This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for December 10th, 2021.

The number of COVID deaths in the US has been horrific, but researchers are again saying those deaths have been vastly undercounted. Especially among Native, Hispanic and Black Americans. New data at the county level for 2020 and January through October of this year gives more detail than ever, including where someone died, what other causes of death were on the death certificate, and whether a body was autopsied. Looking at the new data, public health experts say the true death toll is at least 20% higher than the official tally. That means the number of Americans who have died from the virus could be close to 1 million.

The FDA gave emergency authorization for 16- and 17-year-olds to get Pfizer’s booster once they're six months beyond their last dose. The CDC followed up hours later with a strong recommendation encouraging those teens to get the shot as soon as possible.

Being an anti-vaxxer in Austria is getting expensive. There are now plans to impose fines of nearly $4,000 on anyone who flouts the vaccine mandate coming in February to all residents 14 and over. It’s the first European country to implement a general vaccine mandate.

If your problem with the vaccine is that it’s not natural enough, how about a plant-based one? GlaxoSmithKline seems to have one that in tests has been shown to be 71% effective at protecting against COVID. Here’s where the irony kicks in. GlaxoSmithKline’s partner is Medicago, a subsidiary of Philip Morris, the cigarette people. And the plant being used is a close relative of tobacco.  

A new survey from the Public Religion Research Institute shows only 10% of Americans believe getting a COVID vaccine conflicts with their religious beliefs. 59% even say too many people are using religious beliefs as an excuse. 60% say there’s no valid religious reason to refuse a vaccine. They’re a bit more divided on whether religious exemptions should be allowed at all.

In the United States cases were up 27%, deaths are up 12%, and hospitalizations are up 20% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 29. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Kentucky, Michigan, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Tennessee.  

There are 9,841,074 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Connecticut 73%, Rhode Island 70%, Delaware 66%, Massachusetts 54%, and Illinois and New Jersey 51%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Waseca, MN. Seward, KS. Allen, KS. Fayette, IN. Vermilion, IL. Bennington, VT. Fountain, IN. Benton, MN. Sullivan, NH. And Piatt, IL.

There have been at least 794,647 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 74.4%, Rhode Island at 74.1%, and Maine at 73.5%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 46.3%, Alabama unchanged at 46.6%, and Mississippi unchanged at 47.4%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 60.4%.

Globally, cases were up 8% and deaths were flat over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 21,695,681 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 110,894. France 56,854. The U.K. 50,867. Russia 30,209. And Poland 27,458.

There have been at least 5,286,786 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for December 9th, 2021.

Starting off with a little reassurance. Cases of Omicron have been reported by 21 countries in the EU. All of them have been either asymptomatic or mild with no deaths reported thus far. And the head of the CDC said out of the 42 known cases of Omicron in the U.S., only one has been hospitalized. In South Africa, reports are that even those who are landing in the ER are there for unrelated reasons but test positive during ER admission.

The connection from the very start between severe COVID and obesity has been largely played down and left unmentioned out of fear of political correctness. But the connection is real. Patients who were overweight were more likely to develop severe COVID and more likely to die. Now the New York Times reports researchers have found the virus directly infects fat cells and certain immune cells within body fat, prompting a damaging defensive response.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced tighter restrictions, urging people to again work from home and mandating COVID passes to get into nightclubs and large events. Also, starting Friday, the mask mandate will be widened to most indoor public places including theaters. They say the tighter restrictions will buy time to get more boosters in more arms.

Another milestone, the number of Americans fully vaccinated against COVID has hit 200 million. But that’s against the backdrop of rising cases, especially in highly vaccinated New England states. Deaths are running close to 1,600 a day on average, that’s back to what they were in October. Total U.S. deaths could hit 800,000 in a matter of days.

Around the world, the strategy is to exclude and isolate the unvaccinated. But one small school district in California is saying that’s exactly what we want. It’s setting up a separate in-person instructional program just for its unvaccinated students. As you would expect, the state doesn’t like that. The intent is to prevent unvaccinated students from losing face-to-face instruction when the state’s K-12 vaccine mandate—the only one of its kind in the nation—goes into effect.

In the United States cases were up 27%, deaths are up 13%, and hospitalizations are up 19% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 29. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Montana, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Michigan. 

There are 9,792,640 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Connecticut 69%, Delaware 66%, Rhode Island 65%, Massachusetts 50%, and Illinois and Indiana 49%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Waseca, MN. Fayette, IN. Allen, KS. Bennington, VT. Vermilion, IL. Sullivan, NH. Socorro, NM. Rush, IN. Powell, KY. And Neosho, KS.

There have been at least 793,225 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 74.2%, Rhode Island at 73.9%, and Maine at 73.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 46.2%, Alabama at 46.6%, and Mississippi at 47.4%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 60.1%.

Globally, cases were up 10% and deaths were flat over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 21,505,711 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 127,411. Germany 68,832. France 61,340. The U.K. 51,342. And Russia 30,752.

There have been at least 5,278,923 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for December 8th, 2021.

The World Health Organization's office for Europe said kids 5 to 14 now account for the highest infection rates in the region. Overall cases and deaths have more than doubled in the last two months in the 53-country region, and the Omicron variant has been seen in 21 of those 53 countries.

Early data out of South Africa suggests the Pfizer vaccine appears to be less effective against Omicron. Researchers found there was about a fortyfold reduction in vaccine-induced antibodies that could neutralize the new variant. That means Omicron seems more skilled at evading the antibodies generated by Pfizer than the beta variant, which only saw a threefold reduction.

More home COVID testing is good right? The US administration is even talking about reimbursing home test kit purchases. But is it? Some health officials are pointing out that tests taken at home, regardless of whether they’re positive or negative, never get reported and that is going to make tracking COVID data, which was already a challenge, even harder.

Speaking of testing, the FDA says the Omicron variant may be more successful at evading tests for it. There are three kinds of tests, serology or blood antibodies, antigen, and PCR. If there are enough mutations in a variant, Omicron has 32 of them, that could generate more false negatives.

Here’s the latest thing people are saying can help with COVID, seaweed. Well, actually sea lettuce. Lab experiments show an extract of this algae could be beneficial in the pandemic fight. Other studies of other edible seaweed have shown promise but this one has been tested specifically as an antiviral treatment against certain viruses. Scientists say more seaweed tests are needed to be sure.

In the United States cases were up 28%, deaths are up 13%, and hospitalizations are up 18% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 29. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Montana, West Virginia, Michigan, and Kentucky.  

There are 9,715,064 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Delaware 62%, Connecticut 60%, Rhode Island 53%, and Indiana and Massachusetts 49%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Fayette, IN. Bennington, VT. Allen, KS. Waseca, MN. Vermilion, IL. Socorro, NM. Sullivan, NH. Rush, IN. Neosho, KS. And Valencia, NM.

There have been at least 791,514 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 74%, Rhode Island at 73.7%, and Maine unchanged at 72.9%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming unchanged at 46%, Alabama unchanged at 46.5%, and Mississippi unchanged at 47.1%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 60%.

Globally, cases were up 10% and deaths were flat over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 21,338,368 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 107,642. France 59,019. Germany 51,512. The U.K. 45,691. And Russia 31,096.

There have been at least 5,270,558 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for December 7th, 2021.

The Mayor of New York City announced that all private employers, big and small, must now require their workers to get vaccinated, the most sweeping mandate of any big city or state in the U.S. And you must get the injection, there is no testing alternative. That will add about 184,000 businesses, including mom and pops, to those placed under previous mandates,

The European Union's drugs agency recommended approval of an anti-inflammatory medicine to treat adults hospitalized with severe COVID. Now it has to be confirmed by the EU executive commission. The drug is RoActemra from Roche, currently used to treat arthritis. It works by tamping down the protein interleukin-6, often found in excess in COVID patients.

In Spain, Christmas festivities at one hospital are suspected of infecting dozens of hospital staff. 170 people attended the Christmas dinner in a restaurant last weekend. And afterwards, 68 staff, including ICU nurses and doctors, tested positive. All took antigen tests before the event and were negative, and all of the infected staff were fully vaccinated.

As always, there’s not nearly as much of a war on COVID going on as there is a war on travel. The CDC has put five places in Europe on its list of "very high" travel risk destinations, including one of the very biggest for tourism, France. Also included on the list were Cyprus, Liechtenstein, and Portugal.

So will New Yorkers be mad about these new business vaccine mandates? Not if this Morning Consult poll is to be believed. It shows broad approval by Americans for strict measures to control COVID, as long it doesn’t cause businesses and services to shut down. The most commonly supported measures are better ventilation and enforcing social distancing. But masking and vaccine mandates also get the support of a comfortable majority, as in almost 70%.

In the United States cases were up 19%, deaths are up 5%, and hospitalizations are up 18% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 29. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Montana, Kentucky, Michigan, and West Virginia.  

There are 9,666,139 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Delaware 63%, Connecticut 61%, Rhode Island 56%, Indiana 50%, and Massachusetts 48%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Allen, KS. Bennington, VT. Koochiching, MN. Sullivan, NH. Jackson, IA. Benton, MN. Waseca, MN. Mille Lacs, MN. St. Clair, MI. And Socorro, NM.

There have been at least 789,742 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 73.8%, Rhode Island at 73.5%, and Maine unchanged at 72.9%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming unchanged at 46%, Alabama at 46.5%, and Mississippi unchanged at 47.1%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 59.9%.

Globally, cases were up 15% and deaths were up 3% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 21,181,006 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 88,380. The U.K. 51,459. Germany 39,330. Russia 32,136. And Hungary 22,699.

There have been at least 5,262,134 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for December 6th, 2021.

At least 12 U.S. states have now identified Omicron cases, but US health officials remain more concerned about Delta. It’s accounting for 99.9% of all new infections and those infections are going up. Results from studies to gauge the severity and transmissibility of Omicron are expected in a few weeks. Cases of Omicron remain mild but that is not true of Delta. 

In Brussels, Belgium, police turned water cannons and tear gas on protesters against the tightening of COVID restrictions that aim to counter a surge of coronavirus infections. Thousands participated after the government tightened rules for the third week in a row. But an avalanche of new cases has strained the country’s health services.

The company’s President says Moderna could have a vaccine booster shot that targets the Omicron variant ready for authorization by March. Although the drumbeat of messaging has been that the existing vaccines protect fine against Omicron, he told the Financial Times he thinks the existing vaccines will be less effective against it than they’ve been against Delta and they’ve already started work on a new booster.

A new analysis in The American Journal of Cardiology has revealed a possible link between the vaccines and elevated risk of Myopericarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle. The CDC had almost 2,000 reports of the condition just in 2021 in people who got the vaccine. This is mostly happening in men 25 to 44, but most cases with clinical symptoms seem to resolve within six days.

Speaking of men and COVID, a study out of Colorado State suggests men spread coronavirus particles more frequently than women or children. The study was originally to see how the performing arts could safely return to the stage. After doing things like making subjects sing “Happy Birthday” over and over, they learned singing spreads more virus than instruments, adults emit more particles than kids, people who talk loud emit more virus, and men emit more than women, theoretically because they have bigger lungs. 

In the United States cases were up 19%, deaths are up 5%, and hospitalizations are up 18% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 29.  

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Montana, Kentucky, Michigan, and West Virginia.  

There are 9,637,520 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Delaware 62%, Connecticut 60%, Rhode Island 55%, Indiana 49%, and Illinois 45%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Allen, KS. Bennington, VT. Koochiching, MN. Sullivan, NH. Jackson, IA. Benton, MN. Waseca, MN. Mille Lacs, MN. St. Clair, MI. And Socorro, NM. 

There have been at least 788,363 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 73.5%, Rhode Island at 73.3%, and Maine at 72.9%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 46%, Alabama at 46.4%, and Mississippi at 47.1%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 59.6%.

Globally, cases were up 13% and deaths were up 2% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15. 

There are once again over 21 million active cases around the world, at 21,146,420.

The five countries with the most new cases: The U.K. 43,992. France 42,252. Germany 35,983. The United States 35,065. And Russia 32,602.

There have been at least 5,255,544 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for December 3rd, 2021.

As expected, the US administration rolled out some measures to fight COVID and the new Omicron variant into winter. All in-bound international passengers must test within 24 hours of departure, and masks will be required on all planes and public transportation through March 18. Also, businesses will be urged expedite worker vaccine and testing mandates, and Americans with private health insurance can get reimbursed for at-home COVID tests. Those without private insurance can get tests through health centers and rural clinics.

Tracking the Omicron variant’s spread, it’s in five US states now, including California, New York, Hawaii, Colorado, and Minnesota. As for countries we add Spain, Singapore, India, and in Norway at least 50 people were infected in connection to a company Christmas party in an Oslo restaurant.

The Omicron studies continue in South Africa, and so far, they’ve found the variant is reinfecting people at 3x the rate of previous strains. Translated, that means it appears immunity from a previous infection won’t help you. However, more evidence is emerging that the existing vaccines still seem to offer protection against serious illness.

Your host got his booster shot yesterday and spent all day sick in bed. Your results may vary. However, I was mixing Pfizer and Moderna like a party animal. But here’s some reassuring news. A British study says the mRNA vaccines provide the biggest boost to antibody levels. The study also found boosters also helped generate a broad T-cell response against the Beta and Delta variants.

Be cautious when making sports stars your heroes. Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown has been suspended three games after violating NFL COVID-19 protocols. And here’s how he violated it. He and two other players bought fake vaccination cards this past summer. They know they did it and are not appealing. And they’re vaccinated now. Really.

With reporting affected by the Thanksgiving holiday, in the United States cases were down 1%, deaths are down 10%, and hospitalizations are up 16% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 29. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Montana, Michigan, Kentucky, and West Virginia. 

There are 9,520,781 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Rhode Island 52%, Indiana 48%, Massachusetts and Delaware 44%, and Connecticut 42%.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Koochiching, MN. Jackson, IA. Bennington, VT. Sullivan, NH. Allen, KS. Neosho, KS. Clinton, IA. Shiawassee, MI. Socorro, NM. And Colfax, NM.

There have been at least 785,907 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 72.9%, Rhode Island at 72.6%, and Maine at 72.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia at 41.5%, Wyoming at 45.6%, and Alabama at 46.2%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 59.4%.

Globally, cases were up 12% and deaths were down 2% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 20,720,971 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 132,822. Germany 73,486. The U.K. 53,945. France 48,416. And Russia 33,389.

There have been at least 5,233,849 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for December 2nd, 2021.

The UN Secretary-General has called the travel restrictions being placed by countries like the United States on one region like South Africa not only ineffective, but travel apartheid. The Omicron variant is already in 24 countries around the world, and as it turns out, it appears it didn’t originate in South Africa anyway. The Netherlands had cases a week before two flights arrived from South Africa carrying the virus. Nine cases were linked to a private event in Scotland, days before South Africa announced the existence of the variant. And Nigeria detected its first case in a sample collected weeks before South Africa alerted the world about Omicron.

Tracking the Omicron variant’s spread, it’s in the United States now. A fully vaccinated person in the San Francisco area came back from South Africa Nov. 22 and tested positive seven days later. South Korea confirmed the variant in five people linked to international arrivals. And Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates confirmed the first infections in the Persian Gulf region. So far, all symptoms reported have been mild.

A reprieve for healthcare workers in ten states who don’t want to take the vaccine. A federal judge blocked the vaccine requirement, saying the agency that issued the rule likely exceeded its authority. That stops the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from enforcing its healthcare worker mandate until the court can hear legal challenges brought by Missouri, Nebraska, Arkansas, Kansas, Iowa, Wyoming, Alaska, South Dakota, North Dakota and New Hampshire.

Well people who don’t like mandates sure aren’t going to like this. The chief of the European Union's executive arm said member nations should consider making vaccinations mandatory, period. The EU-wide vaccination rate stands at 66%. Germany’s new Chancellor, for one, said he’d back a proposal like that.

With reporting affected by the Thanksgiving holiday, in the United States cases were down 2%, deaths are down 16%, and hospitalizations are up 15% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since November 23. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Montana, West Virginia, Michigan, and Kentucky.

There are 9,449,555 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Rhode Island 51%, Indiana 47%, Massachusetts 43%, New Hampshire 41%, and Michigan 40%. 

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Koochiching, MO. Nodaway, MO. Shiawassee, MI. Colfax, NM. Sullivan, NH. Jackson, IA. Clay, IL. Neosho, KS. Dunn, WI. And Pope, MN.

There have been at least 782,104 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont unchanged at 72.9%, Rhode Island at 72.6%, and Maine at 72.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia unchanged at 41.5%, Wyoming at 45.6%, and Alabama at 46.2%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 59.4%.

Globally, cases were up 10% and deaths were down 4% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 20,471,414 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 120,441. Germany 71,887. France 49,610. The U.K. 48,374. And Russia 32,837.

There have been at least 5,223,657 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for December 1st, 2021.

If you’re a non-US citizen coming into the US, prepare for some tougher testing requirements. And no, it doesn’t matter if you’re vaccinated or unvaccinated. Details should be rolled out tomorrow, but one policy being considered is requiring all air travelers to the U.S. be tested within one day of boarding their flight.

Omicron continues to go worldwide. Japan confirmed its first case, a fully vaccinated Namibian diplomat in his 30s who recently arrived from his country. He initially didn’t have any symptoms but has a fever now. And Brazil reported the first case of Omicron in both that country and Latin America; two travelers arriving from South Africa. France also reported its first case yesterday.

In Greece, they’re really getting tough on older folks. Residents over 60 must get vaccinated or face a $114 fine for every month they don’t. That takes effect January 16, and the fines will be added to citizens’ taxes. About a fourth of the country’s total adult population is unvaccinated.

Independent advisers to the FDA narrowly endorsed the first antiviral pill for adults at high risk for Covid-19. Some on the panel worried about the treatment's efficacy and risks to pregnant people. But the vote puts molnupiravir on track for FDA approval. One person who voted yes said, "I'm not sure this is really the one we've been waiting for, but it's the one we've got.”

If you’re looking for a reason to get fired, U.S. employers are here to help you. A national survey in mid-November shows most employers already have or will require employees to get vaccinated. So far, only 3% of employers said their mandates have resulted in a spike in resignations. Half even think mandates will help them recruit workers.

With reporting affected by the Thanksgiving holiday, in the United States cases were down 2%, deaths are down 16%, and hospitalizations are up 9% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since November 23. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Montana, West Virginia, Michigan, and Kentucky.

There are 9,419,966 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Indiana 41%, Massachusetts 40%, New Hampshire 36%. Michigan 34%, and Illinois 30%.  

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Koochiching, MO. Nodaway, MO. Shiawassee, MI. Colfax, NM. Sullivan, NH. Jackson, IA. Clay, IL. Neosho, KS. Dunn, WI. And Pope, MN.

There have been at least 780,140 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 72.9%, Rhode Island at 72.5%, and Maine unchanged at 72.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia unchanged at 41.5%, Wyoming at 45.5%, and Alabama at 46.1%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 59.3%.

Globally, cases were up 11% and deaths were down 3% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 20,281,671 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 106,876. Germany 55,880. France 47,177. The U.K. 39,716. And Russia 32,648.

There have been at least 5,214,863 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for November 30th, 2021.

No matter how the new Omicron variant turns out, the World Health Organization would like to see more globalization when it comes to pandemics. Specifically, some sort of international accord to prevent, prepare, and respond to future outbreaks. A draft resolution stops short of calling for a treaty or legally binding instrument, but some are saying that’s what’s needed.

Scientists are hard at work in South Africa trying to assess how well the vaccines work against Omicron. Right now, it’s still unknown how well it can hide from immune defenses primed by vaccines. They’ll not only test AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, they’ll also use plasma from recovered patients to gauge the risk of reinfection with Omicron after recovering from previous versions of the virus.

Officials in New York City reinstated their mask advisory while indoors, that means places like grocery stores, building lobbies and offices, regardless of vaccination status. Masks are still required for public transit, health care settings, schools, and congregate settings like churches. Omicron has not yet been detected in the city, but officials know it’s only a matter of time.

They’re all mandated to get vaccinated, but which federal department do you think has the lowest vaccination rate so far? It’s the US Department of Agriculture at 86.1% according the White House. Next comes the Department of Veterans Affairs at 87.8%, and the Department of the Interior at 88.3%.

From the “it doesn’t pay to think you’re clever” department, a couple tried to escape the quarantine in the Netherlands after testing positive. But they got caught and are being held in forced isolation at a hospital. The pair fled the hotel where travelers who tested positive were staying after arriving in Amsterdam from South Africa and hopped a plane to Spain. Military police were there to greet them.

With reporting affected by the Thanksgiving holiday, in the United States cases were up 3%, deaths are down 10%, and hospitalizations are up 11% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 3. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Montana, West Virginia, Oregon, Michigan, and Kentucky.

There are 9,467,489 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: New Hampshire 49%, Massachusetts 47%, Indiana 45%, Michigan 41%, and Illinois 34%.  

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Scurry, TX. Mason, MI. Shiawassee, MI. Nodaway, MO. Houghton, MI. Sullivan, NH. Ionia, MI. Jackson, MI. DeKalb, IN. And Oceana, MI.

There have been at least 776,639 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 72.7%, Rhode Island at 72.2%, and Maine at 72.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia at 41.5%, Wyoming at 45.3%, and Alabama at 46%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 59%.

Globally, cases were up 14% and deaths were down 3% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are 20,242,995 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 69,498. The U.K. 42,583. Germany 42,582. Russia 33,860. And Hungary 27,830.

There have been at least 5,199,349 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for November 29th, 2021.

A lot of fear is being generated around the new coronavirus variant, now called Omicron. So first some good news or at the very least potential good news. The chair of the South African Medical Association, who was one of the first to notice the new variant, said symptoms appear to mild and treatable at home. Fatigue, body aches and headaches, not even a loss of smell or taste and oxygen levels remain normal. Almost half she treated were unvaccinated, hinting the current vaccines are somewhat effective against it. But even symptoms in the unvaccinated have been mild. And if you think she’s alone or lying, Israel’s chief of public health services says the potential for infection with omicron is “very high,” but vaccinated people become only slightly ill.

Speaking of very fast spread and very high infections, Omicron is quickly making its way around the world, unhindered by travel bans and restrictions, a tactic that went into place and was generally unsuccessful in keeping out the original virus and its variants. Omicron has been spotted in South Africa, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Britain, Israel, Hong Kong, Germany, Austria, and Italy.

As mentioned earlier, countries are imposing travel bans amidst the new variant in the hopes that maybe, somehow, this time they’ll work. The United States has done it. Israel is banning the entry of all foreigners. Morocco is suspending all incoming air travel for two weeks. The World Health Organization is urging no, don’t do that because it places a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods, it’s not scientifically based, and it just doesn’t work. 

Okay, time to answer the question “Why did the World Health Organization skip a couple of Greek letters when naming the new variant Omicron?” The variant prior to Omicron was Mu, which should be followed by Nu and Xi. Well they didn’t like Nu because it sounds just like the word new. And Xi can’t be used because it’s a common last name in certain countries and the whole point was to not stigmatize any country so…that led to Omicron. If Omicron is your last name, please write your local congressperson.

With reporting affected by the Thanksgiving holiday, in the United States cases were up 4%, deaths are down 10%, and hospitalizations are up 12% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 3. 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Montana, West Virginia, Oregon, Michigan, and Kentucky.

There are 9,420,095 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: New Hampshire 51%, Indiana and Massachusetts 43%, Michigan 41%, and Illinois 32%. 

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Scurry, TX. Mason, MI. Shiawassee, MI. Nodaway, MO. Houghton, MI. Sullivan, NH. Ionia, MI. Jackson, MI. DeKalb, IN. And Oceana, MI.

There have been at least 776,639 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 72.7%, Rhode Island at 72.2%, and Maine at 72.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia at 41.5%, Wyoming at 45.3%, and Alabama at 46%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 59%.

Globally, cases were up 12% and deaths were down 4% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are once again over 20 million active cases around the world, at 20,159,495.

The five countries with the most new cases: Germany 38,444. The U.K. 37,681. Russia 33,548. France 31,648. And the Netherlands 22,133.

There have been at least 5,199,349 deaths reported as...

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