for the inauguration, and at that time you predicted the country would be a close to a half a million deaths by mid February. That’s almost exactly where we are right now. What do you think the trajectory is from this point? You know, I think so much depends on how we, as a country, behave. We still have 100,000 cases a day. We still have somewhere between 1535 100 deaths per day. And yet we see some communities relaxing. Some of their mitigation strategies were nowhere out of the woods. And as you note, if we relax these mitigation strategies with increasing transmissible variants out there, we could be in a much more difficult spot. So what I would say is now is the time to not let up our guard. Now is the time to double down. Still, with 100,000 cases a day still with over 2.5 times the cases we had over the summer. So you’re talking about places like Montana and Iowa, where they have lifted masking requirements. You say that’s a mistake. Indeed. Indeed, I think we’re not out of the woods yet. We need to get our kids back to school. We need to get our communities back to some normal functioning before we can start thinking about letting up our mitigation strategies.
CDC director says Iowa made a mistake when lifting COVID-19 mitigation efforts
Updated: 7:10 PM CST Feb 14, 2021
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky called out Iowa for lifting mitigation efforts in an interview Sunday morning with “Face the Nation.””We are nowhere out of the woods, and as you know, if we relax these mitigation strategies with the increasing transmissible variant out there, we could be in a much more difficult spot,” Walensky said. “What I would say is now is the time to not let up our guard. Now is the time to double down. Still with a 100,000 cases a day, still with over 2.5 times the cases we had over the summer.” “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan specifically asked if the director was speaking about states like Montana and Iowa. Brennan asked if those states made a mistake. Walensky replied, “Indeed. I think we’re not out of the woods yet. We need to get our kids back to school. We need to get our communities back to some normal functioning before we can start thinking about letting up our mitigation strategies.” On Feb. 5, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced she was lifting nearly all of her restrictions on businesses, gatherings and masks. Her proclamation stated, “I strongly encourage that all businesses or other employers remain open with in-person operations take reasonable measures under the circumstances of each establishment to ensure the health of employees, patrons and members of the public, including social distancing practices, increased hygiene practices and other public health measures to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19.”Iowa has been ranked near the bottom of the CDC’s list for its vaccine rollout plan.
DES MOINES, Iowa —
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky called out Iowa for lifting mitigation efforts in an interview Sunday morning with “Face the Nation.”
“We are nowhere out of the woods, and as you know, if we relax these mitigation strategies with the increasing transmissible variant out there, we could be in a much more difficult spot,” Walensky said. “What I would say is now is the time to not let up our guard. Now is the time to double down. Still with a 100,000 cases a day, still with over 2.5 times the cases we had over the summer.”
“Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan specifically asked if the director was speaking about states like Montana and Iowa. Brennan asked if those states made a mistake.
Walensky replied, “Indeed. I think we’re not out of the woods yet. We need to get our kids back to school. We need to get our communities back to some normal functioning before we can start thinking about letting up our mitigation strategies.”
On Feb. 5, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced she was lifting nearly all of her restrictions on businesses, gatherings and masks.
Her proclamation stated, “I strongly encourage that all businesses or other employers remain open with in-person operations take reasonable measures under the circumstances of each establishment to ensure the health of employees, patrons and members of the public, including social distancing practices, increased hygiene practices and other public health measures to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19.”
Iowa has been ranked near the bottom of the CDC’s list for its vaccine rollout plan.
ST. BERNARD PARISH – A Louisiana resident went viral on social media after she posted a video explaining how she hasn’t been able to do anything with her hair due to the fact that it’s stuck to her head.
She goes by the name, Tessica, on her Instagram. Three days ago Tessica hit over a million views on Instagram after she claimed that her hair has been stuck in the style of a braided ponytail for about a month after she sprayed Gorilla Glue on her actual hair.
Tessica says she has tried to wash her hair 15 times and even used coconut oil as a last resort, but came out with no luck.
On Saturday she posted a picture of her at the St. Bernard Parish Hospital to receive treatment to undo her mistake.
Tessica’s video has gone viral on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok with views topping of a million and thousands of comments.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has his regrets about tests of his space company’s Starship rocket.
The latest two prototypes went up in flames during their respective maiden voyages, in December and earlier this week.
One of the main culprits for the explosions: the sequence of events the spacecraft had to run through as they descended in order to first right themselves and then provide enough thrust to not get crushed by the rapidly approaching ground.
It’s an extremely difficult maneuver to pull off. Earlier today, Musk admitted that “we were too dumb” to light only two engines to provide enough landing thrust. By design, Starship only requires the thrust of two Raptor engines to make a soft landing.
Foolish Mistake
Igniting all three of the SN9 prototype’s Raptor rocket engines once approaching the ground would have provided fewer points of failure during Tuesday’s test flight. In other words, lighting three engines would allow it to chose the two engines required to make a soft landing.
Responding to SpaceX enthusiast Tim Dodd, better known as Everyday Astronaut, on Twitter, Musk acknowledged what went wrong. “It was foolish of us not to start three engines and immediately shut down one, as two are needed to land,” Musk replied.
Luckily, it’s a change that can be implemented for SN10, according to Musk.
Going to Mars
SpaceX has its work cut out for it. Developing an orbital rocket capable of sending 100 passengers as far as Mars is a huge undertaking.
But while an explosion looks violent and destructive, engineers are able to gain a ton of insights into what goes wrong.
“We got a lot of good data, and the primary objective — to demonstrate control of the vehicle in the subsonic re-entry — looked to be very good, and we will take a lot out of that,” SpaceX principal integration engineer John Insprucker said during SpaceX’s launch webcast on Tuesday.
More on Starship: Elon Musk Breaks Silence on Starship Crash: “We Were Too Dumb”
I, along with millions of others, whooped for joy to see the first people in the world receive their first COVID-19 vaccinations. This monumental event is on a par with the other most amazing events in history, such as the discovery of penicillin, or the first steps on the moon. Why on earth, after all the heartache this despicable virus has caused, would anyone not want to have this stupendous vaccine? I’m incredulous. So, as a doctor, I’m writing this to try and set the record straight on the COVID vaccine. Read on—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss theseSure Signs You’ve Already Had Coronavirus.
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According to a recent poll, only around half of Americans want to be vaccinated, about a quarter remain unsure, and the final quarter plan to refuse. How can anyone say ‘No’ to this vaccine—our golden ticket? Across the globe, immunizations are currently in use which protect against 19 different viruses. Every year these vaccinations save 2-3 million lives. Vaccinations are a phenomenal public health success. The new COVID-19 vaccine now becomes number 20 on the list.
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If enough of the population take up an immunization, it is possible to eradicate an infection completely. However, even if total eradication is never achieved, a virus can still be eliminated to such an extent that cases of viral infection become rare. For eradication, or elimination to occur, large numbers of the population need to be vaccinated.
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For you as an individual, the aim of having the vaccine is to stop you from becoming infected. If, however, you do become infected, there is every likelihood that the infection will be less severe and less prolonged. Vaccines stop you from becoming severely ill and can save your life.
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Vaccinations have wider overall health benefits for the nation. Worldwide, vaccinations result in thousands of millions of dollars of health-care savings. They also lead to lower antibiotic prescribing, which in turn reduces antibiotic resistance.
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For example, in one US study of older people, those who had had a flu vaccine, had a 20% reduction in cardiovascular risk (strokes and heart attacks), and a 50% reduced chance of dying from these events, than those who did not have the vaccine. The following are true statements about vaccines:
Immunizations:
Allow us to undertake safe international travel
Protect babies and young children from common childhood infections
Protect and support primary care health services
Empower women to plan their families, continue their education and maintain their options in the workplace
Reduce the threat of bioterrorism
Redress disparities in health between different communities
Help maintain peace and prosperity
…according to WHO. Who could fail to be impressed with the numerous benefits of vaccination?
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A 2015 publication in the journal Vaccine reviewed the medical evidence on vaccine safety. The authors described the meticulous testing and safety procedures used in vaccine development and declared that vaccines are amongst the safest medicines in clinical use.
Vaccines have a very sophisticated adverse reporting system. Very often when an adverse outcome is reported about a vaccine, it is not actually something caused by the vaccine. For example, the flu vaccine contains dead flu virus and cannot give you the flu. If you go down with the flu within a few days of being vaccinated, the chances are you had probably become infected with flu a few days before you had the vaccine.
Anyone can be allergic to anything, and this is serious because if you are unlucky enough to experience acute anaphylaxis, this is life-threatening. However, the risk of anaphylaxis with vaccines in general, is low and rarely fatal, because anaphylaxis is treatable.
There were two cases of anaphylactoid reaction on the first day of the COVID-19 UK vaccination program, both of whom were treated and have completely recovered.
The UK regulatory agency, the MHRA, has said that anyone who suffers from immediate anaphylaxis – usually requiring them to carry an EpiPen – should not have the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine until further information has been established.
The vaccine is not grown in hen’s eggs and is latex-free. It may be that the risk of an anaphylactoid reaction is due to the small quantity of polyethylene glycol (PEG) in the vaccine. PEG is a common ingredient of cosmetic products and is not been associated with significant safety concerns to date.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine trials did not include people with severe anaphylaxis, as is normal practice, in their clinical trials. From the trial data, possible allergic reactions were reported in 0.63% of those who were vaccinated, and 0.51% of those given a placebo. Experts have commented this is a very low risk of vaccine-related allergy. New medicines are always closely monitored, and the monitoring system is working well.
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Live attenuated vaccines are vaccines which contain living organisms that have been modified, so they do not cause an infection if you have a healthy immune system. However, people with a severely weakened immune system should not use them as they can cause illness.
The COVID-19 vaccines are not live attenuated vaccines — so they could potentially be used in people who are immunocompromised. What is not known, is how good the antibody response will be in these patients. Further advice is awaited.
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GBS is an auto-immune condition triggered by a bacterial or a viral infection, leading to nerve damage.
It is uncertain from medical studies if vaccination might increase the risk of GBS. In one 2009 study, those who had received the H1N1 vaccination had a lower rate of BGBS than those who did not. In other studies, deaths in people with GBS were not considered to be related to the use of any specific vaccinations.
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Around 3% of the population have a fear of needles, and may collapse due to fainting, when they have a blood test or an injection. Associated head injuries have been reported. The healthcare professional will ensure you are a safe as possible when you have your vaccination. A period of 15 minutes observation is recommended after an injection.
RELATED: Unhealthiest Habits on the Planet, According to Doctors
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There are a whole host of incorrect facts being bandied about regarding the COVID vaccine. Please take a look at the following statements and rest assured these are all telling the truth:
The COVID vaccine will not change your DNA
The COVID vaccine does not contain material from a dead foetus
The COVID vaccine does not contain heavy metals
The COVID vaccine does not contain a microchip
Vaccines are not a cause of autism
Just because the vaccine was produced in record time does not mean its not safe
If you want more details about all these points see this extremely eloquent post by Chris York at The Huffington Post.
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You might be thinking, if everyone else has a vaccination, I don’t need to bother. But hang on—this is not correct. For starters, some of the population can’t have the vaccine for medical reasons, for example, people who have severe allergies or who are immunocompromised. By not having the vaccine you will also inevitably encourage others to follow this example. To protect the population, we need to create herd immunity, meaning large numbers of people need to be vaccinated.
Herd immunity means that so many people in the population have antibodies to the virus, it has nowhere to go. Having this high level of immunity in the population, stops the virus from spreading person to person. This will only happen when enough people are immune. For herd immunity to COVID, 80-90% of people need to take up the vaccine.
RELATED:If You Feel This, You May Have Already Had COVID, Says Dr. Fauci
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COVID-19 is not an infection to be trifled with.
“Since December 2019,” writes virologist Andrew Stanley Pekosz, Ph.D., “COVID-19 has killed more people in the USA than influenza has in the past 5 years.” One of the reasons, he goes on to explain, is that none of us has any pre-existing immunity to COVID-19, whereas we are likely to have met the influenza virus before. COVID causes much more severe disease than influenza, and has a higher mortality in all age groups, except in children under the age or 12.
COVID infection is particularly risky for older adults and those who are immunocompromised, or have other comorbidities such as high blood pressure, raised cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity.
COVID has specific effects on the body which differ from infection with influenza, for example, it stimulates blood-clotting mechanisms, and increases the risk of thrombosis (blood clots). The death rate from COVID is at least three times higher than the death rate from influenza. Those who survive severe COVID can be left with long-lasting symptoms including chronic lung disease and heart and kidney disease – so-called ‘long COVID.’
The best way to deal with COVID-19 – which has wreaked havoc with our entire civilization – is to prevent it. How can we prevent it? – By have the COVID vaccination.
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We are all human and humans make mistakes. But not having the COVID vaccine is a mistake you can stop from happening.
If you have read through this post, you should be convinced that COVID-19 is a deadly infection and that the new COVID vaccine is safe and effective. Many of the rumours you have heard about the vaccination are completely untrue.
You need to have this vaccination to protect yourself, but also to help protect everyone you love. This is not someone else’s responsibility—It’s yours.
If you want life to return to normal by the Spring – or even the Summer – it’s time to roll up your sleeve. The COVID vaccination is really your golden ticket.
So follow the public health fundamentals and help end this surge, no matter where you live—wear a face mask, social distance, avoid large crowds, don’t go indoors with people you’re not sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene, get vaccinated when it becomes available to you, and to protect your life and the lives of others, don’t visit any of these 35 Places You’re Most Likely to Catch COVID.
Draymond Green shouldn’t have been ejected late in the first half of the Warriors’ game against the New York Knicks on Thursday night at Chase Center.
Following the Warriors’ 119-104 loss, coach Steve Kerr revealed what the referees told him at halftime, shortly after they tossed Green.
“At halftime, Ben Taylor came out and told me that it was a mistake, that John Butler didn’t realize Draymond was yelling at his teammate,” Kerr told reporters on a video call after the game. “He thought he was yelling at him.”
Green was ejected with just over a minute remaining in the first half. Following a turnover on an attempted entry pass to James Wiseman, Green yelled at the rookie center as the Warriors got back on defense. He was loud enough that the screaming to be heard through the NBC Sports Bay Area broadcast.
Butler clearly thought Green was yelling at him and assessed him a second technical foul, resulting in his automatic ejection.
The Warriors weren’t playing particularly well and trailed the Knicks 63-57 at halftime, but losing Green for the second half effectively ended any chance they had of winning the game. He makes that big of a difference for the team.
“Obviously, Draymond is one of our best and most impactful players, so it hurt us, but we were playing very poorly to that point anyway,” Kerr told reporters. “I’m not going to talk about the officiating, I’m going to talk about our poor play. We just foul constantly. We’re dead last in the league in fouls, I think, in free throw attempts allowed. And you can’t win games when you foul, foul, foul. You’re constantly having to bring the ball up out of the net after a team is shooting free throws.
“You can’t build any rhythm at all. We had four fouls in the first 55 seconds of the fourth quarter, so we are who we are and I obviously have to do a better job. We’re undisciplined and we’ve got to find a way to defend without fouling.”
RELATED: Paschall makes franchise history in loss to Knicks
Andrew Wiggins, who finished with 17 points and nine rebounds in the loss, said the Warriors missed their vocal leader.
“It makes a big difference,” Wiggins told reporters. “Draymond is a huge part of this team on both sides of the floor. His presence, even on the bench is huge. We missed him, obviously, tonight.”
The league, once it reviews the film of the game, likely will rescind the second technical assessed to Green. But that doesn’t lessen the sting of him missing the second half Thursday night.
