Jan. 12, 2022 -- The CDC is preparing to update its COVID-19 disguise recommendations to stress the usage of N95 and KN95 masks that amended filter the virus, Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, said Wednesday.
“We are preparing an update to the info connected our disguise website to champion bespeak the options that are disposable to radical and the antithetic levels of extortion antithetic masks provide, and we privation to supply Americans the champion and astir updated accusation to take what disguise is going to beryllium close for them,” she said astatine a White House quality briefing.
While the higher-quality masks supply amended protection, they tin beryllium uncomfortable to wear, expensive, and harder to find. That’s wherefore Walensky added an important caveat.
“Any disguise is amended than nary mask, and we bash promote each Americans to deterioration a well-fitting disguise to support themselves and forestall the dispersed of COVID-19. That proposal is not going to change,” she said.
“Most importantly, the champion disguise that you deterioration is the 1 you volition deterioration and the 1 you tin support connected each time agelong and tolerate successful nationalist indoor settings.”
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization was much focused connected vaccines.
WHO officials stressed Wednesday that planetary vaccine organisation is archetypal precedence successful defeating the highly contagious Omicron variant, arsenic good arsenic different variants that whitethorn evolve.
The WHO’s Technical Advisory Group connected COVID-19 Vaccine Composition -- a radical of experts assessing however COVID-19 vaccines execute against Omicron and different emerging variants -- says determination is an “urgent need” for broader entree to vaccines, on with reviewing and updating existent vaccines arsenic needed to guarantee protection.
The WHO besides disputed the thought that COVID-19 could go endemic in 1 mostly vaccinated nation, portion the remainder of the satellite remains unprotected.
“It is up to america however this pandemic unfolds,” Maria Van Kerkhove, PhD, the WHO’s method pb connected COVID-19 response, said astatine a quality briefing.
The WHO has a extremity of vaccinating 70% of the colonisation of each state by the mediate of the year.
But close now, 90 countries person yet to scope 40% vaccination rates, and 36 of those countries person little than 10% of their populations vaccinated, according to WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD.
A staggering 85% of the African colonisation has not received a archetypal dose.
But advancement is being made, Ghebreyesus said astatine the briefing.
The WHO said determination were implicit 15 cardinal COVID-19 cases reported past week -- the astir ever successful a azygous week -- and this is apt an underestimate.
The Omicron variant, archetypal identified in South Africa 2 months agone and present found on each 7 continents, is “rapidly replacing Delta successful astir each countries,” Ghebreyesus said.
Back astatine the White House successful Washington, Walensky said this week’s U.S. regular mean COVID-19 lawsuit number was 751,000, an summation of 47% from past week. The mean regular infirmary admissions this week is 19,800, an summation of 33%. Deaths are up 40%, reaching 1,600 per day.
But she besides reported caller information that supports different probe showing Omicron whitethorn nutrient little terrible disease. Kaiser Permanente Southern California released a survey Tuesday showing that erstwhile compared with Delta infections, Omicron was associated with a 53% simplification successful hospitalizations, a 74% simplification successful intensive attraction portion admissions, and a 91% little hazard of death.
In the study, nary patients with Omicron required mechanical ventilation. The strain present accounts for 98% of cases nationwide.
But Walensky warned the little illness severity is not capable to marque up for the sheer fig of cases that proceed to overwhelm infirmary systems.
“While we are seeing aboriginal grounds that Omicron is little terrible than Delta and that those infected are little apt to necessitate hospitalization, it’s important to enactment that Omicron continues to beryllium overmuch much transmissible than Delta,” she said. “The abrupt emergence successful cases owed to Omicron is resulting successful unprecedented regular lawsuit counts, sickness, absenteeism, and strains connected our wellness attraction system.”
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