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COVID-19: Regional Roundup March 24 2020
March 24, 2020 | Comments: 2
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COVID-19 Global News Round Up as of Feb 20, 2022
February 21, 2022
Omicron cases are falling, while ‘stealth’ variant is on the rise
Cases of the omicron variant have fallen in the United States, but BA.2, known as “stealth omicron,” is just getting started. The subvariant has been found in at least 74 countries and 47 states.
Dr. Jeffrey Goldhagen with UF Health Jacksonville said a surge is inevitable.
“Any suggestion whatsoever that we are out of the woods so to speak with respect to SARS and COVID-19 disease is just wrong,” said Dr. Goldhagen.
Studies show the new variant can cause serious illnesses like the delta variant. Immunity from vaccines alone isn’t enough. Vaccines along with a booster shot restores protection making sickness after infection about 74% less likely, doctors say.
Goldhagen said Vaccination with booster does protect against this new variant or subvariant against omicron.
A fourth Covid-19 shot might be recommended this fall, as officials ‘continually’ look at emerging data
As the world approaches the second anniversary of the declaration of the Covid-19 pandemic by the World Health Organization, on March 11, more nations are rolling out — or are discussing the possibility of — fourth doses of coronavirus vaccine for their most vulnerable. According to CNN, leading public health officials in the United States said they are “very carefully” monitoring if or when fourth doses might be needed.
Israel was the first nation to roll out fourth doses, announcing in December that adults 60 and older, medical workers and people with suppressed immune systems were eligible to receive the extra shot if at least four months have passed since their third dose.
Nearly half of state mask mandates have ended in the past 3 weeks
Five states have dropped or altered business mask mandates since late January as declining Covid-19 cases have shifted political winds.
These states include California, Delaware, Nevada, New York and Rhode Island. All but Nevada still require masks in schools, according to an NBC News survey of state mask requirements.
The changes come despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s continuing recommendation that masks be used indoors in most of the country.
On January 28th , 11 states required masks in some or all settings, but as of Tuesday seven, plus Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., still have restrictions in place. Of these states, several have announced plans to lift them by the end of February or beginning of March.
Vaccine requirements are being lifted across America as Covid cases diminish
From March 1st , 2022 Seattle, the biggest city in the state where the first U.S. case of Covid-19 was confirmed more than two years ago, will lift its proof-of-vaccination requirement for restaurants, theaters and gyms.
City and county employees who have been working from home for two long years will soon also start getting called back into the office.
From coast to coast, other major cities, including Philadelphia, the Twin Cities and the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., are doing the same as the rate of Covid-19 infections plummets. According to NBC News, the average number of new daily cases has dropped by 67 percent in the last two weeks.
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Groundbreaking for the China-funded GSS set for September; additional grant funding allocated for youth and sports development
August 31, 2023
Come September 6, 2023, the government of Dominica alongside the People’s Republic of China (PRC), will officially break ground to mark the start of construction work on the Goodwill Secondary School (GSS).
According to Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, the school, which was devastated nearly six years ago during Hurricane Maria’s passage, is one of numerous elementary schools across the island that will be reconstructed by the PRC. Following the 2017 natural disaster, the Chinese government pledged to assist Dominica with school restoration, and an agreement for school reconstruction was signed in May 2020 between the Ministry of Education and the PRC.
While he acknowledges that the GSS is at the top of the list, Skerrit stated that contracts have also been signed and construction will soon begin for Thibaud Primary School, Tete Morne Primary School, the extension of Sineku Primary School, Calibishie Primary School, and the new school for Bellevue Chopin, Pichelin, and Petite Savanne students who are now at Bellevue Chopin.
In addition to the construction of the school, the prime minister also revealed that the People’s Republic of China has pledged grant support to further bolster Dominica’s development. Skerrit stressed that the timing of this contribution is noteworthy, given the global economic challenges posed by factors such as natural disasters and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
He said the government has exclusively earmarked this fund for the advancement of sports and youth development in Dominica and indicated that in the coming weeks, he will outline plans to support youth enterprise, continue efforts to advance sports and “develop the aptitude of our young people in various disciplines.”
Among the proposed projects for funding by the grant assistance from the Chinese, are the establishment of a synthetic track in Portsmouth and the creation of an indoor sports facility.
The Prime Minister thanked the PRC for their support, and stated that “the long-standing and fruitful relationship between Dominica and China, dating back to 2004, has yielded numerous tangible benefits.”
“I can point to invaluable assistance to advance the agricultural sector, restore key infrastructure after disasters, enhance health facilities, and construct all important sports infrastructure,” he said.
“I wish to thank Ambassador Lin and the team at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China for their continued support. I look forward to building on our already solid relations with China for the benefit of both of our peoples,” Skerrit added.
