Affected by the shortage of staff due to the infection of employees, some of the largest pharmacies in the country, such as Walgreens and CVS, will be closed on the weekend. (Associated Press)
(We Chinese in America Media Editor Tang Zhao, January 15, 2022) The nation's largest pharmacy chain, including CVS Health Corp and Walgreens Boots Alliance, is under labor pressure due to the impact of the outbreak and the spread of the Omicron variant, and some stores will be closed over the weekend.
The decision to close on weekends is fairly rare, but the reality is that the store doesn't have enough pharmacists and technicians to keep it open on weekends, CVS and Walgreens said.
Retailers and supermarkets such as Macy's Inc and Walmart are also cutting store hours now as more and more employees are sick with the virus, either waiting for coronavirus test results or having to take care of their relatives.
Before the Omicron variant virus caused the epidemic to heat up again, the major chain pharmacies with a total of about 20,000 branches across the country have begun to reduce business hours, raise wages for employees, and try their best to hire more staff, hoping to solve the manpower shortage problem.
Chain pharmacies have played an important role in providing virus testing and COVID-19 vaccines during the epidemic. Employees complained about the increased workload, and some consumers complained about the quality of the pharmacy's services.
Both Walgreens and CVS stated that the number of stores closed on weekends cannot be clearly calculated, because the situation varies from week to week, and some branches announced that they will temporarily close on weekends without warning.
In recent weeks, there have been reports of consumers in Washington, New Gloucester, Maine, and New Paltz, New York, suddenly discovering pharmacy chains and drive-throughs) The situation where the medicine pick-up window is suddenly closed. Some people made an appointment to get the vaccine, but when they arrived, they found that the pharmacy was not open.
Zach Fox, a resident of Akron, Ohio, said that his wife had surgery for a broken leg and wanted to take painkillers after returning home because of the pain. “When I arrived at the branch, I saw a sign on the door saying that it was closed at 6:00 p.m. and would not open until 10:00 a.m. on Monday, citing "factors beyond our control." “He said his wife waited a full 12 hours before getting the pain medication at other CVS locations.
(Source: Compiled from online information)
U.S. residents can pre-order a free COVID-19 home quick test kit starting Jan. 19. (Associated Press)
(We Chinese in America Media Editor Tang Zhao, January 15, 2022) The Biden administration announced on the 14th that starting Wednesday, January 19, U.S. residents can pre-order “Free at-home COVID-19 tests.” Each household can place an order on the official website (COVIDTests.gov) to receive up to four sets of rapid screening kits. Government agencies will also set up a set of phone numbers to serve those without internet access. The White House noted that at-home screening kits ordered generally arrive within 7 to 12 days. This also means that if people place an order on the 19th, they will have to wait until the end of January at the earliest to get the quick screening test kits.
People who book a free home quick-screening test kit must provide their name and email address when placing the order, and then they can track the quick-screening test kit order through the email mailbox. The U.S. Digital Service, which operates the program, says it's ready. In order to facilitate smooth transportation, the United States Postal Service (USPS) is also preparing to deliver rapid screening test kits and plans to hire 7,000 temporary workers to assist in the implementation of the plan. As of January 14, the Biden administration has purchased 1 billion home rapid screening kits and provided them to American residents for free. The White House also plans to start providing high-quality free masks in the next few weeks. The White House also promised on the 12th that it will provide 5 million sets of new coronavirus rapid screening and nucleic acid (PCR) testing kits to K-12 schools nationwide for free each month to ensure the safety of school opening and face-to-face teaching.
(Source: Compiled from Online Information)
President Biden announced on the 13th that the federal government will double the distribution of 1 billion free home Omicron testing kits and N95 or KN95 masks. The picture shows the YMCA in Los Angeles giving out free KN95 masks. (Getty Images)
(We Chinese in America Media Editor Tang Zhao, January 14, 2022) President Biden announced on the 13th that the federal government will launch a website for people to register for Omicron test kits next week, double the distribution of 1 billion free home new crown test kits and N95 masks, and dispatch 1,000 military doctors to relieve the pressure on hospitals. He also called on the media to curb misinformation about the outbreak and vaccines.
The first batch of test kits will be distributed next week
On the other hand, Senator Bernie Sanders (Vermont) and 50 Democratic members of Congress have proposed a bill on the 12th that requires the federal government to issue N95 masks to every American.
The Omicron variant virus has led to a sharp increase in cases. Biden said he has asked the government team to double the purchase of Omicron test kits, expanding from the original order of 500 million boxes to 1 billion boxes; the first batch of test kits will be distributed next week, when the federal government website will also be launched for Americans to register for free test kits, while additional test kits will be distributed in the coming months.
1,000 Military doctors were dispatched to the hardest-hit areas
Biden also announced at the White House that starting next week, 1,000 military medical personnel will be dispatched to many cities across the country to alleviate the shortage of medical personnel caused by the epidemic; Biden pointed out that the newly dispatched military medical team will be deployed in the hardest-hit areas. Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, and Rhode Island.
"High-quality" N95 masks will also be distributed
Biden also announced for the first time that the government plans to produce and distribute "high-quality" N95 masks, which are currently the most effective masks for epidemic prevention. Further details will be announced next week. The White House said earlier this week that the federal government has more than 750,000 N95 masks.
Biden admitted frankly that the United States entered the new year but saw a record high number of cases. He knew that everyone was frustrated, but he emphasized that this was a "pandemic of the unvaccinated"; although it is possible to contract the virus whether it is vaccinated against the new crown, Biden cited medical figures showing that the probability of severe illness and death after vaccination will be much lower. "Whether or not vaccinated will lead to very different consequences."
Biden calls on the media to curb fake news about the epidemic.
Biden finally called on the media to curb false information about the epidemic. "I would like to specifically ask social media companies and the media to deal with the wrong and false news on your platforms. This must stop."
Sanders proposed the "Masks for All Act" draft in 2020, requiring the federal government to issue a box of N95 masks to every American. On the 12th, he raised the case with 50 Democrats. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and White House Epidemic Prevention Coordinator Jeff Zients said the Biden administration is now actively seeking ways to make it easier for the public to obtain N95 masks.
Sanders pointed out that the federal government should provide free high-quality N95 masks to all people to avoid death and suffering and save the medical system considerable costs.
(Source: Compiled from Online Information)
The increase in Omicron cases in many parts of the United States seems to be slowing down, and the number of people going to the emergency room has dropped significantly. The picture shows Los Angeles citizens queuing for testing. (Getty Images)
(We Chinese in America Media Editor Tang Zhao, January 14, 2022) Public health officials and infectious disease experts say the Omicron outbreak from Mid-Atlantic to New England is beginning to show signs of slowing; they are cautious but optimistic that a turnaround may be expected, and the U.S. Omicron outbreak may be like the U.K., which has seen a slowdown and other countries.
A variant of the Omicron virus has pushed U.S. cases and hospitalizations to new highs, but public health officials and experts this week began to see early signs that the outbreak is nearing a peak or stabilizing in parts of the Northeast.
Newly confirmed cases in New York City increased by more than 20 times in December but have leveled off in the past few days; New Jersey and Maryland also saw a slight decline in new confirmed cases this week, as the epidemic data in many large cities. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said this week: "It looks like we may be crossing the peak of the epidemic."
"Sudden drop in the amount of coronavirus detected in wastewater"
"We try not to predict the development of the new coronavirus, because it always surprises us," said Shira Doron, an epidemiologist at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, "but at least the amount of the new coronavirus was detected in the wastewater has plummeted, and we hope that means cases will plummet, and hospitalizations and deaths will follow."
Previous new coronavirus variants tended to have a longer cycle of high and low peaks, usually after an outbreak, cases continued to climb for about two months before declining; Omicron has high transmissibility and can spread faster, which means it will be infected high-risk groups more quickly.
Experts warn: the state of emergency is not over yet
Many experts believe Omicron cases will decline as fast as it climbs.
The current state of emergency is not over, though, and Omicron cases are only nearing a peak in the places where the outbreak first started, mainly in the Northeastern states, while cases in other states are still climbing.
According to statistics from Johns Hopkins University, nearly 895,000 new cases of new coronary pneumonia and more than 2,400 people died in the United States on the 12th; the average daily new diagnosis in the past week exceeded 786,000 cases. That’s a 159% increase from the daily average two weeks ago. More than 151,000 people in the U.S. are currently hospitalized with the virus.
Confirmation rates in seven states, including New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Ohio, Georgia, Kansas, and Mississippi, began to flatten; Washington saw a 19 percent drop in new cases last week.
UK appears to have crossed the Omicron peak
The UK appears to have crossed the peak of the outbreak caused by Omicron, showing that Omicron is highly transmissible but short-lived, which may be good news that the epidemic is fading. Scientists say the U.K. outbreak data is good news for the U.S. and other countries, suggesting that Omicron is expected to replicate the South African model, where cases spiked for about a month before plummeting.
(Source: Compiled from Online Information)
A British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca said today that preliminary data from a trial showed that the AZ vaccine, as an anti-epidemic booster, produced a large antibody response to Omicron and mutant viruses such as Beta, Delta, Alpha and Gamma.
(We Chinese in America Media Editor Tang Zhao, January 13, 2022) AstraZeneca said that regardless of previous vaccination with the AZ vaccine (Vaxzevria) or the messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine, an increased immune response was seen after the third dose of the AZ vaccine. AstraZeneca said they will send the data to national drug regulators against Omicron
AstraZeneca's vaccine was co-developed with Oxford University researchers, and laboratory studies last month found that three doses of the AZ vaccine were effective against the Omicron mutated virus.
Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, said in a statement: "These important studies show that, regardless of whether the two previous doses of the vaccine were AZ or mRNA or even inactivated vaccine, only a third dose of AZ vaccine is required., can significantly enhance immunity to COVID-19.”
A large-scale trial in the United Kingdom in December last year found that after the AZ vaccine or the Pfizer/BNT (Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccine, the third dose of the AZ vaccine could increase antibodies; but it also concluded that with BNT and Moderna, using two mRNA vaccines as supplements, the antibody increase will be the largest.
(Source: Central News Agency)
