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let’s start.
CDC condemned new COVID-19 guidance
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been attacked by a group of health professionals and employees who say there are too many holes in the new COVID-19 quarantine and quarantine guidance.
The quarantine guidelines, announced late Monday, apply to everyone, regardless of vaccination status. Some health experts said they were worried about leaving the quarantine while people were still contagious and raised questions about the CDC’s decision-making.
Critics also argue that the guidelines ignore the benefits of rapid antigen testing by not requiring them and rely on a universal approach to make assumptions about rapidly spreading Omicron variants that may not be true. To do.
change point: In the early days of the pandemic, the CDC recommended a 14-day quarantine period for people infected with the virus. The final change was on the 10th, regardless of vaccination status or the presence or absence of symptoms.
On Monday evening, federal officials cut the recommended time required for quarantine after COVID-19 infection in half for asymptomatic individuals. The CDC has also made changes to its guidelines for quarantine after exposure to infected individuals.
No test: The lack of negative test requirements after 5 days has frustrated some experts. They said it was based on pre-Omicron mutant data.
Some experts speculate that the CDC does not include testing requirements due to the current lack of rapid testing. In many places, home tests are difficult or impossible to find, and even if they are available, the prices are high.
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Biden withdraws Africa’s travel ban
President Biden
Joe BidenFauci states that the CDC has reduced quarantine times and allowed people to get back to work faster. On Tuesday, his administration officially revoked the travel bans imposed on eight countries in southern Africa regarding the spread of Omicron variants, saying no action is needed anymore.
“Since I made that declaration, health authorities in our country have made substantial progress in understanding the Omicron variant in collaboration with South African scientists who first reported the variant,” Biden said. Said in a declaration to withdraw travel restrictions.
“Importantly, scientific experts have determined that people vaccinated with COVID-19 are protected from severe illness and hospitalization from Omicron variants,” Biden continued. .. “In addition, Omicron variants are now widespread in more than 100 countries and are endemic in the United States.”
Biden administration officials Defended the restrictions, They claimed to have given more time to prepare for the spread of the Omicron variant before reaching the United States, but after analysis of early cases, the mutant was domestically even before the restriction was enforced. It soon became clear that it was spreading.
The decision to impose restrictions has sparked an immediate backlash from the international community and public health professionals.
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CDC significantly reduces estimates of Omicron prevalence in the United States
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday has significantly lowered its estimates of the rate of new COVID-19 infections in the United States caused by the Omicron variant of the virus.
According to institutional dataAs of December 25, Omicron accounted for about 59% of all infectious diseases in the United States. Earlier, the CDC announced a variant of Omicron. Accounts for 73% of all cases However, that number has now been revised to 22.5 percent of all cases.
New estimates indicate that the majority of new infections are due to Omicron variants, but delta variants are not ruled out and account for approximately 41% of infections.
The first known case of the Omicron variant in the United States was confirmed on December 1.
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TEXAS runs out of monoclonal antibody therapy
Due to the shortage of monoclonal antibodies in Texas, infusion centers in the state will not be able to provide treatment until further shipments in January.
Infusion centers in Austin, El Paso, Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Woodlands are all supplied with sotrovimab, the only antibody treatment believed to be effective against the Omicron variant. Texas Health and Welfare Commission said on Monday.
Authorities said the Texas infusion center would not be able to provide treatment until “federal authorities ship an additional course of sotrovimab to Texas in January.”
Inside story: Health authorities started Stockpile dose of sotrovimab This month’s study showed that it was effective against highly contagious Omicron mutants.
Released by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on December 17th. Determining distribution For sotrovimab, assign Texas 2,694 doses. The ministry said at the time that the government’s supply of antibody treatment was “very limited” and that additional units would not be available until the week of January 3.
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Mandatory vaccine for domestic travel
President Biden said on Tuesday that if his medical team recommended it, Americans would be obliged to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for domestic travel.
When asked when to determine domestic travel vaccine requirements while taking a walk in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, Biden told reporters “when he was recommended by the medical team.”
Many public experts have long sought such requirements, and the idea of mandating a coronavirus vaccine for domestic travel has bounced around the administration for months.With the advent of Omicron variants, the White House Review the question About whether to impose one.
Biden’s Chief Medical Advisor Anthony Fauci
Anthony Fauci Fauci states that the CDC has reduced quarantine times and allowed people to get back to work faster. After he said on Sunday on Monday, he cleared up his previous remarks on mandates.Anything that can get people more vaccinated is welcomed.. “
“Everything that emerges as a possibility, we put it in a competent one and consider it. That doesn’t mean it’s likely to happen,” Forch told CNN. Jim Aco osta on Monday.
If there was uncertainty in his meaning, he added, “it is doubtful that such a thing will be seen in a reasonably foreseeable future.”
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What we are reading
- The shortage of nursing home staff exacerbates the overwhelming hospital problem (Washington post).
- Flight attendants smoke as the CDC provides the airline with what it needs to change the quarantine (Politico).
- 10 lessons learned from the Covid–19 pandemicstatistics).
State by state
- Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt says he has no plans to take a COVID-19 booster shot (Oklahoman).
- Omicron is on the sidelines even of healthcare professionals as they break through Texas (Texas Tribune).
- Providence requires city officials to vaccinate and complete alternative trials (Providence Journal).
That’s it for today. Thank you for reading. Check out Hill’s Healthcare page for the latest news and coverage. See you on Wednesday.
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