Category Archives: Health and Lifestyle

Health and Lifestyle, Local, National

CDC recommends lifting Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine pause

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[SEATTLE] – (MTN) Lifting the pause on the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in the United States was recommended today by U.S. health regulators on Friday. A two-week review of data on over 8 million administered doses indicated that blood clot formations were extremely rare. A total of 15 significant adverse events were reported including 3 fatalities. The most recent reported fatality was a woman in Oregon, although investigators have not confirmed that her death was a result of the vaccine or other health issues.

Today’s recommendation opens the door for the one-dose J&J vaccine to be used again, once regulators confirm the CDC’s recommendation.

CDC official Sara Oliver told a panel today that approximately 26 people could suffer serious blood clots out of 10 million. However, she also reported that 1,400 deaths and 3,500 hospital admissions would also be prevented.

All of the people who experienced adverse events were born biologically as women and were from 18 to 54 years old. Some in the medical community are recommending a stronger warning for women about the extraordinarily rare risk. The panel rejected this suggestion in a second vote today.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has shown to be more effective on COVID-19 variants from Brazil, the United Kingdom, and South Africa. The vaccine also has fewer reported side effects than Moderna and Pfizer, particularly for people over 55 years of age.

Disclosure: The author of this story received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Health and Lifestyle, Local

Seattle OPA investigation into SPD officer Eric Whitehead almost completed

SEATTLE] – (MTN) The Seatle Office of Police Accountability (OPA) opened an investigation into officer Eric Whitehead after a January 15, 2021 incident where he refused to wear a mask at an area hospital. In a follow-up with the OPA, a spokesperson told Malcontent News that the investigation is nearly complete and a report will be issued within two weeks.

Officer Whitehead was at an area hospital to get a statement from an assault victim and refused to wear a mask. According to a nurse in the emergency department, the officer “blatantly refused” to put a mask on despite COVID positive patients nearby and standing in a “high traffic” hallway.

The staff at the unnamed hospital gave the officer masks multiple times, that he repeatedly threw away. The nurse escalated to the Charge Nurse after the officer became belligerent, and was “condescending” with her. The Charge Nurse then notified the Nursing Supervisor, and the officer finally put on a mask.

The compliance was short-lived, with officer Whitehead stating that he would take the mask off when he went into the patient room, potentially exposing the victim of assault to COVID. Despite a larger police presence, the staff noted that no other officers interceded on the behalf of the hospital, to ask Whitehead to put on a mask.

Although no hospital was identified in the investigation, Harborview has come under fire from the rank and file of Seattle Police through the group Safe Seattle. On November 21, 2020, an anonymous source complained about the “vibe,” in a Facebook post. “It used to be friendly. Now it’s either like we are invisible and they can’t see us at all… or they will stare at us. We used to have conversations and joke around with HMC folks, but the vibe has changed. Jail staff have noticed it, too, when they have to do hospital watches. Sure, it’s not all the staff to be clear, but the vibe has definitely tensed up.”

In another post, anonymous Seattle police officers complained that free snacks were no longer available for them in the emergency department. After a COVID-19 outbreak in the medical center sickened 13 and killed at least one, hospital administration identified that lax mask policy in break rooms while eating food likely contributed to the infections. As a result, UWM banned all food, including single-serving packages from all areas of the hospital except the cafeteria for anyone who is not a patient.

Health and Lifestyle, Local, Weather

Fire season off to a troubling early start

[PORTLAND] – (MTN) Officials are warning of another historic fire season with large swaths of southern and central Washington already under a Special Weather Statement for unseasonably high fire danger through the rest of this week. A spell of warm weather with low humidity and forecasted offshore flow will create favorable condtions for wildfires in the South Washington Cascade Foothills, the Cascades, the Western and Central Columbia River Gorge, Willapa Hills, Cowlitz County, and the greater Vancouver, Washington area.

Despite near historical levels of snowpack in the Cascades, eastern Washington has experienced drier conditions resulting in the advisory. Large swaths of the country are also grappling with concern climate and conditons data from eastern Washington to Minnesota and from California to Texas. In the heartland, wildfires are burning from Oklahoma to North Dakota, mostly in rural and federal lands.

This is the time of the year to get ready for summer wildfire season and possible smoke.

As we start to approach summer, with another long-range forecast model of, “hotter and dryer than the norm,” now is the time to get prepared.

  • Get some N-95 masks. Due to COVID they remain difficult to secure. If you have allergies, asthma or other breathing issues, you should try and secure a supply now. Small children and those with facial hair can’t use them.
  • Surgical masks don’t block fine particulates, they don’t work for aiding with smoke exposure.
  • Our smoky days typically go hand-in-hand with our hottest days. In 2018 and 2020 we had several days that would have been record-shattering hot, but the smoke kept us in the 90s. Ideally, on the worst days, you should keep your windows closed. Now is the time to consider a portable air conditioner for at least one room, to create a clean air space in your home.
  • Along with a room with AC, having a box fan with a furnace filter taped to the “intake” side (the side that pulls the air) has been shown to dramatically reduce particulate matter in the air. If you can’t afford an AC, a $20 box fan and a $10 filter can significantly improve air quality in a single room.
A furnace filter duct taped to a box fan is a low cost way to clean the air in a single room.
  • When you drive your car run your AC and run it in the “max” or “recirculation” mode. This recycles the air within your cabin. If your car doesn’t have working AC, you’ll need to wear an N-95 mask when driving during smoky days.
  • On the worst smoky days don’t do outdoor activity if you can. If you work outdoors, your employer should provide N-95 masks. This is vital on days where there is ash fall.
  • Exercise should be done indoors in a climate controlled setting. If you have medical issues, to begin with, avoid exercise or better yet, talk to your doctor.
  • Contact wearers should make sure now that their glasses prescription is up to snuff. On the worst days, you’ll want to rip your eyeballs out when you’re wearing contacts.
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.

Health and Lifestyle, Local

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

Video

[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

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[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.

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.

Health and Lifestyle, Local, National

Stop the steal believers move on to stop the vaccine

Editor’s note: This article links to content to validate our research and findings. They are in no way an endorsement or an attempt to validate disproven conspiracy theories.

[SEATTLE] – (MTN) Weeks after Joe Biden became the 46th President of the United States, ardent believers of “stop the steal” have moved to a new message – stop the vaccine. While a shrinking fringe clings to the idea that Trump is or will be President, a loose affiliation of far-right, neo-fascist, and QAnon followers has taken to the Internet using various tactics to interfere with national vaccination efforts.

Within hours after the polls have closed on November 3, groups were forming to support the message of “stop the steal.” Amy Kramer, a Tea Party activist, created a Facebook page before election coverage had even finished. Before Facebook removed the page, she had amassed more than 360,000 followers. Facebook and other social media channels removed pages as quickly as they popped up, so the movement became more decentralized. 

A review of Telegram, Parler, and the darker corners of Reddit shows a begrudging acceptance of the 2020 election among the believers and architects of stop the steal. It isn’t clear if that motivation is because the message of an illegitimate election no longer resonates among a widening group of Republicans or if organizers are chasing donors. The new mission is to erode trust, discredit the government, and slow down the vaccine rollout. 

For far-right and neo-fascist groups such as Boogaloo and Proud Boys groups, the message is about government overreach. They see vaccination efforts, which are voluntary even among military members, as government overreach and control. For these far-right militias and anti-government groups, the anti-vaccination message is the actions of a controlling government.

British conspiracy theorist David Icke has produced a video called Murder by Vaccine. Icke is better known for his theory that lizard people run the planet. In a rambling 1 hour and 10-minute production, Icke tries to build a case that the COVID vaccine permanently alters human DNA with lethal consequences.

For QAnon adherents, the message is a hodge-podge of beliefs. Among them are ideas steeped in the distortion of Biblical prophesy that receiving a vaccination is getting the mark of the beast. QAnon followers have been wrestling with the “great awakening” concept since former President Donald Trump endorsed getting the COVID vaccination. On social media, some have accused the former President of being part of the deep state, while others have accused him of being paid off by Bill Gates.

COVID-19 has created a perfect storm of misinformation at the same time that numerous groups either are actively trying to build distrust or inherently distrust the government. Anti-vaccination physician and founder of America’s Frontline Doctors, Dr. Simone Gold, was arrested on January 20 for her part in the Capitol insurrection. Her organization includes Doctor Stella Immanuel, who infamously stated she believes in “demon sperm” as the cause of sexually transmitted diseases and alien DNA.

America’s Frontline Doctors pushed hydroxychloroquine as a cure for COVID. An idea embraced by the Trump Administration resulting in millions of purchased doses using federal and state tax dollars. Some states have attempted to force distributors to repurchase the doses, with Oklahoma leading the charge.

The more sinister efforts are happening at the state and local levels. On Telegram, groups have organized to take advantage of vaccination schedules.

In some regions, a hodge-podge of disconnected systems finds and assigns vaccination slots. Different insurance networks, providers, government agencies, and pharmacies don’t share information across these systems.

Small but organized efforts are clogging the queues with fake appointments using fake information. On Telegram, one person in Michigan wrote, “Me and my coworkers creating fake appointments to keep people from getting the vaccine. Let’s make Biden look bad!”

Other groups have shown similar efforts, but it is hard to determine if this is online bravado or an honest attempt to disrupt and slow down distribution. Nationally, the number of no-shows for vaccination appointments is around 20%. While the Johnson and Johnson vaccine doesn’t require specialized handling, the Modera and Pfizer vaccines do and have a short shelf life.

A growing number of experts are becoming concerned that a fourth wave of COVID cases is building in the United States. Twenty-seven states show growing infection rates, with Florida leading the way. Variants from the United Kingdom, South Africa, and California are taking hold. Here in Washington state, 14 counties are outside of the requirements to remain in phase three opening, including Pierce County. Detected cases have almost doubled in the last two weeks, with schools on the brink of reopening and office workers returning to Microsoft and Facebook.

Among those recruiting new members into the anti-government movement, fear of COVID-19 and vaccine efforts is a fertile hunting ground.