May 17 coronavirus news

With nearly 49,000 new cases, the US saw the lowest number of weekly Covid-19 cases among children since late-October, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Children were 24% of the new cases reported late last week. As of May 13, more than 3.9 million children have tested positive since the start of the pandemic.

Children made up between 6% and 19.4% of those who were tested for Covid-19, and 5.2%-34.1% of children tested were positive for coronavirus, depending on the state.

Children are still considered much less likely than adults to develop severe symptoms of Covid-19 or to die from the disease. Children represented 1.3% to 3.1% of total reported hospitalizations for Covid-19, based on the information provided by 24 states and New York City. Only 0.1%-1.9% of all cases of Covid-19 in children required hospitalization. 

Nine states reported zero child deaths among the 43 states that provided data on Covid-19 mortality. 

A medical staff member prepares a syringe with a vial of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine at a pop up vaccine clinic at the Jewish Community Center on April 16 in New York City.

The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines appear to offer protection against the B.1.617 and B.1.618 variants first identified in India, researchers have reported in a new pre-print paper, which has not yet been peer-reviewed.

Based on lab experiments involving cell cultures, the B.1.617 and B.1.618 variants seem to be partially resistant to the antibodies elicited by vaccination, according to the pre-print paper posted to the online server biorxiv.org on Sunday.

“Thus, there is a good reason to believe that vaccinated individuals will remain protected against the B.1.617 and B.1.618 variants,” the researchers from New York University wrote in their paper. But more research is needed to determine just how effective the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are against those variants in the real world.

The new research involved serum samples collected from eight people who recovered from Covid-19, six people fully vaccinated with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and three people fully vaccinated with Moderna’s vaccine. The researchers analyzed in lab experiments how the serum samples neutralized lentiviruses — a type of retrovirus — equipped with the same mutations as the B.1.617 and B.1.618 coronavirus variants.

The researchers found some decreases in neutralization, but overall, antibodies from people who had been vaccinated appeared to work “well above” the serum from people who had recovered from Covid-19 caused by earlier versions of the coronavirus.

The researchers also examined how Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody cocktail therapy, called REGN-COV2, worked against the lentiviruses with B.1.617 and B.1.618 mutations — and both appeared to be “partially resistant” to the therapy.

Italy is maintaining a nationwide curfew to try and curb the spread of Covid-19 but will push it back from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m., government officials told CNN on Monday.

The curfew lasts until 5 a.m. and it applies to all regions classified as yellow or worse in Italy’s Covid-19 alert system, which includes four levels: white, yellow, orange and red. Currently most of the country is classified as yellow, with the only exception being Valle d’Aosta where the alert level is orange.

From June 1, three regions — Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Molise and Sardinia — will move into the white alert level and will see the curfew terminated. 

Officials stressed the curfew will only remain in place for a set amount of time and it will be gradually eliminated. Starting June 7, the curfew for yellow areas moves to midnight and then it is fully eliminated on June 21.

Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly described the terms of Italy’s curfew. Italy maintained its curfew and shortened the hours of the curfew.

Governor Andrew Cuomo holds a press conference at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on May 17.

New York state will adopt the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to not require masks or social distancing for fully vaccinated people starting May 19, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday at a news conference. 

Unvaccinated people should still wear masks, and masks will still be required of all people on public transit, in schools and some communal settings, he said. 

Private venues may continue to implement stricter covid-19 restrictions, Cuomo said. 

The outdoor dining curfew and most capacity guidelines will end Wednesday. The indoor food and beverage curfew will be lifted May 31. 

Cuomo said 52% of adult New Yorkers are now fully vaccinated. 

James Dolan, CEO of Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp., said Madison Square Garden will “favor the vaccinated” for events like the upcoming Knicks games. Dolan said the organization has not yet sorted out vaccination verification for venue entry. 

Cuomo told reporters he’s encouraging private venues to permit more capacity for vaccinated people over unvaccinated attendees. 

“Private venues, I encourage them to have a high percentage available for vaccinated people. Radio City is going to be 100%. I encourage that, because that’s an incentive to get vaccinated,” Cuomo said. 

The Tribeca Film Festival will host in-person events throughout New York City in June, Cuomo announced. It will be the first in-person festival to take place in North America since the pandemic, Tribeca Film Festival co-founder Jane Rosenthal said at the press conference. 

Radio City Music Hall will be at 100% capacity with no social distancing or masks, permitting only vaccinated attendees for the closing event of the Tribeca Film Festival on June 19, Cuomo said. 

The New York City Marathon is scheduled for Nov. 7 with 33,000 runners, which is 60% of full capacity, Cuomo announced. 

The marathon’s capacity and safety protocols could change before the event depending on the pandemic status, he said.

President Joe Biden speaks in the East Room of the White House on May 17 in Washington, DC.

President Biden announced that the US will share 80 million vaccine doses globally over the next six weeks, five times more than any other country has shared to date. That represents 13% of vaccines produced by the US by the end of June.

The 80 million doses will include 20 million doses of the Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines as well as AstraZeneca. The US already announced it would share 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine with other countries by July 4.

Biden said that the US would distribute all of its AstraZeneca vaccine produced in the country once authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration.

“New variants could rise overseas that could put us at greater risk and we need to help fight the disease around the world to keep us safe here at home and to do the right thing of helping other people. It’s the right thing to do. It’s the smart thing to do. It’s the strong thing to do,” Biden said.

Biden also touted that this latest announcement will make the US a leader in sharing vaccine supplies, outpacing both China and Russia.

White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients will be leading the US’ efforts in global vaccine distribution.

“We’re going to bring the same whole of government response to the global effort that made us so successful here at home,” Biden said.

CNN’s Jason Hoffman contributed reporting to this post.

Kent State University student Jarrett Woo gets his Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccination from Kent State nursing student Allie Rodriguez in Kent, Ohio, on April 8.

President Biden announced today that 60% of Americans have received at least one Covid-19 vaccine shot.

“In less than four months we’ve gone from less than 6% to 60% of adults in America with at least one shot,” he said.

Biden said that for the first time since the pandemic began Covid-19 cases are down in all 50 states. He added that deaths from Covid-19 are down by 81%. 

President Biden is speaking now from the White House on his administration’s Covid-19 response and the vaccination program. 

He’s expected to announce that his administration will share millions more doses of Covid-19 vaccines with other countries in addition to the 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine he has already committed to sharing by July 4, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

Biden will say the US will share at least 20 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines by the end of next month, totaling 80 million doses that are set to be sent abroad. 

Read more about the announcement here.

The Ohio Department of Public Health announced Monday it has changed the conditions of its Vax-A-Million program so participants must now opt into the program, a move the director called “a very notable change.” 

The state’s health director, Stephanie McCloud, told reporters Monday during a virtual briefing that while the state previously planned to rely on voter rolls for the program, the design of the new opt-in approach will allow the state to collect the information it needs to verify age, identity, and vaccination status. A privacy waiver will be required, according to McCloud. 

“Obviously we want to move this as quickly as we can,” McCloud said, noting the process allows those who do not wish to participate to remain out of the program.  

Ohioans aged 18 or older who have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine are eligible to win one of five $1 million prizes, McCloud said.

According to McCloud, beginning May 18, Ohioans wishing to participate must register at the program’s website or call the Department of Health.

Ohio Lottery Director Pat McDonald said drawings will be held Mondays from May 24 to June 21. Winners, whose names will be publicly disclosed, will be announced on Wednesdays.

In order to be eligible, individuals wishing to enter the drawing must have had at least one Covid-19 shot by 11:59 p.m. the night before the drawing, according to McCloud.

According to McDonald, drawings will be conducted by a random number generator and attended by the lottery draw security and IT staff and observed by members of the Auditors of States Office. Once the results are verified, the results will be sent to the ODH who will verify the age, identity, and vaccination status of the winners. 

Winners will then be contacted and may be asked to present a vaccination card.

According to McCloud, Ohioans ages 12-17 who have received a received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine may enter into a drawing for one of five scholarships college. The scholarship will be for an Ohio state public college or university in the amount of in-state tuition cost, books, and room and board for a four-year program, two-year program, community college program, technical or trade school. 

McCloud said the Vax-A-Million campaign has been “very successful.” According to McCloud, May 14 was the highest Covid-19 administration day in three weeks with 25,414 doses given. 

“So not only have we achieved our goal of increasing public awareness and interest, but we have slowed what was consistent decline in uptake,” McCloud said.

Britain's health minister Matt Hancock speaks in the House of Commons in London on May 17.

Early indications suggest vaccines protect against the B.1.617 variant of Covid-19 first identified in India, Britain’s health minister Matt Hancock said on Monday. 

“While we don’t have the complete picture on the impact of the vaccine, the early laboratory data from Oxford University corroborates the provisional evidence from Bolton hospital and the initial observational data that vaccines are effective against this variant,” Hancock told British MPs in the House of Commons on Monday. “This is reassuring, but the higher transmission poses a real risk.” 

Hancock went on to say the evidence “shows the new variant is not tending to penetrate into older, vaccinated groups and it underlines again the importance of getting the jab, especially but not only among the vulnerable age groups.” 

However, the Health Secretary also cautioned that while the vaccination program can give the UK confidence in the fight against the pandemic, new variants “could jeopardize the advances that we’ve made” and people would need to stay vigilant. 

Hancock said there were fewer than 1,000 people in hospital with Covid-19 at the moment and on average there are nine deaths a day. 

He also said there were now 2,323 confirmed cases of the B.1.617 variant first identified in India, in the UK. He said 483 of these cases have been in Bolton and Blackburn with Darwen, where it is now the dominant strain.

Matt Hancock also told MPs the latest scientific assessment is that the B.1.617 variant is more transmissible – although it is yet not known to what extent. 

Starting Monday, people in England can meet outdoors in groups of up to 30 and meet indoors in groups of up to six or 2 households. Pubs, bars and restaurants can reopen indoors, cinemas, bowling alleys and museums can reopen as can all holiday accommodation.

Weddings, receptions and other life events can take place with up to 30 people. Some travel abroad is now possible, subject to a traffic light system, but people are advised not go on holiday to ‘amber’ or ‘red’ list countries.

Filled vials wait to be distributed ahead of a Covid-19 vaccine clinic on May 13 in Houston.

In his White House remarks in the next hour, President Biden is set to announce Monday that his administration will share millions more doses of Covid-19 vaccines with other countries in addition to the 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine he has already committed to sharing by July 4, according to an administration official.

Biden will say the US will share at least 20 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines by the end of next month, totaling 80 million doses that are set to be sent abroad.

Those additional 20 million doses will consist of Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines as well as AstraZeneca, which has to be approved by federal regulators before being shipped overseas. That effort is underway.

Biden will also say White House Covid-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients is in charge of this effort, in coordination with the National Security Council and State Department.

Bloomberg was first to report the news of the additional doses being shared.