FEATURED INSIGHTS
INSIGHTS
UK COVID Variant Now Spreading in US
It has been just three weeks since U.K. health officials announced discovery of a new strain of coronavirus had been detected in Kent and was rapidly spreading northeast toward London. The variant called B.1.1.7 was found to be far more contagious -- as much more as 70%. Almost immediately after it was detected, dozens of nations cut off travel from the U.K. Finally, after many countries had acted, the U.S. last week shut off travel from the U.K, but then quickly reversed its decision with the only requirement that U.S.-bound travelers must have tested negative within three days prior to departure.
Embracing Workplace Vaccination Mandates
Workplaces struggling to marry up a mandatory vaccine policy with HPPA privacy laws got good news last Wednesday when the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled that employers are entitles—and required—to ensure a safe workplace “in which an individual shall not pose a direct threat to the health or safety of individuals in the workplace.”
The Pending Housing Crisis
California: Critical Condition
More dire COVID numbers were reported Saturday with 16,504 new cases and 96 deaths in Los Angeles. Positivity rate and hospitalizations are both at an all time high. Saturday morning, LA County officials reported there are no more ICU beds for patients requiring critical care, which means those patients are being transported to other triage centers in the state, or makeshift efforts are being constructed to care for those in need. Rationing may well be the next step if conditions worsen…
Feds Obstruct Vaccine Delivery
Pfizer says the administration stopped providing it with destinations for millions of COVID vaccine doses sitting in warehouses. Multiple states, including Virginia, report cuts to promised allotments by up to 50%. This represents an unfathomable level of cruelty and neglect in the midst of America’s worst-ever accumulated mass casualty event. There are only a limited number of possible reasons…
Who’s Next in Line for a COVID Vaccine?
FDA Approves Moderna Vaccine
Approval of Moderna's vaccine late Friday under an Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA ensures millions more doses are now en route to distribution centers across the nation. Planes and trucks filled with Moderna's COVID immunization began journeys to distribution centers in every state Sunday morning. Healthcare supply chain giant McKesson is handling the distribution for Moderna from its centers in Kentucky and Mississippi. Pfizer mostly is utilizing the U.S. Government, predominately through the military, for dissemination. McKesson will utilize FedEx and UPS for delivery of its vaccine. Many of the Moderna shipments are being accompanied by local and state police.
Vaccine Messaging: What does leadership look like?
Is it better for the head of a company to get vaccinated last after their employees, or first in a demonstration of behavior-modeled leadership? Many businesses and organizations around the country are grappling with this very chicken-or-egg situation now that a vaccine is within sight. Nationwide, nearly 40 percent of Americans remain hesitant to take the coronavirus vaccine, and while many leaders and celebrity influencers will be part of a $50M PR campaign, some large organizations like businesses and school systems should consider internal messaging and advocacy to reduce the percent of vaccine hesitant individuals...
Virginia: The Dr. is Out to Lunch
With these new measures, Northam reveals that he, a doctor who should know better, is simply reacting to events. Early, decisive action with a justifiable basis in epidemiological science would yield better public health outcomes and political results. The Governor would be better served by taking proactive actions and standing firm on the justifiable science with clear and consistent public messaging…
Now is the Winter of Our Discontent
Dr. Anthony Fauci has repeatedly said that “the cavalry is coming” when he speaks of the advent of forthcoming vaccines — particularly the two leading contenders, Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. But these revolutionary developments utilizing first-ever technology never before applied against a pandemic, or perennial infectious diseases like influenza or measles, won’t be available to quell the overwhelming surge in COVID-19 cases nationwide. Every public health expert is warning the most horrific period of the pandemic has yet to unfold…
California’s Bleak Reality
California is reeling from the long expected surge in COVID-19. In Los Angeles, 421,881 cases had been recorded as of Friday — 7854 new cases since Thursday and 44 deaths in the past 24 period. 2572 persons are hospitalized across the county of more than 12 million. The county’s positivity rate is inching toward 8% — and it is expected to increase in coming days. Los Angeles recorded more COVID-19 cases in one day Thursday than 44 states combined.
The Unemployment Epidemic
Virginia’s unemployment office has been overwhelmed since the pandemic began, and a recent report from WJLA revealed that the agency is still processing applications from July. New applications peaked in May after federal stimulus benefits ran out…
A Guide to Combat COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories
Many of the vaccine conspiracy theories are fueled by a lack of information about vaccine ingredients. This can be countered through a public awareness campaign explaining how the vaccines are made. The following is a survey of common conspiracies related to COVID-19 and the upcoming vaccines and a science-based refutation of the misinformation…
Virginia’s COVID Strategy: D-
Confusion remains over many elements of the problematic orders. However, business organizations' complaining about new limits is not among those 'problematic' issues, as they had disproportionate influence over the state's public health policy all along. The excessive deference Dr. Ralph Northam gave to business interests sacrificed the lives of hundreds of Virginians. Here are the parts that remain problematic:
COVID Vaccine Distribution: A four-phase plan
Pfizer, in cooperation with German-based BioNTech, crossed an historic milestone this week when they submitted to the Food and Drug Administration an emergency use authorization (EUA) for a COVID-19 vaccine. The data will quickly be analyzed by FDA and then submitted to an independent advisory panel in early December for approval, which then also will receive a necessary ‘green light’ from the Centers for Disease Control, particularly regarding the rollout process for Pfizer/BioNTech’s vaccine on a prioritization scale. Read more…
5 Steps to Survive Until A COVID Vaccine is Available
Public health experts don’t expect a coronavirus vaccine to become widely available until around April 2021. Even once a viable vaccine candidate is approved, the government must manage an unprecedented fill-and-finish campaign and launch PSAs to combat misinformation that could depress vaccination rates. Until such time, society will have to survive through abiding by published health guidance, which we reiterate here:
Cult Exit Counseling: A post-Trump social framework
Undoubtedly, Donald Trump is a fascist destroying American society. Such mediocre results In the year when Democrats expected to win nationally in a landslide, makes it clear the party needs to invest more resources reaching out to voters enthralled by an authoritarian strongman. This partisan environment has torn many families apart—and many individuals are programmed by conservative media to believe conspiracy theories and propagate misinformation.
SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES FOR COLLEGE REOPENING
Nearly all of America’s colleges are experiencing COVID outbreaks. However, through a combination of science-based health policy and good luck, 35 colleges have not experienced an outbreak. Here are strategies those schools had in common
Oxford Vaccine Progress
AstraZeneca is now reporting its AZD1222 COVID-19 mRNA vaccine could be available as early as January of next year. Long favored in the epidemiological community as one of the more likely effective and safe vaccines in development by several major pharmaceutical companies, AstraZeneca’s teaming with Oxford University is now in late-stage trials in Britain and the U.S., as well as other countries, to determine the vaccine’s efficacy and safety.
Undecided California House Races: Election Quirk
While California voters overwhelmingly delivered Joe Biden a whopping two-thirds majority win over Donald Trump for the grand electoral prize of 55 electoral votes, the Golden State lived up to its quirky reputation as it rejected an amendment that would have provided labor protections for delivery and ride-share ‘gig’ workers. Voters also appear to have said ‘no’ to tax on commercial landlords that could have put a big dent in the state’s budget deficit — severely worsened since last March when the COVID-19 outbreak began. And, in an unexpected outcome, California voters also repealed an affirmative action amendment.