Immune To COVID? New Study Suggests Why

New Orleans will call off all Mardi Gras parades next year, states are putting new restrictions in place and some governors who previously eschewed mask mandates are changing course amid surging cases of COVID-19 and soaring hospitalization rates.

All but three states nationwide are in what the White House Coronavirus Task Force calls the "red zone," which is defined as 101 or more new cases per 100,000 people. The states were listed in the task force's most recent weekly briefing for governors, ABC News reported Tuesday.

More than 11.2 million people in the United States have tested positive for COVID-19, according to data tracked by Johns Hopkins University. The first case in the U.S. was recorded in late January in Washington State, but about half of the confirmed cases nationwide have been reported in the past three months or so.

More than 247,000 people in the U.S. have died from the disease. The country accounts for about one-fifth of the 55.2 million cases and 1.3 million deaths worldwide.

Michigan had the highest number of new cases in the U.S. on Monday, according to a daily update published Tuesday morning by Johns Hopkins. Illinois, Louisiana, California and Tennessee followed.

Overall, the U.S. reported 166,000 new cases, continuing a surge that brought record-high numbers in recent weeks. Some 73,000 people – also a record – were in hospitals nationwide Monday due to the disease, according to the COVID-19 Tracking Project.

Latest Developments

United States

- Fifty-eight percent of Americans are willing to get a coronavirus vaccine, according to new Gallup poll. That's up from 50% last month. The uptick comes as Moderna and Pfizer both announced in recent days that tests show their vaccines are more than 90% effective at preventing COVID-19.

-Ohio and Maryland are the latest states to announce new restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine imposed a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew for the next three weeks, while Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said bars, restaurants and other establishments must close at 10 p.m. nightly and retail businesses, gyms, churches and other places are limited to 50% capacity. "If we can cut down contacts by 20-25 percent, this will make a difference," DeWine said on Twitter. Hogan said: “This is not the flu. It's not fake news. It's not going to magically disappear, just because we're all tired of it and we want our normal lives back."

-There will be no Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans in 2021, according to the office of Mayor LaToya Cantrell. "The City of New Orleans cannot cancel Mardi Gras because it is a religious holiday, however we will not be able to celebrate the holiday this year as we have in the past," the mayor's website said. "Parades of any kind will not be permitted this year because large gatherings have proven to be super spreader events of the COVID-19 virus." The city, which on Tuesday afternoon raised its threat level to red and advised residents to treat every person they come in contact with as though they may have COVID-19, is soliciting ideas on how to celebrate Mardi Gras safely.

-Vermont, Maine and Hawaii are the only states not in the red zone, per the White House task force briefing. The report cites an explosive surge in cases, hospitalization rates and test positivity in several states, including Wisconsin, Illinois, Oklahoma and Colorado, according to ABC.

-Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is among a group of Republican governors nationwide who have decided to impose mask mandates months into the pandemic. "So now is the time to come together for the greater good. To look out for each other – not because you’re told to, but because it’s the right thing to do," Reynolds said Monday evening. The new rule in Iowa requires anyone older than 2 years to wear a face-covering when inside public places. COVID-19 hospitalizations in Iowa have more than doubled since Nov. 1.

-Other governors who have announced mask mandates in recent days include Ohio's DeWine, Jim Justice of West Virginia, Utah's Gary Herbert and North Dakota's Doug Burgum, USA Today reported.

-A total of 36 states now have mask mandates, according to a list kept by AARP. The rules vary by state. In most states without mask mandates, local governments can impose their own rules.

-Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, told CNN Tuesday that his three adult daughters opted not to include Fauci in their Thanksgiving celebrations this year because his age, 79, puts him at high risk for COVID-19. Instead, Fauci and his wife will eat alone and chat via online video with his daughters. "I don’t like it that way, but I think they’re making a prudent decision in trying to protect their father and I’m proud of them for that," said Fauci. He also again recommended the uniform wearing of masks nationwide.

Worldwide

-A national medical association in Switzerland said Tuesday that the country's 876 adult intensive care beds were full, the New York Times reported. Switzerland, with a population of about 8.5 million, has reported a surge of more than 83,500 cases of COVID-19 since Nov. 3.

-France on Tuesday became the first country in Europe to count more than 2 million cases. The country has the fourth-highest case county in the world, behind the U.S., India and Brazil.

-Amnesty International is accusing Belgium of violating the human rights of its elderly population by not doing more to protect nursing home residents when the pandemic took hold, the Associated Press reported. Belgium has recorded more than 537,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and about 14,000 deaths.

-South Korea officials on Tuesday announced new social distancing rules in the greater Seoul area after a steady resurgence of COVID-19 cases since restrictions were loosened last month.

For the latest coronavirus information in your county and a full list of important resources to help you make the smartest decisions regarding the disease, check out our dedicated COVID-19 page.

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