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

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

2022 Timeline

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

December          100,751,994            1,092,674                            11,829,499                98,637

2023 Timeline

January              104,196,861            1,132,935                            11,964,001                99,944

February             105,345,992            1,146,142                            12,084,297              100,816

March                 106,102,029            1,153,730                            12,155,825              101,798

April                    106,630,327            1,159,839                            12,221,606              102,390 

May                    107,085,763            1,164,967                            12,263,722              102,769

June                   107,280,827            1,167,763                            12,292,399              103,169

UPDATED WEEKLY – Worldometer,  Last updated on 24 July 2023

POPULATION - is 340,110,046 of 24 July 2023, 1:35 pm PST, based on Census U.S. and World Population Clock.

      * updated information

    ** no updated information at this reporting

Cases Worldwide

 Worldometer

• TOTAL CASES      -    691,797,883

Recovered       -    664,267,863

• TOTAL DEATHS     -       6,901,850

Cases in the U.S.

• TOTAL CASES       -   107,437,289

Recovered        -   105, 599,291

• TOTAL DEATHS     -       1,169,154
  • Employment increased by 209,000 in June, more than expected!
  • The unemployment rate fell to 3.6%
  • Hourly earnings increased by 0.2%

Cases in California

• TOTAL CASES       -     12,301,545

Recovered        -     12,178,899

• TOTAL DEATHS     -          103,216

                     *   Correction

                   **    No updated information

07/24/2023 (WHO)                Cases                 Deaths      Recovered    

• Texas                    -    8,645,280             94,689         8,534,621        
• Florida                  -    7,627,999             89,075         7,524,271        
• New York             -    7,045,378             77,756         6,962,306        
• Ohio                     -    3,461,326             42,416         3,408,749         
• Georgia               -   3,101,096              42,887         3,050,066         
• Arizona                -    2,488,094             33,646          2,449,438           
• Louisiana             -   1,613,767              19,066          1,589,321
• Mississippi            -    1,000,415             13,115             984,056
• Nevada              -       901,647             12,067             886,362
• W. Virginia          -       652,772               8,163                N/A              

 *    no updated information at this reporting. Listed are states deleted from list due to no updates for an extended period.

              **   correction no updates for an extended time and deleted from list

1. Alabama*           -  1,659,936          21,138      1,623,935
2. Tennessee*          -  2,545,800          29,587      2,515,135
3.  N. Carolina*       -   3,501,404         29,059            N/A
4.  Pennsylvania*    -   3,565,499         51,237      3,514,262
5.   Illinois*                -   4,136,659         42,005      4,092,093                         

June 15, 2023, a new page displaying updated vaccination data will be available. National and state level data will continue to be reported at CDC COVID Data Tracker: Vaccine Confidence and COVID VaxView. 

Changes in Vaccination Data Reporting

On June 16, the COVID-19 vaccination reporting system will track only two types of vaccinations–primary series and CDC’s new up-to-date measure. The reporting system will update data monthly and stop publishing average doses administered and doses on hand.

• https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/
• https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/ - fullyVaccinatedhttps://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations
• https://www.edd.ca.gov/newsroom/unemployment-may-2021.htm
• https://www.bls.gov/
• https://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.nr0.htm
• https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/us-population/

COVID UPDATE

VACCINE UPDATE

Study found long-term brain damage associated with COVID-19, not vaccine | Fact check.  May 19, 2023. 

• The claim: Study found COVID-19 vaccine can cause long-term brain damage
• Our rating: False - The study explored the long-term neurological effects of being infected with the COVID-19 virus, not the vaccine.
• A May 9 article published by The People's Voice, formerly known as NewsPunch.  The website has a lengthy history of publishing misinformation.  The claim has also been debunked by the Associated Press and PolitiFact
• None of the COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the U.S. contain the live virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  The mRNA in the vaccine teaches the body's cells to make copies of the COVID-19 spike protein to later recognize and fight off the virus if they become infected.

The COVID-19 Vaccine Is Getting an Update.  Here's What to Know.  JUNE 15, 2023 7:14 PM EDT.   In a unanimous vote, the members of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s , FDA’s s vaccine committee recommended an update to the COVID-19 vaccine to match the viral strains currently circulating in the country and around the world.

The panel voted to move away from the current bivalent vaccine, designed to tackle the original virus and BA.4 and BA.5 variants, to a vaccine that is better able to protect against the XBB family of variants.  The different versions of XBB viruses account for nearly all new infections in the U.S., with two, XBB.1.5 and XBB.1.16, currently dominating.

The committee heard from vaccine makers Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Novavax, who provided data showing that prototype vaccines made against XBB.1.5 and XBB.1.16 produce equally robust levels of antibodies against either version of the virus, as well as against other rising variants like XBB.2.3.  

The World Health Organization, the WHO’s, COVID-19 vaccine advisory group, the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities,  the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control and the European Medicines Agency also recommended moving to an updated COVID-19 vaccine targeting the XBB strain.

While the committee voted to update the vaccine to include an XBB variant, experts were still divided over how often the COVID-19 vaccine should be given in the U.S.  In previous meetings, the committee leaned toward an annual shot, similar to the flu shot, which would be ready before the fall respiratory disease season and an easy way to remember to get a COVID-19 vaccine.  But because the virus mutates so quickly, health officials may need to monitor changes in variants more frequently.  “I don’t know that we know the seasonality of SARS-CoV-2 yet,” said Pamela McInnes, former deputy director of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences at the National Institutes of Health.

Determining who needs new shots.  Some members brought up another issue: whether everyone should be getting the updated vaccine, with most having substantially higher levels of immunity than they did when the vaccines were first deployed.  That protection comes from antibodies against specific variants, but also from T-cells that provide longer-lasting and broader protection against a larger number of virus variants. T-cell-based immunity is the reason why people with prior exposure to the virus are still largely protected from severe disease, hospitalization, and death, even if they may not still have appreciable levels of antibodies against the latest variants.

The decision regarding who should get vaccinated and how often, will fall to the CDC’s immunization committee.  Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech rely on new mRNA technology with the advantage of speed over older technologies and could lead to new vaccines in as soon as six weeks.  Novavax involves creating recombinant viral proteins and would take six months to produce sufficient doses of an XBB.1.5 vaccine.

Updated Covid vaccines need to target XBB omicron variants this fall, FDA staff say.  PUBLISHED MON, JUN 12 202312:05 PM EDTUPDATED MON, JUN 12 20231:22 PM EDT.  U.S. Food and Drug Administration staff indicated updated Covid boosters should target XBB omicron sub-variants for the upcoming fall and winter vaccination campaign.  The campaign should feature a monovalent vaccine targeting   XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16, or XBB.2.3

.

Moderna seeks FDA authorization for updated COVID vaccine.  June 23, 20238:49 AM PD.   Moderna said preliminary clinical data demonstrated a robust immune response by its XBB.1.5 monovalent vaccine against XBB descendent lineage viruses.  Pending authorization, the updated shot would be available in time for the fall vaccination. 

Pfizer (PFE.N)/BioNTech (22UAy.DE) and Novavax (NVAX.O) are developing versions of their respective vaccines targeting XBB.1.5 and other currently circulating sub-variants.

VARIANT UPDATE

What is EU.1.1?  CDC tracking new COVID variant.  Published: Jun. 26, 2023, 6:44  a.m.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking a new COVID-19 variant that appears to be clustered in a handful of mid-western states.

EU.1.1, a sub-variant of omicron, currently accounts for about 1.7% of all U.S. cases.   In six states - Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming, it accounts for 8.7% of cases. Utah accounts for the greatest number of infections with nearly 100 cases of EU. 1.1 reported by the state’s labs.  The largest COVID strain in the U.S. remains XBB.1.5, accounting for 27% of infections. XBB.1.9.2 and XBB.1.9.1 combine for about 24.4% of cases.

Covid isn’t over, but even the most cautious Americans are moving on.  June 25, 2023 at 6:00 a.m. EDT.  Emboldened by the government’s recent lifting of the public health emergency, Americans who have tried to be rule-following pandemic citizens for the past three summers are at last abandoning precautions as the coronavirus fades into a background threat.

What the end of the public health emergency means.  The toll of covid-19 is increasingly obscured as more data sources disappear, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s community levels dashboard.  “We are in a relatively good spot,” said Brendan Jackson, the CDC’s incident manager for its covid-19 response.   Americans seem to share this assessment, in May with 62 percent saying   covid-19 is over, compared to 47 percent  who felt that way in February, according to the most recent Axios-Ipsos poll.  

For covid long-haulers, the pandemic is far from over.  Public health authorities say the best thing Americans can do to protect themselves is stay up to date on their vaccines, especially when new booster shots  are rolled out this fall.  The most recent bivalent booster dose remains low, at 17 percent of  Americans  and 43 percent of those 65 and older  as of May 10, according to the CDC.  The booster rates are lowest in children 5 and under, at 18 percent and parents are having a hard time finding shots.

The public emergency has ended, but COVID is still here.  Here are the CDC guidelines for 2023

The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Updated June 8, 2023·   The COVID-19 public health emergency is over, but that's just the administrative declaration that freed up funds and streamlined processes to help the U.S. government deal with the emerging threat.

The actual virus is still here, mutating and spreading, and probably isn't going away.  The Centers for Disease Control, CDC, will no longer be provide weekly updates or state- and county-specific data on variants although the agency will continue tracking data through other means.

Was the J&J vaccine pulled off the US the market?   As of May 10, 2023, the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is no longer available in the U.S.  According to the CDC, all remaining doses expired on May 9 and providers have been directed to dispose of any J&J vaccines that were left over from the 31.5 million doses delivered.

The J&J vaccine has had a troubled history.  With getting one shot instead of two was popular, its effectiveness was never as high as the other two.   After reports of blood clots in a small number of J&J recipients the Food and Drug Administration, FDA and CDC temporarily “paused” the J&J vaccine in 2021.

What do I do if I got the J&J vaccine?  The CDC recommends that any adult who received one or more doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should get one updated dose of the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna.

What if I can't or don't want to get a Pfizer or Moderna COVID vaccine?  Novavax is available for people aged 12 and over. The CDC recommends the second dose be taken 3-8 weeks after the

"rare risk of myocarditis and pericarditis."  People 65 and older or anyone likely to get very sick from COVID-19 should get the 2nd dose three weeks after the first. 

The CDC still recommends updated Pfizer or Moderna boosters for anyone who has received the Novavax vaccine, but Novavax boosters are available for people 18 and up.

What are the COVID quarantine rules in 2023?  Whatever your vaccination status, according to the latest CDC guidelines, if you have or suspect you have COVID-19 but haven’t gotten test results:  

• you should isolate from others, especially if you may have contact with immunocompromised people.
• If you test negative, you can stop isolating.

If you test positive:

• stay home at least five days when you are most likely to be infectious.
• Wear a high-quality mask around others,
• avoid going anywhere where you can't wear a mask,
• use a separate bathroom (if possible,)
• separate personal household items,
• and monitor your symptoms.

If you tested positive and have no symptoms:

• Day 1 is the first full day after you were tested.
• If you develop symptoms within 10 days of getting tested, the clock starts over the day the symptoms developed.

If you tested positive and have symptoms:

• Day 1 is the day after they started.
• If you have no symptoms, or you did and they're improving, you can end isolation after five days if you're fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication.
• If your symptoms are not improving, keep isolating until they are and you're fever-free for 24 hours.
• If you had symptoms and experienced shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, were hospitalized or have a weakened immune system:, you need to isolate for ten days and should consult your medical professional.
• If you had a severe illness, you may need a viral test before you can end your isolation.
• Even if you ended isolated after five days, you should avoid being around high-risk people until at least day 11.

Private insurance:  Insurance providers will no longer waive costs or provide free tests, but the Department of Health and Human Services says it is encouraging private insurers to continue covering tests. Check with your own insurance to see what it will offer moving forward.

No insurance?  Some communities may still receive stockpiled tests and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a No Cost COVID-19 Testing Locator that can help you find free or reduced tests in your area.

Medicaid:  Anyone with coverage through Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program can continue to get rapid tests through Sept. 30, 2024. State Medicaid programs will decide what to cover after that.

Medicare:  Enrollees will no longer receive free at-home tests but lab tests are covered.

No more free tests:  With last day for free at-home covid tests approaching, here's how to avoid scams and fake kits

Does COVID cause pink eye? Is there a new subvariant?   Here’s what California experts say.  June 12, 2023·3.  It’s been almost four years since the coronavirus was discovered, and new developments and questions continue to unravel across the globe.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus is now on its 16th omicron sub-variant or mutations.  As of June 9, XBB.1.5 is the most dominant one circulating in the country at roughly 40%.   A new variation, known as Arcturus, or XBB.1.16.however, is on the rise.

What are the symptoms of Arcturus?    Symptoms are similar to previous omicron cases, experts say.  This includes sore throat, nasal congestion and headache.  Some patients may also have runny nose, sneezing, cough, tiredness and body aches, said Dr. John Belko, pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Kaiser Permanente Roseville. 

Symptoms that appear to stand out in these cases, however, are fever and pink eye, particularly in children.  But these symptoms aren’t new to COVID, nor does the su-bvariant appear to be associated with severe disease, Dr. Belko said. “Since the beginning of the pandemic, COVID has been known to cause eye pain, itching, burning and conjunctivitis.  It has also been isolated in tears and the higher the concentration of the virus in tears is associated with more severe symptoms.”

How does COVID cause pink eye?  Pink eye is when the thin layer of the cells covering your eyes is inflamed, happening when there’s an infection, exposure to chemicals or allergens, Dr.Belko said.  Cells in the conjunctiva have ACE2 receptors on them, the binding sites for the spike protein on COVID. 

Is the COVID pink eye different from non-COVID pink eye?   Symptoms are much like regular pink eye and will usually resolve in a week.  There is no specific treatment for pink eye, but if you do get it, avoid rubbing your eyes as this can cause further damage to and possibly spread the virus to others.

You should also wash your hands frequently and consider using artificial tears or cold compresses if you are experiencing discomfort.

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/study-found-long-term-brain-142026470.html
• https://news.yahoo.com/does-covid-cause-pink-eye-123000252.html
• https://news.yahoo.com/public-emergency-ended-covid-still-195729200.html
• https://www.al.com/news/2023/06/what-is-eu11-cdc-tracking-new-covid-variant.html
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2023/06/25/covid-precautions-summer-vaccines-deaths/
• https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2023-06-23/cdc-data-omicron-subvariant-xbb-1-16-or-arcturus-causing-20-of-new-covid-19-infections
• https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/12/new-covid-vaccines-in-fall-need-to-target-xbb-variant-fda-staff-says.html
• https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/moderna-files-us-fda-authorization-updated-covid-vaccine-2023-06-22/
• https://time.com/6287732/new-covid-19-vaccine-strains/