The Froedtert Health network in Wisconsin has sent a clear message to employees claiming religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccination: with an alternative to mRNA vaccines now available, get vaccinated or resign.
In an email to a Froedtert staff member obtained by WTMJ-TV, the health network's COVID-19 Vaccine Religious Exemption Review Committee wrote, "Your original exemption submission and additional documentation you provided do not meet the criteria of explaining your sincerely held religious belief that conflicts with receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, including the new Novavax vaccine."
The religious exemption will not be upheld, despite additional comments provided that "related to opinions or non-factual information," the committee added. If the staff member does not get a first dose by September 21, they will be "considered voluntarily resigned."
The move by Froedtert, which is affiliated with the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, signals a blow to vaccine holdouts in the workplace, including healthcare providers, who have argued their religion prevents them from getting vaccinated.
While the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are mRNA-based, Novavax is protein-based. Those who requested religious exemptions to their work or school policies have often cited the use of fetal material in mRNA vaccines or in their development, though neither Novavax nor the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines contain fetal tissue or DNA. However, it has been reported that laboratory-replicated fetal cell lines, some originating from abortions decades ago, have been used in the testing of mRNA vaccines.
Dorit Reiss, PhD, a professor at the University of California Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, who has researched religious exemptions from vaccines, told MedPage Today it was only a matter of time before some employers, including hospitals, started to enforce vaccination policies after Novavax was authorized for use in August.
"I've said publicly before that I think Novavax does change the situation in relation to arguments about cell lines," she said. "This is the first I've heard of an employer actually moving on it."
An emailed statement from Froedtert to MedPage Today said, in part, "This protein-based vaccination option eliminates conflicts for those staff with religious or medical exemptions caused by mRNA-based vaccines and other concerns. Since those staff are now eligible for a vaccination that does not conflict with their religious beliefs or medical situation, their exemption will expire."
The health network said that the rule will affect less than 1% of their staff, and that "impacted employees" were given a chance to apply for another exemption before previous ones expired, noting they will uphold "valid medical exemptions and sincerely held religious exemptions."
Reiss said of the many claims to back up religious exemptions she's come across, the fetal cell line argument was perhaps the most common, partially because it might curry favor from pro-life judges. "If they can piggyback on the abortion debate, they're more likely to win" in a dispute, she said. But other reasons, like the claim that some religions require blood to be free of contamination, have also been used.
Some vocal opponents of vaccine requirements may have anticipated the post-Novavax repercussions, and urged their followers to use other reasons to back up their religious objections, Reiss said.
For example, Cait Corrigan, a Boston University theology student behind a group called Students Against Mandates, posted an online outline to the group's website with tips for "successful" religious exemption letters, writing, "Note you can write about aborted fetal tissue ... but this is not enough! (You must talk about the issue of Blood in the vaccines, being made in the Image of God, etc.)" (MedPage Today could not confirm whether Corrigan is still a student at Boston University.)
But neither these types of arguments nor religious beliefs are likely to hold up in most courts, according to Reiss and other experts. "The standard for vaccine mandates in the workplace is, you can refuse an exemption if it's an undue burden, like the burden of not having vaccinated employees at a hospital," she said.
And though objections to vaccination itself may be sincere, "for most of them, I think it's about safety concerns, many of them created by misinformation," Reiss noted. "For most of them, the religion is a cover for that concern."
Sophie Putka is an enterprise and investigative writer for MedPage Today. Her work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Discover, Business Insider, Inverse, Cannabis Wire, and more. She joined MedPage Today in August of 2021. Follow
The SARS-CoV2 virus has proven to be nothing if not tenacious. While its virulence has been tempered by vaccines, boosters and treatments, it remains a force to be reckoned with. And even though many have tried to predict the pandemics eventual conclusion, lets just say that reports of the coronavirus death have been greatly exaggerated.
Given that backdrop, more than a few pundits must have raised an eyebrow upon hearing that, with its recent COVID-vaccine intellectual property lawsuit against Pfizer and BioNTech, Moderna was, in effect, declaring the end of the pandemic.
In the suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts and the Regional Court of Dsseldorf in Germany, Moderna asserts that multiple patents were infringed upon. One involves chemical modifications to the mRNA molecule, which reduce the bodys immune response against the mRNA itself. Another involves mRNA encoding for a full-length coronavirus spike protein.
Together they form the foundation of the mRNA platform in Spikevax, Modernas COVID-19 shot. The technologies underlying the patents were invented by the company years before the pandemic began. Moderna alleges that Pfizer and BioNTech ultimately chose to adopt the same vaccine design and chemical modification for their COVID-19 shot, Comirnaty.
Not surprisingly, Moderna is seeking monetary damages. But the timing of the lawsuit is what has piqued the broader industrys curiosity.
Back in October 2020, Moderna issued a statement on IP-related matters. In it, the company acknowledged there are other COVID-19 vaccines in development that may use Moderna-patented technologies, but vowed not to enforce its COVID-19 related patents against makers of those other vaccines while the pandemic continues.
Then in March of this year, Moderna issued an updated pledge, saying in effect that the situation had changed. Its August 26 lawsuit, then, was a de facto recognition of the end of the COVID-19 pandemic by [Moderna], as the company previously signaled reluctance to pursue patent litigation while the pandemic was ongoing, analysts from SVB Securities observed in a research note.
Modernas complaint cites the voluntary pledge it made more than two years ago. It goes on to explain that, by early 2022, The collective fight against COVID-19 had entered a new endemic phase and vaccine supply was no longer a barrier to access in many parts of the world, including the United States. In view of these developments, Moderna announced on March 7, 2022, that it expected companies such as Pfizer and BioNTech to respect Modernas intellectual property and would consider a commercially reasonable license should they request one.
To date, neither Pfizer nor BioNTech has requested a license. So what happens now that a competitor is asserting that it played a role in the creation of Pfizers shot, which the drugmaker expects will bring in $32 billion in global revenue this year?
The way forward is complicated by the fact that mRNA vaccines rely on a host of technologies developed by multiple companies, non-profit labs and government institutions. Parsing ownership will be a thorny process.
Meanwhile, in light of the slowdown in FDA approvals, no one wants to undercut these proven cash cows. Moderna says that it isnt looking to remove Comirnaty from the market. And the various companies suing Moderna for patent infringement, which include Arbutus Biopharma/Genevant Sciences and Alnylam Pharma, arent looking to get in the way of Spikevaxs future sales, either.
Such disputes are typically resolved via a one-time royalty payment. If the history of IP kerfuffles among companies in the oligonucleotide space is a guide, the SVB team wrote, The most likely outcome would be modest royalties paid by both companies, usually in the low single digits percentage-wise.
Moderna is only suing for Comirnaty revenue Pfizer and BioNTech realized after March 8, 2022, as it said it values a speedy end to the pandemic over the potential for profits. That would imply a modest royalty payment.
Law firms for the parties, on the other hand, stand to gain much more. Legal teams for Pfizer and BioNTech are likely to weaponize their own patent portfolio and pursue a path of delay and deny, which could result in the dispute taking years to resolve in court.
Legal scholars say Modernas patent case may depend in part on whether were past the pandemic phase of COVID-19. With 400 people dying every day and current case counts sitting at around 90,000 per day and 40,000 more currently hospitalized in American hospitals one could argue that we are very much not. The World Health Organization certainly hasnt downgraded the pandemic status yet.
And even though Moderna thinks its March 2020 pledge has expired, the firms initial promise may still be binding. Assuming Pfizer/BioNTech were justified in relying on their rivals 2020 vow when they developed and priced Comirnaty, Moderna could be prevented from reneging (and from enforcing its patents) under a legal doctrine known as promissory estoppel.
Why is Moderna willing to take the chance of its suit backfiring for such a small amount? Probably because of the potential of mRNA as a platform technology. Determining who owns the licenses now could result in larger payouts down the line.
But Moderna may not be able to simply invalidate prior patent assurances. As long as the WHO still maintains that the COVID-19 pandemic is in force, it aint over til its over.
The percentage of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths that were prevented from COVID-19 vaccination increased with greater vaccine coverage, according to a recent study.
Based on a review of the data, investigators observed that the US COVID-19 vaccination program was successful in preventing millions of infections, deaths, and hospitalizations from SARS-CoV-2 in adults in the United States. Specifically, the investigators found that individuals who received a complete vaccine serieseither 2 doses of BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273, or 1 dose of JNJ-78436735was estimated to prevent 30% of all future COVID-19 infections. Vaccination was also found to reduce 33% of all expected hospitalizations and 34% of deaths in individuals aged 18 and older.
COVID-19 vaccination in the US has provided substantial protection against infections, hospitalizations, and deaths among those who have been vaccinated, wrote the study authors in their report published in JAMA Network Open. Vaccination is an effective public health intervention with demonstrable impact, which will be critical in combination with nonpharmaceutical interventions to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the study, investigators aimed to estimate the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections and associated hospitalizations and deaths prevented due to the COVID-19 vaccine in US adults. At the start, the investigators first estimated the burden of COVID-19 by age group, month, and state in the United States using a multiplier model. After gathering data on estimated COVID-19 hospitalizations, the investigators then estimated the number of infections and deaths associated with the virus.
To determine the estimated number of vaccinated individuals in the United States, the investigators used CDC data and calculated the numbers based on age group, month, state, and vaccine type. The results of this analysis indicated that approximately 27 million infections were prevented because of the COVID-19 vaccine. Among those who were fully vaccinated, approximately 235,000 deaths were prevented during the 9-month study period. The vaccine also protected against an even larger 1.6 million hospitalizations in adults aged 18 years and older.
Additionally, the US COVID-19 vaccination program had the greatest impact in terms of averting severe disease in older adults. These age groups not only have the highest rates of hospitalizations and deaths, but they also have the highest rate of vaccine coverage, according to investigators.
The investigating team also observed that the northeast region of the United States likely experienced the most prevention against infections, hospitalizations, and deaths from COVID-19. This estimate was based on the higher rates of vaccination in this population compared to other US regions.
The investigators also noted that the study findings had the limitation of not taking into account reduced infections, hospitalizations, or deaths in unvaccinated peoplenor did the findings account for the benefits experienced by partially-vaccinated individuals. Investigators also admitted that they could have underestimated both the burden of severe outcomes in unvaccinated people and accurate hospitalizations caused by COVID-19 infection.
However, investigators did note that the data showed both direct and long-term benefits from a full vaccination. Additionally, the study authors noted that they hope future research will be focused on estimating the impact of vaccination in individuals younger than age 18 years, as well as assess the benefits of partial vaccination, indirect benefits of vaccination on disease transmission, and the impact of additional primary or booster doses.
Reference
Steele M, Couture A, Reed C, et al. Estimated Number of COVID-19 Infections, Hospitalizations, and Deaths Prevented Among Vaccinated Persons in the US, December 2020 to September 2021. JAMA Netw Open.2022;5(7):e2220385. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.20385
The world's first nasal COVID-19 vaccine was invented in St. Louis. Washington University researchers pioneered a vaccine now being used in India.
Author: ksdk.com
Published: 6:30 PM CDT September 9, 2022
Updated: 6:30 PM CDT September 9, 2022
COVID-19 vaccines have been effective at keeping people from getting severely ill and dying from the virus, but theyve required different boosters to try to keep on top of all of the coronavirus variants that have popped up. Now, researchers have discovered an antibody that neutralizes all known COVID-19 variants.
The antibody, called SP1-77, is the result of a collaborative effort from researchers at Boston Childrens Hospital and Duke University. Results from mouse studies theyve conducted were recently published in the journal Science Immunology, and they look promising.
But what does it mean, exactly, to have an antibody that can neutralize all variants of COVID-19, and what kind of impact will this have on vaccines in the future? Heres what you need to know.
SP1-77 is an antibody developed by researchers that so far can neutralize all forms of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. It was created after researchers modified a mouse model that was originally made to search for broadly neutralizing antibodies to HIV, which also mutates.
The mice used in the study have built-in human immune systems that mimic the way our immune systems develop better antibodies when were exposed to a pathogen. The researchers inserted two human gene segments into the mice, which then created a range of antibodies that humans might make. The mice were then exposed to SARS-CoV-2s spike protein (which is what the virus uses to latch onto your cells) and produced nine different families of antibodies that bound to the spike protein to try to neutralize it.
Those antibodies were then tested and oneSP1-77was able to neutralize Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and all Omicron strains (including the current circulating ones) of COVID-19.
The antibody works in a slightly different way than many of the antibodies people make to vaccines. To infect you, SARS-CoV-2 has to first attach to ACE2 receptors in your cells. The current COVID-19 vaccines block this binding from happening by attaching to the spike proteins receptor-binding domain (RBD) at certain spots, a press release from Boston Childrens Hospital explains.
The SP1-77 antibody also binds to the RBD, but doesnt prevent the virus from binding to ACE2 receptors. What it does do is block the virus from fusing its outer membrane with the membrane of your cells, which is what needs to happen to make you sick.
SP1-77 binds the spike protein at a site that so far has not been mutated in any variant, and it neutralizes these variants by a novel mechanism, study co-author Tomas Kirchhausen, Ph.D., said in a statement. These properties may contribute to its broad and potent activity.
Its not clear right now. Its important to note that this research was done in micenot humansalthough studies on the antibody are ongoing.
This is very early-stage proof-of-concept work to illustrate that broadly neutralizing antibodies can be generated using a mouse model, says Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., infectious disease expert and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. Such work, if replicated and expanded, could form the basis of new monoclonal antibody products as well as a vaccine.
Experts say that a vaccine that could take out all variants of COVID-19 would definitely be welcome. Wed love to have a vaccine that is active against all circulating variants, including those yet to come, says Thomas Russo, M.D., professor and chief of infectious disease at the University at Buffalo in New York. Its the holy grail of vaccines.
That could potentially mean that you would only need to get a COVID-19 shot or booster once a year or even less frequently, depending on how long protection from the vaccine lasted, Dr. Russo says.
The researchers have applied for a patent for the SP1-77 antibody and mouse model used to create it, and plan to create something that can be used by the general public if all goes well.
Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Mens Health, Womens Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a masters degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.
FILE PHOTO: doctor hand in gloves holding coronavirus vaccine. Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya
With eight new COVID-19 deaths the last seven days Utah is closing in on 5,000 since the start of the pandemic.
COVID-19 deaths remain at 257 within the Bear River Health District, which includes Cache, Box Elder and Rich counties. Since the outbreak, 56,519 total positive cases have been found in the district, 39,985 of them in Cache County.
There were 165 new cases in the district the last week and over 68 percent of the northern Utah population (age 5+) has received at least one dose of the vaccine and 2,262 patients in northern Utah have been hospitalized with COVID.
Utahs Division of Health and Human Services reported 122 COVID patients in the states hospitals as of Thursday, 37 fewer than last week. Included in those numbers are 22 COVID patients in intensive care. Since the start of the pandemic there have been 38,167 COVID hospitalizations in Utah.
In other COVID-19 metrics released Thursday almost 56 percent of the states wastewater sites showed elevated or increasing amounts of corona virus.
Almost 2,400 new cases were reported in the last week, much fewer than a week ago. There have been 1,032,129 positive cases of COVID in Utah the last 30 months.
Just over two million Utahns are fully vaccinated which is 63 percent of the population and 985,386 have received at lease one booster shot.
Almost 3,500 vaccine doses were administered the last seven days to bring the total doses administered in Utah to more than 5.37 million.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, new vaccines to prevent infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19m are under constant development.
Up to now, all approved COVID-19 vaccines have been subcutaneous that is, administered under the skin, often by injection into the upper area of the arm.
Now, two companies are planning to change that through the development of COVID-19 vaccines inhaled through the nose.
CanSino Biologics, a Chinese pharmaceutical company, recently received approval from the National Medical Products Administration of China for Convidecia Air, their recombinant vaccine delivered via inhalation, as a nasal spray.
Bharat Biotech International, a biotechnology company headquartered in India, has been granted approval under Restricted Use in Emergency Situation in India for its iNCOVACC recombinant vaccine administered intranasally as nasal drops.
The most common way of administering a vaccine continues to be through an injection. However, this is not the first time scientists have developed an intranasal vaccine option. The most widely known nasal vaccines right now are for influenza, commonly known as the flu.
There have also been studies conducted on nasal vaccines for other diseases, including pertussis (whooping cough), hepatitis B, and the African swine fever virus.
Some researchers believe that delivering a vaccine nasally provides the benefit of administering the vaccine directly into the mucosa of the body. The mucosa, or mucus membrane, is the moist inner layer of body cavities, such as the nose and mouth, as well as some organs. The glands in the mucosa are what produce mucus.
The mucosa is an important part of the bodys immune system. When a person breathes, the mucosa helps keep bacteria and other potentially problematic particles from getting into their body.
The mucosa also absorbs certain pathogens. And because the nose connects to the bodys respiratory system, this makes it easy for a nasal vaccine to move through the body.
Additionally, nasal vaccines provide less stress for people who are afraid of needles. Experts estimate that 1 out of 4 adults and 2 out of 3 children are afraid of shots. And 1 out of every 10 people may put off having the COVID-19 vaccination due to their fear of needles.
Both Convidecia Air from CanSino Biologics, and iNCOVACC from Bharat Biotech International Limited are recombinant vaccines.
That means they use a protein from the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the vaccine. When the vaccine enters the body, the protein attaches to cells in the body, teaching them to trigger an immune response if they ever encounter that same protein again.
Both of these intranasal vaccines also use adenovirus vector technology. Adenoviral vectors are genetically engineered viruses previously used in gene therapy.
Researchers have also conducted studies on using adenovirus vectors as a vaccine platform for other diseases, including HIV-1, Ebola, and various other infectious diseases.
According to statements on CanSino Biologics website, Convidecia Air uses the same adenovirus vector technological platform as Convidecia, the companys injectable COVID-19 vaccine.
Convidecia recently received emergency use listing from the World Health Organization (WHO). The phase 3 clinical trial results for Convidecia showed a 57.5% efficacy rate against SARS-CoV-2 infection preventing symptomatic COVID-19 28 days or more after vaccination.
Bharat Biotechs iNCOVACC nasal vaccine was developed in partnership with Washington University St. Louis. The intranasal vaccine reportedly showed successful results following phase 1, 2, and 3 clinical trials.
Although these are the first two intranasal COVID-19 vaccines to receive approvals, there are others currently in development.
For example, a team of microbiologists at Mount Sinai is currently developing an intranasal COVID-19 vaccine candidate that is in or has completed phase 1 and 2 trials in Thailand, Brazil, Mexico, and Vietnam, with a phase 1 trial recently launched at Mount Sinai in the U.S.
According to Mount Sinai public communications, this novel intranasal vaccine is an egg-based vaccine that uses Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV).
In March, the University of Oxford reported the launch of phase 1 clinical trials investigating the delivery of a nasal COVID-19 vaccine it developed in partnership with AstraZeneca.
And in May, Codagenix, a vaccine development company based in the U.S., announced the start of phase 1 clinical trials for its CoviLiv intranasal COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
Medical News Today spoke with Dr. Fady Youssef, a board-certified pulmonologist, internist, and critical care specialist at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center in Long Beach, CA, about these new intranasal vaccines and what benefits they might offer.
I think its great to have different options for patients that they can choose from, whatever theyre most comfortable with, he stated.
Weve used nasal vaccines for other diseases. Some influenza vaccines are given intranasally and they work pretty well. So the mode of administration and of itself should not be held against or for the vaccine. Its going to be more of a data about the tolerability and how good of a response the host amounts to.
Dr. Fady Youssef
As intranasal COVID-19 vaccines become more readily available, Dr. Youssef suggested people talk to their doctor to make sure it is the right vaccine delivery system for them.
Some patients that may have had nasal surgeries, have sinus issues, or have nasal polyps, [so] this may not be the best option for them, he cautioned.
And Dr. Peter Palese, Horace W. Goldsmith professor and chair in the Department of Microbiology and professor in the Department of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said that while mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 such as those from Pfizer and Moderna are effective in reducing infection rates and lessen the severity of disease, even multiple immunizations with the current vaccines do not prevent breakthroughs of infections and are less than perfect in eliminating transmission from person to person.
Thus, vaccines administered via the nose inducing mucosal immunity should show improvements in terms of breakthrough infections and the spread of the disease, he noted.
The approval of such vaccines in China and India produced by CanSino Biologics and Bharat Biotech, respectively, represent a major step forward towards effective mucosal COVID-19 vaccines, said Dr. Palese.
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of September 9, 2022, there are currently 3,058 active COVID-19 cases statewide. There have been 21 deaths reported since the last report, with a total of 7,322 deaths attributed to COVID-19.
DHHR has confirmed the deaths of an 81-year old female from Kanawha County, a 68-year old male from Marion County, a 49-year old male from Raleigh County, a 69-year old male from McDowell County, a 75-year old male from Logan County, an 81-year old male from Monroe County, a 53-year old male from Boone County, an 85-year old female from Raleigh County, a 55-year old female from Roane County, a 76-year old male from Greenbrier County, a 93-year old female from Marshall County, an 85-year old male from Cabell County, a 70-year old female from Mercer County, an 80-year old male from Cabell County, a 92-year old female from Putnam County, a 91-year old female from Kanawha County, a 65-year old female from Greenbrier County, an 87-year old male from Kanawha County, a 43-year old female from Mason County, an 85-year old male from Wetzel County, and an 88-year old male from Barbour County.
We join with the families in mourning the passing of these great West Virginians, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary. We must continue to work together to prevent further loss of loved ones by getting vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19.
CURRENT ACTIVE CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (25), Berkeley (186), Boone (37), Braxton (15), Brooke (29), Cabell (140), Calhoun (7), Clay (9), Doddridge (11), Fayette (67), Gilmer (15), Grant (11), Greenbrier (96), Hampshire (19), Hancock (43), Hardy (32), Harrison (143), Jackson (25), Jefferson (69), Kanawha (198), Lewis (22), Lincoln (36), Logan (91), Marion (114), Marshall (57), Mason (51), McDowell (50), Mercer (204), Mineral (43), Mingo (56), Monongalia (144), Monroe (51), Morgan (20), Nicholas (61), Ohio (48), Pendleton (9), Pleasants (12), Pocahontas (5), Preston (38), Putnam (87), Raleigh (178), Randolph (48), Ritchie (10), Roane (55), Summers (33), Taylor (25), Tucker (11), Tyler (10), Upshur (69), Wayne (35), Webster (4), Wetzel (48), Wirt (1), Wood (93), Wyoming (62). To find the cumulative cases per county, please visit coronavirus.wv.gov and look on the Cumulative Summary tab which is sortable by county.
West Virginians ages 6 months and older are eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. All individuals ages 6 months and older should receive a primary series of vaccination, the initial set of shots that teaches the body to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. Those ages 5-11 years are recommended to get an original (monovalent) booster shot when due, and those ages 12 years and older are recommended to get an Omicron booster shot (bivalent) at least two months after completing their primary series.
Visit the WV COVID-19 Vaccination Due Date Calculator, a free, online tool that helps individuals figure out when they may be due for a COVID-19 shot, making it easier to stay up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccination. To learn more about COVID-19 vaccines, or to find a vaccine, visit vaccines.gov, vaccinate.wv.gov, or call 1-833-734-0965. Please visit the COVID-19 testing locations page to locate COVID-19 testing near you.
Kansas City Chiefs DE Frank Clark was the lone player to miss a practice this week and we now know why.
According to reports from the KC Stars Jesse Newell and Nate Taylor of The Athletic, Clark is still recovering from a bout with COVID-19. He told reporters in the locker room that he felt symptoms come on after the teams final preseason game back on Aug. 25th. He tested positive for COVID and spent the following week-plus recovering before eventually testing negative.
Clark was back on the practice field this week. He dealt with dehydration following Wednesdays practice and missed practice on Thursday as a result. He was back on the practice field on Friday during the portion of practice open to media members.
Andy Reid said that barring a setback, Clark should be ready to play come Sunday.
At the same time, expect a healthy dose of Mike Danna, George Karlaftis and Carlos Dunlap against the Cardinals. Even if Clark is over the dehydration issues, missing a practice puts him a little behind the eight ball for the upcoming game.
For immediate release: September 9, 2022 (22-136)
Contact: DOH Communications
OLYMPIA The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has announced updated guidance around COVID-19 at-home testing, including changes to how self-testing results should be reported and additional information about COVID-19 treatment. The full guidance is available on the DOH website.
As part of the guidance update, Washingtonians are now being asked to report all positive at-home test results through the Say Yes! COVID Test Digital Assistant, even if those testing kits were not obtained through the Say Yes! COVID Test (SYCT) program. Previously, those wishing to report positive test results were instructed to contact the Washington State DOH COVID-19 Hotline. While the hotline will remain in service, its primary focus is being shifted to Care Connect Services that provide additional support for those in need who have recently tested positive.
While the White House recently announced a pause to the federal program that previously provided free at-home COVID-19 tests, the Say Yes! COVID Test program continues to offer up to 10 free tests to Washington households each month on a first-come, first-serve basis. The Say Yes! COVID Test program recently celebrated surpassing 10 million tests distributed throughout the state since the programs inception in January 2022. New allocations of tests are available at the beginning of each month and can be ordered on the Say Yes! COVID Home Test website.
The widespread availability and use of rapid home tests helped Washingtonians take swift action to seek treatment for themselves and protect others from infection in the wake of more transmissible COVID-19 subvariants, said Lacy Fehrenbach, Chief of Prevention, Safety, and Health. We encourage every family to have at-home tests on hand with the start of school and approaching fall respiratory virus season. By reporting results through the SYCT digital assistant, Washingtonians can help public health understand the burden and trajectory of infections in Washington state.
Washington residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are in need of assistance with isolation, such as food, personal care kits, or other needs, can still contact the WA DOH COVID-19 Hotline at 1-800-525-0127 to report positive test result and ask to speak with Care Connect, or reach out to a Care Connect hub. Those not in need of additional assistance should proceed with reporting positive cases via the SYCT portal.
The DOHwebsite is your source for a healthy dose of information. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Sign up for the DOH blog,Public Health Connection.
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