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Coronavirus updates July 2021...please add yours.

Arcadian

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My niece is better but very very tired. She's super regretful about not getting vaxxed considering it affected her family so much. Her little girl thankfully did NOT get it for whatever reason.

I'm glad that CDC is now saying mask up indoors for everyone. People act like this stuff is gone.


I've been peeping the Cruise Critic for a while now (I have an account, I just don't post) and whoo yall.....) I get that people want to cruise but at what cost? Certainly I like the methods that Norwegian is taking by saying everyone must be vaxxed.
 

missy

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"One of the worst hit states is Florida, whose Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has been a vocal opponent of most coronavirus precautions. Hospital admissions records just broke records for the entire pandemic. Norway now leads a pack of European nations that have leaped ahead in Bloomberg’s Covid Resilience Ranking, leaving America behind. Some 406 people in the U.S. were confirmed to have died Tuesday from Covid-19, though the actual number is likely higher. Here is the latest on the pandemic."
deltagamechanger.png
 

missy

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If you had an allergic reaction after the first dose of an mRNA vaccine, you may still be able to get the second shot, according to a recent study.


"A retrospective study in the U.S. among 159 people who had an immediate and potentially allergic reaction to the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine (i.e., symptoms occurring within 4 hours of dose) who chose to receive a second dose after consulting with an allergist/immunologist found that all individuals — including 19 individuals who experienced anaphylaxis after the first dose — tolerated the second dose, with only 20% reporting immediate and potentially allergic symptoms after the second dose. Some, but not all, of these people had received antihistamine premedication prior to the second dose (Krantz, JAMA Intern Med 2021)."

@Arcadian I am glad your niece is doing better and may she continue to make a complete recovery.
 

missy

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Mandate momentum​

Momentum for vaccine mandates seems to be building — which could ultimately matter much more than any mask-wearing guidelines.​
  • Facebook, Google and Netflix all said yesterday that they would require many employees to have been vaccinated for Covid-19, with limited exceptions for medical or religious reasons. The companies joined Morgan Stanley, The Washington Post and several other high-profile private employers.
  • Several local governments — including New York State yesterday— have announced worker mandates that cover a few million people combined. In some cases, people can take a regular Covid test instead of being vaccinated.
  • More than 600 universities have announced mandates for students or employees. California State, the country’s largest four-year public university system, joined the list Tuesday. Many hospitals also have mandates, including the sprawling Veterans Health Administration and the Mayo Clinic.
  • Perhaps the biggest new rule is scheduled to be announced today — from President Biden, covering the millions who work for the federal government.
These high-profile announcements make it much easier for other organizations that had been considering mandates to go ahead: Their leaders no longer need to worry they will become the subject of national attention for enacting one.​
Still, vaccine mandates remain the exception. The vast majority of private companies have not required their workers to be vaccinated. Nor have almost any major companies required their customers — like airline passengers or theater goers — to be vaccinated. (One hurdle, some companies say, is the F.D.A.’s failure to grant the vaccines full approval, despite strong endorsements by the F.D.A.’s leaders.)​
Mandates, in short, may be the most significant Covid response that the country has not yet really tried.​

‘Real anger brewing’​

Mandates are controversial, obviously. Many Republican officials oppose them. Ohio has passed a law restricting school mandates, and Florida has banned businesses from requiring consumers to prove vaccination. Given this opposition, vaccine mandates are never going to be national.​
But they could become much more common — and the Delta variant has led more politicians, business executives and other leaders to consider them. Several weeks ago, Covid appeared to be receding on its own: Vaccinations were rising, and cases were plunging. But the combination of lingering vaccine skepticism and the contagiousness of Delta has caused cases to surge.​
Many Americans are now unhappily pondering the possibility that a return to normal life remains months away. The C.D.C. is telling some people to put their masks back on. Businesses, including Google, are delaying plans to bring workers back to the office, into the autumn. Parents are anxious that schools will not fully reopen this fall, which would almost certainly cause more academic and psychological damage for children. Many parents are also worried that children too young to be vaccinated remain vulnerable to “long Covid.”​
The primary cause of all these problems, many experts say, is the large share of Americans who are unvaccinated — about one third of those eligible. The biggest costs of their refusal fall directly on them: They are risking their lives. But vaccinated people also pay a price, through restrictions on daily life — and the increased chances of future outbreaks, which could produce vaccine-resistant variants.​
“I think there’s some real anger brewing out there among vaccinated folks that’s not getting much attention,” David Nir, the political director of Daily Kos, wrote. My colleague Roni Caryn Rabin reported, “Many inoculated Americans are losing patience with vaccine holdouts.” Kay Ivey, Alabama’s Republican governor, was harsher: “Time to start blaming the unvaccinated.”​
Vaccine mandates are the policy manifestation of this frustration. They effectively tell the unvaccinated that their decision is hurting others and that society has an interest in pushing them to change. They can refuse, but they will pay a price — in lost access to a job, a college campus or other shared experiences where they may infect other people.



More voices​

Ezra Klein, Times Opinion: “The conventional wisdom is that there is some argument, yet unmade and perhaps undiscovered, that will change the minds of the roughly 30 percent of American adults who haven’t gotten at least one dose. There probably isn’t … Polio and measles were murderous, but their near elimination required vaccine mandates.”​
German Lopez, Vox: “Mandates should be treated as a last resort: The cities and states that, for example, haven’t tried cash incentives for vaccination could try that first.” (Starting tomorrow, New York City will give $100 to many residents who receive their first dose.)​
The Wall Street Journal editorial board: “No government should order the general public to take a vaccine except in cases of the most extreme health danger. The matter is different for private employers, who should be able to set their own workplace rules … It’s an odd libertarian streak that dislikes government orders to individuals but then says private employers shouldn’t be free to choose.”​

And more on Covid​

  • Fully vaccinated people from the U.S. and most of Europe will be allowed to enter England and Scotland without quarantining starting Monday.
  • Senator Mitch McConnell plans to buy radio ads promoting vaccines in Kentucky.
  • Federal pandemic aid will cut the number of Americans in poverty by a record 45 percent this year, a study found.
 

missy

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Interesting data regarding Booster shots. Still not recommended at this time by the CDC.



"
(CNN)A third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine can "strongly" boost protection against the Delta variant -- beyond the protection afforded by the standard two doses, new data released by Pfizer on Wednesday suggests.
The data posted online suggest that levels of antibodies that can target the Delta variant grow fivefold in people 18 to 55 who get a third dose of the vaccine.
What Pfizer's plan for a third coronavirus vaccine dose means for you

What Pfizer's plan for a third coronavirus vaccine dose means for you
Among people ages 65 to 85, the Pfizer data suggest that antibody levels that should protect against Delta grow 11-fold more than following a second dose.
The data, which involved tests of 23 people, have not yet been peer-reviewed or published.


It's not clear if boosted antibody levels actually correlate to better protection, or if that extra protection is even needed. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the current vaccines protect people well against all the common variants.
During a company earnings call on Wednesday morning, Dr. Mikael Dolsten, who leads worldwide research, development and medical for Pfizer, called the new data on a third dose of vaccine "encouraging."
"Receiving a third dose more than six months after vaccination, when protection may be beginning to wane, was estimated to potentially boost the neutralizing antibody titers in participants in this study to up to 100 times higher post-dose three compared to pre-dose three," Dolsten said in prepared remarks. "These preliminary data are very encouraging as Delta continues to spread."
The data also show that antibody levels are much higher against the original coronavirus variant and the Beta variant, first identified in South Africa, after a third dose.

Organ transplant patients may benefit from third Covid-19 vaccine dose to boost antibodies, study suggests

Organ transplant patients may benefit from third Covid-19 vaccine dose to boost antibodies, study suggests

Separately, Pfizer and its partner BioNtech released new safety and efficacy data for their coronavirus vaccine Wednesday, and said it shows protection holds up for at least six months, although it may start to wane slightly towards the end of that time.
The pre-print paper, posted Wednesday to the online server medrxiv.org, updates results from Pfizer's trial involving 44,000 volunteers around the world.
It found the overall efficacy was about 91% during the six months. Vaccine efficacy against severe Covid-19 was about 97%, the data show. The paper has not yet been peer-reviewed nor published in a journal.
The data show that the vaccine's efficacy peaked at more than 96% from a week to around two months after receiving a second dose of vaccine, and then appeared to gradually decline to 83.7% four to six months later, with an average decline of about 6% over the last two months.
Covid-19 vaccine boosters may be necessary at some point. Here's what you need to know

Covid-19 vaccine boosters may be necessary at some point. Here's what you need to know

Earlier this month, Pfizer announced it has seen waning immunity from its coronavirus vaccine, saying it is picking up its efforts to develop a third dose that will protect people from variants. The company also specified it would seek emergency use authorization under the US Food and Drug Administration for a third dose in August.
But in an unusual move, the FDA and CDC said at the time Americans don't need third doses quite yet and that it was not up to companies alone to decide when an additional dose might be needed.
US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy repeated that point Wednesday morning, telling CNN's Poppy Harlow, "People do not need to go out and get a booster shot."
Also, there is much more to the immune system than antibodies.
For instance, experts say it remains unclear how antibody levels correlate with real-world immunity, and to what extent other parts of the immune system -- such as B cells and T cells -- could factor into protection.

Pfizer to submit third-dose vaccine data to FDA soon​

Pfizer said it anticipates submitting data on a third dose of its coronavirus vaccine to the FDA as soon as next month, Dolsten said during Wednesday's earnings call.
"We are in ongoing discussions with regulatory agencies regarding a potential third-dose booster of the current vaccine and, assuming positive results, anticipate an emergency use authorization submission as early as August," Dolsten said.
FDA grants priority review to Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine; agency official says approval decision expected within two months

FDA grants priority review to Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine; agency official says approval decision expected within two months

In order for third doses to be administered to people in the United States, the emergency use authorization that the FDA issued for the vaccine would either need to be amended or, if the vaccine were fully FDA approved, a third dose could be given off label.
"We continue to believe it is likely that a third-dose booster may be needed within six to 12 months after full vaccination to maintain the highest level of protection, and studies are underway to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a third dose," Dolsten said, adding that data suggest antibody levels appear to decline around eight months after receiving a second dose of vaccine.
"Pending regulatory approval, we also plan to start an immunogenicity and safety study in August to evaluate an updated version of our vaccine specifically designed to target the Delta variant," Dolsten said.
He mentioned how the Delta variant is the "most transmissible" yet seen and now represents about 83% of sequenced Covid-19 cases in the United States.

Surgeon general: 'People do not need to go out and get a booster shot'​

At this point, the decision on if and when booster shots are necessary will be made by agencies such as the FDA and CDC, Murthy said on CNN on Wednesday.
"This data from Pfizer, we've been in talks with them about what they're seeing with regard to their studies related to boosters," Murthy said, when asked about Pfizer's new data. "But at this point, I want to be very clear: People do not need to go out and get a booster shot."
Murthy said government agencies would be "looking at the whole breadth of data that will come from companies, that will come from cohorts that the CDC is now following, where they're tracking whether or not there is any waning in immunity or increase in breakthrough rates.
"Ultimately, that collective information is what will drive any decision about boosters."



Murthy also said that the question of whether it was ethical for a third booster shot to be recommended while there is a major vaccine supply shortage in the developing world was a "critical question" because the ability to reduce the likelihood of future variants depends on tamping down spread of the virus around the world.
"We as a country have a vested interest in getting the rest of the world vaccinated," Murthy said. "It's one of the reasons why we don't want to have to choose between giving our population boosters, if it's required, and vaccinating the rest of the world."
This is why the United States is making sure it is increasing manufacturing capacity in other countries, he said, working with vaccine companies such as Pfizer and Moderna to ensure they are producing more for the rest of the world and donating excess supply to other countries.
CNN's Naomi Thomas contributed to this report."
 

missy

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TooPatient

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Well, got news today. My grandmother's grandniece and her husband both have COVID. He is in the hospital. Doing better than a few days ago. The rest of the family is vaccinated and hasn't been around them so our visit to South Dakota is still on rather than postponed.

I want to get her home to visit one last time before her (or my) vaccine fades as Missy mentioned or things get severe enough there is a lockdown here again. Going to the middle of nowhere so not going to be seeing anyone but the half a dozen family members (vaccinated) and as little other exposure as I can manage outside the flights. Wouldn't be doing this except it means so much to her....
 

Arcadian

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with CDC change we now have additional changes for working. I'm supposed to be in DC in September to which, I'm not entirely looking forward to it. Considering I'm coming from a state where delta cases are on the rise, maybe they'll tell me to keep my potentially germy self at home...lol
 

MamaBee

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with CDC change we now have additional changes for working. I'm supposed to be in DC in September to which, I'm not entirely looking forward to it. Considering I'm coming from a state where delta cases are on the rise, maybe they'll tell me to keep my potentially germy self at home...lol

It’s pretty germy there too @Arcadian.
 

elizat

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If you had an allergic reaction after the first dose of an mRNA vaccine, you may still be able to get the second shot, according to a recent study.


"A retrospective study in the U.S. among 159 people who had an immediate and potentially allergic reaction to the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine (i.e., symptoms occurring within 4 hours of dose) who chose to receive a second dose after consulting with an allergist/immunologist found that all individuals — including 19 individuals who experienced anaphylaxis after the first dose — tolerated the second dose, with only 20% reporting immediate and potentially allergic symptoms after the second dose. Some, but not all, of these people had received antihistamine premedication prior to the second dose (Krantz, JAMA Intern Med 2021)."

@Arcadian I am glad your niece is doing better and may she continue to make a complete recovery.

Not part of the study, but had an allergic reaction within 4 hours to the first shot. The second I took antihistamines after speaking to a nurse at the health department. I still had breakthrough allergic reaction but it was much better.

I hope eventually the green light is given to combine vaccines. I would prefer to have a different one for a booster. Even with the antihistamine the second time, I had throat swelling and pain, tingling in my face, etc., but it was more manageable.
 

missy

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I hope eventually the green light is given to combine vaccines. I would prefer to have a different one for a booster.

I agree.

Gary got his first jab today
The nurse said Pfser (excuse spelling) dont care about NZ geographically
They are drip feeding us supply

I am glad Gary got his first Pfizer vaccine today but am very sorry it is going so slowly by you. :(
 

missy

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The possibility of a vaccine proof variant if we don't get this under control sooner vs later.


"

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, made a dire prediction during a media briefing this week that, if we weren't already living within the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic, would sound more like a pitch for a movie about a dystopian future.
"For the amount of virus circulating in this country right now largely among unvaccinated people, the largest concern that we in public health and science are worried about is that the virus…[becomes] a very transmissible virus that has the potential to evade our vaccines in terms of how it protects us from severe disease and death," Walensky told reporters on Tuesday.
A new, more elusive variant could be "just a few mutations away," she said.

"That's a very prescient comment," Lewis Nelson, MD, professor and clinical chair of emergency medicine and chief of the Division of Medical Toxicology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, told Medscape Medical News.

"
 

missy

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missy

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"
Inside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a slide presentation showing the delta variant's increased transmissibility — and potential for harm — came with a stark warning. The CDC document, obtained by The Washington Post, said health officials need to “acknowledge the war has changed.” One slide indicates, among 162 million vaccinated Americans, 35,000 have a symptomatic infection per week.

Another influential source of data was an outbreak of the delta variant in Provincetown, Mass., where three-fourths of people infected had been vaccinated. Those who had been vaccinated had similar levels of virus in their noses as the unvaccinated did. Vaccines continue to provide robust protection against severe illness and death. But examples such as this suggest coronavirus vaccines are not perfect shields against infection.

That study, plus other information in the CDC presentation, motivated the CDC to revamp its mask guidelines. Americans are responding to those updated mask recommendations as expected — which is to say, in some places, poorly. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) issued an executive order that prohibits state and municipal governments from mandating masks or vaccines. Opposition is already here, and may worsen, against President Biden's directive to vaccinate about 4 million federal workers. Unions that represent postal workers and law enforcement have voiced objections this week.

Government office buildings aren't the only stage set for showdowns over mandates. Schools are, too, as they grapple with mask rules for students. Superintendents and other school leaders are caught in a potentially explosive political landscape as they decide how to protect students and staff. School board members have feared for their safety at meetings. Republican lawmakers have threatened to levy fines if mask mandates are attempted.

“There are no easy answers here. Basically, a school’s masking policy has to reflect its community’s masking expectations," one Texas superintendent said.

Some people may be feeling whiplash from “the sudden plunge back into the pandemic lifestyle” after the previous, more carefree weeks, as Style reporter Maura Judkis notes. One psychology professor likened the current situation to a prisoners' dilemma. If all parties cooperate, which in this case would be to get vaccinated, everyone wins. But because individuals may have their own incentives, the collective suffers — even those people who are doing the right thing.

We'd hope the vaccine safety data, and the potential risks of coming down with covid-19, are at this point persuasive. But if you'd like another reason why vaccination is important: Early research presented this week at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference indicates a case of covid, particularly in an older person, could lead to cognitive decline such as memory problems. "
 

missy

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The U.S. population used to have a higher rate of vaccination against the coronavirus than Europe. No longer. And new incentives there may push European vaccination rates past America's

"
ROME — It wasn't quite a mandate, but the announcement landed with nearly the same power.
After Italy said last week that its coronavirus health passport would be required to go to the movies or dine indoors, daily bookings for inoculations soared. A new kind of patient started arriving at vaccination centers: people who had been wavering or reluctant. In one waiting room in Rome, Federica Puccetti, 19, said she still didn’t want the shot. But she had plans to go to the island of Sardinia. Inoculation had become the path to a normal vacation.

“Otherwise, you can’t do much of anything,” Puccetti said, and then a volunteer told her it was her turn.

In making its health pass a de facto ticket to daily social life, Italy has become representative of the new pressure tactics being deployed in several major European countries at a crucial stage of the pandemic.


Though the European Union vaccination campaign got off to an embarrassingly slow start, after seven months the bloc is in essentially the same position as the United States, with some 50 percent of the population fully vaccinated, and nearly 60 percent having received at least one dose.
That means hundreds of millions of people have significant protection against severe sickness and hospitalization. But countries also stand well shy of their goals, which include not just protecting people individually, but also vaccinating enough people that the virus cannot easily wreak havoc within communities. Success now hinges on convincing, or coercing, holdouts.

In country after country, some version of the same debate is unfolding about whether vaccination can and should be mandated for participation in workplaces, schools and social settings. Though only months ago the idea of such requirements seemed politically untenable, leaders have been rapidly reassessing, as the highly contagious delta variant spreads and some hospitals — in areas with low vaccination rates — are pushed back to the brink.



The Biden administration on Thursday announced mandate-like guidelines for the millions who work in the federal government, requiring them to be vaccinated or undergo repeated testing. Some U.S. states and major employers have passed rules for their workers.
“It’s still a question whether the federal government can mandate the whole country,” Biden said. “I don’t know that yet.”

In several major European countries, the answer to that question has been yes. France, Greece and Italy are requiring people to show their covid passports to go to restaurants, gyms, movie theaters and other places where people gather. And Britain said people will need to show documentation to enter nightclubs and other crowded venues starting in September. British officials suggested they were less concerned about enforcement than about motivating people to get vaccinated.
How vaccine-skeptic France and Germany came to support near-mandates
The rules stop short of being mandates, in that people can alternatively show proof of antibodies or a recent negative coronavirus test. The impracticalities, though, would mount: In Italy, an unvaccinated gymgoer, for instance, would need to get tested every two days to do regular workouts.




Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi pitched the decision as a way to protect the country and reduce the chance of needing further restrictions. The policy also amounts to a test of how readily unvaccinated people might be persuaded when faced with the prospect of having second-tier privileges.
“Without a vaccine,” Puccetti said, “you’re marginalized.”
Western Europe, like the United States, has a strong strain of vaccine skepticism, but acceptance of coronavirus vaccines had already been rising faster among Europeans than Americans. In Italy, though there are blocks of coronavirus vaccine skepticism on both the left and far right, polls conducted before and after the new policy announcement suggest the group is small: Only 8 percent of the country is vehemently opposed, according to one recent survey. Another 7 percent describe themselves as undecided.

Advertisement


It is with that group — the undecideds — where inducements may hold the most sway.
At a vaccination center in Rome this past week, several people who had booked their first shots described themselves as having been on the fence, citing common reasons: Fear about potential long-term side effects that wouldn’t have been evident in vaccine trials. Uncertainty stemming from the speed at which vaccines were authorized. Confusion about the messaging from politicians, from news outlets and on social media. There were anecdotal stories about people who had been vaccinated and got sick anyway. Several mentioned seeing videos of people sticking magnets and coins to their shoulders after being inoculated, purported evidence that the vaccines contained traces of metal.
“They don’t want to be guinea pigs,” said Fabio Picchiarelli, a doctor at the vaccination center, summarizing the sentiment he had seen. He said he has on occasion tried to convince people, simply by showing them official information. Out of curiosity, he said, he had Googled the term “covid vax,” and was concerned about the amount of false information he saw.




“About 60 percent of what comes up is fake news,” Picchiarelli said.
In both France and Italy, the early indication is that near-mandates can drive a significant boost in sign-ups.

In the aftermath of French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement, earlier in July, the country set new daily vaccination records for nearly a week.
Many of the people who booked appointments in the wake of the Italian announcement won’t receive vaccines until early August, but there are signals of a coming surge. Lazio, the region that includes Rome, had been receiving about 6,000 appointment requests per day before Draghi’s decision; it received 34,000 bookings on average in the days after.

The country is currently giving out shots at a pace four times that of the United States.
Earlier in the pandemic, many infectious-disease experts had suggested that vaccination rates of 70 or 75 percent might be enough to achieve herd immunity in the population. But the delta variant is so transmissible that some scientists say herd immunity might not be possible — especially given the existence of breakthrough infections. The goal, scientists now say, should be to vaccinate as many people as possible to cut down on the likelihood of easy community transmission and to protect by proxy children too young for the shots, as well as individuals with health conditions that make them ineligible.



“The rule is, you need to leave less wiggle room for the virus,” said Sergio Abrignani, an immunologist and a member of a scientific committee advising the Italian government. “The fewer unvaccinated individuals get together, the lower chances for it to circulate.”

Some three-quarters of Italians support the new requirements, according to polling — a level similar to France. But there has also been strident opposition, including some street protests, where leaders have called the move discriminatory and economically damaging.
Giorgia Meloni, the leader of a major Italian far-right party, bitingly referred to Italy’s green pass as a “government pass that authorizes social life.” Meanwhile, two eminent philosophers — among them, former left-wing Venice mayor Massimo Cacciari — released a statement warning that the idea was dangerous to democracy and would turn the unvaccinated into “second-class citizens.”

At the vaccination center in Rome, people getting their shots had more practical questions: about how the rules — which are set to take effect Aug. 6 — would possibly be enforced.




One restaurant manager, who had signed up for her shot hours after Draghi’s news conference, thinking it would be necessary to protect her job, said she worked at a bistro with 10 employees, and only two were vaccinated. Would they now be banned from working?
Others at the center said it was hard to imagine bars and restaurants, after suffering for more than a year, suddenly dedicating a doorman to weeding out customers without a valid health pass.
“I think many public places won’t care much,” said Marco Tinti, 19.
Pierpaolo Sileri, a deputy health minister, told The Washington Post that the rules would be enforced with fines.
“If everyone does their part,” Sileri said, “I don’t see any critical issues.”
After receiving her Moderna shot, Puccetti was directed to a waiting area and told to remain there for 15 minutes — a standard period of observation. She said she was a “little angry” that she had been coerced, but otherwise felt fine.



“No effect,” she said with a shrug. “This just means I can go to Sardinia.”
As she sat there, she said that she, too, had seen the videos about the metal content of the vaccines. She didn’t believe it, but she was tempted nonetheless to try the experiment for herself. So before she left the facility, she pressed a 20-cent euro coin to her left shoulder.
“This is ridiculous, I know,” she said, almost apologetically.
The coin fell to the floor.


 

missy

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"

The rapidly spreading delta variant of the coronavirus, which accounts for an overwhelming majority of new cases in the United States, has altered the equation considerably. During the spring, before this variant was so plentiful, research showed that fully vaccinated people were at very low risk of illness, hospitalization or death from the virus. The odds of them transmitting the virus was also thought to be very low. With delta in the picture, the CDC says, recent research from several states and other countries has shown that breakthrough infections among vaccinated people are still rare, and people who have not been vaccinated represent the bulk of the nation’s hospitalizations and deaths.
But the CDC said the delta variant is different from earlier versions of the virus, and new research … suggests that fully vaccinated people who have breakthrough infections may have similar viral loads to unvaccinated people who become infected. That suggests that vaccinated people with breakthrough infections can spread the virus. That is the main reason the mask rules have been changed.
In addition, the change recognizes that fewer Americans are fully vaccinated than the Biden administration had hoped for by this time. In issuing its new mask guidance, the CDC continued to strongly encourage people who have balked at getting vaccinated to change their minds.
The agency also said it wanted to protect those who are involuntarily unvaccinated or otherwise vulnerable. Those groups include children younger than 12, who aren't able to get vaccines, and people whose immune systems can't respond as strongly to vaccines.

"
 

Slickk

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Not to minimize this story at all, but some context quickly. It was a terribly rainy July 4th weekend in the NE. Provincetown is very crowded and the buildings are old and small (historic). So that weekend, with the abysmal weather, everyone (loads of people) crammed into the small pubs and restaurants. All weekend long. Only 7 hospitalized and no deaths out of the ~800 positives.
Scary for sure but I suppose to be expected when there is close personal contact indoors in non-ventilated areas and no masks.
Be safe all!!! Ugh!

ETA My source’s numbers appear different than this article. Who knows…
 

Dancing Fire

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Scary for sure but I suppose to be expected when there is close personal contact indoors in non-ventilated areas and no masks.
Be safe all!!! Ugh!
Yeah scary, 2 weeks ago I was drinking at a indoor bar. This little bar was jam packed with no masks and non-ventilated. I was worried for about a week hoping no Covid symptoms will appear. It has been 15 days now and I don't feel any symptoms of having Covid.
 

Daisys and Diamonds

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If you had an allergic reaction after the first dose of an mRNA vaccine, you may still be able to get the second shot, according to a recent study.


"A retrospective study in the U.S. among 159 people who had an immediate and potentially allergic reaction to the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine (i.e., symptoms occurring within 4 hours of dose) who chose to receive a second dose after consulting with an allergist/immunologist found that all individuals — including 19 individuals who experienced anaphylaxis after the first dose — tolerated the second dose, with only 20% reporting immediate and potentially allergic symptoms after the second dose. Some, but not all, of these people had received antihistamine premedication prior to the second dose (Krantz, JAMA Intern Med 2021)."

@Arcadian I am glad your niece is doing better and may she continue to make a complete recovery.

This is good news
 

Daisys and Diamonds

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Yeah scary, 2 weeks ago I was drinking at a indoor bar. This little bar was jam packed with no masks and non-ventilated. I was worried for about a week hoping no Covid symptoms will appear. It has been 15 days now and I don't feel any symptoms of having Covid.

Wishing you continued good health and your family DF =)2
 

Daisys and Diamonds

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 30, 2019
Messages
22,510
The U.S. population used to have a higher rate of vaccination against the coronavirus than Europe. No longer. And new incentives there may push European vaccination rates past America's

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ROME — It wasn't quite a mandate, but the announcement landed with nearly the same power.
After Italy said last week that its coronavirus health passport would be required to go to the movies or dine indoors, daily bookings for inoculations soared. A new kind of patient started arriving at vaccination centers: people who had been wavering or reluctant. In one waiting room in Rome, Federica Puccetti, 19, said she still didn’t want the shot. But she had plans to go to the island of Sardinia. Inoculation had become the path to a normal vacation.

“Otherwise, you can’t do much of anything,” Puccetti said, and then a volunteer told her it was her turn.

In making its health pass a de facto ticket to daily social life, Italy has become representative of the new pressure tactics being deployed in several major European countries at a crucial stage of the pandemic.


Though the European Union vaccination campaign got off to an embarrassingly slow start, after seven months the bloc is in essentially the same position as the United States, with some 50 percent of the population fully vaccinated, and nearly 60 percent having received at least one dose.
That means hundreds of millions of people have significant protection against severe sickness and hospitalization. But countries also stand well shy of their goals, which include not just protecting people individually, but also vaccinating enough people that the virus cannot easily wreak havoc within communities. Success now hinges on convincing, or coercing, holdouts.

In country after country, some version of the same debate is unfolding about whether vaccination can and should be mandated for participation in workplaces, schools and social settings. Though only months ago the idea of such requirements seemed politically untenable, leaders have been rapidly reassessing, as the highly contagious delta variant spreads and some hospitals — in areas with low vaccination rates — are pushed back to the brink.



The Biden administration on Thursday announced mandate-like guidelines for the millions who work in the federal government, requiring them to be vaccinated or undergo repeated testing. Some U.S. states and major employers have passed rules for their workers.
“It’s still a question whether the federal government can mandate the whole country,” Biden said. “I don’t know that yet.”

In several major European countries, the answer to that question has been yes. France, Greece and Italy are requiring people to show their covid passports to go to restaurants, gyms, movie theaters and other places where people gather. And Britain said people will need to show documentation to enter nightclubs and other crowded venues starting in September. British officials suggested they were less concerned about enforcement than about motivating people to get vaccinated.
How vaccine-skeptic France and Germany came to support near-mandates
The rules stop short of being mandates, in that people can alternatively show proof of antibodies or a recent negative coronavirus test. The impracticalities, though, would mount: In Italy, an unvaccinated gymgoer, for instance, would need to get tested every two days to do regular workouts.




Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi pitched the decision as a way to protect the country and reduce the chance of needing further restrictions. The policy also amounts to a test of how readily unvaccinated people might be persuaded when faced with the prospect of having second-tier privileges.
“Without a vaccine,” Puccetti said, “you’re marginalized.”
Western Europe, like the United States, has a strong strain of vaccine skepticism, but acceptance of coronavirus vaccines had already been rising faster among Europeans than Americans. In Italy, though there are blocks of coronavirus vaccine skepticism on both the left and far right, polls conducted before and after the new policy announcement suggest the group is small: Only 8 percent of the country is vehemently opposed, according to one recent survey. Another 7 percent describe themselves as undecided.

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It is with that group — the undecideds — where inducements may hold the most sway.
At a vaccination center in Rome this past week, several people who had booked their first shots described themselves as having been on the fence, citing common reasons: Fear about potential long-term side effects that wouldn’t have been evident in vaccine trials. Uncertainty stemming from the speed at which vaccines were authorized. Confusion about the messaging from politicians, from news outlets and on social media. There were anecdotal stories about people who had been vaccinated and got sick anyway. Several mentioned seeing videos of people sticking magnets and coins to their shoulders after being inoculated, purported evidence that the vaccines contained traces of metal.
“They don’t want to be guinea pigs,” said Fabio Picchiarelli, a doctor at the vaccination center, summarizing the sentiment he had seen. He said he has on occasion tried to convince people, simply by showing them official information. Out of curiosity, he said, he had Googled the term “covid vax,” and was concerned about the amount of false information he saw.




“About 60 percent of what comes up is fake news,” Picchiarelli said.
In both France and Italy, the early indication is that near-mandates can drive a significant boost in sign-ups.

In the aftermath of French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement, earlier in July, the country set new daily vaccination records for nearly a week.
Many of the people who booked appointments in the wake of the Italian announcement won’t receive vaccines until early August, but there are signals of a coming surge. Lazio, the region that includes Rome, had been receiving about 6,000 appointment requests per day before Draghi’s decision; it received 34,000 bookings on average in the days after.

The country is currently giving out shots at a pace four times that of the United States.
Earlier in the pandemic, many infectious-disease experts had suggested that vaccination rates of 70 or 75 percent might be enough to achieve herd immunity in the population. But the delta variant is so transmissible that some scientists say herd immunity might not be possible — especially given the existence of breakthrough infections. The goal, scientists now say, should be to vaccinate as many people as possible to cut down on the likelihood of easy community transmission and to protect by proxy children too young for the shots, as well as individuals with health conditions that make them ineligible.



“The rule is, you need to leave less wiggle room for the virus,” said Sergio Abrignani, an immunologist and a member of a scientific committee advising the Italian government. “The fewer unvaccinated individuals get together, the lower chances for it to circulate.”

Some three-quarters of Italians support the new requirements, according to polling — a level similar to France. But there has also been strident opposition, including some street protests, where leaders have called the move discriminatory and economically damaging.
Giorgia Meloni, the leader of a major Italian far-right party, bitingly referred to Italy’s green pass as a “government pass that authorizes social life.” Meanwhile, two eminent philosophers — among them, former left-wing Venice mayor Massimo Cacciari — released a statement warning that the idea was dangerous to democracy and would turn the unvaccinated into “second-class citizens.”

At the vaccination center in Rome, people getting their shots had more practical questions: about how the rules — which are set to take effect Aug. 6 — would possibly be enforced.




One restaurant manager, who had signed up for her shot hours after Draghi’s news conference, thinking it would be necessary to protect her job, said she worked at a bistro with 10 employees, and only two were vaccinated. Would they now be banned from working?
Others at the center said it was hard to imagine bars and restaurants, after suffering for more than a year, suddenly dedicating a doorman to weeding out customers without a valid health pass.
“I think many public places won’t care much,” said Marco Tinti, 19.
Pierpaolo Sileri, a deputy health minister, told The Washington Post that the rules would be enforced with fines.
“If everyone does their part,” Sileri said, “I don’t see any critical issues.”
After receiving her Moderna shot, Puccetti was directed to a waiting area and told to remain there for 15 minutes — a standard period of observation. She said she was a “little angry” that she had been coerced, but otherwise felt fine.



“No effect,” she said with a shrug. “This just means I can go to Sardinia.”
As she sat there, she said that she, too, had seen the videos about the metal content of the vaccines. She didn’t believe it, but she was tempted nonetheless to try the experiment for herself. So before she left the facility, she pressed a 20-cent euro coin to her left shoulder.
“This is ridiculous, I know,” she said, almost apologetically.
The coin fell to the floor.



This just makes me more grumpy the vacune roll out has been so pathetically slow here in NZ and also tellingly across the ditch (in Australia)
 

MamaBee

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 31, 2018
Messages
14,480
The deer in Pa..where I live..now have Covid antbodies…How could this happen?
 
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