Coronavirus vaccine and COVID variant updates for 03-02-2022

<p>The CDC estimates there have been 140 million Covid-19 infections in the US, that’s almost double the 74.3 million cases that have been reported as of January 31 and 43% of the country. The new number comes from antibody seroprevalence surveys, in which blood samples submitted to labs for unrelated reasons are tested for antibodies triggered by infection, not by vaccination. Wisconsin has the highest seroprevalence, with an estimated 56.1% of its population infected.&nbsp;</p><br><p>A tragic statistic from an updated modeling study in The Lancet shows that the number of children around the world affected by COVID-associated orphanhood and caregiver death is estimated to have gone up dramatically. From around 2.7 million in April 2021 to 5.2 million in October 2021. That’s the equivalent of one child orphaned every six seconds. The loss of a parent is linked to greater risk of dropping out of school, lower self-esteem, suicide, violence, sexual abuse, and developing anxiety, depression, and substance abuse problems.&nbsp;</p><br><p>In England, one less thing to argue about. Mandatory Covid vaccinations for health and social care workers will be scrapped March 15. That policy met fierce resistance from some workers, and critics warned firing those not in compliance would worsen the serious staffing crisis in health and care services. But the damage is done; many have left their jobs, and some left the field altogether.&nbsp;</p><br><p>If you want to go to Hawaii, you can say aloha unmasked and you don’t have to hula six feet apart anymore. The state is lifting its strict entry requirements March 26. Travelers won’t have to show proof of a vaccine or negative test to bypass a mandatory quarantine. And that five-day quarantine is going away, too. However, for now, Hawaii is keeping its indoor mask mandate. But it’s Hawaii…go outside.&nbsp;</p><br><p>We’ve heard there wasn’t much risk of this, but researchers now think they’ve documented the first deer-to-human transmission of COVID. The culprit was a white-tailed