All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

US passes 8m coronavirus cases as death toll approaches 220,000 | Coronavirus | The Guardian

The US passed 8m recorded coronavirus cases on Friday, another unwelcome mark for the country with the most cases and the worst death toll from the global pandemic, approaching 220,000.

Wisconsin has set up emergency overflow hospital facilities and the national guard is helping out at extra testing sites.

“We are in crisis here in Wisconsin,” said Julie Willems Van Dijk, deputy secretary of state health services. “The trajectory does not look good. We need to be prepared for that.”

In Utah, Gary Herbert, the Republican governor, said: “Our hospitals are getting overwhelmed. The dramatic increase in infections has put the integrity of our healthcare system at risk.”

Indiana is facing “critical ICU bed shortages along with personnel shortages”, the state’s chief medical officer, Lindsay Weaver, said. In late September, the Republican governor, Eric Holcomb, lifted most coronavirus restrictions. Now officials are calling for volunteers to plug staffing gaps at some hospitals.

Source: US passes 8m coronavirus cases as death toll approaches 220,000 | Coronavirus | The Guardian

What George Takei learned about resilience in Japanese internment camp

 

George Takei's family in the Wilshire district of Los Angeles, photo taken around 1940. From left to right: George’s baby sister Nancy is held by George’s, mother Fumiko Emily Takei. To their left is George’s father, Takekuma Norman Takei. George’s brother Henry is in the middle and all the way on the right right is George.

George Takei’s family in the Wilshire district of Los Angeles, photo taken around 1940. From left to right: George’s baby sister Nancy is held by George’s, mother Fumiko Emily Takei. To their left is George’s father, Takekuma Norman Takei. George’s brother Henry is in the middle and all the way on the right right is George.
Photo courtesy George Takei

“My father said resilience isn’t all just teeth gritting, strength and endurance — it’s also the ability to find beauty in an ugly situation or an ugly place, to make your joy,” Takei tells CNBC Make It.

“My father said … we think of resilience as flexing the veins on our throat and [saying], ’I’m going to survive — fortitude,” Takei says. And “that is part of resilience, but … you’re going to be exhausted when it’s flexing all the time.”

So you have to “look around and see beauty” too, Takei says his father taught him.

Source: What George Takei learned about resilience in Japanese internment camp

Coronavirus: Trump administration unveils CVS, Walgreens vaccine deal (Kroger, Walmart, other grocery chains and independent pharmacies – under the bus!)

The Department of Health and Human Services on Friday announced a deal with CVS Health and Walgreens to administer coronavirus vaccines to the elderly and staff in long-term care facilities. The vaccine will be free, and CVS and Walgreens will schedule and coordinate on-site clinic dates directly with each facility, HHS said.

Source: Coronavirus: Trump administration unveils CVS, Walgreens vaccine deal

Kansas City hospitals turn away ambulances due to COVID-19 patient surge: report | TheHill

Some medical facilities in Kansas City, Mo., have turned away ambulances due to an influx of hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients. Metro hospitals and emergency departments reported Wednesday night high enough volumes of patients that facilities temporarily stopped accepting ambulances, a leading physician at St. Luke’s Health System told The Kansas City Star.

Source: Kansas City hospitals turn away ambulances due to COVID-19 patient surge: report | TheHill

Coronavirus infections still rising rapidly – BBC News

Coronavirus infections are continuing to rise rapidly, with an estimated 27,900 new cases a day in England, the Office for National Statistics says.

This figure is far higher than the number of confirmed cases announced by the government each day.

The R number has risen slightly to 1.3-1.5, with growth of the epidemic still widespread across the country.

Source: Coronavirus infections still rising rapidly – BBC News

Trump administration blocks California wildfire relief – Los Angeles Times (Trump will not serve as President of all of the USA)

The Trump administration has rejected California’s request for disaster relief funds aimed at cleaning up the damage from six recent fires across the state, including Los Angeles County’s Bobcat fire, San Bernardino County’s El Dorado fire, and the Creek fire, one of the largest that continues to burn in Fresno and Madera counties.

The move could heighten tensions between California and the president over wildfires. California saw record fires this year, fueled by several factors including climate change. Trump has repeatedly criticized California for its handling of fire policy, sometimes with misleading claims, and had rejected the role of rising temperatures as a factor.

More than 4 million acres burned in 2020, more than double the state’s previous record. The fires this year have burned an area larger than the state of Connecticut and killed 31 people.

The decision came to light when the administration denied a request from Gov. Gavin Newsom for a major presidential disaster declaration, said Brian Ferguson, deputy director of crisis communication and media relations for the governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

Source: Trump administration blocks California wildfire relief – Los Angeles Times

QAnon: a timeline of violence linked to the conspiracy theory | QAnon | The Guardian

In the past two years, kidnappings, car chases and a murder appear to have been fueled by belief in a fictional narrative

QAnon adherents believe that Donald Trump is trying to save the world from a cabal of satanic pedophiles. The conspiracy theory’s narrative includes centuries-old antisemitic tropes, like the belief that the cabal is harvesting blood from abused children, and it names specific people, including Democratic politicians and Hollywood celebrities, as participants in a global plot. Experts call these extreme, baseless claims “an incitement to violence”. Source: QAnon: a timeline of violence linked to the conspiracy theory | QAnon | The Guardian