Twomore Mainers have died as health officials on Saturday reported another 542coronavirus cases across the state.
Saturdays report brings the total number of coronavirus cases in Maine to 97,725,according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Thats up from 97,183 on Friday.
Of those, 69,647have been confirmed positive, while 28,078were classified as probable cases, the Maine CDC reported.
Two men in their 80s from Penobscot County have succumbed to the virus, bringing the statewide death toll to 1,095.
The number of coronavirus cases diagnosed in the past 14 days statewide is 6,257. This is an estimation of the current number of active cases in the state, as the Maine CDC is no longer tracking recoveries for all patients. Thats down from 6,456 on Friday.
The new case rate statewide Saturday was 4.05 cases per 10,000 residents, and the total case rate statewide was 730.16.
Maines seven-day average for new coronavirus cases is 402.6, down from 411.6 the day before, down from 498.9 a week ago and down from 455.6 a month ago. That average peaked on Jan. 14 at 625.3.
The most cases have been detected in Mainers younger than 20, while Mainers over 80 years old make up the majority of deaths. More cases have been recorded in women and more deaths in men.
So far, 2,653 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus. Of those, 169 are currently hospitalized, with 60 in critical care and 31 on a ventilator. Overall, 43 out of 340 critical care beds and 200 out of 305 ventilators are available.
The total statewide hospitalization rate on Saturday was 19.82 patients per 10,000 residents.
Cases have been reported in Androscoggin (10,339), Aroostook (3,653), Cumberland (21,238), Franklin (2,114), Hancock (2,591), Kennebec (9,299), Knox (1,833), Lincoln (1,719), Oxford (4,815), Penobscot (11,665), Piscataquis (1,260), Sagadahoc (1,889), Somerset (4,015), Waldo (2,275), Washington (1,702) and York (17,310) counties. Information about where an additional eight cases were reported wasnt immediately available.
An additional 2,077 vaccine doses were administered in the previous 24 hours. As of Saturday, 892,826 Mainers are fully vaccinated, or about 75.4 percent of eligible Mainers, according to the Maine CDC.
New Hampshire reported 626 new cases on Saturday and four deaths. Vermont reported 227 new cases and one death, while Massachusetts reported 1,649 new cases and 12 deaths.
As of Saturday afternoon, the coronavirus had sickened 44,903,846 people in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as caused 724,105 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.
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The Franklin County commissioners have already committed millions of dollars in federal coronavirus-related relief forjob training, rental assistance and other initiatives aimed at helping residents, businesses and nonprofit groups recover from the ongoing pandemic.
And theyre eyeing tens of millions of dollars in additional assistance for affordable housing, broadband expansion and other programs to ensure Franklin County is best positioned for a rebound once COVID-19 is a distant memory.
This is a once-in-a-generation type of an opportunity, said Commissioner John OGrady, one of the three elected members of the county board of commissioners, which ultimately approves the disbursements. Its not every day you get these kinds of dollars to make a difference and make an influence in your community. We want to make sure were doing it right.
Franklin County will receive nearly $256million through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the federal coronavirus-relief legislation enacted earlier this year by Democrats without the support of any Republican U.S. Senator or U.S. House members.
Details about local spending are available on a new county website (https://commissioners.franklincountyohio.gov/arp), which includes a running list of allocations approvedby the commissioners.
Franklin County is receiving its total Rescue Plan allocation in two disbursements of about $128 million each. Of the initial amount, the commissioners have allocated more than $76 million, with another $51 million-plus remaining.
Of thattotal, the federal legislation anticipates the county willneed about $50 million for revenue losses expected because of the ongoing pandemic to help cover general county expenses. Those funds have not been formally allocated yet, just set aside in the countys books in anticipation of infrastructure and other costs.
Otherwise, the commissioners have signed off on about $25 million in other federal COVID relief money spendingthrough 20 different resolutions adopted at their regular weekly sessions. Among the notable expenditures:
$7 million to the Mid-Ohio Food Collective, to be used for a new 19,000-square-foot addition to its Grove City warehouse, expanding the type and quantities of food distributed to residents in need.
$5 million for area nonprofit groups, with grants to be awarded up to $50,000 and targeted, in part, to those groups providing services in qualified census tracts, meeting lower household income requirements.
$3 million in tourism, travel and hospitality aid to Huntington Park and the Columbus Clippers, the Triple-A minor league baseball affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The Clippers are a nonprofit entity owned by the county.
$2.5 million for a new Women Back to Work program, including job training and other support and services to help women who are out of work, many because of the ongoing pandemic.
Nearly $2.4 million to the Columbus Urban Leagueto support workforce programs, helping out-of-work residents complete training and land full-time jobs.
Nearly $1.3 million to the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority for safety and health improvements at Nationwide Arena and the Greater Columbus Convention Centerto prevent the spread of coronavirus and other airborne diseases.
All of the allocations require detailed reporting to the U.S. Department of the Treasury to ensure the funds are being spent appropriately. County Administrator Kenneth Wilson said the county also is closely tracking whether the funds are having the desired outcome in the community.
We want to know what your results are, because this is a generational amount of federal dollars going into the economies across the nation, Wilsonsaid. In the end, we want to be identified as one of the local governments that made the most-effective use of (federal COVID relief funds)by being innovative and also being accountable in benefitting the community in both the short- and long-term.
In July, the commissioners hosted a public hearing and accepted written and other comments from residents about how the federal funds should be spent.
What havent I heard? OGrady said about ideas that have been provided to date. Everybody has their thoughts … everybodys in need …. Weve been listening to everybody, working with everybody.
Commissioner Kevin Boyce said there have been a lot of good ideas, but county officials are working to ensure the federal funds are used as intended, to assist in rebounding from the coronavirus pandemic.
Were thinking of projects and ways to use those resources that are directly related to the pandemic, from job creation to initiatives that allow people access to training and other resources, he said.
Commissioner Erica Crawley said she wants to make sure that some of the federal funding helps address health-equity issues, including ensuring all residents have access to coronavirus testing and vaccinations and safe places to quarantine if exposed to the virus, and making sure we have transportation available to get them to the doctors or get them tovaccinations.
OGradys priorities include outlays for expansions of affordable housing and broadband access throughout the county.
On housing, the commissioners have allocated federal coronavirus relief for rental assistance, and theyre planning to commit Rescue Plan Act funding for the construction of new affordable housing units.
How much were going to do? Were still working on that number, but it will be significant, OGrady said.
He separately added that, Peoples lives have been turned upside down, not just because of COVID and the impact of the disease, but its also had a major financial impact on peoples lives. Affordable housing is a gigantic need in this community, and its become an ever-growing need because of the financial impact that (COVID-19) had on peoples lives.
Deputy County Administrator Erik Janas said planned allocations willbolster the countys magnet fund, an affordable housing initiative unveiled in 2019 that helps to leverage tax credits and make new construction projects more feasible. The federal funding could help fund the construction of hundreds of additional housing units, plus support housing repair programs and other assistance efforts, he said.
We know that housing was already tight and housing was already expensive before the pandemic, said Tyler Lowry, the commissioners spokesman. Its only gotten worse since then. You cant help people recover if they dont have a place to live that is safe and secure and close to resources, close to jobs and close to good schools.
O'Grady said the pandemic also spotlighted digital inequities residents in parts of the county dont enjoy the same online access as others.
The need has always been there, he said. Theres parts of this community where there are kids who were sent home with Chromebooks that had no ability to be able to access because they didnt have Wi-Fiat home. … Where are they going to do their homework and have the ability to be able to access the internet?
Ultimately, all of the federal funding has to go to efforts to address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Boyce regularly questions recipients of funds on whether they have plans for covering costs of the efforts when pandemic relief is exhausted.
Those funds can help infuse some new initiatives and maybe spur some ideas, maybe even leverage those resources for other funding from the private sector or other layers of government, Boyce said. But, for now, we have to be thoughtful about our future, too, and make sure if we use those funds that the expectation isnt that were going to be funding from the general fund in the future.
Crawley agreed, saying that it is important in allocating federal COVID relief funds the commissioners "arent setting up organizations to implement new programs that they wont be able to sustain later on. We do not want to put organizations in a situation where we are helping to fund something that the county commissioners will be on the hook for later."
mkovac@dispatch.com
@OhioCapitalBlog
More than a year and a half into the coronavirus pandemic, we have more tools than ever to fight COVID-19, like vaccines and a better understanding of how the virus spreads. But there is still a lot of the virus in our communities, and New Hampshire continues to see steady rates of infection and hospitalization. Plus, there's still a large population that can't get vaccinated: kids.
Get NHPR's reporting about politics, the pandemic, and other top stories in your inbox sign up for our newsletter today.
All Things Considered host Peter Biello spoke with Dr. Sharon Vuppula, a pediatric hospitalist and infectious disease specialist at St. Joseph Hospital, about the current state of the pandemic in New Hampshire and how it's impacting kids.
Why are we seeing more cases among children in New Hampshire?
Several reasons. There are high vaccination rates among older populations, so cases aren't occurring in older adults as much as they were before vaccines were widely available.
The highly transmissible delta variant is also playing a part. It's far more contagious than earlier strains of the virus and therefore can be passed more easily, especially among unvaccinated individuals which, at this point, are all children under the age of 12.
Children are also largely back to in-person learning. Cases among children were low when they were learning remotely, but it's easier for COVID-19 to spread in a classroom setting.
Why are case numbers remaining steady in New Hampshire as they slow down around the rest of the country?
The delta variant is partially to blame. The variant reached New Hampshire later than it did other states, like those in the Midwest and the South, so New Hampshire is seeing a later peak and later downturn in cases than other states that already saw spikes due to delta.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine may be approved for use in children ages 5 to 11 by Halloween. Is the smaller dose intended for children still as effective as the adult dose?
Yes. The 10 microgram dose intended for children has been shown to be effective and has been studied thoroughly. Dr. Vuppula says parents who may have a child on the brink of turning 12 (at which point they're eligible for the adult dose) should get the vaccine as soon as it's available, even if that is the kid's dose. It's safe and effective.
When can we lift mask mandates in schools?
When vaccination rates are high enough. Dr. Vuppula says because of how contagious the delta variant is, an optimal vaccination rate would be about 90%.
How do we combat misinformation?
One-on-one dialogues with a medical professional are the best way to get the facts. Dr. Vuppula cautions Granite Staters against getting information about COVID-19 from social media or news outlets that aren't vetting information. Doctors are trained and knowledgeable and are the best source of information about vaccines and COVID-19.
(CNN) Jessica Desfosses shared the final heartrending text messages she exchanged with her police officer husband in the days before he died from COVID-19.
Commercial just came on TV a casket saying take COVID seriously Zero consideration for those of us fighting for every breath, Stephen Desfosses wrote in a series of exchanges that began last Christmas Eve as his condition steadily deteriorated in a Massachusetts hospital.
Your husband is going to (be) changed forever no matter what happensmy life has flashed before my eyes and man its scary, he wrote in another message, which his wife posted to Facebook last summer.
Det. Sgt. Stephen Desfosses, 52, a veteran of more than 30 years with the Norton Police Department, died on Jan. 13. He was one of at least 231 officers who died of COVID-19 this year, according to theOfficer Down Memorial Page(ODMP).
There were 245 law enforcement deaths from COVID-19 in 2020, according to ODMP.
The coronavirus has become the leading cause of death for officers despite law enforcement being among the first groups eligible to receive the vaccine at the end of 2020. The total stands at 476 COVID-19 related deaths since the start of the pandemic, compared to 94 from gunfire in the same period.
If you are serious about your commitment to protect the public and if you are serious about your personal commitments to your family, then that should be enough, Jessica Desfosses said in a plea for police officers to get vaccinated.
Her appeal comes aslaw enforcement officers and their unions across the country have resisted vaccine mandatesdespite the Delta variant-fueled resurgence of COVID-19 and effectiveness of the shots in preventing severe cases and death.
Reasons cited for the vaccine resistance among law enforcement officers range from disinformation to distrust in the science of the vaccines.
The debate mirrors growing tension nationally between unions and employers as cities and businesses seek to enforce vaccine mandates.
Youre not drafted into this job. This is something you volunteer for, said Charles Ramsey, a former Washington, DC police chief and CNN law enforcement analyst. You understand when you take the job its going to require some sacrifice on your part in a lot of different ways.
In Chicago, up tohalf the rank-and-file officers in the nations second largest police departmentface being placed on unpaid leave as their union and Mayor Lori Lightfoot clash over a city requirement that officers disclose their vaccine status.
Lightfoot on Friday accused police union president John Catanzara of trying to induce an insurrection by telling officers to ignore a deadline to report vaccine status.
The city filed a complaint alleging the union was encouraging a work stoppage or strike. A Cook County Circuit judge ruled Friday night that Catanzara should not make public statements encouraging members to not comply with the vaccination policy.
Catanzara has never engaged in, supported, or encouraged a work stoppage, according to a union statement on Friday.
Chicago officers had a deadline of midnight Thursday to disclose their vaccine status or be placed on unpaid leave, Catanzara said earlier this week.
Lightfoot said the city would take the weekend to check with officers who havent complied. She said officers should report for duty until theyre told by supervisors that theyve been placed on leave.
Earlier this month, theformer president of the unionfrom 2014 to 2017 died of COVID-19.
In Miami, officers are resisting a vaccine mandate. In Pittsburgh, the police chief sent out emails encouraging officers to protect themselves as the Delta variant sent COVID-19 cases soaring.
In Seattle, the police department had all non-patrol sworn personnel, detectives, training, support staff ready to respond to emergency calls ahead of Mondays vaccination mandate deadline, said Sgt. Randy Huserik, a spokesman.
The Seattle mayors office said nearly 140 officers were unvaccinated or hadnt sought an exemption. Huserik said about 320 officers had already left the force since the beginning of 2020.
Seattle could begin the process of separating officers from the department after the deadline, according to Mike Sloan, police union president.
If we lose what appears to be over 300 people because of this mandate, this public safety crisis were experiencing will look like childs play, Sloan said.
Across the U.S., law enforcement leaders have pleaded with officers who remain hesitant to get the shot. Still, many unions and their member officers continue to push back.
Its a right to obviously get vaccinated. Its an individual right and I firmly still believe in that, said Dan Yancey, chief of the Owasso Police Department in Oklahoma. But I would certainly encourage people to do that.
In Baker, Louisiana, outside of Baton Rouge, the COVID-19 death last August of Lt. DeMarcus Dunn prompted many colleagues to get vaccinated, according to Police Chief Carl Dunn.
He lost his father at a very young age and it was a village that raised him, Chief Dunn said of the officer.
And when you talk about an outstanding officer, an outstanding citizen, an outstanding person that always gave back, it struck us. It was a big void in this department to lose an outstanding officer like that.
Before the lieutenants death on Aug. 13, about 70% of the police force was unvaccinated. Now, 95% of the citys 40 officers have received the shot, according to the chief.
The point I try to get across is, this pandemic, it supersedes any kind of political, any kind of beliefs, anything that you have that makes you reluctant to get vaccinated, Chief Dunn said.
The national police union is encouraging vaccinations but opposes mandates.
Catanzara has framed the issue as a labor dispute.
We are going to keep fighting this mandate and this dictatorship, said Catanzara, president of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, echoing the sentiments of union leaders around the country.
You would think that there is no crime in this city to worry about. You would think that there is no murder, no robberies, no guns being fired.
Late last month, hundreds of Washington State Patrol employees requested religious and medical vaccination exemptions one day after the agency announced the COVID-19 death of a trooper.
Washington state employees must be fully vaccinated by Monday. The mandate affects 60,000 state employees and 40,000 health care workers.
We invest quite a bit with the vetting and training these individuals. We dont want to lose them as friends or lose them because of COVID, said Chris Loftis, Washington State Patrol spokesman.
Michael Weiskopf, 52, a police officer in St. Petersburg, Florida, died on Aug. 27 after battling COVID-19 for about a month. He was an 18-year law enforcement veteran.
This was horrible and it did not have to happen, said his widow, Karen Weiskopf. He was so strong. He was so healthy He was my best friend. Perfect husband.
Karen Weiskopf said shes vaccinated but her husband was reluctant. She tried several times to convince him.
He wasnt sure what was in the vaccine I felt like Mike did not get vaccinated because he didnt have all the facts, she said. Theres a lot of information just kind of moving around Science leaves the picture. It just becomes chatter.
Karen Weiskopf believes her husbands death served as a warning to other vaccine-reluctant officers.
To this day I still get letters. I get calls, she said. Ill get copies of peoples vaccination cards in the mailbox that I dont know.
Jessica Desfosses wants to turn her unspeakable loss into an opportunity to save lives.
Its absolutely as bad as you would imagine to be raising two small girls without their dad, she said of her late husband, Stephen, who wanted to be first in line for that vaccine but never got the chance.
And if he had had the choice to give himself that extra protection so he could continue to serve the public and still come home to his family, he absolutely would have done it.
A one-time incentive award is being offered to Hawaii prisoners who become fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
On Thursday, Oct. 14, the Department of Public Safety (PSD) announced it would offer $50 to inmates to get inoculated. The money would be deposited into their spendable trust account.
The incentive is available to those individuals who were incarcerated after March 3, 2021, and are still in custody.
PSD is doing everything it can to educate inmates about the vaccine and encourage everyone to get vaccinated, said Tommy Johnson, PSD Deputy Director for Corrections. Weve seen a substantial increase in inmate vaccinations that we believe is a result of our education efforts. It is our hope that inmates who are still on the fence about getting vaccinated will participate.
Several of the jails and prisons within the state have dealt with COVID-19 outbreaks among their inmate populations. In early August, infection and hospitalization rates surged statewide.
Also in August, Hawaii Community Correctional Center began dealing with a COVID outbreak. As of Thursday, Oct. 14, 272 inmates and 36 employees have recovered from the virus.
HCCC currently has two active cases among staff and one prisoner. The facility remains in quarantine.
Hawaii County Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen told Big Island Now he is a firm believer in testing individuals at the cellblock before theyre transported to the jail.
The testing is occurring after someone is taken to intake at HCCC, Waltjen said. If we can get testing done earlier, it can put people on notice at an earlier date.
On Friday, Waltjen said he had conversations with various agencies, including HPD, the Office of the Public Defender and Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency about testing and possibly vaccinations at the cellblock. The discussions are ongoing.
The vaccinations are important but testing is more so to determine if someone is a positive case, Waltjen said. Im really hoping by having the cooperation and coordination with state and county officials well be able to get this project moving soon.
As a result of the COVID spike in cases statewide, the Hawaii Supreme Court suspended all jury trials until after Nov. 16. This is the second time since the pandemic began that the high court suspended trials in an effort to stem the spread of the virus.
The Hawaii State Judiciary has been steadfast in its support of COVID-19 vaccinations, Judiciary spokesperson Jan Kagehiro stated to Big Island Now in an email. The availability of vaccines statewide, combined with other public health measures, have been instrumental in fighting this devasting virus.
The Judiciary plans to resume jury trials in mid-November if health conditions permit and staff can continue to maintain a safe environment for all concerned.
While we may need to address a backlog of jury trials, the vast majority of cases have progressed throughout the pandemic through the availability of remote hearings, Kagehiro stated.
For the past several months, Waltjen said iPads and other devices were utilized for virtual court appearances. While the defense and prosecutors have been able to resolve cases, Waltjen said there are still serious cases awaiting trial.
Inmates were notified of the new incentive this week. With more prisoners vaccinated, PSD hopes it will allow them to get one step closer to resuming normal operations, including transports.
PSD says it will continue to work with the courts on this matter.
Approximately 2,530 inmates, in custody both in Hawaii and Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, Ariz., already qualify for the incentive payment. Another 137 are pending full vaccination status and approval for the incentive award.
The primary purpose of this incentive is to keep inmates, staff, and family members safe during this pandemic, PSD Spokesperson Toni Schwartz told Kauai Now News. Our hope is that inmates will choose to get vaccinated for their own wellbeing as well as for others around them.
A point-in-time study released in September showed 56% of HCCC were vaccinated. With news of the incentive released this week, PSD officials are waiting to see how the interest level toward taking the vaccine will change.
Our hope is that this incentive program will encourage inmates on the fence about getting the vaccine to reconsider and choose to get vaccinated, Schwartz said.
Waltjen said he thinks inmates will opt to take the incentive.
If the aim is to get vaccination higher within the facility I think the incentive will accomplish that, Waltjen said. I dont know if that money couldve been better used somewhere else.
PSD requested and received approval for $615,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) funds to be specifically used as an incentive initiative for offenders in custody.
This incentive payment is not available to state employees. Schwartz said all state employees, not just PSD, would have to be considered for the award.
The Department of Public Safety (PSD) continues to encourage all staff to voluntarily get tested and receive the COVID-19 vaccination.According to Gov. David Iges direction, all state employees are eligible for up to two hours of administrative leave (per dose) to take the COVID-19 vaccine during normal work hours, as operations permit.
For more detailed inmate testing data, PSDs Pandemic Plan and information on response efforts made to safeguard the inmates, staff and public, visit the dedicated COVID-19 webpage here.
Arizonas three state universities will require all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to comply with new federal requirements, university officials announced on Friday.
The deadline for the universities'more than 52,000 employees to submit proof of vaccination or receive an accommodationis Dec. 8.
The Arizona Board of Regents, the governing body for the three state universities, said the schools are complying with requirements that institutions that contract with the federal government follow federal guidelines.
The universities have hundreds of millions of dollars in federal contracts, funding critical research, employment and educational efforts. We respect individual opinions regarding the vaccine and will include disability (including medical) and religious accommodations consistent with federal rules, regents spokesperson Julie Newberg said in a statement.
The University of Arizona said its approximately 16,000 university employees, including student workers and graduate assistants and associates, have to submitproof of full vaccination unless they have received a religious or disability accommodation.
UA President Dr. Robert Robbins wrote in a letter to employees on Friday that the university has already received amended federal contracts that include the vaccine requirements.
"We will continue with these mission-critical endeavors and will be complying with this new requirement," Robbins wrote.
Just over half of UA employees have provided their vaccination records so far, according to university spokesperson Holly Jensen.
Northern Arizona University officials said the requirement will apply to all employees, including undergraduate and graduate student workers. Religious, disability or medical accommodations will be allowed as permitted by federal law.
About 50% of NAU employees have verified proof of vaccination, per a spokesperson. NAU has about 7,560 employees, per the Board of Regents.
Arizona State University officials said the university receives hundreds of millions of dollars annually in federal funding from grants and contracts, which is key to its mission and to benefitting Arizona's economy.
"Under the recent executive order issued by President Biden requiring all employees of federal contractors to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, ASU is required to ensure that every university employee byDec.8either shows proof that they were vaccinated for COVID-19 or requested an accommodation on medical or religious grounds," spokesperson Chris Fiscus wrote in an email.
ASU employs around 29,000 people, according to the Board of Regents. Many have already been vaccinated, per ASU.
Gov. Doug Ducey in a statement reiterated his view that the vaccine should be a choice rather than a requirement.
"Governor Ducey has been clear from the very beginning: the COVID-19 vaccine is proven to be effective and safe. He's been vaccinated and he encourages all Arizonans to get thevaccine," said C.J. Karamargin, a spokespersonfor Ducey.
"The governor also has said he is opposed to mandates and that getting the vaccine should be a matter of personal choice. His views have not changed."
The Governor's Office is reviewing the universities' decision to see what its options may be, Karamargin said.
COVID-19 vaccinations were optional for all employees before this, and remain optional for students who are not also employees.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Sept. 9 requiring vaccinations for federal contractors, which includes universities that have contracts with the United States government.
Jessica Summers, chair of UA's Faculty Senate and professor in the college of education, said she thinks the new requirement is a positive development, although not a surprising one given the federal policy.
I think most employees will be open to this policy and will get vaccinated if theyre not already vaccinated, but theres always going to be some who hold out or say that its their right to not get vaccinated, Summers said. I want to believe that most people at the university will step up and will be compliant.
Summers said the big issue remains that the university cannot require students to get vaccinated due to an executive order from the governor.
Unless they work at the university, I think students will continue to make the choice because they have the choice, and so I think well be wearing masks well into the spring semester, she said.
Theres lots of other universities that are requiring their students to get vaccinated, and we are not one of them because we live in the state of Arizona.
The employee unions at ASU and UA have advocatedfor vaccine requirements, among other measures, to protect workers and the community against COVID-19.
Theres many things the university could still do, but we are very, very pleased with the decision to move forward with vaccination requirements for workers, said Laurie Stoff, the ASU faculty representative on the steering committee of United Campus Workers of Arizona and a Barrett, The Honors Collegefaculty fellow.
Stoff said the union has demandedvaccinations requirementssince the summer and hopes a requirement for students will come next. The union also wants virtual work options for people who cant get vaccinated, hazard pay for essential workers like custodial and food service,and full medical benefits for graduate students, she said.
Gary Rhoades, a United Campus Workers of Arizona member and professor of higher education at UA, agreed.
Vaccinating employees is half the battle, he said, as theres still a need for student vaccinations, more masking and expanded testing.
Id like to see us go further, and lead, not just follow (the federal executive order) … more aggressive with testing, fuller masking requirements, student vaccinations and flexibility in work arrangements.
Pennsylvania State University this week became among the first universities to announce an employee vaccine requirement linked to Bidens order, Inside Higher Ed reported.
Many colleges already mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for employees, according to a list compiled by the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Have a story about higher education? Reach the reporter at Alison.Steinbach@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-444-4282. Follow her on Twitter @alisteinbach.
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A Virginia couple who refused the COVID-19 shot died from the disease, leaving their four children behind.
Kevin and Misty Mitchem, both in their 40s, refused the COVID-19 vaccine, despite their family urging them to get the shot.
Kevin's mother said some of his last words to her were, "Mom, I love you, and I wish that I'd got the shot."
A Virginia couple who refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19 died from the disease just weeks apart. They are survived by their four children and their relatives who tried to encourage them to get the shot.
Kevin and Misty Mitchem both caught COVID-19 and were hospitalized after they opted not to get the vaccine.
"They'd just been leery. They were going off what they've been hearing and reading on the internet," Mike Mitchem, Kevin's brother, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Mike did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Data from the CDC has shown that Pfizer and Moderna's two-shot vaccine series are highly effective at preventing COVID-19 infections. Approximately 61.9% of Virginia's population is fully vaccinated, compared to 56.8% of the U.S. population that is fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.
Kevin, 48, became ill and was told to rest at home after he tested positive for COVID-19, Mike told the Times-Dispatch. Shortly after, Misty, who was 46 and living with diabetes, got sick, too.
Misty was rushed to Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg and put on a ventilator. She died soon after on September 23, according to the Times-Dispatch.
"It really came out of nowhere," Mike told the outlet.
Don Mitchem, Kevin's father, said Kevin called him when Misty went to the hospital and when he later went himself, according to NBC 4. Don went to the hospital to see Kevin before he was put on a ventilator.
"He said, 'Dad, I'm scared to death,'" Don told NBC 4, adding that he told Kevin to call his mother, Terry.
Story continues
"He called me up and said, 'Mom, I love you and I wish that I'd got the shot,'" Terry told NBC 4. "Of course I told him, 'It's past. You can't do anything about it.'"
Both Don and Terry already had their COVID-19 booster shots and had tried to convince Kevin and Misty to get vaccinated.
While Mike noted that Kevin was "healthy" and "very active," COVID-19 damaged his lungs beyond repair, the Times-Dispatch reported. He died on October 8.
Mike said he felt angry about his brother's death.
"Part of our pain is anger," Mike told the Times-Dispatch. "Anger because people are still not getting the vaccine."
Kevin and Misty leave behind their four children, ages 11 to 17. Kevin had an older daughter and a grandson as well.
"He had everything to live for," Mike told the Times-Dispatch about his brother. "He had five kids and a grandson, and now all of them have lost him."
Read the original article on Insider
It took a small town chiropractor named Charles Brown to help vaccinate millions of kids for decades to come all because he didnt want to vaccinate his own.
It was 1979 in Houston, Mississippi, and Brown needed to enroll his 6-year-old son in school. But state law required the boy to be vaccinated against certain diseases, and Brown didnt want to vaccinate his son. At the time, Mississippi had two exceptions to this law: medical exemption, for kids who had a medical condition that prevented them from receiving certain shots, and a religious exemption, but only for religious groups whose doctrines explicitly prohibit vaccination, such as Christian Scientists. Browns son wasnt eligible for either exemption. So Brown sued.
Brown argued that by limiting the exemption to only certain religious groups, the law violated his First Amendment rights and ought to be expanded to include any religion. (The Browns were Christian, but not a sect approved for a medical exemption.) The case made it to the state Supreme Court where it spectacularly backfired. Rather than expand the religious exemption, the justices argued that having the exemption at all was a violation of the 14th Amendment because it put the rights of certain religious parents over the rights of other parents. The state court struck down the exemption altogether.
With that decision, Mississippi became just the second state (after West Virginia) not to offer religious or personal belief exemptions to its child vaccination mandate. Mississippi now consistently has the countrys highest rates of vaccination among children entering school.
Mississippis childhood immunization rates are a sharp contrast to its COVID-19 vaccination numbers. As of Thursday, 44.5 percent of eligible Mississippians are fully vaccinated, making it 46th in the nation. In fact, Mississippis overall vaccination record outside of kindergarteners isnt great: The state ranks much lower when it comes to vaccine rates for toddlers and teens, as the vaccination requirement only applies to students entering school for the first time.
Its natural to wonder, then, whether Mississippi and other vaccine-hesitant states will expand their mandates to include the COVID-19 vaccine once its approved for kids as young as 5 years old. School mandates are one of the few tools states have to enforce vaccination, and theyre effective. Other jurisdictions are already considering, or have already enacted, such a mandate: California has announced plans to make the COVID-19 shot mandatory for grade school attendance, and school districts across the country have made it a requirement for extracurricular activities.
But adding COVID-19 shots to existing school mandates is not without risk. If an unpopular and highly politicized vaccine is added to the list, those opposed may begin to challenge all vaccine requirements. Its already happening in other states, to some extent. In Ohio, statehouse Republicans introduced a bill that would ban all vaccine mandates, of any kind, for any vaccine, though it was never voted out of committee. And in Tennessee, Republican lawmakers pressured the state department of health into temporarily halting vaccine outreach to minors for any shot, not just the COVID-19 jab. Its an idea that may be gaining popularity among Republican voters, too. The Economist/YouGov have historically surveyed Americans on whether or not they think parents should be required to have their children vaccinated against infectious diseases. In the past, and as recently as last year, the majority of both Republicans and Democrats answered yes, but in a new poll released yesterday, only 46 percent of Republicans agreed with the statement. This fight pits two very serious public health considerations against one another: Either keep the COVID-19 vaccine off the school mandate and risk leaving millions of children and communities at greater risk of the virus, or add it and risk the entire vaccine schedule falling under attack.
When it comes to childhood immunization, you simply cant beat the Magnolia State. During the 2019-2020 school year, more than 99 percent of Mississippi kindergarteners were fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which tracks kindergarten vaccination rates in every state for the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella), DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis) and chickenpox vaccines. While childhood vaccination rates in the U.S. are generally high, Mississippi is exceptional it has a more than 99 percent coverage rate for all three shots. Other state rates for kindergarteners ranged as low as 84 percent (for the DTaP vaccine in Indiana). The second-highest rate (in West Virginia, also for DTaP) was 98.8 percent. Childhood vaccine mandates have always been political, but they have typically not been partisan. The modern anti-vax movement has prompted fights surrounding the mandates and their exemptions, but as Ive previously reported, the anti-vax movement has long been a bipartisan affair. As a result, childhood vaccination rates dont fall along partisan lines the way COVID-19 vaccination rates do red states are just as likely to have high childhood immunization rates as blue ones.
Like most states, Mississippi has had its share of pushback from anti-vaccine groups over the mandate (and in particular its lack of exemptions). But these efforts havent amounted to much beyond a few proposed bills that died in committee. Among the general public, the mandate has largely been tolerated as a fact of life, according to James Colgrove, a sociomedical science professor at Columbia University who studies public health policy.
I havent found evidence that there was any widespread resistance, Colgrove said. The evidence we have for its acceptance is mostly negative evidence: the absence of lawsuits and controversy.
When measles outbreaks have occurred in recent years, Mississippi has been spared due to its high vaccination rates, even when outbreaks hit neighboring states. These outbreaks remind the public of just what vaccines protect them from and can be helpful for passing or upholding vaccine law. Consider California, which leveraged a measles outbreak to do away with its personal belief/religious exemption in 2015.
But Mississippi has not embraced the COVID-19 vaccine in the same way. Government agencies and nonprofits have worked together to reduce barriers to accessing the vaccine efforts that helped the state close its early racial gap. But nearly half the states eligible population remains unvaccinated, and the politicization of the pandemic has undoubtedly played a role. Its reductive to suggest all of the vaccine hesitancy is simply due to Mississippi being a red state (Republicans are less likely than Democrats to be vaccinated for COVID-19), but there is a correlation: Counties with a higher voter share for Trump have some of the lowest vaccination rates in the state.
We often get reduced to backwoods, ignorant people who dont know how to think. Its much more nuanced than that, said David Buys, the state health specialist at Mississippi State University Extension. We have a lot of rugged individualism that serves us quite well. Thats not altogether bad. We want people to be critical thinkers. In this case, we do want people to rely a little bit more on the expertise of our public health officials.
That politicized tension makes the notion of mandating a COVID-19 vaccine for all school kids, once its available, much less likely in the state. Though state law grants authority to the State Health Officer to specify which vaccines are required to enroll in school, new shots are rarely added. The most recent shot, for chickenpox, was added by the state department of health in 2002, with little fanfare. But the vaccine against HPV another politicized vaccine was never added (this is true for most states), despite it being recommended by the CDC. The state department of health refused to answer a request for comment.
Increasing COVID-19 vaccination rates in Mississippi, whatever the means, will undeniably reduce the spread of the virus, but this vaccine is different from the ones currently required for school children. Aside from the politicization, COVID-19 is not a disease that primarily impacts kids the way measles, mumps, or pertussis do. Though the vaccine reduces the risk of infection, the risk of a severe infection or death from COVID-19 is already quite low for children. This would make adding it to the school mandate an even harder sell in a state resistant to the jab.
And then theres the concern that drawing attention to a law can have unintended consequences. (Just ask Charles Brown.) Given the COVID-19 vaccines heightened politicization, adding it to a school mandate could draw unwanted attention to the other mandated vaccines, and risk politicizing those as well. Some public health experts have even warned against including the COVID-19 vaccine in school mandates for this precise reason.
Health officers are creatures of the state and the health officer is probably keenly aware that trying to go that route could lead to political backlash, said Dorit Rubinstein Reiss, a vaccine law expert at the University of California, Hastings. Id be surprised if, in a state with this level of hesitancy, this would happen.
Mississippi isnt alone in facing down this dilemma. As COVID-19 vaccines gain approval for kids aged 5 to 11 which theyre expected to in the coming weeks every state will need to grapple with whether or not existing school mandates ought to include COVID-19, or if the risk of drawing negative attention is too great. As Brown learned in his crusade to change the religious exemption, sometimes efforts to alter a law can wind up destroying it altogether.
Republican Rep. Ken Weyler was known around the New Hampshire Statehouse for dismissing the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines and opposing tens of millions of dollars in federal funds to promote vaccinations.
But when the 79-year-old Weyler, a retired commercial pilot and Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate who chaired the legislatures powerful fiscal committee, sent a 52-page report likening vaccines to organized mass murder, Republican leaders were compelled to act.
I dont know of anyone who agrees with it. Its absolute craziness, said Republican House Speaker Sherman Packard, who quickly accepted Weylers resignation from his committee post.
The episode was especially piercing in New Hampshire, where the previous House speaker died of COVID-19 last year. It has also exposed Republicans persistent struggle to root out the misinformation that has taken hold in its ranks across the country.
A year and a half into the pandemic, surveys show Republicans are less worried about the threat from COVID-19 or its variants, less confident in science, less likely to be vaccinated than Democrats and independents and more opposed to vaccine mandates.
Its a combination of views that comes with clear health risks and potential political consequences. In a place like New Hampshire, where Republicans are hoping to win back congressional seats next year, politicians with fringe views stand to distract voters from the partys agenda, driving away independents and moderates.
The risk is particularly clear in Live Free or Die New Hampshire, where the fight over vaccines has activated the libertarian wing of the GOP. The divisions have the potential to dominate Republican primaries next year.
What I wonder over the next year is whether all of this is the tip of the iceberg or the whole iceberg, Dante Scala, political science professor at the University of New Hampshire, said.
Republicans in New Hampshire have struggled to unify around a common position since the pandemic first emerged.
Republican Gov. Chris Sununu has been widely praised for his handling of the pandemic, but has also come under fire from conservative critics. They have pushed back on his state of emergency, which put limits on business operations and public gatherings, often holding rowdy protests, including some at his house.
Sununu, who is eyeing a run for Senate next year against Democratic U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, joined other Republican leaders in opposing a federal vaccine mandate. But that did little to placate his critics, who repeatedly shouted down fellow Republicans during a press conference last month to protest the federal mandate.
Holding signs saying I will die before I comply and including one protester with an automatic weapon strapped to his back, the crowd took over the podium and put up their own speakers who predicted, without evidence, that the mandate would force the states hospitals to close.
The opposition from Republican leaders to federal vaccine mandates prompted one Republican lawmaker, Rep. William Marsh, to switch parties.
The belief that is being put forward is that their individual rights trump everything, that no one has the right to impose, in this particular case, a vaccine mandate on a person ever, said Marsh, a retired ophthalmologist, who was the vice chair on the House Health and Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee. I am of the belief that, for people in a civilized society, individual rights are limited once they start to impinge on the rights of others.
The Weyler controversy started last month when he first questioned Health and Human Services data about hospitalizations in the state. He suggested most of those hospitalized had been vaccinated, which prompted the states health commissioner to accuse him of spreading misinformation. In fact, 90 percent of those hospitalized had not been vaccinated, she said.
Gallup polling from September found 57 percent of Democrats are very or somewhat worried about getting the coronavirus compared with 18 percent of Republicans. The Democrats are also more confident that vaccines will protect against new variants and more confidence in science 79 percent compared with 45 percent of Republicans..
Weyler was among a group of Republican lawmakers who are so opposed to the Biden administrations vaccine mandates that they pushed to reject millions in federal funding meant to assist with vaccination efforts. This week, $27 million was rejected by a Republican-controlled Executive Council, a five-member panel that approves state contracts, despite calls from Sununu to accept the funding.
The money would have allowed the state to hire a public health manager and a dozen workers to address public vaccine concerns. But opponents feared it would have required the state to comply with any future directives issued by the Biden administration regarding COVID-19, such as vaccine mandates.
After the vote, Sununu was forced to push back against a suggestion that this is the new Republican Party stance.
I dont believe most of the people protesting were part of the Republican Party. These are anti-government, shut-it-down, no-government-at-all-costs type individuals, he told reporters.
One of the groups opposing the mandates, Rebuild NH, responded Friday to arrests of protesters at the Executive Council meeting by calling Sununu a despot and demanding he be censured for his role in this crime against the people of New Hampshire.
Democrats have seized on the GOP divisions, saying Republicans were too slow to seek Weylers resignation and accusing Weyler and his colleagues of hurting the states reputation, slowing vaccination efforts and enabling anti-vaccine extremists.
The report Weyler sent alleged that the shots were perpetuating the greatest organized mass murder in the history of our world. It included claims about vaccines containing living organisms with tentacles and unsubstantiated reports about babies from vaccinated parents in South America born with signs of premature aging.
I was pretty much astonished that someone would be sending this to us, said Democratic Rep. Mary Jane Wallner, who received the report by email.
In his resignation letter, Weyler said he was stepping down so he wouldnt be a distraction and apologized for not vetting the material that contained conspiracy theories and sections that are offensive to groups of people. He remains in the 400-member House.
Asked for further comment, Weyler said he had nothing to say to The Associated Press.
Several experts who reviewed the report said it was filled with misinformation and unverifiable claims pulled from social media.
There is no way for you, me, or anyone on the receiving end to fact-check the content or evaluate the accuracy of the statements therein, Al Ozonoff, an associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and associate director of the Precision Vaccines Program at Boston Childrens Hospital, said in an email.
The reports authors, which include a doctor who has falsely promoted the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19, told the AP they stood by their findings.
Sticking your head in the dirt doesnt change reality. It just makes you blind and ignorant, one of the authors, David Sorensen, said in an email interview.
Story by Michael Casey.
More articles from the BDN
Disney, ESPNs parent company, is one of many large corporations requiring all employees to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, which has led to more than 722,000 deaths in the United States. As ESPN PRs Mike Soltys shared in the first link there (an Aug. 2 Bristol Presspiece on the Disney mandate, which was set to kick in this month), ESPN actually put in an earlier mandate of Aug. 1 for the people working live events for them. That included sideline reporters like Allison Williams.
Williams shared on Twitter last month that she wasnt on the sidelines for ESPNs college football coverage due to that mandate for live events staffers. With the wider corporate mandate now kicking in, unvaccinated employees have now had to make a further choice. Some, like Sage Steele, have grudgingly gotten a vaccineafter previously bashing it. Others, like Williams, are choosing to leave the company instead. Williams revealed that decision in a five-minute video posted to her Instagram page Friday:
A full transcription of Williams comments follows. End notes reflect unsourced statements Williams makes that do not align with current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines on COVID-19 vaccines, with those guidelines based on peer-reviewed scientific research. Links to specific information on those claims are available after the transcription. For now, though, heres a transcription of what Williams said:
So I know Ive been a bit mum since releasing the statement I put out a few months ago on my decision to not receive the COVID-19 vaccine. I just want to give everyone an update on my situation with ESPN. A great producer once told me Dont bury the lede. So I have been denied my request for accommodation by ESPN and the Walt Disney Company, and effective next week I will be separated from the company.
First of all, thank you, everyone, who reached out, texted, emailed, called, messaged me. I cant tell you how much light it brought in a really dark and difficult time. And Ive also had a lot of people and women in particular reach out and share their stories in regards to fertility and getting the injection. And to the women who got it and are having successful pregnancies and have babies in their arms, I am beyond thrilled for you. Congratulations; thats amazing, and terrific, and I believe you. To the women who have reached out and shared their experiences of getting the injection and subsequent miscarriages and menstrual irregularities, periods after menopause, I am so sorry that that is your experience, and I pray for you, and I believe you.
Belief is a word Ive been thinking about a lot lately, because in addition to the medical apprehensions regarding my desire to have another child in regards to receiving this injection, I am also so morally and ethically not aligned with this. And Ive had to really dig deep and analyze my values and my morals, and ultimately I need to put them first. And the irony in all this is that a lot of these same values and morals that I hold dear are what made me a really good employee, what helped with the success that Im able to have in my career.
And it wasnt that long ago that those values were aligned with the Walt Disney Company. In April, they sent out an email to all cast members, as they call employees, saying that they believed the vaccine was the best way forward, but ultimately, it was a personal decision. Their values have clearly changed.
I understand that. I dont know what its like to run a multimillion-dollar company and have shareholders and board members and financial quotas to answer to, not to mention societal and political pressure. So I respect that their values have changed. I had hoped that they would respect that mine did not.
Ultimately, I cannot put a paycheck over principle. And I will not sacrifice something that I believe and hold so strongly to maintain a career.
A lot of people have brought up the moral obligation receiving the vaccine is to being a good citizen. And I weighed that, and I thought about the implications. We all want to be good neighbors. We all want to end this pandemic. But ultimately, an injection that does not stop transmission and spread for me, does not weigh in morally.
So I want to just say to that I know Im not the only one walking away from a career they love, a profession that is a passion. And so many people that are in the same situation as me, serving society and benefiting this country in ways I could never do, they are nurses, they are teachers, they are doctors, they are police officers, and first responders, and they are most importantly our military, and pilots. And they too are choosing to put their beliefs first. And I just want you all to know I stand with you.
But I also want people to know who support these mandates that I will fight for you. Because if this is the direction we take our country, there will come a time when the government or corporations mandate you to get something that does not align with your values. Power given is seldom returned. And when that day comes, I want you to at least know that we fought, and we tried.
I dont know what the future holds, obviously, for any of us. Im trying to wrap my head around the thought that the largest game Ive worked in my career, the national championship game, might be the last game I work. But Im going to focus on what I have to be thankful for. Im going to hold on to my faith. Im going to pray that things get better, and that I can see you on the television set in some capacity, in some stadium, covering some game soon. Until then, God bless, and Im going to go hug my baby.
Notes:1: Williams discusses medical apprehensions regarding my desire to have another child in regards to receiving this injection. From the CDC:
COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for all people 12 years and older, including people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant now, or might become pregnant in the future.
Evidence about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy has been growing. These data suggest that the benefits of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine outweigh any known or potential risks of vaccination during pregnancy.
There is currently no evidence that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause fertility problems in women or men.
Pregnant and recently pregnant people are more likely to get severely ill with COVID-19 compared with non-pregnant people.
Getting a COVID-19 vaccine can protect you from severe illness from COVID-19.
2: Williams discusses an injection that does not stop transmission and spread. From a more general part of a CDC Delta variant page:
The COVID-19 vaccines approved or authorized in the United States are highly effective at preventing severe disease and death, including against the Delta variant. But they are not 100% effective, and some fully vaccinated people will become infected (called a breakthrough infection) and experience illness. For all people, the vaccine provides the best protection against serious illness and death.
Vaccines are playing a crucial role in limiting spread of the virus and minimizing severe disease. Although vaccines are highly effective, they are not perfect, and there will be vaccine breakthrough infections. Millions of Americans are vaccinated, and that number is growing. This means that even though the risk of breakthrough infections is low, there will be thousands of fully vaccinated people who become infected and able to infect others, especially with the surging spread of the Delta variant. Low vaccination coverage in many communities is driving the current rapid surge in cases involving the Delta variant, which also increases the chances that even more concerning variants could emerge.
Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself, your family, and your community. High vaccination coverage will reduce spread of the virus and help prevent new variants from emerging. CDC recommends that everyone aged 12 years and older get vaccinated as soon as possible.
Beyond that, yes, of course, like most vaccines, the approved COVID-19 vaccines do not stop all transmission and spread. Fully-vaccinated people can still be infected (in a breakthrough case). And there is some research suggesting that infected fully-vaccinated people can still spread the disease as much as infected unvaccinated people, based on viral-load data; the CDC discussed this in July as part of a revision to their masking policies. But that does not override the effectiveness of vaccines; a fully-vaccinated person is less likely to have the disease transmitted to them in the first place, so theyre less likely to transmit it on to anyone else. And a fully-vaccinated person is less likely to get a severe case requiring hospitalization, which reduces strain on the healthcare system.
In the end, Williams can absolutely choose not to get vaccinated. But thats a choice thats in direct conflict with the Disney and ESPN vaccine policy, so her departure isnt surprising. And as for her being in some stadium covering some game soon, current federal requirements are that all companies with more than 100 workers either require vaccinations or test unvaccinated employees for COVID-19 weekly. That would be much of the broadcasting world.
Companies can go beyond that weekly level of testing, too. For example, Fox Sports parent company 21st Century Fox (where 90-plus percent of the employees were vaccinated by September) tests unvaccinated employees daily. And there are many further requirements for people working at events, both from broadcasters and from teams or leagues. So it may not be easy to find an outlet that will let Williams do sideline reporting without getting vaccinated, or teams and leagues that will allow an unvaccinated sideline reporter on the field.
[Allison Williams on Instagram]
