemic saw learning move online.

New Zealand reported a record 243 new COVID-19 community cases on Saturday.

Singapore has also reported a record number of COVID-19 cases, with 13,046 local infections reported on Friday.

Thailand reported 10,490 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Saturday, the highest in more than three months.

Daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases per million people in selected countries.

Image: Our World in Data

Each of our Top 50 social enterprise last mile responders and multi-stakeholder initiatives is working across four priority areas of need: Prevention and protection; COVID-19 treatment and relief; inclusive vaccine access; and securing livelihoods. The list was curated jointly with regional hosts Catalyst 2030s NASE and Aavishkaar Group. Their profiles can be found on http://www.wef.ch/lastmiletop50india.

Top Last Mile Partnership Initiatives to collaborate with:

Confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the United States passed 900,000 on Friday, according to data collected by Reuters.

The latest tally marks an increase of more than 100,000 U.S. COVID-19 fatalities since 12 December, coinciding with a surge of infections and hospitalizations driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant of the virus. However, the US COVID-19 death rate does appear to be slowing.

The US has reported more COVID-19 deaths than any other nation, according to Johns Hopkins University.

South Korea has passed 1 million cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, as health officials reported a daily record of 38,691 new infections on Sunday.

South Korea saw its first confirmed COVID-19 case on January 20, 2020, and soon became the first country outside China to battle a major outbreak.

An aggressive strategy of tracking, tracing, masking and quarantining helped South Korea to blunt that initial wave and keep overall cases and deaths low without widespread lockdowns.

Deaths have remained low in the highly vaccinated country, however, with 15 new deaths reported as of midnight Saturday, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Written by

Joe Myers, Writer, Formative Content

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

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COVID-19: Top news stories about the pandemic on 7 February | World Economic Forum - World Economic Forum

People who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can still test positive for the virus. Health officials have come to refer to that as a breakthrough case of the disease.

But some health experts say the term can be misleading and misconstrued, especially as new variants have emerged and vaccination rates across the country have slowed.

I think it was setting the vaccine up for an impossible standard that vaccines cant possibly meet, said Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and the lead epidemiologist for the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Testing Insights Initiative.

COVID-19 vaccines were first approved in mid-December of 2021 and are now available to children 5 and older. Two of the vaccines, one manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech and the other by Moderna, have since been granted full approval by the Food and Drug Administration.

Researchers have established that all available COVID-19 shots offer significant protection against severe illness and death. According to data from the state health department, unvaccinated Texans are 16 times more likely to die from a COVID-19-related illness compared to fully vaccinated individuals.

The state health department doesnt include breakthrough cases on its COVID-19 dashboard. In Dallas County, 27,943 breakthrough infections have been reported out of 549,239 total COVID-19 cases as of Feb. 3. Thats only about 5% of all cases.

Nuzzo, who spoke last month at a webinar, said the term breakthrough may give people a false impression about the function of the shot.

Theyre not forcefields, she said. They dont repel the virus from your body.

Heres what health experts said you need to know about the term breakthrough case and COVID-19 shots.

The scientific definition of infection means that a person must encounter a disease for a vaccine to respond, Nuzzo said.

What vaccines do is train your immune system to recognize the virus and then to react quickly, hopefully before you have any symptomatic disease, but certainly before too many of your cells become infected by the virus, she said. And how does your body know that the virus is there?

Usually its when the virus invades your cells, which is the technical definition of infection.

Ultimately, a successful vaccine shouldnt be viewed as one that eliminates infection, but one that significantly reduces hospitalizations and death, Nuzzo said.

I view any infection [in a vaccinated person] that doesnt send somebody to the hospital as a success, Nuzzo said. If this virus could never put people in the hospital or kill them, most people would have never heard of it. Losing sight of that is fueling a level of anxiety that I think is just unhelpful but also underselling the vaccines.

Dr. Hana El Sahly, a professor of molecular virology and microbiology and infectious diseases at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said its important to remember the standard that was initially set by the World Health Organization for what a successful COVID-19 vaccine would look like.

What we would have called a successful vaccine is if it prevented 50% of documented infections, as long as it had a role in preventing severe disease, she said. Once these vaccines rolled into the communities the vaccines maintained real high efficacy against death and against ICU admissions and the need for being on ventilators.

As vaccination rates have slowed over the course of the pandemic, some health experts are concerned that the impression that some people may get from the term breakthrough case plays into skepticism and anti-vaccination ideals.

Health experts say people should remember that breakthrough cases, or getting infected with a disease that you are vaccinated against, are common and expected with any shot.

Theres not a single vaccine thats a hundred percent, said Dr. Grant Fowler, family medicine department chair at TCU School of Medicine in Fort Worth and chairman of the family medicine department at JPS Health Network. But our whole goal is to [minimize] it in the population and protect the vulnerable.

Nuzzo said its also important to remember that widespread testing for COVID-19 also means a larger share of breakthrough cases are being detected.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has noted that if there are more COVID-19 cases occurring, like during the recent omicron surge, more breakthrough cases will naturally be detected.

We often hold up the measles vaccine as the standard of the best vaccine, Nuzzo said. But if we had a lot of measles circulating, and if we did a lot of testing, we would see a lot more breakthrough infections that we just dont notice because the symptoms are so mild.

While the impression a person gets from the term breakthrough case is in the eye of the beholder, Sahly said, its probably better for health care professionals to use a different term or phrasing when talking to patients.

In the mind of the common person, it may be wise to stop using the word breakthrough because it comes with the implication that something wrong has happened, when nothing wrong really has happened, she said.

Sahly says she tries to use different language when not speaking with someone in the scientific community.

If Im talking to the lay person, I try to use the word have gotten two doses of vaccine and an infection, or two doses of vaccine and COVID, depending on the situation, Sahly said.

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Why some experts say the term 'breakthrough' COVID-19 can be misleading - The Dallas Morning News

To our knowledge, our study was the first to assess the perceptions of and adherence to COVID-19 measures in Belgium at multiple times, on a large total sample of nearly 4000 respondents representative of the adult population in terms of gender, age, region and socio-economic status,. The results of the surveys revealed that both reported understanding of the preventive measures and their perceived usefulness were higher at the second survey in April/May 2021 than at the first one in September 2020. This was particularly the case for measures that were implemented at both survey periods, namely wearing a face mask in public spaces and shopping with maximum one other person. At the time of the second survey, these measures had been in place for a long time, which may explain the fact that they were better understood and that citizens were more likely to consider them as useful. However, it is important to note that most measures differed between the two periods. The better understanding and perceived usefulness of the preventive measures at the time of the second survey could therefore also be due to other factors, such as a clearer and less ambiguous formulation or overall better communication about the reasons for the measures.

In contrast, both past adherence to the measures and (intended) future adherence were lower at the second survey period, compared to the first. For the two recurring measures, the decrease of the score for future adherence was rather small, especially with regard to shopping with maximum one other person. Since at the time of the second survey all measures had been in place for more than 6 months, it is likely that this caused a certain level of fatigue amongst citizens. This may especially apply to the measures involving a reduction of social contacts, which were the ones that received the lowest scores in the second survey. This is in line with reports from other Belgian studies, showing a lower motivation to adhere to COVID-19 measures in April and May 2021 than in September 2020 [27], and also indicating that people had more contacts outside their household in April/May 2021 than in September 2020 [28]. Being confined also had a negative impact on mental health of affected populations [29], particularly among women and younger age groups [7]. A study in the US showed a negative relationship between having mental health problems such as a social distance burn-out and depressive symptoms on the one hand, and adherence to COVID-19 measures on the other hand [30]. A survey from the National Institute of Health in Belgium showed high levels of anxiety and depression among the general population since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among people aged 1829 [26]. Since in our study mental health was not assessed, we were not able to investigate the relationship between individual mental health and adherence.

Between the first and the second survey, there was a strong increase in the proportion of respondents that had experienced a confirmed COVID-19 infection. This is an expected finding, since, like most European countries, Belgium was confronted with an increasing number of cases between the two study periods [24]. Yet, while there was no difference in the perceived health consequences of COVID-19 for those who had had an infection, the expected health consequences reported by those who had not yet been infected at the time of the second survey was significantly higher than for the first survey. This may be related to the fact that at the second survey period, more people knew someone who had been infected: almost twice as many respondents knew someone who had been hospitalised with COVID-19, an important indicator of infection severity.

On the other hand, the respondents perceived risk of getting infected with COVID-19 was lower in the second survey than in the first, which may be explained by the fact that in April/May 2021 nearly a third (30%) of them had been vaccinated at least once. An unexpected finding however, is that the expected risk of older family members (parents and grandparents) being infected was higher in the second than in the first survey, especially since mainly older people had been vaccinated in Belgium at that time. Possibly, the fact that a larger proportion of respondents knew someone close who had been infected, sometimes with severe illness, might have made them more concerned about their own (vulnerable) relatives. However, this cannot be substantiated on the data from this study.

A difference was also observed in the support for the COVID-19 measures between the two study periods. The lower percentage of respondents who agreed with the statement that the government should recommend, but not oblige the COVID-19 measures and the higher agreement with the statement that the government should control the COVID-19 measures in the second survey suggests that citizens find it increasingly important to have clarity on what is expected from them, and that it should not be left up to the individual to decide this. Since COVID-19 had been part of peoples lives for more than a year in April/May 2021, less importance was given to reminders or nudges for preventive action compared to September 2020. Arguably, this may be because these actions became habits that were integrated in everyday life, so that nudges became less necessary.

Our study identified several characteristics associated with lower levels of adherence in both surveys. The finding that men adhere less than women, and younger age groups less than older ones, are similar to those of studies in other countries that studied characteristics of lower adherence [7, 8, 16, 17]. Yet while previous research in Belgium also identified disadvantaged or lower socio-economic background as a risk factor for low adherence [8, 19], educational level and annual income were not found to be significant contributors for past or (intended) future adherence in our study. In terms of occupational status, the only group that differed significantly from the reference group of workers were those who were incapacitated, and their adherence levels were actually higher. Since those who are incapacitated to work have likely underlying health problems, they might feel more vulnerable to becoming infected with COVID-19, and as such adhere stricter to the measures in order to protect themselves. On the other hand, French-speaking citizens were less adherent and intent on future adherence than Dutch speakers, and inhabitants of Wallonia less than inhabitants of Flanders or the Brussels Capital region. These findings are highly correlated, as Wallonia is a French-speaking region of Belgium, Flanders is Dutch-speaking, and Brussels is both French- and Dutch-speaking. The reasons for these findings are not clear, but since almost 40% of Belgians have French as their native language [31], this important difference warrants further investigation. It does suggest, however, that adherence to measures against COVID-19 does not only depend on what is being decided on a national level, but that cultural and linguistic differences within the population have an impact as well.

The last group that had lower adherence levels consisted of those with a symptomatic, confirmed COVID-19 infection. We see three potential explanations for this: either this group feels protected against COVID-19 due to their previous infection, and therefore feels that they do not have to adhere to the rules; or this group consists of individuals that are less likely to adhere (because of lack of motivation or faced with environmental barriers that make measures more difficult to adhere to), and are therefore more prone to an infection; or this group has perceived milder symptoms, and the perceived severity of a COVID-19 infection is therefore lower for them. A qualitative study among those who have been previously infected could potentially provide more insight into this.

Of all the measures that were investigated in the second survey, the two measures related to social contact (having one close contact and limiting close contact to one per household) were seen as the most difficult to adhere to, both in the past and in terms of (intended) future adherence. These two measures are arguably the ones that are most restrictive for peoples daily lives. Since these measures had already been in force for over 6 months at the time of the second survey, the difficulty to adhere to them is not surprising. This is also in line with the result of a multi-country study that showed potential pandemic fatigue, and as a result lower adherence, over time for high-cost measures such as social distancing [23]. In contrast, a measure that received overall high scores in terms of understanding, perceived usefulness, ease to adhere and past and future adherence is the use of a face mask in public spaces. In fact, the scores for this measure even became more positive compared to the first survey, implying that this measure has been well implemented in Belgian society. The same is also observed for testing and quarantining for those who have symptoms, indicating the perceived importance of this measure by citizens.

The second survey also allowed to investigate the perceptions regarding vaccination. High scores were given in support of the statements that COVID-19 vaccines are important to protect yourself and others and it is important that everyone is vaccinated against COVID-19, indicating that most people accept vaccines as an important protective measure. Nonetheless, scores for the statements COVID-19 vaccines are safe and COVID-19 vaccines are effective in preventing infection were much lower. Since the perceived safety of vaccines has been identified as an important predictor of vaccination intention [32], effective risk communication on vaccine safety is a crucial issue to improve actual uptake.

Our study had some limitations. First, while the samples from both surveys matched the predefined targets well in terms of gender, age, region and socio-economic group, there was a slight underrepresentation of respondents from the lowest socio-economic group. Obtaining an equal number of respondents from this group is often problematic, as they are less likely to participate in surveys. Secondly, citizens of Belgium who do not speak French or Dutch could not participate, since the survey questionnaire was only available in those two languages. However, this represents not more than 5% of the countrys population [31]. Thirdly, due to the anonymity of our questionnaire, we could not ascertain whether certain individuals participated in both surveys, which would have required a correction in the analytical approach. However, due to the methodology used by the market research and opinion poll company, this probably concerns only a marginal number of respondents, if any. Fourthly, although we obtained information on vaccination status, we could not include this as a potential predictor for adherence in the multivariate models. This is partly due to the fact that vaccination status was only relevant during the second survey (vaccines were not administered yet in Belgium during September 2020), and partly because only selected populations had been invited to get vaccinated at the time of the second survey (mainly elderly, healthcare professionals and chronically ill). As such, it is unlikely that vaccination status measured at that time would serve as a predictor for adherence. It is possible, however, that it would become a factor at a later stage, after everyone older than twelve years has received an invitation to get vaccinated.

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COVID-19 measures in Belgium: how perception and adherence of the general population differ between time periods - BMC Public Health - BMC Public...