Category Archives: Covid-19

A man wearing a protective face mask, following an outbreak of the coronavirus, talks on his mobile phone in front of a screen showing the Nikkei index outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan, February 26, 2020. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo

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SYDNEY, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Asian stocks made a soft start to the week on Monday while oil and the euro were under pressure, as the return of COVID-19 restrictions in Europe and talk about hastened tapering from the U.S. Federal Reserve put investors on guard.

Oil futures skidded about 1% at the open, sending Brent crude and U.S. crude to seven-week lows of $78.05 and $74.76 respectively amid oversupply concerns.

Australian shares fell 0.4%, led by bank stock losses. Japan's Nikkei (.N225) was down 0.3% and MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares (.MIAPJ0000PUS) was flat.

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"There are question marks over the resilience of Europe and the European economy, exacerbated by protests and infection rates seen over the weekend," said Rodrigo Catril, a strategist at National Australia Bank in Sydney.

"It's hard to see the U.S. dollar coming to any harm against that backdrop," he said, a view further underlined by recent strong U.S. data and hawkish remarks from Fed officials.

The euro slipped 0.2% to $1.1280, close to a 16-month low. The common currency has been the prime mover in markets over recent sessions as investors wager on Europe's economy lagging well behind the U.S. recovery.

Safe-haven assets such as bonds, gold and the yen have also benefited from the recent cautious tone in financial markets.

On Monday, the yield on benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasuries was steady at 1.5634%. Gold found support at $1,845 an ounce. The yen hovered at 114.09 per dollar.

The risk-sensitive Australian dollar also fell to a seven-week low of $0.7227. South Korean stocks (.KS11) were an outlier as chipmakers followed U.S. peers higher with a brightening outlook for memory chip demand.

S&P 500 futures rose 0.2% after Wall Street indexes had slipped on Friday.

HAVEN PLAYS

Trade is likely to be thinned this week by Thanksgiving in the United States, but the cautious tone has traders once again monitoring COVID-19 cases in Europe as well as keeping an eye on central bank speakers, particularly in Britain and Europe.

Austria began its fourth lockdown on Monday - with neighbouring Germany warning it may follow suit - as protests against restrictions occurred across the continent. read more

Surveys due in Europe and Britain through the week are expected to show a downward trend in output and sentiment.

"The combination of COVID, growth and geopolitical concerns in the euro zone is supportive of safe-haven plays," said Rabobank's head of FX strategy Jane Foley.

"The recent break below the EUR/USD $1.15 level and the lurch downwards that followed has forced us to lower our forecasts for the currency pair further," she added, expecting it to sit around $1.12 by mid next year.

Meanwhile the U.S. economy has been surprising analysts with stronger-than-expected retail sales data and hot inflation in recent weeks. The focus this week is on prices and the labour market and on what the Fed might do about their strength.

Fed Vice Chair Richard Clarida said last week that quickening the pace of tapering might be worth discussing at December's meeting. Fed minutes are due on Wednesday.

China stood pat on its benchmark lending rates for corporate and household loans for a 19th month on Monday, as expected.

Central banks in South Korea and New Zealand are expected to hike rates this week, with swaps markets priced for about a 40% chance of a 50 basis point rate hike in New Zealand.

Bitcoin was under pressure after posting its worst week in two months last week, and last sat at $58,180.

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Reporting by Tom Westbrook in Sydney; Additional reporting by Joori Roh in Seoul; Editing by Himani Sarkar

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Oil and euro slip, markets on edge over COVID-19 curbs in Europe - Reuters

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. Dutchess County reported Sunday that its active COVID-19 caseload has spiked by 105 cases in three days.

According to the countys online coronavirus dashboard, Dutchess reported 730 cases on Sunday, 58 more than the 672 reported on Saturday. On Friday, the county reported 625 cases.

The countys caseload still remained far below its pandemic peak, which was 2,576 active cases on Jan. 16.

Meanwhile, Dutchess County reported Sunday that 32 of its residents were hospitalized with COVID-19. Dutchess last reported 32 residents hospitalized on Oct. 8.

The lowest most recent hospitalization tally was 11 on Nov. 8.

Ulster County, which does not report COVID-19 statistics on weekends, on Friday reported a jump in active cases to 601, up from 550 the previous day. Ulsters pandemic peak, reached on Jan. 30, was 2,622 cases.

Here are the latest local COVID-19 statistics:

Ulster County: 5.6%.

Dutchess County: 3.49%

Ulster County: 20,308 confirmed cases, 19,414 recoveries, 293 deaths. (No new deaths reported Friday.)

Dutchess County: 37,201 confirmed cases, 505 deaths. (No new deaths reported Sunday.)

Data as of Saturday from New York states online vaccine tracker:

Ulster County: 67.53% fully vaccinated, 75.1% with at least one dose of a two-dose regimen, 84.6% of 18+ population with at least one dose.

Dutchess County: 62.43% fully vaccinated, 70.1% with at least one dose of a two-dose regimen, 80% of 18+ population with at least one dose.

Appointments: vaccinateulster.com, bit.ly/dut-vax, bit.ly/ny-vaxme.

For online local coverage related to the coronavirus, go to dailyfreeman.com/tag/coronavirus.

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Active COVID-19 cases in Dutchess County jump by 105 in three days - The Daily Freeman

Pediatricians' offices and clinicsare quicklyfillingwith kids lining up to get shots since the Oregon Health Authority gave the go-ahead Nov. 3 forchildren age5-12to receive their COVID-19 vaccines.

The reasons for getting the vaccinevary by family some live in multigenerational households, some families includemedical professionalsor teachers but many are motivated by the desire for life to return to as close to normal as possible and to help beat COVID-19.

"I feel safe," 7-year-old Mira Kraftof Eugene said. "I feel like part of the herd."

Nearly 2,200 kids ages 5-11 in Marion County have received at least one dose of the vaccine, along with about 650 kids in Polk County, according to data from the Oregon Health Authority. Thatrepresents 6.7% and 8.5% of kids ages 5-11in those counties, respectively.

Mira's mother, Katie Kraft, said her daughterwas prepared to get the vaccine a long time agoand got it Nov. 11. Her 4-year-old sonis now the lastin their family still waiting.

"They'vebeen very aware of it since the very beginning," Katie said. "With my parents, we have (multiple) generations in our house, and so there's a higher risk for them. They've already been vaccinated and that's been a conversation all the way along.Mirais super excited to get vaccinated so she can go out and see people."

Katie also has some increased risk because she'sa teacher at an elementary school in Springfield. Because of these concerns, Mira has been in distance or online learning for both kindergarten and this year of first grade.

"She doesn't like shots, but she was excited for this," Katie said, to which Mira exclaimed, "It didn't even hurt!"

Siblings Diego, 9, Gustavo, 6, and Rose Lopez, 5, all received their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at Salem Healths Edgewater clinic on Friday, wearing matching smiley face surgical masks.

Diego said getting the vaccine would lead to less COVID and that he wasnt nervous about the appointment. If anything, he and his siblings had just accepted they were going to get the vaccine.

His mom said during the appointment that getting the vaccine would mean they would get less sick if they did end up getting the virus.

After getting the shot, Gustavo and Diego said it hurt less than they expected; "Not that bad," the younger brother said.

Rose started crying as the shot was administered and nodded when asked if she was nervous and if it hurt.

Did you know that if you smile it hurts a little bit less? Gustavo said to comfort her.

Protecting others was a big reason for another Eugene family, which includesAri Lester, 12, Nadav Lester, 10, and mother Rebecca Hart.

Ari got the first dose of Pfizer in June, and Nadav got his first dose on Nov. 11. They don't like shots, Hart said, but they had lots of conversations about it being animportant moment to get through.

"We talked about it as a family we talked about coping with shots, right? Not very fun, but we can handle it and we're tougher than COVID," Hart said.

"And the reason is to protect ourselves," Ari said.

Check your zip code: Data shows what influences COVID-19 transmission, vaccination rates across Oregon

Ari said he wanted to get the shot right away, even though he's doesn't like them.

"For me, I wanted to get it for protection of myself and protect others around me, but also because Iwant to be done with the pandemic and get back to more regular," Ari said."Getting the vaccine stops the spread and stopping the spread makes it be more over."

Nadav also isn't a fan of shots, but said he was ready to get it, being the last family member waiting.

"I just had less protection than everybody even though my immune system is better because I'm young, but I just couldn't do as much stuff," he said.

They were excited thinking about how once their neighbors are vaccinated, they will all be able to play without their masks on, like they did at the beginning of the pandemic.

For Rebecca, who is a psychologist, it was an obvious choice to get her family vaccinated.

"I have a lot of friends whose kids have been out of school because of the quarantines and the exposure. My kids hada really hard last year with (distance learning)and they're so happy to be back in school," she said. "The more kids that are vaccinated, the more they can go back to a normal classroom and schoolsetting."

In Salem, the Brubaker family also jumped on the vaccines as soon as they could.

Cryssi Brubaker said her sons Noah, 13, and Wyatt, 12 were eager to get it as soon as possible, so much so that Wyatt scheduled his appointment for the day after his 12th birthday in September.

"I knew that it would just be that little extra peace of mind that will not necessarily prevent you from getting it, but ifI did get it, it wouldn't be so bad," Wyatt said."I'm young.I'm on the healthy side, but we didn't want know what (COVID-19) could do long term."

Wyatt, who is on the autism spectrum, is deathly afraid of needles, Cryssi said, but was ready.

"I wanted to be a little bit more safer, but also it would stop me from infecting other people," he said.

All the tools to improve your future: Jobs program a lifeline for farmworker families

So he petted their family's therapy dog, watched a video, squeezed his mom's hand tight and got through both doses.

"For the most part, I try to give them as much control, especially body autonomy, as I can," Cryssi said. "But they wanted to do it because they know that it's important, they know that it's the right thing to do. Plus, all of us are just done and over (the pandemic)."

Noah and Ari Lester said the advice they wouldgive to otherkids or adults who are on the fence about the vaccineis: "Just do it."

"Definitely go out and get it it is well worth it," Noah said."I think it's well past the time where we just get this thing just to be done with this whole pandemic, because at this point, it's just annoying and unnecessary."

Worried about getting the vaccine?: Here are the side effects

Wyatt agreed and asked people look at the positives of the vaccine and how it can protect them.

"Get that shot and whatever side effects you get, that's only momentary," Ari said. "This will protect you for much longer time than it's gonna hurt."

Statesman Journal reporter Connor Radnovich contributed to this report.

Contact reporter Jordyn Brown at jbrown@registerguard.com or 541-246-4264, and follow her on Twitter @thejordynbrown and Instagram @registerguard.

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'I feel safe': Kids and parents share their reasons for getting the COVID-19 vaccine - Statesman Journal

At Long Island Jewish Medical Center, a loudspeaker announces an emergency in one of the rooms.It is March 2020, and the Covid-19 pandemic has just begun to take hold in the U.S. Ateamof nurses and doctors in the hospital is preparing a patient for intubation. A doctor leans over the patient, whose name is Patrick George.

George, the doctor shouts, do you want to be put on a respirator?

Put me on, George responds weakly.

Well let your family know, OK? the doctor says.

George is struggling to breatheand knows its his last hope.

Put me on now, he says.

If you have survived the pandemic without going inside a Covid ward, you will likely be stunned by the grim intimacy of this scene and the fact that you are witnessing it, with real-time urgency, in Matthew Heinemans new documentary, The First Wave. The scene offersthe kind of life-and-death drama that medical staffs have staggered through every daywhile the rest of us rarely or never saw it. We were and are isolated from the traumatic realities inside U.S. hospitals as more than 750,000 souls perished from the virus.

Thisopening scene, not yet 30 seconds long, twists in ways you cannot forget.

A nurse puts a phone, encased in a plastic bag, in front of Georges face. On the other end, seeing him via FaceTime, is Georges wife.

I love you, baby, she cries out.

I love you too, George responds.

OK, be strong.

Bye, George says.

I love you, she repeats.

Bye bye, George says. Bye bye bye bye bye bye.

Thisscene is not done with us but I wont say what happens next. What I can say is that The First Wave is necessary to watch. Unless you have already seen and heard the kinds of events it shows, you have an incomplete understanding of the pandemic and of what three-quarters of a million deaths mean when instead of astatisticin a news story, the casualtiesare a man on his back, his wife on the phone, and the nurses and doctors doing everything they can to save his life.

The saving grace of this film, if thats the right way to put it, is that it journeys aroundthe epidemiological trenches at this New York City hospital and brings back a variety of stories, some of them uplifting, and they thread into an effective narrative. There are patients who seem on the verge of death and struggle back, there are family members urging them along on those plastic-encased phones, and there are medical staffers whose trauma-filled work is getting the attention it deserves in our less troubled lives.

It sounds strange to say, but there is art in this film too. The way the camera lingers just long enough at the right moments and not too long at others, the way the lifted brow of a nurse speaks louder than words, the way the film breaks out ofLong Island Jewish and moves into the streets of New York City, taking us from the gasps of Covid patients to the I Cant Breathe chants of the Black Lives Matter movement this is masterful work.

Heineman is no stranger to documentaries. He directed the Academy Award-nominated Cartel Land, about the drug trade on the U.S.-Mexico border. He also directed City of Ghosts, an award-winning film about citizen journalists in Raqqa, Syria. Those films demonstrated a willingness and ability to work in dangerous areas and gain the confidence of people who otherwise might not let an outsider into their worlds. Those talents are what went into the making of The First Wave.

Heineman used his experience and contacts to gain unparalleled access to Long Island Jewish. Across the U.S., hospitalswere shutting their doors to journalists as the pandemic began. Only a handful gained entry, and their visits were short, usually just a few hours or a few days at most. Heinemans team was at Long Island Jewish for months. Hospital administrators have cited safety and privacy concerns for keeping journalists out, but as Heinemans experience showed, they could work insideCovid wards without getting in anyones way or spreading the virus.

Thats what makes the footage in his documentary so extraordinary. I worked for months on an investigative article that delved into the way hospitals cracked down onreporters in the U.S., and I spent a lot of that time scouring through theimagery that was published by journalists, including filmmakers,and bymedical staffers (some hospitals even threatened doctors and nurses who shared photos or videos). Ive seen nothing that comes close to Heinemans graphic portrayal of Covid victims.

The onlyvisual documentation of the pandemic thats in the same league comes from far away. Thedirector Hao Wu, working with Chinese journalists in early 2020, got relatively unfettered access to four hospitals in Wuhan, where thevirus originated. His powerful documentary, 76 Days, came out last year and won an Emmy. Until the emergence of Heinemans film, which opened Friday, Americans who wanted a visceral look inside a Covidward had to watch a film shot in China.

It is hard to categorize The First Wave because it crosses boundaries: It is a documentary thatalso feels like a horror film, an expos of social injustice, and a love letter. In its review of The First Wave, the Washington Post has a line that manages to be insightful and off-kilter at the same time. The film feels like a viscerally effective time capsule from the recent past, wrote Michael OSullivan, yet one whose arrival in theaters may still be too soon for many.

A time capsule is filled with the familiar objects of a civilization. But whats in The First Wave is unfamiliar to most of us; we have not seen it before and perhaps have been unable to imagine it. There is the anguish ofpatients as theylaborto breathe, themedicalinstruments warning of hearts no longer beating, the body bags zipped up and hauled away, and the moments of silence beforenurses rush to the next room to try to save another life. Stumbling onto this time capsule, we arevisitors from another world who are seeing for the first time whatthe Covid pandemic really meant.

This film has not come too soon. It has come too late.

Excerpt from:

The First Wave Shows What We Haven't Seen of Covid-19 - The Intercept

Most states in the United States had stable rates of lung cancer screenings during the COVID-19 pandemic, with some even experiencing significant improvements.

Lung cancer screenings in the United States remained stable during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with screenings for other disease types, which declined significantly over the course of the outbreak, according to a study published in Chest.

Findings from the study found that lung cancer screenings remained consisten between 2019 (6.6%; 95% CI, 6.5%-7.4%) and 2020 (6.5%; 95% CI, 6.4%-7.3%; SRR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.97-1.01).

In this population-based study, [lung cancer screening] rates remained stable between 2019 and 2020 and just under 1 in 15 eligible people were screened. The lack of nationwide declines could be due to underutilization of [lung cancer screenings] before the pandemic began when only 5% to 6% of adults received screening in 2018, which limited the room for further decreases, the investigators wrote.

The study used data from patients who were between the ages of 55 to 80 years old. Patients were also required to be current or former smokers who quit within the last 15 years or who have a 30 pack or greater per year history.

Previous studies have reported approximately 80% to 90% declines in screenings for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer in March to April 2020, with rates rebounding in summer 2021 as lockdown restrictions eased.

In 2019 and 2020, 8.51 million adults were eligible for lung cancer screenings, of whom approximately 564,164 in 2019 and 557,795 in 2020 received screenings. Screenings drastically declined in 5 states between 2019 and 2020 by 23% to 52%, including Utah, Rhode Island, Vermont, Hawaii, and Maryland (SRR range, 0.77 to 0.48).

However, investigators reported that between 2019 and 2020, SRRs had not changed in 25 states and increased in 19 states by 20% or more (SRRs 1.2), including Nevada, West Virginia, Maine, and Kentucky.

Investigators believe that the increases in testing could imply that health systems and both local and state cancer control efforts were effective in improving testing rates. Additionally, states that had lower screening rates may have had stricter stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

There were 5 states in which [lung cancer screening] rates statistically significantly decreased, including Hawaii and Utah, which had below-average rates before the pandemic began. For example, orders were more comprehensive and enduring in the Northeast, but there was a mix of [lung cancer screening] patterns within this region, with annual [lung cancer screening] rates unchanged in New York, which is a state that experienced a substantial surge of COVID-19 infection during the Spring of 2020 but declined in Vermont the investigators concluded.

Fedewa SA, Bandi P, Smith RA, Silvestri GA, Jemal A. Lung cancer screening rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Chest. Published online July 21, 2021. doi:10.1016/j.chest.2021.07.030

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Lung Cancer Screenings Remained Stable in US Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic, With Some States Seeing improvements - Cancer Network

CHICAGO -- Lamar Jackson was inactive for the Baltimore Ravens' 16-13 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday because of an illness that is not related to COVID-19.

Jackson had been considered "50-50" for the game after being added to the injury report Saturday, a league source told ESPN's Adam Schefter. This came after Jackson said he was "feeling great" upon returning to full participation in Friday's practice after missing two days.

Tyler Huntley, who went undrafted out of Utah in 2020, made his first NFL start and helped the Ravens rally for victory with a 30-yard pass to Sammy Watkins in the final minute that set up Devonta Freeman's game-winning 3-yard touchdown run with 22 seconds remaining.

Huntley finished the game 26-of-36 passing for 219 yards and an interception. He also rushed for 40 yards on seven attempts.

2 Related

The loss of Jackson was the latest challenge for the NFL's No. 2-ranked offense. The Ravens' top two running backs (J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards) and Pro Bowl left tackle (Ronnie Stanley) suffered season-ending injuries, and top wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown was ruled out Saturday with a thigh injury.

The Ravens organization was hit this week by an illness that is not COVID-19. Wide receiver Rashod Bateman and center Bradley Bozeman each missed one practice with illness, but neither was listed on the injury report by the end of the week.

Jackson was hit the hardest by illness. When he arrived at Soldier Field, Jackson was wearing a mask and walked sluggishly to the locker room.

One of the top NFL MVP contenders, Jackson has accounted for 82.8% of Baltimore's offense (3,086 of 3,727 yards) this season. He is ninth in the NFL in passing (2,447 yards) and seventh in rushing (639).

The AFC North-leading Ravens (6-3) couldn't afford to slip to the Bears (3-6) because their schedule gets increasingly tougher. After playing Chicago, Baltimore doesn't have another game against a team with a losing record.

This marks the third time Jackson has missed a game in his four-year career. He sat out the 2019 season finale because Baltimore had already secured the AFC's No. 1 seed, and he was held out of the Week 12 game in 2020 after testing positive for COVID-19.

Jackson, who had his No. 8 jersey retired at Louisville last weekend, did not practice Wednesday or Thursday because he was sick. Three illnesses this year have led him to miss practice time.

On Friday, Jackson said he thought he got a cold from the weather change.

"I usually don't get sick, for real," Jackson said after Friday's practice. "I used to eat my Flintstone vitamins when I was a kid. My immunity system should be good."

The Ravens are now 2-1 when Jackson has missed a start, beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019 and falling at Pittsburgh in 2020 after the team suffered one of the bigger COVID-19 outbreaks in sports.

Baltimore was coming off a 22-10 loss at the Miami Dolphins, scoring its fewest points with Jackson as its starting quarterback.

Read more here:

Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson inactive because of illness not related to COVID-19 - ESPN

By MSTYSLAV CHERNOV and YURAS KARMANAU

https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-business-eastern-europe-ukraine-c1590e0fff45210f28d9264ff2966615

KAKHOVKA, Ukraine (AP) As coronavirus infections hit Ukraine, a single shift for Dr. Oleksandr Molchanov now stretches to 42 hours 24 of them in Kakhovkas hospital, followed by another 18 hours spent visiting tents set up to care for 120 COVID-19 patients.

While vaccination rates in Eastern Europe have generally lagged, Ukraine has one of the lowest in the region. But because of its underfunded and struggling health care system, the situation has turned dire nearly two years since the virus swept into Europe.

The country is setting records almost every day for infections and deaths, most recently on Tuesday, when 838 deaths were reported.

We are extinguishing the fire again. We are working as at the front, but our strength and capabilities are limited, said Molchanov, who works at the hospital in the city in southern Ukraine on the Dnieper River. We are working to the limit.

After his grueling shift, the 32-year-old doctor goes home to sleep and recover for two days. The next one may be even more challenging.

The situation is only getting worse, Molchanov said. Hospital beds are running out, there are more and more serious patients, and there is a sore lack of doctors and medical personnel.

The tents beside Kakhovkas hospital have 120 beds, and 87 of them are occupied, with more patients arriving every day. But Molchanov is one of only three doctors to care for them.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyys administration inherited a health care system that was undermined by reforms launched by his predecessor that closed many small-town hospitals.

In those communities, people have to seek care in large cities. If the problem is severe enough that a patient needs an ambulance, the wait can be as long as eight hours.

They are bringing patients in extremely difficult condition, with a protracted form of COVID-19, said Dr. Anatoliy Galachenko, who also works at the tent hospital. The main reason is the remoteness of settlements and the impossibility of providing assistance at the primary stages of the disease.

Yulia Tymoshenko, a former prime minister who leads the opposition Batkivshchyna party, said she has traveled to many hospitals in Ukraine and found shortages everywhere.

The mortality from COVID that is now recorded in Ukraine, is not just mortality; it is the killing of people by this government, which does not have oxygen, antiviral drugs, beds and normally paid medical personnel, she said in parliament.

There are no free beds in the country anymore a new patient immediately comes to the bed of a discharged person, Tymoshenko added.

Four coronavirus vaccines are available in Ukraine Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Sinovac but only 21% of its 41 million people are fully vaccinated. The Ministry of Health reported that 96% of patients with severe COVID-19 werent vaccinated.

Zelenskyy has promised every fully vaccinated Ukrainian a payment of 1,000 hryvnia ($38), about 5% of the average monthly wage, but widespread hesitancy persists.

Doctors say the vaccines are highly effective at preventing deaths and hospitalizations, and when infections in vaccinated people do occur, they usually are mild.

Oleksandr Kymanov, who refused to get vaccinated, ended up getting infected and was brought to the tent hospital in Kakhovka from the town of Rozdolne, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) away. Connected to supplemental oxygen, he cited various falsehoods about the vaccine, saying it was useless and that people still get infected and get sick.

Doctors complain that vaccine falsehoods about containing microchips or that they cause infertility and disease is driving the COVID-19 surge.

People believe in the most absurd rumors about chips, infertility and the dangers of vaccines, elderly people from risk groups massively refuse to be vaccinated, and this is very harmful and increases the burden on doctors, Molchanov said. People trust their neighbors more than doctors.

The government has required teachers, doctors, government employees and other groups of workers to be fully vaccinated by Dec. 1. It also has also begun to require proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test results for travel on planes, trains and long-distance buses.

The regulations have spawned a black market for fake vaccination documents, which sell for the equivalent of $100-$300. A phony government digital app for smartphones is reportedly available, complete with fake certificates installed.

COVID cannot be fooled with a fake certificate, but many Ukrainians learn about it only in intensive care, Molchanov said.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs said 1,200 groups have been sent throughout Ukraine to verify the authenticity of medical documents. Police already have identified several clandestine printers who were creating fake certificates.

Doctors say the fake certificates make their job harder.

We are working to the limit, but we are tired of fighting not only with disease, but also with stupidity, Molchanov said.

___

Yuras Karmanau reported from Kyiv. Evgeniy Maloletka contributed to this report from Kakhovka.

___

Follow APs coronavirus coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

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Ukraine's doctors pushed to the limit by COVID-19 wave - Associated Press

ByAmy Lunday

COVID-19 cases are on the rise again in the United States after dipping just three weeks ago. Vaccine effectiveness is waning and without widespread boosters, shots given six months ago remain at least 80-85% effective against serious illness but will only prevent two out of three possible infections for those vaccinated early in the pandemicall signs pointing to the very real possibility of a winter surge here in the U.S.

Yet David Dowdy, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a physician with Baltimore Medical Services, says there is reason for hope that this winter will be better overall than last winter, even if cases continue to rise, thanks to vaccines and new oral antiviral medications that will reduce cases of severe COVID, preventing hospitalization and death.

"It's worth remembering where we were at this time last year: Many schools were not in-person, many businesses were operating at partial capacity, and many gatherings had strict size limits, yet COVID-19 cases were rising more than twice as fast as they are today," Dowdy says. "Now we have extremely safe vaccines with long-lasting effectiveness against serious disease, oral antivirals that could soon make COVID-19 a highly treatable disease, and we're living our lives much more like in pre-pandemic times. The COVID death rate in the U.S. is still falling and is now only half of what it was two months ago."

So how do we make sure Dowdy's optimism gains traction? Dowdy and Rupali Limaye, a social and behavioral scientist and health communication scholar at the School of Public Health who studies vaccine behavior and decision-making, offer the roadmap below, with a caveat that "no one can fully predict the future of this pandemic," Dowdy says.

If this winter is better than the last, it will be thanks in large part to vaccines. The new antivirals are great, but they aren't a preventative measure like the safe, effective vaccines, Dowdy says.

"While we still are susceptible to getting cases of COVID-19, I think that the amount of serious illness and death is going to be much less, especially because of all the efforts that people have put into to getting vaccinated and getting their families and communities vaccinated as well," he says. "So even if cases go up this winter, we're very unlikely to see a return to the overcrowded ICUs and makeshift morgues of a year ago."

The continued push to vaccinate against COVID-19 includes ensuring newly eligible children get vaccinated as soon as possible, with research indicating that vaccinating 5- to 11-year-olds may prevent 600,000 infections over the next four months alone, Limaye says. "The COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for children even if they've had COVID-19 infection. And that's simply because the vaccine can better provide longer-lasting protection than natural infection." Kids can even get a COVID-19 vaccine dose near or at the same time as other childhood vaccines, like HPV or a flu shot.

The benefits of vaccination in children outweigh the risks, especially when we don't yet know how the long-term effects of COVID-19 infections will affect brain development, Limaye says. And the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine extend beyond any individual child: "Vaccinating our children, specifically in that age range, can have immense benefits to reduce infection of others who may be at more risk," Limaye says. "This includes grandparents that you may see at Thanksgiving, for example, teachers, and other family members as well."

With so much riding on COVID-19 vaccines, convincing people in our lives to get shot is of paramount importance when we still have a little over 40% of the eligible populationexcluding 5- to 11- year-oldswho have not yet gotten the vaccine, Limaye says.

"I think what we are starting to see now is that if you have not gotten the vaccine, there's essentially two reasons why you will get the vaccine. One is that you will see either a close friend or a family member who ends up getting severe COVID and ends up in the hospital or passing. That has been a nudge that has forced people to think about the vaccine decision," Limaye says. "The second is [vaccine] mandates. That is one thing that we know will change vaccine behavior. As we're starting to see different employers think about mandates, that is changing vaccine coverage in specific populations."

Unvaccinated people account for the majority of new COVID-19 infections, for severe cases, and for spikes in states like Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. "With regards to specific socio-demographics where we're seeing hesitancy, it tends to be individuals that tend to be white and that might live in more rural areas," Limaye says, adding that vaccine disparities have narrowed in the last year among the Hispanic and African American communities.

"I think the goal here is going to be to continue to be empathetic, to be compassionate, and to continue to have one-on-one conversations with these individuals because it's important to not be dismissive of people's concerns," Limaye says. "That's the only way that we're going to be able to nudge those individuals into vaccine acceptance."

It's human nature to want to know exactly when the COVID-19 pandemic will be over, but Limaye and Dowdy say it's not that simple. In reality, it's time to shift our thinking from the endgame toward how we'll live our lives alongside COVID-19 going forward.

"Everyone wants there to be a day that we declare, 'This pandemic is over,'" Dowdy says. "But nobody asks, 'When is the end of the flu?' for example. This is a disease that's going to be with us for the foreseeable future. It's going to come and go." That could mean we get COVID-19 booster shots annually or in tandem with occasional spikes in community transmission, Limaye says.

Limaye agrees that we should think about COVID-19 as we do with any other pathogen like a cold or a flu. "COVID is here to stay," Limaye says. "What we really need to be messaging around is that people can still get COVID, there can still be breakthrough infections, but the great news is if you have been vaccinated, you are very much less likely to be hospitalized or have severe COVID compared to those that are unvaccinated."

"The question is, when can we get this to a point where it's tolerable to us as a society," Dowdy says. "And I think that we may be closer to that point than we imagine. If we already look at how we're living our lives today as opposed to how we were living our lives a year ago, we've made great strides. So, we're not at the pandemic end date and we never will be, but we are making real progress. And I think there's a lot of reason for optimism going forward."

Read more:

Another COVID-19 winter? | Hub - The Hub at Johns Hopkins

People wearing face mask to protect against the coronavirus as they walk in front of St. Stephen's Cathedral on Wednesday in Vienna, Austria. Michael Gruber/AP hide caption

VIENNA Austria will go into a national lockdown to contain a fourth wave of coronavirus cases, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg announced Friday, as new COVID-19 infections hit a record high amid a pandemic surge across Europe.

The lockdown will start Monday and initially will last for 10 days, Schallenberg said.

And starting Feb. 1, the country will also make vaccinations mandatory.

Most stores will close, and cultural events will be canceled next week. People will be able to leave their homes only for certain specific reasons, including buying groceries, going to the doctor or exercising.

Wolfgang Mueckstein, the country's health minister, said that kindergartens and schools would remain open for those who needed to go there but all parents were asked to keep their children at home if possible.

"We do not want a fifth wave," Schallenberg said, according to ORF. "Nor do we want a sixth or seventh wave."

The full lockdown is the latest effort to control rapidly rising case numbers. It's the fourth nationwide lockdown since the outbreak of the pandemic last year. On Friday, the country reported 15,809 new infections, an all-time high.

Earlier this month, Austria introduced rules that barred unvaccinated people from restaurants, hotels and large events.

And starting Monday, the government is imposing a national lockdown only for the unvaccinated.

Government officials had long promised that vaccinated people would no longer face lockdown restrictions: Over the summer, then-Chancellor Sebastian Kurz declared the pandemic "over" for those who had received the vaccine. But as virus cases continued to skyrocket, the government said it had no choice but to extend it to everyone.

"This is very painful," Schallenberg said.

Mueckstein, the health minister, said many factors contributed to the current situation, including Austria's lower-than-expected vaccination rate and the seasonal impact of the virus. But he also apologized for state and federal leaders' initial reluctance to implement stronger measures.

"Unfortunately, even we as the federal government have fallen short of our standards in some areas," he said. "I want to apologize for that."

After 10 days, the lockdown's effects will be assessed. If virus cases have not gone down sufficiently, it can be extended to a maximum of 20 days.

Austria's intensive care doctors welcomed the government's decision.

"The record infection figures that we have now experienced day after day will only be reflected in normal and intensive care units with a time lag. It really is high time for a full stop," Walter Hasibeder, the president of the Society for Anesthesiology, Resuscitation and Intensive Care Medicine, told Austrian news agency APA.

"Given the current infection developments, we believe there are no alternatives to even greater contact restriction than recently, so any measures that help curb the momentum are welcome," he added.

For the past seven days, the country has reported more than 10,000 new infection cases daily. Hospitals have been overwhelmed with many new COVID-19 patients, and deaths have been rising again, too. So far, 11,951 people have died of the virus in Austria.

The situation is especially dire in the regions of Salzburg and Upper Austria, which have been particularly hard hit by the rising case numbers. In Salzburg, for example, the seven-day rate of new infections is nearly twice the national average.

Hospitals in both states have warned in recent days that their ICUs were reaching capacity, and hospitals in Salzburg had begun discussing potential triage procedures to take only the worst cases.

Austria, a country of 8.9 million, has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Western Europe only 65.7% of the population are fully vaccinated.

Despite all the persuasion and campaigns, too few people have decided to get vaccinated, Schallenberg said, leaving the country no other choice but to introduce mandatory vaccinations in February.

The chancellor said the details would be finalized in the coming weeks but those who continued to refuse to get vaccinated would have to expect to be fined. In addition, booster shots are now available to all vaccinated individuals starting four months after their second dose.

"For a long time, the consensus in this country was that we didn't want mandatory vaccination," Schallenberg said. "For a long time, perhaps too long."

Link:

Austria will enter lockdown and make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory - NPR

APPLETON Health officials thought the delta variant was going to peak in October, with enough time for COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations to lower by Christmas. Instead, those numbers are seeing an "aggressive" rise, a ThedaCare official said at a virtual meeting Friday morning.

"Today, we're experiencing some pretty startling increases," said Frank Mellon,ThedaCare's senior innovation executive.

As of Thursday, no intensive care unit beds were available in the region, saidDr. Imran Andrabi,president and CEO of ThedaCare.

Holiday gatherings are on the horizon for many people, but Mellon said the nine-county region ThedaCare serves is seeing daily case numbers that mirror last fall, with even longer hospitalizations and longer recovery periods. The three-day average for cases is just shy of 334, but Thursday alone, over 560 new cases were diagnosed.

Outagamie, Winnebago, Calumet and Waupaca counties, in particular, are seeing "strong upward trends" in daily positive cases and some age groups are being more affected than others.

Since a high percentage of people over age 70 are vaccinated, Mellon said, cases in that group are just started to tick up. But every age groupyounger than that especially those 20 to 49 is seeing rapid increases in cases.

People who are unvaccinated are more likely to be hospitalized or die from the virus than their vaccinated counterpartsand are the ones "driving the surge," according to Friday's presentation.

People 45 to 64 who aren't vaccinated are13 times more likely to be hospitalized and 33 times more likely to die from the virus than those in the same age group who are vaccinated. Children 12 to 17 who aren't vaccinated are eight times more likely to test positive, according to data presented at Friday's meeting.

Because of the lag between when a person tests positive and when they may need to be hospitalized, the full effects of the increase in cases are still ahead, Mellon said.

Andrabi said COVID-19 numbers looked different even just a week ago. It's not the virus that has changed, he said, but the behavior and choices of community members.

"This is not something we can deal with in the four walls of our healthsystem," he said.

ThedaCare has administered almost 88,000 vaccine doses since last December, Chief Clinical Officer Mark Cockley said, but still only a little more thanhalf of the Fox Valley population is vaccinated.

Everyone 5 and older is eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and can schedule an appointment with ThedaCare through the free MyThedaCare app or online at my.thedacare.org/mychart. Free testing is also still available.

MORE: Here's where and when you can find the COVID vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds in the Appleton, Oshkosh areas

MORE: Here's a running list of COVID-19 vaccination sites in Appleton, Fox Cities

People 18 and older who meet certain criteria, such as having an underlying health condition or working in congregate settings, can receive booster shots.

Regardless of which vaccine Pfizer,Modernaor Johnson & Johnson people received for their initial doses, they can receive any approved vaccine for their booster.

Those who received Pfizer or Moderna and meet the criteria can get their booster six months after their initial series.Anyone 18 and older who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can get a booster two months after the initial dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

With the holiday season around the corner and hopes of gathering with loved ones, Cockley shared ways to make it as safe as possible. The safest option, he said, is for everyone to be vaccinated and not sick or experiencing symptoms.

But he also shared other ideas for keeping COVID-19 out of Thanksgiving celebrations:

Reach AnnMarie Hilton at ahilton@gannett.com or 920-370-8045. Follow her on Twitter at @hilton_annmarie.

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COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations are on an 'aggressive' rise in the Fox Valley; all intensive care beds are full - Appleton Post Crescent