Coronavirus news, updates, hotspots and information for 3-12-2021

This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for March 12th, 2021.   The Secretary-General of the United Nations is upset over vaccine nationalism and vaccine hoarding, as well as side deals with vaccine manufacturers that undermine some countries’ efforts. He called this “the greatest moral test of our times.”   In Brazil, hospitals are reportedly faltering as a highly contagious variant tears through the country. One Governor said unless the pressure lets up, more and more patients will have to endure COVID-19 without a hospital bed or any hope of getting into ICU. He said, “The chance of dying without assistance is real.”   The U.S. administration promised there’ll be enough vaccines for every U.S. adult by the end of May. But that depends largely on the manufacturers. Pfizer and Moderna agreed to supply 100 million doses each by the end of March and they have under three weeks left to deliver the remaining 37% of that deal.   Believe it or not, there’s a country that yesterday confirmed its very first death from COVID-19. And that country is Cambodia. The deceased was a 50-year-old male who worked as a driver for a Chinese company in a coastal area. The new outbreak was traced to a foreign resident who broke quarantine in a hotel and went to a nightclub in early February.   The mental toll the pandemic has taken on Americans became clearer with a new report from the American Psychological Association. What’s called a “collective trauma" is manifesting itself in drastic weight changes and heavier drinking. In the most stunning finding, the increase in alcohol use more than doubled among parents with children in early elementary school.   In the United States cases were down 16%, deaths are down 30%, and hospitalizations down 30% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since February 26.    There are now 8,584,883 active cases in the United States. The current top 5 states by number of active cases: California, New York, Florida, Georgia, and Maryland.   The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Lyon, KY. Hartley, TX. Dallam, TX. Chattahoochee, GA. Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AK. Beaver, UT. Caldwell, KY. Otsego, MI. Franklin City, VA. And Orleans, VT.   The five states with the highest risk levels and most daily new cases per capita over 7 days are Missouri, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, and South Carolina.   There have been 530,712 deaths in the US reported as Covid-related, with a current national fatality rate of 1.82%.   The states with the most new deaths reported as COVID-related: California 251. Texas 203. New York 113. Georgia 81. Florida 67. Arizona 60. Illinois 55. Virginia 53. Alabama 52. And Pennsylvania 50.   The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s had at least one dose, New Mexico at 26.1%, Connecticut at 25.8%, and Alaska at 25.7%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Georgia at 13.4%, Alabama at 15.7%, and Tennessee at 16%.   Globally, cases were up 11% and deaths down 11% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since March 4.     There are now 21,747,298 active cases around the world.   The five countries with the most new cases: Brazil 78,297. The United States 62,773. France 27,166. Italy 25,673. And India 21,668.   There have now been 2,628,543 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.