COVID-19 cases continue to decline in the United States, including a substantial drop in children, as mask mandates continue to make news.
In Eastern Europe, however, the Omicron variant continues to cause challenges, especially in regions with low vaccine uptake.
US markers continue decline
Nearly 300,000 pediatric COVID-19 cases were reported last week, down sharply from a peak of 1,150,000 the week ending Jan 20, the American Academy of Pediatrics said in its latest weekly update. However, it added that cases in children remain extremely high and are still above the peak of the Delta surge.
Other US COVID indicators are also declining, including the 7-day average, which yesterday was 154,912 according to the New York Times tracker, down from 178,668 2 days earlier. The 7-day average for deaths also declined, but it is still above the peak of deaths during the Delta surge.
As state and city officials continue to assess their COVID measures against the backdrop of declining cases, California health officials yesterday announced that they will keep the mask mandate for schools at least until the end of the month. And Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser said yesterday that, as of Mar 1, masks will no longer be required in restaurants, bars, gyms, grocery stores, and pharmacies.
In other US developments, New York City yesterday announced the firing of more than 1,430 workers who didn't comply with the vaccine requirement for city employees.
In new poll findings, 22% of health workers said they have considered leaving the industry, up from 15% last summer. And a survey of people 50 and older found that the pandemic disrupted planned health visits for 30% of older adults who had appointments.
Omicron surges in Eastern Europe
Eastern European countries are now in the thick of Omicron surges, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) European regional office said today. Hans Henri Kluge, MD, MPH, said cases have more than doubled over the past 2 weeks in six countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Russia, and Ukraine.
He raised concerns about low vaccination levels in the region, with only 40% of adults over age 60 fully vaccinated in some eastern European countries, with coverage in healthcare workers under 40% in some of the region's nations.
With Delta still also circulating widely in Eastern Europe, he warned that now is not the time to drop COVID-19 measures.
Meanwhile, in other global developments:
- Indonesia reported record cases today, with 57,049 new positives reported, according to Reuters.
- Sweden has approved a plan to offer fourth COVID-19 vaccine doses to people ages 80 and older.
- The global total today rose to 414,703,641 cases, and 5,832,961 people have died from their the Johns Hopkins online dashboard.
