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Your Coronavirus Update – Today, Jan. 5, 2021
Photo: Floridians, waiting in line for their vaccine shots. In Florida it is open to all people over 75.
RHODE ISLAND & VICINITY
Gov. Raimondo has gone into quarantine again, tests negative, and her Thursday press conference will now be held on Friday.
Mayor Alan Fung tested positive just before attending the inauguration of Mayor-Elect Ken Hopkins – he will go into quarantine – Michael Traficante administered the oath of office to Hopkins.
Rep. Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung will not participate in the swearing in at the RI House of Representatives – though she has had COVID19, because her husband tested positive, she is a direct contact and will stay home.
Medical professionals are considering administering ½ doses of the vaccine to do more vaccinations.
Massachusetts has announced it will move those over 75 to top priority for vaccines. Added to that will be people with 2 or more chronic medical conditions.
Massachusetts is making plans for four mass vaccination sites.
Genesis Church in Woburn MA held 4 Christmas Eve services and now have over 57 positive people with more anticipated
Dr. Jha, tweeted on Sunday afternoon that he has reversed his position opposing using all doses of vaccine now rather than hold ½ of them in storage for the 2nd doses, due to the rapidly spreading virus and the difficulty in vaccination programs. On Monday, he made that in a formal op ed to the Washington Post to delay the 2nd dose and focus on the first for a few weeks.
The RIDOH says, “We will be vaccinating additional communities that have been harder hit by COVID-19…we don’t have those plans finalized yet, but will share all the details when we do,” said Joseph Wendelken, spokesperson.
RI House of Representatives will hold their sessions, for now, at the Veterans Auditorium. The RI Senate will hold their sessions at Sapinsley Hall at RI College. First day is Tues at 2pm for House and 4pm for Senate.
RI Supreme Court Justice Francis X. Flaherty tested positive
Dr. Christian Arbelaez, ER doctor at Lifespan, was first Rhode Islander to receive the 2nd and last vaccine shot this weekend.
A Foster, RI dispatcher has died of COVID19.
Dave Witham, co-owner of Proclamation Ale, died of COVID19, on Christmas Day. Witham partnered with Frog & Toad to produce “Knock it off” beer, promoting safe steps promoted by Governor Raimondo.
Stamford, VT’s select board voted to overturn the Governor’s restrictions on restaurants and certain closures.
College students have been among the most frequently tested in Massachusetts for COVID, but they may be among the last to get vaccinated against the illness.
Festival Ballet’s $100K grant from RI’s Take It Outside campaign for a temporary outdoor performance venue was not realized as COVID19 precautions made it impossible. If you register with your contact info on their site you can view a free Nutcracker Sweets performance on line. Festivalballetprovidence.org
The RIDOH says about the wearing of gloves for giving vaccinations: “Gloves are not a requirement, but it is a best practice.”
New Hampshire officials are currently drafting a vaccine plan for Phase 2 which has a goal of administering 100 shots per hour at each of the 13 fixed sites statewide.
Providence Bruins will play at the New England Sports Center in Marlboro, MA as their season begins – unable to play at the Dunk being used for COVID19 testing.
RIDOH recommends all close contacts of people with COVID-19 get tested on day 5 of quarantine or later. If the result is negative, a close contact can end their quarantine after day 7 but should continue to watch for symptoms for 14 days from exposure. If they choose not to test, close contacts should quarantine for 10 days from exposure and continue to watch for symptoms for 14 days. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, isolate at home, call your healthcare provider, and get a COVID-19 test. Learn more at covid.ri.gov/whattodo
A second COVID-19 field hospital will be opening in Massachusetts on Monday. The Lowell General Hospital Alternative Care site, which is located inside the UMass Lowell Recreation Center, will have capacity for up to 80 patients when fully-staffed
112 year old Hazel Plummer became the oldest MA resident to be vaccinated
Retired RI Supreme Court justice Flaherty tests positive for coronavirus
Teachers and parents are opposing mandatory in-person ELL testing of students because it brings students outside of their pods together.
Vaccinations for first responders in Massachusetts will begin on January 11.
RI administration is offering an incentive to retire, available only to those working for the executive branch, with payments as high as $40K.
Not Your Average Joe’s has changed hours in many of their restaurants – in Seekonk they are: |Mon-Thu: 12pm-8pm|Fri-Sat: 12pm-9pm|Sun: 12pm-8pm – and in Warwick they are: Mon: closed-closed|Tue-Thu: 4pm-8pm|Fri-Sat: 12pm-9pm|Sun: 12pm-8pm
Massachusetts outlined plans to begin vaccinating police officers, firefighters and emergency medical crews starting next week. Those plans include allowing some departments to vaccinate their own members, launching approximately 60 vaccination sites across the state and, eventually, creating four mass vaccination sites that may also be used for subsequent groups as the rollout continues.
Massachusetts is moving residents age 75 or older up on the vaccine priority list for distribution.
Wachusett ski resort has created a ski-through snack bar
RI Data – Jan. 4, 2020 (1st in 5 days)
Deaths: 16 yesterday (78 total, 5 days)
Tests – 8,691 – Positives – 633 (4,759/5 days) – Percent positive – 7.3%
Hospitalized – 415 – In ICU – 53 – Ventilated – 40
Deaths in hospital – 5 (yesterday) – New Admissions – 40
New Discharges – 33
Vaccinations – 1st shot: 24,145 – 2 shots: 121
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL
Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) tested positive for COVID-19 but arrived at the Capitol on Sunday in order to cast her vote for Speaker, and was allowed to do so. There was little social distancing at the event in the House Sunday.
The more contagious COVID-19 variant found in New York
AARP nationally is calling for more focus on seniors and clear direction in the distribution of vaccines.
With 90% of the American population living within 10 miles of a Walmart, the retailer will play an important part in making sure that those who want a vaccine can get one
5,000+ Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies prepare for the vaccine
Chicago schools to resume in-person learning next week
France has vaccinated only a few hundred people after the first week and rekindling anger over the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Of their 67 million people, just 516 people were vaccinated in the first six days while Germany’s first-week total surpassed 200,000 and Italy’s was over 100,000. Millions, meanwhile, have been vaccinated in the U.S. and China. The slow vaccine rollout is being blamed on mismanagement and staffing as well as a complex consent policy designed to accommodate broad vaccine skepticism among the French public.
Japan’s prime minister said vaccine approval was being speeded up as the coronavirus spreads in the nation scheduled to hold the already-delayed 2020 Olympics this summer.
Airports are packed with travelers – and a surge is expected in US in 1-2 weeks.
You can still test positive after the first vaccine; it can take weeks for a person’s body to build up its 50% immunity as a 2nd shot is scheduled 3 weeks later. t’s still possible to test positive for the coronavirus even after getting vaccinated, experts said.
Vaccinations are about ½ million a day – goal is to reach 1 million a day.
March Madness 2021 Entire Tourney To Be Played In Indiana … NCAA Confirms
Dr. Fauci said that he is “sure” vaccinations will be mandatory at schools and healthcare facilities.
Scotland will enter a national lockdown from midnight tonight. Legal requirement for everyone in Scotland to stay at home except for essential purposes.
Florida – 1 in 5 residents over 65. Lines go for miles, with most people willing to wait for hours. Websites and phone lines are down for appointment making.
U.K. teachers’ union urges schools to close as country hits COVID-19 daily record
The Baltimore Sun reports there is no clear idea of when central Maryland students might get back to in-person classes. Few in suburban Maryland counties have been back inside a school during the pandemic.
The Canadian government said Wednesday that all airline passengers entering the country must have a negative coronavirus test within three days before they arrive.
Arizona has replaced RI as the hotspot in the US.
1.3million people were screened at airports in the US over the weekend.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. McConnell had their homes vandalized because the stimulus bill to pay people $2000 was not passed.
A hospital employee wore an “air-powered” costume on Christmas Day, and within days 44 staffers had tested positive.
60% of Ohio nursing home workers refusing to get vaccinated
Sen. Chafin of Virginia has died of COVID19.
New Orleans Titans switching out players as they and other NFL teams try to get to the playoffs.
In LA, the Army Corps of Engineers are onsite to assist with high flow oxygen delivery systems.
Lebanon will begin a 25-day nationwide lockdown Thursday to battle a surge in coronavirus infections during the holiday season.
One California hospital had 43 medical staff test positive.
California has identified 2 cases of new COVID19 variants
Colorado has identified 2 cases of new COVID19 variants – in Big Bear ski resort – exposure to Europe travelers
SNAP is expected to see a 15% increase in benefit amounts.
In France, an alleged organizer of an illegal New Year’s Eve rave that at least 2,500 people attended for more than a day was charged with endangering lives amid a coronavirus curfew and other restrictions.
Vatican City plans swift COVID-19 vaccination drive for residents
Dr. Drew is recovering at home after having coronavirus
Larry King is hospitalized with coronavirus at 96 years old. After over a week in ICU, he is now out and not intubated and said to be recovering.
AstraZeneca expects to supply two million doses of COVID-19 vaccine every week in UK
UK reactivating field hospitals
US team is saying that there is more evidence that the virus came from a Wuhan Lab, and not a Chinese market.
Mount Sinai Health System became one of the first providers in the nation to open a COVID-19 recovery clinic, offering care for so-called long-haulers.
Germany will extend their lockdown past Jan 10th.
India approves 2 coronavirus vaccines.
Gov. Sununu in New Hampshire had to have armed demonstrators arrested from his backyard – they were demonstrating his order of mask-wearing
Actor Morgan Freeman tweeted that his mother was in an ambulance outside of an LA hospital – on hour 3 waiting for the facility to have capacity to allow her in; other tweets are saying ambulances are operating like mini-ERs, circling or parked outside of hospitals for up to 7 hours.