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Your Coronavirus Update – Feb. 24, 2022
RHODE ISLAND & VICINITY
TD Garden in Boston to drop proof of COVID-19 vaccination requirement
Vaccination mandate set for 2/28 for Providence Police – approximately 30 officers face firing
Newport’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is back this year.
The Boston State House is now open to the public again.
Boston dropped its proof of vaccination requirement for gyms, restaurants, and other indoor businesses.
Sen. Jack Reed wants to add to the Restaurant Relief bill from US Congress
Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott will receive the Public Service Award from the Rhode Island Foundation at its Annual Meeting in May.
Gov. McKee Press Conference
Important to vaccinate children – clinics being held in schools, community, and faith based locations in CF, Prov, Pawt, Woon and schools w/rates less than 25%.
Under 40% of Rhode Islanders have a booster shot – we have work to do.
COVID is now seen as a preventable, treatable disease.
Dr. McDonald: School nurses and teachers play an important role in helping children learn that they can trust the vaccine. We need to see the importance of stabilizing the virus. The disease is preventable and treatable. With 2 vaccines you are 6 times less likely to get hospitalized. If you are boosted, you are 55 times less likely to get hospitalized. This is the most well studied vaccine – billions of doses have been given at this point. The vaccine is safe and effective for your child. Parents who are “not deciding” to vaccinate “are deciding” the risk for their children and families.
Dr. McDonald: We need to be healthier. We need to not go to work and school when we are sick. Messages of public health are important. We are obese. We have too much diabetes. Too many have high blood pressure. We need to be healthier.
HEZ – Health Equity Zones are important. Customized public health in your neighborhood.
ACI/Wyatt – Boosters? Health audit? Masks? – Dr. McD: plenty of available. We don’t routinely inspect facilities.
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL
From the WHO on the new variant: Based on available data of transmission, severity, reinfection, diagnostics, therapeutics and impacts of vaccines, the group reinforced that the BA.2 sublineage should continue to be considered a variant of concern and that it should remain classified as Omicron. The group emphasized that BA.2 should continue to be monitored as a distinct sublineage of Omicron by public health authorities.
The CDC has withheld publication of data for 18 to 49 year olds on need for boosters to fight COVID – which would have impacted college people having to get a booster before returning to school.
FDA considering 2nd booster (4th shot) in a few months
Justin Bieber has COVID and has paused his world tour
The city of Chicago announced it will not mandate masks in bars but will mandate masks in schools.
150,000 were in attendance at the Daytona 500, as opposed to the 30,000 at 2021’s limited attendance
Boris Johnson announces end of almost all COVID-19 restrictions in England
Close to 100,000 restaurants have closed in the United States since the pandemic began, which is 15% of all restaurants – a number that has sent the entire industry reeling.
Television news anchor, Neil Cavuto, had COVID for the 2nd time, and with MS and being a cancer survivor, ended up in the ICU in critical shape – he had been off the air for weeks and returned this week.
Queen Elizabeth tests positive for COVID
The German government expects vaccinations with the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine Nuvaxovid to begin across the country over the course of this week
New York scraps health care workers booster mandate to avoid ‘staffing issues’
Israel to accept unvaccinated tourists starting March 1st.
COVID pill, Paxlovid, is now easier to find in every state.
In a New York Times article on long COVID: “It’s unclear why some people develop long Covid and others don’t, but four factors appear to increase the risk: high levels of viral RNA early during an infection, the presence of certain autoantibodies, the reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus and having Type 2 diabetes”.
The USA Freedom Convoy of truckers is headed to Washington, DC on March 2nd, to protest mandates.
Those who are living with disabilities, chronic illnesses or are immunocompromised because of medications or cancer treatment feel that their needs are not being considered as states open back up and lift mask mandates.
Dr. Anthony Fauci said he understands the desire to return to a sense of normalcy, but he also wants to make sure the country doesn’t ease up too soon.