Coronavirus, COVID-19, coronavirus variants, and vaccine updates for 10-08-2021

This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for October 8th, 2021.   With the number of those killed by COVID having surpassed 700,000, among that number is a bonus tragedy. A study shows the number of children in the U.S. who were made orphans or partial orphans by the pandemic is larger than first believed. More than 120,000 lost a primary guardian or caregiver. Black and Hispanic children have experienced this the most.   Finland joined Sweden and Denmark in halting the use of Moderna’s vaccine as a precautionary measure for men born in 1991 and later. This because of concerns about reports of possible rare cardiovascular side effects like myocarditis and pericarditis. Finland will give those young citizens the Pfizer vaccine instead.   Is the pandemic leading to diplomacy? The World Health Organization has shipped COVID-19 medical supplies into North Korea. It’s the kind of help that isolated nation rarely accepts. Those supplies are still sitting in quarantine at a seaport, but still. North Korea had severely restricted cross-border traffic and trade for the past two years despite an already crippled economy.   We told you yesterday about how police officers are among the most reluctant profession to get vaccinated. Well New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio doesn’t care. He’s considering expanding his mandates on teachers and school employees to police officers, firefighters, and correction officers. The Mayor called them the “other pieces of the puzzle.”   It’s widely considered unethical to refuse to treat someone because they smoke. But a Colorado woman is being denied a kidney transplant unless she gets vaccinated. The 56-year-old may not last long without the surgery and is quite confused that her hospital is so insistent on protecting her from COVID, that they’re willing to watch her die from her kidney condition.   In the United States cases were down 23%, deaths are down 13%, and hospitalizations are down 20% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since September 13.    There are 9,811,930 active cases in the United States.   With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: North Dakota 25%, Pennsylvania and Michigan 14%, Wyoming 11%, and Montana 9%.      The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Kodiak Island Borough, AK. McCreary, KY. Bethel Census Area, AK. Custer, MT. Green, KY. Whitley, KY. Clay, TX. Stark, ND. Morton, ND. And Wadena, MN.   There have been at least 710,173 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.   The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont unchanged at 69.8%, Connecticut at 69.2%, and Rhode Island at 69%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia at 40.6%, and Wyoming and Idaho at 42.1%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is unchanged at 56.1%.   The five countries with the biggest 24-hour increases in the number of fully vaccinated people: Taiwan up 5%. And New Zealand, South Korea, Australia, and Thailand 2%.   Globally, cases were down 11% and deaths were down 9% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 5.   There are 18,062,833 active cases around the world.   The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 102,090. The U.K. 40,701. Turkey 30,019. Russia 27,550. And Germany 22,403.   There have been at least 4,833,592 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 podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.