Coronavirus, COVID-19, coronavirus variants, and vaccine updates for 8-04-2021

This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for August 4th, 2021.

In New York City, you’ll soon have to show proof of vaccination if you want to dine indoors at a restaurant, see a show, or go to the gym. It’s the first big city in the U.S. to put restrictions like that back in place. And they’ll be rolled out over the course of weeks. The Mayor said “What we want to nail is bluntly, showing life is much better when you’re vaccinated. You have more freedom.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics said almost 72,000 children and teens caught Covid-19 last week, a "substantial" increase from a week earlier. The definition of a child varies by state but generally includes up to 17 or 18. Children and teens represented 19% of reported cases in the latest weekly data. Kids under 12 are still not eligible for any of the three vaccines currently used in the US.

The World Health Organization says that in Africa, coronavirus fatalities surged by 80% within the last four weeks. The WHO Director-General said it’s being driven by the Delta variant, which has spiked infections globally 80% in the past four weeks. At that rate, the group says the 4 million cases reported last week can be expected to pass 200 million in the next two weeks.

China suspended flights and trains, canceled pro basketball games, and announced mass testing in Wuhan yesterday as outbreaks persist. Cases are far more widespread than anything China’s dealt with since the initial outbreak. China has among the world’s most authoritarian and compliant lockdown and testing measures, but cases continue to pop up in more than 35 cities in 17 of China’s 33 provinces and regions.

So if the unvaccinated don’t blame themselves for the recent surge in cases, who do they blame? An Axios poll found most, 37%, blame people traveling to the U.S. from other countries. 27% blame mainstream media, 23% blame Americans traveling to other countries, and 21% blame Joe Biden. Only 10% of the unvaccinated blame the unvaccinated. Among the vaccinated, they, of course, blame the unvaccinated for the Delta variant surge at 79%, followed by 36% who blame Donald Trump, who left office seven months ago. Almost no one blames the power and nature of the virus itself. 

In the United States cases were up 142%, deaths are up 27%, and hospitalizations are up 83% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since July 5.  

There are now 5,661,932 active cases in the United States.

Keeping in mind that several states have stopped reporting their daily case numbers, the five states with the most new cases: Florida 17,001. Texas 14,873. California 10,010. Georgia 9,197. And Louisiana 4,753. 

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Sabine, TX. Tangipahoa, LA. Ascension, LA. Stone, MS. Lafourche, LA. St. Charles, LA. Livingston, LA. St. James, LA. Gulf, FL. And Terrebonne, LA.  

There have been at least 614,249 deaths in U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

Despite media reports of increased vaccinations, our numbers sourced from NPR are not bearing that out. The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont unchanged at 67.6%, Massachusetts at 64.1%, and Maine unchanged at 63.5%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama unchanged at 34.4%, Mississippi unchanged at 34.5%, and Arkansas at 36.6%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 49.7%.

The 5 countries with the largest recent 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people: Nepal up 10%. Vietnam 7%. Sri Lanka 5%. And Taiwan and Malaysia 4%. 

Globally, cases were up 16% and deaths were up 16% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since June 21. 

There are 15,472,129 active...
 

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