According to a city official in human resources, about 5.5% of 35,000 city employees have not been fully vaccinated by Nov. 1 according to the report.
On Wednesday, police officers, firefighters, and other high-risk employees were advised to get vaccinated. 260 firefighters, police officers, and sheriff’s personnel sought medical or religious waivers.
According to a spokesperson for the police union, 120 officers could be fired if they don’t meet the deadline.
Here’s WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING.
HELENA (Montana) — Montana has reached a new record for the number people who have been hospitalized with COVID-19 — it now stands at 510.
Wednesday’s number was higher than the 506 hospitalizations that were recorded Nov. 20, 2020 before any coronavirus vaccines became available.
Gov. Governor Greg Gianforte released a statement encouraging Montanans to be vaccinated but also stating that they would not force them.
To slow down the spread of coronavirus among students, Livingston’s school district switched its middle and high schools to remote learning. Officials stated that few students had used masks.
The school board approved Tuesday remote learning for 740 middle school and high school students. This is because of 17 coronavirus cases at Park High School, Sleeping Giant Middle School, and Park High School.
HONOLULU — Organisers have begun planning for the Honolulu Marathon, even though it is not clear if government officials will allow it to take place in December.
Hawaii Public Radio reports that marathon organizers are disappointed that Honolulu has eased pandemic-related restrictions for large events. However, neither Honolulu’s governor nor Honolulu’s mayor have given clarity as to whether the marathon will be possible with the usual thousands of participants.
The Honolulu Marathon attracted more than 33,000 runners in 2019, including 16,000 from Japan.
Recent events included large marathons in Boston, Chicago, and other cities.
SAN DIEGO — Families and business owners who were hampered by a travel ban are celebrating the Biden administration’s announcement that it will reopen U.S. borders next month.
Workers whose jobs are essential have been restricted from crossing land borders from Canada or Mexico. Starting in November, new rules will allow foreigners who have been fully vaccinated to enter the United States.
Contrary to air travel, where proof of a negative COVID-19 is required before you board a flight to enter America, there will not be any testing required to enter America by land or water, as long as the travelers comply with the vaccination requirements.
The coronavirus restrictions of 19 months had an economic, social, and cultural impact. They prevented cross-border shopping and family gatherings between relatives who live on opposite sides of the border.
Blanca Larson (executive director of the chamber and visitors bureau in Del Rio, Texas) said that Mexican tourists account for approximately 65% of retail sales in Del Rio. She said, “Along the Border, we’re more like one community than two separate communities.”
Since August, U.S. citizens who have been fully vaccinated and permanent residents of the United States have been permitted to enter Canada provided that they have waited at most two weeks after receiving their second dose of vaccine and can prove that they have had a negative COVID-19 test in the last two weeks. Mexico does not have any coronavirus entry requirements for land travelers.
PORTLAND, Maine — Wednesday’s federal judge declined to step in to stop Democratic Gov. Janet Mills required that all health care workers receive COVID-19 vaccinations by the end the month.
Jon Levy, U.S. District Court Judge, stated that none of the plaintiffs met the legal threshold to insure an injunction to halt or terminate the requirement to get fully vaccinated before Oct. 29.
Levy stated that the record does not indicate that regular testing is sufficient to stop the spread and spread of the delta variant.
He wrote that “the speed of the delta variant’s transmission exceeds test-result availablity.” He wrote that daily testing would require rapid tests that are less precise and more limited in supply.
Judge ruled that the plaintiffs could not show that an injunction was in public interest, or that they were likely to prevail if the case moves forward. Liberty Counsel, which filed suit in August, promised to appeal.
BUCHAREST (Romania) — A letter was issued by doctors in Bucharest titled “a cry for despair” as Romania’s overburdened health system struggles to cope with record numbers of hospitalizations, deaths, and other problems.
Bucharest’s College of Physicians wrote to Romanians a letter stating that the medical system had “surpassed the limit.”
Romania has confirmed 15733 new infections and 390 deaths. This brings the total number of deaths in Romania to 40,461. According to data from health authorities, more than 90% of coronavirus victims who died last week were not vaccinated.
Hungary has offered to care for several dozen COVID-19 Romanian patients in the next few days, helping to ease hospital burdens.
Dragos Zaharia is a primary care doctor at Bucharest’s Marius Nasta Institute of Pneumology. He believes that Romanian authorities should have hired a “famous personality to head the country’s vaccination campaign.
Zaharia stated to The Associated Press that only anonymous men are leading this fight. It’s sad that so many people who have died could have survived if they had been vaccinated.
BOSTON — More 800 Bostonians have been fired for not complying with the coronavirus vaccine mandate.
Kim Janey, acting mayor, announced that the city’s 18,000 employees would have to show proof of vaccination or undergo regular testing.
Janey says that the five “public facing” agencies responsible for suspending employees who failed to meet Tuesday’s deadline included libraries, public schools, libraries, center for youth, families, disability commission, and age commission. She said that workers who ignore the mandate will be fired if they continue to do so. There are approximately 11,000 students in the school department.
The city has plans to address potential staffing shortages. This is less than 1% of the workforce. Employees suspended can return to work if they provide proof that they have passed a negative test.
GENEVA — According to the World Health Organization, the number of coronavirus infections worldwide fell over the past week. This continues a downward trend that started in August.
The U.N.’s latest weekly assessment of pandemics was published Wednesday. It stated that there were approximately 2.8 million new cases and 46,000 deaths in the past week. This is a decrease of 7% and 10%, respectively. Europe saw a 7% increase in cases while the rest of the world reported a decrease.
WHO reports that Europe saw the largest increase in deaths over the week before, with 11% more COVID-19-related deaths. WHO reports that Russia, Turkey, and Britain had the highest number of European new cases.
Africa and the Western Pacific saw the largest drops in cases, with respective 32% and 27% respectively. Both regions saw a drop in deaths of more than a quarter.
WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration struggles to decide whether booster doses of single-shot Johnson & Johnson CoVID-19 vaccine should be approved.
Other manufacturers would like to offer boosters six-months after the primary vaccine. J&J suggested a range of times from two to six months. FDA scientists did not reach a definitive conclusion in a Wednesday review, citing problems with J&J data.
A panel of FDA advisors will decide whether to support boosters for both the J&J or Moderna vaccines on Thursday and Friday. Certain Americans have access to an additional dose of Pfizer’s vaccine.
Moderna and Pfizer have supplied the majority of U.S.COVID-19 vaccines. These two-dose shots have vaccinated more than 170 million Americans, while only 15 million Americans received the J&J shot.
MOSCOW — A Russian head of the sovereign fund that is funding the shot said Russia was ready to supply up to 300 million doses its Sputnik V vaccine for the U.N.-backed COVAX initiative.
This is despite concerns about the WHO approval and Sputnik V production issues. Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of Russian Direct Investment Fund, and the World Health Organization were very different Wednesday when it came to when the Russian vaccine would be approved by WHO.
Sputnik V has been approved by the U.N. but is being used in 70 countries. Some officials from Latin America have expressed concern that they are not receiving the second shot of the vaccine in time to inoculate their citizens.
MIAMI — COVID-19 victims’ families are asking hospitals for a review of visitor policies one year after the pandemic that has claimed the lives of 716,000 Americans.
Family members claim they are being denied the right of seeing their loved ones during a critical time. Hospitals are being encouraged to ease restrictions so patients can see their loved ones.
At least half-dozen hospitals in the United States have relaxed restrictions on COVID patients visiting their facilities. However, others are standing firm, supported by industry groups and studies that show such policies are crucial in keeping hospital-acquired infection rates low.
This year, the University of Utah Health announced that its hospitals will allow two adults to visit during an entire hospital stay. They must be wearing protective equipment and have been recently vaccinated. Hospitals have been known to make exceptions for patients with coronavirus who are close to death.
MOSCOW — Russia reported a record 984 coronavirus-related deaths per day, despite a slow vaccination rate.
In the last few weeks, it has seen several records daily death tolls. With 28,717 confirmed cases reported Wednesday, infections have reached near-record highs.
Slow vaccinations are the Kremlin’s explanation for the rising epidemic and deaths. Mikhail Mishustin, Prime Minister of Russia, stated Tuesday that 29% of nearly 146 million citizens were fully vaccinated.
On Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin stressed the importance of speeding up vaccination rates. However, he cautioned against forcing people into getting the shots. Experts in health have linked the slow rate of vaccination to disinformation and widespread vaccine skepticism.
The Kremlin has rejected a nationwide lockdown that is similar to the one used during the pandemic, which severely damaged the economy and lowered Putin’s ratings. It has given the authority to enforce coronavirus restrictions on regional authorities.
Russia’s healthcare system is under increasing pressure due to the increased number of infections. Mikhail Murashko, the Health Minister of Russia, stated Tuesday that 11% of Russia’s 235,000 COVID-19 hospitalized patients are in critical or serious condition.
Russia’s coronavirus taskforce has confirmed over 7.8 million cases and 219.329 deaths. This is the highest death rate in Europe. In terms of confirmed deaths worldwide, Russia is behind the U.S. (718,000), Brazil (61,000), India (451,000), and Mexico (283,000.
