#Vaccination coverage during the pandemic
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
covid-safer-hotties · 8 months ago
Text
The US Government Is Shutting Down A Key Covid Website
Tomorrow the US government agency responsible for biomedical and public health research, The National Institutes of Health, will shut down its Covid-19 ‘special populations’ website.
This site hosts a huge amount of information about how to treat covid and long covid in the immunocompromised and in people with HIV, cancer and similar immune supressing conditions - so-called ‘special populations.’
The site is going totally offline.
It’s a shameful dereliction of duty by the NIH which, behind Harvard, is the second largest publisher of biomedical research papers in the world. Doctors and clinicians all over the world use the NIH site for advice and treatment ideas.
And it’s going offline during a massive summer surge of covid infections in the US, a surge that is now topping 1.3 million infections per day. (One of whom was Anthony Fauci, who was infected for the third time last week). A surge killing 750 people a week in the US. Many of whom will be precisely the type of people this website is intended to help clinicians treat.
It’s a scandal.
The message it sends to vulnerable people could hardly be clearer - when it comes to covid, there’s nothing else we can do for you. Sorry. That’s it. We’re done.
It’s so terrifying.
It also sends a terrible signal to the medical community about where we are with covid
and will be materially damaging in efforts to treat vulnerable people, both in the acute stage of the disease and those with long covid.
The move to shut the page down is premised on an entirely false assumption: that we already know everything we’ll ever know about how to manage covid so there’s no point keeping a live web resource because they’ll never be anything to update it with ever again.
This is simply not true. While we know a lot about treating covid four years in, we absolutely do not know everything, not by a long stretch. As evidenced by the hundreds still dying every week in summer 2024. And as for long covid, we know very little about how to treat it. For a start, there is no agreed treatment plan. Absolutely none. But apparently we also know so much about this disease we can start shutting down online resources dedicated to it.
Please imagine for a second if a Trump administration rather than a Biden-Harris administration was doing this.
There would be an outcry.
But this move has so far been greeted by media silence.
It is left to a few disability activists and the covid aware to shout into the social media void.
Not that this is a surprise. This is how it has been for the last two years at least, guided by the business as usual, vax-and-forget strategy. More people have died of covid under the Biden-Harris administration than died under Trump. Despite having vaccines since 2021. You’d never know it by mainstream media coverage.
Some people have written to the director of the NIH, Monica Bertagnolli, and asked them to keep the advice live and up-to-date. If you want to do this her email address is:
Long Covid Action has archived the site here
Maybe if enough people write to her and enough noise is made the decision will be reversed. Worth a try.
Overall it’s just another grim episode in the handling of the pandemic by the current US administration, an administration who, we should never forget, won power in large part due to the outrage at Trump’s handling of the first nine months of covid.
Solidarity to everyone still trying to protect themselves and their communities from covid against all the odds.
At least we can keep fighting for each other.
312 notes · View notes
dertaglichedan · 3 months ago
Text
Anthony Fauci breaks his silence with bold statement after being PARDONED by Biden over Trump COVID crimes claims
Dr. Anthony Fauci has broken his silence just hours after he was pardoned by outgoing President Joe Biden in one of his last acts as commander-in-chief.
The former head of the National Institute of Allergy Infectious Diseases spoke with CNN's Dana Bash during the network's coverage of President Donald Trump's inauguration to express his gratitude to Biden.
While Fauci said he is 'very appreciative' of the pardon, he once again insisted he did not commit any crimes while overseeing the United States' response to the COVID pandemic.
'As [Biden] said, we did nothing wrong, but the baseless accusations and threats are real for me and my family,' Fauci told Bash.
Trump's base has blamed the 84-year-old doctor for strict COVID-19 restrictions, including social distancing, mask wearing and harsh vaccine mandates that led to members of the armed forces being forcibly discharged. 
Fauci is also accused of lying to Congress about the U.S. sending money to fund gain-of-function research at the laboratory in Wuhan, China, where the virus is thought to have originated and leaked from.
*** Prison
26 notes · View notes
follow-up-news · 4 months ago
Text
Even though a record number of kids died from the flu last year, the percentage of children getting flu shots continues to plummet. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday that as of Nov. 30, just over a third of U.S. kids — 37% — had gotten flu shots, down from 43% at the same time last year. The downward trend worries pediatricians who are starting to see an uptick in flu cases. “I always have a little bit of dread when flu season is around the corner,” said Dr. Kristina Bryant, a pediatric infectious disease doctor at Norton Children’s in Louisville, Kentucky, “because children experience illness and suffering during flu season, and much of that can be prevented through vaccination.” Just over half of kids, 55%, got the flu shot during the 2023-24 season, the lowest rate in 12 years, said Alicia Budd, head of the CDC’s domestic influenza surveillance team. “Flu coverage had been slowly increasing” before Covid hit, Budd said. “Flu vaccination levels have not rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.” This year’s flu shot covers the two main strains of the virus circulating so far, H1N1 and H3N2.
31 notes · View notes
darkmaga-returns · 22 days ago
Text
By Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH
As the measles story in the US continues to unfold with reporting of a few cases here and there come in through mainstream media, I wondered about measles in Europe.
The WHO casually reported that the Europe Region had 127,350 cases in 2024.
According to an analysis by WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 127 350 measles cases were reported in the European Region for 2024, double the number of cases reported for 2023 and the highest number since 1997. Children under 5 accounted for more than 40% of reported cases in the Region – comprising 53 countries in Europe and central Asia. More than half of the reported cases required hospitalization. A total of 38 deaths have been reported, based on preliminary data received as of 6 March 2025. Measles cases in the Region have generally been declining since 1997, when some 216 000 were reported, reaching a low of 4440 cases in 2016. However, a resurgence was seen in 2018 and 2019 – with 89 000 and 106 000 cases reported for the 2 years respectively. Following a backsliding in immunization coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic, cases rose significantly again in 2023 and 2024. Vaccination rates in many countries are yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, increasing the risk of outbreaks.
Many regions in Europe have lower rates of measles vaccination than the goal of 95%.
7 notes · View notes
thoughtportal · 9 months ago
Text
COVID-19 makes a worrying comeback, WHO warns amid summertime surge
COVID-19 infections are surging globally, including at the Paris Olympics, and are unlikely to decline anytime soon, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. The UN health agency is also warning that more severe variants of the coronavirus may soon be on the horizon.
“COVID-19 is still very much with us,” and circulating in all countries, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove of WHO told journalists in Geneva.
“Data from our sentinel-based surveillance system across 84 countries reports that the percent of positive tests for SARS-CoV-2 has been rising over several weeks,” she said. “Overall, test positivity is above 10 per cent, but this fluctuates per region. In Europe, percent positivity is above 20 per cent,” Dr. Van Kerkhove added.
New waves of infection have been registered in the Americas, Europe and Western Pacific. Wastewater surveillance suggests that the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 is two to 20 times higher than what is currently being reported. Such high infection circulation rates in the northern hemisphere’s summer months are atypical for respiratory viruses, which tend to spread mostly in cold temperatures.
“In recent months, regardless of the season, many countries have experienced surges of COVID-19, including at the Olympics where at least 40 athletes have tested positive,” Dr. Van Kerkhove said.
As the virus continues to evolve and spread, there is a growing risk of a more severe strain of the virus that could potentially evade detection systems and be unresponsive to medical intervention. While COVID-19 hospital admissions, including for Intensive Care Units (ICUs), are still much lower than they were during the peak of the pandemic, WHO is urging governments to strengthen their vaccination campaigns, making sure that the highest risk groups get vaccinated once every 12 months.
“As individuals it is important to take measures to reduce risk of infection and severe disease, including ensuring that you have had a COVID-19 vaccination dose in the last 12 months, especially, if you are in an at-risk group,” stressed Dr. Van Kerkhove.
Vaccines availability has declined substantially over the last 12-18 months, WHO admits, because the number of producers of COVID-19 vaccines has recently decreased.“It is very difficult for them to maintain the pace,” Dr. Van Kerkhove explained. “And certainly, they don't need to maintain the pace that they had in 2021 and 2022. But let's be very clear, there is a market for COVID-19 vaccines that are out there.”
Nasal vaccines are still under development but could potentially address transmission, thereby reducing the risk of further variants, infection and severe disease.
“I am concerned, “ Dr. Van Kerkhove said. “With such low coverage and with such large circulation, if we were to have a variant that would be more severe, then the susceptibility of the at-risk populations to develop severe disease is huge,” Dr. Van Kerkhove warned.
25 notes · View notes
saddiedotdk · 9 months ago
Text
Tumblr media
Kamala Harris accomplishments as VP:
Cast tie-breaking vote for the American Rescue Plan of 2021.
Passed the American Rescue Plan, resulting in $1.9 trillion in economic stimulus.
Extended the Child Tax Credit through the American Rescue Plan.
Extended unemployment benefits through the American Rescue Plan.
Passed the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill.
Secured funding for electric school buses in the infrastructure bill.
Secured funding to combat wildfires and droughts in the infrastructure bill.
Secured funding for replacing lead water service lines.
Engaged with lawmakers at least 150 times for infrastructure investment.
Led diplomatic mission to Guatemala and Mexico to address migration issues.
Launched the "Central America Forward" initiative.
Secured $4.2 billion in private sector commitments for Central America.
Visited Paris to strengthen US-France relations.
Visited Singapore and Vietnam to bolster economic and strategic ties.
Visited Poland to support NATO allies during the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Visited Romania to support NATO allies during the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Launched the "Fight for Reproductive Freedoms" tour.
Visited a Planned Parenthood clinic in Minnesota.
Passed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act.
Promoted racial equity in pandemic response through specific initiatives.
Chaired the National Space Council.
Visited NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center to promote space policies.
Passed the Freedom to Vote Act in the House.
Passed the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in the House.
Built coalitions for voting rights protections.
Supported the Affordable Care Act through specific policy measures.
Expanded healthcare coverage through policy initiatives.
Passed initiatives for debt-free college education.
Hosted a STEM event for women and girls at the White House.
Championed criminal justice reform through specific legislation.
Secured passage of the bipartisan assault weapons ban.
Expanded background checks for gun purchases through legislation.
Increased the minimum wage through specific policy actions.
Implemented economic justice policies.
Expanded healthcare coverage through policy initiatives.
Secured funding for affordable housing.
Secured funding for affordable education initiatives.
Launched the "Justice is Coming Home" campaign for veterans' mental health.
Proposed legislation for easier legal actions against financial institutions.
Strengthened the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Secured investment in early childhood education.
Launched maternal health initiatives.
Launched the "Call to Action to Reduce Maternal Mortality and Morbidity".
Made Black maternal health a national priority through policy actions.
Increased diversity in government appointments.
Passed legislation for renewable energy production.
Secured funding for combating climate change.
Passed infrastructure development initiatives.
Secured transportation funding through the infrastructure bill.
Developed a plan to combat climate change.
Reduced illegal immigration through policy actions.
Equitable vaccine distribution through specific policy measures.
Supported small businesses through pandemic recovery funds.
Secured educational resources during the pandemic.
Promoted international cooperation on climate initiatives.
Secured international agreements on climate change.
Passed economic policies benefiting the middle class.
Criticized policies benefiting the wealthy at the expense of the working class.
Promoted racial equity in healthcare through specific actions.
Promoted racial equity in economic policies.
Reduced racial disparities in education through specific initiatives.
Increased mental health resources for underserved communities.
Secured funding for affordable childcare.
Secured federal funding for community colleges.
Increased funding for HBCUs.
Increased vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Secured policies for pandemic preparedness.
Ensured equitable vaccine distribution through policy actions.
Secured international cooperation for COVID-19 responses.
Reduced economic disparities exacerbated by the pandemic.
Passed digital equity initiatives for broadband access.
Expanded rural broadband through specific policies.
Secured cybersecurity policies through legislation.
Protected election integrity through specific actions.
Secured fair and secure elections through policy measures.
Strengthened international alliances through diplomacy.
Supported the Paris Climate Agreement through policy actions.
Led U.S. climate negotiations through international initiatives.
Passed initiatives for clean energy jobs.
Secured policies for energy efficiency.
Reduced carbon emissions through specific legislation.
Secured international climate finance.
Promoted public health policies through specific initiatives.
Passed reproductive health services policies.
Supported LGBTQ+ rights through specific actions.
Secured initiatives to reduce homelessness.
Increased veterans' benefits through legislation.
Secured affordable healthcare for veterans.
Passed policies to support military families.
Secured initiatives for veteran employment.
Increased mental health resources for veterans.
Passed disability rights legislation.
Secured policies for accessible infrastructure.
Increased funding for workforce development.
Implemented economic mobility policies.
Secured consumer protection policies through legislation.
Engaged in community outreach through public events.
Organized public engagement efforts.
Participated in over 720 official events, averaging three per day since taking office.
Supported efforts to modernize public health data systems.
20 notes · View notes
nanalineni · 1 month ago
Text
At least 95% of a population must be vaccinated against measles to achieve herd immunity, whereby enough of a population is immune that a disease will not spread. In the United States, the level dropped just below that, to 93% during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has yet to recover. Measles is one of the most infectious human diseases, meaning that even a slight dip in vaccine coverage can make a big difference, says Ashley Gromis, a social epidemiologist at the RAND Corporation, a think tank in Santa Monica, California.
The 95% vaccination goal also assumes that unvaccinated individuals are evenly distributed throughout the population, she says. In practice, that is rarely the case. In Texas, about 94% of children entering kindergarten are vaccinated against measles. But in the region where the current outbreak began, only 82% are. “These pockets in which you have lots of susceptible individuals helps disease start circulating,” says Gromis.
4 notes · View notes
justinspoliticalcorner · 8 months ago
Text
Gideon Taaffe at MMFA:
Last week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his independent campaign for president and endorsed the Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump. Kennedy’s campaign — and arguably his political career — was founded on anti-vaccine beliefs. However, Fox News’ coverage of Kennedy’s endorsement has barely mentioned the former candidate’s record of spreading dangerous vaccine misinformation. Fox personalities have been quick to whitewash Kennedy’s beliefs by calling him a public health advocate, citing his views on food and chronic illness. While Fox has discussed Kennedy a significant amount, the network spent only 3 minutes talking about his unfounded anti-vaccine and COVID-19 beliefs.
RFK Jr. has taken his dangerous conspiracy theories on vaccines to the Trump campaign
Long before COVID-19, Kennedy made a career out of pushing a litany of anti-vaccine conspiracy theories and spread the debunked claim that vaccines are linked with autism. He became an anti-vaccine activist with the Children’s Health Defense, where he spread unfounded claims about so-called vaccine injury, global surveillance through microchips, and censorship of vaccine misinformation. [Media Matters, 4/7/23]
Kennedy later was a vector of misinformation during the pandemic, even dubbing the COVID-19 vaccine “the deadliest vaccine ever made.” Kennedy attacked Dr. Anthony Fauci in his book “The Real Anthony Fauci,” which is dedicated to numerous anti-vaccine figures. [FactCheck.org, 8/11/23]
Kennedy has since announced he will be working with Donald Trump should Trump win the election. The former presidential candidate was also linked to “health-focused summits” with TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk. [The New Republic, 8/27/24; Real America’s Voice, The Charlie Kirk Show, 8/26/24]
GOP propaganda organ Fox “News” embrace RFK Jr.’s endorsement of Donald Trump (while still remaining on the ballot in most states), yet ignores his anti-vaxxer extremism.
8 notes · View notes
mariacallous · 1 year ago
Text
Today’s newsletter is about a recent report from the White House Council of Economic Advisers.
But it’s also about a major policy initiative that helped lots of Americans even though almost nobody seems to have noticed — and how that lack of attention has made it more difficult to renew the program now that it has expired.
The subject of the report is child care. As you may know firsthand ― or if you’ve read HuffPost’s coverage of the issue ― finding quality, affordable child care providers in the U.S. is difficult. A big reason is that it costs a lot of money to run a high-performing child care center, and the fees to sustain that kind of operation are more than many families can afford.
These problems have existed for years but got even worse during the coronavirus pandemic, when public health closures and illness-related absences reduced revenue for providers, putting some into debt while forcing others to reduce capacity or close. Those that survived struggled to hire (or rehire) workers once demand returned, in part because they were increasingly competing with retail and hospitality industries that could raise wages more easily.
The federal government stepped in by providing $24 billion in emergency assistance as part of the American Rescue Plan, which Democrats in Congress passed and President Joe Biden signed in early 2021. The money went directly to state governments, which, in turn, gave it to providers. Some used it for workers, while others used it to maintain equipment or acquire equipment. Others paid off debts.
All of this made a big difference, according to that new Council of Economic Advisers report I mentioned.
In particular, the council’s economists determined, emergency child care money:
“Saved families with young children who rely on paid child care,”
“Helped hundreds of thousands of women with young children enter or reenter the workforce more quickly,” and
“Boosted the child care workforce and helped raise the real wages of child care workers.”
These conclusions make intuitive sense. And although the council is part of the White House, its staff is composed of well-credentialed economists who have a legal mandate to provide objective analysis ― and these conclusions make intuitive sense. In other words, there’s good reason to think this Biden-Democratic initiative propped up child care at a moment of crisis, preserving access for a significant number of families.
That’s a big deal. Just ask any working parent — or any employer, for that matter. But few Americans even realize Biden and the Democrats in Congress took this action, let alone that it had such an impact.
So what happened? And what does that tell us about how politics works nowadays? I have a few ideas about that...
Why Nobody Noticed The Child Care Money
For one thing, the child care assistance was part of a larger bill that never generated much of a substantive debate, except when it came to its overall size. And it went through Congress at a time when other news stories, such as the distribution of (still new) COVID vaccines, were getting a lot more attention.
What’s more, the assistance wasn’t in the form of checks with Biden’s name on them that went to families. It was money that went through states directly to providers.
Then there’s the fact that the program’s effects consisted primarily of things that didn’t happen rather than things that did. Child care costs didn’t rise as fast as they would otherwise. Providers that would have closed stayed open. Workers who might have left child care for positions in retail or hospitality didn’t. Working parents, especially women, didn’t cut back hours or leave the workforce.
You’re not going to recognize this kind of effect unless you contemplate the counterfactual ― in other words, what might have happened without the assistance in place. And that’s just not how most people think.
What’s Happening To Child Care Now
As it happens, a version of that counterfactual may be starting to play out now, because the temporary assistance program has expired. On Oct. 1, the federal government stopped writing new assistance checks.
That might not seem significant, given that the pandemic emergency is effectively over. But the system’s pre-existing problems are still there ― and now appear to be compounded by other, newer factors, like those tight labor markets that make it even harder for providers to hire and retain qualified workers.
It takes a while for money to work its way through government bureaucracies, so it’s going to take time to see just how big a deal the end of federal emergency funds will be. Many experts (including several quoted in this October Vox article) have raised questions about the most dire predictions, which suggest 3 million child care slots could vanish nationwide.
But it’s hard to imagine there won’t be some fallout. Already there are reports of sporadic closures around the country. That includes in rural communities of western North Carolina, where a nonprofit agency called the Southwestern Child Development Commission announced in late October that seven centers were shutting down.
Sheila Hoyle, the commission’s executive director, confirmed to me by phone that the end of federal emergency funds was the catalyst that led to the closings, which in turn reduced available slots for children by more than 300. And while many of the kids ended up with other providers, Hoyle said, the new arrangements for families — at least, the ones that were able to find them — are generally less well-suited to parent working hours, came with higher expenses for parents, or both.
“We’re asking our parents to patch together programs that weren’t designed to fulfill the needs of working parents, and we need to ask what happens to that child,” Hoyle said. “There’s Grandma or Grandpa on Tuesday, and Daddy gets off early on Fridays, and Mama tries to do Monday and Wednesday, and then you take them to a relative’s house or a next-door neighbor’s house.”
“It’s all just getting by,” Hoyle added, “and just getting by is not what we intend for young children who need a good solid early childhood learning experience while their families work, so that they can succeed in school and eventually become successful young adults.”
How ‘Invisible’ Policy Creates Political Problems
The Biden administration and Democratic leaders in Congress want to do something about that, by restoring at least some of the funding, starting with $16 billion for the coming year. The hope is to attach something to a must-pass spending bill whenever an opportunity presents itself.
But it will take political pressure to round up the votes, especially given Republican skepticism of federal spending and conservative doubts about the structure of federal child care assistance. And it’s hard to generate pressure to restore a program most Americans never knew existed.
Of course, this is not exactly a new problem for Biden, or for Democrats more generally.
Programs nowadays frequently operate invisibly through indirect grants to states or via the tax code, in what political scientist Susan Mettler has called “the submerged state.” Other initiatives are more visible but, like the pandemic child care finding, have primarily prevented bad outcomes rather than creating good ones.
Those problems help explain why, for example, Democrats weren’t able to extend another pandemic measure, a tax credit for children, even though its existence had caused child poverty to plummet. It expired at the end of 2021. Now child poverty is back up, and virtually nobody seems to recognize what it accomplished or Biden’s role in initially reducing it ― making it even harder to get such a program going again. It’s even possible that the expiration of these programs is contributing to voter frustration with Biden, saddling him with blame for the end of assistance that he’s been trying to save.
Politics is like that sometimes, with credit or blame for policy falling in ways that align poorly with what elected officials have actually done. But if Biden and the Democrats lose next November, the chances of meaningful new investments in child care — and plenty of other, similar needs — will be even lower than they are now.
32 notes · View notes
readingsquotes · 5 months ago
Text
At the last minute, Harris added expanding Medicare to cover some home care and addressing the high costs of ambulance rides, into her platform. But it was too little, too late. (Notably, Harris backed Medicare for All during her 2020 campaign.)
“I think the result of elections around the world have shown that ‘back to normal’ messaging was ineffective, with many incumbent governments losing office in large part due to a failure in acknowledging people’s pain and providing real plans to help people in the long term,” said Tran.
Trump’s brand of economic populism appealed to voters who are hoping for something different. But if things were already bad when it comes to health care, public health agencies, and health research, they are bound to get worse over the next four years. 
“A second Trump presidency will erode essential public health and health care infrastructure, increase distrust in science and public health, and will put many people at greater risk of death and serious illness,” Tran warned.
Though Trump is no longer saying he necessarily wants to repeal the ACA—and is in fact now taking credit for “saving” it (um, OK), he can still do a ton of damage to this important health insurance program. For example, Democrats are worried about a looming expiration to ACA deductible subsidies, which make coverage possible for many, and fewer protections for people with preexisting conditions (that is to say: most people) who could not get health care before Obamacare outside of employer-sponsored plans. 
Beyond that, Trump says he’ll let Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “go wild on health” and plans to give him a high-level Cabinet role, perhaps leading the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy, who has zero health experience (and who once suffered from a literal brain worm) is a notorious anti-vaxxer—so much so that his views got him kicked off Facebook. An HHS under his watch would surely limit access to vaccines, leading to outbreaks of diseases we thought we left behind in the twentieth century. Even if he is unable to outright ban vaccines, his efforts would surely stigmatize and discourage them. In a time when we still need a durable, variant-proof Covid vaccine and bird flu threatens to become a new pandemic, the outcome will be devastating.
“All of the policies which make the U.S. more vulnerable to Covid will also make the U.S. less prepared for future pandemic threats like bird flu because to prevent them we need health agencies that are competent, objective, and transparent; wide access to prevention and treatment tools; and strong trust in science and public health information, all of which will be under attack by the new administration,” said Tran.
Kennedy has also pledged to cut funding to the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control, and National Institutes of Health, which means more public health disruptions such as listeria outbreaks, as well as inaccurate or absent public messaging about current and future diseases, and less funding for biomedical research to help us understand and treat diseases affecting millions of Americans. 
2 notes · View notes
covid-safer-hotties · 4 months ago
Text
Also preserved in our archive
By Bill Shaw
The latest wastewater surveillance data show that the COVID-19 pandemic has entered its tenth wave in the United States. Last week’s spike in wastewater was the highest percentage increase in transmission in almost three years, though these figures could be revised downwards and the full severity of the wave will only become clear in the coming weeks. One reason for the rapid jump appears to be a later start for the “winter surge” than is typical, and thus the virus could be quickly rising to a level that has now become typical for this time of year.
The Pandemic Mitigation Collaborative (PMC) model estimates that 1.6 percent of Americans are presently infected and capable of transmitting the virus to others. That is 1 in 64 people and represents nearly 750,000 new COVID-19 cases per day. That means that on a flight of 100 people, there is an 80 percent chance that at least one person is infectious; on a flight of 300 people that rises to a 99 percent chance.
This level of transmission exceeds the levels for 73 percent of the duration of the pandemic to date. Given the known incidence of Long COVID, the current levels of transmission are generating an estimated 200,000 new cases of Long COVID per week.
Not a word about this latest COVID-19 wave has been uttered by the Biden administration or any major outlet in the corporate media. The entire political establishment is in agreement on the need to enforce the pro-corporate policy of “forever COVID,” in which the working class and broad layers of society as a whole are condemned to unending waves of mass infection, death and debilitation with Long COVID.
The PMC model projects that the current winter surge could peak between New Year’s Day and January 7. Because COVID-19 transmission followed a completely different pattern in 2024 than any other year of the pandemic, it is more difficult to forecast transmission during the current surge. This year’s summer surge was unusually late and sustained, while also declining abnormally rapidly, and the lull between the summer and winter surges was atypically long.
The latest data on test positivity and emergency department visits from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show both these indicators on the increase. Hospitalizations and deaths are typically lagging indicators, and although they have not yet increased, they are likely to rise as well in the coming week or two.
The new XEC variant continues to increase as a percentage of COVID-19 infections, now estimated at 44 percent, compared to 33 percent a week ago. It is now the most common variant, having surpassed the KP3.1.1 variant per the most recent data.
Given the total absence of governmental support for the renovation of infrastructure to ensure that indoor air is purified in public spaces, the only defenses against COVID-19 continue to be vaccines and non-pharmaceutical measures, such as social distancing and masking. Vaccination additionally protects against the most adverse outcomes of COVID-19, including death and hospitalization, while providing moderate protection against Long COVID.
Unfortunately, misinformation coupled with the potential expense of paying for a costly vaccine have resulted in extremely low vaccination rates for COVID-19. Per the latest CDC data, only 21.0 percent of American adults reported that they have received the latest vaccine released at the beginning of the Fall. Coverage of children is even worse at 10.6 percent, or approximately half the rate of adults.
Dr. Alexander Sloboda, medical director of immunizations for the Chicago Department of Public Health, said:
There’s still a lot of misinformation, disinformation, particularly around the COVID vaccine, so just trying to overcome the misinformation, disinformation that’s out there with correct information is what we’re trying to do. Obviously, it’s a kind of an uphill battle.
In another development this week related to the science of COVID-19 treatment, a study from 2020 that purported to show that hydroxychloroquine was an effective treatment was finally retracted. According to the journal’s retraction notice, the paper was pulled because of ethical transgressions and major flaws in methodology.
Even though numerous scientists immediately spotted and exposed the flaws of the study, it took four years of campaigning before the journal editors finally relented and retracted the paper this month. In fact, a lead author on the study, Didier Raoult, at one point threatened legal action against the whistleblowers who challenged the study. One of the journal editors was a co-author of the study, likely a factor in the long time period between the paper being discredited and it being retracted.
The scientific discourse over the study included subsequent identification of additional serious methodological flaws in 2023. Recently, three of the study’s authors wrote a letter to the journal requesting a retraction, acknowledging that no confidence could be placed in the “results” and stating explicitly that they no longer wished to be associated with the paper.
Notably, Raoult has so far had 28 papers retracted, including this one. Raoult leads the French Hospital Institute of Marseille Mediterranean Infection (IHU). Overall, 32 papers authored by IHU members, including Raoult, have been retracted. Investigations are underway on at least 100 more papers by this group, mostly due to concerns that the studies violated ethical standards.
The discredited hydroxychloroquine study spawned massive misinformation promoting the drug as a treatment for COVID-19. The most infamous episodes involved then-President Donald Trump, who in a period of two months in 2020 made 11 tweets about unproven therapies for COVID-19 and mentioned them 65 times in White House briefings. Trump repeatedly referenced this now-retracted study, even after it had been discredited. During that time, purchases of hydroxychloroquine on Amazon surged by 200 percent.
With Trump returning to the presidency and having nominated a slate of anti-science quacks to every public health-related leadership position in the federal government—overseen by the notorious purveyor of anti-vaccine disinformation Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.—the working class must heighten its vigilance against medical misinformation and follow the advice of principled scientists. Any one of Trump’s nominees is damaging, but collectively it will be catastrophic when their pseudo-science becomes official policy.
Official policy under Biden already is criminally permitting the pandemic to continue to cause death and disability virtually unchecked. The constant emergence of new variants, including at least three major new variants this year alone, is a product of the dismantling of public health measures to contain the virus. Protecting the public’s health requires more than just vigilance. The working class must organize on its own political program to replace capitalism with socialism, a social system that prioritizes human health over private profit.
157 notes · View notes
broadlyepi · 1 year ago
Text
MMWR Booster #7: Progress Toward Measles and Rubella Elimination — India, 2005–2021
Top 5 Takeaways
Increased Vaccine Coverage: From 2005 to 2021, coverage with the first dose of a measles-containing vaccine (MCV) increased from 68% to 89%, and the second dose from 27% to 82%.
Decline in Disease Incidence: Measles and rubella incidence decreased by 62% and 48% respectively during 2017–2021.
Implementation of National Strategies: This includes the introduction of the rubella-containing vaccine (RCV) in 2017 and large-scale supplementary immunization activities (SIAs).
Challenges During COVID-19: The pandemic led to a decrease in routine vaccination coverage and challenges in surveillance sensitivity.
Future Goals: The “Roadmap to Measles and Rubella Elimination in India by 2023” aims to intensify efforts towards eliminating these diseases with a focus on district-level implementation.
link to full summary: BroadlyEpi.com
Enjoying these summaries? Check back every day at 8am and 4pm Pacific Time (UTC - 8) for a new MMWR Booster. A reblog would also be greatly appreciated, and thanks to everyone who already has! BroadlyEpi hopes to make Epidemiology and Public Health more approachable to anyone who's interested.
4 notes · View notes
stevecarell600 · 19 days ago
Text
Commercial Drone Market Size, Share, Growth Analysis & Competitive Dynamics by 2032
The global commercial drone market was worth about USD 13.86 billion in 2024, and it's expected to grow rapidly reaching around USD 65.25 billion by 2032. This means the market will grow at a strong rate of 20.8% every year between 2025 and 2032.
Drones, also called unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are flying machines equipped with cameras and sensors. Today, businesses from different industries are increasingly using drones because of their many benefits in tasks like delivery, mapping, monitoring, surveillance, and even passenger transport like air taxis. On top of that, many companies are investing heavily in drone technology and startup businesses to expand their drone services. All these factors together are driving the fast growth of the commercial drone market, according to a report by Fortune Business Insights titled “Commercial Drone Market, 2025-2032.”
Know More Information:
https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/commercial-drone-market-102171
Tumblr media
List of Major Key Players Mentioned in the Report:
3D Robotics, Inc. (U.S.)
Aeronavics Ltd. (New Zealand)
AeroVironment Inc. (U.S.)
Autel Robotics (China)
Ehang Holdings Limited (China)
FLIR Systems, Inc. (U.S.)
Teal Drones (U.S.)
Holy Stone (China)
Intel Corporation (U.S.)
AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. (U.S.)
Parrot Group (France)
PrecisionHawk, Inc. (U.S.)
Skydio, Inc. (U.S.)
SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (China)
Yuneec Holding Ltd (China)
Segments:
Small Drones Under 2kg are Most Popular
When it comes to weight, drones are divided into three types — less than 2kg, between 2kg to 25kg, and between 25kg to 150kg. Among these, the smaller drones (under 2kg) were the most popular in 2022. This is because lightweight drones are widely used in photography, filmmaking, mapping, inspections, and surveys.
Remote Controlled Drones are in High Demand Because They’re Easy to Use
Based on technology, drones are categorized as fully autonomous (self-flying), semi-autonomous, and remote operated (controlled by humans). In 2022, remote-operated drones dominated the market because they are simple to use and cost less than other advanced types.
Hardware Segment Leads Due to Rising Use of Medical Drones
In terms of components, the market is divided into hardware (physical parts like engines, cameras, and frames) and software (programs and controls). In 2022, hardware accounted for the biggest share, mainly because medical drones were heavily used during the COVID-19 pandemic to deliver medicines and vaccines, especially in remote areas.
Drones for Filming & Photography are Most in Demand
Looking at how drones are used, the most common purpose in 2022 was for filming and photography. This is largely because many affordable and high-quality drones like DJI Mavic 2 Zoom, PowerVision PowerEgg, and Autel EVO II are easily available in the market, encouraging more people and businesses to use them.
Market by Region
Geographically, the drone market is spread across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World.
Report Coverage:
This report gives a clear picture of what’s driving the growth of the commercial drone market, what challenges it’s facing, and what future opportunities and risks lie ahead. It breaks down the market into different segments and regions to help understand how each part is performing. The report also highlights how much market share each segment and region holds. Additionally, it covers the latest activities, innovations, and strategies of the leading companies in the drone industry.
Drivers and Restraints:
How Technology is Helping the Drone Market Grow
New advancements in technology — like better cameras, processors, mobile hardware, and computing systems — have made commercial drones much smarter and more capable. These upgrades now allow businesses to use drones for things like measuring distances, areas, and volumes more accurately.
Because of this, many companies around the world are looking to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) with their drones. These smart technologies help them analyze large amounts of data quickly and get more accurate results, which is boosting the demand for drones.
Challenges Slowing Down the Market
However, there are still some challenges holding the market back. These include:
A shortage of skilled drone pilots
Lack of proper infrastructure to support drone operations
Different air traffic rules in different countries, making it hard to manage drones smoothly everywhere
These factors could slow down the growth of the drone market in the coming years.
Regional Insights of the Commercial Drone Market
In 2022, North America held the largest share of the commercial drone market. This was mainly because the U.S. is home to many top drone manufacturing companies and there’s a growing use of drones across different industries. In fact, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there were about 872,694 registered drones in the U.S. by May 2021.
In Europe, the commercial drone market is expected to grow well in countries like France, the U.K., and Germany. This is due to the increasing use of drones in various business activities.
Meanwhile, the Asia Pacific region is also set to see strong growth in the coming years. This is because more drone manufacturers and operators are emerging in countries like China, Japan, and India. Additionally, governments and companies in this region are investing heavily in drone technology, which is further driving market growth.
Competitive Landscape:
Big Companies are Teaming Up to Grow Their Market Share
Top companies in the drone industry are always looking for smart ways to increase their profits and stay ahead of the competition. One common strategy is partnering with other companies to develop new products or improve existing technologies.
For example, in October 2021, FIXAR — a well-known commercial drone manufacturer — partnered with Paras Aerospace to sell its drones in India. This exclusive partnership allows FIXAR to offer its advanced and affordable drones, like the FIXAR INDOOR and FIXAR 007, to Indian customers. Collaborations like these help companies expand their reach and meet the growing demand for drones in different parts of the world.
Key Industry Development:
February 2022 – Zain Group, a telecom company from Kuwait, has signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia to work together on developing drone technology. This partnership is an important step for Saudi Arabia as it looks to reduce its heavy dependence on oil and gas for its economy. Since a large part of Saudi Arabia’s income comes from oil exports, investing in drone technology will help the country create new business opportunities and support its goal of building a more diverse and modern economy.
0 notes
darkmaga-returns · 19 hours ago
Text
By Nicolas Hulscher, MPH
The study titled, Paradoxical increase in global COVID-19 deaths with vaccination coverage: World Health Organization estimates (2020–2023), was just published in the International Journal of Risk & Safety in Medicine:
Background Many reports on the impact of vaccination on COVID-19 pandemic deaths were projections undertaken as the global emergency was unfolding. An increasing number of independent investigators have drawn attention to the subjective nature and inherent biases in mathematical models used for such forecasts that could undermine their accuracy when excess mortality was the metric of choice. Objective COVID-19 deaths were compared between the pre-vaccines and vaccination eras to observe how vaccination impacted COVID-19 death trajectory worldwide during the pandemic emergency. Methods COVID-19 cases, deaths and vaccination rates in World Health Organization (WHO) database till 07 June 2023, Case fatality rate per 1000 for the pre-vaccines period (CFR1), and that over vaccination era (CFR2) were compared for all WHO regions, while tests of correlation between the percentage change in COVID-19 deaths and variables of interest were examined. Results COVID-19 deaths increased with vaccination coverage ranging from 43.3% (Africa) to 1275.0% (Western Pacific). The Western Pacific (1.5%) and Africa (3.8%) regions contributed least to the global cumulative COVID-19 deaths pre-vaccines, while the Americas (49.9%) and Europe (27.6%) had the highest counts. The Americas (39.8%) and Europe (34.1%) accounted for >70% of global COVID-19 deaths despite high vaccination, and the percentage increase in COVID-19 mortality and the percentage of person’s ≥65 years were significantly correlated (0.48) in Africa. Conclusion COVID-19 mortality increased in the vaccination era, especially in regions with higher vaccination coverage.
5 notes · View notes
digitalmore · 1 month ago
Text
0 notes
nursingwriter · 1 month ago
Text
DIGITAL MEDICINE Digital Medicine: The Impact of Covid-19 on Technology Advances COVID-19 has hugely impacted the deployment and use of digital medicine. This is more so the case given that as the number of infected individuals increase, it becomes difficult for healthcare systems to accommodate the said numbers (Islam et al., 2020). The risk of infection also increases when social distancing protocols are not observed. Therefore, healthcare providers and experts have advocated for the treatment of patients in the comfort of their homes so as to reduce the spread of the said virus. According to Islam et al (2020), COVID-19 has also led to the use of a wide range of technological devices to monitor patients for minor symptoms and, thus, avoid hospitalization or in-person visits. Wearables, mobile devices, and telehealth may contribute to big data in nursing practice in various ways. For instance, use of wearables in nursing practice can be an innovative practice in nursing. Essentially, the use of wearable technology can be effective during the present pandemic by creating a medium whereby a wide range of patients data (such as blood oxygen saturation level, lung sound, ECG, body temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate) are integrated and monitored in more convenient formats (Islam et al, 2020). Mobile devices would come in handy in efforts to help promote preventative treatment for infectious and chronic diseases, and improve vaccine intake. On the other hand, use of telehealth devices could help improve the well-being of patients by, for instance, facilitating the sharing of certain aspects of the patients vitals with other healthcare providers (Kruse et al, 2019). Although digital medicine improves delivery of healthcare services, it is important to note that there are various challenges that limit its implementation. For instance, lack of technological access happens to be a common barrier to implementation of mobile health. This is more so the case in regions or locations with poor network coverage. Yet another barrier happens to be cost. The cost of implementing and deploying some of the solutions and innovations associated with digital medicine could be prohibitive (Kruse et al, 2019). This is particularly the case when it comes to the acquisition of the relevant software and hardware. Other equally important barriers to implementation of digital medicine are inclusive of, but they are not limited to; resistance to change (i.e. among providers and staff), concerns about confidentiality and privacy of information, lack of training, language barriers, illiteracy, lack of public policy to guide implementation efforts, and technological gap (Kruse et al, 2019). It is also important to note that as Joseph (2020) suggests, one other factor that has not been prominently explored in the past is the influence of various social structural factors. For instance, in the words of the author, social structural factors such as age, gender, education level, occupation and race/ethnicity, as well as peoples state of health and their geographical location play a major role in influencing how such technologies are taken up (Joseph, 2013, p.109). There are certain strategies that can be incorporated to overcome the barriers and challenges indicated above. Solutions in this case could be inclusive of the active involvement of all stakeholders in planning and implementation efforts, training of medical staff, and integration of diverse perspectives into implementation efforts. Meaningful partnerships between players can also be established with an aim of, for instance, sharing platforms so as to minimize acquisition and maintenance costs. References Islam, M., Mahmud, S., Muhammad, L. J., Islam, M. R., Nooruddin, S., & Ayon, S. I. (2020). Wearable technology to assist the patients infected with novel coronavirus (COVID-19). SN Computer Science, 320. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42979-020-00335-4 Kruse, C., Betancourt, J., Ortiz, S., Valdes Luna, S. M., Bamrah, I. K., & Segovia, N. (2019). Barriers to the use of mobile health in improving health outcomes in developing countries: Systematic review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21(10), e13263. doi:10.2196/13263 Joseph, T. (2013). Healthcare Information Technology Innovation and Sustainability: Frontiers and Adoption. IGI Global. Read the full article
0 notes