Tag: CDC

Tennessee Reports 90 Percent Decrease in Flu Cases Between Last Weeks of 2019 and 2020; Yet COVID Cases Increased

Corinne Murdock

Despite COVID-19 cases spiking around the same time, Tennessee experienced a marked decrease in flu cases last month. Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) data sets from the last week of 2019 and 2020 revealed a 90 percent decrease in overall flu cases. The end of December registered a significant increase in COVID-19 cases, near the all-time high in the state’s positivity rates.

TDH recorded over 6,700 flu cases in the final week of 2019, as compared to just over 600 during the last week of 2020. Last month, the percentage of individuals with flu-like illnesses visiting the reporting healthcare sites was exactly 2 percent; the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) baseline for Tennessee sits at around 3 percent. According to the CDC, two or more consecutive weeks that fall under 2 percent reporting constitutes a “non-influenza week.”

Read More

CDC Says More Than a Million Americans Have Been Vaccinated for COVID-19

Admin

More than a million Americans have received the first round of vaccinations for the coronavirus as of Wednesday at 9 a.m., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced.

Over nine million coronavirus doses have been distributed and 1,008,025 doses have been administered, according to the CDC’s COVID Data Tracker.

Read More

Tennessee Nurse Who Fainted After Receiving COVID-19 Vaccine Says It Was Due to Underlying Condition

Corinne Murdock

The nurse who appeared to faint after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine in a viral video has recovered, according to a statement issued by her employer. Tiffany Dover, a nurse at CHI Memorial Hospital, reportedly came close to passing out due to a medical condition unrelated to the vaccination.

The hospital also cited information from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website, which stated that fainting sometimes occurs after all types of vaccinations.

Read More

Commentary: Medical Ethicists Legitimize ‘Woke’ Science, Death Panels

Admin

Since March, the Left has proclaimed itself the guardian of science in dealing with the COVID-19 epidemic. Its champions are the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Dr. Fauci. All in the past have rendered valuable service to the public, and often life-saving aid.

Yet the mixture of COVID-19, the first national quarantine, and Trump Derangement Syndrome have combined to give us reason to question their judgment. These authorities variously have issued conflicting recommendations to wear, then not to wear, and finally to wear masks. Or they have both criticized and then advised travel bans.

Read More

One-on-One with Ohio Education Association President Scott DiMauro

Jack Windsor

Last week The Ohio Star reported on the Ohio Education Association (OEA) Position Statement, which called for schools to suspend in-person learning immediately until January 11. The document outlined four steps the union urges government leaders and schools to follow – reset, restart, reprioritize and resource.
OEA President Scott DiMauro accepted the invitation to talk with The Star in a one-on-one interview.
The Star asked questions submitted from Ohioans around the Buckeye State.

Read More

CDC Predicts Up to 362,000 People Could Die from COVID-19 by January

Admin

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) predicted that up to 362,000 could die from COVID-19 by Jan. 2, their website said Wednesday.

The CDC’s forecast projected 12,600 to 23,400 people will die of coronavirus “over the next four weeks,” according to the website. The forecast projected 332,000 to 362,000 total virus deaths by Jan. 2.

Read More

Ohio’s Biggest Teachers Union Calls for Immediate Closure with Four-Phase Position Statement

Jack Windsor

On December 3 the Board of Directors of the Ohio Education Association (OEA), Ohio’s largest labor union for educators, voted unanimously to adopt the position to immediately suspend all in-person learning in the state until January 11.

The OEA released the statement on December 7.

The position statement calls for state leaders and educational institutions to “reset”, “restart”, “re-prioritize” and “resource” in order to “ensure that the needs of Ohio’s students, educators and communities are met,” according to the union’s statement.

Read More

Ohio Will Stop Verifying Antigen Tests, Count Them All Positive

Jack Windsor

Embattled Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, whose party is considering impeachment and overriding his veto of a recent dually-passed bill to limit the pandemic powers of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), called a COVID briefing on Monday to update Ohioans on the state’s response to the virus.

The most significant announcement was that beginning on Tuesday, November 8 the state will no longer trace people who test positive from antigen tests to confirm results.

Read More

CDC Tells Americans to ‘Stay at Home and Not Travel’ for Christmas

Admin

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discouraged Americans from Christmas travel due to the coronavirus pandemic during a telephone press conference Wednesday.

“We did put out a message to postpone and stay at home […] around Thanksgiving and we’re putting out the same message: The best thing for Americans to do in the upcoming holiday season is to stay at home and not travel,” Dr. Henry Walke, director of the Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections (DPEI) in the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, said in the briefing.

Read More

CDC to Shorten COVID-19 Quarantine Period from Two Weeks to 10 Days

Admin

The Centers for Disease Control is set to issue new guidelines shortening the advised quarantine for people exposed to COVID-19, according to multiple administration officials.

The new guidelines call for those exposed to the virus to quarantine for 10 days, down from the original 14-day recommendation. The officials added that people exposed can end their quarantine after one week if they test negative for the virus, according to Politico.

Read More

CDC Committee to Discuss COVID-19 Vaccine Next Week

The Center Square

The group of medical and public health experts that develops recommendations for vaccine use for the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) will meet Tuesday.

CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) posted a notice for a meeting scheduled for Dec. 1 without any details, but officials confirmed Friday that COVID-19 vaccination would be on the agenda.

Read More

CDC Director Says School ‘One of Safest Places’ for Children, Data Supports In-Person Learning

Admin

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield said school “is one of the safest places” for children and data supports in-person learning.

Redfield stressed the importance of adhering to data during a White House press briefing Thursday. The CDC director also said “data-driven decisions” are what should lead discussions regarding “institutions or what we’re doing for commercial closures.”

Read More

Federal Government Defends Eviction Ban in Court Hearing

The Associated Press

The federal government defended its national eviction ban before a judge Friday, arguing that the moratorium had helped prevent the spread of COVID-19 and did not overstep the authority provided by Congress.

The arguments are part of a federal lawsuit filed by a handful of landlords in Memphis earlier this year, which claims the eviction moratorium has unfairly strained their finances and violated their property rights.

Read More

Cumberland County Board of Education Chairman Shrugs off Question About Lifting Mask Mandates in Schools

Jason M. Reynolds

Cumberland County students and teachers are stuck wearing facial coverings for the foreseeable future after the local school board chairman cited procedure as a reason not to reconsider their mask mandates.

During an October 22 Board of Education meeting, member Anita Hale asked if the body would ever reconsider its mask mandate. A recording of the board’s videoconference meeting is available on the Cumberland County Board of Education’s Facebook page here.

Read More

More Tennessee Counties Re-Issue Mask Mandates and Public Health Emergencies

Corinne Murdock

As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased this month, more Tennessee counties are re-issuing mask mandates. Tennessee has nearly 250,000 confirmed cases, 88 percent of which have recovered.
Montgomery County issued the most recent mask mandate on Tuesday. Other counties with mandates include Williamson, Wilson, Rutherford, and Sumner. These mask mandates adhere to guidelines issued under Governor Bill Lee.

Read More

Retiring Sen. Lamar Alexander Defends Dr. Fauci’s COVID-19 Advice

Corinne Murdock

Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) defended Dr. Anthony Fauci’s COVID-19 advice after President Donald Trump’s remarks.
The senator also stated that people weren’t doing enough to counteract the spread of the virus.

Read More

Ohio Public Health Advisory System – Indicator Six: Hospitalizations

Jack Windsor

  This is the seventh story in an eight-part series on the Ohio Public Health Advisory System (OPHAS). OPHAS is a tool created to supplement the state’s reporting on cases, hospitalizations and deaths. The color-coded map assigns each of Ohio’s 88 counties a color determined by how many of the…

Read More

Facebook Fact-Checkers Use Old Analysis Written for Another Article to ‘Disprove’ The Tennessee Star on CDC Data Comparing Mask-Wearing and Infection Rates

Corinne Murdock

Facebook’s team of fact-checkers claimed Saturday that The Tennessee Star’s article comparing mask-wearing and infection rates is both “partly false” and “factually inaccurate.” But the social media giant made a judgment based on the content and conclusions of an entirely different article by The Federalist.

The Star based its article on a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Read More

CDC Report Indicates Masks May Increase Chance of Infection with COVID or Other Respiratory Illnesses

Corinne Murdock

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report last month in which the nearly 71 percent of individuals infected with COVID-19 reported “always” wearing their mask. This opposed to the 4 percent of infected individuals who “never” wore masks.
The number of individuals infected with COVID-19 positively correlated with the consistency of mask-wearing. The report didn’t address the possible correlation between face mask hygiene and COVID-19 infection, such as proper handling and disposal of masks. It also didn’t differentiate the respondents’ mask types.

Read More

Gov. DeWine Rethinking Quarantining Healthy Ohio Students

Jack Windsor

A Troy High School football player tested positive for COVID, the school announced Tuesday.

Regardless of any COVID test outcomes, the entire team was asked to quarantine for 14-days, forcing the school to forfeit their Division II regional playoff game scheduled for Friday.

Read More

Virginia Proposes to Spend Nearly $121 Million in CARES Funding for COVID Vaccinations, Mentions ‘Vaccine Record Cards’

Corinne Murdock

Virginia plans on spending nearly $121 million on CARES funding for COVID-19 vaccine equipment and advertisement. This according to a proposal draft, reportedly submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week.

Nearly $6 million will be spent on equipment: over $111 million on administration and staffing and $3 million in a “public education campaign.”

Read More

Perspective on Ohio Governor DeWine’s Trip Around Ohio to Talk ‘COVID Spread’

Jack Windsor

Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine made his rounds in Ohio on Friday – among other spots, stopping near Toledo and Youngstown to talk about COVID “spread.”

The Ohio Star covered one of the briefings, during which DeWine said if Ohioans don’t mask, distance and follow mandates then schools and colleges will inevitably go remote and businesses will likely shutter because people will be afraid.

Read More

CDC Updates Coronavirus Guidance Again, Warns About Transmission from More than Six Feet

Admin

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its coronavirus guidance Monday to warn about the potential for virus spread from beyond six feet.

The new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance also says that the virus can “linger in the air” for hours. The revision comes weeks after the agency retracted a similar update to its coronavirus guidance.

Read More

Thales Academy Glen Allen Adds Third Grade After Huge Success of K-2 Programs That Opened in July

Corinne Murdock

Thales Academy Glen Allen will add the third grade to their K-2 programs in the 2021-2022 school year, after a successful first quarter. Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The Glen Allen location first opened on July 20 of this year – it is the first Thales Academy in Virginia.

Read More

CDC Removes COVID-19 Transmission Guidance it ‘Posted in Error’

Admin

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday removed updated COVID-19 airborne transmission guidance that it says was “posted in error.”

The transmission guidance was updated on the CDC’s website on Friday, and said that “droplets and airborne particles can remain suspended in the air and be breathed in by others, and travel distances beyond 6 feet,” according to CNN. The guidance posted Friday has been removed from the agency’s website.

Read More

Analysis: Is the Official COVID-19 Death Toll Accurate?

Admin

Roughly two-thirds of U.S. residents don’t believe the CDC’s official tally for the number of Covid-19 deaths. This distrust, however, flows in opposing directions. A nationally representative survey conducted by Axios/Ipsos in late July 2020 found that 37% of adults think the real number of C-19 fatalities in the U.S. is lower than reported, while 31% think the true death toll is greater than reported.

Read More

Data Show 40 Percent of Ohio Counties Experience Rise in Coronavirus Cases 7 Weeks After Mask Mandate Despite Claims by DeWine, CDC

Jason M. Reynolds

Has Ohio’s statewide mask mandate affected the coronavirus case counts in counties? Data show 40 percent of counties saw a net increase during a 21-day period, despite claims by Gov. Mike DeWine and the CDC.

The Ohio Star examined the state health department’s historic case counts. The summary data is available in a CSV file from a link on the Ohio Department of Health’s coronavirus dashboard here.

Read More

Governor DeWine Insists Evidence Overwhelming on Masks for ALL K-12 but Ohio Pediatrician Iffy and White House Medical Advisor Disagrees

Jack Windsor

On Tuesday during a press conference to address Ohioans on COVID updates in the state, Governor Mike DeWine was asked about conflicting expert opinions on masking children – which he requires for K-12.

Read More

Poll Reveals Growing Distrust in CDC and Media Over COVID Information

Admin

American voters’ trust in the national media and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide accurate information about the coronavirus pandemic has plummeted since March, according to a CBS poll published Sunday.

Roughly 54% of voters trust the CDC for reliable information about the virus, a 30 percentage point drop from March, when 86% of voters said the same thing, the CBS poll showed. Fewer voters also trust the national media to provide good information about coronavirus, or COVID, according to the poll, which was conducted between Sept. 2-4 and sampled 2,493 registered voters nationwide.

Read More

Governor DeWine: Punts Real Issue, Hands-Off 6,000-Fan Variance to Browns and Bengals, Continues to Penalize Ohio

Jack Windsor

  Governor Mike DeWine announced on Saturday his grant of a spectator variance for the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals. Both NFL clubs received exceptions to the current state order limiting spectators to the lesser of 1,500 people or 15 percent of the fixed, seated capacity. The variance allows 1,500…

Read More

Virginia Congressman Ben Cline on Nancy Pelosi’s Hypocrisy and Elements of the Proposed New Stimulus Package

Julie Carr

Wednesday morning on The John Fredericks Show, host John Fredericks welcomed Virginia’s sixth district congressman Ben Cline to weigh in on Nancy Pelosi’s no mask-wearing hair salon visit and the current stimulus package deal points under consideration.

Read More

Managing Editor Jack Windsor Discusses His Recent Article at The Ohio Star About the CDC’s Recent COVID Death Toll

Julie Carr

Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed The Ohio Star’s managing editor Jack Windsor to discuss the recent release of the CDC’s COVID death data.

Read More

New CDC Admission Could Slash Ohio’s Death Toll

Jack Windsor

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Weekly Index disclosed “[F]or 6% of deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned.”

That means of the 183,000 U.S. deaths attributed to COVID as of the release of this article that 10,980 people died from COVID.  The remaining 172,000-plus deaths occurred with COVID.

In a text exchange with Dan Tierney, Press Secretary for Governor Mike DeWine, The Ohio Star asked Tierney if Ohio distinguishes “between someone who dies from the virus and someone who dies with the virus.”

Read More

U.S. COVID Response Coordinator Dr. Birx: Minnesotans Haven’t Done Enough to Decrease Spread

Corinne Murdock

U.S. Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx stated in a visit to Minnesota on Sunday that Minnesotans haven’t done enough to decrease the spread of COVID-19. The visit is part of a cross-country tour to gauge how well states are adhering to coronavirus guidelines.
Birx commended the measures instituted by the state. However, she said that Minnesotans needed to do more – especially in rural areas.

Read More

Aldi, Wegmans Among Grocery Stores Recalling Peaches Due to Possible Salmonella Contamination

Jacob Taylor

Aldi, Wegmans, Kroger and Target stores are all recalling bagged and loose peaches from Wawona Packing Company out of an abundance of caution that those products may be contaminated Salmonella.

The peaches are being recalled after an investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) looking into a salmonella outbreak. The California fruit packing company is suspected to be the source of the illness of over 60 people in nine states.

Read More

Ohio COVID Case Measures – Questionable Overall, Punitive for Small Counties

Jack Windsor

On July 2, Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine introduced the Ohio Public Health Advisory System (OPHAS). The color-coded map assigns a color to each of Ohio’s 88 counties that is supposed to be indicative of each county’s COVID spread.

Read More

Minnesota Lifts Statewide Ban on Hydroxychloroquine

Corinne Murdock

Governor Walz lifted the restrictions on access to hydroxychloroquine, a drug that has been in use for decades to treat a wide variety of illnesses – including SARS-type infections – that some say may be an effective therapeutic for COVID-19. The removal of limitations on the drug were outlined in Walz’s latest executive order issued last week.

Walz did not give an explanation for the reversal of his order on the drug.

Read More

Commentary: Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence

Admin

Dr. Carl Sagan was one of the premier scientists when it came to trying to bridge the gap of hard science with general public understanding. In the process, his personal enthusiasm for the wonder of science became evident to all. He also understood that science could be hijacked and that the highest standards of evidence were required when fantastic claims were being made.

Read More

Out of 8,000 Federal Donations Made to PACs and Politicians by CDC Employees in the Last Five Years, FEC Records Show Only Five Went to Republican Causes

Admin

Employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have made more than 8,000 contributions totaling over $285,000 to Democratic candidates and causes since 2015, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation analysis of political contributions.

Only five contributions were sent to a Republican PAC or candidate. Out of these five contributions, which totaled just over $1,000, three sent money to President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign efforts, Federal Election Commission (FEC) records indicate.

Read More

US Health Officials Estimate 20M Americans Have Had Coronavirus

The Associated Press

U.S. officials estimate that 20 million Americans have been infected with the coronavirus since it first arrived in the United States, meaning that the vast majority of the population remains susceptible.

Thursday’s estimate is roughly 10 times as many infections as the 2.3 million cases that have been confirmed. Officials have long known that millions of people were infected without knowing it and that many cases are being missed because of gaps in testing.

Read More

Commentary: The CDC’s Guidelines for Back-to-School Under COVID Sound Traumatizing

Admin

When schools reopen in the US amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they will be even more restrictive than they already were. Schools have long controlled students’ movements and imposed constraints on where they can go, when, and with whom. With virus concerns, those controls will increase in quantity and intensity.

NPR recently proclaimed that “disruption from the pandemic constitutes an ‘adverse childhood experience’ for every American child.” While many children are sad to be away from their friends and activities, being home with their family members for a prolonged period of time is hardly an “adverse childhood experience” for most American children. Returning to schools with extreme virus control and social distancing measures, however, could very well be traumatic for many kids.

Read More

US Birth Rates Continue to Fall as Millennials Put Off Having Kids

Admin

Birth rates in the United States continue to fall as millennials put off having kids, and experts warn that coronavirus could make people less likely to have children.

Federal figures released Wednesday show that women in the U.S. had babies record-low rates in 2019, causing the number of U.S. births to reach the smallest number in 35 years, the Wall Street Journal reports. The data demonstrates that birth rates in the U.S. have not rebounded since the 2007-2009 recession when childbearing began declining.

Read More

Commentary: Is the CDC Meddling with the 2020 Election?

Admin

The coronavirus crisis is reaping big political benefits for Democrats. President Trump’s signature achievement—a booming economy with record low unemployment, rising middle-class wages, and a sky-high stock market—lies in tatters. At least 33 million Americans abruptly and without warning are out of work. Second-quarter gross domestic product estimates are horrifying, a double-digit dive that the country has never experienced even in the direst economic times.

Americans are scared for their health and fearful of the future. Neighbors are turning on each other; the inner tyrant of every state governor, mayor, and police officer has been unleashed. And President Trump has been denied access to his only stimulant—energetic political rallies where he connects directly with supporters across the country.

Read More

Trump Administration Extends Travel Ban on Mexican Border for Another Month

Admin

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that the ban on all non-essential travel along the Mexican and Canadian borders will be extended for an additional 30 days.

The governments of Mexico, Canada and the United States mutually agreed to keep their borders closed off to non-essential traffic for another month as they continue to fight the spread of coronavirus, acting DHS secretary Chad Wolf said Monday. The announcement came just two days after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the U.S.-Canada border ban would be extended.

“In close collaboration, the US, Mexico, and Canada have each agreed to extend restrictions on non-essential travel across their shared borders for 30 additional days,” Wolf said in a prepared statement.

Read More

Commentary: Progressive Woke Orthodoxy Obscures the Truth About the Virus

Admin

Americans are acquainted with predictable but ultimately failed progressive efforts to suppress free expression by preemptive invective and politically correct finger-pointing.

To believe that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s accusers revealed too many contradictions, too many lacunae, too many episodes of timely amnesia, and too many unsubstantiated accusations in their testimonies was chauvinistically to attack/smear/silence all women’s voices – at least until the same sort of memory-repressed accusations focused on handsy Joe Biden.

To express skepticism that current global temperatures are uniformly rising almost entirely due to human carbon emissions, that this state of affairs poses catastrophic dangers that may end civilization as we know it, and that this emergency can only be addressed by the radical restructuring of global economies is to be rendered a denialist, a crank, a fool.

But these parameters of censorship have a logic and predictability, given their race/class/gender/environmental orthodoxy.

Read More