Omicron surge hasn't peaked nationwide, 'the next few weeks will be tough,' surgeon general says

and in the United States we are being drenched with omicron a variant. So contagious that it has caused daily cases to double in the past two weeks now, just like you would put on a better raincoat in a bad storm. We need better masks more than ever. Our best bet an N- 95 mask, you're going to wear a mask where the best masks possible. Erin Collins a self proclaimed mask nerd is a mechanical engineer with a background in aerosol science. There is significant improvement in the amount of aerosol that are going to be exposed to when everyone's wearing it in 95 you're wearing an N 95. That's why there's such a powerful tool. I think it's worth reminding people why exactly they work so well. It has to do with the actual material. There are electrostatic lee charged fibers in here. So it's not just filtering particles, it's actually attracting particles kind of like a blanket. Might attract your socks in the dryer also, it works well not just for air that's potentially coming in, but also for air that's potentially going out. Now, one key thing about the N 95 masks, because you got to make sure they actually fit really well, having these two bands around the back of your head and then making sure no air is escaping around your eyes or your cheeks or your chin. Studies have shown that cloth masks can have about 75% leakage, a surgical mask 50% but with an N 95 it can go down to as low as 1%. Even with the CDCs updated mask guidance there is still no explicit recommendation to wear an N. 95. However on thursday president joe biden announced a step in the right direction. Next week will announce how we are making high quality mask available to american people for free. If you buy your own, the average cost of an N 95 is just under $2. That's according to Project N 95 a nonprofit dedicated to educating people about high filtration masks but how to pick the right one can be bewildering. There are more than 6000 different models of NIOSH approved respirators. NIOSH being the National Institute for occupational Safety and Health, a federal agency that evaluates safety equipment like masks, it's an incredibly difficult market for consumers to um to navigate. And unfortunately in this in this circumstance that information could cost someone their life Kelly Carruthers is the Director of Government Affairs at Project 95. The problem she says is that counterfeits have infiltrated the market, you can find a list of NIOSH approved products on the C. D. C. S. Website. But here's some of the things to look for. Remember those head straps? NIOSH approved N 90 five's are always going to have head straps instead of ear loops and the mask itself will say NIOSH along with the manufacturer name and an identifying number starting with T. C. If you can tolerate an N. 95 do it if you want to get a kn 95 fine wearing any mask is better than no mask at all. But there is a gradation of capability of preventing you from getting infected and from you transmitting it to someone else. So we should be wearing the best possible mask that we can get. The KN 95. Dr Fauci just mentioned there another type of high filtration masks. But finding the right one of these can be even trickier. That's because KN 95 is a chinese standard meaning none of these are currently approved in the United States. Even worse, The CDC says about 60% of these masks are fakes. Yes. Even the ones you buy online, there's no way to tell um if a manufacturer has met those qualifications or not. It is it is very difficult for for someone to discern whether or not it's a it's a safe mask. Now that doesn't mean all can 95 are bad but it does mean you're going to have to do more homework such as checking to see if the manufacturer has a valid lab report. We need to recommend better hyper filtration masks and we need a mass standard, a general public mass standard so that we can cover all of the range of masks that people want to use. We could go back to pretty much normal quote unquote life if we all had really good respirators. Something so simple that could help us slow the pandemic dr Sanjay, Gupta CNN reporting.

Areas that were among the first to get hit hard by the omicron variant are starting to see their COVID-19 numbers level off or even improve. But that's not the case for much of the country, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said."There are parts of the country 바카라 게임 웹사이트� New York, in particular, and other parts of the Northeast 바카라 게임 웹사이트� where we are starting to see a plateau, and in some cases, an early decline in cases," Murthy told CNN on Sunday."The challenge is that the entire country is not moving at the same pace," he said. "The omicron wave started later in other parts of the country, so we shouldn't expect a national peak in the next coming days. The next few weeks will be tough."An average of more than 750,000 new COVID-19 infections were reported every day over the past week, according to Johns Hopkins University data.That means Americans at work, school and elsewhere face a heightened risk of exposure that is unparalleled during the pandemic.Tracking the omicron surge Can you reuse N95 and KN95 masks safely? Experts weigh in COVID-19 deaths and cases are rising again at nursing homes Tennis star Novak Djokovic leaves Australia after court rejects visa challenge How to treat COVID-19 at home, according to a doctor The CDC officially updated its mask guidance The number of Americans dying every day from COVID-19 has increased in recent days, with 1,796 COVID-19 deaths reported Sunday, according to JHU data.And 156,000 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Sunday, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.The crush of COVID-19 patients means some hospitals are running out of space to treat other patients in intensive care units."I expect those numbers to get substantially higher," Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, told Fox 온라인 바카라 게임 on Sunday."The problem is we are running out of health care workforce, we don't have the staffing. So that is going to be a challenge for many weeks ahead."Trying to keep schools open with more safetyAs the U.S. battles the most contagious strain of novel coronavirus yet, some school districts are struggling to keep classrooms open, while others have added more safety measures to avoid a return to remote learning.Chicago Public Schools resumed in-person teaching last week after pledging to increase COVID-19 testing as well as provide higher-quality KN95 masks.Health experts say Americans have more tools to help school stay open now than at any other point in the pandemic.One of those tools is face masks. In Virginia, at least two school districts will keep requiring masks in schools despite the state's newly elected governor signing an executive order saying parents should decide whether their children wear masks at school.Beware of COVID-19 testing scams, state officials warnStarting Wednesday, Americans will be able to order free COVID-19 tests through a federal website 바카라 게임 웹사이트� covidtests.gov.One billion tests will be available, and each household will be limited to four tests initially.Murthy said 50 million tests have been sent to community health centers around the country. And people with private insurance can now get up to eight tests per person per month.Yet the current lack of testing availability in some areas has led to scammers taking advantage of those in need.Attorneys general in Oregon, New Mexico and Illinois warned consumers of "pop-up" COVID-19 testing sites that might give false results or skim personal information.People should be "cautious about pop-up testing sites that charge out-of-pocket fees, do not display logos, do not disclose the laboratory performing the test, are not affiliated with a known organization, or that ask for sensitive information, like social security numbers, that is not necessary for insurance," Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said.Researcher: 'Ending isolation at day 5 should include a negative rapid antigen test'Current guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people infected with COVID-19 can end isolation after five days if they don't have symptoms, and that they should wear a mask around others for at least five more days.The CDC said the best approach for someone with access to a test is to use it toward the end of their five-day isolation period, the CDC said, a negative test result is not necessary to end isolation at five days.But a new study on the infectiousness of the omicron variant found that many people were still assumed to be contagious five days after their infections were initially detected 바카라 게임 웹사이트� suggesting a more cautious approach may be needed.Researchers looked at 10,324 COVID-19 test results from 537 NBA players and others affiliated with the league, finding 97 confirmed and suspected omicron cases.Among 27 people who tested positive one or fewer days after a previous negative test, 52% were still assumed infectious five days after their infection was detected, the study found.And among 70 people who tested positive two or more days after a previous negative test, 39% were still assumed infectious five days after their infection was detected."Ending isolation at day 5 should include a negative rapid antigen test," said one of the study's researchers, Nathan Grubaugh with the Yale School of Public Health. "Otherwise isolation needs to be extended."

"There are parts of the country 바카라 게임 웹사이트� New York, in particular, and other parts of the Northeast 바카라 게임 웹사이트� where we are starting to see a plateau, and in some cases, an early decline in cases," Murthy told CNN on Sunday.

"The challenge is that the entire country is not moving at the same pace," he said. "The omicron wave started later in other parts of the country, so we shouldn't expect a national peak in the next coming days. The next few weeks will be tough."

An average of more than 750,000 new COVID-19 infections were reported every day over the past week, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

That means Americans at work, school and elsewhere face a heightened risk of exposure that is unparalleled during the pandemic.

Tracking the omicron surge

The number of Americans dying every day from COVID-19 has increased in recent days, with 1,796 COVID-19 deaths reported Sunday, according to JHU data.

And 156,000 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Sunday, from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The crush of COVID-19 patients means some hospitals are running out of space to treat other patients in intensive care units.

"I expect those numbers to get substantially higher," Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, told Fox 온라인 바카라 게임 on Sunday.

"The problem is we are running out of health care workforce, we don't have the staffing. So that is going to be a challenge for many weeks ahead."

Trying to keep schools open with more safety

As the U.S. battles the most contagious strain of novel coronavirus yet, some school districts are struggling to keep classrooms open, while others have added more safety measures to avoid a return to remote learning.

Chicago Public Schools resumed in-person teaching last week after pledging to increase COVID-19 testing as well as provide higher-quality KN95 masks.

Health experts say Americans have more tools to help school stay open now than at any other point in the pandemic.

One of those tools is face masks. In Virginia, at least two school districts will keep requiring masks in schools despite the state's newly elected governor signing an executive order saying parents should decide whether their children wear masks at school.

Beware of COVID-19 testing scams, state officials warn

Starting Wednesday, Americans will be able to order free COVID-19 tests through a federal website 바카라 게임 웹사이트� .

One billion tests will be available, and each household will be limited to four tests initially.

Murthy said 50 million tests have been sent to community health centers around the country. And people with private insurance can now get up to eight tests per person per month.

Yet the current lack of testing availability in some areas has led to scammers taking advantage of those in need.

Attorneys general in Oregon, New Mexico and Illinois warned consumers of "pop-up" COVID-19 testing sites that might give false results or skim personal information.

People should be "cautious about pop-up testing sites that charge out-of-pocket fees, do not display logos, do not disclose the laboratory performing the test, are not affiliated with a known organization, or that ask for sensitive information, like social security numbers, that is not necessary for insurance," said.

Researcher: 'Ending isolation at day 5 should include a negative rapid antigen test'

Current guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people infected with COVID-19 can end isolation after five days if they don't have symptoms, and that they should wear a mask around others for at least five more days.

The CDC said toward the end of their five-day isolation period, the CDC said, a negative test result is not necessary to end isolation at five days.

But a on the infectiousness of the omicron variant found that many people were still assumed to be contagious five days after their infections were initially detected 바카라 게임 웹사이트� suggesting a more cautious approach may be needed.

Researchers looked at 10,324 COVID-19 test results from 537 NBA players and others affiliated with the league, finding 97 confirmed and suspected omicron cases.

Among 27 people who tested positive one or fewer days after a previous negative test, 52% were still assumed infectious five days after their infection was detected, the study found.

And among 70 people who tested positive two or more days after a previous negative test, 39% were still assumed infectious five days after their infection was detected.

"Ending isolation at day 5 should include a negative rapid antigen test," said one of the study's researchers, Nathan Grubaugh with the . "Otherwise isolation needs to be extended."

Omicron surge hasn't peaked nationwide, 'the next few weeks will be tough,' surgeon general says

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Tracking the omicron surge

Trying to keep schools open with more safety

Beware of COVID-19 testing scams, state officials warn

Researcher: 'Ending isolation at day 5 should include a negative rapid antigen test'

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