Tag: COVID-19 vaccines

The vast majority of current COVID-19 deaths in the US are among the unvaccinated: report

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In the United States, around 65% of the adult population has, according to the New York Times, been at least partially vaccinated for the COVID-19 coronavirus. Vaccination rates tend to be higher in blue states than in red states, some of which have recently seen spikes in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations. And according to reporting in the Associated Press, the vast majority of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. are, at this point, among the unvaccinated.

Associated Press journalists Carla K. Johnson and Mike Stobbe report, “An Associated Press analysis of available government data from May shows that “breakthrough” infections in fully vaccinated people accounted for fewer than 1200 of more than 853,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations. That’s about 0.1%. And only about 150 of the more than 18,000 COVID-19 deaths in May were in fully vaccinated people. That translates to about 0.8%, or five deaths per day on average.”

Johnson and Stobbe note that AP “analyzed figures provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” adding that “the CDC itself has not estimated what percentage of hospitalizations and deaths are in fully vaccinated people, citing limitations in the data.” Continue reading.

Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: June 18, 2021

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Governor Walz Proclaims Juneteenth Freedom Day in the State of Minnesota

Governor Walz, Lieutenant Governor Flanagan celebrate new federal holiday

Governor Walz has proclaimed June 19, 2021 as Juneteenth Freedom Day in the State of Minnesota. This comes a day after President Joe Biden signed a law recognizing June 19 as Juneteenth National Independence Day, creating a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.

“Juneteenth is an important opportunity for all communities across our state and Nation to celebrate freedom, honor African Americans and their history, and commit to growing from the tragedies of the past,” said Governor Walz. “It is important that as we celebrate this year’s Juneteenth, we recognize that there is still work to be done, here in Minnesota, nation-wide, and globally.”

Continue reading “Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: June 18, 2021”

Coronavirus infections dropping where people are vaccinated, rising where they are not, Post analysis finds

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States with higher vaccination rates now have markedly fewer coronavirus cases, as infections are dropping in places where most residents have been immunized and are rising in many places people have not, a Washington Post analysis has found.

States with lower vaccination also have significantly higher hospitalization rates, The Post found. Poorly vaccinated communities have not been reporting catastrophic conditions. Instead, they are usually seeing new infections holding steady or increasing without overwhelming local hospitals.

As recently as 10 days ago, vaccination rates did not predict a difference in coronavirus cases, but immunization rates have diverged, and case counts in the highly vaccinated states are dropping quickly. Continue reading.

600,000 dead: With normal life in reach, covid’s late-stage victims lament what could have been

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They came so close. Philip Sardelis already had his vaccine appointment in hand. Cinnamon Jamila Key had just received her first shot. Charles Pryor tried but couldn’t get the coronavirus vaccine in time. Alexey Aguilar had been reluctant to commit to such a new medicine but was coming around to the idea.

And then covid-19 took them. On top of the grief and sorrow, their families now also must deal with the unfairness, the eternal mystery of what might have been.

The Americans who have died of covid-19 in recent days and weeks — the people whose deaths have pushed the total U.S. loss from the pandemic to nearly 600,000 — passed away even as their families, friends and neighbors emerged from 15 months of isolation and fear. The juxtaposition is cruel: Here, masks off; workplaces, shops and schools reopening. There, people struggling to breathe, separated from loved ones, silenced by ventilators. Continue reading.

Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: June 11, 2021

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Governor Walz, Lieutenant Governor Flanagan Respond to Minnesota’s Strong Revenue Report

On Thursday, Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan released statements on the State of Minnesota’s monthly revenue report issued by Minnesota Management and Budget:

“Minnesota’s economy is strong, and we’re working to make sure it’s even stronger than before. This strong economic outlook proves the people of Minnesota are resilient, and we should continue to invest in them. With this news, I expect our state’s legislative leaders to come together to pass a budget for all Minnesotans. Minnesota’s COVID-19 Recovery Budget will allow us to continue to rise and rebuild by supporting working families, students, and small businesses while further driving our state’s economic recovery,” said Governor Walz. 

“While we are still enduring the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, today’s revenue report shows that Minnesota has the resources to make responsible and meaningful investments that help those who were hit hardest recover. Whether it’s helping students catch up on learning, supporting small businesses across the state who made sacrifices to keep people safe, or creating economic security for working families struggling to pay bills and put food on the table after job loss, we can build a budget that invests in the future of Minnesota’s children and families and gets us back to better,” said Lieutenant Governor Flanagan. 

Continue reading “Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: June 11, 2021”

Watch: Testimony from an anti-vaxxer goes ‘off the rails’

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Ohio lawmakers debating a bill Tuesday that would allow anyone to refuse any vaccine for any reason and would give them the “right” to not be “discriminated” against or even asked about their vaccination status, heard from Dr. Sherri Tenpenny, recognized as one of the world’s top spreaders of vaccine disinformation.

After falsely claiming that 5000 Americans have died from the coronavirus vaccine, Dr. Tenpenny told lawmakers that the injections, which have saved countless lives around the world, make people magnetic.

“Right now we’re all kind of hypothesizing,” a fast-talking Tenpenny said, after being asked about the “EMF frequencies,” also known as electromagnetic frequencies, she “hypothesizes” are associated with the COVID-19 vaccine. Continue reading.

Many long-haul COVID-19 patients report improvement after vaccination, surprising experts

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Some plagued by COVID-19 symptoms months later are helped, while others are not 

CHICAGO – Wendy French of northwest suburban Lake in the Hills used to run 10 miles a day several times a week before she caught COVID-19 in September, which left her fatigued and suffering from a variety of symptoms for months after the virus was supposedly gone.

The previously healthy 45-year-old stopped running and even began dreading typical household chores such as doing laundry, because it required standing up for so long that she grew tired.

But after French got her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine in mid-April, she described feeling healthy for the first time in more than seven months. The second dose in May brought greater improvement. Continue reading.

White House unveils plan to donate 25 million vaccine doses abroad

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The Biden administration on Thursday announced it will donate 25 million coronavirus doses abroad, with about three quarters of them allocated to the World Health Organization’s COVAX initiative, and the rest donated directly to handpicked countries.

“We are sharing these doses not to secure favors or extract concessions. We are sharing these vaccines to save lives and to lead the world in bringing an end to the pandemic, with the power of our example and with our values,” President Biden said in a statement.

The White House said it will donate about 19 million doses to COVAX, which purchases and distributes vaccines to low-and middle-income countries. Administration officials said about 6 million doses will go to Latin America and the Caribbean, 7 million doses will go to Asia, and 5 million will go to Africa. Continue reading.

Feds say employers can require vaccines and offer incentives

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The federal government said Friday that it is legal for companies to require workers to get coronavirus vaccines. Companies can also offer unlimited rewards to workers to get vaccinated, as long as the employer doesn’t administer the vaccine.

Why it matters: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission finally cleared legal questions tied to how employers can increase the country’s vaccination rates. View the post here.

State vaccine rates fall along red, blue divide

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The U.S. vaccine map looks a lot like a map of how states vote in presidential elections, with most blue states vaccinating at levels well above the national average and GOP states bringing up the rear.

The politics of COVID-19 have been partisan from almost the onset of the pandemic, and polls consistently show that Republicans, particularly men, are more hesitant than Democrats to get vaccinated.

The deep-blue state of Vermont has the highest share of its population with at least one vaccine dose, at 65 percent, according to data compiled by The New York Times, followed by Massachusetts, Hawaii, New Hampshire and Connecticut. Continue reading.