[CHICAGO, Il.] – (MTN) A January 2022 investigation into Chicago COVID-19 testing firm Lab Elite resulted in the federal indictment of Zishan Alvi, 44, of Inverness, Illinois, on ten counts of wire fraud and one count of theft of government funds.
The federal indictment alleges Alvi “knowingly devised, intended to devise, and participated in a scheme to defraud the government by causing Laboratory A to submit fraudulent claims and delivering inaccurate and unreliable test results to the public. The fraudulent claims sought reimbursement for purported tests when Alvi knew that (a) Laboratory A had not performed a test for COVID-19; (b) Laboratory A had modified a test for COVID-19 such that the results were unreliable; and (c) Laboratory A already had collected payment from the individuals who purportedly had been tested.”
On February 4, 2022, Malcontent News released its investigation into Lab Elite, co-owned by Nikola Nozinic and Zishan Alvi. Our investigation found that Lab Elite was stepping in to provide lab services at former Center for COVID Control and FCTS locations operating under the Testative brand. The Center for COVID Control closed while under multiple state and federal investigations, and Testative was closed by Northshore Clinical Labs when the company caught the attention of state and federal regulators.
Our investigation found that Nozinic and Alvi used a series of shell companies and acquired struggling testing firms to secure NPI and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) numbers required to receive over $80 million in federal reimbursement for COVID testing through the HRSA Uninsured Program created by the CARES Act. According to the Testative website and our investigation, Lab Elite was providing lab services for pop-up testing firm Testative. A second investigation by Malcontent News, published on February 5, 2022, found that Testative sites in Delaware had “deficiencies including not having a CLIA number.” The test sites were ordered closed by a Delaware judge and never reopened.
The indictment alleged “Alvi directed Laboratory A employees to falsely indicate in Laboratory A’s records that COVID-19 tests had been performed for these individuals when Alvi knew that the test specimens had been discarded at his own direction and had not been tested. It is further part of the scheme that, in order to conceal the fact that tests were not performed, Laboratory A did not release positive COVID-19 results on specimens where tests were eventually performed because a purported negative result had already been released.”
“The charges, in this case, allege that the defendant disregarded public health concerns in favor of personal financial gain. Doing so by compromising taxpayer-funded programs intended to fight the spread of coronavirus was particularly reprehensible,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual. “I commend the work of our law enforcement partners who investigated this complex fraud scheme. Our office will relentlessly continue to bring to justice those who defrauded the government’s pandemic relief initiatives.”
Alvi is accused of redirecting federal funds “for personal expenditures, including for vehicle purchases and investments in stocks and cryptocurrency.” The federal government is seeking the forfeiture of at least $6.8 million in allegedly ill-gotten gains, in addition to five luxury cars and funds from trade and investment accounts.
A promotional video created by Lab Elite showed multiple violations of United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) lab and testing protocols. The video showed the door to the lab open to the reception area, no sinks or handwashing stations in the lab area, unmasked technicians, including one person in a designated BLS2 area, and people administering COVID tests without wearing eye protection and using ill-fitting masks that were not N-95 rated.
“The defendant defrauded the American people at a time when we were most vulnerable, in the midst of a global pandemic. This indictment shows that the FBI, along with our law enforcement partners, is continually working to keep Americans safe and uphold the Constitution as our mission demands of us,” said Special Agent in Charge Wheeler.
Each count of wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison, and the count of theft of government funds is punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison.
Update January 12, 2022 10:45 AM: King County Public Health has responded to our inquiry.
[SOUTH BARRINGTON, Ill] – (MTN) More than 300 pop-up COVID test sites operated by the Center for COVID Control are under legal scrutiny after thousands of consumer complaints about the test centers being a scam.
This evening, officials in Massachusetts, Oregon, and Texas have opened up criminal investigations. USA Today reported last week that complaints about the company were piling up. People who were tested reported it took days to receive results if they received them at all. Consumers complained they received negative test results in Florida while still waiting in line to be swabbed.
Attempts to call the customer service line resulted in longer wait times, with people unable to contact the company.
The company operates 11 test sites in Washington, including in regions where federal, state, and county resources are hard to find. Locations in Bellevue, Seattle, Lynnwood, and Yakima have had long lines.
Center for COVID Control test locations in Washington
Residents of Portland, Oregon, and Seattle raised concerns about the company as far back as October. A pop-up site emerged on Capitol Hill. Untrained staffers at outside tents told people to swab the nose themselves and handled samples without PPE. There were numerous complaints about improper test procedures, requiring their driver’s license, and never receiving test results. Some filed complaints with the Washington State Attorney General and claimed there wasn’t any follow-up.
The Instagram for the company has a handful of images with multiple complaints of never receiving test results and calling the operation a scam.
The Center for COVID Control is an offshoot of BullsEye Axe Lounge in South Barrington, Illinois. Opened in 2019 by Aleya Siyaj and her spouse Akbar Syed, the lounge and bar is a popular location for drinks and ax throwing. When the COVID wave struck in late 2020, the business was forced to close due to public health measures. In November 2020, a donut shop Siyaj opened in 2017 was forced into default. Three weeks later, Siyaj pivoted to offering COVID tests.
What started as BullsEye Free Drive-Thru Testing became the Center for COVID Control, LLC on Dec. 2, 2020, when the company was incorporated in Illinois. A year later, a second LLC was created in Florida on Oct. 25. After filing in Florida, that number of sites across the nation exploded to over 300. Neither registered agent responded to our inquiries about the company.
Syed’s video posted on YouTube showed an insider view of the operation behind the Center for COVID Control. The video was deleted by Syed after a story on Medium broke about the company but was reposted. The video, filmed at night at a suburban one-story office park, has a Boiler Room vibe. Luxury cars line the parking lot, while the inside offices appear little more than an empty shell. At the end of the video, an employee brags about making $1.45 million a year in salary to Syed.
On Reddit, former employees allege that the Center for COVID Control is collecting driver license information so they can send repeated reimbursement requests to the federal government for tests that never happened.
For communities such as Yakima and Lakewood, the loss of public trust in the testing centers is devastating. In Yakima, people have waited for hours and sometimes turned away when they run out of tests.
On Wednesday morning, King County Public Health told Malcontent News they are looking into the reports about the company.
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) New cases and hospitalizations are down and vaccination rates are up across the Evergreen state but for 9,028 Washingtonians progress came too late as the state crossed another grim milestone.
New cases continue to drop statewide and the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported 80% of all residents 12 or older have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. Despite the success, Washington ranks about 14th nationally for the most vaccinated population. The DOH also reported that hospitalizations are down significantly from last week.
A report from the DOH indicated that children and adolescents in Eastern Washington have the highest incidents of Covid-19 infections in the state during the last two weeks of October.
Kaiser Peramente reported 828 Washington residents received an expired dose of the Moderna vaccine between October 25 and 27 and they are reaching out to impacted patients. If you have concerns you can call (206) 630-2080.
State Senator Doug Ericksen (Ferndale-R) reported he had COVID and was stuck in the Latin American nation of El Salvador. Ericksen, who has tried to block vaccination programs is reported to have flown out of the country by air ambulance tonight.
Locally, King County has updated how they report vaccination rates to include children 5 to 11 and the initial data is very encouraging. In the Bellevue-Kirkland-Woodinville region along with the supporting school districts, first dose vaccination rates ranged from 81.7% to 95.0% for all residents. In little more than a week, 18.5% to 35.5% of children 5 to 11 got their first dose of the COVID vaccine, depending on the zip code they live in.
Covid-19 cases in the Bellevue, Lake Washington, and Northshore School Districts remain under control.
Nationally, Dr. Anthony Fauci has called for boosters for all and the states of Arkansas, California, Colorado, New Mexico, West Virginia, along with New York City decided not to wait for FDA authorization. The DOH reported they will continue to follow existing federal guidelines.
When it comes to boosters, Mr. T. (yes, that Mr. T.) pity the fool who doesn’t get their booster shot. The 69-year old actor and former wrestler got his booster shot on November 13.
Pfizer has formally requested for Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA for the antiviral drug Paxlovid. In Phase 2 and 3 testing and when combined with another HIV drug, Paxlovid reduced hospitalizations by 89% for people infected with COVID, if taken within the first five days of early symptoms.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced new guidelines for residents of nursing homes. The sweeping changes essentially eliminates all visitation restrictions at any facility that receives federal funding.
In other national news, a Connecticut nursing home is reporting an outbreak of Covid-19 sickened 89 and killed eight. A grieving Georgia husband is accusing a school district of working his COVID positive wife to death because she didn’t have any sick time left. Brad Little, governor of Idaho got his Covid-19 booster and shared it on Twitter as the Gem State enters the third month under crisis standards of care. COVID cases are exploding in Maine, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania while hospitals in Alaska, Colorado, and Montana continue to struggle with resources.
A Texas doctor has had their privledges suspended for sharing COVID disinformation, while a doctor turned legislature in Maryland is facing disciplinary action for prescribing invemectin. In Michigan, a third lawmaker is facing criminal charges for groping a nurse practioner while seeking a prescription for his COVID infection.
The Washington State Department of Health has updated the vaccination rate data, shifting the brackets again. With 31.8% of the total population vaccinated, Stevens County remains the least vaccinated county in Washington while San Juan County at 74.5% is at the top of the pile.
Several counties with higher case rates moved into new brackets on Monday. We start to see a decline in these numbers at 55% vaccinated so some of the anomalies in the data will shift in the next 7 to 10 days. The least vaccinated counties are rural and largely agricultural. With the end of farming and harvest season and poor weather, people are congregating less often.
There remains a significant difference between lower-vaccinated counties and counties where at least 70% of the total population is fully inoculated.
Percent of Total Population Fully Vaccinated
Total Population in Group
Average 14-Day New Case Rate
70.00% or above (3 counties)
2,343,250
166.6
60.00% to 69.99% (4 counties)
1,242,200
323.2
50.00% to 59.99% (17 counties)
3,664,000
302.3
40.00% to 49.99% (9 counties)
375,575
362.5
31.80% to 39.99% (6 counties)
151,850
300.3 (down)
14-Day New Covid-19 Cases per 100K average by Vaccination Rate for Total Population, Adjusted for Population by County
Through November 15, Washington’s statewide 14-day rolling average is 267.0 Covid-19 cases per 100K.
Chelan, Douglas, Grant, Klickitat, Lewis, Lincoln, Skagit, and Spokane counties have new case rates between 400.0 and 599.9. Cowlitz, Mason, Pend Oreille, and Stevens counties were just under 400.
Fourteen counties representing 3.14 million Washingtonians have a 7 day moving average case rate under 100.
The 7 day new case rate and hospitalization rate has decreased from last week.
Age Group
7-Day Case Rate
7-Day Hospitalization Rate
Ages 0-11
118.9
0.9
Ages 12-19
113.8
0.7
Ages 20-34
120.1
2.7
Ages 35-49
126.6
5.4
Ages 50-64
90.8
9.4
Ages 65-79
62.6
14.1
Ages 80+
70.3
22.5
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 56 deaths on Monday. As of Monday, 9,028 Washingtonians have died from Covid-19 related illness.
IHME forecast points to a sixth wave and 13,530 Washingtonians dead by March 1
The updated IHME forecast points to a sixth wave for Washington with hospitalizations peaking on February 3, 2022. Although the forecast model shows a significant increase in confirmed cases, hospitalizations would not exceed the fifth wave that is currently winding down, and mortality is projected to be much lower due to the high vaccination rate.
If everyone in Washington were to wear a mask, the IHME model predicts we could save 1,500 lives.
Many hospitalists have reported they would not be capable of handling the stress and trauma of another wave, and feel unsupported by the community.
80% of Washingtonians 12 and above have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine
The Washington State Department of Health reported 80.0% of Washingtonians 12 and older have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and 73.9% of the state is fully vaccinated.
According to the Mayo Clinic and through November 7, Washington state ranks eleventh in the United States for children ages 12 to 17 fully vaccinated, ninth for adults 18 to 64, and eight for seniors 65 and older.
When you consider at least a single dose, Washington drops to 14th place for children ages 12 to 17, 14th for adults 18 to 65, and in a 32-way first-place tie for seniors 65 and older.
The red-blue political divide is also strong in the data. Among children 12 to 17 and adults 18 to 64 the first red state is Utah in 19th place. For seniors over 65, Washington is tied with 31 other states that have achieved >99% vaccinated.
Vermont leads for the most vaccinated adolescents while Massachusetts leads with the most vaccinated adults and seniors.
Over 800 Kaiser Peramente patients received expired Moderna vaccine doses
Kaiser Permanente is contacting 828 patients across Washington state that were inadvertently given expired doses of the Moderna vaccine between October 25 and October 27. Both Kaiser Permanente and Moderna have stated that there is no impact on patient safety or efficacy.
“After consultation with Kaiser Permanente clinical experts, there is no evidence that the vaccine administered is ineffective or unsafe,” according to a statement from Kaiser Permanente. “Our clinical experts do not recommend a repeat vaccine dose for patients who were administered these doses.”
Patients with questions about their vaccines can call (206) 630-2080.
Eastern Washington children have the highest case rate in Washington
Education Service District (ESD) 101 encompasses Adams, Ferry, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, and Whitman Counties and had a 14 day new case rate of 569.5 per 100,000 children and adolescents.
King and Pierce Counties comprise ESD 121 and had a new case rate of 303.1 per 100,000. The lowest rate in the state was on the Olympic Peninsula, known as ESD 114 with a new case rate of 290.0.
Although severe COVID is uncommon in children and adolescents, Mary Bridge Hospital in Tacoma reported that 40% of their hospitalized Covid-19 patients in September developed MIS-C, which can be fatal.
There is little Information about long COVID among children and adolescents and most studies available currently are highly flawed. Among the limited studies that are credible, there isn’t significant evidence that long COVID symptoms last more than 12 weeks among pediatric patients.
State senator Doug Ericksen who fought against vaccine mandates infected with Covid-19 in El Salvador
Washington State Ultra-Conservative Freedom Caucus creator state senator Doug Ericksen (Ferndale-R) reached out to his Washington legislature allies requesting assistance after becoming Covid-19 positive in El Salvador. Ericksen was in the Latin American country as an election observer when he tested positive for COVID.
“I took a trip to El Salvador and tested positive for COVID shortly after I arrived. I cannot get back home, and it’s to the point that I feel it would be beneficial for me to receive iv monoclonal antibodies (Regeneron).”
Over 60% of the residents of El Salvador are fully vaccinated, however, hospitalized treatment for Covid-19 is mostly limited to comfort care and oxygen therapy. Ericksen has not shared if he is vaccinated, nor did he share if he was attempting unproven therapies such as Ivermectin, zinc, Vitamin C or Vitamin D, which would be available.
On October 19, Ericksen called for the resignation of Governor Jay Inslee (WA-D) due to the statewide vaccine mandate.
“Inslee has done significant damage to the credibility of state government and has eroded the public’s trust. Now he is firing thousands of public employees without regard to the harm it will cause. This effort to punish can only be seen as the willful act of a failed governor. Inslee has failed miserably. We don’t take this lightly. But the only thing that can allow our state to heal and move forward is for Jay Inslee to resign.”
On November 1, Ericksen indicated he would try to reintroduce Senate Bill 5144, which would “prohibit discrimination against those who are not vaccinated.”
“Washington state is number one in government coercion, but I don’t think that is an honor the people of Washington want,” Ericksen stated. “This is a natural result of a system that allows the governor to declare an emergency and then keep his sweeping emergency powers as long as he wants.”
There is an unconfirmed report that Ericksen was flown out of El Salvador on an air ambulance today.
Travel Advisories
We are lifting the travel advisory to Eastern Washington. Hospital resources and new case rates have dropped to a level where there are adequate medical resources to support a health emergency.
Due to severe flooding and strained hospital resources, we are maintaining the travel advisory for the Northwest Hospital Region. The region includes Clallam, Jefferson, Kitsap, and Mason counties.
We continue to advise to avoid all nonessential travel to Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, and Montana. Hospital resources in these states remain constrained, and you may receive inadequate care if you experience a serious medical emergency.
Finally, we continue to recommend to avoid recreational travel to Wyoming. The situation continues to improve but hospital resources remain constrained. Wyoming transfers critical patients to Colorado and Utah, and both states have limited to no capacity to take transfer patients.
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!
“To me, if you want to get to endemic, you have got to get the level of infection so low that it does not have an impact on society, on your life, on your economy,” Fauci said. “People will still get infected. People might still get hospitalized, but the level would be so low that we don’t think about it all the time and it doesn’t influence what we do.”
To get there, he said, would take a lot more people rolling up their sleeves for initial COVID-19 shots and boosters.
If the United States makes boosters available for everyone, it is possible the country can get control of the virus by spring of 2022, Fauci added.
Editor’s Note: Although we agree with Dr. Fauci, we believe it will be near impossible to convince the remaining 62 million American adults who are unvaccinated, to get vaccinated.
Get Your Booster
If you are eligible for a Covid-19 booster shot Malcontent News strongly encourages you to not delay getting your second or third dose. It is fast, free, and easy. There is growing evidence that the half-life of Covid-19 vaccines is six to ten months, and the half-life for so-called natural immunity is 5 to 7 months.
According to the Washington State Department of Health, through November 7, 675,000 residents have received their Covid-19 booster. Over 1.8 million adults in Washington have a BMI of 25 or higher or are older than 65.
King County, Washington is reporting over 83.5% 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 and EUA approval for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. The Pfizer vaccine has EUA approval for children 5 to 15 years old.
COVID vaccines and boosters are free for anyone 5 and older. Lyft and Hopelink provide free transportation, and KinderCare, the Learning Care Group, and the YMCA offer free childcare during vaccination appointments or recuperation.
There has been significant improvement for Hospital Readiness across Washington state except on the Olympic Peninsula. Many hospitals have restarted elective procedures and seasonal illness has returned to Washington state, adding to the overall patient load.
According to the DoH COVID Dashboard, 91% of all staffed acute care beds are occupied, and 12.8% of patients have Covid-19. Statewide, hospitals have the staff to support approximately 621 additional acute care patients.
ICUs are at 88.4% of capacity statewide, with 20.0% of ICU patients fighting Covid-19 – an estimated 236 patients with 44.9% on ventilators. The state has the staff to support approximately 153 additional ICU patients.
On Tuesday, the 7-day rolling average hospital admission rate for new COVID patients was 84. The Department of Health reported 830 Covid-19 patients statewide with 106 requiring ventilators.
Hospital status by region – ICU Occupancy should be below 80%, ICU COVID Patients should be below 20%, Acute Care Occupancy should be below 80%, and Acute Care COVID Patients should be below 10%
School Readiness
School District
Status
Less than 10 Active Cases
10 or More Active Cases
Bellevue
GREEN
– Bennett (1*) – Bellevue (1*) – Clyde Hill (1*) – International (1*) – Lake Hills (2*) – Newport Heights (1*) – Puesta del Sol (1*)
None
Lake Washington
YELLOW
– Alcott (3*/11) – Audubon (1*/7) – Blackwell (2*/3) – Carson (1*/3) – Clara Barton (4*/24) – Eastlake High (1*/17) – Ella Baker (2*/4) – Evergreen Middle School (1*/0) – Finn Hill Middle School (5) – Inglewood Middle School (5**/34) – Juanita High (1*/12) – Kamiakin Middle School (2*/27) – Kirk Elementary (3*/13) – Kirkland Middle School (1*/10) – Lakeview Elementary (1*/1) – Lake Washington High School (3*/7) – McAuliffe (2*/6) – Northstar Middle School (12) – Redmond High School (1*/12) – Renaissance Middle School (1*/6) – Rose Hill Middle (1*/7) – Rush Elementary (3*/0) – Sandburg/Discovery (1*/4) – Smith Elementary (1*/9)
None
Northshore
YELLOW
– Arrowhead Elementary (1*1) – Bothell High School (3*/13) – Canyon Creek Elementary (5**/18) – Canyon Park Middle School (1*/1) – Crystal Springs Elementary (3*/13) – Eastridge Elementary (0/3) – Fernwood Elementary (2*/3) – Frank Love Elementary (0/10) – Hollywood Hills Elementary (3*/0) – Inglemoor High School (5**/2) – Kenmore Middle School (2*/3) – Kokanee Elementary (1*/1) – Leota Middle School (2*/1) – Maywood Hills Elementary (3*/5) – Moorlands Elementary (0/5) – North Creek High School (2*/10) – Northshore Middle School (1*/22) – Ruby Bridges Elementary (2*/6) – Shelton View Elementary (0/2) – Skyview Middle School (0/1) – Sunrise Elementary (1*/4) – Timbercrest Middle School (0/5) – Wellington Elementary (0/3) – Westhill Elementary (3*/3) – Woodin Elementary (3*/7) – Woodinville High School (4*/2) – Woodmoor Elementary (3*/3)
None
Local Districts Scorecard – * indicates positive cases only ** indicates 5 or more confirmed positive cases – (x*/y) x is positive cases and 7 quarantined, quarantined does not include positive cases
We redefined the school district statuses. Information for classroom and building closures has been a challenge to obtain, both for closures and reopening. We are adopting moving any school with more than ten active COVID cases reported into the red, and we’ve adjusted the third column to reflect this change.
Based on reader feedback, and improvement in the data we are receiving, we have adjusted how we are reporting data. The Lake Washington and Northshore School Districts are now reported as (X*/Y) or (X**/Y). X represents the number of positive cases while Y represents how many are in quarantine. The number in quarantine does not include positive cases. If there are two asterisks, that indicates five ore more confirmed cases within the last 14 days at that school.
The Bellevue School District moves back to status green with eight confirmed cases in the last 14 days districtwide. In the Lake Washington School District, Inglewood Middle School reported five confirmed cases on Monday, moving the school to status yellow.
We continued to encourage parents to request daily updates from the Lake Washington School District. We would also encourage parents to request the Bellevue School District include data on close contacts and quarantines. These two changes would bring the three school districts we track into alignment.
Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville
King County Public Health updated the vaccination rates by zip code and now reports the data from ages 5 and up. This resets vaccination status through the region. Based on reader feedback, we have added zip codes 98008, 98053, 98074, 98075, and 98077 to fully ecompass the Lake Washington School District and the King County portions of the Northshore School District.
Vaccination rates for children between 5 to 11 are in a word, remarkable.
Percentage of King County Residents 5 and older who have received at least one dose of COVID vaccine, November 16, 2021
Zip Code
Percent vaccinated, at least one dose, 5 to 11 years old
Percent vaccinated, at least one dose, 5 and older
98155
20.5%
89.5%
98028
22.5%
85.9%
98011
18.0%
82.7%
98034
22.6%
81.7%
98033
35.5%
90.0%
98072
19.9%
85.2%
98077
18.5%
76.7%
98052
30.5%
91.7%
98004
25.0%
95.0%
98039
26.5%
87.5%
98005
26.7%
91.7%
98007
14.0%
86.0%
98008
19.1%
88.0%
98053
31.9%
90.2%
98074
28.1%
93.5%
98075
22.5%
91.4%
Vaccination rates with at least one dose
National Round-Up
Johns Hopkins University Cumulative Case Tracker reports 143,685 new cases and 1,241 deaths nationwide on Tuesday.
Pfizer formally requests Emergency Use Authorization for the antiviral Paxlovid and agrees to license the drug to 95 countries
“With more than 5 million deaths and countless lives impacted by this devastating disease globally, there is an urgent need for life-saving treatment options. The overwhelming efficacy achieved in our recent clinical study of Paxlovid, and its potential to help save lives and keep people out of the hospital if authorized, underscores the critical role that oral antiviral therapies could play in the battle against COVID-19,” said Albert Bourla, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Pfizer. “We are moving as quickly as possible in our effort to get this potential treatment into the hands of patients, and we look forward to working with the U.S. FDA on its review of our application, along with other regulatory agencies around the world.”
In Phase 2 and Phase 3 testing, Paxlovid provided an 89% reduction in risk of COVID-19-related hospitalization or death from any cause in patients treated with PAXLOVID compared to placebo within three days of symptom onset, with no deaths in the treatment group. Similar results were seen within five days of symptom onset.
Additionally, Pfizer announced it has signed a voluntary licensing agreement to expand production of Paxlovid, to 95 low- and middle-income countries, covering 53% of the world’s population.
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist for the World Health Organization welcomed the news in a tweet.
Good to see the license for new #COVID19 antiviral from @pfizer will be available through @MedsPatentPool for LMICs. This drug can prevent severe illness in high risk individuals if given in 1st 5 days. @WHO guidelines group will review data when available & make recommendations https://t.co/SZgQ2bS8Z0
The 69-year old actor and retired professional wrestler Mr. T tweeted over the weekend that he received his Covid-19 booster shot, declaring, “I pity pain!”
He thanked his doctor and nurses and told TMZ he wanted to play it safe.
I am Blessed and I am Thankful. I just got my Booster Vaccination shot. My arm is a little sore but no pain. I Pity Pain! Thanks again to all the Doctors and Nurses…
More states break with the FDA/CDC and approve boosters for all
The list of states that are recommended for anyone 18 or older to get a booster continues to grow. Last week Colorado and California broke ranks with the FDA and recommended all residents over 18 who got their first dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine more than 60 days ago, or the mRNA Pfizer or Moderna second dose more than 180 days ago to get their COVID booster.
For some states, “the reason they’ve gone ahead and done this is they are really concerned about experiencing another wave in their state of transmissions and we have seen in some states an uptick in Covid-19 cases. Unfortunately, a lot of those are driven by those who are not vaccinated, but there are some breakthrough infections among those who are vaccinated,” Hemi Tewarson, executive director of the National Academy for State Health Policy, told CNN on Tuesday.
Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, and Colorado created the Western States Pact to align their Covid-19 response, share research, and public education. The Washington State Department of Health stated last week that Washington has no plans to deviate from current federal guidelines.
Editor’s Note: It is our opinion that DOH’s stance is a mistake given the strong evidence that a sixth wave is coming. It is our recommendation to get a booster if you’re eligible, and a lot of people are eligible.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services eases rules for nursing home visits
“Early in the pandemic, visitation restrictions were implemented to mitigate the risk of visitors introducing COVID-19 to the nursing home. Today’s guidance update reflects that, while visitors, residents, or their representatives should be made aware of the risks associated with visiting loved ones, visitation should now be allowed for all residents at all times.”
Visits must also be allowed to take place indoors for all residents, whether they’re vaccinated or not, even when a facility is experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak investigation or when a resident is on transmission-based precautions or quarantine. While visits under such conditions are “not recommended” by the CMS, they must be allowed if that’s what a resident chooses.
State Updates
Connecticut
A Connecticut nursing home has moved into recovery mode after suffering an outbreak of COVID-19. Geer Village said that the outbreak, which started in September, left eight residents dead and 89 residents and staff members infected according to a report by CBS News.
The North Canaan-based facility, which includes independent and assisted living among other services, said it conducts bi-weekly testing on residents and staff. In a statement, Director of Nursing Cady Bloodgood and Chief Executive Officer Kevin O’Connell said they are continuing to “monitor the situation closely.”
“Sadly, we have lost 8 residents with serious underlying health issues to COVID,” the facility said on Friday. “We are encouraged to see 69 staff and residents already recovered and coming off isolation. While we must continue with COVID-19 prevention protocols, we want to assure everyone we are doing our best to keep residents and staff safe.”
Georgia
A husband is accusing school officials of making his wife continue to work at a Georgia school despite being COVID positive, ultimately causing her to die according to a report by WSB.
Sara Anderson, was a cafeteria worker at Conyers Middle School who died from COVID on October 5.
“She was a hard worker, and if a manager asked her to do anything, she did it,” Robert Anderson said. He said Sara started feeling sick on September 15 and felt worse the next day. He says her manager told her she was out of sick days and that she had to go into work.
“She was pressured into going to work again, and that was on the 17th. On the 18th, she passed out,” Robert Anderson said.
Doctors diagnosed Sara Anderson with COVID, and then COVID pneumonia. A few days later, she was in the ICU and passed on October 5.
Idaho
Idaho governor Brad Little received his Covid-19 booster shot publicly in an attempt to urge others in his state to get vaccinated. Idaho entered its third month operating at crisis standards of care on November 16, with COVID cases still raging through the Panhandle region.
State health officials Tuesday reported 1,627 COVID-19 patients were being treated in hospitals throughout Illinois, according to the Daily Herald. Of those hospitalized, 325 were in intensive care, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Hospitalizations have increased by 16.8% from a week ago, IDPH figures show. Current the state test positivity rate is 2.8%, which points to over-testing, but increased from 2.2% a week ago.
Maine
More and more signs are emerging that COVID-19 is spreading rapidly through Maine, especially among unvaccinated populations, contributing to troubling spikes in hospitalizations and deaths as a holiday week approaches.
The state set yet another pandemic high with 275 hospitalizations on Tuesday and also set a record for the rate of tests that are coming back positive, 8.5 percent on average over the last seven days. Thirteen additional deaths were reported Tuesday as well.
Representative Andy Harris (R-Md.) said a complaint was filed against him with a medical board for prescribing ivermectin to COVID-19 patients.
Harris alluded to the complaint during the House Freedom Caucus meeting about vaccine mandates on Monday, The Baltimore Sun reported.
“An action is currently being attempted against my medical license for prescribing ivermectin, which I find fascinating, because as an anesthesiologist, I know I use a lot of drugs off-label that are much more dangerous,” Harris said at the meeting.
Michigan
Michigan state Senator John Bizon faces misdemeanor assault charges after a nurse practitioner with Oaklawn Medical Group accused him of inappropriately touching her while seeking medication to treat his Covid-19 infection.
The incident in question occurred on August 14, at Oaklawn After Hours Express in Marshall, according to a report filed with the Marshall Police Department on August 17. Two health practictioners filed complaints about Bizon groping them and making inappropriate comments.
Minnesota
Minnesota is preparing to expand COVID-19 vaccine booster access to all adults this week, with or without federal backing, and encouraged renewed protections in communities and schools against a worsening pandemic wave.
The positivity rate of COVID-19 diagnostic testing rose above a 10% high-risk threshold in Minnesota, which is reporting high viral transmission levels in 86 of 87 counties but particularly severe levels in central and northern counties with lower vaccination rates.
“I don’t think we can say that any place in Minnesota is in particularly great shape right now,” state Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said.
Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania has tested positive for Covid-19, his office announced Tuesday, a day after he was elected chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.
Perry’s office said in a statement announcing his diagnosis that the congressman, who has not publicly indicated whether he has been vaccinated against the virus, is experiencing “quite mild” symptoms and he “will continue working while quarantining at home.”
Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas has suspended privileges for an ear, nose, and throat doctor after she tweeted several opinions on COVID-19 vaccines, including advising patients from getting it according to a report by XKAN.
A hospital representative confirmed the suspension of Dr. Mary Talley Bowden to The Washington Post. Houston Methodist said Bowden, who only recently joined staff and says she is vaccinated, is “spreading dangerous misinformation which is not based in science.”
Bowden tweeted earlier this month that she was “shifting focus to treating the unvaccinated” due to the “current climate and writing on the wall,” in addition to the promotion of experimental treatments over the FDA-approved coronavirus vaccines.
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) New data out today continues to show that Washington is on a plateau, but it appears it is cracking. Hospitalizations continue to surge, which was expected, but six counties hit new high-level marks for COVID cases, and the state positivity rate jumped to over 14%. New cases and hospitalizations grew in almost every age group.
King County adds an outdoor mask mandate for large events, while Jefferson and Clallam counties will require proof of vaccination to enter restaurants and bars. Google pushes out its return to office date, and Alaska Airlines inches closer to a vaccination mandate. We are still working on confirming information out of Kent.
Through August 21, the statewide 14 day rolling average for Washington increased to 513.1 COVID cases per 100K. The number has been bouncing between 500.00 and 535.0 for over a week, so continues at an alarmingly high rate, but still plateaued. Asotin (1,033.6 per 100K), Columbia (1,290.3 per 100K) Franklin (1,212.3 per 100K), and Okanogan (1,041.0 per 100K) reported an extreme number of new cases, with Asotin and Okanogan counties breaching 1,000 cases per 100K. Benton, Chelan, Clallam, Cowlitz, Douglas, Garfield, Grant, Lewis, and Lincoln, Stevens, and Yakima counties are not far behind. Garfield, Lewis, Stevens, and Yakima counties exceeded 800 cases per 100K in the most recent data.
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 14.11%, and over the previous 7 days, 13.20%. This increase in positivity is a bad sign that the plateau may be breaking and Washington is headed in the wrong direction. Case rates and hospitalizations by age groups went in the wrong direction almost across the board.
Age Group
7-Day Case Rate
7-Day Hospitalization Rate
Ages 0-11
27.0 (up)
0.1
Ages 12-19
21.9 (up)
0.2 (up)
Ages 20-34
66.4 (up)
1.1 (up)
Ages 35-49
51.9 (up)
2.1 (up)
Ages 50-64
35.6 (up)
3.0 (up significantly)
Ages 65-79
18.0 (up)
2.5 (up)
Ages 80+
4.9
1.1 (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 37 COVID-related deaths in Washington on Wednesday. Another concerning trend, the data from USA Today indicates that the plateau has broken, with Washington reporting over 4,000 new cases on Wednesday and according to the Department of Health data, Washington has set a new record high for daily new cases.
King County enacts outdoor mask mandate for large events
King County Health has implemented an outdoor mask mandate for large outdoor events with 500 or more people, regardless of vaccination status. As of September 6, King County requires that everyone ages 5 and older, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks in indoor public settings like grocery, retail, theaters, and entertainment establishments, and at outdoor events with 500 or more people. Masks are also recommended for everyone in crowded outdoor settings.
Masking in high-risk settings helps to protect everyone, including those that currently aren’t able to be protected by the vaccine such as children under twelve, and those who are immune suppressed. Some vaccinated people may choose to wear a mask if they are at increased risk for severe infection, have an underlying health condition, or are in close contact with someone at increased risk.
In addition, vaccinated individuals are recommended to wear a mask in crowded outdoor public places where 6 feet of distance can’t be maintained. The mandate is essentially a strong request, with no civil or criminal penalties attached to it for non-compliance.
Jefferson and Clallam counties to require proof of vaccination to enter restaurants and bars
“Indoor bars and restaurants are known to pose a high risk for COVID-19 transmission, as they encourage unmasking of large groups of people indoors,” reports Dr. Berry. “Our goal is to make these safer places to be and to reduce transmission in our communities, allowing our hospitals to keep functioning and our schools to open more safely this fall.”
Acceptable forms of proof of vaccination include a completed CDC vaccination card, a State Department of Health Certificate of COVID-19 Vaccination, a printed copy of a State Department of Health vaccine record, a photograph of any of those documents, or an app-based vaccine passport.
According to the order, a person is fully vaccinated when they have received all the required doses of a vaccine for COVID-19 and 14 days have passed since the final dose. For the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, two doses are required. Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine requires only one.
Employees of bars and restaurants who mask continuously while in the building do not need to provide proof of vaccination. Additionally, children younger than 12, who are ineligible for vaccination, may enter without showing proof.
Jefferson and Clallam County encompass the northern half of the Olympic Peninsula including port Angeles, Sequim, and Port Townsend. They are the first two counties in Washington to require proof of vaccination to enter bars and restaurants.
Dick’s Drive-In fined $35K for health and safety violations, including problems with mask compliance
American Academy of Pediatrics tracking COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths for children
The American Academy of Pediatrics started compiling state-level data on COVID cases, hospitalizations, and deaths from states that are sharing the data.
As of August 26, nearly 4.8 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic. About 204,000 cases were added the past week, marking the second week with child cases at the level of the winter surge of 2020-21. After declining in early summer, child cases have increased exponentially, with over a five-fold increase the past month, rising from about 38,000 cases the week ending July 22nd to nearly 204,000 the past week.
In the most recent report from August 26, 2021, data indicated there have been 11 pediatric deaths due to COVID since the first coronavirus case was detected on January 21, 2020.
Alaska Airlines to require vaccination for all new employees
In a statement to its employees, Alaska Airlines creating a vaccination policy for all new employees of Alaska and Horizon Airlines.
“We have not yet made a decision on a vaccine requirement for current employees but did implement two new policies to help us reach this goal,” the statement said. “All new hires at Alaska and Horizon must now be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by their date of hire. In addition, current unvaccinated employees who become exposed to or infected with COVID-19, will no longer be paid for their quarantine time.”
Alaska Airlines is said to still be considering a vaccine mandate for all employees.
State Senator Phil Fortunato (31st District – R) creates a cringy COVID video
Phil Fortunato, a Republican state senator from Auburn representing the 31st District put out a cringeworthy video where he attempts to channel Buffalo Springfield while singing about Jay Inslee.
Spokane County is considering opening mass testing sites again as local hospitals and urgent care centers are buckling under patient load and test requests. CHAS Health announced they were suspending all COVID testing and reducing hours at least through September 12, because of the sheer volume of requests and patients.
Thank you
Thank you to our new subscribers and those of you who have done one-time contributions. On behalf of the entire team thank you for helping us keep the lights on!
Giving people an additional dose, or perhaps a final dose, several months after they’ve received their initial vaccination helps the immune system mature, said Fauci, also the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
“I must say from my own experience as an immunologist, I would not at all be surprised that the adequate full regimen for vaccination will likely be three doses,” Fauci told reporters during a White House Covid briefing.
The debate over natural immunity versus vaccination is raging again after a pre-print study came out from Israel and some sources such as the Gateway Pundit have run unfactual headlines about the findings. We’ll get into that a bit further down.
There have been multiple studies done on natural immunity from catching COVID, versus vaccination. Additionally, more data about breakthrough infections and those with “natural” immunity who have been reinfected a second, and now for some, a third time is becoming available.
The study found, “Kentucky residents with previous infections who were unvaccinated had 2.34 times the odds of reinfection compared with those who were fully vaccinated; partial vaccination was not significantly associated with reinfection.”
“The duration of immunity resulting from natural infection, although not well understood, is suspected to persist for ≥90 days in most persons. The emergence of new variants might affect the duration of infection-acquired immunity, and laboratory studies have shown that sera from previously infected persons might offer weak or inconsistent responses against several variants of concern.”
So in simple terms, the study found that persons who had COVID and then got vaccinated had a lower chance of reinfection versus persons who did not. It also “suspects” that the natural response lasts for at least 90 days, and likely more.
But what about the Israeli study, and the headline from the Gateway Pundit that states, “New Israeli study finds fully vaccinated people are at ‘greater risk of hospitalization’ and 13 times more likely to catch COVID-19 than those who have recovered and have natural immunity.”
We need to pump the brakes on this one because the headline misrepresents the study for starters, and there are some other issues. The study has generally been praised for being well done, however it is a pre-print and has not been peer-reviewed (the CDC study above went from pre-print to publication with edits, which is common). That doesn’t dismiss the study but should serve as a yellow light for now.
One of the biggest problems is the study was done via a records review, which creates a bias by only analyzing data from people who got medical treatment. It also doesn’t control for behaviors such as mask wear, social distancing, and risk-taking. Because Israel is highly vaccinated, and healthy people aren’t going to seek medical testing or treatment for COVID, the interpretation of the study can result in a statistical fallacy.
“This type of study design is not as robust as a prospective study that follows individuals forward in time, testing them at regular intervals and collecting data on symptoms systematically,” Dr. Matthew Laurens of the Center of Vaccine Development and Global Health at the University of Maryland said. “Prospective studies should be done to determine if these findings can be replicated.”
“The suggestion that you might be better off getting infected versus vaccinated does not take into account the inherent risks associated with COVID-19 infection, including death.”
We know this much. Immunity, whether natural or through vaccination wanes over time. The older you are, and the worse your overall health is the faster immunity wanes. We know that reinfection represents about 1% of all cases, but that may be a statistical fallacy because people with asymptomatic cases aren’t going to seek medical attention. We know that the Delta variant has lower vaccine effectiveness at preventing infection around 20%, but did not lower the vaccine’s ability to keep people out of the hospital.
There are a number of studies that indicate that the best possible immunity is secured by becoming naturally infected (with a 1:18 chance of being hospitalized and a 1:70 chance of dying, don’t forget those critical points) followed by vaccination. The next best layer of defense is vaccination.
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.
According to the DoH COVID Dashboard, 21.1% of all acute care patients hospitalized in Washington have COVID, a significant jump from the 18.3% reported yesterday and a 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 88.8% of capacity statewide with 34.2% of ICU patients fighting COVID.
The new hospital admission rate for COVID patients is 178 per day, an increase from yesterday. On September 1, there were 1,565 patients hospitalized with COVID and 240 on ventilators. This should be viewed as a preliminary number. This is a new record, and the state has added 115 additional patients since Monday.
Data for pediatric patients receiving acute care or in a PICU due to COVID is not available.
Back to School
School District
Status
Quarantines
Closures
Bellevue
GREEN
None
None
Lake Washington
GREEN
None
None
Northshore
GREEN
None
None
Local School Districts Scorecard
Kindergarteners in the Bellevue School District have their first day tomorrow, representing the last group of students to start school in our local area.
We do not have additional information about the Kent School District at this time, beyond their online dashboard is not reporting any cases when we published.
Google has pushed back its return to in-person work date to January 10, 2022, in an e-mail sent to all employees on Tuesday. In an e-mail sent on Tuesday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote, “The COVID-19 pandemic has been a humbling challenge for all of us and I continue to be impressed by the way our teams are navigating through it. In spite of these challenges, I’m happy to say that a large number of offices globally are already open for business, and we are welcoming back tens of thousands of Googlers on a voluntary basis. Given that conditions around the world are still highly variable, I wanted to share how we’re planning to approach the next few months.”
“First, as offices continue to reopen, we hope to see more teams coming together where possible, whether it be for regular team meetings, brainstorming sessions around a whiteboard, or outdoor socials. For some locations, conditions are starting to improve, yet in many parts of the world the pandemic continues to create uncertainty. Acknowledging that, we’ll extend our global voluntary return-to-office policy through January 10, 2022 to give more Googlers flexibility and choice as they ramp back.”
National Round-Up
Johns Hopkins University Cumulitaive Case Tracker 198,025 new cases and 1,973 COVID-related deaths on Wednesday. This is the first mid-week report to approach 200,000 and the highest number of deaths in a single day since the winter spike.
In the same briefing where Dr. Fauci indicated that three doses for Pfizer and Moderna will likely become the new normal, he indicated that the newly discovered Mu variant is not concerning for the United States for now.
Most semiconductors are produced in Taiwan and Korea, and a combination of supply chain issues, COVID delays, and factory shutdowns have crippled the supply globally.
We debated doing keystrokes on this story, but since it has blown up on social media, why not. A week ago Candace Owens bowed out of a meet and greet a the Right to LIfe Summit in Indiana, and instead had someone hand out autographed copies of her book. On Saturday, she was a no-show at a planned speaking engagement at the Texas Youth Conference due to a “sudden illness.” The serial social media influencer has also gone silent on Twitter, creating significant speculation on her health.
On August 29, she tweeted out attacking people speculating she was ill and stated she was in Aspen on a family vacation and had limited cell service. Yesterday, she attempted to schedule a COVID test at a private clinic in Aspen, and her request was denied. She was referred to a public clinic to receive her test, which would meet ethical guidelines for patient care.
To say that Owens did not take hearing, “no,” well, would be an understatement. She’s been engaged in a tweetstorm ever since. None of this addresses her current health situation, or if she is more than mildly symptomatic after a week. Symptoms that are beyond mild after a week are a leading sign of a more serious infection, and we hope that Ms. Owens will get tested. The firebrand has made it clear she is not vaccinated, is against masks and social distancing, and will not seek treatment for herself – for now.
As promised— here is the email from the rabid activist declining to give me a test, plus my response to her. She clearly isn’t stable enough to work in health and is a danger to the Aspen community. pic.twitter.com/nV7xMGqVN3
“She is a private business owner,” Owens said. “She does have a right to decline to give me service, and that’s not what the issue is here. I want that to be very clear. Assuming that she has not accepted any state or federal funding, assuming that she truly is a private-business owner, then she has every right to discriminate against who she serves. But it should be noted that she was seeking to prevent me from keeping the Aspen community safe.”
It is worth noting that Owens has stated many times that discrimination does not exist. She is now claiming on Twitter that the business has accepted federal funds, but so far there is no additional information to support that.
Alabama
There is mixed news coming out of Alabama as the state sets a grim and positive milestone. In the bad news column, Alabama set a new record for the number of people in the ICU of over 1000 patients and is now at negative 92 capacity. What was once a promising-looking plateau has been punched through. Officials are now saying they are at a “tipping point” and still several weeks away from their hospitalization peak.
In the good news column, Alabama no longer has the lowest vaccination rate in the country. Although a vaccination rate barely over 38% is nothing to cheer about, Alabama has moved into 49th place and is closing on 48th, getting ready to pass Wyoming and if the current rate of new vaccination holds, will pass Idaho and West Virginia in the next two weeks. It is worth noting that former President Donald Trump appealed to 50,000 people two weeks ago to get vaccinated, and while met with boos, it may have had an impact on motivating some people to get the jab.
Colorado
The Colorado Board of Health adopted an emergency rule mandating COVID vaccination for all employees, direct contractors, and support staff in licensed healthcare settings, and must receive their first dose by September 30, 2021, and be fully vaccinated no later than October 31. All covered employees are also required to obtain a subsequent, or booster, dose of the COVID-19 vaccination should one be recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices within the CDC.
The rule also requires healthcare facilities to hire only fully vaccinated workers after October 31.
The mandate does not apply to individual health care practitioners or staff, or settings where patients seek medical care including primary care offices and urgent care locations. The Board does not have jurisdiction over such facilities. Impacted people can apply for a religious or medical exemption.
Florida
Add Florida to another state that was seeing a plateau or declining cases, to have a significant increase in today’s data. We were planning to declare the COVID surge in Florida had reached its peak, but we’re not sure now. After four days with new cases dipping below 20,000 per day, the number surged to 21,392. Florida reported more than 5,700 COVID deaths in the month of August, and the number is expected to climb higher over the next month due to the way Florida counts COVID-related deaths.
“We are not even close to the worst, and that scares us,” said Dr. Richard Augustus, chief medical officer of Caldwell’s West Valley Medical Center, at a press conference with other hospitals on Thursday. Leaders at multiple Treasure Valley hospitals stressed that 95% of their patients hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated, indicating that most severe illness is preventable with vaccination.
“We continue to lose people who didn’t have to die,” Augustus said. “We continue to comfort families about a death that didn’t have to happen.”
“We know that as the virus evolves as we see states struggling with high case counts in the south and as we hit another milestone in our response, it’s time to shift. We owe it to you to share and ensure that you have access to your information, and I want you to do it for me, that every day, all along,” Garcia said.
In a press conference today, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds blamed the unvaccinated for the ongoing surge and indicated that 79% of all patients were unvaccinated. Children now make up 25% of all new cases in Iowa, mirroring a national trend.
Kentucky
Governor Andy Beshear held his weekly “Team Kentucky” update on Thursday, and based on what he had to say, this team is losing badly right now.
Just last month, Kentucky recorded more than 93,000 positive cases, with a positivity rate of greater than 13%. That was the second-highest total since the pandemic’s onset in Kentucky in March of 2020.
In Kentucky, 24.5% of all cases are children. Thirty-one school districts have had to shut down due to COVID, and the state assembly can’t agree on what to do as the education system is starting to crumble just a month after in-person instruction started.
Data on COVID out of Louisiana is almost non-existent after Hurricane Ida, but the state reported two juvenile deaths today. One of the children was younger than 4 years old, and the other was between 12 and 17 years of age. So far, 13 children have died from COVID.
Missouri
Here is your good news, the latest wave of COVID cases in Missouri is on the decline. The Midwestern state was one of the first to see a massive surge, and there is enough data to confidently say, the worst is over.
The ads on a state jobs website prominently note the lack of vaccination requirements for state employees, right after mentioning a $5,000 hiring bonus. In a separate mail advertisement, the state lists “No mandated COVID-19 vaccination” as one of the “many great benefits” of its nursing jobs.
State Sen. Carol Blood, of Bellevue, said she inquired about the ad after constituents with loved ones in Nebraska’s state-run veterans homes brought it to her attention. Blood said she understands that the state faces a chronic nursing shortage but was concerned because many veterans’ home residents are elderly and sick.
“There’s a reason you have to have a doctor to get a prescription for this stuff because it can be dangerous,” said Dr. Jason McElyea.
“The ERs are so backed up that gunshot victims were having hard times getting to facilities where they can get definitive care and be treated,” he said.
Dr. McElyea said the patients are suffering from nausea, vomiting, muscle aches, and cramping, and that’s only in minor cases.
“The scariest one that I’ve heard of and seen is people coming in with vision loss,” he said.
Wait, how many gunshot wounds are happening in rural Oklahoma?
Oregon
After weeks of increasing cases, and having to take extraordinary steps to keep the hospital system from collapsing, Oregon appears to be reaching a plateau. Vaccination rates are up and a combination of mask-wearing and general caution is slowing down the progression of the outbreak. However, hospitals remain on the brink particularly in the southwest and eastern parts of the state.
The dip in hospitalizations isn’t happening because of fewer COVID cases, but due to a cancellation of elective surgery and clearing out of patients who under normal conditions, would require acute care.
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 has recorded the highest number of new cases in the state. The second highest group are those 0 to 10 age group.
Top doctors for the health systems, alongside Sioux Falls Public Health Director Dr. Charles Chima, held their first public briefing in months as the state sees a wave of coronavirus cases spurred by the contagious delta virus strain. The state Department of Health has not held public briefings dedicated to the virus since June. At the time, coronavirus cases had reached one of their lowest levels since the pandemic began.
But over the past two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases has increased by 65% and one out of every 310 people in the state has tested positive for COVID-19 in the last week, according to Johns Hopkins researchers.
Texas
As COVID-19 case numbers and hospitalizations among students climb, a group of Texas physicians is asking Gov. Greg Abbott to reverse his decision to ban COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates in schools. They’re also asking state legislators to side with them as the issue is discussed in special session.
“The danger of these policies to people’s health and safety could not be clearer,” Dr. Erin Amjadi, an internal medicine physician practicing in Austin, said of Abbott’s mandates. Amjadi said more than 20,000 COVID-19 cases have been tied to Texas schools since August 2.
“Our kids are being put directly in harms way,” she said.
As of this week, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is now providing hospital and capacity numbers broken down into adult and pediatric categories, which gives us a better idea of how many people in our hospitals are school-aged. As of Thursday’s update, there are 282 kids in Texas hospitals with COVID-19.
There are 81 available staffed pediatric ICU beds across the entire state of Texas, according to DSHS’ dashboard.
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) New cases have plateaued in Washington while hospitalizations and the number of people requiring ICU care and ventilators increases. Throughout Western Washington, it was back to in-person school for the first time in almost two years for some as nervous parents wonder about the days and weeks ahead.
It’s one of the quietest days since we started the daily updates, so let’s dive into it.
Through August 20, the statewide 14 day rolling average for Washington declined to 502.7 COVID cases per 100K, virtually unchanged from yesterday. Columbia (1,147.0 per 100K) and Franklin (1,1125.5 per 100K) are still reporting an extreme number of new cases. Asotin, Benton, Clallam, Chelan, Cowlitz, Douglas, Grant, and Lincoln are not far behind. Clallam is added to the list today with 849.3 cases per 100K.
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 13.62%, and over the previous 7 days, 13.19%. These numbers indicate continued widespread community transmission driven by the unvaccinated and under testing of the population.
Age Group
7-Day Case Rate
7-Day Hospitalization Rate
Ages 0-11
25.3
0.1
Ages 12-19
20.8
0.1
Ages 20-34
65.8
0.6
Ages 35-49
50.8
1.4
Ages 50-64
34.8
1.9
Ages 65-79
16.8
1.6
Ages 80+
4.9
0.6
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
Almost 196,000 vaccine doses go to waste in Washington state
A report came out today on how many doses of COVID vaccine have been wasted at a national and state level, and Washington did an admirable job. Through September 1, the Department of Health reported 184,621 doses wasted by vaccine providers and another 12,067 returned unused. The Center for Disease Control considers returned doses as “wasted.”
There were regional power outages caused by a windstorm on January 13, 2021, which cut off electricity to special refrigeration units needed to keep the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines supercooled in storage. There was another power outage on January 29, 2021, at the University of Washington, which impacted additional doses and the snowstorm event in early February. Vaccines can become wasted if they are mixed improperly, a vial is dropped or cracked, or if at the end of a clinical day not all doses within a vial were distributed.
Since the first doses arrived in our state, about 3% went to waste.
Sweetgreen CEO scrubs social media posts after uproar
The CEO of salad chain Sweetgreen has deleted a controversial post he made pointing to obesity as the “root cause” of COVID-19 and pushing for the U.S. to implement “more health mandates” regarding food.
Jonathan Neman, whose billion-dollar company has fast-casual restaurants in 12 states, began in his rant Tuesday that “78% of hospitalizations due to COVID are Obese and Overweight people,” asking, “Is there an underlying problem that perhaps we have not given enough attention to?” and “Is there another way to think about how we tackle ‘healthcare’ by addressing the root cause?”
The backlash on social media is about what you would expect.
Etectera
A new COVID testing center opened at Yakima Valley College yesterday, and people were lined up an hour before it opened. On the first day officials did 482 tests. The site is run through a partnership with the University of Washington, Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, Signal Health, and the college.
KPTV interviewed a former PeaceHealth nurse for the story, Viktoriya Bogdanova, who resigned over the summer after the hospital required N95 masks for unvaccinated staff.
Thank you
Thank you to our new subscribers and those of you who have done one-time contributions. On behalf of the entire team thank you for helping us keep the lights on!
No promotional consideration has been given, or requested from the n95 project or any manufacturer of masks
Vaccination
No update
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.
According to the DoH COVID Dashboard, 18.3% of all acute care patients hospitalized in Washington have COVID. This beats the old record of 17.7% set yesterday. ICUs are at 88.6% of capacity statewide with 34.1% of ICU patients fighting COVID.
The new hospital admission rate for COVID patients is 173 per day, down slightly from yesterday. On August 31, there were 1,529 patients hospitalized with COVID and 214 on ventilators. The Department of Health adjusted the number of patients on ventilators yesterday from 241 to 236 in today’s report.
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
A fair amount of apprehension was expressed as parents sent their children to school in districts across the Puget Sound lowlands.
We’ve created a scorecard to track the status in our area districts and you can help us crowdsource information. As you become aware of quarantines with students or facilities, you can send your information to malcontentnews@protonmail.com. This is a secure e-mail address and your reports will remain anonymous.
We will apply a “trust but verify” policy on reports so that parents can have a better understanding of what is going on with the school districts, and make informed decisions.
We have received several reports today from parents within the Kent School District, where classes started on August 26. We have received identical reports of “multiple confirmed COVID cases” at more than one school in the district. Parents are being told that CDC and DoH guidelines prevent the district from releasing more specific information. As we were preparing this story, we have another person come forward, but we were not able to speak to them before press time.
Johns Hopkins University Cumulitaive Case Tracker 140,704 new cases and 1,397 COVID-related deaths on Monday.
The World Health Organization is tracking a new variant of interest called Mu. The Mu variant, known as B.1.621. Mu appears to be vaccine resistant, but at the same level as the Beta variant (commonly known as the South African variant). Cases are increasing in Columbia in Ecuador, which would indicate that its R0, or “r naught,” is higher than Lambda.
The Lambda variant, which is prevalent in Latin and South America couldn’t establish a beachhead in the United States because Delta is more infectious.
A lot of digital ink has been spilled about C.1.2 in South Africa, and we’ve gotten some questions. Although the new variant has the most spike protein researchers had seen to date, and there has been some hype that it would break through current vaccinations, the variant is not establishing itself in South Africa or appearing in many cases. Because the R0 appears low, it is currently not a concern for health officials.
“It does not appear that its circulation is increasing”, said Dr. Margaret Harris, a spokesperson for the WHO.
Joe Rogan reported he has COVID on Instagram, and told his followers he was using Regen-COV, Zithromax, Prednisone, and Ivermectin to treat himself. Ya, all the headlines say ivermectin, go to his Instagram – journalism has a responsibility not to create sensational headlines.
There was allegedly going to be a trucker strike in the United States over mask and vaccine mandates today. It apparently didn’t happen.
Arkansas
Cases of COVID involving children continue to grow in Arkansas, as Governor Asa Hutchinson expressed concern over the growing numbers. Pediatric cases now represent 30% of all cases in Arkansas. Hospital admissions for children far exceeded records set late last year, with over 100 admissions in July and August.
Baptist Health CEO Troy Wells noted that his hospitals have been among the many working to increase COVID patient capacity across the state, especially for patients requiring intensive care. Wells said 33 new ICU beds were added as Phase 1 of the expansion but were filled within 12 to 24 hours.
He went on to say that his company’s facility in North Little Rock just added 12 more ICU beds and that the hospitals in Fort Smith and Conway were looking to each add eight more COVID-19 ICU beds.
California Department of Forest and Fire Protection incident commander Jeff Veik announced the loss of the crews and warned other firefighters to follow the agency’s COVID-19 protocols during a Tuesday operations briefing, SFGATE reported.
“We lost a whole strike team of crews yesterday, we lost a finance section chief due to (being) COVID positive, so understand, do not come to this briefing without a mask on,” he said.
A strike team includes five firetrucks, 3 crew each, and a commander. The team will have to quarantine for two weeks.
Bill County school district sent 21,000 students home to learn remotely at least through September 20. The county joined Richmond County which sent 29,000 students home to allow deep cleaning of all the district schools. After the first four weeks of school, 200,000 Georgia students have had instruction disrupted due to quarantines, loss of staff, or closures.
“Idahoans, we need your help. On behalf of nearly 30 health care groups representing thousands of providers at every level across the state, we want to express our alarm at what we are witnessing now.”
“As of Aug. 31, approximately 543 patients in Idaho were hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 and 167 of those patients were in the ICU with confirmed COVID-19. Perhaps most discouraging is the fact that approximately 97 COVID-19 patients in Idaho were on a ventilator, the highest recorded number at any time during this pandemic.”
“Models indicate that by mid-October, Idaho could see 30,000 cases per week which is thousands more than any week in 2020. Discussions surrounding the activation of crisis standards of care are underway, which means hospitals may be forced to ration care. Or more simply put, your hospital may not be able to care for everyone in the community, whether you get COVID-19, get in a mountain biking accident, or have a heart attack.”
While Governor Little appeals to Idahodians to keep the medical systems from collapsing, Lt. Governor Janice McGechin is actively undermining those efforts.
“It was shameful for Brad to suggest today that Idahoans must make a specific medical choice in order to show love for their neighbors,” McGeachin said in a tweet. “I trust YOU to make your own health choices.”
McGeachin is running to unseat Little and win the Republican gubernatorial nomination.
Illinois
Chloe Mrozak, 24, of Oak Lawn, Illinois spent $600 on a plane ticket to Hawaii, only to discover the state has a vaccination requirement for incoming travelers. To solve this problem she bought a fake vaccination card and apparently filled it out herself. She misspelled Moderna on the card as “Maderna,” listed she got the vaccination in Delaware by the NRA listing Corporal Wolf and a Sergeant Monety as the administrators. In the case of Sergeant Monety, it appeared she first wrote “Money,” and then penned in a tiny t.
Officials at the airport suspected the card was fake and started an investigation. She listed a Holiday Inn Express as the place she was staying, but there was no record of her. When she attempted to fly home, officials were waiting for her and she was arrested on August 28 at the airport. She faces at least a misdemeanor charge of falsified vaccination documents in Hawaii but could be charged with a federal crime.
Oregon
One hundred members of the National Guard are being deployed to Salem Hospital, as the facility struggles to keep up with patients. As of Tuesday morning, the hospital had 90 Covid positive patients admitted, 20 of them in the intensive care unit, and 481 out of 494 licensed hospital beds full, according to data Salem Health publishes daily. Seventy-four of those in the hospital with Covid are unvaccinated against the disease, the hospital said.
Virginia
Liberty University, a private evangelical Christian university in Lynchburg, had to enact a campus-wide quarantine after school reopened this year due to widespread COVID cases. The closure, slated to last at least through September 10, was made after hundreds of COVID cases were discovered among students. By the end of last week, over 10% of the student body was in quarantine, forcing the closures.
In response to the outbreak, the school notified students today they will be holding a vaccine clinic on September 3.
Misinformation
Taking the day off
Journalists, activists, and researchers defending the First Amendment
Subscribe to Malcontent News
Register to feed your head holes with the Malcontent News newsletter.
Submitting your e-mail address gives us permission to send you e-mails. We do not sell or distribute our e-mail lists or share them with third parties.
