Healthy lifestyle choices with information and articles.
NBC news is among the first major news outlets to release and confirm the dubious distinction that America has hit 1 million COVID-19 related deaths. That doesn’t not include the related deaths because of the lack of healthcare resources, and permanent disabilities incurred because of the virus. In just over two years the death toll has risen exponentially, attributed both to the unwillingness of many American from getting the free vaccine, and curtailing public health measures.
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By the middle of February, most modelling predicts that at least 50% of Americans will have been infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
This prediction is based on infection rate, whereas many states are showing possibilities of peak infection. That only means, however, that we’re at the mid-way point of this particular infectious wave.
Case counts for the US appear to have peaked at a 7-day average of 806k on Jan 14. Omicron grew from approximately 35k daily cases on Dec 14 to ~800k daily cases in ~4 weeks. 1/9 pic.twitter.com/D1Y6R58SjN
— Trevor Bedford (@trvrb) January 20, 2022
Continue reading “50% of All Americans Will Be Infected with Omicron”
Not only are Americans permitted to access vaccines and boosters for free, they can now order free N95 masks to be delivered by USPS. With the onslaught of Omicron, cloth or disposable surgical masks are no longer adequate to protect against the virus. The use of N95, at minimum, masks is the new recommendation. Ensuring access to as many people as possible is crucial to tapering the rising wave of infections.
The Biden administration will make 400 million N95 masks available to Americans for free starting next week, a White House official told CNN, the latest federal step aimed at reining in the US’ Covid-19 surge.
The masks — which are coming from the Strategic National Stockpile — will be made available at a number of local pharmacies and community health centers, the official said, adding that the program will be “fully up and running by early February.”
For more details visit: https://www.hhs.gov/
Moderna and Pfizer in the lead with Sputnik not far behind.
Full details of the research so you can continue to arm yourself with science and not conspiracy theories.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanmic/article/PIIS2666-5247(21)00069-0/fulltext
At the publishing of this article Canada has now emerged as the world leader in terms of single doses as a percentage of population. The access to COVID-19 vaccines is a question of concern, however. Right now, as the Delta variant continues at a breakneck speed, countries that were not at the front of the line are suffering the consequences. Rich countries have been hoarding vaccines, sitting unused in storage. And although COVAX and the USA are increasing their distribution, the scenario has revealed problems in both access for developing nations, and also exclusivity in production. Countries (which are most) that do not have domestic vaccine production were behind the eight ball. Although the volume of vaccines is increasing across different brands, availability and eventually inoculation has been hampered. Delays that stretch into months, and some countries may even wait years before their population has full access, is working against the worldwide effort to stop the spread, especially as variants emerge in more dangerous forms.
So if you can get it, get your vaccine as soon as possible. And while you’re at it, advocate for the rapid distribution for those close to home, and further away, to have improved access.
Vaccine access will be a discussion topics for months and even years to come. “Rich” countries, beginning with the United States, have ensured their population has first access to the vaccines, namely Pfizer and Moderna. Other countries follow suit, and although there’s been gaps of months for these countries, supply is now picking up steam and more and more people are getting jabs in arms. Canada is now the leading country in terms of percentage of population with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Now it’s a matter of distribution and increasing access for the entire world, not just those who can hoard vaccine volume/shots.
In medieval times the term hospice meant a refuge for ill or tired travellers. In other countries hospices are specific buildings where care is provided only for patients of life limiting illnesses. However in the US hospice care is a term that denotes care to the terminally ill patient at the location of his or her choosing. That location can be the patient’s home, a family member’s home or an institution. The concept of hospice is the recognition of the end of life as part of a natural process. The desire is to help a patient at that stage cope with that progression as positively and with as much dignity and respect as possible. Hospice care also recognizes the importance of the involvement of the patient’s family in the decisions involved in the patient’s care.
Continue reading “Hospice Care: Pioneering Palliative Care and What’s Next”
There were initial reports of the AstraZeneca vaccine with a slightly lower effective rate compared to the primary North American vaccines made by Moderna and Phizer. Couple that with recent dubious concerns that the AZ vaccine was causing health problems (blood clots), and many governments paused distribution. That also meant general populations refused to take it, thereby stigmatizing the vaccine in a time when ANY vaccine is the right one. These are valid concerns by the public, but with additional information becoming available, those concerns must be put to rest. It also behooves governments that have approved the vaccine (or will), to do a better job with public health communication to dispel any rumours AstraZeneca isn’t a “good” vaccine. Nothing could be further from the truth.
In the study of 30,000 people, the vaccine was 79% effective at preventing symptomatic cases of COVID-19 — including in older adults. There were no severe illnesses or hospitalizations among vaccinated volunteers, compared with five such cases in participants who received dummy shots — a small number, but consistent with findings from Britain and other countries that the vaccine protects against the worst of the disease.
Ahead or behind?
There is a clear association between countries that have money, and those that produce vaccines within its borders. Poorer nations will likely wait a year before enough vaccines arrive. That means the top countries fighting for supply right now, America leading the way, are very lucky to fighting over anything at all. To put things into comparison. Check out the graph below to see where you country lines up.
THe ineptitude in America surrounding anti-masks protesting and individualism (culturally important to Americans), the proliferation of COVID is the result. The largest tally of deaths to COVID-19 is America. The largest impact for the after affects, it will be America. The population, particularly if you’re poor, is monumental.
But, America also has among the fastest rollouts of vaccination. At this point it’s our only hope to combat the ineptitude of federal and certain state level governments who have refused to treat the pandemic seriously.
As for now, the vaccine may prove to be the needed saving grace. Assuming enough people have access and can get it (or will get it). Time will tell. Here is a chart about current country vaccination rates:
Continue reading “Will Vaccination Cover America’s Ineptitude?”
