By Dr. Stuart Weiss, Intelligent Crowd Solutions – Rapid Test Centre

Rapid Test Center of New York

Dr. Stuart Weiss, FACEP, FAAP, CBCP

March 17, 2021 CoViD-19 News and Information you can trust.

Welcome new readers from the Rapid Test Center. 

Topics: B.1.1.7 (UK) Variant spreads, new very concerning invisible French variant 

The Beginnings of hotspots Today, the Washington Post is reporting on areas of our country that have stopped declining and show signs of increasing new case numbers. For example, according to the article, Michigan has seen a rise in both positive case numbers and hospitalizations. In Minnesota, Maryland and New jersey, case numbers are slowly creeping upwards. The decline in New York City has definitely decreased. All of this is happening just as we are relaxing CoViD-19 restrictions and we head into spring break. With air travel hitting a record this past weekend, weddings up to 150 guests happening in New York, restaurants in Maryland and other places at full capacity, our need to remain vigilant is colliding with our yearning to have a more normal life and the feeling if springtime in the air. Nightly on evening news programs, we see thousands of young people in beach communities partying without social distancing or masks.  I get it, this is a hard time for us. All of us are tired of the pandemic and want a normal life. But as I have written previously, this is the worst time to relax. We need to wait just a few more weeks to see what happens with the UK variant.  Invisible French Variant The French ministry of health just announced the discovery of a new coronavirus variant on Monday that is not more transmissible or more serious but it is undetectable with current PCR tests. The variant was found in a cluster of hospital cases that had viral sequencing done. The viral sequencing picked up the SARS-CoV-2 virus when the PCR tests had been negative. It is unclear right now why this variant can avoid detection and the genetic changes in the virus are being studied. PCR tests can be updated once the genetic change is understood. The health ministry also said the variant will be studied to see if vaccine is still effective against it.   When you are eligible, get your self vaccinated so we can get through this together. .  Dr. Stu Weiss

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COVID-19 HEADLINES FOR TODAY   Coronavirus update for March 17, 2021  World Wide Updates WHO advisory group recommends Johnson & Johnson vaccine for all adults age 18 and older   Brazil’s new health minister promotes social distancing but won’t commit to changing policy Seoul orders Covid-19 testing for all foreign workers and their employers  UK health officials say more than 25 million people have received first dose of coronavirus vaccine  Global Covid-19 cases are rising, but deaths are declining, WHO says   European Union unveils plans for vaccine passports  Iceland will allow vaccinated tourists  Vaccines are “the first real key to bringing this period to an end,” says Italian health minister  UK vaccine supply to see significant cut from end of March, forcing focus on second doses  Senior French hospitals official says AstraZeneca as efficient as Pfizer  Brazil’s Covid-19 crisis is a “cautionary tale,” health officials say  UK considers vaccine passports to allow summer travel, says minister  Australia to donate Covid-19 vaccines to Papua New Guinea as cases surge  South Korea will continue AstraZeneca vaccinations as planned, health authorities say  COVID vaccine recipients can embark on U.K. cruises to nowhere  Brazil’s Covid-19 death toll reaches highest daily record to date  UK foreign secretary says EU threat to block vaccine exports needs explaining  Tanzania’s president John Magufuli has died  Poland to enter new national lockdown  Norway facing third wave of infections, government says  Total Cases Worldwide: 121,610,078 Total Deaths Worldwide: 2,687,219 Total Recovered: 98,069,871   US Updates New York has administered 7 million Covid-19 vaccines, governor says Covid-19 cases rising significantly in 14 US states over past week  It’s unclear when US will hit herd immunity, Fauci says Education secretary won’t say if Biden would mandate vaccinations for teachers  NIH director says he’s “surprised” so many countries paused AstraZeneca vaccine rollout  Michigan health official lays out factors contributing to state’s Covid-19 case spike   Powell says price increases after US stimulus will have only “transient effects on inflation”  Massachusetts general public will be eligible for Covid-19 vaccines starting April 19  IRS plans to delay this year’s tax filing deadline to mid-May, official says  Biden administration announces $2.25 billion initiative to take on Covid-19 health equity issues  Nearly 1 in 8 Americans fully vaccinated, according to latest CDC data  We need to “flood the system” with cheap coronavirus tests, Fauci says  Older children have highest Covid-19 test positivity rate in most states, according to analysis  Lambeau Field opens as Covid-19 vaccination site in Wisconsin  Coronavirus strains first detected in California are officially “variants of concern,” US CDC says  Approximately 90 million stimulus checks have been disbursed  US Health Department announces $10 billion to expand coronavirus testing in schools  Biden administration announces $150 million agreement to increase access to Covid-19 antibody treatments  NIH director says it seems unlikely AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine causes clots  Disneyland plans to reopen on April 30  Massachusetts expects to hit 1 million residents fully vaccinated within next 24 hours  Covid-19 vaccine coverage has been lowest in more vulnerable counties in the US, CDC study finds  CDC’s ensemble forecast now projects up to 574,000 US Covid-19 deaths by April 10  Trump urges supporters to get COVID vaccine, but tells them he also respects ‘freedom’  Some GOP lawmakers aren’t getting COVID shots as vaccine hesitancy grows among their voters  Over 800 Massachusetts police opt out of COVID vaccine from state police clinics   Total US cases: 30,276,274 Total US deaths: 550,047 Total Recovered: 22,428,960 Total Tested in US: 375,491,000  Total cases in CA: 3,628,616 Total deaths in CA: 56,143  Total cases in TX: 2,740,867 Total deaths in TX: 46,882  Total cases in FL: 1,989,024 Total deaths in FL: 32,530  Total cases in NY: 1,802,475 Total deaths in NY: 49,443  Total cases in IL: 1,213,765 Total deaths in IL: 23,255  Total cases in GA: 1,038,550 Total death in GA: 18,359  Total Vaccines Administered in US: 113,037,627

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