Coronavirus news, updates, hotspots and information for 4-19-2021

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

The global death toll from the coronavirus topped 3 million people Saturday. This as vaccination campaign have experienced setbacks and infections rage in countries like Brazil, India, and France. And the actual number of deaths is believed to be much higher because some governments have concealed statistics.

After initial concerns about supply and a rush to get appointments and vaccines, desire to get the vaccine appears to have plateaued. Appointments are getting skipped and officials are struggling to get appointments filled…even in very hard hit states like Michigan. Mass vaccination sites have started closing. Pharmacies in one part of Louisiana say vaccine demand has "completely fallen off." 

One cause for reluctance making its way around the Internet rumor mill is that the vaccine somehow affects fertility. OB/GYN’s are getting questions about it and most point out that all the major medical societies, including the Society for Fertility, have come out and said there is no evidence to support fertility problems with the vaccines. Not only that, research has shown the presence of antibodies in umbilical cord blood and breast milk that get passed on to the baby.  

Chile is not having a lot of luck with the Chinese Sinovac vaccine. That country has mounted one of the world’s most rapid vaccination campaigns using the Chinese vaccine, but health authorities are scrambling to deal with a surge of new infections and deaths. Half the adult population has already gotten at least one dose and officials say the level of protection after just one dose is being overestimated and restrictions eased too soon.

Otters at The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta have tested positive for Covid-19. They’re expected to make a full recovery, but it does point to how easy it is to be exposed to the coronavirus. These are animals traditionally kept in an enclosure and away from the public. However, they began sneezing and have symptoms like runny noses, tiredness, and coughing.

In the United States cases were up 5%, deaths are down 8%, and hospitalizations were up 11% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since April 14.  

There are now 6,862,164 active cases in the United States. The current top 5 states by number of active cases: California, New York, Virginia, Florida, and Maryland. 

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Dimmit, TX. Grant, OR. Chattahoochee, GA. Karnes, TX. St. Clair, MI. Sanilac, MI. Crosby, TX. Tuscola, MI. Ogemaw, MI. And Huron, MI. 

The five states with the highest risk levels and most daily new cases per capita over 7 days are Michigan, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.  

There have been 567,217 deaths in the US reported as Covid-related, with a current national fatality rate of 1.8%.

The states with the most new deaths reported as COVID-related: California 46. New York 38. Texas 37. Florida 34. Pennsylvania 25. Virginia and Maryland 17. South Carolina and Minnesota 15. And Illinois 10. 

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s had at least one dose, New Hampshire at 58%, Maine at 48.5%, and Connecticut at 48.2%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Mississippi at 28.9%, Alabama at 30.1%, and Louisiana at 30.8%.

Globally, cases were up 20% and deaths up 14% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since March 5. 

There are now 18,434,835 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: India 275,306. Turkey 55,802. The United States 43,174. Brazil 42,937. And France 29,344.    There have now been 3,017,412 deaths... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.