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Covid circumstances overwhelm Michigan well being system, Gov. Whitmer urges residents to remain dwelling

Covid cases overwhelm Michigan health system, Gov. Whitmer urges residents to stay home

In this file photo dated February 24, 2021, provided by Michigan Governor’s Office, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the state is addressing during a speech in Lansing, Michigan. Governor Whitmer signed at least $ 2.5 billion in COVID-19 relief spending Tuesday. March 9, 2021, while she vetoed $ 650 million after the Michigan Republicans failed to negotiate with her and tied other aids to laws that would have curtailed her government’s power to impose pandemic restrictions.

Michigan Governor’s Office via AP

Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer has urged high schools to temporarily suspend face-to-face learning and residents to limit their activities as a surge in Covid-19 cases overwhelms the state’s public health system.

The governor also urged schools to voluntarily suspend youth sports games and practices, and residents to avoid in-person meals for the next two weeks.

“To be very clear, it is not about orders, mandates or requirements,” said Whitmer at a press conference on Friday. “A year later we all know what works and it has to be a team effort. We have to do this together. Life depends on it.”

Covid-19 infections have spiked across the state in recent weeks, approaching the state’s November pandemic high of 7,226 new cases a day averaging over the past week – a 23% increase from the previous week, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The state health department is currently tracking 991 Covid outbreaks across Michigan, said the state’s chief medical executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, at the press conference.

“Because we see so many cases each day, our public health system is overwhelmed. We cannot get information on many cases, nor identify their close contacts. We don’t know where all cases or outbreaks are, and what we know is likely one Counting, “said Khaldun.

Whitmer and Khaldun urged all Michiganders to wear masks, maintain social distance, wash their hands, stay home and get vaccinated.

The rise in the coronavirus in Michigan is due to the fact that the highly infectious variant B.1.1.7, identified for the first time in Great Britain, has become the most common Covid strain in the USA

There were 291 outbreaks in the state between January and March that came from youth sports teams alone and that involved at least 1,091 people, Khaldun said.

“The numbers show that young people are not impervious to this virus as we’ve seen many cases in teenagers and young adult Michiganders,” Whitmer said.

State health officials recorded 58 outbreaks in restaurants and retail stores in the past week alone, Khaldun said.

“Just because something is open doesn’t mean it’s safe or that you should,” Khaldun said. “Indoor dining is one of the riskiest things to do in this pandemic.”

Whitmer also called on the federal government to develop a vaccination program to use Covid-19 vaccine doses at hotspots.

“Today it’s Michigan and the Midwest, tomorrow it could be another part of our country,” said Whitmer.

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Health

Gov. Ned Lamont defends easing Covid restrictions in Connecticut

Gov. Ned Lamont defends easing Covid restrictions in Connecticut

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont on Monday defended his plans to relax Covid restrictions in the state starting next week, telling CNBC that he believes a drop in new infections and vaccine distribution supports such a move.

“We have the vast majority of our most vulnerable populations who have now been vaccinated. That’s 65 and over and the majority of people 55 and over,” Lamont said in Squawk on the Street. “That is where all of the deaths took place, that is where 98% of hospital stays took place. So we are pretty confident that March 19th is a good time when we can continue the reopening.”

Half of Connecticut’s residents aged 55 and over have received at least one dose of vaccine, including three-quarters of the state’s people who are 75 years of age and older. This is based on data made available on Monday. Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines require two vaccinations, while Johnson & Johnson’s is a single vaccine.

According to the latest state data, Connecticut has recorded 7,725 Covid-related deaths since the pandemic began. Of these deaths, 7,555 were people aged 50 and over, with the majority being at least 80 years old.

Democrat Lamont last week announced his intention to lift a number of Connecticut-era pandemic-time restrictions beginning March 19, including lifting capacity restrictions on restaurants, hair salons and churches. A nationwide mask mandate remains in place and Lamont continues to limit capacity for some companies, e.g. B. 50% for cinemas and performing arts venues.

Still, Lamont’s decision marks a significant step in the pandemic for the state, which, along with New York and New Jersey, was among the hardest hit during the first wave of Covid last spring.

Some leaders in other states have gone further than Lamont. Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott said on Twitter last week that his state was “100% OPEN” after lifting business restrictions and a mask mandate.

Public health experts have urged Americans not to complain about self-mitigation measures, even though the daily case numbers have fallen sharply from their January peak. In the case of newly emerging virus variants in particular, they warn that loosening them too much could in some cases lead to an increase again.

In a CNN interview on Thursday, White House chief medical officer Dr. Anthony Fauci said it was “inexplicable” to reset all public health guidelines as the number of new infections in the country was still too high.

Lamont said the goal of trying to relax capacity constraints is “to emphasize what works”.

“Masks work. Six feet of distancing,” Lamont said. “The difference between 75% and 100% in a restaurant is very difficult to enforce anyway and we thought, frankly, we have a very low infection rate and a lot of capacity in our hospitals right now. This was the time to make the change.”

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Politics

Prime Democrat in New York state Senate calls on Gov. Cuomo to resign

Top Democrat in New York state Senate calls on Gov. Cuomo to resign

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo

Chris Hondros | Getty Images

The top Democrat in the New York Senate on Sunday called on Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign, saying the scandals afflicting Cuomo’s administration are hampering the functioning of the government.

The call from New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins ​​came hours after the Democratic governor re-vowed not to resign.

“Every day there is a different report that stands out from the government business,” Stewart-Cousins ​​said in a statement.

“We have allegations of sexual harassment, a toxic work environment, the loss of credibility related to the Covid-19 nursing home data and questions about the construction of a major infrastructure project,” said Stewart-Cousins.

“New York is still in the midst of this pandemic and still facing the social, health and economic repercussions. We need to rule without daily distraction.”

“For the good of the state, Governor Cuomo must resign,” said Stewart-Cousins.

Cuomo is under fire amid a growing number of allegations of sexual harassment or inappropriate workplace behavior, as well as an ongoing scandal over his government’s handling of care home deaths in Covid.

In a conference call with reporters the previous Sunday, Cuomo said there was “no way” to step down or be distracted by the crises that have engulfed his office.

NYS Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins ​​speaks at the rally. City Hall, New York, New York, United States – 10/17/2016

Pacific Press | LightRocket | Getty Images

“I was elected by the people of this state, I was not elected by politicians. I will not resign on charges,” said Cuomo, arguing that this would be “anti-democratic”.

Cuomo urged people to let New York Attorney General Letitia James conduct her independent investigation into harassment claims before drawing any conclusions. He had previously apologized for “the pain I caused” and said, “I now understand that I acted in a way that made people feel uncomfortable.”

However, with two more women standing up just the day before to accuse the governor of inappropriate behavior, the pressure within Cuomo’s own party shows no sign of easing.

Carl Heastie, the Democratic spokesman for the New York State Assembly, said in a statement Sunday that he “agrees with Stewart cousins” on the governor’s ability to continue running this state.

“The allegations made about the governor over the past few weeks have been deeply troubling and have no place in government, at work or anywhere else.”

“We face many challenges and I think it is time for the governor to give serious thought to whether he can effectively meet the needs of the people of New York.”

Heastie’s statement did not specifically prompt Cuomo to resign.

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Health

Texas Gov. Abbott blames Covid unfold on immigrants, criticizes Biden’s ‘Neanderthal’ remark

Texas Gov. Abbott blames Covid spread on immigrants, criticizes Biden's 'Neanderthal' comment

Texas governor Greg Abbott Thursday criticized President Joe Biden for calling his decision to lift Covid-19 restrictions and masking mandates earlier this week “Neanderthal thinking,” making undocumented immigrants for the persistent Outbreak of the state responsible.

Abbott’s comments come after its much-criticized decision on Tuesday to lift most of the state’s Covid-19 restrictions, including a statewide mask mandate. Texas businesses will be allowed to open “100%” starting March 10, he said. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves took a similar move around the same time.

Biden on Wednesday hit governors for a “big mistake”, adding that “the last thing we need is Neanderthal thinking”.

Abbott told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that the comment was “not the kind of word a president should use” and accused immigrants crossing the southern border of spreading the coronavirus. The Republican governor said the Biden government “refused to test them for the virus.”

“The Biden government has released immigrants in South Texas who exposed Texans to Covid. Some of those people were put on buses and took that Covid to other states in the United States,” Abbott told CNBC. “This is a Neanderthal approach to dealing with the Covid situation.”

While the Republican governor failed to provide details, Telemundo reported Tuesday that some migrants released by Border Patrol in the Texas city of Brownsville subsequently tested positive for Covid-19. Since testing began in the city on January 25, 108 migrants have tested positive for Covid-19, which corresponds to 6.3% of all test subjects, according to the report.

“The Biden government must stop importing Covid into our country,” Abbott said.

Senior U.S. health officials have repeatedly urged states not to lift Covid-19 restrictions as statewide coronavirus cases and deaths stall and highly communicable variants threaten to “hijack” the recent decline in infections.

Abbott, however, defended his decision to repeal the state’s mask requirements, claiming that Texans already know that “the safe standard is to wear a mask, among other things.”

“Do you really need the state to tell you what you already know for your personal behavior?” Abbott told CNBC.

The governor added that the state’s coronavirus infections are “at a four-month low” and Texas hospitals stand ready to treat an influx of patients if needed. According to a CNBC analysis of the CNBC analysis compiled by Johns Hopkins University, Texas reports a daily average of around 7,265 new cases over the past week. That’s a decrease from the high of more than 20,400 daily cases the state reported in January.

However, new infections are creeping back across the state, with the average daily new cases increasing nearly 13% from a week ago.

Abbott said most of the state’s coronavirus that spread over the holidays was being driven by indoor gatherings, not restaurants and other businesses. The newly lifted restrictions “aren’t really that transformative” because the state’s mask mandate was not enforced and businesses were already 75% busy, he said.

“Maybe it seems like a big difference to the people in New York,” Abbott said.

– CNBC’s Will Feuer contributed to this report.

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Business

Alabama Gov. Ivey lifts statewide Covid masks mandate starting April 9

Alabama Gov. Ivey lifts statewide Covid mask mandate beginning April 9

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announces the renewal of a state ordinance mandating face masks in public during a news conference on July 29, 2020 in Montgomery, Ala.

Kim Chandler | AP

Alabama plans to overturn a statewide ordinance requiring people to wear masks in public on April 9, even if Governor Kay Ivey extends the state declaration of emergency for Covid-19 by 60 days.

“Let me be very clear that after April 9, I will no longer keep the mask order in effect,” said Ivey on Thursday.

Ivey extended mask orders and other health measures, which should expire on March 8, to give companies enough time to implement their own guidelines, she announced at a press conference. The governor urged residents to continue wearing face coverings even though the state will no longer mandate them.

“While I am convinced that a mask mandate was the right thing to do, I also respect those who object and believe that this was a step too far in going beyond government,” said Ivey.

The state’s expanded “Safer at Home” regulation, which now runs through April 9, allows restaurants and bars to operate without group size restrictions, although tables must meet additional sanitary requirements and remain 6 feet apart.

The ordinance allows senior centers to resume their outdoor activities, and hospitals and nursing homes can each welcome one additional visitor. The state’s public health declaration of emergency now expires on May 7th.

The governor noted that state hospitals have reported a 77% decrease in their weekly average number of daily Covid patients, about 686 people since peaking in mid-January. While Alabama is going in the “right direction,” Ivey said the expanded order will give the state more time to give residents their first dose of a vaccine.

According to recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just over 674,800 Alabama residents have received at least one dose of vaccine – nearly 14% of the total.

The Republican governor’s decision to lift the state’s mask mandate comes just days after both Texas and Mississippi announced similar moves on Tuesday. However, President Joe Biden and senior US health officials criticized the decision as a “big mistake”.

“We are on the verge of fundamentally changing the nature of this disease because we can get vaccines into people’s arms. … The last, the last thing we need is the Neanderthals’ thinking. That,” In the meantime Is everything ok. Take off your mask. Forget it. “It’s still important,” Biden told reporters on Wednesday.

Correction: This article has been updated to correct the date the Safer Home order will be fulfilled. It expires on April 9th ​​at 5 p.m.

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Health

New Jersey Gov. Murphy defends eligibility standards

New Jersey Gov. Murphy defends eligibility criteria

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on Wednesday defended the state’s approval requirements for coronavirus vaccines, telling CNBC that priority must be given to people with pre-existing medical conditions, including smokers.

In an interview on Squawk Box, Murphy said the state is focused on using its available vaccine supplies for two different groups. The first, he said, are those who “need to help fight the virus,” such as healthcare workers and first responders. The second are people who are at greater risk of serious illness or death if they contract Covid, he said.

“This is not speculation. This is based on the data, on the facts. Who got sick? Who was hospitalized? Who did we lose?” said Murphy, a first-time Democratic governor running for re-election in November.

The second group includes New Jersey residents aged 65 and over, as well as those aged 16 to 64 with a qualifying medical condition listed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including cancer, chronic kidney disease, and heart disease. The CDC list also includes smoking.

New Jersey teachers have not yet been admitted as a full group, but Murphy has come under increasing pressure to allow educators and school staff to qualify for the vaccine. Advocates believe it is important that they receive the life-saving shot so that face-to-face classes can be held more safely.

“It is a wrong choice to compare smokers with others,” Murphy told CNBC. “Anyone under 65 who is the most vulnerable, including if you are a key worker or educator, is eligible now.”

Teachers as a group are “in a circle on deck,” Murphy said. “I hope we’ll get to the educators sooner rather than later.”

Some states, such as Maryland, Illinois, and Arizona, have upgraded teacher eligibility, according to EdWeek, a news organization dedicated to K-12 education.

New Jersey gave around 1.1 million doses of vaccine on Tuesday afternoon, according to the CDC. The US has given a total of 43.2 million doses, CDC data shows.

While Murphy expressed optimism about the Biden administration’s vaccination efforts, he said that there is still more demand for the shots in New Jersey than is available.

“You have a huge imbalance between supply and demand,” he said. But he added, “The Biden team [is] I am confident they will deliver. It won’t be overnight, but we will get this. “

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Business

New York Gov. Cuomo says Barclays Middle, different massive arenas within the state, can reopen beginning Feb. 23

New York Gov. Cuomo says Barclays Center, other large arenas in the state, can reopen starting Feb. 23

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks to reporters during a press conference at a COVID-19 pop-up vaccination center in the William Reid Apartments in Brooklyn, New York City, the United States, on Jan. 23, 2021.

Altaffer | Reuters

Large stadiums and arenas in New York can reopen with limited capacity from February 23, if approved by the state Department of Health, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday.

Stadiums with 10,000 or more seats are capped at 10% and anyone entering the buildings must present a negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours of the event. Face covering, social distancing and temperature checks on arrival will also be required, Cuomo said.

The first major event already approved by state health officials will take place at New York’s Barclays Center, where the Brooklyn Nets will play the Sacramento Kings on February 23, Cuomo said.

“Any major stadium or arena – hockey, basketball, soccer, soccer, baseball, music shows, performances – can open on February 23,” Cuomo said at a press conference.

Source: New York State

This is the first time since mid-March, when the coronavirus first pierced New York state and overloaded its hospital system, allowing stadiums to reopen to fans across the state. Cuomo said Monday that reopening the state’s economies, including theaters and major venues, through Covid-19 testing “is something where New York wants to lead the way”.

Much of the state’s plan to reopen arenas is based on a pilot program that ran in January that allowed nearly 7,000 football fans to attend the Buffalo Bills home game as long as they presented a negative Covid-19 test. Cuomo called the program “an unprecedented success”.

“This hits the balance of safe reopening,” said Cuomo.

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Health

New York Gov. Cuomo, New Jersey Gov. Murphy maintain joint press briefing on Covid

New York Gov. Cuomo, New Jersey Gov. Murphy hold joint press briefing on Covid

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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy will hold a joint press conference on Friday on the coronavirus pandemic as both states gradually reopen their economies amid falling cases.

Both Cuomo and Murphy have taken steps over the past week to reopen more businesses in their states as they continue to introduce doses of Covid-19 vaccines. Last week, Cuomo said New York restaurants could reopen their limited capacity indoor eateries from February 14th.

Cuomo also said the state will take steps to allow some venues to reopen for wedding ceremonies from mid-March.

Meanwhile, Murphy announced on Wednesday that New Jersey restaurants could expand their indoor dining options from 25% to 35%. The state will also allow indoor gatherings for events such as weddings and funerals, as well as indoor venues with a 35% capacity or a limit of 150 people, he said.

New Jersey reports a weekly average of 3,973 Covid-19 cases per day, while New York reports an average of 9,722 cases per day, a decrease of more than 20% from the last one, according to a CNBC analysis of the compiled data for both states Week means from Johns Hopkins University.

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

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Health

New York Gov. Cuomo asks to purchase immediately from Pfizer

New York Gov. Cuomo asks to buy directly from Pfizer

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks out on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) on November 15, 2020 at Riverside Church in Manhattan, New York City, United States.

Andrew Kelly | Reuters

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo asked Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla Monday about the option of purchasing Covid-19 vaccine doses direct from the company. However, a statement from the company said the Department of Health and Human Services must first approve such a model.

The request comes after an alarmingly slow start to national vaccine rollout, with the country falling millions of injections short of original Trump administration projections. By January 15, the US had distributed more than 31 million doses and administered just over 12 million. Health officials had hoped to inject 20 million Americans by the end of 2020.

Cuomo, a Democrat, accused the Trump administration of not sending enough doses of vaccine to his state. This week, he said, New York would receive 250,000 doses – 50,000 fewer than the week before.

In his letter to Bourla, Cuomo suggested that Pfizer should be able to sell directly to his state, bypassing federal agencies, as Pfizer “is not bound by any commitments Moderna made under Operation Warp Speed” .

“The company’s decision to end Operation Warp Speed, which is being redesigned by the Biden Administration, puts it in a unique position that could help save lives here in New York,” Cuomo wrote.

Pfizer said the model would first need to be approved for emergency drug use under the Food and Drug Administration’s approval.

The company said in a statement it was “open to working with HHS on a distribution model that would get as many Americans as possible access to our vaccine as quickly as possible. However, before we could sell directly to state governments, HHS would need to approve it . ” this proposal is based on the EEA granted to Pfizer by the FDA. “

Representatives from HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Health

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo holds a press briefing on Covid pandemic

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo holds a press briefing on Covid pandemic

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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will hold a press conference on coronavirus Friday, where the state will provide coronavirus vaccines to people beyond healthcare and nursing home residents.

On Tuesday, following new instructions from the federal government, Governor Andrew Cuomo said residents 65 and older and other key workers such as teachers, police officers and transit workers could be vaccinated against the disease.

However, he warned that supplies would be an issue. The New York Department of Health announced this week that appointments for the vaccine will be booked for the next 3½ months and will fill up quickly after the state extends the eligibility.

To date, New York has received more than 1.8 million doses of vaccine, but administered around 37% of those, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state has prepared to dispense the doses in larger quantities and to use convention centers and baseball parks as temporary vaccination sites.

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