Most Hospitalized People Haven’t Been Vaccinated, CDC Mask Guidance Questioned

Coronavirus‌ ‌(COVID-19)‌ ‌tally‌ ‌as‌ ‌‌compiled‌‌ ‌by‌ ‌Johns‌ ‌Hopkins‌ ‌University.‌ ‌(Previous‌ ‌numbers‌ ‌in‌ ‌parentheses.)‌

• Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌confirmed‌ ‌cases:‌ 34,085,761 (34,070,286)‌
• Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌deaths:‌ 609,041 (608,898)
• Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌cases:‌  190,600,596 (190,126,854)
• Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌deaths:‌ 4,092,565 (4,084,757)‌

Hospitals are filling up with the unvaccinated

For the first time since early this year, coronavirus hospitalizations are increasing. Health officials say that, for the most part, nearly all the patients have not been vaccinated.

AdventHealth, which manages 41 hospitals across seven largely Midwestern and Southern states, told the Wall Street Journal that about 97% of some 12,700 coronavirus patients treated this year were unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated.

AdventHealth, which manages 41 hospitals across seven largely Midwestern and Southern states, told the Wall Street Journal that about 97% of some 12,700 coronavirus patients treated this year were unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated.

On CBS Face the Nation on Sunday, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), warned unvaccinated Americans that they are in danger of contracting the Delta variant and that it will be “the most serious virus they get in their lifetime.”

CDC mask guidances comes under scrutiny

Some businesses were caught off guard when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new guidance in early May stating that vaccinated people no longer needed to wear masks in public.

Now, Former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams says that advice was probably premature.

In a series of social media posts over the weekend, Adams said the CDC did not foresee the rapid growth of the highly contagious Delta variant in the U.S. He said the CDC should change its guidance to reflect that threat.

Adams served as surgeon general for nearly four years during the Trump Administration.

He admitted that both he and current Biden administration health adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci were wrong at the beginning of the pandemic when they urged people not to wear masks.

U.S. gymnast tests positive

The coronavirus continues to hang over the Olympics. A teenage alternate on the U.S. women’s gymnastic team has tested positive for the virus and has begun quarantine protocols at her hotel, 35 miles from Tokyo. The woman was not identified.

The rest of the team does not appear to have been exposed, according to officials. The six regular team members were photographed in the Olympic Village at the time the news was announced.

Last week, a member of the U.S. Olympic basketball team was placed in health and safety protocols after being exposed to someone who tested positive for the virus.

Around the nation

• Virginia: Jeffrey Forbes, of Hampton, is a so-called “long hauler” who has recovered from COVID-19 but still has symptoms. Besides the normal lingering symptoms, Forbes told a Richmond TV station that he “constantly smells burning trash.”

• Wisconsin: State health officials report that cases are climbing but not at the rate they were early in the year. The virus is spreading fastest in 15 counties. Almost half the state’s population is fully vaccinated, officials say.

• New Jersey: The 38th annual New Jersey Lottery Festival of Ballooning returns this weekend after being disrupted and canceled last year due to the pandemic. The annual event is the largest summertime hot air balloon and music festival in North America.

• Arizona: With new cases on the rise, some state health officials say Arizona should consider following California’s lead by requiring all people to wear masks indoors. “The evidence is clear that face masks slow transmission,” said Dr. Joe Gerald, an associate professor of Public Health Policy with the University of Arizona. “Not only should we consider it, but we should also do it.

• Alabama: To encourage young people to get vaccinated, the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) is sponsoring a TikTok contest for people between the ages of 13 and 29 to encourage vaccination against COVID-19 before the beginning of the school year. Participants are asked to post a TikTok video of themselves getting the shot.

This information is all reported from Consumer Affairs.