NYC schools to close again; 900 Mayo Clinic staffers infected; Pfizer to seek vaccine approval ‘within days’ – West Haven Observer

The nations largest public school system will temporarily halt in-person learning again in an effort to stem the continued spread of COVID-19, according to New York City mayor Bill de Blasio.

The city previously said school buildings would close if 3% of all the coronavirus tests performed citywide over a seven-day period came back positive. Amid a nationwide surge in cases, that that milestone has been passed, triggering the closure.

New York Citys school system previously halted in-person learning in mid-March as the virus tore through the city. Now, all of the citys more than 1 million public school students will now be taught entirely online.

Also in New York, nearly 9,400 of the Metropolitan Transportation Authoritys subway, bus and commuter rail workers could lose their jobs next year if the federal government fails to come through with the $12 billion the agency says it needs to keep operating.

The hardest hit area could be the New York City subways and buses, which could lose nearly 7,000 jobs amid service reductions of up to 40% as the COVID-19 pandemic causes unprecedented reductions in ridership the MTA says could linger into the mid-2020s.

Todays numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 11.3 million cases and more than 248,500 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: 55.5 million cases and 1.33 million deaths.

Mapping coronavirus: Track the U.S. outbreak in your state.

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Pfizer and BioNTech plan to submit a request within days to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency-use approval of a vaccine they say has shown to be 95% effective in mass testing.

The companies hope to provide 50 million doses by years end and 1.3 billion doses in 2021.

Our objective from the very beginning was to design and develop a vaccine that would generate rapid and potent protection against COVID-19 with a benign tolerability profile across all ages, said Ugur Sahin, M.D., CEO of BioNTech. We believe we have achieved this.

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The vaccine effort is one of many racing the clock amid a surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths. The Midwest continues to take a beating more than 900 staffers at the Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic alone have contracted COVID-19 in the past two weeks, the Pioneer Press reports.

It shows you how easy it is to get COVID-19 in the Midwest, Dr. Amy Williams. We need everyone in the communities we serve to do their part to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Thousands of people protesting German measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus rallied Wednesday outside barricades cordoning off Berlins government center as lawmakers debated a bill that would strengthen officials ability to impose restrictions. Police fired water cannons at demonstrators, saying the crowd refused to wear masks and keep their distance from one another. Police in riot gear moved through the crowd carrying away some protesters. Some demonstrators threw fireworks and flares in response. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas reacted sharply to the accusation from some protesters that the measures were akin to the 1933 Enabling Act, which allowed the Nazis to enact laws without parliamentary approval.

Our democracy thrives through the exchange of different opinions, he wrote on Twitter. But whoever relativizes or trivializes the Holocaust has learned nothing from our history.

Delta Air Lines, hoping to nab a bigger share of wary travelers flying during the pandemic, is extending its policy of blocking middle seats to space out passengers on its planes. The airlines policy, previously set to expire on Jan. 6, will now be in place through March, a period that includes the usually busy spring break travel season. Delta is the lone U.S. airline to continue blocking middle seats well into 2021.

Bill Lentsch, Deltas chief customer experience officer, said in a statement Wednesday: We recognize some customers are still learning to live with this virus and desire extra space for their peace of mind. We are listening.

Dawn Gilbertson

Chinas government on Wednesday defended anti-coronavirus controls that have disrupted imports of beef, poultry and fish from the United States, New Zealand and other trading partners. Customs officials who say the coronavirus has been found on frozen meat and on packaging have imposed temporary suspensions on suppliers. That prompted complaints by Chinas trading partners. In June, China temporarily suspended the import of chicken from U.S.-based Tyson Foods Inc. after the virus was found at one of its farms. China was home to the first outbreak and has battled to avoid surges such as those experienced in the U.S. and elsewhere.

The relevant measures China took are necessary following the spirit of putting peoples lives first and protecting peoples health, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said.

Dr. Anthony Fauci is urging Americans to think twice about traveling and having indoor gatherings for the holidays. During a meeting with USA TODAYs Editorial Board Wednesday, the nations top infectious disease expert said seemingly innocent family and friend dinner gatherings at home are where many infection outbreaks start.

The almost intuitive instinct (is) that when youre with people you know and no one appears to be physically ill, that its OK to congregate 10, 12 people for drinks or a meal, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said. But its indoors because the weather is cold. Thats where were seeing these types of outbreaks.

Sara M. Moniuszko

Millennials, age 24 to 39, took on hundreds of billions of dollars in student debt only to graduate from college just as the Great Recession of 2007-09 was upending the economy. And now, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, theyre suddenly becoming the largest contingent of the sandwich generation, the cohort of adults providing financial and other support to both children and elderly parents. The pandemic has tipped more millennials into a juggling act of caregiving.

We think generally the situation with COVID has accelerated the trend, says Jeff Beligotti, vice president and head of long-term care solutions for New York Life. It has continued to financially squeeze the millennial generation.

Paul Davidson

Almost 1,000 staffers at the Mayo Clinic have contracted COVID-19 in the past two weeks, the systems dean of clinical practice says. Dr. Amy Williams said 93% of the infections took place away from work, and that most of the infections that took place at work involved eating in a break room with a mask off, according to the Pioneer Press. Williams also said the clinic is seeing more patients transferring in, an indication that hospitals elsewhere in Minnesota and surrounding states are overwhelmed because of this surge.

Everybody is getting very tired of wearing a mask and hearing about social distance, being told to wash their hands, but were doing this because we care about our communities, Williams said. We dont want families to lose loved ones.

Pfizer and BioNTech plan to submit a request within days to the FDA for emergency-use approval of their vaccine. The companies said their ongoing Phase 3 testing has found the vaccine to be 95% effective, up from a preliminary finding of 90%. The data also will be submitted to other regulatory agencies around the world, the companies said in a statement. The companies said they expect to produce up to 50 million vaccine doses globally by years end and up to 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021. Experts say frontline healthcare workers are expected to be first in line for inoculation.

The Phase 3 clinical trial began on July 27 and has enrolled 43,661 participants to date, the companies said.

Pfizer, based in New York, appears to be just a step ahead of Moderna, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotechnology company. Moderna announced Monday that its candidate vaccine appears to be 94.5% effective against the disease. It was not immediately clear when Moderna would seek FDA approval.

In less than a week, six members of Congress announced they had tested positive for COVID-19. Sen. Chuck Grassley, the 87-year-old Iowa Republican who is third in line to the presidency, spent much of Monday casting votes and attending a meeting with Senate Republican leadership that included Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Grassley announced his diagnosis the following day. Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, 87, who is frequently seen without a mask, was hospitalized for three days.

Ive been shot, Ive been rolled over, Ive been hit in the head a hundred times, but Ive never felt as bad as I did with the virus, Young told The Washington Post. This is not good.

Christal Hayes

South Dakotas high rates of COVID-19 and low virus regulation have sparked criticism even as some dying of the virus there dont believe it poses a real threat. Thats according to Jodi Doering, a South Dakota nurse who has gained national attention for her account of working on the front lines in a state where leaders have long minimized the impact of the virus and refused to implement rules like mask mandates. South Dakota and neighboring North Dakota have the highest per capita rates of COVID-19 infection and death in the nation.

I have a night off from the hospital. As Im on my couch with my dog I cant help but think of the Covid patients the last few days, Doering wrote in a recent tweet. The ones that stick out are those who still dont believe the virus is real. Read more here.

Joel Shannon

Minus 112 is so cold it shatters rubber, stresses metals and can protect whats expected to be the first COVID-19 vaccine. Pfizer and collaborator BioNTech have a vaccine they say is 95% effective and could be approved within a month, so the reality of moving and storing the life-saving vials is coming into sharp focus. Dry ice orders are spiking and the backlog to buy $15,000 medical-grade ultracold freezers is up to six weeks.

In the science world, its not that cold, said Tonya Kuhl, chair of the chemical engineering department at the University of California, Davis. But in the regular world, it certainly is. That temperature is really important in storage to keep things stable.

Elizabeth Weise

COVID-19 infections could result in immunity that could last for years, a new study indicates. The study, published online but not yet been peer reviewed, found that most participants in the study who had been infected with COVID-19 retained enough immune cells to fend off infection eight months later. That could indicate immunity may remain for years, the authors of immune memory study said.

That amount of memory would likely prevent the vast majority of people from getting hospitalized disease, severe disease, for many years, Shane Crotty, a virologist at the La Jolla Institute of Immunology who co-led the new study, told The New York Times.

Hospitals are putting extra focus on preventing pressure injuries, known as bedsores or pressure ulcers, as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the country and ICU beds fill with critically ill patients. The National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP) estimates pressure injuries affect more than 2.5 million patients each year and claim over 60,000 lives. Dr. William Padula, president-elect of NPIAP and professor at University of Southern California, worries that pressure injuries may increase this year amid estimates there could be up to 19,000 new COVID-19 hospitalizations per day by Dec. 7. Padula said pressure injuries can occur within hours of being in the ICU immobilized and on a ventilator.

The skin is the largest organ system, said Dr. Martine Sanone, associate professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. However, when we think of critical illness, we forget about that first barrier.

Adrianna Rodriguez

New coronavirus cases have surged to an all-time high at nursing homes across the country despite federal efforts to shield residents through aggressive testing and visitor restrictions, a new report shows. Federal data shows 10,279 COVID-19 cases during the week of Nov. 1, the most recent data available. The figures surpassed the previous high of 9,903 cases in late July, according to a report by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living.

The surge in cases among the nations most vulnerable residents comes as cases, hospitalizations and deaths surge nationwide.

We have been begging people the last eight months to wear a mask, socially distance and to be careful, said Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. Unfortunately, the public has not listened or complied.

Ken Alltucker

Chicago Public Schools plans to welcome some students back into classrooms in January, officials announced Tuesday. Parents can decide whether they want to send their children to classrooms or continue remote learning. Students enrolled in moderate and intensive classrooms and pre-kindergarten are scheduled to return Jan. 11, 2021. Students in kindergarten through 8th grade will be back on Feb. 1. Officials have not announced a return date for high school students yet.

The Chicago Teachers Union strongly opposed the news, calling it arbitrary. But school officials believe children can safely return to classrooms, pointing to other states and some European countries that are keeping schools open despite a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Its our moral imperative to do everything in our power to safely open schools beginning with our youngest and highest-needs learners, said Chicago schools CEO Janice Jackson.

U.S. regulators on Tuesday allowed emergency use of the first rapid coronavirus test that can be performed and developed entirely at home. The FDA granted emergency authorization to the 30-minute test kit from Lucira Health, a California manufacturer. The companys test allows users to swab themselves to collect a nasal sample. The sample is then swirled in a vial that plugs into a portable device, that interprets the results and displays whether the person tested positive or negative for coronavirus.

A new American Alliance of Museums study released Tuesday showed that recent COVID-19 surges are doing a number on already-hurting museums. According to an October AAM survey of 850 respondents from across the USA about the continued impact of coronavirus on museums, millions of dollars are being lost with around a third of institutions facing permanent closure and job loss is mounting as nearly 30% of American museums remain closed since the March lockdown.

The financial state of U.S. museums is moving from bad to worse, Laura Lott, AAMs president and CEO, said in a statement. Those that have reopened are operating on an average of 35% of their regular attendance a reduction that is unsustainable long-term. Those that did safely serve their communities this summer do not have enough revenue to offset higher costs, especially during a potential winter lockdown. Without financial help, we could see thousands of museums shutter forever.

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock announced a new round of directives Tuesday, which will limit crowd size and close bars, restaurants and casinos at 10 p.m., in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The new directives go into effect 5 a.m. Friday.

The situation is serious in Montana, and it is serious across the nation, Bullock said. We need to turn things around over the next few months while we wait on a widely distributed vaccine or else we risk hospitals that turn patients away and risk any further ability to control the spread.

Montana is among the 36 states with a mask mandate. What are the rules in your state? Check the list.

Phil Drake, Great Falls Tribune

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID news: New York City schools to close again; Home test okd

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NYC schools to close again; 900 Mayo Clinic staffers infected; Pfizer to seek vaccine approval 'within days' - West Haven Observer