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West Virginia, Leads the US in COVID Vaccinations

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ, as of Tuesday, 233,555 vaccine doses have been administered in New Jersey . Of those doses, more than 212,000 were the first dose, while more than 21,000 people had received their second dose of the vaccine. The dashboard will be updated daily with the latest numbers reported as of 9:30 a.m.

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CDC updates its COVID-19 quarantine guidance allowing individuals to shorten their 14-day quarantine period

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, according to the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in December 2020, the US CDC updated its COVID-19 quarantine guidance to offer several options that allow individuals to shorten their 14-day quarantine period following a known exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Specifically, individuals who are unable to quarantine for the full 14 days can end their quarantine after 10 days if they exhibit no symptoms or after 7 days if they test negative on Day 5 or later. The CDC’s MMWR published 2 recent studies that provide analysis of the transmission risk associated with shorter quarantine periods.

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CDC emphasizes that individuals who were previously infected and recovered should still get vaccinated 

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ , according to the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security ,since the onset of the pandemic, health experts and officials have studied the role of immunity conferred by natural infection. While reports of are relatively rare, the potential for reinfection does exist. In light of this risk, the US CDC emphasizes that individuals who were previously infected and recovered should still get vaccinated due to the “severe health risks” and uncertainty regarding the duration of natural immunity. Additionally, the degree of natural immunity “varies from person to person.” The duration of the immunity conferred by vaccination remains uncertain as well, but research is still ongoing via clinical trials. Depending on the duration of immunity following vaccination, it may be necessary for individuals to receive regular boosters to provide longer-term protection.

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Johnson & Johnson’s One-shot Covid Vaccine is Safe and Generates Promising Immune Response in Early Trials

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

New Brunswick NJ, Interim Phase 1/2a data were published today in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrating that the Company’s single-dose investigational COVID-19 vaccine candidate (JNJ-78436735) – being developed by the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson – provided an immune response that lasted for at least 71 days, the duration of time measured in this study in participants aged 18-55 years. A preview of part of these interim data was posted on medRxiv in September 2020.

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CDC: Improving ventilation (air flow) can help prevent COVID virus particles from accumulating in the air in your home

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Staying home with only members of your household is the best way to keep SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) particles out of your home. However, if a visitor needs to be in your home, the CDC says improving ventilation (air flow) can help prevent virus particles from accumulating in the air in your home. Good ventilation, along with other preventive actions, like staying 6 feet apart and wearing masks, can help prevent you from getting and spreading COVID-19.

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Individuals with Diabetes Face Significantly Higher Risks of Dying from COVID-19

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, according to Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security ,a study published in The Lancet: Diabetes & Endocrinology evaluated the risk of COVID-19 disease and death among patients with diabetes. The researchers collected data on the entire population of Scotland, and focused on the country’s “first wave” of COVID-19 (March-July 2020). The researchers compared the cumulative COVID-19 mortality and the incidence of COVID-19 cases that required critical care among individuals with and without diabetes. The combined odds of requiring critical care or dying from COVID-19 (in or outside of a hospital) was significantly higher among individuals with diabetes (aOR=1.4). The odds of requiring critical care or dying was even higher for patients with Type 1 diabetes (aOR=2.4). Diabetes has been previously identified as a preexisting condition associated with elevated risk of severe COVID-19 disease and death, and this study provides further quantitative data to support that association.

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More Evidence Lockdowns are Ineffective at best and Counterproductive at Worst

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, according to a recent column by Stephen Moore ,California the state with the strictest lockdowns over the last two months has the biggest outbreak of the virus.  New Jersey could learn  a lot from this data .

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New Study Questions Murphy Administration Lockdown Policy

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ, An extensive scientific study of close to 10 million people in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus first emerged, yielded encouraging news about the spread of the virus and undermined the case for preventative lockdowns. The study included scientific institutions in the U.K. and Australia, as well as China.

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AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine Gets Emergency Approval in the UK

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

London UK, AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for emergency supply in the UK, with the first doses being released today so that vaccinations may begin early in the New Year. The approval was hailed by  Prime Minister Boris Johnson as “a triumph for British science.”

The shot is expected to be rolled out next week and would be added to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine which has so far been given to 600,000 people in the U.K., according to government statistics.

The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has provided authorisation for emergency supply of COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca, formerly AZD1222, for the active immunisation of individuals 18 years or older. The authorisation recommends  two doses administered with an interval of between four and 12 weeks. This regimen was shown in clinical trials to be safe and effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19, with no severe cases and no hospitalisations more than 14 days after the second dose.

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Illegal COVID Parties , Speakeasies and Raves are Defying Lockdowns and Curfews

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Newark NJ, it’s starting to sound like the roaring 20’s with “speakeasies” popping up all over the place.  In Newark two women who served alcohol to over 200 people at an illegal “makeshift bar” in New Jersey were arrested over the weekend. According to Newark’s Department of Public Safety , a 26-year-old Denisse Tinizaray and 28-year-old Katherine Tinizaray were unable to provide paperwork that proved they had a license to sell alcohol at a warehouse on Libella Court where people ate, drank and gambled illegally.

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CVS, and Walgreens begin on-site COVID-19 vaccinations of residents and staff of long-term care facilities

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Old Bridge NJ,  Governor Phil Murphy, joined by New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli and CVS Health Regional Director Kat Kingston, today visited Roosevelt Care Center in Old Bridge to mark the launch of New Jersey’s vaccination effort of residents and staff of long-term care facilities. The vaccinations are being administered pursuant to the Federal Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program, a partnership between the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), CVS, and Walgreens to facilitate on-site COVID-19 vaccination services. Through the Federal Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program, New Jersey already has 291 long-term care facilities scheduled and over 83,000 residents and staff slated to receive vaccinations through the beginning of February 2021, with more sites to be added in the coming weeks.

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Suicide is Now the 2nd leading cause of death of 10-14 year old’s in the United States

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Did you know suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death of 10-14 year old’s in the US? Often normal healthy and happy kids who are unprepared for social isolation. Suicide among children during Covid-19 pandemic is an alarming social issue. A perfect storm of routine disruption, social isolation, increased gaming, and a pressure stack of activity cancellations,  created by the government’s mandated stay-at-home orders in the wake of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

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A New COVID Variant Featuring Increased Transmissibility Strikes the UK

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, according to  Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security a new SARS-CoV-2 variant has come to prominence in the UK, and there are concerns that it has increased transmissibility compared to other variants. The new variant was originally labeled as VUI-202012/01—variant under investigation; the first VUI in December 2020— and subsequently updated to VOC-202012/01—variant of concern. Other analysis labels the variant B.1.1.7. The variant is characterized by at least 17 specific mutations, including 8 for the spike protein, which attaches to the ACE2 receptor and allows the virus to enter cells. Preliminary research indicates that the change could make the virus more transmissible. UK researchers identified the mutations in specimens from as far back as September based on analysis of genetic sequencing data, and the variant “circulated at very low levels…until mid-November.” UK health officials began investigating the new variant in November, after increasing social distancing restrictions were not having the intended effect in Kent County in southeast England. Health officials subsequently identified widespread community transmission of the variant in nearby London and Essex County.

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How the COVID pandemic is impacting bankruptcies

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The Long-Term Financial Effects of COVID 19

COVID-19 is something the world has hardly seen before in the lifetime of the current living populace. No matter what age or gender COVID-19 touches everyone. Isolation, social distancing, face shields, and masks the new global fashion statement quickly became the norm across America in late February 2020. This pandemic’s escalation put almost all Americans on alert and questioned those who normally hailed excellent physical, emotional, spiritual, and financial well-being. 

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Delivery for Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-vaccine has Proven Challenging

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, according to Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security the complex cold chain logistics required for the Pfizer/BioNTech SARS-CoV-2 vaccine have proven challenging in certain settings in the first week of the United States’ vaccination operations. While the principal concern in planning for the distribution of this vaccine has been ensuring that the vaccine remains cold enough, incidents in Alabama and California demonstrate that allowing the vaccines to get too cold could also be a risk. Reportedly, several thousand doses of the vaccine shipped to Alabama and California were exposed to temperatures below the acceptable threshold of -112°F (-80°C) while en route to the state distribution centers. The issue was identified before the doses were unloaded from the truck, and the doses were “quarantined” while Pfizer and federal health and regulatory officials determine whether they remain viable. Pfizer shipped replacement doses to both states. These incidents highlight how challenges in implementing cold chain logistics can lead to wastage of vaccine doses, which could be particularly impactful when supply and production capacity are limited.

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