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Thread: COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus pandemic

  1. #1151
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    https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/24/us/ma...rnd/index.html

    The Florida official who set up a vaccine site for affluent ZIP codes and created a VIP list is under investigation, sheriff's office says
    Last edited by raisedbywolves; 06-28-2021 at 12:39 PM.

  2. #1152
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    We can thank all the people not wearing masks and congregating for another variant.

    https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/25/healt...ity/index.html

    Researchers find worrying new coronavirus variant in New York City
    Last edited by raisedbywolves; 06-28-2021 at 12:39 PM.

  3. #1153
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    https://www.newsweek.com/what-we-kno...-1-429-1571605

    California Variant of SARS-Cov-II reported

    A new coronavirus variant that was first identified in California is now taking hold in some parts of the state—but what do we currently know about it?

    The variant actually comes in two forms, known as B.1.427 and B.1.429, both of which carry a similar, albeit slightly differing, set of genetic mutations—including three that affect the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

    The spike protein enables the virus to bind on to and enter human cells. One of the mutation that B.1.427 and B.1.429 carry—dubbed L452R—is thought to increase the infectivity of the virus.

    For their study, the researchers examined 2,172 SARS-CoV-2 virus samples collected from patients in 44 California counties between September 1, 2020, and January 29, 2021, according to Science. The scientists found that the prevalence of the variant among the samples increased drastically from zero to more than 50 percent over this time period.

    The UCSF researchers also say that cases caused by the variant are now doubling every 18 days, the Times reported.

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    The scientists say their data indicates that B.1.427/B.1.429 is more transmissible than the original virus while also being associated with more severe disease—although more research needs to be conducted before either of these conclusions can be confirmed.

    "This variant is concerning because our data shows that it is more contagious, more likely to be associated with severe illness, and at least partially resistant to neutralizing antibodies," senior author of the study Charles Chiu, an infectious diseases physician at UCSF, told Science.

    In fact, the authors wrote in the study that B.1.427/B.1.429 "should likely be designated a variant of concern warranting urgent follow-up investigation," based on the available evidence.

    Evidence to suggest that the variant is more contagious comes, in part, from the finding that people infected with it had about twice as much of the virus in their nose compared to others, which could make them more infectious, according to Science.

    Robert Schooley, an infectious disease expert at UC San Diego, who was not involved in the research, told Science: "The biology of having a higher level of virus... would certainly fit the thesis that people would not do as well."

    Other epidemiological data from nursing home and household settings collected by UCSF researchers supports the hypothesis of higher transmissibility, although B.1.427/B.1.429 may not be as infectious as other variants, such as B.1.1.7, which was first identified in the U.K. and has spread widely across the United States.

    "I'm increasingly convinced that this one is transmitting more than others locally," William Hanage, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who was not involved in the research, told the Times. "But there's not evidence to suggest that it's in the same ballpark as B.1.1.7."

    Data from the study regarding COVID-19 patients found an association between B.1.427/B.1.429 and more severe disease. Among more than 300 people with COVID-19 who were cared for at UCSF clinics or its medical center, those infected with the variant were 4.8 times more likely to be admitted to the ICU and 11 times more likely to die than patients with other variants, the study found, according to Science.
    But the authors admit it is not possible to conclude from these figures that the variant actually causes more severe disease.

    "If I were a reviewer, I would want to see more data from more infected people to substantiate this very provocative claim," David O'Connor, a virus expert from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who was also not involved in the research, told Science.

    Hanage told Science that, unlike the UCSF scientists, he does not believe B.1.427 and B.1.429 should be categorized as variants of concern based on their study alone.

    "The work is definitely worth reporting, but I don't buy that on its own this is sufficient to categorize these as variants of concern," Hanage told Science.

    He also told the Times that B.1.427/B.1.429 is "not as big a deal as the others." B.1.1.7, for example, has tended to explode rapidly in new countries where it appears, whereas this does not appear to be the case with B.1.427/B.1.429.

    Chiu told the Times that it's possible B.1.427/B.1.429 could surpass B.1.1.7 in California, but only time would tell.


  4. #1154
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    Good.

    https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wire...ndant-76139121

    FAA seeks $27,500 from passenger it says hit air attendant
    Last edited by raisedbywolves; 06-28-2021 at 12:39 PM.

  5. #1155
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    So I took a COVID test and the results say NOT DETECTED. Under that it says "A Not Detected result does not preclude the possibility of SARS-COV-2 infection since the adequacy of sample collection and/or low viral burden may result in the presence of viral nucleic acids below the analytical sensitivity of this test method. Test results should be used with caution an in conjunction with other clinical and laboratory data in making a diagnosis"

    So could I still have it even with a negative result?!?

    "The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man" -Charles Darwin

    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    Chelsea, if you are a ghost and reading mds, I command you to walk into the light.

  6. #1156
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    Quote Originally Posted by Angiebla View Post
    So I took a COVID test and the results say NOT DETECTED. Under that it says "A Not Detected result does not preclude the possibility of SARS-COV-2 infection since the adequacy of sample collection and/or low viral burden may result in the presence of viral nucleic acids below the analytical sensitivity of this test method. Test results should be used with caution an in conjunction with other clinical and laboratory data in making a diagnosis"

    So could I still have it even with a negative result?!?
    That sucks. I guess theoretically you could have it if there wasn't enough of a sample to determine one way or another. Are you still feeling bad?

  7. #1157
    Cousin Greg Angiebla's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by raisedbywolves View Post
    That sucks. I guess theoretically you could have it if there wasn't enough of a sample to determine one way or another. Are you still feeling bad?
    No I feel okay now. I was just confused by that wording.

    "The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man" -Charles Darwin

    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    Chelsea, if you are a ghost and reading mds, I command you to walk into the light.

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    https://www.ktvu.com/news/japans-gov...avirus-variant

    TOKYO - Japan has confirmed the discovery of a new, more contagious coronavirus variant, according to a report released by the country’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID).

    Reuters reported that the new strain appears to have originated overseas, but is different than the other strains identified in Britain, South Africa and Brazil.
    "It may be more contagious than conventional strains, and if it continues to spread domestically, it could lead to a rapid rise in cases," Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said Friday, Reuters reported.

    According to the NIID report, 91 cases of the new strain have been identified in the Kanto region of Japan, roughly 64 miles north of Tokyo.

    The discovery of the new strain comes as Japan approved and began administering its first COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday. Japan’s health ministry said it had approved the vaccine co-developed and supplied by Pfizer.

    Many countries began vaccinating their citizens late last year, and Pfizer’s vaccine has been used elsewhere since December.

    Under the current vaccination plan, about 20,000 front-line medical workers at hospitals in Japan will get the first shots. About 3.7 million other medical workers will be next, followed by elderly people, who are expected to get their shots in April. By June, it’s expected that all others will be eligible.

    The NIID report published Friday acknowledges the beneficial timing of the nation’s vaccine approval but urges medical experts to be on the lookout for adaptive mutations of the virus, suggesting the establishment of systematic genome surveillance.

    So far, there has been no evidence to suggest that the current COVID-19 vaccines wouldn’t work against the other mutations identified around the world.

    But a separate laboratory study from Pfizer Inc-BioNTech suggests that the company’s current COVID-19 vaccine may generate a significantly less robust antibody response against the South Africa variant of the coronavirus.

    According to the in-vitro study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), lab results "indicated a reduction in neutralization," of the virus.

    Japan’s NIID pointed to the same possibility in its report.

    "It has been pointed out that the mutant [South African] strain has the possibility of immune escape that increases the transmission power and diminishes the vaccine effect," The NIID report read.

    In the Pfizer study on the South Africa variant, researchers analyzed blood from people who had taken the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine and identified a two-thirds reduction in the level of neutralizing COVID-19 antibodies to the South Africa variant.

    This was compared with the most common variant of the virus prevalent in the U.S.

    "It is unclear what effect a reduction in neutralization by approximately two-thirds would have on BNT162b2-elicited protection from Covid-19 caused by the B.1.351 lineage of SARS-CoV-2," researchers wrote.

    Despite the results of the in vitro lab test, the company said that there is still no clinical evidence from human trials that the South African mutation reduces the overall protection of the vaccine.

    The Associated Press contributed to this story.

  9. #1159
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    https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/bil...-legislatures/

    According to the National Conference on State Legislatures, all 50 states mandate that students get certain vaccinations against infectious diseases, many aligning their requirements with the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and all allow exemptions for medical reasons. Currently, 45 states and Washington D.C. grant religious exemptions, which, because there are constitutional issues with a state’s inquiring into the bona fides of religious exemption claims, have become de facto “philosophical” exemptions. Fifteen states allow “philosophical” exemptions outright.

    Each year, there are competing bills introduced in the state legislatures attempting to either constrict or expand school immunization requirements, including exemptions. This year is no exception. As well, public health initiatives aimed at the COVID-19 pandemic, and the appearance of vaccines to abate it, have energized the anti-vaccine and “health freedom” crowd. They’ve managed to woo sympathetic legislators into introducing bills targeting COVID-19 mitigation measures like testing, vaccination, and mask-wearing.

    This week we’ll take a look at legislation affecting school vaccination requirements. In my next post, we’ll review COVID-related bills. (There is some overlap.)

    First, some housekeeping. Different states have different abbreviations for legislation: House Bill 123 could be H123, HB123 or, in a state that calls one of its chambers the Assembly, A123, and all of these could be with or without a space between the letters and numbers. There’s also LD (Legislative Document) 123, LB (Legislative Bill) 123, and HF (House File) 123, among others. Some states give pre-filed bills one designation and the filed bills another. To simply things (for me), I’m going to use whatever combination of letters and numbers the particular state uses with a link to the legislature’s website, where you can find all the details.

    Anti-vaccination legislation
    We’ll start in Arizona. While most anti-vaccine legislation tries to put lipstick on the proverbial pig by creating exemptions so broad that they swallow the rule, an Arizona bill dispenses with the cosmetics. HB 2065 makes all school vaccinations merely recommended for attendance, not required. An unvaccinated child could not be excluded from class unless there is an active case of a disease at his or her school and the health department has declared an outbreak in the school’s area.

    Oklahoma SB 350 also prohibits public and private schools from requiring any immunizations for minor children attending school. SB 477 would prevent public and private universities and other institutions of higher education from requiring student immunization against meningococcal disease, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, and rubella. Apparently, current law allowing anyone to opt out of the meningococcal disease vaccine for any reason and medical, religious and “moral” opt-outs for hepatitis B and MMR were not sufficiently subservient to “health freedom”.

    To ensure that Oklahoma health officials’ hands are completely tied in all situations, higher ed school students cannot be required to undergo any vaccination, use any medical device, or undergo any medical procedure, surgical procedure, or physical examination, all of which I suspect is aimed at the COVID-19 pandemic and future public health emergencies. Not only that, but in a provision that almost certainly violates the First Amendment’s free speech guarantees and is void for vagueness to boot, the bill allows criminal misdemeanor prosecution of any employee of a higher ed institution who coerces or in any way influences a student to get vaccinated.

    Likewise, Maine’s LD 156 makes vaccination completely voluntary for students, but only those attending a virtual public school or a private school.

    Other state legislators are using the more traditional approach of expanding exemptions, or making them easier to get, including one bill allowing an exemption for any reason, which essentially makes immunization optional. Some bills also narrow the diseases for which vaccination may be required.

    The Missouri legislature has several of these bills pending. HB 37 would add a conscientious belief exemption to the existing religious exemption at all levels of education, pre-school to post-high school. HB 566 would go even further, allowing exemptions for any reason. (HB 566 would also require the mother’s consent to inoculation of her newborn with the hepatitis B vaccine and hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) per ACIP guidelines when the mother tests positive for hepatitis or her status is unknown. Immunization of newborns under those circumstances are automatic under current law.)

    The state would be prevented from enacting any requirement for obtaining a non-medical exemption beyond signing a form, such as watching a video or visiting the health department, and it would be required to develop an informational brochure on obtaining exemptions and make sure it is widely distributed, as well as to make exemption forms easily available.

    Missouri HB 37 also freezes the diseases against which vaccination can be required to poliomyelitis, rubella, rubeola, mumps, tetanus, pertussis, diphtheria, and hepatitis B, for elementary and secondary schools, and for day care centers, preschools and nursery schools. (Required vaccinations for the latter group now use the ACIP guidelines.) It limits required immunizations to public schools, day care centers, etc., only, making vaccination requirements for private and parochial schools optional. Higher education students living in on-campus housing would no longer be required to get the meningococcal vaccine unless the housing is publicly owned, thereby eliminating the mandate for private schools and privately-owned housing at public schools. HB 35, introduced by the same sponsor as HB37, prohibits any school, city, or county from requiring additional immunizations.

    Finally, failing to vaccinate your child could no longer be considered in neglect and abuse cases in Missouri. To protect the Dr. Bob Sears-type physician, providing medical exemptions, apparently no matter the circumstances, could not be considered by the medical board for any purposes, such as in disciplinary proceedings,

    Minnesota already has a “conscientiously held beliefs” exemption to school vaccinations. SF 292 and HF 452 add a “genuinely and sincerely held religious belief” exemption as well, which seems superfluous. Utah HB 233, which passed the House and is now before the Senate, requires medical and “personal or religious belief” exemptions to vaccinations required by universities and other higher ed institutions, except for students “studying in a medical setting”. The bill prohibits all schools from barring any unvaccinated student, at any level of education, from in-person classes, although “nothing restricts a state or local health department from acting . . . to contain the spread of infectious disease.”

    Mississippi is one of the few states allowing only medical exemptions to school vaccinations. HB 475, which died in committee, added a religious exemption. South Dakota HB 1097 amends the law allowing an exemption when “the child is an adherent to a religious doctrine whose teachings are opposed to immunization” to refocus the exemption on the parent’s opposition “because of a sincerely held religious or philosophical belief”. Connecticut HB 5578, which has 15 Republican sponsors (almost a third of the Republican House membership), would add moral and philosophical objections to the already-allowed medical and religious exemptions. Indiana HB 1279 creates a religious exemption to required vaccinations for foster home licensure. (It also creates a medical exemption.)

    Current law in Massachusetts permits a medical exemption if the physician has personally examined the child and is of the opinion that “the physical condition of the child is such that his health would be endangered by such vaccination or by any of such immunizations”. Massachusetts HD2973 amends that law so that the physician can take into account “concerns regarding an increased risk of adverse events, family history, or exacerbation of pre-existing medical conditions”, whether those are recognized by experts as valid criteria or not.

    In what appears to be another attempt to protect the Dr. Sears-type physician, the proposed legislation would prohibit disciplinary action against a physician providing a medical exemption in the “absence of manifest bad faith”, nor could the exemption be used “to change or negatively affect a physician’s rating or standing with any employer, insurer, hospital affiliation or academic affiliation”, thereby making it harder for the medical board and other organizations to discipline a doctor.

    In New Jersey, A4659 and S2995 would prohibit any school or government entity from requiring flu vaccinations for anyone age 18 or younger. New York A3250 would prohibit flu vaccine mandates for children (age 6 months – 59 months) in childcare and preschool.

  10. #1160
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    https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/bil...-legislatures/

    According to the National Conference on State Legislatures, all 50 states mandate that students get certain vaccinations against infectious diseases, many aligning their requirements with the CDC?s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and all allow exemptions for medical reasons. Currently, 45 states and Washington D.C. grant religious exemptions, which, because there are constitutional issues with a state?s inquiring into the bona fides of religious exemption claims, have become de facto ?philosophical? exemptions. Fifteen states allow ?philosophical? exemptions outright.

    Each year, there are competing bills introduced in the state legislatures attempting to either constrict or expand school immunization requirements, including exemptions. This year is no exception. As well, public health initiatives aimed at the COVID-19 pandemic, and the appearance of vaccines to abate it, have energized the anti-vaccine and ?health freedom? crowd. They?ve managed to woo sympathetic legislators into introducing bills targeting COVID-19 mitigation measures like testing, vaccination, and mask-wearing.

    This week we?ll take a look at legislation affecting school vaccination requirements. In my next post, we?ll review COVID-related bills. (There is some overlap.)

    First, some housekeeping. Different states have different abbreviations for legislation: House Bill 123 could be H123, HB123 or, in a state that calls one of its chambers the Assembly, A123, and all of these could be with or without a space between the letters and numbers. There?s also LD (Legislative Document) 123, LB (Legislative Bill) 123, and HF (House File) 123, among others. Some states give pre-filed bills one designation and the filed bills another. To simply things (for me), I?m going to use whatever combination of letters and numbers the particular state uses with a link to the legislature?s website, where you can find all the details.

    Anti-vaccination legislation
    We?ll start in Arizona. While most anti-vaccine legislation tries to put lipstick on the proverbial pig by creating exemptions so broad that they swallow the rule, an Arizona bill dispenses with the cosmetics. HB 2065 makes all school vaccinations merely recommended for attendance, not required. An unvaccinated child could not be excluded from class unless there is an active case of a disease at his or her school and the health department has declared an outbreak in the school?s area.

    Oklahoma SB 350 also prohibits public and private schools from requiring any immunizations for minor children attending school. SB 477 would prevent public and private universities and other institutions of higher education from requiring student immunization against meningococcal disease, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, and rubella. Apparently, current law allowing anyone to opt out of the meningococcal disease vaccine for any reason and medical, religious and ?moral? opt-outs for hepatitis B and MMR were not sufficiently subservient to ?health freedom?.

    To ensure that Oklahoma health officials? hands are completely tied in all situations, higher ed school students cannot be required to undergo any vaccination, use any medical device, or undergo any medical procedure, surgical procedure, or physical examination, all of which I suspect is aimed at the COVID-19 pandemic and future public health emergencies. Not only that, but in a provision that almost certainly violates the First Amendment?s free speech guarantees and is void for vagueness to boot, the bill allows criminal misdemeanor prosecution of any employee of a higher ed institution who coerces or in any way influences a student to get vaccinated.

    Likewise, Maine?s LD 156 makes vaccination completely voluntary for students, but only those attending a virtual public school or a private school.

    Other state legislators are using the more traditional approach of expanding exemptions, or making them easier to get, including one bill allowing an exemption for any reason, which essentially makes immunization optional. Some bills also narrow the diseases for which vaccination may be required.

    The Missouri legislature has several of these bills pending. HB 37 would add a conscientious belief exemption to the existing religious exemption at all levels of education, pre-school to post-high school. HB 566 would go even further, allowing exemptions for any reason. (HB 566 would also require the mother?s consent to inoculation of her newborn with the hepatitis B vaccine and hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) per ACIP guidelines when the mother tests positive for hepatitis or her status is unknown. Immunization of newborns under those circumstances are automatic under current law.)

    The state would be prevented from enacting any requirement for obtaining a non-medical exemption beyond signing a form, such as watching a video or visiting the health department, and it would be required to develop an informational brochure on obtaining exemptions and make sure it is widely distributed, as well as to make exemption forms easily available.

    Missouri HB 37 also freezes the diseases against which vaccination can be required to poliomyelitis, rubella, rubeola, mumps, tetanus, pertussis, diphtheria, and hepatitis B, for elementary and secondary schools, and for day care centers, preschools and nursery schools. (Required vaccinations for the latter group now use the ACIP guidelines.) It limits required immunizations to public schools, day care centers, etc., only, making vaccination requirements for private and parochial schools optional. Higher education students living in on-campus housing would no longer be required to get the meningococcal vaccine unless the housing is publicly owned, thereby eliminating the mandate for private schools and privately-owned housing at public schools. HB 35, introduced by the same sponsor as HB37, prohibits any school, city, or county from requiring additional immunizations.

    Finally, failing to vaccinate your child could no longer be considered in neglect and abuse cases in Missouri. To protect the Dr. Bob Sears-type physician, providing medical exemptions, apparently no matter the circumstances, could not be considered by the medical board for any purposes, such as in disciplinary proceedings,

    Minnesota already has a ?conscientiously held beliefs? exemption to school vaccinations. SF 292 and HF 452 add a ?genuinely and sincerely held religious belief? exemption as well, which seems superfluous. Utah HB 233, which passed the House and is now before the Senate, requires medical and ?personal or religious belief? exemptions to vaccinations required by universities and other higher ed institutions, except for students ?studying in a medical setting?. The bill prohibits all schools from barring any unvaccinated student, at any level of education, from in-person classes, although ?nothing restricts a state or local health department from acting . . . to contain the spread of infectious disease.?

    Mississippi is one of the few states allowing only medical exemptions to school vaccinations. HB 475, which died in committee, added a religious exemption. South Dakota HB 1097 amends the law allowing an exemption when ?the child is an adherent to a religious doctrine whose teachings are opposed to immunization? to refocus the exemption on the parent?s opposition ?because of a sincerely held religious or philosophical belief?. Connecticut HB 5578, which has 15 Republican sponsors (almost a third of the Republican House membership), would add moral and philosophical objections to the already-allowed medical and religious exemptions. Indiana HB 1279 creates a religious exemption to required vaccinations for foster home licensure. (It also creates a medical exemption.)

    Current law in Massachusetts permits a medical exemption if the physician has personally examined the child and is of the opinion that ?the physical condition of the child is such that his health would be endangered by such vaccination or by any of such immunizations?. Massachusetts HD2973 amends that law so that the physician can take into account ?concerns regarding an increased risk of adverse events, family history, or exacerbation of pre-existing medical conditions?, whether those are recognized by experts as valid criteria or not.

    In what appears to be another attempt to protect the Dr. Sears-type physician, the proposed legislation would prohibit disciplinary action against a physician providing a medical exemption in the ?absence of manifest bad faith?, nor could the exemption be used ?to change or negatively affect a physician?s rating or standing with any employer, insurer, hospital affiliation or academic affiliation?, thereby making it harder for the medical board and other organizations to discipline a doctor.

    In New Jersey, A4659 and S2995 would prohibit any school or government entity from requiring flu vaccinations for anyone age 18 or younger. New York A3250 would prohibit flu vaccine mandates for children (age 6 months ? 59 months) in childcare and preschool.

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    https://fox40.com/news/coronavirus/s...-the-red-tier/

    FAIRFIELD, Calif. (KTXL) – Solano County is one of the next areas poised to make the transition into the state’s red tier of COVID-19 restrictions.

    Although Solano County health officer Dr. Bela Matyas says the number of COVID-19 cases may still be considered a bit high, the test positivity rate is good.

    “If we have a similar situation next week, even if our numbers are a little bit high, as long as our health equity metric remains really, really good, we’ll be able to go into the red tier,” said Dr. Matyas.

    That’s great news for the restaurant business, considering so many closed from financial hardship due to the pandemic.

    Sacramento County left behind as more counties move to red tier
    That’s why owner Piero Tropeano spent thousands to help keep his customers warm while eating outside Evelyn’s Big Italian Pizzeria & Ristorante in downtown Fairfield.

    “I had to put up this (enclosure), so they stay nice and comfortable. Once I have the lights inside. They’re happy,” Tropeano told FOX40.

    “We’re just looking forward to opening back up and being able to bring business back inside,” said Brevin Hensley, owner of Bud’s Pub and Grill.

    Especially for their faithful customers, who’ve braved chilly nights.

    “Supporting local businesses will be great,” one customer told FOX40.

  13. #1163
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    There's a reason DeSansBrains is winning in the straw poll for the next GOP Presidential nominee (if Cheeto doesn't die of his cholesterol/blood pressure or get thrown in the slammer before then). This guy is Trump Jr. He is as crooked as they come!

    https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/loca...nuary/2453850/

    Ex-Illinois Gov. Rauner Gave $250K to Florida Gov. DeSantis' Campaign After His Gated Community Got COVID Vaccines in January


    Also, I saw that Sans Brains is mad because CVS in Florida is abiding by Biden's mandate that ALL teachers that work with kids get access to the vaccine. He wanted to be able to pick and choose which teachers he gave it to, like he's been doing with all the other groups of people that received the vaccine. Asshole!
    Last edited by raisedbywolves; 06-28-2021 at 12:41 PM.

  14. #1164
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    Quote Originally Posted by raisedbywolves View Post
    There's a reason DeSansBrains is winning in the straw poll for the next GOP Presidential nominee (if Cheeto doesn't die of his cholesterol/blood pressure or get thrown in the slammer before then). This guy is Trump Jr. He is as crooked as they come!

    https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/loca...nuary/2453850/

    Ex-Illinois Gov. Rauner Gave $250K to Florida Gov. DeSantis' Campaign After His Gated Community Got COVID Vaccines in January



    Also, I saw that Sans Brains is mad because CVS in Florida is abiding by Biden's mandate that ALL teachers that work with kids get access to the vaccine. He wanted to be able to pick and choose which teachers he gave it to, like he's been doing with all the other groups of people that received the vaccine. Asshole!
    Well if you give it to just any old teacher, some deserving millionaire, ex gov., or R fundraiser might have to do without. That would really suck.
    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    lol at Nestle being some vicious smiter, she's the nicest person on this site besides probably puzzld. Or at least the last person to resort to smiting.
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    Why on earth would I smite you when I can ban you?

  15. #1165
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    https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-next-pandemic/

    We are just about at a year for the COVID-19 pandemic. After a year COVID has infected more than 115 million people and caused over 2.5 million deaths, with over half a million in the US alone. Pandemic fatigue has definitely set in, but with the rollout of various vaccines we can also see the light at the end of the tunnel. But there appears to be a strong consensus among experts that just because this pandemic ends, as all pandemics eventually do, that does not mean our concerns are over. They may just be getting started.

    Dr. Mike Ryan, head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Emergencies Program warns that COVID-19 may have just been a “wake-up call”. This was a once-in-a century pandemic, but it may not be another century before the next one hits, and the next one could be far worse. What has changed?

    The most obvious factor is simply that the human population has grown. Infectious diseases spread when animals congregate in large numbers. World population is now approaching 8 billion, and that population is increasingly global. Our rising population also brings other important factors. Producing enough food to feed the world includes raising large numbers of animals in close quarters, and they represent breeding grounds for viruses and infectious agents that can jump to humans.

    Further, humans are increasingly encroaching onto natural habitats, raising the probability of a virus going from a non-human reservoir into the human population. That is likely what happened with COVID-19, although the exact path has not yet been proven. SARS-CoV-2, the disease that causes COVID-19, is endemic in the South Asian bat populations, and likely came from that source through wet markets and intermediate species.

    There are potentially thousands of viruses in the world that have the potential to become the next pandemic, and SARS-CoV-2 is far from the worst of them. Rolling the “pandemic dice” has a good chance of producing something far worse than COVID-19, which is what Ryan and others are referring to with their warnings. The CDC keeps an eye on “Viruses of Special Concern”, such as those likely to produce the next flu pandemic. Other organizations also have published lists of potential severe pandemics, which include things like Ebola and Zika.

    In addition to the direct health effects of the pandemic, it has been incredibly disruptive to life and economic activity. A study published in October estimated that the cost of the pandemic to the US was $16 trillion. At the same time the IMF estimated that world-wide lost productivity alone could cost $28 trillion. A generation of students may have effectively lost a year of education. Life expectancy in the US was decreased by 1.13 years due to COVID-19, disproportionately affecting minorities and the poor.

    Once the vaccines have effectively ended the pandemic (although SARS-CoV-2 will likely remain with us, like the flu), it will be tempting to try to forget it and return to pre-pandemic normal life. But really, that will not be possible, nor should it be our goal. We need to adapt to a world where pandemics are increasingly likely.

    One adaptation, which is the most hopeful thing to emerge during this pandemic, is that health science continues to advance impressively. We not only developed and deployed multiple vaccines within a year of discovering the virus, some are based on an entirely new vaccine platform – the mRNA vaccines (such as the ones developed by Pfizer and Moderna). Because sequencing and making DNA and RNA is now a mature technology, it took only weeks to sequence the genome of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and only days to make the mRNA vaccine once the companies were handed that sequence. It then took months of clinical testing to prove the resulting vaccines were safe and effective – but there clearly is an opportunity here to fast track new vaccines, using a now-proven platform, without having to reinvent the clinical science each time. Quickly producing vaccines in response to new pandemic will likely prove to be one of our most important tools in the future.

    We also need to take concrete steps to reduce the probability of new pandemic viruses from emerging. This may include changing practices at factory farms, and regulating wet markets. But we also need to carefully consider development practices that encroach on natural habitats, and habitat destruction in general.

    The political challenge, as we have seen, may prove to be the most difficult. Preparedness is critical – we need to put in place, and maintain, a pandemic response infrastructure that can monitor for the emergence of new diseases, and respond effectively. This needs to be a global effort. It should be incredibly obvious now that something that happens on the other side of the planet can have devastating effects at home.

    Finally, on the personal and societal level there needs to be permanent changes in culture. We have collective acquired some new skills during this pandemic, and we should not discard them once the pandemic is over. This includes mask-wearing. It should be a simple matter now, and culturally normal and expected, that anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms should remain isolated, but if they have even minor symptoms and need to be in public they should wear a mask and socially distance.

    Further, working from home when sick or exposed should also be accepted as normal and responsible behavior. We can all Zoom now, and this should remain if not the default then at least an option for attending meetings and class when necessary. The pandemic also exacerbated and thereby helped reveal socioeconomic disparities. The “digital divide” now has public health consequences, and as we plan infrastructure investment it is clear that making sure everyone can attend class from home should be a priority.

    In a way, we need to adapt in the same way our immune systems adapt. Once exposed to an infectious agent, our immune systems remember them so that they can respond more quickly and vigorously at the next exposure. Similarly, our world needs to respond more quickly and vigorously to the next pandemic. We must have pandemic-memory, even if we want to forget the past year.

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    https://wnyt.com/health/reports-ny-o...183/?cat=10114

    . NEW YORK (AP) - Some New York lawmakers are calling for Gov. Andrew Cuomo's impeachment after reports late Thursday that his top aides altered a state Health Department report to omit the true number of people killed by COVID-19 in the state's nursing homes.

    The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, citing documents and people with knowledge of the administration's internal discussions, reported that aides including secretary to the governor Melissa DeRosa pushed state health officials to edit the July report so only residents who died inside long-term care facilities, and not those who became ill there and later died at a hospital, were counted.

    It's the latest blow for Cuomo, who's been besieged by a one-two punch of scandals involving his handling of nursing home deaths and accusations that he made lewd comments and inappropriately touched two former aides and a woman that he met at a wedding he officiated.

    Cuomo had apologized Wednesday for acting "in a way that made people feel uncomfortable" but rejected calls for his resignation and said he would fully cooperate with the state attorney general's investigation into the sexual harassment allegations. Federal investigators are scrutinizing his administration's handling of nursing home data.

    In the wake of Thursday night's report, some state lawmakers - including fellow Democrats like Assembly members Zohran Kwame Mamdani of Queens and Yuh-Line Niou of Manhattan - called for Cuomo's impeachment.

    "15,000 nursing home residents died. 15,000 of our loved ones died. And Cuomo hid the numbers. Impeach," tweeted Queens Assembly member Ron Kim, who said Cuomo bullied him over the nursing home response.

    The July nursing home report was released to rebut criticism of Cuomo over a March 25 directive that barred nursing homes from rejecting recovering coronavirus patients being discharged from hospitals. Some nursing homes complained at the time that the policy could help spread the virus.

    The report concluded the policy played no role in spreading infection.

    The state's analysis was based partly on what officials acknowledged at the time was an imprecise statistic. The report said 6,432 people had died in the state's nursing homes.

    State officials acknowledged that the true number of deaths was higher because of the exclusion of patients who died in hospitals, but they declined at the time to give any estimate of that larger number of deaths, saying the numbers still needed to be verified.

    The Times and Journal reported that, in fact, the original drafts of the report had included that number, then more than 9,200 deaths, until Cuomo's aides said it should be taken out.

    State officials insisted Thursday that the edits were made because of concerns about accuracy, not to protect Cuomo's reputation.

    "While early versions of the report included out of facility deaths, the COVID task force was not satisfied that the data had been verified against hospital data and so the final report used only data for in facility deaths, which was disclosed in the report," said Department of Health Spokesperson Gary Holmes.

    Scientists, health care professionals and elected officials assailed the report at the time for flawed methodology and selective stats that sidestepped the actual impact of the directive.

    Cuomo had refused for months to release complete data on how the early stages of the pandemic hit nursing home residents. A court order and state attorney general report in January forced the state to acknowledge the nursing home resident death toll was higher than the count previously made public.

    DeRosa told lawmakers earlier this month that the administration didn't turn over the data to legislators in August because of worries the information would be used against them by the Trump administration, which had recently launched a Justice Department investigation of nursing home deaths.

    "Basically, we froze, because then we were in a position where we weren't sure if what we were going to give to the Department of Justice or what we give to you guys, what we start saying was going to be used against us while we weren't sure if there was going to be an investigation," DeRosa said.

    Cuomo and his health commissioner recently defended the March directive, saying it was the best option at the time to help free up desperately needed beds at the state's hospitals.

    "We made the right public health decision at the time. And faced with the same facts, we would make the same decision again," Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said Feb. 19.

    The state now acknowledges that at least 15,000 long-term care residents died, compared to a figure of 8,700 it had publicized as of late January that didn't include residents who died after being transferred to hospitals.

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    https://www.8newsnow.com/news/nation...-vaccine-void/

    SURRY, Va. (AP) — When Charlome Pierce searched where her 96-year-old father could get a COVID-19 vaccine in January, she found zero options anywhere near their home in Virginia. The lone medical clinic in Surry County had none, and the last pharmacy in an area with roughly 6,500 residents and more land mass than Chicago closed years ago.

    To get their shots, some residents took a ferry across the sprawling James River to cities such as Williamsburg. Others drove more than an hour past farms and woodlands – the county got its first stoplight in 2007 – to reach a medical facility offering the vaccine.

    At one point, Pierce heard about a state-run vaccination event 45 minutes away, No more appointments were available, which perhaps was for the best: the wait there reportedly could last up to seven hours.

    “That would have been a daunting task,” she said, citing her father’s health conditions and frequent need to use the bathroom. “I could not have had him sit in a car and wait for something that might happen. We’re not in a Third World country.”

    As the nation’s campaign against the coronavirus moves from mass inoculation sites to drugstores and doctors’ offices, getting vaccinated remains a challenge for residents of “pharmacy deserts,” communities without pharmacies or well-equipped health clinics. To improve access,” the federal government has partnered with 21 companies that run free-standing pharmacies or pharmacy services inside grocery stores and other locations.

    More than 40,000 stores are expected to take part, and the Biden administration has said that nearly 90% of Americans live within five miles of one, from Hy-Vee and Walmart to Costco and Rite-Aid.

    But there are gaps in the map: More than 400 rural counties with a combined population of nearly 2.5 million people lack a retail pharmacy that’s included in the partnership. More than 100 of those counties either have no pharmacy or have a pharmacy that historically did not offer services such as flu shots, and possibly lacks the equipment or certified staff to vaccinate customers.

    Independent pharmacies that have traditionally served rural areas have been disappearing, casualties of mail-order prescriptions and more competition from chains like Walgreen’s and CVS with greater power to negotiate with insurance companies, according to Keith Mueller, director of the University of Iowa’s RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis.

    “There are a lot of counties that would be left out” of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, said Mueller, whose research center compiled the pharmacy data on the 400 counties. “In the Western states in particular, you have a vast geography and very few people.”

    Challenges to obtaining a vaccine shot near home aren’t limited to rural areas. There is a relative dearth of medical facilities in some urban areas, particularly for Black Americans, according to a study published in February by the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Pharmacy and the West Health Policy Center.

    The study listed 69 counties where Black residents were much more likely to have to travel more than a mile to get to a potential vaccination site, including a pharmacy, a hospital or a federally qualified health center. One-third of those counties were urban, including the home counties of cities such as Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Detroit and New Orleans.

    Additionally, the study identified 94 counties where Black residents were significantly more likely than white residents to have to go than 10 miles to reach a potential vaccination site. The counties were mostly heavily concentrated in the southeastern U.S. — Virginia had the most of any state with 16 — and in Texas.

    The shortage of pharmacies and other medical infrastructure in some of the nation’s rural areas highlights the health care disparities that have become more stark during the coronavirus pandemic, which has disproportionately affected members of racial minority and lower-income groups.

    The former drug store in Surry County, where about 40% of the residents are Black, is now a caf?. No one seems to remember exactly when the Surry Drug. Co. closed, but caf? co-owner Sarah Mayo remembers going there as a child. Now, she drives 45 minutes to a Walmart or CVS.

    “I don’t know if more people would take the vaccine” if the pharmacy still existed, Mayo, 62, said. “But at least you would have a local person that you trust who would explain the pros and cons.”

    Surry County residents also used to pick up prescriptions at Wakefield Pharmacy in neighboring Sussex County until it, too, closed in November. The owner, Russell Alan Garner, wanted to retire and couldn’t find a buyer.

    “We’ve become dinosaurs,” Garner said.

    In January, Surry County officials saw vaccines arrive in other parts of Virginia that had more people or more coronavirus cases. Fearing doses might not arrive for months, if ever, they began to pressure state officials.

    In a letter to the governor’s office, Surry joined with surrounding communities to express concerns about vaccine “equity,” particularly for low-income and other disadvantaged populations. Some of those communities said they had reallocated money to support vaccination efforts.

    “The thing about living in a rural community is that you’re often overlooked by everybody from politicians right on through to the agencies,” said county Supervisor Michael Drewry.

    Surry County Administrator Melissa Rollins wrote to the regional health district, stating that driving outside the county wasn’t practical for most residents. She said Surry was willing to sponsor a mass vaccination site, had devised a plan to recruit people who could administer shots and make sure that eligible residents would be ready.

    The first clinic in Surry County was held Feb. 6 at the high school in the small town of Dendron. The school district was inoculating teachers and other staff members when officials with the county and regional health district staff learned of extra doses, prompting a rush to get the word out.

    Surry already had a waitlist of eligible people through a survey it designed to reach vulnerable residents. It used its emergency alert telephone system, since internet access is spotty.

    Pierce got the call and quickly headed out with her father, Charles Robbins. It was a 20-minute drive to the high school and a two-hour wait. Pierce, 64, also got a shot, along with about 240 other people that day.

    Three more vaccination clinics have been held in the county. And the regional health district had administered 1,080 doses there as of March 2. The number makes up the majority of doses that county residents have received, although several hundred received their shots outside of the county.

    All told, about 1,800 county residents have received at least one dose. That’s about 28% of the population and was almost twice the state’s average rate. About half the people who’ve received vaccines are Black.

    The Virginia Department of Health said that vaccine distribution has been based on population and COVID rates. But moving forward, the department said it’s considering tweaks to ensure more geographical and racial equity.

    Pierce and her father were relieved to get their second shots in late February. But she said Surry’s rural character placed it at a disadvantage in the beginning.

    “I have close friends, people who are essential workers, who’ve had to go as far away as an hour to get a shot,” she said. “You shouldn’t be marginalized by your zip code.”

    But driving vast distances is a way of life for many in rural areas, said Bruce Adams, a cattleman and commissioner for Utah’s San Juan County, which is nearly the size of New Jersey and overlaps with the Navajo Nation.

    “I got both shots, and I had to drive 44 miles roundtrip for each one to a public health center,” Adams, 71, said. “I don’t think it’s any more of a problem than anything else we do normally in our lives…going to the doctor, the dentist, getting your haircut.”

  19. #1169
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    https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/statu...81512798543879
    VERY WORRIED FOR FLORIDA/US?More contagious #B117 is rising quickly, & exponentially replacing the old dying #SARSCoV2 common strain. B117 affects kids, & 64% more severe. B117 now over 40%?dominant in days. A new surge is coming. Florida inaction= Florida > US surge
    Ugh. We could have controlled this, but idiots like covid Christy and Desanis have much to answer for.
    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    lol at Nestle being some vicious smiter, she's the nicest person on this site besides probably puzzld. Or at least the last person to resort to smiting.
    Quote Originally Posted by nestlequikie View Post
    Why on earth would I smite you when I can ban you?

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    Quote Originally Posted by puzzld View Post
    https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/statu...81512798543879

    Ugh. We could have controlled this, but idiots like covid Christy and Desanis have much to answer for.
    Well, the good news is that we have Spring Breakers coming here and Bike Week about to happen in Daytona. Oh, wait.

    Our governor is a dumbass, and the GOP want to crown him the heir apparent to Trump. Ugh.

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    This is just insane. So many people are too willing to put others lives in danger so they can flit around. I am so tired of their collective bullshit.

  22. #1172
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    Quote Originally Posted by Deviant Toaster View Post
    This is just insane. So many people are too willing to put others lives in danger so they can flit around. I am so tired of their collective bullshit.
    But, but, their freedumb. I saw a shirt the other day that said "Let's just pretend I am wearing a mask and I'll pretend yours actually does something". I am so over this anti science, anti anything their Cheeto king didn't like mentality.

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    Quote Originally Posted by raisedbywolves View Post
    But, but, their freedumb. I saw a shirt the other day that said "Let's just pretend I am wearing a mask and I'll pretend yours actually does something". I am so over this anti science, anti anything their Cheeto king didn't like mentality.
    True and also I live in the epicenter where anti-vax conspiracy theorists and COVID-19 truthers are located. It's in Sacramento. I even heard of conspiracy theorists go to Sacramento and say shit like it's socialist to have pandemic prevention and pandemic prevention is a Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris and Richard Pan conspiracy for medicare for all. This shit is insane to the point that they mix Abortions and vaccine research funding in their rantings. Expect other states to face what California had to go through with people throwing blood in a hall of the State legislature because they don't like pandemic prevention for conspiracy reasons.


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    Quote Originally Posted by raisedbywolves View Post
    But, but, their freedumb. I saw a shirt the other day that said "Let's just pretend I am wearing a mask and I'll pretend yours actually does something". I am so over this anti science, anti anything their Cheeto king didn't like mentality.
    Me too! You know I got chicken pox right before Prom. I stayed home. I didn't whine and screech about my rights, freedumbs, or prom experience. My friend, sister, and I could have infected so many more people and ruined prom all together, but nope we stayed home. How hard is this????

    That damn Cheeto has us openly living in a "post fact, fake news, my ignorance is equal to your knowledge" free for all.

  25. #1175
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    Quote Originally Posted by Deviant Toaster View Post
    Me too! You know I got chicken pox right before Prom. I stayed home. I didn't whine and screech about my rights, freedumbs, or prom experience. My friend, sister, and I could have infected so many more people and ruined prom all together, but nope we stayed home. How hard is this????

    That damn Cheeto has us openly living in a "post fact, fake news, my ignorance is equal to your knowledge" free for all.
    He has harmed so many people.
    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    lol at Nestle being some vicious smiter, she's the nicest person on this site besides probably puzzld. Or at least the last person to resort to smiting.
    Quote Originally Posted by nestlequikie View Post
    Why on earth would I smite you when I can ban you?

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