The latest AP stories on COVID-19 outbreak in the United States

He says they believe there will be some attrition, but in the end, most state employees will step up and do what is right. Seattle, Sep 17 AP Seattle and King County officials have issued a health directive requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test to enter certain establishments and attend large outdoor events.

Alaska's state epidemiologist says Alaska is experiencing "one of the sharpest surges" in COVID-19 in the country.

Dr. Joe McLaughlin added that it's not clear when the situation might stabilize. He says a lot will depend on vaccination rates and measures such as masking and distancing.

Health officials says hospitals are stressed, with staffing and capacity issues. The state health department reports 20% of patients hospitalized in Alaska have COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau announced Thursday that as a condition of employment, staff must be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dec. 15.

___ Reno (Nevada), Sep 17 (AP) Nevada officials believe some state employees may follow through on threats to quit their jobs if forced to get COVID-19 shots. But they said Thursday they expect most will comply with Gov. Steve Sisolak's mandate that workers at health care facilities and prisons be vaccinated by Nov. 1 or face administrative leave or reassignment. DuAne Young, the governor's policy director, says they are developing contingency plans in the event more people quit their jobs than expected and monitoring the situation closely. He says they believe there will be some attrition, but in the end, most state employees will "step up and do what is right." ___ Seattle, Sep 17 (AP) Seattle and King County officials have issued a health directive requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test to enter certain establishments and attend large outdoor events. Public Health-Seattle & King County Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin issued the order Thursday to go into effect Oct. 25. Duchin says high levels of preventable COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations and increased deaths driven by the highly contagious delta variant prompted the order. The order applies to outdoor events with 500 or more people and indoor establishments such as museums, theaters, gyms, restaurants and bars. The order does not affect outdoor dining, take-out orders and shopping in places including grocery stores.

___ Jackson (Mississippi ), Sep 17 (AP) Mississippi has surpassed New Jersey as the state with the highest rate of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S., with roughly 1 of every 320 Mississippians having succumbed to the coronavirus. The state's top health official on Thursday warned that more deaths will come. "We're recording well over 2,500 (cases) a day, in recent days, far more than we'd like to see," said State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs. "A lot of that's going to translate into the tragedy." Since the start of the pandemic, at least 9,165 people in Mississippi have died of the virus. The state has a population of roughly 3 million and has had one of the worst vaccination rates in the country.

New Jersey was throttled in the spring of 2020 at the start of the pandemic, long before vaccines were available. Of specific concern during the delta variant surge in Mississippi have been pregnant mothers, Dobbs said. Over the course of the pandemic, 15 pregnant women in Mississippi have died of coronavirus, according to the Department of Health. Eight of those deaths occurred between July 25 and Sept. 16.

The age range of the mothers who died was between 23 and 40, with the median age being 30. Dobbs said 60% were Black. None of the women were fully vaccinated. One woman had received her first shot. As for health conditions, "some were overweight, but so are the majority of Mississippians, so I don't think that that's much of a surprise," Dobbs said.

___ Helena (Montana), Sep 17 (AP) A hospital in Helena was forced to implement crisis standards of care amid a surge in COVID-19 patients, hospital officials said Thursday.

Critical care resources are at maximum capacity at St. Peter's Health hospital. Crisis standards of care are implemented when hospital resources are not sufficient to provide full care to all patients in the facility. Under such conditions, care providers must sometimes choose how to allocate scare resources including medications and beds.

St. Peter's Health chief medical officer Dr. Shelly Harkins said the constraints in the hospital are worse than what was seen earlier in the pandemic.

"For the first time in my career, we are at the point where not every patient in need will get the care that we might wish we could give," Harkins said. "By almost every single measure we are in a far worse position than we ever were in the winter of 2020, during our first surge." The hospital's intensive care unit, advanced medical unit and morgue are full. A freezer truck in the parking lot of the hospital will be used because the morgue remains full.

Hospitals in Utah, Idaho, Washington and Texas have reached out to St. Peter's Health looking for beds for patients who cannot be served in their home state. The news comes as facilities in Bozeman and Billings said this week that they are nearing the point of having to implement crisis standards of care.

___ Washington, Sep 17 (AP) US health officials have authorized Eli Lilly's COVID-19 treatment for a new use in preventing disease in people who have been recently exposed to the virus.

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday granted emergency use of the drug for adults and children older than 12 who may have an infection and are at high-risk for getting severe COVID-19. Previously the drug was authorized for high-risk patients with confirmed COVID-19.

Earlier this summer the FDA authorized preventative use for a similar antibody drug from competitor Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.

Antibody drugs are one of the only treatments proven to reduce the risk of death from COVID-19, especially for people who are not yet in the hospital. Demand for the drugs has boomed as the delta variant sends cases surging again across the U.S.

Federal officials have reported a 20-fold increase in orders for the drugs since mid-July.

___ Honolulu, Sep 17 (AP) Some Hawaii schools are participating in a state Department of Health program that provides COVID-19 testing for students, teachers and staff.

The federally funded program is voluntary and open to private and public schools. So far, 161 public schools out of 257 have registered for the program and 59 schools started conducting tests.

The nasal swab tests are sent to a lab on the U.S. mainland. It will take about three days to get results.

Health department officials say students can be tested weekly.

If students develop COVID-19 symptoms at school, or come into contact with someone who tests positive, parents can have them tested at school.

Children 11 and younger are not yet eligible for the vaccine.

___ Houston, Sep 17 (AP) Two dozen Republican attorneys general are warning the White House of impending legal action if a proposed coronavirus vaccine requirement for as many as 100 million Americans goes into effect.

The letter sent Thursday is the latest in GOP opposition to sweeping new federal vaccine requirements for private-sector employees, health care workers and federal contractors announced by President Joe Biden earlier this month. The requirement, to be enacted through a rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, is part of an all-out effort to curb the surging COVID-19 delta variant. The prosecutors, led by Attorney General Alan Wilson of South Carolina, called Biden's plan "disastrous and counterproductive." They wrote: "If your Administration does not alter its course, the undersigned state Attorneys General will seek every available legal option to hold you accountable and uphold the rule of law." In addition to South Carolina, the letter was signed by attorneys general in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

___ Wailuku, Sep 17 (AP) Proof of vaccination is now required for patrons wanting to sit inside Maui bars and restaurants.

Vaccination cards must be shown for indoor dining and drinking as well as for communal areas in businesses such as gyms under Maui's "Safer Outside" program.

The Maui News reports some businesses made changes to accommodate more people outside.

Several restaurants and bars closed indoor seating entirely.

A similar program began Monday on Oahu.

Unlike the "Safe Access Oahu" program, the Maui rule doesn't allow for a negative test alternative. Some patrons say the measure makes them feel safer while others say people should be able to make their own vaccination decisions.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)