Coronavirus positives in Bradenton and Hillsborough Counties (Miami, Sarasota: inspection, floor)

[wondermint2]

Pfizer CEO says third Covid vaccine dose likely needed within 12 months

https://news.google.com/articles/CAI...S&ceid=US%3Aen

- Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said people will "likely" need a third dose of a Covid-19 vaccine within 12 months of getting fully vaccinated.

- He also said it's possible people will need to get vaccinated against the coronavirus annually.

Researchers still don't know how long protection against the virus lasts once someone has been fully vaccinated.

Pfizer said earlier this month that its Covid-19 vaccine was more than 91% effective at protecting against the coronavirus and more than 95% effective against severe disease up to six months after the second dose. Moderna's vaccine, which uses technology similar to Pfizer's, was also shown to be highly effective at six months.

Pfizer's data was based on more than 12,000 vaccinated participants. However, researchers say more data is still needed to determine whether protection lasts after six months.

[wondermint2]

Want public records? 'So sue me' seems to be state's attitude, First Amendment experts say

https://news.google.com/articles/CAI...S&ceid=US%3Aen

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his administration — from state health and emergency management officials on down — have resisted sharing all they know with the public.

Instead, he and his team have chosen public relations over public records, deciding what information they want to release, First Amendment experts say.

They've carefully choreographed and strategically staged news conferences and photo ops spotlighting various achievements in the battle against the virus.

Meantime, they’ve slow-walked or refused requests for vital information that Florida residents want to know about contact tracing, infection rates at schools and nursing homes, weekly White House advisories, agreements with pharmacies and grocery chains, and variant data.

[wondermint2]

Florida education commissioner: Schools should make masks voluntary

https://news.google.com/articles/CBM...S&ceid=US%3Aen

Florida’s Department of Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran sent a letter to school districts with mandatory face mask policies to revise them for the 2021-2022 school year.

A letter was sent asking for the districts to make face coverings voluntary and says masks inhibit peer-to-peer learning.

Corcoran calls the mandatory mask mandates an example of a ‘one-size-fits-all’ policy at some districts and schools. He says data shows that districts’ face mask policies do not impact the spread of the virus.

“Face coverings are a personal decision and certainly families and individuals should maintain their ability to make a decision that is unique to their circumstances,” the letter reads.

It continues to say sweeping mandatory face mask policies “serve no remaining good at this point in our schools.”

[wondermint2]

Originally Posted by wondermint2

Florida education commissioner: Schools should make masks voluntary

Manatee district to review mask policy as FL education commissioner ups pressure for change

https://www.bradenton.com/news/local...250691299.html

As they face outside pressure from local and state officials, Manatee County school board members will soon review their district-wide mask policy.

Charlie Kennedy, the board chair, said he planned to include a policy discussion on the April 27 meeting agenda, satisfying a requirement that board members review their mask mandate at least every 90 days. The board last reviewed its policy and chose to continue the mandate on Feb. 9.

While the upcoming review was already planned, the controversial topic gained new life after Florida’s education commissioner, Richard Corcoran, called on school boards to make face coverings optional in the upcoming 2021-22 school year.

It was unclear whether the board majority would support ending or continuing the policy in late April. Vice-Chair James Golden could not be reached for comment on Thursday, nor could board member Gina Messenger, who has long favored voluntary masking over strict mandates.

[wondermint2]

Dr. Scott Gottlieb explains why he believes Covid won't be eradicated in U.S. like smallpox


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfxfAhYL6uE

- It is "possible" to eliminate Covid in the U.S. but it appears unlikely, Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC Friday.

- "If we want to eradicate it, we need to make different decisions as a society," the former FDA chief said.

- Gottlieb said it would require Americans to exercise "serious virtue" and receive the Covid vaccine.

[wondermint2]

Getting COVID-19 doesn't always protect young people from reinfection, study finds

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/med...ds/ar-BB1fHrFs

A positive COVID-19 test comes with a tenuous silver lining: you're protected from the coronavirus, at least for a few months.

But recent research, out today in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, has found protection from reinfection is not a sure thing.

An observational study of more than 3,000 healthy US Marine recruits revealed that it's possible for young people to get COVID-19 twice, although those who have had it before have a lower risk of infection.

Around 10% of recruits who previously had COVID-19 were reinfected during a six-week observation period. In comparison, 50% of recruits who had not been previously infected tested positive during the study.

Based on the study of Marine recruits, the authors concluded that young people who have antibodies are about five times less likely to get infected than those who do not have antibodies. Studies in other populations have produced similar findings.

A preprint study of British healthcare workers, which has not yet been reviewed, found those who had not been previously infected with COVID-19 had a five times higher risk of being infected compared to people who had a past infection.

A study of 4 million people in Denmark found that COVID-19 infection afforded people under the age of 65 around 80% protective immunity after six months. Older people were only 47% protected from reinfection.

[wondermint2]

More young people are getting hospitalized as Covid variants spread. Here’s what we know

https://news.google.com/articles/CAI...S&ceid=US%3Aen

- CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said earlier this month that hospitals are seeing more younger adults admitted with Covid-19 as more contagious variants spread.

-Older teens and young adults were among the last prioritized to get the coronavirus vaccines and many of them have yet to receive the shots.

- Young adults are also thought to be involved in more high-risk behaviors such as playing close-contact sports and going out to bars.

- Those factors coupled with the highly contagious B.1.1.7 variant are likely driving a surge in young people going to the hospital, health experts say.

Nationwide, the number of 18- to 64-year-olds visiting emergency departments with Covid is increasing while the number of visits among patients 65 and older is declining, according to a slide presented by Walensky during a news briefing last week.

"Cases and emergency room visits are up," Walensky said. "We are seeing these increases in younger adults, most of whom have not yet been vaccinated."

[wondermint2]

Following spring break, Florida’s COVID variant cases explode

https://news.google.com/articles/CAI...S&ceid=US%3Aen

One month after the peak of Florida’s spring break, the number of residents infected with more infectious mutated strains of COVID-19 has exploded, rising six-fold since mid-March and leaving 122 people hospitalized.

The information, disclosed in response to a lawsuit by the Orlando Sentinel against the Florida Department of Health, shows the total as of Thursday reached 5,177 cases involving five “variants of concern” — a designation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for mutations that make the virus more transmissible, deadly or resistant to treatment and current vaccines.

And because less than one-half of 1% of cases are studied for the mutations, the variants are assumed to be circulating at a much greater volume.

“This is kind of what a lot of public health folks have been afraid of, and why we’re trying to emphasize the need for continued caution as we move forward,” said Zinzi Bailey, a social epidemiologist at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. “My biggest fear is that, if we become more lax with our masking and our social distancing, we will actually start creating our own variant” — including, potentially, one that could evade current vaccines.

The data comes as the White House announced an almost $2 billion plan on Friday to enhance the nation’s ability to track coronavirus variants — a move a top COVID advisor Andy Slavitt said is needed to “detect these variants early on before dangerous outbreaks.” About half of the money would go to federal and state efforts to test for the variants.

[wondermint2]

Week over week new Covid-19 cases increased by 9.8% in Manatee County while in Sarasota County new Covid-19 cases decreased by 1.6%. However testing declined in Sarasota county thus their test positivity ratio increased to 6.2%. In Manateee County testing increased and their test positivity rate ticked slightly lower to 7.24%.

Hospitalizations accelerated from their small increases on April 11th to larger increases this week. In Sarasota County hospitalizations rose by 28.8% while in Manatee County hospitalizations increased by 38%.

I wish I had better news to report - however the numbers clearly suggest the downtrend is over and currently we are at modestly high Covid-19 numbers and appear to be in a rising trend. The high percent positivity numbers along with rising hospitalizations are cause for concern.

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Hospitalizations
As per the state data-base that lists hospitalizations with a primary diagnosis of Covid-19:

Sarasota County:

*March 7th = 63.57 Covid-19 patients hospitalized
*March 14th = 54.43 Covid-19 patients hospitalized
*March 21st = 41.28 Covid-19 patients hospitalized
*March 28th = 38.57 Covid-19 patients hospitalized
*April 4th = 41.86 Covid-19 patients hospitalized
*April 11th = 42.14 Covid-19 patients hospitalized
*April 18th = 54.28 Covid-19 patients hospitalized

Manatee County:

*March 7th = 62.71 Covid-19 patients hospitalized
*March 14th = 49.57 Covid-19 patients hospitalized
*March 21st = 35.43 Covid-19 patients hospitalized
*March 28th = 29.43 Covid-19 patients hospitalized
*April 4th = 25.43 Covid-19 patients hospitalized
*April 11th = 27.85 Covid-19 patients hospitalized
*April 18th 38.43 Covid-19 patients hospitalized

*I report hospitalizations as the seven day average.

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Cases, Tests, Positivity Rate

For the week of April 11th through April 17th:

Sarasota County:

total positive cases = 790 (112.86 cases per day on average)
total tests = 12,734 (1819.14 tests per day on average)
test positivity rate = 6.2%

Manatee County:

total positive cases = 841 (120.14 cases per day on average)
total tests = 11,621 (1660.14 tests per day on average)
test positivity rate = 7.24%

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For the week of April 4th through April 10th:

Sarasota County:

total positive cases = 803 (114.71 cases per day on average)
total tests = 14,386 (2055.14 tests per day on average)
test positivity rate = 5.58%

Manatee County:

total positive cases = 766 (109.43 cases per day on average)
total tests = 10,298 (1471.14 tests per day on average)
test positivity rate = 7.44%

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For the week of March 28th through April 3rd:

Sarasota County:

total positive cases = 620 (88.57 cases per day on average)
total tests = 11,524 (1646.28 tests per day on average)
test positivity rate = 5.38%

Manatee County:

total positive cases = 673 (96.14 cases per day on average)
total tests = 10,777 (1539.57 tests per day on average)
test positivity rate = 6.24%

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For the week of March 21st through March 27th:

Sarasota County:

total positive cases = 620 (88.57 cases per day on average)
total tests = 10,959 (1565.57 tests per day on average)
test positivity rate = 5.6%

Manatee County:

total positive cases = 712 (101.71 cases per day on average)
total tests = 10,643 (1520.43 tests per day on average)
test positivity rate = 6.7%

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For the week of March 14th through March 20th:

Sarasota County:

total positive cases = 479 (68.43 cases per day on average)
total tests = 10,901 (1557.28 tests per day on average)
test positivity rate = 4.39%

Manatee County:

total positive cases = 597 (85.28 cases per day on average)
total tests = 9987 (1462.71 tests per day on average)
test positivity rate = 5.97%

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For the week of March 7th through March 13th:

Sarasota County:

total positive cases = 471 (67.28 cases per day on average)
total tests = 12,806 (1829.43 tests per day on average)
test positivity rate = 3.68%

Manatee County:

total positive cases = 601 (85.86 cases per day on average)
total tests = 11,723 (1674.71 tests per day on average)
test positivity rate = 5.13%

[wondermint2]

Covid-19 vaccine demand is slowing in parts of the US. Now an uphill battle starts to get more shots into arms

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/04/18/u...and/index.html

"We're reaching the point where we're getting to the hard audiences," said Lori Tremmel Freeman, CEO of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). "The ones that either are unsure or on the fence about the vaccine, don't have enough information or are just plain outright... not interested in the vaccine for other reasons."

Experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, estimate somewhere between 70-85% of the country needs to be immune to the virus -- either through inoculation or previous infection -- to suppress its spread. But the US is nowhere near those levels yet and the slowing demand -- especially now that eligibility has opened up -- means getting there might be a taller task than some local officials expected.