With less than one-third of Americans fully vaccinated against covid, public health experts are now working on how to transition from mass vaccination clinics to outreach campaigns to convince people to get vaccinated. The demand for vaccine that the mass sites were designed to meet no longer exists. In particular, Republican states such as Mississippi and Wyoming are showing signs of major slowdowns. Vaccination rates are relatively low among younger adults ages 18 to 49. In this age group, nine to 12 percent of people have been vaccinated compared with over 27 percent in the 50 to 64 age group. The age distinction matters. A study published in Science in the summer of 2020 showed that working adults 20 to 49 were most likely to transmit the virus to more than one person.
Unlike a couple of other governors, the governor of Oregon is restoring some restrictions in reaction to a surge there boosted in part by vaccine hesitancy. Other factors include variants--the UK variant is responsible for 40 percent of the cases--and people relaxing their guard due to pandemic fatigue and a sense of security from being vaccinated. Fifteen of 36 counties are at "extreme risk" meaning that indoor dining is now banned and capacity at gyms and entertainment venues is reduced. Cases on Oregon were up 21 percent in the last week, the fifth week in a row of increases over 20 percent. Oregon is still half the per-capita rate of Michigan, however. Michigan remains the most-affected state followed by New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Maine, and Colorado. Nationally, the seven-day average of new cases is down to just over 50,000 from 254,000 in mid-January.
Covid is also surging in the interior of Alaska. Fairbanks is the state's second largest city and the largest city in the interior with almost 100,000 people. The number of new cases in the Fairbanks area is up 253 percent over the past two weeks. The positivity rate has gone up from five to 20 percent. As a whole, Alaska is 36 percent fully vaccinated compared with 29 percent in Fairbanks. The people hospitalized in the winter were said to be largely grateful for the care they received. One health care worker described the current situation as "Some of these folks are folks that are anti-vaxxers, anti-maskers, and they don't believe they have Covid or are sick because of it ... We are not out of Covid, and our staff is not out of Covid. Our morale is really low."
Still, things are far better here than in some other countries. Driven by India and South America, the global number of new covid cases has more than doubled since the beginning of March. India is home to 40 percent of the world's new cases. Saturday's 401,993 new cases were followed by Sunday's 392,488 along with 3,689 deaths. All numbers are believed to be undercounts. Deaths due to lack of oxygen are increasing. India is second only to the US in terms of the total number of cases with over 19 million. India also has confirmed 215,000 deaths. The sheer number of cases in India has real consequences elsewhere. The more prevalent the virus, the more chances it has to move with people leaving. Fifty passengers on a recent New Delhi to Hong Kong flight tested positive for covid on arrival. More cases also give more chances for variants to develop and multiply. Rebecca Morelle, Global Science Correspondent for BBC News, describes India as a "bleak reminder that none of us will be safe until everyone is safe."
Where have I seen that before?
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