Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine and COVID variant information for January 7th, 2022.

Vaccine 4 1 1 - Daily News on the Covid-19 and Coronavirus Vaccines

This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for January 7th, 2022.

As with previous variants, Omicron is sidelining people we really need. More than 800 Los Angeles city police and fire personnel have been sidelined, which is adding to 911 response times. There’s also the absent health care workers and teachers. One in six of San Francisco's 3,600 teachers were out Thursday. Administrators and substitutes are stepping in but there’s not enough teachers for every classroom.

Japan has asked U.S. military members stationed there to stay on their bases. It’s not clear if a base curfew will be issued. Some officials are blaming them for the alarming rise of cases in Okinawa and Iwakuni where Americans have a large presence.

Africa's top public health official said severe lockdowns aren’t the best way to contain COVID anymore. He praised South Africa for not locking down when responding to the Omicron outbreak, saying, “We’re very encouraged with what we saw in South Africa during this period where they look at the data in terms of severity of infections.” Less than 10% of Africa's population has been fully vaccinated.

Three popular tourist destinations are now requiring visitors not just have proof of full vaccination, but boosters as well. On Maui, you’ll need one to dine inside or work out at a gym. France has a booster requirement for all tourists 18 and up. And the Netherlands announced the only vaccine certificates they’ll accept are those that show a booster dose on it.

And if you’re going to Hong Kong, you aren’t going to Disneyland most of this month. It’ll be closed from January 7 to the 20th. The park said the closure was "required by the government and health authorities in line with prevention efforts taking place across Hong Kong." This marks the fourth time the park has been closed during the pandemic.

In the United States, cases were up 247%, deaths are down 3%, and hospitalizations are up 58% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since December 14.

The five states that had the most daily deaths per 100,000 are Wyoming, Ohio, Michigan, Arizona, and Maine.

There are now over 16 million active cases in the United States, at 16,619,075.

The five areas with the greatest increase in hospitalizations per capita: Puerto Rico 619%, the U.S. Virgin Islands 508%. Louisiana 345%. Florida 284%. And Washington, DC 263%.

The top 10 areas with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Miami-Dade, FL. Pitkin, CO. Essex, NJ. New York City, NY. Nassau, NY. Teton, WY. Summit, CO. Passaic, NJ. Vega Baja, PR. And Union, NJ.

There have been at least 833,957 deaths in the U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 77.8%, Rhode Island at 76.9%, and Maine at 76.1%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Wyoming at 47.7%, Alabama at 47.9%, and Mississippi at 48.7%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 62.3%.

Globally, cases were up 157% and deaths down 14% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since October 15.

There are now over 37 million active cases around the world, at 37,811,837.

The five countries with the most new cases: The United States 751,512. France 261,481. Italy 219,441. The U.K. 179,756. And India 114,484.

There have been at least 5,471,856 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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