The debate over mask mandates continues, and more COVID-19 news
AP
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Officials across the U.S. are again weighing how and whether to impose mask mandates as COVID-19 infections soar and the American public grows ever wearier of pandemic-related restrictions.
Much of the debate centers around the nation’s schools, some of which have closed due to infection-related staffing issues. In a variety of places, mask mandates are being lifted or voted down.
The changes come as the federal government assesses the supply of medical-grade respirator face coverings, such as N95 or KN95 masks. During a briefing Wednesday, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said officials were “strongly considering options to make more high-quality masks available to all Americans,” noting the government has a stockpile of more than 750 million N95 masks.
As of Tuesday, just over 17% of U.S. children ages 5 to 11 were fully vaccinated, more than two months after shots became available to the age group. While Vermont is at 48%, California is just shy of 19% and Mississippi is at only 5%.
Vaccinations among the elementary school set surged after the shots were introduced in the fall, but the numbers have crept up slowly since then, and omicron’s explosive spread appears to have had little effect.
The low rates are “very disturbing,’’ said Dr. Robert Murphy, executive director for the Institute for Global Health at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. “It’s just amazing.”
Parents who hesitate “are taking an enormous risk and continuing to fuel the pandemic,’’ Murphy said.
And, inflation jumped at its fastest pace in nearly 40 years last month, a 7% spike from a year earlier that is increasing household expenses, eating into wage gains and heaping pressure on President Joe Biden and the Federal Reserve to address what has become the biggest threat to the U.S. economy.
Prices rose sharply in 2021 for cars, gas, food and furniture as part of a rapid recovery from the pandemic recession. Vast infusions of government aid and ultra-low interest rates helped spur demand for goods, while vaccinations gave people confidence to dine out and travel.
As Americans ramped up spending, supply chains remained squeezed by shortages of workers and raw materials and this magnified price pressures.
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Photo Credit: eldar nurkovic / Shutterstock
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused Americans to reassess their living arrangements, work situations, how they travel, and how they spend their free time. It has also impacted how they manage at home when faced with a COVID-19 infection or exposure in order to keep others safe.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that people infected with COVID-19 self-isolate at home and stay in a specific “sick room” and use a separate bathroom if possible. However, many American households do not have enough rooms or amenities to quarantine effectively. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, it is estimated that at least 11.5 million households, or 13.1% of multi-person households, are unable to effectively quarantine due to not having enough bedrooms, a full kitchen, or complete plumbing in their homes.
CDC data shows that minorities are at increased risk of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and death when compared to non-Hispanic Whites. This is due to a number of factors, including the increased prevalence of certain underlying health conditions among minorities, unequal access to health care, and increased exposure to the virus due to occupation. American Indian or Alaska Natives are at particularly high risk of both COVID-19 infections and adverse outcomes. In comparison to non-Hispanic Whites, they are 1.6 times as likely to become infected with COVID-19, 3.3 times as likely to be hospitalized, and 2.2 times as likely to die. Other minorities, especially Hispanics and Blacks, are also at a much greater risk of infection, hospitalization, and death.
Not only are minority households at greater risk of COVID-19 infection and adverse outcomes, but they are also less likely than non-Hispanic White households to be able to quarantine effectively when considering the availability of separate bedrooms, the presence of a full kitchen, and complete plumbing. Over one in four Hispanic households are unable to quarantine effectively due to their living arrangement; similarly high rates are observed in other non-White communities. In contrast, less than one out of every 10 non-Hispanic White households lack the basic necessities to quarantine an individual effectively.
Locations with large minority populations and expensive housing are more likely to face challenges in this area. At the state level, residents of California and New York are most disadvantaged when it comes to taking effective quarantine measures. It’s estimated that more than 20% of multi-person households don’t have sufficient space to isolate an infected member of the home if needed. At the opposite end of the spectrum, residents in less expensive and less diverse states like Wyoming and West Virginia are more likely to have the necessary space to do so.
To find the metropolitan areas where residents are unable to quarantine, researchers at Smartest Dollar analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The researchers ranked metro areas according to the percentage of multi-person households without the space or facilities needed to effectively quarantine an individual. For the purpose of this analysis, this means having complete plumbing, a full kitchen, and enough bedrooms to isolate an individual without forcing the remaining household members to sleep with more than two people in a bedroom. Researchers also included the percentage of the population that is not non-Hispanic White in each location and the poverty rate.
Here are the metros where residents lack the space or facilities needed to quarantine.
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Photo Credit: LHBLLC / Shutterstock
Percentage of households unable to quarantine: 14.2%
