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COVID-19: Infection Rate, Hospitalizations Down Dramatically; Latest Breakdown By County COVID-19: Infection Rate, Hospitalizations Down Dramatically; Latest Breakdown By County
Covid-19: Infection Rate, Hospitalizations Down Dramatically; Latest Breakdown By County A positive COVID-19 infection rate that spiked above 4 percent in Connecticut this week dipped back to normal the following day, according to the state Department of Health. There were 13,749 COVID-19 tests administered statewide on Tuesday, Sept. 14, resulting in 401 new laboratory-confirmed infections for a 2.92 percent daily positive infection rate. The latest figure came a day after the state reported a 4.21 infection rate, among the highest since the numbers began plateauing in Connecticut toward the end of the summer. A total of 10 more COVID-19 patients - six of whom were vaccinated …

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by Zak Failla
Events
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade To Return 'Live' This Year Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade To Return 'Live' This Year
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade To Return 'Live' This Year The Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade is returning to the streets of New York City for its 95th celebration after being curtailed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Macy's made the announcement on Wednesday, Sept. 8, saying the parade will be delight crowds once again on Thursday, Nov. 25 beginning at 9 a.m. This year's parade will feature the signature mix of giant character helium balloons, fantastic floats, marching bands, performance groups, celebrities, clowns, and the one-and-only Santa Claus, Macy's said. “We are thrilled to welcome back in its full form the Macy’s Thanksgiving D…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
COVID-19: FDA Expected To Authorize Booster Shots For Immunocompromised People COVID-19: FDA Expected To Authorize Booster Shots For Immunocompromised People
Covid-19: FDA Expected To Authorize Booster Shots For Immunocompromised People The US Food and Drug Administration is expected to move forward quickly with authorization of COVID-19 booster shots for some Americans who are immunocompromised, according to reports. Health officials said that the third shot of the current two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccine could be authorized within the next 48 hours, though no official timetable has been set as variants of the virus and COVID-19 mutations continue to cause a surge in new cases. Before a vaccine can be used in new ways outside existing authorization it requires new approval from the FDA. Currently, the Moderna, Pfizer…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Cape Cod Cluster Among Vaccinated Led To Mask Shift; 'The War Has Changed' CDC Says COVID-19: Cape Cod Cluster Among Vaccinated Led To Mask Shift; 'The War Has Changed' CDC Says
Covid-19: Cape Cod Cluster Among Vaccinated Led To Mask Shift; 'The War Has Changed' CDC Says A cluster of hundreds of COVID-19 cases on Cape Cod, many involving vaccinated people, prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to change its policy on mask-wearing this week. The July 4th outbreak in Provincetown, Massachusetts showed that vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant could spread the virus. A total of nearly 900 infections have been linked to the cluster. The high viral load of the Delta variant, which was first discovered in India late last year, makes it possible for vaccinated who become infected through breakthrough cases to spread the virus i…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
COVID-19: Delta Variant As Contagious As Chickenpox, Internal CDC Document Says COVID-19: Delta Variant As Contagious As Chickenpox, Internal CDC Document Says
Covid-19: Delta Variant As Contagious As Chickenpox, Internal CDC Document Says The Delta variant, which now accounts for about 85 percent of new COVID-19 cases in the United States, is as contagious as chickenpox, according to internal documents by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). Details of those documents were reported on Friday, July 30 by both The Washington Post and New York Times. The high viral load of the Delta variant makes it possible for vaccinated who become infected through breakthrough cases to spread the virus in some cases, the CDC now says. “We have studies that have now shown that even on the first swab on somebody with a…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
COVID-19: CDC Issues Brand-New Guidance For Summer Camps COVID-19: CDC Issues Brand-New Guidance For Summer Camps
Covid-19: CDC Issues Brand-New Guidance For Summer Camps The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) has just issued brand-new guidance for summer camps amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccinated adolescents do not need to wear masks at camp, and younger campers who have not been vaccinated can usually shed face coverings when outdoors, the CDC said on Friday, May 28. For camps where everyone is fully vaccinated prior to the start of camp, it is safe to return to full capacity, without masking, and without physical distancing in accordance with the CDC’s Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People, except where requir…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
COVID-19: New Time Frame Provided For When Vaccine Booster Shots May Be Necessary COVID-19: New Time Frame Provided For When Vaccine Booster Shots May Be Necessary
Covid-19: New Time Frame Provided For When Vaccine Booster Shots May Be Necessary Executives and experts at the center of COVID-19 pandemic response are now providing a more specific possible time frame for when Americans who were first to receive a vaccine dose may need to take a booster shot. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, speaking during an Axios event, said that the data he has reviewed supports the notion "that likely there will be a need for a booster somewhere between eight and 12 months" after the initial vaccination regime. That means those who were among the first to get a vaccine shot in mid to late December 2020 or early January 2021 would likely need a booster sh…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
COVID-19: Results Of New Federal Study On Vaccine Effectiveness Released COVID-19: Results Of New Federal Study On Vaccine Effectiveness Released
Covid-19: Results Of New Federal Study On Vaccine Effectiveness Released A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that the COVID-19 vaccine has proven effective in preventing hospitalizations among older adults who are fully vaccinated. According to the CDC, the Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines are 94 percent effective in adults ages 65 and older who have received both doses of the shot and allowed 14 days to pass after the second dose. The study, which followed more than 400 hospitalized adults across 14 states from January to March, also found that the two-dose vaccines are 64 percent effective in the elderly who have o…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
COVID-19: CDC Announces Major New Guidance On Mask Wearing COVID-19: CDC Announces Major New Guidance On Mask Wearing
Covid-19: CDC Announces Major New Guidance On Mask Wearing The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) has just released major new guidance on mask-wearing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the new guidance, announced Tuesday afternoon, April 27, people who are fully vaccinated and who are outdoors no longer have to wear masks if they are gathered in small groups. Masks should still be worn at heavily attending outdoor gatherings, including concerts and sports events, where social distancing is not possible, the CDC said. It is also safe for those fully vaccinated to return to several activities inside, including attending religious ser…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
COVID-19: Here's Number Of Americans Who've Become Infected Despite Being Vaccinated, CDC Says COVID-19: Here's Number Of Americans Who've Become Infected Despite Being Vaccinated, CDC Says
Covid-19: Here's Number Of Americans Who've Become Infected Despite Being Vaccinated, CDC Says The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) has released the first data on so-called "breakthrough" COVID-19 cases, meaning those who have become infected despite being fully vaccinated. So far, there have been about 5,800 such cases, the CDC told CNN.  At the time that data was collected, 77 million American adults had been fully vaccinated, meaning 99.992 percent had dodged the disease. The efficacy rates of the double-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are both around 95 percent. "To date, no unexpected patterns have been identified in case demographics or vaccine ch…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
COVID-19: More Young People Getting Hospitalized From 'Stickier,' Highly Contagious Strain COVID-19: More Young People Getting Hospitalized From 'Stickier,' Highly Contagious Strain
Covid-19: More Young People Getting Hospitalized From 'Stickier,' Highly Contagious Strain The new “stickier” COVID-19 variant that derived in the United Kingdom could be at the root of the recent rash of younger Americans getting infected with the virus. Unlike the original COVID-19 strain that came to the East Coast from Wuhan, the new, more transmittable B.1.1.7 variant has proven to be a formidable foe for younger Americans, who have seen the number of infections rapidly rising in recent weeks. “(COVID-19) cases and emergency room visits are up,” Rochelle Walensky, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week. “We are seeing these increases…

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by Zak Failla
Business
COVID-19: Pfizer Dramatically Ramps Up Distribution After Pause On Johnson & Johnson Vaccines COVID-19: Pfizer Dramatically Ramps Up Distribution After Pause On Johnson & Johnson Vaccines
Covid-19: Pfizer Dramatically Ramps Up Distribution After Pause On Johnson & Johnson Vaccines Hundreds of millions of new COVID-19 vaccines are set to be distributed across the country as Pfizer prepares to ramp up the production of its doses amid the pause of the Johnson & Johnson one-dose shot rollout. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla announced that his company, with headquarters in the New York (in Manhattan and Rockland County), is now on track to deliver 10 percent more vaccine doses to the US (approximately 220 million) while supplying the already agreed upon 300 million doses for the end of July two weeks early. Both Pfizer and Moderna, two of the three approved vaccines by the F…

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by Zak Failla