Tag Archives : Build House

Renewables will total 22 percent of U.S. electricity generation in 2022, says government

Renewable energy will comprise nearly a quarter of electricity generated in the U.S. this year, according to projections from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). 

The number represents an increase from 2020 and 2021, both of which saw about 20 percent generation from renewables. The EIA further projected the proportion will increase to 24 percent renewables in 2023. 

The EIA predicts much of the increase will be driven by a combination of new wind and solar proliferation, as well as further retirement of sources such as coal and nuclear power.

However, U.S. coal production, which already saw an increase in 2021, is projected to see another increase of 21 million short tons (MMst) in 2022. Consumption, meanwhile, is projected to decline slightly this year, from 546 MMst in 2021 to 541 in 2022. 

At the regional grid level, the EIA found renewable generation grew for the Southwest Power Pool, which provides power to the central U.S., from 13 percent in 2013 to 40 percent in 2021, with a projected increase to 44 percent by 2022.  

Texas’s self-contained grid, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, saw its renewables share nearly triple during the same period, from 10 percent in 2013 to about 32 percent this year. Much of both grids’ increased renewables share is the result of increased wind power, according to the EIA. 

On the solar side, the U.S. added 13 gigawatts of utility-scale photovoltaic capacity last year and the additions are projected for 20 gigawatts this year, with 24 the following year. Overall, the agency projects 31 billion new kilowatt-hours of generation this year and 41 billion next year. 

In the short term, the EIA projected continued uncertainty in U.S. energy as a result from the continued turmoil caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.  

The projections come the same week President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes a wide range of tax credits for renewable energy projects after many of those projects had been threatened by inflation and supply chain issues. 

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NotedDC — Trump cementing his grip on the GOP

Just over a week since the FBI’s search of former President Trump’s estate in Florida, his grip on the Republican Party hasn’t weakened — in fact, it seems to be growing stronger. 

As new details emerge about why the search was conducted, including how federal officers suspected Trump violated the Espionage Act and other laws, the path to another GOP presidential nomination is becoming easier, our colleague Brett Samuels writes. 

“On the Republican side, with the exception of never-Trumpers… virtually everybody else assumes the FBI is corrupt,” former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) said. “If they keep this up, he won’t have a major opponent for the primary.” 

Painting federal investigations as politically charged has been a part of Trump’s playbook to rile up voters before: He repeatedly called the Department of Justice’s probe into his campaign’s ties with Russia a “witch hunt,” leading some Republicans to think it will work again as a strategy. 

The GOP has employed this sort of rhetoric throughout the midterms, framing the Jan. 6 House select committee as a partisan attack.  

And Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) lost her reelection primary on Tuesday, ostracized from the party because of her role as vice chair on the Jan. 6 panel. 

Our colleague Max Greenwood writes that her loss “dashed any lingering hope among Trump’s critics that the party’s rank-and-file voters might be ready to buck the former president and chart their own path forward.” 

Despite the victories of several of Trump’s endorsed candidates during the Republican primaries, the real test will come when they face Democrats in November, especially in purple states including Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona and Nevada.

Welcome to NotedDC: Your guide to politics, policy and people of consequence in D.C. Have some news, juicy gossip, insight or other insider info? Send us tips: Elizabeth Crisp and Kelsey Carolan. 

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Pence is pushing back…

As some Republicans threaten law enforcement officials after the Mar-a-Lago search, it gives others an opportunity to differentiate themselves from Trump, including his former No. 2. 

Former Vice President Mike Pence is not amused by the threats against the FBI, telling members of the GOP on Wednesday that “the Republican Party is the party of law and order.” 

It’s another dig against Trump as both flirt with White House bids, after Pence called him out indirectly during a July speech for focusing on the 2020 presidential election instead of the future. 

But Trump is playing both sides, saying on Monday he would work to help bring the “temperature” down to protect law enforcement officials in the wake of threats — while simultaneously repeating his attacks against them.  

ICYMI: Some GOP members are worried about the message of being against the FBI as they campaign on being pro-law enforcement.

Will Cheney seek the White House in 2024?

Hours after Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) lost her House seat to Harriet Hageman, she’s already teasing a White House bid.  

“That’s a decision that I’m going to make in the coming months,” Cheney said Wednesday. “But it is something that I am thinking about.” 

The bigger question: Would she be able win the Republican presidential primary? 

It would certainly be an uphill battle, considering she only won 29 percent of the House primary vote against Hageman and would likely be facing Trump-aligned candidates or even Trump himself.  

But some see it as a logical step, our colleagues Julia Manchester and Mychael Schnell write, not in hopes to actually make it to the White House, but to make sure Trump doesn’t win again. 

“It strikes me that if you’re wanting to talk to Republican audiences about what you think is an important point of view, what better way to do that and to do it in the presidential cycle,” GOP strategist Scott Jennings told our colleagues. 

So what’s her next move? Even if she doesn’t run in 2024, Cheney is still going to be the chief Republican Trump critic. Keeping with her message that he is a threat to democracy, she is launching an organization to oppose Trump’s campaign if he decides to run, Politico reported Wednesday.

MUSK AND MCCARTHY IN WYOMING

As Cheney conceded the race to Hageman, GOP House Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) welcomed billionaire Elon Musk to his Republican retreat in Wyoming. 

Why was Musk there? Our colleague Emily Brooks reports that Musk and McCarthy led a fireside chat with supporters. It comes a few months after Musk said he voted for a Republican for the first time in a Texas special election.  

Musk and McCarthy have cozied up together before when Musk was seriously attempting to take over Twitter. But he’s not as close with Trump anymore it seems, after the former president called him a “bulls— artist” in July at an Alaska rally. 

Why are Republicans keeping Musk close? The world’s richest man can be a cash cow, previously having donated to both Republican and Democrat campaigns. And he’s all the more likely now to involve himself in politics, casting himself as a savior of free speech in the past year.

How Fetterman is defining an ‘online’ campaign

The Pennsylvania Senate race is shaping up to be one that’s more fiercely fought online than on the ground, and it is working for Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D). 

Months after his GOP opponent Memhet Oz posted a video of himself in a grocery store reading aloud the names of crudité vegetables to bring attention to their rising costs, Fetterman mocked the endeavor, remarking that, in Pennsylvania, it is called a “vegetable tray.” 

Fetterman’s campaign raised more than $500,000 in the wake of the video, signaling their strategy of trolling Oz on social media is only going to ramp up. 

After he had a stroke in May, Fetterman was forced off the campaign trail and is just now starting to go back on the road, but the viral retweet is another example of how his campaign’s digital push has let them stay on offense. 

Our colleague Hanna Trudo previously wrote that it is a “strategy somewhat rare in Democratic politics” but it resonates with young voters, especially when trolling Oz as a former New Jerseyian who is running for a Pennsylvania seat.  

Will more candidates take a page out of Fetterman’s book? The Biden administration may be already. Riding a wave of successes, Democrats and White House staff have appropriated a “Dark Brandon” meme, once used by Republicans to make fun of President Biden. 

Others are using TikTok now more than ever to engage with younger voters, our colleague Rebecca Beitsch reported this month, seeing it as one of the best new mediums to show a funnier and lighter side of their personalities.

Take a … Jan. 6 … walking tour?

That headline is actually correct — “The Daily Show” is launching a free, self-guided walking tour that traces the route insurrectionists took to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. 

Dubbed “In the Footsteps of the Freedomsurrection,” there will be 15 stops with audio chronicling the attack.  

Read more from our colleague Judy Kurtz.

Stay with TheHill.com for the latest and recommend NotedDC to others: thehill.com/noted. See you tomorrow.

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The US needs a plan for space operations and national security

The role of commercial space in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is nothing short of astonishing. From near constant surveillance from multi-spectral satellites appearing on the news on a regular basis to the use of commercial satellites to augment military operations, this war illustrated just how much of an impact space can have on a modern battlefield.  

Lost amidst this coverage is how commercial space arrived at this point where it can be such a game-changer, and what we need to do next to ensure America’s space industry remains dominant. The decisions that led to where we have all of these commercial innovations were made five, 10 and 15 years ago, if not further. It has been a steady state of investment, experimentation, trials and errors, successes and failures. It was, and remains, anything but a linear process. Mavericks and risk-takers in the commercial space industry saw an opportunity and took it, and we’re reaping the benefits today.  

Throughout this process, the U.S. government was and remains a partner — a fitful one to be sure, but a key partner nonetheless. The military and intelligence community’s unique needs, as well as those in civil space, drove requirements and, in turn, helped drive investment. In many cases, it provided critical contractual guarantees and seed investment and has benefited from the outcome. Much work remains to be done on reforming the Space Force’s acquisition processes. 

While we are heartened by the progress that has been made thus far, there is a long way to go to match the government’s speed of purchase and integration with the industry’s speed of innovation. Under General Jay Raymond, the Space Force did what many thought was impossible — standing up a force and building a service culture in just two years. Yet the real, lasting legacy, may well be changing that acquisition culture: what is bought and how it is acquired.  

Acquisition reform is a perennial issue, but it is only one part of a much broader challenge that demands the attention of the administration, the Space Force and Congress if the United States is to seize upon the innovations of the commercial sector and outpace the threat represented by China. We need to truly start looking at the space economy as an ecosystem, not merely its constituent parts.  

The challenges facing the United States in the era of strategic competition affect the space sector as much as other industries and need as much attention as those, as well. We’re seeing supply chain disruptions in the areas of semiconductors, a tightening supply of critical helium and attempts by China to corner the vital rare earth metals market, all of which are necessary to support existing levels of space operations, but even more so if we are to achieve launch cadences and levels of activity in orbit many predict.  

The United States must also reform its sclerotic licensing and regulatory framework. The structures that developed over the last two and three decades were suitable when a handful of rockets were launched on an infrequent basis, putting aloft one or two satellites at a time. That is no longer appropriate when Rocket Lab is launching two rockets 10 days apart and SpaceX is flying and landing three Falcon 9 boosters in 36 hours. As Blue Origin and others join the launch cadence, approvals must come faster.  

SpaceX now has over 2,500 satellites operating in orbit now and is anticipated to grow to 4,400. Amazon’s Project Kuiper anticipates some 3,200 satellites alone. That’s nearly 8,000 satellites between two constellations, and who knows how many more may follow. The challenges of managing spectrum and approving necessary licensing already outpace the abilities of the FAA and FCC. We cannot afford to let inefficient regulation stand in the way of innovation and competition. We need smart and efficient processes that facilitate both.  

This satellite proliferation means we also need greater attention on the part of the government in orbital management to include space traffic management and debris mitigation. We need to establish norms of behavior and take the lead internationally on these critical subjects, lest we allow China to define the future of space operations. While work is underway in the administration and federal departments, the pace needs to accelerate.  

This ultimately necessitates a broader and more robust definition of what national security space means. It, of course, includes the great work of the Space Force, Space Command and intelligence community. But it must also include our commercial partners, our industrial base and the governance of space. This has been the case in theory, but it is now time we put that definition into practice.  

The sooner we look at space not just as an economy, but as a critical ecosystem, the sooner we will be able to better prepare our commercial and national security space sectors for the future. Right now, we are on the edge of the Oregon Trail of space, but we need to ensure we have the wood, the wheels, the map, and the tools necessary to forge West. These issues, and others, will be the focus of our National Security Space Program in the coming year, and we hope to advance this critical dialogue. Getting policy right, here on earth, will ensure our leadership in near-earth orbit and beyond.  

Mike Rogers served in Congress as a Republican representative from Michigan and is a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He is now the David Abshire chair with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress. Glenn Nye served in Congress as a Democratic representative from Virginia. He is now the chief executive officer and president of the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress. 

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Democrats hold 4 point lead over Republicans on generic congressional ballot: poll

Democrats are leading Republicans by 4 percentage points on a generic congressional ballot, according to a new poll.

A Politico-Morning Consult poll released Wednesday found 46 percent of registered voters would choose the Democratic candidate compared to 42 percent who would choose the Republican if the election for Congress was held in their district today.

Twelve percent either said they did not know or had no opinion. 

The poll is the latest showing Democrats just outpacing their Republican counterparts on a generic congressional ballot. Another recent survey showed more respondents supporting the Democratic Party controlling Congress than the Republican Party.

The Politico-Morning Consult poll also shows that 42 percent of respondents approve of President Biden’s job as president, up 3 percentage points from a poll that Politico and Morning Consult released last week.

Democrats are expected to encounter several headwinds in November, including the president’s still-underwater approval ratings, inflation and the precedent that a first-term president’s party usually suffers some losses in the midterms.

But Democrats have some reasons to feel optimistic, too. Biden signed a sweeping climate, tax reform and health bill on Tuesday after Democrats passed the reconciliation package in Congress. It was considered a major feat for the party given previous failed attempts to pass a social spending bill. 

Recent data has also shown inflation has started to cool off, though it’s unclear if the trend will continue. A July jobs report that outpaced economists’ expectations is also considered a boost for Democrats.

The Politico-Morning Consult poll was conducted between Aug. 12 and Aug. 14 with 2,005 registered voters. The margin of error is plus or minus 2 percentage points.

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Barnes tops Johnson by 7 points in Wisconsin Senate race: poll

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D) leads incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson (R) by 7 percentage points in their race for Johnson’s seat, according to a poll from Marquette University Law School released Wednesday. 

The survey found that Barnes received support from 51 percent of respondents, compared to Johnson’s 44 percent. Barnes expanded his lead from Marquette’s June poll, in which he led Johnson by only 2 points, within the margin of error. 

Barnes was still competing for the Democratic nomination at the time of the June poll but clinched the primary earlier this month.

The poll released Wednesday shows a sharp partisan divide between the candidates, with 95 percent of Democrats supporting Barnes and 92 percent of Republicans supporting Johnson. But Barnes leads among independents, 52 percent to 38 percent. 

The two candidates were tied among independents in the June poll. 

Barnes also has an advantage in favorability rating over Johnson. 

The lieutenant governor is viewed favorably by 37 percent of respondents and unfavorably by 22 percent. Three in 10 respondents said they did not know enough about Barnes to respond, but that figure is down from 57 percent who said so in June. 

Johnson is viewed favorably by 38 percent and unfavorably by 47 percent of those surveyed, while only 9 percent said they did not know enough to respond. 

Johnson’s seat is considered a prime pickup opportunity for Democrats, who are seeking to maintain and expand their control of the Senate in the November midterm elections. 

Johnson has become a controversial figure, as he has been a close ally to former President Trump. 

The conservative senator has faced sharp pushback after he said earlier this month that Social Security and Medicare should be categorized as discretionary spending, requiring Congress to approve their budgets every year instead of allowing them to rise annually. 

Democrats also released an ad this week targeting Johnson for his vote against implementing a $35 per month cap on out-of-pocket insulin costs for individuals with private insurance. 

The poll was conducted from Aug. 10-15 among 811 registered voters. The margin of error was 4.2 points.

Source: TEST FEED1

'The Daily Show' launches Jan. 6 tour: 'In the Footsteps of the Freedomsurrection'

“The Daily Show” is launching a free, self-guided walking tour that traces “the exact route taken by the insurrectionists” during last year’s Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.

“In the Footsteps of the Freedomsurrection” will include 15 stops that “spotlight important sites from the events of Jan. 6,” Comedy Central announced Wednesday.

Using technology from the mobile app VoiceMap, the tour will feature audio and turn-by-turn directions as listeners “revisit the events that occurred before, during and after that fateful day,” a news release said.

A website for the tongue-in-cheek tour from the Trevor Noah-hosted show says that participants will “relive it all,” including “the rally where [then-President Trump’s personal lawyer] Rudy Giuliani invoked his right to trial by combat,” the “epic battle” between Trump “and his own Secret Service agents,” and the “more or less legal march down Pennsylvania Ave.”

“Follow the footsteps of the Freedomsurrection, and find out why there’s a thin line between treasonous… and hilarious,” the website states.

The Jan. 6 expedition is also accessible virtually, with photos of locations along the route “for those who aren’t in Washington.”

It’s not the first time that “The Daily Show” has mocked the 45th president — a frequent target of Noah’s monologues — with a real-life exhibit. Last year, the program unveiled a Jan. 6 monument to Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and other “Heroes of the Freedomsurrection” as part of a temporary installation in New York.

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Virginia governor to headline Michigan GOP convention

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) is set to give the keynote speech at Michigan’s GOP convention as he campaigns for the state’s Republican gubernatorial nominee, Tudor Dixon.

Talk has swirled over a potential presidential bid for Youngkin, who flipped Virginia red when he beat former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) in the state’s 2021 gubernatorial race.

The Virginia governor is headed to Michigan to stump for former President Trump-endorsed Dixon, a conservative commentator who will face Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) in the general election.

Youngkin has said he’s “hugely humbled” by calls for a 2024 presidential bid, but hasn’t yet decided on the idea. 

Fueling speculation about a presidential run, Youngkin has been elevating his national profile. He created organizations to get involved in races and campaign for his party in Virginia and elsewhere. He met with a number of GOP megadonors in June, according to The Washington Post, and spoke at Nebraska’s GOP convention in July.

He assumed the governor’s office in January to serve a four-year term.

Youngkin’s Michigan visit is being billed with a focus on education, a topic central to his gubernatorial bid as he campaigned on his support of a return to in-person schooling and his opposition to critical race theory.

“Governor Youngkin’s victory in Virginia demonstrated the political power of parents who want to be involved in ensuring their children get a great education,” Dixon said in a statement released by the Michigan GOP. 

The state’s GOP convention is scheduled for Aug. 27. 

“Similar to Virginia last year, Michiganders are tired of high cost of living and an education system that falls short of students’ potential. Governor Youngkin is looking forward to joining Tudor Dixon and her campaign to empower parents and make Michigan a great place to live, work, and raise a family,” a political adviser for Youngkin told The Hill in a statement. 

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Abortion on parole: Access to reproductive care cannot exclude those in our prison systems

In the immediate aftermath of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, in which the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion, many organizers and service providers began making plans to ensure that people who become pregnant have access to reproductive healthcare. Advocates rightly argue that where someone lives should not determine their liberty or personal autonomy when it comes to accessing healthcare and making decisions about their bodies. However, a critical element missing from this conversation — ironically, given the focus on liberty and autonomy — is that many women and people who become pregnant will not be able to travel for these services because they are incarcerated, on probation, or on parole.

Incarceration, by default, limits autonomy and restricts movement; limitations on travel and requirements to attend frequent meetings, agree to supervision, or submit behavioral reports also mean that many, if not most, people on probation or parole will also be unable to travel. Add in the compounding intersections of childcare, poverty, work schedules, and skyrocketing prices for fuel or air travel and it becomes clear just how much of an impediment these so-called “workarounds” are for millions of American women and people who become pregnant.

Sadly, this is not new; it is merely the latest example of the criminal legal system’s long history of criminalizing the reproductive rights of women and people who become pregnant throughout prosecution, jail and supervision conditions that punish reproductive health. Those under supervision experience economic disadvantages and health inequities that are greater than those faced by the general public; research shows they display higher rates of chronic physical and mental health conditions, and nearly half of them experience either a miscarriage or an abortion in their lifetime. These disparities are even wider for people of color under supervision.

We understand systems of incarceration and the many restrictions on liberty that come with them because we have witnessed them firsthand. One of us, Vivian, spent three years in a state prison, where she met women who had to endure labor and delivery in restraints and then hand their infants over to strangers soon after. While on supervision, a compassionate parole officer extended her curfew, allowing Vivian the freedom to work and participate in an education program. That compassion resulted in a career as both an expert and an executive supporting reentry efforts, with a particular emphasis on Black women and girls. The other, David, oversaw Alameda County’s Probation Department as chief probation officer, and dealt with more than 20,000 people on probation. He also served as deputy commissioner of New York City’s Department of Probation and has since served as a senior executive, facilitator and expert on probation, anti-recidivism and youth justice. In our careers, we have seen the consequences of restricting autonomy and liberty and the ultimate dehumanization that such restrictions lead to.

We also know that while the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs to overturn Roe will have dire consequences for women and people who become pregnant under supervision, it is only one of many decisions that has led or will lead to suffering for people who encounter our criminal legal system every day. While this particular decision will increase surveillance, prosecution and punishment for women and people who become pregnant — limiting their well-being, economic mobility and liberty in the process — our broader criminal legal system has been doing that for years to poor people, disenfranchised people, and Black and Brown people.

Access to abortion services is just one example of a far more wide-ranging problem when it comes to accessing healthcare while incarcerated, on probation or on parole. Agencies should consider modifying supervision conditions wherever possible, including waiving restrictions on travel to other states for medical procedures. Given that we know there is no link between abortion and public safety, system and agency administrators should also enact policies that ensure noncompliance with abortion bans (allowing someone on parole to travel to another state to receive an abortion, for example) will not be considered a violation of supervision.

More fundamentally, this is a moment to reassess the intensity of supervision for women and people who become pregnant, most of whom are low-risk. The majority of them should be on administrative, not active, supervision. And while reassessing risk, we should also consider the false binary of risk assessments that too often prioritize the status quo and create harmful and unnecessary barriers that increase, rather than reduce, recidivism — itself another form of societal risk.

The issue of reproductive choice is the most immediate example of how restrictions on liberty and autonomy that have long been imposed on those under the control of the criminal legal system are expanding to society at large. The opposite should be true: to make our society more safe, fair, free and prosperous, we should be increasing access, opportunity and autonomy to all, not reducing it. While realizing that vision will be a challenge that requires many small steps and improvements, immediately addressing issues of equity like access to care that most acutely impact the most marginalized people is a step in the right direction.

We call on agencies to move forward, not backward, to ensure the progress that still remains is not lost.

Reverend Vivian D. Nixon is writer in residence at Columbia Justice Lab’s Square One Project and former executive director of College & Community Fellowship. David Muhammad is the executive director of the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform.

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Biden approval rating ticks up 3 points in one week: poll

President Biden’s approval rating ticked up 3 percentage points in the past week, according to a Politico-Morning Consult poll released on Wednesday, as Democrats scored a major legislative win with the passage of their climate, health and tax reform package.

The poll showed that 42 percent of registered voters said they approve of the job Biden is doing as president. The same poll released last week showed Biden’s approval rating was at 39 percent.

At the same time the number of registered voters who said they disapproved of his job performance dropped from 59 to 56 percent.

More people in the latest poll also said the country was on the right track — 30 percent, compared to 25 percent last week. Seventy percent of registered voters said it was on the wrong track, compared to 75 percent the previous week.

The latest poll is likely welcome news for Democrats less than three months ahead of November’s midterms. Presidential approval ratings are considered one indication of how the president’s party will perform in elections, though Biden’s numbers remain under water and Democrats still face other headwinds.

The survey was conducted in the days after House Democrats passed a sweeping health, tax reform and climate bill with every member of the caucus voting in favor. Senate Democrats had passed the bill through reconciliation the previous week.

Biden signed the measure Tuesday.

It was a key win for the president and his party after a year of trying to pass various versions of a larger climate and social spending bill and being stymied by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) because passing the measure through reconciliation required the support of all 50 Democrats.

The surprise deal between Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) was a slimmed down package but it still contained some of Biden’s campaign promises and significant climate investments.

The Politico-Morning Consult poll was conducted between Aug. 12 and Aug. 14 with 2,005 registered voters. The margin of error is plus or minus 2 percentage points. 

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Most people infected with Omicron variant 'didn't know they had it,' study finds

Most people infected by the omicron variant of COVID-19 were not aware they had it, according to a new study.  

“More than one in every two people who were infected with Omicron didn’t know they had it,” the study’s first author and an investigator at Cedars-Sinai Sandy Y. Joung said in a media release. “Awareness will be key for allowing us to move beyond this pandemic.” 

Investigators conducting a study examining COVID-19 and the effect of vaccines identified nearly 2,500 blood samples from patients just before and after the start of Omicron’s surge – identifying 210 people who likely had it given antibody levels in their blood.  

Participant surveys and interviews then found that approximately 44 percent of those whose blood tested positive for virus realized they were infected.  

Only 10 percent of those who said they were unaware of infection reported any COVID-19 symptoms.  

The study’s findings are in line with previous studies that have estimated between 25 percent and 80 percent of people infected with the virus may not experience symptoms, the researchers note. 

Researchers are hopeful their findings will motivate people to stay vigilant and get tested for the virus when exposed to an infected person. 

“We hope people will read these findings and think, ‘I was just at a gathering where someone tested positive,’ or, ‘I just started to feel a little under the weather. Maybe I should get a quick test,’” said the study’s corresponding author Susan Cheng, director of the Institute for Research on Healthy Aging in the Department of Cardiology at the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai. 

“The better we understand our own risks, the better we will be at protecting the health of the public as well as ourselves,” Cheng added.  

Our country is in a historic fight against the coronavirus. Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention loosened its COVID-19 guidance late last week. Among other updates, the CDC no longer recommend quarantine periods for those infected, the screening or testing of asymptomatic individuals without known exposures unless they are in high-risk settings.  

Slightly more than 67 percent of the total U.S. population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Source: TEST FEED1