• In today’s Recommendations for Industry, we discuss this week’s COVID-19 Risk Matrix as well as a perspective on CDC’s travel recommendations. Read more below.
• The CDC has provided new recommendations for domestic travel for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals in the U.S. including recommending that unvaccinated individuals should not travel until they are fully vaccinated. However, if unvaccinated individuals do want to travel, they should follow CDC’s recommendations for unvaccinated people.

• NPR reports that in 25 states, more than 50% of all adults are fully vaccinated! The majority are in the Northeastern states of Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.
• In South Africa, testing of wastewater is helping to identify the spread of COVID-19.
• Moderna is applying for FDA approval of its COVID-19 vaccine for 12-17 year olds.

A Perspective on CDC Travel Recommendations

As discussed and shown in TAG’s key point (above), CDC has released guidance on travel for vaccinated and nonvaccinated persons. From TAG’s perspective, the testing and quarantine recommendations do appear to be overly cautious, given where the US is with case numbers and levels of population immunity through both vaccinations and prior infections.

As stated in a New York Times article, “Everything has downsides. And it is the job of scientific experts and public-health officials to help the rest of us think clearly about the benefits and costs of our choices.” Although the article was related to CDC’s recent masking guidance, it is just as relevant here.

As a result, while businesses do need to follow CDC requirements, TAG would recommend that businesses assess their specific situations, employee travel destinations, etc., to make the best possible decisions that weigh and balance the benefits and costs.

RISK Matrix

TAG’s weekly risk matrices are continuing to show downward trends of COVID-19 in the US, indicating that whatever we’re doing seems to be working! TAG’s recommendation would simply be to continue doing what you’re doing, while striving for balance between risks and benefits of reducing/maintaining your current protections.

Positive trends –

• The Government Stringency Index is 43 this week. Four (4) states’ (California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oregon) businesses continue to be in mixed opening stages.
• In Figure 1, this week, we compare the case rate/100K (Table 1) in the population to the percentage of a state’s population that has been fully vaccinated (Table 2). Table 3 compares the previous week’s percentage of states’ populations that have become fully vaccinated full dose (and the rate of change between the last week and this week).
• As with last week, no states have a TPR ≥ 10% or TPR <10% and a case rate ≥25/100K people! This is positive news and incredibly promising!

Table 1.

Figure 1.

Table 2.

Table 3.

• In Monday’s Recommendations for Industry, we discussed the importance of maintaining robust hygiene practices even while reducing other COVID-19 protections. Read more here.
• At this time, OSHA tells employers to follow CDC’s mask guidance. Both National Law Review & JD Supra break down what this means.
• Hospitals in Japan continue to struggle with the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the International Olympic Committee has said that Tokyo Summer Games will continue
• CNN discusses the “black fungus” infections that are also an epidemic in India at this time.
• A new study estimates that COVID-19 may have killed 20% more individuals than currently reported, specifically, “[f]or every 100 deaths attributed to COVID-19, another 20 deaths were ascribed to other causes.”
• CIDRAP reports, “at the G20 Global Health Summit […] world leaders and drug companies announced major commitments to boost the supply of COVID vaccine for low- and middle-income countries, but stopped short of endorsing a full waiver of vaccine patent rights.”
• Food Safety & Public Health:
  • Scientists at Cornell University have discovered 5 new species of Listeria (one of which is immotile). This will inevitably lead to a “rewrite of the standard identification protocols issued by food safety regulators.” [News Release / Journal Article in Microbiology Research]
  • CDC is currently investigating multiple outbreaks of Salmonella associated with backyard poultry. There have been 163 individuals reported sick in 43 states with 1/3 of the patients under the age of 5.
  • Colorado is investigating a potential norovirus outbreak near Denver.
  • The CDC is urging Americans not to kiss chickens because of Salmonella.
  • There is currently an ongoing Hepatitis A outbreak associated with dates in the United Kingdom that has infected at least 30 individuals.
  • Natural Balance Pet Foods is recalling cat food due to Salmonella concerns.