Biden leads moment of silence as US tops 500,000 Covid deaths
THE Covid-19 death toll in the US has topped 500,000, a staggering number that all but matches the number of Americans killed in the Second World War, Korea and Vietnam combined.
President Joe Biden held a sunset moment of silence and a candle-lighting ceremony at the White House and ordered US flags to be lowered at federal buildings for the next five days.
“We have to resist becoming numb to the sorrow,” he said. “We have to resist viewing each life as a statistic or a blur.”
The grim milestone, as recorded by Johns Hopkins University, comes as states redouble efforts to get the Covid vaccine into arms after last week’s winter weather closed clinics, slowed vaccine deliveries and forced tens of thousands of people to miss their shots.
Despite the rollout of vaccines since mid-december, a closely watched model from the University of Washington projects more than 589,000 dead by June 1.
The US toll is by far the highest reported in the world, accounting for 20 per cent of the nearly 2.5 million coronavirus deaths globally, though the true numbers are thought to be significantly greater, in part because many cases were overlooked, especially early in the outbreak.
The first known deaths from the virus in the US were in early February 2020. It took four months to reach the first 100,000 deaths. The toll hit 200,000 in September and 300,000 in December, then took just over a month to go from 300,000 to 400,000 and another month to climb from 400,000 to 500,000.
The US recorded an estimated 405,000 deaths in the Second World War, 58,000 in the Vietnam War and 36,000 in the Korean War.
Average daily deaths and cases have plummeted in the past few weeks. Virus deaths have fallen from more than 4,000 reported on some days in January to an average of fewer than 1,900 per day.
But experts warn that dangerous variants could cause the trend to reverse itself. And some experts say not enough Americans have been inoculated yet for the vaccine to be making much of a difference. Instead, the drop-off in deaths and cases has been attributed to the passing of the holidays; the cold and bleak days of midwinter, when many people stay home; and better adherence to mask rules and social distancing.
Dr Ryan Stanton, an emergency room doctor in Lexington, Kentucky, who has treated scores of Cocid-19 patients, said he never thought the US deaths would be so high.
“I was one of those early ones that thought this may be something that may hit us for a couple months... I definitely thought we would be done with it before we got into the fall. And I definitely didn’t see it heading off into 2021,” Dr Stanton said.
Snow, ice and weather-related power outages closed some vaccination sites and held up shipments across a large swathe of the US, including in the south.
As a result, the seven-day rolling average of administered first doses fell by 20 per cent between February 14 and 21, according to data from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. The White House said that about a third of the roughly six million vaccine doses delayed by bad weather were delivered over the weekend, with the rest expected to be delivered by mid-week, several days earlier than originally expected.
White House coronavirus response co-ordinator Andy Slavitt on Monday attributed the improved timeline to an “all-out, round-the-clock” effort over the weekend that included employees at one vaccine distributor working night shifts to pack vaccines.
More than 44 million Americans have received at least one dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, and about 1.6 million per day received either a first or second dose over the past seven days, according to officials.
The nation’s supply could expand significantly if health regulators approve a single-shot Covid-19 vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson.
The company said it will be able to provide 20 million US doses by the end of March if it gets the green light, and would have capacity to provide 100 million vaccine doses to the US by the end of June.
We have to resist becoming numb to the sorrow
THE Scottish Apprenticeship Awards has moved to a virtual event taking place on Thursday, March 4th.
Now in its 19th year, the awards recognise employers, learning providers and individuals across Scotland, who have championed the value of apprenticeships, highlighting the importance of Scottish businesses backing talent.
The event has taken on a TV studiostyle format this year, with presenters Amy Irons from BBC Scotland’s The Nine and Jonny Campbell, who has presented shows on Clyde and West FM.
Jonny himself is a former apprentice and previous winner at the awards.
He won the Apprentice Ambassador Award in 2015 and really sees the value in promoting work-based learning career paths.
He said: “I completed my digital apprenticeship and then studied radio broadcast before working as a radio presenter.
“I know the value apprenticeships can bring young people and businesses, so it’s great to be part of the show.”
The individual categories include awards for Foundation, Modern and Graduate Apprentices – with one of them then named Scotland’s Apprentice of the Year.
Foundation Apprenticeships are
subject choices for pupils, while Modern and Graduate Apprenticeships are jobs.
There are also categories for apprentices who have promoted workbased learning pathways, apprentice instructors, innovative learning providers, and employers.
Minister for Business, Fair Work and Skills Jamie Hepburn MSP said: “It’s never been more important to recognise the success of our dedicated apprentices, the commitment of their employers and innovation shown by learning providers.
“Across Scotland, apprenticeships are delivering the critical skills and talent that will support our continued economic recovery and growth as we work to rebuild from coronavirus (COVID-19).”
Skills Development Scotland Chair Frank Mitchell said: “Throughout the pandemic there have been extraordinary efforts from employers to support their apprentices through incredibly difficult circumstances.
“Apprentices across Scotland have shown huge commitment, fortitude and dedication to developing their skills. It’s also important this year to recognise the innovation demonstrated by learning providers to make sure apprentices continued to learn and progress.
“Supporting youth employment and skills through apprenticeships is at the heart of economic recovery.
“The awards are a platform to make sure inspirational apprenticeships, employers and learning providers gain the national recognition and thanks they deserve.”
Sponsors for the awards include
Balfour Beatty, the College Development Network, JP Morgan, Scotland’s Apprentice Network, the Scottish Qualifications Authority, the Scottish Training Federation, and the Young Person’s Guarantee.
The Scottish Apprenticeship Awards take place during Scottish Apprenticeship Week on Thursday 4 March at 7pm.