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The U.S. has recorded more than 100,000 new cases of COVID every day for the past 5 weeks, according to ABC News. In fact, there have been over 1 million new cases in the past week alone.
Nine states — Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia — all have more patients hospitalized than at any point in the past during the pandemic. Meanwhile, deaths have increased almost 50% from last month.
While the CDC says it does expect hospital admissions to start decreasing over the next month, the numbers are clear: this pandemic isn’t over yet.
Here’s what travel nurses should know about COVID this week, including what high-paying COVID-19 travel nurse jobs are available right now.
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
According to the CDC’s weekly data, overall cases in the U.S. are trending downward again for the first time in months. Cases have actually decreased 12.7% from the last 7-day average. However, even with that decrease the current case count is nearly 100% higher than it was this time last year.
Here are some quick data points about the numbers:
Along with overall case counts, deaths have also decreased. Deaths are down 11.3% from the last 7-day average.
If you were at all concerned about the mu variant, here’s some good news: the mu variant only accounted for about 5% of cases when it reached its peak in late June. It’s been declining ever since.
Hospital admissions overall have decreased slightly since last week. There’s been a 4.1% decrease in hospitalizations from the last recorded 7 days and according to the New York Times COVID map and tracker, nationwide, cases do seem to be leveling off and declining.
The states with the fastest rising case numbers are:
Employer vaccine mandates have created some opportunities for travel nurses who are fully vaccinated. Some health facilities have seen employees resign over mandates, such as Lewis County General Hospital in New York. It announced a pause on being able to deliver babies after so many staff quit following the implementation of a vaccine mandate.
It’s not entirely clear how many nurses have quit over mandates and some may still have time to decide as mandates and timelines are still being determined, but it could impact travel nursing opportunities for fully vaccinated RNs willing to take on travel assignments.
If you’re looking to travel to a hard-hit area, here’s a sampling of some of the current travel nursing positions available:
Speak with a recruiter about available assignments in COVID-impacted areas today.
Vaccine administration continues to rise slowly and steadily. According to the CDC, 179.7 million people in the U.S. have been fully vaccinated. There are now:
In booster news, the jury still seems to be out on whether or not all fully vaccinated individuals should receive a booster shot. Although the FDA released a study today from Pfizer showing that vaccine immunity wanes around 6-8 months post full-vaccination, the FDA has declined to take Pfizer’s recommendation, citing a lack of data. Moderna also released a study today recommending a half-dose booster dose, citing it elicits a stronger immune response.
Additionally, a group of scientists, including two FDA leaders who will be retiring this month, published a paper in The Lancet saying that they don’t believe pandemic mitigation efforts should be focused on boosters for healthy, fully vaccinated adults. Basically, the paper boiled down to the scientists explaining that even new variants haven’t evolved enough yet not to be seriously killed off by the vaccines. And until we get to that point, the general population probably just doesn’t need boosters.
Instead, they wrote that the best strategy against the pandemic is to get vaccines in people who have not yet been vaccinated. That will help curtail the spread and development of even more potentially dangerous variants.
As of right now, the CDC continues to recommend booster shots for immunocompromised people. That includes:
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
The United States continues to be the global hot spot for COVID, with a total of 40,085,811 cases since the start of the pandemic. Overall, some hot spots, like Texas and Florida, have stabilized, but other states, like Idaho, are struggling, especially in rural areas where vaccination rates remain low.
Idaho announced they will allow hospitals to activate “crisis standards of care” which means that they are allowing hospitals to ration care because there aren’t enough staff and beds to care for all the patients who need care.
Here are more COVID updates for travel nurses this week, including what high-paying COVID-19 travel nurse jobs are available right now.
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
According to the CDC, COVID-19 cases have increased over the last week. This past week, cases rose about 4.9%, which is about double the rate of the previous week’s increase. That average is still 123.6% higher than last summer’s peak, but still 39.7% lower than the lowest peak of the pandemic in January 2021.
Here’s some quick data points about the numbers:
The death count from COVID-19 is also about 3.7% higher than last week, with a weekly current average of 1,047 deaths occurring every day. (Historical deaths are excluded from the CDC’s count).
And although the mu variant has been found in several states in the U.S., Fauci assured the public that the variant is “not an immediate threat.”
A bit of positive news here: hospital admissions overall have slightly decreased since last week. There’s been a 1.7% decrease since last week and according to the New York Times COVID map and tracker, the states with the highest increasing amount of cases are:
Meanwhile, Florida remains the state with the highest number of hospitalizations in the country (15,000 patients currently hospitalized). Fortunately, the rate of new hospitalizations has started to stabilize.
Alaska and Colorado both hit a record number of hospitalizations and Washington has issued a warning after noticing an uptick in hospitalizations following Labor Day weekend.
If you’re looking to travel to a hard-hit area or just wondering what kind of rates for travel nursing jobs are available right now, here’s a sampling of some of the current travel nursing positions available:
Speak with a recruiter about available assignments in COVID-impacted areas today.
Vaccine administration continues to rise slowly and steadily. According to the CDC, 176.7 million people in the U.S. have been fully vaccinated.
62.5% of the U.S. population has received at least one dose
53.2% fully vaccinated
Although vaccines have largely been focused on effectiveness in preventing severe illness and hospitalizations, a new study has also further confirmed the efficacy of vaccines in preventing long-term effects of COVID. A British study found that adults who were vaccinated were 50% less likely to experience long COVID than people who were unvaccinated.
The Biden administration initially thought booster shots would be recommended for all eligible adults this fall, but it appears the CDC is pausing those recommendations for now.
As of right now, the CDC does not recommend booster shots for fully vaccinated adults. They do, however, recommend booster shots for immunocompromised people. That includes:
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
As fall approaches, the Delta variant is showing no signs of slowing down.
According to the New York Times, the death rate from COVID-19 has nearly doubled since the beginning of August, to a rate of around 800 per day.
Overall cases are on the rise too, especially in the south, where vaccination levels are especially low, but also in some western states with higher vaccination levels. School just started for many areas too, and the effects of transmission at the school level could take a few weeks before becoming apparent.
Here’s more COVID updates for travel nurses this week, including what high-paying COVID-19 travel nurse jobs are available right now.
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
According to the CDC, COVID-19 cases have risen about 14% over the past week, which is down from a rise of over 33% in our last update. The current case count is also 46.7% lower than the peak in Jan 2021.
Here’s some quick data points about the numbers:
The death count from COVID-19 is also about 10% higher than last week, with an average of about 641 deaths (with historical deaths excluded from the CDC’s count) being reported daily.
The CDC also reports that hospitalizations from COVID have been on the rise. This week’s average has increased about 14% from the previous week. Unfortunately, hospital admissions for COVID-19 in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oregon, and Washington are all at their highest levels ever during any point of the pandemic.
There’s also been more of a spotlight on how it’s now apparent that pregnant people are at more risk from COVID-19. The CDC explains that pregnant people are at higher risk of serious illness, including needed ventilation, preterm birth, and even death. One terrible story on everyone’s minds is that of pregnant OB nurse Haley Mulkey Richardson, 32, who died as a result of COVID-19. Her baby also passed away shortly before she did.
The New York Times COVID case map shows that the states that were first hit the hardest with the Delta variant surges — including Louisiana, Missouri and Arkansas — are now stabilizing or even improving.
The states now leading case rates are Florida and Mississippi. Texas has also been particularly hard-hit and has asked for over 6,000 out-of-state travel healthcare workers to fill needs to care for patients.
Overall, there are lots of travel nursing positions available right now. Many of them are offering pay rates above $5k per week. Some are well above $6k or even $8k weekly.
Here are a few of the current travel nursing pay rates available:
Speak with a recruiter about available assignments in COVID-impacted areas today.
According to the CDC, 171.4 million people in the U.S. have been fully vaccinated. Since the Delta variant has started spreading more, the rates of vaccination have slowly been increasing.
There are now:
The CDC and FDA have officially also appoved booster shots for immunocompromised people. According to the CDC, that includes:
It’s recommended that anyone who needs a booster get the same type of shot they received the first time. Johnson & Johnson also just today released a study that found that a booster shot 8 months after initial dose resulted in antibodies 9X higher than they were after 28 days from the first dose.
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
COVID infections, deaths, and hospitalizations are increasing in the U.S. right now, which is leading to big changes, some of which feel like setbacks.
For example, the CDC just announced a new recommendation that even fully vaccinated people wear masks in some situations and Disney reinstated mask mandates for all park guests. There’s been talk about health organizations and federal employees imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Overall, it’s a confusing time. As we look towards the fall, here’s what travel nurses know about COVID right now.
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
According to the CDC, COVID-19 cases have increased by 46% over the past 7 days. The current case count is still 87%, which is still lower than the January 2021 peak.
Here’s some quick data points about the numbers:
While most infections continue to be in unvaccinated individuals, there have been breakthrough infections reported in fully vaccinated people. One of the first reported breakthrough deaths occurred last week in a 33-year-old New Orleans woman who was fully vaccinated.
Overall, experts are warning that the COVID numbers are concerning and are only likely to worsen as people return to school and spend increasing amounts of time indoors.
COVID continues to be unpredictable. For instance, in the UK, after all virus restrictions were lifted, experts predicted infections would surge again. Instead, they have dropped dramatically.
It remains to be seen how COVID numbers will change in the US, but right now, the numbers suggest that vaccinated or previously infected people are pretty safe from the variant and that outbreaks are limited to the unvaccinated.
Speak with a recruiter about available assignments in COVID-impacted areas today.
Since June 25, 2021, the CDC reports that hospitalizations from COVID have been on the rise. This week’s average has increased about 32.2% from the previous week.
In recent weeks, hospitalizations were increasing for younger people, between the ages of 18-49, while older adults were avoiding admission to the hospital. This week, however, that trend has changed. Hospitalizations for adults over the age of 65+ have once increased.
The New York Times COVID case map shows that case counts are still relatively compared to last March. Still, some parts of the country appear to be struggling, especially in areas with low vaccination rates.
Parts of Arkansas, Missouri, Texas and Florida are experiencing Delta variant outbreaks. Overall, the NYT reports low infection rates in the upper midwest and northeast.
As outbreaks continue to occur, an increasing number of travel nursing positions are opening up in hotspots. Here’s a sampling of some of the current travel nursing positions available:
According to the CDC, 16.3 million people in the U.S. have been fully vaccinated. That translates to:
Vaccination rates, in general, have declined without picking back up. The data suggests nearly all US deaths from COVID are occurring in people who haven’t been vaccinated. Some states have increased the push for vaccines, like Michigan, which is offering a $1 and $2 million lottery, along with $50K daily drawings for anyone who gets the vaccine through July (and the larger drawings for those who already were vaccinated.)
As of right now, the CDC and FDA are maintaining their stance that COVID vaccine boosters are not needed, although they are continuing to gather research and data if that will change in the future.
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
After months of the number of COVID-19 cases on the decline, infections in the U.S. are on the rise again. All but three states in the U.S. have reported a doubled rate of COVID in only the past week alone.
The news is troubling and experts aren’t sure what the fall will hold.
Here’s what travel nurses need to know about what’s currently happening with COVID and what travel nursing jobs are available right now.
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
For the first time since April 2021, the CDC is reporting an increase in COVID infections for the U.S., up 16% from the week before.
But it’s not all doom and gloom yet. Despite the increase, the rate of new infections is roughly 94% less than it was at the peak in January of this year. And overall, case counts are low.
Here’s some quick data points:
The Delta variant is officially the primary circulating strain of COVID-19 in the U.S. Some states are experiencing outbreaks that are straining local health systems.
Missouri, for instance, has been in the news as a Delta variant outbreak has overwhelmed local hospitals. Missouri has one of the lowest vaccination rates of any state. Doctors there are reporting a 10x increase in hospitalizations for some areas and younger patients than with previous outbreaks.
“We are seeing younger and sicker patients coming,” Steve Edwards, CEO of CoxHealth in Missouri told USA Today. “The delta variant’s almost got to be looked at as a different disease, affecting younger people.”
Along with an increase in cases across the country, hospitalizations from COVID are on the rise again.
According to the CDC, there’s been an overall increase in hospitalizations since June 28. This week’s numbers have increased about 9% from the previous week’s average.
Interestingly, younger people are being hospitalized than with the first few COVID waves.
For example, the CDC reports that more than 40% of hospitalizations due to COVID are for people ages 18-49. This could be due to a couple of factors. The higher vaccination rate among older people may be preventing more serious cases and younger people may have more exposure to the virus due to lifestyle.
The New York Times COVID case map shows that overall case counts are still relatively low compared to last March but some parts of the country are struggling, especially in areas where vaccination rates are low. Arkansas, Missouri, Texas and Nevada are all currently experiencing outbreaks attributed to the Delta variant.
As outbreaks continue to happen, there may be more travel nurse positions opening up in hotspot areas.
Here’s a sampling of some of the current travel nursing positions and pay rates available:
Speak with a recruiter about available assignments in COVID-impacted areas today.
According to the CDC, 55.6% of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 48.1% are fully vaccinated.
Vaccination rates, in general, have declined without picking back up. The data is showing nearly all US deaths from COVID are occurring in people who haven’t been vaccinated.
Some states have increased the push for vaccines, like Michigan, which is offering a $1 and $2 million lottery, along with $50K daily drawings for newly vaccinated individuals. Others states have gone the opposite way, like Tennessee, which recently fired its Director of Public Health for advocating for adolescents to get vaccinated and is now banning the advertising of vaccinations to adolescents.
As of right now, the CDC and FDA are pushing back against the need for a booster shot for fully vaccinated people. Pfizer is presenting data in support of a booster, but the FDA has noted they will not rely on studies from Pfizer alone in a recommendation of the booster.
In other COVID news:
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
The world has their eye on the Delta variant — and now, the Delta Plus variant (yes, that’s it’s real name.) Still, for now, COVID-19 case numbers remain at record low numbers.
However, as predicted, there have been COVID outbreaks in areas with low rates of vaccination. For now, experts are unsure how much the virus will continue to spread and mutate in vaccinated individuals, as well as what that might mean for those who are vaccinated.
Here’s what travel nurses need to know about what’s currently happening with COVID, along with travel nursing jobs available right now.
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
To date, according to the CDC, the US has seen 33,451,748 cases of COVID, with 72,327 new cases in the last 7 days. The death toll from COVID now stands at 601,506; 111 of those have been recorded as new deaths.
The data boils down to some relevant points:
The New York Times COVID case map shows cases and deaths are lower than they’ve been since March 2020. They note that there aren’t a lot of hotspots in urban areas, but some rural outbreaks have occurred in Missouri and Arkansas.
Despite all the progress on the COVID-19 front, the Delta variant is now officially a “variant of concern” (VOC), according to the CDC. The Delta variant originated in India and is more transmissible than previous variants. Experts don’t yet understand the level of risk this variant poses to vaccinated people.
Overall, hospital admissions have steadily decreased since April and continue to decline. There was a 7.8% decline in admissions over the past week and admissions of high-risk patients over the age of 85 have declined as well.
Despite the lack of COVID-19 admissions, there has been an increased demand for other types of travel nurses, including an unseasonably high need for OR nurses and pre- and post-op surgical nurses.
If you’re a travel nurse looking for some of the highest-paying rates, keep an eye out for positions in the following areas:
Here’s a sampling of some of the current travel nursing pay rates and locations available to travel nurses right now:
Speak with a recruiter about available assignments in COVID-impacted areas today.
According to the CDC, 54% of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 46.3% is fully vaccinated. The country is currently not on track to meet President Biden’s announced goal of reaching a 70% vaccination rate by the Fourth of July.
Vaccination rates, in general, have declined. Data suggests nearly all US deaths from COVID are occurring in people who haven’t been vaccinated.
The big news of the week is both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines appear to provide lasting immunity. A peer-reviewed study suggests that the vaccines will provide years of immunity. It’s still not officially clear how long the immunity will last, but the study is the first one to show that the vaccines encourage the immune system to continue to generate antibodies long after the initial jab.
In other news:
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
The world of travel nursing is about to see the return of “normal” health needs.
During the pandemic, people postponed their normal preventative healthcare visits and illnesses like the flu stopped circulating as people adopted masks and social distancing. But as COVID-19 numbers continue to decrease across the country, healthcare is going to change again.
Here’s what that might mean for travel nursing.
New travel nursing jobs available. Speak with a recruiter today.
Many people put off regular preventive care, elective procedures and non-emergent surgeries during the pandemic. This means there’s likely to be an influx of healthcare needs as life returns back to normal.
“I have been seeing a huge need nation-wide in OR and pre/post-op RNs along with surgical and sterile techs,” says Heather Cherveny, ADEX Travel Healthcare Sr. Recruiter. “Typically, after the New Year you see those needs diminishing — not this year! The needs have been ongoing due to surgeries being canceled last year. The rates for these types of nurses are still pretty good in the travel market.”
If you’re a travel nurse with experience or interest in the following areas, you’ll likely have an easier time finding a travel nursing position easily in the coming months:
Cherveny notes that rates for travel nurses have stabilized to pre-pandemic rates, although there are a few exceptions.
For example, she says she has been seeing a trend towards higher pay rates for Med/Surg nurses, which she notes is “very unusual.” This is likely because many hospitals are short-staffed even on general floors — particularly as patients continue to come to the hospital for COVID complications.
Travel nurses played a large and heroic role in the COVID pandemic and they may soon come to the rescue once again.
With many staff nurses burned out from the pandemic (many nurses even retired early), hospitals are turning to travel nurses to fill the gaps.
For instance, according to one hospital system, permanent vacancies are up about 20%. With nursing shortages only predicted to increase over the coming years, those won’t be easy to fill right away.
The pandemic itself prompted some nurses to try travel nursing for the first time, an industry shift that’s likely to persist, says Cherveny. She notes the many pros of travel nursing, from premium rates, opportunity to travel, flexibility, work/life balance, and benefits such as 401(k), vacation time, healthcare insurance, short-term disability, and life insurance — all of which prompted many staff nurses to take notice.
“[For the first time], the travel field is flooded with nurses,” she says. “The pandemic pay rates encouraged a lot of nurses to get out of their comfort zone and try travel nursing.”
Ready to start travel nursing? Talk to a recruiter today.
The fall is likely to bring significant demand for travel nurses, especially with uncertain COVID predictions and the likely return of other viral infections, including the flu.
Flu rates have been at historical lows in the 2019-2020 season.
Experts are unsure of what that means for the future. It could mean many people who would have acquired natural immunities will now be lacking those antibodies. That could mean a more severe flu season (it usually peaks in December or February), which could lead to an increase in travel nursing positions in doctor’s offices, urgent care facilities, ERs and ICUs, for both pediatric and adult populations.
A lot could change in the next few months but Cherveny predicts that one thing will stay the same: the need for travel nurses will remain high.
She predicts that the high-demand travel positions of Med/Surg, Telemetry, ED and ICU nurses will continue and that overall, this past year has helped the rest of the world see how valuable travel nurses are to the healthcare industry.
“I think travel nursing will continue to grow as it was a spotlight this past year with many hospitals in high demand for agency help,” she says. “We are a great resource and I think many corporations have realized that after this year.”
New travel nursing jobs available. Speak with a recruiter today.
There have been major COVID developments in the COVID world –– from California fully reopening on Tuesday to new cases dropping to levels last seen at the very start of the pandemic in March 2020 –– but the pandemic is still technically going on.
Here’s what travel nurses need to know about what’s currently happening with COVID, along with travel nursing jobs available right now.
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
To date, according to the CDC, the US has seen 33,292,045 cases of COVID, with 85,563 new cases in the last 7 days.
The data boils down to some relevant points:
The New York Times COVID case map shows cases and death counts are lower than they’ve been since March 2020. A very few isolated hot spot areas can be found throughout the country, such as in Texas and Montana. Experts predict that similar hot spots will continue to crop up in areas where vaccination rates are low.
If you’re a data person, you may be interested in the COVID blood antibodies tracking that the CDC is doing from samples of blood donations. The data is being used nationally to determine how many people have COVID-19 antibodies, either from vaccinations or natural infections. Having antibodies is called seroprevalence, and currently, the estimated national average is around 33.4%.
Overall, hospital admissions have steadily been decreasing since April and continue to decline. The one exception to the overall decrease in hospital admissions is among non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native people–rates for that population have actually risen in recent weeks, according to the CDC.
As hospital admissions and new COVID-19 infections have stabilized, so have travel nurses’ wages. Rates for travel nurses have returned mostly to pre-pandemic Heather Cherveny, ADEX Travel Healthcare recently told TravelNursing.org.
However, there’s been an increase in types of travel nursing jobs, as demand for OR and Med/Surg nurses rebounds. There’s also been a surprising number of Labor & Delivery positions open recently.
If you’re a travel nurse looking for some of the highest-paying rates, keep an eye out for positions in the following areas:
Here’s a sampling of some of the current travel nursing positions and pay rates available right now:
Speak with a recruiter about available assignments in COVID-impacted areas today.
According to the CDC, 52% of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 43.7% are fully vaccinated.
Part of the conversation about vaccines has also turned to wondering when — and if — people will require booster shots for the vaccines. Pzifer announced they are now studying vaccinated people who become infected after full vaccination in order to answer this question. It’s likely some sort of booster will be necessary, but health officials don’t have a clear answer on when exactly that will be.
A new study in Nature suggests natural COVID immunity should be long-lasting, but that people who had COVID and then also received the COVID vaccine produce antibodies that are effective against the variants.
In other news:
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
COVID case numbers are way down in the U.S. and many states are almost fully back to “normal” status.
It’s a huge sign of hope that the pandemic might soon be officially called over in the U.S. So what does that mean for travel nurses? Let’s take a closer look.
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
The most recent data available from the CDC shows a current COVID-19 case count of 33,093,238. The death count has remained stable, with 591,539 deaths.
To put these numbers into perspective, they boil down to this:
Both cases and deaths are the lowest they have been in over a full year
The rate of positive tests is less than 3% — almost the lowest it’s been in a year!
The New York Times COVID case map shows a massive decrease of infections across the entire country. In fact, they describe it as cases “plummeting,” with only 23K infections being reported per day across the entire nation, the lowest it’s been in a full year. There are only a very limited handful of “hot spots.” Cases have dropped by a full 50% over the past two weeks. The NYT adds: “No state is seeing a major increase in cases.”
Worldwide, other nations are not faring as well. For instance, in Brazil, the virus seems to be especially affecting pregnant women and babies, costing the lives of over 1,000 pregnant women and 579 babies under the age of one. Many of them were completely healthy before contracting the virus.
Health officials will continue to monitor these variants, especially as fall approaches. But for right now, the U.S. appears to be breathing a sigh of relief.
The CDC reports a 91.4% decrease since the highest peak in cases in January 2021. Hospitalizations are also down. There’s been a 10% decrease over the previous week tracked and the current weekly average is the lowest it’s been since August of 2020.
The CDC noted that, despite lowered case counts and increasing numbers of vaccinations, there are a number of implications for post-pandemic life. Namely, that people will be getting back to regular medical care.
Hunkering down at home meant that people put off routine and regular preventive care, including seeing their doctor for wellness checks. Healthcare providers are anticipating a return of patients for things like physicals. Sadly, with a delay in care, there may be new diagnoses and complications. And, without masks and social distancing, nurses should be prepared for the return of colds. Plus, after a year of virtually no influenza, it’s expected to make a big reentrance this coming flu season.
With COVID numbers down, there are fewer COVID-19 travel nurse assignments available. But with “normal” medical activity picking up again, there will be new opportunities for travel nurses as well. In recent weeks, there has been an expanded range of new travel RN jobs open — some with higher pay than we’ve seen in a while, especially for non-COVID assignments.
Here are some of the available travel nursing jobs and rates available right now:
Speak with a recruiter about available assignments in COVID-impacted areas today.
According to the CDC, 50.8% of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 40.9% are fully vaccinated.
Vaccination rates have slowed down considerably, leading some companies and areas to incentivize vaccinations. For instance, Ohio just gave away $1 million to a lottery winner who received a vaccine dose. The 22-year-old told the NYT she thought the call that she won was a “prank.”
In other news:
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
Big news: the CDC issued recommendations stating fully vaccinated people no longer have to wear a mask in most situations — indoors or outdoors. It’s a sign we’re finally (finally!) seeing some progress against this virus and moving towards “normalcy” once again.
Here’s what the science is telling us about COVID-19, including how it’s affecting travel nurses right now.
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
The most recent data from the CDC shows a current COVID-19 case count of 32,771,733, only slightly higher than our last case count two weeks ago of 32,228,003.
To put these numbers into perspective, they boil down to this:
The New York Times COVID case map shows a stabilization and decrease of infections across the entire country. There are only a handful of “hot spot” areas in isolated counties, such as in New Mexico, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Colorado. The NYT also noted places that previously had very high numbers have seen enormous progress. For example, New Jersey has seen a whopping 70% decrease in new cases over the past two weeks, while Michigan and New York have witnessed a 40% decrease.
While the new numbers are encouraging, especially on the brink of summer, the combination of variants and vaccine hesitation is leading many experts to predict we’ll never truly reach herd immunity for COVID-19.
“It’s theoretically possible but we as a society have rejected that,” Dr. Gregory Poland, director of the Mayo Clinic’s Vaccine Research Group told USA Today when discussing herd immunity for the virus. “There is no eradication at this point, it’s off the table. The only thing we can talk about is control.”
What exactly does that mean? It means that moving forward, COVID-19 will be more like a flu: a virus we will never fully eradicate, but that can hopefully be managed and controlled through a combination of infection control measures, such as vaccinations, masking during outbreaks, social distancing, and potentially new guidelines for going into work sick.
According to the CDC, new COVID-19 infections have dropped by 23.6% compared to last week, which is good news indeed. The current case count is almost 85.8% lower than it was during the January 2021 peaks. The CDC also notes that the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7. (the “UK variant”) is the culprit behind the majority of all U.S cases.
Yesterday, there were reports the India variant has been found in the U.S., although so far, experts are saying it’s not cause for alarm. The variant has been dubbed a “double mutant,” which describes the fact that this virus strains has gone through two specific mutations that make it harder for the immune system to detect. Basically, the mutation has found a way to slip through the immune system in two different ways, which is why it’s been so deadly in India.
Hospitalizations have also decreased 12.4% from the previous week. Overall, hospitalizations have decreased consistently since April 19.
Currently, the demand for COVID travel is less intense than last year but there are some states with new demand. Here are some of the current salaries available on job boards:
There are also many types of non-COVID travel nursing positions open, including opportunities for vaccine nurses and infusion nurses.
Speak with a recruiter about available assignments in COVID-impacted areas today.
The biggest news is that the FDA issued Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 12 and 15.
The CDC has called the Pfizer vaccine “safe and effective” for that age group, citing safety data and assuring parents that the side effects are about the same for adults, with symptoms like slight fever, chills, or headache after administration. Although 12-15-year-olds are now eligible and have started receiving the vaccine, no official data is in yet about how many have received it.
However, in general, according to the CDC’s count, 157,827,208 people have received at least one dose of a vaccine. Thirty-seven percent of the country has been fully vaccinated, while 47.5% of the population has received at least one dose.
In other news:
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
