Hospitals in New Orleans near capacity from a surge in coronavirus cases are bracing for Hurricane Ida, which is expected to hit Louisiana on Sunday.
The big picture: New Orleans is currently experiencing a severe virus outbreak, according to city data. About 68% of all hospital beds and 84% of all ICU beds in Louisiana are filled as Ida is approaching, Business Insider reports.
Those infected with the Delta variant are twice as likely to be hospitalized as people with the Alpha strain, according to a study published in The Lancet on Friday.
By the numbers: The study evaluated more than 43,300 coronavirus cases that took place from March 29 to May 23, with approximately 74% of individuals who were unvaccinated.
Younger Latinosare much more likely than their non-Hispanic counterparts to provide financial support to family members during the pandemic, despite barely having savings or emergency funds of their own, per an Ipsos/Bank of America poll.
Why it matters: People of color have borne the brunt of the pandemic’s economic fallout, and Latinos also have a higher ratio of COVID-19 infection and death than other groups when compared with white non-Hispanics, per CDC data.
The NBA said Friday that all personnel who will be in close proximity to players and referees must be fully vaccinated, according to a company memo shared with Axios.
State of play: This includes anyone who travels with teams, those who are around the bench areas and those who have access to the locker rooms. Team staff must be vaccinated by Oct. 1.
Liberty University announced a campus-wide temporary "mitigation period" on Thursday due to a recent surge in COVID-19 cases at the school.
Why it matters: The move illustrates the challenges ahead for universities returning to full, in-person classes without vaccine mandates or other virus-related precautions in place.
COVID's origin is still inconclusive, according to an unclassified intelligence report publicly released Friday.
Driving the news: Chinese officials had no knowledge of the virus prior to its initial outbreak, according to the report, though it doesn't rule out the lab leak or animal transmission theories. The intelligence community "remains divided."
The Biden administration plans to issue a statement clarifying there is no change to their planned timeline for recommending boosters after people finish their primary immunization, despite comments from the president this afternoon.
What they're saying: "We are going to start the booster program in mid-September. There's no change in our timeline," a press release says, according to a senior Biden administration official. The move is also pending authorization by the FDA and the CDC's advisory panel known as ACIP, a senior Biden administration official told Axios.
The U.S. has set up a coronavirus vaccination site for Afghans arriving at the Dulles International Airport in Virginia, a White House official told Axios.
State of play: Upon arrival, all Afghan evacuees are first tested for the virus and vaccines are then offered to those who test negative. The Federal Emergency Management Agency set up the vaccination site at the Dulles Expo center, and the vaccines are being administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, the White House official said.
It’s not just the hospitals feeling pressure from the Delta wave — this time around, local ambulance companies are overwhelmed, too.
Why it matters: Across the U.S., wait times for EMS have skyrocketed.
The problem is two-fold: The number of patients seeking emergency rebounded quickly from a pandemic lull.
At the same time, hospitals are getting overwhelmed in some places. In some rural areas, EMS trucks have to sometimes drive hundreds of miles to respond to calls, even crossing state lines to pick up patients — only to arrive at hospitals with no available beds.
Demand has soared in recent weeks for monoclonal antibodies to treat COVID-19 infections.
Why it matters: Monoclonal antibodies — the treatment then-President Trump received when he got COVID — had a slow initial uptake, but are now gaining ground in the pandemic's fourth wave.
