Dr. Stuart WeissCOVID-19 Update Thursday 17-Mar-2021
By Dr. Stuart Weiss, Intelligent Crowd Solutions – Rapid Test Centre
Rapid Test Center of New York
Dr. Stuart Weiss, FACEP, FAAP, CBCP
March 17, 2021 CoViD-19 News and Information you can trust.
Welcome new readers from the Rapid Test Center.
Topics: B.1.1.7 (UK) Variant spreads, new very concerning invisible French variant
| The Beginnings of hotspots Today, the Washington Post is reporting on areas of our country that have stopped declining and show signs of increasing new case numbers. For example, according to the article, Michigan has seen a rise in both positive case numbers and hospitalizations. In Minnesota, Maryland and New jersey, case numbers are slowly creeping upwards. The decline in New York City has definitely decreased. All of this is happening just as we are relaxing CoViD-19 restrictions and we head into spring break. With air travel hitting a record this past weekend, weddings up to 150 guests happening in New York, restaurants in Maryland and other places at full capacity, our need to remain vigilant is colliding with our yearning to have a more normal life and the feeling if springtime in the air. Nightly on evening news programs, we see thousands of young people in beach communities partying without social distancing or masks. I get it, this is a hard time for us. All of us are tired of the pandemic and want a normal life. But as I have written previously, this is the worst time to relax. We need to wait just a few more weeks to see what happens with the UK variant. Invisible French Variant The French ministry of health just announced the discovery of a new coronavirus variant on Monday that is not more transmissible or more serious but it is undetectable with current PCR tests. The variant was found in a cluster of hospital cases that had viral sequencing done. The viral sequencing picked up the SARS-CoV-2 virus when the PCR tests had been negative. It is unclear right now why this variant can avoid detection and the genetic changes in the virus are being studied. PCR tests can be updated once the genetic change is understood. The health ministry also said the variant will be studied to see if vaccine is still effective against it. When you are eligible, get your self vaccinated so we can get through this together. . Dr. Stu Weiss |
| COVID-19 HEADLINES FOR TODAY Coronavirus update for March 17, 2021 World Wide Updates WHO advisory group recommends Johnson & Johnson vaccine for all adults age 18 and older Brazil’s new health minister promotes social distancing but won’t commit to changing policy Seoul orders Covid-19 testing for all foreign workers and their employers UK health officials say more than 25 million people have received first dose of coronavirus vaccine Global Covid-19 cases are rising, but deaths are declining, WHO says European Union unveils plans for vaccine passports Iceland will allow vaccinated tourists Vaccines are “the first real key to bringing this period to an end,” says Italian health minister UK vaccine supply to see significant cut from end of March, forcing focus on second doses Senior French hospitals official says AstraZeneca as efficient as Pfizer Brazil’s Covid-19 crisis is a “cautionary tale,” health officials say UK considers vaccine passports to allow summer travel, says minister Australia to donate Covid-19 vaccines to Papua New Guinea as cases surge South Korea will continue AstraZeneca vaccinations as planned, health authorities say COVID vaccine recipients can embark on U.K. cruises to nowhere Brazil’s Covid-19 death toll reaches highest daily record to date UK foreign secretary says EU threat to block vaccine exports needs explaining Tanzania’s president John Magufuli has died Poland to enter new national lockdown Norway facing third wave of infections, government says Total Cases Worldwide: 121,610,078 Total Deaths Worldwide: 2,687,219 Total Recovered: 98,069,871 US Updates New York has administered 7 million Covid-19 vaccines, governor says Covid-19 cases rising significantly in 14 US states over past week It’s unclear when US will hit herd immunity, Fauci says Education secretary won’t say if Biden would mandate vaccinations for teachers NIH director says he’s “surprised” so many countries paused AstraZeneca vaccine rollout Michigan health official lays out factors contributing to state’s Covid-19 case spike Powell says price increases after US stimulus will have only “transient effects on inflation” Massachusetts general public will be eligible for Covid-19 vaccines starting April 19 IRS plans to delay this year’s tax filing deadline to mid-May, official says Biden administration announces $2.25 billion initiative to take on Covid-19 health equity issues Nearly 1 in 8 Americans fully vaccinated, according to latest CDC data We need to “flood the system” with cheap coronavirus tests, Fauci says Older children have highest Covid-19 test positivity rate in most states, according to analysis Lambeau Field opens as Covid-19 vaccination site in Wisconsin Coronavirus strains first detected in California are officially “variants of concern,” US CDC says Approximately 90 million stimulus checks have been disbursed US Health Department announces $10 billion to expand coronavirus testing in schools Biden administration announces $150 million agreement to increase access to Covid-19 antibody treatments NIH director says it seems unlikely AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine causes clots Disneyland plans to reopen on April 30 Massachusetts expects to hit 1 million residents fully vaccinated within next 24 hours Covid-19 vaccine coverage has been lowest in more vulnerable counties in the US, CDC study finds CDC’s ensemble forecast now projects up to 574,000 US Covid-19 deaths by April 10 Trump urges supporters to get COVID vaccine, but tells them he also respects ‘freedom’ Some GOP lawmakers aren’t getting COVID shots as vaccine hesitancy grows among their voters Over 800 Massachusetts police opt out of COVID vaccine from state police clinics Total US cases: 30,276,274 Total US deaths: 550,047 Total Recovered: 22,428,960 Total Tested in US: 375,491,000 Total cases in CA: 3,628,616 Total deaths in CA: 56,143 Total cases in TX: 2,740,867 Total deaths in TX: 46,882 Total cases in FL: 1,989,024 Total deaths in FL: 32,530 Total cases in NY: 1,802,475 Total deaths in NY: 49,443 Total cases in IL: 1,213,765 Total deaths in IL: 23,255 Total cases in GA: 1,038,550 Total death in GA: 18,359 Total Vaccines Administered in US: 113,037,627 |
