Coronavirus, COVID-19, coronavirus variants, and vaccine updates for 10-14-2021

This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots for October 14th, 2021.   After a 19-month freeze, the United States will open its land borders with Canada and Mexico to non-essential travel. Fully vaccinated foreign nationals can enter the U.S. for whatever reason starting early November. Travelers will be asked about their vaccination status as part of the standard Customs and Border Protection admissions process, and no testing will be required to enter by land or sea.   Despite full steam ahead by the U.S. administration and other countries, the Director General of the World Health Organization called booster shots while initial inoculations lag in some countries is "immoral, unfair, and unjust.” He went on to say, "To start boosters is really the worst we can do as a global community."   A federal judge ruled the state of New York can’t impose a vaccine mandate on healthcare workers and not allow their employers to consider religious exemption requests. The judge said the vaccination requirement conflicted with the workers’ federally protected right to seek religious accommodations from their employers. The Governor vowed to fight the decision. At least 24 states have imposed vaccine requirements on workers, usually in healthcare.   Boeing told employees they have to be vaccinated and if they don’t, they might get fired. Deadline is December 8 and the company said compliance is a condition of employment. This affects about 125,000 U.S.-based employees. The International Association of Machinists union said it’s their responsibility to defend and advocate for members, but the fact is the membership is polarized on the issue.   So can you get a booster from a different vaccine than your original doses? A new NIH study found yes, it’s safe and effective. However, Moderna and Pfizer were found to spark a stronger immune system response than Johnson & Johnson. The study found those that got J&J; got stronger antibody levels after getting a Moderna or Pfizer booster, compared to another J&J; shot.     In the United States cases were down 21%, deaths are down 4%, and hospitalizations are down 20% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since September 13.    There are 9,695,293 active cases in the United States.   With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Michigan 23%, Minnesota 18%. North Dakota and Pennsylvania 12%. And Montana 10%.      The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Karnes, TX. Bethel Census Area, AK. Lewis, KY. Stark, ND. Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK. Knox, IN. Goshen, WY. Rio Grande, CO. Clay, TX. And Nome Census Area, AK.   There have been at least 717,812 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.   The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 70.3%, Connecticut at 69.6%, and Rhode Island at 69.4%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia still unchanged at 40.7%, Idaho at 42.5%, and Wyoming at 42.6%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 56.5%.   The five countries with biggest 24-hour increases in the number of fully vaccinated people: Taiwan up 5%. And South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, and Oceana 2%.   Globally, cases were down 13% and deaths were down 14% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since August 26.   There are 17,774,995 active cases around the world.   The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 84,154. The U.K. 38,076. Turkey 33,860. Russia 28,190. And Romania 16,743.   There have been at least 4,870,663 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.   For the latest... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.