COVID-19 News and Discussions

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caltrek
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German Politicians Criticize Warning to Unvaccinated People
By Emily Schulteis
July 25, 2021

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory ... l-79044578

Introduction:
(ABC News) BERLIN -- German politicians across the political spectrum on Sunday criticized a warning by Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff that restrictions for unvaccinated people may be necessary if COVID-19 infection numbers reach new heights in the coming months.

Chief of staff Helge Braun told the newspaper Bild am Sonntag that he doesn’t expect another coronavirus-related lockdown in Germany.

But Braun said that unvaccinated people may be barred from entering venues like restaurants, movie theaters and stadiums “because the residual risk is too high.”

Braun said getting vaccinated is important to protect against severe disease and because “vaccinated people will definitely have more freedoms than unvaccinated people.”

Braun said that such policies would be legal because “the state has the responsibility to protect the health of its citizens.”
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caltrek
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Cats Are More Likely to Catch COVID-19 Than Dogs, But Cat Owners Shouldn't Panic
By David Nield
July 23, 2021

https://www.sciencealert.com/cats-are-m ... y-suggests

Extract:
(Science Alert) The research into better understanding SARS-CoV-2 goes on, and a new study sheds some light on how likely our household pets are to get infected – specifically, finding that cats are more susceptible than dogs to the virus that causes COVID-19.

Scientists analyzed blood serum from a total of 239 pet cats and 510 pet dogs, collected between mid-April and mid-June of 2020, to look for antibodies that would indicate a previous infection of SARS-CoV-2.

The results showed that 8 percent of cats but fewer than 1 percent of dogs had contracted COVID-19, suggesting that the virus can be passed between species, and that cats are more likely to end up catching it and getting infected than dogs are.

The findings are just part of a bigger picture that researchers are starting to put together when it comes to animals and COVID-19. While we know pets can become infected with SARS-CoV-2, the likelihood of them becoming sick appears to be low.

It also seems unlikely that animals are able to pass on SARS-CoV-2 to human beings; on the other hand, we can probably give the virus to our pets when we're in close proximity to them – so cuddling your cat or dog when you're faring poorly with COVID-19 isn't a good idea.
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caltrek
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Conservative Radio Host Skeptical of Vaccines Hospitalized With COVID: Now “He’s Regretful”
by Daniel Poleti
July 25, 2021

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/202 ... covid.html

Introduction:
(Slate) A conservative radio host in Tennessee who was openly skeptical about COVID-19 vaccines has been hospitalized and is now in critical care with the disease. Phil Valentine, who hosts a show on Nashville’s WWTN-FM, was diagnosed with the coronavirus and is now “in very serious condition” as he battles pneumonia, his family said in a statement posted to the radio station’s Twitter account. Although he needs help breathing, Valentine is not on a ventilator, his family said, while making clear that the experience has changed his stance on vaccination.

“Phil would like for his listeners to know that while he has never been an ‘anti-vaxer’ he regrets not being more vehemently ‘Pro-Vaccine,’ and looks forward to being able to more vigorously advocate that position as soon as he is back on the air, which we all hope will be soon,” Valentine’s family said. “Please continue to pray for his recovery and PLEASE GO GET VACCINATED!”
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caltrek
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Fox News Could Be Sued if Its Anti-Vax Statements Caused People to Die
by John Culhanw
July 23, 2021

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/202 ... wsuit.html

Introduction:
(Slate) Since the vaccines for COVID-19 became available, public health authorities, respected medical professionals, some employers, and responsible politicians have been urging, coercing, and bribing us all to get immunized. With the emergence of the more infectious, more virulent, and now dominant delta variant, soaring positive rates have pumped new urgency into these pleas. Yet vaccine uptake rates have slowed to a crawl, and most of those who remain unvaccinated say they don’t plan to change their minds. Unless that changes, expect higher mortality rates, breakthrough infections, and potentially a return to the pandemic lockdown state we’d all hoped we’d left behind.

A constellation of reasons can be cited for ongoing vaccine hesitancy, but one key factor is the prevalence of quack “experts” willing to misinterpret data, lie about statistics, and just plain make stuff up. Leading the misinformation charge has been Fox News—and particularly Tucker Carlson. Night after night, Carlson has provided a platform for sowing fear and confusion among his viewers about the efficacy of the vaccine and its side effects. Although the network has recently sounded a more responsible note, that turnabout has by no means been across the entire network and it comes too late for an untold number of people who have been newly sickened or died from the disease, and who might have been saved through immunization. There may actually be some legal remedy, though, for the damage wrought by the network. COVID victims who were taken in by Carlson’s vaccination misinformation, or their estates, may be able to sue Fox News under the ancient common law theory of fraud. They would have a reasonably good chance of success, too.

Tort law allows anyone injured by the intentional bad act of another to sue for personal injury, property damage, or economic loss caused by the wrongful activity. The specific claim that relates to harm caused by deliberate misrepresentations is fraud, and, depending on what misinformation someone ingested, and how they reacted to it, it’s easy to imagine that many viewers would be able to state a good claim. What’s needed to prove a case for fraud is clearly established through centuries of judicial decisions.

Fox's defense would likely be similar to that taken by other Trumpians which goes something like, "We are just here to entertain, everybody knows that we should not be taken seriously."

The sad part being is that apparently not "everybody" knows that fact.
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Covid-19 Pill Race Heats Up as Japanese Firm Vies With Pfizer, Merck
Source: Wall Street Journal

A Japanese company has started human trials of the first once-a-day pill for Covid-19 patients, joining Pfizer Inc. and Merck & Co. in the race to find treatments for the disease.

Osaka-based Shionogi & Co., which helped develop the blockbuster cholesterol drug Crestor, said it designed its pill to attack the Covid-19 virus. It said the once-a-day dosing would be more convenient. The company said it is testing the drug and any side effects in trials that began this month and are likely to continue until next year.

Shionogi is months behind Pfizer and Merck, which have started later-stage tests of pills to treat Covid-19. Pfizer has said its twice-daily pill could be ready to hit the market as soon as this year. It is preparing to enroll more than 2,000 patients in a test of the antiviral pill combined with a booster antiviral drug against a placebo.

All three companies aim to fill one of the biggest gaps in fighting the pandemic. Vaccines remain effective at preventing serious illness from known strains of the Covid-19 virus including the contagious Delta strain, studies have shown. But some people don’t want to get vaccinated, and cases can occur for those who do get their shots.
Read more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-p ... 1627205403
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Women are claiming ‘boobs get bigger’ after having Pfizer jab

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/healt ... 567e7dd1d7
Women who have had the Pfizer vaccine are reporting an unexpected side effect – claiming their breasts have grown bigger after having the jab.

Pfizer is one of two vaccinations currently being rolled out across Australia in the fight against Covid-19.

Common side effects from Covid-19 vaccines include pain at the injection site, headaches, fatigue, or feeling flu-like symptoms.

But many women have noticed their breasts and lymph nodes had “swollen” after receiving their jabs, dubbing the effect the “Pfizer boob job”.

According to Australian Department of Health, inflamed lymph nodes are a less common side effect of the vaccinations.

In the US, where the vaccination rollout is further along than Australia, doctors have reported an influx of newly vaccinated women making mammogram appointments.

Dr. Laura Esserman, director of University of California San Francisco’s Breast Care Center, said women were confusing swollen lymph nodes after the vaccine for signs of cancer.

“I’m sure hundreds of thousands of women will be affected by this for sure,” said Dr. Esserman told ABC7 Chicago.

Vaccinating against Covid-19 is the only way for Australians to get their normal lives back, but as a nation we’re struggling.
Finally some good news!
weatheriscool
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U.S. travel restrictions are staying in place
Source: CBS News
The U.S. will maintain current travel restrictions for international travelers, citing the spread of the Delta variant and rising COVID-19 cases among the unvaccinated, a White House official confirmed to CBS News.

The White House is facing pressure from the tourism industry and those with loved ones in the U.S. to lift the restrictions. The Biden administration understands the importance of travel and wants to reopen international travel safely, the official said, but noted that the Delta variant is highly transmissible, and the White House expects cases are likely to continue rising in the weeks ahead. Recent guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that Americans should avoid travel to the United Kingdom. Reuters first reported that U.S. travel restrictions will remain in place.

The U.S. now prohibits most non-citizens who have been to the U.K., many other European nations, India, South Africa, Brazil, China and some other countries from traveling to the U.S. Travel is also restricted from neighboring Canada and Mexico, although Canada will soon allow fully vaccinated U.S. citizens into the country.

The Delta variant accounts for about 83.2% of COVID-19 cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website currently says.
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/us-tr ... li=BBnb7Kz
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Yuli Ban
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weatheriscool wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 3:57 pm
According to Australian Department of Health, inflamed lymph nodes are a less common side effect of the vaccinations.
I had this. I mean the lymph nodes, not breasts obviously (who wants to see larger man tits?)

I still have a very slightly swollen supraclavicular lymph node. It's gone done over the months and is only palpable if I actively accentuate it (and even then it's starting to fade further), but I was sure I had cancer earlier this year even though I knew it was almost certainly a result of the Moderna jab. Back in early/mid April, it was visible no matter what; if I shifted my shirt collar, you could easily see this tumor-esque lump above my collarbone. Terribly anxiety-inducing!
And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future
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weatheriscool
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New 'medical freedom' law outlaws requiring COVID-19 vaccine to access public spaces
Source: ABC News

New Hampshire residents cannot be required to get a COVID-19 vaccine in order to "access any public facility, any public benefit, or any public service" according to a new bill signed into law by Republican Gov. Chris Sununu.

The so-called "medical freedom" bill does not override state vaccine law, which "requires that all children enrolled in any school, pre-school, or child care have certain immunizations to protect them and those around them from vaccine preventable diseases," according to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.

The COVID-19 vaccine is not currently listed as a requirement for attending school, nor is it approved for children younger than 12.

Other exceptions to the new law include correctional facilities, such as jails and prisons, where immunizations can be mandated "when a direct threat exists," as well as county nursing homes and medical facilities operated by the state.
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/new-m ... li=BBnb7Kz
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