Tag: confirm

Categories
Health

England anticipated to substantiate lockdown lifting regardless of fears over delta surge

England expected to confirm lockdown lifting despite fears over delta surge

Football fans wrapped in English flags stand in front of Wembley Stadium ahead of the Euro 2020 England v Italy final.

SOPA pictures | LightRakete | Getty Images

LONDON – UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to confirm on Monday that the final easing of lockdown rules in England will take place on July 19th.

The move comes despite a sustained surge in coronavirus cases caused by the more contagious Delta variant. Over 31,000 new cases were reported in the UK on Sunday.

However, Johnson is expected to caution as the country reopens, stressing that some public actions, such as the wearing of masks, are a matter of personal responsibility and sensible choice. Johnson had previously said Covid should “become a virus we learn to live with,” like the flu.

In comments the government released Monday morning, Johnson said, “We’re temptingly close to the final milestone on our lockdown roadmap, but the plan to restore our freedoms must come with a warning.”

“While the phenomenal introduction of vaccines has offered every adult some protection from the virus and the critical link between cases, hospital admissions and deaths has been weakened, the global pandemic is not over.”

Johnson said Covid cases will increase if the country is unlocked. “As we confirm our plans today, our message will be clear. Caution is absolutely essential. “

Freedom Day – or step 4 in the government’s long-term plan to ease restrictions – has been postponed to July 19, after it was previously scheduled for June 21.

The government has said that “four tests” to relax Covid restrictions must be passed before relaxation can continue, including examining data to confirm vaccine adoption continues successfully and infection rates do not spike in hospital stays take risk.

The latest data will be presented on Monday, “with current modeling suggesting that Covid cases will continue to increase if restrictions are relaxed,” the government said in a statement on Monday.

“Hospitalizations, serious illnesses and deaths will also continue, albeit at a much lower level than before the vaccination program,” it said.

The delay in easing restrictions came when the variant of Delta Covid, originally discovered in India, spread across the country. While infection rates have increased, hospital admissions and deaths have not increased (although there was a slight increase in these latter two records), suggesting that coronavirus vaccines are preventing serious infections.

The analysis suggests that the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine is 96% effective against hospitalization after two doses and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is 92% effective.

The UK’s Covid vaccination program has been one of the fastest in the world, with 87.1% of the adult population now receiving a first dose of a vaccine and 66% two doses, government data shows.

The government said Monday that vaccination rollout will be further accelerated by moving second doses for under 40 to eight weeks.

Categories
Health

Senate to verify Xavier Becerra as HHS secretary

Senate to confirm Xavier Becerra as HHS secretary

Xavier Becerra, candidate for Secretary of State for Health and Human Services, answers questions during his Senate Finance Committee nomination hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on February 24, 2021.

Greg Nash | Pool | Reuters

The Senate plans to confirm Xavier Becerra as secretary for health and human services on Thursday as the US looks to contain Covid-19 and achieve a semblance of normal life by the summer.

Becerra, California’s attorney general, will get approval by a narrow margin in a Senate split between 50 and 50 parties. Almost all Republicans have opposed the former US representative’s nomination, questioning his past healthcare experience and support for Medicare for All.

Becerra would be the first Latino to lead HHS.

The support of Senator Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, should remove the need for Vice President Kamala Harris to cast a casting vote.

If this is confirmed, Becerra will play a vital role in one of the federal government’s most daunting corporations of all time. HHS will help ease Covid-19 vaccinations and testing efforts as health officials hope widespread vaccination will fight back a mutating virus and allow businesses and schools to reopen.

While the spread of the virus has slowed in the United States, the country has about 54,800 Covid-19 cases and at least 1,200 deaths every day, according to a 7-day average calculated by CNBC. About 15.5% of adults and 37.6% of those over 65 are fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Becerra will also play a prominent role as the Biden government continues health care reform. President Joe Biden has supported the creation of a Medicare-style public insurance option and changes to control the cost of medication and care.

Becerra becomes the 20th member of the President’s Senate-approved cabinet. The chamber has turned its attention to filling the executive branch since it passed the $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus alleviation law earlier this month.

At a Senate confirmation hearing last month, Becerra said he understood “the enormous challenges that lie ahead”. He said he will work not only to contain the virus, but also to improve access to affordable health care.

Becerra touted his work as California’s attorney general to make Covid treatments more widely available and to crack down on opioid manufacturers.

After her election to the Senate last year, he succeeded Harris as the state’s largest law enforcement officer in 2017. Becerra won a four-year term in 2018.

He represented California in the US House from 1993 to 2017.

Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube.

Categories
Health

New California Variant Extra Contagious, Two Research Verify

New California Variant More Contagious, Two Studies Confirm

A variant, first discovered in California in December, is more contagious than previous forms of the coronavirus. Two new studies have shown concerns that emerging mutants like these could hamper the sharp decline in cases across the state and potentially elsewhere.

In one of the new studies, researchers found that the variant had spread rapidly in a neighborhood of San Francisco in the past few months. The other report confirmed that the variant has risen sharply across the state and revealed that it produces twice as many virus particles in a person’s body as other variants. This study also suggested that the variant can bypass the immune system – and vaccines – better than others.

“I wish I had better news for you – that this variant doesn’t matter at all,” said Dr. Charles Chiu, a virologist at the University of California at San Francisco. “But unfortunately we just follow science.”

None of the studies have yet been published in a scientific journal. And experts don’t know how much this variant is public health compared to others that are also spreading in California.

A variant called B.1.1.7 came to the US from the UK, where it quickly became the dominant form of the virus and overloaded hospitals there. Studies of UK medical records suggest that B.1.1.7 is not only more communicable, but also more lethal than previous variants.

Some experts said the new variant in California is of concern, but is unlikely to be as much of a burden as B.1.1.7.

“I’m becoming increasingly convinced that this one transmits more than anyone else in the field,” said William Hanage, an epidemiologist at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health who was not involved in the research. “But there is no evidence that it is in the same stadium as B.1.1.7.”

Dr. Chiu accidentally stumbled upon the new variant for the first time. In December, he and other researchers in California were concerned about the discovery of B.1.1.7 in the UK. They began screening their samples from positive coronavirus tests in California and sequencing viral genomes to see if B.1.1.7 had made it to their state.

On New Year’s Eve, Dr. Chiu is shocked to find a previously unknown variant that made up a quarter of the samples he and his colleagues had collected. “I thought that was crazy,” he said.

It turned out that researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles discovered the same variant that soared to high levels in Southern California. Dr. Chiu announced his first finding and the Cedars-Sinai team went public two days later.

Since then, researchers have studied the new variant, known as B.1.427 / B.1.429, in more detail to determine its origin and track its spread. It has performed in 45 states and several other countries so far, including Australia, Denmark, Mexico, and Taiwan. But it has only launched in California so far.

It was initially unclear whether the variant was inherently more transferable than others, or whether it had risen sharply in California due to gatherings that became overarching events.

“Just by chance, poor wedding or choir practice can cause a large frequency difference,” said Joe DeRisi, co-president of the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, who studied the spread of the variant.

In a new study that will be posted online shortly, Dr. Chiu and his colleagues received 2,172 virus samples from across the state between September and January. In early September, the researchers found no signs of B.1.427 / B.1.429. But by the end of January it had become the predominant variant in California. Dr. Chiu and his colleagues estimate that the cases caused by the variant now double every 18 days.

Dr. Chiu and his colleagues reviewed the medical records of 308 cases of Covid-19 in San Francisco and found that a greater percentage of people had died from the new variant than others. However, this result could be a statistical coincidence: there were only 12 deaths in the group, so the difference in deaths from one subgroup to another in a larger sample may not apply.

Updated

Apr. 23, 2021, 8:18 p.m. ET

The researchers also conducted experiments in the laboratory to find evidence that the new variant had a biological benefit. In one study, they showed that it was at least 40 percent more effective than previous variants at infecting human cells. When measuring the genetic material of swabs used for coronavirus testing, the researchers found that people infected with the variant produce a viral load twice as high as other variants.

The study also found that the new variant can bypass the immune system better than other variants. Antibodies from people who had recovered from infections with other variants were less effective at blocking the new variant in the laboratory. The same was true when the researchers used blood serum from people who had been vaccinated.

Still, the effect of the variant on immunity appears to be much less than that caused by a variant from South Africa called B.1.351. Dr. Chiu said it was not clear whether the vaccines used against B.1.427 / B.1.429 will be less effective.

“If we can get enough people vaccinated, we can deal with these variants simply because we don’t have ongoing transmission,” he said.

In a separate study that has not yet been published, Dr. DeRisi and his colleagues are carefully investigating how the variant is spreading in the Mission District, a predominantly Latin American neighborhood in San Francisco.

When examining samples in late November, the researchers found that 16 percent of the coronaviruses belonged to B.1.427 / B.1.429. After sequencing 630 genomes in January, they found that they made up 53 percent.

The researchers also looked at the distribution of this and other variants in 326 households. They found that people had a 35 percent chance of getting infected if someone had B.1.427 / B.1.429 in their home. If the person was infected with another variant, the rate was only 26 percent.

“What we see is a modest but significant difference,” said Dr. DeRisi.

Dr. Chiu said the San Francisco study provided a microcosm of how the variant has spread across the state. “The data they have from the mission district really supports our data and vice versa,” he said.

Dr. However, Harvard-based Hanage is not convinced that the variant poses a major threat. Every time B.1.1.7 appeared in a new country, it quickly exploded. In contrast, the variant discovered in California seems to have slowly gained dominance.

Dr. Chiu and his colleagues were able to estimate when B.1.427 / B.1.429 arose by comparing the mutations that have occurred in the viruses since they separated from their common ancestor. This analysis pointed to late spring. If that’s correct, it means the variant may have lurked at extremely low levels in California for four months or more.

“It’s not as big a deal as the others,” said Dr. Hanage. He speculates that if scientists sequence more coronavirus genomes elsewhere, they will find more of these moderately fast-spreading mutants. “Maybe there are variants everywhere, and we only see them where sequencing happens,” he said.

We may soon have new insights into how seriously these new variants should be taken. B.1.1.7 didn’t arrive in California until early December, and although it has doubled about every 12 days, it’s still about 2 percent of the coronaviruses in the state.

Now California is becoming a kind of virus cage match between the two variants. “My suspicion is that the B.1.1.7 will win,” said Dr. Hanage.

Dr. However, Chiu thinks it is possible that B.1.427 / B.1.429 will suppress the newcomer and continue to dominate the state.

“We’ll find out in the next few weeks,” he said.

Categories
Politics

Congress is ready to substantiate Joe Biden’s win over Trump. Here is what to know

Congress is set to confirm Joe Biden's win over Trump. Here's what to know

The U.S. Capitol Building is reflected in a puddle in Washington, United States, on November 10, 2020.

Hannah McKay | Reuters

Congress on Wednesday will count and confirm the votes cast by the electoral college, a process that will virtually finalize President-elect Joe Biden’s victory despite recent plans by some Republicans to question the election results.

The joint session will begin at 1:00 p.m. CET in the House Chamber, and Vice President Mike Pence is expected to chair.

In previous presidential cycles, the event was viewed as more of a formality than another battle in the White House war. After all, it comes more than three weeks after state voters have cast their votes and almost a month after what is known as the safe harbor to settle disputes over the results.

Yet more than a dozen GOP senators and dozens more in the House of Representatives have vowed to raise an unprecedented number of objections to electoral votes in key states despite Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., And other Republicans abandoning the crusade . This could add hours or even days to the certification process, but experts say the final result will stay the same.

“The ultimate outcome, I think, is inevitable,” said Keith Whittington, policy professor at Princeton University, in an interview with CNBC. “It’s just a matter of how long it will be to get there and how many fireworks will be on the way.”

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden jokingly thanks voters for Georgia confirming its victory three times as he camped on behalf of Georgia Democratic U.S. Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock during a January 5 runoff during a car campaign rally in Atlanta, Georgia, Jan. 4, 2021.

Jonathan Ernst | Reuters

The objectors, some of whom are rumored to have presidential ambitions, reworded Wednesday’s joint session as a final opportunity to cast doubts on the electoral process and press for a 10-day review of the results in a number of battlefield states.

Senator Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Was the first in the chamber to announce appeal plans and eleven others, led by Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, argued in a later statement that “unprecedented allegations of electoral fraud” and “deep “Suspicion” of the results requires investigation.

None of these senators’ statements made any mention of President Donald Trump, who has a broad and dedicated base of Republican support, had been relentlessly promoting unsubstantiated and exposed fraud conspiracies since the November 3 elections. The president and his allies have also filed dozens of lawsuits aimed at overturning the election results, including in the Supreme Court, but almost all of them have been denied.

Trump refuses to admit Biden, falsely claiming he won the race while pressuring state officials to change the results of their elections and attack Republicans who refused to participate.

The President’s unsubstantiated claim that his election was stolen from him and that many votes for Biden should be rejected poses a threat to Republicans. McConnell reportedly warned his caucus that following Trump’s wishes by objecting to the election count would force a vote that would likely split the party.

This could also cause discomfort to the Vice President, an unwavering loyalist to Trump who is expected to lead the session and ultimately declare Biden the winner. Experts say Pence’s role in the process is largely ceremonial, but Trump has appeared to have been hanging hopes for the past few days on the Vice President, who “comes through” for him on Wednesday.

“If he doesn’t get through, I won’t like him that much, of course,” Trump said Monday night at a rally in Georgia.

Political experts have also warned that Trump’s efforts to undermine confidence in elections could dampen GOP turnout in Georgia’s key runoff races on Tuesday, the results of which will determine Senate party control. On Saturday, Trump pressed the Georgian Foreign Minister Brad Raffensperger in a one-hour phone call To “find” enough votes to undo Biden’s victory there.

After a replay of the call was leaked, Senator Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., Said on the eve of her race against Democratic candidate Rev. Raphael Warnock that she, too, would appeal. David Perdue, who is running against Jon Ossoff and whose term as Senator in Georgia expired on Sunday, also called on Senate Republicans to raise objections.

Once Congress finishes counting, Biden’s final step is to take the oath of office on January 20th.

This is how the meeting in Congress on Wednesday is expected to go:

The electoral list

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) swears new members of Congress during the first session of the 117th Congress in the Chamber of the House in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, United States, on January 3, 2021.

Thassos Catopodis Reuters

The procedure is scheduled to begin in the house at 1:00 p.m. ET.

Pence receives the electoral lists of the states in alphabetical order. The Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Administration Committee and Senate Rules Committee will receive and count these votes.

Once a state’s record is released, Pence will ask if there are any objections. If at least one member of the Senate and one member of the House objects in writing, the two chambers will be divided for up to two hours of debate. You will then vote on the objections separately.

Traditionally, everything is “pretty superficial,” Whittington said. “It doesn’t take long to open all of the envelopes, record the votes, and then make an announcement.”

All objections are expected to be denied – but the possibility of separate debates over the highlights of several states could mean that the process will drag on far longer than in previous elections. For the past three cycles, certification took less than an hour total, according to NBC News.

Once the votes are counted and the objections resolved, Pence will announce the election results.

Pence in the spotlight

Vice President Mike Pence finishes a swearing in ceremony for senators in the Old Senate Chamber on Capitol Hill on January 3, 2021 in Washington, DC. Both chambers hold rare Sunday events to open the new Congress on January 3rd, as the constitution dictates.

J. Scott Applewhite | Getty Images

Pence, believed to be weighing a 2024 presidential campaign, is likely eager to do whatever it takes to avoid a barrage of criticism from Trump. The president has repeatedly cracked down on other Republicans he previously supported, particularly Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, after they refused to sustain his election overthrow efforts.

Experts say Pence, in his narrow role at Wednesday’s joint session, can do little.

“He opens the ballot. That’s his job,” said Neil Kinkopf, law professor at Georgia State University.

In carefully worded remarks to Georgia voters on Monday, Pence telegraphed support for the president and suggested that he let the process go as expected.

“I know we all have our doubts about the last election. And I want to assure you that I share the concerns of millions of Americans about electoral irregularities,” he said. “And I promise you, come this Wednesday, we’ll have our day in Congress. We’ll hear the objections. We’ll hear the evidence.”

Even so, Trump and his allies have falsely claimed that Pence’s powers are far greater.

“The Vice President has the power to reject fraudulently elected voters,” Trump tweeted on Tuesday.

In late December, Texas Republican MP Louie Gohmert, along with a group of Arizona Republicans, urged a federal court to declare that Pence had a unilateral power to decide which votes to count.

The long-term offer, in which Pence himself was listed as a defendant, was severely pushed back by a Justice Department attorney who represented the vice president. The lawsuit was dismissed last week.