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Mississippi well being officers plead with aged to keep away from mass indoor gatherings as delta Covid variant rips by state

Mississippi health officials plead with elderly to avoid mass indoor gatherings as delta Covid variant rips through state

Medical workers with Delta Health Center wait to vaccinate people at a pop-up Covid-19 vaccination clinic in this rural Delta community on April 27, 2021 in Hollandale, Mississippi.

Spencer Platt | Getty Images

Mississippi state health officials issued new guidance on Friday that calls for state residents over the age of 65 and immunocompromised residents, vaccinated or unvaccinated, to avoid any indoor mass gatherings for the next two weeks amid “significant transmission” of the delta variant over the coming weeks.

The new guidance is in place until July 26 and is not mandatory. The guidance should instead be considered a recommendation.

“We’re not recommending any mandates. What we’re doing is we’re providing personal recommendations for individuals who are at high risk for severe outcomes,” Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said during a press briefing Friday. “We don’t want anybody to die needlessly.”

Dobbs said he currently “does not anticipate” the guidance being expanded to other age groups in the future.

Officials said they are starting to see significant transmission of the delta variant that is very reminiscent of what was seen in the early days of the pandemic. Mississippi state health epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers specifically highlighted church groups, school and summer programs, funeral gatherings and workplaces as well as long-term care facilities as areas where officials are already seeing spikes in infections.

“We have directly identified that they are the result of the delta variant, and the transmission … has been pretty significant,” Byers said at the press briefing Friday.

The state is second to last to Alabama out of all states when it comes to the percentage of the population that is fully vaccinated with two doses. About 25% of Mississippians over age 65 are still unvaccinated, and make up the majority of Covid deaths in the state. State health officials also said they are seeing deaths in vaccinated residents as well, “because we are exposing them over and over again,” Dobbs said, though it is a miniscule percentage.

Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwards

Graph shows cases, hospitalizations and deaths among vaccinated vs unvaccinated in Mississippi from June 3 to July 1, 2021.

Mississippi State Health Department

Mississippi is ranked last in the country in its share of adults with at least one Covid shot and the state is also ranked last in the country in the percentage of residents age 12 and older with at least one shot.

“I don’t think that we’re going to have some miraculous increase in our vaccination rate over the next few weeks, so people are going to die needlessly,” Dobbs warned.

State health officials asked vaccinated residents to speak with others about their experience with the vaccine in an effort to raise awareness about the safety and efficacy of the shots.

“Let people, let your family know, let your neighbors know, let your friends know,” Dobbs said. “There’s no more powerful message than trust and faith for people to know how widely utilized the vaccine has been, and understand that people are safe and excited to be protected.”

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Health

Absolutely vaccinated individuals can train, maintain small gatherings open air with out masks

Fully vaccinated people can exercise, hold small gatherings outdoors without masks

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday revised their public health guidelines, stating that fully vaccinated people can exercise outdoors and attend small gatherings without face masks.

People two weeks away from their last vaccine can exercise on their own or with other household members without a face covering, the CDC said. You can also meet outdoors with a small group of other fully vaccinated people or a mix of fully vaccinated and unvaccinated people, the agency added. The instruction did not say what counts as a small gathering.

It is also acceptable to eat without a mask at an outdoor restaurant with friends from multiple households, according to the CDC.

The agency continues to recommend that fully vaccinated individuals wear a mask in outdoor locations where the risk of Covid-19 is less clear. This includes sporting events, concerts, parades and other crowded places.

“In public spaces, the vaccination status of other people or whether they are at increased risk of severe COVID-19 is likely to be unknown,” the CDC wrote in its guidelines. “Therefore, fully vaccinated individuals should continue to follow instructions to protect themselves and others, including wearing a well-fitting mask when they are indoors, outdoors, or in places where masks are required.”

“CDC cannot give the specific risk for each activity in each community, so it is important to consider your personal situation and the risk to you, your family and your community before heading out without a mask,” added the Agency added.

Some former health officials and infectious disease experts have said that outdoor mask mandates are no longer required as the US vaccinates more Americans.

As of Monday, more than 140 million Americans, or 42.5% of the total population, had received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine, according to the CDC. Around 95.8 million Americans, or 28.9% of the population, are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

During a press conference on Tuesday, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, she hopes the new guidelines will encourage more Americans to get vaccinated.

“Today is another day where we can take a step back to normal,” she said. “When you are fully vaccinated things are much safer for you than those who are not fully vaccinated.”

Walensky refused to define a “small gathering”. She said it was difficult to give an exact number as it would depend on the size of the plenum, the space between people and the amount of ventilation.

The CDC’s announcement comes just before Memorial Day and July 4th parade season. President Joe Biden said he hoped that enough Americans would be vaccinated by Independence Day to safely hold small outdoor gatherings.

On Tuesday, Biden pointed to the CDC guidance and said vaccinated people could now go to the park or have a picnic with exposed friends. He cited the relaxed restrictions as the reason for vaccination, but stressed that Americans should still wear masks in crowded outdoor areas.

“I want to be clear: when you are in a crowd like a stadium or a concert, you still have to wear a mask even when you are outside,” he said in a speech on North Lawn at the White House.

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former appointee for the Food and Drug Administration, told CNBC Monday that public health officials should generally be more relaxed about outdoor activities as vaccination rates lower new infections in the United States.

Officials should take steps “to allow more outdoor gatherings, more large groups to allow, sporting events, things like that,” he told Squawk Box. “The weather is warming up. We have the ability to take more activity outside. We know that outdoor activity is less of a risk than indoor activity.”

Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Toronto, said Monday he supported the expected guidance. He said more research shows fewer Covid infections occur outdoors.

He added that indoor masks should continue to be mandatory until most of the US population is vaccinated and it is difficult for the virus to spread from one person to another.

The CDC also said that unvaccinated people can exercise alone or with a household member without a mask. It is also recommended that vaccinated people wear masks in places such as hair salons, shopping malls, museums, cinemas, and places of worship.

“It’s been over a year. We have a very good understanding of who gets infected and how they get infected,” he told CNBC in a telephone interview. “I think it’s fair to say you don’t have to wear a mask outside unless you can’t maintain 2 meters or 6 feet of social distance.”

Over the weekend, the White House Chief Medical Officer, Dr. However, Anthony Fauci, suggesting the new mask tour was imminent, also warned Americans should adhere to public health measures until the CDC does an assessment.

“What I think you’re going to hear, what the country is about to hear is updated guidelines from the CDC,” Fauci told ABC’s Sunday program “This Week with George Stephanopoulos”. “The CDC is a science-based organization. You don’t want to make guidelines unless you look at the data and the data back it up.”

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World News

Vaccinated People, Let the Unmasked Gatherings Start (however Begin Small)

Vaccinated Americans, Let the Unmasked Gatherings Begin (but Start Small)

Federal health officials said Monday, millions of Americans now vaccinated against the coronavirus, they could resume some long-denied freedoms, like gathering in small groups at home without masks or social distancing for a hopeful glimpse into the next phase of the game Grant pandemic.

The recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention came almost exactly a year after the virus began to strangle the country and Americans were warned about gatherings for fear of spreading the new pathogen.

Now the agency has good news for long separated families and individuals struggling with pandemic isolation: Vaccinated grandparents can, under certain circumstances, visit adult children and grandchildren again, even if they are not vaccinated. Vaccinated adults can begin planning mask-free dinners with vaccinated friends.

As cases and deaths decline across the country, some state officials are rushing to reopen businesses and schools. Texas and Mississippi governors have repealed statewide mask mandates. Federal health officials have repeatedly warned against easing restrictions too quickly, fearing the measures could set the stage for a fourth surge in infections and deaths.

The new recommendations are designed to put Americans on a more cautious path with clear boundaries for safe behavior, while recognizing that most of the country remains vulnerable and many scientific questions remain unanswered.

“As more Americans get vaccinated, there is increasing evidence that there are some activities that fully vaccinated people can be reintroduced with little risk to themselves,” said Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, director of the CDC, at a White house news conference on Monday.

On Thursday, President Biden will make his first prime-time televised address, mentioning the first anniversary of the pandemic outbreak and “highlighting the role Americans will play” in “getting the country back to normal,” Jen Psaki, who White House press secretary, told reporters on Monday.

As of Monday, 60 million Americans had received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, and about 31.3 million had been fully vaccinated, according to a database maintained by the New York Times. The providers administer an average of about 2.17 million doses per day.

Mr Biden has promised that there will be enough doses for every American adult by the end of May. CDC officials on Monday encouraged people to get the first vaccine available, stressing that the vaccines are highly effective against “serious Covid-19 disease, hospitalization and death”.

Despite the rapidly accelerating pace of vaccination, the pandemic won’t recede overnight, said experts, who praised the detail and scientific basis of the CDC’s recommendations.

“This is not a turn on and off,” said Dr. Carlos del Rio, Vice President of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. “It’s more like turning a faucet – you slowly start turning the faucet off.”

Even so, “it’s welcome news,” he added. “It’s the first time they say you can do something instead of saying everything you can’t. It’s huge. “

The new guidelines provide much-needed advice to those who are unwilling to resume face-to-face interactions even after vaccination, said Vaile Wright, senior director of healthcare innovation for the American Psychological Association.

About half of all adults are concerned about going back to normal life, including 44 percent of those who have been fully vaccinated, said Dr. Wright, citing shortly published research by the American Psychological Association. “What drives this discomfort is the uncertainty,” she said.

Updated

March 8, 2021, 6:13 p.m. ET

“It’s really hard to know what is safe and what is not. If we can give people science-based information – “Here’s what you can do, but we still recommend it” – people will get what they need to make informed decisions about the safety of themselves and their families to meet. “

In the new guidelines, federal health officials indicated that fully vaccinated Americans can gather in small groups with other fully vaccinated individuals in private homes, with no masks or distancing.

You can gather with unvaccinated individuals in a private household without a mask or distancing, as long as the unvaccinated individuals occupy a single household and all members have a low risk of developing serious illness if they contract the virus.

For example, vaccinated grandparents can visit unvaccinated healthy adult children and healthy grandchildren without masks or physical distance.

When asked if vaccinated family members should kiss and hug children and grandchildren who are not vaccinated, Dr. del Rio yes, but advised caution: “I would not overdo it.”

In public areas and in places such as restaurants or gyms, vaccinated people should continue to wear masks, maintain social distance, and take other precautions, such as B. Avoid poorly ventilated rooms, cover coughs and sneezes, and wash their hands frequently, CDC officials said.

The CDC’s advice is for Americans who are fully vaccinated, that is, those for whom at least two weeks have passed since they received the second dose of the Pfizer BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine .

What you need to know about the vaccine rollout

What is safe for newly vaccinated Americans and their unvaccinated neighbors and family members has been largely uncertain as scientists do not yet understand whether and how often vaccinated people can still transmit the virus. If possible, masking and other precautions are still needed in certain environments to contain the virus, the researchers said.

The CDC said Monday that research showed that people who are fully vaccinated are less likely to have asymptomatic infections and “may be less likely to spread the virus that causes Covid-19 to other people”. However, the agency didn’t rule out the possibility that they could accidentally transmit the virus.

There is also uncertainty about how well vaccines protect against new variants of the virus that are more transmissible and potentially more virulent, as well as how long the vaccine protection lasts. Some of the variants carry mutations that seem to dull the body’s immune response.

The CDC noted that vaccinated Americans do not need to be quarantined or tested if exposed to the virus unless they develop symptoms of infection. If they do, isolate themselves, get tested if possible, and speak to their doctors.

Vaccinated Americans should not congregate with unvaccinated people from more than one household and should continue to avoid large and medium-sized gatherings. (The agency did not specify what size a large or medium congregation would be.)

The guidelines differ slightly for fully vaccinated group home residents and incarcerated individuals who, due to the higher risk of transmission in such environments, should continue to be quarantined and tested for 14 days if exposed to the virus.

Vaccinated workers in high density environments such as meat packing plants do not need to be quarantined after exposure to the coronavirus, but testing is still recommended.

The CDC has not revised its travel advice and has continued to advise that all Americans stay home unless necessary. Dr. Walensky noted that the virus cases had increased every time the trip increased.

“We’re really trying to limit travel,” she said. “And we hope our next guidelines will have more science on what vaccinated people can do, maybe travel among them.”

The new guidelines clearly outline the rewards of vaccination and are likely to motivate even more Americans to seek vaccinations and curb persistent vaccine hesitation, said Dr. Rebecca Weintraub, Assistant Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

“You can resume an activity that many people long for – being around the people they love, in small gatherings where you can see each other smile and hug each other,” said Dr. Grapes.

“It has been well researched that anticipation is an integral part of joy,” she added. “These guidelines will help any person receiving a vaccine anticipate future joy. As a doctor and a vaccine, I’m excited. “

Noah Weiland contributed to the reporting.

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Health

Absolutely vaccinated Individuals can have small gatherings indoors with different vaccinated folks however must put on masks in public, the C.D.C. says.

Fully vaccinated Americans can have small gatherings indoors with other vaccinated people but need to wear masks in public, the C.D.C. says.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday released long-awaited guidance for Americans fully vaccinated against Covid-19, giving them the freedom to take some liberties that the unvaccinated shouldn’t, including meeting with others fully vaccinated without precaution while still adhering to masking and distancing in public places.

The agency offered good news to grandparents who hadn’t seen children and grandchildren in the past year, saying that fully vaccinated individuals are allowed to go inside with unvaccinated individuals from a single household as long as none of the unvaccinated individuals are at risk for exposed to serious illness when infected with the coronavirus.

This means that fully vaccinated grandparents can visit unvaccinated healthy adult children and healthy grandchildren without masks or physical distance. The visit should be limited to one household, however: when the unvaccinated neighbors of the adult children come by, the visit should be outdoors and everyone should wear masks and distance.

The recommendations arrived as state officials sought to reopen businesses and schools amid the decline in virus cases and deaths. Federal health officials have repeatedly warned against easing restrictions too quickly, including lifting mask mandates, and fears the measures could set the stage for a fourth surge in infections and deaths.

The new Council is subject to change and allows room for amendment as new data become available. The agency did not rule out the possibility that fully vaccinated people could develop asymptomatic infections and accidentally transmit the virus to others, and urged those vaccinated to continue to take certain precautions.

Agency officials encouraged people to get the first vaccine available to end the pandemic and return to normal life. The agency stressed that vaccines are highly effective in preventing “serious Covid-19 disease, hospitalization and death” and said its guidelines are “a first step towards returning to everyday activities in or in communities”.

“We know people want to get vaccinated so they can get back to doing the things they enjoy with the people they love,” said Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, director of the CDC now resume in the privacy of her own homes. “

Updated

March 8, 2021, 10:38 p.m. ET

Still, she added, “Everyone, including those who have been vaccinated, should continue with all mitigation strategies in public facilities.”

Many more Americans will need to be fully vaccinated before mitigation measures can be suspended, she and other officials said because the majority of Americans have not yet received the vaccine.

As of Sunday, about 58.9 million people had received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, including about 30.7 million people who were fully vaccinated. According to CDC providers, they give an average of about 2.16 million doses per day.

What you need to know about the vaccine rollout

The CDC’s advice is for Americans who are fully vaccinated, that is, those for whom at least two weeks have passed since they received the second dose of a two-dose series of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, and those for whom It has been at least two weeks since a single dose of the single-dose vaccine was received by Johnson and Johnson.

What is safe for newly vaccinated Americans and their unvaccinated neighbors and family members has been largely uncertain as scientists do not yet understand whether and how often vaccinated people can still transmit the virus. If so, then masking and other precautions are still required in certain environments to contain the virus, researchers have said.

There is also uncertainty about how well vaccines protect against emerging variants of the virus and how long the vaccine protection lasts.

The CDC said Monday that “a growing body of evidence” suggests that people who are fully vaccinated are less likely to have asymptomatic infections and “may be less likely to spread the virus that causes Covid-19 to other people” . Still, the agency didn’t rule out the possibility that they could accidentally transmit the virus.

In view of the current state of research, the CDC recommended:

  • Fully vaccinated Americans can gather indoors in small groups in private homes with no masks or detachment. Vaccinated individuals can congregate in a private household with unvaccinated individuals from a single household who are at low risk of developing serious illnesses if they contract the coronavirus, even without masks or distancing.

  • Vaccinated Americans do not need to be quarantined or tested if they are known to be exposed to the virus as long as they do not develop symptoms of infection. If they develop symptoms, they need to isolate themselves, get tested, and speak to their doctor.

  • In public, vaccinated individuals must continue to wear masks, maintain social distance, and take other precautions, such as walking away. B. Avoid poorly ventilated rooms, cover coughs and sneezes, wash hands frequently, and follow other applicable protocols.

  • Vaccinated individuals should continue to avoid large and medium-sized gatherings, although the agency did not provide numbers for gathering size.

The agency has not revised its travel recommendations and has continued to advise that all Americans refrain from travel unless strictly necessary.

The advice is not legally binding, but the agency’s recommendations are typically followed by state health authorities. The recommendations are likely to incentivize many hesitant Americans to get vaccinations by promising modest freedoms after months of restrictions.