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. 


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