If ‘recalcitrant people’ don’t get vaccinated, expect a ‘smoldering’ outbreak in the US, Fauci says
If “recalcitrant people” don’t get vaccinated, expect a “smoldering” outbreak in the US, Fauci says
From CNN’s Sarah Brane
The United States can expect a “smoldering” outbreak if more “recalcitrant people” don’t get vaccinated, according to National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci.
“If we don’t get a significant proportion of these recalcitrant people vaccinated, you’re going to be seeing a smoldering of this outbreak in our country for a considerable period of time,” Fauci told CNN’s Kate Bolduan on Monday. “Which is really unfortunate, because what everybody wants in this country – and elsewhere throughout the world – is to be able to crush this outbreak in the sense of getting the level of vaccination so high that the virus has no place to go.”
“But you’re not going to have that until you get a very substantial proportion of the population vaccinated, and we’re not there yet,” he said.
Fauci suggested that “trusted messengers” and full approval of the vaccines might persuade more people to get vaccinated.
“I still maintain hope that if we can get trusted messengers, that even those people who appear to be recalcitrant now could be persuaded when their family physician, their health care provider, their trusted clergy members in the community – if they can reach out to them, not government officials, but people who are trusted in the community – I think we can sway some proportion of those people.”
Fauci also said that “I believe when the vaccines get fully approved and full licensure, even though it’s no doubt that they are highly effective now and very safe … you’re going to see more people get vaccinated.”
England lifts all remaining Covid-19 restrictions as part of much anticipated “Freedom Day”
England has lifted all remaining Covid-19 restrictions despite a significant surge in new cases.
Mandatory mask wearing is gone, limits on the numbers of people who can mix indoor or outdoor have ended, social distancing is limited to people who have tested positive for the virus and airports, and venues like nightclubs and sports stadiums are free to open at full capacity. Nightclubs across the country reopened at the stroke of midnight on Sunday night, with revelers packing out dance floors for the first time in months.
Despite the ease in restrictions, many questions remain regarding the trajectory of the virus as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is forced to self-isolate after coming into contact with a positive case.
CNN’s Phil Black explains all the changes in the video below:
Biden continues to put pressure on Facebook over Covid-19 misinformation as US aims to ramp up vaccinations
From CNN’s Betsy Klein
President Biden continued to put pressure on social media giant Facebook Monday as he sought to clarify comments that the platform was killing people through misinformation amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Asked about those comments by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Biden said, “I meant precisely what I said. I’m glad you asked me that question,” going on to explain that he had just read an article that showed that of all the misinformation on the platform, 60% of that misinformation came from 12 individuals.
“Facebook isn’t killing people — these 12 people are out there giving misinformation. Anyone listening to it is getting hurt by it. It’s killing people. It’s bad information. My hope is that Facebook, instead of taking it personally, that somehow I’m saying Facebook is killing people, that they would do something about the misinformation, the outrageous misinformation about the vaccine. That’s what I meant,” the President said.
Asked by Collins whether the platform had done enough, he said he was unsure.
“To be completely honest with you, I don’t know that they did anything today, up to the weekend, I don’t think they had. But I don’t know, I don’t know the answer to that question,” he said.
Asked whether he would take steps to hold the company accountable if they don’t do more, Biden said, “I’m not trying to hold people accountable, I’m trying to make people look at themselves, look in the mirror. Think about that misinformation going to your son, your daughter, your relative, someone you love. That’s what I’m asking.”
The extraordinary spat between the White House and Facebook over Covid-19 disinformation has pit the President against one of the country’s most prominent companies as the race to vaccinate continues and Covid-19 cases spread.
The escalating war of words comes after growing frustration at the White House over what they say are inadequate steps by the social media platform to control the spread of anti-vaccine disinformation.
UN is helping Myanmar improve Covid-19 response as cases rise
From CNN’s Philip Wang
The UN is working with partners to improve the Covid-19 response in Myanmar among rising cases and deteriorating medical resources.
According to the statement, the UN will tackle a variety of issues regarding Myanmar’s national Covid-19 response, including helping to expand vaccination rollout and testing, as well as providing oxygen concentrators and other equipment amid an oxygen shortage.
“Currently, COVID-19 testing is occurring in states and regions at the rate of 12,000-15,000 tests per day. With testing at limited levels, however, many cases are expected to be unreported,” the UN said.
CNN has previously reported that vaccinations have faltered in Myanmar as citizens refuse to cooperate with military authorities despite the fact that a third of Covid-19 testing results come back positive.
“A renewed ‘whole of society’ approach is needed now more than ever, allowing all health professionals to work in safety, and both public and private providers enabled to contribute to the response,” the UN said.
Data from Johns Hopkins University shows that Myanmar reported 7,083 Covid-19 cases last Wednesday, a record high since the beginning of the pandemic. The country has reported 229,521 cases and 5,000 deaths in total.
Singapore tightens Covid-19 measures as new infections hit highest levels since last summer
From CNN’s Jake Kwon
Singapore tightened its measures against Covid-19 Monday as it reported its highest number of new infections since August last year, the government said in a news release
The measure, which will last three weeks, bans more than two people from dining together at restaurants or exercising indoors without their masks, the release said. All social gatherings at workplaces will be banned.
Singapore earlier limited social gatherings to up to five people and banned playing music in restaurants and bars.
Some background: Singapore, considered a Covid-19 success story, reported 163 new locally transmitted cases by noon on Monday, the country’s Ministry of Health said. 106 of them were linked to a fishery port cluster while 19 were linked to a karaoke lounge cluster, the Ministry said.
“We strongly advise unvaccinated individuals, especially the elderly, to stay home as much as possible over the next few weeks,” the Ministry said in a news release on Sunday.
“The Multi-Ministry Taskforce is taking quick action to contain and manage these clusters, including contact tracing, quarantining of close contacts, and an aggressive testing strategy,” the Ministry added.
Dow sinks 800 points as Delta variant fears hit Wall Street
From CNN’s Paul R. La Monica
Investors are getting spooked by the rising numbers of Covid-19 cases as the Delta variant spreads across the globe.
The Dow fell over 831 points by midday Monday, a drop of 2.4%.
Investors feared that the Delta coronavirus variant could threaten the US economic recovery. Shares of companies in sectors that were widely thought to benefit most from the reopening of the economy are getting hit the hardest.
Airlines American, United and Delta were all down more than 4%. Cruise operators Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian each fell about 5%.
Energy stocks plummeted as well following a more than 3% drop in oil prices. Chevron and Exxon Mobil were down nearly 3%.The OPEC+ group of nations also agreed over the weekend on a deal to produce more oil, a move that could boost supply and reduce crude prices.
Saudi Arabia will limit Hajj to 60,000 vaccinated pilgrims over Delta variant concerns
From CNN’s Mostafa Salem
Saudi Arabia’s decision to restrict Hajj for a second year running, allowing only a limited number of fully vaccinated and healthy pilgrims to attend, came after concerns of the spread of Covid-19’s Delta variant as countries struggle to vaccinate citizens, Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister for Public Health Hani Jokhdar told CNN’s Becky Anderson on Friday.
“We decided this year we need to look at all the whole world portfolio. It is not only our portfolio. We were concerned about the Delta variant. We were concerned about that variant and how it overcomes and if it responds to two doses of the vaccine or not,” Hani Jokhdar said.
The kingdom restricted Hajj to 60,000 pilgrims this year after receiving almost 600,000 applications.
“We don’t want to have Saudi Arabia to be the focus of a shower or spillover of the variant D in countries where their vaccination rate is not as good or the health care system is not as good in terms of capacity,” he added.
US gymnast Kara Eaker tests positve for Covid-19, her father confirms
From CNN’s Rachel Webb
A Kansas City-area gymnast in Tokyo serving as an alternate on the US Olympic Gymnastics team has tested positive for Covid-19, her family confirms. Kara Eaker, 18, from Grain Valley, Missouri, is currently in isolation, along with another “close contact” on the team.
Eaker’s father, Mark Eaker, confirmed the information for CNN affiliate KMBC 9 Monday morning.
Mark Eaker said Kara is not experiencing any symptoms but did test positive. She is fully vaccinated for Covid-19.
American Academy of Pediatrics recommends universal masking in schools for everyone older than 2
From CNN’s Naomi Thomas
The American Academy of Pediatrics released new Covid-19 guidance for schools on Monday that supports in-person learning and, among other things, recommends universal masking in school for everyone over the age of 2.
“The AAP believes that, at this point in the pandemic, given what we know about low rates of in-school transmission when proper prevention measures are used, together with the availability of effective vaccines for those age 12 years and up, that the benefits of in-person school outweigh the risks in all circumstances,” the guidance says.
One of the main interventions put forward by the AAP includes that all students over the age of 2, and all school staff, should wear masks at school unless they have a medical or developmental condition that prohibits this.
Reasons for this recommendation include, but are not limited to: a significant proportion of the student population not yet being eligible for vaccination, masking protecting those who are not vaccinated against Covid-19 and reducing transmission, and potential difficulty in monitoring or enforcing mask policies for those who are not vaccinated.
Additionally, other actions recommended by AAP include that all eligible individuals get vaccinated, that adequate and timely testing resources are available, and that strategies that are developed can be revised and adapted depending on the situation in the community.
“With the above principles in mind, the AAP strongly advocates that all policy considerations for school COVID-19 plans should start with a goal of keeping students safe and physically present in school,” the guidance says. “The importance of in-person learning is well-documented, and there is already evidence of the negative impacts on children because of school closures in 2020.”
Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_topstories/~3/pqpdzthdSVM/h_aeab07e4e0153b179ea45d91414a3ed2
