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COVID-19 and the wealth gap: How the pandemic has increased wealth disparities
With more unemployment, less savings to fall back on, many black families have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Here is the wealth gap, explained.
Just the FAQ, USA TODAY
Half of all states have each reported at least half a million cases of COVID-19, and Oklahoma and Kentucky each reported their 500,000th coronavirus case on Monday, according to a USA TODAY analysis of data from the Johns Hopkins University.
In total, 11 states have reported at least 1 million cases each: California, Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Ohio, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Michigan.
In Kentucky on Monday, 1,139 people were hospitalized compared to a few hundred a day in June and early July. The number of patients in intensive care and on ventilation has also increased steadily.
In Oklahoma, the state’s seven-day daily average of new daily cases now exceeds 2,000 per day. The last time the state’s daily case rate was higher was in early February.
During a press conference at the downtown fire station, emergency response authorities said Oklahoma City was among cities across the country that are suffering from a shortage of emergency medical technicians and qualified paramedics who provide pre-hospital treatment, care and transportation.
“When we look at the confluence of a busy summer in Oklahoma City, we are in the midst of not only a pandemic, but by all scientific evidence the fourth wave of this pandemic in the United States,” the medical director said. from EMSA, Jeffrey Goodloe. .
– Mike Stucka, USA TODAY and Josh Dulaney, Oklahoman
Also in the news:
►The Florida Capital School District Superintendent on Monday said he would demand masks, even as Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an order suggesting sanctions for school districts that require masks to be worn in classrooms class.
►The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday raised its travel advisory for France, Israel and Thailand to level four, which discourages visiting these countries due to the large number of COVID-19 cases.
►The Pentagon will require members of the US military to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by September 15, according to a note obtained by the Associated Press.
►Most state employees in Washington, as well as private healthcare and long-term care workers, will need to show proof of coronavirus vaccination by October 18 or will lose their jobs.
►Mexico will ask the United States to send at least 3.5 million additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as the country faces a third wave of infections.
The numbers of the day: The United States has recorded more than 35.9 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 617,300 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Global totals: Over 203.5 million cases and 4.3 million deaths. More than 166.6 million Americans – 50.1% of the population – have been fully immunized, according to the CDC.
What we read: College staff and faculty across the country are worried about returning to work on campus, especially as the delta variant is causing cases to spike nationwide. Read the full story.
Keep refreshing this page for the latest news. Want more? Sign up for USA TODAY’s Coronavirus Watch newsletter to receive updates straight to your inbox and join our Facebook group.
In districts across the country, school board meetings have become the battleground for unruly debates over school mask mandates. Fueled by anti-mask disinformation campaigns, tensions escalated in schools, once turning infrequently-attended school board meetings into screaming matches.
More recently, anger over mask requirements spilled over in North Carolina when a group of unruly parents opposing Buncombe County mask requirements “toppled” the current board of directors and settled in the posts. About 30 people signed loose papers claiming to be “witnesses” to the new school board.
“They acted like a dictatorship, so the people are taking the abolition of this governance and the re-election of new members on the spot,” said group leader Stephanie Parsons.
Buncombe County Schools lawyer Dean Shatley said the group’s actions “unequivocally” do not mean the current school board is being removed from office.
“I know they are very passionate and care a lot about what they were here to talk about, but what they did has no authority under the law,” he said.
Other school board meetings across the country have been postponed due to rowdy anti-masking protests, one of which led to charges in July against 11 people who disrupted a Utah school board meeting .
Florida counties report COVID cases four times higher than last year
Most Florida children return to school in areas where COVID-19 outbreaks are much more intense than they were when school started last year.
In most counties, cases are at least four times higher than a year ago, according to a USA TODAY Network analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University. Five counties report an increase of more than ten times.
Cases among children are also increasing, raising questions about the health consequences of returning students to campuses and a state ban on school mask warrants when vaccines are only available to some of the schoolchildren.
Public health experts and pediatricians said last fall that the most important factor to consider when deciding to start in-person classes was the amount of viral spread in the community at large. With cases much higher than last year, districts are going against these recommendations by welcoming students to campus and limiting online learning options.
– Jayme Fraser and Mike Stucka, USA TODAY
Texas’ second-largest school district is defying the governor’s executive order banning mask warrants, officials said Monday. Following their announcement, another district in a large metropolitan area of Texas joined them.
“We are in a situation that has become much more urgent,” said Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Michael Hinojosa in his announcement that the district would be the first in the state to require masks for students and children. teachers.
Austin Superintendent Stephanie S. Elizalde announced Monday night that the district would require face masks, defying orders from Gov. Greg Abbott banning mask warrants amid a wave of COVID-19 hospitalizations due to the highly contagious delta variant.
And Houston ISD Superintendent Millard House II is expected to seek approval of a mask warrant from the school board of the state’s largest school district this week.
Governor Greg Abbott continued to ban school districts from requiring face coverings, contrary to recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatricians and the CDC.
Two Republican members of Congress from Kentucky – Senator Rand Paul and Representative Thomas Massie – have categorically refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19, claiming they have natural immunity because they had the viral infection.
But a new CDC study, based on data from people in Kentucky who contracted COVID-19 a second time, says the vaccine boosts immunity in people who have had the virus.
Unvaccinated people who contracted COVID-19 are more than twice as likely to be re-infected as those who were vaccinated after contracting the virus, according to the study.
The study shows that “COVID-19 vaccines offer better protection than natural immunity alone and that vaccines, even after previous infection, help prevent reinfection,” the CDC said in a press release announcing the results. Read more here.
– Deborah Yetter, Louisville Courier Journal
As the delta variant of the coronavirus sweeps across the United States, a growing number of colleges and universities are requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination so that students can take classes in person. But the new mandate has opened the door for those who oppose getting the vaccine to trick the system, according to interviews with students, education officials and law enforcement.
Professors and students at dozens of schools surveyed by The Associated Press say they are concerned about the ease of getting fake immunization cards. On the internet, a cottage industry has sprung up to accommodate people who say they will not get vaccinated for personal or religious reasons.
An Instagram account with the username “vaccinationcards” sells laminated COVID-19 vaccination cards for $ 25 each. A user of the encrypted messaging app, Telegram, is offering “COVID-19 vaccine card certificates” for up to $ 200 apiece.
A Reddit user commented on a thread about tampering with COVID-19 vaccination cards, saying, in part, “I need this for college too. I refuse to be a guinea pig.
On Twitter, a user with over 70,000 followers tweeted: “My daughter bought 2 fake IDs online for $ 50 while in college. Shipped from China. Anyone have the link for vaccine cards?
According to a tally from The Chronicle of Higher Education, at least 675 colleges and universities now require proof of COVID-19 inoculations. The process of confirming immunization in many schools can be as simple as uploading a photo of the immunization card to the student portal.
Contributors: Shelby Harris, Asheville Citizen Times; Indianapolis star Arika Herron and MJ Slaby; The Associated Press.
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