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Interfor’s Covid-19 Updates – December 15th
Latest numbers (as of 9am est):
Total Reported Cases: 72,957, 238 (16,520,408 in United States)
Total Deaths: 1,623,864 (300,494 in United States)
NOTEWORTHY DEVELOPMENTS
United States
- All 50 states, as well as Washington, DC and Puerto Rico, have received their first shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, according to state departments of health, governor’s offices, and local hospitals.
- The next Covid-19 vaccine under consideration for emergency use authorization is Moderna’s candidate. If authorized, the United States plans to initially ship about 6 million doses across the country, according to chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed.
- New York state administered its first vaccine to a healthcare worker Monday morning. The Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine was administered to Sandra Lindsay, a critical care nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens.
- Nevada’s governor has reinstated an order to prevent those who can’t afford their rent from being evicted. The eviction moratorium will last until March 31, and only applies when a resident cannot afford to pay due to financial hardship caused by Covid-19.
- Boston’s mayor announced that starting tomorrow the city is moving back to a modified Phase 2 in its reopening plan to slow a surge in COVID-19 cases. As a result, non-essential businesses will be forced to close for at least three weeks.
International
- A personal support care worker in Toronto was among Canada’s first recipient of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine on Monday, as the country began distributing 30,000 doses across the country.
- Japan now has the highest number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care since the pandemic began. A record 588 are in critical condition and have been admitted to the ICU. In response to the surge in cases and hospitalizations, local governments have strengthened their Covid-19 restrictions.
- Singapore is set to launch a new travel program in mid-January for business travelers on short-term stays. Those participating will have to stay at an appointed facility, undergo regular testing, and follow safety measures.
- Germany will go into a national lockdown starting next week and continuing through the Christmas period, to stem a wave of coronavirus cases. All non-essential shops, services and schools will close until January 10, and Christmas Day gatherings will be reduced from ten people to five.
- Peru’s clinical trials of China’s Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine was suspended after a participant reported a decrease in muscle strength in his legs. The reason for the symptoms cannot yet be determined and an investigation is ongoing.
- The Prime Minister of the Southern African country of Eswatini died just weeks after he contracted Covid-19. He appears to be the first confirmed head of government to have died following a Covid-19 diagnosis.
RECOMMENDATIONS/OBSERVATIONS
- Based on recommendations from ranking epidemiologists, all non-essential travel should be reconsidered.
- Wear a mask. There is no downside and projected deaths in the United States are considerably lower if the populace wears masks, according to several studies.
- You can download Interfor’s return to work guidelines here.
WARNING: Be sure to vet ALL information and rumors.
Resources:
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/
- CDC Symptoms page
- See Interfor’s new blog post about internal investigations during the of Covid.