With reduced coronavirus infection and a complete vaccination of 50% of American adults, many in the country are looking forward to Memorial Day weekend. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington predicted last week that virus deaths and cases would continue to decline until the middle of summer.
Memorial Day Weekend will test whether the US can survive infections and hospitalizations, and after that, the winter holidays before vaccines were widely available.
According to the AAA, more than 37 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home between Thursday and Monday – a jump of 60% over last year, but compared to the pre-pandemic Memorial Day weekend in 2019 Still fewer than 6 million people.
“If you have been vaccinated, you are safe, and you can enjoy your memory day,” Rochelle Wallensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Wednesday. “If you have not been vaccinated, our guidance has not changed for you. You remain at risk of infection. You still need to apply masks and take other precautions.”
Wallensky’s comment came after the CDC revised the mask guidance to say that fully vaccinated Americans may abandon masks and require social distance outdoors and in most indoor settings.
A recent survey by the American Psychological Association found that 49% of Americans feel uncertain about adjusting for in-person interactions after the epidemic ends. Similarly, 46% stated that they do not feel comfortable going back to their pre-epidemic life.
Jenny Englerth of Family First Health explained to the York Daily Record, part of the USA Today Network, “A return to normalcy is not an instant leap; it is incremental.”
Also in the news:
CVS COVID-19 is offering a chance to win a Super Bowl trip, a vacation to Bermuda, or a cash prize to bring more customers to the vaccination. Kroger is also offering customers, workers or individuals who have the chance to win $ 1 million or free groceries for a year.
According to the country’s drug regulators, Mexico has allowed emergency use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Oxford University is launching an effort to bring together academic, industry and government experts from around the world to use the lessons learned from COVID-19 in the fight against future epidemics.
Today’s Issue: According to Johns Hopkins University data, there have been more than 33.2 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 593,200 deaths in the US. Global totals: more than 168 million cases and 3.5 million deaths. According to the CDC, more than 361.2 million vaccine doses have been distributed in the US and over 290.7 million have been administered. More than 132.7 million Americans have been fully vaccinated – 40% of the population.
क्या what are we studying: Several studies conducted since last March have shown an increase in depression and an increase in anti-depressant drug refills in college-age young adults.
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Biden asks intelligence agencies to intensify investigation into COVID-19 origins
President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he has asked the intelligence community to report on the possible origin of COVID-19 within 90 days.
As questions rose as to whether the virus was the result of an accident in a Chinese laboratory or spread by other means, Biden said in a statement that he wanted the community, which is divided on the issue, to “double” its investigative efforts. .
According to Biden’s statement, as of Thursday, the US Intelligence Community has “covered almost two possible scenarios”.
While the two elements of the community lean towards the possibility that the virus has emerged from human contact with an infected animal, the possibility of a laboratory accident. They are assessed “with low or moderate confidence”. And most members of the intelligence community “do not believe that there is enough information to assess the likelihood that one is more likely than the other.”
Biden’s order came after intelligence officials informed the White House that they had some still unproven evidence from the Chinese communications database, senior administration officials told the New York Times.
Read more here.
– Maureen Groppe
California will offer $ 116.5M vaccine prize money
California is holding on to the trend of cash rewards for vaccinated individuals in the hope that the stimulus will encourage its plateau vaccination rate.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Thursday that the state was offering the nation’s largest vaccine prize money – $ 116.5 million – to vaccinate millions before the state reopened next month.
“It’s all in an effort to build encouragement and momentum,” Newsom said.
Residents with ten vaccines aged 12 and older will have a chance to win $ 1.5 million, and others will win $ 50,000 on June 30 and June 11. Anyone 12 years of age and older who has received at least one shot will be eligible, even if they have already received their shot.
The state is also offering a $ 50 grocery or prepaid gift card to the next 2 million Californians who begin and complete their vaccinations starting Thursday.
According to Sacramento Bee, 1.9 million people received the vaccine in the past week, and the number of those taking the first dose has declined. According to data from the California COVID website, more than 22 million of the state’s 40 million residents have received at least one dose.
“Some Californians were not ready to receive their COVID-19 vaccine on day one, and that’s fine. The program is designed to encourage those who need additional support to vaccinate and help keep California safe, “Dr. Tomas J. Aragon, director of the state’s Department of Public Health, said in a statement Added.
California is not the first state to offer cash incentives for the vaccine lottery or vaccination. Read more about states that also have them.
Contribution: Associated Press.
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