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<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6379062" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="fema">FEMA</keyword> has requested help from the Defense Department in distributing the <keyword id="8904563" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19-vaccine">COVID-19 vaccine</keyword>.</li><li>The Pentagon is considering the request and could send thousands of troops to help.</li><li>FEMA is setting up 100 vaccination sites nationwide in an effort to speed up distribution.</li></ul>The <keyword id="159767" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Department-of-Defense">Department of Defense</keyword> may send active-duty troops to help operate the federally funded community vaccination centers set up by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/us/politics/coronavirus-fema-pentagon-vaccines.html?action=click&amp;module=Top%20Stories&amp;pgtype=HomepageHomepage">The New York Times</a> reported.FEMA is set to build about <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-says-hell-direct-fema-to-set-up-vaccine-distribution-sites-2021-1">100 of the facilities</a> nationwide, including in sports stadiums and school gyms, by the end of President Joe Biden's first month in office. The sites are part of the administration's attempts to speed up the <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> <keyword id="24209" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="vaccine">vaccine</keyword> distribution.FEMA, which is within the <keyword id="134917" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="department-of-homeland-security">Department of Homeland Security</keyword>, submitted a request to the Defense Department Wednesday for help with distributing the vaccine."The department is evaluating the request, and what kinds of support it can provide. Given the significance of the request, it will be reviewed urgently but carefully to determine what DOD assets can safely be made available to support the effort," Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/27/politics/fema-dod-covid-vaccinations/index.html">CNN</a>.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-coronavirus-vaccine-plan-operation-warp-speed-2021-1">Here's what you need to know about Joe Biden's plan to get to 100 million vaccines in 100 days</a>The Department of Defense is "actively considering" sending troops who could help with building the sites and administering the vaccine, an advisor to Lloyd Austin, the secretary of defense, told The Times. Discussions on how the military can help are ongoing, but CNN reported up to 10,000 troops, which could include active duty and National Guard forces, could be sent to the vaccine sites.The efforts are all part of Biden's plan to vaccinate 100 million Americans in his first 100 days in office, as states have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/operation-warp-speed-vaccine-timeline-states-failure-2021-1">struggled to manage distribution</a>.Earlier this month, Biden announced his $1.9 trillion "America Rescue Plan," which included more than $400 billion to go towards <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-covid-plan-pandemic-schools-healthcare-vaccine-testing-2021-1">combating the coronavirus pandemic</a> and about $20 million specifically for the national vaccine distribution program.

The Pentagon may send thousands of troops to help run COVID-19 vaccination sites that FEMA is setting up nationwide

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The next generation of COVID-19 vaccines may only be available to high-risk Americans as funding dries up, Politico reported. </li><li>"There's a great deal of concern that we're going to be caught shorthanded," a person close to the situation told Politico. </li></ul>The next generation of COVID-19 vaccines may only be available to high-risk Americans as funding for the federal response to the pandemic is running out, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/13/white-house-vaccines-covid-funding-impasse-00032319">according to a new report from Politico</a>. According to Politico reporter Adam Cancryn, the White House is considering rationing future versions of the COVID-19 vaccine — such as one that could be soon available to target the Omicron variant — as cash supplies dwindle.<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/09/us-will-limit-covid-vaccines-to-high-risk-people-this-fall-if-congress-doesnt-approve-more-funding.html">According to a report from CNBC,</a> the US currently does not have enough money to purchase a new round of vaccines, therapeutics, or testing methods to combat a potential future variant. "There's a great deal of concern that we're going to be caught shorthanded," a source told Politico. A representative for the Biden Administration did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. The report says that as early as 2023, the White House could shift funding responsibilities to the private sector, with insurance companies covering the cost instead. But that could leave millions vulnerable if vaccines aren't fully covered for the uninsured. Congress has been debating an additional $10 billion in funding for COVID-19 — but Republicans haven't supported the measure, putting the new injection of cash in peril. Politico reported that GOP lawmakers are skeptical of the need for more funding for the virus.In fact, according to the report, Republicans are waiting to see if Biden will end COVID-era border restrictions — which would allow more immigration at the country's southern border — before agreeing to another funding package. Even so, if Congress does pass the new funding package, it will only be enough to keep some of the essential COVID-19 programs up and running, as at least half of the funds are owed to Pfizer for supplying 20 million doses of its antiviral treatment, a person familiar with the situation told Politico.

The latest COVID-19 vaccines may only be available to highest-risk Americans as funding dries up, Politico reports

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The US' third Ford-class carrier is delayed and now may not be delivered until 2030.</li><li>Navy officials attributed the delay to supply chain issues and lingering effects from COVID-19. </li></ul>The US Navy's third Ford-class aircraft carrier is facing delays that might push its delivery to 2030.The holdup, which Navy leaders said is due to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biggest-us-navy-shipbuilding-projects-are-delayed-by-years-2024-4">supply chain issues and lingering effects of COVID-19</a>, is the latest problem in the Ford program and comes at a time when some rivals are outpacing American shipbuilding efforts.After a 45-day review ordered by Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro back in January, Navy leaders determined USS Enterprise (CVN-80) would be delayed from 18 to 26 months after its planned delivery date of March 2028. The supercarrier will now deliver in September 2029 at the absolute earliest — and May 2030 at the latest.This assessment, which notes potentially more extensive delays than were <a target="_blank" href="https://news.usni.org/2024/03/15/aircraft-carrier-enterprise-delivery-delayed-by-18-months-says-navy">shown</a> in the Navy's Fiscal Year 2025 budget documents, comes after reporting last fall indicated the Enterprise was <a target="_blank" href="https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2023/10/26/us-navy-mulls-timing-of-new-double-carrier-award-amid-enterprise-delay/">delayed</a> about a year.The 45-day review also found that the majority of the Navy's biggest programs, from its Block IV Virginia-class submarines to the Constellation-class guided missile frigates, were all facing delays of one to three years at current production performance.<div type="image" title="The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford transits the Strait of Gibraltar, Jan. 5, 2024." height="4022" width="6033" msid="109173826" hostid="261" sizebytes="1426914"></div>Hon. Nick Guertin, the Navy's acquisition executive, attributed the shipbuilding delays to "common issues from lingering COVID impacts across the national workforce and supply chain landscape with industry reticent to invest." He told reporters at a recent roundtable evening, a transcript of which was provided to BI, that issues with supply chains and materials were the main cause of Enterprise's delays.The following Ford-class carrier, USS Doris Miller (CVN-81), is currently on schedule thanks to the Navy buying both the Enterprise and Miller at the same time. "What we saw with 81 [Miller] was that the two-ship buy is providing some significant benefits there" Vice Adm. Downey said. Whether that will continue to be the case remains to be seen.Downey also said modifications to the dry dock at Newport News Shipbuilding's yard that enable two aircraft carriers to be built in the same dock at the same time were preventing the Enterprise from running into even more delays and helping the Miller stay on track.<div type="image" title="A T-45C Goshawk training aircraft attached to Training Air Wing (TAW) 1, lands aboard the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) during flight operations, Sept. 12, 2020." height="2588" width="3882" msid="109173827" hostid="261" sizebytes="233160"></div>The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/navy-carrier-uss-gerald-ford-deploys-after-years-of-delays-2023-4">Ford program is no stranger to problems</a> and delays. The first-in-class ship, USS Gerald R. Ford, saw years of delays and ballooning costs thanks to problems, though that was largely due to to the integration of new technologies. The Ford, which entered service in 2017 but didn't set sail on its maiden voyage — not even a full deployment — until 2022, had a price tag of more than $13 billion, putting its cost above the Navy's original estimate by several billion dollars.A key challenge with the first-in-class Ford was <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-admiral-navy-too-much-new-tech-aircraft-carrier-ford-2021-8">adding 23 new technologies aboard the ship</a>, which retired Adm. Michael Gilday, former chief of naval operations, said in 2021 had "increased the risk" of delays and cost issues "right from the get-go."While it appears the Navy has learned lessons from the Ford's development, COVID-19 and its impact on shipbuilding and labor may have exacerbated already existing issues, leading to the delays the Enterprise is facing today.<div type="image" title="Navy aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford Olso Norway" height="1333" width="2000" msid="109173828" hostid="261" sizebytes="114730"></div>News of the Enterprise's delay comes at a precarious time for the US Navy. With China <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-needs-bigger-navy-match-up-against-china-retired-admiral-2024-1">rapidly surpassing American shipbuilding</a> in quantity and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-army-training-to-counter-aggressive-insidious-china-top-general-2024-2">tensions in the Indo-Pacific region</a>, there are concerns among leadership in Washington, DC about what conflict between the two powers would look like.China's naval capabilities have been on the rise since the mid-1990s, and it is now, according to the Department of Defense, "the largest navy in the world with a battle force of over 370 platforms." It's expected to reach 395 by 2025 and 435 by 2030.All of these numbers overshadow US naval capacity. Notably, the Navy has increasingly prioritized the development of unmanned systems in the force, a movement also occurring across other branches of the military.Other Chinese military capabilities, such as the People's Liberation Army's Rocket Force and its arsenal of so-called <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-growing-df-26-missile-arsenal-more-than-carrier-killers-2023-10">"carrier killer" anti-ship missiles</a>, raise questions about the role carriers could and would play in a naval conflict. China has been increasingly building out these capabilities to threaten US warships in the Pacific.

The US Navy's grappling with another Ford-class supercarrier delay that could run into the next decade

After scary <keyword id="8764262" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="covid" source="Orion">Covid</keyword> warnings by almost every agency for the last two years, there’s finally some good news, the World Health Organization said — ‘that an <keyword id="15062230" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="end-is-in-sight-for-Covid" source="Orion">end is in sight for Covid</keyword>. It’s a relief to people wanting to go back to the ‘old ways’ but like many predicted since the pandemic, a lot that has changed will stay on. The pandemic created billionaires out of two <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/gautam-adani-mukesh-ambani-account-for-59-of-indias-top-10-billionaires-wealth/articleshow/94348058.cms">teenagers</a>, who banked on the people wanting to order groceries online. Why didn’t I think of it? <div type="image" title="The pandemic created billionaires out of two teenagers in grocery business" msid="94388134" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The pandemic created billionaires out of two teenagers in grocery business&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> What has changed, though, is a lot more people have stopped wearing masks as public health experts suggest that COVID-19 has<a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/covid-is-endemic-but-its-not-time-yet-to-take-off-that-mask/articleshow/94085484.cms"> become</a> endemic in India. <div type="image" title="People have stopped wearing mask in public places" msid="94388315" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;People have stopped wearing mask in public places&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> But looking beyond the obvious, here are some things which won’t end even after COVID does. Revenge shopping and tourism Revenge shopping continues to remain strong 30 months after India entered its first nationwide COVID-19 lockdown. According to a Business Insider India report, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/online-festival-sales-likely-to-be-28-higher-than-pre-covid-levels-at-11-8-billion-report/articleshow/94076810.cms">online festival sales that Amazon, Flipkart and other retailers are running could touch nearly $12 billion</a> – an increase of 28% over pre-pandemic levels. Apparently, people have enough money on their hands and don’t know of better ways to spend it. People like WFH – and so does the PM The pandemic has made work from home-ers out of everyone. Now, that people have gotten used to working while lying down and chopping vegetables during Zoom calls — they don’t wanna go back. Companies are, however, trying to drag them and it’s gonna be a slow process. Three out of four companies however are considering going hybrid – but India Inc remains divided on the aspect. One thing is for certain, though – WFH is here to stay, even if companies continue to crack down on moonlighting. And it’s got the blessings of PM Modi himself who said it’s a good idea to bring more women into the workforce. Rich get richer, and they hate the poor people moonlighting Thanks to the many stimulus packages, the rich got richer across the world — creating pandemic billionaires like India’s own Gautam Adani — who <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/gautam-adani-mukesh-ambani-account-for-59-of-indias-top-10-billionaires-wealth/articleshow/94348058.cms">added ₹1,612 crore to his wealth every day in the last year</a>. The pandemic was tougher on daily wagers and depleted the savings of many lower middle class and middle class people too. Their situation won’t change soon and neither will the gap between the proletariat and bourgeoisie. <div type="image" title="Migrant labourers during first wave of COVID" height="900" width="1200" msid="94388736" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Migrant labourers during first wave of COVID&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Psst psst – there were also pandemic salary cuts – some were re-instated and some weren’t. The inflation however grew at a sharp place forcing people to take up side hustles and more. And no, no, the rich don’t like it when their employees moonlighting to make some more. Rishad Premji recently <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/information-tech/wipro-fires-300-staff-members-found-to-be-moonlighting-for-competitors/articleshow/94349603.cms">fired</a> 300 employees who were found doing second jobs after slugging it out 9-5 for Wipro. Children lose 2 trillion hours of in-person schooling – and immunity What about the kids? Staying indoors for two years – was trying for parents and kids alike. It’s not just the play time that the kids lost. They lost two precious years of learning too, especially poorer kids who couldn’t get online. A UNICEF<a href="https://data.unicef.org/covid-19-and-children/"> report</a> states that globally, 2 trillion hours of in-person schooling were lost. Another<a href="https://healtheducationresources.unesco.org/library/documents/hidden-impact-covid-19-childrens-education"> </a>UNESCO <a href="https://healtheducationresources.unesco.org/library/documents/hidden-impact-covid-19-childrens-education">report</a> says that the learning levels of children is lower as nearly 1 in 3 parents said they couldn’t support their child’s learning. And they will take a long time to catch up. <div type="image" title="Children lose 2 trillion hours of in-person schooling – and immunity" height="900" width="1200" msid="94388905" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Children lose 2 trillion hours of in-person schooling &amp;#8211; and immunity&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The kids are also weaker health-wise according to experts – especially the kids below 10 years of age. They had spent their immunity building years as they stayed safe indoors, according to a<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8087417/"> study</a>. Heart ailments and diabetes cases skyrocket in India After playing mind games, COVID is also affecting our hearts. The infection has kicked a lot of people into early diabetes and they also face an increased risk of heart ailments, says a <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj.o1838">study</a>. The health issues that it has caused the millions it affected, not including those still suffering from long COVID effects – will also stay on. Demanding movie goers are here to say Where did people get entertainment during the pandemic? Most governments in fact sent messages asking people to ‘stay home and Netflix’. They did, and OTT subscriptions soared. As they did so, they got used to layered stories in web series, subtle allegories and more. Now used to the ‘new-age entertainment’, they don’t want to go back to song and dance routine ‘basic’ movies and want something good enough to pull ‘em off their TVs and tabs. According to analyst reports and trade figures, 15 out of 20 Bollywood movies released in the first half of 2022 have tanked. So much so that producers are confused and Bhushan Kumar of T-Series <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-62145780">said</a> there’s confusion among producers and they don’t know what will and will not work. People want large scale entertainment like RRR, but with a twist. These demanding audiences are not going to go away soon either. <div type="image" title="People want large scale entertainment like RRR, but with a twist" msid="94389873" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;People want large scale entertainment like RRR, but with a twist&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Smaller weddings If people don’t want to step out to a theater without a good reason, they aren’t too keen on inviting unwanted people either. There has been a rush of weddings this year – but because of guest list restrictions and many people not keen on traveling out of town — the Big Fat Indian weddings are smaller. A few millennials and GenZ have caught on this trend too and some prefer it that way. Your dad can’t force you to invite the damad of your mom’s tauji’s cousin sister anymore. Condom sales halve, but where are the pandemic babies? Lack of socializing during COVID lockdowns killed half the sales of condom makers, according to the government’s response to an RTI query recently. While experts feared this would lead to a baby boom, birth rates in India’s financial capital Mumbai<a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/no-baby-boom-mumbai-birth-rate-fell-in-2021/articleshow/92323729.cms"> fell</a> in 2021. Whether it was due to COVID worries or strong pull-out game, either way, experts’ fears did not come true. Here’s hoping that won’t change soon either. Inflation skyrockets – and central banks are struggling to control it Inflation has skyrocketed around the world for multiple reasons – the US flooded the markets with an unprecedented amount of dollars, exporting its inflation all over the world. The supply chain issues worsened the availability of products, while consumers went on a revenue shopping spree post-COVID. This demand and supply imbalance further increased prices – and now<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/banks/news/race-for-rate-hikes-heres-how-much-central-banks-have-hiked-interest-rates-in-2022/slidelist/94344108.cms"> central banks all over the world are hiking interest rates</a> to bring inflation under control. That means the cheap home loan party might be over – and it won’t go back soon either. <div type="image" title="Inflation has skyrocketed around the world" msid="94389450" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Inflation has skyrocketed around the world&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Supply chain shocks become the norm Supply chain shocks have become the norm in the post-COVID world. China, the factory of the world, has continued with its stringent “Zero COVID” policy and that has hampered plenty of industries around the world. <div type="image" title="Car makers like Mahindra are asking their customers to wait for as long as 16 months for cars like XUV 700" msid="94389477" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Car makers like Mahindra are asking their customers to wait for as long as 16 months for cars like XUV 700&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The semiconductor chip shortage is the most glaring example, and it has not only affected the electronics industry, but also automobiles – some car makers like Mahindra are asking their customers to wait for as long as 16 months for cars like XUV 700. What is not going to change for you when COVID ends? Here’s hoping your love for getting news online won’t change either!

SIMPLY PUT: What won’t end even after COVID does?

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Governors for <keyword id="18877" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Michigan">Michigan</keyword> and <keyword id="6354998" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="washington">Washington</keyword> announced Sunday that their states will enter partial lockdowns this week.</li><li>Both will ban most indoor social gatherings, such as in-person dining and movie theaters.</li><li>In Washington, gyms must also close. In Michigan, high schools and colleges must bring all teaching online.</li><li>Michigan's three-week <keyword id="91743" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="lockdown">lockdown</keyword> starts midnight at the end of Tuesday, and Washington's four-week lockdown starts midnight at the end of Monday.</li><li>Both states are experiencing rapid rises in <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> cases.</li></ul>Michigan and Washington are entering partial lockdowns to try to curb a spike of COVID-19 cases.Both states will ban most indoor social gatherings, such as in-person dining and visits to movie theaters. Stores and services such as hairdressers will only be able to operate at limited capacity.Michigan's three-week lockdown starts midnight at the end of Tuesday, and Washington's four-week lockdown starts midnight at the end of Monday.Other states have introduced <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/states-restrictions-surging-coronavirus-cases-2020-11">travel and public gathering restrictions</a> in the run up to Thanksgiving.COVID-19 cases across the US have been spiraling as the country is hit by a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-third-coronavirus-surge-is-tsunami-comparison-spring-summer-2020-11">third wave of the virus</a>.In the week to November 16, the US recorded 1 million new COVID-19 cases, including 170,333 on Friday alone, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-19-cases-breaks-record-trump-tweets-unproven-voter-fraud-2020-11">breaking the single-day count for the fourth day in a row</a>, according to data from <a href="https://covidtracking.com/data/national">The COVID Tracking Project. </a>This has brought its total to 11 million cases — almost 20% of all worldwide cases recorded since the first case of the virus in late 2019. It is the world's highest tally.<h2>Michigan's new partial COVID-19 lockdown</h2>From Wednesday, restaurants won't be allowed to offer indoor dining, colleges and high schools must shift to online learning, and movie theaters and casinos have to shut.Hospital admissions related to COVID-19 are rising dramatically in the state, and thousands of new cases are being added every day, <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/0,5885,7-339--545138--,00.html">the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) said Sunday</a> when it announced the new restrictions.During the new lockdown, residents are only allowed to invite one other household to their home at a time.Gyms and swimming pools will remain open for individual exercise at 25% capacity, but group exercise classes will be banned.However, meeting outside as a group of up to 25, dining outdoors, and visiting parks will still be allowed.Public transport, non-essential shops, and hairdressers will also stay open, though stores are only allowed 30% capacity.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/5-retailers-winning-big-during-pandemic-ecommerce-workforce-real-estate-2020-11?r=gd-sub">5 retailers not named Amazon or Walmart that have quietly flourished during the pandemic by growing e-commerce, staff size, and total store footprint</a>Colleges and high schools must end all in-person teaching, but elementary and middle schools will remain open with strict safety measures, such as wearing masks, pending discussions with local authorities. Michigan hasn't seen many outbreaks connected to elementary and middle schools, state officials said, and these children are most in need of in-person teaching.On November 10, the state recorded 57 COVID-19 deaths – the highest daily total since early May. Its mid-November death rate is four times higher than it was in early October."If we don't act now, thousands more will die, and our hospitals will continue to be overwhelmed," Governor <keyword id="4469212" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Gretchen-Whitmer">Gretchen Whitmer</keyword> said."As hard as it is, not seeing them this Thanksgiving, imagine how much harder it would be if you couldn't see them for a future holiday ever again," <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-16/michigan-to-impose-a-three-week-partial-lockdown-to-fight-virus?sref=lAVQtUwz">she said at a press conference.</a>Soon after Whitmer made her remarks, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/scott-atlas-tweets-rise-up-against-michigan-coronavirus-restrictions-2020-11">White House COVID-19 advisor Scott Atlas reacted</a> by <a href="https://twitter.com/SWAtlasHoover/status/1328120887128842240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1328120887128842240%7Ctwgr%5E&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fus%2Ftrump-adviser-encourages-citizens-to-rise-up-against-michigan-covidovid">tweeting</a>: "The only way this stops is if people rise up." He later said he was not urging violence.<h2>Washington's new restrictions</h2>Governor Jay Inslee announced Washington's four-week partial lockdown <a href="https://www.governor.wa.gov/news-media/inslee-announces-statewide-restrictions-four-weeks">Sunday</a> as cases continue to rise in the state. Over the weekend, Washington reported more than 2,000 cases a day, and average cases in the state have doubled over the past two weeks."This spike puts us in a more dangerous a position as we were in March," Inslee said during a press conference Sunday."And it means, unfortunately, the time has come to reinstate restrictions on activities statewide to preserve the public's well-being, and to save lives."From Tuesday, gyms across the state will have to shut and outdoor fitness classes will face restrictions.Leisure and entertainment facilities such as bowling alleys, movie theaters, and museums will have to close.Stores will remain open, but only at 25% capacity.Outdoor social gatherings will be limited to six people from different households, and indoor gatherings with people from different households are only allowed if they quarantine for fourteen days, or receive a negative COVID-19 test result within 48 hours of the gathering.From Wednesday, restaurants and bars will also no longer be able to offer dine-in services. Diners can eat outside, but only five are allowed per table.

Washington and Michigan are entering partial lockdowns as COVID-19 cases in the states — and nationwide — spike

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A region of Texas that includes Austin has no staffed ICU beds available for adults.</li><li>The shortage comes as the US faces another surge of <keyword id="11893994" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19" source="Orion">COVID-19</keyword>.</li><li>Some <keyword id="11963694" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="hospitals" source="Orion">hospitals</keyword> could soon have to ration life-saving care, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday.</li></ul>An 11-county region of Texas that includes Austin has run out of staffed adult ICU beds, <a href="https://txdshs.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/0d8bdf9be927459d9cb11b9eaef6101f">according to Texas Department of State Health Services data.</a>The area, which serves a population of more than 2.3 million residents, has 245 adult COVID-19 patients currently in ICU beds, according to the data. There are also 14 pediatric patients being treated for the virus in the ICU. The shortage of staffed ICU beds comes as the US continues to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/at-least-1000-schools-closed-covid-19-2021-9">battle a surge in COVID-19 cases.</a>In Texas, 57.93% of residents are fully vaccinated, <a href="https://tabexternal.dshs.texas.gov/t/THD/views/COVID-19VaccineinTexasDashboard/Summary?%3A[…]share_link&amp;%3Aembed=y&amp;%3AisGuestRedirectFromVizportal=yportal=y">according to state data</a>. That compares to 53% of Americans nationwide, <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations_vacc-total-admin-rate-total">according to the CDC</a>.On Sunday, Austin Public <keyword id="11894571" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="health" source="Orion">Health</keyword> urged residents to get vaccinated."We are seeing little to no available intensive care unit beds and increased strain on hospital staff due to the <keyword id="11894307" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="delta" source="Orion">Delta</keyword> virus and its infection of unvaccinated individuals," Austin Public Health <a href="https://www.kvue.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-numbers/austin-texas-covid-icu-beds/269-58fda4ab-b16e-4db5-bcb5-fd71c7ace5c6">told KVUE</a> in a statement Sunday. "We have vaccines that are safe and effective in protecting people who are fully vaccinated from severe illness and death. Each of us has the responsibility to keep our community safe." Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Sunday that some US states are "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fauci-says-us-doctors-may-have-to-prioritize-icu-beds-2021-9">perilously close" to having to ration life-saving care.</a>Nearly 79% of all ICU beds in the US are full, while more than three out of ten ICU beds are currently occupied by patients with COVID-19, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services."The thing to do right now is to pull out all the stops on everything we can do to prevent new infections which will ultimately lead to hospitalization," <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/09/06/health/us-coronavirus-monday/index.html">Fauci said in an interview with CNN</a>. "Vaccination is the number one."

Hospitals around Austin, Texas, have run out of staffed adult ICU beds as the state's COVID-19 surge continues

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Jeffrey VonderHaar, who owns a medical equipment business, is moving from California to Texas.</li><li>VonderHaar said all the regulations in California made it hard to run his business.</li></ul>This is an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with Jeffrey VonderHaar, owner of a medical equipment business, who is in the process of moving from Calabasas, California, to outside Houston. Business Insider has verified the price of the property. The essay has been edited for length and clarity.I moved to California in 1998 from Dallas, Texas, and to Calabasas nearly 14 years ago. I've had my company now since 2003.We have a manufacturing side, fabricating prosthetic limbs, a physical therapy side, and then we do post-op and rehab medical equipment for orthopedic surgeons, spine surgeons, and the like. So we've got a three-division company here, and I've earned my gray hair all the way through it.Prior to COVID, we had 33 employees. Now I'm down to 13 plus another nine that we contract.California has served me well and the industry has certainly served me well, but it's just, wow. It's tough. It's tough to get by, not only as a resident but also as a business owner.We bought a house north of Houston and are moving to Texas, which is much, much more business-friendly. We are moving for a myriad of issues and reasons.<h2>California has too many rules and regulations for businesses</h2>In California, there are so many rules and regulations that change constantly. The taxes are never-ending. And of course, the cost of goods is going up nationwide. My insurance for the home doubled last year. It never ends. Just on and on and on.But when people are giving money away, you have to find some way to bring it back in. And they tend to go through those deeper pockets, or those with perceived deeper pockets, like businesses, and they just suck them dry.You've got people being pushed out of California. Well if you're pushing out the 5% of the 10% that pay the taxes, you've got to go deeper and pick up that revenue from those down the line. And so they're not going to stop at those making $400,000. They're not going to stop at those making $200,000. They're going to go down to those making $50,000, $40,000, $30,000. It's inevitable.I have two boys, 10 and 12 years old. COVID pushed us into the private school system primarily because of all the rules and regulations that were being implemented. Their new school is a wonderful environment. But outside that bubble and the people we've met, it is a bit of a terrifying environment in greater Los Angeles.You have homeless people littered there. I feel sorry for them. I really do. But the government's got to step up and tend to their needs. We recently saw someone streaking naked down the street in Woodland Hills.I've had three attempted break-ins in my business specifically and numerous in the businesses around me.I have Winnebagos around the street corner of the business park where my business is situated, and they've been here for upwards of about a year now. So I don't let my wife stay here after 5 o'clock. I don't let any female employee stay there after 5 o'clock without being accompanied by a man walking out the doors.Traffic in California as a salesperson has always been an issue. I've got a number of team members driving all over. Scheduling and logistically, it can be a bit of a nightmare, never mind a costly one at around $5.50 a gallon. I had to go to Beverly Hills, and it took me an hour and 17 minutes one way.I don't want to bash California altogether. It served us very, very well. It's a beautiful state being driven into the ground and driving people out.<div type="image" title="View of a pool off a back porch" height="600" width="800" msid="107786458" hostid="261" sizebytes="79830"></div><h2>In Texas, we got a large home with wide open spaces</h2>I've been doing business in Texas since 2016. We just didn't really push it forward, and now I'm going to change that.I'm going to maintain the business that I have in California because my employees are absolutely wonderful, but I have to have a sustaining business for them down the road. And I don't see us expanding much more in California as I could elsewhere. So we're focusing on another state, specifically Texas.We looked at a home in Texas in November as an investment property, thinking, "Hey, down the road when the boys graduate, my wife and I would like somewhere to escape to and retire to." But then we thought, "Why are we waiting? Why are we prolonging the inevitable?" We contemplated for about a week and decided to just make a move.We bought a four-acre home, 5,400 square feet, with all the bells and whistles, for $1.275 million. It's north of Houston. It's on a pond. It's a gated community with wide open spaces. It's just an amazing piece of land. It's got a pool, a barn, a greenhouse, and a chicken coop. It's 15 minutes from any type of store or mall.I was there for 10 days around Christmas, and I guess the neighbor came to introduce herself to us. We weren't home, so she left us a card listing her kids' names, their ages at school, her cellphone, and that she looked forward to meeting.Another neighbor walked up as my boys were sitting on the pond and came over with a card with a plate of homemade cookies. I mean, that's like stuff you read about in the books and see in the movies. But that was actually real life. So I was like, "We chose correctly."Moving to Texas is disrupting in terms of my business because now I'm going to have to have a second front. But the payout is going to be far, far greater, and again, my family. It's all about that. Every move I make is for them.Look, there are beautiful memories, beautiful fond memories we've had in California. Many. My kids grew up here. It's just time to close this chapter and open up a new one.We'll come back and visit. It'd be a great place to visit, just not reside.

I lived in California for 26 years but am moving to Texas because all the rules and regulations made it tough to run my business

<ul class="summary-list"><li>During a meeting on Tuesday, <keyword id="12061145" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="kim-jong-un" source="Orion">Kim Jong Un</keyword> criticized the way his country has handled the pandemic. </li><li>Since first acknowledging a <keyword id="8764262" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid" source="Orion">COVID</keyword> outbreak last week, <keyword id="11935793" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="north-korea" source="Orion">North Korea</keyword> has recorded 1.72 million cases of fever.</li></ul>North Korean leader Kim Jong Un criticized his country's response to what appears to be a worsening COVID outbreak this week, chastising government leaders for reacting inadequately to the growing health crisis, according to a Wednesday state media report.During a meeting of the ruling Workers' Party on Tuesday, Kim said the "non-positive attitude, slackness and non-activity of state leading officials" increased the "complexity and hardships" that the country faced during its pandemic response, North Korea's state-run <a href="https://kcnawatch.org/newstream/1652825161-489282389/meeting-of-presidium-of-politburo-of-wpk-central-committee-held/">Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported</a>. The meeting also touched on how the country could stand a "good chance in the overall epidemic prevention front" and see a "favorable turn," despite rising case numbers and death counts, by adjusting course.Since last week, when North Korea <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-claims-first-ever-case-covid-19-lockdown-2022-5?r=US&amp;IR=T">acknowledged its first COVID case</a> two years in the pandemic, the country has recorded 1.72 million people with fever symptoms, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/nkorea-reports-232880-more-people-with-fever-symptoms-amid-covid-19-outbreak-2022-05-17/">Reuters reported</a>, and there have so far been at least 62 deaths as of Tuesday evening. Observers suspect North Korea has long been grappling with the virus but is facing a new and more serious outbreak.North Korea has declined to say how many people have actually been diagnosed with the COVID virus, instead pointing to numbers of fever cases. On Wednesday, the country's state media reported that the number of people with fever symptoms had risen by 232,880, per Reuters.One day after announcing its first COVID case, North Korean state media reported on a fever that had "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-explosive-outbreak-of-fever-after-1st-covid-case-2022-5">explosively spread</a>," infecting more than 350,000 people and killing six since late April. Of the six who died, one tested positive for the Omicron variant of COVID, according to state media. The numbers have since worsened.Following North Korea's acknowledgement of a public health situation, North Korea ordered nationwide lockdowns and has since mobilized the military, including 3,000 military medical personnel, to help respond. North Korea has also released a guide for COVID treatment.<div type="image" title="Kim Jong UN in mask" height="626" width="1170" msid="91651482" hostid="261"></div>Images broadcast on state media last week showed Kim wearing a mask for the first time, and state media reported Kim as saying the outbreak showed a "grave sign of lapses in our anti-epidemic system."The country has not begun mass vaccinations, and its testing capabilities are limited. Experts have expressed concerns about the ability to detect and combat COVID's spread. <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/storage-transport-hurdles-getting-covid-vaccine-nkoreans-2022-05-18/">According to Reuters</a>, a lack of adequate storage, chronic power shortages, and inadequately trained medical staff are contributing to North Korea's difficulties vaccinating its 25 million citizens, even with help from other countries. South Korean officials reported North Korea prefers US-made Moderna and Pfizer vaccines over China's Sinovac or British-Swedish AstraZeneca vaccines. "Moderna and Pfizer vaccines require a low-temperature storage system, which North Korea does not have," Moon Jin-soo, director of the Institute for Health and Unification Studies at Seoul National University told Reuters. "It would require a ton of additional materials to use them for inoculation."

Kim Jong Un blasts North Korea's poor response to COVID crisis amid explosive outbreak and rising 'fever' cases

(Eds: Combining related stories) New Delhi, May 11 () Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday called for a "balanced strategy" to tackle the COVID-19 crisis as he sought inputs from states on the way forward in fighting the pandemic, while many more tested positive for the deadly virus and pushed the nationwide tally above the 70,000 mark. The death toll also crossed 2,200 with more people succumbing to COVID-19 at various places including in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. Interacting with chief ministers in a video conference, Modi flagged that problems have increased wherever social distancing norms were not followed or there has been laxity in implementation of the lockdown guidelines. He also said the biggest challenge will be to ensure that the infection does not spread to villages, sources said. The new cases detected in the past few days include migrant workers who have returned to their native places from big urban clusters, many after being rendered jobless and homeless, as also some airlifted from abroad under a massive evacuation plan undertaken by the government for Indians and expatriates stranded in various countries. In its daily update, the Union Health Ministry said the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has increased to 67,152, after a record number of 4,213 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours till Monday 8 AM, while the death toll rose by 97 to 2,206. More than 20,000 people have recovered also so far. However, a tally of figures reported by different states and union territories, as of 9.10 PM, put the nationwide tally of confirmed cases much higher at 70,480, showing an increase of more than 6,000 cases since Sunday morning. It showed 2,217 deaths and more than 22,000 recoveries so far. Maharashtra reported 1,230 new cases, taking the state tally to 23,401, while its death toll rose to 868 after 36 more fatalities. Tamil Nadu reported 798 new cases and six more deaths on Monday. Gujarat saw 347 fresh cases and 20 more fatalities, including 268 cases and 19 deaths in Ahmedabad itself. In the national capital also, more than 300 new cases were detected. Fresh cases were reported from various other states as well including Punjab, Haryana, Kerala, Jammu &amp; Kashmir, Karnataka, Bihar and Odisha. During a press briefing on the COVID-19 situation, Union Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said some relatively large outbreaks have been noticed in particular locations and it is important to focus on containment efforts to ensure that the country does not reach the community transmission stage. He also said that people who develop coronavirus symptoms should not go into hiding and come forward to report so that they get timely treatment and also do not spread the infection to their family members and others. Asserting that the virus outbreak has nothing to do with race, religion and area and the government's focus is on identifying pockets which have been reporting a larger number of cases for implementing strong containment measures. During their interaction with the prime minister, some chief ministers also sought measures to expand the testing infrastructure, while many of them also demanded fiscal support for the states due to the pandemic having hit hard various revenue-generating economic activities. Sources said Modi told the chief ministers that a "balanced strategy will have to be adopted for the road ahead", as he sought their suggestions on the way forward. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is said to have favoured allowing all economic activities, barring in the identified containment zones. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the Centre wanted a strict lockdown enforcement on one hand, but was resuming train services on the other. Chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and Telangana opposed resumption of passenger train services, which are scheduled to begin on Tuesday with select special trains for taking the stranded migrant workers to their native places. The Home Ministry said only asymptomatic people with confirmed tickets will be allowed to travel in 15 trains to be operational from Tuesday. Online bookings began for these trains on Monday evening, after some delay due to a technical glitch, and some routes got fully booked within ten minutes. The Railways have been running 'migrant special' trains for ferrying migrant workers since May 1, but this will be the first time in nearly 50 days that the general public can also undertake train journeys even though flight and inter-state bus services remain suspended as of now till May 17, when the third phase of the lockdown is scheduled to end. The first phase of the nationwide lockdown began on March 25, which was supposed to be of 21 days, but it got extended later till May 3 and then further till May 17 with some relaxations. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray asked Modi to show "specific and concrete direction" on the ongoing lockdown and said the states would implement the same. He also requested the prime minister to start local trains in Mumbai for essential services staff working in the city. Mumbai's coronavirus tally has reached 14,355 with 791 new cases detected on Monday, while its death toll is 528 now with 20 more fatalities. At least 57 new cases were reported from the city's Dharavi slums. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh favoured extending the lockdown in view of the rising number of cases, but with a carefully crafted exit strategy backed by economic empowerment of states to save lives and secure livelihood. Some chief ministers also suggested that the states should be allowed to decide declaring red, orange or green zones after taking into account the ground realities. There are already concerns about re-emergence of the virus in some other countries, including in China, Germany and South Korea, after easing of lockdown restrictions and greater movement of people being allowed. Since its emergence in China last December, the deadly virus has infected more than 41 lakh people worldwide and over 2.8 lakh have lost their lives. More than 14 lakh people have recovered so far. NAB MPB PYK PLB ASK MPB ACB SKL SLB VSD CHS ASG VGN SA ND VT PM BJBJ

Modi calls for 'balanced strategy' to fight COVID-19; Nationwide tally crosses 70k

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11935793" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="north-korea" source="Orion">North Korea</keyword> admitted Friday that it is suffering an "explosive" outbreak of a "fever."</li><li>The announcement comes the day after the country shared news of its first ever COVID case.</li></ul>North Korea said Friday that it is experiencing a massive outbreak of a "fever" with at least 350,000 cases, just 24 hours after <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-claims-first-ever-case-covid-19-lockdown-2022-5?r=US&amp;IR=T">claiming to have found its first ever case of COVID</a>. State-run media <a href="https://www.nknews.org/2022/05/breaking-north-korea-reports-first-ever-covid-19-outbreak/">reported Thursday</a> that the Omicron variant of <keyword id="11893994" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19" source="Orion">COVID-19</keyword> had been discovered in Pyongyang on Sunday.In response, the government launched a "maximum emergency epidemic prevention system," state media said.However, the government <a href="https://kcnawatch.org/newstream/1652402094-852447443/respected-comrade-kim-jong-un-visits-state-emergency-epidemic-prevention-headquarters">announced Friday via the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)</a> that the country was experiencing an "explosive" outbreak of a "fever" which has killed six people and infected 350,000 since April. One of the six people who has died had tested positive for the Omicron variant of COVID, state media said.It added that 187,800 people are currently either being isolated or treated in hospital."A fever whose cause couldn't be identified spread explosively nationwide from late April," KCNA said.North Korean supreme leader <keyword id="12061145" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="kim-jong-un" source="Orion">Kim Jong Un</keyword> said that the outbreak showed a "grave sign of lapses in our anti-epidemic system," KCNA added. Images <a href="https://t.co/n7W7zqNdUx">broadcast by state TV on Thursday</a> showed Kim wearing a facemask for the first time. During the pandemic, experts feared a COVID-19 outbreak in North Korea would be devastating, especially as the country is one of only two countries in the world that are yet to start vaccinating their populations. The other is Eritrea.After the the novel <keyword id="11893194" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus" source="Orion">coronavirus</keyword> began to spread across Asia in early 2020, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-coronavirus-lockdown-photos-kim-jong-un-2020-4?r=US&amp;IR=T">North Korea shut its borders</a> and committed to a zero COVID-19 policy. It only <a href="https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-01-27/north-korea-covid-lockdown-slowly-reopens-border">reopened</a> its borders in January this year. The pandemic has hit North Korea hard, even before it reported cases, with the border closure <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kim-jong-un-warns-north-korea-food-shortage-tense-2021-6">precipitating widespread food shortages.</a>In an attempt to try and solve the hunger crisis, state-run media reported in October that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-breeding-black-swans-people-eat-dire-food-crisis-2021-10?r=US&amp;IR=T">the government had started breeding black swans to be culled for food</a>. As the pandemic raged around the world, North Korea was vigilant in trying to prevent imported cases of COVID-19.In July 2020, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/north-korean-defector-prompts-fears-about-first-suspected-coronavirus-case-2020-7?r=US&amp;IR=T">Kim locked down the entire city of Kaesong</a> and issued a "top-class alert" after a person suspected of having COVID-19 snuck across the border from South Korea, according to state media.In August, <a href="https://www.insider.com/north-korea-will-impose-hard-labor-for-covid-rule-breakers-2021-8">North Korea announced new hard labor punishments</a> for anyone who met in groups of more than three people.

You Searched For "nationwide covid 19 dry run" and got 10 results

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