‘Internal disaster’: Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital blames surge in COVID cases, shortage of nurses for longer ER wait times (Me: To Governor and GOP – suppressing votes more important than saving lives)

The Harris Health System is blaming several factors, including a growing surge of COVID-19 patients, a large number of non-COVID patients, and a shortage of nurses.

“When you put all of that together, it kind of creates a perfect storm scenario,” said Dr. Esmaeil Porsa, president and CEO of Harris Health.

The president knows he has a nurse staffing issue. He said he’s short a total of 140 nurses at LBJ and Ben Taub hospitals combined. Porsa said part of that is because of a national shortage, though some are also sick and some have left.

“I’m frustrated. I am disheartened,” Porsa said. “I don’t get the feeling that people understand the gravity of the situation that we are in.”

He said the latest COVID surge is developing faster than the last one, leaving him worried things will only get worse.

While the state previously provided some temporary nurses for the hospital, Porsa said that is no longer happening.

Source: ‘Internal disaster’: Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital blames surge in COVID cases, shortage of nurses for longer ER wait times

White House Makes Back-to-School Push for Student Vaccinations – The New York Times

The White House, worried that coronavirus vaccination rates among young people are lagging as the school year approaches, is enlisting pediatricians to incorporate vaccination into back-to-school sports physicals and encouraging schools to host their own vaccination clinics as part of a new push to get students their shots.

The initiative, announced on Thursday by Education Secretary Miguel A. Cardona, is part of a broader “return to school road map” aimed at getting students back to in-person learning this fall. School officials around the country are worried that a surge in coronavirus cases, fueled by the highly infectious Delta variant, will threaten the return.

Some School Districts Are Defying State Bans on Mask Mandates – The New York Times

“I think school administrators realize that the benefit outweighs the risk,” said Rachel Graham, an epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “And I would honestly really hope a governor wouldn’t pull funding from a school.”

In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said in an executive order last Friday that the state would take away funding from any district that infringed on “the fundamental right of parents to make health and educational decisions for their children” by requiring students to wear masks.

Elapsed time since BNT162b2 vaccine and risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a large cohort | medRxiv

Conclusions and Relevance: In this large population study of patients tested for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR following two doses of mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine, we observe a significant increase of the risk of infection in individuals who received their last vaccine dose since at least 146 days ago, particularly among patients older than 60. Source: Elapsed time since BNT162b2 vaccine and risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a large cohort | medRxiv

Covid-19 Live Updates: Italy’s Vaccine Pass Comes Into Force, Leading a Trend – The New York Times (Me: good move – vaccinations and testing is only way out of this pandemic)

Italy on Friday introduced a nationwide health passport for access to a wide range of social activities, one of the continent’s most far-reaching measures as the authorities hope to contain the spread of the Delta variant and increase economic activity.

As Western European countries have inoculated large swaths of their populations in recent months, some governments have sought to impose new requirements to encourage vaccinations among the hesitant and undecided, with Italy among the first to bring in such measures. A similar pass in France is expected to come into effect on Monday, and in New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio said this week that a proof of vaccination would be required to engage in similar activities.

In Italy, a “Green Pass” that residents can download on their phone is now required to dine indoors, go to museums and concerts, access gyms and amusement parks, and take public exams. It is available to Italians who have received at least one vaccine dose, have had a recent negative swab or have recovered from Covid in the last six months.

United Airlines Will Require Employees to be Vaccinated Against the Coronavirus – The New York Times

United Airlines said on Friday that it would require all U.S. employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus starting this fall. It was the first major airline to establish such a mandate and the latest in a small but growing number of businesses to do so.

“We have no greater responsibility to you and your colleagues than to ensure your safety when you’re at work, and the facts are crystal clear: Everyone is safer when everyone is vaccinated,” Scott Kirby, the airline’s chief executive, and Brett Hart, its president, said in a memo to their staff.

Employees will be required to upload proof of vaccination within five weeks of the Federal Drug Administration fully approving a vaccine or by Oct. 25, whichever comes first. Those who provide proof by Sept. 20 will receive a full day’s pay, excluding pilots and flight attendants who have already received a union-negotiated bonus for getting vaccinated. So far, about 90 percent of United’s pilots and 80 percent of its flight attendants have been vaccinated, the airline said.

Puerto Rico widens vaccine requirements amid COVID-19 spike – The Washington Post

Puerto Rico’s governor announced Thursday that vaccinations will be required of government contractors, hotel guests and employees and all health facility workers to control a spike in COVID-19 cases blamed largely on the Delta variant.

The order goes into effect Aug. 16; those who refuse to get inoculated will be required to submit a weekly negative COVID-19 test. Violators will face up to a $5,000 fine or six months in jail, with few exceptions allowed.

“We cannot lower our guard,” said Gov. Pedro Pierluisi. “There are vaccines for everyone. Vaccinations are the solution.”

Source: Puerto Rico widens vaccine requirements amid COVID-19 spike – The Washington Post

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