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US vaccination drive grinding to halt as omicron subsides
Read full article: US vaccination drive grinding to halt as omicron subsidesThe vaccination drive against COVID-19 in the U.S. is grinding to a halt, and lagging demand is especially stark in conservative corners of the country where many people weren't interested in the shots in the first place.
The Latest: Alabama Gov. Ivey extends help for hospitals
Read full article: The Latest: Alabama Gov. Ivey extends help for hospitalsAlabama Gov. Kay Ivey has extended through the end of the October a COVID-19 state of emergency that relaxes some health care regulations to help hospitals cope with coronavirus patients.
Though young and healthy, unvaccinated father dies of COVID
Read full article: Though young and healthy, unvaccinated father dies of COVIDHealth officials in Alabama say they are seeing a spike in cases among young adults and children as the highly contagious delta variant sweeps through unvaccinated populations.
The Latest: China punishes 30 officials for pandemic failing
Read full article: The Latest: China punishes 30 officials for pandemic failingMore than 30 Chinese officials have been fired or received other punishments over accusations they failed to respond properly to the latest coronavirus surge in the country.
Trump-loving Alabama county faces uphill vaccination effort
Read full article: Trump-loving Alabama county faces uphill vaccination effortStatistics show that Winston County ranks last in terms of people who have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 in Alabama, which has the country’s lowest inoculation rate.
Workers worry about safety, stress as states ease mask rules
Read full article: Workers worry about safety, stress as states ease mask rulesTate Reeves decided to eliminate mask requirements, limits on seating in restaurants and most other binding restrictions. AdAlabama’s state health officer on Friday advised residents to keep following standard infection-prevention recommendations even though the governor is letting the state’s mask mandate expire next month. AdThe National Retail Federation, the largest retail trade association in the U.S., issued a statement Wednesday encouraging shoppers to wear masks. McDonald’s cook Cornejo, 43, said the end of Texas’ mask mandate next week alarms her because several of her co-workers already were lax about keeping their faces covered. Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, said individuals who wear masks still risk infection from unmasked shoppers and diners.
The Latest: New virus clusters hit China's north provinces
Read full article: The Latest: New virus clusters hit China's north provincesBritish doctors are urging the government to review its policy of delaying 2nd virus vaccine shot for 12 weeks. ___SANTA FE, N.M. -- New Mexico on Saturday reported 859 additional COVID-19 cases and 38 more deaths. The state health secretary says 584 people are on a waiting list for hospital beds, 101 of them requiring intensive therapy. The U.S. leads the world with 24.8 million confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 415,000 deaths. ___MILAN — Italian premier Giuseppe Conte is pledging legal action not only against Pfizer but any pharmaceutical company that doesn’t meet its coronavirus vaccine commitments.
'Like a bathtub filling up': Alabama is slammed by the virus
Read full article: 'Like a bathtub filling up': Alabama is slammed by the virusTen beds normally used for less severe cases were transformed into intensive care rooms, with extra IV machines brought in. “We’re kind of like a bathtub that’s filling up with water and the drain is blocked,” the hospital’s chief medical officer, Dr. William Smith, said last week. The variant was found in a man in his 20s who is in isolation southeast of Denver and has no travel history, state health officials said Tuesday. As of last week, 15 Alabama hospitals had intensive care units that were at or above capacity, and the ICUs at six more hospitals were at least 96% full. On Tuesday, 2,804 people were in Alabama hospitals with COVID-19, the highest total since the pandemic began.
The Latest: Washington gov. may announces new restrictions
Read full article: The Latest: Washington gov. may announces new restrictionsWashington state and county health officials have warned of a spike in coronavirus cases across the state, and pleaded with the public to take the pandemic more seriously heading into the winter holidays. The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care beds reached 362 on Friday, the most since late August. ___KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine has introduced tight weekend restrictions as the number of new confirmed coronavirus cases hit a national record. Health Minister Maxim Stepanov said Saturday that Ukraine registered 12,524 new confirmed cases, about 800 more than the previous day. Overall, Russia has reported 1,903.000 confirmed virus cases and 32,834 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Rise in coronavirus cases brings new concerns in Alabama
Read full article: Rise in coronavirus cases brings new concerns in AlabamaAlabama and much of the Deep South are seeing a spike in coronavirus cases as some have stopped heeding warnings of the virus, alarming public health officials and people who have lost loved ones because of COVID-19. Over the past two weeks, Alabama had the second highest number of new cases per capita in the nation. We know if they continue, we will see more hospitalizations and more deaths, Alabama State Health Officer Scott Harris said. As of Saturday, Alabama had more than 29,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with more than a quarter of the cases reported in the last two weeks. Kyra Porter, who lost three members of her east Alabama family to COVID-19, has the same fears.
Many forces behind alarming rise in virus cases in 21 states
Read full article: Many forces behind alarming rise in virus cases in 21 statesCoronavirus cases are rising in nearly half the U.S. states, as states are rolling back lockdowns. In some cases, more testing has revealed more cases. The analysis found that in 21 states as of Monday, the rolling seven-day average of new cases per capita was higher than the average seven days earlier. ARKANSASArkansas has also seen increases in cases, hospitalizations and the percentage of tests that come back positive. The protests were outdoors, which reduces the likelihood of virus spread, and many participants have worn masks and taken other precautions.