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Covid-19 vaccination clinic in downtown Grand Rapids, Mich.credit…Cory Morse/Grand Rapids Press, via Associated Press
The country has reached a dangerous point in the pandemic as the number of cases of the coronavirus – down significantly from its peak in January – has risen to about 55,000 new cases a day this month, which health officials say is still too high.
Even with the accelerated pace of vaccination, alarming variants are spreading. Some states, particularly on the East Coast, have been working for weeks to reduce the number of cases. At the same time, governors are beginning to ease restrictions on businesses like bars, gyms and casinos, and many Americans are eating at newly opened restaurants, rescheduling summer weddings that were abruptly canceled in 2020 and booking spring break getaways.
Air travel in the United States last week reached the highest level since the outbreak of the pandemic, and bookings for the coming months show that Americans want to travel in large numbers again, airline officials said.
The way forward – and the public guidelines on how to act at this time – seem vague and even contradictory. Epidemiologists said they see the current timing of the pandemic as a sprint between vaccination and new confirmed cases, especially those caused by variants that may be more contagious. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the country’s leading expert on infectious diseases, warned Friday that it was highly risky to declare victory before the number of infections in the community reached a level much, much lower than the 53,000 cases per day.
So it’s unfortunate, but not surprising, that the number of cases per day is increasing in some areas – cities, states or regions – while 2 to 3 million vaccines are distributed per day, Dr. Fauci said.
No state reports numbers of cases even close to record levels, and the explosion of cases in hard-to-reach areas before 2020 has all but stopped. Kansas is averaging 215 new cases of the coronavirus per day, up from more than 2,000 in early January. And in North Dakota, the state with the highest number of known cases per capita, fewer than 100 cases a day are now routinely added in a state with a population of 762,000.
But there are warning signs in the data.
Vermont, which managed to avoid the worst of the pandemic in 2020, has struggled all year to contain the outbreak. In Michigan, where the virus seemed to be under control in January, the number of cases has increased by more than 80% in the past two weeks, although they are still well below the December peak. In South Florida, infection rates remain high, with approximately 1,000 reported cases per day in Miami-Dade County alone.
But even in states where the virus was far from under control, authorities began lifting trade restrictions and urging businesses to reopen their doors. New York City recently reported more infections per capita than anywhere else except New Jersey, and the New York metropolitan area has the second highest rate of new infections after Idaho Falls, Idaho. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced Wednesday that indoor fitness classes will begin on the 22nd. March can be resumed.
California has about 2,900 cases on most days, up from 40,000 in mid-January. In Southern California, where the falls peaked earlier this winter, Disneyland officials have said the theme park will open on the 30th after being closed for more than a year. April will be open with established rules limiting capacity.
I think it’s a race against time, says Dr. Stephen J. Hughes. Thomas, chief of the department of infectious diseases at SUNY Upstate Medical University. Every person we can vaccinate, or every person we can put a mask on, is one less possibility than option.
| United States ‘ | United States 18March | 14-day change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New cases | 60,368 | -13% | |
| New deaths | 1,558 | -28% | |
| World ‘ | Peace 18. March | 14-day change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New cases | 553,170 | +22% | |
| New deaths | 10,422 | +2% | |
VS Immunisations ‘
A student at a child development center in Annandale, Virginia, earlier this month. linked to credit Charisse May for The New York Times.
In a major policy overhaul intended to encourage more schools to return to teaching children face-to-face, federal health officials on Friday relaxed the rule that elementary school students must sit two feet apart; they now only have to sit three feet apart in classrooms, as long as everyone is wearing a mask.
The three-foot rule now applies to high school students, provided the transfer is not high in the community, officials said. However, if the transfer is high, these pupils must be separated by at least one metre, unless they are taught in cohorts or small groups separately from the others and the cohorts are separated by one metre.
The six-foot rule still applies in the community at large, officials stress, and teachers and other adults working in schools must respect this distance from other adults and students.
Most schools already function, at least partially, autonomously, and the available evidence suggests that they do so relatively safely. Research shows that the spread in schools can be contained with simple safety measures such as covering, keeping a distance, washing hands and opening windows.
The big debate is between one meter and two meters, and there’s no question that going from two to three meters poses a little extra risk, said Linsey Marr, an expert on airborne viruses at Virginia Tech. But according to our research, the difference between a meter and a half meter is not significant so far.
My only caveat is that they need to make it clear that you can only go one meter higher if you have done everything else correctly, she added. You need blankets, you’ve checked the ventilation and added filters if the ventilation is bad – that sort of thing.
Dr. Westin Branch-Elliman, an infectious disease specialist with the VA Boston Health System, recently conducted a study in Massachusetts schools that showed that a distance of three feet is a safe distance. The reality is that the biggest barrier to children returning to school was the three-foot versus six-foot issue, she said. This will remove some of the biggest barriers to children returning to school.
In a statement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that the dynamics of transmission are different for older students – meaning they are more likely to be exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and spread it than younger children.
In announcing the changes, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walenski cited the results of studies conducted in several states. We follow the science, she said.
Teachers unions across the country are strongly in favor of stepping back six feet and lobbying D.C. and the Biden administration to retain the previous leadership.
On Friday, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, the country’s second-largest teachers union, issued a statement saying she was suspending her judgment on the new waiver guidelines until the investigation into the virus’ behavior in schools is complete. Becky Pringle, president of the largest teachers’ union, the National Education Association, expressed similar concerns.
At a viral briefing Friday at the White House, Walenski said she had spoken with teachers unions. They know that we have to follow the scientific evidence and base our decisions on that evidence, and they respect that very much, she said.
However, the C.D.C.’s reporting lags behind that of some local health departments around the country. Illinois and Massachusetts have already indicated that three feet may be appropriate in schools. District health workers also play an important role in the decision-making of school boards and principals, who are often beset by conflicting public health policies.
The new guide emphasizes that good air circulation and ventilation in school buildings are essential to maintaining a safe environment and continues to emphasize various levels of preventive behavior, including universal masking, hand washing, building cleaning, and contact tracing, in conjunction with isolation and quarantine.
Although most school buildings are now at least partially open, the six-foot rule prevents many buildings from being occupied full time.
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Application: U.S. on track for 100 million vaccinations since January 20
President Biden said Thursday that the U.S. will reach its goal of 100 million vaccinations in 100 days for the Covid 19 vaccine Friday, though he previously acknowledged that it should aim for a higher goal.
Last week we saw an increase in cases in several states. Scientists have made it clear that the spread of new variants of this virus could make the situation even worse. Vaccination is the best we can do to combat these variants. While millions are being vaccinated, millions more need to be vaccinated. And I am proud to announce that tomorrow, 58 days after our government began, we will reach my goal of firing 100 million bullets at our fellow Americans. It’s a few weeks ahead of schedule. Until eight weeks ago, only 8% of the most vulnerable seniors had been vaccinated against Covid-19. Today, 65% of people aged 65 and over have received at least one vaccination. And 36% are fully vaccinated. It is a time of optimism, but not a time of relaxation. I need all Americans, I need all of you to do your part. Keep believing, keep wearing a mask, keep washing your hands, and keep social distance. You’ll be fine. We are ahead of schedule, but we still have a long way to go.
President Biden said Thursday that the U.S. will reach its Covid 19 goal of 100 million vaccinations in 100 days on Friday, though he has previously acknowledged it should aim for a higher level. Credit… John Cherry for the New York Times.
Floridians 50 and older can get the vaccine starting Monday, Governor Ron DeSantis said, and all adult residents should get the shot in the coming weeks.
At a news conference Friday, DeSantis, a Republican, said that now that 70 percent of Florida seniors have been vaccinated, it makes sense to expand the number of vaccinations.
Some counties, including Orange and Miami-Dade, expanded their rights before the state did. Starting Monday, Orange County residents 40 and older and Miami-Dade residents 50 and older can register to get vaccinated, local authorities said.
Many other states have announced broader vaccination rates, while daily vaccination rates across the country have risen steadily since Friday to an average of 2.5 million injections per day, according to a New York Times analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This figure is almost 7% higher than last week.
In Vermont, Governor Phil Scott announced at a press conference Friday that anyone 16 years of age or older can register before they turn 19. April can sign up to receive the vaccine, according to local station NBC. People 60 and older can participate on the 25th. March to start scheduling vaccinations.
Maine Governor Janet Mills announced on Twitter that the state will cut vaccination deadlines by two weeks. From 23. Maine residents 50 and older can get vaccinated in March, and on the 19th. April, all Maine residents 16 years and older are eligible for the vaccine.
The state is also going to vaccinate teachers, school staff and licensed child care workers this month, according to a directive from the Biden administration, according to an announcement from the governor’s office.
The Cherokee Nation announced Thursday that any adult can get the vaccine, regardless of where he or she lives, and make an appointment at one of the tribe’s outpatient health centers.
The light we see at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter as more people get vaccinated, Illinois Democrat J.B. Pritzker said Thursday in announcing the expansion of vaccination options in his state.
Last week, President Biden set a May 1. deadline to make vaccines available to all adult residents.
Only suitable in certain districts
Only suitable in certain districts
Only suitable in certain districts
States have been able to expand access to vaccines to more people as supply has steadily increased; the Biden administration has stepped up its campaign to produce and distribute vaccines, although key elements of this campaign had been established before he took office. White House press secretary Jennifer Psaki said this week that another 22 million doses of the vaccine must be shipped to states, jurisdictions and pharmacies.
More than 118 million vaccines have been administered since vaccinations began in mid-December on Friday.
Speaking to reporters ahead of a trip to Georgia on Friday, Biden speculated that the United States could reach a point in the future where officials hand out five million cans a day. Hopefully we’ll keep the 2.5 million a day, he said, which we can do – we can double it.
The U.S. president’s goal of administering 100 million doses of the vaccine within 100 days was met Friday, the C.D.C. said since the 20th. In January, six weeks before the deadline, more than 101 million doses of vaccine were administered.
In his brief speech on Thursday, the president said the $100 million goal was ambitious, although he had already acknowledged in January that the government needed to set higher targets. Five days after the inauguration, Biden said the United States would aim to administer 1.5 million doses of vaccine a day – a goal reached a few weeks later.
Sir, I want to thank you for your support. Biden continues to claim that he is making unexpectedly rapid progress toward his vaccination goal, although health officials have said his goal is less ambitious and easier to achieve.
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Europe takes over administration of AstraZenecavaccines
Governments across Europe began reusing AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine on Friday, after the European Union’s top drug agency announced Thursday that the vaccines were safe and effective.
I know that there will be a lot of screening because of the mass vaccination that will take place, and I know that, yes, of course, so many people will be vaccinated that they will, you know, experience events that might have happened anyway. We only had 10 today. We finished it in five minutes and everyone came and said: Yes, we should. People even asked us for them, but we didn’t have enough. So I hope to have more next week.
On Friday, governments across Europe began reusing AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine after the European Union’s top drug regulator announced Thursday that the vaccines were safe and effective.CreditCredit…Letitia Vancon for The New York Times
Governments across Europe rushed Friday to lift the suspension of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine, reassuring an exhausted public worried about the vaccine’s safety amid a new wave of infections that has forced many countries to lift strict travel and business restrictions.
The German authorities have warned that plans to ease restrictions will have to be put on hold until Easter and said additional measures may be needed in the coming weeks. Paris was one of many cities in France where people were essentially asked to stay home. Italy began its third national lockout on Monday, and Poland will hold its own lockout on Saturday.
The swift action to tighten the already relatively strict restrictions came as nearly all of the European countries that had stopped using AstraZeneca’s vaccine – including France, Germany, Italy and Spain – said they would start using it again.
However, the brief suspension of vaccine use underscored the slow pace of mass vaccination campaigns, leading authorities to warn that the only way to control the virus was to impose restrictions.
Across Europe, the official death toll last week was more than 900,000, according to the World Health Organization. But this spring would be different.
The recent outbreaks remind us that not enough people have been vaccinated to seriously mitigate the impact of the new wave of infection spreading across the continent, forcing governments once again to tighten already strict restrictions on business and social interactions.
There are still not enough vaccine doses in Europe to stop the third wave by vaccination alone, German Health Minister Jens Spahn said Friday. Even if the supply from the EU is reliable, it will take several weeks before the risk groups are fully vaccinated.
Mass vaccination attempts in the European Union were dealt a blow this week, with more than a dozen countries suspending use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine while reports of a possible link to a small number of cases of blood clots and abnormal bleeding were investigated.
On Thursday, the European Medicines Agency, the European Union’s medicines regulator, said its research had led to the firm conclusion that the vaccine was safe and effective. While the agency continues to look for links to the riots, it noted that any threat would be very low and that the shootings would prevent many more deaths than they could cause.
Politicians were quick to undermine public confidence in AstraZeneca and vaccines in general – some of them rolled up their sleeves and injected themselves to get the job done.
But the challenge facing leaders across much of Europe goes far beyond restoring confidence in a single vaccine. Now they must find a way to get more vaccine to the people who need it most, at a time when the virus is again killing about 2,000 people a day.
More people are dying from Covid-19 in Europe today than at this time last year, said Hans Kluge, European director of the World Health Organization. In Central Europe, the Balkans and the Baltic States, the morbidity, hospitalisation and mortality rates are currently among the highest in the world.
Constant Mesche contributed to this report.
Brooklyn elementary school students in December 2020. linked to credit Victor J. Blau for The New York Times.
New York City’s public school system, the nation’s largest, will give families another chance to enroll their children in full-time classes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday.
According to new guidelines from the C.D.C., primary school students are allowed to wear masks at a distance of three feet, instead of the six feet in newly opened schools. In April, elementary schools, preschools and programs for children with complex disabilities will adopt new guidelines, De Blasio said, allowing classrooms that have been running at one-third of their capacity for months to accommodate more students. With less space between students, schools can accommodate more children in each urban classroom.
The city will continue to evaluate the risks of adjusting distance rules for high school students, de Blasio said. C.D.C. explained that her flexible three-foot guideline only applies to high school students, where community transfers are not high. (New York State recently had more cases per capita than any other state except New Jersey, and the New York metropolitan area has the second highest number of new cases in the country, after Idaho Falls, Idaho).
The guidelines still state that adults in schools should maintain a distance of two metres between themselves and pupils. Starting in January, teachers in New York can get the coronavirus vaccine.
After the school year started last fall, the city gave families only one option for face-to-face education. The vast majority of parents, about 70 percent, prefer to have their children educated at home. De Blasio said that starting next week, families will have a new opportunity to enroll their children in the class. While it’s not yet clear whether more high school students will be able to return, de Blasio said the city hopes to get an idea of how many of those students, who are currently taking distance classes, want to switch to classroom instruction.
Some parents who opted for distance learning last November, when the number of cases of the virus in New York was rising rapidly and there was not yet an approved vaccine for the coronavirus, said that now that there is more clarity about the virus, they are willing to send their children to class.
However, many non-white families in particular are still reluctant to do personal tutoring, and it is likely that a significant number of parents will keep their children home for the rest of the school year in June.
New York City schools, which were among the first in the country to reopen, have extremely low pass rates. Mr. de Blasio has pledged to open up the city’s school system to full-day education for all children who want it starting in September. He also said he expects the city to retain the option of full-time remote work for some children this fall.
Although the city’s teachers union on Friday disapproved of the mayor’s plan and said it would consult its medical experts, de Blasio said the city would move forward.
The most important thing is that the children go to school, he said.
Many parents who have opted for tutoring agree. Elga Castro, a mother of a third-grader in Washington Heights, said her child could return to class. But she wants the city to make other changes that will allow her child and many others to come back strong, including repealing a rule that requires schools to close if two unrelated positive cases are found.
She says the changes are necessary so that not only can children return to school fully, but the process takes longer and is less interrupted.
Mar-a-Lago mansion last summer. linked to Saul Martinez credit for the New York Times.
Former President Donald J. Trump’s private club. The Trump facility in Palm Beach, Florida, was partially closed Friday after some employees tested positive for the coronavirus, two people familiar with the events confirmed.
The closure affected service in the dining room and beach club, the Associated Press reported. Two people who knew about the events confirmed that this was the case; they were not authorized to speak publicly.
The AP cited an email to members also known as Mr. Trump’s permanent residence serves. As a precaution, the devices were removed and some employees were quarantined, the email said.
A spokesman for the Trump Organization did not immediately respond to an email for comment. The woman who answered the phone at Mar-a-Lago made no comment and hung up when asked if the club was open.
The Florida Department of Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Next month, the club will host events at the Republican National Committee’s spring retreat in Florida. It was Mr. Trump’s post-presidential base, where he hosted Republican officials.
The number of coronavirus cases in Florida had been declining for several weeks, allowing operations to resume several months before much of the state opened. But according to the New York Times database, there are still an average of 5,000 new cases a day in the state.
Dr. Alina Alonso, director of the Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County, said this week that the number of local cases has dropped and that she is cautiously optimistic about the virus’ progress. However, she warned the public that it was too early to claim victory over the pandemic.
Maria Alyokhina, center, a member of Pussy Riot, at the Moscow City Court. Moscow City Court press office via Shutterstock….
A Russian court has placed some of the country’s most prominent opposition members under house arrest on charges of violating coronavirus rules, in what appears to be an attempt by the government to use the restrictions to silence its opponents.
The trial, known as the sanctions case, involves ten opposition politicians and dissidents, including the leadership of Alexei A. Navalny and members of the protest group Pussy Riot. Allen is accused of encouraging others to violate rules put in place last spring to slow the spread of the coronavirus. His lawyers dispute this claim.
Prosecutors allege that 19 people who should have been legally segregated because they tested positive for Covid-19 participated in their social media campaign to promote the protest in Moscow in January, putting the rest of the participants at risk.
Supporters say authorities are cynically twisting coronavirus rules to isolate people who pose no risk of infection but are seen by the government as a political threat.
The ideological intent is to label opponents as contagious, toxic, poisoners of society, said Danil Berman, lawyer for Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina, who was one of the targets. The isolation of key leaders in the run-up to this year’s parliamentary elections is also slowing down the opposition.
Many people around the world complain that restrictions related to the coronavirus limit their freedoms as a byproduct of security measures. But representatives of the Russian opposition say the government is using the restrictions against them to curtail their freedom.
Online posts by opposition figures who supported the protest did not encourage patients to take part in the action, according to the lawyer who has been charged by the government. In any case, the suspensions in Moscow had been largely lifted a few months earlier.
Moreover, according to human rights activists, the rules are selectively applied to curb opposition activities, while pro-government events are allowed with few restrictions, but the virus is reportedly spread just as easily at all kinds of gatherings.
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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson received the first dose of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine on Friday, a day after neighboring European countries deemed the drug safe and effective despite initial concerns.Credit….Photo by Charles McKillan in the pool
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson received the first dose of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine on Friday, after neighboring countries resumed use of the vaccine after it was deemed safe and effective by European Union regulators.
The injection is the best thing we can do to get back the life we so desperately miss, Johnson said after receiving his first injection at St Thomas’ Hospital in London, where he spent three nights in intensive care last year battling persistent symptoms of Covid-19.
Thank you to all the incredible scientists, NHS staff and volunteers who made this possible, added Johnson, 56, of the venerable NHS.
Johnson’s vaccination campaign was the culmination of a tumultuous week in which his government resisted calls from opposition politicians for a public inquiry into the handling of the pandemic, while concerns grew that the campaign’s success would be hampered by vaccine shortages.
However, Britain also recorded the highest number of daily injections on Friday, with more than 660,000 doses. More than 26 million people in the UK have received at least one dose of the vaccine, almost half of the UK adult population.
Mr Johnson’s vaccination comes a year after he said Britain could send a package containing the coronavirus to that country within weeks. A few days later, authorities announced a nationwide lockdown. Since then, the UK has experienced the highest number of deaths from recombinant coronavirus in Europe, nearly 126,000.
But the UK authorities are hoping that the frantic pace of their vaccination campaign will return the country to some semblance of normalcy by the summer.
Schools reopened this month and other restrictions are expected to be lifted in the spring. Johnson insisted this week that the road to freedom is unstoppable, despite the predicted shortage of vaccines.
With the number of cases and deaths falling sharply in recent weeks and pubs and restaurants reopening to the public next month, Britain is in an unusual position compared to other European countries.
Since January this year, it has become the epicenter of a pandemic in Europe, with large numbers of deaths and hospitalizations overwhelming a health care system already overwhelmed by last year’s first wave. But today the country seems to be resisting a pandemic, while countries like France, Germany and Italy are experiencing a third wave of infections.
However, there is growing concern that new variants could soon spread to the UK, in addition to the first discovery in the country late last year – an event that led to strict containment measures and travel restrictions around the world.
Neil Ferguson, Johnson’s former pandemic adviser, said Friday he was concerned about the spread to Europe of the variant first discovered in South Africa.
Initial studies suggest that this variant, which is responsible for a significant proportion of new cases in countries such as France, may weaken the effectiveness of some vaccines. This includes AstraZeneca’s vaccine, which is central to the UK vaccination campaign.
The head of England’s National Health Service, Simon Stevens, 54, also received his first vaccine injection from AstraZeneca this week, as did French Prime Minister Jean Castex, 55, who gave television cameras a thumbs up after being photographed at a military hospital southeast of Paris.
The near-simultaneous public inoculations by Mr Johnson and Mr Castex underlined how European government officials have sought to restore public confidence in AstraZeneca’s vaccine after several European Union countries, including France, suspended its use this week.
But Britain and France were in very different situations: The United Kingdom, which left the European Union last year, vaccinated its population faster than France and other EU countries. And the UK authorities are strong supporters of the AstraZeneca vaccine, developed in collaboration with Oxford University.
Britain and the European Union have also been embroiled in a months-long battle over the supply of vaccines, which reached a new high this week when European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen accused AstraZeneca of producing too little and not supplying the EU.
We want to see reciprocity and proportionality in exports, von der Leyen said with a half-hearted threat. And we are prepared to use all necessary means to achieve this.
linked to credit A photo of the pool taken by Seth Wanig….
The federal investigation into Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s handling of nursing homes during the pandemic has focused in recent weeks on whether the governor and his top aides provided false data to the Justice Department about local deaths, according to four people with knowledge of the investigation.
Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation contacted lawyers for Mr. Cuomo’s aides, questioned senior state health officials and called Mr. Cuomo’s office for documents related to last year’s disclosures, the people said.
The interview included questions about information New York state submitted to the Justice Department last year that asked for data on Covid 19 cases and deaths in nursing homes, the interviewees said. False statements in such a statement may constitute a criminal offence.
In some cases, officials visited the homes of public health officials to question them about the data. On other occasions, they spoke to officials on the phone, according to people who requested anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.
The lawsuits filed in recent weeks appear to have increased legal pressure on Cuomo, as well as his top aides, who may have played a role in keeping the true number of nursing home deaths hidden from the public for months.
A spokesman for the Eastern District of New York, which is leading the investigation, declined to comment.
Elkan Abramowitz, the outside counsel hired by the state to represent the governor’s office in the federal investigation, said in a statement that the document filed in response to the Justice Department’s request in August was truthful and accurate, and that any other suggestion is patently false.
Sir, I want to thank you for your support. Cuomo has been under fire for months over his nursing home policy. The question of how many nursing home residents have died – both in facilities and after treatment in hospitals – has become a political issue for Mr. Cuomo, a third-term Democrat, as he has faced criticism from both Albany Democrats and national Republicans, including former President Donald J. Trump.
Victoria Evers, left, and her sister Elle at the finish line during the 2018 White House Easter Egg Carousel. Credit…Doug Mills/The New York Times
Add the White House Easter Egg Roll to the list of annual traditions that have been abolished – again – by the pandemic.
The event was cancelled for the second consecutive year due to concerns about large crowds. President Biden’s standard of care – small meetings through the 4th. July, when Americans adhere to protocols of social distancing and get vaccinated when offered, falls well after the Easter holiday and does not reach the usual capacity of an egg race that brings up to 30,000 people to the White House grounds.
The Bidens hope to continue the tradition in 2022, Michael LaRosa, spokesman for first lady Jill Biden, said in a statement confirming the cancellation. The White House plans to send thousands of commemorative Easter eggs to local vaccination sites and hospitals in the coming days to commemorate 2021. We encourage everyone to wear masks again on Easter, distance themselves from society and get vaccinated when it’s your turn.
Apart from the risk of transmission of the coronavirus, fewer people are needed to organize and run the event. Dozens of White House officials work remotely, following strict coronavirus protocols as the pandemic continues.
Anita McBride, board member of the White House Historical Association, said the White House as a whole is still not fully occupied by people entering the building. She added that there will be no personal egg races this year.
Instead, the club started a virtual egg hunt. There will also be wooden commemorative eggs for sale, featuring the White House dogs, Champion and Major, and an Easter Bunny with a protective mask.
Last year Melania Trump, the former first lady, called the decision to abolish nem a difficult but necessary one.
The health and safety of all Americans must come first, especially now, Trump said in a statement released by the White House in March. I deeply regret this withdrawal, but we must make difficult decisions in the short term for the long-term health of the country.
The White House Easter Egg Roll dates back to 1878 and has only been cancelled a handful of times. It was cancelled in 1918 due to food shortages and concerns about the spread of the deadly flu.
Sheikh Mohamed Hamad Mohamed Al Khalifa, center behind a brown box, who wants to climb Everest, arrives at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Monday…Nishant S. Gurung/ Agence France-Presse – Getty Images
KATHMANDU, Nepal – A bizarre vaccination drama is unfolding at the Nepalese capital’s international airport. Here, a member of the Bahraini royal family arrives from China with thousands of doses of coronavirus vaccine for the Everest expedition.
Before leaving, a group of Bahraini mountaineers led by Sheikh Mohamed Hamad Mohamed Al Khalifa announced that they would bring 2,000 doses of Covid-19, which the Nepalese government says is an AstraZeneca vaccine.
It was to fulfill a promise the climbers had made to the locals during another expedition last September – a promise of generosity that led the villagers to name the local mountain Bahrain Peak.
But when the mountaineers arrived in the capital Kathmandu on Monday, an investigation by Nepal’s medicines authority found that the vaccines they were carrying had indeed been developed by Sinopharm, a state-owned Chinese vaccine producer.
The Nepalese authorities are now in a quandary over whether to accept or refuse a dose of vaccine.
The cans are stored in a cold room at the airport and the climbers have been quarantined in a hotel while authorities figure out how to handle the situation.
Nepal is relying heavily on AstraZeneca’s vaccine to implement this slow-moving program. With a donation of 1 million doses from India, Nepal vaccinated about 1.7 million people in a country of about 30 million.
His efforts were delayed by a delay in the delivery of two million doses of the vaccine he had purchased from the Serum Institute of India.
Although Nepal approved the emergency use of Sinopharm’s vaccine after China promised to provide 500,000 doses, it has not received any Chinese donations.
In September, Bahraini mountaineers arrived in Nepal by chartered plane to climb two mountains, Mount Manaslu and Lobuche Peak. The doses of vaccine they carried this week were a gift to the villagers of Samagaun, the gateway to Mount Manaslu.
The Bahraini climbing team could not be reached for comment. But Mingma Sherpa, owner of Seven Summit Treks, the agency that organized the Bahraini team’s Everest expedition, said the complications could have resulted from a lack of communication between the Foreign Ministry and Nepal’s Health Ministry.
He added that Sinopharm’s vaccine has also been used for vaccination in Bahrain.
This is a matter for the government, Sherpa said. If they deem it necessary, vaccines will be administered to people in rural areas. If they feel it is risky to vaccinate people, the team will take the vaccine back to Bahrain.
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