US yesterday 19,532. AL, SC new highs. SC 5 days in a row.
Canada yesterday 361, lowest since end of March.
Middle East focus today:
Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, doing better, consistent decline after peak.
Lebanon fluctuating below 20.
Jordan overall at a low level, like Lebanon, but having a few cluster outbreaks.
Yemen also flutuating at a low level. Data reporting may be an issue.
Bahrain, Oman, Iraq cases increasing, really need to take more action.
Turkey, after rapid increase, and rapid decrease, now showing new increase. Not clear why.
Iran on terrible trends up and down and on and on. Need to get to zero.
Saudi Arabia epicenter in Riyadh. Top 150 communities shown in the fire plot attached. Relative fire plot (selected communities labeled) shows some locations are getting better, others worse.
Green zone (oasis) strategy in the desert would be super helpful to #get2zero.
Overall, Middle East 4 week progress plot attached shows more consistency in strong actions is needed to #get2zero.
UK doctors and nurses with long Covid to sue for compensation
"Nearly 300 British doctors, nurses and other health workers with long Covid are suing the health service for compensation, saying they were not given proper protection during the pandemic. 1/ irishtimes.com/world/uk/2024/…
"They say their lives have been devastated by a host of severe health complications. Most cannot return to work and many are housebound.
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“This is life-changing. People are really suffering financially. Some are living in poverty,” said nurse Rachel Hext, one of the claimants. “We’re suing because this is the only way of providing for our futures.”
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1/ I’m here not to address HICPAC directly, but to speak to those listening—healthcare professionals, patients, and advocates—who are committed to public health and safety.
Let me highlight several critical concerns.
2/ Members of HICPAC and the organizations they represent have significant financial conflicts of interest.
This issue, documented in a complaint submitted to the HHS Office of Inspector General, raises serious questions about the integrity of their guidance.
3/ Additionally, HICPAC has operated in secrecy, with workgroup meetings closed to public scrutiny.
This violates the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which mandates transparency. Such closed-door decisions erode trust and undermine accountability.
"Prevention of COVID-19 is of utmost importance. For several years, many in our society largely based their COVID recommendations on a one infection and done strategy. We now know that many are coming down with multiple bouts of the disease.1/ kentucky.com/opinion/op-ed/…
"We were told that severe outcomes were hospitalization and death, otherwise you had a mild disease. Now we are faced with crippling long COVID which has ravaged many in our society. In the United Kingdom, long COVID affects as many as 33.6% of healthcare workers.
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"At the same time, we were assured our children are safe, they will almost never get severely sick from the virus. However, we started seeing long-term effects from COVID-19 in some of the children we know, and hoped they were outliers. 3/
Effective Oct 1, 2024-March 31, 2025, NJ Hackensack Meridian Health is requiring all patients, visitors and staff wear masks during patient encounters at all of its patient care facilities (e.g. hospitals, physician offices, rehabilitation facilities, etc) hackensackmeridianhealth.org/en/patients-an…
About Hackensack Meridian Health
"...a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care. 2/
"The network has 18 hospitals and more than 500 patient care locations, which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation,
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"As a parent, I want my son to be safe at school, so that was a key part of my motivation to do this," says Mr Kinner, the Brisbane creator of COVID Safety for Schools, a free online course that aims to correct misinformation and teach school staff and parents how to reduce ..
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"..the risk of the virus spreading. "But also, having spoken to lots of other parents and teachers, it's clear that most schools are lacking an understanding of some of the absolute basics of COVID. And in the fifth year of the pandemic, I find that very troubling."
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"What if a troublemaker simply decides to disguise his face with large sunglasses and a hat, instead? Are we going to criminalize sunglasses and hats, too? 1/ nj.com/opinion/2024/0…
"Even with an exception for people who wear masks for medical reasons, it’s a threat to personal freedoms, because it leaves it up to the cops to decide whether someone has a legitimate medical reason for wearing a mask at a public gathering.
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"... in its current iteration, this bill would do little to deter actual criminals, while only further stigmatizing mask wearing for vulnerable people.
"Ask anyone still masking because of a weakened immune system, or to protect a loved one, ...
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