One frequently heard pushback against vaccine mandates is that there is a "constitutional right" to choose whether to be vaccinated or not for adults and a right to determine whether children can be vaccinated. That is a non-starter in the midst of a pandemic.
The Constitution is not a suicide pact guaranteeing a right to harm others. The government has latitude to protect citizens from deadly conditions, especially when the science supporting vaccination is so clear.
We agree, but also believe that the public needs to better understand that there is no constitutional right to avoid vaccine mandates against a deadly disease.
Those challenging the government mandates are likely to invoke their rights under the First, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments, which protect speech, religion, and a right not to "be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." Their view ends up as a snapshot of themselves; nonetheless, rights can be limited if a person is endangering another.
The government may prohibit otherwise constitutionally protected conduct to save the lives of others.
For example, it is well-settled that governments can ban yelling "Fire" in a crowded theater, because such speech can lead to death as attendees race to the exits. True, the First Amendment's Speech Clause protects the "freedom of speech," but there is no requirement that the government can't prevent scenarios likely leading to death.
The same reasoning applies to vaccine mandates. The Supreme Court explicitly upheld vaccine mandates against deadly diseases in Jacobson, where it explained: "the rights of the individual in respect of his liberty may at times, under the pressure of great dangers, be subjected to such restraint, to be enforced by reasonable regulations, as the safety of the general public may demand." We live in a country of ordered liberty, not individual autonomy that paves the way to the deaths of others. In short, it is not the right of every American citizen to catch and transmit a potentially fatal infection.
The depth of the science and the worldwide experience show plainly that vaccination is the best protection from this pandemic, and that the faster we reach herd immunity the more likely it will be that people won't die from this virus, hospitals won't be overburdened, and the economy will fully recover.
Children and adults have a constitutional right to "life" that can only be protected if there is mass vaccination. It's time for state and local governments to issue vaccine mandates and fines -- as New York and San Francisco have -- before this virus mutates into an even more elusive killer than it already is.
Vaccine mandates, with medical and religious exemptions, had been popping up at companies and universities even before the FDA granted full approval to Pfizer-BioNTechs coronavirus vaccine this week. But that announcement knocked down one of the anti-vaxxers main lame excuses Its an experimental drug! and paved the way for corporations, venues, restaurants and schools to more comfortably require proof of vaccination.
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The Monroe County Department of Public Health has set up an appointment reservation system for immunocompromised individuals who qualify for a third dose of Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Third dose vaccines are available at all Monroe County vaccine clinics.
Eligible individuals are strongly encouraged to make an appointment through the online reservation system or by calling the COVID-19 Hotline at (585) 753-5555. While walk-ins are also welcome, the wait times may be longer without an appointment.
MAKE AN APPOINTMENT HERE:www.monroecounty.gov/healthcalls/vac/form/extra
FIND A LIST OF MONROE COUNTY VACCINE CLINICS HERE:www.monroecounty.gov/health-covid19-vaccine
MCDPH recommends individuals contacttheir healthcare provider about whether getting an additional dose is appropriate for them at this time.To receive a third dose, individuals must have received their second dose at least 28 days prior to getting an additional dose, and meet one or more of the following criteria:
TOKYO The Japanese health authorities on Thursday announced that they would halt the use of over 1.6 million doses of Modernas coronavirus vaccine after some vaccination sites reported finding tainted vials.
The problem comes as Japan, which initially struggled to get its vaccination program into full gear, confronts its worst wave of Covid-19 cases since the pandemic began, raising concerns that medical systems in some parts of the country could be overwhelmed.
Unspecified contaminants were discovered in nearly 40 doses of the vaccine at eight locations across Japan, prompting the decision to pull the lot that included them, as well as two other lots produced at the same location, the public broadcaster NHK reported.
In a statement, Takeda Pharmaceutical, the company that distributes the shots in Japan, said that it had asked Moderna to carry out an urgent investigation into the cause of the problem. Takeda did not report any concerns about health issues arising from use of the tainted vials.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the chief cabinet secretary, Katsunobu Kato, said that an unknown number of people had been vaccinated with the contaminated doses, but that the government had received no reports of ill effects. He urged people with concerns to consult their doctors.
After getting off to a slow start, Japan is now administering over a million vaccine doses each day. Currently, about 43 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. In addition to Moderna, Japan has approved the use of vaccines produced by Pfizer and AstraZeneca.
However, as the inoculation program has accelerated, so has the virus. Tokyo declared its fourth state of emergency in July as it confronted a rapid rise in cases driven by the Delta variant. The situation has since deteriorated rapidly, with daily case numbers reaching over 25,000 for the first time on Friday. Total deaths are at nearly 15,700.
The decision to withdraw the Moderna doses is not expected to have a major impact on the overall vaccination program, Mr. Kato said, adding that the government was working to reduce any disruptions.
Despite the rising numbers, Tokyo has carried on more or less as usual. The city is currently hosting the Paralympics, which opened on Tuesday.
Much like for the Olympics, which were held for two weeks starting at the end of July, the organizers of the Paralympic Games have adopted strict measures such as daily testing of athletes to try to keep infection rates down. Since Aug. 12, 184 people associated with the Paralympics have tested positive for Covid-19. On Thursday, Japanese news media reported that an athlete had been hospitalized with the virus, which would be a first for the event.
Woman released from hospital to find husband dead at home
Ken Suarez reports
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - A Polk County woman battling COVID-19 in the hospital came home to a horrifying scene involving her husband.
"It was like walking into a horror film, and I wish I had never seen him like that because I cant get that picture out of my head," Lisa Steadman tearfully told FOX 13.
She found her husband, Ron, dead from the virus.
Ron had been diagnosed at a walk-in clinic with COVID a week and a half before. Since his case did not seem severe, he was sent home with medication to recuperate.
Meanwhile, Lisa was struggling in Winter Haven Hospital.
"I thought I was going to die. I couldnt breathe. I couldnt stop throwing up," she recalled.
She was becoming exhausted from the struggle to just keep going.
"It is like you dont have no bones in your body. You cant move. Youre just that weak."
RELATED: Battling cancer and unable to get vaccine, Polk teacher dies from COVID-19 complications
Sheriff Judd is urging everyone to get vaccinated after one of his deputies, 32-year-old Christopher Broadhead, died of COVID-19.
After about a week, during one of the couples phone conversations, Ron told Lisa his phone was not holding a charge. The following day she called him but couldnt get through, so she asked Winter Haven police to check on him.
When they did, everything seemed to be OK.
Two days later, Lisa was released from the hospital. When she got home, she found Ron dead.
"They say he died of COVID-related problems because they know he had COVID," Lisa continued. "They dont know if he had a heart attack from COVID or if he had an embolism. They dont know."
RELATED: Parent of 12-year-old in ICU urges Polk County to take up mask mandates
Neither Lisa nor Ron had been vaccinated. After going through this, Lisa plans to have the shot.
LINK: If you want to help Lisa with funeral and other personal expenses, she has set up a Facebook page: www.facebook.com/donate/538272510830722/543014757023164/
Aug. 26, 2021 -- About one third of the US population had been infected with coronavirus 2 by the end of 2020, according to a new study published today in Nature.
Jeffrey Shaman, PhD, director of the Climate and Health Program at Columbia University, and colleagues simulated the spread of coronavirus within all 3,142 counties in the United States.
The United States had the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths in the world during 2020. More than 19.6 million cases were reported by the end of the year.
But the authors point out "69% of the population remained susceptible to viral infection."
Jill Foster, MD, a pediatric infectious disease doctor at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis says the study adds evidence that : "We have not turned the corner on COVID-19 and are nowhere near herd immunity if it exists for SARS-CoV-2."
She said the numbers presented are particularly concerning in regard to how many people were susceptible and were actively able to infect others: "Much higher than most people imagined and very much higher than their comparison, influenza. "There are still more people susceptible than we had believed," Foster added. "If the pattern continues where the Delta variant infects a significant portion of those vaccinated, the number of people susceptible rises even higher than was predicted."
Foster said these numbers represent a warning that COVID should be treated as a continuing threat.
"We need to acknowledge that there is COVID-19 infection simmering and periodically erupting throughout the country," she said. "It is not monolithic and varies by geography and seasons in ways that are difficult to predict other than at any given time there is likely more infection present than we are identifying and more people susceptible to infection than we have calculated."
Some of the data showed good news, Shaman says. The infection death rate fell from 0.77% in April to 0.31% in December. The authors suggest that that may be because of improvements in diagnosis and treatment, patient care, and reduced disease severity.
However, the rate of death was still nearly four times as high as the estimated death rate for the flu (0.08%) and the 2009 flu pandemic (0.0076%), the authors point out.
Joe K. Gerald, MD, , program director with public health policy and management at University of Arizona in Tucson, says this study helps confirm that COVID-19 is much deadlier than the flu and that the intensity of the response has been appropriate.
"We should be willing to invest a lot more in mitigating COVID-19 than seasonal influenza because it has much greater consequences," he said.
The numbers help emphasize that testing must improve. "We didn't have enough tests available, and they weren't easily accessible. For much of the year we were flying in the dark," Gerald said.
The number of tests has increased this year, he acknowledged, but testing still lags.
"We just can't miss this many infections or diagnoses and hope to gain control," he said.
The study also points out the huge variation by state and even by county in infections and deaths, and that variation continues. Gerald noted that the numbers make it difficult for some regions to accept broader mandates, because the threat from COVID-19 appears very different where they are.
"We have to think about regions, how many people are susceptible, and what the testing capacity is," he said. "States and even counties should have some leeway to make some important public health decisions, because local conditions are going to differ at different points in time."
WebMD Health News
New coronavirus infections continue to rise across the U.S., perpetuating a preventable wave of suffering that's already straining hospitals and killing an average of 1,000 Americans per day.
The big picture: The biggest increases are happening primarily in a cluster of states where vaccination rates are low and safety measures like masks are spotty.
By the numbers: The U.S. is now averaging over 150,000 new coronavirus cases per day a 22% increase over the past two weeks.
What's happening: In general, the states with the lowest vaccination rates are now seeing the biggest growth in new infections, and many of those same states are so overwhelmed with seriously ill COVID patients that they're running out of ICU beds.
Vaccinated Americans are facing a disheartening reality: Even after getting the shot, they'll have to live with some level of risk from the coronavirus for the foreseeable future.
State of play: A glut of data released over the past few weeks supports the idea that coronavirus vaccine effectiveness against infection begins to wane over time, although it remains effective against severe disease.
The context: But the U.S. vaccination campaign began in December which means millions of vaccinated Americans are likely significantly less protected than when they completed their first round of shots.
That means that at least until we get a booster we all have to figure out how to live our lives knowing that our vaccines are imperfect at keeping us from getting sick, but work very well at keeping us alive and out of the hospital.
My thought bubble: I am also trying to figure out what is a sustainable and ethical level of risk to incorporate into my life, and it's hard.
Yes, but: Just because risk will always be with us doesn't mean it will always be this bad.
The bottom line: It would be foolish to assume that your coronavirus vaccine will continuously provide you near-perfect protection against infection.
With children returning to school, one big question is what happens when new coronavirus cases occur on campus.
Early data from testing in L.A. schools show relatively few cases during the early days of the school year. As of Tuesday night, L.A. Unified officials reported seven cases that were possibly transmitted from one person to another while on a campus since the Aug. 16 start of school. The district also listed 2,304 total active infections among 451,000 students and 60,000 employees.
On Wednesday the district confirmed its first coronavirus outbreak at Grant Elementary School in Hollywood, sending home an entire classroom of children and potentially triggering new concerns for parents during a surge in infections caused by the highly contagious Delta variant.
Here is a look at what happens when a student or staff member tests positive:
Students who are on campus with symptoms of illness and when a coronavirus test indicates an infection will be given a surgical mask and accompanied to an isolation space until they can return home, according to L.A. County Department of Public Health policy.
A person is supposed to isolate at home for 10 days if experiencing symptoms of illness or after testing positive. The school, working with health officials, will identify those who have been in close contact with the infected person and then quarantine decisions will be made.
L.A. Unified revised its rules Monday to enable more students to avoid quarantine. Under the new policy, vaccinated students who are close contacts do not have to quarantine unless they develop symptoms. Close contacts who are vaccinated still must be tested five days after exposure. The districts new policy aligns with that of L.A. County.
Close contacts who are unvaccinated must quarantine for up to 10 days.
The chances of developing dangerous blood clots after being infected with the virus that causes Covid-19 far outweighs the risks of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines, according to the largest study of its kind.
The sweeping analysis used data from more than 29 million people in England to compare both vaccines with infection from Sars-Cov-2. It weighed up rates of hospital admission or death from blood clots, as well as other blood disorders, within 28 days of either a positive test or receiving the first jab.
Lead author Julia Hippisley-Cox, professor of clinical epidemiology and general practice at the University of Oxford, said: People should be aware of these increased risks after Covid-19 vaccination and seek medical attention promptly if they develop symptoms, but also be aware that the risks are considerably higher and over longer periods of time if they become infected with Sars Cov-2.
The findings were based on data from electronic health records collected between 1 December 2020 and 24 April 2021. In addition to thrombocytopenia (a condition characterised by low platelet counts) and blood clots, the researchers also looked at certain other risks, including CVST (blood clots in the brain) and ischaemic stroke (a blood clot or blockage that cuts off the blood supply to the brain).
Overall, they found an increased risk of thrombocytopenia blood clots in veins and other rare arterial blood clots after a first dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. After the first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, they found a higher risk of blood clots in arteries and ischaemic stroke.
However, the data showed that there would be 934 extra cases of thrombocytopenia for every 10 million people after infection, compared with 107 after the first shot of the AstraZeneca jab. For ischaemic strokes, there would be an estimated 1,699 extra cases for every 10 million people after infection, while there would be only 143 extra cases after the first Pfizer jab.
People can develop these conditions even without infection or vaccination. The risks described in the study are the additional risks brought by the vaccines or infection. The risks associated with the vaccines were also relatively short-lived, the researchers cautioned in the British Medical Journal.
Prof Carol Coupland, senior researcher at the University of Oxford and professor of medical statistics in primary care at the University of Nottingham, said that the stroke risk with the Pfizer jab was elevated for 15 to 21 days after the first dose. In the case of thrombocytopenia after the AstraZeneca jab, that risk was higher for 8 to 14 days. Whereas the associations with infection appeared to be generally over a whole 28-day period after the infection, she added
Other smaller studies have linked the risk of thrombocytopenia alongside blood clots to after the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, in particular in people under the age of 50. Such risks have triggered changes in the way the vaccine has been recommended for deployment in some countries, including the UK. This study, however, was not powered to assess the risk of both conditions concurrently, the researchers said.
There is one final remaining calculation to be made, and that relates to whether the risks differ between vaccines, said Dr Peter English, a retired consultant in communicable disease control and former chairman of the BMAs public health medicine committee, who was not involved in the study.
He added: The rarity of these adverse events makes it difficult to quantify precisely their frequency after specific vaccines. As we accumulate more data, we will become more confident in our comparisons; and it may be that this will enable us to identify which vaccines (if any) are to be preferred in different categories (age, sex, etc) of recipient with increased confidence.
