Tag: pandemic

Shootings never stopped during the pandemic: 2020 was the deadliest gun violence year in decades

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Until two lethal rampages this month, mass shootings had largely been absent from headlines during the coronavirus pandemic. But people were still dying — at a record rate.

In 2020, gun violence killed nearly 20,000 Americans, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive, more than any other year in at least two decades. An additional 24,000 people died by suicide with a gun.

The vast majority of these tragedies happen far from the glare of the national spotlight, unfolding instead in homes or on city streets and — like the covid-19 crisis — disproportionately affecting communities of color. Continue reading.

They Had Mild Covid. Then Their Serious Symptoms Kicked In.

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A new study illuminates the complex array of neurological issues experienced by people months after their coronavirus infections.

In the fall, after Samar Khan came down with a mild case of Covid-19, she expected to recover and return to her previous energetic life in Chicago. After all, she was just 25, and healthy.

But weeks later, she said, “this weird constellation of symptoms began to set in.”

She had blurred vision encircled with strange halos. She had ringing in her ears, and everything began to smell like cigarettes or Lysol. One leg started to tingle, and her hands would tremble while putting on eyeliner. Continue reading.

Johnson & Johnson under pressure to deliver promised vaccine doses to states

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Delays could undercut vaccinations in areas lacking access to deep freezers needed for one of the other authorized COVID-19 vaccines

Johnson & Johnson is under pressure to deliver its promised 20 million vaccine doses by next week, as several state public health officials indicate they are receiving few or no shots this week and have no idea how much they’ll get later.

The uncertainty comes at a time when the demand for vaccines continues to overwhelm supply, a weary country braces for the spread of viral variants and hundreds of people die from COVID-19 each day. It raises questions about how successful the company was in meeting a central goal of the massive U.S. investment in vaccine development: to manufacture sufficient supplies of shots before they were proven effective in order to hit the ground running. 

The delays could undercut vaccinations in rural and low-income areas without access to deep freezers needed for one of the two other authorized vaccines. Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose shot is helpful in those places since it’s durable for three months in the refrigerator. Continue reading.

AstraZeneca accused of cherry-picking vaccine study data

WASHINGTON — AstraZeneca may have included “outdated information” in touting the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine in a U.S. study, federal health officials said Tuesday in an unusual public rift that could further erode confidence in the shot.

In response, AstraZeneca said that it is working on more up-to-date information and that the more recent findings are consistent with its initial announcement that the vaccine offered strong protection. It promised an update within 48 hours.

In an extraordinary rebuke, just hours after AstraZeneca on Monday announced its vaccine worked well in the U.S. study, an independent panel that oversees the study scolded the company for cherry-picking data, according to a senior administration official. Continue reading.

Mapping of Carver County outbreak unmasks how COVID spreads

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Carver County cases show an alarming “attack rate” by newer form of virus. 

Hannah Friedlander didn’t like what the genomic sequencing was telling her. Two children from one Carver County school not only had COVID-19, but their infections in late January came from the same, more infectious viral variant.

Then came a cluster in a local hockey team, followed by an outbreak at an area child care facility. All were unusual for their high “attack rates,” meaning more people exposed to the virus ended up infected.

And, as it turned out, all were linked. Continue reading.

GOP picks fight over states’ rights in coronavirus relief

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Republicans are aiming to stir up a legal battle over Biden’s pandemic relief bill, targeting a provision in the American Rescue Plan they say is an unconstitutional infringement on states’ ability to devise their own tax policies.

A provision in the bill that forbids states from using billions in aid to offset any tax cuts they might implement has sparked a backlash from Republican lawmakers and state attorneys general. Their criticisms could lay the groundwork for a court battle over states’ rights and government overreach akin to the Supreme Court case over the fate of ObamaCare.

This time, the GOP appears to be framing the issue as the Biden administration getting in the way of state and local leaders cutting taxes for their own residents. Continue reading.

4 steps to reaching Biden’s goal of a July 4th with much greater freedom from COVID-19

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President Joe Biden set a goal for the U.S. to have COVID-19 under enough control by summer that Americans can celebrate July 4th with family and friends, at least in small gatherings. Important in achieving this goal is another presidential request: that all U.S. adults be made eligible for COVID-19 vaccinationsby May 1.

We are public health deans who lead a variety of COVID-19 response efforts and are involved in public policy discussions. At a time when the nation is weary of hearing “no, you can’t,” we believe that thinking in terms of harm reduction – offering safer but not necessarily risk-free alternatives – is crucial. 

Harm reduction strategies are in use all around you. Seat belts and air bags are perhaps the most widespread harm reduction strategy for a leading cause of death in the U.S. Designated driver programs represent a harm reduction technique to reduce alcohol-related traffic fatalities. Another well-known example is the use of sterile syringe exchange services to help prevent HIV infection among people who inject drugs while also creating an important pathway for them to access client-centered medical and social services. Continue reading.

Vaccines could prevent asymptomatic infection. Here’s why that’s key to ending the pandemic.

If vaccines can halt asymptomatic spread, then “you could potentially vaccinate your way out of the epidemic,” one expert said.

Vaccine distribution is ramping up in many countries, but with Covid-19 cases also climbing once again and the prospect of another surge of infections on the horizon, the world is in a race against time.

Key to winning the race, experts say, is not only whether the vaccines will play a significant role in preventing serious illness from Covid-19, but also whether they can block people from spreading the virus.

“The ideal vaccine would have two performance features: One prevents you from going to the hospital, going to the ICU and losing your life,” said Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children’s Hospital and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. “But if the vaccine also halts asymptomatic spread, then you could potentially vaccinate your way out of the epidemic.” Continue reading.

‘A toxic cycle of blame, sycophancy and political pressure’: New book to detail Trump’s ‘nightmare’ handling of COVID crisis

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Washington Post journalists Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta are preparing for the release of their forthcoming book, “Nightmare Scenario,” which aims to highlight former President Donald Trump’s disastrous COVID-19 response since the onset of the pandemic. 

According to Axios, the agents for the book, which will be released by HarperCollins Publishers, are Javelin’s Keith Urbahn and Matt Latimer. Jonathan Jao, HarperCollins’ vice president and executive editor, has also been named as editor of the book. The publication also offered a brief overview of the book and the controversial topics it will address.

From the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus to the politicization of the pandemic, the book will reportedly offer an in-depth look at the timeline of Trump’s White House’s handling of COVID-19. Continue reading.

Fauci clashes with Rand Paul over masks

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The nation’s top infectious diseases doctor Anthony Fauci on Thursday clashed with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) over the need for people to continue wearing masks once they’ve already been infected with or vaccinated against COVID-19.

“You’re telling everyone to wear a mask,” Paul said. “If we’re not spreading the infection, isn’t it just theater? You have the vaccine and you’re wearing two masks, isn’t that theater?”

“Here we go again with the theater,” an exasperated Fauci responded. “Let’s get down to the facts.” Continue reading.