Virginia School Mask Rule; 900,000 deaths from COVID in the US
Find the next deadly virus and stop mice, bats or monkeys from spreading to humans should be the main focus of the world’s efforts to prevent the next pandemican international team of researchers said in a study published Friday.
Stopping diseases from wildlife to humans will save lives and billions in costs, the researchers say, and should take precedence over virus detection and treatment after humans. sick person.
Epidemiologists and wildlife biologists have warned of the deadly dangers posed by zoonotic pathogens before COVID-19 arrived. The long list of such viruses includes HIV, ebola and chikungunya.
Now, two years of fighting a virus that may have jumped from an unidentified animal in Wuhan, China, has added to that threat and the urgency of containing the threat. follow Aaron Bernstein, interim director of the Center for Global Climate, Health and Environment at Harvard University and a pediatrician at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Bernstein, the paper’s lead author, said it’s not that vaccines, pharmaceuticals and diagnostic tests are unnecessary, but that addressing future pandemics should begin before the virus arrives. “Vaccines are not primary prevention,” he said.
– Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY
Also in the news:
►Bali reopen tourism to foreigners from all countries for the first time in two years, but mandatory quarantine is still in place for all visitors.
► New research shows that who will benefit the most from monoclonal antibodies after infection with COVID-19 are least likely to be infected with them.
►A federal advisory panel unanimously voted on Friday to continue Confirms Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for adultsnow US regulators have fully approved these shots.
📈 Today’s Number: The United States has recorded more than 76 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 901,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Global total: More than 391 million cases and 5.7 million deaths. More than 212 million Americans – 64% – are fully immunized, According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
📘 What we are reading: The United States has reached a sad milestone during the COVID-19 pandemic: 900,000 deaths. When to end? “Vaccines and boosters are our best bets to get out of the pandemic,” one expert told USA TODAY. Read full story.
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WHEN WILL THIS COVID SURGE END?:Scientists look for clues in your wastewater
CDC expands wastewater testing system
CDC announced friday plans to expand a system used to coronavirus detected in wastewater to better track the virus and, in the future, detect outbreaks of other pathogens.
Amy Kirby, team leader for the National Wastewater Surveillance System, says between 40% and 80% of people with COVID-19 shed the virus in their feces, allowing scientists to help track the spread of the virus. virus through wastewater testing. at a Friday press conference.
She said wastewater monitoring could serve as an early warning system for an increase in COVID-19 cases because an increase in the virus in wastewater often precedes an increase in other wastewaters. clinical case.
“These data have unique power because they capture the presence of infection from people with and without symptoms,” she said.
Kirby added that wastewater testing could help health officials determine where to open more mobile testing and vaccination sites, and predict future changes in hospital usage.
The CDC started the National Wastewater Monitoring System in September 2020, Kirby said. Now, wastewater data will be available for the first time on Dealer COVID Data Tracker. The platform will also soon be expanded to target pathogens caused by the fungus Candia Auris and food-borne infections such as E. Coli, salmonella and norovirus influenza, Kirby said.
Judge says Virginia school mask rule may remain, contrary to Governor’s wishes
On Friday, a judge temporarily halted an executive order by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, allowing parents to opt out of school masking duties for their children. .
Temporary restraining order means the mask duty given by the school board may remainat least for now.
Arlington Circuit Court Judge Louise DiMatteo ruled in favor of seven school boards that filed lawsuits against the governor’s order, one of the first actions Youngkin took after taking office May 15. January.
The judge found that the only issue in court was whether Youngkin, through his emergency powers, could override the local school board’s decision to authorize them under the 2021 state law required by state law. The panel provides direct guidance on how to adhere to the COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies “to the fullest extent practicable.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing masks for the whole population, regardless of vaccination status.
FEMA continues to help supplement funeral expenses for COVID-19 deaths
COVID-19 has killed more than 900,000 Americans since the pandemic began in early 2020. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, since last April, has been accepting applications to assist loved ones left behind. and additional funeral expenses.
According to a Government Accountability Office report released last month, between mid-April and late June last year, FEMA received and processed more than 222,000 applications for funeral benefits. This is information on who is eligible and how to apply.
Contribution: Associated Press