Latest COVID-19 News - Vaccine Distribution, Mask Mandates, and Variants as of March 18, 2021
by Muriel Moon, Reporter
Local and National News
WASHINGTON STATE
Of the available vaccines, the Pfizer (95% effective) and Moderna (94% effective) vaccines both require two shots, while the J&J vaccine (66-85% effective) is just one. Regardless of effectiveness against infection, the vaccine completely prevents the risk of death due to COVID-19 (Young CNN).
Currently, fewer than half of all Washington citizens 65 and older have been vaccinated. Washington state officials are aiming to get 70% of the adult population vaccinated by September and are trying to vaccinate 45,000 people each day.
Both images courtesy of The New York Times
On March 2, President Biden released a directive for governors to open up vaccine access to educators and announced an expansion of the federal vaccine supply. Governor Jay Inslee later announced that the vaccine restrictions had decreased. Teachers and licensed childcare workers now count as frontline workers, enabling them to get vaccinated sooner. Across the state, government and education leaders have responded positively to these directives, many mentioning the optimism for a steady transition into reopening. Larry Delaney, the president of the Washington Education Association teachers union, emphasized “a huge sense of relief for educators who have been working in-person,” and that the increased vaccine access “should help build trust and confidence for a return to in-person schooling.”
In addition, on March 12, Inslee released a mandate requiring all Washington state schools to offer some form of at least 30% in-person schooling. This mandate needs to be implemented by April 5 for grades K through 6, and by April 19 for grades 7 through 12.
SNOHOMISH COUNTY
Snohomish County is currently in phase 1A and 1B1 of vaccine distribution, meaning that the vaccinations have extended from those at high risk of harm from the virus (65+) and those in high-risk areas (health-care professionals, essential workers) to child care workers and educators.
For more information on our county’s vaccine prioritization guidance and process, visit these links:
NATIONAL
As of March 14, about 30 million people have been fully vaccinated, and 59 million people have received one dose. Infection numbers are steadily declining but are beginning to plateau, concerning some health experts who fear another surge. At least 535,200 people have died from Coronavirus, and 29,516,500 have contracted it in the United States.
Image courtesy of The New York Times
Many states are lifting their restrictions on masks and are reopening venues across the United States:
Starting in April, California will reopen amusement parks, as well as concert and sports venues anywhere from 20% to 67% capacity.
Arizona has lifted occupancy limits on businesses but not mask mandates, citing declining infection rates and 2 million vaccines distributed.
Mississippi and Texas both rolled back COVID-19 restrictions by removing the mask mandate against counsel from the CDC and many health officials, who continue to urge citizens to wear masks and social distance. President Biden admonished the decision to lift the mandate and called it “neanderthal thinking.”
By April 4, Pennsylvania will lower restrictions on restaurants and businesses.
In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott is being heavily criticized for his decision to reopen and lift the mask mandate, especially amidst the current power and weather crisis throughout the state.
However, some states are maintaining the restrictions that are being placed on COVID-19 procedures, such as in Colorado, where the mask mandates are being extended in order to slow the spread of the virus.
In terms of vaccination, Connecticut and Mississippi plan to extend vaccine eligibility to all adults sometime in April. Vice President Harris also released a relief plan that would boost vaccinations in Nevada.
WORLDWIDE
Image courtesy of The New York Times
As of March 15, countries including Portugal, Germany, France, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Italy are slowing the distribution of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine based on concerns over possible side effects, such as blood clots. Many health officials are wary of the legitimacy of these concerns and the adverse effects of halting vaccination, but others like Danish Health Minister Magnus Heunicke see the investigation into the vaccine as a “precautionary measure.” Recently, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) released a statement that there was no correlation from the health complications to the vaccine, and that "the vaccine's benefits continue to outweigh its risks and the vaccine can continue to be administered while investigation of cases of thromboembolic events is ongoing."
It is quite common for viruses to mutate, and now scientists are starting to detect new variants around the world. The B.1.1.7 variant, originally discovered in Britain, has spread across 28 states and is said to be more infectious and damaging to respiratory systems. Also, in the United States, a variant from Brazil’s Amazon region (P.1) appeared in Minnesota and a South African variant (B.1.351) was detected in South Carolina and Maryland. In California, the L452R variant has appeared, and many are researching to see if these new variants are more harmful or transmissible. Amidst the new discovery of COVID-19 variants, some countries are trying their best to avoid further infection. Columbia, for example, banned flights from Brazil, and Brazil banned flights from South Africa.
DISCLAIMER: The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the various authors in this paper do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of Kamiak High School or The Gauntlet.
Sources
Allen et. all., Jordan. “Washington Coronavirus Map and Case Count.” New York Times, 12 March 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/washington-coronavirus-cases.html. Accessed 12 March 2021.
Bush, Evan, and Dahlia Bazzaz. “Washington state teachers, child care workers can now get COVID-19 vaccines, Gov. Inslee says.” The Seattle Times, 2 March 2021, https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/washington-state-teachers-childcare-workers-can-now-get-vaccinated-gov-inslee-says/. Accessed 5 March 2021.
Center for Disease Control. “COVID Data Tracker.” CDC, https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/. Accessed 10 March 2021.
Dornfeld, Ann. “'Now is the time.' Gov. Inslee orders Washington schools to reopen by April 19.” KUOW, 12 March 2021, https://www.kuow.org/stories/now-is-the-time-wash-gov-jay-inslee-orders-schools-to-reopen-by-apr-19th. Accessed 12 March 2021.
Holcolm, Madeline. “Some states are lifting coronavirus restrictions but keeping mask mandates in place Madeline Holcombe.” 5 March 2021, https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/05/health/us-coronavirus-friday/index.html. Accessed 5 March 2021.
Howard, Jacqueline, and Ashley Ahn. “States shift to vaccinate those in their 50s against Covid-19 as supply expands.” CNN, 4 March 2021, https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/04/health/covid-19-vaccine-supply-eligibility-expands-explainer-wellness/index.html. Accessed 7 March 2021.
Ranney, Megan, and Ashish Jha. “Texas and Mississippi lifting their Covid mask mandates is like pouring gas on a fire.” NBC News, 5 March 2021, https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/texas-mississippi-lifting-their-covid-mask-mandates-pouring-gas-fire-ncna1259733. Accessed 7 March 2021.
Strasburg, Jenny, and Bojan Pancevisky. “Germany, France, Italy Suspend Use of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 Vaccine.” Wall Street Journal, 15 March 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/germany-becomes-latest-european-country-to-suspend-use-of-astrazenecas-covid-19-vaccine-11615820414. Accessed 15 March 2021.
Young, Jessie, and Brett McKeehan. “The latest on the coronavirus pandemic and vaccines.” CNN, 5 March 2021, https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-vaccine-updates-03-05-21/index.html. Accessed 8 March 2021.