Adult Covid Deaths Are Now ‘Entirely Preventable,’ Walensky Says
"This new virus forced too many of our families to accept death as an outcome for too many of our loved ones, but now this should not be the case," the CDC director said Tuesday. Still, several regions of the U.S. are reporting surges in covid cases as the vaccination effort slows.
Axios:
CDC: Nearly Every Adult COVID-19 Death Is Now "Entirely Preventable"
Adult deaths from COVID-19 are "at this point entirely preventable" thanks to vaccines, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said during a White House coronavirus briefing on Tuesday. Deaths from the virus have dramatically decreased since their peak in early 2021, but the U.S. is still currently reporting an average of more than 200 deaths every day, though the numbers could increase as the B.1.617.2 (or Delta) variant of the virus becomes the dominant strain in the country. (Knutson, 6/22)
In more news about the spread of the coronavirus —
Albuquerque Journal:
NM Reports Girl Under 10 Among COVID Deaths
New Mexico’s coronavirus death toll now includes a child under 10. The Department of Health on Tuesday reported what may be the state’s youngest victim of the pandemic so far – a Doña Ana County girl who was 9 or younger. She is one of just a handful of pediatric deaths related to COVID-19 in New Mexico. The state last fall reported the deaths of a teenage girl in Eddy County and a 12-year-old boy from Albuquerque. An individual under 17 also died in May, according to state coronavirus records. The girl whose death was reported Tuesday had underlying health conditions, and she had been hospitalized. But the Department of Health didn’t release other details, citing health privacy regulations. (McKay, 6/22)
Bloomberg:
Secret Service And Covid: Nearly 900 Employees Tested Positive For Virus In Year
Almost 900 active U.S. secret service employees -- most of them responsible for protecting government officials and buildings -- were diagnosed with Covid-19 in the year ending in March. Special Agents, who protect the president, vice president, and their families, made up more than half of the 881 employees who were infected, according to government records obtained by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. The uniformed division, which guards the White House and other federal buildings, made up the next largest group of infections. (Ford, 6/22)
AP:
Arkansas Has Biggest 1-Day Jump In Virus Cases Since March
Arkansas on Tuesday reported 485 new coronavirus cases, its biggest one-day jump in more than three months. The Department of Health said it was the biggest one-day increase since the state reported 570 new cases on March 5. The state has had 346,180 cases since the pandemic began last year. (6/22)
The Oregonian:
COVID-19 Outbreak At Multnomah County’s Inverness Jail Sickens 25 Inmates
Another COVID-19 outbreak at Multnomah County’s Inverness Jail has sickened 25 inmates over the past month, county officials confirmed Tuesday. Inmates from the Northeast Portland jail were not brought to their court appearances Monday because of the outbreak, according to written notices posted at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse. (Ramakrishnan, 6/22)
Axios:
The Coronavirus Pandemic Is A Much Bigger Deal In Some States Than Others
The coronavirus pandemic has essentially ended in some states, while others are still experiencing outbreaks. The wide variation in states' vaccination rates means that stark disparities in case rates could be America's norm for awhile. Some states saw an average of seven or fewer new cases per 100,000 people over the last week. On the other end of the spectrum, Missouri had 76 new cases per 100,000 people. (Owens, 6/23)
Also —
KHN:
Thousands Of Young Children Lost Parents To Covid. Where’s Help For Them?
Five months after her husband died of covid-19, Valerie Villegas can see how grief has wounded her children. Nicholas, the baby, who was 1 and almost weaned when his father died, now wants to nurse at all hours and calls every tall, dark-haired man “Dada,” the only word he knows. Robert, 3, regularly collapses into furious tantrums, stopped using the big-boy potty and frets about sick people giving him germs. Ayden, 5, recently announced it’s his job to “be strong” and protect his mom and brothers. (Aleccia, 6/23)
CIDRAP:
'Stolen Moments': Families Anguish Over Separation From Dying COVID Patients
In-depth interviews with 19 adult family members of patients lost to COVID-19 during the first pandemic wave in France uncover difficulties forging a bond with intensive care unit (ICU) staff, being separated from their loved ones at the time of greatest need, and grief over "stolen moments." Led by researchers at Saint Louis University Hospital in Paris, the study involved semi-structured, in-depth phone interviews conducted with family members of COVID-19 patients who died in one of 12 ICUs in seven regions of France in April and May 2020. The interviews took place 3 or 4 months after the patients' deaths, and the results were published yesterday in JAMA Network Open. (Van Beusekom, 6/22)
