A Colorado vaccination site for all adults was closed on Wednesday after 11 people suffered “side effects” including nausea and dizziness after being given the vaccine at a dose of Johnson and Johnson.
Centura Health said in a statement that it “followed our protocols and very cautiously made the decision – in partnership with the state – to suspend operations for the remainder of the day.”
Two patients were taken to hospital for observation while paramedics treated the other nine people with juice and water, the state health department said.
More than 1,700 people received vaccines at the Commerce City site, a few miles north of Denver, so the problems involved less than 1% of vaccinations. The 640 patients who were unable to receive their vaccine due to the break will be postponed until Sunday, Centura said.
“We know it can be alarming to hear people being taken to hospital,” said Scott Bookman, the COVID-19 incident commander. “From what we know, the side effects today were consistent with what one would expect.”
Also in the news:
►Baseball fans traveling to the San Francisco Giants’ opener on Friday will need to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test result to be admitted, the team said on its website.
► Hawaii has announced plans to expand vaccine eligibility to all adults by April 19, becoming the latest state to commit to Biden’s call to lift eligibility requirements.
► Nearly half of new coronavirus infections nationwide are in New York, Michigan, Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, a situation that is prompting the federal government to consider sending more doses to hot spots.
►Idaho Gov. Brad Little joined with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in banning state governments from requiring or issuing COVID-19 “vaccine passports”.
►Carmen Hernandez, 104, received a standing ovation from hospital workers as she was evacuated from a Colombian hospital after defeating COVID-19 for the second time.
📈 Today’s numbers: The United States has more than 30.9 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and 559,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Global totals: over 132.94 million cases and 2.88 million deaths. At least 225.2 million doses of the vaccine have been distributed in the United States and 171.4 million have been administered, according to the CDC.
📘 What we read: Post-traumatic growth post-COVID-19 could bring creativity and joy back to your life. But maybe not before 2024. Read the full story.
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Filipino dies after being forced to attempt hundreds of squats
Authorities in the Philippines have opened an investigation into the death of a 28-year-old man who was allegedly forced to do nearly 300 squat drills after officials said he ignored quarantine rules last week. Darren Manaog Peñaredondo, 28, was apprehended by village guards on April 1 in General Trias City, south of Manila, as he was outside their house to buy water after 6 p.m. The curfew, due to an increase in coronavirus cases in the region, lasts from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Arab News reports that he and other violators were allegedly forced to do 100 synchronized squats. If they couldn’t do them simultaneously, they would have to start over. Some, including Peñaredondo, ended up doing nearly 300 squats.
Peñaredondo’s cousin Adrian Lucena posted on social media: “Early Saturday morning (April 3) he had a seizure, but we were able to resuscitate him.”
Michigan Should Now Restrict Indoor Youth Sports To Slow The Spread Of COVID-19, CDC Says
The director of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday Michigan and other states with high rates of coronavirus transmission should restrict indoor sports for young people and consider other measures now, such as a potential break on indoor meals, to curb the spread of the virus.
“I would advocate some sort of stronger mitigation strategies … to somehow decrease community activity and increase mask wear,” CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. White House COVID-19 response team briefing.
Walensky’s comments came a day after Governor Gretchen Whitmer attributed the rise in cases in the state to pandemic fatigue and its variants.
“It’s not a policy problem. It looks like, you know, maybe we could do some tweaking around the edges, but taking a step back won’t solve the problem. What we need to do is really put our foot down pedaling on vaccines and imploring people to do what we know protects us: masking, removing, washing our hands. “
Michigan’s case rate currently leads the country, with 452.5 cases per 100,000 population.
– Kristen Jordan Shamus and Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press
The variant found in the UK is now the dominant lineage in the US
The CDC has been warning since January that the highly contagious coronavirus variant first detected in Britain would become the dominant strain in the United States, and that the time is right.
CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky said on Wednesday that the variant, officially known as B.1.1.7, was “now the most common lineage in circulation in the United States.”
Although this is not surprising, the recognition is significant because B.1.1.7 is considered to be at least 50% more transmissible, and it is also more virulent, than the original strain of the virus. The variant is believed to be a major contributor to the current spike in infections in Europe as well as the recent increase in cases in the United States after a prolonged decline. Of the 17,017 cases of variants reported in this country, 16,275 are of the British lineage.
All three vaccines licensed in the United States have been shown to be effective against the variant, adding additional urgency to the country’s inoculation schedule.
Contribute: The Associated Press