Coronavirus vaccine and Delta variant updates for 10-04-2021

<p>This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for October 4th, 2021.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>More pressure on vaccinated citizens in Israel to go ahead and get their booster shot. Only those who do will be eligible for the "green pass" needed to get into restaurants, gyms, and other venues. They started giving boosters to everyone 12 and up at the end of August. For some unexplained reason, places like museums and libraries are exempt from the green pass requirement.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Still a rough go of it in Russia. That country yesterday reported a record daily death toll from COVID for the fifth time in a week. 890 more deaths and the number of new infections in the past day was the second highest of the year. Overall, Russia has Europe's highest death toll, nearly 210,000 people.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Happy holidays from your friends at the CDC. They issued new guidelines for how you should decrease the risk of infection or transmission during the upcoming holiday season. They suggest outdoor or virtual celebrations only, staying 6 feet away from each other, wearing a mask at all times if unvaccinated, putting fans in open windows to keep air circulating, and no traveling unless fully vaccinated and masked on public transportation. Kinda makes you feel all warm inside. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Another story about just how determined anti-vaxxers are to avoid vaccines at all costs. A woman recounted on Twitter how her 52-year-old unvaccinated husband wound up in ICU with a ventilator and ECMO from severe COVID. He needed a blood transfusion, but she wouldn’t allow it for fear he’d get vaccinated blood. Well, he died, but she says it wasn’t because he was unvaccinated.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>It’s hard to believe since many of us are surrounded by them every day, but COVID has created a clown shortage. It’s particularly bad in Northern Ireland because many circus clowns went back to their home countries after the initial lockdown. Others found work in countries with more relaxed restrictions. Big recruitin