The Politics of Covid 19, mask wearing and the vaccination process

[Smoove_B]

I'm putting this here because (surprise) the opinion of a now private citizen was the guiding practice of the last COVID-19 coordinator:

The fact is, now a few basic steps mean you can ignore COVID safely — and get back to doing things that matter, even with COVID still around. Think of these safety measures like the routine check-ups that keep your car safe to drive.

...

What about long COVID? The evidence here is reassuring as well. Those who are up to date on their vaccines are far less likely to get long COVID, and when they do, it tends to be shorter-lived and less severe. And treatments may help reduce it too. For now, there is no foolproof way of avoiding long COVID short of avoiding infections altogether. But you can substantially reduce your risk with vaccines and, likely, treatments.

I am living in hell.

[Unagi]

I am living in hell.

Welcome to the neighborhood. Garbage collection is Wednesday.

[TheMix]

I am living in hell.

Welcome to the neighborhood. Garbage collection is Wednesday.

Being Hell, I assume that means Wednesday, February 29th?

[Unagi]

I am living in hell.

Welcome to the neighborhood. Garbage collection is Wednesday.

Being Hell, I assume that means Wednesday, February 29th?

Last Wednesday. Always last Wednesday.

[Isgrimnur]

Connecticut law ending religious vaccine exemptions for children is upheld

A divided federal appeals court on Friday rejected a challenge to a Connecticut law that ended the state's decades-old religious exemptions from immunization requirements for children in schools, colleges and day care.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said ending religious exemptions, while still allowing medical exemptions, was a rational means to promote health and safety by reducing the potential spread of vaccine-preventable diseases.

In a 2-1 decision, Circuit Judge Denny Chin said the April 2021 law contained "no trace" of hostility toward religious believers, and did not violate objectors' constitutional rights to due process and the free exercise of religion.

He said many U.S. courts have reviewed vaccination mandates for children that lack religious exemptions, and only one, in Mississippi, has ever found constitutional problems.

"We decline to disturb this nearly unanimous consensus," Chin, an appointee of Democratic President Barack Obama, wrote.

Five other U.S. states--California, Maine, Mississippi, New York and West Virginia--also lack religious exemptions.
...
Norm Pattis, a lawyer for the objectors, said they may ask the three-judge panel, the full 13-judge appeals court or the Supreme Court to review the case.

[Kraken]

Mass. is considering doing the same thing, so that's welcome news.

[Grifman]

[Grifman]

Done!

[Isgrimnur]

Good

[malchior]

What a moron. Decades of hard work at risk to own the libs.

[Victoria Raverna]

How did she get a medical license? Maybe that need to be investigated since the process failed when someone like her can have a medical license.

[Unagi]

How did she get a medical license? Maybe that need to be investigated since the process failed when someone like her can have a medical license.

That will be tough to do, as the license is granted by way of proving you know certain things , not that you will be honest about facts 10-30 years later.

[Punisher]

Wait. So getting a bew Covid vaccine wvery day isn't going to make me Magneto?
I'm out.

[Smoove_B]

Apparently Alberta, Canada is going through some things?

As a result of an unexpected nursing shortage due to illness, the Emergency Department at the Slave Lake Health Care Centre will be temporarily closed from 11 p.m. Friday, August 11 to 7 a.m. Saturday, August 12.

I have no local knowledge, but are we really at a point where ER are shutting down in the summer of 2023? This is an acceptable practice rather than requiring hospital staff wear masks?

EDIT: For additional clarification

[Blackhawk]

By 2025 we'll need appointments. Be sure to schedule your heart attacks in advance!

[stessier]

What a moron. Decades of hard work at risk to own the libs.

I don't know if anyone read the article, but she didn't lose her license because of what she said about COVID. She lost it because she had 350 complaints against her which the board was bound by statute to investigate, and she refused to cooperate with the investigation. She never responded to a single request or question. They fined her $3000 and suspended her license.

[Max Peck]

July 23, 2023: 'Sad sign of the times': Ontario forced to develop a protocol for hospital emergency department closures

Hospital emergency closures have become so commonplace in Ontario that the provincial government has had to create a protocol with checklists for steps that hospitals should follow before temporarily closing their emergency departments.

Emergency department closures were rare in Ontario before last summer, when there were numerous short- and longer-term temporary closures, mainly in rural hospitals. Since then, the situation has accelerated and it is broadly described as a crisis in rural and remote parts of the province.

Since January, there have been more than 100 temporary emergency closures across Ontario in addition to the permanent closure of the emergency department in Minden. This weekend alone, at least eight rural hospitals temporarily closed emergency departments or limited services.

Among them is Carleton Place, which has become ground zero for emergency department closures in Eastern Ontario. Since the beginning of June, it has been forced to close its emergency department at least six times. The total number of closures since January is more than a dozen.

On Saturday, the hospital, which is part of the Mississippi River Health Alliance with Almonte hospital, again closed overnight, reopening on Sunday afternoon.

[Smoove_B]

The uninsured will need to wait:

The Biden administration’s effort to provide free Covid-19 vaccines to the uninsured will not start at retail pharmacies until mid-October, weeks after the government plans to make an updated version of the shot available to the broader public.

The gap in timing, which comes as Covid hospitalizations have ticked up in recent weeks, means that millions of Americans without health coverage will not be able to immediately get a no-cost vaccine at popular places like CVS and Walgreens, even as it will be widely available for those who have insurance.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the delay in pharmacy availability, with spokesperson Kathleen Conley saying the government is still finalizing contracts with companies like CVS and Walgreens that will allow them to distribute the vaccines for free.

The CDC expects the updated vaccine rollout to begin the third or fourth week of September, she said. But the contracts with pharmacies will likely not be finished until mid-October.

Reality:

If pharmacies don’t have the new shot available, it could create an additional barrier to getting people vaccinated, according to Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association.

“You’re going to have people showing up at the pharmacy looking to get vaccinated ... and being told we’re not yet prepared to give it to you,” Benjamin said. “Some of those people will come back and get vaccinated and some of those people will just get frustrated and not show up again.”

As a reminder:

The White House has since dissolved its Covid response team and shifted much of the responsibility to HHS and the private sector. The FDA can still grant Covid-19 emergency use authorizations for Covid vaccines under a separate emergency declaration, and at least one major vaccine manufacturer appears ready to distribute its updated shot as soon as September if it gets the blessing of the FDA and CDC.

[Kurth]

So (at least, for the insured), are we looking at October as the target date for another vax dose? This time upgraded/new?

[Smoove_B]

So (at least, for the insured), are we looking at October as the target date for another vax dose? This time upgraded/new?

I've been posting on the other side of the fence (it's confusing, I know) but right now it looks like late September insured folks will be able to get them. Trying to figure out whether or not to wait is a now a personal equation that is likely impossible to gauge correctly.

All I can tell you is that as someone that hasn't been vaccinated in 50 weeks, I'm going to be there on Day 1 to get my next shot.

[Kurth]

So (at least, for the insured), are we looking at October as the target date for another vax dose? This time upgraded/new?

I've been posting on the other side of the fence (it's confusing, I know) but right now it looks like late September insured folks will be able to get them. Trying to figure out whether or not to wait is a now a personal equation that is likely impossible to gauge correctly.

All I can tell you is that as someone that hasn't been vaccinated in 50 weeks, I'm going to be there on Day 1 to get my next shot.

As an “immuno compromised” person, I was told I could get another dose now, but I feel like it might make sense to wait a bit if they’re rolling out a new vax.

Also, any (valid) excuse is a good one to me, since each vax I’ve had (4 now, I think) has made me sicker than a dog for a good 72 hours.

[Kraken]

So (at least, for the insured), are we looking at October as the target date for another vax dose? This time upgraded/new?

I've been posting on the other side of the fence (it's confusing, I know) but right now it looks like late September insured folks will be able to get them. Trying to figure out whether or not to wait is a now a personal equation that is likely impossible to gauge correctly.

All I can tell you is that as someone that hasn't been vaccinated in 50 weeks, I'm going to be there on Day 1 to get my next shot.

Yeah I'm getting ripe, too. I'll take my covid and flu jabs at the same time and plan to spend the next day in bed.

[LordMortis]

So (at least, for the insured), are we looking at October as the target date for another vax dose? This time upgraded/new?

Gubmint hasn't decided yet. It may come as soon as late September. If possible, I'll be there on day 1, which likely means not get getting the flu shot at the same time.

[Smoove_B]

I know I posted about this earlier, but it's coming to a head this week. I wish I could explain what's going on. My only guess is money:

While seemingly esoteric and of little impact to health workers and the public, a little known group called HICPAC is creating a firestorm in the public health community.

HICPAC, the Healthcare Infection Control Advisory Committee, advises the CDC on guidelines for infection control in healthcare settings. They met in June and published slides summarizing their draft guidelines. This is where the controversy began.

They will meet again on Tuesday, Aug 22, and, per their published draft agenda, are scheduled to vote on finalizing their plan for the CDC.

The planned HICPAC revisions will water down infection control protections, particularly for aerosol transmission and MDRO (multiply drug-resistant organisms).

Most immediately worrisome is their conclusion that plain surgical masks (aka “baggy blues”) are equivalent to N95s and provide adequate protection to healthcare workers and patients. There is abundant evidence to the contrary. It is clear that N95s offer far better protection against aerosols, such as from Covid-19, and other inhaled pathogens. Why are they ignoring this?

[malchior]

I had read that the most generous explanation is that there are zero experts in ventilation/aerosols on the committee and they are just getting it wrong. But that's probably by design since it ultimately is almost certainly about the money. That's a safe assumption in this country nowadays.

[Smoove_B]

Nice to see #DoNotComply is apparently trending now, because there are actually people that believe something is going to be done in response to the current rise in cases and presumed Fall 2023 increase?

I guess whatever maintains outrage in these strange times...

[Unagi]

[Smoove_B]

Well color me surprised, Lionsgate brings back a mask mandate:

In a company-wide email obtained by Deadline, it was announced that nearly half of the company’s employees would need to wear “medical grade” face masks again in the flagship offices in Los Angeles. The rule applies “except when alone in an office with the door closed, actively eating, actively drinking at their desk or workstation, or if they are the only individual present in a large open workspace”.

Employees are also now required to perform daily self-screenings and stay home if they have symptoms or have traveled internationally in the last 10 days. The company is also reintroducing contact tracing and providing at-home test kits when needed.

The measures are being brought back after several employees tested positive.

[Smoove_B]

Starting to see the "M" word getting tossed around:

"People 65-plus and people who are immunocompromised should strongly consider masking during flu, RSV, COVID season while in indoor public spaces," said Dr. Céline Gounder, a CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News. "And for everyone else — it all depends on what their risk tolerance is."

...

After COVID hospitalizations climbed nearly 22% this week, the CDC is predicting further increases over the coming month as new variants spread. This replaces previous projections from the agency that admissions would "remain stable or have an uncertain trend."

Everything old is new again:

"Is there anything we can do to stop the virus from mutating so much?" LaPook asked Duprex at the time.

"We can certainly stop it making as many mutations by stopping it infecting as many people - if we block its transmission, if we wear a mask, if we get vaccinated, if we do social distancing," Duprex said.

Further commentary:

"If I were with people who aren't public health-trained, I would wear a mask, particularly in crowded situations, because I really don't have time for COVID. Mask mandates are challenging because they make people really bent out of shape out of proportion to the ask."

On "CBS Mornings" Friday, Gounder added she'll be masking up for an upcoming flight — and says others may want to do the same.

"Who wants to get sick while on vacation?" she says. "If you're going to be in a crowded public place — the subway, an airplane, a crowded theater — those are the kind of places I would at least consider wearing a mask."

In all seriousness, I am seeing random hospitals nationwide and a few universities reinstating mask mandates. Strange, strange times.

[Defiant]

A CDC Q&A, where handwashing gets a brief mention but masking doesn't get mentioned. Are we back at the start of 2020?

[Blackhawk]

No, we're back at the end of 2022.

[Pyperkub]

Well, that's better than the end of 2021 when Omicron exploded...

Sent from my SM-S908U1 using Tapatalk

[Grifman]

Posting here because of related idiocy - I just read that many dog owners are now questioning rabies and other shots for their dogs due to Covid vaccine doubts. We truly are a stupid society.

[stessier]

Makes total sense! There have been 29 documented cases of people who have had full blown rabies and not died. Only 59,000 people per year get rabies. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

[Smoove_B]

Posting here because of related idiocy - I just read that many dog owners are now questioning rabies and other shots for their dogs due to Covid vaccine doubts. We truly are a stupid society.

"I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time - when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the key manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness."

From Carl Sagan in 1996.

[Smoove_B]

We don't have a dedicated thread for this, but because it's political, feels right posting it here:

A federal appeals court Friday revived a lawsuit by three doctors who say the Food and Drug Administration overstepped its authority in a campaign against treating COVID-19 with the anti-parasite drug ivermectin.

Ivermectin is commonly used to treat parasites in livestock. It can also be prescribed for humans and it has been championed by some conservatives as a treatment for COVID-19. The FDA has not approved ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment because studies have not proven it is effective.

The agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Friday’s ruling from a panel of three judges on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal in New Orleans focused on various aspects of an FDA campaign against ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment.

[malchior]

Friday’s ruling from a panel of three judges on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal in New Orleans focused on various aspects of an FDA campaign against ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment.

I guessed fifth circuit just based on context. Our judicial system has taken real damage.

[LordMortis]

We don't have a dedicated thread for this, but because it's political, feels right posting it here:

A federal appeals court Friday revived a lawsuit by three doctors who say the Food and Drug Administration overstepped its authority in a campaign against treating COVID-19 with the anti-parasite drug ivermectin.

Ivermectin is commonly used to treat parasites in livestock. It can also be prescribed for humans and it has been championed by some conservatives as a treatment for COVID-19. The FDA has not approved ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment because studies have not proven it is effective.

The agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Friday’s ruling from a panel of three judges on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal in New Orleans focused on various aspects of an FDA campaign against ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment.

But I personally know two people who were snuck ivermectin in the hospital and they didn't die and I've known several people who died without being treated that way. That proves that this treatment is the best treatment and doctors and the FDA and hospitals don't know what they are talking about. I did my research.

[Defiant]

[Daehawk]

I say to those who want to take a dewormer, have bleach injected into their veins, and shove lights up their asses...more power to them. Plz let me film this also as I may wish to start a new online channel.