10 SEP 2021 · This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for September 10th, 2021. In the U.S., the administration announced new steps, including mandates to tackle the pandemic. Those steps include mandating vaccines for federal workers, contractors and certain health care workers, mandates for employees at companies with 100 or more workers to be vaccinated or tested weekly, and a recommendation large venues require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test.  The Los Angeles board of education voted to mandate students 12 and older be vaccinated in order to be allowed to come to school. The Los Angeles Unified School District, which has more than 600,000 mostly Latino students, already tests all students and employees weekly, requires masking indoors and outdoors, and has ordered employees to be vaccinated.  If we want to know what happens when you vaccinate even younger kids, we can watch Cuba. That government has begun to vaccinate children as young as two. They are using Cuban vaccines and say it’s safe for young children but have provided little data to outside observers to confirm this.  If you think the pandemic hasn’t been confusing enough, throw this into the mix. The CDC changed the definitions of vaccine and vaccinated. The changes mostly involve backing away from the word “immunity” and saying it offers “protection,” so as not to raise expectations. A CDC spokesperson said changing the words of a definition doesn’t change the definition. Here’s some good news considering it’s never healthy to hold it in. Peer-reviewed research has found public toilets pose little risk of catching the virus. No evidence of airborne transmission for pathogens was found there. Yes, there was some risk of aerosolization from flushing and those hand blowers, but nothing that increased the chances of transmission. In the United States cases were down 2%, deaths are up 32%, and hospitalizations are up 3% over 14 days. Keep in mind this week’s statistics are affected by changes in reporting over the Labor Day holiday. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since September 2.   There are 9,141,650 active cases in the United States. With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the biggest increase in hospitalizations per capita: North Dakota 106%, South Dakota 64%, West Virginia 49%, Alaska 39%, and Virginia and Ohio 38%.  The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Perry, KY. Rusk, TX. Russell, KY. Taylor, FL. Clay, KY. Dorchester, SC. Nolan, TX. Hendry, FL. Sequatchie, TN. And Monroe, TN.  There have been at least 654,576 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related. The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont unchanged at 68.3%, Connecticut at 66.7%, and Massachusetts and Maine at 66.5%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 39.5%, and Wyoming and Mississippi at 39.6%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 53.3%. The 5 countries with the largest recent 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people: Bangladesh up 31%. Vietnam 9%. Thailand 4%. Sri Lanka 3%. And Argentina 2%. Globally, cases were down 11% and deaths were down 9% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since August 27.  There are 18,792,324 active cases around the world. The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 157,827. India 43,406. The U.K. 38,797. Iran 26,854. And Turkey 23,914.    There have now been at least 4,604,426 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.  For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Coronavirus 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Coronavirus 411 podcast.  See

9 SEP 2021 · This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for September 9th, 2021. The World Health Organization is again calling for a moratorium on booster shots, saying rich countries with large supplies should not offer shots through the end of the year so first doses can go to poorer countries. So far that request has been ignored by countries like the United States. The Director General added, “We do not want to see widespread use of boosters for healthy people who are fully vaccinated." Novavax has initiated an early-stage study to test a combined flu and COVID-19 vaccine. The trial will be conducted in Australia. A spokesman said, "Combination of these two vaccines may lead to greater efficiencies and achieve high levels of protection against COVID-19 and influenza with a single regimen.” Some good news for young adult COVID survivors. Research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress shows the disease doesn’t appear to have affected lung function. Even patients with asthma showed no statistically significant deterioration. The investigators measured the volume of air in the lungs that can be exhaled after a taking the deepest breath possible and a ratio that’s an indicator of narrowed airways.  An analysis shows the pace of new vaccinations in rural America increased for the fourth consecutive week last week. Rural counties reported just over 318,000 rural Americans completed their vaccine regimen last week. That’s 9% higher than the number who were newly vaccinated two weeks ago. 39% of the total rural population is completely vaccinated, up 0.7 percentage points from two weeks ago.  Another country has decided it’s going to have to learn to live with COVID and is preparing to do just that. South Korea’s working up a plan on returning life to normal by late October, when 80% of adults are expected to be fully vaccinated. The strategy will be implemented in phases. In the United States cases were up 1%, deaths are up 34%, and hospitalizations are up 4% over 14 days. Keep in mind this week’s statistics are affected by changes in reporting over the Labor Day holiday. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since July 5.   There are 9,058,897 active cases in the United States. With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the biggest daily volume of deaths per capita: Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, the US Virgin Islands, and South Carolina.  The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Perry, KY. Rusk, TX. Dorchester, SC. Sequatchie, TN. Monroe, TN. Taylor, FL. Clay, KY. Marion, TN. Richland, LA. And Hendry, FL.  There have been at least 652,647 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related. The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 68.3%, Connecticut at 66.6%, and Massachusetts at 66.5%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming unchanged at 39.3%, Alabama at 39.4%, and Mississippi at 39.6%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 53.2%. The 5 countries with the largest recent 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people: Georgia and Thailand up 4%. And Sri Lanka, Argentina, and Bangladesh 3%. Globally, cases were down 9% and deaths were down 5% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since August 27.  There are 18,876,631 active cases around the world. The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 115,776. India 38,130. The U.K. 37,326. Iran 27,138. And Turkey 23,638.    There have now been at least 4,594,805 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.  For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Coronavirus 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Coronavirus 411 podcast.  See

7 SEP 2021 · This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for September 7th, 2021.   Like healthcare workers, they are most at risk. And like many healthcare workers, they are reluctant to get the vaccine. No national statistics show the vaccination rate for America's entire population of first responders, but police and fire departments report figures far below the national rate of adults who have had at least one dose. Increasingly, mandates are putting jobs at risk for refusal to take the shots.   You really have to wonder what’s going on behind the scenes. Now, the CDC says masks are no longer required indoors or outdoors in most settings if you’re fully vaccinated. The news came as a shock after a steady drumbeat of guidance that the fully vaccinated can get Covid, spread Covid, and host new variants of Covid. Regardless, the White House is promoting the new guidance on social media.   There are reports researchers recently discovered antibodies that can neutralize a range of variants and coronaviruses. This could lead to better post-infection treatments if true. They studied survivors, looking for antibodies that may be resistant to losing their effectiveness against variants and new viruses. One antibody showed a high breadth of effectiveness. Another bound well with all respiratory viruses and prevented COVID-19 infections in animal subjects.   How bad is the nursing shortage? Right now, close to 15,000 RN positions are available in North Carolina alone. And there are 5,500 job openings for nursing assistants and LPNs. There’s also a shortage of school nurses. In fact, that was happening even before the pandemic. The CDC says there should be a nurse for every 750 students, but nearly a fourth of all schools in the US don’t have one at all.   You want to get tough on people who put others at risk of the virus but, do you want to get communist country tough? Vietnam put a 28-year-old man in jail for five years Monday for breaking quarantine rules. His trial lasted one day. Despite that severity, Vietnam’s outbreak is worsening, with the vast majority of its 13,385 deaths happening in the last few months.   In the United States cases were down 12%, deaths are up 31%, and hospitalizations are up 9% over 14 days. But keep in mind that for this and most of today’s statistics, there’s an artificial dip due to lack of reporting over the Labor Day holiday. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since July 5.    There are 8,863,957 active cases in the United States.   With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the biggest 14-day increase in hospitalizations: North Dakota up 379%. South Dakota 79%. West Virginia 52%. Tennessee 50%. And Maine 42%.   The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Rusk, TX. Dorchester, SC. Taylor, FL. Russell, KY. Uvalde, TX. Hendry, FL. Butte, SD. Hardee, FL. Pike, OH. And Wayne, MS.   There have been at least 649,023 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.   The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 68.1%, Connecticut at 66.4%, and Massachusetts at 66.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 39.1%, Wyoming at 39.3%, and Idaho at 39.5%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 53%.   The 5 countries with the largest recent 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people: Panama up 3%. And Oceana, Bangladesh, Argentina, and India 2%.   Globally, cases were down 16% and deaths were down 10% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since August 27.   There are 18,811,819 active cases around the world.   The five countries with the most new cases: The U.K. 41,192. The United States 39,644. India 30,184. Iran 27,579. And the Philippines 22,415.   There have now been at least 4,574,419 ...

6 SEP 2021 · This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for September 6th, 2021.   Full steam ahead in the U.S. with booster shots, even though the EU, the World Health Organization, and even the CDC says it could be premature and possibly unnecessary right now. It’s believed boosters will be available September 20 for Pfizer, with Moderna’s rolling out a couple weeks later. The President said Americans should consider getting a booster 8 months after their second shot.   Israel is so bought into boosters they’re actually getting ready to administer fourth doses of the vaccines. Cases are soaring there despite world-leading vaccinations. Their national coronavirus czar said new injections could better protect against new variants of the virus and could be needed every few months. He said, “This is our life from now on.”   There's nothing yet to suggest the current vaccines won’t work against the new Mu variant. But as always, science doesn’t seem to know for sure. What is known is it’s already made its way to nearly every state in the U.S. and 39 countries. And it’s been here awhile. It was first detected in Colombia in January. Right now, the variant only accounts for less than 1% of all Covid-19 samples sequenced in the U.S.   Some vaccine passport news. They’ll be required in indoor venues in England starting the end of this month. There are critics but the Health Minister said this is the way to keep the economy open. And Japan will issue vaccination certificates starting mid-December. Those are mostly meant for overseas travel via a QR code on smartphones.   Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady confirmed he tested positive for Covid-19 in February, soon after the team’s boat parade that celebrated their Super Bowl win. He’s since been vaccinated.   In the United States cases were up 8%, deaths are up 55%, and hospitalizations are up 11% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since July 5.    There are 8,823,289 active cases in the United States.   With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the biggest 14-day increase in hospitalizations: North Dakota up 331%. South Dakota 88%. West Virginia 56%. Maine 53%. And Wyoming and Tennessee 51%.   The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Russell, KY. Perry, KY. Rusk, TX. Uvalde, TX. Bell, KY. Marion, TN. Clay, KY. Dorchester, SC. Glynn, GA. And Taylor, FL.   There have been at least 648,467 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.   The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 68%, Connecticut unchanged at 66.2%, and Massachusetts at 66.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Mississippi at 38.5%, Alabama at 38.6%, and Wyoming at 39.1%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 52.7%.   The 5 countries with the largest recent 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people: Panama and Kosovo up 3%. And Sri Lanka, Argentina, and Australia 2%.   Globally, cases were down 9% and deaths were down 7% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since August 27.   There are 18,924,449 active cases around the world.   The five countries with the most new cases: India 39,521. The U.K. 37,011. The United States 35,586. Iran 25,870. And Malaysia 20,396.   There have now been at least 4,566,726 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.   For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Coronavirus 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Coronavirus 411 podcast.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

2 SEP 2021 · This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for September 2nd, 2021. The World Health Organization has another “variant of interest” to watch. It’s being called the Mu variant and there are concerns it may partially evade the immunity developed from past infection or vaccination. The variant has been detected in 39 countries. It was first identified in Colombia in January.  A new survey shows most firms are now planning on having vaccine mandates for their workforce, and that will be happening in the next several months. While 21% of firms currently have some vaccine mandate in place, 52% said they’d have one by the fourth quarter of this year. The approach is a good bit different in Florida. The state will start issuing $5,000 fines to businesses, schools and government agencies that require people show proof of vaccination. That will start September 16. The great missing data problem continues. An NPR analysis found that in trying to get more detailed information from the CDC, such as where patients live, whether they were hospitalized or died, demographic details, it comes up that about 1 in 5 known cases — or 7 million people — are completely missing. And about two-thirds of the data present is unusable with fields left blank or marked "Unknown.” Some states have submitted less than one-tenth of their total cases.  A 24-year-old woman from Illinois is not quite as slick as she thought she was. She submitted a fake vaccination card to visit Hawaii which didn’t work at all. Mainly because she misspelled Moderna. Also, she lived in Illinois but her make believe shot was taken in Delaware, so that was suspicious. And the hotel she said she’d be staying at had no reservation for her. Having failed at the crime of the century, she was arrested for two misdemeanors and is awaiting a hearing. In the United States cases were up 18%, deaths are up 75%, and hospitalizations are up 17% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since July 5.   There are 8,532,849 active cases in the United States. With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the biggest 14-day increase in hospitalizations: South Dakota up 103%. Delaware 70%. Wyoming 67%. New Hampshire 61%. And West Virginia 59%.  The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Marion, TN. Perry, KY. Taylor, FL. Clinton, KY. Bledsoe, TN. Bell, KY. Lewis, TN. Sequatchie, TN. Hardee, FL. And Glynn, GA.  There have been at least 642,004 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related. The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont unchanged at 67.9%, And Massachusetts and Connecticut at 66%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Mississippi still unchanged at 37.7%, Alabama at 38.3%, and Wyoming at 38.6%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is unchanged at 52.4%. The 5 countries with the largest recent 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people: Sri Lanka up 7%. Vietnam 4%. And South Korea, South Africa, and Ukraine 3%. Globally, cases were down 5% and deaths were down 4% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since August 27.  There are 18,679,281 active cases around the world. The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 184,420. India 45,971. The U.K. 35,693. Iran 33,170. And Brazil 26,348.    There have now been at least 4,541,140 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.  For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Coronavirus 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Coronavirus 411 podcast.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

1 SEP 2021 · This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for September 1st, 2021.   The EU says it’s now hit its target of fully vaccinating 70% of adults by the end of summer. They’re calling it a great achievement, but the World Health Organization says the pace of vaccinations in the continent now appears to be faltering, and parts of Europe are at risk of fresh outbreaks and new restrictions.   As far as Denmark is concerned, COVID is over. That country is set to remove all remaining measures against the spread except for border controls September 10, and the government says its epidemic is "under control." The Netherlands ended most restrictions in June only to see Delta increase case numbers over 500% in one week.   If you Moderna people are having a friendly rivalry with your Pfizer friends, you win. A study of Belgian healthcare workers shows Moderna resulted in higher antibody levels than Pfizer. And that was true in infected as well as uninfected participants, across age categories.   Policies are supposed to follow the data, but the data consistently shows problems with reliability. This time, newly backfilled data from Tennessee’s department of health reveals the number of coronavirus patients hospitalized to be about 5,100 more than was reported over the past 14 months. That’s a discrepancy of more than 20%.   A new Axios poll finds vaccine hesitancy in the United States has been dropping over the past few weeks. 20% said they’re still unlikely to get a vaccine — but that’s the lowest level since the index started tracking opposition. That’s down from a high of 63% in September 2020.   In the United States cases were up 12%, deaths are up 91%, and hospitalizations are up 22% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since July 5.    There are 8,435,577 active cases in the United States.   With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the biggest 14-day increase in hospitalizations per capita: South Dakota up 111%. Delaware 85%. New Hampshire 73%. West Virginia 69%. And Wyoming 66%.   The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Taylor, FL. Bell, KY. Clay, KY. Clinton, KY. Whitley, KY. Perry, KY. Hardee, FL. Pierce, GA. Cook, GA. And Dodge, GA.   There have been at least 640,088 deaths in U.S. recorded as Covid-related.   The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 67.9%, And Massachusetts and Connecticut at 65.9%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Mississippi unchanged at 37.7%, Alabama at 38.1%, and Wyoming unchanged at 38.4%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 52.4%.   The 5 countries with the largest recent 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people: Thailand up 6%. South Korea, Panama, and Vietnam 4%. And Brazil 3%.   Globally, cases were down 1% and deaths were flat over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since August 27.   There are 18,642,259 active cases around the world.   The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 156,002. India 43,072. The U.K. 32,181. Iran 31,319. And Brazil 25,586.   There have now been at least 4,517,377 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.   For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Coronavirus 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Coronavirus 411 podcast.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

31 AUG 2021 · This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for August 31st, 2021. Take an area with high concentrations of COVID, with a shortage of ICU beds, patients on ventilators, and challenges keeping health care staff working. Then hit it with a Category 4 hurricane and you have the situation in Louisiana. Hospitals had to evacuate over 160 patients, the storm tore off parts of roofs, and left water leaking down walls to pool on floors. Generators kicked in for electricity and some hospitals used water from private wells. And now new patients have begun showing up with storm-related injuries.  As we said yesterday to expect, the EU recommended its 27 nations reinstate restrictions on tourists from the U.S. That reverses advice it gave in June, when the recommendation was to lift restrictions before the summer tourism season. However, the EU has no unified COVID-19 tourism policy, and each government can decide whether or not to close their borders. The last thing we want to report on is a new COVID variant. But a report says a mutation first detected in South Africa, C.1.2, appears to have mutated the most from the original virus, almost double the global mutation rate seen in any other existing variant of concern. Scientists have found 14 mutations in nearly 50% of the variants that had a C.1.2 sequence. In Israel, new daily infections have just climbed to record levels. Around 63% of the population there has been fully vaccinated. In late July, Israel began offering everyone over 60 a booster dose, and that program is being rapidly expanded. Boosters have been available to everyone over 30 since a week ago. A judge in OH has issued an emergency order telling a hospital they have to treat a coronavirus patient with ivermectin. That’s the controversial antiparasitic drug that hasn’t yet been approved by the FDA as a COVID treatment. In fact, some have taken a version of the drug intended for animals and died of overdoses in the process.  In the United States cases were up 20%, deaths are up 96%, and hospitalizations are up 24% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since July 5.   There are 8,345,850 active cases in the United States. With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the biggest 14-day increase in hospitalizations per capita: South Dakota up 117%. Delaware 89%. New Hampshire 80%. West Virginia 74%. And Maine 73%.  The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Taylor, FL. Clay, KY. Cook, GA. Pierce, GA. Bell, KY. McIntosh, GA. Hardee, FL. Live Oak, TX. Emanuel, GA. And Crockett, TN.  There have been at least 638,676 deaths in U.S. recorded as Covid-related. The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 67.8%, And Massachusetts and Connecticut at 65.8%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Mississippi at 37.7%, Alabama at 37.9%, and Wyoming at 38.4%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 52.3%. The 5 countries with the largest recent 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people: Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Argentina, Jordan, and Suriname all up 2%.  Globally, cases were up 1% and deaths were up 3% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending flat since August 27.  There are 18,607,957 active cases around the world. The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 119,642. Iran 33,780. India 30,251. The U.K. 26,476. And the Philippines 22,366.    There have now been at least 4,508,896 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.  For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Coronavirus 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Coronavirus 411 podcast.  See

30 AUG 2021 · This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for August 30th, 2021.   A UK study published in Lancet says people who get the Delta variant are more than twice as likely to be hospitalized as those infected with the alpha strain. Early studies of the Delta variant found it was 50% more transmissible than other strains. The study’s author said absent vaccination, Delta outbreaks will keep imposing a huge burden on healthcare.   If you’re an American who had plans to travel to the EU for fun, start thinking about new plans. The block of nations is expected to announce today that you are too risky to let in. The U.S. is expected to get pulled from the EU’s “safe” list for non-essential travel after being on that list less than two months. Of course, the U.S. has maintained its ban on all non-essential travel from Europe.   Stressed as healthcare workers are, many continue to refuse to set an example. An American Nurses Association survey shows 1 in 8 nurses still aren’t vaccinated and have no plans to get vaccinated. Of those who won’t take the shot, 84% said there’s not enough info about possible long-term effects. Such nurses have started being fired, adding to critical staff shortages.   If you’re not scared of COVID maybe you’re afraid of snakes. A new published medical study says getting the virus is not unlike being bitten by a poisonous rattlesnake. An enzyme has been identified in the virus that ravages the body like snake venom and causes severe inflammation. It’s hoped that targeting that enzyme will help with treatments for COVID.   Another shortage might be coming right behind the nursing shortage. School board members. Across the nation, many are deciding the position is just not worth it amidst tense, sometimes violent confrontations about masking in schools. Many are being harassed, threatened, and some have even contemplated suicide. Others are quitting over policies they disagree with.   In the United States cases were up 20%, deaths are up 95%, and hospitalizations are up 25% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since July 5.    There are once again over 8 million active cases in the United States, at 8,184,348.   With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the biggest 14-day increase in hospitalizations per capita: South Dakota up 104%. New Hampshire 90%. Delaware 77%. Maine 75%. And West Virginia 66%.   The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Taylor, FL. Clay, KY. Cook, GA. Pierce, GA. Bell, KY. McIntosh, GA. Hardee, FL. Live Oak, TX. Emanuel, GA. And Crockett, TN.   There have been at least 637,525 deaths in U.S. recorded as Covid-related.   The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 67.6%, Massachusetts at 65.6%, and Connecticut at 65.5%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 37%, Mississippi unchanged at 37.3%, and Wyoming unchanged at 38.2%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is at 51.9%.   The 5 countries with the largest recent 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people: Sri Lanka, Australia, and India up 2%. And South Korea and Malaysia 1%.   Globally, cases were down 1% and deaths were up 1% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since August 27.   There are 18,589,957 active cases around the world.   The five countries with the most new cases: India 43,381. The United States 37,262. The U.K. 33,196. Iran 31,516. And Japan 22,748.   There have now been at least 4,500,291 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.   For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Coronavirus 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Coronavirus 411 podcast.  See

26 AUG 2021 · This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for August 26th, 2021.   The international scientists sent to China by the World Health Organization to find the coronavirus’ origin said yesterday, get ready to not be surprised, the search has stalled and the window of opportunity for ever getting to the truth is “closing fast.” And the U.S. intelligence review ordered up by the US proved inconclusive. So the world’s scientists and governments have proven incapable of finding out how this happened so we can help prevent it from happening again.   The new Governor of New York acknowledged on her first day in office the state has had nearly 12,000 more deaths from COVID-19 than her predecessor Andrew Cuomo told the public. She said, “The public deserves an honest picture of what’s happening. Good or bad, they need to know the truth. And that’s how we restore confidence.”   Another blow for those who believe the vaccines are more dangerous than getting COVID-19 itself. A study from Israel says an infection carries a far higher risk of heart inflammation than Pfizer’s vaccine. 3 cases of heart inflammation for every 100,000 people vaccinated with Pfizer and 11 per 100,000 in people who had COVID.   We’re starting to see more sticks and fewer carrots. Delta is going to charge employees on its company health plan $200 a month extra if they don’t get vaccinated. It says the average hospital stay for the virus costs them $40,000. They’re also stopping extending pay protection to unvaccinated workers who get COVID starting September 30.   Oh wait, there are still companies using carrots. Well, hardly carrots. Krispy Kreme has upped the ante and will give two free donuts every day until September 5 to anyone who shows proof of vaccination. Krispy Kreme has given out 2.5 million donuts since March when they started giving people one free donut, and they’ll go back to the one donut deal after September 5 for the rest of the year.   In the United States cases were up 23%, deaths are up 111%, and hospitalizations are up 32% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since July 5.    There are 7,829,286 active cases in the United States.   With not all states reporting daily case numbers, the five states with the most new cases: Florida 26,203. Texas 21,961. California 13,583. Georgia 10,677. And Louisiana 6,619.   The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Cook, GA. Clay, KY. Pierce, GA. Brantley, GA. Dodge, GA. Hancock, MS. Nome Census Area, AK. Glynn, GA. Berrien, GA. And McIntosh, GA.   There have been at least 632,223 deaths in U.S. recorded as Covid-related.   NPR did not update the top and bottom vaccinating states so they remain: 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 67.5%, Massachusetts at 65.4%, and Connecticut and Maine at 65.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 36.6%, Mississippi at 36.8%, and Wyoming at 37.9%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 51.5%.   The 5 countries with the largest recent 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people: Georgia up 8%. South Korea 5%. And El Salvador, Morocco, and Suriname 3%.     Globally, cases were flat and deaths were up 1% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since June 21.   There are 18,196,147 active cases around the world.   The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 171,737. India 46,397. Iran 39,983. The U.K. 35,847. And Brazil 30,529.   There have now been at least 4,461,819 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.   For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Coronavirus 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Coronavirus 411 podcast.  See

25 AUG 2021 · This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for August 25th, 2021. Back to school didn’t go terribly well. A few weeks in, more and more school districts have given up on in-person learning or switched to hybrid models because of rising infections. More than 80 school districts or charter networks in more than a dozen states have made changes.  The US President will be receiving a classified report on the origins of the coronavirus. The review was ordered back in May and involves intelligence agencies rechecking anything that could shed light on this important question. But many intelligence and science experts say don’t get your hopes up, they’re doubtful the report will put the question to rest, and it will be added to the “guess we’ll never know” column.   This news is so disturbing because few other nations have done as well in terms of both vaccinations and now booster shots than Israel. But new daily coronavirus infections in Israel are approaching record levels. The delta variant is pervasive, even amongst the vaccinated. Officials point to this as evidence the initial round of vaccines become less effective over time. Just like Alabama, Arkansas has said that’s it…there are no more ICU beds for COVID patients here. It’s the first time since the beginning of the pandemic the state has been maxed out as Arkansas hit a new record Monday for patients on ventilators. Remember when country music star Reba McEntire said she and her boyfriend had COVID-19? Never mind. She genuinely thought they did but her test was a false positive. They actually had a common respiratory virus, RSV. She learned the truth after getting an antibody test. RSV does copy many of the symptoms of COVID. She said, “It takes the energy plumb out of you.” In the United States cases were up 29%, deaths are up 91%, and hospitalizations are up 39% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since July 5.   There are 7,702,120 active cases in the United States. With not all states reporting daily case numbers, the five states with the most new cases: Florida 21,208. Texas 17,403. California 14,583. Georgia 9,186. And Tennessee 5,153.  The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Cook, GA. Dimmit, TX. Crockett, TN. Wayne, MS. Clarke, MS. Pierce, GA. Clay, KY. Hancock, MS. Berrien, GA. And McIntosh, GA.  There have been at least 630,663 deaths in U.S. recorded as Covid-related. The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 67.5%, Massachusetts at 65.4%, and Connecticut and Maine unchanged at 65.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 36.6%, Mississippi unchanged at 36.8%, and Wyoming unchanged at 37.9%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is unchanged at 51.5%. The 5 countries with the largest recent 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people: Suriname up 7%. South Korea 6%. Kyrgyzstan 4%. And South Africa and Georgia 3%.   Globally, cases were up 3% and deaths were up 4% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since June 21.  There are now once again over 18 million active cases around the world, at 18,046,186. The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 147,619. India 51,016. Iran 40,623. Brazil 31,014. And the U.K. 30,838.    There have now been at least 4,450,408 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.  For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Coronavirus 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Coronavirus 411 podcast.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.