COVID-19 Cases and Deaths Among Nursing Home Residents Have Declined Markedly Following the Introduction of Vaccines

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The number of residents contracting and dying of COVID-19 in nursing homes has declined markedly following the introduction of vaccination efforts in long-term care facilities, a KFF analysis finds. Resident deaths from COVID-19 in nursing homes have decreased by two-thirds (66%) since vaccination efforts began in late December. New cases of the novel coronavirus amongMore

‘It Doesn’t Feel Worth It’: Covid Is Pushing New York’s EMTs to the Brink

The department switched from eight- to 12-hour shifts last summer, leaving Espinal, a single mother of three, too exhausted to pick up overtime. Like many health care workers, she isolated from her children at the outset of the pandemic to avoid potentially exposing them to the coronavirus, leaving them in the care of her own mother; she described being separated from her 1-year-old son as “devastating.” Despite working round-the-clock to get the city through the early days of the pandemic, she often had to choose between paying rent on time or paying utility bills.

“After working this year, for me personally, it doesn’t feel worth it anymore,” she said. She is two exams shy of finishing a nursing degree she started studying for before the pandemic. She said the last year has only strengthened her resolve to shift careers.

The pandemic has disproportionately claimed Black and brown lives — Black and Hispanic people were significantly more likely than white people to die of covid — an
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In his 17 years as an emergency medical provider, Anthony Almojera thought he had seen it all. “Shootings, stabbings, people on fire, you name it,” he said. Then came covid-19.

Before the pandemic, Almojera said it was normal to respond to one or two cardiac arrests calls a week; now he’s grown used to several each shift. One day last spring, responders took more than 6,500 calls — more than any day in his department’s history, including 9/11.

An emergency medical services lieutenant and union leader with the New York City Fire Department, Almojera said he has seen more death in the past year than in his previous decade of work. “We can’t possibly process the traumas, because we’re still in the trauma,” he said.

EMS work has long been grueling and poorly paid. New FDNY hires make just over $35,000 a year, or $200 more than what is considered the poverty threshold for a four-person household in New York City. (That figure is on par with national averages.) Employee turnover is high: In fiscal year 2019, more than 13% of EMTs and paramedics left their jobs.

But covid-19 has added a new layer of precarity to the work. According to Oren Barzilay, the Local 2507 union president, nearly half of its 4,400 emergency medical technicians and paramedics have tested positive for the covid virus. Five have died, though that figure doesn’t account for first responders who worked for private emergency response companies. Nationwide, at least 128 medical first responders have died of covid, according to Lost on the Frontline, an investigation by KHN and The Guardian.

The problem of EMS pay was in the spotlight in December, when the New York Post outed paramedic Lauren Caitlyn Kwei for relying on an OnlyFans page to make extra money. Kwei, who works for a private ambulance company, wrote on Twitter: “My First Responder sisters and brothers are suffering … exhausted for months, reusing months old PPE, being refused hazard pay, and watching our fellow healthcare workers dying in front of our eyes.” She added: “EMS are the lowest paid first responders in NYC which leads to 50+ hour weeks and sometimes three jobs.”

Almojera earns $70,000 annually as a lieutenant, but his paramedic colleagues’ salaries in non-leadership roles are capped at around $65,000 after five years on the job. He earns extra income as a paramedic at area racetracks and conducting defibrillator inspections. He has colleagues who drive for Uber, deliver for GrubHub and stock grocery shelves on the side. “There are certain jobs that deserve all your time and effort,” Almojera said. “This should be your only job.”

For Liana Espinal, a paramedic, union delegate and 13-year veteran of the FDNY, a sense of camaraderie and the opportunity to serve her fellow Brooklynites compensated for low pay and exhausting shifts. For years she was willing to take on overtime and even a second job with a private ambulance company to make ends meet.

But covid changed that. The department switched from eight- to 12-hour shifts last summer, leaving Espinal, a single mother of three, too exhausted to pick up overtime. Like many health care workers, she isolated from her children at the outset of the pandemic to avoid potentially exposing them to the coronavirus, leaving them in the care of her own mother; she described being separated from her 1-year-old son as “devastating.” Despite working round-the-clock to get the city through the early days of the pandemic, she often had to choose between paying rent on time or paying utility bills.

“After working this year, for me personally, it doesn’t feel worth it anymore,” she said. She is two exams shy of finishing a nursing degree she started studying for before the pandemic. She said the last year has only strengthened her resolve to shift careers.

The pandemic has disproportionately claimed Black and brown lives — Black and Hispanic people were significantly more likely than white people to die of covid — and those disparities extend to health care workers. Lost on the Frontline has found that nearly two-thirds of health care workers who have died of covid were non-white.

All five of the department’s EMS employees who died of covid were non-white.

They included Idris Bey, 60, a former Marine and 9/11 first responder who was known to stay cool under pressure. He was an avid reader who bought new books each time he got a paycheck.

Richard Seaberry, 63, was looking forward to retiring to the Atlanta area to be near his young granddaughter.

Evelyn Ford, 58, left behind four children when she died in December, just as the coronavirus vaccine became available to first responders in New York City. According to the City Council’s finance division, 59% of EMS workers are minorities.

Almojera and Espinal see a racial component to pay disparities within the FDNY. Firefighters with five years on the job can make more than $100,000, including overtime and holiday pay, whereas paramedics and EMTs cap out at $65,000 and $50,000, respectively. According to the City Council finance division, 77% of New York firefighters are white.

“My counterpart fire lieutenants make almost $40,000 more than me,” Almojera said. “I’ve delivered 15 babies. I’ve been covered head to toe in blood. I mean, what do you pay for that? You can at least pay us like the other 911 agencies.”

An FDNY spokesperson declined to comment on salaries, saying that pay is negotiated between the unions and the city.

The last year has also exacted an emotional toll on an already stressed workforce. Three of the FDNY’s EMS workers died by suicide in 2020. John Mondello Jr, 23, a recent EMS academy graduate, died in April. Matthew Keene, 38, a nine-year veteran, died in June. Brandon Dorsa, 36, who had struggled with injuries from a 2015 workplace accident, died in July.

Family and colleagues told local news outlets that Mondello and Keene were struggling with trauma as a result of the pandemic. Last spring, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and first lady Chirlane McCray announced a partnership between the U.S. Department of Defense and city agencies to help front-line health workers cope with the stress of working through the pandemic. But many EMS workers have said that the program has been difficult to access.

“There aren’t a lot of resources for people, so a lot of EMS internalize what they go through,” Almojera said. “It’s not normal to see the things that we see.”

Issues regarding pay and mental health challenges predate the pandemic: A national survey conducted in 2015 found EMS providers were much more likely than the general population to struggle with stress and contemplate suicide.

Almojera knew Keene and last spoke with him a week before his death. “You can’t say enough nice things about the guy,” he said. “I wish he had mentioned even a hint of [his struggles] on the phone. And I would have shared how I was feeling through all this.”

He said he has felt a mix of pride, exhaustion and resignation over the past year. “I’ve seen the magic that you can do on the job,” Almojera said. “And I’ve seen my brothers and sisters on this job cry after calls.”

Almojera is now representing his union in talks with the city to renegotiate EMS and paramedic contracts. He said he hopes that city officials will think of the hardships he and his fellow first responders endured over the past year when they come to the negotiating table to discuss pay raises. But early talks have not been encouraging.

“After all the sacrifices made by our members,” he said. “I don’t know whether to be angry, flip the table, or just shrug my shoulders and give up.”

This story is part of “Lost on the Frontline,” an ongoing project from The Guardian and Kaiser Health News that aims to document the lives of health care workers in the U.S. who die from COVID-19, and to investigate why so many are victims of the disease. If you have a colleague or loved one we should include, please share their story.

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

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Biden’s Nominees of Color Facing More Intense Republican Scrutiny Than His White Picks. If Only We Knew Why

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It would be nice to live in a world where everything made sense. For example, I’d love to know why Taylor Swift is so popular in America, yet I don’t know one Black person who can sing three of her songs. I’d love to know why Colin Kaepernick doesn’t have a job yet a Trump-loving white boy can quarterback the…

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Myanmar’s ‘civil disobedience movement’ has produced many inventive ways of protesting

Even picking up onions and tying shoelaces have become anti-coup activities

Protesters in Myanmar display huge banners with messages rejecting the military government. Photo supplied to Global Voices by a citizen journalist, used with permission

Myanmar’s military authorities have banned public assemblies but this has only encouraged protesters to devise new ways of expressing opposition to the coup.

After the military grabbed power on February 1, a civil disobedience movement was launched which encouraged the public to stop going to work, boycott businesses owned by generals, and join anti-coup protests.

Medical health workers were among the first to support the civil disobedience movement by resigning from their posts. Many continued to work at hospitals but they wore red ribbons as a sign of protest against the military government.

This was followed by community protests which featured the banging of pots and pans to create noise and symbolically cast away evil spirits. A resident explained the popularity of this form of protest:

Banging pots and pans has continued until today, and it lasts about 15 minutes from 8:00 pm to 8:15 pm. Though this mode of campaign may seem insignificant, it ensures that all citizens can participate and express their voices peacefully and safely without having to leave their houses.

How protesters are creatively blocking roads

Many have observed the active participation of civil servants such as teachers, health workers and forestry officers in protests across Myanmar. Protesters have used ingenious methods to stop traffic and prevent government personnel from reporting for work. Kyaw Zwa Moe, editor of the English edition of The Irrawaddy, writes about this:

At the Myaynigone intersection, just a few miles from Sule, protesters helped pick up onions and gains of rice from the asphalt road, where someone had “dropped” them. Dozens of protesters picked up each onion and grain of rice, one at a time, while police watched over them. The purpose was to stop the traffic—as they had during the “car breakdown protest” and the “slow-motion drive protest” to create traffic jams in support of the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), which is aimed at preventing government staff from going to work.

‘Broken down’ cars in Myanmar’s biggest city Yangon block streets and confound police in the latest tactic by protesters opposed to a military coup. #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar pic.twitter.com/tvIXgjc50l

— Matthew Tostevin (@TostevinM) February 17, 2021

Even trishaws (three-wheeled vehicles) have been deployed in the campaign:

In an act of disobedience, drivers across Yangon left their cars in the middle of roads with the hoods up and joked that their engines had broken down.

This morning, some trishaw drivers are launching “trishaw breakdown campaign” in Yangon to block the movement of troops. pic.twitter.com/awMoLkTVCC

— Myanmar Now (@Myanmar_Now_Eng) February 19, 2021

Protesters also rode on boats:

Nyaung Shwe – 18th day of protests on February 21

For the third time, boats joined in the Inle Lake to do a water-protest column on February 21. Around 400 boats joined in the protests. #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar https://t.co/6ql6PrquCU pic.twitter.com/Rc112wPrSQ

— ElevenMyanmar (@ElevenMyanmar) February 21, 2021

A resident added more details about the “Onion Pick-up” campaign:

Basically, protesters intentionally drop onions in the middle of busy roads, and everyone helps pick up the onions, and put them in the (broken/bottomless) bags. This way, the police cannot claim that protesters are illegally blocking the roads.

Demonstrators pretend to pick up onions dropped on the street in an attempt to slow traffic and block roads during a protest against the #militarycoup, in #Yangon, #Myanmar, 19 February 2021. EPA-EFE/NYEIN CHAN NAING pic.twitter.com/URK5NQuoZ3

— Mizzima News (@MizzimaNews) February 19, 2021

Slowing down traffic is also done through the “Tying Shoelaces” campaign:

World’s first crosswalk protest in Yangon😍😍

Protesters are crossing through crosswalks in Circle lawfully at Myay-Ni-Kone Junction and slowing down the traffic

But literally they are obeying laws

Literally,this is Civil obedience movement😂#WhatsHappeningInMyanmar #Feb18Coup pic.twitter.com/FVLDbLULgu

— Thu Yein Ye Htut Zaw (@GmYein) February 18, 2021

Street performances can also gather people and block traffic:

Poetry recitation against military coup#OpposeMilitaryCoup #Myanmarprotests pic.twitter.com/JmBCFCMZbm

— Maung Saungkha (@maung_saungkha) February 8, 2021

Artists and activists have joined forces in producing large anti-coup banners and street graffiti:

#Myanmar anti-#military government protesters made their mark in #Mandalay wanting all to see their opposition against the #militarycoup since Feb 1. Am told this is seen on 73rd street in Mandalay. Pics by @tonywumm #WhatsHappeninglnMyanmar pic.twitter.com/jw3iT0B2LC

— May Wong (@MayWongCNA) February 17, 2021

Organised, peaceful and creative. A selection of some of the banners, street art and slogans which have cropped up as part of the anti-coup protests in Myanmar. So much effort has gone into some of these pieces and now the message they hold are being projected around the world. pic.twitter.com/erRFafSHvw

— Freya Cole (@freya_cole) February 17, 2021

Rejecting the military government

Protesters have also initiated actions aimed at undermining the military-controlled bureaucracy. One of these is the “Lottery boycott” campaign.

The incomes from lottery directly go into government funds just like other taxes. So we stop buying lottery tickets to prevent our taxes from going to the military.

The “anti-press conference” campaign is done by journalists boycotting the press conferences organized by the military. Some journalists from a local state media were forced to attend one of the press conferences which led to their resignation.

The “curse campaigns” are done to name and shame generals, especially Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing. Related to this, the “supernatural campaign” involves fortune-tellers and spiritual leaders who cast spells on superstitious military generals.

The “Lets’ report pro-military Facebook pages” is an online campaign that encourages Facebook users to report dubious pages spreading misinformation in support of the coup.

Only three weeks have passed since the coup but protesters have already used various creative methods to express dissent. Military authorities have recently resorted to violence but this has only encouraged more people to join the protests, as seen in the February 22 general strike, which mobilized the biggest anti-coup protests across Myanmar.

*With additional reporting from Global Voices’ Civic Media Observatory project

Written by Global Voices South East Asia

Potatoes: benefits and harms to the body

Potato history
It is known that the homeland of potatoes in South America. Back in 1565, potatoes were used as food by the tribes of the Indians who inhabited the territory of modern Peru and Bolivia.

The root crop became more widespread thanks to the Spanish navigators who went to explore the mainland in order to enrich themselves with gold. But instead of precious metal, they found potatoes, which became a very grandiose discovery, which introduced the whole world to this amazing vegetable.

The spread of potatoes around the world began only at the beginning of the 17th century. It appeared in Russia during the reign of Peter I. He issued a decree on the cultivation of potatoes throughout the country, in all regions and provinces. This caused a flurry of discontent among the peasants, who did not want to give their land for cultivation, as they called, “the devil’s apple”.

In the middle of the 19th century, during the reign of Nicholas I, “potato riots” began to break out everywhere: peasants burned fields, beat landowners, destroyed crops.

And only by the end of the 19th century, the situation with potatoes calmed down. People ceased to be afraid of being poisoned by it, they began to grow it and eat it. Gradually, potatoes began to displace turnips and radishes, took root on peasant tables, and learned to cook various dishes from it.

The benefits of potatoes
Potatoes have a unique composition that has a beneficial effect on the human body. Regular consumption of potatoes can:

Remove excess fluid and salt from the body;

Improve metabolism;

Stop the symptoms of acute gastritis;

Decrease the acidity of the stomach;

Facilitate the course of the gastric ulcer;

Reduce cholesterol levels;

Increase the level of hemoglobin in the blood;

Saturate the body with useful substances that help fight fatigue;

Have a positive effect on female beauty: strengthen nails, improve the condition of skin and hair;

During pregnancy, the use of potatoes can reduce puffiness, relieve a woman from heartburn, and ensure the correct development of the child.
“One of the most controversial foods in the dietary system is potatoes. The harm of potatoes to the figure is too exaggerated. If prepared correctly, it will not harm the figure, but will only benefit.

It is important not to add high-calorie sauces, mayonnaise, butter to the dish, and preferably eat it while baking.

The good composition of potatoes lowers cholesterol levels and stimulates the removal of excess fluid from the body. Also, potatoes affect the gastrointestinal tract and protect the stomach from irritation.

100 grams of potatoes contain 70-90 calories, 2.5 g of protein, 0.12 g of fat, 21 g of carbohydrates. Potatoes are rich in potassium – 420 mg, vitamin C – 11 mg, phosphorus – 60 mg, magnesium – 22 mg, B vitamins.

Potato harm
The main rule is to follow the recommended daily intake of this product. Exceeding it can cause an increase in overall body weight and the development of unpleasant side effects.

Also, do not eat a product whose skin turns green. This indicates that the level of solanine is exceeded in the product, which can have a detrimental effect on the human body, due to the toxic properties of this substance.
The use of potatoes in medicine
Potatoes are widely used in folk medicine. The tubers themselves, the peel, and even its flowers are used. The unique properties of the root crop have a positive effect on the human body and help to cope with many pathological processes.

Potatoes are known for many medicinal properties:

Helps to clear the respiratory tract with inhalation for various ENT diseases;

Is able to reduce severe swelling and remove swelling;

It has an effect on blood pressure, helping to lower it.

For this reason, various tinctures and compresses are prepared on the basis of potatoes, which are used to treat joint diseases. Potato juice is used to treat gastrointestinal diseases. And applying fresh potatoes to the affected areas helps to cope with skin diseases and burns.

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The post Potatoes: benefits and harms to the body appeared first on For Health.

Sri Lanka at ‘tipping point’ with risk of return to past atrocities, activists warn

Sri Lanka could descend swiftly back into violence and human rights abuses unless decisive international action is taken, the UN high commissioner for human rights and civil rights groups warned.

In a speech to the human rights council on Wednesday, Michelle Bachelet is expected to issue a stark warning that the Sri Lankan government has “closed the door” on ending impunity for past abuses and is facing a return to state repression of civil society and a militarisation of public institutions.

A year on from the start of the world’s biggest health crisis, we now face a human rights pandemic. Covid-19 has exposed the inequalities and fragilities of health and political systems and allowed authoritarian regimes to impose drastic curbs on rights and freedoms, using the virus as a pretext for restricting free speech and stifling dissent.

Civil rights groups say situation ‘getting worse on a daily basis’ as UN human rights chief expresses alarm over deepening impunity

Sri Lanka could descend swiftly back into violence and human rights abuses unless decisive international action is taken, the UN high commissioner for human rights and civil rights groups warned.

In a speech to the human rights council on Wednesday, Michelle Bachelet is expected to issue a stark warning that the Sri Lankan government has “closed the door” on ending impunity for past abuses and is facing a return to state repression of civil society and a militarisation of public institutions.

A year on from the start of the world’s biggest health crisis, we now face a human rights pandemic. Covid-19 has exposed the inequalities and fragilities of health and political systems and allowed authoritarian regimes to impose drastic curbs on rights and freedoms, using the virus as a pretext for restricting free speech and stifling dissent.

Related: ‘In my dreams I see my son’: Sri Lanka mourns its missing – in pictures

Related: ‘A pandemic of abuses’: human rights under attack during Covid, says UN head

Continue reading…

CVS Health to Administer COVID-19 Vaccines at Over 80 Pharmacy Locations in Florida as Part of Multi-State Activation | CVS Health

In an ongoing effort to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines and help the country move forward from the pandemic, CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) today announced that it will begin to administer vaccines to eligible populations at 81 select CVS Pharmacy, CVS Pharmacy y más, and Navarro Discount Pharmacy locations across Florida. The announcement was made today during a news conference with Governor Ron DeSantis. “I’m pleased to join CVS Health today to announce 81 additional COVID-19 vaccination sites across our state, including 67 in Miami-Dade County,” said Governor DeSantis. “These sites at select CVS Health locations will build on the progress we’ve made at existing retail sites and provide greater access to the vaccine in Florida’s communities. We look forward to the success of this partnership and will continue working to expand vaccine availability to Floridians.”

Source: CVS Health to Administer COVID-19 Vaccines at Over 80 Pharmacy Locations in Florida as Part of Multi-State Activation | CVS Health

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