U.S.                                                                  California

                                   CASES               DEATHS                                     CASES                   DEATHS       

December 2020    19,111,443            341,149                                  2,120,610                   24,241

2021   Timeline

January                  26,185,362              441,319                               3,310,949                   40,702

February                 28,602,101             513,137                                3,563,578                  51,953

March                    30,459,874              552,072                                3,668,277                  59,240

April                        32,225,012             574,280                                3,742,115                   62,078

May                        33,261,284             594,468                                3,789,227                   63,247

June                       33,624,871             603,966                                3,814,890                   63,569

July                         34,434,136             610,859                                3,903,052                   64,231 

August                   39,057,368             638,700                                4,326,204                   65,757 

September           43,471,906              698,149                                4,720,860                   69,130

October               45,979,056              746,021                                4,915,796                   71,950

November           48,214,360              776,586                                5,060,666                   74,152

December           54,859,966              825,816                               5,515,250                   76,520

2022 Timeline

January               74,333,528               884,265                               8,292,735                   79,801                      

UPDATED WEEKLY - Last updated on 28 February 2022, 3:40 pm PST, John Hopkins Corona Virus Dashboard and Worldometer

Cases Worldwide

                       John Hopkins                                                    Worldometer

• TOTAL CASES      -  436,189,770                      TOTAL CASES        -   436,819,734

               Recovered       -                                              Recovered        -   367,871,145

• TOTAL DEATHS    -     5,954,340                      TOTAL DEATHS       -       5,973,880

POPULATION - is 334,220,623 as of 28 February 2022, 3:40 pm PST, based on Census U.S. and World Population Clock.

Cases in the U.S.

• TOTAL CASES      -   79,025,644                      TOTAL CASES         -     80,610,991

              Recovered       -                                             Recovered          -     53,311,581

• TOTAL DEATHS    -        949,957                      TOTAL DEATHS       -         974,458

Cases in California

• TOTAL CASES       -   8,961,636                       TOTAL CASES         -       8,959,354

              Recovered        -                                             Recovered         -            N/A

• TOTAL DEATHS     -        85,043                       TOTAL DEATHS       -            85,202

02/28/2022                   Cases (WHO)                    Deaths (WHO)                Recovered (WHO)

• Texas                 -    6,625,328                            85,190                                N/A
• Florida               -    5,850,431                            70,084                           4,093,335
• New York          -    5,073,335                            67,838                           2,860,347
• Illinois                 -   3,031,220                             36,910                           2,802,488
• Pennsylvania    -   2,757,037                             43,216                               N/A
• Ohio                  -   2,653,940                             36,580                          2,579,905
• N. Carolina       -   2,589,517                             22,570                          2,534,052
• Georgia            -   2,465,056                             35,415                          1,624,544
• Tennessee         -   2,004,182                            24,469                               N/A
• Arizona              -   1,976,890                            27,946                           1,830,439

*correction

             **reporting information is limited, reduced testing and increased cases

USA FACTS LAST UPDATE WAS 20 FEBRUARY 2022.  NO NEW INFORMATION

 United States progress                                       Updated as of 20 February 2022, 1:40 pm PST

• Doses Distributed*                                                676,650,825
• Doses Administered                                             547,109,724                80%
• 1st dose administered                                         252,400,057                76%
• 2nd dose administered                                      214,218,580                 64%
• Received booster                                                 92,168,053                 28%
• Total population                                                 334,172,983

  State Progress                                                  Updated as of 20 February 2022, 1:40 pm PST

   .                                            1st dose           2nd dose         % fully Vaccinated      Booster           % 

• California *              32,139,593        27,605,079                    70                   13,045,079        33
• Vermont **                   578,026             498,618                    80                        289,322        46
• Maine                        1,196,891          1,049,877                    78                        557,868        42
• Massachusetts          6,613,146          5,324,596                    77                     2,597,548        38
• Connecticut             3,332,937          2,760,040                    77                     1,342,919        38
• New York                17,202,748        14,600,839                    75                      6,217,290       32 
• Pennsylvania         10,614,304          8,523,714                    67                      3,463,243        27
• Florida                    16,698,587*      14,095,474                    66                      5,347,572        25
• Texas                      20,427,342        17,279,631                   60                       6,096,919        21
• Alaska                        499,525             439,086                    60                         179,465        25   
• West Virginia          1,146,521          1,013,794                    57                         443,112        25
• Georgia                 6,811,248           5,674,761                   53                       1,955,525       18
• Tennessee             4,168,349           3,632,305                   53                       1,506,947       22
• Idaho                     1,072,916             942,016                   53                           381,276       21
• Mississippi              1,742,659           1,506,419                   51                          533,140       18
• Wyoming                 334,331              291,386                   50                          120,166       21
• Alabama***         3,021,893           2,448,559                   49                          827,819       17 

            *   Correction

           **   First on vaccine tracker

          ***  Last on vaccine tracker

• https://usafacts.org/visualizations/covid-vaccine-tracker-states/
• https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/vaccines/us-states
• https://usafacts.org/visualizations/covid-vaccine-tracker-states/
• https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/
• https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/vaccines/us-states
• https://usafacts.org/visualizations/weekly-unemployment-claims/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ND-Jobs&msclkid=b11efd9b16dc12762fd79d422c12da27
• https://www.edd.ca.gov/newsroom/unemployment-may-2021.htm

COVID UPDATE

VACCINE UPDATE

Coronavirus outbreak and kids.  January 26, 2022.  Which COVID-19 vaccines are available for children?  The CDC recommends children ages 5 to 17 years receive the two-dose Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.  Children 12 to 17 years may be vaccinated with the standard Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine five months after getting their second dose, while children ages 5 to 11 years should receive Pfizer/BioNTech’s pediatric vaccine, a lower dose of 10 micrograms compared to 30 micrograms for people 12 year and older.  

For now, only the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is authorized in the US for anyone under age 18.  The CDC advises that children ages 5 years and older who are moderately to severely immunocompromised should get an additional primary dose of the vaccine 28 days after their second shot.

•     “Pandemic-related disruptions to the education of children around the world has created an unsurmountable scale of loss,” warned Unicef.  616 million students are affected by full or partial school closures, according to Robert Jenkins, U.N. agency head of education.  “Students need intensive support to recover lost education and schools must go beyond places of learning to rebuild children’s mental and physical health, social development and nutrition.”

I have been hearing about heart problems in kids and young adults following the COVID vaccine.  Should I still get my child vaccinated?  There has been a higher-than-expected number of heart inflammation cases after vaccination with the COVID-19 vaccines, particularly among boys and young men.  The CDC still strongly recommends all children 12 years and older be vaccinated.

As of July 12, 2021, 1,047 reports of myocarditis - inflammation of the heart muscle, and pericarditis - inflammation of the outer lining of the heart, had been reported in people under age 30, especially male teens and young adults, after vaccination with the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna mRNA vaccines.   Myocarditis and pericarditis were most common in males ages 16 to 24 after vaccination, occurring within days after the second mRNA vaccine dose.  If your child develops any of the following symptoms within a week of vaccination, seek medical care:

• fever lasting more than a couple of days
• rash
• "bloodshot eyes"(redness of the white part of the eye)
• stomachache
• vomiting and/or diarrhea
• a large, swollen lymph node in the neck
• neck pain
• red, cracked lips
• a tongue that is redder than usual and looks like a strawberry
• swollen hands and/or feet
• irritability and/or unusual sleepiness or weakness.

Are kids any more or less likely than adults to spread coronavirus?  Though the studies varied in their methods, their findings were similar:  infected children had as much, or more, coronavirus in their upper respiratory tracts as infected adults.   Harvard researchers conducted a November 2021 study which confirmed children carry live virus capable of infecting others.   A child with mild or no symptoms may have just as many viral particles in their nose and mouth as a child that has more severe symptoms.  The presence of a high viral load in infected children increases the likelihood that children, even those without symptoms, could readily spread the infection to others.

Vaccine for children 4 and younger on the way.   Updated today at 9:00 p.m. EST.   Pfizer and BioNTech they are seeking ‘emergency use authorization’ of their coronavirus vaccine for children age 4 and younger, welcomed news for parents eager to vaccinate their young ones.   

Since the onset of the pandemic, 10 million children in the nation have tested positive for the virus, with children under 4 years of age accounting for 1.6 million of those cases.

Pfizer’s chairman and chief executive, Albert Bourla, indicated the company believes three doses will be needed to provide full protection but the two shots, if authorized, can ease some worry about the virus as they wait on the booster.

Coronavirus: Novavax applies for FDA emergency use authorization for COVID-19 vaccine.  February 01, 2022 at 3:58 pm EST.  Novavax announced it formally applied for an emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine in the United States.  If approved, the Novavax vaccine could be the first COVID-19 vaccine available based on proteins, instead of mRNA in the United States.  The Novavax vaccine uses the coronavirus spike protein to enhance the body’s immune response and create antibodies.   

In a Phase 3 clinical trial, Novavax was 90% effective and can generate an immune response against the Omicron variant, but it’s unknown how strong the protection is.  The vaccine is two doses, given three weeks apart.  The vaccine can be stored at normal refrigeration temperatures and has a shelf life of about nine months.  If the FDA approves the emergency authorization, the first 100 million doses will be ready to ship.   Most adults in the United States have been vaccinated with mRNA vaccines developed by Moderna or Pfizer and BioNTech. 

VARIANT UPDATE

Dr. David Agus on Omicron subvariant BA.2, effectiveness of boosters.  Mon, January 31, 2022, 11:03 AM.  Dr. David Agus indicated the new COVID-19 strain is comparable to Delta when it comes to detection.  He urged people to get vaccinated, noting that booster shots offer strong protection against the new sub-variant. 

In Denmark, one country that is "weeks ahead" of the U.S. in dealing with Omicron, BA.2 was found to be 50% more infectious, Dr. Agus said.  "But with the booster, you have significant protection against BA.2.  Some have called this sub-variant of the coronavirus ‘stealthier’ than the original Omicron because genetic traits make it appear slightly different in testing — but Dr. Agus disagreed. 

Imagine Omicron has two different sisters, BA.1 and BA.2. BA.1 is the one dominating in the United States and looked differently than Delta.  BA.2 looks exactly the same as Delta, so it's easier to detect.  When exposed to BA.1 you have immunity that will cross over to BA.2. 

There's a new version of omicron but so far it doesn't appear to be more dangerous.  Mon, January 24, 2022, 6:27 PM.  A new and highly contagious version of the omicron variant or BA. 2, is a descendant of the omicron variant or BA. 1.  BA.2 is currently responsible for the surges of covid-19 in the United States and parts of Asia and Europe.  It is not clear where BA.2 emerged from, although the first recorded cases were in the Philippines.  The World Health Organization recommended officials begin investigating its characteristics to determine whether it poses new challenges for pandemic-weary nations.

Characteristics of BA. 2 are being investigated, such as immune escape properties and virulence, and should be prioritized independently and comparatively to BA. 1."   Viruses mutate constantly, mostly in harmless ways.  There is no current evidence that BA. 2 is more virulent, spreads faster or escapes immunity better than BA. 1.  At least three cases have been found in the United States at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas, which is studying the genetic makeup of virus samples from its patients.

Some scientists have dubbed BA. 2 the "stealth omicron" because it has genetic traits that make it more difficult to identify the omicron form of the virus on PCR tests.  It is known that omicron can evade preexisting immunity from both vaccines and exposure to other variants of the virus.  What is not known is whether “son-of-omicron” does it better or worse than omicron.  

More than 695,000 new coronavirus infections were reported and testing shows almost all are from omicron, down 13.7% from the week prior, according to a seven-day average of data tracked by The Washington Post. The sub-variant does not carry a specific mutation present in Omicron that was used as a proxy to first track and compare its early spread against Delta last month.

Omicron sub-variant BA.2 under investigation by UK health officials. Tue, January 25, 2022, 8:00 AM.  Early indications suggest BA.2 has an increased growth rate and has rapidly displaced Delta following its emergence in the UK but has yet to follow suit in dominating Omicron, which accounts for the majority of cases.

Anders Fomsgaard, a researcher at Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut (SSI), indicated “It may be it is more resistant to the immunity in the population, which allows it to infect more.  We do not know yet, but there was a possibility that people infected with BA.1 might not be immune from catching BA.2 soon after. 

Omicron's Incubation Period Is Short: Here's Why That Matters. Mon, January 24, 2022, 10:57 AM

There’s much health officials are still learning about the Omicron variant, but one thing is certain: It spreads really quickly and causes 99.5% of COVID-19 infections in the U.S. — a staggering number considering the strain was detected in the country early December.

What is Omicron’s incubation period?  A recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 73 hours, three days, was the typical incubation period for patients.  Some patients developed symptoms as early as 33 hours after being exposed and some became symptomatic after 75 hours.  CDC researchers point out Omicron’s incubation period is definitely shorter than the original SARS-CoV-2, five days or greater, and the Delta variant, four days.

According to a CDC report, symptoms include:

• Cough
• Fatigue
• Congestion
• Runny nose

How long are you contagious with Omicron?  December, the CDC shortened the time people should isolate after being diagnosed with COVID-19 to five days, provided your symptoms are better or you’re asymptomatic and wearing a mask during that period. 

The change, driven by research, found most people spread SARS-CoV-2 one to two days before developing symptoms and the two to three days after – for a contagious period of five days.  Omicron’s shorter incubation period is closer in relation to the flu, one to four days.  Omicron is “much more contagious than previous variants,” says William Schaffner, M.D., infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.  “People exhale much more of the virus and it gives the recipient a larger dose of the virus.”

What "mild" really means when it comes to Omicron.  Fri, January 14, 2022.  The Omicron variant the way health care professionals and doctors differentiate between "mild" and "severe" illness may not align with a layperson's understanding.  According to health care professionals:

• 'Mild' means you're not getting hospitalized," said Megan Ranney, academic dean at the Brown University School of Public Health.  But,  "Omicron symptoms can range from
• absolutely no symptoms
• to a really mild cold to
• to in bed with shakes and chills
• a horrible cough
• fatigued
• headachy for weeks

• “Severe," means symptoms such as
• very low oxygen levels
• kidney damage
• heart impairment

So many people have gotten infected in such a short time, it's leaving schools, airlines, and other businesses — including hospitals — with large numbers of workers out sick simultaneously.  There's the matter of long COVID.   A study published in Nature Immunology found ongoing, sustained inflammatory responses following even mild-to-moderate COVID-19 cases.

Pfizer and BioNTech launch study of omicron vaccine and FDA halts use of two COVID antibody treatments.  FDA says antibody drugs developed by Regeneron and Eli Lilly don’t work against omicron and withdraws its emergency authorization.  Last Updated: Jan. 25, 2022 at 2:54 p.m. ET.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration withdrew 'emergency use authorization,’ halting the use of antibody drugs, Regeneron and Eli Lilly, as COVID-19 treatments basically because they are ineffective.   The infusion drugs are less able to target omicron due to its mutations.   Pfizer BioNTech announced launching a trial to evaluate an omicron-oriented vaccine

.

Should you get a booster shot? Experts say it's time.  Millions of vaccinated adults became eligible for a COVID-19 booster shot.  The vast majority of vaccinated Americans were eligible -- many just didn't know it.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4 in 10 vaccinated adults were unsure if they qualified for a booster. So far, 32 million Americans have received a booster, or around 18% of the more than 182 million adults who are fully vaccinated.

The FDA and CDC updated recommendations to expand booster access to all adults who were vaccinated with Moderna or Pfizer over six months ago and a stronger recommendation for anyone over 50 to get a booster applies to everyone 18 to 49.  For Johnson & Johnson recipients, the recommendation already applied to everyone over 18, two months after their shot.

Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and co-director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and Dr. Anthony Fauci believe the vaccines should be used not only to prevent hospitalizations and death, but also infection -- particularly because of the risk of long-COVID, a concerning side effect that can include long-term fatigue, brain fog and shortness of breath.

The Biden administration announced plans to issue from the country’s cache of medical-equipment supplies from the Strategic National Stockpile, 400 million free N95 masks to pharmacies and health centers across the country.  Pharmacies have received shipments and doling them out.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicated non-surgical N95 masks “offer the highest level of protection” against the coronavirus.   

How to Protect Yourself?  Getting vaccinated is your best bet!

IT’S NOT OVER!

Stay safe.  Mask.  Social distance.  Frequent hand washing.  Avoid crowds

ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR PERSONAL HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL

• https://news.yahoo.com/mild-really-means-comes-omicron-100052496.html
• https://news.yahoo.com/theres-version-omicron-far-doesnt-022733295.html
• https://news.yahoo.com/omicron-sub-variant-ba-2-094159439.html
• https://www.marketwatch.com/story/pfizer-and-biontech-launch-study-of-omicron-vaccine-and-fda-halts-use-of-two-covid-antibody-treatments-11643125078?siteid=yhoof2&yptr=yahoo
• https://news.yahoo.com/dr-david-agus-omicron-subvariant-190336297.html
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/02/01/covid-omicron-variant-live-updates/
• https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/coronavirus-outbreak-and-kids