Coronavirus weekly need-to-know: Religion exemptions, vaccine injury compensation & more
Each week, we offer you a roundup of our noteworthy coronavirus coverage.
More than 46.4 million people in the United States have tested positive for the coronavirus as of Saturday morning, Nov. 6, according to Johns Hopkins University. That includes more than 754,000 people who have died nationwide.
Globally, there have been more than 249.4 million confirmed cases of the highly infectious virus, with more than 5 million reported deaths.
More than 193.2 million people in the U.S. are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Nov. 4 — just over 58% of the total population, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracker shows. More than 20.6 million people have received a booster dose.
Here’s what happened between Oct. 29 to Nov. 4.
Kids ages 5-11 now can receive a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
A CDC advisory committee voted in favor of recommending the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for the age group on Nov. 2.
Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration officially authorized the shots for kids ages 5-11. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky hours later approved the agency’s recommendations, the final step before millions of kids in the age group can roll up their sleeves as early as Nov. 3.
Federal health officials based their decisions on data that shows the Pfizer vaccine safely helps kids produce robust immune responses against the coronavirus.
Here’s what to know about COVID-19 vaccination in kids ages 5-11.
When does COVID-19 vaccine mandate start — and who pays for tests?
Federal officials released the rules governing an employer vaccine and testing requirement on Nov. 4 — nearly two months after President Joe Biden first announced the mandate as part of his six-part plan to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Senior officials with the Biden Administration said the rule will impact more than 84 million workers across the U.S. The rule was issued in a nearly 500-page document as an emergency temporary standard (ETS) by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA.
Here are some of the big takeaways.
Yes, you can get compensated for injuries from COVID-19 vaccines
If you or someone you know dies or gets injured from any of the three COVID-19 vaccines — which medical experts say is rare — legal compensation is available.
But the process is different and generally more limited compared to other vaccines.
Here’s everything to know about the COVID-19 vaccine injury compensation process, which involves the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program — not the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.
Religious exemptions to COVID-19 vaccine: what counts, what doesn’t
Amid the release of President Biden’s vaccine and testing requirement for companies with more than 100 employees — which goes into effect on Jan. 4 — interest in religious exemptions spiked.
It’s not the first time the country has experienced an uptick in religious exemptions amid a viral outbreak. In 2018, health officials in South Carolina saw more parents claiming religious exemptions to avoid vaccinating their children against measles, which was making an unexpected comeback in the U.S.
Here’s what federal authorities and legal experts say about how religious exemptions relate to COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
COVID-19 vaccines protect you better than previous infection
A new study of more than 7,000 patients hospitalized with coronavirus-like symptoms found that unvaccinated people who recently had COVID-19 were five times more likely to test positive for COVID-19 than those who were fully vaccinated without a prior infection.
The CDC research suggests vaccination — not previous infection — is the best protection against COVID-19, offering “higher, more robust and more consistent level of immunity” for at least six months.
Adults included in the study were hospitalized with COVID-19-like illness between January and September across 187 hospitals in nine states. Patients’ previous infection or vaccination with either the Pfizer or Moderna shots occurred anywhere between three to six months before the study began.
New Jersey hospital among first to mandate COVID-19 boosters for those who got J&J
As many businesses across the U.S. mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for their employees, will COVID-19 booster shots soon be required as well for some workers? At least in a hospital in Newark, New Jersey, that is now the case for certain employees.
University Hospital in Newark is believed to be the first in the state to implement a COVID-19 vaccine booster mandate for employees who got the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot, according to a hospital representative.
Workers at University Hospital — the only public acute care facility in New Jersey — who received the Johnson & Johnson jab have until Dec. 24 to receive a booster.
Study finds early COVID-19 isolation was positive for many
Isolation during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been a struggle for many people, but new research shows some people flourished when alone during an early round of lockdowns.
A study of more than 2,000 teens and adults in the U.K. found that for the most part, everyone had both positive and negative experiences during the country’s first national lockdown because of COVID-19.
But researchers learned people found their solitude to have more positive than negative effects on their well-being — particularly older adults who more frequently reported feeling peaceful and less socially alienated than teens.
Here’s what the survey found.
Poll: Americans grow more optimistic about pandemic as COVID-19 cases fall
American optimism about the COVID-19 pandemic has rebounded in the United States as new cases continue to drop, a poll found.
The Gallup poll released Nov. 3 found a majority of Americans view the “coronavirus situation” as improving for the first time since June — and that fewer Americans are concerned about contracting the virus.
But the vast majority of respondents said they believe pandemic-related disruptions will last through 2022 or longer.
Fake Moderna website offered to sell COVID-19 vaccines to undercover agent
A website mimicking Moderna’s official site claimed to have doses of the coronavirus vaccine for sale before they were widely available, according to federal court filings.
Now a 25-year-old man from Maryland is pleading guilty to fraud charges. Odunayo “Baba” Oluwalade, of Windsor Mill, is one of at least three men accused of orchestrating the scheme, the government said in court documents.
The alleged co-conspirators include Oluwalade’s cousin and another man, Kelly Lamont Williams, whose bank account they reportedly used to receive payments for the vaccine doses.
Nurse willing to lose ‘everything’ refuses COVID-19 shot, escorted from her job in CA
A nurse who said she was willing to lose “everything” after refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19 filmed herself being escorted from her job in California.
She said Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center denied her request for a religious exemption to the vaccine mandate, and didn’t provide reason why, based on what she called her “sincerely held religious beliefs.” She then said she was put on unpaid administrative leave.
“I’m willing to lose my safety, security, my house, everything for freedom,” the nurse is heard saying in the video.
This story was originally published November 5, 2021 at 7:25 AM.
