COVID, Coronavirus, Omicron and Delta variants, and vaccine updates for 12-24-2021

This is Covid 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants, and new hotspots for December 27th, 2021.   New extreme restrictions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, mostly effecting the hospitality and leisure industry. Each nation’s rules are different, but all feature limits on the size of gatherings, social distancing requirements, and tougher rules for pubs, restaurants and venues. Examples, in Wales even outdoor events are capped at 50 people, and in Northern Ireland, nightclubs must shut down, and all indoor standing events are banned.   One large city after another is either cancelling or downsizing their New Year’s Eve celebrations. Times Square will be scaled back with everyone vaccinated, masked, and distanced. Athens, Greece, and Berlin, Frankfurt, and Munich Germany have canceled firework celebrations. Also, cancellations in London, New Delhi, Paris, and Rome. However, the party’s still on in Vegas.   It was a holiday nightmare as flight cancellations in the U.S. approached 2,400 for the Christmas weekend as Omicron cases triggered air-crew shortages. The situation improved a bit Sunday. Travel experts say disruptions could extend into the New Year’s holiday weekend.   All of this over a variant that by the vast majority of accounts is mild, akin to allergies. But that doesn’t mean there haven’t been a few deaths from Omicron. New South Wales recorded its first such death, also believed to be the first in Australia. However, it was a fully vaccinated man in his 80s who was infected at an aged care facility and who had underlying health conditions.   So now where do we stand with vaccine hesitancy? Polling shows the percentage of US adults refusing to get the shot pretty much hasn’t moved since the vaccine rolled out, but the share of those who were hesitant about it went down from 31% in January to 18% in March. The numbers are going in the other direction for parents of kids 5 to 11 who definitely won’t vaccinate their child. That went up from 24% in September to 30% in October.   In the United States cases were up 83%, deaths are up 3%, and hospitalizations are up 8% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since December 14.    The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Alaska, New Mexico, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Arizona.     There are once again over 11 million active cases in the United States, at 11,353,552.   The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Washington DC 82%, New Jersey 55%, Hawaii 54%, Florida 47%, and Connecticut 40%.     The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Essex, NJ. Hopkins, TX. San Juan, PR. Miami-Dade, FL. Cuyahoga, OH. Guaynabo, PR. Naranjito, PR. Bayamon, PR. Nassau, NY. And New York City, NY.   There have been at least 816,610 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 76.8%, Rhode Island at 75.9%, and Maine at 75.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Idaho at 45.8%, Wyoming at 47.2%, and Alabama at 47.3%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 61.7%.   Globally, cases were up 20% and deaths down 12% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.   There are once again over 24 million active cases around the world, at 24,556,333.   The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 96,384. France 27,697. Italy 24,883. Russia 23,721. And Turkey 20,138.   There have been at least 5,399,891 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.   For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Covid 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Covid 411 podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.