Health

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that nearly 15 million people who have been eligible to take shots have dodged their second dose of the COVID19 vaccine in the US. The officials have said that more than one in 10 people have missed their second jab in the country. During mid-June, around 11 percent of people who have had enough time to get their second dose of the vaccine has neglected their perfect window of second dose vaccination. The number of people who have missed their second jab has shot up from 8 percent during the first phase of this year. The CDC spokesperson, Kate Fowlie has said that the rise in the number of people missing their second dose is not unforeseen. The second dose is given three weeks after the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine and almost four weeks after the first dose of the Moderna vaccine. A second dose is taken as a missed dose if more than 42 days are passed after the first jab, said the experts.

Health experts have said that these 15 million people have missed their second jab due to a number of reasons such as thinking that only one dose is enough for their protection. Some people have dodged their second jab, as they have been scared of the unpleasant side effects of the second dose. On the other hand, some people simply dodge their appointment for the second dose and never reschedule it. Dr. David Broniatowski who is the associate director of George Washington University’s Data Democracy and Politics has said that some people assume that as they have tested positive for COVID19 in the past, so they do not require the second dose and one dose of the shot is enough to protect them from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Broniatowski has said that it is important to study why people are missing their second dose. The authorities need to change their public messaging to address people’s concerns and inhibition.

Health officials have said that during the early stage of the pandemic, experts have been studying whether one dose of the shot will be enough to provide some immunity to people. They have thought that some protection from the virus is far better than none. However, it has led to a certain kind of confusion among people on whether two doses of the shot are required or not. Dr. Broniatowski has said that such kinds of theories get people thinking about other concerns and barriers linked to the second dose of the shot. Many health experts have warned people that no matter how busy people are and how badly they want to avoid feeling sick after vaccination, two doses of immunization is very crucial as the more concerning Delta variant is spreading across the United States. Health and Social care secretary Matt Hancock from the UK has said that it has been established how vital the second dose is in offering robust protection against COVID19 and its various strains. The CDC has said that people who suffer severe allergic reactions after the first jab should not take the second jab; otherwise, everyone should complete their two-dose vaccine regime. There is no enough data on how effective the second dose if it is taken after 42 days of the first dose.

A review of all available government data has found that people who have not been vaccinated against COVID19 account for almost all COVID deaths happening in the US at present. Experts have claimed that it shows that the number of daily deaths, which has come down to under 300, would have gone down to zero if all those people who are eligible for vaccination would have taken the shot. The report has shown that breakthrough COVID19 cases in fully vaccinated people contribute to less than 1200 out of more than 853000 hospitalizations. Only 150 fully vaccinated people have lost their lives out of more than 18000 COVID19 deaths in the month of May. It renders to nearly 0.8 percent or five deaths each day on average. The analysis has used the data that have been provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, the CDC has not been able to track what percentage of hospitalizations and deaths have occurred in people who have been vaccinated with full two doses of the vaccine. The officials have said that they have very limited data as only 45 states report breakthrough cases in fully immunized people. In the first week of June, a former advisor to the Biden administration, Andy Slavitt has said that nearly 98 to 99 percent of people in the US who are losing their lives due to COVID19 have not been vaccinated.

The director of the CDC, Rochelle Walensky has said that COVID19 shots are so efficient that they can prevent nearly every death that is happening among adults. She has said that such deaths due to COVID19 that are taking place in the US due to slow vaccine coverage are quite tragic. The CDC has recently reported that around 63 percent of people in the age group of 12 years and above in the US have been given at least one dose of the vaccine. Nearly 53 percent of them have been vaccinated with full two doses, said the experts. Many experts have reported in the past that as compared to the rest of the world, the US has an abundance of shots but the demand for vaccines has reduced drastically in the recent months. Millions of doses of the vaccines are sitting on the shelf and waiting for the takers. Health experts predict that these preventable deaths will keep happening across the country. Such outbreaks will keep occurring around unvaccinated pockets in the US during fall and winter.

A professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington, Ali Mokdad has said that models show that the US will witness around 1000 deaths per day next year as well. As per the latest data, with only 33 percent fully vaccinated people in Arkansas, the state is currently witnessing a rise in COVID19 deaths and hospitalization. In King County of Seattle, only three fully vaccinated people have lost their lives in the last month. Around 95 percent of people of 62 deaths have either not been vaccinated or have had just one dose of the shot. Health experts have informed that around 90 percent of COVID19 patients who have been hospitalized have not been immunized. Dr. David Michaels, who is an epidemiologist at George Washington University’s School of Public Health, has said that stories of unvaccinated people losing their lives due to COVID19 might convince people to take the shot. People who are not very keen to take the vaccine might be motivated to take the shot in order to protect their loved ones. Many people require paid time off to get the shot and nurse if there is any side effect. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has directed hospitals and nursing homes to provide such time off to their staff.

The Department of Public Health in California has started the rollout of digital vaccine verification. Though it is not a vaccine passport, it is quite close to it. The State’s Department of Public Health has launched a website that will allow users to obtain digital copies of their COVID19 vaccination records if they fill up their identity credentials. The website is called Digital COVID19 Vaccine Record Portal. The chief information officer of the state, Amy Tong has said that the portal will be used as a digital backup to the paper cards that people in the US receive when they are vaccinated for COVID19 from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Amy tong has said that people want to have digital copies of the vaccination records that they receive from the CDC; it is a great opportunity for them. It will help people living in California to save and view their own vaccine records whenever they want to. If people do not want to carry the paper card from the CDC, they can take a screenshot of their digital record from the website.

California Governor, Gavin Newsom has said that it is not a vaccine passport that businesses can use to differentiate people who are not immunized. The state of California has said that businesses that are scheduled to host large mass indoor gatherings such as large concerts or sports events need to verify that all participants or entrants either are in possession of negative COVID19 test reports or fully vaccinated. There is no national vaccine passport available to people as of now. However, the officials from the Biden government as well have said that there are no plans for such thing as of now. The officials from the US government have said that CDC cards will be used as a means for people to keep a record of their vaccine doses. It cannot be used to verify if a person is vaccinated or not. They have clarified the purpose of the CDC card for much of the country.

Some of the states in the US such as Texas, Florida, Arizona have passed executive orders that no businesses can ask for a CDC card to verify if a person has been immunized or not. As per the report, New York is the first state that has introduced an official app that is known as Excelsior Pass. Experts have informed that the app is linked to the state’s immunization database.  Health officials from New York have said that people who have been vaccinated can use this app to confirm their vaccination status to enter into large venues. Experts have said that the app efficiently works as a vaccine passport. On the other hand, the new portal from California works as a website, not as an app. California’s Chief technology officer, Rick Klau has said that the app from New York and the web portal from California are essentially the same. He has said that the new digital portal from California is quite similar in concept to what New York has unveiled with Excelsior Pass. Rick Klau has said that in the case of California’s digital portal it is an opportunity for people to get a digital record of their vaccination status.

McDonald’s is the latest big corporation to become a victim of a cyberattack. The fast-food giant has said that the personal information of some customers in Taiwan and South Korea was exposed after a data breach following an unauthorized activity. This is the latest incident of the global company being exposed to a cyberattack. But the burger chain said that it was quick in identifying the attack and this helped it contain ‘recent unauthorized activity on its network. Later, the company found during the investigation that only a small number of files were accessed by the cyber attackers. “Some of the files accessed had personal data of customers. The information about customers was accessed only in Taiwan and South Korea,” the company said.

The fast-food company has now said that it would make additional security measures in few other countries to avoid such incidents. McDonald’s said that it would tighten securities around files that contain information about its employees. The company also clarified that the files accessed by the attackers did not have any information related to payments. “We want to tell everyone that the no files had payment information. We are approaching regulators to notify them about the breach. We are also information customers whose data were breached,” the company said. The cyberattack on the McDonald’s comes at a time when some of the big companies have been the victim of ransomware attacks. World’s largest meat processor JBS was under cyber attack recently. The attackers had targeted the IT systems of the company following which it had to pay the equivalent of around USD 11 million to hackers.

Just a few weeks ago, hackers had targeted a major US fuel pipeline the Colonial Pipeline. Following the attack, the company’s chief executive officer Joseph Blount confirmed paying USD 4.4 million to hackers. The ransom was paid after the company had to shut its services. In both cases, hackers seized control of the systems of the company by installing illicit software. They later demanded payment to allow access to the companies. But McDonald’s said that the breach was not a ransomware attack. The company said the breach only exposed some files. Other information that was accessed is like seating capacity of restaurants, etc. The company said that it will use the findings to enhance its security measures.

A small-scale new study has shown that men who are found to have low levels of testosterone might be at a higher risk of severe COVID19 disease. Many past studies have revealed that men are at a greater risk of being diagnosed with severe COVID19 disease as compared to women. However, it has been unclear why exactly it happens. Earlier, scientists have thought that high levels of testosterone might lead men to fare worse than women who are dealing with COVID19, but the findings of the new study have nullified this theory. Experts who have been involved in the new study have collected blood samples of 90 men and 62 women who have been dealing with symptoms of COVID19 and have visited Barnes -Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Eventually, all of them have tested positive for COVID19. Around 143 out of these patients have been hospitalized. Experts have collected the blood samples of patients who have been admitted to the hospital on the third, 7th, 14th, and 28th days. In these patients, they have observed the levels of testosterone, which is a type of estrogen that is known as estradiol. Estradiol is also a growth hormone that is known as insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). In women, experts have found no association between the risk of severe COVID19 and the levels of any hormones that have been measured in the study. The levels of estrogen and IGF-1 have shown no link to the severity of the disease in men. However, the levels of testosterone have been linked to the risk of a severe form of COVID19 among men.

The authors of the new study have found that men who have been admitted to the hospital with severe COVID19 disease have been found to have an average testosterone level of 52 nanograms per deciliter. As per the experts, 250 nanograms per deciliter or less is defined as low testosterone among young adult men. The study has noted that people with mild or less severe COVID19 disease have been found to have testosterone levels of 151 nanograms per deciliter. The authors of the study have adjusted other risk factors for severe COVID19 such as age, body mass index (BMI), underlying health issues, smoking, and ethnicity. However, some of these risk factors are responsible for lower levels of testosterone, said the experts. On the third day of hospitalization, the average testosterone levels of men who have been dealing with severe disease have reduced to 19 nanograms per deciliter. Nearly 37 patients who have been hospitalized have lost their lives during the study and 25 of them have been men, said the experts. The study has pointed out that low levels of testosterone are linked to greater levels of inflammation as well in the body. The lead author of the study, Dr. Sandeep Dhindsa, who is an endocrinologist at Saint Louis University, has said that men who have not been severely ill with COVID19 but are identified with low levels of testosterone have been more likely to need intensive care or intubation over a couple of days. He has said that the low level of testosterone is an effective predictor of which patients are at a higher risk of developing a severe form of the disease or being severely ill in the next three or four days.

The team of experts has found that in men who have low levels of testosterone, certain genes that are stimulated trigger the body to use the hormone more easily. The study has not been able to find if the severe form of COVID19 causes low levels of testosterone or low levels of testosterone lead to severe COVID19 disease in the first place. The authors of the study have said that health care providers have not checked their levels of testosterone prior to COVID19 infection. They have claimed that it seems that the levels of testosterone in these patients have reduced prior to their admission to the hospital. The authors have said that it is possible that prior to their infection, these patients have been dealing with lower than average levels of testosterone that have resulted in reduced muscle mass and strength, which leads to lower lung capacity. Experts have said that lower lung capacity increases the risk of requiring a ventilator. The authors of the new study have advised that health care providers should be careful with hormone therapy treatments that can reduce the levels of testosterone and shoot up the levels of estrogen in men who have tested positive for COVID19. Experts have said that they are now going to look at the link between these hormones and cardiovascular issues in people who are diagnosed with long COVID after recovery. The findings of the new study have been published in the journal called JAMA Network Open.

After partnering with fast-food giant McDonald’s to encourage people to get vaccinated against the COVID-19, the White House has partnered with major dating apps to motivate more Americans to get inoculated. The Biden administration is teaming up with around nine largest dating websites to achieve the target of getting 70 per cent of the adult population at least one vaccine shot by July 4. Under the partnership, these popular dating apps will offer several incentives to customers who will get the vaccine shot. Some of the dating apps that are part of this partnership are Tinder, Hinge, Chispa, Badoo, and Bumble.

These dating apps will give people with proof of vaccination access to some premium features such as super likes, like boosts, and super swipes. Users on these platforms will be able to filter matches on the basis of vaccination status. Those who want can even book vaccination appointments through the apps. According to OkCupid, there are 14 per cent more chances of receiving matches if a person is vaccinated or planning to get vaccinated. The steps are being taken to spread awareness about the vaccination and getting more and more people inoculated. Earlier, the White House had set the goal of administering 100 million shots in the first 100 days of Joe Biden as president. The White House surpassed that goal.

However, the pace of coronavirus vaccination has fallen down by almost 50 per cent since then. According to the data of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the peak of vaccination was in April. Data shows that around 48 per cent population of America has received at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. It shows that around 38 per cent or around 127 million people are fully vaccinated. Joining hands with popular dating apps is the latest in its efforts to remove hesitancy against vaccination. Apart from the popular fast-food giant, the White House has also partnered with NASCAR.

A team of experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that many lives are lost around the world due to long working hours. They have said that it is happening in worsening tendency across the globe. The COVID19 pandemic might accelerate this trend even further, said the experts. The study has found that thousands of people have been dying due to long working hours each year across the world. Health experts have said that it is the first large-scale study that has been done on a global level, which has looked at the loss of life linked to long working hours. The study has found that around 745000 people have lost their lives in 2016 due to strokes and heart disease that are linked with long working hours. It is nearly a 30 percent increase in the rate of global death linked to long working hours as compared to the death toll in 2000.  The director of the Department of Environment Climate Change and Health of the WHO, Maria Neira ha said that working 55 hours or more than that per week is considered a severe health risk. She has said that with the findings of the new study, her team wants to spread awareness and promote more efforts to protect workers across the world.  The findings of the WHO study have been released in the journal Environment International.

The study has been done by the WHO in association with the International Labour Organization. Experts who have been involved in the study have said that most victims of long working hours have been men and they have been middle-aged or older. Around 72 percent of victims of long working hours have been men, said the experts. The deaths of the employees who have been working for late hours have happened much later in life. The study has found that people who are residing in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific region that comprises China, Japan, and Australia are highly affected by this trend. The study has included data from 194 countries across the world. The authors of the study have said that working for 55 hours or more is linked to a 35 percent greater risk of stroke and a 17 percent increased risk of death due to ischemic heart disease as compared to 30 to 40 hours of working per week. The study has started in 2000 and has been concluded in 2016. Therefore, the study has not included the data from the COVID19 pandemic that has hit the world in 2019. The officials from the WHO have said that an increase in remote working and economic crisis inflicted by the COVID19 pandemic might have shot up the risks.

Health experts from the World Health Organization have said that the COVID19 pandemic has accelerated the growth of some factors that can feed this worsening trend in the direction of increased working hours. As per the report from the WHO, nearly nine percent of people work for long hours around the world. Many employees from the WHO itself including the chief of the organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus have said that they have been working long hours during the COVID19 crisis. Dr. Maria Neira has said that considering the findings of the study, the UN agency should work towards improving its policy. Frank Pega, who is a technical officer in the World Health Organization, has said that authorities should consider capping working hours. It might be beneficial for workers, as it has been proven to be effective in increasing the productivity of employees. He has said that it would be a great decision to not increase working hours in times of economic crisis.

McDonald’s has found itself in the middle of a USD 10 billion lawsuit over racial discrimination. The fast-food giant has been hit with the lawsuit by two companies of Media Mogul Byron Allen. The companies accused McDonald’s of being involved in racial discrimination in its ad spending. Weather Group LLC and Entertainment Studios Networks Inc. have filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Both the companies are owned by Allen, who is Black. While Weather Group LLC owns The Weather Channel and Entertainment Studios Networks controls almost a dozen of television networks. The complaint alleged that McDonald’s violated federal and state law. It said that the fast-food giant intentionally discriminated against the company owned by Byron Allen.

The lawsuit said that McDonald’s refused to advertise on the platforms of both the companies ever since they were acquired by Allen in 2018. “This is when McDonald’s bought significant advertising on channels that are at the similar position but are owned by white people.” The lawsuit claimed that African Americans contribute to around 40 per cent of its sales. “Despite this, the company spends less than USD 5 million on television ad budget on Black-owned media.” Allen said that it is about the ‘inclusion of African American owned business in the economy of the United States.’

“McDonald’s taking billions from the African American consumers but giving almost nothing back. The fast-food is guilty of perpetuating disparity between White corporate American and Black America,” Allen said in a statement. The lawsuit was filed on the day the company announced that it would increase its national ad spending from 2 per cent to 5 per cent for Black-owned media by 2024. The company said that the ad spending will also be increased on Asian American, Hispanic, and LGBTQ-owned platforms. McDonald’s has not reacted to the lawsuit filed by the companies owned by Allen. The fast-food giant said that it will review the lawsuit and will then react accordingly.