Public Health

In California, storms over the winter break destroyed a million coronavirus test kits that were meant to help schools screen returning students. In Seattle schools, children waited for hours for virus testing, some in a driving rain. In Florida this month, an attempt to supply tests to teachers in Broward County turned up expired kits.

And in Chicago, a labor dispute, partly over testing, kept students out of school for a week.

As millions of American students head back to their desks — Los Angeles, the nation’s second-largest school district, started classes on Tuesday — the coronavirus testing that was supposed to help keep classrooms open safely is itself being tested. In much of the country, things are not going well.

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Read more about Why Coronavirus Testing Is Falling Short in Many U.S. Schools -NYT
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The Omicran variant may be a double edge sword, and other concerns

Wed, 2022-01-12 14:28 — mike kraft

Will this COVID-19 wave lead to herd immunity? Are you less likely to get sick again if you had omicron?

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Florida: FDA extends shelf life of nearly 1 million expired COVID-19 test kits in the state

Wed, 2022-01-12 13:15 — mike kraft

FDA extends shelf life of nearly 1 million expired COVID-19 test kits in Florida, governor says

COVID-19 testing centers throughout Florida — which have been dealing with crushing demand over the last few weeks — may have just caught a big break.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday announced that up to 1 million coronavirus rapid test kits which had expired in December can actually be used.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration extended the expiration date for three months on a warehouse full of between 800,000 and 1 million Abbott Laboratories BinaxNOW COVID-19 test kits, pushing their shelf life to March.

The tests, which had expired between Dec. 26 and 30, will now be sent to emergency management offices, county health departments, public safety agencies, hospitals, and long-term care facilities.

DeSantis added the rapid COVID-19 test kits are not at-home tests and cannot be sent to Floridians directly. Only trained medical professionals can administer them at testing sites.

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Read more about Florida: FDA extends shelf life of nearly 1 million expired COVID-19 test kits in the state
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U.S. COVID deaths rising but currently likely due to Delta, not Omicron -- CDC chief

Wed, 2022-01-12 12:46 — mike kraft

U.S. COVID deaths rising but likely due to Delta, not Omicron, says CDC chief COVID-19 hospitalizations in the United States have increased by about 33% and deaths are up by about 40% from a week earlier, the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday. Reuters Reuters

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Read more about U.S. COVID deaths rising but currently likely due to Delta, not Omicron -- CDC chief
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Other countries struck by Omicron kept their death tolls low. The US is looking different.

Wed, 2022-01-12 12:37 — mike kraft

Other countries struck by Omicron kept their death tolls low. The US is looking different. Deaths in South Africa, the UK, and Denmark appear low compared to prior waves. Experts and data have suggested this may not play out in the US. YahooNews

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Read more about Other countries struck by Omicron kept their death tolls low. The US is looking different.
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U.S. Red Cross declares first-ever national blood crisis

Wed, 2022-01-12 12:20 — mike kraft

The nation's blood supply is dangerously low, prompting the Red Cross to announce a national blood crisis for the first time.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a decline in donor turnout, the cancellation of blood drives and staffing challenges, leading to the worst blood shortage in more than a decade, the Red Cross said. Last year, the Red Cross saw a 34% decline in new donors.

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Low COVID-19 vaccination rates for American kids called a ‘gut punch’

Wed, 2022-01-12 12:11 — mike kraft

Kids' low COVID-19 vaccination rates called a 'gut punch' | AP News Just over 17% of U.S. children between the ages of 5 and 11 are fully vaccinated, more than two months after shots for the age group became available. AP NEWS

... Suspicion, misinformation, complacency and delays because of the holidays and bad weather have combined to produce alarmingly low COVID-19 vaccination rates in U.S. children ages 5 to 11, authorities say.

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