Coronavirus weekly need-to-know: Long COVID treatment, vaccines for children & more
In the United States, more than 97 million people have tested positive for the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic as of Friday, Oct. 21 according to Johns Hopkins University.
Additionally, more than 1.1 million people in the U.S. have died. Worldwide, there have been more than 626 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and over 6.5 million people have died.
About 226 million people in the U.S. have completed their primary vaccine series (two doses) as of Oct. 21 — 68.2% of the population — and over 111 million of those have gotten their first booster shot, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
About 19% of people in the country live in a location where COVID-19 community levels are considered medium and high, the agency says as of Oct. 21. Masks are advised in high-level regions.
Around 81% of Americans reside where COVID-19 levels are considered low, according to the CDC.
The omicron BA.5 subvariant dominated U.S. cases for the week ending Oct. 15, making up 67.9% of COVID-19 cases, agency data estimates show.
Here’s what happened between Oct. 16 and 21.
How is long COVID treated — and when should you seek treatment? What experts say
It’s been estimated that millions of people in the U.S. are living with long COVID, a condition when coronavirus symptoms last longer than the initial infection, and you or someone you know may be dealing with the condition too.
Long COVID can look different for every person it affects — with symptoms ranging from brain fog, fatigue, heart palpitations and more — and so can each patient’s treatment regimen, health experts say. It can affect a range of body systems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As scientists learn more about the condition that didn’t exist before the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to know that there is no single, proven long COVID cure, according to the scientific journal Nature.
Still, doctors are caring for post-COVID patients through a variety of approaches, depending on the patient’s symptoms.
“If you had COVID and continue to suffer the symptoms long after the acute infection ended, then you are likely suffering from Long COVID,” Dr. Raphael Kellman, a physician of integrative and functional medicine in New York City who treats post-COVID patients, told McClatchy News.
Keep reading below:
How is long COVID treated — and when should you seek treatment? What experts say
Is the CDC making COVID vaccines mandatory for schoolchildren? No, here’s what to know
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has publicly responded — and shot down — a claim made by Fox News host Tucker Carlson about the agency’s authority to require COVID-19 vaccines for children in school.
On Oct. 18, the political commentator took to Twitter and shared a segment of his Fox News show where he said the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices “is expected to add the COVID-19 vax to the list of childhood vaccines” during a meeting on Thursday, Oct. 20.
“If this happens, your children will not be able to attend school without taking the COVID shot,” Tucker added.
A day later, the CDC addressed Carlson’s Twitter post and denied his claim, writing that it’s up to states to make vaccine requirements for schoolchildren.
For more, continue reading here:
Is the CDC making COVID vaccines mandatory for schoolchildren? No, here’s what to know
Gavin Newsom will end California’s COVID state of emergency after more than 2 years
After more than two-and-a-half years, California is retiring its COVID-19 emergency proclamation.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday that he was lifting the state of emergency declaration on Feb. 28, phasing out the final 27 of nearly 600 directives he established by the proclamation and other executive orders signed during the pandemic.
“Throughout the pandemic, we’ve been guided by the science and data — moving quickly and strategically to save lives. The State of Emergency was an effective and necessary tool that we utilized to protect our state, and we wouldn’t have gotten to this point without it,” Newsom said in a statement. “With the operational preparedness that we’ve built up and the measures that we’ll continue to employ moving forward, California is ready to phase out this tool.”
Continue reading below:
California COVID state of emergency to end next year. Here’s what will change
‘The pandemic is over’: Illinois lawmakers push back on IDHP emergency rules
A legislative panel on Tuesday objected to an emergency rule put forth by the Illinois Department of Public Health, with one member declaring, “The pandemic is over.”
The action came during a meeting of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, which has oversight authority over state agency regulatory rulemaking. It’s an action that does not block the rule from remaining in effect, but it does require the agency to respond to the objection within 90 days.
It also came four days after Gov. JB Pritzker renewed his disaster proclamation – his 35th since the pandemic began – spelling out various mandates for mitigating the spread of the virus. In recent months, however, he has gradually rolled back many of those mandates.
Keep reading below:
‘The pandemic is over’: Illinois lawmakers push back on IDHP emergency rules
After the pandemic, more people riding trains in North Carolina than ever before
A record number of people rode North Carolina’s passenger trains in September, as the state-subsidized rail service makes a strong recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Piedmont and Carolinian trains carried 48,488 people last month, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation. That’s nearly 15,000 more than the same month in 2019 and about a third more than the average pre-pandemic monthly ridership from 2014 to 2019, according to NCDOT.
Gov. Roy Cooper announced the milestone in the 32-year-old program, which goes by NC By Train.
“A strong and growing state needs efficient transportation options, and it’s clear that more people are choosing NC By Train,” Cooper said in a written statement. “We should continue to invest to connect our communities with high-quality passenger rail.”
After the pandemic, more people riding trains in North Carolina than ever before
Reporters Maggie Angst, Peter Hancock and Richard Stradling also contributed to this report.
