Tag: coronavirus

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Orders (Almost) All Texans To Wear Face Masks In Public

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (screen capture)
For months, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) refused to require citizens of the Lone Star state to wear face masks when out in public. In fact, he banned local governments from doing so. But with new cases of the coronavirus hitting record numbers, Abbott has now issued a statewide mandate requiring Texans to wear masks in public in any county with 20 or more positive COVID-19 cases. From the Texas Tribune:

The order requires Texans living in counties more than 20 coronavirus cases to wear a face covering over the nose and mouth while in a business or other building open to the public, as well as outdoor public spaces, whenever social distancing is not possible.

But it provides several exceptions, including children who are younger than 10 years old, people who have a medical condition that prevents them from wearing a mask, people who are eating or drinking and people who are exercising outdoors.

The mask order goes into effect at 12:01 p.m. Friday. It immediately applies to all Texas counties, but counties with 20 or fewer active cases can be exempted — if they opt out. County judges must submit an application to be exempted to the Texas Division of Emergency Management. TDEM will list the counties that have opted out on its website.

He also banned certain outdoor gatherings of over 10 people unless local officials approve. He had previously set the threshold at over 100 people.

Without naming names or pointing fingers, Abbott’s order specifically does NOT exempt one group: “any person attending a protest or demonstration” with over 10 people who cannot socially distance. Black Lives Matter movement – he’s talking to you. Hospitalizations for coronavirus hit 6,904 on Wednesday, the third straight day setting a new record.

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Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine Shows Promise In First Phase Testing

(image via JumpStory)
  The results of the phase one testing of Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine are in and the results are promising. According to StatNews, 45 patients were divided into four groups: 12 were given a 10-microgram dose, another 12 were given a 30-microgram dose, another 12 received a 100-microgram dose, and the remaining 9 were given a placebo. The third group (100-microgram) triggered fevers in half of the patients in that group, and they did not receive follow-up doses. The first two groups (10-microgram and 30-microgram) were given a second injection three weeks after the initial dose. Fevers appeared in 8.3% of those in the 10-microgram group while 75% of those in the 30-microgram group developed fevers. None of the fevers were considered serious nor did they result in hospitalization. The vaccine was found to have generated antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19). Some of those antibodies appear to be ‘neutralizing,’ meaning they seem to prevent the virus from functioning. The levels of neutralizing antibodies were 1.8 to 2.8 times the level of those found in patients who have recovered from COVID-19. But the results weren’t conclusive in proving if the higher levels of antibodies would lead to immunity from the virus. A trial phase involving a larger group of patients will be necessary to prove that people who have received the vaccine are at least 50% less likely to become infected. That next phase of testing is expected to take place this summer. While the results of this first phase have been made public, the data has not yet been peer-reviewed or published by a medical journal. StatNews reports there are 14 different coronavirus vaccines in various phases of testing at this time. FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn told ABC’s Good Morning America four vaccines have been given authorization to proceed with clinical trials.

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News Round-Up: July 1, 2020

Craig Ramsay (photo: Nathan Cox)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Woofy Craig Ramsay (above) celebrates Canada Day in his own inimitable style as shot by Palm Springs photographer Nathan Cox. • Pink News: A gay club in Atlanta has finally decided to close its doors until further notice, after a club night last weekend led to several partygoers contracting coronavirus. A video of the party at popular gay club Heretic in Atlanta, Georgia, was circulated on social media, showing hundreds of men dancing close together without masks. The number of new cases of COVID-19 has skyrocketed in Georgia in recent weeks. • NYC Pride: ICYMI, check out the soulful performance by trans artist/producer D. Smith for NYC Pride Month. The continually creative Smith, who among other recent achievements includes writing and producing Billy Porter’s #1 Billboard Club track, “Love Yourself,” picked up the mic to soothe virtual viewers with her richly-layered take on “Bridge Over Troubled Waters.” If you like, click here to check out her latest music video, “That’s Why I Love You.”

• Broadway: Want to watch a Broadway legend dazzle on stage for an incredible cause? On July 10, theater fans will be able to watch Bernadette Peters in a never-before-seen-online concert to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The 2009 performance, Bernadette Peters: A Special Concert. will be free to stream here at 8pm ET. Donations are encouraged but not required for viewing. • CBS News: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced that indoor dining won’t be allowed to resume when New York City reaches Phase 3 of reopening next week. It will be delayed “until the facts change and it is prudent to open,” he said. • The Independent: After more than 48K new cases of coronavirus in the US were announced on Tuesday (the highest number since the pandemic began), Donald Trump repeated his belief that the coronavirus is going to “just disappear.” “I think we’re gonna be very good with the coronavirus. I think that at some point that’s going to, sort of, just disappear — I hope,” Mr. Trump told Fox Business on Wednesday.

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News Round-Up: June 30, 2020

Patricia and Mark McCloskey (screen capture)
Some news items you might have missed: • Bear World Magazine: During a time when the Black Lives Matter movement has rightfully taken up space on our news feeds, a conversation has opened up again in Bear spaces about the lack of diversity and inclusion, and the silence of White gays when it comes to the lives of Black people and People of Color. But, it’s a conversation that many White Bears still seem to not want to have. • Local10: In early April, openly gay Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy Shannon Bennett was the first South Florida first responder to be killed by COVID-19. His family was crushed by the loss. Now, they feel like they’ve been dealt another blow after the AIG insurance company denied their claim for accidental death in the line of duty. • NY Post: Mark and Patricia McCloskey (above), the St. Louis lawyers who brandished an AR-15-style rifle and a silver-colored handgun at protesters marching past their home on Sunday, are being investigated for possible criminal charges. The couple insists they were “victims” of threatening trespassers who entered a gated community. Nothing says ‘tough’ as much as a pink polo shirt tucked into a pair of khakis, no?

• AOL: Remembering back to 1993 when Mattel released ‘Earring Magic Ken,’ the accidentally gay version of Barbie’s bf that was just about every ’90s gay stereotype in a chiseled hunk of plastic. • Washington Blade: Amid concerns the iconic Stonewall Inn in New York City may close due the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the Gill Foundation announced on Sunday it will match contributions of up to $250,000 to protect the business from closure. • Twitter: This Dallas-area ‘Karen’ threw a temper tantrum when she was told she had too many items for the Express lane. She also refused (surprise!) to wear the face mask she’s holding in her hand. #smh

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Why Does The US Have Far More Deaths From COVID-19 Than EU?

L-R Donald Trump, VP Mike Pence (image: public domain/Flickr)
Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have argued in recent weeks the increase in confirmed U.S. cases of COVID-19 is primarily the result of more testing for the virus being conducted. However, that’s not true, as The New York Times explains. The U.S., which once trailed the European Union in per capita overall deaths, has now racked up many more. From the New York Times:

Most other high-income countries are dealing with modest numbers of new cases — often an inevitable consequence of reopening — and the countries are responding aggressively. Many are following the advice of public health experts, ordering social distancing, mask-wearing and partial lockdowns and doing their best to track people who came in contact with new patients.

The United States is not. President Trump and many governors continue to flout scientific advice and send mixed messages about the seriousness of the virus.

As the U.S. soars past the EU in coronavirus-related deaths, it’s worth noting that the population of the EU (446 million) eclipses the U.S. (328 million) by nearly 120 million. In the graphic below, check out how many more deaths due to COVID-19 the U.S. has suffered versus the EU. Also, Japan – which has a population of 128 million – has far fewer deaths. But wearing a face mask in the Asian country is a common practice, year in, year out.

(graphic via New York Times)

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Gilead Sciences Announces Pricing For COVID-19 Drug Remdesivir

(image via Depositphotos)
Gilead Sciences Inc. has announced that it will charge U.S. hospitals approximately $3,120 for the majority of patients who need remdesivir, one of the first drugs to show significant upside in treating COVID-19. From Bloomberg News:

Patients suffering from the illness caused by the novel coronavirus are usually given six vials of remdesivir over five days. The price, which comes to $520 a vial, would apply to commercially insured patients in the U.S., according to a letter from Gilead Chief Executive Officer Daniel O’Day posted on the company’s website Monday.

It plans charge $390 a vial, or $2,340 for a five-day regimen, for direct government purchases by the U.S. or other developed countries.

Gilead’s pricing decision is consequential because it sets a precedent for how much future Covid-19 treatments might cost. While it’s higher than some patient groups had pushed for, it was close to a level that some drug-pricing watchdogs have said would be acceptable based on remdesivir’s expected benefit.

Gilead has promised to donate 940,000 doses of the medication through the month of June.  So far, nearly a quarter of a million treatment courses of remdesivir have been made available for free.

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Broadway Theaters To Remain Dark Until January 2021

(photo: Ludovic Bertron/Flickr)
From the New York Times:

Broadway will remain closed for at least the rest of this year, and many shows are signaling that they do not expect a return to the stage until late winter or early spring.

The Broadway League said Monday that theater owners and producers will refund or exchange tickets previously purchased for shows through Jan. 3. Given the unpredictability of the coronavirus pandemic that has prompted the shuttering of Broadway, the League said it was not yet ready to specify exactly when shows will reopen.

“Returning productions are currently projected to resume performances over a series of rolling dates in early 2021,” the League said in a statement.

Among the logistical issues industry leaders are discussing with government and medical officials: “screening and testing, cleaning and sanitizing, wayfinding inside theaters, backstage protocols and much more.”

Since March 12, all 41 Broadway theaters have been dark due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Percentage Of Younger People Testing Positive For Coronavirus On The Rise

From the Washington Post:

Health officials are imploring young people to wear masks and practice social distancing as coronavirus transmission among younger Americans continued to drive record outbreaks in several states.

The pleas come as governors in Texas and Florida instituted new limits on bars and alcohol consumption to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, citing the skyrocketing number of young people who are contracting it.

At the White House Friday, Vice President Pence and other members of the Trump administration’s coronavirus task force, in its first briefing in weeks, urged young people to take the virus more seriously.

“Younger Americans have a particular responsibility to make sure that they’re not carrying the coronavirus into settings where they would expose the most vulnerable,” Pence said.

Robert R. Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said younger people are often asymptomatic or have mild symptoms but can easily spread the virus to older or immune-compromised patients.

In Oklahoma, nearly half of all new cases reported since the state began reopening 65 days ago are under the age of 35. According to the Centers for Disease Control, younger coronavirus patients (ages 18-49) made up 35 percent of hospitalizations last week.

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Florida Shuts Down Bars Statewide As Record-High Cases Of Virus Reported

(photo by Maurício Mascaro via Pexels)
From the Miami Herald:

The Florida Department of Business and Regulatory affairs announced Friday it is suspending alcohol consumption at all bars statewide, amid a surging statewide coronavirus caseload.

The announcement was tweeted just before 11:30 a.m. by Department Secretary Haley Beshears. It was not immediately clear how the announcement would affect restaurants that serve alcohol, restaurants with bars that serve alcohol, or bars that serve food.

Earlier Friday, the state announced another record of reported COVID-19 cases.

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US Breaks Single-Day Record For New Coronavirus Cases (Again)

New York state is about to drop its face mask mandate as COVID-19 cases continue to drop in the Empire State.

For the second day in a row, the United States reported a record total of new coronavirus cases on Thursday – more than 41,000 new cases – on Thursday. Five states – Alabama, Alaska, Montana, Missouri, and Utah — reported their highest daily totals since the pandemic began. Florida continues to see high numbers reported – more than 8,900 new coronavirus cases on Friday – adding to the 10,000 new cases over Wednesday and Thursday, sending the Sunshine State’s total number of cases past 120,000, according to the New York Times. In Texas, with surging numbers of new cases being reported, Gov. Greg Abbott reversed course and ordered all bars to close on Friday. He also ordered restaurants to reduce operating capacity. This comes just a day after Abbott hit the ‘pause’ button on the Lone Star state’s reopening while at the same time telling Texans that going “backward” and closing down businesses was “the last thing we want to do.” But today Abbott said, “It is clear that the rise in cases is largely driven by certain types of activities, including Texans congregating in bars. The actions in this executive order are essential to our mission to swiftly contain this virus and protect public health.” And in Arizona, there’s alarming news for those who continue to maintain COVID-19 only affects the elderly or ill. Drive-up sites in Arizona are being swarmed by people asking to be tested, and those in the 20 to 44 age range make up nearly half of all cases. In Florida, the median age of residents testing positive for coronavirus is now 35-years-old, down from 65 in March.