Tag: pandemic

Albert Lea bar owner who defied COVID restrictions and has been on the lam is arrested in Iowa

Star Tribune logo

For nearly six weeks, Lisa Hanson has been in hiding after warrants were issued for her arrest in Albert Lea. 

The Albert Lea business owner who defied state COVID-related restrictions at her wine and coffee bar and failed to show up for a bail hearing last month was arrested Thursday in Iowa.

Lisa Hanson, who was released late Thursday afternoon from jail after posting $2,000 bail, told the Star Tribune that she still plans to speak Saturday at a previously scheduled “Stand for Liberty” rally at an Albert Lea park.

Asked how she felt about being arrested, she said: “If I had done something wrong, I would have deserved it. I have not done anything wrong. I have followed the law on all accounts.” Continue reading.

A vaccinated couple flew their family to Hawaii. Their young son died of covid-19 on the trip.

Washington Post logo

The boy, who exhibited symptoms hours after arrival, is the state’s first pediatric coronavirus death

The family trip to Hawaii was full of precautions: Both parents had been fully vaccinated and tested negative for the coronavirus before leaving, as the state requires of visitors who want to avoid a long quarantine.

But still, the couple’s young son developed symptoms of covid-19 shortly after arriving in Hawaii from another state. The child, who had underlying health conditions, was taken to a hospital and later died.

The department did not provide the boy’s exact age. He was younger than 11, according to a news release. Continue reading.

Fully vaccinated seniors are 94 percent less likely to be hospitalized with covid-19

Washington Post logo

CDC’s real-world findings provide reassurance about Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna vaccine effectiveness in the highest-risk age group

NOTE: This article is provide to all to read free of charge by The Washington Post.

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines being deployed to fight the coronavirus pandemic are highly effective in preventing hospitalizations among older adults, the group most at risk for severe disease and death, according to afederal study released Wednesday. 

While not surprising, the results are reassuring because they provide the first real-world evidence in the United States that both vaccines prevent severe covid-19 illness, as they did in clinical trials, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

In the study, fully vaccinated adults 65 and older were 94 percent less likely to be hospitalized with covid-19 than than unvaccinated people of the same age, according to the CDC. People who were partially vaccinated were 64 percent less likely to be hospitalized with the disease than the unvaccinated.

Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: May 1, 2021

Governor Walz Joins Bipartisan Leaders in Minnesota Legislature to Call for Action on Police Reform

On Thursday, Governor Walz joined bipartisan leaders in the Minnesota Legislature to call for action among Minnesota Senate Republicans on police reform, following the passage of meaningful police reform legislation in the Minnesota House.

“The accountability we saw last week for George Floyd is the floor – not the ceiling – of what we need to do in Minnesota to advance police reform. True justice comes through real, systemic change to prevent this from happening again,” said Governor Walz. “I applaud the effort in the Minnesota House to advance meaningful legislation that would make Minnesota a leader in effective and fair law enforcement policies, practices, and behaviors. I urge the Republicans in the Minnesota Senate to listen to Minnesotans and take action.”

Continue reading “Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: May 1, 2021”

White House to restrict travel from India

Axios Logo

The White House will restrict travel from India starting at midnight on Tuesday, May 4, White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced on Friday.

Driving the news: The Biden administration cited a steep rise in coronavirus cases in the country and the possible emergence of multiple variants.

GOP Governor Candidate Scott Jensen to Speak at Anti-Vax Convention

DFL Logo

Jensen to share the stage and legitimize views of America’s leading anti-vaxxer, the doctor behind the ‘Plandemic’ documentary, a QAnon enthusiast, and more

Saint Paul, MINNESOTA — This weekend, Scott Jensen will share the virtual stage with a group of notorious anti-vaxxers at the conspiracy-drenched Truth Over Fear Summit, a three-day online gathering aiming to “share invaluable and eye-opening insights into the truth behind the headlines, Covid-19, the rushed vaccine, and the Great Reset.” 

The Anti-Vaccine Conference

Also speaking at the event is a rogues gallery of conspiracy theorists who, like Jensen himself, have done tremendous harm throughout this pandemic by peddling junk science to the American people, including:

Continue reading “GOP Governor Candidate Scott Jensen to Speak at Anti-Vax Convention”

Slowed and sidelined, some athletes struggle to return from long-haul covid

Washington Post logo

Justin Foster might get the urge to pick up the pace in the grocery store and whisk from aisle to aisle, but his body will force him to slow down. The chest pains will hit. He’ll have difficulty breathing. And before he has purchased his items, Foster either will have to find a seat or leave altogether, unable to complete what was once a simple task.

A little more than a year ago, Foster was a star defensive end at Clemson, terrorizing LSU in the College Football Playoff championship game. And yet 10 months after he tested positive for the coronavirus, menial activities have the potential to level him.

“If you see me walking around, you would think everything is normal. But most of the time, I will be short of breath,” Foster, who has asthma, said in a telephone interview. “I won’t tell anyone. I don’t really try to draw attention or complain about it. I try to deal with it.” Continue reading.

Democrats demand release of secret vaccine contracts inked under Trump

Raw Story Logo

Dozens of congressional Democrats and Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday urged top Biden officials to release unredacted copies of multi-billion-dollar coronavirus vaccine contracts that the Trump administration negotiated in secret with major pharmaceutical companies last year—and refused to divulge to lawmakers.

In a letter (pdf) to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, 50 lawmakers from the House and Senate argue that public knowledge of the specific terms of the vaccine contracts “has become all the more important as manufacturers talk of boosters and seasonal immunizations, while considering ‘post-pandemic’ price increases.”

“Taxpayers should know how their funds were spent and what secret deals were reached.”
—Rep. Lloyd Doggett

“Taxpayers are serving as the angel investors in Covid-19 vaccine and therapeutic development, assuming the costs and risk,” the letter reads. “It is imperative that they also receive a stake in the outcome as well as complete transparency on how billions of tax dollars have been spent and what terms were agreed to and may still be renegotiated.”

Numbers can trip you up during the pandemic – here are 4 tips to help you figure out tricky stats

The Conversation Logo

The COVID-19 pandemic thrust many news consumers into a world of statistics and deep uncertainty. An endless swirl of numbers – case counts, infection rates, vaccine efficacy – can leave you feeling stressed, anxious and powerless if you’re not confident you know what they really mean.

But when used effectively, statistics can help you know more, trust more and avoid surprise and regret when the unexpected occurs. People also tend to want them and find them useful when weighing uncertain risks and making decisions. 

I’m a decision psychologist. I study how people understand and use numbers as they’re figuring out risks and making choices. I then try to improve how numbers are communicated to help people make better decisions. Here are four ways that stats in the news can confuse you – and my advice on how to understand them. Continue reading.

A quarter of women say they are financially worse off a year into pandemic, Post-ABC poll finds

Washington Post logo

A Washington Post-ABC News poll underscores the ongoing struggles that women and people of color face as they deal with job loss, caring for children, and rising food and rent costs

Women and people of color are the most likely to say they are financially worse off today than before the pandemic began, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll, underscoring the struggles many Americans are still facing even as the broader economy shows signs of improvement.

A quarter of women say their family’s financial situation is worse today than before the coronavirus-related shutdowns began in March 2020, compared to 18 percent of men, the poll finds. And 27 percent of non-Whites say they are worse off now vs. 18 percent of Whites.

The findings highlight the ongoing financial hardships that many families are facing a year into the global health crisis. Women and workers of color were far more likely to lose jobs when the pandemic took hold last spring and wiped out millions of service-sector jobs in restaurants, hotels, spas, salons and non-urgent health-care fields. Women have also borne the majority of the child-care responsibilities as schools and day-care centers shuttered and classes moved online, requiring additional parental involvement. Continue reading.