[ad_1]
The United States has faced a wave of COVID-19 as the most contagious delta variant continues to spread.
More than 692,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while more than 4.7 million people have died from the disease worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns University Hopkins.
According to CDC data, only 64.8% of Americans aged 12 and older are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Latest developments
Forecasters expect U.S. pandemic to continue to improve
The comprehensive forecast from the COVID-19 Forecast Hub, used by the CDC, predicts that hospitalizations in the United States will continue to decline – perhaps as low as 4,600 per day – by October 11.
© Scott Olson / Getty Images
Army veteran William Craig waits to see if he has a reaction after receiving a COVID-19 booster vaccine and flu shot at Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital on September 24, 2021, in Hines, in Illinois.
Forecasters say about 1,600 fewer people are likely to die in the next two weeks than in the past two weeks. In the two weeks ending September 25, at least 27,755 people have died from COVID-19 in the United States. In the next two weeks ending October 19, just over 26,000 deaths are expected.
-Brian Hartman of ABC News
Pfizer CEO Says Timeline On Kids Shots Until FDA
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told The Atlantic on Tuesday that the timing of injections for children aged 5 to 11 is up to the FDA.
“I think it is not appropriate for me to comment on how long the FDA will take to review the data. They should take as long as they think it is appropriate for them to have high levels of comfort. “said Bourla.
© Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images, FILE
A syringe is filled with a first dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at a mobile vaccination clinic during a back-to-school event in Los Angeles on August 7, 2021.
“If it is approved, we will be ready to have the vaccine,” he added.
Vaccines may be licensed and available for ages 5 to 11 in October or November.
Bourla said he believed that once children were vaccinated, the United States would get a “strong push” towards herd immunity.
Bourla said he believes the booster protection against Pfizer vaccines will likely last for a year.
-Cheyenne Haslett from ABC News
More vaccine mixing / pairing data is coming in weeks, says Fauci
During Tuesday’s White House briefing, Dr Anthony Fauci gave a rough timeline for when the FDA might have enough data to consider approving the vaccine mix and pair.
Moderna has previously submitted data on the use of its vaccine as a booster for people who have received Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccines. J&J will submit data on mixing its injection with the other vaccines next week, according to Fauci, and then Pfizer will submit its data in the first two weeks of October. Finally, the data will be reviewed by the FDA.
-Cheyenne Haslett from ABC News
More than 400,000 Americans received booster shots at pharmacies this weekend: White House
More than 400,000 Americans have received a recall at a pharmacy since Friday and nearly a million more have made appointments in the coming weeks, according to the White House.
© Hannah Beier / Reuters, FILE
A woman receives the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease vaccine (COVID-19) as a booster dose at the Skippack Pharmacy in Schwenksville, Pa. On August 14, 2021.
The United States is expected to cross the 200 million American mark with at least one shot on Wednesday, White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said.
The White House also touted another milestone: racial fairness in nationwide vaccinations.
According to a new poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation, 73% of Latinos and 70% of black Americans have now gotten at least one photo, compared to 71% of white Americans. In May, the same poll found that 65% of white Americans were vaccinated compared to 56% of black Americans.
-Cheyenne Haslett from ABC News
Hospitalizations in the United States decline
At the start of the month, there were more than 104,000 hospital patients with COVID-19. As of Tuesday, there were 81,000 inpatients – a drop of about 23,000 patients, according to federal data.
Nearly 50% of those patients – 11,000 – come from Florida, where cases and hospitalizations have been plummeting since mid-August.
© Shannon Stapleton / Reuters
Lauren Parsons, an intensive care respiratory therapist, treats a patient in her isolation room in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Sarasota, Fla. On September 22, 2021.
In recent weeks, however, 16 states have reported higher hospital admission metrics, according to federal data: Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Dakota North, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and West Virginia.
Five states – Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky and Texas – have intensive care capacities of 10% or less, according to federal data.
Alaska has the highest case rate in the country, followed by West Virginia, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, North Dakota and Kentucky.
-Arielle Mitropoulos from ABC News
Vaccines force New York mayor to function
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said there had been a 45% increase in the daily vaccination rate since the vaccination warrants were launched in July.
All municipal and private hospitals appear to be functioning normally after health workers had to wait until midnight to get vaccinated or risk losing their jobs. About 500 nurses for NYC Health + Hospitals are not at work.
NYC Health + Hospitals now has a 91% vaccination rate, up from 90% on Monday. City officials said about 5,000 employees were not vaccinated in the hospital system, up from more than 8,000 a week ago.
Northwell, New York State’s largest private hospital system, said it had fired about two dozen “unvaccinated executives,” at management level or above, for not getting vaccinated.
“We are now beginning the process of discharging the rest of our unvaccinated staff,” Northwell said in a statement.
-Aaron Katersky of ABC News
3rd dose of Pfizer has similar side effects to 2nd dose: CDC preliminary data
A new preliminary CDC report of 306 people who received a third dose of Pfizer found that the side effects were similar to those of the second dose.
© Robyn Beck / AFP via Getty Images, FILE
A nurse searches for a vial of Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at an pop-up vaccination clinic in the Arleta neighborhood of Los Angeles on August 23, 2021.
The most common side effects are fatigue, headaches, and arm pain. These symptoms usually last a day or two.
The CDC will continue to monitor third doses for any potential new side effects or safety concerns, but says no “unexpected” patterns have been identified so far.
-Sony Salzman of ABC News
Pfizer Submits Initial Pediatric Vaccine Data to FDA
Pfizer submitted data from the Phase 2/3 vaccine trial for children aged 5 to 11 to the FDA on Tuesday.
© Michael Loccisano / Getty Images
Yung Wing PS 124 school co-teachers Marisa Wiezel, left, and Caitlin Kenny teach their masked students a lesson in their classroom on September 27, 2021, in New York City.
Pfizer will make a formal request for authorization in the coming weeks.
The FDA will review the data and make a decision, possibly by the end of October. The authorization period is not fixed.
-Eric Strauss of ABC News
Judge upholds mandate to vaccinate New York school staff
A three-judge panel of the U.S. 2nd Court of Appeals dissolved a temporary injunction that ended New York City’s vaccination mandate for school personnel.
The panel offered no explanation and paved the way for the city to enforce the vaccination mandate in public schools.
“Vaccinations are our most powerful tool in the fight against COVID-19 – this decision is on the right side of the law and will protect our students and staff,” the New York City Department of Education said in a press release.
© Michael Loccisano / Getty Images
Melissa Wong, a teacher at Yung Wing School PS 124, teaches her masked students in their classroom on September 27, 2021, in New York City.
As of Monday night, 87% of DOE employees, including 91% of teachers and 97% of principals, have at least one injection, according to the DOE.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said public school workers will have until late Friday afternoon to receive at least one dose of the vaccine.
Michael Mulgrew, the president of the United Teachers’ Federation, released a statement Monday evening saying: “We will work with our members to ensure, to the extent possible, that our schools can open safely while the immunization mandate is applied.”
-Aaron Katersky of ABC News
First Lady Jill Biden receives recall
First Lady Jill Biden received her COVID-19 recall on Monday, according to Michael LaRosa, her spokesperson.
The coup was administered at the White House in the afternoon, LaRosa told ABC News.
-Ben Gittleson of ABC News
Click here to read the rest of the blog.
[ad_2]
Source link