5 Major Coronavirus Developments — Students Traveling and Thanksgiving to Spark Dangerous Surge
GoLocalProv News Team
5 Major Coronavirus Developments — Students Traveling and Thanksgiving to Spark Dangerous Surge
It is hard to imagine that Rhode Island — who realized nearly 900 new cases a day for the past week — could be hit harder, but the lack of restrictions, college students traveling home, and Thanksgiving are likely to combine drive significantly more infection.
Governor Gina Raimondo announced on Thursday limited closures — but those do not start for 10 ten days.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTBetween now and then is one of the busiest travel times and while the CDC has urged Americans not to travel for the holiday, that warning may be too late for some families.
Dr. Michael Fine, the former RI Director of Health, warns that the restrictions are “too little and too late" -- see his comments above.
WATCH Dr. Fine daily on GoLocal LIVE each weekday at 12:30 PM
Many of America's colleges -- and most in Rhode Island -- have closed for the Thanksgiving break starting this weekend.
According to AAA Travel, effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including health concerns and high unemployment, are impacting Americans’ decisions to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday.
With health and government officials stressing that staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from getting sick, AAA anticipates at least a 10% drop in travel – the largest one-year decrease since the Great Recession in 2008.
In Rhode Island and Massachusetts — AAA Northeast projects approximately a 10% decrease from 2019 in the number of people leaving home for Thanksgiving.
The combination of millions of college students traveling coupled with mixed generation family gathering could take the record number of cases to an entirely new level.
SEE 5 Major Coronavirus Developments Below
5 Major Coronavirus Developments — Students Traveling and Thanksgiving to Spark Dangerous Surge
Warning for RI
Covid ActNow -- the research group led by Harvard, Stamford and Georgetown -- gives a stern warning about RI's rate of growth.
"Over the last week, Rhode Island has averaged 884 new confirmed cases per day (83.4 for every 100,000 residents). Over the next year, this translates to around 320,000 cases and an estimated 1,600,000 infections (100.0% of the population)."
National Numbers Are Daunting
80,000 hospitalized
471,000 deaths by end of March projects the University of Washington's IHME
Yesterday's Cases: 172,391 77% 14-day increase
Yesterday's Deaths: 1,923 52% 14-day increase
Pfizer Moving Fast
The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday morning that Pfizer is moving at record speed.
Pfizer said it plans to ask U.S. health regulators on Friday to permit use of its Covid-19 vaccine, a milepost in months of frantic efforts to find a medicine that could beat back a rampaging pandemic.
Once the company files, it would be up to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to decide whether the two-shot vaccine works safely enough to roll out to millions of people.
It is unclear how long the agency will take to review the vaccine, which Pfizer and partner BioNTech SE BNTX 4.96% just days earlier said was 95% effective and well-tolerated in a 44,000-subject trial.
Given the urgency, the FDA is expected to move quickly. The timing of the filing is in line with industry and government officials’ projections for authorization and distribution to begin next month. Pfizer said the filing could allow for distribution to begin by the middle to end of December.
A green light would cap the fastest vaccine development program ever in the West, going from laboratory to authorization in less than a year. Pfizer, which partnered with Germany’s BioNTech in March, has so far spent about $2 billion on the effort.
CDC Thanksgiving Guidance
Travel may increase your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19. Postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others this year.
If you are considering traveling for Thanksgiving, here are some important questions to ask yourself and your loved ones beforehand. These questions can help you decide what is best for you and your family.
Are you, someone in your household, or someone you will be visiting at increased risk for getting very sick from COVID-19?
Are cases high or increasing in your community or your destination? Check CDC’s COVID Data Tracker for the latest number of cases.
Are hospitals in your community or your destination overwhelmed with patients who have COVID-19? To find out, check state and local public health department websites.
Does your home or destination have requirements or restrictions for travelers? Check state and local requirements before you travel.
During the 14 days before your travel, have you or those you are visiting had close contact with people they don’t live with?
Do your plans include traveling by bus, train, or air which might make staying 6 feet apart difficult?
Are you traveling with people who don’t live with you?
If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” you should consider making other plans, such as hosting a virtual gathering or delaying your travel.
It’s important to talk with the people you live with and your family and friends about the risks of traveling for Thanksgiving.
Watch Dr. Michael Fine Friday at 12:30 PM on GoLocal LIVE
The former RI Director of Health gives insights into the disease and provides expert analysis.
