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Health and Lifestyle, Local, National

All eyes on FDA and CDC for booster ruling tomorrow – local, state, and national update for November 18, 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) New cases declined slightly while hospitalizations now rest on a seven-day-old plateau as Washington approaches the end of the 21st month fighting Covid-19. Sixteen counties no longer have “high transmission” rates.

In state news, British Columbia and Washington have eased border crossing rules, waiving COVID test requirements at some crossings. Drivers who need to bypass road closures due to flooding and mudslides can cross the border without the required PCR test, but only if they agree they are transiting between border crossing.

Governor Inslee backed down from plans to use stricter measures for Washington employers with 100 or more workers, as the nation waits to see what happens to the Biden Administration’s OSHA Covid-19 vaccination requirements.

The Washington State Department of Health announced that free in-home COVID test kits will be made available in nine counties.

Locally, the Bellevue School District is down to five confirmed COVID cases districtwide between students and staff. In the Northshore School District, Maywood Elementary is dealing with a surge of new Covid-19 cases, with 11 cases, eight confirmed this week.

Nationally the number of new cases is up 14% and more governors provided guidance or directives to make booster shots available to all adults. The vaccination deadline is ten days away from the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The Pentagon reported 99% of sailors are vaccinated versus 93% of marines.

The NFL is dealing with another potential COVID scandal, with Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown accused of buying a fake vaccination card.

This update uses the latest data from the Washington State Department of Health (WSDOH), released on November 18, 2021.

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Washington State Update for November 18, 2021

Washington state Covid-19 update

New Covid-19 case rates are showing a pattern of county hotspots instead of widespread transmission. As an example, Chelan County just rolled over 60% of all residents vaccinated this week but is dealing with a bump in new cases.

There remains a significant difference between lower-vaccinated counties and counties where at least 70% of the total population is fully inoculated.

If Washington state wants to ever get to a place of endemic spread, the data indicates the bare minimum vaccination rate would be 70% of the entire population.

Percent of Total Population Fully VaccinatedTotal Population in GroupAverage 14-Day New Case Rate
70.00% or above (3 counties)2,343,250167.4
60.00% to 69.99% (4 counties)1,242,200328.5
50.00% to 59.99% (17 counties)3,664,000306.1
40.00% to 49.99% (9 counties)375,575285.1
31.80% to 39.99% (6 counties)151,850241.3
14-Day New Covid-19 Cases per 100K average by Vaccination Rate for Total Population, Adjusted for Population by County

Through November 17, Washington’s statewide 14-day rolling average is 264.5 Covid-19 cases per 100K. There are signs that a new plateau is forming with transmission rates too high coming into the start of the holiday travel season.

Chelan, Douglas, Klickitat, Lewis, Lincoln, Skagit, and Spokane counties have new case rates between 400.0 and 599.9. Okanogan and Grays Harbor Counties were just under 400.

Sixteen counties representing 3.52 million Washingtonians have a 7 day moving average case rate under 100.

The 7 day new case rate was unchanged and the hospitalization rate increased for elderly patients 80 and older..

Age Group7-Day Case Rate7-Day Hospitalization Rate
Ages 0-11119.80.7
Ages 12-19111.10.9
Ages 20-34116.72.8
Ages 35-49125.35.9
Ages 50-6494.99.6
Ages 65-7964.016.0
Ages 80+66.025.7 (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 27 deaths on Wednesday and 39 on Tuesday.

British Columbia and Washington agree to ease border rules due to severe flooding and road closures

Canadian border agents will be waiving COVID-19 test requirements for people choosing to drive through Washington State to bypass highway closures between the Lower Mainland and the Okanagan due to flooding and landslides.

“Given the current situation in B.C., travelers who must transit through the United States to get to their residence in Canada are exempt from the COVID-19 pre-arrival test, the test in Canada, and quarantine requirements,” stated a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) spokesperson by email.

CBSA expects to be using pre-existing exemptions within federal government orders to apply to travelers who are simply transiting Washington State highways, such as between the Osoyoos border crossing and checkpoints entering Surrey.

Individuals will still need to present a valid passport to cross the international border.

Governor Inslee backs down on expansion of OSHA vaccine and test requirements

During media availability today, Governor Jay Inslee indicated the state was backing down on expanding pending Biden Administration rules that would require companies with more than 100 employees to have vaccinated staff or rest weekly. Earlier the governor had said the state was considering removing the testing requirement and applying the same standard to medium and large private employers that are required for state employees.

The new OSHA rules that were supposed to go into effect on January 5, 2022 are in limbo. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a stay of the mandate, calling it “staggeringly overbroad,” saying it failed to account for the different levels of risk faced by workers in different workplace settings. The court ruled OSHA may not implement the mandate unless another court overturns the ruling.

The 6th Circuit Court was selected using a ping pong ball to hear the broader case, which will likely head to the Supreme Court.

Nine Washington counties offering free at-home Covid-19 test kits

Nine counties in the northeastern, south central, and southwestern parts of Washington will offer free at-home COVID tests to residents.

Kira Lewis, a public health nurse at the Spokane Regional Health District, says at-home tests take about 10 minutes, and could be taken Thanksgiving or Christmas morning before going over to a family member’s house.

“More testing in the community that’s accessible to all members of the public helps people make good decisions about their social lives and interacting with others,” she said. “That is important for the individual and it’s important for our community as a whole moving forward, continuing to have high rates of transmission in our area. We need to meet that with high rates of available testing.”

The nine counties are Adams, Benton, Cowlitz, Ferry, Franklin, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, and Stevens.

Travel Advisories

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 avoiding recreational travel to Wyoming. The situation continues to improve but hospital resources remain constrained.

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

More states open up booster shots to all adults

Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Utah joined eight other states already opening up booster shots to all adults, as more governors try to get ahead of the start of a sixth wave.

New York and Rhode Island haven’t made boosters available to all adults statewide, but are asking healthcare providers not to turn anyone away in counties with high transmission rates.

Arkansas and West Virginia reported encouraging news that many were taking advantage of the new guidelines.

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.

There is significant data that shows natural and vaccine-based immunity starts to fade after four to seven months and countries that implemented aggressive Covid-19 booster shot programs significantly reduced new cases and hospitalizations.

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.

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

Malcontent News

Hospital Status

Hospital readiness continues to slowly improve except on the Olympic Peninsula. Although the number of COVID patients under care is in decline, the total number of hospitalized patients is unchanged due to deferred elective surgeries, increased movement among the population creating more injuries, and other wintertime diseases.

According to the DoH COVID Dashboard, 91.2% of all staffed acute care beds are occupied, and 12.3% of patients have Covid-19. Statewide, hospitals have the staff to support approximately 633 additional acute care patients.

ICUs are at 87.6% of capacity statewide, with 20.2% of ICU patients fighting Covid-19 – an estimated 238 patients with 49.1% on ventilators. The state has the staff to support approximately 147 additional ICU patients.

On Wednesday, the 7 day rolling average hospital admission rate for new COVID patients was 89. The Department of Health reported 882 Covid-19 patients statewide with 117 requiring ventilators. The number of hospitalized Covid-19 patients has been in the mid-800s to low-900s for seven days in a row.

Hospital RegionCountiesICU OccupancyICU COVID PatientsAcute Care OccupancyAcute Care COVID Patients
EastAdams, Asotin, Ferry, Garfield, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Wahkiakum, Whitman86.1%24.1%89.0%13.8%
NorthIsland, San Juan, Skagit, Whatcom67.3%26.6%81.5%12.5%
North CentralChelan, Douglas, Grant, Okanogan94.7%43.1%75.2%17.0%
NorthwestClallam, Jefferson, Kitsap, Mason92.8%26.1%96.8%12.9%
Puget SoundKing, Pierce, Snohomish91.5%18.6%95.4%11.4%
South CentralBenton, Columbia, Franklin, Kittitas, Walla Walla, Yakima87.1%18.7%84.3%15.3%
SouthwestClark, Cowlitz, Klickitat, Skamania70.0%13.5%85.7%9.0%
WestGrays Harbor, Lewis, Pacific, Thurston87.8%18.7%91.7%14.2%
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 DistrictStatusLess than 10 Active Cases10 or More Active Cases
BellevueGREEN– Bennett (1*)
– Bellevue (1*)
– International (1*)
– Puesta del Sol (1*)
– Somerset (1*)		None
Lake WashingtonYELLOW– 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
NorthshoreRED– Arrowhead Elementary (0/1)
– Bothell High School (5**/9)
– Canyon Creek Elementary (4*/24)
– Canyon Park Middle School (1*/12)
– Crystal Springs Elementary (3*/34)
– Eastridge Elementary (1*/3)
– Fernwood Elementary (1*/2)
– Frank Love Elementary (0/6)
– Hollywood Hills Elementary (2*/0)
– Inglemoor High School (4*/1)
– Kenmore Middle School (1*/2)
– Kokanee Elementary (1*/1)
– Leota Middle School (2*/1)
– Moorlands Elementary (0/5)
– North Creek High School (2*/8)
– Northshore Middle School (1*/9)
– Ruby Bridges Elementary (1*/4)
– Shelton View Elementary (0/1)
– Skyview Middle School (0/1)
– Sunrise Elementary (1*/4)
– Timbercrest Middle School (2*/8)
– Wellington Elementary (1*/5)
– Westhill Elementary (2*/3)
– Woodin Elementary (3*/5)
– Woodinville High School (2*/2)
– Woodmoor Elementary (2*/3)		– Maywood Hills Elementary (11**/5)
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 or more confirmed cases within the last 14 days at that school.

The Northshore School District moves to status red with Maywood Hills Elementary reporting 11 confirmed COVID cases and eight this week. It is the largest Covid-19 outbreak in terms of new cases reported at the same time in the three school districts Malcontent News tracks since school started.

The Bellevue School District stays status green with five confirmed cases in the last 14 days districtwide. Additionally, we can process quarantine data by the day, and we will start tracking those numbers next week.

The Lake Washington School District updates data once a week, and we’ve had no parent confirmed reports on new COVID cases this week.

We continued to encourage parents to request daily updates from the Lake Washington School District. This change would bring the three school districts we track into alignment.

Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville

No update

National Round-Up

Johns Hopkins University Cumulative Case Tracker reports 111,106 new cases and 1,622 deaths nationwide on Wednesday. The Delta variant continues to target the unvaccinated and a very small, but growing number of people vaccinated more than six months ago. New cases are up 14% since last week.

Vaccination deadline looms for active duty U.S. Navy and Marine Corps personnel

The Pentagon reported that 99% of sailors and 93% of Marines were either fully or partially vaccinated, with the November 28 deadline ten days away. Among the five branches, the Navy has the highest vaccination rate while the Marines have the lowest.

Marines and sailors who choose not to get the Covid-19 vaccine by the end of November will be released from the service, in a general but honorable discharge, officials with those services have said, making them ineligible for some benefits from the GI Bill.

The Orange County Register reported a message sent to the troops said “Marines refusing to take the vaccine absent medical exemptions, religious accommodations or pending appeal,” will be processed for discharge and additional disciplinary action or even a court martial is not out of the question. The Navy has issued a similar message.

Army will push out soliders who refuse to get Covid-19 vaccine

Soldiers who refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccine and have not requested an exemption will no longer be allowed to re-enlist or be promoted, effectively ending their military careers, according to a report by Defense One. The new directive applies to active-duty troops as well as reservists and National Guardsmen, including those serving in states whose governors do not require the vaccine. 

The Nov. 16 memo, signed by Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, says troops’ service records will be flagged the day they make their final vaccine refusal, which follows a meeting with a medical professional and a second order to get vaccinated. This flag will bar them from being promoted, reenlisting, continuing to receive enlistment bonuses, attending service-related schools, or receiving tuition assistance.

“I authorize commanders to impose bars to continued service…for all soldiers who refuse the mandatory vaccine order without an approved exemption or pending exemption request,” Wormuth wrote in the memo. “The Soldier will remain flagged until they are fully vaccinated, receive an approved medical or administrative exemption, or are separated from the Army.” 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown accused of buying fake vaccine card

Days after brushing aside Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers less than truthful vaccination status, wide receiver Antonio Brown is accused by his former chef of buying a fake vaccination card, plunging the NFL into another public relations mess.

The Tampa Bay Times broke the story earlier today, with the chef claiming Brown bought the card to avoid NFL protocols. If true, Brown in theory could face massive fines from the NFL for repeated protocol violations. Aaron Rodgers broke as many as 16 Coivid-19 protocols but was ultimately fined $14,650 for attending an unsanctioned Halloween party.

Brown could be in additional trouble with the FBI. Buying a fake vaccination card is a federal crime. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers issued a brief statement via Twitter, indicating they had collected all vaccination records during the preseason and “no irregularities were observed.”

State Updates

Arizona

Phoenix will require all city employees to be vaccinated by January 22, 2022, or face termination. Phoenix joins other cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle that already require government employees to be vaccinated against COVID.

Colorado

UCHealth in Colorado will be getting a helping hand from the Department of Defense in the battle against COVID-19 according to a report by KKTV Channel 11.

A news release from UCHealth issued on Thursday states a team of about 20 nurses, providers, respiratory therapists, and administrators will be deployed to UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital (PVH) for about a month. The team is expected to ease capacity and staffing challenges. The request came from Gov. Jared Polis.

“We are so grateful that this team will assist us in providing exceptional care in northern Colorado,” said Kevin Unger, the president, and chief executive officer at PVH and UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland. “We anticipate this additional support and other plans we already have in the works will help make a significant difference.”

District of Columbia

Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington said on Tuesday that an indoor mask mandate in the nation’s capital would be eased on November 22, reflecting a shift away from mask requirements as coronavirus vaccination rates continue to rise and infections fueled by the Delta variant subside in the city.

The New York Times reported about 88 percent of the District of Columbia’s adult residents have received at least one vaccine dose, according to city health officials.

Masks will still be required in certain circumstances, including on public transportation, inside school buildings, and in congregate living facilities like nursing homes, college dormitories, and jails.

Idaho

In what could be read as a victory for Governor Brad Little and a blow to Lt. Governor Janice McGeachin, the Idaho legislature ended its special session making almost no changes to state COVID policies.

The House of Representatives approved five bills and sent them to the Senate. But the Senate did little more than refer them to committee and adjourn.

The Senate did adopt a memorial piece of legislation that sends a message to the president and Congress “to make a very forceful statement about our position on the presidential mandates related to Covid-19,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Winder.

Kansas

An Olathe mother has filed a lawsuit against Walmart over the COVID-19 vaccine according to a report by FOX 4.

The lawsuit alleges that the woman’s 15-year-old girl was vaccinated by a Walmart employee at the store’s pharmacy without parental consent. The 15-year-old girl wanted the COVID-19 vaccine so she could hang out with her friends.

“The biggest problem I have with this situation is that Walmart vaccinated my daughter without my consent and knowledge,” said the girl’s mom Michelle Tonkinson.

In a statement, Walmart said, “Walmart is committed to offering quality and compliant health care. We take allegations like this seriously. We will review the claims and respond with the court as appropriate once we are served.”

Massachusetts

Massachusetts health officials reported another 3,196 confirmed COVID-19 cases — the most in one day since February — and eight new deaths Thursday, according to a report by NBC 10.

The report pushed the state’s number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 826,996 since the start of the pandemic and its death toll to 18,834.

The number of new confirmed cases in Wednesday’s report from the Department of Public Health had been the most in one day since September, according to archival data. But that report included “a backlog of testing results” from several prior days. The prior single-day high had been in February — and February 6 was the last time more than 3,196 cases were confirmed in one day.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced the state was opening up booster shots to anyone over 18 years old, joining a growing list of states breaking with current FDA guidelines.

Minnesota

Hospitals across the state are delaying surgeries to free up bed space in the face of growing concerns over hospital capacity constraints, according to a report by KSTP.

“Things have been getting worse in the last couple of weeks,” said Rahul Koranne, president and CEO of the Minnesota Hospital Association. “We have emergency departments that are full of patients. We have patients in beds in hallways. Our units are full.”

Only 1.1% of ICU beds and 0.5% of non-ICU beds were available in the metro Thursday, according to response capacity data from the Minnesota Department of Health.

“Everybody’s delaying surgeries. We’re pulling this lever across the board. Our care teams, our leaders, our surgical teams are making this decision minute by minute,” Koranne said. “Shoulder surgeries, knee surgeries, but even the last couple of weeks, what we are having to do unfortunately is push back some heart surgeries. At the end of the day, we only have a limited amount of care capacity available.”

Missouri

On Thursday, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services once again reconfigured the state’s COVID data dashboard, adding thousands of previously unreported deaths and infections, according to a report by the St. Louis Dispatch.

Some date back to the spring of 2020, and many are instances of illness or death now attributed to Covid-19 but that weren’t publicly tallied by the state at the time.

As part of the update, the state also began reporting COVID cases that occurred after vaccination or prior infection. The numbers show that such cases have been remarkably rare, and are most common among those with underlying health conditions.

The department added 2,792 “probable” Covid-19 deaths, increasing the state total 22%

New Mexico

According to state health officials, around 25% of all COVID-19 cases in the last week were among children in a report by KOB.

School-age children are included in that group, so could this impact in-person learning? School districts around the state have new “enhanced” COVID procedures in place, in case the surge gets worse.

If a school has a certain percentage of COVID-positive cases, that facility would be required to start implementing those additional measures. The good news, so far, is that both Rio Rancho Public Schools and Albuquerque Public Schools said they have not reached that point, they hope to keep it that way.

Utah

For the third day in a row, 13 Utahns have been added to the death toll from COVID-19 — a number that now stands at 3,411 people, according to the Utah Department of Health in a story published by the Salt Lake Tribune.

The health department on Thursday also reported 1,789 new coronavirus cases in the past day. The rolling seven-day average for positive tests stands at 1,633 per day.

Intensive care units in the state remain near capacity, and over capacity in the state’s largest hospitals. According to the health department, 96.7% of all ICU beds and 101.8% of ICU beds in larger medical centers are occupied. (Hospitals consider anything over 85% to be functionally full.) Of all ICU patients, 44.2% are being treated for COVID-19.

Virginia

On Thursday, Sentara Healthcare faced off in court with one of their own doctors, Paul Marik, according to WTKR.

Marik, who is the director of the Critical Care Unit at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, is suing the healthcare system because they won’t allow him to treat COVID-19 patients with the drug ivermectin, along with a host of other drugs that make up his developed MATH+ Protocol.

“Almost all of the treatments we use have been demonstrated to be safe and effective in randomized controlled trials,” Marik said.

Marik claims that Sentara’s policy may have led to the deaths of four of his patients who were never given the opportunity to learn of or be treated with potentially life-saving medicines. He said these actions are criminal.

There is not a single peer reviewed study that used accurate placebo controlled double blind study data that indicates Ivermectin is effective as a preventative or treatment. The largest validated study to date indicated that for the sickest patients, the antiparisitic drug was counterindicated.

Disinformation

Taking the night off

Health and Lifestyle, Local, National

Local and national COVID update for August 19, 2021

1 Comment

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.

[KIRKLAND, Wash.] – (MTN) Washington state set a new hospitalization record as COVID cases continue to grow. The Delta variant represents 98% of all cases in Washington state. The CDC released a study that examines breakthrough cases and hospitalizations from May to July, that provides a better understanding of vaccine effectiveness.

The Washington State Department of Health has released the latest COVID data through August 18, 2021.

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Washington State Update for August 19, 2021

Washington state continues to set new records as cases and hospitalizations continue to rise. Through August 11, the 14 day rolling average Washington is recording 437.9 COVID cases per 100K. This breaks the record high that was set yesterday. New cases continue to grow exponentially, doubling every 7 to 10 days. The number of people seeking COVID tests has increased 20% to 50% in the last month throughout King County.

Washington State Newly Diagnosed COVID Cases per 100K During the Prior Two Weeks Through August 11, 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 11.71%, and over the previous 7 days, 12.92%. We continue to see widespread transmission in the state, with a slight decrease in the 7-day average.

The 7-day moving average for COVID-related deaths has increased to 7 per day. It is important to note that fatalities are a trailing indicator that usually increases two to four weeks after hospitalizations begin growing.

Washington State University football coach Nick Rolovich, the highest-paid public employee in the state of Washington, says he will follow the state’s COVID vaccine requirement. He had previously said he would not get a vaccine due to personal reasons, even after WSU announced they would require vaccines. When asked about having to get vaccinated his only statement was, “It is what it is.”

On Pac-12 media day. Rolovich said, “I’m not against vaccinations, and I wholeheartedly support those who choose to be vaccinated, including our players, staff, and coaches… I think we all know this virus is deadly, and these vaccines are free. I urge everyone to consider being vaccinated. I do.”

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 most recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) included the study, New COVID-19 Cases and Hospitalizations Among Adults, by Vaccination Status – New York, May 3 – July 25, 2021. The study looked at COVID cases and hospitalizations among the entire population of the metro New York City area, approximately 13.9 million people.

From May 3 to July 25, Delta went from 2% of COVID cases to 80%, and New York City dropped mask mandates and occupancy restrictions.

CDC MMWR for August 18, 2021, Vaccine Effectiveness in New York City from May 3 to July 25, 2021

The small dashed line on the top of both charts represents overall vaccine effectiveness in preventing new COVID cases and preventing hospitalizations. The dash-dot line represents how many people have been vaccinated. The dashed line represents the total number of infections and hospitalizations among the unvaccinated. The solid line represents the total number of cases of infections and hospitalizations among the vaccinated, and the dotted line between them is the average between the two lines.

The study indicated that overall age-adjusted vaccine effectiveness dropped from 91.7% to 79.8% as the Delta variant became the dominant strain. In contrast, hospitalizations moved in a narrow range of 91.9% to 95.3%. The report states, “Currently authorized vaccines have high effectiveness against COVID-19 hospitalization, but effectiveness against new cases appears to have declined in recent months, coinciding with the Delta variant’s increase.”

The data showing an increase in breakthrough cases while showing little change in overall hospitalizations is mirroring data from hospital systems in Washington, and across the country. Another study that was in the New York Times indicated that 74% of breakthrough cases nationwide are among people 65 and older.

It is important to remember that no vaccine is 100% effective and there is strong evidence that COVID vaccinations lessen the severity among those who get an infection, and vaccinated individuals have dramatically lower mortality rates compared to the unvaccinated.

Appreciation goes to Dr. Katrine Wallace, P.hD of the University of Illinois, Chicago, for bringing this study to our attention.

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.

Join the conversation on Facebook and share your thoughts

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

Washington state reached an all-time high for COVID hospitalizations, surpassing the December 2020 peak, with the Delta variant representing 98% of cases. The Washington Hospital Association CEO Cassie Sauer reported there were 1,240 hospitalized patients with COVID-19. This number does not align with the Washington State Department of Health data, and we have reached out to understand the difference in numbers.

On August 18, 85.7% of available acute care beds in Washington state have patients. The data indicated there were 1,285 acute care beds available statewide and 314 in King County. The West, Central, South Central, and East Regions were over 80% utilization. According to the Washington State Department of Health, there are 1,205 COVID patients in acute care, an increase of 31 since yesterday. 13.4% of all hospitalized acute care hospital patients are being treated for COVID. More than 20% of acute care patients in The West Region, which includes Pierce County, are hospitalized with COVID. This indicates that the hospitals in that region are under stress.

Washington State Hospital Acute Care Beds Occupied by Patients – August 18, 2021

Statewide ICUs were 85.5% occupied with 176 staffed beds available. King County has 56 ICU beds available. The number of COVID patients in the ICU dropped to 342 patients.

Washington State ICU Patients with COVID – August 18, 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, is down to 11 available ICU beds and almost 2 out 5 ICU patients are fighting COVID. in the more rural North Central District, 45% all ICU patients are hospitalized with COVID.

With the epidemiological curve doubling every 7 to 10 days, our hospital system is in danger of being overrun.

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Back to School

Yesterday we reported on Governor Inslee’s directive requiring all employees and contractors working for private K–12 schools and public K–12 school districts, charter schools, and educational service districts to be fully vaccinated by October 18, 2021. Due to the overwhelming amount of news yesterday, we cut the story short. The vaccine directive includes most of Washington state’s childcare workers.

The mandate includes employees, contractors, and volunteers working in licensed and licensed-exempt childcare centers and in early learning and youth development programs. Individuals that provide babysitting services to friends, neighbors, or direct family members from the same household are exempt.

Employees must provide proof of vaccination by showing their vaccine card, certificate of COVID-19 vaccination, or Washington State Immunization Information System printout. Individuals cannot use attestation as proof of immunization, and daycare providers cannot opt-out.

Individuals who have a medical condition, have been recently infected with COVID, and are under recommendation not to get a vaccination for 90 days, or who have a genuine and deeply held religious exemption can apply with the state. State officials said anyone applying for an exemption will be rigorously vetted and personal and philosophical reasons are not allowed.

FACT CHECK: In 1905, the United States Supreme Court decided that the states have the power to mandate vaccinations (Jacobson v. Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11 (1905)). Last week, Trump appointed Supreme Court Justice Amy Comey Barrett, denied an appeal from students at Indiana University to block the school’s vaccine mandate. Because the Supreme Court was not in session, enabling Justice Comey Barrett to render a decision independently. A three-judge federal appeals court panel, including two judges appointed by former President Donald Trump, previously sided with Indiana University to require vaccinations.

To comply, employees need to have their second mRNA vaccination dose or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine by October 4, 2021. 

Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville

We will be featuring area businesses that require vaccinations for their customers and require their staff to be vaccinated. The Lounge at DeLille Cellars is a place where you can enjoy wine by the glass and bottle with hand-crafted fare from Executive Chef Michael C. Toni. Located in Woodinville, they offer light bites for sharing to salads, sandwiches, entrees, such as steak frites and fresh pasta made daily.

No promotional consideration is given. If you have a business that requires proof of vaccination and you’re located on the eastside, send an email to tips@malcontentment.com. We’ll feature a new business here every day.

National Round-Up

Johns Hopkins University reported over 137,980 new cases and 1,145 deaths. This is the second day in a row where COVID deaths in the United States broke 1,000. Nationwide, 11.35% of COVID tests are coming back positive. Nationwide, 77% of all ICU beds are occupied and almost 1 out of 3 people in the ICU are battling COVID.

Burnout among nurses is reaching a crisis in the United States. Now dealing with the fourth wave (or fifth wave in Washington state) in the last 18 months, the trauma, stress, long hours, and under-appreciation is shrinking the nursing corps, and that is even before vaccination mandates started in hospital systems across the United States. In an interview with ICU nurse Cassandra Alexander, she quipped, “Why stay in a hard, dangerous, seemingly thankless job?”

Toyota, the largest car company in the world, is having to cut 40 percent of its global production, shutting down plants in its home nation of Japan. The production reduction is happening due to the global semiconductor shortage and parts suppliers closing in Malaysia due to a severe COVID outbreak in the archipelago. For US customers who want a Heche en Nippon product, the slowdown impacts the RAV4, Corolla, Camry, and Lexus ES.

As a disclaimer, we try to pick from more neutral sources so we’re not exactly fans of Vanity Fair. However, the differences from the on-the-air message versus what goes on behind the cameras at Fox News are worth highlighting. While hosts like Laura Ingraham and Tucker Carlson rail against vaccination and masks, mandates, vaccine cards, and mask wear, their employer has a different take.

In a Tuesday memo updating staff on COVID-19 procedures, Fox News Media chief executive Suzanne Scott said that the company has “asked all employees—whether on-site as part of our essential workforce or working remotely—to upload their vaccination status” into an internal database. “All employees must enter their status no later than today, August 17th, by close of business,” Scott wrote.

Scott added that while masks remain optional for vaccinated employees, the company is “requiring employees to wear a mask in small, confined spaces with limited opportunities for social distancing and where there are multiple employees, including control rooms.”

Arkansas

Hope that Arkansas had hit its peak fourth wave peak is fading as cases and hospitalizations started to climb again. Of Arkansas’ 262 school districts, 118 have issued mask mandates and another 87 have banned them. The state did cross a critical milestone, with 51% of the eligible population vaccinated against COVID.

Hawaii

On Oahu, where Honolulu is located, Straub Hospital is overcapacity in its ICU as the state deals with its worst surge of COVID cases ever. Dr. Johnathan Paladino reported the ICU was at 125% capacity and is currently at stage five of its seven-stage disaster plan. Patient triage is now being performed in a tent. Earlier in the week, the Queens Health System had also run out of ICU capacity. The disaster plan, based on military battlefield triage will hopefully not get to stage six or seven. At stage six care would be rationed, with the most critically sick could find care delayed. Stage seven is so-called “black tag triage,” where the sickest patients, regardless of having COVID or not, would be moved to comfort care.

Missouri

Missouri state representative Sara Walsh, another outspoken critic of vaccination and masks, reported that her husband has died of COVID. Steve Walsh died early this morning after the couple becomes infected in July. Neither were vaccinated, and the state representative said she didn’t get vaccinated because of concerns about friends’ negative reactions to the vaccine and said she didn’t feel she needed it as she’d been healthy since the pandemic began. Walsh is running for U.S. Representative Vicky Hartzler’s 4th District congressional seat in the 2022 election.

Mississippi

Yesterday we reported that Alabama had run out of ICU beds, and Mississippi has been adding additional capacity in tents over the last two weeks. Mississippi set a record for the most case, the most patients hospitalized, the most patients in ICU, and the most patients on ventilators. Even with the expanded capacity, the state is down to 11 ICU beds.

Oregon

Governor Kate Brown announced that educators in the Pacific Northwest state who teach K-12, have until October 18 to receive a vaccination or face termination. “We will need confirmation from a qualified medical care provider on any medical exemption. And, we will be reviewing that each religious exemption that is requested is based on bonified beliefs,” said PPS Chief Human Resources Officer Sharon Reese. The mandate comes one day after Washington state issued a similar directive. Oregon has one of the fastest-growing rates of COVID in the United States, with many rural hospitals overwhelmed.

Texas

While Texas Governor Greg Abbott battles COVID in isolation at the governor’s mansion, he continues to battle mask mandates in Texas school districts. The town of Paris, Texas found a loophole in the Governor’s executive order, and modified the school dress code, making masks required.

“The Texas Governor does not have the authority to usurp the Board of Trustees’ exclusive power and duty to govern and oversee the management of the public schools of the district,” Paris ISD said in a release posted on its website. “Nothing in the Governor’s Executive Order 38 states he has suspended Chapter 11 of the Texas Education Code, and therefore the Board has elected to amend its dress code consistent with its statutory authority.”

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is taking the San Antonio Independent School District to court after the district mandated all staff be vaccinated for COVID-19. The School District is claiming they have the right to mandate vaccinations under the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission rules, while AG Paxton says it violates state law. We wrote yesterday how the Supreme Court has addressed challenges on vaccination mandates at a state level since 1905, and it is likely Texas will not prevail in its challenge.

Georgia

Parents in Cobb County, Georgia are pulling their children out of school, just three weeks after the 2021-2022 school year started. Last week the entire fifth-grade class at East Side Elementary was sent home because of a spike of COVID cases in the school. Parents had to select either remote or in-person learning during the spring, while masks and social distancing requirements were in place. The district voted not to require masks, going against federal guidelines. The situation has gotten tense with parents on both sides of the argument squaring off. Georgia’s PICUs are 75% to 90% full, with a growing number of pediatric COVID patients.

Wisconsin

Republican State Senator Andre Jacques, one of Wisconsin’s most conservative lawmakers and an outspoken critic of mask and vaccine mandates, is in the hospital with COVID. Jacques, who is married and has six children, reported on Monday night that several of his family members are also sick. On Wednesday no one would comment on his condition beyond he has pneumonia, is very tired, but in good spirits. Since his positive test, his legislative office said it “has been following all protocols.” 

Minnesota

The number of children in childcare becoming infected with COVID is growing, with 120 new cases among the unvaccinated a week. The increase started at the height of summer camp season in the last week of July, said Dr. Beth Thielen, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at M Health Fairview. “That was really before things even started to spiral in Minnesota.”

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Misinformation

You may have seen a claim that 45,000 people have died within 3 days of receiving the COVID vaccine based on information in the VAERS database. This misinformation is often touted with, “look it up for yourselves,” and has been shared widely on social media.

The VAERS database is a self-reporting tool, that anyone can complete online. It is true you can download the data and do analysis. The data is raw, has not been reviewed or verified, and relies upon the honesty of the people reporting. That would require in part, 45,000 reporting in three days that a relative had died from the vaccine. It is a significant leap to then assume that you had 100% reporting and it was 100% accurate.

It is true that there have been limited adverse actions from the COVID vaccine and three documented fatalities during the initial release of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. All vaccines come with some degree of risk, and the 28 documented hospitalizations related to blood clots are among 14 million people who have received the vaccine in the United States (full disclosure, that includes your author). It is important to note that the CDC and NIH suspended the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after six reported incidents for two weeks. During the pause, they created additional guidance on how to identify a potential rare reaction and a proper treatment plan.

But wait, there’s more. The VAERS database only has 6,000 self-reported fatality reports from December 2020 to July 2021. In early May there were 4,700. So where did the 45,000 number come from?

The organization America’s Front Line Doctors is behind the numbers and the lawsuit. But there is a huge problem with the claim, even if you want to cling to it as fact. The lawsuit states that an unnamed person (Jane Doe) who is a computer program calculated her estimate of deaths happening within 3 days of vaccination by examining the VAERS data and comparing it against medical claims. The lawsuit goes on to say, “The number of deaths occurring with (sic) 3 days of injection with the Vaccines exceeds those reported by VAERS by a factor of at least 5.”

There in the lies the problem. We don’t know when the data was pulled, but we do know the number of reports had to be under 6000. No explanation was given on the factor of five. Even if there was any veracity to the claim, the number in the lawsuit should be between 25,000 to 30,000. The other critical point is the data in VAERS is unverified data.

Americas Frontline Doctors were behind a July 27, 2020, viral video touting a cocktail of hydroxychloroquine, zinc, and Zithromax as a treatment for COVID. The claims were untrue, created a shortage of hydroxychloroquine, and left states like Oaklahoma looking to sell back the drug they bought last year under the advice of then-President Trump when he retweeted their video.

The three leaders of Americas Frontline Doctors are Dr. Stella Immanuel of Houston, Dr. Dan Erickson, and Dr. Simone Gold.

Dr. Simone Gold is the founder of the organization, she was a major advocate of hydroxychloroquine in 2020. Dr. Gold participated in the Capitol Insurrection that happened on January 6, 2021, in Washington D.C. and was arrested by federal officials after videos and pictures emerged of her within the Capitol.

On April 22, 2020, Dr. Dan Erickson made a claim that COVID had a mortality rate of 0.03% based on testing within their private clinic. According to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, COVID mortality is 1.7% in the United States. Erickson appeared in the “documentary” Plandemic, and was also an advocate of hydroxychloroquine.

Dr. Immanuel has a well-documented history of making false medical claims throughout her career. This includes claiming that endometriosis, infertility, miscarriages, and sexually transmitted diseases are caused by “spirit spouses” (aka demons), and space alien DNA in humans. Dr Immanuel was warned by the Texas State Medical Board in August of 2020 about her practice and claims. She continues to run her private practice in Houston.

The report that 45,000 people died from the COVID vaccines is false, even if you take the lawsuit at face value.

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Health and Lifestyle, Local, National

Local and national COVID update for August 17, 2021

Knowledge is the best tool to fight against fear. A wise person chooses to be informed so they can make sound decisions.

[KIRKLAND, Wash.] – (MTN) The Washington State Department of Health has released the latest COVID data through August 16, 2021. COVID cases continue to rise through the state, and more hospital systems are curtailing or delaying elective procedures and closing their doors to visitors.

Washington State Update for August 17, 2021

Through August 9, the 14 day rolling average in Washington is recording 396.1 COVID cases per 100K people, almost 16X higher than the target of 25 per 100K. This represents the highest rate of new infections since January 18, 2021, and is based on data from July 27 to August 9. New cases continue to grow exponentially, with little indication that the state is nearing a peak.

Washington State Newly Diagnosed COVID Cases per 100K During the Prior Two Weeks Through August 9, 2021

The number of people seeking COVID tests has increased dramatically since July 17 and is reaching April 2021 levels. 

The rate of hospitalized COVID patients has grown to 9.4 per 100K residents, on a 7 day rolling average through August 10. Using the incomplete data through August 16, the rate jumps to 11.4, the highest ever recorded.

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 of Medicine, the positivity rate for the last 30 days is 10.6% and over the previous 7 days 13.55%. Both of these numbers would indicate widespread community transmission and significant under testing of the population.

So far, COVID deaths remain very low, but fatalities are a trailing indicator that usually starts to increase two to four weeks after hospitalizations begin growing. This trend is starting in Florida, where the state is recording over 150 deaths a day.

Vaccination

As of August 16, 71.5% of all Washingtonians 12 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine. Vaccination rates are growing again statewide. Vaccine hesitancy is slowly declining, and concern over the Delta variant is motivating Washingtonians to take action.

Vaccination rates remain low among the youngest people. For residents 65 and over, 83.8% are partially or fully vaccinated, while 52.9% of 18 to 34-year-olds are. People under 65 now make up the majority of hospitalized patients.

Washington state has started 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.

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.

The Washington State Department of Health tweeted today about fake vaccination exemption forms circulation in the state. A person seeking an exemption does not need to complete a form from the Department of Health, and the form does not provide you with an automatic exemption.

The Biden Administration is widely expected to announce the recommendation to receive a vaccination booster shot eight months after the final dose of an mRNA vaccine. The guidance does not extend to those who received the Johnson and Johnson vaccination.

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

Hospital capacity remains tight, but the impact from a growing list of hospital systems canceling elective procedures is helping. In today’s data, it does appear that new COVID patients are quickly filling up the extra space.

On August 16, 82.8% of available acute care beds in Washington state have patients. The data indicated there were 1,560 acute care beds available statewide and 353 in King County. The West, Central, South Central, and East Regions were over 80% utilization. There are 1,092 COVID patients in acute care, 12.1% of all hospitalized patients.

Washington State Hospital Acute Care Beds Occupied by Patients – August 16, 2021

Statewide ICUs were 81.9% occupied with 222 staffed beds available. This is an improvement from Friday when 179 beds were remaining. King County has 79 ICU beds available. Unfortunately, the number of COVID patients in the ICU jumped significantly from yesterday. Almost 1 in 4 ICU patients have COVID – 289 people. Total hospitalizations are at January 2021 levels, and the epidemiologic curve indicates the state will set new historic highs next week.

Washington State ICU Patients with COVID – August 16, 2021

Benton, Cowlitz, Lewis, and Thurston Hospitals are at record levels, and many counties are at near-record levels. King County remains manageable, but the epidemiological curve shows that the county could be at January 2021 levels next week.

Yesterday, University Washington Medicine and Harborview Medical Center announced they would be delaying some elective procedures and evaluating the situation on a case-by-case basis through September 19, 2021. The medical system joins a growing list of hospital systems redirecting resources to deal with the Fifth Wave hitting Washington state.

Washington state faces 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.

Back to School

The Washington State Department of Health released new guidelines for K-12 student-athletes and extra-curricular activities. Masks are not required for student-athletes in low and moderate contact sports, regardless of vaccination status. For high contact sports, masks are not required unless the student-athlete is unvaccinated. They will still be able to play but are required to have a negative COVID test. Masks must be worn in weight rooms, traveling by bus or public transit to events, and when not actively practicing and playing. Basketball, wrestling, water polo are considered high contact sports. Cheerleaders fall under the same category as high contact sports.

The vaccination rate among Washingtonians age 12 to 17 remains low. Currently, 46.2% of children ages 12 to 15 and 52.9% of 16 to 17-year-olds have received at least one dose. 

Kirkland-Bellevue-Woodinville

There has been some confusion among parents in the Lake Washington School District about the availability of virtual instruction for the 2021-2022 school year. The website indicates initial enrollment ended on June 30. Due to renewed interest in remote learning, parents can sign up on the waitlist. Some people are reporting success in getting their children into virtual learning.

In breaking news, the Lake Washington School District announced tonight they will not be doing daily health screenings for students with are attending in-person classes.

National Round-Up

Johns Hopkins University reported over 210,000 new cases and 686 deaths. Nationwide, 11.56% of COVID tests are coming back positive. There was some good news with Georgia, Florida, and Texas in the number two, three, and four slots for vaccinations, only behind California.

The TSA has extended the mask mandate for passengers of planes, trains, and buses until January 18, 2022. The mandate was set to expire on September 14, but faced with the surge in cases the Biden Administration determined it was in the best interest of the nation to make the extension. The FAA has reported a record number of “air rage” cases in 2021. So far there have been 3,889 incidents of unruly passengers, 74% of those cases over mask requirements.

Over the weekend, a maskless man was filmed lording over an elderly woman for wearing a mask on a New York City subway. The man, identified on social media and research news site Heavy as Ryan Bartels, 27. The incident is full of endless irony including occurring on the Q Train, and the man chanting, “1776” over and over again while wearing a shirt with a British Union Jack flag on it. Bartels was later spotted at an anti-vaccine rally and photographed making white power hand gestures.

Several states ravaged by the most recent wave may have hit their peaks, declining case numbers in hard-hit Missouri and Arkansas. However, many states are setting new records for infections and hospitalizations. Florida, Louisana, Hawaii, Mississippi, and Oregon set records for daily new COVID cases over the weekend.

Rural hospitals in Oregon are overwhelmed with patients, and the state has redeployed 1500 members of the National Guard to provide additional support.

In Kansas, hospitals are struggling with an explosion of new cases over the last six weeks while being severely short-staffed. Since the winter wave, hospitals in the flyover state have lost 30% of their employees due to burnout, attrition, and healthcare professionals joining the ranks of traveling doctors and nurses.

Stormont Vail Health in Topeka is turning down requests to take patients suffering from strokes, heart attacks, kidney failure, and cancer. One hospital in Abeline, Kansas, had to fly a patient to Wisconsin. 

Texas has requested five mobile morgues from FEMA and refrigerator trucks in anticipation of existing facilities becoming overwhelmed. Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) tested positive for COVID this morning. He has been put into quarantine, is reported to be asymptomatic, and receiving Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatment.

The governor also revealed he had received a COVID booster shoot, raising questions about his overall health. Abbott uses a wheelchair after a freak accident, where an oak tree fell on him while jogging when he was 26.

Yesterday, the governor attended a Republican fundraiser in Collin County, described as “standing room only.” The governor tweeted pictures of him addressing a maskless crowd, shoulder-to-shoulder indoors. All attendees have reportedly been notified of their exposure.

A maskless Abbott made a statement from Austin early this evening and is being widely derided tonight on social media.

The Texas governor has barred schools and communities from issuing mask mandates and prevented districts from providing mandatory reporting of exposure to COVID in the classroom. Several school systems have implemented mask and notification rules going against the direction of the state.

Mississippi has set up a second field hospital as officials continue to try and stave off a collapse of the state’s hospital system. Samaritan’s Purse is providing the second field hospital. The US Department of Health And Human Services has sent a team of three-dozen doctors, nurses, and specialists to help man the mobile hospital in a parking garage. Mississippi has seen a record number of pediatric COVID patients, with 18 in the hospital, five in the ICU, and four on ventilators.

Florida is now logging 29,000 new COVID cases a day, and they continue to grow exponentially. In Hillsborough County Public Schools, 5,599 students and 316 teachers are in quarantine, crippling the district. The school board is holding an emergency meeting to consider what action it should take, including mandating masks.

Governor Ron DeSantis signed an executive order barring schools from issuing mask mandates, arguing it should be a parental choice. Broward County has already gone against the executive order, and Miami-Dade County is expected to also. The US Department of Education announced that if Governor DeSantis cuts the pay of school officials in districts passing mask mandates, they will cover the pay gap.

Georgia crossed a grim milestone, recording its one-millionth confirmed COVID case. The state is seeing near-record hospitalizations and, like its neighbors, is struggling to find facilities for patients.

Chicago has joined New Orleans in passing an indoor mask mandate, regardless of vaccination status. Also, from Chicago, a pharmacist has been arrested for selling COVID vaccination cards on eBay. Tangtang Zhao, 34. appeared in federal court earlier today and faces up to 10 years in prison for selling 125 cards on eBay.

BIPOC, Editorial, Five Facts, Health and Lifestyle, LGBTQIA, Local, National, Weather

Malcontentment Happy Hour: February 1, 2021

Video

Our live webcast from the Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

WARNING: This episode includes videos of police violence, child abuse, protest, and discusses domestic violence in detail – viewer discretion is advised.

The show from February 1, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith.

  • Rochester, New York Police pepper-spray a handcuffed 9-year-old child – community outrage explodes as body camera video becomes available
  • Malcontented Minutes – our new speed round of news
    • The state of Texas has things go very wrong when they issue an Amber Alert for Chucky – yes the murderous horror movie doll Chucky
    • Redditors go after silver commodity trading as a new tactic in their fight against hedge funds
    • Missouri Museum of history launches an online exhibit of LGBTQIA history in the state of Missouri
    • Jason Raantz (Seattle) goes on a racist rant about how BLM education during Black History Month in Seattle schools is instilling the fear of police into a new generation of children
    • David Bell, a Black man, dies in a hospital parking lot in Missouri after emergency room physicians refuse to treat him on his third trip for breathing problems
    • President Biden replaces Andrew Jackson’s portrait with a Native American sculpture
    • The National Zoo in Washington D.C. releases a video of a panda playing in the snow
    • LGBTQ activist Carmen Vasquez, 72-years old, dies of COVID-19
    • Data breach exposes the private personal identification (PII) of 1.6 million Washingtonians who have applied for or received unemployment for almost all of 2020, including bank account numbers and ID information
    • Birth certificate controversy over Archie, the child of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle explodes in tabloid press
  • Chad Wheeler domestic violence assault update as his victim faces him in court for the first time
  • COVID-19 Five Fast Facts
  • Reading recommendations for Black History Month
  • David and Jennifer provide their insurrection update

Terra Firma

Significant tornado slams Jefferson, Missouri

Update: Since this was written many photographs and videos of the damage in Jefferson have appeared. The storm appears to be a very strong EF-3 from the photos. This is my personal, unofficial evaluation using the Enhanced Fujita Scale information linked below.

The slow-motion weather system that has exacerbated historic levels of flooding on the Arkansas, Missouri, and Mississippi Rivers continues to produce devastating tornadoes. Although the initial outbreak earlier this week was surprisingly tepid for the conditions, tornadoes continue to be produced, including a storm near Joplin, Mississippi that killed three last night. It was Jefferson, Missouri in the bullseye last night.

As of this writing, the tornado that struck Jefferson has produced no fatalities, but rescue operations are still ongoing. Interestingly, our always-connected age likely saved many lives compared to 30 years ago, when the timing of this twister could have been catastrophic. Strong tornadoes during nighttime hours are not unprecedented, but they are rarer. Atmospheric and surface warming produced by the sun is a core ingredient to creating the lift needed to build supercells – but it does happen. The Jefferson tornado was around 11:30 PM with the first 911 calls coming in at 11:39 PM. Tornado sirens sounded, news broadcasters advised move to basements and cellphones alerted.

Thirty-four tornadoes touched down on 5/22/19 along the frontal boundary from Oklahoma to Illinois.

Tornadoes are dangerous, but nighttime tornadoes present special hazards. Tornadoes that tear through residential areas hit when most people are home, creating a higher risk for injury and death. Tornadoes can be hard to see when rain wrapped or shrouded in low clouds, but they are impossible to see at night. Sleeping people aren’t aware of warnings and can’t take early action. Warnings can be shorter because there is no physical observation and rely on radar detection. Outside of advanced warning, you won’t know a tornado is upon you until you hear the telltale roar, see the vivid near-continuous lightning, and the start of debris pelting your home. After the tornado passes, self-evaluation is fraught with hazard from debris and potentially downed live powerlines. In the most severe outbreaks, where storms “train” that is one cell follows one after another in the same path, another tornadic system can be following behind.

Many of the trapped received and heeded the warnings moving to the basements of their homes. When their homes collapsed, they became trapped required extraction. There is a lesson here in Puget Sound where the “big one” (e.g., earthquake) would hit without warning. If your survival kit is in the lowest part of your house, there should be at least some tools to get to your survival kit somewhere else and with your survival kit.

Tornadic activity will continue, along with flash flooding and historic water levels that are crushing records along three major rivers. The tornado activity is business as usual for this time of the year, and there have been much larger outbreaks. Given all of the energy in this system, it is a bit of a surprise that so far, no EF-4 or EF-5 storms have formed. Looking at the pictures from Jefferson, Missouri, this appears to be a strong EF-2 or middling EF-3 tornado that struck – but admitted the pictures taken in low light don’t show enough area-wide damage to make a proper armchair Enhanced Fujita Scale evaluation.