Coronavirus, COVID-19, Omicron and Delta variants, and vaccine updates for 11-30-2021

This is Coronavirus 411, the latest on Omicron and other COVID variants and new hotspots for November 30th, 2021.

 

No matter how the new Omicron variant turns out, the World Health Organization would like to see more globalization when it comes to pandemics. Specifically, some sort of international accord to prevent, prepare, and respond to future outbreaks. A draft resolution stops short of calling for a treaty or legally binding instrument, but some are saying that’s what’s needed.

 

Scientists are hard at work in South Africa trying to assess how well the vaccines work against Omicron. Right now, it’s still unknown how well it can hide from immune defenses primed by vaccines. They’ll not only test AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, they’ll also use plasma from recovered patients to gauge the risk of reinfection with Omicron after recovering from previous versions of the virus.

 

Officials in New York City reinstated their mask advisory while indoors, that means places like grocery stores, building lobbies and offices, regardless of vaccination status. Masks are still required for public transit, health care settings, schools, and congregate settings like churches. Omicron has not yet been detected in the city, but officials know it’s only a matter of time.

 

They’re all mandated to get vaccinated, but which federal department do you think has the lowest vaccination rate so far? It’s the US Department of Agriculture at 86.1% according the White House. Next comes the Department of Veterans Affairs at 87.8%, and the Department of the Interior at 88.3%.

 

From the “it doesn’t pay to think you’re clever” department, a couple tried to escape the quarantine in the Netherlands after testing positive. But they got caught and are being held in forced isolation at a hospital. The pair fled the hotel where travelers who tested positive were staying after arriving in Amsterdam from South Africa and hopped a plane to Spain. Military police were there to greet them.

 

With reporting affected by the Thanksgiving holiday, in the United States cases were up 3%, deaths are down 10%, and hospitalizations are up 11% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since November 3. 

 

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Montana, West Virginia, Oregon, Michigan, and Kentucky.

 

There are 9,467,489 active cases in the United States.

 

The five states with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: New Hampshire 49%, Massachusetts 47%, Indiana 45%, Michigan 41%, and Illinois 34%.  

 

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Scurry, TX. Mason, MI. Shiawassee, MI. Nodaway, MO. Houghton, MI. Sullivan, NH. Ionia, MI. Jackson, MI. DeKalb, IN. And Oceana, MI.

 

There have been at least 776,639 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

 

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 72.7%, Rhode Island at 72.2%, and Maine at 72.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are West Virginia at 41.5%, Wyoming at 45.3%, and Alabama at 46%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 59%.

 

Globally, cases were up 14% and deaths were down 3% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

 

There are 20,242,995 active cases around the world.

 

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 69,498. The U.K. 42,583. Germany 42,582. Russia 33,860. And Hungary 27,830.

 

There have been at least 5,199,349 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

 

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