Jan 16, 3:37 PM France passes COVID-19 vaccination pass legislation
After a bitter two-week debate -- and as a protest was held outside -- the French Parliament voted Sunday to approve legislation that puts a COVID-19 vaccination pass in place. The new law, which will go into effect “around Jan. 20,” will require people aged 16 and over to present a vaccination pass to access public places such as bars, restaurants, cinemas, museums and shopping centers.
The pass will also now be necessary for some forms of transportation, including trains, domestic planes, buses, coaches and carpools. The law specifies that anyone who is not vaccinated must provide a “compelling family or health reason” and a negative test to travel by these modes. A valid vaccination pass can either contain a full vaccination plan -- which in France consists of three doses -- or a certificate attesting to a recovery from COVID-19 dating back less than six months. COVID-19 screening tests, whether PCR or antigen, will not be sufficient to obtain the pass. France previously required a health pass for entry to public spaces, but people could keep it valid with a negative test. Young people aged 12 to 15 will still have to present a health pass to enter a place with restricted access. Business owners can now also request request a proof of identification with a photograph if there are “serious reasons to think that the document presented is not related to the person who presents it.” Those who use a falsified or borrowed pass risk imprisonment and a hefty fine. -Anna Rabemanantsoa Jan 16, 10:29 AM LA has 66 COVID deaths in 1 day, highest daily death total since April
Los Angeles County reported 66 deaths associated with COVID-19 on Saturday, which is the most coronavirus-related fatalities reported in one day since April 2, 2021, according to the county's health department.
The majority of deaths reported this week occurred in people who became infected after Dec. 20, when the omicron variant was circulating widely, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The county also reported 41,765 new cases of COVID-19, and said "the extraordinarily high number of new cases reflects worrisome rates of community transmission." In the county there are more than 4,300 people hospitalized with COVID-19. -Ahmad Hemingway Jan 15, 10:59 PM COVID surge continues to slow in New York
The number of new coronavirus cases and the percentage of tests that come back positive continue to decline in New York state, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Saturday.
"We are turning the corner on the winter surge, but we're not through this yet," the governor said in a press release, echoing her comments from Friday. Cases have dropped by nearly half since Jan. 7, from 90,000 to less than 48,000, while the percent positivity has declined to 14.62% from a surge-high of 23.17% on Jan. 2. However, the number of patients in intensive care units and the number of those intubated both rose, an indication that the significant strain on hospitals continues. -ABC News' Will McDuffie Jan 14, 7:13 PM Over $2B in contracts awarded in White House's at-home testing plan
The White House has awarded over $2 billion in contracts so far as part of its plan to ship millions of free COVID-19 rapid antigen tests to Americans.
Among the most recent, three companies -- IHealth Labs, Roche Diagnostics Corp. and Abbott -- were selected out of 20 bids to manufacture a combined 380 million tests, with completion dates by March 14, according to a Pentagon advisory released Friday. IHealth was awarded a $1.27 billion contract, Roche a $340 million contract and Abbott a $306 million contract, with all funds coming from the American Rescue Act, the Pentagon said. MORE: What to know about Biden’s plan to ship Americans 1 billion free at-home COVID tests
The federal government had previously announced contracts for 48.3 million tests worth a combined $341 million.
Altogether, that amounts to about $2.2 billion for 428 million at-home rapid tests, which are part of a batch of 500 million the White House said it plans to ship out over the course of the next 60 days. On Thursday, President Joe Biden announced that the White House would also ship out another 500 million at-home tests, bringing the total to 1 billion. A timeline for the second batch of tests hasn't been announced yet. -ABC News' Luis Martinez and Cheyenne Haslett Jan 14, 5:54 PM Cloth masks provide 'least protection,' CDC says
In newly updated COVID-19 guidance on its website , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that loosely woven cloth masks provide the "least protection" , while masks like N95 respirators offer the highest level.
"Wearing a highly protective mask or respirator may be most important for certain higher risk situations, or by some people at increased risk for severe disease," the CDC stated.
The CDC recommendation stops short of calling on Americans to choose one mask over the other, maintaining that any mask is better than no mask. The updated guidance comes after weeks of health experts urging Americans to upgrade their masks in the face of omicron. -ABC News' Anne Flaherty Jan 14, 2:50 PM Free test website to launch Wednesday The White House will launch a new website on Wednesday to distribute 500 million free at-home rapid tests that'll be mailed to Americans' doorsteps, senior administration officials said on a Friday call with reporters. People will be able to order four tests per household at from this first batch of 500 million. The White House will also launch a call line for people who don't have computer access. The tests will take seven to 12 days to arrive, the senior officials said. On Thursday, President Joe Biden also pledged a second 500 million tests, bringing the total free tests that will eventually be offered to Americans up to 1 billion. -ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett Jan 14, 2:32 PM New York 'turning the corner,' governor says New York is "turning the corner" following record-breaking COVID-19 cases over the holidays, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul. Carlo Allegri/Reuters - PHOTO: A person receives a COVID-19 test in the Manhattan borough of New York City, Jan. 13, 2022. She said the seven-day case average and positivity rate are heading down. One week ago there were over 90,000 daily cases, and now just 49,027 daily cases, the governor said Friday. However, state numbers may be skewed due to the increased demand in testing during the holidays. New York state is seeing a slight decline in hospitalizations, but at 12,000 patients, that number "is still very high," the governor noted. In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams said Friday “it really appears” hospitalization numbers are “stabilizing.” "Based on our optimistic views, we appear to be moving in the right direction," he said. -ABC News' Joshua Hoyos, Matt Foster Jan 14, 2:11 PM Hospitalizations and pediatric hospitalizations at all-time highs Nationwide, more than 157,000 COVID-19-positive patients are currently receiving care -- a pandemic high, according to federal data. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters - PHOTO: Sammy Taylor, a registered nurse at Western Reserve Hospital, works with other medical staff treating a COVID-19 patient in their isolation room on the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Western Reserve Hospital in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Jan. 4, 2022.
More than 5,200 children are currently hospitalized with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 – also a record high.
On average, over 20,000 Americans are being admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 each day, a figure that's more than doubled over the last month, according to federal data. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters - PHOTO: Medical staff treat a COVID-19 patient in their isolation room in the ICU at Western Reserve Hospital in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Jan. 4, 2022.
It's still not clear how many of these patients were admitted to the hospital for COVID-19 and how many people coincidentally tested positive after they were admitted for other reasons.
About 83% of staffed adult ICU beds are occupied (by COVID and non-COVID patients) -- the highest ICU capacity in one year, according to federal data. On average, the U.S. is now reporting a record high of more than 782,000 new COVID-19 cases each day, according to federal data. -ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos Jan 14, 12:12 PM Utah urges symptomatic people not to take up tests Utah health officials on Friday announced a change to testing guidelines due to a shortage of test availability in the state. Symptomatic individuals in the general public are urged not to test and just isolate for five days and the "Test To Stay" program at schools is being suspended. Rick Bowmer/AP - PHOTO: A member of the Salt Lake County Health Department COVID-19 testing staff performs a test outside the Salt Lake County Health Department, Jan. 4, 2022, in Salt Lake City.
Since Christmas Day, daily tests in Utah have jumped from about 19,000 to nearly 48,000.
State epidemiologist Dr. Leisha Nolen said Utah must use its test supply where it has the biggest impact, and right now that's not in the general community or schools. Utah officials say you should still get tested if: you have underlying conditions; you're visiting a vulnerable individual; you work in a health care setting and are symptomatic or have been exposed; you’re seeking confirmation that the infection has passed so you can end isolation. -ABC News' Matt Fuhrman Jan 13, 8:39 PM Report shows omicron's rapid spread in NYC
Omicron became the dominant variant in New York City within five weeks after it was first detected, according to a new report released Thursday by the city's health department.
By comparison, it took 20 weeks for the delta variant to become dominant. The report, which details preliminary findings on the city's omicron wave, found that there have been lower hospitalization rates but more total hospitalizations compared to the delta wave due to "significantly greater case numbers." Unvaccinated New Yorkers were more than eight times more likely to be hospitalized than those who were fully vaccinated early in the omicron wave, the report found. Black New Yorkers and people ages 75 and older also were more likely to be hospitalized. Click here to read the rest of the blog.
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