Miscellaneous
This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for November 24th, 2020. Vaccine number three. AstraZeneca said late-stage trials showed its vaccine developed by Oxford University is not only highly effective, but relatively cheap, and easy-to-store. The fact that it doesn’t have to be stored at freezer temperatures makes it a potential vaccine of choice in developing countries.But while the vaccine news sounds good, doctors are telling the CDC everyone needs to be honest about the side effects people may experience after getting their first shot. The danger is that patients won’t come back for the second dose of two-dose vaccines due to side effects like high fever, body aches, bad headaches, daylong exhaustion and other symptoms. Spiking cases in at least one New York City borough forced the re-opening of a field hospital not used since the early days of the pandemic. The temporary facility is at Staten Island University Hospital. It'll be able to hold up to 108 patients and could be expanded to 250 if needed.Close to 700 nursing home workers walked off the job yesterday in Chicago. They won’t return to the 11 facilities unless the owners pay them at least $15/hour and assure them safer working conditions. The owners got $12.7 million in COVID-19 federal funding, but some CNAs say they only get one mask for a day’s work.If you’re more concerned about climate than Covid, good news. EU officials say air quality significantly improved in European metropolitan areas because of lockdowns. For instance, nitrogen dioxide levels are down 59% in Barcelona, 47% in Madrid. 54% in Milan, and 39% in Rome. Western Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands also saw significant drops.The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Crowley, CO. Lee, KY. Foster, ND. Union, NM. Alpine, CA. Fallon, MT. Pierce, ND. Stutsman, ND. Kearny, KS. And Marshall, KS. There are now 4,964,547 active cases in the United States. The current Top 10 states by number of active cases: California, Illinois, Florida, Arizona, Texas, Missouri, Virginia, Michigan, Maryland, and New York. The five states with the most daily new cases per capita over 7 days are North Dakota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska.The reproduction rate is currently highest in New Mexico, New Hampshire, Washington, Maine, and Vermont. The states with the lowest reproduction rate are Mississippi, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois.There’ve been a total 257,651 deaths in the US reported as COVID-related, with a current national fatality rate of 2.12%.The states with the most new deaths reported as COVID-related: Florida 85. Michigan 65. Illinois 61. Texas 58. Kansas 46. California 45. New York and Connecticut 43. Washington 36. And Tennessee 35. Globally, there are 16,957,420 active cases.There are 527,205 new cases around the world in the last 24 hours against a high of 656,099 on November 12. The five countries with the most new cases: the United States 172,103. India 37,410. Russia 25,173. Italy 22,930. And Brazil 16,603. There have now been 1,395,519 deaths worldwide. Up 22% over 14 days. For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Coronavirus 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Coronavirus 411 podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.