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Antivax protest turns violent – local and national COVID update for September 4, 2021

Knowledge is the best tool to fight against fear. A wise person chooses to be informed so they can make sound decisions. To join the fight against COVID misinformation, you can share this update through your social media platform of choice.

[KING COUNTY, Wash.] – (MTN) An anti-vaccination protest led by the Proud Boys turned violent in Olympia today, with one person shot. The Northshore School District reported new COVID cases at multiple schools on Friday. Predictions of a sickout over vaccine mandates by Washington State Ferry appear to have not come true.

The Washington state employees union appears to have reached a deal with the state over the COVID vaccine mandate. Federal unemployment programs including $300 a week in extra federal benefits, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) for the self-employed, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), and extended unemployment benefits end today for Washington state residents.

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Washington State Update for September 4, 2021

Washington state COVID update

The Washington State Department of Health does not report data over the weekend.

The USA Today COVID Tracker reported 48 COVID-related deaths on Friday and the third day in a row with more than 4,000 new COVID cases in the Evergreen State.

Anti vaccination “End of the Mandate” rally turns violent in Olympia with one shot

After forcing three schools into lockdown on Friday in Vancouver, Washington, the right-wing extremist group Proud Boys, planned an anti-vaccination protest in Olympia on Saturday called End of the Mandate. The group originally planned to gather on the Capitol grounds but moved their planned event to Sylvester Park to confront a group of Antifa protesters.

Several short video clips showed 50 to 75 heavily armed Proud Boys, including some carrying firearms and others with shields, paintball guns, and baseball bats, roaming the streets of Olympia chanting, “fuck Antifa.” The Proud Boys and their supporters left the main anti-vaccination protest and stalked the streets of Olympia for 20 minutes, assaulted several people including area residents who were uninvolved in the protest. All of their actions were documented on live streams.

Reporter Alissa Azar was chased, beaten, and sprayed with bear mace before patrons in a bar came to her aid and pulled her inside. A short video on the edge of the assault has Azar screaming in pain, while Proud Boys laugh.

Reporter Alissa azar being attacked by the proud boys in Olympia

The group then started chasing another person for approximately a half-mile. According to a Facebook post by the Washington State ACLU, several people running from the Proud Boys tried to board a city bus, and reports are one of them fired 5 shots, striking one person in the foot. The bullet allegedly struck Proud Boy leader Tusitala “Tiny” Toese in the ankle. A single 9mm casing was observed at the scene on a live stream.

Other people are reporting that the gunshot was self-inflicted, while others are claiming it was fired at the people boarding the bus by a person among the Proud Boys, ricocheted, and struck Toese. There is no update on Toese condition. The actual shooting was not caught on camera.

Gunshots fired in Olympia during an anti-vaccination protest that rapidly devolved into violence

In another video, Toese required a tourniquet and there was a significant amount of blood loss. The Proud Boy leader is currently on probation and was involved in violent assaults in Portland, Oregon last month. Tiny’s profile has increased in recent months with the arrests of Ethan Nordean and Rufio Panman for their alleged involvement in the January 6 insurrection, thrusting Toese into a leadership role.

Reports of multiple people being shot and a potential stabbing appear to be untrue. The situation is evolving and more information continues to come in. Despite multiple claims of a person arrested by right-wing social media accounts, the Gateway Pundit is reporting no one has been arrested.

There is an additional report of a person being arrested for pepper-spraying police officers before the shooting, but that is also unconfirmed. Olympia Police and Washington State Patrol didn’t have a significant presence, gathering on the edges of Sylvester Park. At one point the Proud Boy mob marched past the Washington State Patrol building adjacent to Capitol grounds. Over police scanners, the Olympia Police reported they didn’t have adequate resources to respond to the Proud Boys.

This is by far the most violent incident involving protests against mask and vaccination policy in the United States after a series of increasingly violent events in the past week.

Washington Federation of State Employees reaches tenative agreement with Governor Inslee over vaccine mandate

In sharp contrast to the bloodshed in Olympia, the Washington Federation of State Employees announced they have reached a tentative agreement with the state of Washington over the looming vaccination mandate. The agreement will move to a ratification vote on Tuesday among the almost 47,000 members.

The union is reporting the following concessions were made by the state and is encouraging members to vote in favor of the deal.

  • Members who complete vaccination by October 18 will be credited one day of personal leave as an incentive, that must be taken within the 2022 calendar year
  • Anyone who wishes to retire by December 31, 2021, can do so regardless of their vaccination status as long as they submit their retirement paperwork by October 18
  • Any employee who files for a medical exemption by September 13, and has not had the evaluation process completed by October 18, will not have their pay suspended until the exemption decision is made
  • If an exemption is denied on valid grounds, the employee can use their annual leave and leave without pay to become fully vaccinated within 45 days
  • If an employee is not fully vaccinated by October 18, but has received their first dose, they can use leave without pay for up to 30 days to complete vaccination and return to their previous position or equivalent
  • The state will share vaccination rate data with the union, and partner to target worksites that are lagging for vaccine education and access
  • A requirement for telecommuting workers to return to the office on 3 days notice has been removed

Washington State Ferries sickout over vaccine mandate never materializes

According to the Washington State Ferries site, operations have been smooth over the holiday weekend. The only run impacted due to staffing issues was Seattle/Bremerton, which is operating on one ferry over the weekend, which was announced yesterday.

PeaceHealth reports 95% of employees elected to get vaccinated by deadline

PeaceHealth is a 6,000 employee hospital and medical clinic with facilities in Alaska, Oregon, and Washington. The medical group was one of the first in the country to announce a COVID vaccination mandate, with a deadline of August 31, 2021 to be fully vaccinated.

When PeaceHealth made the announcement, they reported that 80% of their staff had already been vaccinated. On August 31, leadership reported that 91% of employees had been fully vaccinated. Yesterday evening, PeaceHealth reported that 95% of employees were fully vaccinated, leaving approximately 300 remaining across the three-state network.

Among the less than 300 remaining, an undisclosed number are awaiting final disposition on medical exemption or religious requests. The number of personnel who opted to resign is far lower than what activists predicted.

Thank you

Thank you to our new subscribers and those of you who have made one-time contributions. On behalf of the entire team, thank you for helping us keep the lights on!

In August, King County Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin mentioned the N95 Project as a trusted source for N95 masks. A check on the website showed that a 50 count box of United States manufactured N95 masks are available for $40.00. We recommend wearing N95 masks indoors as they provide the best protection against COVID when properly fitted.

No promotional consideration has been given, or requested from the n95 project or any manufacturer of masks

Vaccination

Another poll has come out showing support for getting the COVID vaccination is growing. The latest NPR/PBS News Hour/Marist poll conducted after the Food and Drug Administration gave the Pfizer vaccine full approval for people over 16 years old, mirrors findings from the Axios/Ipsos poll we reported on last week.

The survey was done from August 26 to August 31 and found 19% of U.S. adults declaring they do not intend to be vaccinated. This is down 5 points from the previous poll and is almost identical to the Axios/Ipsos poll that found 14% would never get vaccinated, and 6% declaring it was unlikely.

The same poll reported 72% of respondents have already received the vaccine. According to the CDC, 74.8% of Americans 18 and older have received at least one dose. On September 3, 1.4 million COVID vaccine doses were administered, including 550,000 people who were newly vaccinated. It was the highest number of doses given since July 1.

King County, Washington is reporting over 83% of age eligible residents are vaccinated with at least one dose. The highest rates of positivity are in areas with low vaccination rates statewide. The FDA has provided full approval of the Pfizer vaccine for anyone 16 and over.

COVID vaccines are free for anyone over 12 years old, and no appointment is necessary at most locations. Lyft and Hopelink provide free transportation, and KinderCare, the Learning Care Group, and the YMCA offer free childcare during vaccination appointments or recuperation.

For information on getting a vaccination in King County, you can visit the King County Department of Public Health website.

Malcontent News

Hospital Status

Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital appealed to the public to follow guidance from officials to prevent any additional surges The 226-bed facility is caring for 223 patients, 50 with COVID and 6 on ventilators. Although the hospital has 226 beds on paper, 36 of those are for psychiatric care and labor and delivery. The hospital has expanded capacity by adding wards and parking patients in the emergency room while they wait for an available bed.

Back to School

School DistrictStatusQuarantinesClosures
BellevueGREENNoneNone
Lake WashingtonYELLOW– Kamiakin Middle School (28)
– Juanita High School (8)		None
NorthshoreYELLOW– Bothell High School (12)
– Cottage Lake Elementary (3)
– Crystal Springs Elementary (6)
– Fernwood Elementary (4)
– Frank Love Elementary (1)
– Hollywood Hill Elementary (1)
– Inglemoor High School (1)
– Kokanee Elementary (1)
– Maywood Hills Elementary (4)
– North Creek High School (2)
– Northshore Middle School (2)
– Ruby Bridges Elementary (15)
– Shelton View Elementary (4)
– Skyview Middle School (2)
– Sunrise Elementary (1)
– Timbercrest Middle School (2)
– Wellington Elementary (6)
– Westhill Elementary (1)
– Woodin Elementary (2)
– Woodinville High School (8)
– Woodmoor Elementary (6)		None
Local School Districts Scorecard

The scorecard has been updated to include data from the Northshore School District.

How we score a district

GREEN: Less than 10 reported COVID cases within the entire school district contained to one facility.

YELLOW: More than 10 confirmed COVID cases resulting in quarantine of students, faculty, coaches, or transportation, or less than 10 confirmed COVID cases in more than one facility. Less than 10% of the student body is infected, and no school buildings have been closed due to infections or loss of faculty.

RED: The district has been forced to close at least one school or makes the decision to move to remote learning due to COVID infections, or the district remains opens with no school closures, but more than 10% of students are quarantined.

Officials in Spokane are reporting an unknown number of COVID cases among students at Rogers High School. Spokane Public Schools Spokesperson Sandra Jarrard doesn’t know how many cases there currently are, she told KREM 2’s Morgan Trau. In an email to parents, she added that the “situation is considered confined and not considered an outbreak.”

The contact tracing team is conducting an investigation to compile a list of close contacts, she said. Anyone who is considered to have been in close contact with those COVID-19 positive received “separate communication” with more information regarding testing and quarantine requirements. Staff and students that are not notified by the contact tracing team, have been determined not to have had close contact with the confirmed case, she added in the email. 

The next board meeting for the Lake Washington School District is September 13, 2021, at 7:00 PM and will be remote only.

Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville

Yesterday in the comments, there were questions about the vaccination rates by zip code in our area. We have that information.

King County COVID vaccination rates – at least one dose – by zip code as of September 3, 2021
Zip CodePercent vaccinated, at least one dose, 12 and older
9815592.0%
9802888.7%
9801188.0%
9803485.2%
9803391.9%
9807291.0%
98052>95.0%
98004>95.0%
9803993.8%
9800594.5%
9800788.9%
Vaccination rates for those 12 and older by zip code – at least one dose

Local area vaccination rates far exceed state and national averages, and are even higher for adults 18 and over. There is a touch of irony that the lowest vaccination rate is in the same zip code where the first COVID death was officially recorded in the United States.

National Round-Up

Johns Hopkins University Cumulative Case Tracker reported 300,957 new cases and 3,910 COVID-related deaths on Friday. It is important to note several states, including hard-hit Florida, only report their data once a week. This creates an artificially high number. Data is best viewed on a 14-day rolling average to analyze long-term trends and a 7-day rolling average for emergent trends.

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady reported he had COVID in February, shortly after the Super Bowl. He has since been vaccinated, and NFL officials report that the Buccaneers are one of only two NFL teams to be 100% vaccinated. It is reported that COVID filed a complaint with the NFL, claiming Tom Brady cheated by deflating his blood pressure and watching films on how COVID infects cells and replicates. A representative for Brady refused to comment.

Brady’s former coach, Bill Belichick, created controversy on Wednesday when being asked about the release of Quarterback Cam Newton. Belichick dodged the question, but went on to say, “high number of players, coaches and staff members” have tested positive for COVID-19 after they were fully vaccinated.”

NFL’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sillis released a statement today, that the data doesn’t support Belichick’s opinion.

“We released our data last week from the first three weeks of August, and that data has consistently shown higher rates of infection in unvaccinated players than in vaccinated players. That was true at intake when they first came into training camp and it was true during that first three-week period of August that we released,” he said. “From a medical perspective, go to any major medical center in the country and as you walk around, those patients who are hospitalized, those who are in the ICU, you see the evidence the vaccines are working.

“We know that vaccines are working. What we are seeing are some vaccinated people who test positive. But their illness tends to be very short and very mild, and that’s exactly what the vaccines were designed to do,” he continued. “Let’s all remember the vaccines were designed to prevent serious illness, hospitalization, and death. They’re doing a terrific job of that so far, not only in the NFL where we haven’t seen any serious cases but in society as a whole.”

According to data from the NFL, 0.3% of players experienced a breakthrough case from August 1 to 21, while 2.2% of unvaccinated players became ill. The sevenfold difference between the vaccinated and unvaccinated mirrors data across the country.

COVID also claims that Belichick filmed how it operates against the immune system and supplied the films to Brady. However, officials were quick to point out that the relationship between the two soured in 2019.

Alabama

After the Labor Day holiday, 90% of all school districts in Alabama will require students to wear masks. Infections among students doubled last week, with 83 of143 districts and charter schools reporting COVID positive cases.

At a Madison County School Board meeting Thursday night, parents remained split on masks with seven speakers opposed to a mandate and four in support.

“What kind of future will our kids have if they are being told from a young age to cover their mouth?” Kim Davis said during the meeting. “This is a decision for we the parents, not the school board. I demand the right for parents to decide for their child.”

Arizona

A coalition of teachers, parents, and advocates are trying to overturn Arizona laws that provide protections to students and faculty at primary schools and universities. The group wants to make mask mandates illegal, prevent universities from requiring vaccinations, and forbid establishing so-called vaccine passports.

The state argues the coalition lacks legal standing to challenge a law that, among other things, bars communities from enacting COVID-19 restrictions that affect businesses, schools, and churches. Irvine argued members of the coalition can’t show they were harmed by the law.

Irvine also argues the challenged provisions are constitutional.

Kelly Walker has not been arrested for his role in the incident at a Tuscon elementary school on Thursday, despite instigating the incident and issuing threats over social media.

California

Although California has done better than other west coast states in the current surge and has a highly vaccinated population, regional hot spots persist. Hospitals in the eight-county San Joaquin Valley region have had fewer than 10% of staffed adult ICU beds for three consecutive days. State officials labeled it a “surge,” triggering special rules announced last month that require nearby hospitals to accept transfer patients.

In Fresno County and neighboring counties, the number of confirmed and suspected coronavirus patients in hospitals is more than double what it was four weeks ago, the Fresno Bee reported.

If ICU capacity were to drop to zero, the state of California would enact forced patient transfers to other facilities where surging cases are not occurring.

Florida

It’s another sign that Florida has reached a peak, but the last part of a COVID surge is the worst. While new cases and hospitalizations continue to drop, COVID-related deaths continue to climb. Fatalities are a trailing indicator, and typically peak 4 to 6 weeks after new cases reach a peak, and 2 to 3 weeks after hospitalizations peak. Outcomes for patients who end up on ventilators are poor with the Delta variant, with 70% to 80% dying. For the lucky few who quality for ECMO, only 30% will move back to a ventilator.

The state added 129,240 new COVID-19 cases over the past seven days, the lowest weekly case rate in more than a month, in a state report released Friday.

But it also reported 2,345 new COVID-related deaths, the highest single-week death toll since the start of the pandemic.

Due to normal lags in how deaths are reported, more than 1,900 of these deaths occurred weeks earlier. New federal data shows that Florida’s daily death toll peaked at 244 on Aug. 15, well above the previous record of daily deaths set in August 2020.

It is estimated 40,000 Floridians received monoclonal antibody treatment, which is credited for preventing 10,000 hospitalizations.

Hawaii

Overnight officials reported that ICU capacity is outstripped and AirGas, the largest producer of oxygen on the islands, reported to FEMA on August 27 that the state would run out of medical-grade oxygen on Monday.

Currently, the only thing that has staved off a worst-case scenario, in which health care officials have to start rationing care to those most likely to survive, is 438 medical relief workers, including nurses and respiratory therapists, provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to a blunt assessment that Hilton Raethel, president and CEO of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, provided Friday to the Senate Special Committee on COVID-19. HAH is the major trade group for hospitals and long-term care facilities.

While last week Raethel didn’t want to disclose projections on when the state’s demand would outstrip supply, he told senators Friday that AirGas, which runs the state’s largest liquid oxygen plant, notified FEMA on Aug. 27 that Hawaii could run short as soon as Monday. Since then federal, state and hospital officials have been scrambling to find a remedy.

Oxygen is being flown to the state and is expected to arrive on Sunday. Another shipment is expected to be flown in on Wednesday.

Lt. Governor Josh Green warned that if total hospitalizations exceed 500 people, a statewide shutdown would be considered. Additionally, government officials warned that if the state has to move to “crisis standards of care,” vaccination status would be considered.

Currently, 85% of all hospitalized patients are unvaccinated.

Idaho

Micron announced on Friday it would require all employees and contractors to be vaccinated in the United States. Micron released a statement to employees on Thursday, announcing the mandate.

“On Sept. 3, 2021, we will require all U.S. employees, plus all U.S. contractors who must work inside our buildings to conduct their jobs, to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Any U.S. employee (without an approved accommodation exemption for religion or disability) who chooses not to complete a full vaccine regimen by Nov. 15, 2021, will no longer be permitted to work for Micron following that date. Any U.S. contractor (without an approved accommodation for religion or disability) who chooses not to complete a full vaccine regimen by Nov. 15, 2021, will no longer be permitted to work inside a Micron building following that date. As vaccines become more readily available in other Micron locations worldwide, we anticipate requiring vaccination where allowed by local law.“

Micron has locations in Colorado, California, Idaho, Minnesota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. The company is one of Idaho’s largest employers.

Kentucky

Governor Andy Beshear announced on Saturday he is calling a special session of the legislature to work on pandemic policies after the legislature stripped the governor of most of his emergency powers.

Various emergency measures issued by Beshear are set to expire as a result of the landmark court decision. Lawmakers will decide whether to extend, alter or discontinue each emergency order, and they are expected to put their own stamp on the state’s response to COVID-19.

Minnesota

While Minnesota hasn’t seen a surge in cases similar to other states, in areas where vaccination rates are lower, hospitals are feeling the strain.

In the CentraCare health care system, which operates hospitals and clinics in central Minnesota including St. Cloud, the number of hospitalized patients is higher now than during the spring surge, said Dr. George Morris, medical incident commander for CentraCare’s COVID-19 response team.

The vast majority of patients with COVID in CentraCare’s hospitals — more than 90 percent — are unvaccinated, Morris said. 

“I’m not trying to shame or blame here,” he said. “But so much of our resources have to be committed to unvaccinated COVID patients … that limits our ability to provide needed medical care for others.”

Nebraska

State officials activated the statewide patient transfer center as increasing cases push rural hospitals to the brink. Nurse Sarah Swistak at Nebraska Medicine is exhausted and frustrated.

“It’s filling up quicker and quicker every day that I come in,” said Swistak. “Last week I think our numbers were in the 40s. I believe this morning we were in the 70s. So our infectious disease unit is full.”

Swistak said the pandemic is overwhelming the hospital once again.

“The rate of this surge and this spike is so much quicker than what it was last fall that it’s scaring a lot of us,” said Swistak.

Starting September 4, nurses at the center will call hospitals around the state to find open beds for COVID-19 patients.

Doctors are echoing the frustration of nurses.

“I tell people I’m crisped. I’m way past burnt out,” says Dr. Andrea Jones, a Nebraska Medicine family medicine physician who has spent much of the past 18 months caring for desperately ill COVID-19 patients. “It’s hard for me to understand why people won’t do the right thing. What’s it going to take for people to do the right thing?

“I’m going to be honest. It’s really made me question my faith in humanity.”

Jones says she has been screamed at by hospitalized COVID-19 patients who refuse to believe they have the virus. On other occasions, she has told family members that a patient’s heart is damaged, or their liver is failing, and the patient’s family members have laughed in her face.

That’s ridiculous, they say. That can’t be from COVID-19. It can’t make anyone this sick.

“These people are in complete denial,” Jones says. “All I can do is care for them the best I can and move on.”

Oregon

Last week we wrote about Josephine County and how the COVID ravaged county suffers from poverty, low overall vaccination rates, and rampant misinformation supported by their political leaders. The numbers out of the rural county are in a word, devastating.

In Josephine County, 60.1 people are dying of COVID for every 100,000 residents — the worst death rate in the entire state.

On Saturday, Josephine County released information on the deaths of their most recent COVID fatalities, including a 25-year-old unvaccinated woman who had underlying conditions.

Josephine County officials said they now have a total of 145 COVID-related deaths. Of those patients, 144 died from complications relating to COVID infections. Of the 145 COVID-19 patients who died, 129 were unvaccinated.

Combined, the southwestern counties of Oregon have a COVID death rate 17 times greater than the more vaccinated metro tri-counties.

To provide some context on how extreme 60.1 deaths per 100K is, the target for new COVID infections is 25.0 or less per 100K.

Wyoming

Memorial Hospital in Sweetwater County has been forced to move to “crisis standards of care,” which includes the canceling of day surgeries and considering patient care on a “case by case basis.” The 99-bed acute care hospital located in Rock Springs is currently caring for 16 COVID patients, but the emergency department is overwhelmed with both COVID and normal medical cases.

Emergency services director Kim White stated, “We are at crisis level. We appreciate the patience. The emergency room staff is extremely busy keeping up with the number of people presenting in the ER. Extra members of the hospital’s healthcare team have been brought in to help cover the influx.”

Only two weeks after school started, multiple districts are enacting mask mandates. Some parents have pulled students out of school rather than complying, and some teachers have been suspended. Wyoming has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the nation.

In the rugged state, no state agency is tracking COVID infections or impacts to schools, resulting in a patchwork quilt of reporting sources, frustrating some.

Misinformation

Ivermectin, again. Outrage has grown among advocates of ivermectin that the US government is giving the drug to Afghanistan refugees. The theory being pushed in social media memes and short twitter bursts is the refugees are being given the drug to treat and prevent COVID while Americans aren’t being offered the same options.

These messages use a common misinformation technique, linking to a document that doesn’t support the position in the meme in the hopes no one will actually go to the document and read it. Well, we did.

The document referenced is the Overseas Refugee Health Guidance, which was updated in 2019. There is your first problem with the conspiracy theory, the document was updated before SARS-CoV-2 was detected. We bolded the key language.

This guidance is intended for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) physicians and other panel physicians who administer overseas pre-departure presumptive treatment for intestinal parasites but may also be referenced by U.S. medical providers caring for refugees who will be receiving presumptive treatment after they arrive in the United States.

While these recommendations have been implemented in many overseas sites, logistical and procurement issues still limit their full implementation in some. All Middle Eastern, Asian, North African, Latin American, and Caribbean refugees should receive presumptive therapy with:

  • All Middle Eastern, Asian, North African, Latin American, and Caribbean refugees should receive presumptive therapy with:
    • Albendazole, single dose of 400 mg (200 mg for children 12-23 months)
      AND
    • Ivermectin, two doses 200 mcg/Kg orally once a day for 2 days before departure to the United States.

Further in the documents for recommendations, which were created in 2008:

Prior to departure for the United States, all refugees originating from the Middle East, Asia, North Africa, Latin American, & Caribbean should receive presumptive therapy with ivermectin for Strongyloides infection and with albendazole for infections caused by soil-transmitted helminths.

Further, the guidance states that children under 33 pounds, pregnant women, and women who are breastfeeding should not be given ivermectin. Ivermectin is listed as a Category C drug, which indicates, “Either studies in animals have revealed adverse effects on the fetus (teratogenic or embryocidal, or other) and there are no controlled studies in women or studies in women and animals are not available. Drugs should be given only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.”

In simple terms, ivermectin can cause birth defects.

An analysis of existing studies concluded, “After excluding dozens of ivermectin studies with “high risk of bias,” the collaboration left little room for optimism: “Based on the current very low- to low-certainty evidence, we are uncertain about the efficacy and safety of ivermectin used to treat or prevent Covid-19.” The Cochrane Collaboration recommended that ivermectin use be restricted to clinical trials that might actually generate high-quality data.

One more time, for the people in the back, ivermectin is an effective treatment used around the world to treat intestinal parasites and some parasites of the dermis and epidermis.

Health and Lifestyle, Local, National

COVID cases confirmed in LWSD – local and national COVID update for September 3, 2021

Knowledge is the best tool to fight against fear. A wise person chooses to be informed so they can make sound decisions. To join the fight against COVID misinformation, you can share this update through your social media platform of choice.

[KING COUNTY, Wash.] – (MTN) Two Lake Washington School District schools reported COVID cases today, as the CDC released a study on the impact the Delta variant is having among pediatric patients. New COVID cases continue at a very elevated rate, and data continues to hint the plateau in new cases is crumbling.

Pierce County joins King County in an outdoor mask mandate for large events, and members of Patriot Prayer and the Proud Boys forced three Vancouver, Washington schools into lockdown due to an antimask protest. Someone is running around Pullman pretending to be a mask enforcer, including taking pictures of driver’s licenses. For big breakfast and cholesterol fans, sad news from Seattle with Beth’s Cafe announcing they are closing again.

Nationally, this felt like awful humans doing awful things day. A high school principal in Tuscon was threatened by a group of anti-maskers leading to one arrest. We learned that a doctor in Arkansas did not get medical consent to give prisoners Ivermectin.

In good news, Florida has hit peak COVID, but hospitalizations and deaths are trailing indicators. Some models indicate that Oregon will hit its peak next week as the state teeters on running out of resources.

Finally, if you have tickets to Dave Matthews, two band members have been exposed to COVID, but the show will go on.

This update uses the latest data from the Washington State Department of Health released on September 3, 2021.

vaccinationhospitalsschoolslocalnationalmisinformation

Washington State Update for September 3, 2021

Washington state COVID update

Through August 22, Washington’s statewide 14-day rolling average increased again to 521.7 COVID cases per 100K. Asotin (1,033.6 per 100K), Columbia (1,290.3 per 100K) Franklin (1,218.5 per 100K), and Okanogan (1,082.8 per 100K) reported an extreme number of new cases. Benton, Chelan, Clallam, Cowlitz, Douglas, Garfield, Grant, Lewis, Lincoln, Stevens, and Yakima counties are not far behind, with rates between 800.0 and 999.9 per 100K.

King County is at 324.9 cases per 100K.

The Washington Department of Health will not be updating data Saturday through Monday due to the Labor Day holiday. We do not expect to have a clear view of the situation for COVID cases until the middle of next week.

The Washington State Department of Health reports a data backlog for test positivity, with the published number 14 days old. According to Johns Hopkins University Medicine, the positivity rate for the last 30 days is 14.34%, and over the previous 7 days, 12.90%. Hospitalizations were up in all age groups except 12 to 19 years old. New cases for people over 80 years old were down slightly in the latest data.

Age Group7-Day Case Rate7-Day Hospitalization Rate
Ages 0-1128.2 (up)0.2 (up)
Ages 12-1923.0 (up)0.2
Ages 20-3466.41.6 (up)
Ages 35-4953.1 (up)2.8 (up)
Ages 50-6437.1 (up)4.4 (up significantly)
Ages 65-7918.5 (up)3.8 (up significantly)
Ages 80+4.8 (down)1.5 (up)
7-day case rate and 7-day hospitalization rate is per 100K within the age group – the target for 7-day case rate is <25.0, but there are other factors such as vaccination rates within the age groups, how many total tests within the 7-day period, and the positivity rate within each age group

The USA Today COVID Tracker reported 32 COVID-related deaths on Thursday. Another concerning trend, the data from USA Today, indicates that the plateau has broken, with Washington reporting over 4,300 new cases on Thursday, the second day in a row over 4,000.

Pierce County enacts outdoor mask mandate for large events

One day after King County enacted an outdoor mask mandate for large events, Dr. Anthony L-T Chen, Director of Health for Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, issued a countywide health order requiring the same. Everyone 5 years and older in Pierce County must wear a face covering at any outdoor event with 500 or more people in attendance regardless of vaccination status beginning Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021.

The county also recommends wearing a mask in any crowded outdoor setting where physical distancing is not possible. This order, along with the statewide mask order, requires masks to be worn in indoor public settings like grocery stores, malls, and community centers.

“We are taking this step to ensure the most vulnerable people in our community do not become infected or spread COVID-19,” Dr. Chen said. “The highly contagious Delta variant is causing a rapid increase of positive COVID-19 cases and leading to increased hospitalizations and deaths.

“Wearing masks in crowds of 500 or more will reduce community transmission and protect children under the age of 12, people who are immunocompromised and unvaccinated adults.”

Yesterday, Pierce County Health released a video featuring Zac Duris, an ICU Nurse at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma.

ICU Nurse Zac duris from st. joseph medical center talks about his experiences treating covid patients

Duris tells heartbreaking stories. From young, seemingly healthy people dying to families who can’t see their loved ones. 

“What sticks with me is the really ill patients who have families at home who are really concerned about them,” Duris said. “I can take care of critically ill patients with or without COVID. But what COVID has done has made families have to suffer more because they can’t be at their bedsides with their loved ones.” 

Right Wing extremists force three Vancouver schools into lockdown, harass students and staff

Patriot Prayer, headed by Joey Gibson, spread misinformation on the Internet that a student at Skyview High School was refusing to wear a mask and would be arrested on school grounds on Friday. Members of Patriot Prayer, the Proud Boys, and other anti-mask and anti-vaccination protesters gathered at the school chanting “USA.”

Three schools, Skyview High School, Alki Middle School, and Chinook Elementary School, went into lockdown. Students reported that teachers guarded classroom doors, and people trying to enter Skyview High School were met by security.

“All the learning gets disrupted. We have to sit down quietly, not make noise, and we were hunkered down in our classrooms for around an hour to an hour-and-a-half,” said Lucas, a 16-year-old high school student at Skyview. OPB is withholding Lucas’ last name to protect his identity.

He compared the lockdown to similar drills performed to prepare students for school shooters. Lucas said some students were harassed by the anti-mask demonstrators outside the school building.

“They’ve gotten pretty wild out here recently. It’s kind of crazy,” Lucas said.

Equal opportunity reporting – someone is trying to enforce mask wear at Washington State University – Pullman

Washington State University in Pullman sent out an alert to students warning them about a person claiming to be part of “mask enforcement.” The university, university police, and the city of Pullman all stated they were not doing any enforcement activity, and the person doing this is not an employee.

More alarming, the person took pictures of driver’s licenses and claimed that students would get a ticket in the mail. The person is described as a male driving a 2000s Toyota (which we realize doesn’t say much).

Northwest Washington Fair linked to 108 COVID cases

The Whatcom County Health Department is aware of 108 COVID-19 cases associated with the 10-day 2021 Northwest Washington Fair in Lynden.

“This includes both people who were contagious while they were at the fair and people who may have been exposed while they were at the fair,” health department spokesperson Jennifer Moon told The Bellingham Herald in an emailed statement Friday, Sept. 2. “We don’t have a more specific breakdown. This number may continue to increase as we continue to investigate cases.”

Officials refused to release attendance numbers for the fair.

Fake COVID vaccination cards intercepted in Seattle

Homeland Security Investigations in Seattle, which is a part of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said agents recently intercepted some fake COVID vaccination cards that were shipped to the United States through Seattle, with a final destination of Idaho.

No arrests have been made, and no information was shared on who the intended recipient in Idaho was.

Seattle icon Beth’s Cafe closing again due to COVID

During the height of the winter peak, Beth’s Cafe closed its doors because delivery only wasn’t fitting their business model. The cafe was sold to new owners, who reopened operating under limited hours. A combination of construction on Aurora Avenue eliminating parking, COVID, and a reduction in the nightlife, which fueled their business, is forcing Beth’s to close again.

The webpage indicates the closure will be for 3 to 6 months, or until things with COVID get under control. The 24-hour restaurant opened in 1954 and is famous for its 12-egg omelets, quirky clientele, and amazing milkshakes.

Expect long ferry waits this weekend

Washington State Ferries are expected to have significant delays this weekend due to many staffers out with COVID. Ironically, there were rumors of a “sick out” this weekend over looming vaccine mandates. Officials report that a sickout hasn’t materialized beyond the employees they already knew were sick so far.

“We just don’t have enough people to help run the boats,” said Ian Sterling with the Washington State Ferries. “Add COVID onto that, and unfortunately, we just lose out on the ferry fleet.”

According to Sterling, they’re dealing with major staffing shortages because of the pandemic, and there were rumors of a potential “sick out” this weekend because of the state vaccine mandate for state workers.

“Thankfully,” Sterling said, “we’re not seeing any evidence of that at this point in time.”

Dave Matthews Band changing weekend shows at The Gorge to an “alternate format”

The bassist and drummer of the Dave Matthew’s Band have had a COVID exposure and won’t be available for a planned show at The Gorge in George, Washington this weekend (yes, national readers, there is a George, Washington). The site says they are moving to an “alternate format” and that things will sound different from previous shows.

Organizers require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test in the last 48 hours. We request you wear a mask.

Thank you

Thank you to our new subscribers and those of you who have made one-time contributions. On behalf of the entire team, thank you for helping us keep the lights on!

In August, King County Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin mentioned the N95 Project as a trusted source for N95 masks. A check on the website showed that a 50 count box of United States manufactured N95 masks are available for $40.00. We recommend wearing N95 masks indoors as they provide the best protection against COVID when properly fitted.

No promotional consideration has been given, or requested from the n95 project or any manufacturer of masks

Vaccination

King County Health released a new dashboard showing the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing new cases, hospitalizations, and death.

King County Health COVID-19 Outcomes by Vaccination Status Dashboard

Looking at data from the last 30 days, a person who is not fully vaccinated is 7 times more likely to test positive for COVID, 49 times more likely to be hospitalized, and 32 times more likely to die of COVID related illness. The data is age-adjusted to account for factors such as older people being more likely to have comorbidities while younger people are less likely to be vaccinated.

When looking at the data, be mindful that each statistic should be seen as a gate. You are 7 times more like to test positive for COVID if you’re unvaccinated. Among the people who tested positive, you’re 49 times more likely to end up in the hospital. If you’re unvaccinated and in the hospital, you’re 32 times more likely to die. So each number is a slice of a smaller and smaller group of people.

To booster shot, or not to booster shot, that is the question

Yesterday we wrote a lengthy piece about natural immunity versus immunity from vaccination and data out of Israel on the impact of booster shots. Our stressed-out editorial team (seriously, we need more copy editors desperately) struck the closing line of, “Confused? To some degree, we are too, but the evidence available supports that natural immunity wanes faster than vaccination-based immunity and booster shots are effective.”

Ehem – we should have left in.

A story in the New York Times reported Dr. Janet Woodcock, acting commissioner of the FDA, and Dr. Rochelle Walensky, head of the CDC, urged caution and advised that their agencies needed more time before approving any further action regarding booster shots. The issue isn’t around the existing recommendation for immunocompromised and the elderly to get booster shots. There is significant data to support they are needed and effective.

Yesterday, we reported a growing number of voices joining the World Health Organization, recommending putting the brakes on booster shots. The two critical issues are large swaths of the world population is currently unvaccinated and don’t have access to a first dose, let alone a third. Secondly, although the data is supportive of booster shots, the data also shows that a vast majority of people who get breakthrough cases only have mild symptoms, especially those under 65.

The whole question of booster or not might be moot, as Moderna is reporting that they will not meet a September 20, 2021 deadline for booster shot approval. The Biden Administration is faced with the choice of offering a booster shot for Pfizer only or delaying the program.

Widespread data isn’t available yet for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the need for a booster shot, but early tests show a significant boost in the immune response. Unlike Pfizer and Moderna, which are mRNA vaccines, Johnson & Johnson uses a neutralized adenovirus as a messenger to the immune system.

Misleading headlines on the number of Americans with COVID anitbodies in their blood

Some digital ink has been spilled today after a study was published in JAMA declared 83% of blood donations have detectable COVID antibodies in them. This has led to a series of misleading headlines leaping to the conclusion that between natural exposure and immunization efforts, 83% of Americans now have some form of immunity against COVID.

No. Because the study includes this critical text.

“Based on a sample of blood donations in the US from July 2020 through May 2021, vaccine- and infection-induced SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence increased over time and varied by age, race and ethnicity, and geographic region. Despite weighting to adjust for demographic differences, these findings from a national sample of blood donors may not be representative of the entire US population.”

Here is the problem of leaping to conclude that 83% of Americans have some form of immunity. The data only represents people who donate blood, which is roughly 6.8 million Americans. People under 17 (16 in some states), who are under 110 pounds, have high or low blood pressure, diabetes, certain cancer and cancer history, HIV/AIDs, a history of Hepatitis or potential exposure, persons who are pregnant, or recently had a tattoo or STD can’t donate blood.

Because the pool (no pun intended) of people who can donate blood is already limited, there is no way to adjust this data to account for all the exceptions. It is a safer assumption that people who donate blood are more likely than the national average to have been vaccinated as a group.

When it comes to accepting donated blood, there is a movement among hardcore anti-vaccination adherents to refuse blood transfusions and blood-based agents because it can’t be proven the source is from an unvaccinated individual. We don’t recommend going too deep down that rabbit hole. The language used aligns with white nationalist ideals and the concept of “purity of blood.”

King County, Washington is reporting over 83% of age eligible residents are vaccinated with at least one dose. The highest rates of positivity are in areas with low vaccination rates statewide. The FDA has provided full approval of the Pfizer vaccine for anyone 16 and over.

COVID vaccines are free for anyone over 12 years old, and no appointment is necessary at most locations. Lyft and Hopelink provide free transportation, and KinderCare, the Learning Care Group, and the YMCA offer free childcare during vaccination appointments or recuperation.

For information on getting a vaccination in King County, you can visit the King County Department of Public Health website.

Malcontent News

Hospital Status

According to the DoH COVID Dashboard, 21.6% of all acute care patients hospitalized in Washington have COVID, another new record. A hospital system caring for this many COVID-positive patients in acute care is considered to be under “severe stress.” ICUs are at 88.5% of capacity statewide, with 34.2% of ICU patients fighting COVID, virtually unchanged from yesterday.

The new hospital admission rate for COVID patients is 189 per day, an increase from yesterday. On September 2, there were 1,533 patients hospitalized with COVID and 233 on ventilators. This is the first day since August 20, when a new record was not set. There were 31 fewer patients in acute care and 8 fewer patients on ventilators.

Data for pediatric patients receiving acute care or in a PICU due to COVID is not available.

EvergreenHealth released information on the number of patients currently under care in Kirkland and their vaccination status. On Monday, they reported 44 patients being treated for COVID. On Thursday, the number had dropped to 35. 72% of all COVID patients and 91% of ICU patients are unvaccinated. These numbers align with data released from King County today.

EvergreenHealth patient information at the Kirkland hospital for September 2, 2021

Back to School

School DistrictStatusQuarantinesClosures
BellevueGREENNoneNone
Lake WashingtonYELLOW– Kamiakin Middle School (28)
– Juanita High School (8)		None
NorthshoreGREENNoneNone
Local School Districts Scorecard

The first day of school brought COVID exposures to two Lake Washington School District schools. Parents at Kamiakin Middle School were notified about a confirmed COVID-positive case involving 28 people in close contact with the infected person.

Close contact is defined as anyone who has been within 6 feet of a person with COVID for a combined total of 15 minutes or more within a 24-hour period, or a person who lives in the same household as a person with a positive e COVID test, including caregivers. The standard does not mention any difference between licensed caregivers such as daycares or after-school programs or non-licensed caregivers such as a neighbor providing babysitting.

Unvaccinated close contacts are advised to quarantine for 14 days. Vaccinated contacts are advised to get a PCR COVID test (not a rapid test) 3 to 5 days after exposure.

Juanita High School also notified parents about a COVID-positive confirmed case involving 8 people in close contact. In both incidents, the district indicated they are deep cleaning the impacted areas. The Lake Washington School District COVID Safety Plan was last updated on August 18 and is available online.

The next board meeting for the Lake Washington School District is September 13, 2021, at 7:00 PM and will be remote only.

Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville

Bellevue-based Peter Pan Seafoods, with locations in Washington and Alaska, is mandating vaccination for all employees. The company is rolling out the mandate in phases, with office personnel part of the first wave.

National Round-Up

Johns Hopkins University Cumulitaive Case Tracker 153,143 new cases and 1,588 COVID-related deaths on Thursday. With the holiday weekend upon us, we don’t expect to have another set of accurate numbers until the end of next week.

CDC release long awaited study on hospitalizations associated with COVID among children

Dr. Katelyn Jetelina provided an excellent analysis of an early release study from the CDC, Hospitalizations Associated with COVID-19 Among Children and Adolescents — COVID-NET, 14 States, March 1, 2020–August 14, 2021.

  • Infection rates were highest among children birth to 4-years old at 69.2 cases per 100K
  • This was closely followed by adolescents age 12 to 17 years old at 63.7 cases per 100K
  • Rates were lowest among children ages 5 to 11 years old at 24.0 cases per 100K
  • Among all age groups, 26.5% of children admitted to the hospital required PICU care, 6.1% went on ventilators, and the mortality rate was 0.7%
  • Pediatric hospitalizations rates increased fivefold in August compared to June
  • Hospitalization rates among infants and toddlers from birth to 4 years old increased tenfold
  • The hospitalization rate among unvaccinated adolescents from 12 to 17 years old was 10 times higher than among the vaccinated

We will deviate from one point Dr. Jetelina made in her analysis. We agree that there wasn’t a significant change in ICU admissions, children requiring ventilators, and fatalities when comparing Delta to the original strain and Alpha variants circulating in June. It is important to note that fewer children required ICU care, but the number of children who required ventilators increased, and the mortality rate went from 0.7% to 1.8%.

The challenge parents are facing isn’t that the Delta variant is more aggressive with children. The problem is there is widespread community transmission, particularly among the unvaccinated.

“Pediatric hospitalizations have dramatically increased in the past month,” Dr. Jetelina said. “Yes, the media is accurately portraying the situation on the ground. And, hospitalizations have increased the most for 0-4-year-olds. Importantly, this isn’t because Delta is more severe, it’s because we are transmitting Delta in the community, and our kids aren’t protected. Your decision not to get a vaccine or implement public health measures in schools or the community is directly impacting the health of kids.”

Etcetera

Boxer Oscar De La Hoya has tested positive for COVID and is hospitalized. De La Hoya, 48, who had a planned return to boxing this weekend after a 13-year break, is on hold. He tweeted from a hospital bed that is he is fully vaccinated. In the video, he isn’t on oxygen but appears exhausted and talks in a raspy voice.

We try to steer away from partisan sources and paywalls. We had a hard time finding a piece of local news or neutral source for this. Former President Donald Trump told the Wall Street Journal that he likely wouldn’t get a COVID booster shot, sort of.

“I feel like I’m in good shape from that standpoint—I probably won’t,” Trump said in an interview with the publication. “I’ll look at stuff later on. I’m not against it, but it’s probably not for me.”

We only toss in the “sort of” because in two sentences, he said probably twice, and given the last six years, OK, we’ll stop.

Alabama

Governor Kay Ivey on Friday reallocated $12.3 million of the Coronavirus Relief Fund to secure qualified, out-of-state travel nurses to work in Alabama hospitals in a temporary capacity.

“I’m pleased to see more folks getting vaccinated, but we are still in the thick of COVID-19, and our hospitals are overwhelmed,” Governor Ivey said. “In consideration of the current surge of the virus and the strain on our dedicated healthcare professionals, I have directed the $12.3 million of CARES Act funding be reallocated to recruit more trained staff to our nursing corps. Until our vaccination rates rise and our COVID-19 hospitalization rates fall, we will need the extra support these nurses provide.”

COVID cases in Alabama continue to surge, setting a new record of 4,705 new cases per day this week. Total hospitalizations declined—however, the number of patients in the ICU and on ventilators both set records.

The number of new COVID cases among school students more than doubled, with over 9,100 new cases reported in the last week, impacting 51 school districts.

Arizona

Kelly Walker, the owner of Viva Coffee House in Tuscon, Arizona, is no stranger to controversy. Rishi Rambaran is a 40-year-old parent of a student who attends Mesquite Elementary School in Tuscon. His child was told they would have to quarantine because of a COVID exposure and would not attend a school field trip.

Walker posted on his business’s Facebook page, “Apparently, Mesquite Elementary thinks they can break the law and act like the covid Gestapo. We will be headed over there shortly to disagree. Come join us because we won’t have this in OUR community!“

Facebook post from Kelly Walker’s business Viva Coffee, highlighting another post from Rishi Rambaran

Walker, Rambaran, his child, and a third unidentified adult entered the school, confronted principal Diane Vargo in her office, and threatened her with a citizen’s arrest. Walker was allegedly equipped with black “military-style” zip-tie handcuffs and streamed the whole incident on his Instagram account. Vargo asked them to leave, and when they refused, called the police.

Vargo was forced to leave the school grounds for her own safety, and the men left before police arrived. Officials credit Vargo for using her active shooter training to deescalate the situation. Rambaran has been arrested and is facing a criminal charge of trespass. School officials and the Pinal County Sheriff say they are working on charges for the other men. There was no indication if Child Protective Services have become involved because a juvenile witnessed the interaction.

Vargo did nothing illegal and followed the guidelines established by the Republican-run Arizona state legislature and quarantining the child.

Editorial Opinion: Individuals such as Kelly Walker are a danger to the United States. He represents a small subset of very vocal individuals who actively foment the idea of violent action against the government and anyone that opposes his worldview. People like him, who have never served in a war zone, never been shot at, never watched their comrade’s in arms die, have a dangerous lust for the violence they’ve never experienced. His words and actions have motivated others into dangerous actions. We fully support the rights of the First Amendment to speak of your grievances and seek redress from the government. Continued calls for violence at a local, state, or federal level that lead people to action, are akin to screaming fire in a crowded movie theater. To quote the late Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, “I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description, and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it.”

(yes, Justice Stewart was addressing hardcore pornography, it’s an analogy)

We would also be remiss if we did not point out, the only person arrested to date is a member of the BIPOC community. The events that happened yesterday directly result from disinformation campaigns and the radicalization of a subset of Americans with continued calls for violence.

Arkansas

We reported last week about Dr. Rob Karas, who was prescribing Ivermectin to inmates at the Washington County Jail with the approval of Sheriff Tim Helder. A couple of days later, we reported that Dr. Karas was under investigation by the state of Arkansas Medical Board.

According to a report in the Associated Press, multiple prisoners have come forward stating they were never told they were receiving Ivermectin. Some were told they were receiving vitamins or steroids.

Edrick Floreal-Wooten, an inmate, said he was given ivermectin at the jail after testing positive on Aug. 21.

“I asked what are they, and they’d just tell me vitamins,” Floreal-Wooten said. “With me being sick and all of us being sick, we thought that they were there to help us. I never thought they would do something shady.”

After seeing a news article about ivermectin being prescribed to inmates, Floreal-Wooten said he refused to take the drug last week.

Asked whether he would have taken the drug had they told him at the outset it was ivermectin, he responded: “Never. I’m not livestock. I’m a human.”

The ACLU said it has also heard from several inmates who say they were told the drug was vitamins or steroids.

Anti-vaccination disinformation recently latched on to the Nuremberg Code, and in some cases, has threatened people with citizens arrest, violence, and execution.

In 2017, JAMA had this to say. “The story of the Nuremberg Code is not one of the ethical norms taking on the force of law. Rather, its legacy shows the fundamental importance of a robust, organized medical profession that protects its independence from political interests and its ability to chart its own moral course, yet is at the same time open to the essential role of nations and government agencies that respect broadly defined and agreed-upon rules to protect the rights and well-being of human research participants.”

California

Like Missouri and maybe Florida (read further), California appears to be moving past a peak in COVID cases. That doesn’t mean the 3rd largest state geographically and with the largest population isn’t seeing hot spots in rural areas. The Central Valley, northern California along the I-5 corridor, and hospitals in Sacramento are still dealing with a massive surge of patients as Delta tears through the unvaccinated.

The high caseload is impacting schools, with several districts being forced to close their doors. The situation is further complicated by regional wildfires creating dangerous conditions at times.

Colorado

If you see a pattern of COVID plus schools equal problems in schools, you would be correct. The number of COVID cases in Colorado schools tripled this past week, impacting 43 learning institutions. Positive infections among students grew to 410 this week, which indirectly impacts exposed students and educations who then must quarantine.

A doctor in Denver found a seller of fake vaccination cards on a gun-selling website, and the state attorney general’s office is now investigating.

Florida

Yesterday’s spike in COVID cases was likely an outlier, as the trend of falling new cases and hospitalizations continue in Florida. We feel confident in saying Florida has hit its peak. “While the total number of hospitalizations remain high and workforce challenges remain, it is encouraging that fewer hospitals are expecting critical staffing and oxygen shortages. As Floridians continue to get vaccinated and with expanded availability of monoclonal antibody treatments for those who test positive, it looks like the worst of this surge may finally be behind us.”

Over 40,000 Floridians have received monoclonal antibody treatments, reducing hospitalizations by 10%.

As tens of thousands of students are now in quarantine due to COVID exposure, more school districts are considering mask mandates in open rebellion of governor Ron DeSantis. Since DeSantis’ order, more than a dozen Florida counties have rebelled and voted to require masks to protect students and teachers as the Delta variant sweeps across the state.

Earlier this week, populous Brevard County along Florida’s east coast, which went for Trump over President Joe Biden by more than 16 percentage points in November, narrowly voted to approve a 30-day school mask mandate.

A day later, Hernando County, which supported Trump over Biden by almost 30 points, also passed a mandate, but one that allows parents to opt-out.

Georgia

Georgia hit a grim milestone, logging its 20,000 confirmed COVID death since February 2020. After setting a record for hospitalizations yesterday, the numbers declined slightly on Friday. However, the state reported 106 deaths yesterday, which could account for the drop in hospitalizations.

Hawaii

A city council meeting in Honolulu led by Mayor Rick Blagiardi devolved into a shouting match and a platform for misinformation as more than 250 people spoke virtually.

Many of those who spoke repeated misinformation about the shots that are circulating on the internet.

Outside Honolulu Hale, demonstrators stood in protest. Inside the city building, they listened to the virtual council hearing without wearing masks.

The mayor addressed the overwhelming takeaway of the testimony, telling councilmembers, “The kinds of things you’re hearing today, ‘It’s my right to get sick, and when I get sick, you have to take care of me’ has a breaking point.”

The issue of out-of-state travelers came up, but Dr. Julius Pham of Queen’s Medical Center pushed back.

“Mostly, it’s travel among our own residents who have gone out of state and have come back.”

The medical experts also underscored the gravity of the situation, saying that hospitals are overflowing with COVID patients and quickly running low on supplies.

Councilmember Tommy Waters called the testimony “sobering.”

Iowa

New data out of Iowa echoes data across the United States – most patients in the ICU with COVID are unvaccinated. The state moved from reporting data once a week to three times a week and rolled out new dashboards today.

As of Friday, the Iowa Department of Public Health reports that 88.7% of COVID-19 patients in intensive care are not fully vaccinated.

Individuals not fully vaccinated make up for 82% of patients hospitalized because of COVID-19.

The Iowa DPH reports 527 COVID-19 patients in Iowa hospitals, with 100 admitted in the past 24-hours. One hundred and forty-two patients are in intensive care.

Kentucky

The situation in Kentucky has gone from bad to very bad in the last 24 hours. Kentucky Children’s Hospital in Lexington has reached full capacity, with COVID patients and children infected with RSV. The hospital has 199 total beds, including 16 PICU and PCICU beds, 12 progressive care unit beds, and 43 acute care beds. The hospital is also a Level 1 pediatric trauma hospital. State officials reported 5,111 new cases today, 30% of them among children 18-years old and younger.

Almost 90% of all ICU beds in Kentucky are occupied, with 661 people fighting COVID. A stunning 69% of people in ICU are on ventilators. The mortality rate for people infected with the Delta variant and on a ventilator for 7 or more days is close to 70%.

Like Idaho, FEMA strike teams have been deployed to the state to shore up exhausted and demoralized medical staff.

Gov. Beshear said three FEMA Emergency Medical Services (EMS) strike teams are on site in Kentucky tasked with transfers and transporting COVID-19 patients. The EMS strike teams are being managed by the Kentucky Board of Emergency Management Services (KBEMS) through American Medical Response.

Each team is comprised of five advanced life support ambulances, and each ambulance is staffed with one paramedic and one emergency medical technician (EMT). Each strike team is positioned regionally in Somerset, Prestonsburg, and Louisville. They are centrally dispatched and can respond to any area in the state.

Nevada

The Clark County School Board of Trustees authorized mandating the COVID-19 vaccine for employees during a marathon meeting that stretched into early Thursday morning, but the plan itself remains subject to negotiations with employee bargaining groups.

The 5-1 vote came after five hours of public testimony — the overwhelming majority of which was in opposition — and more than two hours of discussion. Trustee Danielle Ford cast the lone dissident vote, outlining a myriad of concerns ranging from operational challenges to medical accommodations being upheld. 

Trustee Katie Williams, who has unabashedly argued for personal choice regarding vaccines, participated at the beginning of the meeting by phone but was not present for the vote. Last week, she included a hashtag known to be affiliated with the QAnon conspiracy theory in a tweet about the potential vaccine mandate. The tweet was later deleted.

Before the public weighed in, Clark County Superintendent Jesus Jara laid out his pitch for approving the resolution, which merely gives staff the green light to develop a plan for mandating the vaccine. 

“The best medically available mitigation strategy we currently have is the vaccine,” he said. “The authority that I am requesting is to allow me as the superintendent to develop a plan and processes necessary to implement the full vaccination of our staff. I am not — let me be clear — I am not asking for authority for student vaccinations. Planning takes time. Development of the processes takes time. COVID-19 is not waiting.”

Clark County includes the city of Las Vegas, where a significant majority of all Nevada residents live.

Oklahoma

An Oklahoma judge blocked a state law banning public school mask mandates but added a requirement that parents and students could opt out if they wanted to.

Judge Natalie Mai said she would issue a temporary injunction that will go into effect next week when she issues a written order detailing her ruling. Mai said she is blocking the law because it applies only to public, not private, schools and that schools adopting a mask mandate must provide an option for parents or students to opt-out of the requirement.

The ruling drew praise from Gov. Kevin Stitt, who signed the law and opposes mask mandates without exemptions, and Dr. Mary Clarke, president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association, which joined the lawsuit brought by four parents who oppose the law.

Oregon

More hospitals in Oregon have requested mobile morgues as fatalities continue to rise. Providence Portland and Providence St. Vincent hospitals are bringing in temporary morgues, and Salem Health has signed a contract for a temporary morgue if needed.

“We’ve never seen anything like this,” said Salem Health CEO Cheryl Nester Wolf in testimony to the Salem Chamber of Commerce on Thursday. “We didn’t see this at the beginning of the pandemic. The delta variant is a horse of a different color than where we started.”

Models predict that Oregon will hit its peak next week.

An Oregon State Trooper from Bend is on paid leave after post a video on social media in uniform from his issued vehicle. However, he does not directly identify himself as a member of the Oregon State Patrol.

“I have personal and religious reasons as to why I will not take the vaccine, but also the freedom not to,” said the trooper, which Portland attorney Dan Thenell confirmed to NewsChannel 21 is Zachary Kowing, 29, an eight-year OSP trooper assigned to the Bend office.

Kowing posted the 2-minute, 35-second video about a week ago on his Instagram account, thinblueline_patriot, where he refers to himself as “pro-choice-life” and “pro-freedom,” with a ‘SAVE OREGON!’ logo over the U.S. flag.

He calls mask requirements illegal (they mostly aren’t depending on the language) while saying he didn’t oppose vaccination in general but would rather rely “on his body’s ability to fight the virus.”

South Carolina

Pediatric cases are exploding in South Carolina, which now has the highest infection rate in the United States for all ages. Dr. Jonathan Knoche, DHEC medical consultant, said that, since Aug. 21, the 11 to 20 age group had recorded the highest number of new cases in the state. The second highest group are those 0 to 10 age group.

South Dakota

Hospitalizations in South Dakota are now at the highest level since January, as new COVID cases have increased 685% since the first day of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally on August 6. The surge in new cases, total cases, and hospitalizations far exceed the surge in cases the state saw in 2020 after the famous motorcycle rally.

Texas

Small town Texas is reeling from the closure of 45 school districts, impacting 42,000 students. From August 23 to 29, 27,353 students tested positive for COVID in the Lonestar state.

“By far, this is worse in terms of planning than last year,” said Tim Savoy, spokesperson for Hays Consolidated Independent School District, which closed some classrooms. “There’s no question about it. Last year we had a lot of tools at our disposal: We could require masks, and we could provide a virtual option that was funded. The delta variant really kind of appeared and just exploded on us.”

State data about the number of coronavirus cases in districts that have closed at least once during the school year thus far is incomplete — 19 have not reported any cases in students or staff to the state, while the state has suppressed case totals in 22 districts due to privacy policies. The list of public school closures in Texas is also incomplete, according to TEA. The agency is tracking closures informally based on media and district reports since districts are not required to report closures to TEA, said Frank Ward, an agency spokesperson.

The closures have been particularly hard in Deep East Texas, with districts closed in Brackett, Groveton, Hemphill, Livingston, Lumberton, Onalaska, and Trinity.

While Governor Greg Abbott was on CNBC tonight saying things were going well in Texas, the Texas Department of State Health Services removed an FAQ page on the practice referring to it as “the oldest, most utilized, and most important tool public health uses to manage infectious diseases.”

The new state budget, which took effect September 1, prohibits the use of state funds “for the purpose of contact tracing of COVID-19.”

Misinformation

Taking the day off

Health and Lifestyle, Local, National

UPDATE: Pediatric patient dies at Seattle Children’s – local and national COVID update for August 31, 2021

Knowledge is the best tool to fight against fear. A wise person chooses to be informed so they can make sound decisions. To join the fight against COVID misinformation, you can share this update through your social media platform of choice.

[KING COUNTY, Wash.] – (MTN) There is stronger evidence that cases are plateauing at a very high level in Washington state, while hospitalizations, the number of people in the ICU, and patients on respirators increase. School started from a number of districts across Washington today, and most districts start tomorrow in Western Washington.

On the national front, hospitalizations are approaching January 2021 levels, while the recent FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine for people 16 and older is moving the needle on vaccine hesitancy. The quest to find home remedies for COVID has taken a dark turn, with some people turning to a herbicide as a preventive. The state of New Jersey cracked down on an Instagram influencer who was selling fake vaccination cards, as well as some of her customers with a litany of felony charges.

This update uses the latest data from the Washington State Department of Health released on August 31, 2021.

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Washington State Update for August 31, 2021

Washington state COVID update

We cannot provide insight into the epidemiological curve for new cases compared to last week because the data today is through August 19, 2021. Starting tomorrow, we can go back to discussing the daily trend.

Through August 19, the statewide 14 day rolling average for Washington declined to 500.7 COVID cases per 100K. Columbia (1,170.8 per 100K) and Franklin (1,079.0 per 100K) are reporting an extreme number of new cases. Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Cowlitz, Douglas, Grant, and Lincoln are not far behind. Among the counties with the highest new case rates, almost all were flat or declined for the first time in at least three weeks.

The Washington State Department of Health reports a data backlog for test positivity, with the published number 14 days old. According to Johns Hopkins University Medicine, the positivity rate for the last 30 days is 13.52%, and over the previous 7 days, 13.22%. These numbers indicate continued widespread community transmission driven by the unvaccinated and under testing of the population. The fastest-growing age group for positive remains 20 to 34-year-olds.

The 7-day Case Rate for children ages birth to 11 is 24.7 per 100K and for children, 12 to 19 it is 20.8 per 100K.

The USA Today COVID Tracker reported 27 COVID-related deaths in Washington on Monday.

BREAKING: Seattle Children’s Hospital reports first patient death due to COVID

Hospital officials reported the first death of a pediatric patient due to COVID, which occurred last week. No other information, citing privacy laws, was issued on the age and gender of the child.

“The people we are seeing in the hospital are typically people who are unvaccinated, either teens who are not vaccinated or younger people who are not eligible to be vaccinated,” said Dr. John McGuire. “We are clearly in a fifth wave here in Washington. And commensurate with that, we are seeing an increase in the number of kids needing hospitalization and needing intensive care.”

Washington State Fair announces COVID safety protocols day after state hospital officals call for its cancelation

Public health officials in Pierce County announced a series of safety protocols for the Washington State Fair scheduled to run from September 3 to 26, in Puyallup.

“As a condition of opening, Dr. Anthony L-T Chen, Director of Health at Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, will issue a health order that requires masks be worn at all times at the Fair, indoors and outdoors, regardless of vaccination status,” a news release said. “With COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations at an all-time high in Pierce County, this will help prevent and limit the spread of the virus.”

The fair will have masks available and will not be checking vaccination cards or doing screenings. State Fair CEO Kent Hojem made it clear that mask wear will not be optional. As additional precautions, officials will:

  • Employees will be tested for COVID prior and during events
  • The number of rides has been cut by 10% to provide more space for social distancing
  • The number of vendors has been cut by 25%
  • Extra handwashing and sanitizing stations will be available

In August, King County Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin mentioned the N95 Project as a trusted source for N95 masks. A check on the website showed that a 50 count box of United States manufactured N95 masks are available for $40.00. We recommend wearing N95 masks indoors as they provide the best protection against COVID when properly fitted.

No promotional consideration has been given, or requested from the n95 project or any manufacturer of masks

Vaccination

Increasing vaccination numbers locally, statewide, and nationally indicate that the number of people who are hesitant to get vaccinated continues to decline. The latest Axios-Ipsos Coronavius Index showed only 14% of Americans now say they will never get a COVID vaccination, the lowest level since the data has been tracked. Just 1 in 5 Americans expressing they won’t or are not likely to get the vaccine.

The number of parents who now say they will vaccinate their children has grown to 68%, and 70% of Americans support mask mandates in school.

Vaccination rates in the United States have almost doubled since July, to 900,000 vaccinations given a day, including 14 million residents nationwide who got their first shot in August.

Full FDA approval, significant problems with school reopening, and the grim toll that the Delta variant is taking on the nation is attributed with driving the shifting opinions.

King County, Washington is reporting over 83% of age eligible residents are vaccinated with at least one dose. The highest rates of positivity are in areas with low vaccination rates statewide. The FDA has provided full approval of the Pfizer vaccine for anyone 16 and over.

COVID vaccines are free for anyone over 12 years old, and no appointment is necessary at most locations. Lyft and Hopelink provide free transportation, and KinderCare, the Learning Care Group, and the YMCA offer free childcare during vaccination appointments or recuperation.

For information on getting a vaccination in King County, you can visit the King County Department of Public Health website.

Malcontent News

Hospital Status

According to the DoH COVID Dashboard, 17.7% of all acute care patients hospitalized in Washington have COVID. This beats the old record of 17% set yesterday. ICUs are at 88.4% of capacity statewide with 33.5% of ICU patients with COVID.

The new hospital admission rate for COVID patients is 177 per day, also a new record. On August 30, there were 1,465 patients hospitalized with COVID and 241 on ventilators. This is a significant increase from yesterday when the state reported 182 patients on ventilators.

Data for pediatric patients for acute care and PICU is not available.

Several hospitals reported they were adding tents as triage space for patients to provide better social distancing and isolation as emergency departments burst at the seams. Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, which operates St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor, St. Clare Hospital in Lakewood and St. Elizabeth Hospital in Enumclaw have or will be adding tents outside of their entrances. This is in addition to MultiCare facilities in Tacoma and Puyallup.

Back to School

School DistrictStatusQuarantinesClosures
BellevueGREENNoneNone
Lake WashingtonGREENNoneNone
NorthshoreGREENNoneNone
Local School Districts Scorecard

First day of school for area districts:

  • Lake Washington School District – September 1
  • Bellevue School District – September 1, 1st through 12th, September 3, kindergarten
  • Northshore School District – September 1, 1st through 12th, September 1 or September 2 for kindergarten on a staggered start

The Lake Washington School District is reporting 1,500 students have moved to remote learning after opening up registration again in mid-August. The Bellevue School District is accepting applications for remote learning through midnight tonight as demand surges across the Puget Sound region.

The next board meeting for the Lake Washington School District is September 13, 2021, at 7:00 PM and will be remote only.

Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville

No update

National Round-Up

Johns Hopkins University Cumulitaive Case Tracker had not been updated at press time. The United States held steady with 101,000 hospitalized with COVID, equal to last week.

Mask usage is increasing in the United States with 69% of residents reporting they are wearing a mask at some or all of the time outside of the home. Fifty-four percent of American businesses are requiring masks, and almost 20% have some form of vaccination or testing mandate in place.

The Biden Administration is working with oxygen suppliers, home health agencies, trade groups, and hospital systems as facilities in Florida, South Carolina, Texas, and Louisiana are reporting oxygen shortages.

Under normal conditions, a hospital would have a 3 to 5 days supply of oxygen onsite, and the tanks would be refilled once or twice a week. In the hardest-hit areas, hospitals are dropping to a 12 to 24 hour supply, and only getting enough to last 2 or 3 days at each refill.

During the January 2021 peak, the industrial use of oxygen in restaurants, welding, and manufacturing was curtailed due to national shutdowns. Suppliers are being hit with a perfect storm of record medical grade and industrial demand, a trucking shortage, and state officials refusing to make emergency declarations.

After the story broke and started to spread, Amazon added a notice to searches for “ivermectin for humans” and “ivermectin covid.”

Big tech is pushing Ivermectin unchecked across their platforms

CNBC reported today that Amazon is directing users to the anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin for animals. The Amazon search algorithm was displaying results for ivermectin after typing just “iv” into the search box, including ivermectin for horses, ivermectin paste, ivermectin pills, and ivermectin injectable.

User reviews made references to dosing information for “horse families” and false claims of being a cure for COVID (there is no cure, for COVID, only therapeutics).

Amazon isn’t alone. Yesterday there were reports that MSN, the 37th most visited web property in the United States with almost 900M monthly visitors, was running ads and paid content for “horse dewormer” on its homepage.

MSN displaying paid content for horse wormers on its homepage on August 30, 2021

A search for “COVID” on Google News has highlighted a debunked editorial in the Wall Street Journal for a month under the “For Context” section called, Why is the FDA Attacking a Safe, Effective Drug? We featured that editorial in our misinformation section earlier this month.

Searches on Twitter, Tik Tok, Instagram, and Facebook for “ivermectin” easily bring users to groups and creators information on alleged dosing information, where to buy, and how to treat. Calls in Florida to poison control have increased 700%, and people are reporting in online groups finding what they describe as “rope worms” in their feces. Intestinal parasites are exceptionally rare in the United States, and health officials are reporting that people are destroying their intestinal linings. You can do some Google image searches, but we wouldn’t recommend it if you’re stomach is weak.

Arkansas

New cases continue to decline as hospitalizations and ventilator use grows. Arkansas set a new record with 388 residents on ventilators out of 531 in the ICU – that’s a staggering 73% of all ICU patients. Outcomes for patients who go on ventilators improved dramatically in the second half of 2020, as doctors learned more about COVID. The ground gained has been lost due to patients showing up sicker than before, and the Delta variant being more virulent.

Arizona

School started in Arizona a month ago, and pediatric cases are exploding. Children under 15 years old now represent 25% of all new COVID cases, and parents are becoming increasingly frustrated with only 30% of the state’s 215 school districts providing some form of daily update.

Dr. Chris Beyrer, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said having a “more systematic,” more transparent strategy for preventing and tracking school-based cases would go a long way toward curbing the spread of the virus. 

“What we have is a patchwork — a great deal of variability in policies and practices,” Beyrer said. “While local nuances are important, there’s nothing like rational statewide and national planning to get this right. And we’re just not there.”

Parents have turned to crowd-sourcing information on social media to paint a picture on what is going on within their home districts.

California

Governor Gavin Newsome reported that 80% of all age-eligible residents in the state have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine. This is a major milestone for the state of almost 40 million residents, with a number of rural counties with continued low uptake of the vaccine. It is worth noting for the states west of the Rockies, California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, California is the only state that isn’t at or near crisis mode.

Nurse Davy Macias (she/her) was hospitalized with COVID in early August while 7 months pregnant with her fifth child. The hospital did an emergency delivery as her conditioned worried, and Marcias passed on August 26. She was unvaccinated and was holding off until after her pregnancy was complete. Other officials are reporting that the Delta variant is hitting pregnant women particularly hard across the United States. The FDA gave full approval to the Pfizer vaccine to people over 16, including pregnant women.

Georgia

Officials in Georgia are sounding the alarm as some hospitals are now rationing care and growing concern over looming hospital system collapse at a regional level. The state’s official count of COVID-19 patients in Georgia’s hospitals on Tuesday was just below the January peak number, but at times it has swelled past it. And every hospital across Georgia is now full to the point of overflowing. Georgia reported that hospitals had 5,656 COVID patients, about50 patients below the January peak of 5,709. But at some hours in recent days, according to the Georgia Hospital Association, the number has topped 5,900. The drop from the peak hasn’t been driven by discharges, but fatalities from COVID and those waiting for non-COVID-related treatment.

“I don’t mean to sound super doomsday-ish, but I think that if this growth continues, that we’re going to be risking regional hospital system collapse,” said Amber Schmidtke, a health care data researcher, who tracks Georgia’s COVID-19 trends.

“I know that that will scare people,” Schmidtke said. “But I think that that is what we’re risking. I’ve had M.D.s that are on the ground tell me the same thing: ‘This is unsustainable. We’re already at a point where we’re having to sort of triage care and decide who gets what based on limited resources and personnel.”

Anecdotal data on ICU nurse burnout continues across the country. Nurse Amber Rampy walked away from The Northeast Georgia Medical Center after 20 months on the front lines.

“I just left on Friday because I can’t do it anymore. I just can’t,” Rampy said.

“Although I’m used to people dying, I’m just not used to this many,” Rampy said.

75 have died at the North Georgia hospital where she worked during the first 30 days in August, and the hospital has 248 patients with COVID in the ICU.

Deaths in the state included a 13-year-old who was found dead of COVID by his parents Monday morning. The child was reported to have no medical conditions, and no information was provided on why the parents hadn’t sought medical treatment.

“A number of young people are being hospitalized, particularly between the ages of 5 and 17. There is a doubling of that in Georgia,” said Dr. Gary Voccio, northwest district director for the Georgia Department of Public Health.

Floyd Medical Center, like many across the state, is struggling to cope with a tidal wave of COVID patients — at least 90% of whom are unvaccinated.

“(There are) No beds at any of the hospitals,” Voccio said. “The physicians are exhausted, the nurses are exhausted and it’s just time to get the vaccine. We are imploring, begging people to get vaccinated It could save your life.”

Governor Brian Kemp issued an executive order to allot more weight in transportation, allowing for more equipment to get to hospitals and fuel to get to gas stations across the state. 

Kemp said the decision comes after receiving reports that healthcare systems have had trouble accessing necessary supplies, including reports of some rural acute care hospitals running out of oxygen.

Gov. Kemp also touched on his previous executive order, which deployed 105 medically trained National Guard members to 10 hospitals across the state. Over the weekend, he said an additional 75 guard members were deployed, bringing the total number up to 180.

Kemp said that while many hospital systems have requested guardsmen, they are limited in the number of those who are medically trained. However, his new executive order would also allow for the deployment of up to 2,500 National Guard members, should they be needed.

Police Capitan Joe Manning of the Wayne County Sheriff Department, who was a vocal critic of vaccinations and posted frequently on social media about ivermectin, died of COVID on August 25. On his Facebook post, Captain Manning complained about Facebook “disciplining him” and how we was taking ivermectin daily as a COVID preventative.

Florida

Governor Ron DeSantis stayed true to his promise and cut the funding to Alachua and Broward counties over their implementation of school mask mandates. This is despite a Florida court ruling against the government over the ban. The United States Department of Education has already reached out to both districts and had previously promised to cover any gaps in funding. The counties of Orange, Duval, Miami-Dade, Hillsborough, Sarasota, Palm Beach, Indian River, and Leon also have mask mandates in place, but the governor has not taken further action at this time.

While the debate over masks and schools rages, Florida set a record for the number of pediatric patients with COVID in the hospital on Tuesday with 72 new admissions and 230 total patients. With the debate raging, parents chose violence in Lee County where tempers boiled over outside a school board meeting on Sunday.

The governor is under fire from multiple directions with allegations of trying to artificially lower the number of COVID deaths in how data is reported, and a lawsuit over public information on COVID within the state. Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, and the Florida Center for Government Accountability filed the lawsuit late Monday in Leon County circuit court after the department rebuffed requests for information.

The state until early June posted on its website daily reports that provided extensive data about issues such as cases and deaths, with information also broken down by county. But Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration halted the daily reports in June and shifted to posting weekly information that is far less detailed.

The lawsuit alleges that the Department of Health and Surgeon General Scott Rivkees, the department’s secretary, have violated public-records laws at a time when the delta variant of the coronavirus has caused cases, hospitalizations, and deaths to surge in Florida.

“Due to the highly contagious nature of COVID-19 and its ‘continuing threat’ to Floridians, records revealing information about its impact, prevalence, and fatality is of obvious public importance,” the lawsuit said.

The Maimi Herald reported that Florida created an “artificial decline” in COVID deaths by altering the way they reported fatalities beginning on August 10.

Until three weeks ago, according to the Herald, data collected by Florida and then posted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tallied deaths by the date they were recorded, which is reportedly common practice for showing daily statistics in many states.

On Aug. 10, however, the state changed its methodology and started counting daily new deaths by the date the person died instead of the day the death was registered. A handful of other states have also reportedly switched to such a process.

When recording COVID-19 deaths with the new method, which focuses on date of death, the numbers will generally appear to be on a recent downward slope, even during the current surge, the Herald reported, because it takes a certain amount of time to evaluate deaths and process death certificates.

The Herald laid out an example of the discrepancy between the two methods: the state’s death data would have exhibited an average of 262 deaths reported to the CDC in the previous week if the health department used the original reporting system, according to the newspaper’s analysis.

Instead, however, the new reporting system only tracked 46 new daily deaths over the last seven days. The change came one day after the state was criticized for showing inaccurate information on its COVID dashboard. Weesam Khoury, a spokesperson for the Florida state Department of Health, said they were working with the CDC to adjust the discrepancies.

Hospitalizations have declined in Florida, while the numbers in ICU continue to grow. Some are crediting the 10% reduction in hospitalizations to the opening of monoclonal antibody treatment centers in the state. The state has reported treating over 30,000 people since the centers were opened earlier in the month.

Hawaii

Hawaii is another state sounding the alarm over an oxygen shortage. Hawaii Pacific Health President and CEO Ray Vara recently directed staff in an internal memo to conserve the oxygen supply and “avoid using oxygen for anything that is elective.”

“We will therefore need to cancel all elective procedures in operating rooms and elsewhere, including outpatient settings, where oxygen may be needed. Any cases that can be deferred safely should be deferred until the oxygen supply solutions are clearer,” he wrote. “At each HPH facility, surgical and facility leaders will be activating review processes to help with these decisions.”

Lt. Gov. Josh Green said the situation is all the more concerning given that cases continue to soar. The remote location of the island and the dependency on ships to supplement the supply creates additional challenges. State officials say they are working with the federal government.

Idaho

Kootenai Health in Coeur de Alene is getting additional support from a 20 person Department of Defense team, delaying a potential move to “crisis standards of care.” In a press conference today Idaho Governor Brad Little activated the national guard, deploying up to 150 servicemembers to provide support for medical facilities, performing screenings, lab work, and other logistical duties that can help lift the burden on nurses and doctors. An additional 200 medical and administrative personnel will be made available to Idaho through a contract with the U.S. General Services Administration.

The governor described the activation of the National Guard as a last-ditch effort to avoid hospitals reaching crisis standards of care, where ventilators, hospital beds, and other resources will be allocated to those most likely to survive. 

“On a daily call with hospitals this morning, we heard there are only four standard adult ICU beds available in the entire state. Where hospitals have converted other spaces to be used as contingency ICU beds, those are filling up too,” Governor Little said. “We are dangerously close to activating statewide crisis standards of care – a historic step that means Idahoans in need of healthcare could receive a lesser standard of care or may be turned away altogether. In essence, someone would have to decide who can be treated and who cannot. This affects all of us, not just patients with COVID-19.”

“Idaho hospitals are beyond constrained. Our healthcare system is designed to deal with the everyday realities of life. Our healthcare system is not designed to withstand the prolonged strain caused by a global pandemic. It is simply not sustainable. Please choose to receive the vaccine now to support your fellow Idahoans who need you,” Governor Little said.

Hospital officials asked to move to crisis care standards over the weekend, and the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare has a briefing scheduled for tomorrow at 1:30 PM Seattle time.

Louisiana

There isn’t much news coming out of Louisiana specific to COVID as the Gulf state reels from the sucker punch Hurricane Ida delivered. Officials were able to relocate patients from damaged hospitals and nursing homes, and there were no fatalities reported related to that activity.

Thousands are in shelters without electricity or air conditioning and a limited water supply. In some good news officials now believe that power can be restored to 90% of people within three weeks, and some power should come back on in New Orleans tomorrow. So far, reports are favorable of people remaining patient, respecting curfews, limited crime, and good mask wear within shelters.

Ohio

Ohio University has joined more than 800 colleges and universities across the United States mandating vaccination for faculty and staff.

Ohio University President Hugh Sherman wrote, “All Ohio students, faculty, and staff at all locations are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by November 15, 2021. For vaccines that require two doses, both doses must be completed by this date. This applies to all employees, including those working remotely and all students except those enrolled exclusively in fully online programs and coursework who will not access University facilities on any campus in person.”

“It’s important to note, there will be an opportunity to apply for an exemption of the vaccine requirement for medical reasons or for reasons of conscience, including ethical and moral beliefs or sincerely held religious beliefs.”

Like other states seeing a spike in cases, hospitals in Ohio are starting to cancel elective procedures. On Tuesday, Ohio reported the largest number of new cases in a single day since January 2021.

New Jersey

Jasmine Clifford, better known by her Instagram handled of “AntiVaxMomma” was arrested for selling 250 fake vaccination cards. Clifford, from Lyndhurst, New Jersey, was charged with multiple felonies on Tuesday with offering a false instrument, criminal possession of a forged instrument, and conspiracy. 

Nadayza Barkley, of Bellport, Long Island was also charged with falsifying information in the COVID database. Clifford sold fake vaccination cards through her Instagram account for $200, and for another $250 Barkley would enter bogus data into the New York state vaccination database.

Prosecutors say Barkley entered more than 10 names into the state’s vaccine database while working at a Patchogue medical clinic and received payments for her work from Clifford through the services Zelle and CashApp.

Additional charges were also filed Monday against 15 people involved in the fake vaccination card scheme, including 13 frontline healthcare workers. The workers employed at hospitals and nursing homes are facing one count each of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, a felony. A conviction would be career-ending for the 13 offenders.

Facebook, which owns Instagram defended its apparent lack of oversight, stating they removed the Instagram account in August.

South Dakota

Governor Kristi Noem has activated the national guard and not for border duty in Mexico, but to support straining hospitals in the Black Hills.

The governor’s office confirmed Tuesday morning soldiers are in the Black Hills conducting COVID-19 testing, and Gov. Noem later in the day said in a statement she authorized the deployment at the request of Rapid City-based Monument Health.

“This past week, I had conversations with all three South Dakota hospital systems and asked them what they needed as cases start to rise again,” the governor said. “Monument asked for the National Guard to assist them in their testing efforts, and we are happy to help.”

New cases in the state have exploded in the three weeks after Sturgis, reaching levels last seen in January 2021. The state positivity rate has jumped to 30%, which indicates major under testing and unchecked spread of COVID. Just four counties, Pennington, the home of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Meade, Lawrence and Custer are responsible for half of all reported COVID cases in the state.

Monument Health reported at the start of August they had less than 10 COVID patients system-wide – they now have 110.

Misinformation

Glyphosate. If you read that and think to yourself, “isn’t that part of the herbicides in RoundUp,” you would be correct. You will also likely be stunned that in some of the darker corners of the Internet, people are advocating drinking Glyphosate as a preventative for COVID.

Pure Glyphosate is a herbicide invented in 1974, and in its pure form has a reputation of being relatively safe and not readily absorbed through the skin when used properly, However, if intentionally ingested, it can cause increased saliva, burns in the mouth and throat, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Most commercial products contain other ingredients beyond Glyphosate (such as RoundUp) and can make people extremely sick, or cause death if consumed. No, Glyphosate does not cure or prevent COVID, nor is it indicated to treat any illness in humans or animals.

Health and Lifestyle, Local, National

Local and national COVID update for August 24, 2021

Knowledge is the best tool to fight against fear. A wise person chooses to be informed so they can make sound decisions. To join the fight against COVID misinformation, you can share this update through your social media platform of choice.

[KING COUNTY, Wash.] – (MTN) King County becomes the most populous area in the United States to have 70% of eligible people vaccinated as the Delta variant continues its relentless march through the Pacific Northwest. More information is becoming available about breakthrough cases and the protection vaccinated individuals receive, and school board meetings in Western Washington were derailed by antimask and anti-vaccine advocates.

This update uses the latest data from the Washington State Department of Health released on August 24, 2021.

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Washington State Update for August 24, 2021

Washington state COVID update

If there was any good news in the most recent report, the data is indicating a continued slowdown in the rate of growth for new cases. Through August 16, the 14 day rolling average Washington grew again to 501.3 COVID cases per 100K, which is another record. Benton (1,106.5 per 100K), Cowlitz (1,010.9 per 100K), and Franklin (1,218.5 per 100K) continue to have an extreme number of new cases. Lewis and Grant County are not far behind. Cases continue to grow even in sparsely populated Garfield County with 11 active cases, a new record for the Plumbus shaped rural Southeast Washington county. The USA Today COVID Tracker indicated that on Friday, Washington reported 8,361 new COVID cases on Monday. That would include cases documented over the weekend, and should not be used as an indicator of a sudden surge in new cases.

Washington State Newly Diagnosed COVID Cases per 100K During the Prior Two Weeks Through August 16, 2021

The Washington State Department of Health reports a data backlog for test positivity, with the published number 14 days old. According to Johns Hopkins University Medicine, the positivity rate for the last 30 days is 11.98%, and over the previous 7 days, 12.49%. This is an improvement from yesterday. These numbers indicate continued widespread community transmission, driven by the unvaccinated.

The 7-day moving average for COVID-related deaths has increased again to 10 per day and the USA Today COVID tracker is showing increasing deaths as COVID runs its course. The number of deaths being reported in Washington hospitals is starting to rise and is at both April and February 2021 levels. It is important to note that fatalities are a trailing indicator that usually increases two to four weeks after hospitalizations begin growing. We are at least four weeks away from peak mortality with cases continuing to grow.

Land Commissioner Hilary Franz requiring firefighters to be vaccinated by October 18

Hilary Franz, Commissioner of Public Lands, issued a directive requiring all Washington State Department of Natural Resources employees, including firefighters, to be vaccinated by October 18. The call comes as crews working wildfires outside of Yakima and Winthrop have become sickened by the virus. This has included grounding aircraft and removing fire trucks from the battle lines.

King County first large county to reach 70 percent with one vaccine dose across all age and racial groups

King County Executive Dow Constantine today announced more than 70 percent of all eligible King County residents across all age and racial/ethnic groups have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine based on data tracked by Public Health – Seattle & King County. King County is the first large county to achieve this milestone. More than 1.6 million residents have received at least one dose, and more than 3 million doses have been administered to King County residents.

“As I’ve said all along, this pandemic will end one shot at a time, and no community would be left behind. Our community outreach, school clinics, and partnerships across King County have helped save lives and keep more people safe from the Delta variant,” said Executive Constantine. “From young people to community organizations that reach communities of color, everyone in King County is stepping up to do their part and keep one another safe from this dangerous virus.”

More than 71 percent of all residents in King County have received at least one dose – one of the highest rates of any large county in the nation. And now reaching 70 percent in every eligible demographic and age group, and with the full approval of the Food and Drug Administration of the Pfizer Biotech vaccine, that number is expected to continue to grow in the weeks ahead.

“This is an important milestone and remarkable achievement, but as the current Delta surge shows, we still have too many eligible and unprotected,” said Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County. “The full approval of the Pfizer mRNA vaccine by FDA should reassure anyone who has been reluctant to be vaccinated with the emergency use authorization. This vaccine now officially meets the same safety and effectiveness standard as all other routinely available vaccines.”

Among Washington’s five largest counties, King has the lowest rate of new COVID cases during this ongoing surge. Every age and racial group is now over the 70% threshold, but progress still needs to be made among Black and Hispanic/Latinx groups.

10 corrections deputies in Whatcom County sickened with COVID

A COVID outbreak in the Whatcom County Jail has sickened 10 deputies after an “uncooperative” detainee refused to be tested during booking. The individual was placed into quarantine following protocol on August 14 and required several deputies who were in close proximity. A few days later one of the deputies became ill, and that number has climbed to 10. The inmate agreed to be tested, and also came back positive.

Children now make up 18% of new COVID cases

Children ages birth to 19 now make up 18% of all COVID cases in Washington state, and 2% of all hospitalizations, less than two weeks before school is scheduled to start. Seattle Children’s Hospital is reporting there are seeing the same number of PICU patients as they had during the January 2021 spike. A majority of the PICU patients are old enough to be vaccinated but are not.

Join the conversation on Facebook and share your thoughts

Last month, King County Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin mentioned the N95 Project as a trusted source for N95 masks. A check on the website showed that a 50 count box of United States manufactured N95 masks are available for $40.00. We recommend wearing N95 masks indoors as they provide the best protection against COVID when properly fitted.

No promotional consideration has been given, or requested from the n95 project or any manufacturer of masks

Vaccination

The CDC Morbidity and Mortality Report included the study, Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccines in Preventing SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Frontline Workers Before and During B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant Predominance on Tuesday. The study involved 4,217 healthcare workers from December 14, 2020, to August 14, 2021. There were 3,483 vaccinated participants, most with mRNA vaccines from Pfizer or Moderna.

The study indicated that vaccine effectiveness in preventing a COVID infection declined from 91% to 66% among the participants. Vaccinated individuals were 5X less likely to get COVID but more critically, were 29X less likely to require hospitalization. The decline in overall effectiveness may have been driven partially due to declining overall protection from the vaccine and was another point of data that led to the decision to start booster shots in September.

Data out of Israel is showing very encouraging news about the effectiveness of COVID booster shots. On July 30, the nation started providing a third dose to anyone over 60 years old. By August 13 the R0, the number of people infected by someone who becomes infected with COVID had dropped to below one among the age group. Officials believe the booster shots, and people with vaccine hesitancy getting their first shot have helped control the numbers. Israel has expanded booster shots to people 40 and older.

Washington state is providing COVID vaccine booster shots for moderately and severely immunocompromised residents. People who received an mRNA vaccine are eligible for the booster. People who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine do not require a booster at this time.

Almost two million Washingtonians who are vaccine eligible remain unvaccinated. The group Find a COVID Shot WA can assist anyone who needs help making an appointment. The group of 75 volunteers has been operating since the beginning of 2021 and offers support in 20 languages.

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King County, Washington is over 80% vaccinated (18+), and Washington state is over 70%. The highest rates of positivity are in areas with low vaccination rates statewide. The FDA is expected to provide full approval to the Pfizer vaccine next month.

COVID vaccines are free for anyone over 12 years old, and no appointment is necessary at most locations. Lyft and Hopelink provide free transportation, and KinderCare, the Learning Care Group, and the YMCA offer free childcare during vaccination appointments or recuperation.

For information on getting a vaccination in King County, you can visit the King County Department of Public Health website.

Malcontent News

Hospital Status

On August 23, 84.8% of available adult staffed acute care beds in Washington state have patients. The data indicated there were 1,258 acute care beds available statewide and 292 in King County. The state lost 52 staffed beds total yesterday due to healthcare workers with COVID no longer being able to provide patients care. The Northwest, Central, and South Central Regions were over 80% utilization, and the West and East Regions are now over 90%. According to the Washington State Department of Health, there are 1,345 adult COVID patients in acute care, an increase of 61 from yesterday, which is 15.2% of all acute care patients.

Washington State Hospital Acute Care Beds Occupied by Patients – August 23, 2021

Statewide ICUs were 85.0% occupied with 181 staffed beds available, 68 located in King County. The number of COVID patients statewide in the ICU climbed to 364 and the state lost 10 staffed ICU beds due to COVID infected healthcare workers. A combined 1,648 adult patients are hospitalized in Washington state, another new record.

Washington State ICU Patients with COVID – August 23, 2021

A hospital is considered to be under “extreme stress” when more than 20% of their total patients have COVID, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. Another factor is how many ICU patients a hospital has. If COVID is impacting more than 30% of patients in intensive care, a hospital is considered to be under “high stress,” and at 60% it is considered to be under “extreme stress.”

Apply this measurement to Washington State Hospital Regions, the West, North Central, and South Central regions are under extreme stress with acute care patients and the remainder of Washington state is under high stress due to ICU patients.

Washington state continues to have a critical shortage of blood, with a less than 24 hour supply for five out of eight blood types. The situation has deteriorated since August 3. There will be a blood drive in Kirkland on August 30 and 31. We will publish additional details when they become available.

The West Region, which includes Tacoma, and the East Region, which includes Spokane, remains critically low on ICU capacity. Each region has 11 ICU beds available as of Monday morning, which is little changed from Friday.

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Back to School

School Board meetings from Oroville to Monore to Redmond descended into chaos as antimask and anti-vaccination activists used public comment time to spread misinformation and conspiracy theories. In the Lake Washington School District, a group of activists refused to wear masks, forcing the school board to delay the meeting by 30 minutes to move to a virtual setting.

Several people on Twitter and Tik Tok have been working to identify people who show up at school protests and events across the country and have identified a core of approximately 20 to 25 actors. They criss-cross the country and appear at different meetings. One of the presenters at the San Diego County Board of Supervisors last week was identified as an actress who has been at numerous protests and school board meetings across the United States.

The BBC ran a report on a group of YouTube influencers that were approached to spread COVID misinformation via a marketing firm. The company offered to compensate creators as much as 2,000 Euros to spread misinformation and link to dubious articles about vaccine safety.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee and the state schools chief, Chris Reykdal, appealed to state residents to take up their grievances on the student mask mandate with their offices and not at the local level.

In Franklin County, holder of the worst positivity rate in the state, a County Commissioner refused to wear a mask, derailing the meeting. “In defiance of the Governor’s mask mandate, one of the Commissioners showed up without a mask, causing the meeting to not happen. What happened, instead was several campaign speeches from local candidates as well as public comments from several Franklin County residents.”

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Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville

As noted above in the Back to School section, the Lake Washington School District board meeting was disrupted last night by antimask and anti-vaccination protesters. A video on the School District’s website shows the board asking the audience to wear masks, and individuals off-camera refusing. The board calls a 30-minute recess to move to a different location, per Washington state law.

Most people left but several refused, and argued with a female police officer that she could be fined $250,000 for making them leave. Outside in the parking lot, several parents reported they were intimidated and threatened, with people taking pictures of license plates.

Classes are scheduled to start in the Lake Washington School District on September 1, 2021.

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National Round-Up

Johns Hopkins University reported over 229,831 new cases and 908 deaths yesterday, but it is important to note that would include a weekend’s worth of data from a number of states. Nationwide, 11.29% of COVID tests are coming back positive.

With the Pfizer vaccine receiving full FDA approval, a tidal wave of vaccination mandates roll in

A growing list of companies and colleges have mandated their employees receive the COVID vaccination as part of their terms of employment unless they can provide a medical or deeply held religious belief.

Most notable is Disney World, which has a unique regulatory relationship with the state of Florida. Governor Ron DeSantis has banned vaccine and mask mandates in his state and is battling a number of cruise lines, including Disney, on requiring proof of vaccination before sailing.

The Service Trade Council Union and Disney reached an agreement to require vaccines for all employees with the union by October 22.

CVS Health is requiring all employees to be vaccinated by October 31 and new hires to have received their first vaccine dose before beginning employment, effective September 15. These are the most recent major additions that already included:

  • Amtrak
  • Anthem
  • Ascension Health
  • AT&T
  • Bank of America
  • BlackRock
  • Capital One
  • Cardinal Health
  • Centene Corporation
  • Chevron
  • Cisco Systems
  • Citigroup
  • CNN
  • Delta Airlines
  • Deloitte
  • Facebook
  • Ford Motor
  • Frontier Airlines
  • Google
  • Hawaii Airlines
  • Hess
  • Jefferies Financial Group
  • Johnson & Johnson
  • Lyft (office employees)
  • McDonald’s (office employees)
  • Microsoft
  • Morgan Stanley
  • Netflix
  • Northwestern Mutual
  • Pfizer
  • Saks Fifth Avenue
  • Tyson Foods
  • Uber Technologies (office employees)
  • Union Square Hospitality Group
  • United Airlines
  • UPS
  • Walgreens (office employees)
  • Walmart (office employees and employees who travel)

Over 750 colleges and universities are now requiring vaccinations for faculty and/or students. New mandates were announced by the University of Minnesota, Ohio State University, Louisiana State University, and the University of Louisiana.

Alabama

Labor and Delivery nurse Haley Richardson, 32, lost her unborn child and died of COVID on August 20, in a report from her family. Richardson was unvaccinated and became ill at the end of July. She made a final Facebook post on August 9 and lost her unborn child on August 18. Doctors initially had her as a candidate for ECMO, but her condition continued to deteriorate and there was no available equipment. Richardson’s surviving more, and first child, have since been vaccinated. Dr. Akila Subramaniam reported there were ten pregnant women in the ICU at UAB hospital, and 7 on ventilators.

Arkansas

In a press conference on Tuesday, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson reported the state had run out of ICU beds. He states that hospitals are trying to put more ICU beds online. He also appealed for residents to stop taking Ivermectin stating the Arkansas Poison Control Center is taking an increasing number of people asking for assistance after taking the livestock medication.

California

Los Angeles County officials are reporting that COVID hospitalizations appear to be leveling off, with only two new patients admitted yesterday. The county, which has a population larger than most states, has 1,724 COVID patients in the hospital.

Florida

Doctors and nurses in South Florida are reporting multiple facilities only have a 6 to 12-hour oxygen supply to support patients. Shippers are struggling to supply liquid oxygen to hospitals throughout the state. Trucking companies are blaming Governor Ron DeSantis, who has refused to declare a state of emergency. A limited state of emergency declaration would enable trucking companies to bypass some motor transport rules, allowing them to increase shipments.

Hawaii

Hawaii is reeling from the worst surge in COVID cases since the first case came to the state. The governor is now asking tourists to stay away, is limiting the number of available rental cars, and curbing the number of people who can go into restaurants.

It’s “a risky time to be traveling right now,” David Ige warned on Monday, asking visitors and residents to limit their travel to essential businesses only. “I encourage everyone to restrict and curtail travel to Hawaii. It’s not a good time to travel to the islands,” he said.

Idaho

Idaho hospitals are in danger of being run as officials openly talk about having to move to “crisis standards of care” which could result in some people not receiving medical treatment. In less than a month, the number of people in Idaho hospitals with COVID went from 8% to 20%. The state has sent a request to FEMA for emergency staffing.

“Idaho is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitals are at, or quickly nearing, capacity in ICU and Critical Care Units across the state and hospitals are reporting significant staffing challenges,” said a request sent Friday from the Idaho Office of Emergency Management to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“Multiple Idaho hospitals are asking for help…they don’t have enough nurses, nursing assistants, or respiratory therapists,” it said.

Today the state issued a second request for 235 full-time health care workers. Historically, Idaho has transferred their sickest patients to hospitals in Washington, Oregon, and Utah, but all three states are dealing with their own surges.

Louisiana

LSU will require proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 PCR tests for anyone 12 and older to attend a game at Tiger Stadium. Children 5 to 11 years old will have to show a negative COVID-19 PCR test, and LSU is the first school in the SEC to create this policy.

Louisiana set a grim record on Tuesday, joining Florida in setting a new all-time daily record for deaths.

Nebraska

The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department is reinstating an indoor mask mandate as cases surge in the heartland. The mandate will go into effect on August 26 and is set to expire on September 30. the mandate includes Nebraska’s second-largest city, Lincoln, Lincoln Public Schools, and the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.

“It’s sobering to think about two months ago I was celebrating with our hospital teams that we were finally pulling out of this pandemic,” said Derek Vance, President of CHI Health St. Elizabeth and Nebraska Heart. “After more than a year of intense strain and stress on our healthcare system, our hospitals were beginning to feel back to normal. And today, we find ourselves right back in the middle of the pandemic. The number of COVID patients at St. Elizabeth’s has risen exponentially in recent weeks, to the point that we have reopened and filled a dedicated COVID unit.”

Oregon

Governor Kate Brown issued the strictest mask mandate in the nation. The state already required masks indoors but will now require masks outdoors starting August 27, regardless of vaccination status. This includes large outdoor events where physical distancing is not possible but does not include casual encounters like two people passing on a sidewalk. Children under 5, people eating, drinking, sleeping, camping, the houseless, people practicing competitive sports, providing a speech or entertainment in an outdoor public setting, are exempt which doing these activities.

Another 63 people are hospitalized for COVID in Oregon, with 1,000 patients now under care in hospitals. The state reported 30 deaths including a 31-year-old, and 283 individuals in the ICU.

South Carolina

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Crhis Lombardozzi of the Spartanburg Regional Health Care System, told WYFF Channel 4 that over 90% of their COVID patients are unvaccinated, and “we are struggling.”

“Like a lot of hospitals, particularly in the southeast, we are seeing a mega surge in COVID-19 cases.”

At the beginning of July, the hospital system was treating three COVID patients, they are now treating 210. The hospital is at 96% capacity and the average age for COVID patients is 53 years old.

South Dakota

The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally ended eight days ago and COVID cases have started to increase dramatically. COVID cases are now up 352% and Meade County is seeing a test positivity rate of 36.1%, the highest in the state. State officials are working on contract tracing now and plan to issue a report.

Texas

The small Texas town of Iraan, has essentially been shutdown as almost half of COVID tests are coming back positive. The school district shut down after five days because 25% of the staff and 16% of the students were sick with COVID. School won’t restart until August 30, and the town doesn’t have enough healthy teachers to do virtual education.

Hermann-Memorial Hospital, the largest public hospital system in Texas, had to close three emergency rooms in suburban areas of the sprawling city.

“Earlier [Monday] afternoon, Memorial Hermann made the difficult decision to temporarily close three of its off-site 24-hour Emergency Rooms at its Convenient Care Centers in Kingwood, Spring, and Sienna. As COVID-19 continues to rapidly surge in the Greater Houston area, and with hospitalizations exceeding prior surge volumes, our workforce is being pushed to the limit. We are actively pursuing all solutions to help ease the burden on our hardworking frontline staff and ensure that we continue providing safe, high-quality care to all those who need it.

Closing these locations allows us to reassign the staff to other Memorial Hermann locations where their help is critically needed. It also eliminates the need to transfer these patients to the main hospital for admission, if necessary.

Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin interim president Tommy Thompson says he will ignore Republican lawmakers who say he needs statehouse approval to enact COVID regulations on campuses across the state.

“We believe under (state law), we have complete authority to regulate, to control, supervise and maintain the structures on our campuses, but also at the same time, provide for the safety and the welfare of all of our faculty, our employees and of course, our great students,” Thompson told reporters.

Thompson, a four-term Republican former governor of Wisconsin and former U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary, said he doesn’t want to “pick a fight” with the Republican-led Legislature, but will stand his ground if his actions are challenged.

We reported last week about Wisconsin state senator Andre Jacque, who has been an outspoken critic of masks and COVID vaccines, who is hospitalized with COVID. No further update has been given since last week, but state Rep. Shae Sortwell asked his Facebook followers to pray for Jacque.

“He is in serious need of your prayers tonight,” Sortwell said. “He is in the hospital with Covid induced pneumonia.”

As we were writing this update, it was reported that Jacque is on a ventilator.

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Misinformation

A meme making the rounds on social media falsely claims the drug Thalidomide was approved by the FDA, as an argument against the COVID vaccine

The drug Thalidomide rose in popularity in post-World War II Europe and was marketed as a non-barbiturate sleep aid. In 1957 the drug was sold over-the-counter in Germany, based on the drug makers’ safety claims.

Three years later, the drug was being sold in 46 countries, mostly as a prescription, and was almost as popular as aspirin. Australian OBG/YN Doctor William McBride observed that the drug alleviated the symptoms of morning sickness among pregnant women. He started making “off-label” prescriptions.

Off-label is when a drug is prescribed to be used as a treatment not outlined by the drugmaker. The success in Australia sent demand for the medication through the roof.

Just a year later, Dr. McBride started observing horrible birth defects among children born by the women who took the drug. The drug interfered with the babies’ normal development, causing many of them to be born with phocomelia, resulting in shortened, absent, or flipper-like limbs. A German newspaper soon reported 161 babies were adversely affected by thalidomide, leading the makers of the drug—who had ignored reports of the birth defects associated with it—to finally stop distribution within Germany.

In the United States, FDA Inspector Frances Kelsey was under tremendous pressure to approve the drug, and she steadfastly refused. She refused to provide authorizations specifically because there were no U.S. clinical trials or safety data provided by the manufacturer.

Thalidomide was never approved by the FDA for any use in the United States. We rate this meme completely false.

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BIPOC, Breaking News, Health and Lifestyle, Local, National

Local and national COVID update for August 23, 2021

Knowledge is the best tool to fight against fear. A wise person chooses to be informed so they can make sound decisions. To join the fight against COVID misinformation, you can share this update through your social media platform of choice.

[KING COUNTY, Wash.] – (MTN) On Monday, Washington state’s renewed mask directive went into effect, the FDA gave full approval to the Pfizer COVID vaccine for people 16 and over, and Washington hospitals remain extremely busy. Shortly after the Pfizer vaccine was approved, the Pentagon announced that military personnel will be required to get the jab.

Over the weekend former President Donald Trump was booed after encouraging rally-goers in Alabama to get vaccinated and Mississippi issued an emergency order instituting the harshest laws in the country for people who break quarantine.

This update uses the latest data from the Washington State Department of Health released on August 23, 2021.

vaccinationhospitalsschoolslocalnationalmisinformation

Washington State Update for August 23, 2021

Washington state COVID update

If there was any good news in the most recent report, the data is indicating a continued slowdown in the rate of growth for new cases. Through August 15, the 14 day rolling average Washington grew again to 482.1 COVID cases per 100K. This breaks the record high that was set on Friday. Benton, Cowlitz, and Franklin continue to have an extreme number of new cases. Tiny and sparsely populated Garfield County had 9 active COVID cases through the period, the most ever reported. The USA Today COVID Tracker indicated that on Friday, Washington reported 3,780 new COVID cases.

Washington State Newly Diagnosed COVID Cases per 100K During the Prior Two Weeks Through August 15, 2021

The Washington State Department of Health reports a data backlog for test positivity, with the published number 14 days old. According to Johns Hopkins University Medicine, the positivity rate for the last 30 days is 12.28%, and over the previous 7 days, 13.25%. This is a significant jump from last week and could indicate that the flattening of the curve was an aberration. Other states such as Arkansas and Louisiana saw the same trend. These numbers indicate continued widespread community transmission, driven by the unvaccinated.

The 7-day moving average for COVID-related deaths has increased again to 8 per day and the USA Today COVID tracker reported 33 deaths in Washington state Thursday. It is important to note that fatalities are a trailing indicator that usually increases two to four weeks after hospitalizations begin growing. The growing number of fatalities would align with the spike in hospitalizations that started two weeks ago.

Seattle Mariners announce new mask requirements

In compliance with the new mask mandate, the Seattle Mariners are requiring all person over 5, regardless of vaccination status to mask up in the indoor areas of T-Mobile Park.

“Masks are required for all fans and employees regardless of vaccine status while in indoor areas at T-Mobile Park such as elevators, bathrooms, indoor clubs or restaurants, and the Team Store. Those who are not fully vaccinated are required to wear a mask at all times. Masks must cover both nose and mouth. You are welcome to remove your mask when actively eating or drinking, or when seated in your seat.”

Proof of vaccination is no longer required to enter Mariners’ games at T-Mobile Park. The next home game for the M’s is on August 26, 2021, at 7:10 PM.

COVID outbreak hits Pierce County Jail, and Benton County offers commisary for vaccinations

The Pierce County Jail is dealing with a COVID outbreak that has sickened 30 inmates and put hundreds more in isolation. The outbreak is hampering operations at the jail, preventing the release of some quarantined prisoners, and forcing officials to book only individuals arrested for suspicion of violent crimes. That includes crimes such as murder, manslaughter, first-degree assault (equivalent to attempted murder under RCW), rape, child molestation, kidnapping, child assault, domestic violence, and possessing explosive devices.

COVID ravaged Benton County has come up with a novel, albeit controversial way to encourage inmates to get vaccinated. Officials are offering packages of ramen, a popular commissary item for inmates nationwide, in exchange for getting vaccinated. Officials explained that anyone who is held at the jail for any period of time is eligible, as long as they were not previously vaccinated. The program has proven to be successful, with 90 inmates getting their vaccination.

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Last month, King County Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin mentioned the N95 Project as a trusted source for N95 masks. A check on the website showed that a 50 count box of United States manufactured N95 masks are available for $40.00. We recommend wearing N95 masks indoors as they provide the best protection against COVID when properly fitted.

No promotional consideration has been given, or requested from the n95 project or any manufacturer of masks

Vaccination

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provided full approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine on Monday. The Pfizer vaccine will be marketed under the brand name Comirnaty, and the generic version will be distributed under the name tozinameran.

The vaccine was given full approval for individuals 16 years of age and older, according to the FDA, and will continue to be distributed under an emergency authorization to individuals 12 to 15 years old. Additionally, the FDA has given full approval of a third dose to people with certain immunocompromised individuals.

“The FDA’s approval of this vaccine is a milestone as we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. While this and other vaccines have met the FDA’s rigorous, scientific standards for emergency use authorization, as the first FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine, the public can be very confident that this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D. “While millions of people have already safely received COVID-19 vaccines, we recognize that for some, the FDA approval of a vaccine may now instill additional confidence to get vaccinated. Today’s milestone puts us one step closer to altering the course of this pandemic in the U.S.” 

Phase I testing of the German developed Pfizer vaccine began in May of 2020, jumpstarted by prior research on SARS and MERS vaccines. The vaccine received formal emergency authorization approval on December 11, 2020, and distribution started in the United States on December 14, 2020.

Specifically, in the FDA’s review for approval, the agency analyzed effectiveness data from approximately 20,000 vaccine and 20,000 placebo recipients ages 16 and older who did not have evidence of the COVID-19 virus infection within a week of receiving the second dose. The safety of Comirnaty was evaluated in approximately 22,000 people who received the vaccine and 22,000 people who received a placebo 16 years of age and older.

For some of the Phase III trial members, the final authorization will close the door on the question of whether they received the vaccine or the placebo.

The agency reviewed over 340,000 pages of information and data as part of the authorization process. This included reviewing a small number of adverse events that included myocarditis and pericarditis following administration of the vaccine. People who were biologically assigned male gender at birth and under 40, had the most risk, with 12 to 17-year-olds having the highest observed number of incidents. There were a handful of hospitalizations and no reported deaths.

The Moderna vaccine remains under review for full approval, which is expected to come in October. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has not been submitted for full approval at this time. Full approval of the Pfizer vaccine for children 12 to 15 is expected to come early next year, and emergency approval for children 5 to 11 should happen before the end of 2021.

Washington state is providing COVID vaccine booster shots for moderately and severely immunocompromised residents. People who received an mRNA vaccine are eligible for the booster. People who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine do not require a booster at this time.

Almost two million Washingtonians who are vaccine eligible remain unvaccinated. The group Find a COVID Shot WA can assist anyone who needs help making an appointment. The group of 75 volunteers has been operating since the beginning of 2021 and offers support in 20 languages.

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King County, Washington is over 80% vaccinated, and Washington state is over 70%. The highest rates of positivity are in areas with low vaccination rates statewide. The FDA is expected to provide full approval to the Pfizer vaccine next month.

COVID vaccines are free for anyone over 12 years old, and no appointment is necessary at most locations. Lyft and Hopelink provide free transportation, and KinderCare, the Learning Care Group, and the YMCA offer free childcare during vaccination appointments or recuperation.

For information on getting a vaccination in King County, you can visit the King County Department of Public Health website.

Malcontent News

Hospital Status

On August 23, 84.7% of available adult staffed acute care beds in Washington state have patients. The data indicated there were 1,368 acute care beds available statewide and 275 in King County. The Northwest and South Central Regions were over 80% utilization and the Central, West, and East Regions are now over 90%. According to the Washington State Department of Health, there are 1,284 COVID patients in acute care, an increase of 63 over the weekend, which is 14.4% of all acute care patients.

Washington State Hospital Acute Care Beds Occupied by Patients – August 22, 2021

Statewide ICUs were 85.7% occupied with 173 staffed beds available, 64 located in King County. The number of COVID patients statewide in the ICU climbed to 332. A combined 1,616 adult patients hospitalized is a new record.

The Washington Hospital Association is indicating a lower number, and we have requested the Washington State Department of Health to review the disparity between the two data sources.

Washington State ICU Patients with COVID – August 19, 2021

Washington state continues to have a critical shortage of blood, with a less than 24 hour supply for five out of eight blood types. The situation has deteriorated since August 3. There will be a blood drive in Kirkland on August 30 and 31. We will publish additional details when they become available.

The West Region, which includes Tacoma, and the East Region, which includes Spokane, remains critically low on ICU capacity. Each region has 11 ICU beds available as of Monday morning, which is little changed from Friday.

The state reported 26 new COVID deaths over the weekend.

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Back to School

No update

Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville

Locally, the number of COVID patients at EvergreenHealth facilites in Kirkland and Monroe increased from last week. Kirkland was reporting 36 patients hospitalized, up from 26 last week. Monroe reported 6 patients hospitalized, up from 5 last week. The 36 patients is nearly the peak set in January 2021, but well below March 2020 when the Kirkland hospital became the first facility in the United States to face a major outbreak.

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National Round-Up

Johns Hopkins University reported over 36,692 new cases and 200 deaths yesterday, but it is important to note that 70% of states no longer report data over the weekend (including Washington). Nationwide, 11.46% of COVID tests are coming back positive.

Pentagon to mandate COVID vaccines for all active duty troops

The Department of Defense intends to mandate the Pfizer vaccine for all active duty servicemembers, according to a Pentagon announcement.

“Now that the Pfizer vaccine has been approved, the department is prepared to issue updated guidance, requiring all service members to be vaccinated. A timeline for vaccination completion will be provided in the coming days, John F. Kirby said at a press briefing. 

Of the 1.4 million active-duty service members, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated that slightly more than one million are fully vaccinated, and another 237,000 were partially vaccinated at the start of August. Resistance to the vaccine is particularly strong for the estimated 160,000 servicemembers who have not started vaccination. Depending on their rank, servicemembers could face a variety of disciplinary actions, including court-martial.

The Pentagon also announced that COVID testing was being provided to any evacuee from Afghanistan who exhibits or reports COVID-like symptoms before boarding an evacuation aircraft. All persons are then screened upon their arrival at temporary safe havens in Qatar and Germany.

Former Presidents advocates for vaccination and gets booed in Alabama

On Saturday at a GOP-led political rally in Cullman, Alabama, former President Donald Trump was booed by the audience when he told them to get vaccinated.

“You know what? I believe totally in your freedoms. You got to do what you have to do, but I recommend: Take the vaccines. I did it – it’s good,” the former President said. The audience fell silent as a wave of boos emerged from the crowd.

“That’s alright. You got your freedoms. But I happen to take the vaccine. If it doesn’t work, you’ll be the first to know. I’ll call Alabama say, ‘Hey you know what?’ but it is working.”

The unvaccinated are costing American hospitals a lot

A report from the Kaiser Family Foundation indicated that 113,000 preventable COVID hospitalizations in June and July have cost United States hospitals $2.3 billion, and that is likely an underestimate. It is estimated that 98.3% of all COVID patients hospitalized in the two-month period were unvaccinated.

Alabama

Former President Donald Trump is holding a rally in Cullman, Alabama tomorrow, forcing the city to declare a COVID state of emergency. Alabama added 3,800 new COVID cases on Wednesday and the state ran out of ICU beds the day before. The declaration of the State of Emergency allowed the city to provide the additional personnel and equipment for this weekend’s political rally after it was requested by Cullman Regional Hospital, which is overwhelmed with patients.

Arizona

The election audit being conducted by Cyber Ninjas took another strange turn on Monday, with the Arizona Senate President Karen Fann reporting that two of the five members of the election audit team, including Cyber Ninjas CEO Doug Logan, are “quite sick” with COVID. The final report, which was supposed to be submitted today was not issued. No timeline has been given on when a final report will be submitted to the Arizona GOP.

Florida

Seventy-five doctors at a Palm Beach Gardens Hospital staged a symbolic walkout over working conditions and the number of unvaccinated patients flooding the facility. “We are exhausted. Our patience and resources are running low and we need your help,” said Dr. Rupesh Dharia from Palm Beach Internal Medicine.

Now, these doctors are sounding the alarm and pleading for the community to get vaccinated. They said it’s not a political move, but a call for help.

The number of pediatric patients continues to grow in Florida, with children from birth to 19 years old showing the highest rates of positivity for the first time. From August 13 to August 19, children 12 and under that were tested for COVID had a positivity rate of 23%. Those age 12 to 19 were nearly 25% positive. Florida Government Ron DeSantis has defunded school districts that instituted mask mandates. The United States Department of Education has stepped in to fill the funding gap.

Five police officers in South Florida have died of COVID in the last week, including 27 years old Jennifer Sepot of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. In Sarasota County, officials are dealing with a critical staffing shortage with 94 staff members, almost 10% of the force, out of work with COVID symptoms.

Georgia

As many school systems in the Peachtree State enter their fourth week of school, COVID cases continue to surge. The Metro Atlanta area, with 14 school disticts, has reported 6,300 new cases among students during the previous week. Students five to 12 years old are the most impacted. Two faculty members also died last week. Both were sick before the start of the new school year.

WSB is reporting more than 2,000 children a day are testing positive for COVID.

In Marietta, Georgia, former surgical technician Jessica Renzi was fired over the weekend after posting a video on Tik Tok many deemed anti-Semitic. In the video which went viral and was shared across multiple social media platforms, Renzi suggested having her vaccination number tattoed to her arm, in an apparent mockery of Holocaust victims. Renzi, who deleted her social media accounts, also had created numerous videos sharing COVID misinformation while wearing her hospital scrubs.

Tik Tok creator Jessica Renzi’s video resulted in her firing on sunday

Hawaii

With hospitals in Hilo and Honolulu at or near collapse, the archipelago is considering a return to travel restrictions for domestic travelers. State officials are considering people showing their vaccination cards to get into gyms, restaurants, and other public spaces, as well as implementing curfews. The remote state has 392 people in the hospital, almost 100 more than the January 2021 peak.

Tutu Man Kawaikapu Hewett — a founding member of Hawaii Quarantine Kapu Breakers is calling for stricter measures, including stricter enforcement of Hawaii’s existing COVID restrictions.

“I’m a great-grandfather, a grandfather, a father. I want to make sure that everyone survives this. I’m going to support anything and everything that makes us safer,” Hewett said.

Kentucky

COVID is starting to sweep northward into Appalachia, including the Bluegrass State. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear reported the state has a record number of patients in acute and ICU care, with more than 20 hospitals facing staffing shortages and converting space to build COVID ICUs.

State officials reported there are 1,890 people hospitalized with 529 in intensive care and 301 on ventilators. Despite the surge, the Kentucky legislature is working on limiting the power of the governor to remove safety protocols in place.

Maine

Although Maine has a relatively low number of COVID patients, the numbers in ICU and on ventilators are in a word, alarming. Officials reported on Monday there are 123 COVID patients hospitalized, with 61 in the ICU and 25 on ventilators.

“This is what’s happening right here, and it’s pretty stark,” Liechty said. “We’re still doing better as a state than most other places, but delta has highlighted the geographic disparities in uptake of the vaccine in our state.”

The statewide vaccination rate is about 62 percent, but there are wide differences between counties.

Massachusetts

Cases are starting to grow in the New England state where only 3.7% of residents report they will never get vaccinated. Massachusetts state officials reported 3,335 new cases with 550 people hospitalized, and 139 in the ICU. The positive test rate is elevated in the state, but nowhere near peak levels set in April 2020 or January 2021.

Mississippi

The Mississippi State Department of Health on Friday raised eyebrows nationally, issuing the strictest COVID quarantine laws in the United States.

All persons, including fully vaccinated individuals, infected with COVID-19 must remain in the
home or other appropriate residential location for 10 days from onset of illness (or 10 days from
the date of a positive test for those who are asymptomatic). A negative test for COVID-19 is not
required to end isolation at the end of 10 days, but you must be fever-free for at least 24 hours with
an improvement of other symptoms. Mississippi K-12 schools are required to exclude all students
and faculty diagnosed with COVID-19 from the school setting during the isolation period (as
above).

The failure or refusal to obey the lawful order of a health officer is, at a minimum, a misdemeanor
punishable by a fine of $500.00 (41-3-59) or imprisonment for six months or both. If a life-threatening disease is involved, failure or refusal to obey the lawful order of a health officer is a
felony, punishable by a fine of up to $5,000.00 or imprisonment for up to five years or both.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire COVID test positivity has reached the highest level since January with 82 people hospitalized.

Oregon

Oregon continues to grapple with rising cases with officials reporting there are only 47 ICU beds available statewide. The governor has activated 2000 National Guard members to supplement the medical system and has requested more than 500 medical professionals to help support the state. Rural counties are feeling the brunt of the epidemic due to political polarization, misinformation, and low vaccination rates.

South Carolina

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Crhis Lombardozzi of the Spartanburg Regional Health Care System, told WYFF Channel 4 that over 90% of their COVID patients are unvaccinated, and “we are struggling.”

“Like a lot of hospitals, particularly in the southeast, we are seeing a mega surge in COVID-19 cases.”

At the beginning of July, the hospital system was treating three COVID patients, they are now treating 210. The hospital is at 96% capacity and the average age for COVID patients is 53 years old.

Texas

A 77-year old Carnival Cruise Line passenger died last week after catching COVID on a ship sailing out of Galveston. According to her family, Marilyn Tackett, 77, started to feel unwell when the ship arrived for a port of call visit to Roatan, Belize. When her family returned from a shore excursion, Tackett was having difficulty breathing. The ship’s doctor notified the family that Tackett would need to be put on a ventilator immediately.

Belize hospital officials initially refused to treat Tackett without a $5,000 cash payment. Tackett was placed on a ventilator but her insurance would not cover her overseas medical treatment or an air ambulance to return her to the United States. A GoFundMe was set up to raise $30,000 and she was flown to Tulsa, Oklahoma, but Ms. Tackett died on August 14. Tackett was vaccinated.

Carnival reported a total of 27 cases on the ship during the sailing among 26 crew members and Ms. Tackett.

On our social media channels, we shared the story of David Cruz Meza, 38, of Corpus Christi, Texas. Meza tested positive for COVID on July 7 and was hospitalized on July 14. The father of three was unvaccinated and turned to social media to encourage others to get vaccinated.

@dmeezyay

Reply to @user089330629

♬ original sound – David Cruz Meza

His condition had deteriorated by July 22, and his family was reported he was placed on a ventilator on July 25. His wife made a public appeal for any hospital that would be willing to take him as an ECMO patient, and another appeal on August 11.

His family reported this morning that Meza passed away on August 16. In the final video he made, he appealed for people to get vaccinated.

@dmeezyay

Reply to @staceyvalenzuela2

♬ original sound – David Cruz Meza
David Cruz Meza on BIPAP appealing for people to get vaccinated on July 22, 2021, Meza died on August 16 from complications due to COVID

Utah

The state reported another 2,731 cases on Monday, with 20% of new cases among children from 5 to 18 years old.

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Misinformation

This isn’t misinformation as much as it is a misunderstanding. There have been nine major studies about how a person’s blood type may limit or increase their risks of catching COVID, and if certain blood types provide additional protection.

There is solid evidence that type O and Rh-negative blood groups might benefit some degree of extra protection from COVID infection and severe symptoms. Additionally, the same data supports that blood type A may increase the susceptibility to infection.

The misunderstanding comes from some people believing that type O blood instills a higher degree of natural immunity than it truly offers. In some darker corners on the Internet, there are some memes that try to convince people on social media that type O is a shield to symptomatic COVID – that isn’t true.

The National Institutes of Health published a study on July 19, 2021, explaining the Relationship between blood types and outcomes following COVID-19 infection. The report stated in the conclusion, “At this point in time, there does not appear to be any relationship between blood type and COVID-19–related severity of illness or mortality. Current literature does not support blood type as part of a predictive model of viral illness or mortality, and ABO/Rh screening should not be used as a triage mechanism. Future investigations can focus on the creation of a global COVID-19 database to account for population-based differences in blood types and testing protocols.”

This isn’t to say that people with type O blood gain no benefit, or that people with type A should take extra precautions. The evidence that exists today does not indicate type O provides a wall of substantial extra protection.

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National, Terra Firma, Weather

Historic drought sends lakes to record lows throughout the West

Gallery

[OROVILLE, Cali] – (MTN) Lake Oroville is less than two feet above an all-time low while Lake Shasta is at its fourth-lowest level on record as historic drought grips the western United States. Lake Shasta continues to be shrouded in smoke from the Lava Fire, where the water sits 145 feet below full pool. At 921.93 feet above Sea Level, Shasta sits at about the same level it was in January 2016. Lake Oroville is at 646.63 feet, just 19 inches higher than a record set in 1977.

At Oroville, operators need to continue water flowing to support fisheries and farmers in the San Joaquin Valley that rely on water from the Sacramento River for irrigation. The river is already dealing with record high temperatures that have devested wild salmon, and the intrusion of saltwater upstream adding pressure to the ecosystem and farmers.

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”61″ gal_title=”Historic Drought in the Southwest”]

The historic low levels have forced over 140 houseboats out of the lake, and only one temporary gravel boat ramp remains operations around the entire lake. Even that ramp is in danger of closing as the level is expected to continue to drop another 25 to 30 feet by October.

The Edward Hyatt Pump-Generating Plant is capable of generating 132 megawatts of power during peak operation. Although up to 17,000 cubic feet of water can flow through the plant per second, approximately 6,000 cubic feet can be recovered and pumped back into the lake. The outflow is captured in additional reservoirs to be sent into the Sacramento River basin and support the needs of farmers to the south. Under extreme conditions, water is sent out to the Yuba River. The water level is expected to reach what hydrologists call deadpool, and the hydro plant may have to close for the first time in its 53 year history.

Lake Shasta, outside of Redding, sits below the headwaters of the Sacramento River and also generates hydroelectricity.

To the north outside of Klamath Falls, over 300 homes have had their private wells run dry, leaving residents without water for farming and personal consumption. Demand for water delivery and drilling companies has driven up costs and lead time, while some communities are providing water at pickup points. Ranchers and homeowners are looking to drill deeper, but after twenty-two years of mostly drought-filled years, there are no assurances those wells won’t run dry.

In the Klamath, a perfect storm of climate change, overutilization, treaties with first nations, and too many promises by government officials have come to head. Some have resorted to stealing water from the district, with complaints of illegal marijuana farms in the area. In this hardscrabble area with an undertone of independence and anti-government sentiment, other operators are also taking water pitting neighbor against neighbor.

Tule Lake on the Oregon-California border is divided into four regions. The most visible at the beginning of the road to Lava Beds National Monument has been allowed to drain dry. The soil deeply cracked and baking under the relentless heat. In the early 1900s, Tule Lake was significantly drained to create the farmland that surrounds the area today. Operators elected to let the most visible part of the lake complex run dry, in an attempt to convert it into a more productive marshland when and if the water returns. Area residents are skeptical and some are complaining about dust and irritation coming from the evaporating mud puddle.

To the north Upper Klamath Lake is the largest freshwater body in Oregon. The shallow lake has suffered from declining water quality for decades, both from natural and manmade influences. In 2001, water was cut off from farmers by the Bush Administration to protect native suckerfish that are on the endangered species list and protect area salmon per First Nations treaties. The impact was devastating to farmers who depend, and hold contracts for water rights.

Upper Klamath Lake is shallow – just 8 feet on average and a maximum depth of 50 feet. Although the lake currently sits at 100% of the normal level today, it has been steadily declining since 2019. Increasing temperatures, agricultural runoff, and naturally occurring chemicals turn the lake green with algae blooms.

Farmers aren’t just facing a shortage of water, they are also facing a shortage of forage and feed for livestock. The cost of hay has skyrocketed adding additional pressure on the battered finances for the region. Tariffs, a reduction in international shipping, depressed prices, have forced some to send animals to market early, getting only pennies on the dollar for their efforts while costs keep going up.

In Utah and Arizona, fear and frustration are mounting at Lake Powell. The lake is only inches from setting a new historic low, beating the record set in 2005. Frustrated locals are growing increasingly angry.

Glen Canyon Dam is the second-largest hydroelectric generating facility in the Southwest, only behind Hoover Dam outside of Las Vegas. The dam generates 1,320 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 400,000 homes. Rapid population expansion in Arizona and Utah has driven up demand as the water level continues to decline. A shutoff of the outflow through the dam would cut off a critical electrical source increasing rates, and potentially plunging communities into darkness. Officials believe the water level at Lake Powell will continue to drop until the spring of 2022 and is dependent on significant snowfall in the Rockies to stage any kind of recovery.

Misinformation on the Internet also abounds with complaints that water is flowing out of Lake Powell and Lake Mead unnecessarily and out to the ocean in California. Both lakes are on the Colorado River, which reaches the Gulf of California in Mexico, where international agreements also require water for the nation on the United States border.

In Walla Walla, Washington, city officials have had to tap one of seven wells to supplement the city water supply. Under normal conditions, water would come from Mill Creek, but extreme drought coupled with extreme demand has forced the city to tap the backup supply. There is enough water in the reserves to supply the city for “several years,” according to officials. The area is known for its wine production. Some growers are reporting up to 50% of their crops were lost in a late June heatwave, that saw temperatures soar to 110 to 115 degrees F. This is the second hit in a row for grape producers who saw some of their harvests destroyed last year by “smoke taint” a growing concern as increasing smoke from wildfires in Washington and Oregon start to creep into the region.

In a cruel twist, a heavier than normal monsoon season has sent floods sweeping through parts of Utah and Arizona. The land has become so baked it can’t absorb the water, so flash floods tear through parks, deserts, and communities offering little in the way of adding to the water supply. In Washington and parts of Oregon, it appears rain is coming next week, but lightning will be included in some areas, increasing wildfire risks in regions battered by the confluence of climate change, government policy, and overuse.

BIPOC, Editorial, Local, National

Malcontentment Happy Hour: April 21, 2021

Video

Our live webcast from the former Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

Editors Note: There is approximately five minutes of audio problems during our segment on Pinal County Sheriff Julian Navarrette. We apologize for the inconvenience.

The show from April 21, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith.

  • Derek Chauvin verdict
  • Seattle Police tweak anti-protest actions
  • Pinal County Sheriff Julian Navarrette is a ‘super citizen’
  • COVID-19 Update

BIPOC, Editorial, LGBTQIA, Local, National

Malcontentment Happy Hour: April 19, 2021

Video

Our live webcast from the former Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

The show from April 19, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith.

  • Derek Chauvin trial – deliberations begin
  • Malcontented Minutes
    • National Archives in Seattle no longer closing
    • Amazon to examine employee review system for disparity and bias
    • Marjorie Taylor Greene hurts the brain
    • FedEx gunman in Indiana legally purchased guns
    • Mystery animal in Poland turns out to be a croissant
    • Arizona woman finds her tires slashed – and a finger
    • Transgender community in North Carolina wants justice after a string of murders
    • Parents are fleeing states that are passing anti-transgender laws
    • Pacific Pug Rescue saves pugs from Chinese slaughterhouses
    • Filbert the beaver at the Oregon Zoo turns 10 and get a birthday cake fit for a…beaver
  • Not Your Model Minority rally and march in Seattle
  • Sit Down and Listen with Eastside Embrace in Kirkland

Editorial, National

Insurrection update – pre-impeachment edition

Video

From Malcontentment Happy Hour, February 1, 2021

A summary of events from January 29 to February 1, 2021

The fallout from the January 6, 2021, Insurrection continues

  • Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Facebook post about the 2018 California wildfires being started by the Rothchilds who funded Jewish space lasers comes to light
  • Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene is interviewed by British neo-Nazi Katie Hopkins on January 7, 2021
  • Donald Trump’s entire legal team quits over the weekend after differences emerged on strategy and payments
  • Donald Trump to now be represented by David Schoen and Bruce Castor Jr, lawyers who both have questionable pasts with their legal connections to sex offenders
  • Portland streamer “Behind Enemy Lines” outs one of his moderators in an interview where “Ryan” discusses entering the Capitol during the insurrection
  • L Lin Wood has been asked to take a mental health evaluation by the state of Georgia as disbarment continues
  • Brian Williams played a “fake” news segment mocking the meeting of former President Donald Trump and House minority leader Kevin McCarthy
  • State GOPQ Representative Shawnna Bolick of Arizona introduced legislation that would enable the legislature of Arizona to reject the vote of the Arizona people
  • Michael Flynn is trying to cash in on the QAnon money ramping up his own website Digital Soldiers and selling Q merch
  • Open Secrets has connected the dots on campaign contributions and donations to January 6, 2021, insurrection, listing the people and agencies involved
  • Nebraska Catholic priest Rev. David Fulton did an exorcism outside the Capitol during the insurrection and is facing backlash
  • John Revlett of Island, Kentucky, and a fourth-place winner in a “sexy farmer” contest was arrested for his involvement in the insurrection after outing himself on Snapchat
  • Couy Giffin of New Mexico (also reported as from Texas) and the founder of Cowboys for Trump was arrested for his involvement in the insurrection and has been placed into solitary confinement for his actions after his arrest