Tag: CDC

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CDC confirms first U.S. case of omicron Covid variant, in California

The CDC said Wednesday it has confirmed the first U.S. case of the new, heavily mutated coronavirus variant called omicron, which was detected in Northern California.

White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said the patient, who was fully vaccinated, had just returned to the San Francisco area Nov. 22 after traveling in South Africa and tested positive Nov. 29.

“The individual is self-quarantining, and all close contacts have been contacted and … thus far, have tested negative,” he announced at a White House press briefing providing more details of the case. “We feel good that this patient not only had mild symptoms, but actually the symptoms appear to be improving.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said genomic sequencing was initially conducted at the University of California, San Francisco, and the CDC confirmed the omicron variant.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average swung from a 520-point gain for the day to a loss of more than 461 points after the CDC confirmed the case.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom cautioned residents on Twitter, saying, “There’s no reason to panic — but we should remain vigilant. That means get vaccinated. Get boosted. Wear a mask indoors.”

At a press briefing Wednesday afternoon, Newsom said the patient is between 18 and 49 and had not received a booster shot because they were not six months out from their original vaccination course.

Newsom and local officials in San Francisco said they didn’t anticipate imposing new restrictions on residents in light of omicron.

“There’s more panic than information around this new variant,” Newsom said, adding that everyone needs to be more vigilant but that lockdowns are not under consideration. “I think we can communicate so we can avoid any shutdowns, we can avoid shutting down our schools or businesses. None of us want to see that happen.”

Since South Africa first reported the variant to the World Health Organization a week ago, it’s been found in Canada, the U.K., Israel, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Hong Kong, among other places. World leaders are on high alert, worried the virus is already widely seeded across the globe.

The World Health Organization said Wednesday that omicron has been reported in at least 23 countries.

Fauci said over the weekend that the variant would inevitably arrive in the U.S. On Sunday, two cases were identified in Ontario, Canada. The variant, initially known as B.1.1.529, was first detected in Botswana and South Africa’s Gauteng province, where Johannesburg is located.

Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel warned Monday that omicron has already spread across the planet. He pointed to flights that arrived in Amsterdam from South Africa on Friday in which 61 of 624 passengers tested positive for Covid. Dutch health authorities said 14 of them are infected with the omicron strain.

Portuguese health authorities said Monday that 13 members and staff of a professional soccer team in Lisbon were infected with the variant after one of its players returned from a trip to South Africa.

“We also believe it is already present in most countries,” Bancel said. “I believe most countries that have direct flights from South Africa in the last seven to 10 days already have cases in their country that they may not be aware of.”

The U.S. imposed a travel ban starting Monday for noncitizens who have traveled in South Africa and seven other nearby nations in the past 14 days. The U.K. and the European Union have implemented similar travel restrictions.

President Joe Biden said Monday he is directing the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC to use the “fastest process available without cutting any corners” to approve potential vaccines that target omicron and get them on the market.

The current Covid vaccines are believed to provide at least some protection from the heavily mutated omicron strain, and booster shots “strengthen that protection significantly,” Biden said in a speech at the White House.

The WHO on Friday classified omicron as a “variant of concern,” meaning it is more contagious, more virulent or more skilled at evading public health measures, vaccines and therapeutics. The variant contains more than 30 mutations to the spike protein that allows the virus to enter the body. The new strain has roughly 50 mutations in total, including 10 alone to the receptor binding domain, the part of the virus that first comes in contact with cells.

Officials have warned that many of these mutations could lead to increased antibody resistance and transmissibility, which could limit the effectiveness of Covid vaccines.

“The molecular profile of the kinds of mutations that you see [in omicron] would suggest that it might be more transmissible and that it might elude some of the protection of vaccines,” Fauci said Wednesday. “But we don’t know that now.”

He said we have to prepare for the possibility that immune protection from vaccines and recovery from Covid may be diminished against omicron, emphasizing the need for boosters.

Dr. Angelique Coetzee, chair of the South African Medical Association, described the symptoms linked to omicron as “extremely mild” so far. However, Bancel warned that the symptoms reported in South Africa may not be a good predictor of the variant’s virulence since less than 5{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of the population is over 60 and there are far fewer comorbidities than in the U.S. and Europe, where people tend to be older and sicker.

“I think today, it’s really impossible to know … I don’t believe that what’s going to happen in the coming week or two in South Africa will be predicting to be full virulence of a virus,” Bancel said.

Drugmakers have responded quickly to the new variant. Pfizer and BioNTech said they are investigating omicron and could adapt their vaccine if needed. Johnson & Johnson said it was already testing its vaccine against the variant. Moderna said it will test three booster candidates against omicron, including a higher dosage of its original Covid booster. The company also said it will develop a booster dose specific to the variant.

Fauci said Americans heading into the holidays should still feel safe celebrating indoors with vaccinated family and friends.

“You can feel safe with not wearing a mask and having a dinner or having a reception,” he said. “But when you are in a public congregate setting in which you do not know the status of the vaccination of the people involved, it is very prudent to wear a mask.”

— CNBC’s Robert Towey and Kevin Breuninger contributed to this report.

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CDC warns about rising flu cases in children, young adults

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory Wednesday that cases of influenza have been rising among young adults in recent weeks.

While flu cases are still low nationally, more than 90 percent are among children and young adults ages 5 to 24, according to the CDC.

Most cases are of the H3N2 lineage — a strain that health experts say is particularly troublesome, as it tends to mutate faster than other variants of influenza. The last time H3N2 was the dominant strain was during the 2017-18 flu season, when the U.S. had 710,000 flu-related hospitalizations and 52,000 flu-related deaths, the most since the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic. 

A CDC map shows influenza rates.CDC

The CDC has been investigating a flu outbreak at the University of Michigan, where hundreds of students have tested positive. Flu outbreaks have been reported at other college campuses in the past month.

Experts are concerned that college students and other young people who may have been exposed to flu could spread it around the country as they travel home for the holidays.

“This is the time of the year when many people are going to be gathering together for the holidays for either Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s, and there’s just the potential to amplify it,” said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Toronto.

He said people, especially those most at risk for severe disease, should get vaccinated, because the virus doesn’t stay within a particular age group for long.

“It’s coming. It’s not quite clear how large a flu season we’re going to have, but we are going to have a flu season,” he said.

Full coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic

The flu season typically runs from October to as late as May, with activity tending to peak from December to February, according to the CDC.

Influenza experts had previously said they were concerned that the country could be at risk for a severe flu season this year after seasonal flu cases reached an all-time low last year, when large parts of the country were shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Experts urge people to get both Covid and flu vaccinations, saying an increase in flu infections this winter could put more burden on the country’s health care system, which is already dealing with a surge in coronavirus cases.

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As part of the health advisory, the CDC recommended that people with flulike symptoms be tested for both influenza and Covid.

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Berkeley Lovelace Jr. is a health and medical news reporter for NBC News.

Kaitlin Sullivan contributed.

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CDC recommends Covid-19 boosters for all adults

Walensky made her recommendation just hours after CDC vaccine advisers voted unanimously to recommend booster doses of Pfizer/BioNTech’s and Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccines for all US adults six months after they finish their first two doses.

The recommendations simplify previous, complicated guidance for boosters.

“CDC continues to encourage the 47 million adults who are not yet vaccinated to get vaccinated as soon as possible to protect themselves, their families, loved ones and communities,” the CDC said in a statement.

“We also strongly encourage those who were already eligible — older populations and individuals with underlying medical conditions — to get boosted before the holidays.”

Previously, boosters had been authorized for anyone 65 and older who was vaccinated with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines at least six months ago and for certain adults at high risk of infection or of severe disease. Friday’s vote streamlines this, making clear every adult should or may get a booster six months after finishing the first two doses.

Some 'frustrated' states don't wait for FDA, expand Covid-19 vaccine booster eligibility to all adults

Recent real-world studies suggested that immunity from Covid-19 vaccines begins to wane and protection against milder and asymptomatic disease, in particular, may drop. Studies have shown that booster doses restore that immunity.

Members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices heard safety data from the CDC, from Pfizer and from Moderna that showed the boosters have not caused worrying adverse events. The most common reactions are pain at the injection site, headache and fatigue.

“After critical scientific evaluation, today’s unanimous decision carefully considered the current state of the pandemic, the latest vaccine effectiveness data over time, and review of safety data from people who have already received a COVID-19 primary vaccine series and booster,” Walensky said in a statement.

“Booster shots have demonstrated the ability to safely increase people’s protection against infection and severe outcomes and are an important public health tool to strengthen our defenses against the virus as we enter the winter holidays,” she added.

“Based on the compelling evidence, all adults over 18 should now have equitable access to a COVID-19 booster dose.”

Some 'frustrated' states don't wait for FDA, expand Covid-19 vaccine booster eligibility to all adults

The vote comes just in time for people to get boosters before the holidays, the CDC’s Dr. Sara Oliver told the meeting. Even if the added immunity given by boosters doesn’t last long, she said, it can help.

“Even temporary protection may factor into the benefit risk balance, especially as we approach the winter holidays with increased travel and holiday gatherings,” Oliver said.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN this week that recent data from Israel show that, among people age 60 and older, those who received a booster were less likely to become severely ill than vaccinated people who had not received a booster. Rates of severe disease remained highest among those who weren’t vaccinated.

The majority of adults had already been eligible to receive boosters, and several states have already moved to open up boosters to all adults.

‘Everyone is eligible’

Expanding booster eligibility to all adults in the United States may not change the logistics around getting shots into arms.

The vaccine supply for boosters is already established in many places. There are no “extra steps” on the administration side of the booster rollout that need to happen, Adriane Casalotti, chief of government and public affairs at the National Association of County and City Health Officials, told CNN.

“Looking national, we have enough vaccine. There are lots of places that have appointments. Obviously, that varies a little bit depending upon where you live geographically because there’s more demand in some areas than others,” Casalotti told CNN.

Frustrated Biden officials are hoping to simplify the message on Covid-19 with booster decision

“But that being said, I think the main preparation is on the communication side,” Casalotti added. “The communication for the local health care providers and public health departments is that now you don’t have to worry about eligibility if someone asks if they need to get a booster. This is the information — everyone is eligible after six months.”

Around 32 million people in the United States — about 17{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of those who are fully vaccinated — have received a booster dose of Covid-19 vaccine, according to CDC data.

About 18 million seniors have received a booster dose of Covid-19 vaccine, according to CDC data, accounting for more than half of all booster doses administered and increasing the immune response for more than a third of fully vaccinated seniors.

The future of boosters

The US is now averaging 94,943 new Covid-19 cases each day, according to Johns Hopkins University — a 31{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} increase over last week and back to levels last seen more than a month ago. Midwestern states account for more than a third (38{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}) of new cases.

There’s concern that winter weather that drives people indoors and holiday gatherings could lead to even more cases.

“We certainly want people to be as well protected as they could possibly be going into the season,” said Dr. Marci Drees, chief infection prevention officer and hospital epidemiologist for Delaware-based ChristianaCare.

Drees is a Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America liaison to the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee.

“I think we’re at the point now where for lots of people who were vaccinated last winter and spring, now would be the time that their protection is waning,” she said.

Once people do receive their Covid-19 vaccine booster shots, it’s not clear when they might need another vaccine dose — if ever.

“That certainly is the million-dollar question. We know that the boosters boost people’s immunity back up to that 90{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} to 95{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} range in the short term. We don’t know how long that will last,” Drees said.

“In some ways, we’re forging a new path — and a lot of it is driven by can we get enough immunity in the population so that we can really shut down further transmission,” Drees said. “We know that boosters are not going to end the pandemic. They will help and prevent people from getting sick, but we really still need to push on getting first and second doses into people as well.”

CNN’s Deidre McPhillips contributed to this report.

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C.D.C. Recommends Covid Booster Shots for Millions of Americans

In a sweeping victory for the Biden administration, the Centers for Disease Management and Prevention on Thursday endorsed booster pictures of the Moderna and the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines for tens of tens of millions of Us citizens.

The final decision follows an company endorsement past thirty day period of booster photographs of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and opens the doorway for quite a few Individuals to seek out a booster shot as early as Friday.

The coronavirus vaccines “are all highly efficient in reducing the possibility of extreme disorder, hospitalization, and demise, even in the midst of the widely circulating Delta variant,” Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, director of the C.D.C., said in a assertion.

Her approval of tips produced by a scientific advisory committee provides the country nearer to satisfying President Biden’s guarantee in August to give boosters to all grown ups. The pandemic is now retreating in most elements of the state, but there are nevertheless about 75,000 new situations each individual day, and about 1,500 Covid fatalities.

That pledge angered numerous gurus, like some advising the Foodstuff and Drug Administration and the C.D.C., who said that experts had not nevertheless had a likelihood to establish whether boosters were being in fact needed.

Research showed that the vaccines remained really successful against serious illness and dying, whilst their effectiveness may well have waned from milder bacterial infections, specifically as the Delta variant unfold throughout the country this summertime.

The function of the vaccines is to protect against sickness significant ample to call for medical focus, not to avoid infection, Dr. Wilbur Chen, an infectious sickness physician at the University of Maryland and a member of the C.D.C. panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Methods, mentioned throughout its deliberations on Thursday.

“It may possibly be much too substantially to check with for a vaccine, both a primary sequence or the booster, to avert all kinds of infections,” Dr. Chen stated.

The C.D.C.’s advisers past thirty day period experimented with to narrow the variety of Americans who should really acquire a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, saying that exploration did not assist boosters for people today whose positions uncovered them to the coronavirus, as the F.D.A. experienced indicated.

But in a highly unusual go, Dr. Walensky overturned their decision, aligning the agency’s suggestions with the criteria laid out by the F.D.A.

On Wednesday, the Food items and Drug Administration authorized booster shots for millions of people who obtained the Moderna and the Johnson & Johnson vaccines, just as it did for recipients of Pfizer-BioNTech photographs final month. The F.D.A. also gave the green light-weight for persons suitable for booster photographs to get a dose of a various brand.

But in observe, who will get the shots and when depends greatly on the C.D.C.’s final steering. While the agency’s recommendations do not bind state and regional officers, they hold excellent sway in the healthcare group.

On Thursday, members of the C.D.C.’s panel endorsed the so-identified as blend-and-match method, saying people fully immunized with one company’s vaccine really should be authorized to get a unique vaccine for their booster shot.

Limited evidence strongly implies that booster doses of one particular of the two mRNA vaccines — Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech — extra effectively elevate antibody amounts than a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The committee encouraged that recipients of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine ought to get a booster shot at minimum two months after their first dose.

Among the Americans to begin with immunized with an mRNA vaccine, adults around 65, older people who are 50 to 65 with specified healthcare conditions, and these who reside in extensive-term treatment configurations need to acquire a one booster dose 6 months or extended right after their 2nd dose, the committee made the decision.

For grown ups ages 18 to 49 with selected medical situations and older people whose employment frequently expose them to the virus, the panel opted for softer language, declaring they may pick out to get a booster soon after contemplating their unique hazard.

The professionals emphasised that people today who have obtained two mRNA vaccine doses or a solitary Johnson & Johnson dose should however consider on their own absolutely vaccinated. Federal health and fitness officers reported they would continue to research irrespective of whether those people who experienced weak immune methods and had presently been given a third dose of a vaccine ought to go on to get a fourth dose.

Some advisers had been worried that young and balanced People who never require a booster could pick to get one anyway. Facet consequences are unusual, but in young Us residents they might outweigh the potential gains of booster doses, the experts explained.

“Those that are not at superior threat need to really be thoughtful about finding that dose,” stated Dr. Helen Talbot, an infectious ailment qualified at Vanderbilt College.

The committee’s ultimate votes contrasted sharply with discussions before in the working day. The panel heard that in grown ups below 65, even people with continual circumstances, the Moderna vaccine remained remarkably protective towards extreme health issues and showed only a little decline in performance over time, if any at all.

What to Know About Covid-19 Booster Photographs

The F.D.A. has authorized booster shots for hundreds of thousands of recipients of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Pfizer and Moderna recipients who are suitable for a booster include things like people today 65 and more mature, and more youthful older people at significant danger of intense Covid-19 simply because of clinical ailments or in which they work. Suitable Pfizer and Moderna recipients can get a booster at the very least 6 months right after their 2nd dose. All Johnson & Johnson recipients will be qualified for a 2nd shot at the very least two months right after the 1st.

Of course. The F.D.A. has up-to-date its authorizations to permit health-related companies to raise men and women with a different vaccine than the one particular they to begin with gained, a system recognised as “mix and match.” Whether you been given Moderna, Johnson & Johnson or Pfizer-BioNTech, you may get a booster of any other vaccine. Regulators have not advised any a person vaccine in excess of a further as a booster. They have also remained silent on whether it is preferable to adhere with the identical vaccine when possible.

The C.D.C. has stated the disorders that qualify a man or woman for a booster shot involve: hypertension and coronary heart disease diabetic issues or obesity most cancers or blood problems weakened immune method continual lung, kidney or liver sickness dementia and certain disabilities. Pregnant women of all ages and latest and former smokers are also suitable.

The F.D.A. licensed boosters for staff whose careers set them at large danger of exposure to likely infectious folks. The C.D.C. suggests that team involves: unexpected emergency health care staff education employees meals and agriculture staff production personnel corrections employees U.S. Postal Assistance personnel general public transit personnel grocery keep staff.

Of course. The C.D.C. states the Covid vaccine may perhaps be administered without the need of regard to the timing of other vaccines, and a lot of pharmacy websites are making it possible for folks to timetable a flu shot at the very same time as a booster dose.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine showed fewer efficacy than the Moderna vaccine general, but the details ended up way too limited to identify irrespective of whether there may be a drop around time.

Acquiring presently approved the Pfizer-BioNTech booster, on the other hand, some advisers said in interviews that they felt compelled to do the very same for the other two vaccines, introducing that it was only truthful to people today who had been given these vaccines.

Just more than 11 million individuals have opted for an supplemental shot so considerably, and up to a few million make up individuals with weak immune methods who were accredited to get a 3rd dose to prop up their immune reaction. Only 6 percent of men and women who are absolutely vaccinated, and about 15 percent of older people in excess of 65, have acquired a booster dose so far.

Moderna’s booster shot will not be the similar as its first shot. The dose will be 50 micrograms, which is 50 {cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} the dose offered in the original rounds of immunization. Scientists from Moderna introduced data indicating that the more compact dose is ample to rouse the immune method.

But the smaller sized dose may perhaps will need to be sent from the same vials now applied for preliminary immunization. Some committee users pointed out that this could improve the possibility of contamination and incorrect dosing. (Moderna has been screening vials that supply scaled-down volumes of vaccine to alleviate this trouble, according to a former government formal.)

C.D.C. researchers stated at the meeting that the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna vaccines are normally safe, with the exception of unusual and generally delicate coronary heart problems in young guys. The risk of the problem — known as myocarditis, an irritation of the heart muscle — is better immediately after the 2nd shot of an mRNA vaccine, and greatest in males 18 to 24 decades old.

In these under 20, the issue could affect extra than 100 males in every single million immunized with an mRNA vaccine. Reports have proven that the chance of heart issues right after a bout of Covid-19 is considerably greater.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine carries a compact risk of blood clots in youthful gals. The company’s representatives mentioned they experienced believed the price of blood clots at 15.1 conditions for every million immediately after the initially dose and 1.9 scenarios for each million immediately after the 2nd.

Some panelists explained they fearful about the possibility of blood clots in younger ladies who get a second booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and the risk of myocarditis in young guys after a 3rd dose of an mRNA vaccine.

Potentially youthful women of all ages should be directed to mRNA vaccines and youthful men to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Dr. Talbot reported.

“We’re in a diverse spot in the pandemic than we were being earlier,” she claimed. The opportunities to combine and match vaccines “are priceless.”

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CDC releases official guidance for upcoming holiday celebrations

The Facilities for Disease Regulate and Avoidance urged Us citizens on Friday to celebrate impending vacations by using primary protection steps against the Covid-19 pandemic that however plagues the country.

“Shield individuals not nonetheless qualified for vaccination these kinds of as youthful kids by getting oneself and other suitable folks around them vaccinated,” the CDC mentioned in advice issued late Friday afternoon.

The most recent steerage provides a much less restrictive watch of the getaway gatherings as two-thirds of Americans have acquired at minimum one dose of the Covid-19 vaccines. Still, September was the most contagious month so far for youngsters, who have been again on campus without having authorised vaccination for most faculty-aged small children.

The federal federal government is doing work to approve vaccination for children 5 to 11 a long time old, which could appear in time for several holiday break gatherings.

The Biden administration has instructed governors to get ready for baby vaccinations starting as early as November.

Before this 7 days, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, claimed vaccinated Americans ought to truly feel relaxed celebrating Halloween and other upcoming seasonal festivities.

Friday’s steerage mirrored significantly of what Fauci said about Halloween: that suitable Us residents must get vaccinated and that outdoor actions are safer than indoor occasions.

“Getaway traditions are critical for households and young children. There are many ways to love vacation traditions and safeguard your health,” Friday’s CDC assertion mentioned.

“Simply because several generations have a tendency to acquire to rejoice vacations, the most effective way to lower Covid-19 chance and continue to keep your household and mates safer is to get vaccinated if you are eligible,” it reported.

The CDC’s original holiday assistance involved an image of the agency’s perfect Thanksgiving — a virtual Thanksgiving. The centers discouraged indoor gatherings and encouraged circulating air with a window enthusiast if indoor get-togethers are essential.

Before this thirty day period, Fauci claimed it was much too quickly to hope for a fairly regular holiday break period: “It is just soon to explain to. We’ve just received to concentrate on continuing to get all those numbers down.”

He swiftly reversed class.

“I persuade individuals, specifically the vaccinated people today who are shielded, to have a good, ordinary Xmas with your household,” he afterwards claimed.

The first steering was removed from the CDC’s web site.

Extra than 726,000 folks have died of Covid in the United States, in accordance to a functioning tally by NBC News.

Vaccinations have demonstrated to be a valuable resource in slowing the distribute of Covid-19 and lessening the effects on individuals who are infected.

Much more than 188 million men and women in The usa 12 and older have been completely vaccinated, which is 56.7 p.c of the overall inhabitants, according to the newest figures from the CDC.

David K. Li is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.

Dennis Romero contributed.