The Ohio Department of Health has released its vaccine distribution plan, even as the state waits for final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a vaccine.
Read the full storyTag: Coronavirus
52 Percent of Minnesota Renters Say They’re Likely to be Evicted in Next Two Months
More than half of Minnesota renters surveyed recently by the U.S. Census Bureau say they’re either “somewhat likely” or “very likely” to face eviction in the next two months.
This data comes by way of the bureau’s most recent Household Pulse Survey, which regularly collects information about American households. The bureau cautions that data collected by these surveys are considered “experimental” and “sample sizes may be small and the standard errors may be large.”
Read the full storyOhio Launches Grant Program to Improve Air Quality in Long-Term Care Facilities
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced a new indoor air quality program on Tuesday designed to curb the spread of the coronavirus in long-term care facilities.
Read the full storyMichigan Gov. Whitmer Asks Legislature for $100 Million Stimulus Package
With nine session days left in 2020, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer asked the Republican-led Legislature to pass a $100 million COVID-19 stimulus package as well as several other pieces of legislation.
“This is the most urgent public health emergency our state has faced in our lifetimes, and it demands our full, immediate, and unified attention,” Whitmer wrote in a letter.
Read the full storyModerna Asks FDA for Emergency Approval of COVID-19 Vaccine, Second Company to Pass Milestone
Pharmaceutical company Moderna announced Monday that it will submit its coronavirus vaccine to the federal government for emergency use authorization approval.
Moderna said it would ask the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval after its large-scale human trial concluded and showed the company’s vaccine to have an overall efficacy of 94.1%, according to NBC News. The vaccine was found to be 100% effective in preventing severe cases of coronavirus, according to Moderna.
Read the full storyCDC Committee to Discuss COVID-19 Vaccine Next Week
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 the full storyJohns Hopkins Published Then Deleted an Article Questioning the U.S. Coronavirus Death Rate
Last week, Johns Hopkins University published a now-deleted article explaining a study examining the effects of the novel coronavirus on United States death totals using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Read the full storyLocal Health Agency Threatens License of Defiant Restaurant Owner
A local health agency is threatening to strip a Lynd, Minnesota, restaurant owner of her food service license for proceeding with an open-mic night event on Friday.
Larvita McFarquhar, owner of Haven’s Garden, has already been threatened by the Attorney General’s Office and her local sheriff with thousands of dollars in fines, up to a year in jail and a lawsuit, Alpha News reported.
Read the full storyMichigan New Unemployment Claims Increased More Than 64 Percent Last Week
Like much of the rest of the country, Michigan is witnessing a surge in COVID-19 cases and a proportional increase in unemployment as drastic shut-down measures are taken to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Michigan experienced a 64.46% increase in new unemployment claims last week. According to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Labor, there was an increase of 15,843 initial claims filed between the weeks ending Nov. 14 (16,656) and Nov. 21 (32,499).
Read the full story40,000 Tennesseans Could Receive COVID-19 Vaccine by Mid-December
Tennessee is on target to receive doses of a COVID-19 vaccine for about 40,000 people by mid-December, state officials said Tuesday.
Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey said during a news briefing at the state Capitol that officials learned Monday the first doses are on track to be delivered by Dec 15.
Read the full storySteve Bannon Presents ‘War Room: Pandemic’
An all new LIVE STREAM of War Room: Pandemic starts at 9 a.m. Central Time on Saturday.
Former White House Chief Strategist Stephen K. Bannon began the daily War Room: Pandemic radio show and podcast on January 25, when news of the virus was just beginning to leak out of China around the Lunar New Year. Bannon and co-hosts bring listeners exclusive analysis and breaking updates from top medical, public health, economic, national security, supply chain and geopolitical experts weekdays from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon ET.
Read the full storyMichigan Restaurant Owner Loses Franchise with Big Boy for Breaking Pandemic Restrictions
The owner of a restaurant in Sandusky, Michigan, says it is being “forced to terminate” its contract with the Big Boy franchise over its decision to stay open despite pandemic restrictions.
A recent order from the state of Michigan has closed indoor restaurant dining in the state from November 18 to December 8. It also closed in-person learning for college and high schools, movie theaters, bowling alleys and arcades. The order additionally cancels group fitness classes and organized sports.
Read the full storyWalz Indicates Bipartisan COVID Relief Could Come Next Week
Gov. Tim Walz said Wednesday that a bipartisan pandemic relief package may materialize as soon as next week to provide assistance to businesses hurt by the shutdown meant to slow the spread of the virus
Walz said during a tour of a Brooklyn Park warehouse facility where he was helping to package emergency food boxes that he and lawmakers are “pretty close” to an agreement on a relief package, the Star Tribune reported. The Democratic governor and Minnesota House Republicans unveiled separate relief initiatives on Tuesday to provide economic assistance to small businesses, workers and families struggling amid the pandemic.
Read the full storyUS Could Reach Herd Immunity by May 2021 If 70 Percent of Americans Get the Vaccine, Top Doctor Says
America could reach herd immunity by May of next year if a majority of citizens are vaccinated, a prominent health expert told CNN’s Jake Tapper Sunday.
Dr. Moncef Slaoui, the chief scientific adviser for President Donald Trump’s immunization program Operation Warp Speed, told Tapper on his show “State of the Union” that if 70% of the populace receives a coronavirus vaccine, the U.S. could reach herd immunity by May 2021.
Read the full storyDisney to Lay Off 32,000 Workers as Coronavirus Devastates Theme Parks
Disney is preparing to lay off 32,000 employees as the coronavirus pandemic continues to keep visitors away from theme parks.
Most of those layoffs would come from Disney’s parks, experiences and products division, according to a report Disney filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission Wednesday. The company announced in September that it would lay off 28,000 layoffs, but those pertained largely to part-time employees.
Read the full storyOhio Health Care Workers Free from COVID-19 Civil Liability
Health care centers and medical professionals are free from liability related to the COVID-19 pandemic under a new Ohio law signed by Gov. Mike DeWine.
Among other things, the new law temporarily grants qualified civil immunity to health care isolation centers to protect medical professionals from liability claims throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. It also expands the authority of emergency medical technicians to provide medical services in hospitals, if needed.
Read the full storyCOVID Death Rates Are Falling as Treatment Improves, Experts Say
Death rates from the coronavirus are falling in the United States showing that treatments for the coronavirus are advancing, infectious-disease experts told the Wall Street Journal.
Data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington (IHME) shows that the virus is only killing about 0.6% of those infected, the WSJ reported. This death rate has improved since April when the COVID death rate was at about 0.9%, the publication reported.
Read the full storyNashville Has Arrested 11 Hosts of Large Home Parties During Pandemic, Tennessean Says
Under emergency health orders, Nashville police have arrested 47 people as of mid-November, including 11 accused of hosting large gatherings, The Tennessean newspaper said.
The newspaper said it based its report on its research of court documents and other data. Reportedly, 79 percent were in violation of Metro Health orders by failing to wear a mask in public. Some of the hosts allegedly held house parties of up to 600 people at a time, according to police, which could result in up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
Read the full storyOhio Should Get First Coronavirus Vaccine Batch by Mid-December, DeWine Says
Ohio should start to see the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines by mid-December, according to an announcement from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday.
DeWine said during a press conference on Tuesday that the vaccine will be delivered to Ohio around December 15.
Read the full storyBlount County Mayor Shares Comparison of Mask and No-Mask Counties in Tennessee
Mayor of Blount County Ed Mitchell took to Facebook last week sharing a comparison of how Tennessee counties have fared under mask and no-mask mandates.
Blount County, which is not under a mask mandate by Mitchell, has Maryville as its county seat and largest city. It lies in Tennessee’s eastern grand division adjacent to Knox and Sevier counties, both of which have mask mandates in place.
Read the full storyMetro Nashville Schools Sending All Students to Distance-Learning After Thanksgiving
Citing the “the alarming increase in the spread of COVID-19,” Metro Nashville Public Schools will move all students to distance-learning after the Thanksgiving break.
The district on Monday evening tweeted, “Metro Schools is returning to all-virtual learning following the Thanksgiving break on November 30 through the end of the semester, December 17.”
Read the full story‘Not Interfering with People’s Thanksgiving Dinners’: New Jersey Police Chief Vows to Limit Enforcement of Governor’s COVID-19 Orders
by Jake Dima A New Jersey police chief vowed to limit enforcement of a recent string of coronavirus orders from Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy ahead of Thanksgiving. Howell Township Police Chief Andrew Kudrick Jr. said he would rely primarily on community judgment rather than law enforcement intervention in response to Murphy’s regulations, according to a statement. The governor’s order limited indoor gatherings to ten people, shuttered restaurants and bars at 10 p.m. and capped the number of attendees at funerals and weddings, among other gathers, NBC Philadelphia reported. “Howell Township Police will rely on the community to be responsible for their own actions without enforcement intervention as they have done in the past,” the chief wrote. “Of course they will respond to egregious violations such as packed house parties, so please think as you plan any gatherings.” “We are not going to be interfering with people’s Thanksgiving dinners or their holiday dinners or their social gatherings, unless it’s something egregious,” Kudrick said, according to NBC News. The New Jersey police boss also criticized Murphy for allegedly exempting those engaged in political activities from the order. “When you exempt certain peoples, especially those who are attending political activities, from the executive orders, I think that same…
Read the full storyOhio Governor Sees Growing Criticism from Fellow Republicans
For months, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine steered cleared of publicly second-guessing President Donald Trump, a fellow Republican, despite their differences in responding to the coronavirus pandemic.
However, following the governor’s move to shutdown the state over rising COVID cases and remarks urging a swift conclusion to the challenges to the 2020 election irregularities, President Trump suggested another Republican should challenge him in Ohio’s 2022 election.
Read the full storyOhio State Representative Cross Records His Hometown at 10:00 p.m. on Saturday
In a video that ends with a plea from Ohio State Representative Jon Cross (R-Kenton) to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Cross asks for Ohio to be opened and his district to be relieved from measures that are choking out businesses and workers.
Cross represents Ohio’s 83rd District, comprised of Findlay, Kenton and an area with over 119,000 Ohioans.
“This is not an attack on the Governor. This is my artistic way of drawing attention to the situation.”
Read the full storyMark Green Blasts Democrats for COVID-19 Hypocrisy
U.S. Rep. Mark Green (R-TN-07) last week called out Democratic politicians from around the country for what he called their hypocrisy on how they have enforced the laws and regulated people’s behaviors during 2020.
Green said this in a video he uploaded to his Facebook page.
Read the full storyBiden Promises No Nationwide Shutdown
Former Vice-President Joe Biden on Thursday said he would not implement a nationwide shutdown as part of his effort to combat the coronavirus.
“I’m not going to shut down the economy, period. I’m going to shut down the virus,” Biden said at a news conference in Wilmington, Delaware. “I’ll say it again. No national shutdown.”
Read the full storyCommentary: Entrepreneurship Is Accelerating at the Fastest Rate in Decades During This Pandemic
As officials in many areas impose new pandemic lockdowns and restrictions going into the holiday season, things can seem bleak. Depression rates are up, people are fleeing cities in droves, elected leaders regularly violate their own orders, and fraud is rampant in the government’s COVID-19 stimulus programs.
Read the full storyAndrew Cuomo to Receive Emmy for His ‘Masterful Use of Television’ During Pandemic
Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will be awarded the International Emmy Founder’s Award for his coronavirus daily briefings, a Friday press release said.
Cuomo will get the award “in recognition of his leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic and his masterful use of television to inform and calm people around the world,” an International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences press release said. Cuomo will receive the award during the live awards show Monday morning.
Read the full storyNew Model Will Reduce Medicare Part B Drugs Costs, Save Taxpayers $85 Billion Over Seven Years
President Donald Trump and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a new drug payment model Friday that will significantly lower the cost of Medicare Part B drugs, in a move the president said was a threat to “Big Pharma.”
Beginning in early January, the Most Favored Nation Model will test an innovative way for Medicare to no longer pay high-cost, physician-administered Medicare Part B drugs than the lowest price charged in similar countries.
Read the full storyCDC Director Says School ‘One of Safest Places’ for Children, Data Supports In-Person Learning
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 the full storyJudge Denies Temporary Restraining Order in Michigan Restaurant’s Lawsuit Over Three-Week Dine-in Ban
U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney on Friday denied a request for a temporary restraining order to block Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Robert Gordon’s orders that is shuttering indoor dining service for three weeks.
Read the full storySteve Bannon Presents ‘War Room: Pandemic’
An all new LIVE STREAM of War Room: Pandemic starts at 9 a.m. Central Time on Saturday.
Former White House Chief Strategist Stephen K. Bannon began the daily War Room: Pandemic radio show and podcast on January 25, when news of the virus was just beginning to leak out of China around the Lunar New Year. Bannon and co-hosts bring listeners exclusive analysis and breaking updates from top medical, public health, economic, national security, supply chain and geopolitical experts weekdays from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon ET.
Read the full storyNearly 50,000 Doctors and Scientists, 630,000 Citizens Have Signed Global Anti-Lockdown Proclamation
Six weeks after it was first published, the Great Barrington Declaration — an international pronouncement meant to shine light on what it calls the “damaging physical and mental health impacts of the prevailing COVID-19 policies” — has garnered nearly 700,000 signatures from scientists, academics, doctors and citizens worldwide, with more signatories being added each day as a fresh spate of lockdowns continues across Europe and parts of the United States.
Read the full storyTestimony Begins for Bills Aimed at Stopping Ohio Governor’s Orders
While in one area of the Ohio Statehouse lawmakers took aim at limiting Gov. Mike DeWine’s authority, in another area others began attacking specific orders issued during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Aside from bills that would require General Assembly approval for statewide stay-at-home orders, Ohio state senators held hearings on a bill that would end DeWine’s orders to stop alcohol sales at restaurants and bars at 10 p.m. and on another that placed limitations on county fairs.
Read the full storyGov. Walz’s Announces Four-Week Lockdown; Republicans and Restaurants Groups Warn of Economic Fallout
On Wednesday night, Gov. Tim Walz introduced sweeping four-week restrictions to combat COVID-19, sparking outcry from restaurant groups and Republicans warning of the inevitable economic fallout.
The restrictions start on 11:59 p.m. Friday and stretch until Dec. 18. Among the restrictions are prohibitions on in-person social gatherings with anyone of another household; limiting restaurants and bars to offer take-out and delivery only; and shuttering gyms, fitness studios and event spaces.
Read the full storyCommentary: New State Lockdowns May Put 16 Million Jobs Recovered Since April in Jeopardy
16.4 million jobs have been recovered since April when labor markets bottomed amid the state-led Covid pandemic economic shutdowns, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
But with Covid cases once again on the upswing as the cold and flu season kicks into higher gear — about 166,000 confirmed new cases daily, and then the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation reports 255,000 probable new cases daily when projected asymptomatic cases are factored in — states appear ready to go right back into shutdown mode.
Read the full storyCommentary: Nancy Pelosi Snuck $350M for 50 Richest Zip Codes into COVID Relief Bill, Analysis Reveals
At some point, when the election chaos is finally settled, Congress will likely turn to passing another COVID-19 stimulus/relief bill. (Despite the last one being plagued by rampant fraud and dysfunction). One starting point for negotiations will be the “HEROES Act,” a $2.2 trillion bill the House passed in October on a party-line vote by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and her fellow Democrats.
Read the full storyPfizer: COVID-19 Shot 95 Percent Effective, Seeking Clearance Soon
Pfizer said Wednesday that new test results show its coronavirus vaccine is 95% effective, is safe and also protects older people most at risk of dying — the last data needed to seek emergency use of limited shot supplies as the catastrophic outbreak worsens across the globe.
Read the full storyTwo Bills to Limit Ohio Governor’s Authority Appear Before Committee
While Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine was announcing a statewide curfew to slow the spread of COVID-19, more than 97 people submitted written testimony supporting a bill that would strip authority from the governor and the Ohio Department of Health to issue orders.
Doctors, nurses and regular citizens provided written and oral testimony in support of House Bill 618, legislation that would make any special or standing order from the governor seeking to prevent the spread of contagious or infectious diseases advisory only. If HB618 passes, any such order from the governor would have no legal effect unless approved by the General Assembly.
Read the full storyGov. Walz Deems Thanksgiving Dinner a ‘Mini-Spreader Event’, Warns Minnesotans to Stay Home
In a Tuesday media call, Gov. Tim Walz designated extended family Thanksgivings as “mini-spreader events.”
“That Thanksgiving dinner or watching that football game, or movie … is a riskier proposition than getting your hair cut at a salon where everyone is masked, distanced,” Walz said.
Read the full storyOhio Chief Medical Officer Says Ohio’s COVID Policies Are Incontrovertible
During Tuesday’s COVID update, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine issued a statewide 21-day curfew. Ohio businesses are expected to close at 10:00 p.m. and residents mandated to be in their homes until 5:00 a.m.
Read the full storyPfizer Chooses Tennessee as One of Four States for COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Pilot Program
Tennessee is one of four states chosen by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to help refine plans for the delivery and deployment of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine if it receives approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Pfizer announced Tuesday.
The pilot program will help support states’ planning, deployment and administration of the COVID-19 vaccine and adapt findings for use in other states to support vaccine distribution. Tennessee released its COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan last month.
Read the full storyMore Americans Willing to Take Coronavirus Vaccine After Promising Announcements, Poll Shows
More Americans said that they would receive a coronavirus vaccine when available than they did a month ago, according to a new Gallup poll released Tuesday.
Fifty-eight percent of Americans indicated their willingness to take a vaccine in the poll, which surveyed Americans in late October. That number is up eight percent from Gallup’s previous September poll.
Read the full story300,000+ People Have Fled New York City Due to Coronavirus, Crime
More than 300,000 residents have fled New York City over the past eight months because of rising crime rates, school stress and the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report from the New York Post.
Data obtained by The Post from the U.S. Postal Service under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, revealed residents filed 295,103 change of address requests from March 1 through Oct. 31.
Read the full storyOhio Gov. DeWine Imposes 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Curfew Beginning Thursday
Ohio will see a curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. starting on Thursday in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus, according to an announcement from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday.
The curfew will run for 21 days and apply to retail and indoor seating for restaurants, according to Fox8. It does not apply to restaurants open for takeout or delivery, pharmacies or grocery stores. It also does not apply to those who are seeking medical care, have an emergency or those who need to be at work.
Read the full storyDeWine Says He Does Not Want Second Lockdown, Calls for ‘Slow Down’
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said during a press conference on Monday that he is not planning to impose a second full lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus, instead calling for a “slow down” in the state.
Ohio is currently seeing thousands of new cases of COVID-19 each day, with nearly 8,000 new cases added on Monday, according to data from the Covid Tracking Project.
“Instead of shutting down, we have to slow down,” DeWine said at a conference from the Tri-State Airport in West Virginia, according to Fox8. “We have to slow down in our individual lives and our decisions in what we are doing.”
Read the full storyStates Aren’t Prepared to Distribute Coronavirus Vaccine, Investigation Finds
Most states aren’t adequately prepared to distribute the leading coronavirus vaccine, especially to rural areas, once it is approved for public use, according to a ProPublica analysis of state plans.
Pfizer announced Monday that the coronavirus vaccine it is developing was more than 90% effective and did not produce safety concerns during its large-scale trial. But, as the vaccine approached Food and Drug Administration approval, a ProPublica investigation found that states aren’t ready to administer the delivery of the vaccine to vast swaths of their populations.
“Early, when we don’t have lots of doses, I frankly do not anticipate that vaccine will be widely available in every rural community,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s V
Read the full storyDisney Posts 4Q Loss as Parks Business, Costs Drag Results
Walt Disney Co. reported fiscal fourth-quarter loss on Thursday thanks largely to changes related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its earnings were dragged by costs from restructuring related to its streaming services and lost revenue from its California theme parks, which remain closed amid surging coronavirus cases in the U.S.
Read the full storyWest Coast Governors Urge COVID Quarantine After Travel
The governors of California, Oregon and Washington issued travel advisories Friday urging people entering or returning to their states to self-quarantine to slow the spread of the coronavirus as infections spike across the U.S.
The advisories stopped short of stricter rules imposed by other governors and instead said people should avoid non-essential out-of-state travel and quarantine for 14 days after arriving from another state or country.
Read the full storyWhile Unions Demand More Money, Unemployment Data Shows Increasing Layoffs in Education Sector
In April, several education groups, including two national teachers’ unions, urged Congressional leaders to allocate more than $200 billion to education in addition to the CARES Act and federal relief through which Congress had just allocated nearly $31 billion in March.
Read the full story