Worries Amp Up Over Possible ‘Fifth Wave’ This Winter
Despite those covid concerns, vaccination rates remain stubbornly uneven -- especially for kids -- in pockets of the U.S. Of course, fights over vaccine mandates continue.
CBS News:
Fauci Warns Of "Potential" For New COVID-19 Wave, Stressing Vaccines And Boosters
Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Biden, warned the U.S. could potentially experience a fifth wave of coronavirus infections, but said increasing the number of Americans who are vaccinated against the virus and receive their booster shots could blunt its severity. "We certainly have the potential to go into a fifth wave," Fauci told "Face the Nation" in a wide-ranging interview about the U.S. response to the pandemic that aired Sunday. "And the fifth wave, or the magnitude of any increase, if you want to call it that it will turn into a wave, will really be dependent upon what we do in the next few weeks to a couple of months. (Quinn, 11/28)
Bloomberg:
New York City May Be At Start Of Winter Surge Of Covid-19
New York City may already be seeing signs of a winter spike in Covid-19 even though holiday travel, gatherings and colder weather are just getting started. The city’s positive test rate rose to a two-month high as hospitals admitted more than 100 new virus patients on Friday, contributing to a 25% jump in hospitalizations in just two weeks. The city has 463 people in the hospital for Covid-19, up from 370 on Nov. 12. The seven-day average of residents testing positive for the virus -- the lowest in the state of New York -- has climbed above 2% for the first time since the end of September. That metric doesn’t include rapid antigen test results. (Sherman and Chua, 11/28)
In news on vaccines and vaccine mandates —
AP:
Essex County Sheriff To Require Employee Vaccinations
A Massachusetts sheriff is requiring proof of coronavirus vaccination for all employees, vendors and contractors at the jail his office oversees. Essex County Sheriff Kevin Coppinger, who oversees the Middleton House of Correction, told The Salem News that he expects the mandate to survive legal challenges. The mandate takes effect Jan 4. The union representing Essex County correctional officers has already filed a prohibited practice complaint with the state’s Division of Labor Relations, alleging that Coppinger’s order was made unilaterally and that the sheriff failed to bargain in good faith. (11/28)
The Washington Post:
Southern States Fall Behind In Vaccinating Kids As Pediatric Infections Climb
Many Southern states, especially Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, have fallen behind the rest of the nation in vaccinating children as the threat of a winter surge casts a pall over the holiday season. Those states also rank near the bottom for vaccinating adolescents and adults, and have among the nation’s highest overall covid-19 death rates, according to a review of state vaccination and death data by The Washington Post. Their slow uptake of children’s — as well as adults’ — vaccines have heightened fears that another pandemic wave could hit hard as families gather for the holidays and spend more time indoors. (Shepherd and Keating, 11/26)
The Washington Post:
Some Organ Donors And Recipients Are Fighting Vaccination Requirements
When hospital officials canceled his kidney transplant, Mike Ganim’s surgery date was just five days away. He had already undergone a preoperative appointment and taken medical leave from work for the long-awaited, lifesaving operation. His close-knit family had created videos for him and for the woman who was giving him her kidney, stitching together tearful well-wishes and thank-yous from dozens of loved ones. But on Oct. 8, the Cleveland Clinic phoned Ganim to say a newly enacted policy required organ transplant donors and recipients be vaccinated against the coronavirus. The Eastlake, Ohio, man had gotten the vaccine — as a transplant patient, he is at risk of developing severe covid-19. But his donor hadn’t. Although she was willing to give up an organ, she did not want to get the shot. (Shammas, 11/28)
AP:
Baltimore City Schools Not Ready To Enforce Vaccine Mandate
School officials in the city of Baltimore say they’re not ready to enforce a requirement that school employees be vaccinated against COVID-19. The Baltimore Sun reported Saturday that the school system had set a Nov. 1 deadline. But school officials have not started enforcing penalties that can include terminating employees who fail to comply. School officials say they want to work with staff members who have concerns. About 90% of Baltimore school’s10,000 employees are either vaccinated or have a religious or medical exemption. The rate for teachers is 95%. For principals, it’s 98%. (11/28)
CBS News:
Military Service Members Face Deadline To Get COVID-19 Vaccine Or Face Disciplinary Action
Thousands of American service members are facing disciplinary action — up to dismissal — if they are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Monday. With vaccination deadlines looming, the two top Marines pleaded with the troops. (Martin, 11/28)
Despite omicron, delta is still the main worry —
CNBC:
WHO Says Delta Covid Variant Still The Priority Despite Omicron Worries
The world is on high alert due to the new omicron Covid strain — but delta is still responsible for most of the current infections globally, the World Health Organization pointed out on Monday. “Over 99% of cases around the world are due to the delta variant and more deaths are occurring in the unvaccinated,” WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” on Monday. “I think that’s our priority while we wait to find out more about [the omicron] variant.” (Choudhury, 11/29)
"Vaccine" is the word of 2021 —
AP:
Merriam-Webster Chooses Vaccine As The 2021 Word Of The Year
With an expanded definition to reflect the times, Merriam-Webster has declared an omnipresent truth as its 2021 word of the year: vaccine. “This was a word that was extremely high in our data every single day in 2021,” Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster’s editor-at-large, told The Associated Press ahead of Monday’s announcement. “It really represents two different stories. One is the science story, which is this remarkable speed with which the vaccines were developed. But there’s also the debates regarding policy, politics and political affiliation. It’s one word that carries these two huge stories,” he said. (Italie, 11/29)