Tag: Covid

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Politics

David Perdue quarantines after Covid contact

David Perdue quarantines after Covid contact

Georgia Senator David Perdue went into quarantine after contacting someone who tested positive for Covid-19, his campaign announced on Thursday, less than a week before the Republican runoff against Democrat Jon Ossoff.

Perdue and his wife Bonnie tested negative for the coronavirus according to their campaign, which did not specify how long the 71-year-old incumbent senator would be in quarantine.

His contest against Ossoff is one of two runoff elections in Georgia on Tuesday that will determine whether Republicans or Democrats will have majority control over the US Senate starting next month.

In the other race, incumbent Senator Kelly Loeffler, Perdue’s Republican, meets Democrat Rev. Raphael Warnock. Recent polls suggest close races in any runoff election.

Perdue was due to perform with Loeffler on Thursday afternoon at a New Year’s Eve rally and concert in Gainesville.

The guidelines issued by the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention require that people exposed to a person with Covid stay at home for 14 days after their last contact with an infected person.

“This morning Senator Perdue was informed that he had come into close contact with someone in the campaign who tested positive for COVID-19,” said a statement from Perdue’s campaign.

“Both Senator Perdue and his wife tested negative today, but according to his doctor’s recommendations and CDC guidelines, they will be quarantined,” the campaign said.

“The Senator and his wife have been tested regularly throughout the campaign and the team will continue to follow CDC guidelines. More information will be provided as it becomes available.”

Ossoff later tweeted, “I hope David, Bonnie, the campaign staff and supporters stay healthy and COVID negative.”

Loeffler quarantined himself at the start of the race after receiving inconclusive Covid test results on November 21. She has not tested positive for the virus.

Senator David Perdue (R-GA) speaks during a campaign rally as he runs for re-election at the Olde Blind Dog Irish pub in Milton, Georgia on December 21, 2020.

Al Drago | Reuters

In the final days leading up to Tuesday’s runoff election, Republicans stepped up their efforts to get a vote as data shows that Democrats enjoyed an advantage in turnout.

When asked during a Fox News interview how closely she and Perdue coordinated their drainage efforts, Loeffler said, “Our campaigns have come together in a nationwide operation of 1,000 people with 40,000 volunteers and 8,000 election monitors. So we all work hard one day to get out across Georgia and work with the Georgia voters and make sure they know what this is about. They know they’ll turn out. “

“The future of the country is at stake,” said Loeffler of the runoff election.

President Donald Trump is said to be promoting Perdue and Loeffler in Georgia on Monday.

President-elect Joe Biden will travel to Atlanta on Monday, and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris plans to visit Savannah on Sunday to surprise Ossoff and Warnock in the final push before election day.

If Perdue and Loeffler both win their runoff elections, Republicans will hold a 52-seat majority in the Senate. The Democratic caucus, made up of two independents, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Maine’s Angus King, would have 48 seats.

If Ossoff and Warnock win, the Democratic caucus would have 50 seats. With the groundbreaking vote by Vice-President-Elect Harris, this would put the Democrats in control of the Senate. Democrats currently hold the House of Representatives and will continue to do so in 2021, despite losing a number of seats in that Chamber.

The Covid crisis was an important topic in the election campaign. Perdue, in particular, was scrutinized by the Democrats over allegations of improper stock trading at the start of the pandemic.

Ossoff and Warnock have criticized Perdue and Loeffler’s handling of the crisis, while the incumbent senators have accused the Democrats of stalling efforts to get an aid package through.

More recently, Ossoff and Perdue used Trump’s call for $ 2,000 stimulus checks as an opportunity to criticize Senate Republicans for speaking out against a larger direct payment earlier in the Covid aid negotiation process. Perdue and Loeffler, who have strongly allied themselves with Trump, later parted ways with many Senate Republicans to support the president’s call for greater direct payments.

Georgia has reported more than 647,800 cases of Covid this year, with 10,846 deaths attributable to the coronavirus in the state.

More than 2.8 million Georgians have already voted in Wednesday’s runoff elections, a record turnout for such a competition in the state.

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Health

West Virginia mistakenly provides 42 individuals Regeneron IV Covid therapy as a substitute of vaccine shot

West Virginia mistakenly gives 42 people Regeneron IV Covid treatment instead of vaccine shot

A pharmacist dilutes the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as he prepares it for administration to staff and residents at Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads, a senior community in Falls Church, Virginia, on December 30, 2020.

Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images

Dozens of people in West Virginia were mistakenly given Regeneron’s Covid-19 antibodies instead of the Moderna vaccine, the West Virginia National Guard said Thursday.

According to the state’s National Guard, 42 people received the intravenous treatment at a Boone County Department of Health vaccination clinic. The National Guard said it learned of the mistake on Wednesday.

Everyone who received the antibody treatment instead of the vaccine, which is given through a shot in the arm, has been contacted, Julie Miller, a Boone County Health Department administrator, told CNBC via email. She added, “We don’t think there is any risk of harm.”

Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatment, which must be given via an IV drip, is seen as a promising treatment for Covid-19 – especially if given early in the course of the infection. But the West Virginia mix-up is just one example of the confusion in the rush to distribute the vaccine to tens of millions of people. The rollout was slower than expected and was characterized by logistical challenges.

“It was determined that this was an isolated incident,” Miller said. “All those affected will be offered the COVID-19 vaccine today.”

She said the health department will work closely with the state National Guard and the Department of Health and Human Resources to review their policies and procedures.

Miller did not provide details on what caused the mix-up.

Representatives from the West Virginia National Guard and the West Virginia Governor’s Office did not respond to CNBC’s request for further comment on the occurrence of the error.

Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, adjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard, said in a statement that his forces “acted immediately” to correct the mistake as soon as they found out what happened. “We immediately reviewed and strengthened our logs to improve our sales process and prevent this from happening again,” he said in a statement.

He added that the state will continue to promote the vaccine “to save more lives every day”.

Dr. Clay Marsh, the state’s Covid-19 tsar, noted in a statement that the Regeneron treatment mistakenly given in place of the vaccine is the same product “that was given to President Trump when he became infected”.

“Although this injection is not harmful, it has replaced the vaccine,” he said. “However, this event provides an important opportunity for our leadership team to review and improve the safety and vaccination process for every West Virginian.”

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Business

Dr. Fauci says gradual Covid vaccine rollout has been ‘disappointing’

Fauci warns of post-Christmas surge in Covid infections

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases, speaks to Alex Azar, the unpictured Secretary for Health and Human Services (HHS), before receiving the Cova-19 vaccine from Moderna Inc. during an event at the NIH Clinical that Center Masur Auditorium in Bethesda, Maryland, the United States, on Tuesday, December 22, 2020. The National Institutes of Health are hosting a livestream vaccination event to kickstart the organization’s efforts for its workers on the front lines of the pandemic. Photographer: Patrick Semansky / Associated Press / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, was disappointing with the slower-than-expected adoption of Covid vaccines in the US.

Officials from Operation Warp Speed, President Donald Trump’s vaccination program, said the country would immunize 20 million people with the first of the two Covid-19 vaccines in December. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, of more than 12.4 million doses distributed, nearly 2.8 million were actually administered.

“We would have liked to see it go smoothly and have 20 million doses administered to people by the end of 2020 (year). That was the projection. Obviously it didn’t and that’s disappointing,” Fauci said Thursday on NBCs ” TODAY “show. “Hopefully the increasing momentum in the first few weeks of January will get us to where we want to be.”

States and counties need more resources to speed up the pace of vaccination, Fauci said. Trump has been defending his administration’s rollout for the past few days, saying it is the responsibility of states to manage the shots as soon as they are delivered by Operation Warp Speed.

Michael Pratt, a spokesperson for the program, said earlier this week that the CDC’s data is likely to be incorrect due to delays in reporting.

“Operation Warp Speed ​​remains on track to deliver approximately 40 million vaccine doses and 20 million primary vaccination doses by the end of December 2020. The distribution of the 20 million primary doses extends into the first week of January when states place orders she, “he said in a statement.

Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Pennsylvania Children’s Hospital, told CNN Thursday that the federal government had invested heavily in vaccine development, but had failed to meet those efforts in terms of distribution and administration.

“With the urgency we put into making a vaccine and the money we put into making a vaccine, we spent $ 24 billion on what was essentially a Manhattan Project-style response. .. That’s the vaccine part, “he said. “Now comes the vaccination part that is just as difficult and will equally require this Manhattan Project-like response.”

“The federal government needs to step up its response to vaccination in the same way that it stepped up its response to making the vaccine,” said Offit, a voting member of the Food and Drug Administration’s Advisory Committee on Vaccines and Related Biological Products.

Dr. Jonathan Reiner, professor of medicine and surgery at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health, calls for “mass vaccination” events. He said the government should consider converting places like polling stations, soccer stadiums and race tracks into temporary vaccination clinics.

“We have to vaccinate about 2 million people a day … versus 150,000 people a day. And I just don’t see the urgency,” he told CNN on Thursday.

Also on Thursday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city would use schools, pop-up clinics and “whatever it takes” to deliver 1 million vaccinations by the end of January. “We have to switch to mass vaccination mode and we have to do that now.”

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Business

New York Gov. Cuomo briefs the press on Covid pandemic as outbreak worsens

NY Gov. Cuomo holds a press briefing as state prepares to distribute Covid vaccine

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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will hold a press conference on Wednesday on the coronavirus as Covid-19 hospital admissions hit the levels last reported in early May.

According to the Covid Tracking Project, an independent volunteer organization launched by journalists in the Atlantic, 7,814 patients with Covid-19 were hospitalized in New York on Tuesday. This is the highest number since May 8th.

The increase in sick patients has led the state to prepare to reuse the Javits Center as an emergency Covid-19 field hospital. This emerges from reports in the New York Post quoting Cuomo senior advisor Rich Azzopardi and Northwell Health CEO Michael Dowling. Cuomo has already announced that the state will reopen a field hospital on Staten Island after a surge in hospital stays.

The Democratic governor is also considering new lockdown measures in January if the current surge continues, although new restrictions are not guaranteed, he said. According to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the state has reported over 100 daily Covid-19 deaths for over two weeks, a total of more than 37,600 deaths since the pandemic began.

“As we near the New Year and the end of the holiday season, all New Yorkers must remember one simple truth – celebrating smart stop shutdowns,” Cuomo said in a statement Tuesday.

Read CNBC’s live updates for the latest news on the Covid-19 outbreak.

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Health

Ford and Bryan Cranston urge Individuals to comply with Covid precautions

Ford and Bryan Cranston urge Americans to follow Covid precautions

Still from Ford’s “Finish Strong” spot.

ford

In a new ad campaign starring actor Bryan Cranston, Ford Motor urges Americans to adhere to Covid-19 protocols to save lives in the next phase of the pandemic.

The campaign, part of an initiative the company named #FinishStrong, features a new commercial from filmmaker Peter Berg voiced by the star “Breaking Bad” and “Your Honor”. The spots will be released in early January during college football bowl games on ABC and ESPN and NFL games on Fox.

Ford leaders said on a call Wednesday that the company wanted to step up Covid protocols in the final leg of the pandemic to prevent tens of thousands of additional deaths from vaccine adoption.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKwk8mfI6G8&feature=youtu.be

“We’re entering a really critical time,” said Mark Truby, Ford’s chief communications officer. “Vaccines are just around the corner, but we know from health professionals and so on that until there is a mass launch of vaccines and so on, up to 50,000 more American lives could be saved, and what kinds of numbers will really make a difference. ”

The ad, which contains scenes of frontline workers and those affected by Covid, is intended to set a uniform tone.

“We know Americans don’t necessarily want to be preached, and they don’t want to hear fear tactics,” Truby said. “The idea behind it was how we can develop a positive message that appeals to the sense of humanity, patriotism and the feeling of doing what’s right for each other.”

The company worked on site with the advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy and the Civic Entertainment Group. Ford is dedicating a number of slots during the games in early January that were originally intended to be used to promote its F-150 truck.

Ford has worked with the UAW to manufacture tens of millions of personal protective equipment, including 20 million face shields, 50,000 ventilators, 32,000 respirators and 1.4 million robes, amid the pandemic.

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World News

HSBC names 2 international locations that tackled Covid and can profit in 2021

HSBC names 2 countries that tackled Covid and will benefit in 2021

SINGAPORE – Singapore and Vietnam successfully battled coronavirus in 2020 and are likely to maintain the situation for next year, an economist said this week.

“These two countries are probably the most positive,” said HSBC Global Research’s Joseph Incalcaterra when asked which Southeast Asian countries can keep Covid under control and smoothly introduce vaccines.

Singapore “has brought its previous outbreaks under control and … at a time when most countries in the world are actually tightening restrictions, Singapore is going the opposite way,” ASEAN’s chief economist told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” on Tuesday.

The city-state entered the third phase of its reopening this week and now allows gatherings of eight out of five people. Tourist attractions can increase their operating capacity from 50% to 65% once they are approved by the authorities.

People swim on a beach in East Coast Park on December 25, 2020 in Singapore.

Suhaimi Abdullah | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Incalcaterra said Singapore also has an effective vaccination strategy.

“Thanks to a relatively small population, the prospects for Singapore for 2021 are extremely good by comparison,” he said.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said there will be enough vaccines for “everyone in Singapore” by the third quarter of 2021. The country was the first in Asia to receive a shipment of Pfizer BioNTech vaccines on December 21, 2020.

HSBC’s Incalcaterra also praised Vietnam’s handling of the virus, saying its response to the pandemic enabled the country to maintain its reputation as a “very good destination” for foreign direct investment. The country has been viewed as an alternative manufacturing hub for companies looking to move out of China.

“We have seen that FDI remains very resilient in Vietnam this year,” he said.

Overall, however, Southeast Asia is unlikely to benefit from a vaccine in the near future due to logistical difficulties in rural parts of the region. “It is very unlikely that a significant portion of the population will be vaccinated in 2021,” he said.

Deep damage

Separately, Incalcaterra said Southeast Asia had been “hit very hard” this year. “From a domestic perspective, the traditional consumer motor of these economies is no longer intact.”

“We really don’t have a good view of the short-term recovery considering how deep the damage is,” he added.

While electronic exports have been “relatively bright,” HSBC is focusing on how quickly consumption and investment in the region can recover.

He said countries had “very ambitious infrastructure programs” to make the region a “reliable base for manufacturing”. These projects have stalled because of the coronavirus.

“Until the virus is under control … we won’t see this investment engine regain traction,” he said. “I think this is the biggest short-term obstacle to growth in Southeast Asia.”

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Health

California has recognized first case of recent Covid pressure recognized in UK, Newsom says

California has identified first case of new Covid strain identified in UK, Newsom says

In this file photo dated June 30, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom removes his face mask before giving an update during a visit to Pittsburg, California.

Rich Pedroncelli | AP

California health officials have identified the state’s first case of a new and contagious strain of Covid-19 that was originally discovered in the UK.

The patient is a 30-year-old male from San Diego county who showed symptoms on Sunday, San Diego county officials confirmed on Wednesday.

“I don’t think Californians should feel like this is anything strange. This is expected,” said White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, on Wednesday during a live Q&A session with California Governor Gavin Newsom. Fauci said other states are likely to identify their own cases of the new strain soon.

Nathan Fletcher, a supervisor for San Diego County, said the patient was tested for Covid-19 Tuesday morning. Because he had not traveled, state officials believe there are other cases of the new strain in the county, Fletcher said at a press conference after Newsom announced the case.

Fletcher urged residents to follow public health instructions over the next few days to prevent further strain on the county’s hospitals, which are “under tremendous stress” from an onslaught of Covid-19 patients.

On Tuesday, Colorado health officials confirmed the first case of the B.1.1.7 variant of coronavirus. During a news conference Wednesday, Colorado Governor Jared Polis said the state is investigating a possible second case of the new tribe.

Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said earlier Wednesday that the new tribe could put pressure on the country’s hospitals, which are already overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients.

Dr. Henry Walke, the agency’s Covid Incident Manager, said the new variant appears to be spreading “easier and faster than other strains”, but it doesn’t seem to make people sick or increase their risk of death.

A particularly worrying aspect of the Colorado case was that the patient had not traveled, “suggesting this variant was transmitted person-to-person in the United States,” Walke told reporters on a conference call.

Some good news: The new variant doesn’t appear to affect the vaccines’ effectiveness or make diagnosis difficult with existing tests, Fauci told Newsom. The UK has also found that people who were already infected with previous strains of Covid-19 do not appear to be re-infected with this new variant.

Researchers have yet to determine whether the new strain may be resistant to monoclonal antibody treatment, which has successfully helped some patients recover from the disease, Fauci said. Unlike vaccines, which trigger an immune response that attacks different parts of the virus, monoclonal antibodies target a very specific component, according to the country’s leading infectious disease expert.

Monoclonal antibodies have shown promising benefits if the virus is detected early enough. President Donald Trump attributed Regeneron’s treatment for feeling better “immediately” when he was infected and finally hospitalized with Covid-19 in early October.

“We know that about it now, but we’re following this extremely carefully,” said Fauci, adding that they are studying the exposure at the National Institute of Health and a number of laboratories across the country.

– CNBC’s Will Feuer and Amanda Macias contributed to this report.

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Business

CDC says new Covid pressure in U.S. may stress ‘closely burdened’ hospitals

CDC panel recommends Pfizer Covid vaccine for people 16 years and older, clearing pivotal hurdle

CDC headquarters in Atlanta

Elijah Nouvelage | Bloomberg via Getty Images

Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that a new strain of Covid-19 now circulating in the United States could further strain hospitals already overwhelmed with coronavirus patients.

Colorado health officials announced Tuesday that they had discovered the first known case of the new and contagious strain of the virus, which was first discovered in the UK. A second separate new strain, identified for the first time in South Africa, could already be in circulation in the US, CDC officials said.

“As the variants spread faster, they could lead to more cases and put even more strain on our already stressed health systems,” said Dr. Henry Walke, the agency’s Covid Incident Manager, in a conference call with reporters.

This is the latest news. You can find updates here.

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Health

U.Ok. imposes Tier four Covid restrictions on tens of millions as circumstances soar

U.K. imposes Tier 4 Covid restrictions on millions as cases soar

A bus drives past a sign detailing measures taken by the government against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak on the first day of a newly imposed lockdown on November 5, 2020 in London, UK.

John Sibley | Reuters

LONDON – The UK government on Wednesday outlined plans to impose stricter coronavirus restrictions on millions of people across England as a new strain of the virus spreads across the country.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said more regions would be classified in the toughest Tier 4 category from 12:01 a.m. London time on Thursday.

“This new variant is now spreading in most of England and the cases are quickly doubling,” Hancock told the House of Commons. “It is therefore necessary to apply Tier 4 measures to a larger area, including the remaining parts of the south-east as well as large parts of the central plateau, the north-west, the north-east and the south-west.”

The move will mean three-quarters of the population will be in Tier 4 for the new year, Hancock said.

The restrictions imposed on a “stay at home” order mean people are not allowed to leave their homes unless they have a reasonable excuse. Businesses such as non-essential stores, gyms, and hairdressers are closing.

The announcement comes shortly after the Oxford AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine was approved for use in the UK emergency. The vaccine is believed to allow the UK to speed up its vaccination program significantly.

“We must of course vaccinate as soon as supplies allow, after the necessary security checks have been carried out, and the NHS is ready to accelerate the deployment on a larger scale from Monday January 4th,” said Hancock.

He added, “We have ordered a total of 100 million doses which, together with the Pfizer vaccine, is enough to vaccinate every adult in the UK with both doses.”

Anyone who wants a vaccine will be able to get one, Hancock said, adding that the UK will have 530,000 doses available as of Monday, with millions more due from Astra-Zeneca in early February.

Government data shows that infection rates have risen sharply across England over the past week, with significant pressure on hospitals.

53,135 new Covid cases were registered in the UK on Tuesday, the highest increase in a day since mass testing began.

On Wednesday, the latest government figures showed 981 people in the UK died within 28 days of a positive Covid test – the highest number of deaths since April 9. The UK reported 414 deaths within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test on Tuesday.

The new variant of the coronavirus in the UK is reportedly more transferable and has resulted in travel restrictions for people trying to leave the country. The new strain, known in science as SARS-CoV-2 VUI 202012/01, could be up to 70% more transmissible, said UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

U.S. health officials on Wednesday confirmed the new strain’s first case. Several other countries have also identified the variant strain in the past few weeks.

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Business

American Airways sees capability cuts by means of February as Covid instances rise

American Airlines sees capacity cuts through February as Covid cases rise

American Airlines Flight 718, the first US Boeing 737 MAX commercial flight since regulators lifted a 20-month primer in November, will take off from Miami, Florida on December 29, 2020.

Marco Bello | Reuters

American Airlines believes the impact of the coronavirus pandemic will continue to weigh on demand and flight schedules through 2021, the airline’s president said Tuesday.

The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline is flying about 45% of its 2019 schedule this month, Robert Isom told reporters at Miami International Airport, before the Boeing 737 Max’s first U.S. flight carrying commercial passengers ceased almost two years ago .

“We expect it will stay that way through January and February. We hope the vaccine will show promise,” he said.

American and its competitors have warned investors over the past few weeks that a spike in Covid-19 cases and new travel restrictions hurt sales in the fourth quarter, although the number of travelers on vacation rose towards the end of the year.