Category: Covid-19

The union representing San Francisco sheriffs deputies said Friday a number of its officers will quit or retire early if they are forced to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Under a mandate issued last month, city employees who work in the jails or other high-risk settings are required to be vaccinated by Sept. 15 or risk losing their jobs.

The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs Association said on its Facebook page Friday that about 160 of 600 sheriff employees are rejecting the vaccine due to religious or other beliefs, and would rather wear masks or test weekly.

If deputy sheriffs are forced to vaccinate a percentage of them will retire early or seek employment elsewhere, the statement said.

The union said the staffing level at the sheriffs office is already low, and that the loss of more deputies will affect public safety. It is asking the city to follow state guidelines, which offer employees the option of testing regularly.

City officials denounced the unions position, coming days after seven Bay Area counties reinstated indoor masking requirements to stem transmission of the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus.

There is also an undue and unacceptable health and safety risk that is imposed upon the city, our employees and the public we serve, by those who are not vaccinated against COVID-19, the citys Department of Human Resources said in a statement. Vaccines are safe, effective and readily available to our employees.

About 16% of sheriffs deputies, 17% of police and 9.5% of fire department employees were not vaccinated as of Friday, according to city dataobtained by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Meanwhile, the average unvaccinated rate across all city departments is 7.7%.

Nancy Crowley, a spokesperson for the sheriffs department, said officials are working with the human resources department to obtain full compliance by the deadline.

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San Francisco sheriffs deputies threaten to quit over COVID-19 vaccine mandate - KTLA

More than 821,000 doses had been reported administered over the previous day's total, including about 555,000 people who got their first shot, Shahpar said in a tweet.

"50% of Americans (all ages) are now fully vaccinated. Keep going!" he tweeted.

The first dose of Covid-19 vaccine was administered about nine months ago, on December 14. It took about four months -- until late March -- to fully vaccinate a quarter of the US population, and another four and a half months to reach half, according to the CDC.

An average of 699,261 doses have been administered each day over the past seven days, and an average of 464,778 people initiated vaccination each day over the past seven days, according to the latest data available from the CDC.

Covid-19 vaccinations in the US reached a record high in mid-April, with an average of more than 3 million shots administered each day and about 2 million people initiating vaccination each day.

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Half of US population is fully vaccinated against Covid-19, official says - CNN

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Our COVID Q&A with Watson is an AI-powered chatbot that addresses consumers' questions and concerns about COVID-19. It's built on the IBM Watson Ads Builder platform, which utilizes Watson Natural Language Understanding, and proprietary, natural- language-generation technology. The chatbot utilizes approved content from the CDC and WHO. Incidents information is provided by USAFacts.org.

To populate our Interactive Incidents Map, Watson AI looks for the latest and most up-to- date information. To understand and extract the information necessary to feed the maps, we use Watson Natural Language Understandingfor extracting insights from natural language text and Watson Discovery for extracting insights from PDFs, HTML, tables, images and more.COVID Impact Survey, conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for the Data Foundation

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Glen Ellyn, IL Coronavirus Information - Safety Updates ...

We are closely monitoring activity around the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and its impact on our members, our employees and the communities we serve.

While the COVID-19 situation is ever-changing, our commitment to our customers remains the same. We are constantly working on their behalf and will continue to review and process ancillary insurance claims on an individual claim-by-claim basisjust as we have always done.

Our ancillary coverages include life, short- and long-term disability, accident, critical illness, vision and dental.

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COVID-19 - Ancillary | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois

The recent Delta-driven surge in COVID-19 cases affecting our region and nation is unfortunately not letting up. Over the last week, Public HealthSeattle & King County has reported an average of 344 new cases daily. Thats more than double the number of cases from just two weeks ago and nearly six times as many as a month ago.

Alongside this rise in cases are reports of outbreaks that often times involve more cases than earlier in the summerbefore Delta was circulating as widely. Many of the outbreaks are occurring in indoor workplaces and social events among people who were not wearing masks and where ventilation was poor. Many outbreaks involve situations where both unvaccinated and vaccinated people are in indoor spaces together. We have not identified outbreaks yet where everyone is vaccinated.

Overall, in the last three weeks, Public Health has observed a large percentage of outbreaks reported in non-healthcare workplaces, including an office with 61 employees and 27 reported cases. Outbreaks are also occurring in facilities hosting large social events, such as a 100-person birthday party held at a country club with 25 reported cases.

Across all recent outbreaks, most cases occurred in people who were unmasked. Vaccinated individuals who tested positive reported mild symptoms. All hospitalized cases exposed at social events have been among unvaccinated individuals, with no deaths identified.

Over the last several weeks, Public Healths investigation and epidemiology teams have received a substantial number of reports of outbreaks. Large numbers of people are becoming infected when gathering together in indoor public settings and not wearing masks or taking other precautions to prevent COVID-19, said Meagan Kay, Deputy Chief for the Communicable Disease Epidemiology and Immunization Section of Public Health. This is concerning given the reports are likely just a subset of the total number of outbreaks taking place and exposing our community.

A few patterns start to emerge from public health data when looking at three examples of recent outbreaks. Public Health appreciates the willingness of these three organizations to be forthcoming and help shed light on what our whole community can do to be safer.

An indoor music club: In mid-July, Public Health conducted an outbreak investigation when several people with a positive COVID-19 test attended the same indoor event. A total of 26 cases have since been identified among 374 people attending the event. While the investigation is still ongoing, of the 26 cases,18 reported they were vaccinated. No hospitalizations or deaths have been reported with this outbreak.

Event organizers reported that the club required attendees to provide documentation of vaccination, but vaccination status was not verified for staff and some staff were not vaccinated. Masks were optional, and the event included singing. Because of the large number of attendees, distancing was not possible. Ventilation was compromised with some fans not working and challenges pulling fresh air into the space with no ability to open windows.

What this tells us: Outbreaks in crowded, poorly ventilated indoor spaces tell us that these spaces remain a risk. Even if vaccinated, Public Health recommends wearing a mask in indoor public settings to lessen the risk, unless a state-approved method is used to assure that all people allowed inside have been fully vaccinated. Even then, attendees might choose to wear a mask to reduce their risk of COVID-19 even further.

An indoor fitness center: A fitness center held a charity workout event with approximately 70 people in attendanceabout 35 people attending in two segments. A total of 16 cases have been identified to date, including 13 attendees, two staff, and one household member of an attendee. Fourteen of the 16 cases were verified to be fully vaccinated. All 16 cases developed symptoms of COVID-19, but none were hospitalized. Physical distancing was not maintained during workout sessions, and masks were optional.

Public Health visited the site to evaluate their indoor ventilation. While the site was deliberate in having large floor fans in the building, the Public Health team found that the facilitys ventilation system could be improved to allow for more adequate airflow.

What this tells us: Inadequate ventilation continues to come up as a factor in public health outbreak investigations.

The virus builds up in enclosed spaces as infected people breathe. And the risk increases when people are singing, shouting or exercising, with closer contact, no masking, and longer exposure.

Open windows and doors whenever possible to maximize the movement of air. Building and business owners should evaluate their HVAC systems to increase outside airflow, upgrade filtration where possible and consider the need for portable HEPA filtration. Resources are available on Public Healths website and from CDC.

This outbreak also reinforces the importance of wearing masks in indoor public settings and maintaining physical distancing, regardless of vaccination status. Our outbreak data suggest that vaccinated people have been infected when in crowded indoor settings when not wearing masks. The COVID-19 vaccinesare incredibly effective, especially against serious illness, hospitalization, and death, and make it much less likely, but not impossible, that a person will catch and transmit COVID-19. With the more contagious Delta variant, when someone who is vaccinated gets infected, they could also potentially spread it to others. That is why wearing masks in indoor public settings is the best practice for everyone right now.

A childcare program: In early July, Public Health was notified that two people tested positive for the virus at a childcare serving 135 students. Public Health worked with the center and determined that all the classrooms had exposed students or staff and recommended everyone test negative prior to returning to the center. As of the end of July, a total of 36 cases have been identified (19 students, three staff, and 14 household contacts). The childcare program requires everyone age 5 years and older, regardless of vaccination status, to wear masks; compliance with the policy was reportedly good. From the investigation, the outbreak appears to have started when three students who were too young to be required to wear masks attended childcare while symptomatic. The Public Health team found that 60% of staff were fully vaccinated. The team is working with the childcare to offer vaccination resources.

What this tells us: Staying home when ill and keeping children with any symptoms home is the best practice right now with the virus still circulating. This is essential in childcare settings where physical distancing is challenging to maintain, and masks are not worn by younger children. For parents and caregivers, this can be very difficult to keep kids home, particularly when kids have mild symptoms. But getting a COVID-19 test, which is a simple swab that does not go deep into the nose, and waiting for a negative result to return to work or childcare, are the best ways to prevent spread to others.

We have high rates of COVID-19 in King County right now. The risk is highest for those who are unvaccinated, but this is a good time for everyone to remember that in addition to getting vaccinated, there are multiple ways to further reduce ones risk, and layered protections are the best protections, said Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer for Public Health Seattle & King County.

The most important way to end this pandemic remains increasing vaccination coverage in our community. It saves lives, prevents illnesses, and reduces the spread of COVID-19. Given we still have so many people at risk, including children and those who are immunocompromised, remember that getting vaccinated is the single most important tool we have right now to protect individuals and our community. In addition, we have other simple and effective tools masking, ventilation, staying home when ill, and physical distancing that can further reduce the risk for potentially serious COVID-19 infections.

There are approximately 370,000 King County residents who are eligible for vaccination and arent vaccinated who remain at risk for contracting the virus. Public Health urges all eligible people to get vaccinated as soon as possible to protect yourself and those around you.

In addition to vaccination, layered protection remains the best protection. That means using multiple strategies to reduce risk. We have great tools to fight COVID-19 first among them are vaccines but until were in a more stable and safer place, its important to remember there are other effective measures to further reduce our risk.

Originally posted August 5, 2021

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Three recent COVID-19 outbreaks and what the data says about how to prevent a larger surge in cases - Public Health Insider

CVS Health is conducting lab coronavirus testing (COVID-19) at 739 Roosevelt Rd Glen Ellyn, IL. Patients are required to schedule an appointment for covid testing in advance. Limited appointments are available to qualifying patients due to high demand. Test types vary by location and will be confirmed during the scheduling process.

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CVS Pharmacy at 739 Roosevelt Road Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 ...

A suspected COVID-19 patient receives care in Turku, Finland, the first country to join Solidaritys new phase.

By Kai KupferschmidtAug. 5, 2021 , 1:25 PM

After months in the doldrums, one of the worlds largest trials of COVID-19 treatments is finally restarting. Solidarity, a global study led by the World Health Organization (WHO), will test three new drugs in hospitalized COVID-19 patients: the cancer drug imatinib, an antibody named infliximab that is used to treat autoimmune diseases, and artesunate, an antimalarial.

The medicines have been shipped to Finland, the first country to have all approvals in place, says John-Arne Rttingen of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, who chairs the studys executive group. I expect that the first patients will probably be recruited there any day, he says. Other countries could soon join SolidarityPlus, as the new phase has been dubbed; more than 40 are in the process of getting ethical and regulatory approvals.

When the original Solidarity trial started in March 2020 it was a first: an effort to test drugs in dozens of countries simultaneously in the middle of a pandemic. By late in the year it had delivered verdicts on four treatmentsnone showed a benefitbut then became mired in negotiations with pharmaceutical companies and regulatory delays. Its great that Solidarity is proceeding with randomized clinical trials again, as they have already made an important contribution to our therapeutic approach during the pandemic, says Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute. We cant be at all complacent about needing better therapies for patients with severe COVID.

Although COVID-19 vaccine development has been a huge success story, only two drugs have proved to reduce COVID-19 mortality in hospitalized patients. In June 2020, the United Kingdoms Recovery trial found that dexamethasone, a cheap steroid, reduced deaths in that group by up to one-third. In February, Recovery investigators announced that tocilizumab, a monoclonal antibody that blocks the receptor for interleukin-6, reduced mortality a bit further. Both drugs work by dampening the overshooting immune response in severely sick patients.

The new drugs also target the immune system rather than the virus itself. In the severely ill patients included in Solidarity, its probably too late for an antiviral drug to work, Rttingen explains. (Monoclonal antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, for example, are most effective when given before serious disease develops.) But sicker patients could benefit from additional drugs that target the immune system, says Anthony Gordon, a critical care specialist at Imperial College London. Although dexamethasone broadly dampens the immune response and tocilizumab powerfully shuts off one particular pathway, There are still other pathways that we can block and maybe make a difference, Gordon says.

Imatinib, an oral drug used to treat some leukemias and other types of cancer, can also protect the epithelium lining the alveoli, where oxygen crosses from the lungs into the blood. A placebo-controlled trial in 400 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the Netherlands, published in June, showed patients on the drug spent less time on ventilators and were less likely to die. Although not statistically significant, the data were encouraging enough to spur larger studies, says Gordon, who is part of another international trial called REMAP-CAP that is also planning to test the drug.

Infliximab is an antibody given as a single infusion that blocks tumor necrosis factor alpha, a pivotal signaling molecule in the immune system, and is used to treat autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. Some observational data from large patient populations suggest the drug can also protect against COVID-19, Rttingen says.

Artesunate, an injected derivative of artemisinin and a powerful killer of malaria parasites, has also shown some antiviral activity in laboratory studies of SARS-CoV-2. But Solidarity is testing it because of another effect: The drug appears to reduce inflammation and counteract signals that attract immune cells into tissues. That could stop the immune reactions that damage the lungs in severe COVID-19.

Solidaritys revival was a long time coming. In October 2020, it published results from more than 11,000 patients in 400 hospitals that deflated hopesand punctured hypeby showing no benefit for four treatments: the HIV combination therapy lopinavir/ritonavir, the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, interferon-beta, and Gilead Sciencess antiviral drug remdesivir. The remdesivir arm was continued for a while to gather more datafull results are expected in the coming weeksbut by late January all arms had been stopped.

An independent expert committee picked the three new drugs soon after. The delay is due partly to negotiations with the manufacturers to ensure that the drugs would be available at affordable prices worldwide if they turned out to work, Rttingen says, and partly due to the time needed for regulatory and ethical approvals in participating countries.

We have definitely seen that there was a strong willingness to sort of work outside the normal system and really speed up processes in the beginning of the epidemic, and that seems to be less the case now, Rttingen says. Thats understandable, he adds, But it also demonstrates that these processes are not fit for emergencies. We need fast-track systems for the future, in all countries.

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A giant trial of COVID-19 treatments is restarting. Here are the drugs it's betting on - Science Magazine

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. The Arkansas Department of Health released the latest COVID-19 data for Thursday and the numbers show that active COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise within the state.

The ADH report shows that there are 900 new active cases bringing the total number of active cases to 21,461.

Health officials reported 397,238 total cases, which is a 2,777 increase from within the last 24 hours.

According to the ADH, 19 more people have been hospitalized for COVID-19, putting the total number of hospitalizations at 1,251.

In a 24-hour span, there have been 17 new deaths bringing the states total number of deaths to 6,247.

There are 3 new patients on ventilators, putting the total at 263.

Arkansas is continuing to vaccinate the public with 2,409,517 total vaccinations, which is an increase of 11,685 within the last 24 hours. The number of partially immunized Arkansans rose by 5,110, putting the total at 326,727.

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COVID-19 in Arkansas: State adds 2,700+ new cases, hospitalizations and deaths increase - KARK

7 things to know about kids, COVID-19 and other circulating viruses  AZCentral.com

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7 things to know about kids, COVID-19 and other circulating viruses - AZCentral.com

COVID-19 scams: Here are common scams and ways to avoid them

In a time where people are financially unstable, its no surprise that the scammers are out in full force.

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A Dallas firefighter is facing felony theft charges after claiming he and his family members tested positive for COVID-19 and taking weeks of paid leave when he apparently went to a resort.

William Jordan Carter, 38, requested leave from work in March after he claimed his wife tested positive for COVID-19, according to an arrest warrant affidavit from the DallasPolice Department. A week later, he claimed that his daughter tested positive for the virus, which gave himadditional paid leave.

But days before he was supposed to return to work, Carter told DeputyChief Lauren Johnson that he tested positive for COVID-19. When she asked for a copy of his test results, he allegedly told her that he had not actually been tested for the disease, but he thought he may have had it.

Carter also could not provide test results for his wife and daughter, according to the affidavit.

City officials confirmed in court documentsthat Carter received a total of $12,548.86 during his leave.

But law enforcement whosubpoenaed Carters bank records foundthat he spent nearly $1,400 at the Kalahari Resort in Round Rock, Texas, during his time off.

The affidavitstates that after Johnson asked Carter for documentation of his familys alleged infections, she asked the man if any of this was true" and he stated I guess not.

What made you do this, Johnson asked him, to which he responded Greed, I guess, according to the document.

Johnson asked Carter if helied about him and his family testing positive for COVID-19 just so you wouldnt have to go to work," and he allegedlyresponded yes.

Dallas Police Department Detective Lee Allen wrote in the affidavit, "Suspect Carter took advantage of recommendations for First Responders to not report to work if they tested positive or became exposed to a person confirmed positive for COVID-19, with whom they lived."

Pandemic: California man fraudulently got $5M in COVID-19 relief money to buy a Ferrari, Bentley and Lamborghini, authorities say

Carter was arrested on Friday and charged with felony theft. His bail was set at $1,500, although he is no longer in custody.

Dallas Fire-Rescue placed Carter on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.

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A firefighter claimed he had COVID-19 and took weeks off. But he allegedly went to a resort. - USA TODAY