Your Coronavirus Update – Jan. 26, 2022

Photo: Olympics preparation, China

RHODE ISLAND & VICINITY

The 100-year-old Feast of the Blessed Sacrament may not return to the Madeira Feast Grounds in New Bedford’s North End this summer, even after 2 years that it has not been held.

Dr. Jha has said on national television: “I think the next couple of weeks are the critical time. My guess is after that it’s going to really get down to pretty low numbers. … The good news is we can see the end of this surge in front of us. Once we get out of this surge and life begins to return more to a normal phase with low infection numbers and high vaccination rates, especially here in New England, we’ve got to start preparing like crazy for the next surge.”

Omicron will ease first in the Northeast, and then in the rest of United States.

The Massachusetts State House is planning to be partially reopened in February.

Sen. Jack Reed announced $2 Million for an Emergency Food and Shelter Program funding with the United Way of Rhode Island for homeless, housing, food, and other payments. $1.25 is allocated to Providence area needs.

Boston Mayor has extended the vaccine mandate by one week (should have been enacted this week)

1700 people filed for unemployment in RI in Dec of 2021.

Roger Williams Park Zoo reports the most visitors since they started keeping track took place in 2021.

SCHOOL COVID Case updates through Jan. 24th can be seen here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1c2QrNMz8pIbYEKzMJL7Uh2dtThOJa2j1sSMwiDo5Gz4/edit?usp=sharing

Today’s Vaccination Clinics: C19vaccineri.org to register:

9:00am-11:00am – AAA Northeast – 45 Royal Little Drive, Providence – Pfizer (12+)
5:00pm-7:30pm – McCoy Stadium – Pawtucket – J&J, Moderna, Pfizer (12+)
3:00pm-7:00pm – Monsignor Gadoury – 1371 Park Ave, Woonsocket – Moderna, Pfizer (12+)
11:00am-1:45pm – Northern Plaza – 301 Main St, Pawtucket – J&J, Moderna, Pfizer (12+)
4:00pm-7:00pm – Providence Children’s Museum – Pfizer, Pfizer (5-11)
3:00pm-4:30pm – United Church of Christ – 4 Commons – Little Compton – Pfizer (12+)
3:30pm-6:30pm – West End Comm Center – 109 Bucklin St, Prov – Moderna, Pfizer (12+)
4:00pm-7:30pm – Park View Middle School – 25 Park View Blvd, Cranston – Pfizer (12+)
4:00pm-7:00pm – Glen Hills Elementary – 50 Glen Hills Drive,Cranston – Pfizer (5-11)
4:00pm-8:00pm – Narragansett Pier Middle School – 235 So. Pier Rd, Narra – Pfizer (12+), Pfizer (5-11)

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

93 Olympics-related people “in the bubble” of the Olympic village have tested positive – new lockdowns are going into place to protect the games.

N95s do not have as long of a lifecycle. They are not washable. Throw them out if they get wet or dirty. If your mask stays clean, consider it good for about a week. However, tossing it in a purse or backpack with your phone, keys, wallet isn’t a good idea. Store it in a paper bag between each use.

The Department of Labor said on Tuesday it will withdraw its COVID-19 vaccine-and-testing requirement for large U.S. employers after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the rule, ending a controversial bid to increase vaccination rates.

The Social Security Administration is preparing to reopen some of its offices.

A New York State judge ruled on Monday that the state’s mask mandate had been enacted unlawfully and is now void, according to court documents.

Globally, the number of new COVID-19 cases increased in the past week by 5%, while the number of new deaths remained similar to that reported during the previous week. 21 million new cases were reported this week, representing the highest number of weekly cases recorded since the beginning of the pandemic.

Dr. Fauci says we may soon enter a period of “control” – where the virus lives among us and can be dealt with as other viruses.

Thousands marched on the Washington DC Mall against vaccine mandates this past weekend – making a point to say they are not against the vaccines.

Pfizer and BioNTech begin testing omicron-specific vaccine on adults

Only 44% say they trust the CDC as a trusted authority.

6  in 10 people polled say their most trusted authority on COVID is their – employer.

Tax filing season began Mon, 1/24, though IRS staff is down, and long delays are expected.

Some manufacturers are saying they have less than 5 days supply of computer chips.

The SAT is going totally digital and will be much shorter.

New coronavirus cases have started to fall nationally, signaling that the Omicron-fueled spike that has infected tens of millions of Americans, packed hospitals and shattered records has finally begun to relent.

New Zealand prime minister puts her wedding on hold due to concerns of COVID spread

Non-US citizens can fly into the US only if they are vaccinated (does not apply to US citizens)

Testing of the more than 2,000 Olympic athletes already in China are negative.

Remdesivir now expanded to high-risk, hospitalized patients with COVID.

Three subvariants of Omicron have been identified: BA.1, BA.2 and BA.3.  –  Worldwide, BA.1 account for most of Omicron-cases. 

Many Food Banks are spending more on personnel, because of a lack of volunteers due to COVID

The World Health Organization said coronavirus vaccine boosters should now be offered to all people, starting with the most vulnerable, in a move away from its previous insistence that boosters were unnecessary for healthy adults and an acknowledgment that the vaccine supply is improving globally.

Researchers found children infected during the Omicron surge had a 29% lower risk of emergency department visits, a 67% lower risk of hospitalization, a 68% lower risk of needing intensive care, and a 71% lower risk of needing machines to breathe, compared to children infected with Delta.

15.1% of U.S small businesses required employee COVID-19 vaccination and 15.8% a negative COVID-19 test before physically coming to work in the last week

Starbucks has removed mandatory vaccine requirement for employees

The NFL has made some broad changes. They will now allow individuals who are asymptomatic to return after five days. The NFL and NFL Players Association have agreed to eliminate daily COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated players. Unvaccinated players number about 12.

A preliminary study published by Israel’s Sheba Medical Centre found that the fourth shot increases antibodies to even higher levels than the third but “probably” not to the point that it could completely fend off the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

The shortage in baby formula results in a statement from the Infant Nutrition Council of America: “Coronavirus hasn’t caused a baby formula shortage, but COVID-19 has shoppers hoarding necessities including baby formula. Don’t panic if you can’t find yours.” – they refer people to an article in Parents Magazine which says, “Supply chain issues and labor shortages have left some parents scrambling to find baby formula.”

COVID-19 tests for fully vaccinated travelers arriving in England can be stopped.

Japan fought COVID-19 by hammering away at the message of the “Three C’s”. They even declared the buzzword of the year in Japan in 2020. People should avoid the three C’s, which are closed spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings. Science was used to create an effective strategy and a digestible message. That message — to avoid the three C’s — was actionable without being alarmist and prescribed a solution that could outlast changing circumstances. It worked because of an underlying trust between the public and pandemic responders.

Sarah Palin has COVID, announced at the first day of her NYT trial case.

Study in Jama found rapid reductions in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Black individuals in the US. Although Black and White individuals entered the period of vaccine availability with a comparable willingness to get vaccinated, Black individuals overcame their hesitancy more quickly. A key factor associated with this pattern seems to be the fact that Black individuals more rapidly came to believe that vaccines were necessary to protect themselves and their communities. This research underscores the importance of ongoing research and practical efforts to ameliorate a range of barriers to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

Monoclonal antibody treatments from Regeneron and Eli Lilly have had their Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) revoked by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after both drugmakers said the treatments are less effective against the COVID-19 Omicron variant.

In Washington state, a BA2 sub-variant of the Omicron variant has been detected – it is in several other countries, too, but less than 100 cases so far across the globe. It is shown to be difficult to detect by standard tests.

Pfizer is working on an annual vaccination for all strains of COVID-19.

The Grammy Awards have been rescheduled from January 31 to April 3.

Government approved masks will soon be free at Stop & Shop, CVS, Walgreens and Walmart. Should be available at the end of the week.