Americans who have been incarcerated for a year or more are finally getting out, and many of them are moving to national parks. So many that the parks are crowded and have some reservation systems in place, like the ones that control the river in Yosemite National Park, California and Acadia National Park in Maine.
In 2020, the National Park Service received 237 million recreational visits, more than 90 million visits (27.6%) from 2019. The decrease was mainly due to temporary park closings in response to the pandemic. The number of visitors was the lowest since 1980.
Now the parks are booming again. The Yellowstone National Park website states, “If you don’t have a reservation, the nearest campsite or hotel room may be hours away.”
Great Falls National Park, outside Washington, DC, warns that “on weekends when the park is full and parking is unavailable, the entrance will be closed … you will not be allowed in until we reopen.”
Also on the news:
►The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of an additional batch of vaccine being manufactured at Johnson & Johnson’s distressed Emergent BioSolutions facility. Several media organizations including The hill reports the batch totaled 14 million cans.
► The UK government is planning to make vaccination compulsory for nurses who BBC and other media reports. Employees are expected to have 16 weeks to move vaccination or face away from frontline care or lose their jobs.
►The New York Yankees will resume 100% capacity at Yankee Stadium from the series start on Friday night against the Oakland Athletics.
►Royal Caribbean International is postponing the opening voyages of its newest cruise ship after eight crew members arrive positive COVID-19 test results in routine tests.
►Arizona Governor Doug Ducey issue an implementing ordinance that all public universities and community colleges require a COVID-19 vaccination.
📈Today’s numbers: There are more than 33.4 million confirmed coronavirus cases and at least 600,200 deaths in the United States. according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The global totals: More than 176.57 million cases and more than 3.81 million deaths. More than 145.76 million Americans have been fully vaccinated – 43.9% of the population, according to CDC.
📘What we read: In less than a year, effective COVID-19 vaccines were developed. But half a century after the country declared war on cancer and 40 years after the first reported case of HIV / AIDS, there is no way to prevent disease or many others. Read the full story.
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USA buys 200 million more vaccine doses from Moderna
Moderna announced that the federal government has bought an additional 200 million doses of vaccine, mainly to vaccinate children or to refresh those who have already been vaccinated. The government has purchased 500 million cans, including 110 million cans expected to ship in the fourth quarter of 2021 and 90 million expected to ship in the first quarter of 2022, the Massachusetts-based company said in a statement.
CEO Stéphane Bancel said Moderna remains “focused on being proactive in developing the virus … to stay one step ahead of emerging variants”.
The vast majority of hospitalized COVID patients are not vaccinated
Declining COVID-19 rates in the United States obscure a harsh reality – the overwhelming majority of Anyone who gets sick today and is hospitalized is not vaccinated. Hospitals in states with the lowest vaccination rates tend to have more COVID-19 patients in intensive care units, according to hospital data collected last week by the Department of Health and Social Affairs and vaccination rates reported by the Centers for Control and Welfare Disease prevention were published.
“The people who say, ‘It’s my body, my choice?’ Well, it’s not just about you, “said Dr. Gerald Maloney, chief medical officer, hospital services for the Geisinger Health Network, which operates nine hospitals in Pennsylvania. “It’s also about the people you are with.”
– Elizabeth Weise and Aleszu Bajak
Delta variant is a “problem” that is rapidly spreading in the USA
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have now classified the Delta variant of the coronavirus, first discovered in India, as a “variant of concern” as it now accounts for 10% of cases in the US currently en route through the UK, causing a delay the reopening leads.
“It doubles every two weeks,” said former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, up “Face the Nation”. “And I think there is a real risk in the fall that this could trigger a new epidemic heading towards fall.”
Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are about 88% effective against the Delta variant after two vaccinations Research. Research has found the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to be less effective, but more information is needed.
“The light at the end of the tunnel is in sight, but it is not bringing any of those lives back or bringing comfort to grieving families,” said Dr. Steven Woolf, emeritus director of the Center on Society and Health at Virginia Commonwealth University. “My other concern is that for too many Americans and politicians, rushing to ‘return to normal’ will lead to complacency about the problems that made us vulnerable to COVID in the first place.”
Study: Almost 25% of people with COVID-19 develop long-term symptoms
A new report from FAIR Health shows that almost a quarter of coronavirus patients develop long-lasting symptoms or Long COVID. The study found that some symptoms were more common in certain age groups or demographics. Older patients were at greater risk of developing high cholesterol, while younger patients were more likely to develop gastrointestinal problems after diagnosis.
The magazine analyzed nearly 2 million private health insurance claims from patients with COVID-19, excluding those with chronic conditions such as cancer and HIV.
– Steven Vargas
The Maryland COVID-19 state of emergency ends July 1st
Maryland’s COVID-19 state of emergency ends July 1, more than 15 months after the deadly virus first appeared in the state in March 2020. All remaining health restrictions will end on that date, Governor Larry Hogan said Tuesday, including masking requirements.
“The fight isn’t over yet,” said Hogan. “We are going from the state of emergency to ongoing operations.”
This surgery will include further vaccinating the thousands of Marylanders who still need the vaccinations and caring for the shrinking numbers of those infected with the virus. During the pandemic, Maryland has seen more than 460,000 cases of COVID-19. Almost 9,500 people died, many of them elderly and vulnerable.
– Madeleine O’Neill, Salisbury Daily Times
New York, California eases restrictions as vaccination limits are reached
New York state has passed the 70% primary vaccination threshold for adults, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday. a benchmark that will trigger a security pullback like those who still apply for social distancing in restaurants.
This means that retail stores, restaurants, offices, gyms, amusement centers, and hair salons can optionally set capacity and social distancing restrictions and simplify COVID disinfection protocols. However, large venues, preschools through 12th grade, public transportation, homeless shelters, correctional facilities, nursing homes, and healthcare facilities must continue to follow existing state guidelines until more New Yorkers are vaccinated.
“Congratulations to New Yorkers for doing it,” Cuomo said at a ceremony at One World Trade Center in Manhattan.
And on the other coast, the nation’s largest state reopened on Tuesday. Effectively ended a series of 15-month restrictions aimed at containing the COVID-19 pandemic. California ranks 41st among the states where coronavirus has spread the fastest per person, according to an analysis by the USA TODAY Network of data from Johns Hopkins University. At 11.87% of the country’s population, California had 6.19% of the country’s cases last week.
– Joseph Spector
Contribution: The Associated Press.
