Because the highly contagious delta variant accelerates cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, The demand for COVID-19 tests is also accelerating.
When COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations declined in late spring, many large government-run testing sites switched to vaccinations or closed.
Now Americans are being screened for COVID-19 at a pace of more than 1 million tests a day, according to Johns Hopkins University. But some experts say it’s harder to find test dates compared to last winter, when large drive-thru sites fed more than two million tests a day. At-home test kits are also taking off the shelves as antigen-test makers strive to meet rising demand after manufacturing downturns in the spring.
With COVID-19 positivity rates on the rise, some are concerned that the high percentage of positive tests in the US means many people are giving up testing because it’s too hard to get an appointment.
“Positivity has risen to levels not seen since the great winter wave,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist and senior researcher at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “Positivity to me, above all else, is a measure of whether we are doing enough testing. As the creep begins, it suggests that we need to cast a wider and wider net to find the infection.”
Meanwhile, with students returning to school this fall, a delta is now forming About 90% of new infections are among children. in thousands Children and staff under quarantine In school districts after exposure to COVID-19, just as school began across the country.
School mask, vaccine powers:What countries have it? Do they work?
Also in the news:
► Apple will postpone the return of its employees to its offices until at least January 2022, The Washington Post reported.
► New Zealand will extend its nationwide lockdown by four days, CNN reported. The shutdown began Tuesday when one case was identified. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern initially said the nationwide lockdown would last for three days while the city where the man lives and where he visited will be completely shut down for seven days.
►Government. Kate Brown said Oregon is working to expand COVID-19 vaccine requirements to include all teachers, educators, support staff and volunteers in K-12 schools. For a state-by-state look at school vaccinations and mask states, click here.
► Three fully vaccinated US senators have tested positive for coronavirus, joining South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham as Senators with a penetrating infection.
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has rejected religious waivers for vaccination, becoming the latest district in the Catholic Church to do so. It joins at least five other parishes that have given priests similar instructions.
► The Biden administration will not return the improved $300 weekly unemployment benefits, which are set to expire September 6. Their share of the COVID-19 rescue funds.
Much of Japan began a government “state of emergency” to curb COVID-19 infections on Friday, as well as a less stringent “quasi-emergency”, though concerns remain about its effectiveness.
📈 Today’s numbers: The United States has more than 37.2 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 625,100 deaths, According to data from Johns Hopkins University. Global totals: more than 209.9 million cases and 4.4 million deaths. More than 169.5 million Americans — 51.1% of the population — have been fully vaccinated, according to Center for Disease Control.
📘 What we’re reading: HIPAA was enacted 25 years ago. Today it is wrongly used to justify keeping the COVID case secret. Read more here.
Keep updating this page for the latest news. do you want more? Subscribe to USA TODAY’s Coronavirus Watch newsletter To receive updates directly to your inbox and Join our Facebook group.
Study finds antibody drug AstraZeneca prevents symptoms of COVID-19
AstraZeneca will seek regulatory approval for an antibody drug after a study showed it significantly reduces the risk of developing COVID-19 symptoms, According to a statement issued by the company on Friday.
The drug, called AZD7442, reduced the risk of developing COVID-19 symptoms by 77%, according to the study, which has not yet been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. None of the treated patients developed serious symptoms or died.
AstraZeneca said the drug is the first antibody treatment shown to prevent COVID-19 in a clinical trial.
As drug companies view antibody drugs as a potential additional way to reduce hospitalizations and deaths, AstraZeneca officials say the drug could provide an alternative to vaccines for people who refuse injections or for whom the injections are less effective.
Maine Bangalos, executive vice president of AstraZeneca, said in a statement.
“With these exciting results, AZD7442 could be an important tool in our arsenal to help people who may need more than one vaccine to return to their normal lives,” said Myron J. Levine, a professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and principal investigator in the trial, added.
US extends land border restrictions with Canada and Mexico
The Department of Homeland Security announced Border restrictions on non-essential travel have been extended again, this time until September 21, as the United States works to reduce restrictions on non-essential travel. The number of cases of Covid-19 virus. The restrictions were previously extended until Saturday.
“In coordination with public health and medical experts, DHS continues to work closely with its partners across the United States and internationally to determine how to safely and sustainably resume normal travel,” The Department of Homeland Security tweeted on Friday.
The restrictions have been extended every month since they were first applied In March 2020, when the Department of Homeland Security and its Canadian and Mexican counterparts closed the borders to leisure travelers to limit the spread of the Corona virus.
– Billy Schulz
Three senators have tested positive for COVID-19
Three senators – Senator Roger Wicker (R-Mies), Angus King (I-Min) and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo) – announced separately on Thursday. Tested positive for COVID-19. All three were fully vaccinated.
Wicker’s office said in a statement that the congressman tested positive Thursday morning after experiencing “mild symptoms.” The office said he is in isolation and in “good health”. The king’s office said he started feeling “the weather” on Wednesday, after which he was tested for COVID-19 as a precaution. Hickenlooper tweeted Thursday that he has tested positive, and while he “feels relieved,” he is isolating.
Both King and Hickenlooper urged Americans to vaccinate in their statements.
– she is reading
Texas Supreme Court refuses to delay mask mandate ban; california mask
The Texas Supreme Court on Thursday rejected an attempt to block three restraining orders against Governor Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates — including one that allowed all School districts in Texas require masks indoors.
The court has returned Attorney General Ken Paxton’s appeal to the Texas 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin for a hearing. Abbott reiterated his ban on mask mandates by any government entity, even though federal agencies have mandated masks in their facilities.
The governor said he would sue any entity that did not comply with the emergency order. The threats did not prevent at least 11 counties in the state from issuing mask mandates.
Meanwhile, in California, the state Supreme Court rejected the Orange County Board of Education’s petition on Wednesday to end Governor Gavin Newsom’s mask mandate in classrooms.
Viral photo of people on the floor of a Florida clinic shows a turbulent scene
Louie Lopez showed up at the Main Library Convention Center in downtown Jacksonville in the early afternoon for a Regeneron treatment appointment. It was recommended by his primary care doctor after Lopez tested positive for COVID-19 and was experiencing moderate to severe symptoms.
While waiting for his turn in line, two more people lined up behind Lopez. Both of them, he says, immediately sat down on the floor. At the end they lay down “sick and groaning”. Lopez, 59, told The Florida Times-Union, part of the USA TODAY Network, that the woman pictured in yellow was dragging herself on the ground as the line slowly moved forward.
Lopez took a picture and sent it to his wife.
Therapeutic treatment is intended for people in the early stages of COVID-19 and the temporary clinic where Lopez took the photo is not intended as a full-fledged hospital. But amid rising coronavirus infections and growing anxiety, some people in more advanced stages of COVID have chosen to go to makeshift clinics rather than hospitals due to potentially long waiting times. Read the full story.
– Catherine Lewin, Florida Times Union
US deaths nearly double in two weeks and rise in 42 states
Despite the massive rise in coronavirus cases across the country, some analysts believe that the death toll – a lagging indicator – will not rise nearly as quickly due to the protection from severe disease offered by vaccines.
The increase was actually less dramatic, but no less worrisome — and it’s growing.
Deaths are increasing in 42 states, the worst toll seen since December, with the United States on Thursday reporting 625,000 deaths. In the week ending Wednesday, the United States reported 5,742 deaths, nearly double the total from two weeks ago. The 10,991 Americans who died of COVID-19 in the first 18 days of August are already more than all the deaths in June or July.
Nearly 2.2 million cases in the United States in those first 18 days make this month the fifth-worst month in the pandemic, surpassing the highest monthly totals in the spring and summer increases of 2020, with the number of cases rising in 44 states.
And while infections have risen by 47% in the past two weeks, deaths have more than doubled that number at 97%, According to the New York Times database. At the current pace, 34 Americans die from COVID-19 every hour.
The number of new daily cases nationwide has crossed 150,000, about half of the total remains from the epidemic’s worst point in January, and the current weekly average of about 800 deaths per day still represents a quarter of deaths at the time.
– Mike Stuka
Contributing: Ken Altucker, USA Today; News agency
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