The CDC Mask Update asks countries to lift mandates

At least 10 states have revised their mask wearing rules yet The CDC has updated its guidelines, saying that fully vaccinated Americans can get rid of masks Outdoors, and in many cases, indoors.

The new guidelines announced by Dr. Rochelle Wallinski, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, represent a major step toward returning to normalcy for a nation that has been battered, sometimes divided by a pandemic that has lasted more than a year.

“Anyone who has been fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, big or small, without wearing a mask or physical spacing,” said Wallinski. “ If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things you stopped doing because you are the epidemic. ”

Soon after, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, KentuckyAnd the MichiganAnd the MinnesotaNevada OregonPennsylvania and Washington have begun to revise mask-wearing guidelines.

“When you get vaccinated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says it’s safe to take off this mask, so go out, get this shot, Kentucky Governor Andy Bashir said. “Let’s defeat this epidemic once and for all.”

Meanwhile, New Jersey said it will not ease residents’ requirements yet. Said Governor Phil Murphy on Friday It could take weeks before the Garden State follows the latest CDC guidelines.

Also in the news:

► Despite the new mask guidelines, Some of the major retailers and restaurant chainsStarbucks, Target, Walmart, CVS, and Kroger, such as Starbucks, CVS and Kroger, are keeping mask requirements for now but have said they will reassess policies. opposite direction , Trader Joe’s says he’s updated his mask policy Fully vaccinated clients will not be required to wear a mask.

► in a message in Science Magazine18 infectious disease experts, immunologists and epidemiologists joined A. Global call for more information on the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak. Experts said it remains unclear how it arose, and a lack of information is fueling conspiracy theories and preventing scientists and policymakers from taking steps to prevent the next deadly epidemic.

According to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, many Latin Americans who have not received the vaccine want to get an injection but are worried about losing working hours, having to pay for the vaccine, or facing immigration issues. It also found that 47% of Hispanic adults had received at least one dose. That’s down from 60% for white adults and 51% for blacks.

Japan expanded the state of emergency while Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga reiterated his intention to hold the Olympics in just over two months. “The infection is escalating very quickly in populated areas,” said Suga.

Governor Jay Inslee said Thursday that Washington is on track to fully reopen its economy by June 30, and a full reopening could take place sooner if 70% or more of the population over the age of 16 receives at least one dose of the vaccine by then.

► Coronavirus cases in the United States are at their lowest rate since September and deaths are at their lowest since April 2020, with an average of 600 cases per day. But some experts remain concerned that the emergence of variants could disrupt this momentum and create another boom, especially as the virus continues to spread to other parts of the world.

📈 Today’s numbers: The United States has more than 32.8 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and 585,000 deaths, According to data from Johns Hopkins University. Global totals: More than 161.3 million cases and 3.3 million deaths. More than 341 million vaccine doses have been distributed in the United States and more than 268 million have been given, according to the CDC. More than 120 million Americans are fully vaccinated – 36% of the population.

📘 What we read: The CDC’s new mask guidelines are great for some, but confusing for others. Here’s what experts say this does to the agency’s credibility.

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Families burdened with COVID-19 in India say those infected with COVID-19 have been left “ to fend for themselves ”

Aishwarya Tandon knew that her grandmother, feverish and short of breath, had COVID-19. But no hospital will accept her without actually having a positive test for Coronavirus, which was difficult to obtain.

“We were basically going to hospitals door to door, and there was no one to help us. There was no evidence. You really had to appeal to people,” said Tandon, 28.

Such as India is taking up a new variant and a second wave of COVID-19, its healthcare system is overwhelmed. So are its citizens, who grapple with the physical, mental and emotional onslaught of care and loss.

The country of 1.4 billion people reported more than 400,000 new cases daily multiple times over the course of the month, breaking world records. Public health experts estimate that the true numbers of infections could be ten times higher than official reports.

Some reported skyrocketing prices for life-saving – and life-ending – medical needs. In Jharkhand, a primarily rural state in eastern India, a report has surfaced of a black market for medicines and medical supplies, and many people are turning to home remedies. The crematoria were also dumped.

Another major issue: testing. According to Dr. Nilesh Thackeray, Covid-19 patients in some places have been “stigmatized” by villagers, and some have lost their jobs as a result of infection. “In such a scary atmosphere, nobody wants to get tested,” Thackeray said. Read more here.

– Sankt Jane and Grace Hook

Boris Johnson is “concerned” about the UK’s rise to a variable that was first identified in India

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed concern on Thursday about a rise in the UK of the coronavirus variant that was first identified in India, after a closely-followed study of infections in England found they were becoming more prevalent – ahead of the next major easing of lockdown restrictions.

“It’s a different kind of anxiety,” Johnson said. “We worry about it.” “We want to make sure that we are taking all the precautionary and cautious steps now that we can, so there are meetings going on today to look at exactly what we need to do. There is a bunch of things that we can do, we are not ruling out anything.”

Johnson’s comments sparked speculation that the government will ramp up vaccinations along with testing in regions with a high incidence of the virus.

In the United States, the variant accounts for 3% of cases but is gaining traction, according to data from the CDC. The alternative has spread to 44 countries around the world.

On Monday, the World Health Organization classified the new version of the virus as a “variable of concern” as the alternative is devastating rural India.

Teachers’ unions are calling for all schools to reopen in the fall

President of the second largest teachers union in the country Thursday He called for the K-12 schools to reopen completely this fallHe added that efforts to persuade some families to return to line may require the enthusiasm of a political campaign.

Announcement from Randy Weingarten, President of 1.7 Million Members American Federation of Educators, Indicates a shift after local unions in some societies expressed fierce resistance to reopening their doors with pressure for better guarantees for teachers.

“Under current conditions, nothing should stand in the way of reopening our public schools completely this fall and keeping them open,” Weingarten said. “We are all in.”

The National Education AssociationThe nation’s largest national teachers’ association issued a statement Thursday saying it supports the opening of school buildings to students for personal education in the fall.

A minority of schools – about 12% – were only operating in distance education as of March, according to government data. But many families, especially families of color, continued to virtual learning even after schools reopened for personal learning.

The data shows that among the majority of schools that reopened, about 1 in 3 schools allowed students to attend only a few days a week on a mixed schedule.

Irene Richards and Alia Wong

The pandemic has shaken public confidence in the health system

The coronavirus pandemic put the spotlight on the public health system in the United States, and found a survey published Thursday Many Americans are not happy with its performance. According to a survey conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in February and March, ratings of the nation’s public health system decreased from 43% in 2009 to 34% in 2021. Positive CDC ratings overall decreased from 59 % In 2009 to 54% in 2021.

“How the public perceives public health is very important,” said Dr. Robert Blendon, co-director of the survey at Harvard University. “When it comes to trust in health information, which is the core of the public health topic, they are more likely to trust clinicians and nurses than public health institutions and agencies.”