Tag: Covid

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Health

Dr. Scott Gottlieb says the Covid delta spike could peak in late August

Vaccine ramp up probably not enough to manage UK virus variant

Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Thursday the current spike in Covid infections due to the highly contagious delta variant may be over sooner than many experts believe.

However, the former FDA chief urged Americans to take precautions in the meantime as delta, first found in India, takes hold as the dominant variant in the U.S.

“I think the bottom line is we’re going to see continued growth, at least in the next three to four weeks. There’s going to be a peak sometime probably around late August, early September,” Gottlieb said on “Squawk Box.” “I happen to believe that we’re further into this delta wave than we’re measuring so this may be over sooner than we think. But we don’t really know because we’re not doing a lot of testing now either.”

There may be another small bump in infection rates as schools reopen in the fall and become “vectors of transmission” as they did with the B.1.1.7 variant, first discovered in Britain, and now called alpha, said Gottlieb, who led the Food and Drug Administration from 2017 to 2019 during Donald Trump’s presidency.

Gottlieb also warned that just wearing masks, particularly cloth masks, may not enough to prevent Covid infections from the delta variant in classrooms. He advised schools to create pods, space out children in the classroom, avoid group meals and suspend certain large activities, as well as improve air filtration and quality levels. 

“There might be other things you do that actually achieve more risk reduction than the masks in the setting of a much more contagious variant where we know there’s going to be spread even with masks,” Gottlieb said. “If we’re going to tell people to wear masks, I do think we need to start educating people better about quality of masks and the differences in terms of the reduction and risk you’re achieving with different kinds of masks.”

For businesses wanting to bring people back into offices, Gottlieb said that October may be a more “prudent” time than September.

Gottlieb, who serves on the board of Covid vaccine maker Pfizer, said the critical question right now is how likely vaccinated people are to transmit the virus if they become infected. He said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should be collecting that data because it’s likely the current delta variant may be the newer, more permanent form of coronavirus going forward.

“When you’re dealing with a new variant where the virus levels that you achieve early in the course of your infection are thousandfold the original strain, it’s possible that you’re shedding more virus and you could be more contagious,” he said.

Local officials across the country are advising and reimposing indoor mask mandates as the highly transmissible delta variant causes Covid cases and deaths to increase again in the U.S., particularly in largely unvaccinated communities.

Nearly 162 million people in the U.S. are fully vaccinated — almost 49% of the nation’s population — even as the rate of daily administered shots has seen a sharp dip in recent months, according to a CDC tracker.

The CDC eased its Covid guidelines on masks for fully vaccinated people on May 13.

Since delta has taken a stronger hold, however, health experts are cautioning people to again use masks and follow public health measures. White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNBC on Wednesday that even fully vaccinated people may want to consider wearing masks indoors as a protective measure against the delta variant.

Last week, Gottlieb told CNBC that he believes the U.S. is “vastly underestimating” the number of Covid delta infections, particularly among vaccinated people with mild symptoms, making it harder to understand if the variant is causing higher-than-expected hospitalization and death rates. 

“The endgame here was always going to be a final wave of infection,” Gottlieb told CNBC on Thursday. “We had anticipated that this summer would be relatively quiet and we’d have a surge of infections in the fall with B.1.1.7, and that would be sort of the final wave of the pandemic phase of this virus and we would enter a more endemic phase where this virus just becomes a fact of life and it circulates at a certain level.”

But unlike the early last year, he added, “We have therapeutics and vaccines to deal with it, we’re better at treating it and it becomes sort of like a second flu.”

Disclosure: Scott Gottlieb is a CNBC contributor and is a member of the boards of Pfizer, genetic testing start-up Tempus, health-care tech company Aetion and biotech company Illumina. He also serves as co-chair of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ and Royal Caribbean’s “Healthy Sail Panel.”

Categories
World News

Europe’s journey trade determined as Covid surges

Europe's travel industry desperate as Covid surges

In 2020, workers will carry scaffolding on the beach “Paradise” on the Greek Cycladic island of Mykonos. The island has traditionally been overcrowded with wealthy foreigners, but it turned into a ghost island last year.

ARIS MESSINIS | AFP | Getty Images

During the Covid-19 pandemic, perhaps no other industry was hit harder than the global travel and tourism sector, as planes grounded, resorts closed, and carefree vacations are a distant memory for most of us.

Some countries in Europe – Greece, Spain, and Portugal, for example – rely on tourism to fuel economic growth, with the prosperity of thousands of businesses, livelihoods, and communities tied to the success or failure of the season.

With Covid vaccinations rolled out across the region since late 2020, there were high hopes that Europe could look forward to a recovery in summer tourism this year.

Instead, the season looks very uncertain, as the delta variant is increasing in Europe and stipulating a multitude of different rules and restrictions, traffic light systems, country risk profiles as well as possible quarantines and entry requirements for vaccines.

Fourth wave?

Traveling within Europe these days is in many ways not for the faint of heart. The Covid infection rate has increased across the region as the highly contagious Delta variant has conquered the globe.

As with the previous Alpha variant (which Delta has now usurped), the UK was something of a harbinger of doom when it came to what the rest of Europe could expect. The UK saw another wave of Covid caused by the alpha variant earlier this year and is now seeing another wave with Delta.

Despite efforts on the continent to contain the variant, the inevitable spread has occurred, with the strain now accounting for the majority of new infections from country to country.

The Netherlands and Spain have seen large spikes in cases, largely due to the night sector, after both countries reopened their nightclubs in late June, only to reverse course two weeks later. Meanwhile, France announced earlier this week that it was entering a fourth wave of the pandemic, with government spokesman Gabriel Attal sounding the alarm:

“We have entered a fourth wave. The epidemic dynamics are extremely strong. We are seeing a faster wave and a bigger surge than any previous … the incidence rate continues to explode … So big, so sudden, we have that not seen since the beginning of the pandemic, “said Attal on Monday.

Tourism and airline stocks took a hit earlier this week as global markets slumped on renewed fears about the global recovery. EasyJet and Ryanair, well-known low-cost airlines in Europe, were among the stocks that posted significant price losses. EasyJet’s shares, for example, traded at 842.20 pence on Friday but fell to 758.20 pence early Monday afternoon.

Easyjet CEO Johan Lundgren told CNBC on Tuesday that the travel sector was facing an “extremely challenging” situation, but that vaccination programs in Europe were key to reopening. The data shows that two doses from Pfizer-BioNTech or AstraZeneca-Oxford University are effective against the Delta variant, reducing the risk of hospitalization and death.

“We always knew that [the recovery] shouldn’t be a straight line … But we see the restrictions lifted. But it is absolutely right that when you open up societies and communities, infections also increase. The question is whether the vaccinations make the link between [infection and] severe hospitalization and death, and luckily it looks like it, “Lundgren told CNBC’s Squawk Box Europe.

Complex trips

Anyone planning a last-minute European vacation this year should expect an often confusing, complex, and quite stressful experience – even before you get off the plane.

As a general example of the complexities of vacationing in these troubled times, let’s take traveling from the UK to Greece – a vacation that 3.4 million Britons took in 2019, as official statistics show:

Greece allows UK visitors if they can provide evidence of a negative Covid-19 PCR test performed within 72 hours of arriving in the country or evidence of a negative rapid antigen test performed by an authorized laboratory within the 48 hour before the scheduled flight; or proof of two doses of a Covid vaccine completed at least 14 days prior to travel.

Before entering Greece, however, you must fill out a passenger search form with your vaccination status, your vacation address and the next of kin no later than 11:59 p.m. (local time) the previous day. Then vacationers must take a PCR test and fill out another passenger locator form before returning to the UK, and then have another PCR test or 10 day quarantine within two days of their return to the UK.

All of that, and Greece is actually one of the easier places to vacation this year.

Like its fellow Europeans, Greece has not escaped the somewhat inevitable spike in Covid cases as the economy (especially the island’s night economy) has opened up. Still, the daily number of cases seems small compared to France or the UK. On Wednesday, Greece reported 2,972 new cases, 19 of which were located after controls at the country’s borders.

Busier times in Paliouri Beach, Greece: this picture was taken in 2017 which was considered one of the busiest summers in terms of visitor arrivals.

NurPhoto | NurPhoto | Getty Images

Wolfango Piccoli, co-president of the Teneo Intelligence risk advisory service, stated on Wednesday that the resurgence of Covid-19 in Greece “brings with it new challenges, particularly with regard to another lean tourist season and the following economic consequences”, circumstances that Put pressure on Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

“Mitsotakis had hoped to leave the pandemic behind this summer when his center-right government reached the middle of its four-year return to growth. However, the Covid-19 numbers have risen significantly in recent weeks and the important tourism sector is already pushing for more government support in the fall, fearing that visitor numbers will be even more disappointing this year, “said Piccoli.

As the Delta variant gradually became more dominant, Piccoli noted that Greece was puzzled as “the number of daily vaccinations has fallen below 100,000 this month, despite the government incentivizing Greeks between the ages of 18 and 25 150 euros (177 US dollars) offers vaccinated. “

So far, only about 120,000 of an estimated 980,000 Greeks in this age group have been vaccinated.

Immunization rates in the general population have reached nearly 52% for at least one dose of the vaccine and nearly 44% for full vaccination, Piccoli noted, adding that “the recent slower uptake has cast doubt on the government’s ability to meet its vaccination goal.” 70-75% of the adult population by the end of summer. “

Categories
Politics

Biden predicts the F.D.A. will give ultimate approval to a Covid vaccine by the autumn.

Biden predicts the F.D.A. will give final approval to a Covid vaccine by the fall.

President Biden told a town hall audience in Ohio on Wednesday evening that he expected the Food and Drug Administration would give final approval “quickly” for Covid-19 vaccines, as he pressed for skeptical Americans to get vaccinated and stop another surge of the pandemic.

Mr. Biden said he was not intervening in the decision of government scientists, but pointed toward a potential decision soon from the F.D.A. to give final approval for the vaccines, which are currently authorized for emergency use. Many medical professionals have pushed for the final approval, saying it could help increase uptake of the vaccines.

“My expectation talking to the group of scientists we put together, over 20 of them plus others in the field, is that sometime maybe in the beginning of the school year, at the end of August, beginning of September, October, they’ll get a final approval” for the vaccines at the F.D.A., Mr. Biden said.

The president also said he expected children under the age of 12, who are not currently eligible to receive the vaccine, would be approved to get it on an emergency basis “soon, I believe.”

The president’s comments at the town hall came as the spread of the Delta variant has led to a national rise in coronavirus cases. Over the past week, an average of roughly 41,300 cases has been reported each day across the country, an increase of 171 percent from two weeks ago. The number of new deaths reported is up by 42 percent, to an average of 249 a day for the past week.

In some states, such as Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana and Florida, new infections have increased sharply, also driving an increase in hospitalizations. Cases are increasing more rapidly in states where vaccination rates are low.

In Ohio, where Mr. Biden traveled on Wednesday to talk up what he pitched as the good-paying union jobs that his infrastructure plan would create, the president found himself fielding questions from audience members concerned about low vaccination rates in their communities.

“This is simple, basic proposition,” he said. “If you’re vaccinated, you’re not going to be hospitalized. You’re not going to be in an I.C.U. unit. And you are not going to die.”

Later, Mr. Biden exaggerated the efficacy of the vaccine, even as some vaccinated staffers in the West Wing have recently tested positive for the coronavirus. “You’re not going to get Covid if you have these vaccinations,” he said.

In response to a move by Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier Wednesday to bar two of former President Donald J. Trump’s most vociferous Republican defenders in Congress from joining a select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, Mr. Biden was unequivocal about what happened that day.

“I don’t care if you think I’m Satan reincarnated, the fact is you can’t look at that television and say nothing happened on the sixth,” he said. “You can’t listen to people who say this was a peaceful march.”

But speaking in a red state that Mr. Trump won in the 2020 election, as he tries to build support for his infrastructure plans, Mr. Biden kept his criticism to some of the lawmakers elected to office, rather than Republican voters who got them there.

“I have faith in the American people, I do, to ultimately get to the right place,” he said. “Many times Republicans are in the right place.”

Jesus Jiménez contributed reporting.

Categories
Health

Olympics Covid Circumstances Increase Tough Questions About Testing

Olympics Covid Cases Raise Tricky Questions About Testing

In addition, questions about transmission remain unanswered. Vaccinated people with asymptomatic or breakthrough infections may still be able to pass the virus on to others, but it is not yet clear how often this happens.

Until this science is more definitive or vaccination rates go up, it’s best to stay on the safety and regular testing side, many experts said. At the Olympics, for example, frequent testing could help protect the wider Japanese population, who have relatively low vaccination rates, as well as support staff, who may be older and at higher risk.

“It is these people that I really worry most about,” said Dr. Lisa Brosseau. on Research Advisor at the Center for Infection Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

Not only can they become infected with the virus, which puts a strain on the Japanese health system, but they can also become sources of transmission: “Everyone is at risk and anyone could potentially be infected,” she said.

According to the Tokyo 2020 Press Office, all Olympics staff and volunteers were given the opportunity to get vaccinated, although officials did not provide any information about how many had received the syringes.

Instead of testing less frequently, officials could rethink how they respond to positive tests, said Dr. Binney. For example, if someone who is vaccinated and tested positive asymptomatically should still be isolated – but maybe close contacts could just be monitored instead of being quarantined.

“You are trying to balance the disruptive nature of what you do when someone tests positive against any benefits in slowing or stopping the spread of the virus,” said Dr. Binney.

Categories
Health

In an ICU, a Photographer’s View of a Determined Covid Struggle

In an ICU, a Photographer's View of a Desperate Covid Fight

Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and gives a behind-the-scenes look at how our journalism comes together.

When I photographed people in Covid-19 intensive care units earlier this year, I was protected by four plastic sets: glasses, safety glasses, face shield and viewfinder. But there is no protection for the pain that you take.

I recently took pictures for a Times article about Covid treatment as a last resort called ECMO that documented coronavirus patients and the health professionals who care for them at the Providence Saint John Health Center in Santa Monica, California. The families have allowed me to share the darkest moments of their lives.

I felt privileged to be let into these sacred spaces. As a journalist, I see it as my responsibility to have the emotional bandwidth to be with people in moments that most of society cannot deal with. Despite safety guidelines that discouraged long periods of time in the intensive care unit, I would spend hours with each patient and linger for extended periods of time to get a feel for the person and bring out an emotional spectrum of moments.

The verbal interaction helps me connect with those I photograph. During this task, some people were either awake or unable to speak, and the strongest connection was often silent.

I stood next to Alfred Sablan’s bed, 25, imagining the sound of his voice and trying to feel the gentle way his mother had described. I leaned over Dr. David Gutierrez, 62, a doctor who had become a patient himself, and reminded him of who I was. He looked back, unable to answer with words, but I felt our connection through classic rock playing on his iPad.

From time to time a member of staff would come in to look for Mr. Sablan or Dr. See Gutierrez. “Are you all right?” asked a nurse when she opened the door from Dr. Gutierrez’s room opened. He nodded “yes”.

In the midst of all the pain, there were memories of grace.

Categories
Health

WHO chief addresses IOC in Japan, warns of recent Covid wave

WHO chief addresses IOC in Japan, warns of new Covid wave

World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will attend a daily press conference on COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, on March 11, 2020 at WHO headquarters in Geneva.

Fabrice Coffrini | AFP | Getty Images

The world is in the early stages of another wave of Covid-19 infections and deaths, World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.

Speaking to members of the International Olympic Committee in Tokyo, Tedros said the global failure to share vaccines, tests and treatments is fueling a “two-pronged pandemic”. Countries with adequate resources like vaccines are opening up while others lock up to slow down the transmission of the virus.

Vaccine discrepancies around the world mask a “appalling injustice,” he added.

The pandemic is a test and the world is failing.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Director General, World Health Organization

“This is not only a moral outrage, but also epidemiologically and economically self-destructive,” Tedros said, adding that the longer the pandemic lasts, the more socio-economic turmoil it will bring. “The pandemic is a test and the world is failing.”

He warned: “19 months after the start of the pandemic and seven months since the first vaccines were approved, we are now in the early stages of another wave of infections and deaths”. Tedros added that the global threat from the pandemic will remain until all countries have the disease under control.

A festival of hope

The Tokyo Games are slated to open on Friday after being postponed last year due to the pandemic.

Rising Covid-19 cases in Tokyo have overshadowed the Olympics, which excluded all viewers from the Games this month after Japan declared a state of emergency.

The cases around the Japanese capital have increased by more than 1,000 new infections daily in the past few days. Japan has reported more than 848,000 Covid cases and over 15,000 deaths nationwide from a relatively slow vaccine adoption.

The first positive Covid-19 case hit the athletes’ village over the weekend and so far more than 70 cases have been linked to the Tokyo Games.

On Wednesday, Tedros said the Games were a celebration of “something our world needs now more than ever – a celebration of hope”. While the pandemic may have postponed the Games, he said it did not “beat” them.

Vaccine discrepancies

Tedros criticized the vaccine discrepancies between rich and low-income countries. He said 75% of all vaccine doses – more than 3.5 billion vaccinations – were given in just 10 countries, while only 1% of people in poorer countries received at least one vaccination.

“Vaccines are powerful and indispensable tools. But the world has not used them well,” he said, adding that vaccinations have not been widely available but have been concentrated in the “hands and arms of the lucky few”.

The global health authority has called for at least 70% of the population in every country to be vaccinated by the middle of next year.

“The pandemic will end when the world chooses to end it. It’s in our hands, ”said Tedros. “We have all the tools we need: we can prevent this disease, we can test for it, and we can treat it.”

He called on the world’s leading economies, by sharing vaccines and funding global efforts to make them more accessible, and incentivizing companies to expand vaccine production.

Disclosure: CNBC parent NBCUniversal owns NBC Sports and NBC Olympics. NBC Olympics owns the U.S. broadcast rights to all Summer and Winter Games through 2032.

Categories
Health

NYC to require vaccinations or weekly Covid exams for metropolis well being care, hospital staff: Sources

NYC to require vaccinations or weekly Covid tests for city health care, hospital workers: Sources

Bill de Blasio, Mayor of New York.

Jeenah moon | Reuters

New York City will require all employees in city health facilities and hospitals to be vaccinated or have weekly Covid tests, with positivity rates continuing to rise as the Delta variant spreads, City Hall officials told NBC New York.

Mayor Bill de Blasio will release details on the request Wednesday morning, including those that go with it, sources said. The plan targets the unvaccinated third of all healthcare and hospital workers in the city.

“It’s about the safety of a health system,” said Bill Neidhardt, the mayor’s press officer.

This is a developing story. Please check again for updates.

Categories
Health

Rule-breaking in bars in Holland a difficulty as Covid fee soars

Rule-breaking in bars in Holland an issue as Covid rate soars

Students cheer on a terrasse of a cafe in Amsterdam on June 25, 2021 when the Netherlands eased Covid-19 restrictions.

PAUL BERGEN | AFP | Getty Images

Rule-breaking in cafes and bars in the Netherlands is a persistent problem that the hospitality industry must deal with, the country’s prime minister said as the nation battles with a surge in Covid-19 infections.

Speaking Monday, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte implored the industry to make customers adhere to the rules on social distancing and remain sitting down in their assigned seats, adding that this was critical given the high number of infections.

“With regard to the hospitality industry, we would like to point out that it is going well in many places, but in too many places it is not and it is extremely important,” Rutte said at a brief news conference Monday afternoon.

Rutte said the police cannot monitor tens of thousands of bars, cafes and restaurants in the Netherlands to make sure they are complying with the rules of social distancing and seating customers, “so we really have to do that together,” he said. “With the current infection figures, we don’t want to have to take extra measures,” he added.

Not enough social distancing

Rutte’s comments come as the Netherlands scrambles to contain a surge in Covid infections, mainly among younger people. Amid a fit of optimism over its vaccination program, the Dutch government announced in late June that most restrictions would be lifted, apart from the 1.5 meter social distancing rule, and that nightclubs would be allowed to reopen.

Cases soon began to soar, however, surging eightfold in just one week to around 10,000 cases on July 10, prompting the government to perform a U-turn and for Rutte to apologize for lifting restrictions too soon.

The government conceded that the “coronavirus infection rate in the Netherlands has increased much faster than expected since society reopened almost completely on 26 June.”

“Most infections have occurred in nightlife settings and parties with high numbers of people,” it said, as it forced nightclubs to close down again on July 10.

While bars, restaurants and cafes have been allowed to remain open and can operate at 100% capacity, there are strict rules in place.

People must be assigned seats and keep a 1.5 meter distance if sitting inside, unless hygiene screens are placed between tables. For outdoor service, social distancing is not necessary. Entertainment, including live performances and TV screens, is not permitted and loud music may not be played, government rules state. Venues must close at midnight.

Coen Berends, a spokesperson for the Netherlands’ National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, told CNBC on Tuesday that it was “impossible to calculate the effect of this ‘rule breaking'” in bars, cafes and restaurants.

“In general we model the effects of the applied rules and can also model the effect of the absence of rules. These models predict the effect of a whole package of measures, but can’t discriminate between different rules or the lack of compliance to a specific rule. In general our Management Outbreak Team advises the rules on social distancing and sitting in assigned seats in bars and restaurants to diminish spreading of the virus. So, disobeying these rules might definitely have an effect. Especially with the now dominant Delta variant of the virus,” he said.

“We do not, however, know the extent of this effect. It will certainly not have the massive effect that opening clubs and organizing large events had a couple of weeks ago. We see a stabilization of the numbers of positive tests now. So it seems the latest measures made by our government are successful. We will still have to see what the effect is on [the] number of hospitalizations,” Berends noted.

Infections running high

The Netherlands is certainly still in a difficult position when it comes to Covid infections, however, lying just below the U.K. in terms of its high infection rate in Europe but further behind when it comes to vaccinations. In the U.K., 68.5% of adults are fully vaccinated, in the Netherlands, it’s just above 50%, the latest available data shows.

On Monday, Jaap van Dissel, chair of the government’s Outbreak Management Team and director of the Centre for Infectious Disease Control, warned that in the past seven calendar days (measured from July 9-15), the number of reports of Covid-positive individuals has increased by 298%, compared with the previous seven days.

“Since the relaxation of the measures on June 26, there has been a strong increase of the number of infections among 18-29 year-olds,” van Dissel said in an open letter to the country’s director-general of public health. He said it was too early to tell what impact the tightening of measures would have.

On Monday, Health Minister Hugo de Jonge expressed the hope that cases were stabilizing and would begin to fall. Speaking alongside Rutte on Monday, de Jonge said that “over the past week … the number of positive test results has stabilized and that means that growth is not continuing. I think that’s positive.” 

“At the same time, we have to say: The number of positive test results at this level, of around 10,000 per day over the past week, is of course too high and that must of course be reduced.” 

He said the country must work hard to reduce the number of infections, echoing Rutte’s call for the 1.5 meter social distancing rule to be adhered to “in the hospitality industry, on the street and also at home when we receive guests. … We really need that 1.5 meter space for the time being to ensure that we will keep that epidemic under control.”

Categories
Health

Infectious illness knowledgeable says Covid vaccine misinformation is ‘killing individuals’

Not prudent to deploy vaccine boosters at this point: Ex-FDA director

Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, founding director of the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases at Boston University, expressed concern about the spread of misinformation about Covid vaccines on social media.

“I think social media plays a huge role in amplifying misinformation that is leading people not to take the vaccine, which is killing them,” Bhadelia told CNBC on Friday. “It’s the honest truth. Covid is a vaccine-preventable disease at the moment.”

President Joe Biden said Friday that platforms like Facebook are killing people by allowing misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines through their services. He went back those comments on Monday, mainly accusing the platform’s users of sharing misinformation.

Bhadelia cited results from the Kaiser Family Fund poll, which found that 54% of Americans either believe or cannot tell whether a common Covid vaccine myth is fact or fiction.

The US is struggling with a drop in vaccination rates and an increase in infections. All 50 states have reported an increase in Covid cases over the past week, according to Johns Hopkins University. The US has an average of more than 26,000 new cases a day, and that’s the highest number in two months, according to Johns Hopkins.

Bhadelia told CNBC The News with Shepard Smith that she believes social media companies can do a lot more to stop the spread of disinformation.

“You have to invest a lot more resources and improve your balance to clear that information faster, invest more resources in changing your matrix, because right now what is on top of your page is not right, but what it is is popular, “said Bhadelia, a medical worker for NBC News.

She also suggested that social media companies should partner with public health officials more to get the right information out to the people.

Facebook spoke out against the White House claims.

“We will not be distracted by allegations that are not supported by the facts,” said a spokesman. “The fact is, more than 2 billion people have viewed authoritative information about COVID-19 and vaccines on Facebook, more than any other place on the internet. More than 3.3 million Americans have also used our vaccine finder tool to find out where and how to get a vaccine. The facts show that Facebook helps save lives. Point.”

Correction: This article has been updated to include Dr. Nahid Bhadelia’s view that “social media plays a huge role in amplifying misinformation” about Covid vaccines. An earlier version misinterpreted your quote.

Categories
Health

Airways shares, Boeing tumble amid uptick in Covid circumstances

Airline, travel stocks slip after U.S. recommends pause in J&J Covid vaccine

Passengers board an American Airlines flight at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia on April 11, 2021.

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images

The demand for travel has risen sharply since spring. Delta and American both saw positive outlook thanks to a jump booking last week. The Transportation Security Administration screened nearly 2.23 million people at U.S. airports on Sunday, most since February 28, 2020, weeks before the World Health Organization declared Covid a pandemic.

But concerns about the rapidly spreading Delta variant of Covid, now the dominant variety in the US, weighed on the market across the board on Monday. Travel stocks, which are sensitive to the number of cases and related restrictions, fell more sharply than other sectors.

The trend also raises questions about international travel. International and business travel were largely missed in the recent rebound in airline bookings, although executives said earlier this month that they have started to rebound. The United States still bans most non-US citizens from entering the European Union, the United Kingdom, India, and other nations, despite the travel industry’s repeated pushing for the Biden government to lift some of these rules.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Monday urged individuals to “avoid traveling to the UK” and raised their recommendation to “Level 4,” the agency’s highest. It was said that if people have to travel there they should be fully vaccinated.

Some pandemic rules are returning due to the increase in cases. The Los Angeles District reintroduced a mask mandate for indoor use last week, including for people who have been vaccinated, as the number of Covid-19 cases has increased there. The Southern Nevada Health District, which includes Las Vegas, also urges everyone to wear masks indoors as cases increase across the state.

According to a CNBC analysis of the data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, cases in the United States rose about 66% over the past week to a seven-day average of about 32,300 new cases per day.