Iowa sets 2021 high for COVID-19 hospitalizations Coronavirus Disease 2021

 

The Supreme Court today upheld the High Court directive that asked the Counter Terrorism and Transitional Crime (CTTC) Unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police to find out if Rajarbag Darbar Shareef Pir Dillur Rahman had any connections with militancy.

Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division of the SC, Justice Obaidul Hassan, refused to pass any order on a petition seeking stay on the HC orders on this 

The apex court judge also sent the stay petition filed by one Mafizul Islam, follower of Pir Dillur Rahman, to its full bench and fixed October 24 for hearing the stay petition.   

Following a writ petition filed by eight victims of false cases, the HC on September 19 directed the CTTC Unit to find out if Pir Dillur Rahman had any connections with militancy and also ordered the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to enquire into the assets of Dillur and his disciples. Both the CTTC and ACC were asked to submit reports in 60 working days.

Pir Dillur Rahman and his followers allegedly filed false cases against the writ petitioner for harassing and humiliating them.

Also in the news:

► The United States has reported its 680,000th death to COVID-19, Johns Hopkins University data shows. Half the deaths have been since early January.

► The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced it will require every member of its delegation at the 2022 Beijing Olympics to be vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a new policy posted on Team USA's web site.

► Mormon temples will require face masks indoors to limit COVID-19 spread, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Wednesday.

► A doctor who was fired after Houston-area public health officials accused him of stealing vials of COVID-19 vaccine to administer to family and friends sued the county Tuesday, accusing it of discriminating against South Asians and issuing disinformation about him.

► President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that the United States is doubling its purchase of Pfizer’s COVID-19 shots to share with the world — 1 billion doses — as he embraces the goal of vaccinating 70% of the global population within the next year.

► Michigan reached a grim milestone Wednesday, passing 1 million COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic early last year, its health department said. The state also has more than 20,000 deaths due to COVID-19.

📈 Today's numbers: The U.S. has recorded more than 42 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 681,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Global totals: More than 230 million cases and 4.7 million deaths. More than 182 million Americans — 54.9% of the population — have been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

📘 What we're reading: COVID-19 vaccines for kids may be just around the corner. So, when can little ones get the vaccine? We answered your questions.

Keep refreshing this page for the latest news. Want more? Sign up for USA TODAY's Coronavirus Watch newsletter to receive updates directly to your inbox and join our Facebook group.

COVID-19 measures may have unintended benefit at schools: limiting lice

Long the bane of parents and school health providers, head lice has typically been viewed as an undesirable, itchy insect that spreads like wildfire within schools. But new safety measures put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are upending those assumptions, according to The National Association of School Nurses.

Those safety measures also help limit the spread of lice, and school nurses are optimistic that cases will be lower this year.

“We have social distancing, doing a lot of hygiene, kids aren't sitting on top of each other on the floor anymore,” Linda Mendonça, president of the National Association of School Nurses, told USA TODAY. “They’re trying to keep kids separated.”

Those practices are showing that, contrary to popular belief, lice need close contact to spread. They cannot fly or jump, they can only crawl. And, Mendonça says, are more likely spread through actions like sharing a hairbrush.

Quarantine now optional for students exposed to COVID-19 in Florida

Florida's new surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, an outspoken critic of lockdowns and COVID mandates, signed new protocols Wednesday allowing students exposed to COVID not to quarantine if their parents choose.

Students who are asymptomatic after being exposed to someone who tested positive can remain in school, the new state guidance says. Previous guidance required students to quarantine at least four days away from school after being exposed.

“Quarantining healthy students is incredibly damaging for their educational advancement,” Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said. “It’s also disruptive for families. We are going to be following a symptoms-based approach.”

The CDC recommends that students quarantine for 14 days if they are unvaccinated, and seven days if they test negative after exposure. Children under 12 years old are not currently eligible for a vaccine.

Iowa sets 2021 high for COVID-19 hospitalizations

More Iowans are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 than at any point earlier in 2021, according to data released by the Iowa Department of Public Health on Wednesday.

The weekly data release shows 638 people hospitalized in Iowa with COVID-, up from 578 last week. While that's not close to the November 2020 peak of 1,527 concurrent COVID-19 hospitalizations, it's the highest that number has been since Dec. 22, 2020. 

There are 161 COVID-19 patients in the ICU and 74 on ventilators, both up from the previous week as well.

The first time Iowa dealt with this number of COVID-19 patients, it was a precursor to the November spike that stretched the health care system to the brink. Now, health care officials are worried about the pressure it's putting on a workforce battered by 18 months of pandemic care.