Tag: pandemic

‘Death by DeSantis’: Congresswoman attacks governor for making a mockery of Floridians dying in hospitals

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One out of five Americans with COVID-19 are from Florida, according to shocking information revealed this week. The state is one of the worst in the country after the Republican governor celebrated that he was eliminating all precautions employed by other states.

The numbers tracked by the New York Times revealed that Florida is the worst state, followed by regional outbreaks like northern Arkansas and southern Missouri, both of which are experiencing enormous increases in disease spread. 

“I think we have a governor who has not taken covid seriously from the beginning,” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. “He has campaign merchandise on his website saying ‘Don’t Fauci my Florida.’ And we’ve had nearly 40,000 Floridians die of COVID. We have, we are contributing 20 percent of the COVID diagnosis in the country right now and we’re on the rise. And look, I would rather see us Fauci our Florida than have people go through death by DeSantis. That’s what we’re facing now. He actually had a law pass in Florida to prohibit local governments from being able to enact measures like mask requirements and social distancing to keep people safe. You can’t make this up! That’s where the blame lies. At his feet.” Continue reading.

Fauci: US Might ‘Still Have Polio’ If Misinformation Had Hindered Vaccination

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Washington (AFP) – Top US scientist Anthony Fauci on Saturday blasted commentators who sound an anti-vaccination theme, saying America might still be battling smallpox and polio if today’s kind of misinformation existed back then.

The comments from the country’s leading infectious disease expert reflected mounting frustration over the sharp slowdown in the Covid-19 vaccination rate in the United States, even as the disease has been surging in states with low rates.

It also came days after President Joe Biden expressed his own visible frustration, saying social media that carry widely heard misinformation about vaccines are “killing people.” Continue reading.

Feds step up pressure on social media over false COVID-19 claims

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Social media companies are facing new pressure from the federal government to crack down on health misinformation as the Biden administration makes a push to encourage reluctant Americans to get COVID-19 vaccines. 

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory Thursday stating that misinformation is an “urgent threat” and called on the tech companies he accused of amplifying the misinformation to take action to fight the false, and often dangerous, claims. 

“Health misinformation didn’t start with COVID-19. What’s different now is the speed and scale at which health misinformation is spreading,” Murthy said at a White House briefing. Continue reading.

Sen. Smith pushes bill to help pandemic frontline workers get citizenship

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MINNEAPOLIS – U.S. Senator Tina Smith was in town on Friday to detail her push to create a pathway to citizenship for essential workers.

Businesses leaders, frontline workers, and immigration advocates joined the senator Friday afternoon at Mercado Central in south Minneapolis. According to Smith, it’s estimated that more than 5 million undocumented essential workers across the country continued to work during the pandemic. They filled positions in critical industries such as health care and agriculture.

“Essential workers have always been critical to our overall economic growth and health,” said Jenny Srey with the Coalition of Asian American Leaders. “And as we move forward toward healing they are even more vital now. We need all of our lawmakers to recognize the sacrifices and important role of immigrant workers and use their power to make citizenship a part of the budget reconciliation process.” Continue reading.

This mother thought COVID-19 was ‘was just like the flu’ – now her unvaccinated teenage daughter is struggling to survive

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A vaccine-skeptical Arkansas mother is begging other parents not to make the same mistake as she.

Angela Morris decided against vaccinations for herself and her 13-year-old daughter because she doubted the severity of the coronavirus, but she’s learning a hard lesson now that her child has been hospitalized with an infection, reported KTHV-TV.

“I just had a false sense of security that it was just like the flu and it wasn’t that serious,” Morris said. “Obviously, it is that serious and it was that serious — now I can see.” Continue reading.

John Bolton bursts out laughing after hearing that Trump hoped he’d die of COVID

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Appearing on CNN to address a wide range of topics involving former president Donald Trump’s administration, former Trump national security adviser John Bolton was asked by co-host Brianna Keilar about a report that Donald Trump had indicated he would like to see Bolton contract COVID-19 and die.

In the middle of a discussion on Republicans continuing “kissing Trump’s ring” despite his 2020 election loss, Keilar suddenly changed direction and asked about Trump’s COVID comments which were included in Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta’s book “Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration’s Response to the Pandemic That Changed History.”

According to the book, Trump told members of his cabinet, “Hopefully COVID takes out John.” Continue reading.

The health and climate consequences of the American food system cost three times as much as the food itself

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A new report provides a roadmap to creating a post-pandemic food system with greater fairness, fewer adverse climate impacts and better health outcomes. 

The true cost of food is even higher than you think, a new report out Thursday says.

The U.S. spends $1.1 trillion a year on food. But when the impacts of the food system on different parts of our society — including rising health care costs, climate change and biodiversity loss — are factored in, the bill is around three times that, according to a report by the Rockefeller Foundation, a private charity that funds medical and agricultural research.

Using government statistics, scientific literature and insights from experts across the food system, the researchers quantified things like the share of direct medical costs attributable to diet and food, as well as the productivity loss associated with those health problems. They also looked at how crop cultivation and ranching, and other aspects of U.S. food production impacted the environment. Focusing on the production, processing, distribution, retail and consumption stages of the food system (not including food service), they evaluated what it would cost to restore people’s health, wealth or environment back to an undamaged state, as well as the cost of preventing a recurrence of the problems. Continue reading.

CDC director warns of ‘pandemic of the unvaccinated’ as cases rise

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky warned of rising cases on Friday, stating that COVID-19 is “becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated” and that vaccinated people are protected against severe disease.

The highly transmissible delta variant is fueling expanding outbreaks, but they are centered in parts of the country with lower vaccination rates.

“This is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” Walensky said during a White House press briefing. “We are seeing outbreaks of cases in parts of the country that have low vaccination coverage, because unvaccinated people are at risk.” Continue reading.

Phillips Calls for Additional Support for Minnesota Businesses Distressed by the COVID-19 Pandemic

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In letters to state and local leaders, Phillips cited live events, hospitality, travel, and fitness industries as sectors hit hardest

WASHINGTON DC — Today, Rep. Phillips released letters sent to Gov. Tim Walz, Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, and Hennepin County Commissioners requesting their continued support for Minnesota’s small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

“While many industries are quickly recovering from the pandemic, there remain many who are still experiencing severe revenue declines and have few – if any – options for economic relief, forcing them to consider layoffs or even closure,” Rep Phillips says in the letter. “I know the challenges of finding common ground in this day and age, but I am hopeful that there will be agreement on the need to support those small businesses hardest hit by the pandemic, especially those for whom no targeted relief is available at the state or federal level.”

Last year, Congress created a number of relief programs targeted to America’s small businesses, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, the (SVOG) program, and the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF). Together, these programs saved millions of jobs and countless small businesses, helping pave the way for the economic recovery that has already begun. 

(See also: Reps. Phillips, Van Duyne Introduce Bipartisan Restaurant Recovery Fairness Act)

Earlier this year, Rep. Phillips supported and helped pass the American Rescue Plan, which sent $2.8 billion to the state of the Minnesota through the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund. Among eligible uses for these funds are loans and grants to small businesses to offset the economic hardships posted bysteep declines in revenue, temporary closures, and efforts to enhance safety in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Full text of the letter below:  

I write today to encourage your continued support for Minnesota’s small businesses, especially those hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. As we all know, these businesses are vital to the long-term economic health of our state, not to mention their many contributions to the quality of life in our communities, making them deserving of additional relief at the state and federal levels. 

As you know, Minnesota will receive a total of $2.8 billion in federal aid through the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund established by the American Rescue Plan, which I proudly supported. Among the eligible uses for these funds are loans and grants to small businesses to offset the economic hardships posed by steep declines in revenue, temporary closures, and efforts to enhance safety in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. While I appreciate the inclusion of $70 million for grants to small businesses in the recently-enacted Omnibus Jobs Bill, the need for targeted relief remains, and my hope and my request is that a substantial fund is set up using a portion of the remaining federally allocated dollars. 

Minnesota does not bear this responsibility alone. Congress created a number of relief programs targeted to America’s small businesses, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, the Shuttered Venue Operator Grant (SVOG) program, and the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF). Together, these programs saved millions of jobs and countless small businesses, helping pave the way for the economic recovery that has already begun. 

Still, these programs were never intended to address the entirety of the need, which is why I supported the substantial state and local recovery funds included in the American Rescue Plan, and the flexibility to use them in a way that best addressed each state’s unique needs. And while many industries are quickly recovering from the pandemic, there remain many who are still experiencing severe revenue declines and have few – if any – options for economic relief, forcing them to consider layoffs or even closure. 

This is especially true for those businesses which rely on in-person service or gatherings, including the myriad of businesses that make up our once-thriving live events, travel, and hospitality industries, as well as gyms and fitness centers. I have heard from countless small business owners representing these industries who are desperately searching for options to keep their businesses afloat until the recovery reaches them, and I encourage you as elected leaders of our state to respond with additional relief to these businesses in particular as you consider the various options for uses of the federal ARP funds – especially as federal programs come to an end, or find themselves overextended. 

I know the challenges of finding common ground in this day and age, but I am hopeful that there will be agreement on the need to support those small businesses hardest hit by the pandemic, especially those for whom no targeted relief is available at the state or federal level. Wisconsin recently authorized $480 million from their ARP allotment to fund grants to roughly 96,000 businesses in their state, and others have created similar programs as well. You are the experts when it comes to the needs in our state, and it is my hope that you will be able to identify an amount that meets that need. 

Thank you for your leadership of our state in these challenging times, and for showing the entire nation that good work can get done even in divided government. I stand ready to support you in whatever way I can. In the meantime, I am grateful for your consideration of this request.

Canada could open to vaccinated U.S. tourists as soon as August, Trudeau says

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NOTE: This article is provided free to read by The Washington Post.

Canada could reopen its borders to vaccinated travelers from all countries by early September, and possibly welcome immunized Americans as soon as mid-August, the office of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said late Thursday.

Canada closed its land border with the United States in March 2020 as the pandemic first accelerated, and it has since restricted entry for other foreign visitors to help stem the spread of the virus.

But now, as vaccination rates climb and transmission slows, those controls could be lifted in the coming weeks, Trudeau said in a call with Canadian provincial leaders Thursday.