Month: August 2021

Unvaccinated people are eager to travel again. But more and more, the rules make that harder. Travelers are increasingly required to show proof of vaccination before they can cruise, book group tours, avoid quarantines, or vacation to tropical islands. Beyond that, vaccines are needed for everyday activities including attending some universities, returning to the workplace or eating in restaurants. More cities and companies — from Paris to New York, from Disney to Fox Corp. — are issuing vaccine requirements of one sort or another, paving the way for others to follow. The new rules fall short of true mandates, since people can often avoid them by submitting to rigorous testing and safety protocols. But the "near-mandates," as they are being called, have the practical e...

Pediatric hospitals are filling with coronavirus patients as schools start opening amid the latest surge in infections, this one driven by the highly contagious delta variant. Children's hospitals in Tennessee will be full by the end of this week, the state health department projected. The 94 children admitted to Florida's Wolfson Children's Hospital in July was more than four times the number admitted in June. Schools are allowing students, maskless or with masks, back into the classroom. And some schools are closing as soon they're opening their doors. A district in Mississippi reported 114 COVID-19-positive students for the week of July 24-30 and 608 students under quarantine, pushing two high schools and a middle school to virtual learning until Aug. 16. Children in one pre-K classroo...

St. Tammany Parish health and government leaders filled a Monday news conference with metaphors portraying the surge in COVID-19 cases -- among the terms: "tsunami" and "D-Day.""I am very frustrated with the position we are in," parish corner Dr. Charles Preston told reporters inside the parish council chambers. "We are at war with the delta variant."The parish has seen nearly a tenfold spike in COVID-related hospitalizations since July 1. On July 1, 42 people were hospitalized with COVID in St. Tammany hospitals. The number has since surged to 414."What COVID-19 is doing to our community has created a grim reality,” Parish President Mike Cooper said. "This is without a doubt, the most dangerous phase of COVID that we have endured. Hospital beds are filling by the hour. Nurses, docto...

An image of a mosquito. The West Nile virus, which is usually transmitted to humans through mosquito bite, has been detected in over 100 mosquito pools in Utah this year, state health department officials said Monday. No human cases have been reported. (Shutterstock) SALT LAKE CITY — While there still haven't been any human cases of the West Nile virus in Utah this year, health officials are urging Utahns to use precautions, after they say the virus has been detected in over 100 mosquito pools across the state. A mosquito pool is a group of mosquitoes caught in one trap and then tested for possible viruses. The virus was found in a total of 114 pools across Utah as of Monday; however, state health officials didn't specify locati...