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U.S. NEWS Thursday 19 May 2022
A third of U.S. should be considering masks, officials say

By ZEKE MILLER and the U.S. has seen depend-
MIKE STOBBE ing how you count them
Associated Press five waves of COVID-19
WASHINGTON (AP) — CO- during that time, with the
VID-19 cases are increasing later surges driven by mu-
in the United States – and tated versions of the coro-
could get even worse over navirus. A fifth wave oc-
the coming months, fed- curred mainly in December
eral health officials warned and January, caused by
Wednesday in urging areas the omicron variant.
hardest hit to consider reis- The omicron variant spread
suing calls for indoor mask- much more easily than ear-
ing. Increasing numbers of lier versions.
COVID-19 infections and Some experts are worried
hospitalizations are putting the country now is seeing
more of the country under signs of a sixth wave, driven
guidelines issued by the U.S. by an omicron subvariant.
Centers for Disease Control On Wednesday, Walensky
and Prevention that call for noted a steady increase in
masking and other infec- COVID-19 cases in the past
tion precautions. five weeks, including a 26%
Right now, about a third of increase nationally in the
the U.S. population lives in White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha speaks during the daily briefing at last week.
areas that are considered the White House in Washington, April 26, 2022. Hospitalizations also are
at higher risk mostly in the Associated Press rising, up 19% in the past
Northeast and Midwest. tings and increasing access treatments. coming weeks will begin week, though they remain
Those are areas where to testing and treatment,” Jha warned that without to sell off equipment and much lower than during the
people should already be she said. However, officials additional funding from prepare to exit the business omicron wave, she said.
considering wearing masks were cautious about mak- Congress for the virus would of producing tests entirely In late February, as that
indoors but Americans ing concrete predictions, cause “unnecessary loss of unless the U.S. government wave was ebbing, the
elsewhere should also take saying how much worse life” in the fall and winter, has money to purchase CDC released a new set
notice, officials said. the pandemic gets will de- when the U.S. runs out of more tests, like the hun- of measures for communi-
“Prior increases of infec- pend on several factors, treatments. dreds of millions it has sent ties where COVID-19 was
tions, in different waves including to what degree He added the U.S. was al- out for free to requesting easing its grip, with less of a
of infection, have dem- previous infections will pro- ready falling behind other households this year. focus on positive test results
onstrated that this travels tect against new variants. nations in securing sup- That would leave the U.S. and more on what’s hap-
across the country,” said Last week, White House plies of the next genera- reliant on other countries pening at hospitals.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the COVID-19 coordinator Dr. tion of COVID-19 vaccines for testing supplies, risking Walensky said more than
CDC director, said at a Ashish Jha warned in an and said that the domestic shortages during a surge, 32% of the country currently
White House briefing with interview with The Associ- manufacturing base of at- Jha warned. About 8.5 mil- live in an area with medium
reporters. ated Press the U.S. will be home tests is already drying lion households placed or- or high COVID-19 commu-
For an increasing number increasingly vulnerable to up as demand drops off. ders for the latest tranche nity levels, including more
of areas, “we urge local the coronavirus this fall and Jha said domestic test of 8 free tests since order- than 9% in the highest level,
leaders to encourage use winter if Congress doesn’t manufactures have started ing opened on Monday, where CDC recommends
of prevention strategies like swiftly approve new fund- shuttering lines and lay- Jha added. The pandemic that masks and other miti-
masks in public indoor set- ing for more vaccines and ing off workers, and in the is now 2 1/2 years old. And gation efforts be used. q

Panel recommends replacing Massachusetts seal, motto

BOSTON (AP) — The com- of a Native American man brandishing a sword. Critics of local tribes at the hands leader who never lived in
mission put together to beneath a colonist’s arm say it references the defeat of English colonists centu- Massachusetts.
study the racial implica- ries ago. “No Native residents were
tions of the Massachusetts The state’s Latin motto consulted in this selection,”
state seal and motto has that translates into English Boyles said.
voted unanimously to rec- as, “By the sword we seek “It’s a reflection of centu-
ommend that both be re- peace, but peace only un- ries of intentional exclusion
placed. der liberty,” dates to about on the part of the Com-
The Special Commission on 1659 and is attributed to monwealth from land,
the Official Seal and Motto English politician Algernon laws, and historical records
of the Commonwealth, Sydney, according to the of Indigenous residents.”
made up of lawmakers, secretary of state’s office. The next step is seeking
members of Indigenous Brian Boyles, co-chair of the new designs to the seal
tribes, historians and others, 20-member commission, and motto.
made the decision at its pointed out at Tuesday’s The commission was creat-
meeting on Tuesday, GBH meeting that the face on ed by the state Legislature
News reported. the seal was based on a in early 2021 and was sup-
The current seal that ap- photograph from the Bu- posed to complete its work
pears on state flags, which In this Monday, May 2, 2016, file photo, the Massachusetts state reau of Ethnology in Wash- by the end of this year, but
dates to the late 19th cen- flag flies in front of Boston City Hall. ington, D.C., of Thomas has asked for an extension
tury, features a depiction Associated Press Little Shell, a Chippewa until next March.q