Your Coronavirus Update – Oct. 4, 2021

Photo: White flags mark the 700,000+ deaths from COVID-19, on display until today in Washington, D.C.

RHODE ISLAND & VICINITY

Lifespan & Care New England will stay with Friday deadline on vaccinations. Both hospital groups say they will be able to handle what they see as the small number of people who may select out.

3% of RI firefighters are not getting vaccinated so far – out of 1,500 that is approx. 45 who may be impacted by terminations.

On Friday 6 staff members have left Cherry Hill – 6  extended until end of Oct, and of those, 4 will get vaccinated.

RI hospitals, nursing facilities, and other healthcare agencies filing for a one month extension to comply with vaccination requirement and file their plan to do so – can be viewed here:

Uptick of cases at Smithfield High School – 24 new cases – ½ are from football team

In Vermont, over 30 state health dept officials have written the Governor out of concern that the state needs to do more as numbers infected rise. They are now recommending schools require masks, and he’s urging people to wear masks in crowded indoor locations. But he won’t reinstitute required mitigation measures that were in place during the state of emergency. “We can’t be in a perpetual state of emergency,” Scott said this week.

Connecticut has called up the National Guard to be prepared today to fill in for schools, other state offices, etc. if people do not show up for work because they are not vaccinated. – same with New York.

In Fall River, those between 12 and 24 are eligible for prizes when they get vaccinated – the first two winners got a brand-new Nintendo Switch. Other prizes to be given out include televisions, bikes and iPads. This is sponsored by the local United Way.

The MA Dept. of Transportation unvaccinated staff that they have until Oct. 8 to submit an exemption request or Oct. 17 to get vaccinated. Because of that rapidly approaching deadline, Tesler writes, those who haven’t already received the first dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines would need to get the one-dose Johnson & Johnson shot.

A 36 year old man from Warwick died at RI Hospital after being removed from a ventilator. He wanted people to know that he hesitated to get the vaccine and wished he had gotten it.

The Rhode Island Political Cooperative on Thursday parted ways with a state Senate candidate from Newport, Jennifer Jackson, over social media posts supporting anti-vaccine protesters.

Friday afternoon there was a protest of several hundred people who lost their jobs and those who supported them regarding vaccination mandates.

The Superman building will be focusing on housing, not office space, per Stefan Pryor of CommerceRI.

RIDOH Notice – Important Reminder For All Licensed Healthcare Providers and Workers

This is an important reminder to all licensed healthcare providers and healthcare workers that you still have time to receive your COVID-19 vaccination prior to the October 1 deadline. The Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine is only one dose and is available across the state with times and locations easily accessible. Please take a moment to visit VaccinateRI.org to find a time and place that will work for you prior to October 1. If you need help making an appointment, please call 844-930-1779 or call 211 and press option 9. Thank you for your continued efforts in our fight against COVID-19.

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

Dr. Fauci said Sunday that it is too early to say if “we can gather for the holidays this year” because we don’t know how the virus will act depending upon how vaccinated we are.

Prior to the Delta variant, herd immunity was estimated to take place at 70-75% vaccination or natural immunity. The variant is so much more contagious that estimates are now 85-90% or more would be needed to achieve herd immunity.

Stephen Kissler, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said the US will not be able to ever obtain herd immunity now, after Delta.

The optimistic expectation is that the pandemic will die down, and the virus will become one of the world’s many endemic viruses that continue to circulate but cause much less and death. It’s predicted to become an infection that sweeps through the adult population in the winter, sickening some but generally delivering serious illness only to the very old, those with compromised immune systems and pregnant women who are unvaccinated, said Dr. Gregory Poland, editor-in-chief of the journal Vaccine. People will get an annual shot and a booster to deal with new variants.

The White House issued a plea to Americans to get vaccinated if they have not been. This, as death totals exceed 700,000 in the U.S., now 702,000 – 5 million deaths worldwide.

Former President Trump said, “I got the Pfizer and I would have been very happy with any of them. “I believe totally in your freedoms, I do, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do, but I recommend that you take the vaccines,” Trump said. He also said he would be open to the booster shot, but has not received it yet. He did say he was opposed to mandates. Trump received the vaccine in January – he had COVID, as did his wife and son, in October of 2020. He went on to recover after receiving almost every possible treatment regimen. He also said, “I thought it (COVID) would be over by now.

$18 billion dollars was invested in Operation Warp Speed to develop and deliver multiple vaccine candidates from firms like Pfizer (PFE) Moderna (MRNA) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) although Pfizer developed its vaccine without any money from the U.S. government.

NBA player Jonathan Isaac said he was badly misrepresented by The Rolling Stone about how he came to his opinion on vaccinations and Isaac’s position that he does not need the shot because he has had COVID.

U.S. orders 1.4 million more doses of Regeneron

The new Merck drug, if approved, would be one pill a day for 5 days, if testing positive and caught early for COVID.

The hope is that the Merck drug will be cheap and widely used, as opposed to Remdesivir and Regeneron, both expensive treatments.

77.3% of American adults have gotten at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, according to the CDC.

700,000 people plus have now died of COVID in the US

Gainesville, FL has rescinded its city-employee vaccine mandate.

YouTube will ban anti-vax content, of any kind, according to their experts, about the vaccines. Google owns YouTube. There is no independent group determining the statements – it’s determined by Google. The comments about one’s personal experience would be allowed as long as it does not promote a pattern of anti-vaccines.

California is now the first state to say it will require students to get vaccinated for Covid-19 once the FDA gives full approval

Cheryl Burke and Cody Rigsby will compete on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ virtually – as they both recover from Covid

Health experts say the fourth wave of the pandemic has peaked overall in the U.S., particularly in the Deep South, where hospitals were stretched to the limit weeks ago.

Florida has opened 20 treatment clinics to treat with infusion Regeneron.

American, other airlines will require employee vaccinations

Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh is testing positive, though is asymptomatic.

A new advisory by CDC for pregnant women advises women to be vaccinated due to increased risks for mother and baby – presently only 30% of pregnant women are vaccinated.

A Michigan hospital has issued personal panic buttons to medical staff, because assaults have increased 3-fold since COVID-19 began. Pushing the button alerts hospital security and launches a tracking system that will send help.

In NY – as of Monday evening, 92% of employees at hospitals and nursing homes and 89% of adult-care facility staff had received at least one dose of the vaccine

Broadway production of Aladdin has been shuttered as a few cast members test positive

Harvard Business School with a 95% vaccination rate has an outbreak and will move to virtual.

Major hospitals and healthcare clinics in southwestern Idaho are seeing more premature babies born to COVID-19-positive mothers

YouTube booted popular anti-vaccine influencers from its site and deleted false claims that have been made about a range of immunizations.

In several states, almost all medical workers have been vaccinated.

A group of NYC teachers have asked an appeals court step in – to protect them from being fired if they are not vaccinated. The ruling did not uphold the request.

Product shortages are expected by Bed & Bath – Christmas Tree Growers Assoc – and even turkeys.

The largest health system in Louisiana will soon start charging employees $200 per month if their spouses or partners who have benefits through the health system are unvaccinated.