Total Doses Distributed = 723,181,345. Total Doses Administered = 572,183,620. Number of People Receiving 1 or More Doses = 257,188,688. Number of People Fully Vaccinated = 219,280,491.
COVID-19 Vaccination Data Updates
WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando
President Joe Biden and his administration want Americans and their doctors to know that the country has an ample supply of the life-saving COVID-19 antiviral treatment Paxlovid and that it no longer needs to be rationed.
First approved in December, supply of the Pfizer regimen was initially very limited, but as COVID-19 cases across the country have fallen and manufacturing has increased it is now far more abundant. The White House is now moving to raise awareness of the pill and taking steps to make it easier to access.
Paxlovid, when administered within five days of symptoms appearing, has been proven to bring about 90% reduction in hospitalizations and deaths among patients most likely to get severe disease. About 350 Americans are now dying each day from the coronavirus, down from more than 2,600 during the height of the omicron wave earlier this year.
A senior administration official said usage of the antiviral regimen has “more than doubled” over the last few weeks, but the administration has more supply at the ready that can save lives and prevent serious disease if prescribed in a timely fashion.
The U.S. has ordered enough supply of the pills for 20 million people, which is estimated to last for several more months. The administration has warned that subsequent deliveries are dependent on Congress approving additional COVID-19 response funding.
Biden officials are planning to highlight the relative abundance of the drug next week, and government officials will be stepping up their outreach to patients and providers.
The Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer’s drug for adults and children ages 12 and older with a positive COVID-19 test and early symptoms who face the highest risk of severe outcomes. That includes older people and those with conditions like obesity and heart disease, though the drug is not recommended for patients with severe kidney or liver problems.
The effort includes expanding the availability of the pills by providing a direct-to-pharmacy ordering pathway for the drug. Currently the federal government relies on states to determine where the supply goes, and about 20,000 locations carry the pill, including 2,000 so-called “test to treat” locations that can provide the treatment immediately after a positive test result.
The administration believes the pharmacy channel, which it used to boost availability of COVID-19 vaccines more than a year ago, will similarly make the antiviral pills more available to people.
News of the pharmacy expansion was first reported by Bloomberg.
Total Doses Distributed = 721,895,045. Total Doses Administered = 571,636,588. Number of People Receiving 1 or More Doses = 257,105,236. Number of People Fully Vaccinated = 219,208,559.
COVID-19 Vaccination Data Updates
WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando
Visitors to Thailand who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus will no longer need to undergo any test or quarantine on arrival starting May 1, a measure the authorities hope will help rejuvenate the country’s lucrative tourism industry.
“Many countries have already eased their restrictions,” Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said Friday. “We are a country that relies on the tourism industry, especially during these times. This will help move the economy forward.”
Under the new rules announced by the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration, unvaccinated travelers will still have to provide proof of negative results from a RT-PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before arrival.
All visitors still must register with an online “Thailand Pass” system and provide proof of health insurance with coverage of at least $10,000 for COVID-19 treatment.
Under the current arrival scheme known as “Test and Go,” even fully vaccinated travelers have been required to take RT-PCR tests upon arrival and then stay in a government-approved hotel for one night until the results are known. On the fifth day of their stay. a self-administered rapid antigen test has been required.
The Public Health Ministry on Friday announced 21,808 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 128 related fatalities, bringing the totals since the pandemic began in 2020 to 4,128,038 cases and 27,520 deaths.
The official figures are based on RT-PCR tests, and the new cases do not include 20,635 positive results from antigen tests, which would almost double the number of new cases to 42,443. Many other positive results from self-administered antigen tests may not have been reported to authorities.
Total Doses Distributed = 720,813,845. Total Doses Administered = 571,201,893. Number of People Receiving 1 or More Doses = 257,058,180. Number of People Fully Vaccinated = 219,160,055.
COVID-19 Vaccination Data Updates
WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando
Florida utilities would gradually increase their electricity to 100% renewable by 2050 under a proposed rule unveiled Thursday by the state’s agriculture commissioner.
The proposed rule is an outgrowth of a lengthy court battle involving dozens of young people who claim Florida is violating their constitutional rights by continuing to promote use of fossil fuels that drive climate change. Similar lawsuits have been filed in other states.
The rule announced by Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democratic candidate for governor this year, came following pressure from young people represented by the nonprofit Our Children’s Trust who filed a petition seeking the proposal. It’s the first of this magnitude in Florida, which is particularly vulnerable to climate impacts such as coastal flooding, stronger hurricanes and excessive heat.
Although the rule is not final and could face several challenges, Fried said it is “a monumental first step” in curbing climate-altering greenhouse gases that flow from utilities when they burn coal and natural gas.
“This is one of the most urgent issues of our time,” Fried said at a news conference in Miami. “We can’t afford to deny this reality and the urgency of what is happening to our state.”
Under the proposal, utilities in Florida would first have to meet three interim goals for renewable energy, 40% by 2030, 63% by 2035 and 82% by 2040. Ten years after that, in 2050, the rule envisions 100% renewable energy for utilities. Energy experts agree interim goals are important so that major changes are not put off even further into the future.
According to the federal Energy Information Administration, only about 5% of Florida’s electricity in 2020 was produced by sources such as solar, compared with 75% by natural gas, which is mainly methane.
The rule petition was signed by more than 200 young people, including 22-year-old Delaney Reynolds. She said at the news conference Thursday that the rule is a start at tackling one of the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions in power plants.
“Today, Florida can begin to address the core causes of climate change,” Reynolds said. “We have no time to waste.”
The state’s largest electric utility, Florida Power & Light, and its parent NextEra Energy Inc., said in a statement that it is already investing heavily in solar energy with 50 centers in operation now and plans to quadruple the capacity by 2031. Indeed, Florida has been inching up the national rankings for installed solar.
“As Florida’s renewable energy leader and the leader of the nation’s largest solar expansion, we will continue to work with state leaders to smartly move Florida with even more cost-effective renewable energy,” the FPL statement said.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services headed by Fried also houses the state energy office. The agency will take public comment on the proposed rule for 21 days; there is also the possibility of a hearing and potentially a challenge through an administrative law judge.
Even if the rule goes into effect, the agency has no mechanism to enforce it. But can collect annual data on whether utilities are making progress. It would be up to the Florida Public Service Commission to take any regulatory actions related to the rule.
Valholly Frank, a 19-year-old member of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, said their traditional home in the Big Cypress Reservation adjacent to the Everglades faces extreme threats from climate change.
“Our culture really depends on this land,” Frank said. “Florida cannot exist the way it is now. We cannot continue this way.”