Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #105

[BetteDavisEyes]

Supreme Court blocks Biden admin's Covid requirements for workplaces, allows vaccine mandate for health care workers (nbcnews.com)

The workplace requirement, which was challenged by a group of red states and businesses, would have affected nearly 80 million U.S. workers.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked the Biden administration's rule requiring larger businesses to ensure that workers receive the Covid vaccine or wear masks and get tested on a weekly basis.

But the court said a separate mandate requiring vaccinations for an estimated 20 million health care workers can be enforced.

The workplace rule, announced last fall by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, required companies with 100 or more employees to ensure that their workers either get vaccinated or wear masks and show negative Covid test results at least once a week...

 

[WichitaFalls]

Supreme Court blocks nationwide vaccine and testing mandate for large businesses - CNNPolitics

The Supreme Court blocked President Joe Biden's vaccine or testing requirement aimed at large businesses, but it allowed a vaccine mandate for certain health care workers to go into effect nationwide.

The ruling blocking the rule for large businesses was based on the argument that Congress has not given the Occupational Safety and Health Administration the power to enact such a mandate.
"Although Congress has indisputably given OSHA the power to regulate occupational dangers, it has not given that agency the power to regulate public health more broadly. Requiring the vaccination of 84 million Americans, selected simply because they work for employers with more than 100 employees, certainly falls in the latter category," the unsigned opinion says.
More at link above.

 

[CrimeAway]

Unfortunately, without vaccine mandates I think that the US will struggle to get more people to take the initial series of Covid vaccines. I foresee there being continued strain on healthcare services, and more illness and death as a result. I wish that people would take the vaccine voluntarily, but I fear that certain media outlets, talk radio, and others have spread too much vaccine mistrust and misinformation. JMO.

 

[Cool Cats]

The Red Cross has been calling me, so I’m going tomorrow to give blood. I used to give regularly, last time was February 2020.
Seems so long ago.

Good to hear!

They need my blood type, I should go.

American Red Cross

 

[Arkay]

The Red Cross has been calling me, so I’m going tomorrow to give blood. I used to give regularly, last time was February 2020.
Seems so long ago.

Just a heads up---

I donated blood through the NY Blood Center about three weeks ago. My appointment was for 3:00 and I'd eaten nothing as of yet (I'm a night owl and am not hungry by that time). The guy wanted me to drink apple juice while the blood was going through the tubes, but I didn't want to remove my mask. He said if I didn't drink it, I'd pass out.

I drank it but then collapsed when I got out of the chair, and woke up on the stretcher with ice packs and the whole deal.

My fault completely. I'm always glad to give blood, especially because I have a more rare blood type. BUT a friendly reminder, don't be like Arkay, eat first!

 

[Cool Cats]

A Rochelle Walensky interview sparked outrage. But the CDC says ABC omitted crucial context.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of Centers for Disease Control

In the clip, host Cecilia Vega referred vaguely to "encouraging headlines" and a new study, then asked the CDC director: "Is it time to start rethinking how we're living with this virus - that it's potentially here to stay?"

Walensky appeared to cheerfully reply that those dying of covid-19 were mostly people with preexisting medical problems: "The overwhelming number of deaths - over 75 percent - occurred in people who had at least four comorbidites. So really, these are people who were unwell to begin with. And yes: really encouraging news in the context of omicron."

This week ABC replaced its clips online with a longer, unedited version of Walensky's interview. In that one, the CDC director prefaces her reply to Vega by touting "a really important study" of 1.2 million vaccinated people, which found that only a minuscule fraction of them - 0.003% - died of covid-19. Of the small number who did die, she noted, most of them had underlying health conditions.

That was the "encouraging news" Walensky was referring to: that vaccinations protect the vast majority of people. ABC's original cuts made it sound as if the CDC director was happy that most deaths were occurring among people who were in poor health anyway.

Walensky and CDC officials spent several days trying to undo the damage after Friday's broadcast.

 

[x_files]

Unfortunately, without vaccine mandates I think that the US will struggle to get more people to take the initial series of Covid vaccines. I foresee there being continued strain on healthcare services, and more illness and death as a result. I wish that people would take the vaccine voluntarily, but I fear that certain media outlets, talk radio, and others have spread too much vaccine mistrust and misinformation. JMO.

If they haven't taken it voluntarily by now, not sure they will without a mandate.

 

[WichitaFalls]

An interesting take from Dr. Scott Gottlieb on the Supreme Court blocking President Biden's government mandate. I personally didn't want the SC to block the madate. During the pandemic I've become discouraged with a lack of people that aren't willing to make what I see as simple sacrifices for the greater good, but I appreciate his feedback which gives me a different way to look at my immediate disappoinment in the ruling. MOO. Via Twitter

Notwithstanding ruling, bottom line is OSHA was doing little to enforce it, and that was unlikely to change. Biden Admin realized how divisive and clunky this became. It was always a bridge too far, more likely to harden opposition to vaccination efforts than ease these divides. Dr. Scott Gottlieb

 

[Sundog]

If they haven't taken it voluntarily by now, not sure they will without a mandate.

Employers are still able to mandate the vaccine (unless they have state legislation agianst it). The difference know is that they can't say that OSHA requires it. But nothing stops employers from mandating the vaccine.

 

[Simply Southern]

Employers are still able to mandate the vaccine (unless they have state legislation agianst it). The difference know is that they can't say that OSHA requires it. But nothing stops employers from mandating the vaccine.

The vaccine is under emergency use and could/would employers be liable for side effects, vaccine injury or even if a person contacted Covid with the vaccine?

Moo

 

[LaborDayRN]

I will give my onco a call in the morning…..see if I can somehow get a test fast. I’m just dreading going to a medical facility right now. And not feeling very strong. I’m 53.
I wish this pandemic would be over! It’s hard just having to go through chemo and isolate yourself, but add in not being able to see friends/family is just awful. Thinking is it safe to have the hospital transportation come and get me? Would it be better if my daughter with little ones in school take me? Just all these things go through my mind. Thank You

((((Midgie2)))) I'm so sorry you are dealing with this. It's hard enough going through Chemo without all the problems the pandemic causes.

 

[indicolite22]

My sister's family already had Covid a year ago. One of my nieces just tested positive. She isn't vaccinated - some young people think they are invincible. She was staying with a friend for a few days when she got infected, but is now isolating at home. Her twin, a type 1 diabetic, and their parents (my sister and her husband) are fully vaccinated. The twin is now furious at her sister, accusing her of getting infected on purpose (unfortunately that's a thing). They both live at home while attending university, which is common here. Current rules don't require the rest of the family to quarantine if they are triple-vaxxed.

 

[LaborDayRN]

When I was a teenager, a friend of mine broke her leg. At the hospital it was discovered that she had bone cancer and I think that's what led to her leg breaking easily. It also saved her life. Her leg was amputated but she survived.

So, should she have been listed as an orthopedic patient or a cancer patient?

IMO if someone comes to the hospital for something else, but is discovered to have Covid, then they have Covid and SHOULD count in those statistics.


Unlike my friend's bone cancer, Covid is infectious. This is not new news. Anyone with Covid, regardless of why they went to the hospital, has to be handled with all the protocols required, and that becomes an enormous stressor in every way for all patients and hospital staff.

The silver lining is yes, perhaps they didn't feel deathly ill due to their Covid and something else brought them to seek hospital care. IMO that does not mitigate the fact that they are highly contagious anyway and have to be treated as such. They can and do spread it and that affects nurses, etc. who then end up needing to isolate, leading to shortage of care for all. Also, of course, other vulnerable patients could get Covid from the patient and for them, it may turn into serious illness or death.

My sister's sister-in-law died yesterday. She'd just turned 61. She was an RN in charge of lung cancer clinical trials at a world-renowned hospital in Manhattan. As a nurse she was working all the time since Covid---all hands on deck. She did not do the simple thing she knew to do, which was to have a colonoscopy. She was just too exhausted to bother and was needed at the hospital. So three months ago she was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. Her hospital, her place of business, pulled out all the stops for her but it was too late.

She did not have Covid, but yet the prevalence of Covid led her to be too overwhelmed to take the measures she'd normally take. To our everlasting regret.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Please accept my deepest condolences.
It's not uncommon for nurses to care for everyone but themselves.
And given the craziness of the past few years, it was probably all she could do to take care of others.

 

[Simply Southern]

I'm fully booster, almost everyone I know is. My fully booster friends and acquaintances are now coming down with Covid. These are folks that wear masks and occasionally go to the grocery store, social distance, and very careful.

I'm retired, tired, stressed out most days and have spend the last two years, as most, staying home and trying to protect myself. Its my opinion, we are at the bottom of the barrel for vaccinations. Those unvaccinated are die hard and are not under any circumstances going to change their mind. Their friends and family die, they give up their jobs, and fight to the end for the right to decline. We need to move on. It's like mask, we can't make folks wear them.
.
My opinion its time to focus on increased testing, early intervention, out patient centers to provide and relieve the pressure on hospitals, with monoclonal antibody treatment and less time, focus and money on the unvaccinated who will chose possible death rather than comply.

My state has little to none monoclonal antibodies and its on a point system. My 82 yo neighbor, who goes NO where, has groceries deliveries and her car hasn't moved in over two years. She won't even come outside and speak to neighbors, tested positive at the ER. She was NOT given any treatment, told to take pain/fever reducers. Four days later, the rescue squad takes her out, she's white as a sheet, she's in ICU, still no monoclonal antibody for her.

Its time to develop a new strategy....

All my opinion

 

[LaborDayRN]

My brother tested positive with a rapid test this morning, after two weeks of coughing and a few negative tests. He had a PCR test appointment later today. This would be his second infection. He first had Covid last May, weeks after the first vaccine shot. He had a second shot in October and was about to get boosted. I hope he doesn't get worse. One of his coworkers' wives, who is pregnant with twins, is currently on a ventilator. She isn't vaccinated.

I'm trying to limit exposure, which isn't always easy. Since the vaccines became available to everyone, many employers don't encourage/allow working from home any more, even when it could be easily done. Quite predictably, cases here are through the roof with 80% increase from last week. Chances are that we're all going to get it if we can't isolate.

Oh my! I hope your brother starts to improve soon. Please keep us updated on your brother and also his coworkers wife!

 

[CSIDreamer]

I was working today and was in the stock room. There was an entire pallet of Nabisco product back there with a note: Nabisco is short staffed due to illness. Will get this stocked out ASAP.

 

[CrimeAway]

I think that it is unfair that vaccinated people are given less priority for monoclonals than the unvaccinated (unless unvaccinated due to a medical reason). JMO. I realize that the unvaccinated are at greater risk, but for most people, that is a CHOICE that they made.

 

[CSIDreamer]

I think that it is unfair that vaccinated people are given less priority for monoclonals than the unvaccinated (unless unvaccinated due to a medical reason). JMO. I realize that the unvaccinated are at greater risk, but for most people, that is a CHOICE that they made.

Eating everything in sight is a CHOICE too. But hey. So are plenty of other bad choices. JMO

 

[MimosaMornings]

'Like a slap in the face': Nurses told to use vacation and sick days to stay home if they test positive — NBC News

 

[CharlestonGal]

Eating everything in sight is a CHOICE too. But hey. So are plenty of other bad choices. JMO

Eating everything in sight doesn't impact other people. It's not like skinny people are being robbed of insulin because fat people need it. Or non-smokers are robbed of chemo because smokers need it. Vaccinated people are being robbed of treatment because unvaccinated people made a choice and that is seriously messed up. jmo