Over the last two weeks, the US has seen a rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations. Among the 30-plus states that have seen increases in Covid-19 hospitalizations over the last two weeks, six stand out.
Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York and Illinois have accounted for the majority of the country’s increase in hospital beds filled, according to an NBC News analysis of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data.
The Facts:
- Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claimed 99 percent of new cases come from the Delta variant.
- Michigan has the highest rate of new cases, up 70 percent since Nov. 10.
- 3 of 4 Covid patients are unvaccinated.
- Unvaccinated people make up 87 percent of Covid patients who are in an intensive care unit .
- 88 percent of Covid patients who are on a ventilator are unvaccinated.
- Ohio: cases aren’t occurring evenly among age groups.
- Between the ages of 23 and 49 have seen a case rate that’s 25 percent higher than the statewide average.
- Like Michigan, the vast majority of hospitalized patients are unvaccinated.
- NY: Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that hospitals with less than 10 percent capacity must stop doing elective surgeries until at least Jan. 15, 2022.
The Good News:
Pfizer and BioNTech say booster dose provides high level of protection against omicron variant in initial lab study
Three doses of Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine provide a high level of protection against the omicron variant of the virus that causes Covid-19, the companies announced on Wednesday.
A booster shot of the vaccine increases antibody protection 25-fold compared with the initial two-dose series, according to a preliminary lab study. A third shot shows virus fighting abilities comparable to the protection provided by two-doses against the original strain of the virus.
