Re: Latest on the Corona Virus
Breaking News
Still No Vaccine for being Stupid
Breaking News
Still No Vaccine for being Stupid
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Re: Latest on the Corona Virus
200 million people are fully vaccinated.
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Re: Latest on the Corona Virus
Governor DipStick strike AGAIN
When the Data SUCKS DON'T release the Information
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
State won’t release data
Information about breakthrough cases is not available to researchers or to the public.
BY IAN HODGSON
Times Staff Writer
For more than two months, the Tampa Bay Times and other news organizations have been asking Florida for data that breaks down how many vaccinated people have been infected, hospitalized or died of COVID-19.
They are called “breakthrough” cases. Data about them would show how effectively the vaccine has protected Floridians — and how vulnerable the unvaccinated are.
But the Florida Department of Health has continually refused those requests, citing what public health and legal experts say are misplaced privacy concerns.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also refuses to release that data, deferring to the state on whether to share it.
It’s information Florida residents and researchers have repeatedly asked for. Now it’s crucial to determine how vulnerable Floridians are to omicron, the highly contagious variant that quickly became the dominant strain in the U.S.
“It’s the number one thing that people ask me for,” said University of South Florida epidemiologist Jason Salemi. That data may be more important than ever, he said, because it’s “especially pertinent to how omicron may or may not spread.”
Breakthrough cases demonstrate how effective vaccines are and can also show how that protection changes over time. Immunity from initial vaccinations wanes 3 to 6 months later, health experts say, so boosters are crucial to fighting off the new variant.
Nearly 2.6 million Floridians have contracted the coronavirus since the first vaccine was approved in December 2020, and nearly 42,000 have died from COVID-19 since then. But there is no public data that shows how many were unvaccinated. Nor is there public data that shows how
many vaccinated people got breakthrough infections, and whether they had the added protection of booster shots.
For example, if Florida released breakthrough data, then we would know how many of the state’s 29,568 new COVID-19 infections — a 118 percent jump from the previous week’s caseload — and 194 new deaths reported Friday were vaccinated or unvaccinated.
While Florida won’t release breakthrough data, officials did reveal what some of that data shows: About 30 percent of Florida’s new COVID-19 cases found over a 30-day period were breakthrough infections in people who were vaccinated — but hadn’t received a booster shot — according to a Dec. 19 article in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel Salemi said that single data point doesn’t provide much insight: “One of the most common questions I receive is the extent to which receiving a full series of a COVID-19 vaccine is protecting me from infection, symptomatic illness and hospitalization.
“To really answer these questions, it would be valuable to have key COVID-19 metrics reported frequently and stratified by vaccination status and prior infection status.”
Answering those questions is more important than ever. A new study from Britain indicates the omicron variant may produce infections as severe as those from delta. The study has not been peer reviewed, but it includes a larger and more diverse sample of patients than an earlier South African study that suggested omicron infections may produce milder symptoms.
The CDC used Florida’s data to put together an analysis of breakthrough cases from 27 states and municipalities from April 10 to Nov. 20. It found that unvaccinated individuals are 10 times as likely to be infected with COVID-19 and 20 times as likely to die from the disease compared to fully vaccinated individuals who had a booster shot.
That’s proof that the vaccine works against the delta variant. But what about omicron? The CDC won’t release or publicize Florida’s data, so there’s no way to see how effective vaccines have been, and will continue to be, in the Sunshine State. The CDC says Florida must decide whether to release that data, and so far officials have refused to do so.Comment
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Re: Latest on the Corona Virus
Universal Orlando Resort has updated its COVID-19 safety policies to require masks indoors for all guests and Team Members, regardless of vaccination status.
A spokesperson for Universal tells News Channel 8, the policy will take effect on Friday, Dec. 24.Comment
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Re: Latest on the Corona Virus
Here you go Amigos
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Re: Latest on the Corona Virus
Great News! Virus is over! Oh wait, People are still dying, Highest infection rates since last march, hospitals overflowing,most infections are people who are already vaccinated,boosted and mask wearing.Comment
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Re: Latest on the Corona Virus
... the COVID pandemic is turning into an endemic which will be with all of us for likely the rest of our lives.
No single politician, no single country can cure this! COVID can be only managed as best as possible by following medical science and best practices.Comment
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Adversity temporarily visits a strong man but stays with the weak for a lifetime.Comment
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Re: Latest on the Corona Virus
I need to clear up some misinformation that SSG has been spreading about Omicron being as lethal as the Delta variant. It's not true. He gets his news from extremist websites.
Here's the truth:
Preliminary Reports Suggest Omicron Variant Milder but Concerns Linger
Scientists are suggesting the omicron variant may be milder than previous strains of coronavirus, according to a string of preliminary reports released Thursday in the UK and South Africa.
Two separate studies have been conducted in the United Kingdom, which conclude on paper the omicron strain of coronavirus appears to be not as harmful as the delta variant, as it results in significantly less hospitalisations.
Adversity temporarily visits a strong man but stays with the weak for a lifetime.Comment
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