The JHU stopped collecting data as of 10 March 2023.   In the U.S., only New York, Arkansas and Puerto Rico still publish case and death counts daily.    

UPDATED WEEKLY – Worldometer, Last updated on 26 June 2023

POPULATION - is 336,862,377 of 26 June 2023, 1:47 pm PST, based on Census U.S. and World Population Clock.

      * updated information

    ** no updated information at this reporting

Cases Worldwide

                              Worldometer       

• TOTAL CASES       -    690,849,278

            Recovered          -    663,345,550

• TOTAL DEATHS     -        6,894,429

Cases in the U.S.

• TOTAL CASES       -    107,280,827

            Recovered          -    105,432,085

• TOTAL DEATHS     -        1,167,763

Cases in California

• TOTAL CASES       -      12,292,399

            Recovered          -      12,153,511

• TOTAL DEATHS     -           103,169

                     *   Correction

                    ** No updated information

06/26/2023 (WHO)           Cases                Deaths      Recovered    

• Texas                    -   8,627,072        94,608       8,520,121        
• Florida                  -   7,601,589        88,695       7,500,259        
• New York             -   7,034,278        77,756       6,952,989        
• Illinois*                  -   4,136,659        42,005       4,092,093          
• Pennsylvania*     -   3,565,499        51,237       3,511,295          
• N. Carolina*        -   3,501,404        29,059            N/A              
• Ohio                     -   3,455,477        42,363       3,403,461         
• Georgia*             -   3,092,429        42,839       3,043,752         
• Tennessee*          -  2,545,800        29,587        2,515,135         
• Arizona                -   2,483,082        33,578       2,444,638           
• Alabama*           -  1,659,936         21,138       1,623,935          
• Louisiana             -  1,607,956         19,031       1,584,903          
• W. Virginia           -     651,894           8,155           N/A            

  *    no updated information at this reporting

               **  correction

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.

United States progress **                                      11 May 2023, 1:17 pm PST

• Doses Distributed                                                  984,444,295
• Doses Administered                                              676,728,782
• 1st dose administered                                          270,227,181           81.4 %                    
• Primary series administered                                 230,637,348           69.5  %
• Bivalent Booster**                                                   56,478,510           17      %          
• Total population                                                   336,785,457

   * Updated information

               ** No updated information at this reporting

• https://usafacts.org/visualizations/covid-vaccine-tracker-states/
• https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/
• https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations
• 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
• https://www.bls.gov/
• https://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.nr0.htm

D UPDATE

CDC warns about potential risk of mpox ahead of summer gatherings.  May 15, 2023.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention alerted doctors across the country about potential risk of new mpox, or monkeypox, cases could lead to a "resurgence" with summer gatherings.  The Mpox infection usually is not life-threatening, appearing as a painful rash or with some experiencing flu-like symptoms.

Public health experts warned that the LGBTQ community, a group disproportionately affected during the 2022 outbreak, should be aware of signs and symptoms ahead of Pride Month celebrations in June.

Mpox cases have plummeted since peaking in the summer of 2022.  The World Health Organization called an end to the emergency phase of the outbreak, but the virus is not completely eradicated.  The new CDC warning comes on the heels of a cluster of cases in Chicago, where health officials say there have been 12 confirmed cases and one probable case from April 17 to May 5.

Health officials in cities like Chicago, San Francisco and New York State, are amplifying vaccination efforts for mpox as the summer months and upcoming Pride events approach.

Vaccination is still encouraged because people who are fully vaccinated can expect less severe symptoms.  Unvaccinated and vaccinated people should avoid close, skin-to-skin contact with someone who has mpox, according to the CDC. 

Also recommended is mpox vaccination for people with a known exposure, including close physical contact or sexual contact with someone who had an mpox rash.  In addition, vaccination for people with HIV who have a higher risk of exposure, for gay, bisexual and MSM who have recently had more than one sexual partner or a recent sexually transmitted infection.  Vaccination is also recommended for sex workers and anyone who has recently visited a sex club or bathhouse.

VARANT UPDATE

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

The Daytona Beach News-Journal.  May 17, 2023·  As of mid-May, the COVID-19 public health emergency is over, but that's the administrative declaration that freed up funds and streamlined processes to help the U.S. government deal with the emerging threat.  The virus is still here, mutating, spreading and probably isn't going away.

Florida has seen over 7-1/2 million COVID cases since the pandemic began three years ago, with over 88,000 reported deaths.  With the end of the public health emergency, authorization requiring reporting and tracking data from states has changed.  This means the Centers for Disease Control, CDC, will no longer provide weekly updates or state- and county-specific data on variants although the agency will continue tracking data through other means.  Case reporting in Florida became less complete when more individuals began using at-home testing.  The state Department of Health stopped sending statistics to the CDC in April and state officials inexplicably removed more than 32,000 cases without explanation.  The FDOH has not issued any statements about how case and death numbers will be reported in the future.

Who should get an updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in 2023?

• Everyone aged 6 years and older 
• People aged 65 years and older may get a 2nd dose
• Those moderately or severely immunocompromised .
• Children aged 6 months–5 years may need multiple doses to be up to date, depending on the number of doses they’ve previously received and their age.

What is the updated COVID vaccine?   When the highly-transmissible, vaccine-resistant BA.4 and BA.5 variants evolved, rapidly became the dominant strains, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna developed a new "bivalent" vaccine and booster targeting the original virus and the more dangerous versions.

May 10, 2023, Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot COVID-19 vaccine will no longer be available in the U.S.   According to the CDC, remaining doses expired May 9 and providers have been directed to dispose of J&J vaccines left over from the 31.5 million doses delivered.   More than 19 million doses of the J&J vaccine have been administered in the U.S., according to data from the CDC.  The J&J vaccine has had a troubled history.

What do I do if I got the J&J vaccine or I can't or don't want to get a Pfizer or Moderna COVID vaccine?   The CDC recommends 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.

Novavax is available for those aged 12 and over.  The second dose can be taken 3 - 8 weeks after the first, but the CDC recommends waiting till 8 weeks, especially for males 12 - 39, to increase protection and reduce the "rare risk of myocarditis and pericarditis."  Those 65 and older or anyone who gets very sick from COVID-19 should get the 2nd dose three weeks after the first.   The CDC still recommends an updated Pfizer or Moderna booster for anyone who has received the Novavax vaccine, but Novavax boosters are available for those 18 and over.

What are the COVID quarantine rules in 2023?  According to the latest CDC guidelines, whatever your vaccination status, if you have or suspect you have COVID-19, yet don't have test results, you should isolate yourself 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,
• monitor your symptoms.

If you tested positive with no symptoms,

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

If you tested positive with 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 fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication.
• If your symptoms are not improving, keep isolating and fever-free for 24 hours.

If you had symptoms and experienced shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, or were hospitalized or have a weakened immune system,

• you need to isolate for ten days
• consult your medical professional
• If you had a severe illness, you may need a viral test before ending your isolation.
• If you ended isolated after five days, you should avoid being around high-risk people until at least day 11.

Can I still get free COVID tests by mail?  You will be able to order free at-home COVID-19 tests through COVIDtests.gov through at least the end of May. 

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

CDC releases new data on strokes, widening disparities since COVID-19 pandemic.  May 18, 2023.  According to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States lost progress in reducing disparities in stroke deaths among Black and white adults during the pandemic.  “Before the pandemic, the disparity between Black and white was driven by differences in hypertension treatment and control, which are rooted in certain social determinants of health.  During the pandemic, these disparities may have been exacerbated,” CDC epidemiologist Adam Vaughan said. “

From early 2020 to 2021, stroke deaths increased among all racial and ethnic groups, but at rates that were higher for minority populations.

• Black adults were 45% more likely than white adults to die from stroke in 2018. Now, they are 50% more likely
• Black adults aged 35-54, the stroke death rate is 2.5 times what white adults in the same age range experience.

Dr. Vaughan noted that the change in data from pre-pandemic to 2023 is driven by more Black adults having strokes than white adults, not because more white adults are surviving the strokes.  The CDC identified several potential reasons why the gaps grew over the past three years:

• Emerging evidence connects COVID to a higher risk of having a stroke. 
• The CDC published a report in April stating COVID is associated with increased risk for stroke.
• Dis-proportionately higher rates of COVID-19 experienced by Black individuals could have increased the disproportionate increase in the Black stroke death rate.
• The American Stroke Association has also cited a Nature Medicine study that found a 52% increased risk of stroke among COVID-19 survivors, or four more strokes per 1,000 people, a year after contracting the virus.

The pandemic disrupted all regular health care

• In 2020, cardiologists across the country reported a 40% reduction in hospital admissions for heart attacks.
• Doctors saw similar reports of fewer admissions for stroke.
• This was not because fewer people were having medical emergencies, but likely having more but more hesitant to seek immediate treatment.  The disruptions may have led to delays in treating strokes, treating and managing hypertension and other stroke risk factors. 
• The CDC reports that delayed stroke treatment and care may have worsened stroke outcomes and increased the risk for death.

Other risk factors became more prevalent in 2020 and beyond

• The shutdown with the pandemic has proven to have worsened  individuals’ mental health, physical activity, diet and sleep quality.   CDC officials indicated the changes may have affected Black adults disproportionately, increasing their risk for stroke.

Study links long COVID with lower brain oxygen.  March 3, 2023

• The CDC estimates 1 in 5 people who had a COVID-19 infection may have long COVID or symptoms that persist after infection has passed. 
• Worldwide, an estimated 65 million people may be suffering from the syndrome.
• A new study suggests people with long COVID have lower brain oxygen levels.
• The results also suggest people with long COVID may suffer from cognitive dysfunction.

Researchers find evidence that people who had a previous COVID-19 infection have lower brain oxygen levels, in a new paper published in Brain, Behavior, & Immunity – Health.  The authors combined results from two parallel studies that suggest symptomatic COVID-19 history has a significant impact on cognitive functioning and may be explained by lower oxygen levels in the brain.

One of the studies, researchers compared cognitive function on computer tasks and oxygen saturation in the prefrontal cortex of the brain.  The tasks measured executive function, decision making and reaction time.  120 participants all vaccinated with 52 having had a prior COVID-19 infection.    Researchers found that previous infection most affected executive functioning, memory and focus.  There was also lower oxygen in the right side of the frontal cortex, where it was expected oxygen levels to increase during the tasks.

“We are the first to show reduced oxygen uptake in the brain during a cognitive task in the months following a symptomatic COVID-19 infection.  This is important because a lack of sufficient oxygen supply is thought to be one of the mechanisms by which COVID-19 may cause cognitive impairment,” says Peter Hall, lead author and researcher in the School of Public Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo.”

The second study involved two waves of surveys conducted in Canada between September 2021 and March 2022.  The survey questioned about symptomatic COVID-19 and self-reported symptoms six months after cognitive dysfunction, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms or agitation.  Participants with a past case of symptomatic COVID-19 self-reported cognitive issues and psychiatric symptoms like depression and anxiety months after a coronavirus infection.

Long Covid linked to increased risk of death and other cardiovascular issues in new study.  New York Daily News.  March 3, 2023·  Individuals experiencing “long Covid” are at a higher risk for cardiovascular and other health issues, such as arrhythmia, stroke, heart failure,  coronary artery disease and  pulmonary embolisms.  Findings showed the chance of patients dying doubled in those who experienced according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. 

The study defined PCC, post-COVID-19 condition, as an illness in people “having new, returning, or ongoing health issues occurring more than 4 weeks after onset of initial infection.”  Individuals with PCC can experience symptoms for as long as two years after infection or having symptoms for as long as COVID has been around.

VACCINE UPDATE

WHO recommends new COVID shots should target only XBB variants.  May 18, 2023·.  (Reuters) A World Health Organization (WHO) advisory group recommended this year's COVID-19 booster shots be updated to target one of the currently dominant XBB variants.  New formulations should aim to produce antibody responses to the XBB.1.5 or XBB.1.16 variants, that other formulations or platforms that achieve neutralizing antibody responses against XBB lineages could also be considered.

Also suggested, no longer including the original COVID-19 strain in future vaccines.  Data shows the original virus no longer circulates in human beings and shots targeting the strain produce "undetectable or very low levels of neutralizing antibodies" against currently circulating variants.  Pfizer/BioNtech, Moderna Inc. and Novavax Inc. are already developing versions of their respective vaccines targeting XBB.1.5 and other currently circulating strains.

-

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is set to discuss the strain compositions of COVID-19 shots for later this year.  Vaccine manufacturers will be expected to update their shots once the strains are selected.  The bivalent booster shots developed and distributed last year targeted two different strains, the Omicron variant as well as the original virus.

In late March, WHO revised its COVID vaccination recommendations, suggesting healthy children and adolescents may not need a shot, but older and high-risk groups should get a booster between six and 12 months after their last vaccine.  The latest recommendations come about two weeks after WHO ended the global emergency status for COVID-19.

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/public-emergency-ended-covid-still-195729200.html
• https://www.yahoo.com/gma/cdc-warns-potential-risk-mpox-202700986.html
• https://news.yahoo.com/recommends-covid-shots-target-only-155006366.html
• https://news.yahoo.com/cdc-releases-data-strokes-widening-091830266.html
• https://finance.yahoo.com/news/everyone-kind-tired-given-covid-210004214.html
• https://news.yahoo.com/study-links-long-covid-lower-155433709.html
• https://news.yahoo.com/long-covid-linked-increased-risk-033900846.html