Coronavirus weekly need-to-know: Vaccine priority, quarantine updates & more

Katie Camero

Each week, McClatchy News offers you a round-up of our noteworthy coronavirus coverage from across the nation.

More than 14 million people in the United States have tested positive for the coronavirus as of Friday, Dec. 4, according to Johns Hopkins University. That includes more than 276,000 people who have died nationwide.

Globally, there are more than 65.3 million confirmed cases of the highly infectious virus, with more than 1.5 million reported deaths.

Here’s what happened between Nov. 27 and Dec. 3.

People who get vaccinated will get a record card

Along with needles, syringes and alcohol prep pads, COVID-19 vaccine ancillary supply kits will include “vaccination record cards” for providers to give to every person who gets the shot.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also calls them “second-dose reminders.” That’s because both of the COVID-19 vaccines in line for government approval this month will require two doses separated by about a month.

Read on to learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine cards and why health officials think they’re important.

Everyone who gets a COVID vaccination will get a record card. Here’s what to know

Who will get the COVID-19 vaccine first?

A CDC panel advised Tuesday that health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities should be first in line to get the coronavirus vaccine when one is approved by government health officials.

Both groups of individuals are considered at high risk of infection because of their exposure levels to potentially sick people or materials.

Here’s what we know so far about the COVID-19 vaccine and the plans for its distribution.

Who’s first in line to get the COVID-19 vaccine? CDC reveals priority list

CDC updates recommended quarantine period

The CDC announced during a Wednesday media briefing that it continues to recommend a quarantine period of 14 days after exposure to someone with COVID-19 to reduce the spread of the disease.

After analyzing new research and “extensive modeling,” however, the agency is recommending two other “acceptable alternatives” in an effort to make preventive measures more accessible for the working public and lessen burdens on health care systems.

Continue reading to learn what the agency recommends and why.

How long do you have to quarantine after COVID-19 exposure? CDC announces new guidance

Coronavirus was likely spreading in US in December 2019

Data from a new government study found that the coronavirus may have been silently spreading in America as early as December 2019 after researchers analyzed over 7,000 blood donation samples.

About 100 samples contained coronavirus antibodies, dethroning the long-held idea that the first reported COVID-19 case in the U.S. appeared Jan. 19.

Take a deeper dive into the study and what experts say about it.

COVID-19 was silently spreading across US as early as December 2019, CDC study says

When will kids get a coronavirus vaccine?

Health experts have said that adults in the general public likely won’t get vaccinated until spring, and kids might have to wait even longer — possibly until the end of 2021.

That’s because kids weren’t involved in COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials until two months ago, when pharmaceutical company Pfizer and its partner BioNTech recruited 12- to 17-year-olds.

Continue reading to learn about other reasons behind delayed vaccination for children.

When will kids get a COVID-19 vaccine? Experts say it may be long after adults

Watch out for fake COVID-19 vaccines, feds warn

As a COVID-19 vaccine nears, criminal organizations big and small will be looking to take advantage by peddling fake and potentially dangerous vaccines of their own, federal authorities warn.

Scammers have been selling fake cures, treatments and protective equipment since the coronavirus pandemic began eight months ago, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement is “preparing for a surge in anticipated fraud” as drug companies approach approval from the Federal Drug Administration and prepare to distribute their vaccines.

Here’s what federal authorities advise and their plans to combat fraud.

Watch out for fake COVID-19 vaccines as drug companies near FDA approval, feds warn

COVID-19 infections in US likely 8 times higher

The number of coronavirus infections in the U.S. could be nearly eight times higher than current reported cases, according to a new model by the CDC.

Between Feb. 27 and Sept. 30, there were nearly 6.9 million laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infections, but when researchers adjusted for potential false-negative test results, incomplete reporting of cases, and asymptomatic or mildly ill individuals who never got tested, they learned there may have actually been about 52.9 million infections.

Here’s what that could mean.

COVID-19 infections in US likely 8 times higher than reported, CDC says. Here’s why

Ambulance services at ‘breaking point’ amid COVID surges

Ambulance services in the U.S. have been pushed to a “breaking point” as the country stares down another surge in coronavirus cases, advocates warn. Without additional funding, they fear the industry is on the brink of collapse.

In a letter dated Nov. 25 addressed to the Department of Health and Human Services and obtained by McClatchy News, the American Ambulance Association attributed the current strain on the system to an uptick in calls for ambulances coupled with a lack of federal funding and Medicare reimbursements during the pandemic.

Read on to learn what the association says it needs to handle the surge.

Ambulance services at ‘breaking point’ as coronavirus surges, advocacy group warns

Do mask mandates hurt the economy?

New research on preventive measures for COVID-19 found that mask mandates across the U.S. are not only effective at preventing new coronavirus infections, but they also “persistently” promote economic activity.

But there’s a catch.

Only statewide mandates between April and September spurred the economy while also reducing COVID-19 case growth, whereas county-level mandates in the same time period accomplished the opposite when it came to spending.

Check out why that’s the case.

Mask mandates can actually spur the economy – depending on who enforces it, study says

In other coronavirus coverage outside of McClatchy...

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