Surge in Michigan driven by youths
Michigan hospitalizations from COVID-19 reached 3,953 on Monday, surpassing the state’s November/December spike.
Among the biggest drivers of coronavirus infections in the state, health officials have said, are outbreaks among youth athletes and those associated with K-12 schools. This week, the state reported 312 ongoing or new school outbreaks, which includes infections linked to classrooms, afterschool activities and sports.
“While they may not be getting it directly from the sporting event, there’s a lot of things that go along with sports,” said Dr. Matthew Sims, director of infectious disease research at Beaumont Health. “A lot of people go in to watch. There’s the celebration after, where people are gathering together.”
Latest numbers
The U.S. has more than 31.2 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 562,800 deaths as of Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
The global totals: 136.9 million cases and 2.95 million deaths.
More than 245.36 million vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. and 192.28 million have been administered, according to the CDC.
As of Monday evening, 28.6% of adults 18 and over in the U.S. have been fully vaccinated, while 46.5% have gotten at least one dose. Of those adults, 62% of people 65 or older are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
Oregon fines Twisted River Saloon in Springfield $18,000
An Oregon saloon was fined more than $18,000 on Monday for “violating three standards” to protect employees from COVID-19.
The $18,430 fine was leveled against the Twisted River Saloon in Springfield, which “willfully continued to potentially expose workers to the virus” by allowing indoor dining beginning roughly around Jan. 4 and continuing until Feb. 26, according to the release from Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
At that time, Lane County was designated as an “extreme risk” for COVID-19 transmission, and indoor dining was supposed to be at zero capacity.
During an inspection, owner James Butt said he chose to reopen the saloon even though he was aware it was against workplace health requirements, the release says.
Other top headlines
• President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama are appearing in a TV special airing Sunday to help educate, raise awareness and dispel concerns about COVID-19 vaccines.
• Britain has begun offering coronavirus vaccinations to anyone over 45 after hitting its target of giving at least one dose to everyone over 50 by the middle of April.
• “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda joined New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday at the grand opening of a Times Square COVID-19 vaccination site intended to jumpstart the city’s entertainment industry.
• The U.N. health agency is calling on countries to suspend the sale of live animals captured from the wild in food markets as an emergency measure, saying wild animals are a leading source of emerging infectious diseases like the coronavirus.
• India is experiencing its worst pandemic surge: Average daily infections exceeded 143,000 in the past week. India is a major vaccine producer and supplier to the U.N.-backed initiative to help distribute shots fairly. The rise in cases has forced India to focus on satisfying its domestic demand and delay deliveries elsewhere.