Coronavirus updates August 1, 2021

[GK2]

My husband tested positive last Wednesday and our son - who lives with us and has only has one jab so far - tested positive today. Somehow I am still testing negative, so fingers crossed.

DH has dexamethasone as part of his chemo treatment so he wasn’t too unwell the first couple of days, but it’s hit him really hard the last two days and both of them are in bed asleep at the moment.

DS was supposed to be seeing his best friend at the weekend - they last saw each other outside at Christmas - so he is not a happy bunny and even less so now that he is starting to feel unwell with it

DH are I are both double jabbed, but I’m not looking forward to the next few days.
Just waiting for -hopefully- yet another negative PCR test result for me

sending best wishes to all x

 

[missy]

New data from Israel showed a significant reduction in COVID infections and serious cases following a third dose of Pfizer's vaccine in older adults, a group at higher risk for breakthrough cases. (Reuters)

 

[Arcadian]

My husband tested positive last Wednesday and our son - who lives with us and has only has one jab so far - tested positive today. Somehow I am still testing negative, so fingers crossed.

DH has dexamethasone as part of his chemo treatment so he wasn’t too unwell the first couple of days, but it’s hit him really hard the last two days and both of them are in bed asleep at the moment.

DS was supposed to be seeing his best friend at the weekend - they last saw each other outside at Christmas - so he is not a happy bunny and even less so now that he is starting to feel unwell with it

DH are I are both double jabbed, but I’m not looking forward to the next few days.
Just waiting for -hopefully- yet another negative PCR test result for me

sending best wishes to all x

Prayers for you all. My husband also was negative so it does happen. everyone should be wearing a mask to keep you safe. Its the unfortunate part of this stuff.


I just got my first test after infection (which for me included ALOT of bloodwork) and I'm now on the spit tests until I get 2 negatives.

 

[missy]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/08/23/pfizer-vaccine-full-approval/

“
After reviewing a mountain of safety and efficacy data, federal regulators at the Food and Drug Administration have fully approved the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, which will be marketed under the brand name Comirnaty. Will members of the vaccine-hesitant population be persuaded to roll up their sleeves? Some will, but behavioral scientists don't expect this approval to significantly move the needle there. What's probably going to have a bigger impact, as experts told me and my colleagues, will be the employers and universities who mandate shots now that the vaccine has FDA approval beyond its emergency use authorization.

After today's regulatory reveal, the Pentagon said it was creating “actionable guidance” to require the Pfizer vaccine for the military. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had announced this month that he was seeking approval to mandate vaccines for troops, planning for such a requirement to go into effect by mid-September. But resistance against vaccines in the military remains an obstacle; as of July, for instance, fewer than 60 percent of Marines were fully vaccinated.

A different kind of army was tasked with overseeing vaccine campaigns across the United States — one made up of consultants. A Washington Post tally found that at least 25 states, plus numerous federal agencies and cities, contracted consulting firms to manage vaccine drives. Critics said these arrangements can be problematic because they can be costly and come with little oversight.

In early July, President Biden delivered a triumphant message when he celebrated Independence Day and “Independence from covid-19” in an address. But the surge of the more contagious delta variant was a swift reversal of that triumph. A trio of Post reporters have the inside look into the tumultuous month of July, writing: “The administration had been caught flat-footed — and then took weeks to enact a plan in an attempt to catch up.”

Mississippi’s top doctor is pleading with residents to stop taking ivermectin as a covid-19 therapy. The drug is available in feed stores, used to treat livestock afflicted with worms. There are approved uses for ivermectin in people, but a coronavirus infection is not one of them. And ivermectin products designed for animals can harm humans.

“

 

[Arcadian]

Group of South Florida doctors stage walkout in protest of unvaccinated COVID patients

Group of South Florida doctors stage walkout in protest of unvaccinated COVID patients

news.yahoo.com

Group of South Florida doctors stage walkout in protest of unvaccinated COVID patients​

Brigid Kennedy, Contributing Writer
Mon, August 23, 2021, 11:34 AM·1 min read


A group of around 75 South Florida doctors staged a walkout on Monday to protest the number of unvaccinated COVID-19 patients flooding their hospital in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, MSNBC's Morning Joe reports.
The frustrated doctors want people to "ignore the nonsense and the absurdities that you're hearing people say at public meetings and recognize the value of what a vaccine will do," said Kerry Sanders, reporting on the ground in Florida. He added that 85 percent of the ICU beds in the state are full.
The walkout comes as COVID continues to decimate the Gulf Coast, which has "relatively low rates of vaccination and often lax safety measures," The New York Times reports. Florida in particular now leads the nation in daily average cases and hospitalizations, per the Times. In the week beginning August 14, for instance, at least five South Florida police officers died after contracting the virus, writes CNN.

"It's incredibly frustrating because we know vaccines are safe and effective," said Dr. JT Snarksi, one of Monday's protesting physicians. "And it's people who go out and talk against them that really go against physicians and medicine and science." She added, "It's not the message we want to get across to people. Vaccines are safe and we need to get our communities vaccinated."
On Monday, the FDA granted full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, an important step that officials hope will instill more confidence among those reluctant to get vaccinated.



And this: Our friend who was really sick with covid twice. I'm glad he's alive to tell his story but he's got a very long road to go.

Former Broncos nutrition guru says get vaccinated as he endures long hospital stay because of COVID-19

Former Broncos fitness and nutrition guru Bill Phillips’ message for Coloradans is to the point: Get vaccinated against COVID-19.

www.denverpost.com

 

[Slickk]

Article from Reuters today stating a booster at six months rather than the previously recommended eight.

U.S. plans COVID-19 booster shots at six months instead of eight - WSJ

U.S. health regulators could approve a third COVID-19 shot for adults beginning at least six months after full vaccination, instead of the previously announced eight-month gap, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

www.reuters.com

 

[Calliecake]

Group of South Florida doctors stage walkout in protest of unvaccinated COVID patients

Group of South Florida doctors stage walkout in protest of unvaccinated COVID patients

news.yahoo.com

Group of South Florida doctors stage walkout in protest of unvaccinated COVID patients​

Brigid Kennedy, Contributing Writer
Mon, August 23, 2021, 11:34 AM·1 min read


A group of around 75 South Florida doctors staged a walkout on Monday to protest the number of unvaccinated COVID-19 patients flooding their hospital in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, MSNBC's Morning Joe reports.
The frustrated doctors want people to "ignore the nonsense and the absurdities that you're hearing people say at public meetings and recognize the value of what a vaccine will do," said Kerry Sanders, reporting on the ground in Florida. He added that 85 percent of the ICU beds in the state are full.
The walkout comes as COVID continues to decimate the Gulf Coast, which has "relatively low rates of vaccination and often lax safety measures," The New York Times reports. Florida in particular now leads the nation in daily average cases and hospitalizations, per the Times. In the week beginning August 14, for instance, at least five South Florida police officers died after contracting the virus, writes CNN.

"It's incredibly frustrating because we know vaccines are safe and effective," said Dr. JT Snarksi, one of Monday's protesting physicians. "And it's people who go out and talk against them that really go against physicians and medicine and science." She added, "It's not the message we want to get across to people. Vaccines are safe and we need to get our communities vaccinated."
On Monday, the FDA granted full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, an important step that officials hope will instill more confidence among those reluctant to get vaccinated.



And this: Our friend who was really sick with covid twice. I'm glad he's alive to tell his story but he's got a very long road to go.

Former Broncos nutrition guru says get vaccinated as he endures long hospital stay because of COVID-19

Former Broncos fitness and nutrition guru Bill Phillips’ message for Coloradans is to the point: Get vaccinated against COVID-19.

www.denverpost.com

I’m surprised we are not hearing more stories like this.

 

[Arcadian]

I’m surprised we are not hearing more stories like this.

There is all kinds of crazy happening in FL I try to post some of the local stuff but y'all may end up being as desensitized as those of us who have to look at these shenanigans...

 

[Calliecake]

I know @Arcadian. My dad lives there and was hospitalized three weeks ago for pneumonia. I called the nurses station when he was first admitted and they answered the phone Oncology Dept. She said they put him there because of his age and they were just trying to keep him far away from the Covid patients. It sounded like a nightmare at the hospital.

 

[GK2]

So, my husband was admitted to hospital last night after developing breathing problems - he was struggling For breath even just by standing up. They put him on oxygen in the ambulance and he’s been on it since. He’s also been given an additional shot of dexamethasone to help - he takes this as part of his chemo regime anyway but they clearly felt he needed more.

I’m in the UK - Yorks and Humber region for those here in the UK - and our city had a surge in cases over the last couple of weeks.

Please, if you haven’t already, get the vaccine and wear a mask to protect yourself and others. My husband is lying in a hospital bed unable to see me or our son - I don’t want anyone to go through what he or I are going through right now

 

[Austina]

Sending lots of healing and positive thoughts your way @GK2 and praying for a good outcome for your DH.

 

[missy]

Moderna Tees Up for Approval; Boosters Now at 6 Months? Infusion Pump Recall

A daily roundup of news on COVID-19 and the rest of medicine

www.medpagetoday.com

Moderna said it completed the application for full FDA approval of its COVID vaccine, which is marketed as Spikevax abroad.

Not to be outdone, Pfizer and BioNTech said they would submit the remaining data for approval of their COVID booster shots by week's end.

Speaking of boosters, third doses of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines may start at 6 months from the last dose, rather than the previously announced 8 months.

Newly minted New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said the state will officially publicize close to 12,000 COVID deaths that went uncounted by her predecessor -- the numbers were already included in CDC's tally, however, and trackers like the one below. (AP)

As of Thursday at 8 a.m. EDT, the unofficial COVID-19 toll in the U.S. reached 38,225,849 cases and 632,283 deaths, increases of 148,326 and 1,445, respectively, from this time yesterday.

The toll includes a 32-year-old unvaccinated pregnant nurse in Alabama who died after being hospitalized for COVID-19 earlier this month; her unborn child died as well. (NBC News)

As cases surge across Texas, the National Rifle Association canceled its early September annual meeting in Houston. (NBC News)

Updated NIH guidelines for severe COVID-19 now say intravenous sarilumab (Kevzara) and tofacitinib (Xeljanz) can be used in combination with dexamethasone as alternatives to tocilizumab (Actemra) and baricitinib (Olumiant), respectively, if either of those are unavailable.

Is CDC missing crucial data as it decides how to respond to breakthrough cases? (Politico)

Meanwhile, the agency had a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new southeast Asia office stationed in Vietnam.

In a flurry of FDA news, a long-acting prodrug of somatropin -- lonapegsomatropin (Skytrofa) -- was approved as the first once-weekly therapy for growth hormone deficiency in kids 1 year and up, Ascendis Pharma announced.

And Servier Pharmaceuticals said ivosidenib (Tibsovo) was okayed as a second-line treatment for adults with advanced cholangiocarcinomas that harbor IDH1mutations.

FDA gave a class I designation to the recall on certain repaired BD Alaris infusion pumps, as cracked or separated bezel posts in the units could result in an interruption, under-delivery, or over-delivery of fluids to patients.

And they said to check your N95s to make sure they're not made by Shanghai Dasheng, as the company's masks are no longer authorized for use due to lax quality control.



Thinking about the milk crate challenge to impress your followers on social media? Don't do it, says an Atlanta-based orthopedic surgeon, who warns on the potential for lifelong debilitating injuries. (NBC News)

In mental health news, President Biden signed a bill into law that allows military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder to train and adopt service dogs. (Stars and Stripes)

With the latest CDC data showing that over 60% of the eligible U.S. population has been fully vaccinated against COVID, here's a look at how one health system tracked down individuals who slipped through the cracks of the vaccination drive. (STAT)

Pennsylvania-based Geisinger Health System said it will require all of its workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by mid-October as a condition of employment.

Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines will charge its unvaccinated workers a $200 monthly penalty in an attempt to boost vaccinations. (Bloomberg Law)

Online ads targeting conservatives tout that COVID vaccines are "trusted by the U.S. military" and a "shot to restore our freedoms."

 

[MamaBee]

I’m surprised we are not hearing more stories like this.

My friend’s son heads the nursing department at a Pennsylvania hospital. He said the nurses are walking out, quitting, etc. He had to start working on the floors again because they are so short staffed. It’s scary…

 

[Arcadian]

My friend’s son heads the nursing department at a Pennsylvania hospital. He said the nurses are walking out, quitting, etc. He had to start working on the floors again because they are so short staffed. It’s scary…

When I see my next door neighbor at times she just looks wiped out (also a nurse...at the hospital where they had the walk out) This thing is really breaking medical professionals.


Also I am now considered covid free. Got the call this afternoon that I have 2 negatives saliva tests. That makes me extremely happy!

 

[MamaBee]

When I see my next door neighbor at times she just looks wiped out (also a nurse...at the hospital where they had the walk out) This thing is really breaking medical professionals.


Also I am now considered covid free. Got the call this afternoon that I have 2 negatives saliva tests. That makes me extremely happy!

@Arcadian I’m so happy for you! XOXO

 

[Calliecake]

I’m so happy you are Covid free @Arcadian!!!! So it’s so good to read HAPPY news.

 

[Calliecake]

Sending get well dust to your husband and son @GK2 . I’m hoping your husband is home with you soon.

 

[missy]

@GK2 I am so sorry and I am sending bucketloads of healing dust to your DH and son and keeping all of you in my thoughts.

@Arcadian that is a wonderful update. So happy you are Covid free. You have been through the mill.

 

[missy]

Masks Ordered for Most Florida Students, Defying DeSantis

Through Tuesday, the Orlando-area Orange County school district reported 1968 positive COVID-19 cases among students since school began August 10.

www.medscape.com

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Just over half of Florida's 2.8 million public school students now face mandates to wear masks in classrooms as a courtroom battle continues over efforts by Gov. Ron DeSantis to leave such decisions up to parents.

A majority of school board members in Orange County told the superintendent on Tuesday to require most students to wear masks, and agreed with her recommendation to keep the mandate through Oct. 30.

The district began its school year this month with a parental opt-out, but a surge in students across the Orlando area testing positive for COVID-19 has disrupted classes. Through Tuesday, the district reported 1,968 positive cases among students since school began, with 1,491 people under active quarantine, according to the district's dashboard.


At least 10 school boards making up some of the largest districts in Florida are now defying the DeSantis administration's attempt to ban local mandates on masks in schools. The Orange County board also said they want to challenge the legality of a Florida Department of Health rule enforcing the ban.

Florida State Rep. Anna Eskamani delivers remarks at a protest in front of the Orange County Public Schools headquarters in downtown Orlando.​

In Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday, the Broward County School Board told the Department of Education that it won't back down on its mask policy, which gives parents a medical opt-out for students. The board said it believes that complies with the governor's order and the department's mask rule.


Parents, the board said, don't have an unlimited right to send their kids to school unmasked, infringing on the rights of other parents who want their children to be safe.


DeSantis is not backing down. During a press conference in The Villages on Wednesday, the governor warned there would be additional consequences for schools districts, but did not elaborate. DeSantis contends the defiant school boards are violating the Parents Bill of Rights, signed into law this summer, that gives parents authority to direct their children's education.

"Those schools districts are violating state law and they are overriding what the parents' judgment is on this," he said, stressing repeatedly that cloth masks don't prevent the spread of aerosols.

"If these entities are going to violate state law and take away parent's rights…there's consequences for that. There will continue to be more and I think we'll see that," DeSantis added.


The state had given Broward and Alachua counties until Tuesday to end their mask mandates. Broward's students began school a week ago with a mask policy in place. State officials have threatened to withhold funding equal to school board salaries if a district doesn't comply. Those funds make up less than 1% of each district's budget.


The debate over masks has gotten heated across the state.


On Wednesday morning, police said the father of a student who tried to enter Fort Lauderdale High School without a mask was arrested after he forcefully pushed another student who tried to grab his cellphone. A police report said the father was videoing students at the school's front gate and the student didn't want to be filmed.


The father was charged with one count of aggravated child abuse.


School board members from Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties held a virtual news conference Wednesday to discuss the possibility of suing DeSantis and the state. All three said they've received online threats over the mask issue.


"We will not be pressured by the governor or the state Board of Education when the safety and health of our students is involved. We have a constitutional duty to protect our students," said Miami-Dade school board member Lucia Baez-Geller. "Governor DeSantis has made this issue divisive with his rhetoric and threats."


Monroe County's board decided Tuesday to require masks rather than strongly encourage them, but with a parental opt-out that should comply with the DeSantis order.


In Tallahassee on Wednesday, a three-day hearing that pits pro-mask parents against the DeSantis administration and state education officials was wrapping up, with a ruling by a judge expected soon. The state contends that parents, not schools, should choose whether their children cover up in classrooms.


"I take my rights and my freedom very seriously," testified Jennifer Gillen, who supports the governor's order and has two sons in Lee County schools where there is no strict mask mandate. "Our rights are actually being threatened."


Dr. Jay Battacharya, a Stanford University medical professor and researcher who also supports the governor's approach, said he typically masks up only when required to, or to make others feel at ease — not because he believes they prevent coronavirus exposure. "I don't believe there is high-quality evidence to show masks are effective in stopping disease spread," he testified Wednesday.


Asked what an acceptable death rate for children would be to justify continuing a strict mask ban, Battacharya said it's an incorrect way of measuring the outcome. "I don't think it's right to say what are acceptable deaths. Compared to what? It's a question of tradeoffs," he said.


The highly contagious delta variant led to an acceleration in cases around Florida and record high hospitalizations just as schools prepared to reopen classrooms this month. By mid-August more than 21,000 new cases were being added per day, compared with about 8,500 a month earlier. However, new cases and hospitalizations have leveled off over the past week. There were 16,820 people being treated for the disease in Florida hospitals Tuesday, U.S. Health Department figures showed, down from a record high above 17,000 last week.


About 6 in 10 Americans say students and teachers should be required to wear face masks while in school, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

 

[missy]

From Medscape.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Delivering another blow to what's left of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's legacy, New York's new governor acknowledged on her first day in office that the state has had nearly 12,000 more deaths from COVID-19 than Cuomo told the public.


"The public deserves a clear, honest picture of what's happening. And that's whether it's good or bad, they need to know the truth. And that's how we restore confidence," Gov. Kathy Hochul said on NPR.

In its first daily update on the outbreak Tuesday evening, Hochul's office reported that nearly 55,400 people have died of the coronavirus in New York based on death certificate data submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That's up from about 43,400 that Cuomo reported to the public as of Monday, his last day in office. The Democrat who was once widely acclaimed for his leadership during the COVID-19 outbreak resigned in the face of an impeachment drive after being accused of sexually harassing at least 11 women, allegations he disputed.

The higher number is not entirely new. Federal health officials and some academic institutions tracking COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. have been using the higher tally for many months because of known gaps in the data Cuomo had been choosing to publicize.

But Hochul, who was lieutenant governor before being propelled to the state's highest office, said it is vital to be fully transparent about the numbers.


"There's a lot of things that weren't happening, and I'm going to make them happen," she said Wednesday on MSNBC. "Transparency will be the hallmark of my administration."

Cuomo's lawyer Rita Glavin and his campaign staff did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Associated Press first reported in July on the large discrepancy between the figures publicized by the Cuomo administration and numbers the state was reporting to the CDC.


The count used by Cuomo in his news media briefings and on the s tate's COVID-19 fatality tracker included only laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 deaths reported through a state system that collects data from hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities.


That meant the tally excluded people who died at home, in hospice, in prisons or at state-run homes for people with disabilities. It also excluded people who probably died of COVID-19 but never got a positive test to confirm the diagnosis.


"There are presumed and confirmed deaths. People should know both," Hochul said.


By Wednesday, the state's website included the higher tally.


During the spring of 2020, when New York was the deadliest hot spot in the U.S., Cuomo emerged in the eyes of many Americans as a hero of the pandemic for his daily PowerPoint briefings and stern but reassuring language. He won an international Emmy and wrote a book on leadership in a crisis.


But Cuomo's critics long charged that he was manipulating coronavirus statics to burnish his image. Months later, it turned out that his administration had minimized the death toll among nursing home residents by excluding several thousand who had succumbed after being transferred to hospitals.


Cuomo used those lower numbers last year to erroneously claim that New York was seeing a much smaller percentage of nursing home residents dying of COVID-19 than other states.


Federal prosecutors have been investigating his administration's handling of the data. The state Assembly Judiciary committee has also been investigating the matter.


This week, in the wake of the sexual harassment scandal, Cuomo's Emmy was revoked. And the publisher of his book has said it will no longer print hardcover copies and will not come out with a paperback edition.

 

[missy]

The coronavirus pandemic has been steadily weakening the pull of city centers. Commuter traffic on subways and trains is down, as are sales at all those sandwich shops and delis that rely on white-collar foot traffic. Young couples are stepping over each other to buy little suburban houses like the ones they grew up in. By some early measures the pandemic was supposed to be over by now. But thanks in part to wildly unequal vaccine access and (often politically motivated) science-free vaccine refusal (including by badly needed nurses), new variants are brewing and more people are dying, adding to the millions already killed. In the business world, what was to be a back-to-office September has been largely canceled by the delta variant, perhaps a final nail for the old-style work week. But with that transformation may come a silver lining, one that just might kickstart sluggish economies.

Bloomberg’s August Covid Resilience Ranking shows stark shifts as delta spreads. The U.S. and Israel dropped as did New Zealand and Australia. European countries proved the most resilient amid widespread immunization. The U.K. plans to study why some vaccinated people suffer breakthrough infections and others don’t, while India just recorded the most daily cases in more than a month. In the U.S., where 633,000 people are confirmed to have died from Covid-19 (though the actual number is likely higher), another 100,000 are likely to perish in the next three months. Here’s the latest on the pandemic.

New U.S. unemployment claims rose last week, with Maryland posting the largest increase followed by California and Illinois. Here’s your markets wrap.

A global supply chain crunch that was meant to be temporary may not ease until the middle of next year. The culprit as with most everything else these days is the delta variant, which has hobbled Asia factory production and disrupted shipping.

 

[missy]

COVID-related deaths in the U.S. increased by 317% over the past 7 weeks. (ABC News)

Without a change in behavior -- increased use of facemasks, staying home when sick, vaccination -- another 100,000 COVID deaths could occur by December 1. (AP)

As of about 8 a.m. EDT, the unofficial COVID-19 toll in the U.S. reached 38,387,116 cases and 633,591 deaths, increases of 161,267 and 1,308, respectively, from the same time yesterday.



Calling dissent the "foundation of democracy," Reddit rejected a request by moderators of a pro-vaccine forum to do more to combat COVID-19 disinformation. (CNN)

COVID cases in South Dakota have risen almost sixfold in the 2 weeks since the annual motorcycle rally in the town of Sturgis. (NBC News)

Japan suspended use of 1.63 million doses of Moderna's COVID vaccine, pending an investigation into contaminants -- possibly metallic particles -- found in several vials. (Reuters)

A Houston physician explains why he continues to give low-dose ivermectin to all of his COVID-19 patients, despite an FDA warning of the potential hazards. (Houston Chronicle)

The COVID pandemic has fueled a decline in routine childhood immunizations in some parts of the country, which could create large pockets of increased vulnerability to diphtheria, meningitis, and other communicable diseases. (NPR)

Older teenagers have the highest COVID-19 caseload among children in the U.S. (CNN)



An opponent of facemask and vaccine mandates, Wisconsin state Sen. Andre Jacque (R) has been placed on a ventilator after developing COVID-associated pneumonia. (AP)

The pandemic has created a shortage of the anti-inflammatory drug tocilizumab(Actemra), as use of the drug to treat COVID-19 has created a scarcity for patients with arthritis, lupus, and other conditions. (CNN)

Results of an FDA survey of 167 processed foods showed that only three contained traces of potentially harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including only one of 94 foods representative of the typical American diet.

The agency also said it denied applications for 55,000 flavored vaping products that failed to show a benefit to the public's health -- any existing products will need to be removed from the market.

Can virtual reality help reduce the damaging effects of brain injuries? (Reuters)

Argentine prosecutors have charged President Alberto Fernandez with violating a COVID-19 quarantine last year to host a birthday party. (Reuters)

 

[Arcadian]

Judge blocks Florida governor's order banning mask mandates

A judge in Tallahassee has overturned Gov. DeSantis' executive order banning school mask mandates in Florida, finding that the executive order exceeded the governor's constitutional authority. The judge ruled that school districts should have the ability to implement and enforce mask mandates...

cbs12.com

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (CBS12) — A judge in Tallahassee has overturned Gov. DeSantis' executive order banning school mask mandates in Florida, finding that the executive order exceeded the governor's constitutional authority.

 

[Calliecake]

Judge blocks Florida governor's order banning mask mandates

A judge in Tallahassee has overturned Gov. DeSantis' executive order banning school mask mandates in Florida, finding that the executive order exceeded the governor's constitutional authority. The judge ruled that school districts should have the ability to implement and enforce mask mandates...

cbs12.com

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (CBS12) — A judge in Tallahassee has overturned Gov. DeSantis' executive order banning school mask mandates in Florida, finding that the executive order exceeded the governor's constitutional authority.

GREAT NEWS!

 

[Lookinagain]

Judge blocks Florida governor's order banning mask mandates

A judge in Tallahassee has overturned Gov. DeSantis' executive order banning school mask mandates in Florida, finding that the executive order exceeded the governor's constitutional authority. The judge ruled that school districts should have the ability to implement and enforce mask mandates...

cbs12.com

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (CBS12) — A judge in Tallahassee has overturned Gov. DeSantis' executive order banning school mask mandates in Florida, finding that the executive order exceeded the governor's constitutional authority.

Thank goodness!
And happy to hear you have recovered!

 

[missy]

When nurses refuse to get vaccinated​

For the head of a hospital facing yet another wave of Covid, a vaccine mandate might seem like the only way to keep staff and patients safe. The reality is more complicated, though. Right now nearly 1 in 8 nurses are neither vaccinated nor planning to get a shot. And in some parts of the country, hospital administrators say only about half of their nursing staff are vaccinated. That’s the dilemma. Do you lose more nurses by mandating vaccines and having some quit, or by not requiring shots and facing staff shortages from quarantines and absences when they get sick? “It’s a cynical question, but what gets us to losing the higher amount of staff?” says Alan Levine, chief executive officer of Ballad Health, which has 21 hospitals and other centers serving patients in Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Levine chose not to require vaccinations for his health-care workers after modeling suggested he could see 15% of nurses, or as many as 900, leave if he did. That’s more than he anticipates losing to Covid-19 quarantines and illness, even with the most recent surge filling up the network’s intensive-care units and 130 staffers quarantining on a single mid-August day. At Ballad, 97% of doctors are vaccinated. Among front-line nurses, he estimates vaccination rates hover around 50%. A protest against Houston Methodist Hospital system's vaccine mandate. Photographer: Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle/AP Photo It’s hard to fathom how nurses, who see firsthand how Covid can kill people, could oppose getting a vaccine that’s been shown in numerous studies to provide extraordinary protection against severe illness and death. But it’s a problem hospital administrators all over the country find themselves facing. The American Nurses Association has formed a broader coalition of nursing groups to combat vaccine hesitancy in its ranks by publishing facts to help demystify the shots. Nationally, only 35% of hospitals had mandated that staffers get vaccinated as of Aug. 19, according to the American Hospital Association. With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration fully approving the Pfizer vaccine on Aug. 23, that percentage could rise over the next few months. About 22 states now require Covid vaccinations for at least some health-care workers, according to data from the National Academy for State Health Policy. Not all states are moving in that direction. Four so far—Arkansas, Georgia, Montana and Tennessee—established bans before the FDA’s Pfizer vaccine approval that could prevent mandates being imposed on some workers. A number of others have yet to weigh in, leaving hospital administrators balancing their staffing concerns with their desire to protect workers and patients.—Cynthia Koons

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

When nurses refuse to get vaccinated​

For the head of a hospital facing yet another wave of Covid, a vaccine mandate might seem like the only way to keep staff and patients safe. The reality is more complicated, though. Right now nearly 1 in 8 nurses are neither vaccinated nor planning to get a shot. And in some parts of the country, hospital administrators say only about half of their nursing staff are vaccinated. That’s the dilemma. Do you lose more nurses by mandating vaccines and having some quit, or by not requiring shots and facing staff shortages from quarantines and absences when they get sick? “It’s a cynical question, but what gets us to losing the higher amount of staff?” says Alan Levine, chief executive officer of Ballad Health, which has 21 hospitals and other centers serving patients in Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Levine chose not to require vaccinations for his health-care workers after modeling suggested he could see 15% of nurses, or as many as 900, leave if he did. That’s more than he anticipates losing to Covid-19 quarantines and illness, even with the most recent surge filling up the network’s intensive-care units and 130 staffers quarantining on a single mid-August day. At Ballad, 97% of doctors are vaccinated. Among front-line nurses, he estimates vaccination rates hover around 50%. A protest against Houston Methodist Hospital system's vaccine mandate. Photographer: Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle/AP Photo It’s hard to fathom how nurses, who see firsthand how Covid can kill people, could oppose getting a vaccine that’s been shown in numerous studies to provide extraordinary protection against severe illness and death. But it’s a problem hospital administrators all over the country find themselves facing. The American Nurses Association has formed a broader coalition of nursing groups to combat vaccine hesitancy in its ranks by publishing facts to help demystify the shots. Nationally, only 35% of hospitals had mandated that staffers get vaccinated as of Aug. 19, according to the American Hospital Association. With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration fully approving the Pfizer vaccine on Aug. 23, that percentage could rise over the next few months. About 22 states now require Covid vaccinations for at least some health-care workers, according to data from the National Academy for State Health Policy. Not all states are moving in that direction. Four so far—Arkansas, Georgia, Montana and Tennessee—established bans before the FDA’s Pfizer vaccine approval that could prevent mandates being imposed on some workers. A number of others have yet to weigh in, leaving hospital administrators balancing their staffing concerns with their desire to protect workers and patients.—Cynthia Koons

Here on Long Island we've seen protests at hospitals about "vaccine choice". They're NOT actually run by medical workers. They're sponsored by the "Long Island Loud Majority" and "Mom's for Liberty" and have some hospital employees (not medical staff). We've seen them posting for random people to join them, just to boost the numbers. These are the same groups that are harassing our local school boards and making a mess of meetings.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Again? Sorry i havn't read the whole thread (missed a chunk im the middle)
So apologies if this was already posted

A US elementary school teacher took off her mask for a read-aloud. Within days, half her class was positive for Delta

For one lesson, a teacher took off her mask for a read-aloud. But the consequences of it were swift among her school's children.

i.stuff.co.nz

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

​

When nurses refuse to get vaccinated​

For the head of a hospital facing yet another wave of Covid, a vaccine mandate might seem like the only way to keep staff and patients safe. The reality is more complicated, though. Right now nearly 1 in 8 nurses are neither vaccinated nor planning to get a shot. And in some parts of the country, hospital administrators say only about half of their nursing staff are vaccinated. That’s the dilemma. Do you lose more nurses by mandating vaccines and having some quit, or by not requiring shots and facing staff shortages from quarantines and absences when they get sick? “It’s a cynical question, but what gets us to losing the higher amount of staff?” says Alan Levine, chief executive officer of Ballad Health, which has 21 hospitals and other centers serving patients in Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Levine chose not to require vaccinations for his health-care workers after modeling suggested he could see 15% of nurses, or as many as 900, leave if he did. That’s more than he anticipates losing to Covid-19 quarantines and illness, even with the most recent surge filling up the network’s intensive-care units and 130 staffers quarantining on a single mid-August day. At Ballad, 97% of doctors are vaccinated. Among front-line nurses, he estimates vaccination rates hover around 50%. A protest against Houston Methodist Hospital system's vaccine mandate. Photographer: Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle/AP Photo It’s hard to fathom how nurses, who see firsthand how Covid can kill people, could oppose getting a vaccine that’s been shown in numerous studies to provide extraordinary protection against severe illness and death. But it’s a problem hospital administrators all over the country find themselves facing. The American Nurses Association has formed a broader coalition of nursing groups to combat vaccine hesitancy in its ranks by publishing facts to help demystify the shots. Nationally, only 35% of hospitals had mandated that staffers get vaccinated as of Aug. 19, according to the American Hospital Association. With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration fully approving the Pfizer vaccine on Aug. 23, that percentage could rise over the next few months. About 22 states now require Covid vaccinations for at least some health-care workers, according to data from the National Academy for State Health Policy. Not all states are moving in that direction. Four so far—Arkansas, Georgia, Montana and Tennessee—established bans before the FDA’s Pfizer vaccine approval that could prevent mandates being imposed on some workers. A number of others have yet to weigh in, leaving hospital administrators balancing their staffing concerns with their desire to protect workers and patients.—Cynthia Koons

I just dont understand this @missy

its like a traffic cop refusing to wear his seat belt

 

[missy]

COVID Hospitalizations Soared With Delta​

— Delta variant twice as likely to land patients in hospital versus Alpha variant in U.K. study​

by Molly Walker, Deputy Managing Editor, MedPage Today August 27, 2021

COVID-19 patients infected with the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) were more likely to need a higher level of care compared with those with the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7), British researchers found.
Patients infected with Delta were more than twice as likely to be admitted to the hospital within 14 days after PCR testing versus those with the Alpha variant (adjusted HR 2.26, 95% CI 1.32-3.89), reported Katherine Twohig, MPH, of Public Health England in London, and colleagues.

Delta variant patients were also more likely to seek emergency care or be hospitalized within 14 days versus Alpha variant patients (adjusted HR 1.45, 95% CI 1.08-1.95), the authors wrote in Lancet Infectious Diseases.


Of the two variant groups, about 2% each were hospitalized within 14 days; 5.7% of patients with the Delta variant sought emergency care or were hospitalized within 14 days compared with 4.2% of patients with the Alpha variant.

Notably, almost three-quarters of patients were unvaccinated or were fewer than 21 days since their first dose of vaccine. Among vaccinated individuals, the risk for hospitalization (adjusted HR 1.94, 95% CI 0.47-8.05) and seeking emergency care or hospitalization (adjusted HR 1.58, 95% CI 0.69-3.61) were both non-significant when comparing the Delta variant with the Alpha variant.

Among unvaccinated individuals, risk for hospitalization was higher (adjusted HR 2.32, 95% CI 1.29-4.16), as was risk for hospitalization or seeking emergency care (adjusted HR 1.43, 95% CI 1.04-1.97) for Delta versus Alpha.

However, the differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups for hospitalization and emergency care or hospitalization were non-significant (P=0.82 for both). "The precision for the vaccinated subgroup was low," noted the authors.

Limitations to the data included residual confounding and misclassification resulting in the potential inclusion of non-COVID-related visits. In addition, there were no available data on comorbidities, the authors said.

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