Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #106

[Simply Southern]

Getting vaxxed is FREE, wearing a mask is not FREE but pretty cheap compared to a month stay in ICU or dying.
My unvaxxed friends who survived COVID owe the hospital over ONE MILLION dollars. Who can afford this?!

The hospital will file with the feds under CARES Act for FULL reimbursement. Hospitals were given billions in the first two initial congressional fundings to cover additional cost, PPE, drugs, purchase ventilators, pay for the underinsured and other cost.

WE paid UPFRONT to guarantee care. They were also intitled to and most received the pay Check Protection Program to keep staff from being laid off, due to cancelled services and waiting for Covid to hit their communities. There is a website you can look up every PCPP disbursement by zip code, provide name of business and amount. My hospital received 68 million between both programs. Its a 100 bed facility, very small.

Reference. CARE Act funding

 

[x_files]

The hospital will file with the feds under CARES Act for FULL reimbursement. Hospitals were given billions in the first two initial congressional fundings to cover additional cost, PPE, drugs, purchase ventilators, pay for the underinsured and other cost. E
WE paid UPFRONT to guarantee care. They were also intitled to and most received the pay Check Protection Program to keep staff from being laid off, due to cancelled services and waiting for Covid to hit their communities. These a website you can look up every PCPP disbursement by zip code, provide name of business and amount. My hospital received 68 million.

Reference. CARE Act funding

Thanks, I don't think my friends were advised about help, they put up accounts to make ends meet.

 

[acutename]

The US has been having difficulties with keeping up with its postal service demands.

A friend of mine in the US has been waiting to ship some guitar parts to another friend here in Australia. No packages allowed to be sent overseas by the US postal service for a few months now.


The United States Postal Service has announced a temporary suspension on outgoing parcel services to 21 countries, including Australia, adding to delivery woes.

Americans have reported receiving their packages back in the mail, plastered with a ‘mail service suspended’ sticker and instructions to claim a refund.
US Postal Service suspends parcel deliveries to Australia | The New Daily

wow... did not know this, but it looks as if some suspensions are about to end (or be extended?) 1/16/22...

International Service Alerts - Newsroom - About.usps.com

 

[acutename]

Who hasn't let out an exasperated "Is the pandemic finished yet?" or a "When can I just get on with my life?" over the past two years? I know I have.

The answer to those questions could be... very soon.

There is growing confidence that Omicron could be hurtling the UK into the pandemic endgame.

But what comes next? There will be no snap of the fingers to make the virus disappear. Instead, the new buzzword we'll have to get used to is "endemic" - which means that Covid is, without doubt, here to stay.

So, is a new Covid-era truly imminent and what will that actually mean for our lives?

"We're almost there, it is now the beginning of the end, at least in the UK," Prof Julian Hiscox, chairman in infection and global health at the University of Liverpool, tells me. "I think life in 2022 will be almost back to before the pandemic."

What's changing is our immunity. The new coronavirus first emerged two years ago in Wuhan, China, and we were vulnerable. It was a completely new virus that our immune systems had not experienced before and we had no drugs or vaccines to help.

The result was like taking a flamethrower into a fireworks factory. Covid spread explosively around the world - but that fire cannot burn at such high intensity forever.

There were two options - either we would extinguish Covid, as we did with Ebola in West Africa, or it would die down but be with us for the long term. It would join the swarm of endemic diseases - such as common colds, HIV, measles, malaria and tuberculosis - that are always there.


Endemic Covid: Is the pandemic entering its endgame?

OR...
Omicron's not the last variant we'll see. Will the next one be bad?
https://www.livescience.com › coronavirus-variants-afte...
3 days ago — Experts told Live Science that they wouldn't be surprised if a troublesome new coronavirus variant crops up this year — but that it's ...

 

[acutename]

Canada also has a higher hospital rate now than in previous waves. Maybe Delta is still partly to blame?

still lots of Delta in my state if you look at the CDC stats- 66% Delta when they sample...

 

[Simply Southern]

Thanks, I don't think my friends were advised about help, they put up ******** accounts to make ends meet.

Yes, the hospital would rather have quick cash and not file. Congress failed to require hospitals to notify the patient.

Have your friend call the hospital financial office and ask about assistance under any and all federal programs. I'll try to look up and research for you but I'm excepting the SNOW Apocalypse here in the Virginia mountains. I don't expect to have power later tonight, hit me up if I forget.

 

[x_files]

Yes, the hospital would rather have quick cash and not file. Congress failed to require hospitals to notify the patient.

Have your friend call the hospital financial office and ask about assistance under any and all federal programs. I'll try to look up and research for you but I'm excepting the SNOW Apocalypse here in the Virginia mountains. I don't expect to have power later tonight, hit me up if I forget.

I appreciate it. I'll let them know. It might be too late since they sent their bills to bill collectors.

 

[charminglane]

The Health

And they probably won't do anything. Apparently, people who live in aggregate housing are considered "disposable" in our society.

Sorry. That is pretty blunt. But the "rules" have always been, if the employee can show up to work, wear a mask, then everything is perfectly fine. You won't see this anywhere in writing, or spoken. But, apparently corporate america has let the government know that if they won't allow people to come to work, then who will do all of the work?

The L.A. County Dept. of Public Health did come in and cited us for various violations.

 

[Simply Southern]

The US has been having difficulties with keeping up with its postal service demands.

A friend of mine in the US has been waiting to ship some guitar parts to another friend here in Australia. No packages allowed to be sent overseas by the US postal service for a few months now.


The United States Postal Service has announced a temporary suspension on outgoing parcel services to 21 countries, including Australia, adding to delivery woes.

Americans have reported receiving their packages back in the mail, plastered with a ‘mail service suspended’ sticker and instructions to claim a refund.
US Postal Service suspends parcel deliveries to Australia | The New Daily

Well, well... it seems USPS suspended more international mail Jan 14, 2021.

International Service Alerts - Newsroom - About.usps.com

International Mail Service Suspensions
Updated: Jan. 14, 2022

The Postal Service™ is temporarily suspending international mail acceptance for certain destinations due to impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic and other unrelated service disruptions. Customers: please refrain from mailing items addressed to the countries listed here, until further notice.


Suspensions

Afghanistan

French Guiana

Mayotte

Sierra Leone

Australia *

Guadeloupe

Mongolia

South Sudan

Bhutan

Hong Kong

New Zealand**

Sudan

Brunei

Laos

Papua New Guinea

Syria

Central African Republic

Liberia

Reunion (Bourbon)

Timor-Leste

Chad

Libya

Saint Pierre and Miquelon (Miquelon)

Turkmenistan

Cuba

Martinique

Samoa

Yemen

These service disruptions affect Priority Mail Express International® (PMEI), Priority Mail International® (PMI), First-Class Mail International® (FCMI), First-Class Package International Service® (FCPIS®), International Priority Airmail® (IPA®), International Surface Air Lift® (ISAL®), and M-Bag® items.

*Australia’s service disruption affects Priority Mail International® (PMI), First-Class Package International Service® (FCPIS®), Commercial ePacket (CeP), International Priority Airmail® (IPA®) packets, International Priority Airmail® (IPA®) M-Bags, International Surface Air Lift® (ISAL®) packets, International Surface Air Lift® (ISAL®) M-Bags, and Airmail M-Bags.

**New Zealand’s service disruption affects Priority Mail International® (PMI), International Priority Airmail® (IPA®) M-Bags, International Surface Air Lift® (ISAL®) M-Bags, and Airmail M-Bags.

Unless otherwise noted, service suspensions to a particular country do not affect delivery of military and diplomatic mail.

 

[acutename]

I've been ranting on the thread for days about my 80ish, former community volunteer leader, former principal FULLY vaccinated AND boosted neighbor, the story was idenital, to the one posted. She couldn't treat from her Dr, total to take pain fever deliver, 3 days later carried out in a resuce squad, now ICU critical, daughters been fighting for days for monoclonal antibody, hospital refuses to tranfer her as daughter does not have POA. Three prisoners from the jail, unvaccinated, under 40, received IV monoclonal antibodies , in the same ICU, same doctor, while the daughter watched.

Per the NIH guidelines I posted yesterday, she's a tier 4, the prisoners were a tier 1.

I'm seeing many fully vaccinated infected. The media is daily speaking to, healthcare shortages due to fully vaccinated employee illness. These are fully vaccines and boosted citizens!!!!

We need the therapeutics, that we paid billions to be developed!! Our hospitals are jammed up, staff is sick, we need these drugs we PAID for. Our hospitals, we the citizens deserve better vaccinated or not.

Moo...

Is the triage based largely on age? Does anyone know? I heard second hand today of a healthy 69 yr old vaxed woman who recently died of COVID... hospitalized but no one had more information.

 

[ilovewings]

Scientists expect more worrisome COVID-19 variants after omicron (detroitnews.com)

Get ready to learn more Greek letters. Scientists warn that omicron’s whirlwind advance practically ensures it won’t be the last version of the coronavirus to worry the world.

Every infection provides a chance for the virus to mutate, and omicron has an edge over its predecessors: It spreads way faster despite emerging on a planet with a stronger patchwork of immunity from vaccines and prior illness.

That means more people in whom the virus can further evolve. Experts don’t know what the next variants will look like or how they might shape the pandemic, but they say there’s no guarantee the sequels of omicron will cause milder illness or that existing vaccines will work against them.

It’s why they urge wider vaccination now, while today’s shots still work...

i bope he is wrong!

 

[Simply Southern]

Very concerning and a complete contraction from our leaders.
The release was issued Jan 14, 2022, note the entire article is based on improvements for the first week of Jan 2022 only. Also list percent of increase in delivery "of the standard" but failed to tell us the standard. I didn't read much pass, once discovered it was based on ONE WEEK. I know one week is not enough to measure improvements. Heck, it could be a fluke. Moo

Service Performance Holds Steady for All Mail Categories As USPS Addresses Multiple Operational Challenges - Newsroom - About.usps.com

• Latest scores reflect USPS continued mitigation efforts against ongoing industrywide delays in ground and air transportation network, employee availability challenges due to COVID-19, and winter storms across the nation

• On average, time to deliver a mailpiece across the network was 2.6 days

WASHINGTON, DC — The United States Postal Service reported new service delivery performance metrics for the first week of the fiscal second quarter showing service performance holding steady for First-Class Mail, Marketing Mail and Periodicals. Consistent with the rest of the shipping industry, the organization experienced some minor delays in both ground and air transportation during the week of January 1-7. The Postal Service continues to address impacts to last mile delivery due to availability challenges due to COVID-19 cases and inclement weather events including winter storms on the East Coast, Midwest and West Coast.

However, the Postal Service’s mitigation plans continue to perform well, enabling the organization to maintain strong service performance scores across all mail categories.

Second quarter-to-date service performance scores covering the period Jan.1 through Jan. 7 included:

 

[Sundog]

The Health Department? They are basically impotent in FL. They have stopped counting cases, they don't count people who die here if they also live in another state. DeSantis has blocked mask mandates in schools and businesses, blocked vaccination mandates for businesses, cruiselines etc. I must admit it seems simpler. But when "anything goes", anything goes.

Many of the employees in our Health Department threatened to walk off the job if vaccines were mandated. The Health Department waited to see what the outcome would be of the OSHA rule, and now that it is over, they have mandated vaccines, just last week. But they are worried about the staff who plan to quit, because they are essential to programs that deal with low-income families in our county. The leadership is great, but the rank and file are against mandates related to the vaccine.

ETA: We have had some pretty contentious Board meetings over the last year, public, of course, with lots of angry Health Department employees and residents.

 

[Simply Southern]

Is the triage based largely on age? Does anyone know? I heard second hand today of a healthy 69 yr old vaxed woman who recently died of COVID... hospitalized but no one had more information.

I posted the guidelines from NIH on the previous thread. It is a tier system, highest priority to unvaccinated, by age, placing the scale vaccinated on the lower end for treatment. Much has been posted on this and last thread about this. Additional a component for ethnicity and a few other factors.

My 80ish neighbor fully vaccinated is in ICU can't get monoclonal antibodies but three prisoners, unvaccinated from the local jail did. The daughter watched this unfold, they were a higher priority set by the government.

Moo

 

[ilovewings]

Nearly 1 in 10 People with COVID Are Still Infectious 10 Days Later

• A new study found 13 percent of their 176 participants still showed “clinically relevant” levels of live virus after 10 days.
• Experts say that everyone is different in their ability to clear a virus from the body.
• The study’s findings may undercut current CDC guidelines.

Well that shoots CDC guidelines all to heck, but worry not, I am sure the CDC
will come up with some sort of response ---:

 

[x_files]

Many of the employees in our Health Department threatened to walk off the job if vaccines were mandated. The Health Department waited to see what the outcome would be of the OSHA rule, and now that it is over, they have mandated vaccines, just last week. But they are worried about the staff who plan to quit, because they are essential to programs that deal with low-income families in our county. The leadership is great, but the rank and file are against mandates related to the vaccine.

ETA: We have had some pretty contentious Board meetings over the last year, public, of course, with lots of angry Health Department employees and residents.

Did they say what their reasons were against vaccines mandates?

 

[MimosaMornings]

Florida and Texas don't do contract tracing is that correct?
I wonder why they are allowed to opt-out? Wouldn't the Heath Dept decide this not politicians?

I don’t know of any state that does contact tracing.
JMO

 

[ilovewings]

I posted the guidelines from NIH on the previous thread. It is a tier system, highest priority to unvaccinated, by age, placing the scale vaccinated on the lower end for treatment. Much has been posted on this and last thread about this. Additional a component for ethnicity and a few other factors.

My 80ish neighbor fully vaccinated is in ICU can't get monoclonal antibodies but three prisoners, unvaccinated from the local jail did. The daughter watched this unfold, they were a higher priority set by the government.

Moo

That is sickening

 

[Teche]

Not a problem. Southerners don't give a darn about tests, or masks, vaccines until they are sick themselves. I live in a southern state and witness this first hand every day. They aren't going to be requesting masks or tests or vaccines. They don't care about these things until they get invariably get infected themselves, begging for medical care. Only then do then do they suddenly care about mabs and antivirals when they are sick and spiraling downward when it's too late. Then they beg for everything else to save them from their folly. The south will continue to carry on with their lack of vaccines, lack of vaccine uptake, lack of masks. And that is not going to change any time too soon. They have made that perfectly clear where I live. jmo

I’m from Louisiana.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Both of my kids live up North, and have been down to Florida to visit with their partners these past couple of weeks....
They felt safer in the airports and on the planes than walking around down here!

They just cannot believe the maskless everywhere......
And I am having to tell them of friends who I know have positive covid tests every single day..... No one has a single clue as to where they might have gotten it... contact tracing would be a total joke here.

Most of my neighbors have a good idea, I did a poll and asked...if they go to the doctors office and 3 days later they are sick, test positive- would have to be doctors office. One doesn’t go anywhere, works from home and got it from her roomie who was sick right after being at an amusement center for two days without a mask.
Are they getting it at work, having to work around public without masks?