Note that some links may require registration or subscription.
The Pacific Northwest continues to grapple with a fourth wave of cases that’s filled hospitals in metro Seattle and Portland. (NPR)
As of Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. EDT, the unofficial U.S. COVID-19 toll reached 32,779,414 cases and 582,848 deaths, increases of 34,943 and 686, respectively, since this time yesterday.
CDC records show 58.5% of U.S. adults have received at least their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 44.7% are fully vaccinated. For people over 65, those figures are 83.8% and 71.6%.
Beaches, schools, camps: with the school year ending soon, health officials race to figure out how to vaccinate younger teens. (New York Times)
How about a party? Santa Clara County leaders have organized “Student Vaccination nights,” replete with music, free San Francisco 49ers swag and tours of the team’s locker room, and chances at $10 gift cards. (CBSN Bay Area)
Uber and Lyft will give free transportation to vaccination sites until July 4, the White House said. (CNN)
Starting in 2 weeks, CMS will require long-term care facilities to report COVID-19 vaccination data for residents and staff every week to the CDC.
Have a visa? Get to the U.S. for a COVID vaccine, a travel agency ad tells Mexicans. (Reuters)
States won’t get Johnson & Johnson’s COVID vaccine next week, White House officials told governors. (Politico)
Brazil halted vaccination of pregnant women after the death of a Rio de Janeiro woman led health officials to warn against using the AstraZeneca vaccine. (Reuters)
Ontario, Canada will stop offering first doses of AstraZeneca’s shots due to increased reports of rare blood clots, provincial officials said. (CBC)
Pfizer and Moderna’s mRNA vaccines appeared to be effective against the B.1.617.1 variant from India, preprint findings suggested. (bioRxiv)
Is the CDC’s estimate of coronavirus transmission outdoors wrong? (New York Times)
In other news:
- A minimum ratio of one nurse to four patients dropped patients’ risk of death and readmission by 7% and reduced the length of hospital stays, saving more than twice the cost of additional nurse staffing, an Australian study showed. (The Lancet)
- Internal emails obtained by the AP show the World Health Organization was aware of sex abuse claims against two doctors involved in the Ebola response in Congo.
- Former nursing assistant Reta Mays, who confessed to using insulin to murder seven patients at a VA hospital in Clarksburg, West Virginia, was sentenced to life in prison and ordered to pay restitution to the victims’ families. (USA Today)
- University of Michigan staff missed many opportunities to stop a doctor who committed sexual misconduct over decades at the school, a law firm reported. (AP)
- As people venture out more often, business is booming for companies that can help people lose pandemic pounds. (New York Times)
Last Updated May 12, 2021
Source: MedicalNewsToday.com
