Jaguars fans get a boost at free vaccine clinic inside stadium
With COVID-19 vaccine boosters now available for all adults and the continued push to get people vaccinated against the coronavirus, Duval Countyโs Health Department made it easier on Sunday for Jaguars fans to get the shot with a pop-up vaccination clinic inside the stadium.
How well do COVID vaccines protect after organ transplant?
(AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)A new study raised questions about how well COVID-19 vaccines protect organ transplant recipients โ and what precautions people with suppressed immune systems should take after the shots. Transplant recipients take powerful immune-suppressing drugs to prevent organ rejection, which also increases their risk from the coronavirus โ but excluded them from vaccine studies. Specialists say the shots appear safe for transplant recipients and any protection is better than none. A few weeks after the first dose, 17% of the transplant recipients had developed antibodies against the coronavirus, said Dr. Dorry Segev, a Hopkins transplant surgeon who co-authored the study. Those waiting for a life-saving organ transplant might be able to get vaccinated first.
NY officials removed fuller tally of nursing home deaths
About a third of the state's nursing home fatalities were excluded from the report as a result of the change. Impeach,โ tweeted Queens Assembly member Ron Kim, who said Cuomo bullied him for criticizing how Cuomo withheld nursing home data. AdState officials acknowledged even then that the true number of deaths was higher because the report was excluding patients who died in hospitals. State officials insisted Thursday that the edits were made because of concerns about accuracy. The administration initially released data about how many nursing home residents died at both hospitals and nursing homes, but quietly stopped in early May.
Women dressed as elderly caught trying to get COVID-19 shot
ORLANDO, Fla. โ Two women who dressed up to make themselves appear as older adults to get coronavirus vaccinations were turned away and issued trespass warnings in Orlando, officials said. Dr. Raul Pino, state health officer in Orange County โ where Orlando is located โ said the women disguised themselves on Wednesday with bonnets, gloves and glasses. It appeared that the women had gotten the first shot, but it was unclear where. The women were 35 and 45 years old, officials said in a news release. Pino said the Health Departmentโs investigation will try to determine where they were vaccinated earlier and how they managed to get an appointment.
Final day for 2nd shots at Prime Osborn Convention Center
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ Friday is the final day to receive a second-dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at the Prime Osborn Convention Center. The vaccine site opened less than two months ago. For more information about the Prime Osborn location, you can contact the county Health Department at its COVID-19 information number, 904-253-1850. AdThe Lane Wiley site opens this morning at 9 a.m. and runs until 5 p.m. The state-operated vaccination site at the Regency Square Mall is still offering both first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
AP-NORC poll: A third of US adults skeptical of COVID shots
More recently, he said the spread of more contagious variants of the virus increases the need for more people to get their shots โ and quickly. The poll of 1,055 adults, taken Jan. 28 through Feb. 1, provides insight into the skepticism. About the same percentage said they donโt trust COVID-19 vaccines. And 38% said they donโt believe they need a vaccine, with a similar share saying that they donโt know if a COVID-19 vaccine will work and that they don't trust the government. ___The AP-NORC poll of 1,055 adults was conducted Jan. 28-Feb. 1 using a sample drawn from NORCโs probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population.
The Latest: Wash. state warns hospitals on VIP vaccinations
The state crossed that mark Monday, exactly a year after officials reported the first case of a coronavirus infection in Massachusetts. โ Marylandโs acting health secretary says the stateโs hospitals have received less than half of their expected allocations of second doses of the coronavirus vaccine for front-line health workers this week. Schrader says state officials were talked with the federal Department of Health and Human Services all weekend trying to figure out what happened. The CDC says Iowa has delivered 190,689 first vaccine doses to individuals, or 6,044 per 100,000 people, the third lowest rate in the nation. Ad___PRAGUE โ The Czech Republic is not planning to limit use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for elderly people like some other European Union nations.
11K additional COVID-19 cases reported in Florida
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ Florida Department of Health added 11,423 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, ending a 4-day trend of daily reported cases in the state under 10,000. An additional 380 hospitalizations were reported, bringing the total number since the pandemic began in Florida to 71,535. A total of 207 deaths were reported, bringing the total number to 26,035. There were nine additional COVID-19 deaths reported in Northeast Florida, including one in Alachua County, one in Clay County, three in Duval County, two in Putnam County and two in St. Johns County. The state Health Department said it expects to get 307,000 first doses.
Coronavirus positivity rate ticks back up in Florida
Hospitalizations are also beginning to drop -- coronavirus diagnosis patients in Florida reported at 6,679 on Wednesday. The rate of news positive coronavirus tests reached 10.19% on Tuesday -- the first time it was above 10% in the last five days. St. Johns Countyโs positivity rate jumped to 13.79% and Bradford, Columbia, Flagler, Putnam and Union counties were all even higher. FDOH shows 16,476 people in Florida got their first COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, bringing the stateโs total to 1,494,003 people who have had at least one shot. The state Health Department said it expects to get 307,000 first doses.
Expanded vaccine rollout in US spawns a new set of problems
Mississippi's Health Department stopped taking new appointments the same day it began accepting them because of a โmonumental surgeโ in requests. In California, counties begged for more coronavirus vaccine to reach millions of their senior citizens. โThis is about life and death.โIn Mississippi, officials said new appointments will probably have to wait until a hoped-for shipment of vaccine in mid-February. But the local hospital had no openings on Wednesday, Clark said, and the other vaccination sites are too far away. โSheโs too old.โAllison Salerno, an audio producer from Athens, Georgia, said she spent the better part of a day calling her stateโs health department to get a vaccine appointment for her 89-year-old mother.
Dayโs supply of COVID-19 vaccines in St. Johns County gone in 2ยฝ hours
Another 383 vaccines were administered at the St. Johns County Fire-Rescue site. Quigley said more than 55,000 people 65 and above living in St. Johns County would qualify for the shots, but only 3,000 vaccines were distributed to the county so far. The line in St. Johnโs County is growing to try to get the first 3,000 of the countyโs vaccines. @wjxt4 pic.twitter.com/kspLhKX0UC โ Brittany Muller (@BrittMullerNews) January 1, 2021On Friday, St. Johns County Department of Health announced that anyone seeking a COVID-19 vaccination who takes prescribed blood thinner medications must bring a doctorโs note to receive a vaccination. To receive timely updates regarding the Department of Health in St. Johns Countyโs COVID-19 vaccination program, text SJCVACCINE to 888777.
Duval health department asks for patience as phone lines slammed for vaccine appointments
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ News4Jax was flooded with phone calls Wednesday morning as frustrated viewers reported they could not get through to make a COVID-19 vaccine appointment in Jacksonville. There is currently no online system to make an appointment in Duval County, although one is in the works and officials hope to have it available soon. โWeโre still trying to work out all those kinks,โ said Heather Huffman, interim director of the Duval County health department. DOCUMENT: Consent form for COVID-19 vaccineThe health department says patients donโt need to fill out the insurance information on the form, because the vaccine is free. Our @CityofJax employees ages 65 and older will be provided the #COVID19 vaccine.
'Tis the pandemic season: White House parties on amid virus
A U.S. Marine Corps band performs in the Entrance Hall of the White House during the 2020 Christmas preview, Monday, Nov. 30, 2020, in Washington. The D.C. Health Department canโt do much more than track the numbers and hope its virus guidelines are being followed. But the White House and other federal properties are not required to comply with those rules. On Wednesday night, Trump hosted about 200 guests at the White House for the annual Hanukkah celebration. Bowser's government has generally avoided direct confrontations with the Trump White House over virus protocols.
The Latest: Sri Lanka orders more curfews over virus cluster
(AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)COLOMBO, Sri Lanka โ Authorities in Sri Lanka have closed the countryโs main fish market and widened the curfew in many parts of the island nation following a surge of coronavirus infections related to a new cluster centered on a garment factory. โ Boston schools will switch to all-remote learning in response to rising coronavirus cases in the city. Kelly said Wednesday that two-thirds of the stateโs confirmed cases now are outside the Wichita and Kansas City region. On Wednesday, the state reported its first patient to the field hospital on the state fairgrounds in West Allis outside of Milwaukee. ___ROME โ The Italian region of Lazio, which includes Rome, is imposing an overnight curfew to combat surging coronavirus infections.
The Latest: Australia prioritizes air service to 3 countries
That means health care professionals account for about 15% of all Mexicoโs confirmed coronavirus cases, and about 18% of all COVID-19 deaths. Active-service health care workers largely mirrored Mexicoโs over-all fatality rate of almost 67 COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. The stateโs average number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased from 476 cases a day on Sept. 29 to 685 cases on Oct. 13. Before then, the only confirmed coronavirus death in a Missouri veterans home was in April in north St. Louis County. There were an additional 1,121 confirmed cases, bringing the total to 102,614 since the pandemic began.
DC government unable to connect with White House on outbreak
A member of the cleaning staff sprays The James Brady Briefing Room of the White House, Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, in Washington. Bowser acknowledged on Monday that White House medical officials โhave their hands fullโ at the moment. Instead it has been forced to entrust the White House medical staff to conduct its own contact tracing. Dr. LaQuandra Nesbit, head of the D.C. Health Department, said the process must begin with an official notification from a medical professional. White House spokesman Judd Deere said Monday that the White House "has established a robust contact tracing program led by the White House Medical Unit with CDC integration to provide appropriate recommendations.โHe said those who com in close proximity to Trump would continue to be tested.
Some Orthodox Jews bristle at NYC's response to virus surge
Amid a new surge of COVID-19 in New Yorks Orthodox Jewish communities, many residents are reviving health measures that some had abandoned over the summer social distancing, wearing masks. Officials say the worst-hit ZIP codes overlap with large Orthodox Jewish communities in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens and in a couple of nearby counties. Last week, Agudath Israel of America, an Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, worked with the Boro Park Jewish Community Council to distribute 400,000 masks. โThe Jewish community feels theyโre being singled out and thereโs some element of anti-Semitism,โ he said Monday. In 2018 and 2019, measles cases spread in Orthodox communities in New York as well as other regions.
UK begins testing a new app to fight COVID-19 spread
LONDON Britain started testing a new smartphone app Thursday to help people find out whether theyve been close to someone infected with COVID-19 after security concerns torpedoed an earlier effort to use technology to track the disease. The Department of Health and Social Care said that trials of the app began on the Isle of Wight, with testing in the London borough of Newham scheduled to begin soon. The app, which was developed in conjunction with privacy experts and companies such as Google and Apple, is similar to technology being used in Germany and Ireland. ``It uses the latest security technology and is designed with user privacy in mind, so it tracks the virus, not people, the Health Department said in a statement. The app uses bluetooth technology to determine when a users phone has been in close proximity to the phone of someone who has tested positive for the disease.
Nearly 3,900 additional COVID-19 cases reported in Georgia; total nears 128,000
An additional 3,871 cases of COVID-19 were reported Wednesday afternoon by the Georgia Department of Public Health as the total number of cases in the state reached 127,834. The cases reported Wednesday were 477 more than were reported by the Health Department on Tuesday, and 228 more than the total number reported Monday in Georgia. An additional 417 hospitalizations were reported -- nearly double the number that was reported the day prior. Confirmed cases and hospitalizations have been rising sharply in the state over the past few weeks. Kemp says no, but local governments across the state are doing it anyway, with several cities including Atlanta implementing mask requirements and other restrictions.
Mayo Clinic, St. Vincentโs, Baptist Medical Center South all treating patients for COVID-19
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ Baptist Health, Ascension St. Vincentโs and Mayo Clinic announced Sunday afternoon that the hospitals had received confirmation from the Health Department that its current patients had tested positive for COVID-19. The Baptist Health patient, who has been treated in an isolation room since initially showing symptoms of COVID-19, is comfortable and in fair but stable condition at Baptist Medical Center South, according to the hospital. Ascension St. Vincentโs confirmed two patients have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Clay and Riverside hospitals. These public health entities are best positioned to provide relevant and appropriate information to the public,โ Mayo Clinic said in a statement. Baptist Health said patients should check with their physician if they have scheduling questions regarding elective procedures and surgeries.
Health officials warn of mosquito-borne illness increase in St. Johns County
James Gathany/CDCJACKSONVILLE, Fla. - In St. Johns County, an increase in activity for West Nile virus and Eastern equine encephalitis was recently detected, health officials said Wednesday. Officials were conducting routine surveillance assessments on sentinel chickens, which are used to detect some mosquito-borne illnesses, and confirmed the increase. The Florida Department of Health in St. Johns County is now advising residents of the spike. The Health Department, along with the Anastasia Mosquito Control District, continue their surveillance and prevention efforts. The Florida Department of Health continues to conduct statewide surveillance for mosquito-borne illnesses, including West Nile, EEE, St. Louis encephalitis, malaria, chikungunya and dengue.