More infections, hospitalizations amid shifting surge of COVID delta

Federal regulators are expected to adjust emergency use authorizations for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to allow a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine to be taken as soon as Thursday for some immunocompromised people, according to multiple reports on Wednesday.

An official familiar with the plan said New York times The third injection covers people who have had solid organ transplants and others whose immune system is almost similarly compromised 10 million Americans. A May study from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that only 17% of transplant recipients had antibodies after their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, with an additional 35% responding after two shots.

The announced decision comes as the delta variable is rising across the United States. It represents about 93% of the nation’s cases out of all its occurrences.

in Mississippi, which averages 2,700 new cases of coronavirus per day, The number of patients requiring intensive care and respirators has outpaced the worst of the epidemic during the winter months.

“The rate of positive tests and the rate of hospitalizations that we’re seeing, if we continue down this path within the next 5-7-10 days, I think we’re going to see the failure of the Mississippi hospital system,” Alan Jones said. , associate vice chancellor for clinical affairs and chief of clinical response to COVID-19 at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, on Wednesday.

That doesn’t mean there are no beds available in Mississippi, Jones said. He said there are not enough health care workers to adequately employ them.

On the other side of the nation in New Mexico, Albuquerque hospitals were ‘fully full’ As the state enters a new wave, with nursing shortages affecting the entire system and available intensive care beds tightening, Acting State Health Secretary Dr. David Scriese and state epidemiologist Dr. Kristen Ross said.

Ross described the rapid rise of new cases across the country and in New Mexico as “extremely concerning” but added: “We can work together to flatten this…we know what we have to do to flatten this curve.”

Also in the news:

Governor Tim Walz announced Wednesday that Minnesota state government employees will be required to prove they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or agree to undergo a weekly test before they can return to the office.

► California Governor Gavin Newsom Wednesday announced a new demand that all teachers and school staff – both public and private – needed to be vaccinated or take regular COVID-19 testing, saying it was the “first state in the country” with such a mandate.

► Due to the high local delta variable, the University of Texas at San Antonio will hold most classes online during the first three weeks of the semester.

Hilo Medical Center says Hawaii’s coronavirus infections don’t come from tourists In a post on Facebook. “Infection comes from residents who have traveled, leading to community spread,” they wrote. “It means we share our loved ones.”

► The University of Arkansas system requires masks on its campus after a judge temporarily blocked a state law banning mask mandates.

Amtrak is joining several companies in asking their employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or participate in a weekly COVID test, the company announced Wednesday. The authorization will apply to their more than 18,000 employees who help people travel across the country.

📈 Today’s numbers: The United States has recorded more than 36.1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 618,000 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University data. Global totals: more than 204.7 million cases and 4.3 million deaths. More than 167 million Americans — 50.3% of the population — have been fully vaccinated, according to Center for Disease Control.