Coronavirus vaccine and Delta variant updates for 9-9-2021

This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for September 9th, 2021.

The World Health Organization is again calling for a moratorium on booster shots, saying rich countries with large supplies should not offer shots through the end of the year so first doses can go to poorer countries. So far that request has been ignored by countries like the United States. The Director General added, “We do not want to see widespread use of boosters for healthy people who are fully vaccinated."

Novavax has initiated an early-stage study to test a combined flu and COVID-19 vaccine. The trial will be conducted in Australia. A spokesman said, "Combination of these two vaccines may lead to greater efficiencies and achieve high levels of protection against COVID-19 and influenza with a single regimen.”

Some good news for young adult COVID survivors. Research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress shows the disease doesn’t appear to have affected lung function. Even patients with asthma showed no statistically significant deterioration. The investigators measured the volume of air in the lungs that can be exhaled after a taking the deepest breath possible and a ratio that’s an indicator of narrowed airways.

An analysis shows the pace of new vaccinations in rural America increased for the fourth consecutive week last week. Rural counties reported just over 318,000 rural Americans completed their vaccine regimen last week. That’s 9% higher than the number who were newly vaccinated two weeks ago. 39% of the total rural population is completely vaccinated, up 0.7 percentage points from two weeks ago.

Another country has decided it’s going to have to learn to live with COVID and is preparing to do just that. South Korea’s working up a plan on returning life to normal by late October, when 80% of adults are expected to be fully vaccinated. The strategy will be implemented in phases.

In the United States cases were up 1%, deaths are up 34%, and hospitalizations are up 4% over 14 days. Keep in mind this week’s statistics are affected by changes in reporting over the Labor Day holiday. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since July 5.

There are 9,058,897 active cases in the United States.

With not all states reporting daily numbers, the five states with the biggest daily volume of deaths per capita: Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, the US Virgin Islands, and South Carolina.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Perry, KY. Rusk, TX. Dorchester, SC. Sequatchie, TN. Monroe, TN. Taylor, FL. Clay, KY. Marion, TN. Richland, LA. And Hendry, FL.

There have been at least 652,647 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 68.3%, Connecticut at 66.6%, and Massachusetts at 66.5%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming unchanged at 39.3%, Alabama at 39.4%, and Mississippi at 39.6%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 53.2%.

The 5 countries with the largest recent 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people: Georgia and Thailand up 4%. And Sri Lanka, Argentina, and Bangladesh 3%.

Globally, cases were down 9% and deaths were down 5% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since August 27.

There are 18,876,631 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 115,776. India 38,130. The U.K. 37,326. Iran 27,138. And Turkey 23,638.

There have now been at least 4,594,805 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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