Tag: COVID-19

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Poll: 90% Of College Students Plan On Getting Vaccinated

Vials of vaccine

Vials of vaccine
(image via Depositphotos)
Axios reports the results of an exclusive poll conducted by BeatTheVirus and Generation Lab showing nearly 90% of college students are “absolutely certain” or “probably” going to get vaccinated against the coronavirus when they are eligible. In that more than 120,000 cases of COVID-19 have been traced back to universities and colleges, getting shots in those arms represents an important demographic in bringing the pandemic under control. With eligibility opening up to all adults in the next week or so across the country, many large state schools have set-up large-scale COVID-19 vaccination sites on their campuses. The new polling indicates getting back to social activities is high on the students’ list of reasons to get vaccinated: • 30% said their top reason to get vaccinated was to resume in-person relationships • 23% said their top reason was to return to in-person events like sports, live performances or bars It’s worth noting, however, that a different survey conducted by the Pew Research Center showed the willingness to get vaccinated sooner than later among 18-29 year-olds was 60 percent.

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Ontario Goes Into Lockdown As ICU Patients Hit Record COVID Numbers

The first confirmed case of the omicron variant in the U.S. has been discovered in California.

The Canadian province of Ontario will be under a four-week lockdown due to a record number of ICU patients with COVID-19. As health experts have warned for weeks now, the new variants of the coronavirus are proving to be much more contagious and lethal. From Bloomberg News:

The order imposes restrictions on businesses and residents across the Canadian province of 14.7 million people, beginning April 3. Restaurants won’t be allowed to serve customers except for takeout and delivery orders; indoor public events are banned, with a few exceptions. Supermarkets and pharmacies will operate at 50% capacity and other retailers at 25%.

Officials said the main variant spreading in the province — known as B.1.1.7 — is 50% more lethal, twice as likely to send patients to intensive care units and three times as likely to require ventilation.

At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said regarding the new variants, “This is a new pandemic. We are now fighting a new enemy,” Bloomberg reports that half of new ICU patients in the Canadian province are under 60.

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Biden Implores Governors To Reinstate Face Mask Mandates

President Joe Biden asks governors to reinstate face mask requirements before pandemic surges again

President Joe Biden asks governors to reinstate face mask requirements before pandemic surges again
President Joe Biden (screen capture)
During an event today announcing wider coronavirus vaccine eligibility, President Joe Biden called on “every governor, mayor, and local leader to maintain and reinstate the mask mandate – please.” “This is not politics,” Biden emphasized. “Reinstate the mandate if you let it down. And businesses should require masks as well. The failure to take this virus seriously — precisely what got us in this mess in the first place — risks more cases and more desks — deaths.” “We’re in the life-and-death race for the virus that is spreading quickly, with cases rising again, new variants are spreading,” added Biden. “And, sadly, some of the reckless behavior we have seen on television over the past few weeks means that more new cases are to come in the weeks ahead.”

Hours after Biden’s speech, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a White House briefing that while the nation has “much reason for hope,” she added, “but right now I’m scared.” “I am asking you to just hold on a little longer, to get vaccinated when you can, so that all of those people that we all love will still be here when this pandemic ends,” said Walensky. According to the New York Times COVID tracker, over the past week there has been an average of 63,204 cases per day, an increase of 15 percent from the average two weeks earlier. Biden also announced he’s directed his COVID team to make sure there’s a vaccine site within 5 miles of 90 percent of Americans by 3 weeks from today. In related news, the latest Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll survey found that 71% of voters approve of how Biden has reacted to the pandemic, an increase of 3 points since February. Biden’s overall job approval stands at 61 percent with a relatively low disapproval at 39 percent.

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Data Confirms Moderna & Pfizer Vaccines Are Highly Effective In Real-World Use

Vials of COVID-19 vaccine

Vials of COVID-19 vaccine Now that the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccines have been utilized in millions of people for a few months now, health professionals are looking at actual real-world data which shows both are indeed highly effective at preventing COVID-19 infections. From the New York Times:

Consistent with clinical trial data, a two-dose regimen prevented 90 percent of infections by two weeks after the second shot. One dose prevented 80 percent of infections by two weeks after vaccination.

There has been debate over whether vaccinated people can still get asymptomatic infections and transmit the virus to others. The study, by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suggested that transmission may be extremely unlikely, as infections were so rare.

There also has been concern that variants may render the vaccines less effective. The study’s results do not confirm that fear. Troubling variants were circulating during the time of the study — from December 14, 2020 to March 13, 2021 — yet the vaccines still provided powerful protection.

In related news, President Biden will announce today that 90% of adults will be eligible to get a coronavirus vaccine within the next three weeks, which moves up his earlier deadline. Plus, the number of pharmacies distributing the vaccines will double soon.

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Thousands Attend Barcelona Rock Concert After Being Tested For COVID

Thousands attend a rock concert in Barcelona after being tested for COVID

Thousands attend a rock concert in Barcelona after being tested for COVID A crowd of some 5,000 music fans attended a sold-out rock concert in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday night after the entire audience was screened for COVID-19 before entering the venue. From NBC News:

Music fans in Barcelona hugged, danced and sang along at a sold-out rock concert on Saturday night after taking rapid Covid-19 tests in a trial that could revive the live music industry in Spain and beyond.

Some 5,000 fans at the show for Spanish indie band Love of Lesbian had to wear masks but social distancing was not required in the Palau Sant Jordi arena. Health controls at the entrance delayed the start of the concert, but could not dampen the celebratory spirit.

“Welcome to one of the most exciting concerts of our lives!” lead singer Santi Balmes told the crowd to a roar of cheers. Pre-concert testing at three Barcelona locations was carried out by 80 nurses wearing full personal protective equipment.

Attendees received the results of their tests on their cell phones about 15 minutes after being tested. The ticket price included the cost of the test and a face mask. NBC News says that by mid-day three people out of about 2,400 tested positive and were not able to attend the event. Those folks received a full refund for their tickets. The government approved the event as a sort of test to see if such health precautions could help bring life closer to normal.

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NYC: COVID Vaccination Site For Broadway Industry Workers Announced

(photo: Ludovic Bertron/Flickr)
Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced plans to create a coronavirus vaccination site on Broadway that will be reserved for theater industry workers. The mayor added there will be additional city resources dedicated to the push to reopen Broadway theaters by this fall. From the New York Times:

At a news conference, Mr. de Blasio said that in addition to the Broadway vaccination site, there would be a mobile vaccination unit to serve theater workers beyond Broadway. The sites will be staffed by theater workers, many of whom have been relying on unemployment insurance since Broadway shut down over a year ago.

The city’s plans will not change the state’s rules around vaccine eligibility, which currently allow residents older than 50 to sign up for shots, as well as those in certain job categories and with certain health conditions. Mr. de Blasio said that the sites would be set up over the next four weeks or so and that vaccination eligibility is expected to be much more broad by then.

I want to stress that last part – theater workers won’t be ‘jumping the line’ to get vaccinated. These plans are being initiated in advance of when eligibility opens up as requested by President Biden. Earlier this month, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced that arts, entertainment and events venues will be allowed to reopen April 2 at 33 percent capacity up to a maximum of 100 people indoors or 200 people outdoors. While Broadway shows can’t afford to operate at 100 tickets per performance, it’s expected that there will be some special events inside Broadway theaters throughout the spring and summer. Trust and believe – the Broadway theater community is a resilient one. Just like streaming/virtual events have become the new normal over the past year, I’m sure we’ll be seeing some exciting live theater moments in the near future.

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AstraZeneca Vaccine Found To Be 79% Effective Against COVID

Vials of COVID-19 vaccine

Vials of COVID-19 vaccine UPDATE: Federal health officials said early Tuesday that results from a U.S. trial of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine may have relied on “outdated information” that “may have provided an incomplete view of the efficacy data,” casting doubt on an announcement on Monday that had been seen as good news.

The results of a clinical trial of the two-shot coronavirus vaccine by AstraZeneca and Oxford University to be completely effective at protecting against severe cases of COVID-19. From the Washington Post:

The trials included 32,449 adult participants in all age groups, most of them in the United States. The volunteers received either two standard doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine or a placebo, at a four-week interval, the researchers said.

The scientists said the data show the vaccine is 79 percent effective against symptomatic covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and 100 percent effective against severe illness.

There were five cases of severe illness in the trial, all of them in the group that received a placebo.

The independent monitoring board specifically looked for any evidence of possible blood clotting since that was raised as a possible issue in Europe. But the board found nothing in the data that suggested there was any increased risk of clotting. Read the full article here.

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With COVID Deaths Soaring, Brazil’s President Says He’s The Victim

Former President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro

President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil (photo: Flickr/Isac Nóbrega – CC license)
The coronavirus pandemic continues to savage the country of Brazil as more than 45,000 died from COVID in the last month. But President Jair Bolsonaro is casting himself as the victim. From CNN:

In the coastal city of Rio de Janeiro, intensive care units are 95% full. Fifteen other state capitals are similarly verging on collapse, with ICU occupancy over 90% — a deluge of hospitalizations that has accompanied a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases in the country.

While Covid-19 cases are beginning to plateau or decline in many countries, Brazil is reporting record daily numbers. Just on Wednesday the country saw its largest daily jump in cases since the start of the pandemic — 90,303 new cases.

“Here it became a war against the President. It seems that people only die of Covid,” Bolsonaro, who wasn’t wearing a mask, told supporters outside the presidential palace on Thursday.

“The hospitals are 90% occupied. But we need to find out how many are from Covid and how many are from other illnesses,” he said.

Perhaps Bolsonaro should consult Brazil’s health ministry which reported 2,724 more people had died from the virus that very day bringing the total to 287,499. The South American nation is the second worst-affected nation in the world in regard to total number of cases and deaths due to coronavirus, after the U.S.

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43 Million Americans Are Fully Vaccinated For COVID

Getting my second dose of the Pfizer COVID vaccine

Getting my second dose of the Pfizer COVID vaccine
Getting my 2nd Pfizer shot today
About one in six adults in the U.S. have now been fully vaccinated for the coronavirus (including me!) according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). From The Hill:

The CDC’s vaccine tracker, which was updated Saturday afternoon, shows that 16.7 percent of the adult population has been fully vaccinated. More than 40 percent of adults aged 65 years and older are also fully vaccinated.

More than 121 million doses in total have been administered, and nearly 43 million adults are fully inoculated.

More than 21 million of the fully vaccinated adults received the Pfizer shot, followed by 19.8 million who received the Moderna vaccine and 2.15 million who got the Johnson & Johnson shot, which was just recently released.

To reach ‘herd immunity’ scientists tell us we need to reach between 70-85 percent. p.s. After getting on a “leftover list” here in Las Vegas, I received my second Pfizer vaccine shot today #GetVaccinated

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News Round-Up: March 19, 2021

U.S. flag and Pride flag

Some news items you might have missed: • Human Rights Campaign: New polling conducted by HRC and Hart Research Associates shows an overwhelming 70% of voters support the Equality Act. That support spans across all ages, races, religions, and political parties. And yet, Senate Republicans strenuously oppose the bill. • BosGuy: It’s Furry Friday over at the Boston-based blog – squeee! Click over to see which fur ball is featured this week. • Kenneth-in-the-212: Check out Kenneth’s weekly round-up of the what’s what in LGBTQ publications including Florida’s Hotspots Magazine (below) featuring their 2021 Sex Survey. The cover of Hotspots Magazine • Pink News: The newly crowned Miss Silver State USA, Kataluna Enriquez, will be the first trans woman of color to compete in the Miss Nevada USA pageant – and if she wins, could go on to Miss USA. • Instinct Magazine: A Russian man pulled off a rather inexplicable stunt while bungee jumping in Russia – with the cord attached to the piercings on his bum. • AP News: Former President Donald Trump’s Palm Beach club has been partially closed because of a COVID outbreak. A receptionist at the Mar-a-Lago club confirmed the news, saying it was closed until further notice, but declined to comment further.