COVID-19 Updates: Austria Locks Down Unvaccinated People Amid Surging Cases

November 16, 2021

114 6 minutes read

Update on COVID-19 numbers

Globally, there have been more than 253.7 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 5.1 million associated deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The United States has reported more than 47.1 million confirmed cases and more than 763,000 associated deaths.
Currently, more than 227.1 million people in the United States have received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with more than 195.2 million people fully vaccinated.

Healthline updates this page on weekdays. For up-to-date information about the virus, go here.

11/15/21 4:01 p.m. PST — Austria locks down unvaccinated people amid surging cases

Last week, Europe recorded over half of the average 7-day infections globally and about half of the latest deaths, according to a Reuters tally.

The Austrian government said that roughly 2 million of its population of 9 million can now only leave their homes for limited reasons, which include commuting to work and shopping for essential items, reported Reuters.

The BBC reports that these restrictions will remain in place for at least 10 days, and that children 11 years or younger and people recently recovered from COVID-19 will be exempt.

Oklahoma National Guard won’t enforce Biden vaccine mandate, new commander says

Army Brigadier General Thomas Mancino was announced as Oklahoma’s adjutant general for the state and commander of the Oklahoma Army and Air National Guard, according to a Nov. 10 press release from the office of the state’s governor, J. Kevin Stitt.

According to the governor’s office, Mancino played an integral leadership role on the Governor’s Solution Task Force early in Oklahoma’s pandemic response.

On Nov. 11, the Oklahoma National Guard released a memo regarding the Guard’s vaccine policy.

“I hereby order that no Oklahoma Guardsmen be required to take the COVID-19 vaccine, notwithstanding any other Federal requirement. Oklahoma Command’s will continue to process Federal vaccine waivers in accordance with DoD policy,” reads the memo.

This hasn’t escaped the attention of the Pentagon, which warned it will respond to the situation appropriately.

“We are aware of the memo issued by the Oklahoma Adjutant General regarding COVID vaccination for Guardsmen and the governor’s letter requesting exemption. We will respond to the governor appropriately,” Pentagon representative John Kirby said in a statement to CNN.

The coronavirus Delta variant is bringing increased hospitalizations in the U.S. Mountain West, a disturbing sign of what this winter might bring, reported The Associated Press (AP).

Even as pandemic trends improve in southern states like Florida and Texas, which experienced the worst of summer’s surge, Delta is still a danger.

“We’re going to see a lot of outbreaks in unvaccinated people that will result in serious illness, and it will be tragic,” Dr. Donald Milton of the University of Maryland School of Public Health told AP.

Austria mulls lockdown of unvaccinated people

According to the BBC, Upper Austria province is days away from implementing a lockdown for its unvaccinated population as record COVID-19 cases are reported in the European nation.

Nationally, a record 11,975 COVID-19 cases were recorded in the past 24 hours.

Austria’s coronavirus commission has warned of a threat that “must be taken seriously,” reported the BBC.

The province has a population of 1.5 million, and borders Germany and the Czech Republic. It currently has Austria’s highest recorded cases and lowest vaccination rate, the BBC noted.

“It is clear that this winter will be uncomfortable for the unvaccinated,” Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg warned, reported CNN. “The lockdown could come much faster than some might think.”

Under the plan, unvaccinated Austrians will face severe pandemic restrictions once 30 percent of intensive care beds are filled with COVID-19 patients, according to CNN.

According to research publishedTrusted Source Wednesday in the American Medical Association’s JAMA Network Open, people with obstructive sleep apnea or other breathing difficulties that cause reduced oxygen during sleep are at greater risk of severe COVID-19.

The study, which tracked over 5,400 people with breathing issues, found about one-third of them tested positive for COVID-19 during the observation period, although severity of breathing symptoms did not affect infection risk.

However, those with more severe apnea were found to have a significantly higher risk of hospitalization or death from COVID-19.

“In this cohort of patients from a large integrated health system, sleep-related hypoxemia was identified as a risk factor for increased severity of COVID-19 clinical outcomes, including hospitalization and mortality,” the study authors wrote.

COVID-19 cases rise slightly in the U.S.

Despite the wide availability of COVID-19 vaccines, cases are rising slightly in the U.S. The 7-day average is just over 74,000 according to the Centers Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That’s up from the 7-day average of about 63,000 cases towards the end of October.

At-home COVID-19 tests can make holiday gatherings safer

When combined with vaccination, at-home COVID-19 testing kits can add a “layer of safety and reassurance” by offering rapid results during the holiday season, reported the Associated Press.

“We will be using rapid tests to doublecheck everybody before we gather together,” Dr. Emily Volk, president of the College of American Pathologists, who is planning a holiday meal with six vaccinated family members, told the news outlet. “We’ll be doing it as they come in the door.”

According to Volk, while home testing kits aren’t as accurate as hospital-administered PCR tests, their advantage is getting results in minutes instead of days.

11/10/21 3:44 p.m. PST — Pfizer asks FDA to approve booster shots for everyone over 18

Drugmaker Pfizer has asked U.S. regulators to allow booster shots of its COVID-19 vaccine for everyone 18 years and older.

According to Pfizer, the request is based on results from its phase 3 randomized controlled trial that evaluated the efficacy and safety of a 30-microgram booster dose of vaccine.

The trial enrolled more than 10,000 participants during a period when the Delta variant was prevalent.

Pfizer’s trial concluded that a booster could restore protection against symptomatic infection to about 95 percent, even as the Delta variant surged.

Health officials have told The Washington Post this request might be approved by the last week of November.

Air pollution decreased during the pandemic shutdown

NASA reported that the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent global travel and other restrictions “drastically” decreased air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions within just a few weeks.

According to the new research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions dropped by 5.4 percent in 2020, although the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere continued growing at about the same rate as in previous years.

The study also found that nitrogen oxides, associated with increased atmospheric ozone, decreased significantly.

However, researchers found pollutant levels rebounded as pandemic restrictions were lifted.

“This suggests that reducing activity in these industrial and residential sectors is not practical in the short term” as a means of cutting emissions, the study authors noted.

“Reducing these sectors’ emissions permanently will require their transition to low-carbon-emitting technology,” they concluded.

Pandemic spotlighted ‘outdated’ infection control practices

A review published Nov. 9 in the Annals of Internal Medicine states that some longstanding infection control tactics used at healthcare facilities are “outdated.”

According to the review, it’s been traditionally accepted that most respiratory viruses, like influenza and the common cold, are mainly transmitted by respiratory droplets, which are relatively heavy particles expelled as people breathe.

They fall to the ground within feet from a person with an infection. Wearing a mask can stop these particles from traveling.

Other viruses, like measles and tuberculosis, are “aerosols,” meaning they can be transmitted through tiny particles that remain in the air for a longer time, and can accumulate in poorly ventilated areas.

According to the review’s authors, an increasing body of evidence questions this distinction.

“The primary risk factors for nosocomial (hospital originated) transmission are community incidence rates, viral load, symptoms, proximity, duration of exposure, and poor ventilation,” the authors wrote. “Failure to appreciate these factors may lead to underappreciation of some risks.”

The authors suggest that healthcare professionals consider wearing N95 masks in the care of all patients with a respiratory infection, and not only during aerosol-generating procedures, like intubation.

They also recommend a review of minimum ventilation standards, and increasing standards for nonclinical areas of the hospital and those outside of patient care.

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November 16, 2021

114 6 minutes read