Nearly a quarter of U.S. hospitals report “critical staff shortages” as counties across the country set COVID-19 case records.
About 24% of nearly 5,000 hospitals are experiencing the shortage – the largest since the start of the pandemic – and another 100 are expecting a shortage this week, according to latest data released by US Department of Health and Human Services.
The shortfall comes as more than a third of U.S. counties have set COVID-19 case records just 10 days into the new year, a U.S. TODAY analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University shows. About 1,350 counties report their highest weekly cases of the pandemic. The analysis suggests that all counties in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey broke a record.
In Los Angeles County, infections among hospital workers and other health care workers have increased as cases skyrocket, exacerbating staff shortages at medical centers.
“We have a very sophisticated healthcare system, but it’s made up of people,” said Dr. Kimberly Shriner, medical director of infection prevention and control at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, just outside Los Angeles. “And right now people are getting COVID.”
Also in the news:
►Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Rochelle Walensky and others to testify Tuesday morning to a U.S. Senate committee on COVID-19 variants and the federal response to the variants.
►US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, announced in a tweet Sunday night that she was tested positive with a breakthrough case of COVID-19. She experiences symptoms and recovers at home. The tweet said she received her booster shot this fall.
► Pope Francis urged people to be vaccinated Monday said individuals have a responsibility to take care of their own health, which “translates to respect for the health of those around us.” Francis called the health care system a “moral obligation” and lamented that people are influenced by ideologies “supported by unfounded information or poorly documented facts.”
► “Today” shows co-anchor Savannah Guthrie announced that she was tested positive for COVID-19 less than a week after her co-anchor Hoda Kotb was tested positive. Guthrie, who has been given her booster shot, said her symptoms are mild.
📈 Today’s figures: The United States has recorded more than 60 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 837,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Global totals: More than 307 million cases and 5.49 million deaths. More than 207 million Americans – 62.5% – are fully vaccinated, according to Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
📘What we read: Confused about all the COVID-19 home tests? This new report from an independent patient safety group ranks the most prevalent fast and cheap home tests based on how easy they are to use to help consumers choose a convenient, reliable solution.
Keep updating this page for the latest news. Want more? sign up USA TODAY’s Free Coronavirus Watch Newsletter to receive updates directly to your inbox and join our Facebook group.
The Omicron variant encourages record increases in US COVID cases
The United States set a new one-day record for COVID-19 cases on Monday with more than 1.38 million new infections reported from 1 p.m. 19 Eastern time, shows a USA TODAY analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University.
The inventory, spurred by the rising Omicron variant, obscures a revised figure of 1.17 million for the previous record set just a week ago on 3 January. Data for coronavirus cases tend to increase on Mondays due to retention results from weekends when reporting is less extensive.
Nevertheless, the overall figures suggest an emphatic COVID-19 increase: The six highest single-day reports recorded have taken place in the last eight days since 3 January. And Monday’s total was four times the number reported on Sunday.
– Mike Stucka
Virginia declares ‘limited state of emergency’ to strengthen hospitals
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam issued one on Monday “limited state of emergency” to strengthen hospitals affected by increasing numbers of cases caused by COVID-19.
The 30-day emergency order gives medical centers and nursing homes permission to expand the number of beds, staff and care without meeting certain legal requirements.
Virginia reported 3,500 admissions Monday, with the number of patients on respirators more than doubling since Dec. 21. An overwhelming number of the seriously ill COVID patients are unvaccinated, according to the governor’s order.
Home COVID testing must be covered by insurance companies from Saturday
From Saturday d. Private health insurance companies will be required to cover up to eight home COVID-19 tests per month for people on their plans. The Biden administration announced the change on Monday as it appears to lower costs and make testing for the virus more convenient amid rising frustrations.
Under the new policy, Americans will either be able to purchase home test kits for free under their insurance or submit receipts for the reimbursement tests, up to the monthly limit per. person.
A family of four can e.g. get reimbursement for up to 32 tests per month. PCR tests and rapid tests ordered or administered by a healthcare provider will continue to be fully covered by limitless insurance.
President Joe Biden faced criticism during the holiday season for the lack of quick home tests as Americans traveled to see the family in the midst of the rise in cases from the more transferable omicron variant. Now the administration is working to make COVID-19 home tests more accessible, both by increasing supply and reducing costs.
Later this month, the federal government will launch a website to begin making 500 million home COVID-19 tests available via mail. The administration is also scaling up to rapid emergency test sites in areas experiencing the largest increases in cases.
Immunocompromised people may get fourth vaccine shots from this week, the CDC says
The possibility of administering a fourth COVID-19 vaccine to the general population has already been discussed as the scientific community tries to combat the highly transmissible omicron variant.
For some of those who are immunocompromised, the extra dose will be available this week.
The CDC has updated its guidelines for individuals with moderate to severe weakened immune systems, recommend an additional dose for those who received the two-shot regimen Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna – but not the Johnson & Johnson inoculum – 28 days after the second shot.
The extra dose is not considered a booster, which is also recommended five months after the extra primary shot. The previous recommendation required a six-month waiting period.
Among the people who qualify for the third jab before the booster are those being treated for blood cancer, organ or stem cell transplant recipients taking immunosuppressive medications, those with HIV infection and others with conditions affecting their immune system. There are also age restrictions based on the particular vaccine label.
The extra primary shot is intended to stimulate a stronger immune response in humans whose systems are weakened – the CDC estimates that they number 7 million in the US – and are therefore more vulnerable to severe effects from the virus.
Immune response from common cold can protect against COVID-19, a small study suggests
People who have high levels of T cells after a common cold may be less likely to get COVID-19, according to a small study by researchers from Imperial College London published on Monday.
“While this is an important discovery, it is only one form of protection, and I want to emphasize that no one should rely on this alone,” said study author Dr. Rhia Kundu i en announcement. “Instead, the best way to protect yourself from COVID-19 is to be fully vaccinated, including getting your booster dose.”
The study, published in Nature Communications, tracked 52 unvaccinated people living with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 from September 2020. Half of these people were not infected and had significantly higher levels of cross-reactive T cells in the blood than those who did, the study found.
The protective T cells, which target internal coronavirus proteins instead of peak proteins targeted by mRNA vaccines, were likely formed after a previous infection with another coronavirus that caused a cold, according to the study.
Researchers acknowledged the limitations of the study, which was small and mostly limited to white participants. But they said the results could inform future vaccine development.
The Australian judge says Novak Djokovic may stay, but the drama is not over
An Australian The referee has reintroduced the visa of tennis star Novak Djokovic, who was canceled last week because he has not been vaccinated against COVID-19.
District Court Judge Anthony Kelly on Monday also ordered the government to release Djokovic, who is seeking to play in this month’s Australian Open, from Melbourne hotel quarantine within 30 minutes of his decision.
But lawyers for the Australian government are threatening to cancel his visa again and deport him, which would cause the nine-time winner of the Australian Open to miss the tournament, which starts next week.17. He would also be expelled from the country for three years.
Chicago Public Schools closed again Monday as the teachers’ union continues to fight for security measures
Students in the country’s third largest school system is out of school a fourth day in a row Monday while Chicago executives spar with the teachers’ union on an issue that has plagued communities since early 2020: Are schools safe to run personally?
The union says no; city and district leaders say yes. Children and families have been stuck in the middle since Wednesday, with teachers voting to go the distance after two days of personal instruction. Then the city said it was not an option, and interrupted distance learning all together. Negotiations continued over the weekend, but the two sides failed to reach an agreement.
The highly contagious Omicron variant has confused efforts to normalize public and private education, with schools across the country struggling to deal with viral outbreaks and teacher absenteeism. In Greenville County, South Carolina, the state’s largest district reported Monday that one-seventh of teachers had enrolled in the disease – mostly with coronavirus – which put personal classes at risk in some schools.
Education experts have increasingly warned that the time for district-wide closures has passed and that children need to go to school. But major systems in Newark, Milwaukee and Detroit also switched to distance learning through this week amid rising COVID-19 infections and declining staff. Read more here.
– Erin Richards and Grace Hauck, USA TODAY
California’s governor is seeking $ 2.7 billion in emergency funding to fight omicron
California Gov. Newsom’s administration said Saturday it asked the state legislature for $ 2.7 billion in emergency funding to combat the increase in COVID-19 cases bound to the omicron variant.
The request comes a day after Newsom activated 200 members of the California National Guard to help strengthen testing facilities. Additional guard members are expected to be deployed next week.
“From day one, California has taken swift and direct action to combat COVID-19 with policies that have saved tens of thousands of lives, but there is more work to be done,” Newsom said.
Administration officials said the state had 2,700 new COVID-19 hospital admissions on Friday, bringing the total number of virus admissions to about 10,000.
The funds will also be used to combat misinformation, which officials believe is to blame for some Californians’ refusal to be vaccinated. Part of that effort, officials said, is to continue to fund community outreach programs in collaboration with ethnic media, job search and telephone banking.
– Christopher Damien, Palm Springs Desert Sun.
Starring: James Ward, Visalia Times-Delta and Associated Press
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