Tag: Coronavirus

Belmont University Condemns Sunday Worship Protest, Cites COVID Safety Concerns – Never Addresses Protests

Corinne Murdock

Belmont University sent out an email to students condemning Sunday’s worship protest and asking students to self-report if they attended. The university cited concern over the “city’s ability to manage the spread of this virus.”

“Regardless of your personal views about COVID-related restrictions on religious worship, events like this severely challenge our city’s ability to manage the spread of this virus,” read the email. “If you are a Belmont student and you did attend this event without wearing a mask and maintaining proper distance from others, please contact Health Services so they can evaluate your potential exposure and determine if a period of quarantine or being tested is necessary.”

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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.

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Europe, US Reel as Virus Infections Surge at Record Pace

The Associated Press

Coronavirus cases around the world have climbed to all-time highs of more than 330,000 per day as the scourge comes storming back across Europe and spreads with renewed speed in the U.S., forcing many places to reimpose tough restrictions they had eased just a few months ago.

Well after Europe seemed to have largely tamed the virus that proved so lethal last spring, newly confirmed infections are reaching unprecedented levels in Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy and Poland, and most of the rest of the continent is seeing similar danger signs.

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Klobuchar Says Senate Should be Working on Stimulus, but Voted Against COVID-19 Relief Last Month

Admin

During Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings, Sen. Amy Klobuchar opened her questioning of Judge Amy Coney Barrett by reciting statistics on COVID-19 deaths and cases.  

“We should be doing something else right now. We shouldn’t be doing this. We should be passing coronavirus relief like the House just did, which was a significant bill that would have been a big help and I think people have to know that right now — whether you’re Democrat, Independent, or Republican and that’s why I started out yesterday by telling people that they need to vote,” she claimed. 

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Data: Schools Aren’t COVID-19 Super-Spreaders

Admin

Some new evidence is showing Elementary and high schools do not appear to be super spreaders of COVID-19, according to new data.

The New York Post reports, Brown University economics Professor Emily Oster and data scientists at the technology company Qualtrics collected data on COVID-19 in schools. The data collected on almost 200,000 kids in 47 states from the last two weeks of September revealed an infection rate of 0.13 percent among students and 0.24 percent among staff.

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Lawmakers Approve COVID-19 Liability Bills, Extend Unemployment Benefits, and Nursing Home Policy Changes

The Center Square

After a session exceeding 12 hours, Michigan lawmakers passed bills replacing a framework for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s COVID-19 executive orders deemed unconstitutional by the Michigan Supreme Court.

Lawmakers approved measures aiming to allow local governments to meet electronically for any reason through Jan. 1; extend unemployment benefits to a full 26 weeks; change nursing home policy barring nursing homes from caring for COVID-19 patients unless the building provides a “designated area” for those patients; and, by Nov. 15, implement a statewide policy allowing in-person visitations for all nursing home residents.

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Commentary: Five Charts Showing Sweden’s Strategy Worked

Admin

Government officials in Sweden announced this week that the government expects to maintain its mild restrictions on gatherings “for at least another year” to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Unlike most other European countries and nations around the world, Sweden declined to initiate a nationwide lockdown or mask mandates, opting instead for a policy that restricted large gatherings and relied on social responsibility to slow transmission of the virus.

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Criminal Charges and Fines Numbering into the Thousands Over Now-Unconstitutional COVID Orders Under Question

Admin

Thousands of Michiganders are wondering if criminal charges and fines levied against them are still valid after the Michigan Supreme Court last Friday ruled Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s COVID-19 executive orders issued after April 30 are illegal. 

Some don’t have answers – yet.

Owosso barber Karl Manke’s attorney David Kallman told The Center Square he’s expecting Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office to drop criminal charges against Manke, who operated his barbershop in violation of Whitmer’s orders.

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Commentary: Health Professionals Say Lockdowns Were a Massive Mistake

Admin

President Trump caused a bit of a commotion this week when he didn’t die from the coronavirus. Much to the dismay of many folks on the left, he seems to be making a nice recovery from his illness. Perhaps what has offended people more than his continued life is the bravado that he is projecting post-hospitalization at Walter Reed. On Monday, he tweeted in part, “Feeling really good. Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life.” You can almost imagine the blood vessels popping in folks’ eyes over at CNN and MSNBC. In these politically polarized times, while half the country mourns the commander-in-chief’s apparent survival, perhaps it’s worthwhile for all Americans (and indeed, folks all around the world) to reconsider the level of pure panic and fear that our governments and the media have instilled in us.

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Trump Official Says Vaccine Expected Starting in January

The Associated Press

A Trump administration official leading the response to the coronavirus pandemic says the U.S. can expect delivery of a vaccine starting in January 2021, despite statements from the president that inoculations could begin this month.

And a growing, bipartisan chorus of lawmakers, experts and public health officials says the country is ill prepared for a projected winter surge of COVID-19.

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Ohio Senate President Wants Rule Ending Alcohol Sales After 10 p.m. Repealed

Admin

Ohio Senate President Larry Obhof plans to keep the pressure on Gov. Mike DeWine when he says he is considering allowing the state’s restaurants and bars to serve alcohol after 10 p.m.

DeWine, who in late July asked the liquor commission to order no alcohol sales after 10 p.m., has said over the past two weeks he is reviewing the ban and wants to balance its impact on small business with public health.

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Metro Board of Health Resumes Controversial COVID Patient Database for First Responders

Corinne Murdock

Metro Public Health Department will officially resume an updated version of the controversial COVID-19 patient database for the benefit of first responders. This follows Metro Department of Communications (DEC) weeks-long interim testing for the database.
The Metro Board of Health discontinued the first version of the system in June due to privacy concerns. About two months later, the board decided to resume the database. The members discussed an interim database that would take six weeks to develop. This following database will serve as the more permanent solution.

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Steve Bannon Presents: America Confronts CCP Bioweapon Virus

Admin

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.

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Commentary: Trump Is Now One with Countless Essential Workers

Admin

Joe Biden has redefined mask wearing. It is now the thinking man’s patriotism, what every “scientific” and “refined” mind naturally does.

Biden, the media, and the progressive party all blame the now ill Trump for becoming infected. They accuse the president of becoming sick because he was selfish. You see, he was not always wearing a mask, or not always isolating in social-distancing fashion, or not always staying inside except for essential expeditionary trips.

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Pelosi Says No Standalone Stimulus Bills, Democrats Will Be ‘Talking’ About 25th Amendment Friday

Admin

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she won’t agree to “standalone” bills for an airline bailout, direct payments or more stimulus funding for small businesses without an agreement on a “bigger” stimulus bill.

“The only point about negotiations is there ain’t going to be no standalone bill unless there’s a bigger bill and it could be part of that or it could be in addition to that,” said Pelosi, the leader of the Democrat-controlled House, who is negotiating with the White House on another coronavirus stimulus package.

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About 840,000 U.S. Workers File New Claims for Unemployment Benefits

Admin

An additional 840,000 American workers filed initial unemployment claims in the week ending Oct. 3, down about 9,000 from the previous week’s revised number but still well above pre-pandemic levels.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the advance seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 7.5 percent for the week ending Sept. 26, a decrease of 0.7 percentage points from the prior week. Unemployment rate data lags the new initial claims report by a week.

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White House to Block FDA Vaccine Guidelines That Would’ve Delayed Approval Past Election

Admin

The White House blocked new vaccine guidelines proposed by health officials within the Trump administration, which likely would have pushed the approval of a coronavirus vaccine past the election.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is in charge of approving vaccines, proposed the guidance on Sept. 21, according to The New York Times. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows raised concerns with one provision of the guidelines which said vaccine trial subjects should be examined for two months following their final dose, a senior administration official told the Times.

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Trump Administration to Sharply Limit Skilled-Worker Visas

The Associated Press

The Trump administration announced plans Tuesday to sharply limit visas for skilled workers from overseas, a move officials said was a priority amid job losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Department of Homeland Security and Department of Labor officials said new rules for what’s known as the H1-B program will restrict who can obtain a work visa and will impose additional salary requirements on companies seeking to hire foreign workers.

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Belmont University Says It Will Be ‘100 Percent’ Ready to Host Final U.S. Presidential Debate

Zachery Schmidt

The University of Belmont announced Monday that it will be “100 percent” prepared to host the last U.S. presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden, Fox 17 reported.

“Twelve months ago, Belmont was selected to host the third and final presidential debate of 2020. With less than three weeks to go, we are fully committed to working with the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) and our health advisors on final preparations and will continue to follow their lead and guidance,” Belmont University President Dr. Bob Fisher said, according to Fox 17.

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Commentary: Biden Is Behind the Curve in Fighting COVID

Admin

To hear former Vice President Joe Biden tell it, in January, he had perfect knowledge about the Chinese coronavirus, what its mortality would be and all the actions that would be necessary to save American lives.

On July 20 on MSNBC, Biden claimed, “I, all the way back in January, warned him this pandemic was coming. I talked about what we needed to do,” referring to President Trump and a Jan. 27 oped he wrote on the virus.

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Gov. Northam Criticizes President Trump’s ‘Don’t Live in Fear’ Message, Suggests Exercising to Help Fight COVID

Corinne Murdock

Governor Ralph Northam criticized President Donald Trump’s statement preceding his release from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
“I will be leaving the great Walter Reed Medical Center today at 6:30 P.M. Feeling really good! Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!”

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Whitmer Asks Michigan Supreme Court To Clarify Ruling Takes Effect Oct. 30, Republicans Say Order Effective Immediately

Jordyn Pair

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday asked the state’s Supreme Court for clarification that its recent order overturning her emergency powers does not take effect until October 30.

The ruling, mandated October 2, struck down the statute under which Whitmer had been issuing coronavirus emergency orders, nullifying the orders and saying that their issuance had been unconstitutional.

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Report Says Ohio Unemployment Trend Doesn’t Follow COVID-19 Restrictions

Admin

Ohio bucked the trend shown in a new report that compared state’s COVID-19 restrictions and unemployment rate.

Ohio ranked 16th in the nation for fewest restrictions but ranked 39th in unemployment ranking, according updated rankings released Tuesday by WalletHub, a personal-finance website. Not surprisingly, states with the fewest COVID-19 restrictions had lower unemployment rates than states with more.

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Whitmer Administration Issues Statewide Facemask Order After Past Orders Tossed

Admin

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Director Robert Gordon on Monday issued an Emergency Order under a 1978 law restricting gathering sizes, requiring face coverings in public spaces and enacting limitations on bars.

The order is effective immediately and remains in effect through Oct. 30.

The order doesn’t lean on the rule Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has used to issue emergency orders that the Michigan Supreme Court invalidated on Friday.

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Rip Off: Over $1.7 Million of CARES Funding Wasted on COVID-19 Exposure App Used by Only 13.5 Percent of Cell Phone Users

Corinne Murdock

The Virginia government will reportedly have spent over $1.7 million for the COVID-19 exposure reporting app COVIDWISE, which 13.5% of cell phone users have downloaded. Approximately $1.5 million was spent on marketing alone.
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and SpringML Inc. received $229,000 in CARES federal emergency funding to co-develop and launch COVIDWISE. The app allows users to upload their positive test results, which allows other users to receive exposure notifications. Users will only be notified if they have been within a 6 foot vicinity for over 15 minutes.

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Gov. DeWine on CNN: President Trump’s COVID Diagnosis is a ‘Cautionary Tale’ for Mask Wearing

Admin

In an appearance of CNN’s State of the Union Sunday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine appeared to “mask-shame” President Trump, saying that the Chief executive’s diagnosis of the potentially deadly disease serves as a “cautionary tale” for people who are reluctant to wear masks.

DeWine, a fairly frequent guest on the news program told host Jake Tapper that “this should be kind of an alert to everybody that anybody can get the virus, even president of the United States can get the virus.”

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Guatemala Says it Will Detain Around 2,000 Migrants Bound for the U.S.

Admin

Guatemala says it will detain and return a migrant caravan of around 2,000 that entered the country from Honduras on Thursday, the Associated Press reported Friday.

Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei vowed the caravan would be sent back to Honduras over concerns about coronavirus, the AP reported. The caravan overpowered Guatemalan border guards who reportedly made little attempt to control the situation, according to the AP.

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‘I Think I’ll Be Back Soon,’ President Trump Says in Optimistic New Video Message from Hospital

Admin

“I think I’ll be back soon,” President Trump said Saturday evening in a four-minute video from Walter Reed Medical Center, where the president is being treated for COVID-19.

Seated at a desk flanked by flags, the president offered words of guarded confidence, optimism and reassurance — about his own heath and the state of the larger national and international battle against the global pandemic.

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New York City Could Lose Half of All Bars, Restaurants

Admin

The Daily Caller reports, New York City could see up to half its restaurants and bars close permanently in the next six months because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new audit released Thursday from the New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

“New York City’s bars and restaurants are the lifeblood of our neighborhoods. The industry is challenging under the best of circumstances and many eateries operate on tight margins. Now they face an unprecedented upheaval that may cause many establishments to close forever,” DiNapoli said, according to an official statement.

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Steve Bannon Presents: President Trump and the CCP Virus

Admin

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.

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Chinese-State-Run Media Chief Says Trump and Melania ‘Paid The Price’ for Downplaying Coronavirus

Admin

The editor-in-chief of a Chinese state-run media outlet said in a tweet Friday that President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump “paid the price” for downplaying the coronavirus pandemic after both tested positive.

“President Donald Trump and the first lady have paid the price for his gamble to play down the COVID-19. The news shows the severity of the US’ pandemic situation,” Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the Global Times, said in a Twitter post on Friday.

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TRUMPDATE: Latest From the Team Trump Virginia Campaign for October 3

Jordan Bondurant

Welcome to the Saturday edition of our daily Virginia Trump campaign update! We will provide our readers with daily updates on the Trump Virginia campaign from today to November 3 (and after…if need be!).

It’s officially 31 days until the election on November 3 – and 28 days until early voting in Virginia closes. The deadline to register to vote in time for the 2020 election is October 13.

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Whitmer Backtracks on COVID-19 Nursing Home Policy

Admin

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Wednesday evening signed Executive Order 2020-191, tweaking long-term care rules and applying some recommendations from the Michigan Nursing Homes COVID-19 Preparedness Task Force.

The order evolves from Whitmer’s old long-term care strategy of 21 Regional Hubs to a “second generation” of care called Care and Recovery Centers (CRC) dedicated to isolating COVID-19 residents.

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‘Out of an Abundance of Caution:’ Trump Goes to Walter Reed Medical Center

The Associated Press

President Donald Trump will spend a “few days” at a military hospital after contracting COVID-19, the White House said Friday, as the virus that has killed more than 205,000 Americans spread to the highest reaches of the U.S. government. Trump “remains fatigued,” his doctor said.

Trump was to depart the White House by helicopter late Friday for Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The White House said the visit was precautionary and that he would work from the hospital’s presidential suite, which is equipped to allow him to continue his official duties.

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