Tag: Covid

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Health

‘This Is Actually Scary’: Children Wrestle With Lengthy Covid

‘This Is Really Scary’: Kids Struggle With Long Covid

In class, Messiah, an honorary student, said, “my mind would kind of feel like it was going somewhere else.”

During an appointment in June at Children’s National that the Times watched, Dr. Abigail Bosk, a rheumatologist, said his fatigue after Covid is more debilitating than simple fatigue. His athleticism, she said, should help recovery, but “it’s really nothing that can be enforced.”

Dr. Yonts said the Messiah’s treatment plan, including physical therapy, is similar to a concussion. For the summer she recommended “giving your brain a break, but also slowly building up the stamina for learning and thinking”.

Messiah had at least two hobbies: playing the piano and writing poetry.

“I don’t want to float my boat, but I feel like I’m a pretty good writer,” he said. “I can still write. Sometimes I just have to think harder than I normally had to. “

Sometimes Miya Walker feels like the old me. However, after about four to six weeks, extreme tiredness and difficulty concentrating reappear.

This roller coaster lasted over a year. When she became infected with Covid in June 2020, Miya was 14 years old from Crofton, Maryland. She will be 16 years old at the end of August.

Every time “we thought it would be over,” said her mother Maisha Walker. “Then it just came back and it was just so disappointing to her.”

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Health

Fauci warns extra extreme Covid variant might emerge as U.S. instances close to 100,000 each day

Fauci warns more severe Covid variant could emerge as U.S. cases near 100,000 daily

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, listens during a Senate hearing on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions in the Dirksen Senate office building in Washington, DC, the United States, on July 20, 2021.

Stefani Reynolds | Reuters

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Senior Medical Advisor to the White House, warned that a more severe variant of Covid could emerge as the U.S. average of daily new cases is now nearing 100,000 per day, exceeding the transmission rate last summer, before vaccines were available.

Fauci said in an interview with McClatchy published on Wednesday evening that the US could be “in trouble” if a new variant overtakes Delta, which already has a viral load 1000 times higher than the original Covid strain.

Delta has turned the U.S. response to the pandemic on its head as it has been shown to infect even people who are vaccinated. Moderna warned Thursday that breakthrough infections are becoming more common as the Delta variant continues to spread.

However, vaccines still offer strong protection against serious illness and death, and the vast majority of new infections occur in unvaccinated individuals. Moderna, for example, said Thursday that the booster shot it is developing creates a robust immune response against Delta.

Fauci warned in the interview that the US is “very happy” to have vaccines that have been proven against the variants, suggesting that if even heavier strains emerge, this may not be the case.

“If another shows up who has just as high transferability but is also much more severe, we could really get into trouble,” Fauci told McClatchy. “People who don’t get vaccinated mistakenly think it’s just about them. But it’s not. It’s about everyone else too.”

The US reports a seven-day average of nearly 94,000 new cases as of Aug. 4, up 48% from a week, according to Johns Hopkins University. Separate from the average, the US actually topped 100,000 new cases a day on Monday and Tuesday.

Fauci predicted that the total number of new cases could eventually reach between 100,000 and 200,000 cases per day as the Delta variant spreads.

The recent surge in Covid has hit unvaccinated people the hardest, and Fauci said there are around 93 million eligible, unvaccinated people nationwide.

“You protect the vulnerable targets, who are unvaccinated people, by vaccinating them,” Fauci said at a briefing at the White House Thursday morning. “And when you do that, you are very, very severely blocking the development of variants that could be problematic.”

“If we do this in the immediate, medium and long term, and do the mitigation now, we will reverse the delta rise,” added Fauci.

When asked if the vaccines still prevent 99% of Covid deaths and 95% of hospital admissions, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky suggests that this conclusion is based on data from January to June. The CDC is working to update these [figures] in the context of the delta variant, “she said.

In a series of interviews conducted by CNBC in July, several health officials reiterated Fauci’s concern about the emergence of a new variant. Dr. Stephen Morse, professor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center, said in an email that “the cycle of new variants repeats itself as long as the virus infects people and circulates in the population, opening up opportunities for the virus to develop.” “. . “

“I would be very surprised if Delta were last in line,” said Morse.

And Dr. Barbara Taylor, dean and professor of infectious diseases at UT Health San Antonio, added that future variants “that increase transmission will have the advantage” as things move forward.

“As long as we have an active spread of disease around the world, we will continue to see new variants because we give the virus the opportunity to evolve,” Taylor said in an email.

Although vaccinations are well below pandemic highs, the U.S. reports an average of about 677,000 daily vaccinations for the past week through Wednesday, up 11% from the previous week, according to CDC data. The country peaked in mid-April with a reported average of 3 million vaccinations per day, but the rate of first doses being given has increased in recent weeks, driven by states with severe outbreaks and low vaccination rates.

President Joe Biden said in May that he wanted 70% of the eligible population to receive at least one dose of vaccine by July 4th. The US reached its destination on Monday, CDC data showed, about a month late.

– CNBC’s Nate Rattner contributed to this report.

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Health

Covid vaccinations greater than double in Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama

Covid vaccinations more than double in Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama

A man will be vaccinated against COVID-19 at a vaccination festival in New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, on May 28, 2021.

Lan Wei | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images

More and more people who were once hesitant in several southern states are now getting their first vaccinations as the Delta-Covid variant is tearing through areas of the United States with low vaccination rates.

Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama have more than doubled the seven-day average of daily first-doses reported since early July, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows, as the outbreak worsened nationwide.

Over the same period, the average daily caseload increased from about 13,000 per day across the country to about 94,000 per day on Aug. 4, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, with the overwhelming majority of new infections below those who are unvaccinated .

“Americans are clearly seeing the effects of not being vaccinated and unprotected, and they are responding by doing their part, rolling up their sleeves and getting vaccinated,” White House Covid Tsar Jeff Zients said Thursday to reporters.

In Arkansas, which has the third worst outbreak in the country, based on new cases per capita every day, vaccinations nearly tripled. On July 1, the state administered a seven-day average of 2,893 first doses in the arms, which, according to a CNBC analysis of CDC data, represented new people receiving their first shots. By August 4, that number had increased to a seven-day average of 8,585 first doses per day.

Mississippi, which saw the fourth worst outbreak in the country, saw its first doses given since early July increased 178% through August 4. Louisiana saw a 128% increase and Alabama, which hosted the fifth worst outbreak nationwide, saw a 109% increase.

Louisiana is experiencing the worst per capita outbreak of new Covid cases in the country, recording hospital admissions after the Delta variant targeted the state’s mostly unvaccinated population.

The state governor has reintroduced a mask mandate until at least September 1 to slow down the transmission. Despite the recent surge in vaccinations, Louisiana still ranks fifth in the country for fully vaccinated residents at 37.2%.

“The COVID-19 vaccination rate in Louisiana is not where we need it and that, when combined with the Delta variant, has resulted in the perfect storm we’re seeing right now,” said Mindy Faciane, Public Information Officer at the Department of Health Louisiana across from CNBC.

Behind Louisiana is Arkansas with 37% of the fully vaccinated population, Wyoming with 36.7%, Mississippi with 34.8% and Alabama with 34.6%, according to CDC data.

Covid cases with serious consequences are also increasing, according to US officials. The seven-day average of daily hospital admissions is up 41% from a week, with the average daily death toll up 39%, said CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky on Thursday.

Studies have shown that the Delta variant is much more transmissible than the original Covid strain and, unlike the original, requires two doses of vaccine so that the body has a chance to fight against infection and severe symptoms.

“Even if someone decided to get the vaccine today, it will be some time before their body and immune system are able to cope with it,” said Gigi Gronvall, immunologist and senior scientist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Safety. said CNBC. “You want to make sure you aren’t exposed before your body has a chance to turn the virus off.”

Still, residents in severely affected states who start vaccinating will help slow the spread of the virus sooner rather than later and could prevent future hospitalizations and deaths.

“People are seeing how this is affecting their communities and they are actively changing their minds to get the vaccine,” Faciane said. “Our vaccination rate is going through the roof right now.”

Patients of different ages hospitalized with Covid in states like Missouri, Florida, Arkansas, and Louisiana regret having refused the vaccination initially and are asking their communities to get vaccinated.

Overall, the US reported an average of about 677,000 daily vaccinations last week (as of August 4), up 11% from a week.

The number of first vaccine doses increases faster than the overall rate. According to the CDC, an average of about 446,000 first doses were given daily for the past seven days, 17% more than the week before.

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Health

For Seniors Particularly, Covid Can Be Stealthy

For Seniors Especially, Covid Can Be Stealthy

“We’re not necessarily surprised by this,” said Dr. Maria Carney, a geriatrician and an author of the Northwell study. “Older adults don’t always present like other adults. They may not mount a fever. Their metabolisms are different.”

Younger diabetics, for instance, may become sweaty and experience palpitations if their blood sugar falls, Dr. Carney explained. An older person with low blood sugar could faint without warning. Older people who suffer from depression may have appetite loss or insomnia but not necessarily feel sad.

Understand the State of Vaccine Mandates in the U.S.

In May of 2020, Dr. Carney heard from a daughter worried about her mother, who was in her 80s and had suddenly grown weaker. “She didn’t have fever or a cough, but she was just not herself,” Dr. Carney recalled. Doctors at a local emergency room had diagnosed a urinary tract infection and prescribed antibiotics, the daughter reported. But five days later, her mother’s condition was worsening. “She needs a Covid test,” Dr. Carney advised.

Diagnosing Covid quickly in older patients can make a world of difference. “We have things to offer now that we didn’t have in the first wave,” said Dr. Eleftherios Mylonakis, chief of infectious diseases at Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, who led the Providence nursing home study. “We have better understanding, more treatments, better support.”

Among the improvements: using anticoagulant drugs to prevent clotting and using monoclonal antibodies (the treatment that former President Trump received at Walter Reed Hospital) that strengthen the immune system. But, Dr. Mylonakis added, “It’s paramount to start any kind of treatment early.”

Understanding that something as vague as weakness, confusion or appetite loss might signal a Covid infection can also help protect friends and family, who can then isolate and get tested themselves. “It not only helps the individual, but also can contain the spread of the virus,” Dr. Mylonakis said.

A Covid diagnosis can also ward off needless tests and procedures. “We can avoid unnecessary testing, poking and prodding, CT scans,” Dr. Carney said. CT scans are expensive, burdensome and take time to schedule and analyze; a nasal swab for Covid is quick, relatively cheap and now widely available.

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Health

White Home pushes for teenagers 12 and as much as get Covid vaccine

White House pushes for kids 12 and up to get Covid vaccine

The Biden government on Thursday announced efforts to ramp up Covid vaccinations for children 12 and older, as well as young adults returning to school this fall.

The plan sees more than 50 million students returning to K-12 school and 20 million returning to college within the next six weeks. It also comes amid a surge in cases of the highly communicable Delta-Covid variant, particularly in unvaccinated communities in the United States

As of last week, only 30% of 12-17 year olds were fully vaccinated, which is why leading US doctors worried that the Delta variant could spread to classrooms across the country if thousands of schools reopen.

President Joe Biden’s plan builds on a broader Return to School Roadmap released earlier this week designed to help students, schools and educators safely return to face-to-face learning in the face of these Delta Concerns.

“For young people, getting vaccinated right away is the best way back to the things they love – like exercising, graduating from college, and spending time with friends and loved ones,” a White House statement said.

More than a dozen sports and medical organizations, including the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics, issued a statement urging all medical providers to inquire about Covid vaccination status during exercise and student status Informing athletes of where to get vaccinations, according to schedule.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) will also be releasing revised forms for doctors, parents, and students that contain information about Covid vaccinations. The organization estimates that around 60 to 70% of children in the United States participate in organized sports, making the fall physical exams a prime opportunity to promote youth vaccination.

“Vaccination prevents common diseases, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 and will help keep students in the classroom, athletes in play and sports teams on the field while protecting our communities,” AAP said in the joint statement with eleven others Organizations.

As part of the plan, the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) will also invite 22,000 local organizations to hold community talks with parents about vaccinating their children.

The PTA will work with AAP to bring local pediatricians to these interviews, as planned.

The Biden administration will also provide schools and colleges with resources to run pop-up vaccine clinics on campus. Last week, President Joe Biden directed school districts in the US to run at least one pop-up clinic in the coming weeks, in collaboration with pharmacies on the federal pharmacy program.

The government will also run a campaign to push youth vaccinations from August 7-15, the plan added. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona will travel to Topeka, Kansas to attend a back-to-school vaccine clinic.

Emhoff and the director of the National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, will also host a virtual discussion with youth leaders about youth vaccine access, according to the plan.

On Monday, the U.S. hit Biden’s May target of providing 70% of U.S. adults with at least one vaccination, about a month behind the original July target.

Overall, the US reported an average of about 677,000 daily vaccinations last week (as of August 4), up 11% from a week.

While Covid vaccinations are still limited for children under the age of 12, the FDA approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine for children ages 12 to 15 in May.

Moderna’s vaccine will also be approved for children aged 12 and over. Moderna also plans to expand the scope of its clinical trials for its vaccine to children ages 5-11.

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Politics

Biden warns of financial peril from Covid regardless of July job positive aspects

Biden warns of economic peril from Covid despite July job gains

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden resisted the temptation to take a victory lap Friday following the release of strong July jobs numbers, instead telling the country that rising Covid cases pose an urgent threat to the economic recovery.

“My message today is not one of celebration,” Biden said in remarks at the White House. “It is one to remind us that we have a lot of hard work left to be done, both to beat the delta variant and to continue the advance of our economic recovery.”

The highly contagious delta strain of Covid currently accounts for at least 80% of new infections nationwide.

Still, hiring rose last month at its fastest pace in nearly a year, despite fears over the delta variant and as companies struggled with a tight labor supply.

Nonfarm payrolls increased by 943,000, while the unemployment rate dropped to 5.4%, according to the department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. The payroll increase was the best since August 2020.

The number of new jobs beat economists’ expectations by nearly 100,000, and the unemployment rate fell three tenths of a percent lower than experts had predicted it would.

In touting the strength and resilience of the economic recovery, Biden did something Friday that he rarely does: pointed to Wall Street analysts to validate his argument.

“What we’re doing is working,” he said. “Don’t take my word for it. The forecasters on Wall Street project that over the next 10 years, our economy will expand by trillions of dollars and will create 2 million good paying jobs.”

Trouble ahead

But July’s strong topline numbers do not accurately reflect a troubling new development in recent weeks: the rise in Covid infections and hospitalizations attributed to the delta variant.

That’s because the actual numbers for BLS monthly jobs reports are calculated during just the second week of the month, based on that week’s data.

In the three weeks since the July jobs figures were calculated, hospital emergency rooms and intensive care units have begun filling up again in parts of the country.

This has prompted some large employers and schools to freeze plans to fully reopen offices and campuses in the coming weeks.

The White House is deeply concerned that rising Covid caseloads could stall the economic recovery, imperiling Biden’s domestic agenda and Democrats’ electoral chances in the midterm elections.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki answers questions during the daily briefing on August 06, 2021 in Washington, DC.

Win McNamee | Getty Images

Sticks and carrots

And after months of relying on incentives, celebrity endorsements and local outreach to persuade Americans to get vaccinated, the Biden administration took a tougher line this past week, adding sticks to the proverbial carrot-stick equation.

Federal employees who cannot prove they’ve been vaccinated will be placed under a host of unpleasant restrictions at work, like being physically separated from their vaccinated colleagues.

The Pentagon also announced plans to include the Covid vaccine among the mandatory vaccines administered to U.S. service members.

Biden didn’t touch on these measures in his speech Friday, choosing instead to describe various measures the administration is enacting to protect the economic recovery.

He repeatedly referred to Covid as a “pandemic of the unvaccinated,” a phrase that some critics say fails to capture the universal impact of rising caseloads and things like reinstated mask mandates.

As the White House often notes, more than 90% of Covid hospitalizations are people who have not been vaccinated against the virus. And while vaccinated people can contract and transmit Covid, they typically exhibit mild symptoms akin to a flu or a sinus infection.

The White House view

Both publicly and privately, White House aides say that the stubbornly high rate of unvaccinated Americans — 30% of eligible recipients — is creating a situation where one virus, the coronavirus, is essentially creating two different, parallel public health challenges.

On one track are the 166 million fully or partially vaccinated people, whose individual Covid infections the government has not officially tracked since March.

For them, the virus looks more like a seasonal flu from past years than it does like the debilitating, weekslong pulmonary crisis that millions of Americans experienced in 2020, before the vaccine became available.

But for the unvaccinated, many of whom are concentrated in the Southeastern United States, the delta variant virus is just as deadly, and far more contagious, than the original virus was in the early months of last year.

Biden, however, believes there is reason for optimism. “I’m pleased to report in the past week we have seen first-time vaccinations in America go up by 4 million shots,” he said Friday. “That’s more than we have seen in a long time.”

— CNBC’s Jeff Cox contributed to this report.

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Health

Expedia CEO urges Covid vaccine for all however says it will not be required for workers

Expedia CEO urges Covid vaccine for all but says it won't be required for employees

Expedia is holding back on a company-wide Covid vaccine mandate even as other large companies begin implementing them, CEO Peter Kern told CNBC on Friday.

“We’re trying to find solutions that are most widely used across our entire workforce, but there are no easy answers. … We all have to learn to live with Covid,” Kern said on Squawk Box. . “

“If we were all vaccinated in the US, we wouldn’t talk a lot about the Delta variant or anything else. But the world is a big place. We won’t vaccinate 8 billion people overnight,” said Kern of the US Census Bureau nearly 7.8 billion, and growing.

The online travel platform CEO’s comments came when United Airlines announced on Friday morning that its 67,000 US employees would have to get vaccinated or risk being fired by October 25th – a first among major US airlines and a move that will likely put pressure on its competitors. Other airlines, including Delta Air Lines, are still choosing to incentivize their employees and customers to get vaccinated instead of requiring them.

“We have offices in 55 countries around the world, there is no one-size-fits-all answer,” said Kern. “I think everyone gets vaccinated and I think companies are trying to find ways to motivate their employees in the right way and we definitely want our employees to be vaccinated too . “

The travel business has been adversely affected by the more contagious Delta variant spreading in the U.S. and around the world, Kern said. “We’ve certainly seen tremendous demand well into the summer and there is still pretty strong demand. But on the fringes, Delta has certainly had an impact.”

Kern said business travel “lagged significantly,” with delayed plans to return to the office likely to add to this trend. However, he believes that Expedia’s business, international and domestic bookings will return to pre-pandemic levels by next summer.

When travel made a comeback in April, Expedia changed its marketing strategy by updating its app and websites to focus more on collaborating with consumers in planning trips rather than just focusing on the number of bookings. The company raised $ 3.2 billion in new capital last year to help cut costs during the height of the pandemic.

“I think you will see that we are investing better, smarter and more organized against our brands,” said Kern. “You will see that our brands are working more clearly together for the common good rather than competing with one another.”

Expedia announced an adjusted loss per share of $ 1.13 for the second quarter after the bell on Thursday. Analysts had expected a loss of 65 cents per share. However, sales of $ 2.11 billion were better than expected. That’s a 273% increase from pandemic-related sales a year ago, but still about 40% less than in the second quarter of 2019 before Covid.

The company’s brands include the namesake Expedia.com as well as Hotels.com, Vrbo, Trivago, Orbitz and Hotwire.

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Health

Idaho Gov. Brad Little urges residents to get Covid vaccine

Long-haul Covid symptoms should be a 'wake-up call' for young people, Texas Children's doctor says

Idaho Gov. Brad Little on Friday called on the state’s residents to get vaccinated against Covid, citing concern about the delta variant and its potential to hinder economic progress.

“We’re just urging everybody to get vaccinated,” Little said on CNBC’s “The Exchange.”

Little said his biggest concern and “one of the most detrimental things” to the economy would be if children do not attend in-person school full-time in the fall and and parents stay home with them. “That will slow down the economy, so we want the vaccination rate to get up and protect our Idaho citizens,” said Little, a Republican who took office in 2019. He previously served as lieutenant governor.

Idaho has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the nation, with about 46% of residents ages 12 and up fully vaccinated and nearly 51% having at least one dose, according to the state’s public health division. Both figures lag the national rate.

For the U.S. overall, 58% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated while 68% have had at least one dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Half of the total American population is now fully vaccinated against Covid, a White House official tweeted Friday before the CDC posted the data on its website.

The number of daily cases is also on the rise in Idaho as the highly contagious delta variant ravages largely unvaccinated parts of the country. 

Little has refrained from imposing a statewide mask mandate, although a few counties and about a dozen cities in Idaho have issued local requirements in efforts to curb the spread of the virus. In late May, Little rescinded an executive order barring mask mandates that Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin issued while he was away at a conference.

“I believe in empowering businesses and local government to do the right thing,” Little told CNBC. “We’re advocates of vaccination and doing whatever health protocols to keep the spread down, but we are very concerned about” the delta variant.

Little said he hopes more residents getting vaccinated demonstrates the benefits to those who are hesitant to get the shot. “Every day that goes by that more people are vaccinated and protected means that their neighbors, friends, family members are aware of that,” he said.

Despite the near-term Covid worries, Little said economic activity in Idaho remains strong. He noted that Idaho’s population is one of the fastest-growing in the U.S.

“We are concerned about the new variant and some more positivity rates, but we just got a great booming economy here right now,” he said.

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Health

United to require Covid vaccinations for its 67,000 U.S. workers

United to require Covid vaccinations for its 67,000 U.S. employees

United Airlines will require its 67,000 US employees to be vaccinated against Covid by October 25th or risk being fired, a first for major US airlines that is likely to put pressure on rivals.

Airlines, including United, have so far opposed vaccine mandates for all workers and instead offered incentives such as additional pay or time off for vaccination. Delta Air Lines started asking newly hired employees to provide proof of vaccination in May. United followed suit in June.

United’s requirement is one of the strictest vaccination regulations of any US company and involves employees who regularly interact with customers such as flight attendants and gate agents.

US companies like Facebook announced that employees would need to prove they were vaccinated in order to return to the office. Others only ask for it for certain employees. Walmart, for example, said last week that it will be required for company employees, but not warehouse or warehouse workers. Uber said US office staff must be vaccinated to return to personal work, but it was no longer needed to be used by drivers.

Meatpacker Tyson Foods said this week that its 120,000 U.S. employees will need to be fully vaccinated this year, when that is already more than 50,000.

“We know some of you will disagree with this decision to require the vaccine for all United employees,” United CEO Scott Kirby and President Brett Hart said in an employee note Friday. “But we have no greater responsibility to you and your colleagues than to ensure your safety at work, and the facts are crystal clear: everyone is safer when everyone is vaccinated.”

Kirby said in January he wanted to make Covid vaccines mandatory and other companies should do the same.

Ending the Covid-19 pandemic is especially critical for airlines, which are among the industries hardest hit by the pandemic. While summer vacation bookings exceeded the expectations of most executives, the rapidly expanding delta variant is weighing on demand.

“In the past 16 months, Scott has sent dozens of letters of condolence to the family members of United employees who have died of COVID-19,” executives said. “We are determined to do everything in our power to prevent any other United family from receiving this letter.”

United Airlines employees must upload proof that they have received two doses of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or a single dose of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, five weeks after full approval by federal officials or by October 25, whichever comes first have received. Exceptions are made for specific health or religious reasons, United said.

The mandate does not apply to regional airlines flying shorter routes for United.

Many of United’s employees have already reported they have been vaccinated, including more than 90% of pilots and 80% of flight attendants, company officials said. United did not disclose the company’s overall vaccination rate.

By comparison, according to an August 5 letter to members of their union, the Allied Pilots Association, about 60% of American Airlines pilots are vaccinated, encouraging Airmen to get vaccinated.

United didn’t say what the company’s overall vaccination rate is.

The decision was driven in part by concerns about a spike in Covid-19 cases over the past fall and winter, company officials said.

The Air Line Pilots Association, which represents United’s more than 12,000 airmen, believes the mandate is legal. It said the “small number of pilots” who disagree with the policy or plan to remain unvaccinated should contact their chief pilot’s office.

The flight attendants’ union, the Association of Flight Attendants, urged cabin crew to get vaccinated following United’s announcement.

“COVID-19 is a threat,” the union told members. “There are proven strategies to mitigate this threat. Vaccinations are necessary to end the pandemic and the health and economic damage it has caused.”

For its part, American Airlines said it has not changed its policy of promoting, but not mandating, vaccines for employees. Delta Air Lines said it “strongly” encourages workers to get vaccinated, but does not require all employees to do so, except for new hires. More than 73% of the approximately 75,000 employees are vaccinated, it said.

Southwest Airlines didn’t immediately say whether it plans to prescribe vaccines.

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Health

Singapore to chill out Covid restrictions as vaccination charge will increase

Singapore to relax Covid restrictions as vaccination rate increases

A poster will be on display at the National Gallery of Singapore on March 30, 2020, reminding people to keep a safe distance from each other.

Ore extraction | Getty Images News | Getty Images

SINGAPORE – The Singapore government said Friday it will start easing Covid-19 measures next week as the proportion of people vaccinated increases.

The government has revised the Covid measures several times since May due to an increase in locally transmitted infections – many are caused by the more highly transmissible Delta variant. The country last tightened measures on July 22, banning eating and restricting social gatherings.

Singapore Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said the number of daily cases has stabilized since the recent restrictions were imposed. During that time, the proportion of people who received two doses of Covid vaccine rose from around 40% to 67% on Thursday.

“We have prevented an uncontrollable increase in infections, serious illnesses and deaths,” Ong, the co-chair of the country’s Covid task force, told reporters at a briefing.

Singapore has one of the fastest vaccinations in the world. Ong said the percentage of people fully vaccinated would rise to around 70% by Monday, when the country celebrates National Day.

However, with a “significant” portion of the population still not fully vaccinated, the government will introduce differentiated social rules based on people’s vaccination status, said Gan Kim Yong, Ministry of Commerce and Industry and co-chair of the coronavirus task force.

Differentiated Covid measures

From Tuesday next week, the group sizes of social gatherings will be relaxed from two to five people. But the government “strongly” encouraged those who were not vaccinated to stick to pairs.

Eating and drinking in catering facilities is allowed for groups of up to five people if they are all fully vaccinated or have had a negative Covid test in the last 24 hours. However, eating in open-air food centers and cafés is only allowed for groups of up to two people, regardless of their vaccination status.

The Singapore government also announced that it would ease its border restrictions.

Starting Tuesday, Singapore will allow fully vaccinated work card holders and their dependents to enter the country. And from August 20, fully vaccinated travelers from select countries – including Australia, Canada, Germany and South Korea – will be able to take a mandatory quarantine in their homes.

“We are now in a stronger position to continue our reopening journey, but in a cautious and calibrated way,” said Gan.

The government said it would ease measures further in early September, when 80% of the population is expected to be fully vaccinated.