The states COVID-19 vaccination incentive campaign today announced the five winners of its second week of prize giveaways.
The five new winners include Sarah Delgadillo of Oahu, who won 100,000 HawaiianMiles from Hawaiian Airlines; Gary Oliveira of Maui, who won 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points; Jon Bynes of Oahu, who won two round-trip tickets on Alaska Airlines; Brent Muraoka of Oahu, who won a round-trip ticket on Southwest Airlines; and Alan Matsui of Oahu, who also won a round-trip ticket on Southwest Airlines.
The campaign, which was launched June 4, offers Hawaii residents ages 18 and up who get at least one COVID-19 vaccine by June 30 a chance to register to win a smorgasbord of prizes, including the round-trip tickets, a trip to Las Vegas for two, a two-night stay at the Kahala Hotel & Resort, along with gift cards, Zippys for a year, and other winnings.
Accuity LLP, an independent accounting firm, is providing official contest verification services to ensure winners are selected fairly and according to the official contest rules.
The first two winners of HawaiianMiles and Alaska Airlines round-trip tickets were announced last week. Another set of winners will be announced next Wednesday.
Nearly 20 businesses have donated prizes to the campaign, and more than 80 businesses are offering discounts and deals throughout the month of June for vaccinated individuals.
The #HIGotVaccinated campaign is supported by Adventist Health Castle, ConnectWorks, H&B Marketing, Hawaii Pacific Health, Humana, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, Maui Health, MDX Hawaii, The Queens Health Systems, and Hawaiis business community.
As of today, more than 1.6 million doses had been administered in the state; 57.2% of Hawaiis population of about 1.4 million have completed vaccinations, while 62% have received at least one dose.
The COVID-19 vaccine is free at hundreds of sites across the state, including local pharmacies, hospitals, and pop-up clinics, including one this Saturday at Honolulu Zoo and the Honolulu Stadium Swap Meet.
To register for the #higotvaccinated incentives campaign, visit higotvaccinated.com. To find a place to get a COVID-19 vaccine, visit hawaiicovid19.com/vaccine-info.
News Release
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
Researchers will evaluate antibody responses in vaccinated participants and their infants.
A new observational study has begun to evaluate the immune responses generated by COVID-19 vaccines administered to pregnant or postpartum people. Researchers will measure the development and durability of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in people vaccinated during pregnancy or the first two postpartum months. Researchers also will assess vaccine safety and evaluate the transfer of vaccine-induced antibodies to infants across the placenta and through breast milk.
The study, called MOMI-VAX, is sponsored and funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. MOMI-VAX is conducted by theNIAID-funded Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium (IDCRC).
Tens of thousands of pregnant and breastfeeding people in the United States have chosen to receive the COVID-19 vaccines available under emergency use authorization. However, we lack robust, prospective clinical data on vaccination in these populations, said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., The results of this study will fill gaps in our knowledge and help inform policy recommendations and personal decision-making on COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy and in the postpartum period.
Pregnant people with COVID-19 are more likely to be hospitalized, be admitted to the intensive care unit, require mechanical ventilation, and die from the illness than their non-pregnant peers. Severe COVID-19 during pregnancy also may put the infant at risk for complications such as preterm birth. Individuals who are pregnant or breastfeeding can choose to receive authorized COVID-19 vaccines, and studies to gather safety data in these populations are ongoing. So far, COVID-19 vaccines appear to be safe in these populations. The NIAID study will build on these studies by improving the understanding of antibody responses to COVID-19 vaccines among pregnant and postpartum people and the transfer of antibodies to their infants during pregnancy or through breast milk. Experience with other diseases suggests that the transfer of vaccine-induced antibodies from mother to baby could help protect newborns and infants from COVID-19 during early life.
Investigators will enroll up to 750 pregnant individuals and 250 postpartum individuals within two months of delivery who have received or will receive any COVID-19 vaccine authorized or licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Their infants also will be enrolled in the study. Vaccines are not provided to participants as part of the study protocol. Currently, three COVID-19 vaccines are available in the United States under emergency use authorization: the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccines and the Johnson & Johnson adenoviral vector vaccine. The study is designed to assess up to five types of FDA-licensed or authorized COVID-19 vaccines, should additional options become available.
Participants and their infants will be followed through the first year after delivery. To assess the development and durability of vaccine-induced antibodies overall and by vaccine type and vaccine platform, researchers will analyze blood samples collected from pregnant and postpartum participants. These samples will be collected at study enrollment; at delivery for participants who enrolled during pregnancy; and two, six, and 12 months after delivery. Pregnant participants enrolled in the study prior to receiving the vaccine will have blood drawn at enrollment as well as approximately one month after vaccination. To assess transfer of antibodies through the placenta and the levels and durability of antibodies in infants, researchers will perform antibody testing on samples from umbilical cord blood collected at delivery and blood samples collected from infants two and six months after delivery.
Investigators also will assess the potential effects on maternal immune responses and transfer of antibodies across the placenta according to the mothers age, the trimester of pregnancy during which the vaccine was received, the mothers health, and the mothers COVID-19 risk status. Additionally, mothers will have the option of providing breast milk samples at approximately two weeks, two months, six months, and 12 months after delivery. The investigators will evaluate breast milk antibodies to assess the potential for protection against COVID-19 in breastfed infants. Study staff also will gather information on COVID-19 illnesses in pregnant and postpartum participants, birth and neonatal outcomes, and COVID-19 illnesses in infant participants.
The work is led by principal investigators Flor M. Munoz, M.D., of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and Richard H. Beigi, M.D., of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The study will be conducted at up to 20 clinical research sites nationwide. More information about the study, including a list of sites, is available on the IDCRC website.
NIAID conducts and supports researchat NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwideto study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID website.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
NIHTurning Discovery Into Health
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(WXYZ) We've seen cases around the country where people are risking their jobs when it comes to saying no to the COVID vaccine.
Related:
"This is a new issue. It's not like tried and true. And we're used to this. It's like, 'wait a minute, this is a medical procedure, how is it you're making me get a shot in my arm?' So it does strike some people innately, like 'I shouldn't have to do this,'" said Deborah Gordon, an employment and civil rights attorney.
And one does not have to get a vaccine, but there can be consequences. This week at Houston Methodist, 153 employees, including nurses for the Texas hospital, were fired or resigned after refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19. In Ann Arbor, Michigan Medicine is not requiring their employees to get vaccinated. The same is the case for Beaumont Health because the FDA has only approved it under emergency use.
"Because the FDA has not taken that last step to remove this emergency authorization, the government is not out there, forcing its employees to get the vaccine," said Gordon.
But what if your boss says you have to get the shot?
"Yes, your private employer can say to you, 'you must have a vaccine to work here. You must show proof of a vaccine to work here,'" said Gordon.
But what if your doctor says your body, for whatever reason, can't handle the vaccine?
"If you truly cannot get the vaccine for a medical reason, now we flip over to another law, which is the Americans with Disabilities Act, or the state disability discrimination act," said Gordon.
And that means your employer has to accommodate your situation.
"If your employer can accommodate a legitimate medical situation that you have, he must he or she must do so," she said. "So what does that mean with a vaccine? If you're immunocompromised, and you can come to work, but you cannot get a vaccine, your employer may say to you, 'you go work in the back office over here in a place that's remote, you have to wear a mask, you have to take other precautions, I can accommodate that. But you cannot be a part of our general workforce here. I'm not going to put others at risk.'"
According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, "Federal EEO laws do not prevent an employer from requiring all employees physically entering the workplace to be vaccinated for COVID-19, so long as employers comply with the reasonable accommodation provisions of the ADA and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other EEO considerations."
But if you just don't want to get the vaccine, like in Texas, don't be surprised if your employer gives you the axe. But some companies may not want to risk losing any workers. Gordon says just know what's on the line.
"This is going to continue to bubble up. Because we still have a certain number of people in the community, our population, that don't want to get vaccines," she said.
The following article was originally published in the Ohio Capital Journal and published on News5Cleveland.com under a content-sharing agreement.
COLUMBUS, OhioA Franklin County judge recently began including vaccination against COVID-19 as a condition of defendants terms of probation.
Common Pleas Judge Richard Frye said Thursday he added the vaccine as a condition on three cases this week of the roughly 20 sentences he imposed.
He said he discussed the matter in open court with the defendants, and they attributed their unvaccinated status to procrastination. None raised any philosophical, medical or religious objection.
It occurred to me that at least some of these folks need to be encouraged not to procrastinate, Frye said in an interview. I think its a reasonable condition when were telling people to get employed and be out in the community.
He declined to speculate what would happen if a defendant raised a medical, religious or philosophical exemption to vaccination, but said this is a different situation entirely than people who have simply put the matter off.
An example: a man named Cameron Stringer entered a guilty plea for one charge of improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle, for which he was sentenced to two years of probation (community control, as its known in Ohio).
Stringer must submit to random drug screening; avoid further legal trouble; return a firearm in question to its rightful owner; and obtain a COVID-19 vaccine within 30 days and provide proof to the Probation Department, court documents show.
Its unclear how widespread this judicial practice is. Frye said he didnt know if any other judges were doing anything similar. A spokesman for the Supreme Court, which oversees lower courts, said he didnt know of any judges doing anything similar. However, he sent a link to a media report about a judge offering to shorten probation stretches for those who obtain a vaccine.
Gary Daniels, a lobbyist with the ACLU, expressed concern about the practice Thursday, comparing it to Ohio judges who have ordered defendants convicted of crimes not to procreate.
It doesnt have any real relationship to community control, Daniels said of Fryes practice, in a brief interview.
At a minimum, it appears to be problematic.
Fryes practice comes in a period of stagnation in a vaccination campaign against a disease that has killed more than 600,000 Americans. Despite a skyscraping death and morbidity toll; five $1 million lottery drawings for people who get vaccinated; and more than 6 months of availability, fewer than 48% of Ohioans have started the vaccination process against COVID-19.
I just wanted them to be safe in the community, Frye said.
SALEM, Ore. The state of Oregon will shed its coronavirus restrictions on Wednesday, June 30 or whenever it hits the 70 percent adult vaccination goal, whichever comes first. Governor Kate Brown revealed in a press briefing on Friday morning.
Governor Brown announced back in May that the state would reopen once 70 percent of adults received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In spite of a lottery incentive campaign revealed less than two weeks later, the statewide rate of daily doses administered has been dropping since mid-May, with only a slight uptick at the beginning of June.
As a result, Oregon has continued to inch toward Brown's goal, but with no guarantee that it would be achieved by the end of June. As of Friday morning, the statewide rate stood at 68.9 percent.
In a statement, Brown's office said that she would issue a new executive order, rescinding the previous order that codified the statewide mask mandate and the county risk level system in place since late 2020.This would effectively end physical distancing requirements, capacity limits, mandated closing times for businesses, and other measures.
Brown signed the new order in her live press briefing on Friday.
"I'm proud of our collective efforts to vaccinate more than 2.3 million Oregonians. It is because of this success that we can move Oregon forward and into the next chapter of this pandemic. We are ready," said Governor Brown.
Some mask requirements could stay in place for specialized settings following current CDC guidance, including for airports, public transit, and health care settings.
Brown's new "recovery order" is set to last until December 31 of 2021 unless terminated earlier. Despite the repeal of other executive orders, the Governor's office said that the emergency declaration for COVID-19 would be extended again with a more limited scope, focusing on "COVID-19 recovery efforts, similar to the recovery executive order currently in place for 2020 wildfire season recovery."
"We should all take pride in the work we have done to bring us to this moment," Brown continued. "The efforts underway to close our vaccine equity gap and reach every Oregonian with information and a vaccine have definitely helped bring us this far. Thank you to all who are going the extra mile to vaccinate Oregonians."
Brown's office said that she would also rescind the executive orders concerning schools and childcare, handing back the reins to individual schools, districts, and communities for health and safety decision-making.
Almost simultaneously, the Oregon Department of Education issued a final set of guidance for the coming school year, prioritizing the return of full-time, in-person instruction in the fall. Schools will still be expected to follow regulations on the control of infectious diseases and plan accordingly.
Houston Health Department hosting COVID-19 vaccine town hall in Sharpstown
June 24, 2021
HOUSTON- The Sharpstown community is invited to bring questions about the COVID-19 vaccine to an upcoming town hall meeting hosted by the Houston Health Department.
Take Your Best Shot: COVID-19 Vaccine Community Conversationtakes place June 29, 2021 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Southwest Multi-Service Center, 6400 High Star Drive. Virtual participation is available atbit.ly/vaxsharpstown.
Health experts will be on hand to provide information about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines, answer questions and concerns, and provide information aboutnearby free vaccination sites.
Participants can win one of five $50 restaurant gift cards.
The town hall is the first in a series the health department is hosting throughout Houston.
Find nearby free Houston Health Department-affiliated COVID-19 vaccination sites atHoustonHealth.orgor by calling 832-393-4220.
Inova Health, which operates five hospitals in Northern Virginia, will require its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sept. 1.
"We believe this a necessary step in prioritizing team member and patient safety, which align in our core values," the health system said in a statement to NBCWashington. "We are committed to answering questions and educating team members about the safety, efficacy and benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine."
Inova employs about 18,000 team members who serve more than 2 million individuals annually through its network of hospitals, primary and specialty care practices, emergency and urgent care centers, outpatient services and destination institutes.
People think that COVID is gone, perhaps naturally," said Dr. Janak Patel who supports the status share. "They don't know how much the role of vaccine has been."
GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas The Galveston County Health District is now sharing the vaccination status of people whove died from COVID-19.
The detail is added to a list of information like a persons age range, whether or not they had pre-existing conditions and the persons ethnicity and race.
Based on GCHD press releases and posts shared on their social media pages, it seems the first time the health district included vaccination information was three days ago.
On Facebook, the Galveston County Health District reported the June 9 death of an unvaccinated man between 41 and 51 years old who had preexisting donations conditions.
KHOU 11 was unable to reach anyone within the health district who could answer questions as to why the vaccination status is now listed among identifying information, but Dr. Janak Patel, who is the Director of Infection Control & Healthcare Epidemiology for UTMB, thinks sharing the detail is critical to getting more people vaccinated.
People think that COVID is gone, perhaps naturally. They don't know how much the role of vaccine has been in this entire battle against COVID, Dr. Patel said.
As more time passes, more research can be done to study the impact of each COVID-19 vaccine. The Associated Press reports that its journalists analyzed all publicly available data on COVID-19 for the month of May. The AP is reporting breakthrough COVID-19 infections of fully vaccinated people accounted for .1 percent COVID hospitalizations. Of the 18,000 COVID-19 deaths in May, the AP counted 150 people as fully vaccinated.
I think is a very important message. People should hear that that it is true. And that we can show it in our own community, Dr. Patel said.
According to the U.S. Census, more than 342,000 people live within Galveston County. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, more than 144,000 Galveston County residents are fully vaccinated as of Thursday.
The Galveston County Health District confirms 86 breakthrough infection cases so far. COVID-19 vaccines are widely available across America for everyone 12 and up.
They are nearly 100 percent effective against severe disease and death, said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky during a press briefing on Tuesday. Meaning nearly every death due to COVID-19 is particularly tragic.
So to those who dont want to get a COVID-19 vaccine because they think there are enough medications and therapies to fight the disease, Dr. Patel said, despite all the advances we have made, it is not pleasant to be in a hospital with the infection. Yes, you might survive, but you may have significant problems while you're in the hospital. You may have complications. You may have lingering health problems for days to come.
Patel hopes to see more young adults get vaccinated. Galveston County Health Districts change in communication just might help.
Melissa Correa on social media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of June 23, 2021, there have been 2,982,657 total confirmatory laboratory results received for COVID-19, with 163,689 total cases and 2,872 deaths.
DHHR has confirmed the deaths of a 68-year old female from Cabell County and a 73-year old male from Raleigh County.
Every life lost to this pandemic is a tragedy. Our thoughts go out to the families, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary. Choosing to have a COVID vaccine means choosing to help stop the loss of lives due to the pandemic. We each have a role to play in building community immunity in West Virginia.
CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (1,514), Berkeley (12,823), Boone (2,175), Braxton (1,009), Brooke (2,247), Cabell (8,869), Calhoun (382), Clay (543), Doddridge (640), Fayette (3,545), Gilmer (884), Grant (1,309), Greenbrier (2,886), Hampshire (1,920), Hancock (2,843), Hardy (1,572), Harrison (6,177), Jackson (2,243), Jefferson (4,793), Kanawha (15,476), Lewis (1,280), Lincoln (1,601), Logan (3,283), Marion (4,641), Marshall (3,536), Mason (2,056), McDowell (1,613), Mercer (5,149), Mineral (2,972), Mingo (2,750), Monongalia (9,387), Monroe (1,217), Morgan (1,225), Nicholas (1,899), Ohio (4,306), Pendleton (724), Pleasants (958), Pocahontas (680), Preston (2,958), Putnam (5,321), Raleigh (7,081), Randolph (2,851), Ritchie (756), Roane (660), Summers (863), Taylor (1,276), Tucker (546), Tyler (743), Upshur (1,964), Wayne (3,179), Webster (543), Wetzel (1,385), Wirt (456), Wood (7,936), Wyoming (2,044).
Free pop-up COVID-19 testing is available today in Barbour, Berkeley, Doddridge, Jefferson, Lincoln, Morgan, Putnam, Ritchie, Tyler/Wetzel, and Wayne counties.
Barbour County
9:00 AM 11:00 AM, Barbour County Health Department, 109 Wabash Avenue, Philippi, WV
1:00 PM 5:00 PM, Junior Volunteer Fire Department, 331 Row Avenue, Junior, WV
Berkeley County
10:00 AM 5:00 PM, 891 Auto Parts Place, Martinsburg, WV
10:00 AM 5:00 PM, Ambrose Park, 25404 Mall Drive, Martinsburg, WV
Doddridge County
Jefferson County
10:00 AM 6:00 PM, Hollywood Casino, 750 Hollywood Drive, Charles Town, WV
12:00 PM 5:00 PM, Shepherd University Wellness Center Parking Lot, 164 University Drive, Shepherdstown, WV
Lincoln County
Morgan County
11:00 AM 4:00 PM, Valley Health War Memorial Hospital, 1 Health Way, Berkeley Springs, WV
Putnam County
9:00 AM 4:00 PM, Liberty Square, 613 Putnam Village, Hurricane, WV
Ritchie County
1:00 PM 4:00 PM, Ritchie Regional, 138 S Penn Avenue, Harrisville, WV
Tyler/Wetzel Counties
Wayne County
10:00 AM 2:00 PM, Wayne Community Center, 11580 Rt. 152, Wayne, WV
