FS-ISAC Coronavirus Update, Jan. 18, 2021

Headlines

• The US surpassed 24 million total cases of coronavirus Monday afternoon, with Johns Hopkins University data showing that while it took the country 304 days to reach 12 million infections, it was only 59 days to reach the second 12 million.
• California has become the first state in the nation to record more than three million cases, according to data from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project, and the number of infections has tripled in just the past two months, with more than a million centralized in Los Angeles County, where about one in 10 people have been confirmed to have contracted the virus.
• Global deaths from COVID-19 are expected to top 100,000 per week "very soon", from more than 93,000 reported last week, the World Health Organization's top emergency expert Mike Ryan said on Monday.
• Florida’s health department reports that more than 40,000 individuals who received their first vaccine dose are overdue for their second one, accounting for about 5% of the nearly 916,000 people who have received their first shot in the state.
• Norway said Monday no link had been established between Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine and any post-vaccination deaths in the country, but recommended doctors consider the overall health of the most frail before giving them the shot, after the country registered 33 deaths among elderly people who received their first dose since the start of the country’s vaccination campaign at the end of December.
• A third of people treated in hospital for coronavirus infection end up coming back, and more than one in 10 die later, British researchers report, with many of those who end up back in the hospital having a variety of problems that indicate long-term damage to the heart, the kidneys, the liver and other organs.
• A new study published Monday in the journal Nature shows people’s bodies were producing a range of antibodies for six months after recovering from infection - and they were producing the B cells that, in turn, make these antibodies - something that promises even longer-lasting immunity, the latest in findings that shows the risk is lowered for people to get infected with the virus over and over again.
• British front-line workers who were applauded on doorsteps in the early weeks of the pandemic now confront a torrent of polarization and misinformation, with doctors, teachers and other exhausted workers saying they are feeling incredibly demoralized after reading social media posts insisting Covid-19 is a hoax or overblown, reports that have had serious, real-world consequences in recent weeks, with demonstrators picketing hospitals and hurling abuse at health care staff.
• Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga vowed to forge ahead with preparations to hold the Tokyo Olympics this summer, in the face of growing public opposition as Japan battles a surge in infections, with the International Olympic Committee expecting only 6,000 athletes at the opening ceremony, just over half of initial estimates, as organizers enforce precautions.

Vaccines – US

1. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on Monday that people should stick with two full doses of vaccine, given the appropriate number of days apart, maintaining that the “proper, scientifically validated approach” for both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines is to receive a full dose, followed 21 and 28 days later, respectively, by another full dose.
2. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo asked Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla Monday for the ability to buy vaccine doses directly from the company and bypass federal agencies today, but the company in a statement said the Department of Health and Human Services would need to approve such a model first.
3. All four nurses working in the health department of Coffey County in Kansas said they wouldn't give people the vaccine and would instead hire outside nurses willing to distribute the shots, a sign of how misinformation about the shots is spreading even among health professionals.
4. As states across the country rescale efforts to administer vaccinations, getting information on who has been given a shot is almost as daunting as the distribution itself, and with thousands receiving their second doses this week - and many officials debating whether to expand the groups eligible for vaccinations - blind spots are emerging, with some states still not posting updates and the numbers released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention varying drastically from those released by state health departments.

US Outbreak

1. The US has reported approximately 19.6% of the world's COVID-19 deaths, and just over a month after exceeding 300,000 confirmed fatalities from the disease, the country is on track to hit yet another staggering milestone of 400,000 in less than a year, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.
2. New York state added 12,185 new positive cases with 153 new deaths and a positivity rate of 6.54% today, with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo reporting that while they are seeing a decline in rates post-Christmas and New Year’s Eve surge, the “Hospital capacity is still, red zone, danger zone, shut down.”
3. Virginia posted its highest two days of new cases since the pandemic began over the weekend, according to Johns Hopkins University, with 6,757 new infections on Saturday and a staggering 9,914 on Sunday, with the commonwealth reporting its highest 7-day average of new cases - 5,778 per day, which was up 15% from last week.
4. The Los Angeles County Fire Department saw its testing positivity rate fall significantly – from 18% in late December to 5.6% today - after 75% of firefighters on the force received their first vaccine.
5. President Trump is expected to lift coronavirus-related travel restrictions starting January 26, a White House official confirmed, but it is unclear what countries will be included in the order, and whether incoming President Joe Biden would reverse the order once he is in power.