Coronavirus, COVID-19, coronavirus variants, and vaccine updates for 8-11-2021

This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for August 11th, 2021.

New state level data analyzed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association shows cases among children are rising, with kids accounting for roughly 15% of all newly reported cases across the U.S. for the week ending August 5.

Comedian Chris Rock may call it the McDonalds of vaccines, but a trial involving almost 480,000 health workers in South Africa shows the Johnson & Johnson vaccine helps prevent severe disease in those infected with the Delta variant. 71% effective against hospitalization and up to 96% effective against death, with a durability of eight months. 

The CDC announced late last month it’d move away from using the PCR test it designed to look for the virus that causes COVID-19. No, it’s not because they don’t work. They got approval from the FDA in July 2020 for a new one that detects coronavirus and flu and RSV. Also, hundreds of new tests have become available, many of which are more efficient for labs to process so more daily testing is possible.

When doctors and nurses go on social media with anti-vaccination messages, it’s especially destructive because a new poll finds most Americans have a great deal of trust in doctors, nurses and pharmacists. 70% trust them to do what’s right for them and their families most or all of the time, and that’s true of both Democrats and Republicans, men and women, and white, Black and Hispanic Americans.

The catchphrase has been follow the science. But it could be follow the dogs. Yet another test, this one in France, has shown a golden retriever with just a month of training had a 100% COVID detection rate for nursing home patients who were symptomatic and a 94% success rate even in those who were asymptomatic. Not only that, the dog was able to sniff out the virus 48 hours before it’s detectible by a PCR test.  

In the United States cases were up 118%, deaths are up 101%, and hospitalizations are up 87% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since July 5.  

There are 6,291,232 active cases in the United States.

Keeping in mind several states stopped reporting daily case numbers, the five states with the most new cases: Texas 16,801. California 12,902. Georgia 6,968. Louisiana 6,088. And Tennessee 3,490. 

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Neshoba, MS. Dimmit, TX. Lafourche, LA. Iberia, LA. Gulf, FL. Terrebonne, LA. Columbia, FL. Tift, GA. Ascension, LA. And Livingston, LA. 

There have been at least 618,108 deaths in U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 68%, Massachusetts unchanged at 64.4%, and Maine unchanged at 64.2%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 34.9%, Mississippi unchanged at 35.2%, and Wyoming unchanged at 37%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 50.2%.

The 5 countries with the largest recent 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people: Kyrgyzstan up 9%. Vietnam 6%. Nepal 5%. And Taiwan, Cambodia, and Georgia 4%. 

Globally, cases were up 19% and deaths were down 4% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since June 21. 

There are 16,550,767 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 101,254. Iran 39,139. India 36,316. Brazil 35,245. And Indonesia 32,081.    There have now been at least 4,313,342 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Coronavirus 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Coronavirus 411... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.