Still got facemasks? Good, because COVID isn’t going anywhere soon. When it comes to mask use, public policy now puts the burden of choice on you. Kimberly Mas reviews personal and community risks in this Vox video:
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White-tailed deer are carrying COVID-19. They may have gotten it from human contact during food sharing or from eating trash infected with coronavirus:
“Humans have infected wild deer with Covid-19 in a handful of states, and there’s evidence that the coronavirus has been spreading among deer, according to recent studies that outline findings that could complicate the path out of the pandemic.”
“About one-third of the deer sampled had active or recent infections, the study says. Similar research in Iowa of tissue from roadkill and hunted deer found widespread evidence of the virus.”
— “Covid is rampant among deer, research shows,” Evan Bush, NBC News
More:
“There’s a Covid-19 epidemic in deer. It could come back to haunt us.” Brian Resnick, Vox
“Is the Coronavirus in Your Backyard?”, Emily Anthes and Sabrina Imbler, New York Times
“Are Deer In COVID’s Crosshairs?” Paul Schattenberg, Texas A&M Today
“SARS-CoV-2 infection in free-ranging white-tailed deer,” Vanessa L. Hale, Patricia M. Dennis, Dillon S. McBride, et al., Nature [pdf]
Image (“COVID-Infested Deer, after Atelier Disney”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.
Republican state lawmakers in Colorado, Florida, Idaho, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Indiana, Virginia, and West Virginia have proposed legislation that allows quack doctors to prescribe ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine to prevent and treat Covid-19 which, despite pronouncements on Fox News and right-wing podcasts, they do not do. North Dakota and Tennessee have already passed such laws, even though:
” … those treatments have not proven effective at preventing or treating Covid and infectious disease experts see the bills as examples of right-wing lawmakers politicizing medicine – a trend that is increasing as the pandemic wears on in America in to its third year amid an increasingly fraught political atmosphere.
And so it goes with the latest suspect Covid-19 treatment that has become about more than just a drug, but rather about whether to trust established public health organizations or doctors who stray from their guidelines, and podcast and cable news hosts.”
— “Concern as Republicans push to make dubious Covid cure prescriptions easier,” Eric Berger, The Guardian
More:
“Republicans Are Changing State Medical Board Rules So It’s Easier For Doctors To Prescribe Hydroxychloroquine And Ivermectin,” Kadia Goba, BuzzFeed News
“RFK Jr. apologizes after condemnation for Anne Frank comment,” Michelle R. Smith, Associated Press
More:
“Thousands march on Washington, D.C., in rally against vaccine mandates,” Daniel Uria, UPI
“Anti-vaccine activists march in D.C. — a city that mandates coronavirus vaccination — to protest mandates,” Katie Mettler, Lizzie Johnson, Justin Wm. Moyer, et al., Washington Post
“Anti-Vaccine Mandate Rally Draws Misinformation, RFK Jr., and Comparisons to Nazi Germany,” Eli Weiner, Washington City Paper
“‘Defeat The Mandates’ Rally Against Covid-19 Precautions Held During Omicron Surge,” Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes
Related:
“5 Republican Politicians Freaking Out About DC’s Vaccine Mandates,” Jessica Sidman, Washingtonian
“Omicron Cases Appear to Peak in U.S., but Deaths Continue to Rise,” Mitch Smith, Julie Bosman and Tracey Tully, New York Times
“The Anti-vaccine Right Brought Human Sacrifice to America,” Kurt Andersen, The Atlantic
The Medical Director of Orange County, Florida, has been put on leave for encouraging his staff to get vaccinated. Dr. Raul Pino, an epidemiologist, emailed his staff on January 6th, noting that only 77 of 568 employees had been fully vaccinated and boosted, and another 219 had received two shots:
“I am sorry but in the absence of reasonable and real reasons it is irresponsible not to be vaccinated. We have been at this for two years, we were the first to give vaccines to the masses, we have done more than 300,000 and we are not even at 50% pathetic. I have a hard time understanding how we can be in public health and not practice it.”
“Florida Department of Health confirms Dr. Raul Pino put on leave for encouraging Orange County Department of Health employees to get vaccinated,” Danielle Prieur, WMFE
“Florida health official placed on leave after encouraging employees to get vaccinated,” Timothy Bella, Washington Post
Each household order will contain four rapid tests, which the Postal Service says will be shipped for free ‘in late January.’
Some on Twitter reported problems with orders from residents of apartment buildings with multiple units being told that someone from that household had already ordered the tests.”
“The White House says it will prioritize shipments to Americans from ZIP codes that have experienced high rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths, with the first 20% of each day’s orders going to those areas.”
“There will also be a phone number so those without access to computers or high-speed internet can place orders.”
— “The Postal Service is now taking orders for COVID-19 test kits,” Brian Naylor, NPR News
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, British/American stand-up comedian, cricketer, and former London Lord Mayor, the Monty Python character currently serving as UK Prime Minister, is well in it for a spingtime garden party at his current abode, No. 10 Downing Street. It was a “bring your own bottle” party for staff. Very plesant-sounding. So why is everyone giving him stick?
The boozy party was on May 20, 2020, during a COVID lockdown strickly limiting outdoor gatherings and imposing fines up to £10,000 ($13,715) on violators. On that same day, there were 328 COVID-related deaths in the UK.
Mr. Johnson apologized before Parliament, but “Partygate” might be the scandal that finally gets BoJo made redundant and booted from office.
More:
“‘The party’s over, Boris’: what the papers say about Johnson’s No 10 crisis,” Graham Russell, The Guardian
“What next for Boris Johnson after his party apology?” Laura Kuenssberg, BBC News
Updates:
“Boris Johnson’s staff accused of more rule-breaking parties inside No 10,” BBC News
“On eve of Prince Philip’s funeral, Downing Street held lockdown parties,” Karla Adam, Washington Post
“Met police accused over failure to investigate No 10 lockdown parties,” Vikram Dodd, The Guardian
“Nobody warned me drinks event was against rules – Boris Johnson,” BBC News
“‘In the Name of God, Go’: Boris Johnson Told to Resign Over Boozy Lockdown Parties,” Jamie Ross, Daily Beast
Updated Updates:
“Boris Johnson ‘birthday bash’ added to list of alleged lockdown parties,” William Booth, Washington Post
“London police to investigate Downing Street parties during lockdown, raising stakes for Boris Johnson,” William Booth, Washington Post
After White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki pooh-poohed the idea of mailing COVID rapid test kits to all American households and a torrent of angry criticism followed, the Biden administration is doing just that. Thank you, Jen Psaki.
There are logistical hurdles to sending out test kits besides the expense of purchasing and delivering them, however. Instead of simply mailing kits to every U.S. houshold identified by the 2020 Census or making them availible at local pharmacies or public locations, the administration is setting up a website where people must request the kits. That didn’t work so well at the beginning of Obamacare, and there’s no reason to think the rollout will be any less rocky this time.
More:
“Anger at Jen Psaki Helped Americans Get Free Covid Rapid Tests,” Robert Mackey, The Intercept
“White House making final touches for plan to mail 500 million COVID test kits: report,” Mike Murphy, MarketWatch
“White House, USPS finalizing plans to begin shipping coronavirus test kits to U.S. households,” Jacob Bogage and Dan Diamond, Washington Post
Update:
“At-home COVID tests will be covered by insurance starting Saturday: Coronavirus Updates,” Jonathan Franklin, NPR
Alexander Stockton visited Mountain Home, Arkansas, in the Ozarks, and found residents “Dying in the Name of Vaccine Freedom,” and taking their neighbors with them. A New York Times OpEd video.
“CDC warns against cruises, regardless of vaccination status,” Adriana Gomez Licon, Associated Press
Related:
“Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas prevented from entering 2 island nations due to Covid-19 outbreak onboard cruise ship,” Melissa Alonso and Aya Elamroussi, CNN
Updates:
“Cases Rise, Criticism Mounts, but Ships Keep Cruising,” Ceylan Yeginsu, New York Times
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