Total Doses Distributed = 705,237,845. Total Doses Administered = 562,435,301. Number of People Receiving 1 or More Doses = 255,765,972. Number of People Fully Vaccinated = 217,882,466.
COVID-19 Vaccination Data Updates
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Amid worries that the latest coronavirus variant could spark another rise in cases, Medicare announced Monday that millions of enrollees will finally have access to free over-the-counter COVID-19 tests at drug stores.
More than 59 million people with Medicare’s “Part B” outpatient coverage will be able to get up to eight free at-home tests per month, or enough for an individual to test twice a week, as some doctors have recommended.
Medicare has lagged private insurance in following the Biden administration’s directive to cover at-home tests because rules and regulations stood in the way, and officials had to find a work-around. This is the first time the health insurance program for older people and those with disabilities has covered an over-the-counter test at no cost to recipients.
Medicare’s move could turn out to be prescient.
The BA.2 omicron variant now accounts for more than half of U.S. cases, having rapidly overtaken the original strain. That initial omicron wave this winter caused the biggest spike yet in virus cases, straining many hospitals to the limit. Since then, cases nationally have rapidly dropped to the lowest level since before last summer’s delta surge. Coronavirus restrictions have been largely lifted. But some areas where BA.2 took hold early are seeing increasing cases.
Monday’s announcement followed another precautionary move last week, when government health officials authorized a second round of booster shots for people 50 and older as well as those with weakened immune systems.
National pharmacy chains participating in Medicare’s give-away include: Albertsons Companies, Inc., Costco Pharmacy, CVS, Food Lion, Giant Food, The Giant Company, Hannaford Pharmacies, H-E-B Pharmacy, Hy-Vee Pharmacy, Kroger Family of Pharmacies, Rite Aid Corp., Shop & Stop, Walgreens and Walmart.
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German lawmakers who proposed a requirement for all adults to be vaccinated against COVID-19 sought a compromise on Monday after struggling to win a majority in parliament, suggesting a less sweeping mandate that would initially oblige everyone aged 50 and above to get shots.
Olaf Scholz said shortly before becoming chancellor in December that he favored a vaccine mandate for all adults. But amid deep divisions on the issue within his governing coalition, he left it to lawmakers to come up with legislation rather than having the government draw up rules.
Ahead of votes expected in parliament Thursday, there appeared to be no clear majority for any of a variety of proposals — ranging from the proposed mandate for all adults to bills explicitly opposing any mandate at all.
The 237 lawmakers who backed a mandate for all adults are now proposing a plan under which people aged 50 and above would be required to prove that they have been vaccinated starting Oct. 1, news agency dpa reported.
Other adults who aren’t vaccinated would be required to show that they have at least received counseling on the issue. Parliament could decided after its summer break, taking into account the progress of the pandemic and of vaccination, whether there should also be a vaccination mandate for under-50s.
Some 76% of Germany’s population of 83 million has received a full first course of vaccination and 58.8% also have received a booster shot. Officials aren’t satisfied with the number of older people in particular who have been vaccinated.
Infection levels are drifting downward from very high levels, and most coronavirus restrictions have recently been relaxed.
The only European country that has passed a vaccination mandate for most adults into law is neighboring Austria. But the government in Vienna last month suspended the mandate shortly before its enforcement was due to begin, arguing that there’s no need to implement it at present.
Total Doses Distributed = 705,237,845. Total Doses Administered = 562,085,242. Number of People Receiving 1 or More Doses = 255,713,962. Number of People Fully Vaccinated = 217,834,304.
COVID-19 Vaccination Data Updates
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A 60-year-old man allegedly had himself vaccinated against COVID-19 dozens of times in Germany in order to sell forged vaccination cards with real vaccine batch numbers to people not wanting to get vaccinated themselves.
The man from the eastern Germany city of Magdeburg, whose name was not released in line with German privacy rules, is said to have received up to 90 shots against COVID-19 at vaccination centers in the eastern state of Saxony for months until criminal police caught him earlier this month, the German news agency dpa reported Sunday.
The suspect was not detained but is under investigation for unauthorized issuance of vaccination cards and document forgery, dpa reported.
He was caught at a vaccination center in Eilenburg in Saxony when he showed up for a COVID-19 shot for the second day in a row. Police confiscated several blank vaccination cards from him and initiated criminal proceedings.
It was not immediately clear what kind of impact the approximately 90 shots of COVID-19 vaccines, which were from different brands, had on the man’s personal health.
German police have conducted many raids in connection with forgery of vaccination passports in recent months. Many COVID-19 deniers refuse to get vaccinated in Germany, but at the same want to have the coveted COVID-19 passports that make access to public life and many venues such as restaurants, theaters, swimming pools or work places much easier.
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Follow all AP stories on the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
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COVID-19 cases in China’s largest city of Shanghai are still rising with millions isolated at home under a sweeping lockdown, as the draconian “zero tolerance” approach to the pandemic increasingly draws complaints from residents fed up with the restrictions.
Health officials on Sunday reported 438 confirmed cases over the previous 24 hours, along with 7,788 asymptomatic ones. Both figures were up slightly from the day before, while the northeastern province of Jilin posted a combined 4,455 cases Sunday, also marking an increase from Saturday.
While small by the standards of some countries, the daily increases are some of the largest since the virus was first detected in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019.
Shanghai with its 26 million people last week began a two-stage lockdown, with residents of the eastern Pudong section supposed to be allowed to leave their homes Friday, while their neighbors in the western Puxi section underwent their own four-day isolation period.
Despite that assurance, millions in Pudong continue to be confined to their homes amid complaints over food deliveries and the availability of medications and health services.
Notices delivered to residents said they were required to self-test for COVID-19 daily and take precautions including wearing masks at home and avoiding contact with family members — measures not widely enforced since the early days of the pandemic.
While Wuhan endured a 76-day lockdown in 2020 with relatively little complaint, Shanghai residents — many of whom were in isolation even before last week’s lockdown began — appear to be growing increasingly fed up with the measures and methods being used to enforce them.
Although coverage in China’s entirely state-controlled media remains overwhelmingly positive, complaints have been appearing online, including in the form of videos and sound recordings purporting to show heavy-handed practices by officials and volunteers and alleging that sound medical advice has been ignored in favor of political expediency.
“Whereas there was little societal resistance to the lockdown once it was imposed in Wuhan, resistance in Shanghai is palpable now,” Dali Yang, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago tweeted on Sunday.
Given that the vast majority of cases in Shanghai are not life threatening, “it is not surprised that the imposition of the lockdown and forced quarantine of the infected in harsh conditions are meeting resistance,” Yang tweeted.
A city official last week apologized in response to complaints over the government’s handling of the lockdown, and a vice premier made sweeping demands for improvements during a tour of Shanghai on Saturday.
Sun Chunlan, who sits on the ruling Communist Party’s Politburo, urged “resolute and swift moves to stem the spread of COVID-19 in Shanghai in the shortest time possible,” the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
However, Sun stressed “unswerving adherence” to China’s hard-line “zero-COVID” approach, mandating lockdowns, forced isolation of all suspected cases and mass testing, even while acknowledging the social and economic toll that is taking.
“It is an arduous task and huge challenge to combat the omicron variant while maintaining the normal operation of core functions in a megacity,” Sun said.
She called for safeguarding key industries and institutions and the functioning of supply and industrial chains in the commercial hub, along with ensuring “people’s basic living conditions and normal medical needs.”
State media reports indicate president and Communist Party leader Xi Jinping is directing the continuing tough approach, while seeking to avoid further damage to the sputtering economy and ensure overall stability ahead of a key party congress expected for November.
Despite the spike in infections, China has recorded no new COVID-19 deaths since March 20th, when two were added for a total 4,638. China’s vaccination rate is above 87% — although significantly lower among seniors — and omicron is known to be more infectious while the illness it brings on is typically more mild than with the earlier delta variant.