Today marks the 1-year anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring COVID-19 a pandemic; President Biden orders 100 million more Johnson & Johnson vaccines; 2020 saw a 15% increase in the US death rate.
It has been 1 year since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic. The United States still faces numbers too high to relax transmission mitigation protocols, CNN reports. As of March 11, 2021, over 29 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the United States and over 529,000 individuals have died, with thousands more dying each week. Although average hospital admissions and COVID-19 deaths have declined in the past week, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, urged Americans to remain vigilant as vaccination efforts continue across the country. Experts have also warned potential surges could be imminent as highly contagious variants of COVID-19 continue to spread.
President Joe Biden has ordered an additional 100 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine in an effort to safeguard against COVID-19 variants and prepare for possible child immunizations, according to The Washington Post. The new order, although not finalized, will bring the total amount of J&J vaccine doses purchased by the United States up to 200 million and is not expected to be fulfilled until the second half of 2021. Currently, around 260 million US adults are eligible to be vaccinated. The president also plans to share excess doses produced with other countries to help mitigate the gaps between developed nations and the rest of the world, although he does not consider the doubled J&J supply surplus.
New CDC data show the US death rate increased by 15% in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Politico reports. The increase means 2020 was the deadliest year in US history and classified COVID-19 as the third leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer, replacing “unintentional injuries.” In 2020, 3 million people in the United States died, signifying the largest increase since 1918 when the country suffered hundreds of thousands of excess deaths from World War I and a flu outbreak. In comparison, previous data show the 2019 death rate decreased by 1.2% compared with the 2018 toll. More detailed information on the spike is expected in an upcoming CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Standard Criteria for Loss of Ambulation Needed in DMD
April 19th 2024A recent study suggests the differences between ambulation definitions for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) can impact the identification of ambulant vs nonambulant individuals, and standard criteria across settings are needed.
Read More
Overcoming Employment Barriers for Lasting Social Impact: Freedom House 2.0 and Pathways to Work
April 16th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our second episode, in which we learn all about Freedom House 2.0 and the Pathways to Work program.
Listen
Early Involvement Critical in Treating Immunotherapy-Induced Overlap Syndrome
April 19th 2024A series of case studies reveals the importance of early diagnosis and involvement of special teams of clinicians when dealing with potential cases of overlap syndrome, which encompasses myocarditis, myasthenia gravis, and immune checkpoint inhibitor–related myositis.
Read More
Making Giant Strides in Maternity Health Through Baby Steps
April 9th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are kicking off a special month-long podcast series with our strategic alliance partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our first episode, which is all about the Baby Steps Maternity Program and its mission to support women throughout every step of their pregnancy journey.
Listen