Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #94

[weepingangel]

Walgreens reminds staff that ID isn't required for vaccine in Massachusetts | Boston.com
More at link
After several Massachusetts residents were reportedly turned away from their vaccination appointments, Walgreens says it’s reminding staff members of the state’s policy against requiring identification to prove eligibility for a shot.

According to Massachusetts COVID Vaccination Help, several eligible residents for whom the nonprofit group helped book vaccine appointments were turned away from Walgreens and CVS pharmacy locations because they didn’t have state-issued forms of identification. Irma Rastegayeva, a volunteer for Massachusetts COVID Vaccination Help, said that, in “nearly every case,” those whose were turned away were people of color or people who spoke limited English.

 

[margarita25]

Canada Covid-19: Variants have likely replaced original virus in many parts of the country, health officials say - CNN

“Canadian public health officials say a rapidly spreading variant likely has now replaced the original Covid-19 virus in many parts of the country, and new variants are making younger people sicker and sending more to the hospital.

"This isn't the news any of us wanted, but hospitalizations are surging, ICU beds are filling up, variants are spreading and even people who had convinced themselves they didn't need to be concerned are getting sick," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a news conference Tuesday, adding this is a "very serious" third wave of the pandemic.

Trudeau made a pointed appeal to young people, urging them to "stay home" as younger Canadians are getting sicker in this third wave.

Intensive care unit admissions are up 18% in the past week alone, and the new variants are placing a "heavy strain" on hospital capacity, the Public Health Agency of Canada said.”

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Coronavirus variants are ripping through Canada and Minnesota, and they're infecting younger people most, officials warn

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Canada's COVID-19 surge shows danger of virus variants | king5.com
Washington's border crossing with Canada will stay closed to non-essential travel until at least April 21.

“Canada is experiencing a surge of COVID-19 cases, driven by coronavirus variants.

“These are higher-transmission and maybe a higher-severity type of COVID-19 that was probably introduced in B.C. or started spreading in B.C. around January and early February,” said Caroline Colijn, a professor at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia.“

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“At what rate are the variants spreading in B.C.?
On December 27, the first case of a variant of concern was announced in B.C., and by March 1, the province announced there had been a total of 158 cases.

Since then, that number has quickly risen — to 880 cases on March 15, 2,643 cases on April 1, and 3,766 cases just five days later.

As of April 6, this included 2,838 cases of the B117 variant, 877 cases of the P1 variant, and 51 cases of the B1351 variant.

The province says 90 per cent of all positive tests are now screened for variants, a number much larger than many other jurisdictions — the United States was testing less than 10 per cent of cases for variants of concern last month.“

What we know — and don't know — about variants in B.C. right now

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“'Worrisome' spread of P1
B.C. is now being identified by epidemiologists across the world as a notable hotspot for the P1 variant that has spread unchecked through Brazil, where COVID-19 has killed more than 300,000 people.

Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, a Washington, D.C.-based epidemiologist and health economist, says the accelerating community spread of mutations in B.C. is "worrisome."

He said that the P1 variant is more than twice as transmissible as the original coronavirus and initial data suggests it causes higher mortality rates and affects younger people more than the initial strain.

Feigl-Ding, a senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists, raised the alarm a few weeks ago when he compared B.C. to Florida, where variants are also growing in number.“

Coronavirus variants causing growing alarm in B.C. as cases surge, hospitalizations rise
Number of cases involving more transmissible P1 variant almost doubled over Easter weekend: health minister
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/brit...-royal-columbian-variants-bc-health-1.5975995

 

[Inthedetails]

• "Travelers should avoid all travel to Canada.
• Because of the current situation in Canada even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants and should avoid all travel to Canada.
• If you must travel to Canada, get fully vaccinated before travel. All travelers should wear a mask, stay 6 feet from others, avoid crowds, and wash their hands."

CDC: Do not travel to Canada, even if you are vaccinated​

Is the border open now?

I cancelled a trip to Quebec when the pandemic hit. I'm not quite ready to plan it again, but am curious if USA citizens can cross the border into Canada yet.

jmo

 

[zecats]

Is the border open now?

I cancelled a trip to Quebec when the pandemic hit. I'm not quite ready to plan it again, but am curious if USA citizens can cross the border into Canada yet.

jmo

Not yet, from what I'm reading.

Trudeau Says US-Canada Border Won’t Reopen Anytime Soon

 

[Inthedetails]

Georgia:

Executive Order 03.31.21.03

▪ Will become effective April 8 through April 30, 2021
▪ Eliminates the Gatherings ban...
▪ Reduces any remaining distance requirements (i.e. distance between parties at restaurants, bars, and movie theaters, and between patrons of group fitness classes)
▪ Eliminates the ability of law enforcement to close an organization for failure to comply with the Executive Order provisions

Governor Kemp signs new COVID-19 Executive Orders - 41NBC News | WMGT-DT

 

[Deleted member 158085]

• "Travelers should avoid all travel to Canada.
• Because of the current situation in Canada even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants and should avoid all travel to Canada.
• If you must travel to Canada, get fully vaccinated before travel. All travelers should wear a mask, stay 6 feet from others, avoid crowds, and wash their hands."

CDC: Do not travel to Canada, even if you are vaccinated​

We shouldn't be leaving the country, period. That's how these variants got in.

 

[Inthedetails]

Mask mandates by U.S. state, as of April 6, 2021

Does Your State Have a Mask Mandate Due to Coronavirus?.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

WTH!!!!!

New US deaths yesterday were 2,570!

Is this a jump due to a state/some states changes or ?? Difference in mortality of the new variant? Result of spring breaks? Anyone know?

Here is screenshot - click on this to see the major major jump

 

[Inthedetails]

WTH!!!!!

New US deaths yesterday were 2,570!

Is this a jump due to a state/some states changes or ?? Difference in mortality of the new variant? Result of spring breaks? Anyone know?

Here is screenshot - click on this to see the major major jump

View attachment 291857

Almost as many as 9/11.

I remember people predicting a year or so ago that the numbers would eventually be huge and then become so frequent that we would become used to them. Looks like that indeed happened.

Staggering to think of how many people are in mourning and in grief. And for those of us not actively feeling the grief from a loved one who has passed, life still feels heavy and just so slow.

I was talking to DH last night about the importance of keeping up morale, of finding ways, however small, to keep spirits up. That is no small task! It takes persistent effort.

When you see any small way to boost yourself, boost your family, boost anyone....do it.

jmo

 

[ilovewings]

Offering some perspective here: As I understand it, it took the UK almost 4 months of lockdown to curb B117. They have plans to open up April 12.

With B117 now dominant in the US, as predicted, (and other troublesome variants here, 1351, P1, double mutant ETC ETC), and with our high baseline, no mitigation, restrictions eased, yes again, vaccines will offer some buffering, thank GOD, but I don’t see how we are going to be hunky dory in July, jmo. We will see, maybe I’m wrong. I haven’t disagreed with Dr. Fauci up to this point, (mass respect and props here to Doc F), and IANAD. Maybe things will be hunky dory in July. With the variants, I’m not sure. I’ve been tracking P1 since December, I think. It’s now April and it’s really hammering Brazil and South America 4 months later. It really is a race against the vaccines.

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eta: I am VERY worried, the most worried I’ve been since the pandemic started, the world is on fire. See international updates here, I can’t tell you the number of countries in lockdown right now, countries seeing their highest case numbers and deaths to date. Thankfully Biden is RACING and doing the best he can with vaccines. So many countries don’t have this, shoot some don’t even have medicines. I am also really worried about the kids.

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Eta: From the Massachusetts thread/just posted:

I agree the world is on fire- and here in the United States we have a population for the most part that is acting like there is no virus--- full stadiums for baseball, a population that apparently does not recognize that this virus is behavior driven---as long as we as a country continue on this path I am not sure we will ever conquer this virus.

 

[weepingangel]

Houston Hospital Is First Among Peers to Require Staff Vaccines
more at link
The Houston Methodist hospital system in Texas will soon require its 26,000 employees get the Covid-19 vaccine, in what a spokeswoman said appears to be the first such move by a large U.S. hospital system.



The development was shared in an email Chief Executive Officer Marc Boom sent to managers on Wednesday. It gave them until mid-April to get “at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine or get an approved exemption.” No deadline for all employees was given in the email.



About 95% of management and all executives have received vaccines to date, compared with about 83% of employees, including everyone from doctors and nurses to cafeteria workers, according to Boom’s email. Religious and medical exemptions will be allowed in “very rare cases,” according to a document outlining frequently asked questions that was linked in the email.

 

[LadyL]

Canada on track to surpass U.S. in number of COVID cases relative to population

 

[ilovewings]

Canada on track to surpass U.S. in number of COVID cases relative to population

Why is Canada having such an uptick of cases? I would imagine Canadians are more cooperative with respect to their behavior mitigation (Am I right?)-- I know variants are involved, but still-----

 

[LadyL]

Why is Canada having such an uptick of cases? I would imagine Canadians are more cooperative with respect to their behavior mitigation (Am I right?)-- I know variants are involved, but still-----

apparently it's the Brazil variant?
but we have just as many covidiots as everywhere else unfortunately
we've even got the gov't having to close down churches etc.

 

[weepingangel]

I was just assuming the variants are just that much more contagious and viable? And it seems now like the kids (and youngish folks) are spreading it more readily now . (And sports and socializing. Indoor dining *eyeroll*)
Eta- not enough first responders/front liners etc getting vaxed also imo. And let’s get to at least the 12 yr old and ups ASAP
It’s frightening.

Why is Canada having such an uptick of cases? I would imagine Canadians are more cooperative with respect to their behavior mitigation (Am I right?)-- I know variants are involved, but still-----

 

[weepingangel]

Holiday weekend ? Michigan dump a bunch of data ?

WTH!!!!!

New US deaths yesterday were 2,570!

Is this a jump due to a state/some states changes or ?? Difference in mortality of the new variant? Result of spring breaks? Anyone know?

Here is screenshot - click on this to see the major major jump

View attachment 291857

 

[LadyL]

apparently it's the Brazil variant?
but we have just as many covidiots as everywhere else unfortunately
we've even got the gov't having to close down churches etc.

quoting myself to say we're also dealing with morons like this:

Kemptville, Ont. restaurant to open for ‘mask burning party’ amid COVID-19 lockdown

 

[LadyL]

they buried this in the article:

AstraZeneca has said it is working with the British and European regulators to list possible brain blood clots as “an extremely rare potential side-effect.”

Concerns over AstraZeneca grow as Australia, Philippines, African Union curb COVID-19 shots

 

[LadyL]

Quebec City gym linked to more than 400 cases of COVID-19 | London Free Press

 

[MimosaMornings]

Houston Hospital Is First Among Peers to Require Staff Vaccines
more at link
The Houston Methodist hospital system in Texas will soon require its 26,000 employees get the Covid-19 vaccine, in what a spokeswoman said appears to be the first such move by a large U.S. hospital system.



The development was shared in an email Chief Executive Officer Marc Boom sent to managers on Wednesday. It gave them until mid-April to get “at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine or get an approved exemption.” No deadline for all employees was given in the email.



About 95% of management and all executives have received vaccines to date, compared with about 83% of employees, including everyone from doctors and nurses to cafeteria workers, according to Boom’s email. Religious and medical exemptions will be allowed in “very rare cases,” according to a document outlining frequently asked questions that was linked in the email.

YES!!!