#COVID-19 Indiana Face Mask Mandate | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

captainmdhridoyhossain-blog · 1 year ago

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[ad_1] WASHINGTON — The Preferrred Courtroom on Monday refused to dam New York’s requirement that well being care staff be vaccinated in opposition to the coronavirus even if they cite non secular objections.As is continuously the court docket’s apply in rulings on emergency programs, its unsigned order integrated no reasoning. However Justice Neil M. Gorsuch filed a 14-page dissent pronouncing that almost all had betrayed the court docket’s dedication to spiritual liberty.Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. joined Justice Gorsuch’s dissent. Justice Clarence Thomas additionally mentioned he would have blocked the vaccine requirement, however he gave no causes.The Preferrred Courtroom in October refused to offer aid to well being care staff in Maine who had made an necessarily similar request in a problem to a an identical state requirement, over the dissents of the similar 3 justices.The court docket has additionally rejected demanding situations to vaccination necessities at Indiana College, for body of workers in New York Town’s college gadget and for employees at a Massachusetts medical institution. The court docket additionally rejected a problem to a federal mandate requiring mask for air shuttle.All of the ones rulings have been issued by way of only one justice, which could be a signal that the criminal questions concerned weren't thought to be really extensive. However the ones one-justice rulings didn't contain faith.In his dissent on Monday within the case from New York, Justice Gorsuch wrote that the sensible penalties of the court docket’s choice can be grave.“Hundreds of New York well being care staff face the lack of their jobs and eligibility for unemployment advantages,” he wrote.“Those candidates don't seem to be ‘anti-vaxxers’ who object to all vaccines,” Justice Gorsuch added. “As an alternative, the candidates give an explanation for, they can not obtain a Covid-19 vaccine as a result of their faith teaches them to oppose abortion in any shape, and since each and every of the these days to be had vaccines has depended upon abortion-derived fetal mobile strains in its manufacturing or trying out.”“The Unfastened Workout Clause protects no longer best the appropriate to carry unpopular non secular ideals inwardly and secretly,” he wrote. “It protects the appropriate to reside out the ones ideals publicly.”Up to date Dec. 13, 2021, 3:32 p.m. ETThe ruling got here in a couple of demanding situations introduced by way of medical doctors, nurses and different well being care staff who mentioned the requirement violated their proper to the unfastened workout of faith. They argued that the supply of a scientific exemption intended that the state used to be discriminating in opposition to non secular apply, bringing up choices of the Preferrred Courtroom hanging down limits on non secular gatherings that the justices within the majority mentioned have been extra restrictive than ones imposed on secular gatherings.A federal choose in Brooklyn dominated in opposition to the challengers within the case earlier than him, however some other federal choose, in Utica, dominated for the challengers in a 2nd case.In a consolidated attraction within the two circumstances, the US Courtroom of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, in New York, refused to dam the requirement.The Coronavirus Pandemic: Key Issues to KnowCard 1 of fiveU.S. nears 800,000 Covid deaths. The US is at the cusp of surpassing 800,000 deaths from the virus, and no workforce has suffered greater than older American citizens. Seventy-five p.c of people that have died within the U.S. were 65 or older. One in 100 older American citizens has died from the virus.Vaccine mandates in Europe. The most recent wave of the pandemic is prompting nations like Germany and Italy to impose restrictions that unmarried out those that don't seem to be vaccinated. The measures are rekindling the talk over governments’ proper to curtail person liberties within the title of public well being.

“Confronted with a particularly contagious variant of the virus in the course of an endemic that has now claimed the lives of over 750,000 in the US and a few 55,000 in New York, the state made up our minds as an emergency measure to require vaccination for all staff at well being care amenities who may transform inflamed and disclose others to the virus, to the level they are able to be safely vaccinated,” a unanimous three-judge panel of the appeals court docket wrote in an unsigned opinion. “This used to be an inexpensive workout of the State’s energy to enact laws to give protection to the general public well being.”In an emergency utility asking the Preferrred Courtroom to intercede, the well being care staff’ legal professionals wrote that the requirement “imposes an unconscionable selection on New York well being care staff: abandon their religion or lose their careers and their absolute best approach to offer for his or her households.”Barbara D. Underwood, New York’s solicitor common, spoke back that the state does no longer permit a spiritual exemption for its longstanding necessities for measles and rubella. The scientific exemption for vaccination requirement, she added, “is tightly constrained in each scope and length,” making only a few other people eligible for it.As a common subject, she wrote, “attaining top vaccination charges in in particular inclined settings is of the maximum significance.”In his dissent, Justice Gorsuch wrote protective non secular freedom warranted a unique manner.“As of late, we don't simply fail the candidates,” he wrote. “We fail ourselves.”“We permit the state to insist at the dismissal of hundreds of scientific staff — the exact same folks New York has trusted and praised for his or her provider at the pandemic’s entrance strains during the last 21 months,” Justice Gorsuch wrote. “So as to add insult to harm, we permit the state to disclaim those folks unemployment advantages too. One can best hope nowadays’s ruling is probably not the overall bankruptcy on this grim tale.”Justice Gorsuch invoked an identical reasoning within the Maine case.“The place many different states have followed non secular exemptions, Maine has charted a unique path,” Justice Gorsuch wrote on the time. “There, well being care staff who've served at the entrance line of an endemic for the remaining 18 months are actually being fired and their practices shuttered. Focused on adhering to their constitutionally safe non secular ideals. Their plight is worthy of our consideration.” [ad_2] #Preferrred #Courtroom #Vaccine #Mandate #York #Well being #Care #Staff

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aroundfortwayne · 4 years ago

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Parkview Health on the COVID-19 Indiana mask advisory

New Post has been published on https://aroundfortwayne.com/news/2021/04/05/parkview-health-on-the-covid-19-indiana-mask-advisory/

Parkview Health on the COVID-19 Indiana mask advisory

With the statewide COVID-19 Indiana mask advisory for set to expire tomorrow, Tuesday, April 6, 2021, Parkview Health has released this statement.

#CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention #COVID-19 Indiana Face Mask Advisory #COVID-19 Indiana Face Mask Mandate #Fort Wayne Indiana #novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic #Parkview Health #Parkview Mirro Center for Research and Innovation

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gordonwilliamsweb · 3 years ago

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Will ‘Dr. Disinformation’ Ever Face the Music?

Earlier this month, Dr. Rashid Buttar posted on Twitter that covid-19 “was a planned operation” and shared an article alleging that most people who got the covid vaccine would be dead by 2025.

His statement is a recent example in what has been a steady stream of spurious claims surrounding the covid vaccines and treatments that swirl around the public consciousness. Others include testimony in June by Dr. Sherri Jane Tenpenny before Ohio state legislators that the vaccine could cause people to become magnetized. Clips from the hearing went viral on the internet. On April 9, 2020, Dr. Joseph Mercola posted a video titled “Could hydrogen peroxide treat coronavirus?” which was shared more than 4,600 times. In the video, Mercola said inhaling hydrogen peroxide through a nebulizer could prevent or cure covid.

These physicians are identified as members of the “Disinformation Dozen,” a group of top superspreaders of covid vaccine misinformation on social media, according to a 2021 report by the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate. The report, based on an analysis of anti-vaccine content on social media platforms, found that 12 people were responsible for 65% of it. The group is composed of physicians, anti-vaccine activists and people known for promoting alternative medicine.

The physician voices are of particular concern because their medical credentials lend credence to their unproven, often dangerous pronouncements. All three continue to hold medical licenses and have not faced consequences for their covid-related statements.

But leaders of professional medical organizations increasingly are calling for that to change and urging medical oversight boards to take more aggressive action.

In July, the Federation of State Medical Boards, the national umbrella organization for the state-based boards, issued a statement making clear that doctors who generate and spread covid misinformation could be subject to disciplinary action, including the suspension or revocation of their licenses. The American Board of Family Medicine, American Board of Internal Medicine and American Board of Pediatrics issued a joint statement Sept. 9 in support of the state boards’ position, warning that “such unethical or unprofessional conduct may prompt their respective Board to take action that could put their certification at risk.”

And the superspreaders identified by the center’s report are not alone. KHN identified 20 other doctors who have made false or misleading claims about covid by combing through published fact checks and other news coverage.

For example, at an Indiana school board meeting in August, Dr. Dan Stock claimed the surge in covid cases this summer was due to “antibody mediated viral enhancement” from people receiving covid vaccines. PolitiFact rated his claim “Pants on Fire” false.

Dr. Stella Immanuel, a member of a group America’s Frontline Doctors, which has consistently made false statements about covid, said in a video that went viral in July 2020 that masks weren’t needed because covid could be cured by hydroxychloroquine. Immanuel’s website currently promotes a set of vitamins, as well as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, as covid treatments.

Two of the doctors mentioned by name in this article responded to requests for comment. Mercola offered documents to rebut criticisms of his hydrogen peroxide covid treatment and took issue with the center’s “Disinformation Dozen” report methodology. Buttar defended his positions, saying via email that “the science is clear and anyone who contests it, has a suspect agenda at best and/or lacks a moral compass.” He also pointed to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vaccine Adverse Event Recording System, considered inconclusive by many experts.

Since the onset of the covid pandemic, misinformation has been widespread on social media platforms. And many experts blame it for undermining efforts to curb the coronavirus’s spread. A recent poll showed that more than 50% of Americans who won’t get vaccinated cited conspiracy theories as their reasons — for example, saying the vaccines cause infertility or alter DNA.

Some physicians have gained notoriety by embracing covid-related fringe ideas, quack treatments and falsehoods via social media, conservative talk shows and even in person with patients. Whether promoting the use of ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug for animals, or a mix of vitamins to treat covid, doctors’ words can be especially powerful. Public opinion polls consistently show that Americans have high trust in doctors.

“There is a sense of credibility that comes with being a doctor,” said Rachel Moran, a researcher who studies covid misinformation at the University of Washington. “There is also a sense they have access to insider info that we don’t. This is a very confusing time, and it can seem that if anyone knows what I should be doing in this situation, it’s a doctor.”

While covid is a novel and complicated infectious disease, physicians spreading misinformation generally have no particular expertise in infectious diseases. Dr. Scott Atlas, who endorsed former President Donald Trump’s unproven statements about the course of the pandemic, is a radiation oncologist.

Traditionally, the responsibility of policing physicians has fallen to state medical boards. Beyond overseeing the licensing process, these panels investigate complaints about doctors and discipline those who engage in unethical, unprofessional or, in extreme cases, criminal activity. Any member of the public can submit a complaint about a physician.

“The boards are relatively slow and weak and it’s a long, slow process to pull somebody’s license,” said Arthur Caplan, founding head of the Department of Medical Ethics at New York University. “In many states, they have their hands full with doctors who have committed felonies, doctors who are molesting their patients. Keeping an eye on misinformation is somewhat down on the priority list.”

To date, only two doctors have reportedly faced such sanctions. In Oregon, Dr. Steven LaTulippe had his license suspended in December 2020 for refusing to wear a face mask at his clinic and telling patients that masks were ineffective in curbing the spread of covid, and even dangerous. Dr. Thomas Cowan, a San Francisco physician who posted a YouTube video that went viral in March 2020 stating that 5G networks cause covid, voluntarily surrendered his medical license to California’s medical board in February 2021.

Dr. Humayun Chaudhry, president of the Federation of State Medical Boards, however, said it’s possible some doctors could already be the subject of inquiries and investigations, since these actions are not made public until sanctions are handed down.

KHN reached out to the medical and osteopathic boards of all 50 states and the District of Columbia to see if they had received covid misinformation complaints. Of the 43 that responded, only a handful shared specifics.

During a one-week period in August, Kansas’ medical board received six such complaints. In all, the state has received 35 complaints against 20 licensees about spreading covid misinformation on social media and in person. Indiana has received about 30 in the past year. South Carolina said it had about 10 since January. Rhode Island didn’t share the number of complaints but said it has taken disciplinary action against one doctor for spreading misinformation, though it hasn’t moved to suspend his license. (The disciplinary measures include a fine, a reprimand on the doctor’s record and a mandate to complete an ethics course.) Five states said they had received only a couple, and 11 states reported receiving no complaints regarding covid misinformation.

Confidentiality laws in 13 states prevented those boards from sharing information about complaints.

Social media companies have also been slow to take action. Some doctors’ accounts — specifically those among the Disinformation Dozen — have been suspended, but others are still active and posting misinformation.

Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, said social media platforms often don’t consistently apply their rules against spreading misinformation.

“Even when it’s the same companies, Facebook will sometimes take posts down, but Instagram will not,” Ahmed said, referring to Facebook’s ownership of Instagram. “It goes to show their piecemeal, ineffective approach to enforcing their own rules.”

A Facebook spokesperson said the company has removed over 3,000 accounts, pages and groups for repeatedly violating covid and vaccine misinformation policies since the beginning of the pandemic. Buttar’s Facebook and Instagram pages and Tenpenny’s Facebook page have been removed, while Mercola’s Facebook posts have been demoted, which means fewer people will see them. Tenpenny and Mercola still have Instagram accounts.

Part of the challenge may be that these doctors sometimes present scientific opinions that aren’t mainstream but are viewed as potentially valid by some of their colleagues.

“It can be difficult to prove that what is being said is outside the range of scientific and medical consensus,” said Caplan. “The doctors who were advising Trump — like Scott Atlas — recommended herd immunity. That was far from the consensus of epidemiologists, but you couldn’t get a board to take his license away because it was a fringe opinion.”

Even if these physicians don’t face consequences, it is likely, experts said, that the public health will.

“Medical misinformation doesn’t just result in people making bad personal and community health choices, but it also divides communities and families, leaving an emotional toll,” said Moran, the University of Washington researcher. “Misinformation narratives have real sticking power and impact people’s ability to make safe health choices.”

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

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stephenmccull · 3 years ago

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Will ‘Dr. Disinformation’ Ever Face the Music?

Earlier this month, Dr. Rashid Buttar posted on Twitter that covid-19 “was a planned operation” and shared an article alleging that most people who got the covid vaccine would be dead by 2025.

But leaders of professional medical organizations increasingly are calling for that to change and urging medical oversight boards to take more aggressive action.

Confidentiality laws in 13 states prevented those boards from sharing information about complaints.

Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, said social media platforms often don’t consistently apply their rules against spreading misinformation.

Part of the challenge may be that these doctors sometimes present scientific opinions that aren’t mainstream but are viewed as potentially valid by some of their colleagues.

Even if these physicians don’t face consequences, it is likely, experts said, that the public health will.

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This story can be republished for free (details).

Will ‘Dr. Disinformation’ Ever Face the Music? published first on https://smartdrinkingweb.weebly.com/

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covid19updater · 3 years ago

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COVID19 Updates: 08/02/2021

Malaysia: #COVID19 Malaysia recorded 15,764 new positive cases with 219 deaths.

India: India's drug regulator said that Johnson & Johnson withdrew its proposal seeking accelerated approval of its #Covid19 vaccine in the country, without giving additional details

UAE: UAE rolls out Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine to children aged 3-17 LINK

Minnesota: Cluster of COVID-19 cases tied to camp in western Minnesota LINK

New York: NEW YORK GOVERNOR CUOMO SAYS IF COVID-19 NUMBERS DON'T COME DOWN SHOULD CONSIDER MANDATORY VACCINES FOR NURSING HOME WORKERS, TEACHERS, ALL HEALTHCARE WORKERS

China: *MILLIONS LOCKED DOWN IN CHINA IN WORST COVID OUTBREAK SINCE WUHAN AS DELTA VARIANT SPREADS LINK

Australia: Australian socialite gave the Delta strain to SIXTY people in a single weekend despite being fully vaccinated Anthony Hess celebrated dropping of Covid restrictions with a weekend bender He has two Moderna jabs but still spread the virus to at least 60 people at parties LINK

World: A former senior advisor on SARS has accused the World Health Organisation (WHO) of covering up its own evidence proving the airborne transmission of COVID-19, since the earliest days of the global pandemic. LINK

Poland: Poland is stepping up security at vaccination points following two arson incidents overnight in a single town and an attempt by anti-vaccine activists to break into another. “These incidents are recurring unfortunately,” Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters;

World: Increased risk of acute myocardial infarction the first two weeks following COVID-19 LINK

RUMINT (US): WH official this am: “Biden lockdown speech being drawn up this week…they’re planning to make it sound like one of the most solemn in history, real Bush on the night of 9/11 type stuff. Would start stocking up if I were y’all”

Louisiana: LATEST: At least one COVID-19 patient was checked in every hour Monday morning at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge, LA, hospital officials tell WBRZ. Our Lady of the Lake Hospital is among 45 hospitals in the state requesting extra staff.

US: Why the U.S. Is Underestimating COVID Reinfection LINK

US: Two US Navy Sailors Die from COVID-19 Complications After Hospitalization LINK

California: Hundreds of staffers at two San Francisco hospitals test positive for COVID LINK

NYC: Today’s #COVID19 indicators: • 98 new hospitalizations • 1,190 new cases • 3.05% positivity rate (7-day avg.)

Germany: NEW: Germany to offer third dose of COVID-19 vaccine to high-risk groups

New York: New York officials recommended masks in indoor public settings, a move that stops short of broader measures as Covid-19 cases rise LINK

US: NEW POLL: 6 in 10 say federal agencies giving mixed messages about COVID-19 risks LINK

Colorado: LATEST: Denver is mandating vaccinations for city employees and those in high-risk jobs like first responders, correctional workers and school personnel. The mandate also applies to staff at long-term care facilities, shelters and hospitals.

Zimbabwe: District leaders in Buikwe have raised concern over the practice of exhuming dead bodies of suspected #COVID19 patients with the intent to perform rituals. #NBSLiveAt9

Arkansas: NEW: 168 students and 3 teachers in quarantine after first week of school in Marion, Arkansas due to positive cases and possible exposure to Covid-19.

US: New: Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham announces he has a breakthrough case of Covid-19, saying he started to experience symptoms Saturday night and will be quarantining for ten days.

California: Seven Bay Area counties as well as Berkeley just announced new mandates due to the COVID-19 delta variant.

Arkansas: #BREAKING: Arkansas health official reports 81 additional patients admitted to hospital due to #COVID19 in the last 24 hours, the largest single-day hospitalization increase since the pandemic began. Total hospitalizations now: 1,220. #ARNews

Oklahoma: #Oklahoma #Covid19 3,269 NEW CASES 15 new deaths

US: * HOME DEPOT - REQUIRE TO WEAR A MASK WHILE INDOORS AT ALL U.S. HOME DEPOT STORES, DISTRIBUTION CENTERS, OFFICE LOCATIONS & CUSTOMERS’ HOMES/BUSINESSES

US: BREAKING: Number of Americans hospitalized with COVID-19 tops 50,000, highest since February

Colombia: "Everyone has to be vaccinated, if not, they cannot circulate in the municipality of Sucre," said Mayor Elvira Julia Mercado, as she ordered Covid-19 vaccine refusniks in her Colombian town to stay at home or face a fine, or even prison LINK

Arkansas: There are 42 new COVID-related deaths in Arkansas August 2. This is the highest number of deaths in one day since February 9, according to data from the ADH.

World: New data from Sweden provide the strongest evidence to date that COVID-19 is an independent risk factor for acute myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke. LINK

Louisiana: BREAKING: Number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Louisiana reaches all-time high

US: NEW: Kaiser Permanente, one of the nation’s largest health care providers, will require all of its physicians and employees to get vaccinated against Covid-19 by the end of September

US: BREAKING: U.S. reports 138,138 new coronavirus cases as many states dump weekend backlog, an increase of 53% from last week

World: The CDC has added 16 destinations to its "very high" Covid-19 risk level, including Greece, Ireland and the US Virgin Islands LINK

Indiana: JUST IN: Appeals court sides with Indiana University over requirement that all students be vaccinated against COVID-19 or wear masks LINK

Louisiana: Children make up more than 2,000 of the new COVID-19 cases reported in Louisiana LINK

Iran: Iran’s health minister has called for two weeks of lockdowns enforced by armed forces and law enforcement to curb the alarmingly fast rise of COVID-19 cases across the country.

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connecticutprelawland-blog · 3 years ago

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Lawfulness of College’s Covid Vaccination Mandates

By Joe DeLollo, Wesleyan University Class of 2022

July 22, 2021

After a school year filled with many unknowns and constant change due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many colleges and universities are mandating that students be fully vaccinated before returning to campus in the fall. As of right now, that list comprises of 578 college or universities nationwide.[1] Many schools are now facing pushback from students that believe it’s not within the school’s right to require the vaccine.

Some students are taking it as far as filing lawsuits against the school due to the mandate. Indiana University recently released their rules regarding the vaccine: stating that all students, faculty, and staff must be fully vaccinated before returning to campus and those with medical or religious exemptions would need to undergo Covid-19 testing throughout the academic year. Shortly after the school released this news, eight students filed a lawsuit against the university. The students claimed that the vaccine requirement violated their 14th Amendment Rights and Indiana state law.[2]

The court ruled that it is indeed lawful for the university to require the vaccine on the grounds that the due process clause of the 14th Amendment allows the university to require vaccinations “in the legitimate interest of public health for its students, faculty, and staff.” This ruling provides support for public colleges that have imposed the vaccination mandate, however, its key legal findings don’t apply directly to the private sector.[3] The U.S. district judge assigned to the case, Judge Damon R. Leichty stated that the students’ right to refuse wasn’t a “fundamental” right that warrants the highest constitutional scrutiny. The court also stated that the university showed that it had a rational basis to conclude that the Covid-19 vaccine is safe for its students. Judge Leichty explained that the students failed to provide strong evidence that would call the reasonableness of the school’s actions into question. The plaintiffs also requested to bar the implementation of testing, social distancing, and mask requirements. The court, again, denied this request, stating that such a ruling would “expand substantive due process rights.” According to the students’ lawyer, the litigation on this matter is far from over. The group of students plan to appeal the order denying the preliminary injunction to the U.S Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.[4]

There are ways, however, to avoid receiving the vaccine and still live on campus in the fall. Many of the schools mandating the vaccine are allowing medical or religious exemptions. In fact, six of the eight students that filed the lawsuit have already been approved for exemptions.[5] Exemptions for the vaccine create another problem for schools as many of the students requesting an exemption simply don’t want the vaccine, with no medical issues or religious conflicts. Medical exemptions at most schools require a signature from a health provider, while religious exemptions are almost always based on the honor system. Nine states have already passed laws that prohibit schools to mandate the vaccine: Ohio, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Montana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Arizona, and Utah. [6]

While some people may disagree with the ruling, it is the schools right to mandate a vaccine. As previously stated, the litigation is far from over, however, it doesn’t look too promising for the eight Indiana students. Covid-19 has posed many challenges over the past year and a half, with this being another frontier to navigate.

______________________________________________________________

[1] https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/colleges-universities-covid-vaccination-mandates-facing-pushback-n1273916

[2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/kimberleespeakman/2021/07/19/college-can-mandate-covid-19-vaccinations-federal-judge-rules/?sh=705395696a23

[3] https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/indiana-universitys-covid-vaccine-mask-mandates-likely-lawful

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

[6] https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/colleges-universities-covid-vaccination-mandates-facing-pushback-n1273916

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aroundfortwayne · 4 years ago

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Masks still required in Court facilities

New Post has been published on https://aroundfortwayne.com/news/2021/04/05/masks-still-required-in-court-facilities/

Masks still required in Court facilities

Allen Circuit and Superior Court facilities will continue to require the wearing of masks or facial coverings in Court facilities.

#Bud #Allen Circuit Court #Allen County Courthouse #Allen County Courthouse Annex #Allen Superior Court #Allen Superior Court Criminal Division #Charles Meeks Justice Center #COVID-19 Indiana Face Mask Mandate #Fort Wayne Indiana #novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic

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gordonwilliamsweb · 3 years ago

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Will ‘Dr. Disinformation’ Ever Face the Music?

Earlier this month, Dr. Rashid Buttar posted on Twitter that covid-19 “was a planned operation” and shared an article alleging that most people who got the covid vaccine would be dead by 2025.

But leaders of professional medical organizations increasingly are calling for that to change and urging medical oversight boards to take more aggressive action.

Confidentiality laws in 13 states prevented those boards from sharing information about complaints.

Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, said social media platforms often don’t consistently apply their rules against spreading misinformation.

Part of the challenge may be that these doctors sometimes present scientific opinions that aren’t mainstream but are viewed as potentially valid by some of their colleagues.

Even if these physicians don’t face consequences, it is likely, experts said, that the public health will.

USE OUR CONTENT

This story can be republished for free (details).

Will ‘Dr. Disinformation’ Ever Face the Music? published first on https://nootropicspowdersupplier.tumblr.com/

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covid19updater · 3 years ago

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COVID19 Updates: 07/26/2021

Singapore: Singapore is planning to allow quarantine-free travel from September, with the aim to relax #Covid19 curbs. LINK

Japan: Olympics-Tokyo Games organisers report 16 new Games-related COVID-19 cases LINK

World: Women who have had the Pfizer vaccine are reporting an unexpected side effect – claiming their breasts have grown bigger after having the jab. LINK

Australia: NSW COVID-19 victim Adriana Midori Takara died aged 38, with no underlying conditions LINK

Italy: Mucormycosis in covid ICU patient, Italy. Note that no corticosteroids or immunosuppressants used. Patient was on multiple antibiotics LINK

California: Los Angeles County Sees Rising COVID-19 Hospitalizations LINK

Texas: Covid hospitalizations in Texas hit 4,000 for first time since March LINK

China: *#CHINA'S #NANJING CITY HALTS OUTBOUND BUS SERVICES AMID OUTBREAK - BBG. China reported 76 new Covid cases on July 25, the highest since the end of January, amid a surge of local infections in the eastern city of Nanjing, as it starts a second round of mass testing to contain the outbreak;

UK: England’s in trouble. Fewer cases when the test positivity is sharply increasing and test numbers are not (collapsed testing system?) means the epidemic is still growing.

US: Covid-19 Surge Prompts Schools to Reconsider Face-Mask Rules for Fall LINK

US: CDC is not tracking breakthrough cases of COVID-19?!? Harvard Health expert: "The bottom line- because the CDC seems uniquely qualified for the task, it's disappointing they’re not tracking all breakthrough cases." LINK

Arkansas: Arkansas churches returning to COVID policies as cases rise LINK

NYC: JUST IN - New York City Mayor mandates #COVID19 vaccine (or weekly testing) for all city employees, including NYPD and FDNY, effective from September 13. (How can you mandate an unapproved vaccine (EUA is NOT approval))

Florida: Florida's coronavirus cases rose by 61 percent in one week by 73,166, which is 10,452 daily and 14,258 most recently, as deaths rose by 282 in one week, which is 40 average daily. Also, the weekly first-time daily positivity rate surged to 17.3% among the highest since the pandemic, according to the weekly report by the Florida Department of Health released Friday afternoon. The two week increase is 118,618 or 400%.

Indiana: #BREAKING: Colts' Frank Reich tests positive for COVID-19. He's fully vaccinated and not experiencing any symptoms. "That shows the vaccine works," he said. (Sure it does)

Sweden: Swedish researchers are paying unvaccinated people $23 to have their Covid shot LINK

Arkansas: Here it is folks, Arkansas School Administrators--Folks in charge of our children's safety--have gathered in a room with no masks during a pandemic. This is a SUPERSPREADER event. These leaders are not listening to Arkansas Doctors who are raising the red flag! Not one single mask! OMG! These are the people responsible for our children’s safety? It’s going to be such a sad year.

US: On Monday, President Joe Biden announced during a celebration of the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act that his administration would take steps to ensure COVID long-haulers would receive additional support from the federal government. LINK

Georgia: JUST IN: The city of Savannah, Georgia is reinstating their mask mandates effective immediately.

Arkansas: NEW: UAMS Chancellor Dr. Cam Patterson wrote that the hospital had 66 covid patients, passing the record set in January of 63 LINK

US: Cases as bad as last summer, despite 3 vaccines. Testing worse than last summer Confused messaging on masks and boosters No FDA licensure on vaccines. Rome is burning while we ignore accountability in the present and keep blaming everything on the past. We MUST be better

RUMINT (UK): Back at work today and learned we are not going back into the office over the summer as originally planned. Work from home to continue and meetings to be held virtually until end of 2021. However this will be reviewed in September (yes there's that date again). Also pingdemic is causing massive staffing shortages and now everyone is panicking. No shit sherlock.

US: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announces vaccine mandate for 115,000 healthcare workers, becoming the first federal agency to make such a requirement - NYT

California: SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- California to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination or weekly testing for all state workers and health care employees.

Arkansas: Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) and state vaccine official Dr. Jennifer Dillaha berated by crowd with boos, groans and shouts for saying there is no medical evidence at this time that the COVID vaccines impact fertility.

US: Covid cases in US may have been undercounted by 60%, study shows LINK

New York: NEW - NY Gov. Cuomo: “We have to knock on those doors, and we have to convince people, put them in cars & drive them and get that vaccine in their arm. That is the mission.”

US: NEW: Number of Americans hospitalized with COVID-19 tops 35,000, highest since May

World: Persistent cognitive issues and the troubling brain scans of recovering COVID19 patients have led researchers to explore whether coronavirus infection ups the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. LINK

UK: No more lockdowns: UK will treat Covid like seasonal flu, says Chris Whitty

RUMINT (Florida): I just came from a week near Miami. I can tell you now very little people care about it. Its not blown across the media there either. We spent a day in the Bayside Marketplace there and less than 5% were wearing masks. We walked by a crammed packed restaurant. When we flew out saturday from Fort Lauderdale airport-- they had an issue in the checkin part of the terminal making people wait 90 minutes just to drop off luggage. It was so crammed they terminal was hot from the body heat. Over half the people had the masks only across their mouth rather than their nose. I'm just saying it doesnt matter what the evidence is or isnt-- people are tired of it and are going to move forward with whatever risk comes with it. This attitude was clearly on display at ground zero in miami.

Arkansas: Today Arkansas logged 23 new #COVID19 deaths, the biggest one-day toll since March. We also saw hospitalizations increase by 61 to 980.

US: NFL Says 83.6% of Players Have Gotten COVID-19 Vaccine; 10 Teams Have 90% or More LINK

US: DOJ says federal law doesn’t bar businesses, agencies from mandating Covid vaccines LINK (Here we go...and so it begins)

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orbemnews · 4 years ago

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How Mask Guidelines Have Evolved in a Pandemic Year A lot has changed since early 2020, when countries around the world first realized the potential threat of a highly contagious, and still mysterious, flulike virus. In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, no one knew for sure how the virus spread. People were scrubbing their groceries. Governments urged people to stay home, to wash their hands frequently and to avoid touching their face. Masks quickly emerged as a point of confusion, as public health officials at first discouraged people from wearing them, citing shortages, and then endorsed them. Mask mandates became a flash point in the culture wars as states, counties and cities across the country adopted a patchwork of policies. On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that it was no longer necessary for fully vaccinated people to wear masks in small groups outdoors, bringing the public guidance in line with a growing body of research indicating that the risk of spreading the coronavirus is much greater indoors. Here is how the public health guidance on masking in the United States has shifted since the start of the pandemic. February 2020 ‘Stop buying masks,’ surgeon general pleads “Seriously people — STOP BUYING MASKS!” the surgeon general at the time, Dr. Jerome M. Adams, wrote on Twitter in February 2020. “They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if health care providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!” Dr. Adams said in another post that the best way for people to avoid catching or spreading the coronavirus was by washing their hands often and by staying home if they felt sick. At the time, masks — particularly N95s, which are thicker, fit more tightly around the mouth and nose, and block smaller particles than surgical masks do — were in high demand, leading to price gouging. Shortages abounded in hospitals across the country. Even Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, voiced concern at the time that urging Americans to wear masks could lead to even worse shortages of medical masks, including N95s. “You don’t want to take masks away from the health care providers who are in a real and present danger of getting infected,” Dr. Fauci told CNN. On March 15, the C.D.C. made no mention of masks when it recommended that gatherings in the United States — including weddings, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events and conferences — be limited to 50 people. April 2020 A change in policy, with more mixed messaging In April, officials reversed course, with the C.D.C. urging all Americans to wear a mask outside their homes to supplement other public health measures, such as social distancing and hand washing. Masks were recommended for all people over age 2 who were in a public setting, traveling or around others in the same household who might be infected. However, President Donald J. Trump immediately undercut the message by saying it was voluntary and by vowing not to wear a mask himself. Officials said masks should be worn primarily to reduce the spread of the virus, not necessarily to protect the wearer. In April, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines joined other carriers in requiring passengers and flight attendants to wear a face covering. September 2020 Health officials speak out for masks Many officials have emphasized the public health benefits of masks. In September, Dr. Robert R. Redfield, then the C.D.C.’s director, told a Senate committee that masks were “the most important, powerful public health tool we have” for fighting the pandemic, adding that the universal use of face coverings could bring the pandemic under control in months. Updated April 27, 2021, 3:47 p.m. ET “I might even go so far as to say that this face mask is more guaranteed to protect me against Covid than when I take a Covid vaccine,” Dr. Redfield said. Vaccines, he said, are not 100 percent effective, whereas masks, when worn properly, do what they are designed to do. However, Mr. Trump quickly rejected those comments, saying Dr. Redfield had “made a mistake” in suggesting that masks may be more useful than a vaccine. The next month, Mr. Trump again undermined the guidance from Dr. Redfield and other public health officials in his administration when he removed his mask for the cameras as he returned to the White House from the Walter Reed medical center, where he had been hospitalized with Covid-19. January 2021 President Biden imposes some masking rules President Joseph R. Biden Jr. in January used his executive authority to impose mask requirements where he could — including on federal property and in interstate travel. In a series of orders, Mr. Biden made mask wearing mandatory in airports and on many airplanes, as well as on intercity buses and on trains. He also urged all Americans to “mask up” for 100 days. March 2021 The C.D.C. issues its first guidelines for vaccinated people In March, almost exactly a year since the pandemic first gripped Americans in fear, the C.D.C. said that people who had been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus could gather in small groups indoors without masks or social distancing. Vaccinated adults could begin to plan mask-free dinners with vaccinated friends, the agency said. March 2021 States begin lifting mask mandates With vaccinations on the rise, some states began lifting mask mandates. Others, including Florida and South Dakota, never had one. Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas, a Republican, lifted the mask mandate and capacity limits on all businesses starting March 10. The order ensured that “all businesses and families in Texas have the freedom to determine their own destiny,” Mr. Abbott said. Utah, Arizona, Iowa and Wisconsin did the same. The governors of Montana, North Dakota and New Hampshire allowed statewide mask mandates to expire. Gov. Eric Holcomb of Indiana, a Republican, would follow suit in April by replacing a statewide mask mandate with an advisory. Other states remained strict: In Massachusetts, for instance, outdoor masking was still required at all times, even when nobody else was around. April 2021 C.D.C. relaxes masking advice for people who gather outdoors On April 27, the C.D.C. said that fully vaccinated people generally no longer needed to wear masks outdoors, but should continue to wear them at indoor gatherings or at crowded outdoor events. People who haven’t gotten their shots can also go without a mask in small gatherings held outside as long as they are with fully vaccinated friends and family, the agency said. Vaccinated adults should continue to wear masks and stay at least six feet from others in large public spaces — such as at outdoor performances or sporting events, or in shopping malls and movie theaters — where the vaccination and health status of others would be unknown, the agency said. And they should still avoid medium-size and large gatherings, crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, officials said. A growing body of research indicates that the risk of spreading the virus is far lower outdoors than indoors. Viral particles quickly disperse outdoors, public health officials have said, so the transmission risk is far lower, though not impossible. “I think it’s pretty common sense now that outdoor risk is really, really quite low,” Dr. Fauci said Sunday on “This Week” on ABC. Particularly “if you are a vaccinated person, wearing a mask outdoors — I mean, obviously, the risk is minuscule.” Source link Orbem News #evolved #Guidelines #mask #Pandemic #Year

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aroundfortwayne · 4 years ago

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Comm'r recommends continued COVID-19 precautions

New Post has been published on https://aroundfortwayne.com/news/2021/04/01/commr-recommends-continued-covid-19-precautions/

Comm'r recommends continued COVID-19 precautions

Allen County Health Commissioner Dr. Matthew Sutter urges residents to continue practicing COVID-19 precautions during ongoing vaccination efforts.

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gordonwilliamsweb · 4 years ago

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Inmates’ Distrust of Prison Health Care Fuels Distrust of Covid Vaccines

One November night in a Missouri prison, Charles Graham woke his cellmate of more than a dozen years, Frank Flanders, saying he couldn’t breathe. Flanders pressed the call button. No one answered, so he kicked the door until a guard came.

This story also ran on St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It can be republished for free.

Flanders, who recalled the incident during a phone interview, said he helped Graham, 61, get into a wheelchair so staff members could take him for a medical exam. Both inmates were then moved into a covid-19 quarantine unit. In the ensuing days, Flanders noticed the veins in Graham’s legs bulging, so he put towels in a crockpot of water and placed hot compresses on his legs. When Graham’s oxygen levels dropped dangerously low two days later, prison staff members took him to the hospital.

“That ended up being the last time that I seen him,” said Flanders, 45.

Graham died of covid on Dec. 18, alarming Flanders and other inmates at the Western Missouri Correctional Center in Cameron, about 50 minutes northeast of Kansas City. His death reinforced inmates’ concerns about their own safety and the adequacy of medical care at the prison. Such concerns are a major reason Flanders and many other inmates said they are wary of getting vaccinated against covid-19. Their hesitancy puts them at greater risk of suffering the same fate as Graham.

Inmates pointed to numerous covid deaths they considered preventable, staffing shortages and guards who don’t wear masks. While corrections officials defended their response to covid, Flanders said he’s apprehensive about how the department handles “most everything here recently,” which colors how he thinks about the vaccines.

Reluctance to get a covid vaccine is not unique to Missouri inmates. At a county jail in Massachusetts, nearly 60% of more than 400 people incarcerated said in January they would not agree to be vaccinated. At a federal prison in Connecticut, 212 of the 550 inmates offered the vaccines by early March declined the shots, including some who were medically vulnerable, The Associated Press reported.

The Missouri Department of Corrections said March 12 that more than 4,200 state inmates had received the vaccine out of 8,000 who were eligible because they were at least 65 years old or had certain medical conditions. Officials were still working to vaccinate 1,000 additional eligible inmates who had requested the shots. The department had not begun vaccinating the remaining 15,000 inmates or surveyed them to determine their interest in the vaccines. So far, about 18% of the total prison population has been vaccinated, which roughly tracks with the overall rate in Missouri even though inmates are at higher risk for covid than Missourians generally and should be easier to vaccinate given they are already in one place together.

Missouri placed the majority of inmates in its lowest vaccine priority group. It is one of 14 states to either do that or not specify when they will offer the vaccines to inmates, according to the COVID Prison Project, which tracks data on the virus in correctional facilities.

Another is Colorado, where Democratic Gov. Jared Polis moved inmates to the back of the vaccine line amid public pressure. The emergence of a more contagious variant of the virus at one prison, however, forced officials to adjust their plans and instead start vaccinating all inmates at that facility.

Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein, prison project co-founder and professor of social medicine at the University of North Carolina, said that disregarding health officials’ recommendation to prioritize people living in tight quarters might make inmates less trustful of prison staff “when they come around and say, ‘Hey, it’s finally your turn. Let me inject you with this.’”

States cannot mandate that inmates take the vaccines. But Missouri officials have tried to encourage them by distributing safety information about it, including a video debunking myths featuring a scientist from Washington University in St. Louis.

But persuasion is proving difficult at Western Missouri, given inmates’ longtime distrust of prison management. Flanders, Graham and others were transferred there from neighboring Crossroads Correctional Center following a 2018 riot that caused an estimated $1.3 million in damage and led to its closure. Inmates were angry that staff shortages had reduced time for recreation and other programming.

Officials acknowledge that staff shortages have persisted through the pandemic. “Corrections is not the most popular place to work right now,” Missouri corrections director Anne Precythe said at an early March NAACP town hall on covid and prisons.

Flanders, who is serving a life sentence for first-degree robbery, said the prison didn’t have enough nursing staffers to check on him during a bout with mild covid in November. He said other sick inmates also didn’t receive appropriate medical attention. Karen Pojmann, a corrections department spokesperson, said she could not comment on specific offenders’ medical issues.

Tim Cutt, executive director of the Missouri Corrections Officers Association, said he’s seen no evidence that Western Missouri even had a plan to contain covid. “They were quarantining for a while,” he said, “but it was a haphazard attempt.”

Also fueling skepticism of prison health care, inmates said, is the failure of many staff members to follow the corrections department’s mask mandate. Byron East, who is serving a life sentence for murder at South Central Correctional Center, two hours southwest of St. Louis, said in a phone interview that he has begged officers — many of whom live in conservative, rural areas where masks are less common — to wear face coverings.

“As an employee, your job is to protect, and we are not able to protect ourselves,” said East, 53. “You can catch something and then come in here and spread it to us.”

Amy Breihan, co-director of the Missouri office of the Roderick & Solange MacArthur Justice Center, a nonprofit civil rights law firm, said she didn’t see a single officer wearing a mask on Feb. 10 when she visited a correctional facility in Bonne Terre, Missouri.

Corrections Department Deputy Director Matt Sturm confirmed Breihan’s account at the NAACP town hall and said it has been addressed. He said the department expects staff members in all prisons to wear masks while inside when they can’t stay 6 feet apart from others.

“Right from the beginning, the Department of Corrections in Missouri has taken covid extremely serious,” Sturm said. The department deployed “everything we could get our hands on to help either prevent or contain covid,” including equipment for ventilation and disinfection.

Still, Missouri has reported at least 5,500 covid cases and 48 deaths among inmates at the state’s adult correctional institutions during the pandemic. The department doesn’t break down covid deaths by prison, but data from the advocacy group Missouri Prison Reform showed Western Missouri had 21 total deaths from covid or other causes last year, more than any other state prison even though its population isn’t the largest. Statistics on deaths in the previous year were not immediately available.

An automatic email reply from Eve Hutcherson, a former spokesperson for Corizon Health, which manages health care in Missouri prisons, directed a reporter to Steve Tomlin, senior vice president of business development, but he didn’t respond to questions. The company, one of the country’s largest for-profit correctional health care providers, faced more than 1,300 lawsuits over five years, according to a 2015 report from the financial research firm PrivCo. In Arizona, Corizon paid a $1.4 million fine for failing to comply with a 2014 settlement to improve inadequate health care for inmates.

Despite concerns about prison health care, however, some inmates have agreed to get the shot. East, who is Black, said he initially decided against it because he didn’t trust prison health and thought about the legacy of the Tuskegee experiments from 1932 to 1972, when researchers withheld treatment for Black men infected with syphilis. But he changed his mind after reading about how safe the vaccines are.

Flanders, meanwhile, is still weighing whether to get vaccinated as he mourns the death of his longtime cellmate Graham, a convicted murderer whom he considered a friend and father figure.

Flanders’ mother, Penny Kopp, said Graham helped Flanders manage his finances and kept him from gambling and getting involved with “inmates who are troublemakers.” Kopp, a former corrections officer in Indiana and Colorado, said she understands the challenges of working in a prison but wonders if enough was done to save her son’s cellmate.

Flanders said getting the shot would mean putting himself at the mercy of prison staffers, as Graham did — and that’s something he’s not ready to do.

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This story can be republished for free (details).

Inmates’ Distrust of Prison Health Care Fuels Distrust of Covid Vaccines published first on https://nootropicspowdersupplier.tumblr.com/

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freenewstoday · 4 years ago

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New Post has been published on https://freenews.today/2021/03/24/a-top-health-official-warned-relaxing-covid-19-measures-threatens-progress-a-day-later-more-states-said-they-were-easing-restrictions/

A top health official warned relaxing Covid-19 measures threatens progress. A day later, more states said they were easing restrictions

“The continued relaxation of prevention measures while cases are still high and while concerning variants are spreading rapidly throughout the United States is a serious threat to the progress we have made as a nation,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Monday.

“It’s really very much a race,” Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, told CNN. “If we can continue to accelerate the number of people vaccinated in this country… I think we’ll be in a much better position. But you have unfortunately a lot of governors releasing restrictions, people are traveling… and this B.1.1.7 variant.”

“It could go either way,” he added, on whether the country could soon be facing another surge.

Since the start of the month, at least a dozen state leaders have eased Covid-19 restrictions. And a day after both experts’ remarks, two more governors announced plans to relax some measures.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Tuesday that starting April 6, the state’s face-covering mandate will become a state mask advisory. Masks will remain mandatory in state buildings and facilities as well as at Covid-19 testing and vaccination sites, the governor said.

Also starting April 6, decisions about venue capacity will be in the hands of local officials, Holcomb said, and customers in restaurants, bars and nightclubs will no longer be required to be seated. Six feet of spacing between tables is still recommended, he added.

In Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam announced that starting April 1, both indoor and outdoor gathering limits will increase and certain sports and entertainment venues will be able to operate with additional capacity.

“While some capacity limits will be increased, we must all remember to stay vigilant and work together to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities,” he said in a statement.

With more vaccinations, Americans going out more

Many state leaders — including those who have opted to relax restrictions — have in recent weeks expressed optimism about inching closer to the end of the pandemic, citing lowered Covid-19 numbers in comparison to the winter surge and increasing vaccinations.

So far, more than 83.9 million Americans have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, according to data from the CDC. More than 45.5 million are fully vaccinated, according to the data. That’s roughly 13.7% of the US population.

At least two states — Alaska and New Mexico — have fully vaccinated more than one in five residents, data published Tuesday by the CDC shows. In New Mexico, more than a third of the population has received at least one dose of vaccine.

Vaccine eligibility across the US

As more Americans are vaccinated, the number of people going out is also increasing, according to a poll from Axios-Ipsos published Tuesday.

Compared to a month ago, the number of people who have gone out to eat or visit friends and family are up 12 and 9 percentage points respectively, according to the poll — which was conducted March 19 to 22 and was made up of 995 Americans 18 and older.

The number of people who believe that dining out poses a large risk to health and well-being has gone down to 23% compared to 33% a month ago. Those who have visited friends or relatives — 48% — is the highest since October. Additionally, 54% have visited a non-grocery retail store — the highest number since May.

In some cases, it’s the unvaccinated who are driving the shift in behavior. For example, 52% of unvaccinated respondents say they’ve visited with friends or relatives in the last week, compared with 41% of people who have gotten the vaccine.

The good news is that safety measures aren’t being abandoned.

More than seven in 10 people still wear a mask whenever they leave the house and 80% said they will continue to do so even after being vaccinated. About 63% also said they will continue to social distance after vaccination.

Experts worry AstraZeneca confusion may lead to vaccine hesitancy

Meanwhile, AstraZeneca is soon expected to apply for emergency use authorization for its Covid-19 vaccine in the US. But some experts fear recent concerns over an announcement of its vaccine data could further contribute to hesitancy.

In a Monday news release, AstraZeneca said its vaccine showed 79% efficacy against symptomatic disease and 100% efficacy against severe disease and hospitalization in a new US-based clinical trial.

But the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said in a statement Tuesday the independent board that reviews data from multiple vaccine candidates raised concerns about the company’s announcement.

The board “expressed concern that AstraZeneca may have included outdated information from that trial, which may have provided an incomplete view of the efficacy data,” the NIAID statement said.

Speaking on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Tuesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci said the AstraZeneca news release may have contained misleading information about its vaccine efficacy — “an unforced error” that may create doubt about what is likely a good vaccine.

The data is “really quite good, but when they put it into the press release, it wasn’t completely accurate,” Fauci said.

AstraZeneca said in a statement it will “immediately engage with the independent data safety monitoring board (DSMB) to share our primary analysis with the most up to date efficacy data,” adding that it intend to issue results of the primary analysis within 48 hours.

One expert says she worries this may hinder confidence in the vaccines among Americans.

“I am very concerned because there is already so much misinformation and disinformation out there,” emergency physician Dr. Leana Wen told CNN on Tuesday. “With this amount of public scrutiny, I think every company really should be aiming for full transparency and accountability and we really need to understand what happened here.”

“AstraZeneca owes us an explanation,” she added.

CNN’s Rebekah Riess, Deidre McPhillips and Naomi Thomas contributed to this report.

Source

#health #more states said they were easing restrictions - CNN #US Coronavirus: A top health official warned relaxing measures threatens progress. A day later

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sciencespies · 4 years ago

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A Museum Curator Reports on Rapid-Response Collecting January 6 on Capitol Hill

https://sciencespies.com/history/a-museum-curator-reports-on-rapid-response-collecting-january-6-on-capitol-hill/

A Museum Curator Reports on Rapid-Response Collecting January 6 on Capitol Hill

Smithsonian Voices National Museum of American History

The Cold Morning of the Day After

February 5th, 2021, 11:18AM / BY Frank Blazich

On January 6, my wife and I watched the live news broadcasts in disbelief at the scenes unfolding on television, as a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol and interrupted the constitutionally mandated joint session of Congress presided over by the vice president to ratify the 2020 election results. Often curators like to hold off on collecting about an event until the weight of history can sift and settle; other times, we have to move quickly, or we’ll miss our chance.

On January 7, this was the farthest I could advance before reaching temporary fencing. National Guard troops were spaced every 10 to 20 paces. The shredded cover over the inaugural scaffolding was the primary indicator of what transpired the previous day.

Knowing that many objects from the day’s rally and attack on the U.S. Capitol would quickly be discarded, I volunteered to go down to the National Mall and see what I could find. With approval secured an hour later, I pulled together the usual COVID-era curatorial “field kit” for the morning’s work: tote bags, gloves, face mask, business cards, identification badge, and a mental list of imagery and objects I had seen in news footage the day prior.

As I parked along the National Mall around an hour later, I saw a scene before me of routine. Cleaning crews were hauling away bags of trash and walking the grounds picking up loose material. I could see the first protest signs sticking out of trash cans lining the emerald grass fields. My collecting approach was simple: save materials clearly related to the rally and the attack that followed. The materials, devoid of their creators and users, constituted little more than trash unless saved and contextualized. With time of the essence, however, I could not stop and analyze every item. Instead, I essentially skimmed through the mass of material to pluck out items related to the rally and to COVID-19, as well as related 2020 campaign materials.

Every potential item offered history, but also the risk of contamination. Collecting under “normal” circumstances is tricky enough, but now I contend with the danger of exposure to COVID-19. Suffice to say, I wore a new mask and carried half a dozen pairs of nitrile gloves. After placing the first few signs in the trunk of my car, I began walking toward the Capitol. I saw small business cards, handouts, and leaflets in the bushes, scattered along the ground or tossed in the trash. As news media provided live updates from the National Mall, nary a camera or person noticed the solitary individual wearing rubber gloves, a grocery tote in one hand and a pile of signs in the other, digging through the trash cans.

Crossing over Seventh Street SW, the protest-related paraphernalia increased in volume and variety. Before reaching Third Street SW, I could see two large signs leaning on a signpost. One read “OFF WITH THEIR HEADS – STOP THE STEAL,” while an adjacent sign, ripped from the post, featured a smoking skull with a blond toupee bearing a similar message, “STOP THE 2020 STEAL.” Scooping up the two aluminum signs, I crossed over the street past a row of Virginia State Police cruisers and entered the grass of Union Square just west of the Capitol Reflecting Pool.

The first large item to greet me? A wooden structure on its side with signs affixed to the base. A square piece of plywood read “THIS IS ART.” Graffiti from a variety of hands covered the legs and sides of what I recognized as gallows, sans noose. Unable to remove pieces of the structure, I opted for photographs of the graffiti, with Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia referenced in ink amongst notes such as “Where are you Thomas Jefferson?! Revolution 2021!!!,” “hang the thieves,” “hang treason,” and “God Bless the USA.” A short distance ahead of me in front of the Capitol Reflecting Pool, a man waved the “Don’t Tread on Me” Gadsden flag, and exchanged curt comments with a few people seeking insight.

Walking around the pool on my way up to Capitol Hill, a line of Metropolitan police officers mingled with an array of law enforcement officials from Virginia and from assorted federal agencies. Reaching the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial, a small crowd of maybe 20 stood in front of temporary fencing. Across First Street NW were uniformed National Guard troops, spaced 10 or 20 feet apart. The morning joggers, seemingly oblivious to the events of January 6, robotically moved along, pausing only when the troops directed them to move away from the Capitol. The battlefield of the previous day could be seen ahead. The most visible damage was ripped white material hanging in shreds from the scaffolding erected for the presidential inauguration of Joseph Biden on January 20. Stillness and an exhausted tension permeated the air.

Upon the ground were pieces of discarded equipment from an angry, invading force: signs, banners, a red bag of booklets including “The Continuing American Revolution.” An unknown hand had scratched “TRUMP” in the mud with a stick. I found a sign nearby reading “We’re Right We’re Free We’ll Fight You’ll See.” Hands full, I returned to my vehicle to drop off a dozen or so signs. For the next few hours, I returned several times to fill the trunk of my car, working automatically rather than attempting to digest the various messages and symbology of the objects. As a curator of military history, I felt contextualizing the political nature of these potential artifacts was best left to my political history colleagues. Following the sweep of grass around Union Square and the reflecting pool, the trash cans along the mall took priority.

Finding a discarded flag alongside a crumpled rally sign reaffirmed how carelessly the symbols of democracy can be discarded yet are also so vitally important to preserve.

Words fail to describe the “joy” of rooting through public trash cans in search of protest-specific detritus. But between masses of discarded coffee cups, bags of dog waste, empty cigarette packs, and empty liquor bottles could be found other remnants of the previous day. A folder filled with photocopies of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” the lyrics of which abolitionist Julia Ward Howe penned a mere mile away, 160 years ago. Flags, so prevalent in the imagery of the sixth, proved elusive. At last, a hint of blue fabric offered hope but proved instead to be a unique item, the word “PENCE” crudely cut off a banner. Farther down the mall, a small “Trump 2020” flag emerged from within the trash—accompanied by a small, mud-stained American flag. Half a mile away, our nation’s most celebrated flag, the Star-Spangled Banner, rested alone in a climate-controlled chamber, free of the COVID virus likely contaminating the material I had just collected. After three hours of walking up and down the National Mall, hands stiff from the cold, I decided to head home and report my progress to my supervisors.

After three hours of searching, the back of my vehicle was filled with an array of potential museum artifacts, big and small, long and short.

The late Senator Robert Kennedy once said, “Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events.” Museum personnel are blessed with opportunities to save a small portion of events across our country, fragments of the present to help future generations understand and interpret one cold Wednesday in our nation’s capital. The events of January 6 will be debated for ages hence. The dirtied, scarred signs and artifacts collected the morning after will hopefully serve as physical reminders of the fragility of civility—and democracy.

Please find the Director of the National Museum of American History’s reflections on the challenges of living through a historic time here.

Editor’s Note: The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History will accept a selection of the ephemera brought in as part of rapid response collecting related to the January 6 protest rallies prior to the siege on the Capitol. Materials that are not selected for the permanent collection may be made available to other museums or historical associations.

Frank Blazich Jr. is a curator in the Division of Political and Military History.

#History

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