Coronavirus updates: cases up 230% in past month

NEW YORK (WABC) – The daily average of COVID cases in the United States has reached 137,000. That’s up 230% last month.

“It’s ‘The Neverending Story.’ And their biggest question is, “When is this going to end?” Said Dr. Joseph Varon, United Memorial Medical Center, Houston.

Dr Varon says 33 of 35 hospitals in the greater Houston area are no longer accepting new patients.

“The projections are that it will end around March of next year, but that doesn’t take human stupidity into account,” Dr Varon said.

Doctors say the overwhelming majority of new patients are among the unvaccinated.

Data shows that only 46% of 18-24 year olds are fully immunized.

Here are some other headlines from today:

New Jersey vaccination mandate for school personnel
Gov. Phil Murphy has announced that all New Jersey school staff, kindergarten to grade 12, will need to be fully immunized by Oct. 18 or undergo regular testing – up to once or twice a week.

Pentagon to make COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for military service members
The Pentagon says it will require the military to receive the COVID-19 vaccine now that the Pfizer vaccine has received full approval.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Monday Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was keeping his promise earlier this month to require the injections once the Food and Drug Administration approves the vaccine.

Pfizer vaccine approved by the FDA
The United States gave full approval to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, a milestone that could help boost public confidence in the shots as the nation battles the most contagious coronavirus mutant to date.

The vaccine, which will now be marketed as Comirnaty, manufactured by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech, now enjoys the strongest approval from the Food and Drug Administration, which has never had so much evidence to judge safety. of a vaccine.

Compulsory vaccination in New York for teachers and school employees
Mayor Bill de Blasio said public school workers should have received at least one dose by September 27. The new vaccination policy will not allow optional weekly testing.

Why you shouldn’t rush to get a COVID-19 vaccine booster before it’s your turn
Over the next month, millions of Americans will prepare to roll up their sleeves for a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. But when it comes to booster shots, it’s not as simple as “more is more” – it’s also a matter of timing.

For people with severe immunosuppression, a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is now available. By mid-September, this option should be open to anyone who has received Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, at least eight months after their second dose.

Health experts warn not to jump the gun – or the line – when you might actually need a booster.

Big events canceled due to delta variant, state economies explode
A festival in New Orleans. Concerts in Nashville, Tennessee. A comic book convention in Atlanta. As the delta variant increases across the country, states with low COVID vaccination rates are reeling from a loss of tourism dollars due to cancellations and postponements of major events.

Of the 11 states with vaccination rates below 50%, Louisiana, Tennessee and Georgia have canceled baseline events, costing local and national economies roughly hundreds of millions of dollars, officials say.

What you need to know about the Delta and other worrying variants of COVID-19
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed the delta variant of COVID-19 as one of its “variants of concern” (COVs) on June 15. According to the CDC, VOCs can be more contagious, more dangerous, less sensitive to available treatments, or more difficult to detect. Today’s VOCs all have mutations in the virus spike protein, which acts as a key to getting into cells to infect them. And that’s a potential concern because the spike protein in the original version of the virus is what scientists used to design the three licensed vaccines. This is also what monoclonal antibody treatments hang on to so that the virus cannot enter your cells, effectively “neutralizing” the threat. So far, none of these mutations have altered the virus enough to undermine vaccines. The uncontrolled spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, means the virus is mutating quickly. This is why many new variants are being discovered in places with the highest infection rates and large numbers of unvaccinated people, such as the US, UK, India, and Brazil.

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 COVERAGE

New York City COVID-19 Vaccine Tracking
New Jersey COVID-19 Vaccine Tracking

Coronavirus Disease Control and Prevention Centers

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