All posts by David Obelcz

Breaking News, Health and Lifestyle, Local

Washington state suspends use of Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine after CDC and FDA advisory

[OLYMPIA] – (MTN) The Center for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration recommended pausing the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine after reports of rare, but serious complications after vaccination. In response to this recommended pause, the Washington state Department of Health is temporarily suspending the distribution of the J&J vaccine.

The Department of Health released a prepared statement. “Use of that vaccine will be put on hold until we receive further recommendations from our federal partners about how best to move forward. Safety is the highest priority when it comes to all COVID-19 vaccines.”

In the United States, approximately seven million adults have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. There were six reports of serious blood clots among women from 18 to 48 years of age, six to 13 days after receiving their injection. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a single dose. One patient died, and one other was hospitalized in critical condition.

“The probable cause that we believe may be involved here, that we can speculate, is a similar mechanism that may be going on with other adno viral vector vaccines. This is an immune response that occurs very, very rarely after some people receive the vaccine. That immune response leads to activation of the platelets and these extremely rare blood clots,” said Peter Marks, Director of the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

One of the primary reasons for the pause is to advise the medical community on how to treat this rare side effect. Heparin is frequently used as a treatment for blood clots, but “In this setting, administration of heparin may be dangerous, and alternative treatments need to be given,” both the CDC and FDA advised.

In Washington, almost 150,000 people have received the J&J vaccine, of the four million doses administered to date.

Health officials are recommending that you keep your appointment if you’re scheduled to receive the J&J vaccine unless the provider reschedules. A number of locations are switching to the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccines to keep appointments. Officials in Snohomish County indicated the vaccine appointments at the Angels of the Wind Casino were being canceled.

Anyone who received the J&J vaccine more than a month ago should have little concern for clotting. The CDC advised that if you experience severe headaches, chest pain, leg pain, or difficulty breathing within 30 days of receiving the J&J vaccine, you should see a medical professional promptly, particularly if you were born a biological female and are under 50 years old.

Full disclosure: the author received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Saturday, April 10, 2021, and experienced typical side effects of fatigue, sore injection site, chills, and fever.

Breaking News, Health and Lifestyle, Local

Cowlitz, Pierce, and Whitman counties rolled back to Phase 2 due to growing COVID cases

[OLYMPIA] – (MTN) As expected, Governor Jay Inslee announced the rollback of three counties that were not meeting adjusted Phase 3 Healthy Washington COVID reopening requirements.

“These metric trends are driven by the virus and we must continue to do everything we can to sharpen our focus and keep COVID-19 activity down. We are so close to the end of the tunnel here — we have made tremendous progress and we must keep our focus,” Inslee said.

The biggest change to commerce when rolling back to Phase 2 is public businesses such as gyms and restaurants have to operate at 25% capacity. Gathers should be limited to 5 people indoors, and 15 people outdoors.

All counties will be re-evaluated in two weeks. King and Skagit counties were close to crossing the line for rolling back but didn’t cross the thresholds. To date, 40% of Washington residents have at least their first COVID vaccination shot.

BIPOC, Local

‘White Lives Matter’ rally in Seattle never materializes

Gallery

Update: Monday, April 12, 2021, 2:00 PM – a previous version of this story had misspelled Annaliza’s name. We apologize for the error.

[SEATTLE] – (MTN) Right-wing groups backed by extremists and neo-fascist organizations attempted to organize nationwide ‘White Lives Matter,’ rallies, including in Seattle, but were mostly no shows. In Seattle, a diverse group organized by Stand Against White Supremacy Coalition rallied in resistance to the ideas of white supremacy. In addition, the Youth Liberation Front in black bloc and Falun Gong protesters flanked the protest holding their own rallies.

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”37″ gal_title=”White Lives Matter Counter-Rally”]

“When we heard that there were folks planning white lives matter, you know we’re here to say that Black Lives Matter,” said Annaliza of the Comrades of Color Caucus. “We’re in a time where so many Asian-American people are being attacked, that is not acceptable to say, other lives don’t matter.”

Seattle police had no presence at the counter-protest. A single person from white lives matter drove by, with their vehicle followed by approximately 25 people dressed in black. That person drove their Chevrolet Suburban up onto the sidewalk at Westlake and 4th and turned northbound squealing their tires.

By 1:45 PM it became apparent to the group that no one else was coming in support for White Lives Matter, and the group started to thin. Members of the Youth Liberation Front discussed marching in the street but moved back into Westlake before dispersing.

In many cities, white lives matter rallies didn’t materialize or were vastly outnumbered by counter-protesters. The one exception was in Huntington Beach, California, where a large group of counter-protesters met a smaller, but more aggressive group of white live matters protesters. The police declared an unlawful assembly and made several arrests.

Social media showed members of the Proud Boys, a neo-fascist group with over a dozen members arrested for the January 6 insurrection, with police officers. The rally in Southern California was organized by California KKK Grand Dragon William Quigg. Quigg was imprisoned in 2016 for stabbing multiple individuals at a different Klan rally and was spotted in the crowd.

BIPOC, Local

House Bill HB 1016 making Juneteenth a state holiday heads to Governor Inslee’s desk

[OLYMPIA] – (MTN) The Washington state legislature overwhelmingly passed HB 1016, which would make June 19, Juneteenth, a legal state holiday. The bill had 39 sponsors and passed in the Democratic-led Senate 47-1. The measure passed in the House with similar bipartisan support in February, 89-9.

According to Juneteenth.com, Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers led by Major General Gordon Granger landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. This was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation – which had become official January 1, 1863.

The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.

General Granger read several general order’s upon his arrival, the most significant being general order three. “The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer.”

Texas was the first state to recognize Juneteenth as an official state holiday in 1980. The traditional celebrations included barbecue meat, dressing in fine clothes, and exchanging books. During slavery, food was not plentiful and meat was a luxury. In some slave states, enslaved peoples were not permitted to wear nice clothes. Learning to read and write was illegal, and slaves who learned to read or write outside of their duties could be blinded, have fingers or hand cut off, or even executed.

The movement to make Juneteenth a state holiday in Washington gained momentum during social justice protests in the summer of 2020 over the death of George Floyd.

Local, Weather

Winter makes a final stand before spring-like weather finally arrives

[KIRKLAND] – (MTN) If you’re feeling like March and the start of April have been cooler than normal, especially in the evenings, you would be correct. In an average year, Seattle would see its last day with an evening low below 40 degrees on March 20. Sixteen of the last 20 days were at or below normal for low temperatures, and the trend is going to continue into early next week.

Friday will be 6 to 8 degrees below normal, with highs struggling to get to 50 degrees. Tonight will see lows of 35 to 37 with rain coming in overnight. The snow level in the mountains passes will drop to 2,500 feet. With moisture on the way, the west slope of the Cascades is under a Winter Weather Advisory for 4 to 7 inches of snow expected to fall overnight.

Saturday will start damp and clear out for the afternoon, but again, high temperatures will struggle to get to 50 degrees. Saturday night will be cool, with low temperatures in the Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville area of 29 to 32 degrees – 10 to 13 degrees below normal, and representing one of our latest area frosts on record.

Back on March 27, we predicted the last frost of the year could be as late as April 11.

Looking further ahead, nighttime lows will remain below average until Wednesday, while the days will be sunny and mild. Our first 70 degree days of the year are in sight on the long-range forecast, with the end of next week looking promising.

Health and Lifestyle, Local

Seven Washington counties at risk of going back to Phase 2 as COVID cases grow

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[KIRKLAND] – (MTN) Washington state has managed the COVID crisis better than most states. Cases, deaths, and economic impact have been lower than in many places across the nation. The state moved to Phase 3 opening last month, which was a giant step toward normalcy. Seven counties across Washington, including Pierce, are at risk of falling back to Phase 2.

Adams, Asotin, Cowlitz, Douglas, Pierce, Pend-Oreille, and Yakima counties currently exceed hospitalization and new case numbers to remain in Phase 3. In addition, Skagit County and King County are on the brink of crossing the line.

On April 12 the state will evaluate the data on hospitalizations, cases, and deaths county by county, and determine which, if any counties, will move back to Phase 2. State leaders have not indicated if this will impact in-class learning in counties that roll backward. Impacted counties would move to Phase on April 16.

ELISE BARRETT PROVIDES A COVID-19 UPDATE

Earlier this month, T-Mobile Park had fans in the stands for the first time in 555 days for the Mariners home opener. Restaurants could start seating indoor dining at up to 50% capacity and bowling alleys crashed with the sound of falling pins. With in-class learning set to start statewide on April 19, the data, while not bleak, doesn’t paint an even picture across the state. The opening hasn’t been smooth with community groups complaining about some retail and restaurant locations exceeding capacity and ignoring mask requirements.

A combination of factors is being attributed to the problems in different counties. Slow vaccine rollout, multigenerational households and exposed labor in Yakima County, and the spread of the more contagious B.1.1.7 among younger populations are pushing numbers upward.

BIPOC, Editorial, Health and Lifestyle, LGBTQIA, Local, National

Malcontentment Happy Hour: April 8, 2021

Video

Our live webcast from the former Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

The show from April 8, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith.

  • COVID-19 update with Elise Barrett
  • Chauvin Trial – Day 9 – update with Jennifer Smith
  • Malcontented Minutes
    • Indigenous lawyer Robert Anderson nominated as Solicitor of Interior Department
    • Joseph Russo, 28, charged in three anti-Asian hate crimes in NYC
    • Virginia bans “gay panic” as a criminal defense
    • LGBTQ Holocaust survivors – almost forgotten
    • Crisis on the border worsens
    • Amazon unionization vote appears to be failing with hundreds of ballots challenged
    • Georgia man is paid final paycheck in grease-covered pennies dumped in his driveway
    • A 61-year old Silverdale man tripping on acid goes on a rampage in senior living apartments
    • Jimmy Falon called out for not giving Black Tik Tok creators credit and makes amends
    • Ring-tailed lemurs eat flowers at the Oregon Zoo
  • Holocaust Remembrance Day and thanking Joe for the liberation of Buchenwald

BIPOC, Health and Lifestyle, Local, National

Pandia Health brings telemedicine for women’s reproductive health to Washington state

1 Comment

[SEATTLE] – (MTN) Sixty-one years ago, the FDA approved oral contraceptives, also known as the pill, as a form of birth control in the United States. Decades later, the pill has expanded as a tool to fight moderate to severe acne, control menstrual cycles, migraines, and endometriosis. The ability to access contraceptives remains a surprising challenge in the United States. Dr. Sophia Yen, co-founder and CEO of Pandia Health, is working to change that.

Pandia Health, a Bay Area based telemedicine company that recently expanded into Washington state, provides women reproductive health services through the Internet. “We bring birth control to wherever you have Internet and a mailbox,” said Dr. Yen. “If you could imagine in rural parts of the country where the nearest doctor is two or three hours away, this is a problem with access.”

The timing of this new choice couldn’t be better for western Washington residents. Planned Parenthood recently announced they were closing its Seattle First Hill, Shelton, and Kent facilities. The closures are due to slashed Medicaid reimbursements from the federal government, making continued operation impossible. Insurance rules on when patients can refill prescriptions adds to the complexity of maintaining reproductive health.

“For just $20 once a year, you have access for the entire year for any follow-up questions as much as you want. Most birth control pills are generic, so it’s less than 50 cents a day,” Dr. Yen said. “Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, if you do have insurance, no copay, and no deductible.”

The $1.9 trillion Save America package passed by the Biden Administration capped ACA premiums at 8.5% of income, and COBRA payments are covered 100% through September. These benefits and expanded enrollment will help reverse the trend of uninsured Americans, which added 2.3 million people under the Trump Administration.

Dr. Yen explained her company serves patients in ten states and can ship birth control to all 50 states and Washington D.C.. There is an additional benefit to telemedicine; legally, you don’t have to reside in one of the ten states served by Pandia Health. Suppose you’re physically in a state where a telemedicine physician provides services when you complete your online evaluation. In that case, you can have your birth control shipped to your home state. 

“We’re promoting a kind of birth control tourism. If you happen to be in Seattle at the airport, you could fill out the questionnaire. Then we can deliver it to Kansas or Arkansas or whatever state you reside in.”

In 1988, the original high-dose birth control pill was taken off the market. Today a woman can choose from 40 different birth control pills, some with low-dose and high-dose variants, that use eight possible progesterones. If that sounds complicated, it can be. The medical community is just beginning to understand the differences these options can have on the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and Person of Color) community.

“Medicine is based on a Caucasian female model,” she continued. “It doesn’t [account] for a person of color. We are looking and asking our customers to self-report their ethnicity so we can correlate it with side effects and see which birth control works best.”

Not only is Dr. Yen an advocate of female reproductive rights and services, but her company also has a program called Pandia Health Social Good. “If you can’t afford [birth control] and you can’t afford 50 cents a day to cover your birth control, you can apply to our birth control fund. And if you have money, you can donate to the birth control fund and take a tax deduction.”

Jennifer Smith contributed to this story.

BIPOC, Local

Parents and community leaders demand action during Saturday rally in Marysville

Updated: April 5, 2021 @ 9:30 AM to include a statement from the Marysville police.

[MARYSVILLE] – (MTN) Parents and students gathered in Comeford Park on Saturday to express their anger at the Marysville School District’s handling of threats against students. JJ Frank, the parent of a student threatened with death due to her race, held a press conference with city, county, and Black leaders, speaking to a diverse crowd of supporters.

“I’m here in the capacity as a father,” Frank told the crowd. “I’m hearing that these students that made these death threats said it was just a joke. When another student threatens another student’s life and says that they want to kill him, that is not a joke.”

“When another student threatens another student’s life that threatens all of our children’s lives, let us not turn a blind eye because these were Black students and minority students that our lives are any less,” Frank continued. “Black lives do matter.”

Two students at Marysville Pilchuck High School made death threats in December 2020. In that incident, which Malcontent News reported, the students received a short suspension and moved to a different high school. The Snohomish County prosecutor officers did not pursue charges stating that one family did not want to press charges and the students posed a low risk after a threat assessment. They were both referred to a deferment program through the juvenile court. Malcontent News is not naming the students or victims as they are juveniles.

Frank spoke about the incident during his speech on Saturday in vivid detail. “They said, what about that n*****’s sister? They said, yeah, we want to kill that n******.” This is in the police report.”

“They said that they wanted to kill my daughter, my 15-year-old daughter,” Frank said fighting back his tears as Black leaders gathered around him to provide support.

Screen capture of the Snapchat threat made on the same account as a student that made death threats in a December 2020 Zoom meeting

In the second incident, a January 2021 Snapchat message stating, “killing minorities soon,” showing a white hand holding a handgun, was made from the same phone and e-mail address of one of the students involved in the Zoom meeting. That student denies that they made the post and that a 20-years old relative did it. The 20-year old has not been named but is a son of a Marysville police officer. Because of the conflict of interest, Marysville police moved the criminal investigation to the Snohomish County Sheriff.

Frank accused the Marysville School District of misrepresented the status of the students after this second incident. He claims the district told him the students had been removed from school again, which they haven’t.

In response to growing media coverage, the school district released a statement. “In recent days, information about incidents against students of color, specifically Black/African American students, were shared publicly in the news, on social media, and through community forums. These incidents included online threats made against Black/African American students and confirms Marysville School District’s recognition and acknowledgment that racism and hate continue to exist in our community.”

“We will strive to do everything in our power to make certain that each student we serve feels safe physically, socially, emotionally, and free from racial or other forms of discrimination.”

For Marysville residents, many we spoke to expressed concern about the existing threats, given the history of a prior mass shooting event at Marysville Pilchuck High School. Later in the afternoon, a Black Lives Matter rally was held on the Salvation Army’s roof about a mile away. As a band played and a small group solicited support from the cars passing by, many drivers honked and waved. One person confronted the group briefly, asking when they would start breaking windows. A couple of pickup trucks circled the group, with one driver making a white power symbol as they created a black cloud of exhaust.

According to a KOMO news article, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s department has completed its investigation into the January incident and has recommended criminal charges to the prosecutor’s office.

The Marysville Police also released a statement on April 2. ” I want to update the Marysville community that this investigation is now complete. The Major Crimes Detectives from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office have referred this case to the Snohomish County Prosecutor with a recommended charge of hate crime, RCW 9A.36.080(7). The Sheriff’s office can answer further questions on their investigation.”

Frank and his supporters want further action. “If Jason Thompson, who’s on administrative leave, and Lori Knudson acting deputy superintendent, Rod Merrell, and the consortium consultants do not resign, we are asking Vanessa Edwards, the school board president and the board of directors to use their authority to terminate their employment immediately. This leadership must end, and enough is enough.”

Because it is a holiday weekend, the Marysville School District, the Snohomish County Prosector’s Office, and a public information officer with the Snohomish County Sheriff were not available for comment.

Breaking News, Health and Lifestyle, Local

COVID vaccinations open to all eligible Washington residents on April 15

[KIRKLAND] – (MTN) Governor Jay Inslee announced today that COVID-19 vaccinations will be open to all Washington residents 16-years old and over on April 15, 2021. Citing the concerning increase in new cases, promises of a continued increase in supply by the federal government, and multiple counties exceeding Phase 3 guidelines, the state is accelerating vaccine availability. The three vaccines currently available in the United States, Pfizer, Modera, and Johnson and Johnson, are FDA approved for people over 15 years of age.

On Wednesday, vaccines became available to everyone age 60 or older, or with two co-morbidities, people who live in congregate settings and workers in restaurants, construction, and manufacturing. Additionally, to schedule an appointment a person did not have to verify their eligibility through the state portal.

Washington state has been lagging behind other states in vaccinating its citizens and has the lowest general vaccination rate in the nation before COVID-19 struck. States have wrestled with equitable distribution to vulnerable populations versus those eager and willing to get the shot.

The Biden Administration set a goal of 100 million vaccinated within 100 days, and recently changed the goal to 200 million vaccinated in the first 100 days.