Friday, September 17, 2021 | Kaiser Health News

Mississippi Clarion Ledger:
Mississippi Ranks First In Nation For COVID-19 Deaths Per 100,000

While COVID-19 hospitalizations are on the decline in Mississippi, the state is now leading the nation in coronavirus-related deaths per capita. Mississippi has 306 COVID-19 deaths per 100,000, coming in slightly above New Jersey with 305 per 100,000. Since the virus came into the state in March 2020, over 9,100 residents have died from coronavirus-related causes. The Mississippi State Department of Health reported nearly 900 of those deaths in the month of August, when the delta variant ripped through the state and further inundated hospitals and intensive care units. (Haselhorst, 9/16)

Mississippi Clarion Ledger:
COVID-19 Is Killing Mississippi’s Unvaccinated Pregnant Women

Seven pregnant Mississippi mothers critically ill from COVID-19 infections never made it from the intensive care unit to the operating room. With breathing tubes down their windpipes, most hooked up to ventilators, the women deteriorated so rapidly doctors at the University of Mississippi Medical Center had no choice but to deliver their babies prematurely via bedside emergency Cesarean section, almost unheard of today. One mother recovered and went home. Two remain in the ICU. Four of the mothers are dead. None was vaccinated against the coronavirus. (Haselhorst, 9/16)

ABC News:
Florida Surpasses 50K COVID Deaths After Battling Delta Wave 

Florida surpassed 50,000 coronavirus deaths since the pandemic began, health officials reported Thursday, with more than one fourth of those succumbing this summer as the state battled a fierce surge in infections fueled by the delta variant. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tallied 50,811 deaths after adding more than 1,500 COVID-19 deaths provided Thursday by the state’s health department. Those reported deaths occurred over various dates in recent weeks. (Spencer and Licon, 9/16)

WUSF 89.7:
AARP: Florida Nursing Homes Tie For Nation’s Highest COVID Death Rate As Vaccinations Lag 

As the delta variant of the coronavirus caused Florida to become a hotspot for COVID-19 in late July and August, the state’s nursing homes also felt the brunt. Using federal data, the senior-advocacy group AARP released a report Wednesday that said 237 Florida nursing home residents died with COVID-19 during a four-week period that ended Aug. 22 — tied for the highest death rate in the nation. (Saunders, 9/16)

The Baltimore Sun:
Maryland Surpasses 10,000 COVID-19 Deaths; Hogan Orders State Flags Lowered To Half-Staff In Remembrance 

More than 10,000 Marylanders have been killed by COVID-19 as of Thursday, a once-unthinkable death toll reflecting the severity of a pandemic that has killed millions more worldwide. Republican Gov. Larry Hogan ordered state flags to be lowered to half-staff in remembrance of those 10,011 who have died statewide from the coronavirus since March 2020. (Campbell, 9/16)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Wisconsin Averaging More Than 2,000 COVID-19 Cases A Day For The First Time Since January

The seven-day average of daily COVID-19 cases increased to more than 2,000 a day on Thursday — the first time it’s been over 2,000 cases since January, according to state Department of Health Services data. The seven-day average was 2,063 cases on January 17. Now, the seven-day average is at 2,110 cases. The state reported 15 new COVID-related deaths Thursday. The seven-day average of daily deaths is 12, up 10 deaths from a month ago. (Bentley, 9/16)

Also —

The Washington Post:
Coronavirus Approaches 1918 Influenza Pandemic Death Toll 

The United States just hit a grim milestone when it comes to the toll of the coronavirus, with now 1 in 500 Americans having died. But for some, an even-grimmer milestone is fast-approaching: When the death toll exceeds the 1918 influenza pandemic. We’re currently on-pace to surpass the 675,000 deaths that have been attributed to the last comparable pandemic in the coming days. The Washington Post’s tracker shows more than 668,000 deaths so far, with a still-increasing seven-day average of nearly 1,800 deaths per day. That means we’re likely to hit that number by early next week. … But this moment also requires context. (Blake, 9/16)

NBC News:
Covid Likely Led To A Rare Disorder That Left 8-Year-Old Girl Paralyzed

A Minnesota woman whose daughter has been hospitalized since March is urging people to get vaccinated and wear masks as the delta variant spreads and children return to the classroom. Lani Bauer’s 8-year-old daughter, Avella, was diagnosed with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), a condition that developed after she tested positive for Covid-19. (Bhojwani, 9/16)

And in covid research —

USA Today:
Long-Haul COVID-19 Can Last Months. But Here’s Why Experts Are Optimistic About Recovery.

Workers find they’re able to make it through a whole day again. Parents trust themselves with their own children. The brain fog descends less often, normal smells start to return, and racing hearts get more rest. Although COVID-19 may feel endless when symptoms linger a month or more after an infection, many people are back to feeling like themselves within about three months. Many more have recovered at six months, said Ravi Ganesh, who treats long-haul COVID-19 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.Everyone’s path is different, though. (Weintraub and Leake, 9/17)

Fox News:
Adults Ages 50 To 69 Most Likely To Report ‘Long COVID,’ UK Study Finds

An observational study out of the U.K. indicated that adults aged 50-69 reported so-called “long COVID,” or symptoms months after initial COVID-19 infection, at the highest rates compared to all other age groups. Findings released Thursday from the Office for National Statistics drew from the Coronavirus Infection Survey, said to be the U.K.’s “largest regular survey of coronavirus (COVID-19) infections and antibodies,” informing its pandemic response. (Rivas, 9/16)

CIDRAP:
Comorbidities, Older Age Associated With Severe COVID In Kids

Among US children 17 and under, COVID-19 hospitalization was associated with older age and chronic comorbidities, including obesity or type 2 diabetes, according to a study yesterday in the Journal of Hospital Medicine. … Factors associated with hospitalization were obesity or type 2 diabetes (aOR, 10.4), immunocompromised condition (aOR, 5.9), pulmonary disease (aOR, 5.3), cardiovascular disease (aOR, 5.0), asthma (aOR, 1.4), and private payer insurance (aOR, 1.16). While older children and adolescents were hospitalized at lower rates, the researchers note that those who were had a higher likelihood of severe illness. (9/16)

KHN:
Scientists Examine Kids’ Unique Immune Systems As More Fall Victim To Covid 

Eighteen months into the covid-19 pandemic, with the delta variant fueling a massive resurgence of disease, many hospitals are hitting a heartbreaking new low. They’re now losing babies to the coronavirus. The first reported covid-related death of a newborn occurred in Orange County, Florida, and an infant has died in Mississippi. Merced County in California lost a child under a year old in late August. (Szabo, 9/17)

ProPublica:
A Boy Went To A COVID-Swamped ER. He Waited For Hours. Then His Appendix Burst.

What first struck Nathaniel Osborn when he and his wife took their son, Seth, to the emergency room this summer was how packed the waiting room was for a Wednesday at 1 p.m. The Florida hospital’s emergency room was so crowded there weren’t enough chairs for the family to all sit as they waited. And waited. Hours passed and 12-year-old Seth’s condition worsened, his body quivering from the pain shooting across his lower belly. Osborn said his wife asked why it was taking so long to be seen. A nurse rolled her eyes and muttered, “COVID.” (Deam, 9/15)

KXAS-TV (NBC5):
Cook Children’s Postponing Elective Surgeries Due To Staff, Bed Shortages Amid Latest COVID-19 Surge

Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth is rescheduling all elective surgeries that require inpatient admission to Oct. 11 or later due to the latest surge of COVID-19, the hospital said in a prepared statement issued Thursday evening. “We’re taking this extraordinary step to utilize Cook Children’s perioperative RNs in other areas of the hospital, including ICUs,” the statement said. “As reported in the media week after week, pediatric beds in our community are scarce, and Cook Children’s is no exception. (9/16)

KHN:
Covid-Overwhelmed Hospitals Postpone Cancer Care And Other Treatment 

It’s a bad time to get sick in Oregon. That’s the message from some doctors, as hospitals fill up with covid-19 patients and other medical conditions go untreated. Charlie Callagan looked perfectly healthy sitting outside recently on his deck in the smoky summer air in the small Rogue Valley town of Merlin, in southern Oregon. But Callagan, 72, has a condition called multiple myeloma, a blood cancer of the bone marrow. “It affects the immune system; it affects the bones,” he said. “I had a PET scan that described my bones as looking ‘kind of Swiss cheese-like.’” (Neumann, 9/17)

Georgia Health News:
Covid Surge Eases Slightly, But Swamped Hospitals See No Relief 

The state’s Covid cases and hospitalizations have dipped over the past week, Georgia health officials have reported. But that drop isn’t relieving the pressure on the front lines of hospitals — both smaller facilities and large urban centers. Take Appling Healthcare, which operates a rural hospital of 34 beds in Baxley, in southeast Georgia. (Miller, 9/16)

Bangor Daily News:
EMMC Sees Record Hospitalizations For COVID-19, Eclipsing Last Winter’s Surge

Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor saw a record number of coronavirus hospitalizations on Thursday as the delta variant continues to spread across the state. A total of 58 people were hospitalized in the hospital that day, beating the previous record of 55 the hospital set on Dec. 31, 2020, amid that period’s winter surge, according to data from Northern Light Health.
The record hospitalizations are indicative of the significant community spread occurring in Penobscot County, which has seen a significant number of cases in recent days. It is also another indicator that the present surge is eclipsing the worst seen in the county last winter. The 164 cases reported on Wednesday were the highest ever seen in the county. (Marino Jr., 9/16)

Houston Chronicle:
Houston-Area ICU Beds Remain Scarce Even As COVID Hospitalizations Decline Across Texas

COVID-19 hospitalizations are declining across Texas and the Houston region, but ICUs remain stubbornly full, as the sickest patients require care for a longer period of time. Last week, the number of available adult ICU beds in Texas sunk below 300 for the first time in the pandemic, with 270 beds available on Sept. 8 and 279 available on Sept. 9, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. There were 326 beds available this Wednesday, including 65 in the nine-county region surrounding Houston, the data show. (Gill, 9/16)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Scenes From A Georgia Hospital As Staff Manages A Deluge Of COVID Patients

As the ultra-contagious delta variant continues to tear across the Southeast, the COVID-19 patients hospitalized here are sicker and stay longer than those earlier in the pandemic. They’re younger and require more care, more resources, more ventilators. And there have been way more of them than at any other point over the past 18 months, despite the widespread availability of vaccines. Memorial Health cared for a record-high 178 COVID-19 patients at the end of August, according to the hospital. That’s more than twice as many as it did during previous pandemic peaks, said Dr. Stephen Thacker, the hospital’s associate chief medical officer. The week the Atlanta Journal-Constitution visited Savannah in early September, Georgia reported the country’s fourth-highest number of COVID-19 hospital admissions. (Hallerman, 9/16)

The Washington Post:
A Doctor Called Coronavirus Vaccines ‘Fake.’ Now He Sits On An Idaho Regional Health Board

Leaders of Idaho’s most populous county were deluged with constituent emails last month as they prepared to choose the newest member of a once-obscure regional health board. A doctor who served on the board for 15 years had just been let go over his support for pandemic restrictions. Hundreds wrote in for Ryan Cole, a doctor — backed by the Ada County Republican Party — who has called coronavirus vaccines “fake.” (Knowles, 9/16)

Louisville Courier Journal:
Poll: Number Of Kentuckians Reluctant To Get COVID Vaccine Decreasing

The number of Kentuckians hesitant to get vaccinated against COVID-19 has decreased since March, new poll results show, but 20% still say they probably or definitely won’t get the shot. The poll, from The Foundation for a Health Kentucky in partnership with the University of Cincinnati, involved calling 512 Kentuckians between Aug. 4 and Sept. 4. The results showed more than 1 in 3 unvaccinated people said nothing would persuade them to pivot and get a vaccine; 1 in 5 said they wanted more time and research before proceeding; and 1 in 6 said they wanted to see more evidence presented about the safety, efficacy and side effects of vaccines. (Ladd, 9/16)

The Hill:
Pandemic Frustrations Zero In On Unvaccinated Americans

The growing frustration with the ongoing pandemic is boiling over, with all eyes turned to the unvaccinated as the key to getting through the COVID-19 crisis. As cases approach winter levels, the U.S. has been left to decide how to deal with and treat the millions who still haven’t received their shots, months after they became widely available. (Coleman, 9/16)

WUSF 89.7:
Community Groups Work To Overcome Vaccination Barriers For Black Floridians 

The Rev. Clarence Williams addressed people outside his church in south St. Petersburg on a recent evening. Rather than preach the Bible, he was preaching about vaccines. “We have people that are counting on you to be healthy,” Williams said through a microphone to those gathered at Greater Mount Zion AME Church. “Come and be a part of the solution, not a part of the problem.” (Colombini and Sheridan, 9/16)

NBC News:
Fake Covid Vaccination Card Market Booms

The online market for fake Covid-19 vaccination cards is booming. Thousands of online sellers are claiming to offer near-perfect copies of the cards at prices that have risen sharply in recent weeks, with some now selling a single card for hundreds of dollars. While it’s unclear how many cards successfully make it to people who try to buy them, the  federal government is intercepting reams of them. A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the agency has intercepted thousands of packages of fake cards from China that “we basically stopped keeping track, because there were so many.” (Collier, 9/16)

PBS NewsHour:
There’s No Evidence COVID-19 Vaccines Hurt Fertility. Here’s What’s Fueling The Myth

COVID-19 vaccines are both safe and effective for pregnant people and those who plan to become pregnant, according to all of the data gathered by researchers so far. But the baseless concern or belief that they could hurt a person’s ability to conceive and deliver a healthy child has influenced many in choosing not to get a shot. In August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially recommended that pregnant people get vaccinated against COVID-19, in part because they are at a higher risk of becoming severely ill from the disease compared to non-pregnant people. Those who are attempting to conceive or are breastfeeding should also get their shots, the CDC has said. In addition, there is some evidence that the virus — not the vaccine — could potentially negatively impact sperm production and testicular function. (Isaacs-Thomas, 9/16)

Fox News:
Pelosi Slams GOP As A ‘Cult’ While Traveling Abroad In United Kingdom

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi slammed Republicans while traveling abroad in the United Kingdom Thursday, saying that they are bad for America and members of a “cult.” “I say to my Republican friends and I do have some,” Pelosi said at an event in Cambridge, England, prompting laughter from the audience. “Take back your party. You’re the Grand Old Party of America, you’ve done wonderful things for our country. You now have been hijacked by a cult that is just not good for our country.” (Mark Miller, 9/16)

In other news about the spread of covid misinformation —

Rolling Stone:
TikTok Cult Leader Pivots To Preaching Anti-Vax Conspiracy Theories

“Today’s sermon is going to be on Unitopian Anarchy and Autonomy,” Unicole Unicron says in the opening of a sermon on YouTube. Clad in an ethereal white veil, against a background of dizzying black-and-white swirls, the leader of the self-described cult Unicult proceeds to spends the next 51 minutes detailing thoughts on the Covid-19 vaccine and why the cult’s leader is not encouraging followers to get the vaccine. “Only you have autonomy over your own body,” says Unicron, who uses xe/xim pronouns. “Do what is right for you. Perform no medical rituals that are against your own strong intuitive knowledge of your personal health.” Unicron then explains why xe believes contracting the virus would not get xim sick, saying, “I have ascended to the point where I am confident that my own experience of my own internal state and my own vibration of harmony is enough to protect me.” (Dickson, 9/9)

CNN:
As Leaders Struggle To Dispel Misinformation About Vaccines, Some Celebrities Create More

Crucially, celebrities aren’t persuasive all the time over all issues. Their influence is complicated by a variety of factors, such as their expertise, their affiliations with advocacy groups and their connection to the issue (think Ellen DeGeneres or Billy Porter on LGBTQ rights). But Mark Harvey, the author of the 2018 book, “Celebrity Influence: Politics, Persuasion and Issue-Based Advocacy,” argues that what we’re seeing with the coronavirus pandemic, and specifically with Covid-19 vaccines, is completely different. (Tensley, 9/16)

Las Vegas Review-Journal:
COVID-19 Misinformation In Las Vegas A Public Health Crisis?

Clark County lawmakers will consider formally taking on a potential crisis that has emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic: misinformation. The county commission is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to declare COVID-19 misinformation a public health crisis that has fueled public mistrust and prolonged the pandemic by undermining efforts to combat the spread of the disease, according to a proposed resolution. “We’ve certainly seen across the country, but certainly right here in Nevada, what misinformation about the vaccines and the masks has resulted in,” said Commissioner Justin Jones, who is recommending the county adopt the resolution. (Johnson, 9/16)

10tv.Com:
Avoiding COVID-19 Misinformation: Ohio State Medical Experts Detail What To Look Out For

how can Ohioans separate quality information from findings health officials have deemed as weak? Chief Scientific Officer Peter Mohler says the first thing you should do when conducting your own research is check the quality of the study. This includes making sure the study is controlled and focuses on a group of people large enough to make an impact. Next, Mohler suggests making sure the study is peer reviewed. That means several physicians have looked at the data and deemed it worth covering. 

The Oregonian:
Oregon Medical Board Revokes License Of Doctor Who Bucked COVID Guidelines, Spread Misinformation 

The Oregon Medical Board revoked the license of a Dallas doctor earlier this month after he refused to follow COVID-19 guidelines in his office, spread misinformation about masks and over-prescribed opioids to his patients, according to medical board documents. The board also fined Steven Arthur LaTulippe $10,000 on Sept. 2. (Forrest, 9/16)

NBC News:
‘Misinformation Killed Her’: Bride-To-Be Who Hesitated To Get Vaccinated Dies Of Covid

Samantha Wendell could not wait for her wedding this summer. For nearly two years, the 29-year-old surgical technician had been meticulously planning every detail, from the seating chart to the Tiffany blue floral arrangements, her fiancé, Austin Eskew, said. Wendell and Eskew wanted to start a family as soon as they got married, Eskew, a correctional sergeant, said. The couple, of Grand Rivers, Kentucky, hoped to eventually have three, maybe four, children. So when the Covid-19 vaccines came out, and some of Wendell’s co-workers said the shots caused infertility — an unfounded claim that has gained ground despite top reproductive health groups refuting it — she “just kind of panicked,” Eskew, 29, said. (Chuck, 9/15)

The Washington Post:
She Demanded A Hospital Treat Her Husband’s Covid-19 With Ivermectin. A Judge Said No.

After her husband was infected with the coronavirus and entered an intensive care unit this month, Angela Underwood pushed for the Louisville hospital that was treating him to administer ivermectin to her husband — the deworming drug some people have used to try to treat or prevent covid-19 in recent months. She sued Norton Brownsboro Hospital after it allegedly refused to administer the treatment to Lonnie Underwood, 58, without a court order and supervision by a doctor with the authority to do so. … But a judge denied her emergency order request Wednesday in a scathing ruling that called out people who have promoted and supported ivermectin as an effective treatment for covid-19. (Bella, 9/16)

In case you missed it —

The Santa Barbara Independent:
Mandatory Vaccination Debate Gets Personal At Santa Barbara County Board; Supervisor Compares Critics to Cult

It’s not every day an elected county official accuses members of the public who testified against the county’s COVID vaccination effort of behaving like members of a cult. But that’s exactly what County Supervisor Steve Lavagnino did this Tuesday morning, after listening to more than 90 minutes of public comment from 20 militant anti-vaxxers who frequently compared the county’s proposed vaccination plans to something straight out of Nazi Germany.Lavagnino, it turns out, knows something about cults. He grew up in one, he declared from the supervisors’ dais. His parents divorced when he was a kid over religious differences; his mother moved into a religious cult in Northern Idaho, and Lavagnino went with her. The theology was all about “conspiracy, catastrophe, and persecution,” he recalled. At age 10, Lavagnino said he first encountered a barcode scanner while shopping at a supermarket. Church elders, he said, wasted no time denouncing this new technology as a “mark of the Beast.” Lavagnino said the same type of thinking was evident in the speakers at this meeting. (Welsh, 8/25)