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STUDY: 163,000 Unvaxxed Deaths Were Preventable
Some 163,000 COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. could have been prevented by vaccination since June this year and the virus is one of the leading causes of death in all age groups, according to research by the Kaiser Family Foundation, as cases soar amid concerns the new omicron variant will trigger another wave of infections.
COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the U.S. throughout November, according to KFF, trailing heart disease and cancer. An average of 1,110 people died from the disease every day, KFF said, compared to around 2,000 and 1,600 for heart disease and cancer, respectively.
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Pennsylvania Asks FEMA to Send Hospital Teams
Pennsylvania is asking the federal government to send health care workers to bolster hospitals and nursing homes that are increasingly under strain from persistent staffing shortages and the latest COVID-19 surge.
The Wolf administration asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday to send strike teams to hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and ambulance companies in the hardest-hit areas of the state.
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Ohio Summons National Guard to Help Hospitals
Today, Ohio became the latest state to summon the National Guard to help overwhelmed medical facilities. Experts in Nebraska warned that its hospitals soon may need to ration care.
Medical officials in Kansas and Missouri are delaying surgeries, turning away transfers, and desperately trying to hire traveling nurses, as cases double and triple in an eerie reminder of last year's holiday season.
Experts attribute most of the rise in cases and hospitalizations to infections among people who have not been inoculated against the coronavirus. The government says 61% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated.