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Your Coronavirus Update Today, Jan. 26, 2021
Photo: Massachusetts new promotion for additional priority groups for Feb. 1st.
RHODE ISLAND & VICINITY
Bloomberg News is ranking RI close to the bottom in distributing the vaccine to people. The data is based on local government/CDC data – this ranks RI as 3rd worst state in US.
Office of Lt. Governor McKee: will hold a Small Business Town Hall today, Tuesday at 12pm – you can join and watch, listen and ask questions in real time on Facebook live, at: https://www.facebook.com/LGDanMcKee/ [facebook.com]
Massachusetts Removed From Rhode Island Coronavirus travel ban
NBC10 reports that Lifespan is operating the 600-bed field hospital at the Convention Center in Providence, which on Monday had 30 patients. Care New England is running the 350-bed facility in Cranston, which had 10 patients on Monday. The facilities cost $22million to build and the state pays over $1million a month to maintain them. The state “may” be eligible for FEMA reimbursement of 75% of some of the costs. In-hospital numbers in RI are now below 400, statewide, back to where they were in November.
Infosys, a global leader in consulting, technology, and next-generation services announced that it plans to hire 500 additional tech workers in Rhode Island by 2023.
No businesses have received citations for violations in RI since Jan. 13th.
Delta Airlines will resume service to T.F. Green Airport in March
In Connecticut, 3 new vaccine centers opened Monday as the state continues to vaccinate those 75 and over. ½ million doses have been administered and CT ranks 4th nationally for distribution. The state has one 10 lane drive thru clinic open 7 days a week. CT plans on opening 7 to 10 more sites.
Cranston Parkade Shopping Center, Gansett Ave. opens Rapid Test site, Tues-Sat, 9 to 5
School districts across New Hampshire are losing money because the state’s funding formula is based on metrics heavily affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
The casino at Encore Boston Harbor will resume around-the-clock operations by the middle of next week.
Massachusetts prioritizing of those over 65 has changed into a phased plan to prioritize life preservation and ensure distribution of vaccines to people of color and other vulnerable populations that have experienced the most severe impacts of COVID. The “over 65” directive from the CDC is now at the end of the second tier.
From the Veterans Home in Bristol we hear; No residents were positive in over a week. Three residents recovering had their quarantine suspended. They can now leave their rooms and eat in the dining area. Visitation for two units will start next week, while two units remain quarantined until the 26th, and another unit until Feb. 2nd due to a staff member testing positive. 96% of residents have received their first vaccination. No numbers on how many staff were vaccinated. Two residents passed away this week.
MBTA weekend trains are not running in Fitchburg, Franklin, Greenbush, Haverhill, Kingston/Plymouth, Lowell and Needham lines. The MBTA will only offer weekend service on the Newburyport/Rockport, Framingham/Worcester, Fairmount, Providence and Middleborough lines. More trains have been added to those lines.
Letter from Dr. Chan, RIDOH:
“As of this morning, 66,070 doses of vaccine had been administered in Rhode Island (52,925 first doses, and 13,145 second doses). We are working hard to distribute vaccine, but supply remains very limited. Right now, we’re receiving enough first doses each week for about 1.5% of our population. While other states are in the same position, Rhode Island ranks among the top states nationally in terms of the rate of second doses administered.
We are currently in Phase 1 of our vaccination campaign. The aim of Phase 1 has been to ensure the stability of our healthcare system and to protect people in congregate living settings, as well as to start vaccinating in some of our hardest hit areas.
When it comes to older adults, we began vaccinating in nursing homes in December. This week, we started to vaccinate in assisted living facilities and other congregate living settings. By the middle of February, we expect the vaccine will be available for adults 75 and older. We have received a lot of questions about vaccination of older adults. In Rhode Island, there are 187,000 Rhode Islanders age 65 or older. Since we are only getting about 14,000 first doses of vaccine a week, we are taking a stepwise approach with this group as well.
Please note that there is no action that older adults need to take at this time to get a vaccine. When we are ready to start vaccinating this population, we will communicate with the public, healthcare providers, and community organizations to provide instructions. We will also continue to share updates through this newsletter and other outlets.
While the vaccine rollout will take time, there is a lot you can do in the meantime to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. Testing is more available now than it has ever been in Rhode Island. If you go online right now to portal.ri.gov, you can make a same-day appointment to get tested at many sites throughout the state. If you test positive, Rhode Island also has a new doctor-recommended treatment. This fast, easy, and highly effective treatment helps keep you from getting sicker and being hospitalized. However, the earlier you start treatment, the more effective it is. If you test positive for COVID-19 and are 65 or older or have an underlying health condition, immediately call your healthcare provider and ask about treatment for COVID-19. You can find out more information about this treatment here.
Lastly, I want to echo the sentiments shared by Dr. Alexander-Scott at yesterday’s COVID-19 press conference and thank everyone. It’s been a very long 10 months. I think we’ve all learned a lot. Crisis is a very powerful teacher. One thing that we’ve seen and learned time and time again is that we do so much better when we come together and support each other. Our goal is to offer a COVID-19 vaccine to everyone in Rhode Island as quickly as we can. We all want to be healthy and safe, to keep our loved ones healthy and safe, and to get COVID-19 behind us. We are getting there. Thank you for your patience and sacrifices to this point. We need to keep it going for a little while longer, and we need to remember that we’re all in this together. So please, let’s keep supporting each other.
We will continue to share regular updates as more information becomes available. You can find updates on vaccination planning and answers to frequently asked questions on RIDOH’s COVID-19 Vaccine page. – Philip A. Chan, MD, MS, Consultant Medical Director, RIDOH
Lt. Governor McKee sent out an email outlining his activities on COVID19 last week including attending the state’s COVID-19 Response Team Vaccination Briefing, participating in the State of the Spread and Response Strategy Briefing with the RIDOH and the Governor’s Cabinet, participated in a call with the Dean of Brown’s School of Public Health, Dr. Ashish Jha, had calls with leadership of both Care New England, Lifespan and CharterCARE.
McKee has mentioned vaccinating teachers – and now legislators and certain politicians – as a priority group.
RI’s AG Neronha has begun questioning hospitals about why they were vaccinating board members and others not in the immediate patient-facing roles.
The RI Music Education Assoc has asked for music classes to open again – with students 16 feet apart, etc.
Funeral workers in Massachusetts are asking to be included in the first phase of the state’s COVID-19 vaccination plan, but so far state officials have resisted the request.
In RI, 1,990 teachers, 46% are over the age of 50 — the danger zone for the risk of the coronavirus. 15% of the faculty at Providence Schools are over 60.
Sen. Jack Reed announced that $70.4 million in federal funding is coming to RIDOH to expand COVID-19 testing and vaccine distribution in Rhode Island will be coming to the state. $60.9 million will be used to support testing capacity and contact tracing, as well as containment and mitigation efforts. Another $9.5 million will be used for vaccine distribution.
Rhode Island is the ONLY state to not finalize its plan for prioritization of groups to receive the vaccine.
Today’s Data – Jan 25, 2021
Deaths: 9 (21 in 23 days); Tests – 7,984; Positives – 370; 3.8% positive
Hospitalized – 347 – In ICU – 50 – Ventilated – 33
Deaths in hospital – 3 – New Admissions – 43 – New Discharges – 30
First vaccines: 59,259 – Total fully vaccinated – 2 shots: 14,735
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL
The CDC says 41 million of doses have gone to states, but just 22 million have been distributed, because states are holding back their 2nd shots. Only 3.2 million people have received both doses. When the CDC released all its supply, it told the states to use everything and not hold back the 2nd shots.
States planned poorly on getting permission slips from nursing home and congregate residing individuals and family members, causing a delay.
The holiday surge in COVID seems to be waning, especially in hospitalization.
Michigan is reopening indoor dining on Feb. 1.
Nursing home residents lead the way on COVID-19 vaccinations, as preliminary data shows that new cases in nursing homes are falling.
Pfizer says its Covid vaccine trial for kids ages 12 to 15 is fully enrolled
Getting the vaccine and posting it is the hottest thing you could be doing on a dating app right now,” said OK Cupid spokesperson.
The Miami Heat will screen fans at its arena with coronavirus-sniffing dogs.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released guidance in December telling employers federal law allows them to require employees to get vaccinated, with exceptions for those who are medically unable to get it and for those with sincerely held religious beliefs that prevent them from doing so.
Mexican President Tests Positive for COVID-19
The Washington Post had an editorial saying people who have had COVID should go to the end of the line on vaccines, as they have natural immunity for a period of time.
A promising sign of a bounce back in the pandemic-ravaged economy has stalled: Fewer borrowers are resuming mortgage payments. According to the Wall Street Journal, the proportion of homeowners postponing mortgage payments had been falling steadily from June to November, an indication that people were returning to work and the economy was beginning to recover. But the decrease has largely flattened since November, when the current wave of coronavirus cases surged in communities across the country.
In Vermont, free public transportation to vaccine clinics is available to Vermont residents who do not have access to their own transportation and are not ill. The Vermont Public Transportation Association (VPTA) is the central point of contact for any part of the state. VPTA will bill the ride to the appropriate funding source (Medicaid, Elderly/Disabled program or a special federal source for COVID-19 if no other funding source applies).
The new head of the CDC says she does not know how much vaccine the US has.
Pres. Biden restricts travel into the US from Europe, South Africa, and in an attempt to curtail the spread of a new virus strain.
An NBA team will use coronavirus-sniffing dogs at its arena to screen fans who want to attend games.
President Biden to ban most non-U.S. citizens who have recently visited South Africa from entering the country over concerns of a new variant of COVID-19
South Carolina has over a 25% infection rate.
Dr. Birx, in an interview on Face the Nation said she “…saw the president presenting graphs that I never made – someone inside was creating a parallel set of data and graphics that were shown to the president”. She also said “there was parallel data streams coming into the WH and I needed to stop that” – She was not asked why she, as a scientist, didn’t say something or leave her position. (Link to interview: https://cbsn.ws/3pjMqIm)
Israel closing its borders to most international flights.
The University of Michigan’s athletic department announced Saturday that it is shutting down “until further notice” due to confirmed cases of the B.1.1.7 variant among several individuals. The B.1.1.7 variant, first discovered in the United Kingdom, may be about 30% more deadly than previous versions of the disease
Mali picks AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for 4.2 million people
UK doctors call for shorter gap between Pfizer vaccine doses – though some research shows the length of time can be as much as 6 weeks
Former Dodgers manager Davey Johnson hospitalized with COVID-19
Larry King died at 87, weeks after leaving a hospital where he battled COVID-19
WHO to consider two Chinese COVID-19 vaccines next week
Washington State Partners with Starbucks, Microsoft, Costco On Vaccine Efforts
Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Retains Neutralizing Activity Against Emerging Variants First Identified in the U.K. and the Republic of South Africa
Japan’s immunization program is slower than thought, and they probably won’t achieve herd immunity to COVID-19 through mass inoculations until months after the Tokyo Olympics.
Nashville: The B.1.1.7 variant strain of the coronavirus, believed to be more contagious, has been detected in the state and is expected to be the “dominant” strain in Tennessee
A study of NFL players found that coronavirus transmission is still possible even if exposure didn’t surpass 15 total minutes within six feet.
Maine school districts are cutting back on in-person classes in response to staffing shortages as a result of a statewide surge in COVID-19 cases. The shortages are affecting not just teachers but also transportation and custodial staff,
The first case of a new variant of the coronavirus has been identified in a resident of northern Virginia who had no reported recent travel history.
Merck has announced it will end its vaccine development efforts and focus on therapeutics.
Amsterdam is having protests in the streets over their lockdown from 9pm to 5am
Chicago teachers are refusing to go back to school tomorrow until they are vaccinating. This is happening at schools, mostly union led, throughout the US. Private schools tend to be back, in-person. 76% of private schools in-person, 36% of public schools in-person.
Hong Kong officials imposed a strict 48-hour lockdown Saturday, forcing thousands of residents to stay in their homes as the coronavirus outbreak in the city has worsened.
Pres. Biden’s COVID plan sets a “goal of getting a majority of K-8 schools safely open in 100 days” — the end of April.
California Governor Newsome is being sued for holding back coronavirus data from the public, because he feels that citizens would be confused by it.
40 Capitol police in D.C. have now tested positive and over 120 National Guard members
One Nevada school district is opening public schools after 14 children have committed suicide over the last few months.
Researchers have concluded that young children — while not invulnerable — are about half as likely to be as susceptible to COVID-19 infection as are adults. children have fewer ACE2 receptors in their respiratory tract, which the virus uses to latch onto cells.
Godiva will close all of their independent stores.
The WHO is changing CCP Virus Test criteria in attempt to reduce false positives. Scientists and physicians have raised concerns for many months of an over-reliance on and a misuse of the PCR test as a diagnostic tool since it can’t differentiate between a live infectious virus from an inactivated virus fragment that is not infectious. More: https://bit.ly/3a7DKyc
President Biden: ‘Nothing We Can Do’ to Change Trajectory of COVID-19 Pandemic in Next Months
In Washington, D.C., some teachers spend one day a week going door to door, above, tracking down students who aren’t logging on, and whose education is suffering.
CDC’s suggestions for those having home repairs done: politely communicate to a service provider that he or she will be expected to wear a mask and use hand sanitizer before entering the home. Independent service employees can do likewise; they can state expectations regarding their personal safety before entering a client’s home. Further safety measures involving service providers include:
• Minimize indoor conversations about the service; discuss outdoors, if possible.
• Occupants of the home, especially individuals considered at high risk of contracting the virus, should consider staying confined to a closed area of the dwelling, away from where the service person is working, or leave the home.
• Increase ventilation by turning on air conditioner or fans or opening windows.
• Dispose of any protective gear, such as a mask or gloves, left by a service person.
The president has ordered the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to come up with new, stricter guidance for employers to protect their workers from catching or spreading the virus while on the job. Mr. Biden’s order will establish national standards and give OSHA the power to enforce them.
India said it will administer homegrown coronavirus vaccine COVAXIN in seven more states as it seeks to inoculate 30 million healthcare workers.
Australia recorded no new local coronavirus cases on Sunday, maintaining a recent run of success in keeping the virus at bay, but nevertheless is keen to press on with its vaccination campaign.
Germany expects AstraZeneca to deliver 3 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in February
Russia reported 21,127 new coronavirus cases in the preceding 24 hours on Sunday, including 3,069 in Moscow, taking the national tally to 3,719,400.
US has invoked the Defense Production Act to speed up production of coronavirus vaccines, but manufacturers can only go so fast.
In France, the National Academy of Medicine advises its citizens “Don’t talk on the subway. Passengers on public transport systems should avoid talking to one another or on the phone in order to minimize the risk of spreading coronavirus.
Jan 6th events are thought to be super-spreader events for law enforcement, Capitol Police and National Guard. Over 40 Capitol Police and over 140 National Guard test positive. Former President Trump heard that troops were being housed in parking garages and opened up the public areas of his Trump Hotel in Washington, DC.
Really not surprised we are at the bottom… Gina is gone thank God.. She has been uncaring about the people of the sate, only caring about her own personal agenda…so typical…of how she has handled COVID. This seem to be the Dems mantra.
How hard is it to roll out a vaccine… I mean really… when people are dyeing??? She is the worst.
She could be here another month – confirmation is not completed today but takes place “throughout February” – unsure. Meanwhile, Dan McKee said he could take office sooner than he thought.
I’m as eager as you are to get vaccinated. However, there’s demand but little supply. It’s not R.I. but the other states aren’t getting what they need.
Big Pharma needs to expand its operations. They can well afford it. I can only imagine what they are charging for each dose.
I do think RI is holding back more than is necessary for 2nd shots when one does the math.
Another point is the ideal time frame is 1st shot and then 21 to 28 days later for the 2nd shot. Big Pharma and the CDC say one can wait for the 2nd shot from 4 to 5 weeks. It also gives the 1st dose more time to infiltrate and prepare the immune system.
Once again, I ask the question – why does everybody insist that RI has to inoculate just over 1 million people? Those under 18 or 16 (which age group I’m not sure of) can’t be inoculated. Nobody seems to be able to do the math. I’ve posted this question on other sites, get no answer to a very simple question.