Social media continues to document additional deaths and major illnesses arising from COVID-19 exposure on the MSC Virtuosa which concluded its sailing this summer from the United Kingdon. Two week ago, in articles titled COVID-19 Aboard MSC Virtuosa and Passenger Dies After Super-Spreader COVID-19 Cruise on MSC Virtuosa, we reported that there were arround 75 to 100 guests, on the MSC cruise ship, who contracted COVID-19 during a series of cruises from the U.K. We also reported, based on information from crew members on the ship, that there have been around 25 to 50 crew members who are positive for COVID-19 as well.
The number of infected guests increased initially to 165, notwithstanding MSCs promises of social distancing and constant cleaning and sanitation which would, somehow, magically tranform the ship into a safe bubble.
66 confirmed cabins tested positive from @MSC_Cruises_UK virtuosa outbreak so far & counting! Deck plan compiled stewards must be isolated some cabins next to each other! No answers to emails! No on ship trackandtrace as promised! Safe bubble? @dailyecho @DailyMailUK @LivEchonews pic.twitter.com/aqCM2AYMGo
Ani James (@anijames) September 13, 2021
@MSC_Cruises_UK there was no social distancing during my parents and father in law's cruise. After being indoors for nearly 18 months, they only booked because of your advert and the admin reiterating it was safe. Now, all three of them are very ill with Covid. @LivEchonews pic.twitter.com/mBB0ZZgCgm
Sharon Woods (@sharonmariewood) September 9, 2021
Twitter and Facebook remain abuzz with unanswered complaints from cruise passengers who became sickened with the virus. Guests have continued to complain that the ship, marketed by the cruise line as providing a safe, virus-free bubble of a cruise, has been operating at a crowded capactiy with guests not wearing masks or socially distancing.
A private Facebook group, organized for people who have been infected with COVID-19, has now beeen joined by around around 232 infected guests (involving 93 cabins with average of 2.5 guests per cabin). Since we last reported on the fiasco, there have been at least two deaths of passengers (in addition to the deaths we peviously reported) due to COVID-19, as well as several cases of serious illnesses of guests requiring emergency medical treatment and hospitalization.
These are all unofficial disease figures because MSC steadfastly refuses to act responsibly and respond to numerous ongoing complaints from its customers. Former guests have connected on Twitter and Faceebook to determine the extent of the COVID outbreak.
My mum died on Monday 20th after contracting COVID on MSC Virtuosa..
Pete Turnbull (@PeteTurnbull72) September 23, 2021
We tested positive after being on the Virtuosa lots of others too. One FB group has identified 93 cabins with pax positive on board, or within a few days. Still waiting a response from @MSC_Cruises_UK. Bet you didnt talk about that!
KT (@k8tpoo) September 19, 2021
Sadly another lady passed away today from our FB group we set up for people who caught covid on the ship she was on the late the august sailing also. She put a big fight up in hospital. MSC s lack of response is what is so disgusting. Actually saying their protocols were fine
Fifegirl (@PReidie) September 21, 2021
The latest from the MSC Virtuosa super-spreader #cruise: "Disabled Scots pensioner and wife fall seriously ill on Covid-hit cruise after death of passenger" via @Daily_Record https://t.co/fnkg4dFY7b @MSC_Cruises_UK What's the total number of infected, ill or dead at this point? pic.twitter.com/lLM7FM6jfy
James (Jim) Walker (@CruiseLaw) September 21, 2021
@MSC_Cruises_UK @MSCCruises_PR @CruiseIndustry @CruiseIndustry MSC still wons respond to any of their passengers who got covid end of August sailing. This is the deck I was on, just a few of us detective work 21 cabins on one deck with covid heading for 200 infected!!!! pic.twitter.com/0wW5QmztZd
Fifegirl (@PReidie) September 20, 2021
Passenger tested positive for the #covid virus the day before they were due to disembark MSC Virtuosa #SuperSpreader #cruise operated by @MSC_Cruises_UK / @MSCCruises_PR https://t.co/bLTgxI780O
5WA Robert Neff (@5wa) September 22, 2021
Meanwhile, the corporate offices of MSC have remained mum, ignoring its customers and speaking only to spread disinformation. MSC claims that the summer season sailing from the U.K. has been a success and its COVID protocls worked well. MSC managing director Antonio Paradiso stated at a conference at sea organized by the Institute of Travel & Tourism (ITT) that weve supported the whole travel industry as UK cruises have given travel agents the chance to start selling something again. Round-UK cruises have been a real success story this summer.
Ironically the travel conference was held on the crowded MSC Virtuosa, and was touted by the ITT as our first in-person event since March 2020 due to the pandemic. MSC Director Paradiso talked to the conference attendees on the cruise ship, not about operating smaller and safer ships, but about Rebuilding Our Industry Bigger and Stronger.
Ben Bouldin, a representative of the cruise trade goup for the industry, CLIA-UK, appeared at the conference on the infected cruise ship. He bizarely represented that the cruise industrys health protocols were absolutely working.
Chair of @CLIAUK Ben Bouldin said the figure demonstrated health protocols were absolutely working since #cruise operations restarted domestically in Mayhttps://t.co/8jHOSV0vWA
TTG (@TTGMedia) September 16, 2021
CLIA also makes the preposterous claim that there were only 50 COVID-19 cases, out of the 100,000 or so guests from the U.K., on cruise ships operated by all of its member cruise lines over the past several months this last summer. In light of the fact that there were well over 200 guests infected on the MSC Virtuosa alone over just the last couple of cruises, such an allegation is not only absurd but shows the extent that cruise lines and their trade organization will manipulate the data to try and bamboozle the public. CLIA and the cruise lines have lied about such COVID-19 data in the past (falsely claiming that cruise ships in Europe and Asia carried over 400,000 guests with less than 50 COVID cases.)
Perhaps the appropriate name associated with the MSC Virtuosa shold be the MSC Virusosa.
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The number of new Covid-19 cases in the United States seems to have peaked, with cases in states hit hard by the delta variant earlier edging downward over the last week, according to an analysis by NBC News. Its the longest sustained decline in cases in nearly three months, giving hope to some leading pandemic forecasters.
Some hospitalsin areas of the country with low vaccination rates are still in crisis mode, but overall the hospitalization rate in the U.S. has dropped, according to the most recent data from theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.
This week, Covid deaths in the U.S. topped 685,027, more than the estimated 675,000 people whodied during the 1918-19 Spanish flu pandemic.On Thursday, Florida, a delta variant hot spot, tied its seven-dayreported deathsaverage set two days before, with 376 lives lost.
Read the full story at NBCNews.com
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Are we creating a two-tiered COVID-19 society?
Those on the non-vaccinated side of pandemic restrictions say it certainly feels that way.
On the other hand, government and business officials who are implementing the restrictions for health and safety reasons say they have no other choice.
Meanwhile, sociology experts say non-vaccinated people, rather than simply swayed by politics, may have been influenced by a combination of societal health shifts that began in the 1980s and by a seemingly endless modern day flow of misinformation.
One sociologist calls them victims but with an addendum.
I think its very easy to blow off those who have chosen to be anti-vax as [uneducated, stubborn, and political], Richard Carpiano, PhD, MPH, a professor of public policy at the University of California Riverside, told Healthline.
But these are people who are victims. Misinformation has been circulated at almost a faster pace than the virus itself, and these people may have fallen victim to that, he explained.
There are also some people, he added, who still have trouble accessing the vaccine or who have legitimate reasons to not be vaccinated.
The addendum? The restrictions are needed.
You do have a choice [whether to get vaccinated], Carpiano said. Weve done the carrots and they are important, but unfortunately now we have to do more.
Restrictions on what unvaccinated people can do and what they must do to take part in activities from dining to enjoying a sports team to going to work are popping up on both local and national levels.
At TD Garden in Boston, the home of the Celtics and Bruins as well as the setting for concerts and other events, all attendees over the age of 12 will be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test (at-home tests are not accepted) as of September 30.
In San Francisco, vaccine proof is now required to enter restaurants, bars, large indoor events, and fitness centers.
Large businesses, such as Facebook and Google, are requiring vaccines or regular testing (at the employees expense). More businesses are following suit.
Los Angeles County put strict requirements into place as well, and could add more should things not improve, Dr. Muntu Davis, MPH, Los Angeles Countys health officer told Healthline.
And in mid-September, President Joe Biden announced that all employers with more than 100 workers must require their employees to either be vaccinated or tested for COVID-19 on a weekly basis. This affects nearly 80 million people in the United States.
In addition, all workers at healthcare facilities that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid funds, as well as all employees and contractors of the federal government, must be vaccinated.
Those choosing to remain unvaccinated say all these limitations can make a person feel isolated and singled out.
This is where we are headed, Ohio resident Renee Denton, who has no plans to get vaccinated, told Healthline.
Susan, who preferred not to use her full name due to the pushback shes received, works in the public health industry and decided not to get vaccinated, because she had a mild case of COVID-19 and feels she now has natural immunity.
Susan said these restrictions make unvaccinated people feel targeted as well as misunderstood.
Im not anti-vax. I just want to take it when I think I need it, Susan said.
She remembers watching with concern when President Biden announced the workplace vaccine requirements on national television last month.
I just feel like a target who is being bullied by someone who was [supposed] to bring an end to this pandemic and protect me, she said.
Since she has small children and doesnt attend events outside her home often, Susan said shes not that concerned for now about restrictions. But she does project ahead and wonder.
I guess the one thing would be that I think some cultural institutions that I might want my kids to experience might not allow us in like orchestra hall, museums, theatrical productions, she said.
It also could mean changes in how they choose vacations.
My husband and I would like to take a short vacation, and we thought about a weekend in New York City, but are not going to do that now. We will probably go to Key West or something instead, she said.
For Denton, a big impact will be dining out, something she loves to do.
The same goes for planning their annual family vacations. Now, Denton said, they will cherry-pick spots that are more open to the unvaccinated and within driving distance, since they might face flying restrictions.
Eventually, she said, we could end up in a situation where we can never fly again.
Her employer has said theyll be requiring vaccinations for all employees, even though Denton works from home for now.
Denton said, because she traveled before the pandemic once or twice per year, shed have to vaccinate to keep her job.
Shes waiting and hoping for a religious exemption to come. Otherwise, she said, she could be out of a job.
Susan is weighing whether she will quit her job or get vaccinated when vaccine mandates arrive. Shes leaning toward quitting.
She believes the restrictions now being implemented at the workplace, businesses, and entertainment venues are too severe.
There are people like me who have been completely ostracized, the Minnesota resident said. Its become so political. People want to put you in a camp. They hear youre unvaccinated and they automatically assume youre [a right wing Republican]. Well, thats not me.
Denton wonders if vaccinations will even help get the world out of the pandemic.
Its just going to create division, thats all, she said. I think anyone who wants to be vaccinated is at this point.
Experts grapple with the need to protect the fragile and young but also point out that, while it may be infuriating to some, everyone who is unvaccinated doesnt hold identical beliefs.
They also note that recent history may have helped push the United States toward this moment.
Jennifer Reich, PhD, is a professor of sociology at the University of Colorado at Denver and the author of Calling the Shots: Why Parents Reject Vaccines.
Reich sees part of the divide as historical, driven by the nations push for personal healthcare responsibility that came in full swing during the 1980s.
When you put it in historical context and ask what is the boundary between community responsibility and personal freedom, you can see some interesting things, Reich told Healthline.
Health, she pointed out, has become very much a personal responsibility. Jogging was a first push toward it. So were things like tracking your own BMI and weight.
Theres even a booming industry around it: fitness trackers are plentiful and seem to be on the wrist of just about everyone you pass now. Many closely count how many steps theyve taken in a day.
To a point, it has worked in helping people embrace healthier living. But, Reich said, it has also heightened the feeling of personal choice around medicine, something people might not have seen in other vaccination eras, such as the emergence of the polio vaccine in the 1950s.
You have to sympathize with this, Reich said, because we have totally individualized the responsibilities of health.
The challenge with that, she noted, is public health [as a whole] sold personal responsibility, not community good. [People who are choosing not to vaccinate for personal reasons] are not making that up. We sold it.
Now, she said, with a highly infectious disease at play, that personal focus does not work.
When the polio vaccine first arrived, she said, vaccinations for children were not mandated at first. So, wealthier and more connected families got access quickly. Those with less did not.
So, Reich said, mandates were put in place with federal funding to even the field. It worked.
But this pandemic, she said, is the first time in U.S. history that adults are being asked to take part in a community solution and are being pushed to do so via restrictions.
Clearly, we dont have a culture set up for this, she said.
Dr. Mary Tipton is on the front line of patient care. With a busy practice in Utah, she treats thousands of people. Her goal is for every one of her patients who dont have medical restrictions to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
But she feels restrictions are the wrong move.
The risk I see with running with mandates is they become even more in opposition, Tipton told Healthline. When you push something on someone like this, they push back. They think, I may as well take a stand, and they dig their heels in.
Tipton believes a personal one-on-one approach works best and can come from a trusted source, such as a medical professional.
She recently spoke with about 150 Air Force members. Many, she said, are upset at the notion that they may be forced to take the vaccine or lose their positions.
They are really good people and when you sit down with them, youll see theyve put great thought into this, she said.
They told her they feel the public sees them as ignorant, something that is hurtful and wrong in their point of view.
And soon, she said, theyll feel ostracized in the most visible way by losing their jobs.
Her hope? That more unvaccinated people find a chance to speak with someone they trust and weigh what they think with what they may learn.
Will it work? Tipton isnt sure. She noted that, should workplace vaccine requirements come to her area, she may lose employees over it.
I dont think this is a high yielding policy, she said.
Mandates are not going away, according to those overseeing them.
While Los Angeles County has imposed among the most restrictive rules, they are not adverse to the idea of placing even stricter rules should the need arise.
We will continue to monitor the situation as we move into the winter months and hope no additional requirements will be needed, Davis said.
But, if they are, we [in Los Angeles] county must use every available tool to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to continue to save lives in the months ahead, while also keeping schools open and safe and protecting our economy from damage, he added.
That means, said Carpiano, society will have some adjusting to do.
No matter how optimal a policy is, its not going to be [well-received] by everyone, he said. Thats reality.
Also reality, he said, is the fact that people are dying.
The fact is, we are in a major crisis, he said. COVID is the number three cause of death now and were not getting out of it easily. This is going to be our new reality. Thats the hard truth of it.
And while Carpiano feels for those like Susan, he said, he hopes people realize the power of greater good.
Even work mandates, Carpiano said, fit that greater good need.
Those who say [a vaccine mandate for work] is overstepping? I say it is showing employees that their health and safety is important. Isnt that why unions were formed? he said.
Jamie West, a resident of South Dakota who is waiting with hope on a religious exemption, told Healthline she sees this as a fight for freedom.
A last stand of sorts. If we cant hold onto this freedom of sovereignty of ourselves, what will we have left?, she said.
Carpiano hopes that sociologists and society at large study this pandemic, learn from it, and push for change.
First up, he said, is looking at the spread of misinformation via social media that he believes impacted peoples decisions.
Social media is a bit of the Wild West, he said. The extent to which misinformation can undermine public health decisions is one we need to look closely at.
He also hopes we look at federalism versus local action, and how the country can better respond to things, such as a pandemic.
A hurricane is one thing, Carpiano said. Its regionalized. Its a clear situation, and we can take action. But when something hits the entire nation like this and in unique ways in different parts? We have to learn how to respond as a whole to something that looks different in many places.
We also have to figure out what motivates people.
We tried, he said. And even after seeing loved ones die, people still decided not to get vaccinated. Im not sure what motivation we can find beyond that.
Reich hopes more people come to the conclusion to get vaccinated.
With freedom comes responsibility, she said. Thats the reality.
Here is the original post:
COVID-19 Restrictions Isolating the Unvaccinated - Healthline
Coronavirus delta variant. (File/Getty)
(StudyFinds) One protein which scientists say sends out the do not eat me signal to the human immune system may be responsible for people having more severe cases of COVID-19.
Researchers from the University of Kent have discovered that higher levels of this protein on the surface of infected cells may be blocking the immune system from doing its job.
Although many patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19 will only develop mild symptoms, others will experience severe and life-threatening reactions. COVID-19 is already responsible fornearly 700,000 deathsin the United States. The new findings reveal that the protein CD47 may play a major role in these deaths.
CD47 sends out a signal that prevents the immune systems defenses from accidentally destroying healthy cells. However, researchers found that when SARS-CoV-2 infects human cells, more CD47 appears on the cell surface.
The team adds this is likely keeping the immune system from recognizing the infected cells as a threat. Without the immune system attacks these cells, the virus can continue to replicate and lead to more severe symptoms.
Study authors add that specific risk factors for severe COVID-19 infections like old ageand pre-existing conditions such as diabetes also show a link to higher CD47protein levels. High CD47 levels contribute to high blood pressure as well another risk factor forsevere COVID complications.
Researchers note that therapeutics which target CD47 are already in development. Their findings may help to improve their effectiveness during theCOVID-19 pandemic.
This is exciting. We may have identified a major factor associated with severe COVID-19. This is a huge step in combatting the disease and we can now look forward to further progress in the design of therapeutics, says Professor Martin Michaelis in themedia release.
These additional insights into the disease processes underlying COVID-19 may help us to design better therapies, as well as an appreciation for the importance of the breadth of research being conducted. Through this avenue, we have achieved a major breakthrough and exemplified that the fight against the disease continues, adds Professor Jindrich Cinatl from Goethe University-Frankfurt.
The study appears in the journalCurrent Issues in Molecular Biology.
Continued here:
Severity of COVID-19 illness may depend on levels of one protein - NEWS10 ABC
The tentative return to the building is Monday, Oct. 4. All students will be moved to the distance learning format.
LENAWEE COUNTY, Mich. Tecumseh Middle School will be closed next week due to the high amount of COVID-19 cases within the school.
School officials said in a post on Facebook that with the amount of COVID-19 cases at the middle school and contact tracing putting many students and staff into quarantine, the building will be closed from Monday, Sept. 27 to Friday, Oct. 1. All middle school sports will also be suspended for the week.
The decision was made based on the recommendation from the Lenawee County Health Department.
The tentative return to the building is Monday, Oct. 4.
All middle school students will be moved to the distance learning format during this time. There will be no class on Sept. 27 to give teachers the opportunity to prepare materials for pick-up.
The pick-up schedule is as follows, according to the school: families can pick up materials for grades 5-8 on Monday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Shawnee loop of Maumee St.. There will be staff members that will bring your students materials to your car from the cafeteria.
On Oct. 8, students will have classes through Google Meet with each of their classes. The virtual classes will follow their in-person schedules and times. Students are expected to be on screen at all times and complete work just as they would do if they were in the building. Attendance will be taken in each class.
ATTENTION TPS FAMILIESTecumseh Middle School will be closed Monday, September 27-Friday, October 1. The tentative...
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PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) The Portsmouth Health Department released the latest schedule for COVID-19 testings and vaccinations.
All testings and vaccination clinics will be held at 1701 High Street every Tuesday from 12:30 p.m. till 3:30 p.m. and Thursdays from 9 a.m. till 12 noon.
Testings will be for community members age 5 and older. Walk-ins are welcome, but services will be first-come, first-served.
For more information, health officials can be reached at (757) 393-8585.
Get the free WAVY News App, available for download in the App Store and Google Play, to stay up to date with all your local news, weather and sports, live newscasts and other live events.
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Portsmouth Health Department releases schedule for COVID-19 testings, vaccinations - WAVY.com
LITTLE ROCK, Ark Arkansas has seen two full weeks of falling active cases as well as more than a week of decline in as hospital numbers, according to data reported by the Arkansas Department of Health.
The ADH reported that the active case count decreased by 172 to 13,245. This is the lowest the states active case numbers have been since July 22.
Health officials also reported that hospitalizations from the virus decreased by 27 to 867 in the last 24 hours. There are 230 patients on ventilators, one less than yesterday.
In total, the state reported 1,012 new cases of the virus, bringing the total since the beginning of the pandemic to 492,233.
The state also reported 14 more deaths among patients with COVID-19, pushing the total for the state to 7,575.
There have been 7,928 new COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Arkansas in the last 24 hours.
The number of Arkansans fully immunized increased by 3,542 to 1,325,220.
View original post here:
COVID-19 in Arkansas: Active cases hit two full weeks of decline - KARK
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) Maryland reported 1,567 new COVID-19 cases and 6 new deaths, according to state health department data released Saturday morning.
The percentage of people testing positive increased slightly by .11% to 4.39%.
Doctors say the new cases are fueled by dangerous strains targeting the unvaccinated. During an August press conference, Gov. Larry Hogan said the Delta variant, a strain that is reportedly two to four times more contagious than the original virus strain, accounts for nearly every new confirmed case in Maryland.
The vaccines are without a doubt our single most effective tool to mitigate the threat of COVID-19 and the surging Delta variant, and Marylands vaccination rate continues to outpace the nation, Hogan said.
More than 3.8 million Maryland adults are fully vaccinated.
Hospitalizations decreased by 23 to 749. Of those hospitalized, 563 remain in acute care and 186 are in the ICU.
Since the pandemic began, there were 526,690 total confirmed cases and 10,140 deaths.
There are 3,872,477 Marylanders fully vaccinated. The state has administered 7,857,205 doses. Of those, 3,930,125 are first doses with 5,557 administered in the past 24 hours. They have given out 3,572,465 second doses, 6,134 in the last day.
The state began to administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine again in April after the CDC and FDA lifted their pause on the vaccine due to a rare blood clot found in some women.
A total of 300,012 Marylanders have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 399 in the last day.
On September 24, after the CDC granted final approval for Pfizers booster, Gov. Hogan announced the immediate authorization of the booster shot for Marylanders who have received their second Pfizer shot at least six months ago. Hogan had already approved use for vulnerable populations in early September.
The state has administered 54,603 additional vaccine doses, 2,899 in the last day.
The state reported 83.3% of all adults in Maryland have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
In August, the state launched a post-vaccination infections dashboard that is updated every Wednesday. There have been 18,243 total cases among fully vaccinated Marylanders as of last Wednesday, Sept. 22.
Of those cases, 1,331 vaccinated Marylanders were hospitalized, representing 8.73% of all Covid cases hospitalized in the state. One hundred fifty-six fully vaccinated Marylanders have died, representing 8.36% of lab-confirmed Covid deaths in the state.
CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES:
Heres a breakdown of the numbers:
By County
By Age Range and Gender
By Race and Ethnicity
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COVID-19 In Maryland: More Than 1.5K New Cases & 6 Deaths Reported Saturday - CBS Baltimore
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) reports 35 new individuals in the Juneau community 33 residents and two nonresidents identified with COVID-19 for September 24. In addition, DHSS reports one death in Juneau due to COVID-19 that occurred in August a male Juneau resident in his 60s. CBJ extends condolences to family members and friends of this individual.
The total number of deaths associated with Juneau is currently 11 10 residents (two died out of state) and one nonresident (death occurredoutside Juneau).
There arecurrently11 people with COVID-19 hospitalized at Bartlett Regional Hospital.
The Juneau School District reports three new individuals whove tested positive for COVID-19 and were infectious while in school:
COVID-19 cases related to schools are posted on juneauschools.org(click on the green COVID-19 Cases block).
Statewide, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reports1,793 new peopleidentified with COVID-19 1,735 are residents and 58 are nonresidents. The state also reports 44 deaths that occurred from April to September 41 resident deaths and three nonresident deaths bringing the total number of resident deaths to 514 and nonresident deaths to 18. Alaska has had 103,113 cumulative resident cases of COVID-19 and a total of 4,566 nonresidents.
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