Coronavirus news, updates, hotspots and information for 3-17-2021

This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for March 17th, 2021.   As still more countries suspend use of the AstraZeneca vaccines over concerns about side effects, the head of the European Medicines Agency says there’s “no indication” they’re the cause of blood clots. The agency is “firmly convinced” the benefits of the AstraZeneca shot outweigh the risks, but an evaluation is ongoing.   But the need for vaccines is obviously still significant. Infectious disease experts say infections are rising exponentially in Germany. It’s in a third wave of the pandemic, reportedly driven by an easing of restrictions as more contagious variants spread. And Italy yesterday recorded its highest daily number of deaths since late January.   Children have gotten their first doses of Moderna's vaccine as the company studies its safety and effectiveness for those aged 6 months to less than 12 years old. Kids in the test who get the real vaccine will get one of three possible doses, from 25 micrograms up to 100 micrograms. Moderna's current vaccine is only authorized for people 18 and older.   In the U.S., NBC News reports about 25% of the House of Representatives has not been vaccinated, even though they had access since December. But that might be truly representative because NPR polling shows 25% of Americans are skeptical of the shots. And in a related story, White House staff working in-person are now no longer being tested for Covid-19 daily.   A woman in south Florida who had one dose of Moderna’s vaccine while pregnant gave birth to the first known baby born with Covid-19 antibodies “after maternal vaccination.” The claim has not been peer-reviewed but the baby girl was said to have been born 3 weeks after inoculation, and the antibodies were detected in blood from her umbilical cord.   In the United States cases were down 18%, deaths are down 32%, and hospitalizations down 27% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since February 26.    There are now 7,302,468 active cases in the United States. The current top 5 states by number of active cases: California, New York, Florida, Virginia, and Georgia.   The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Lyon, KY. Chattahoochee, GA. Concho, TX. Pittsylvania, VA. Webster, WV. Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AK. Huron, MI. Nuckolls, NE. Otsego, MI. And Missaukee, MI.   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 Delaware.   There have been 536,871 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 150. Texas 133. New York 98. Florida 96. Oklahoma 87. Pennsylvania 83. Virginia 44. New Jersey 41. Ohio 31. And Michigan and Mississippi 26.   The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s had at least one dose, New Mexico at 29.3%, Alaska at 28.1%, and South Dakota at 27.6%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Georgia at 15.9%, Alabama at 17.4%, and Tennessee at 18.5%.   Globally, cases were up 11% and deaths down 7% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since March 14.     There are now 20,767,587 active cases around the world.   The five countries with the most new cases: Brazil 84,124. The United States 52,650. France 29,975. India 28,869. And Italy 20,396.   There have now been 2,669,734 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.