Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NAID), says we should have a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year. But with less than half of Americans willing to get the vaccine, who knows how effective it will be in eradicating Covid-19.
A recent poll by Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that only 49% out of 1,056 Americans asked said they would definitely get the Covid-19 vaccine. To get herd immunity, we need at least 70%–90% of the population to get vaccinated, according to Johns Hopkins.
The most popular reason for not wanting to get the vaccination is fear of side effects from the shot. Others shrug off the future vaccine as something they don't think will do much good. And then there are those who think they will catch the disease from the shot itself.
From Popular Science:
The most common concern cited by far ... is one that some people express about every vaccine: potential side effects. Again, it’s absolutely true that there are some side effects to vaccines. But in the vast majority of cases, these are minor reactions. Often they’re symptoms that mimic the disease itself, like a fever, since the body is mounting an immune reaction against the virus—that’s how vaccines work, after all.
Of those who say they wouldn’t get a coronavirus vaccine, more than 40 percent said they would be concerned about getting COVID-19 from the vaccine itself, which is scientifically not a possibility.
Read the rest
• 4th known Tesla worker to test positive, and the 5th at its US facilities
From the Denver Post:
Colorado recorded a 40% decrease in suicides in March and April as social-distancing policies aimed at slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus kept residents home, according to provisional death-certificate data from the state health department.
The data helps paint a complex picture of the mental and emotional toll of the COVID-19 pandemic. While suicides are down from 2019 levels, Colorado Crisis Services saw an almost 48% increase calls in March and April compared to last year, with most callers seeking help for anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation.
Donald Trump (and all of his parrot pundits, by extension) have shamelessly exploited the threat of increased suicides as a reason to "re-open the economy" sooner. This rang hollow before, as it was an excuse often given by people who had never seemed overly concerned about suicide, addiction, or mental health beyond the generic self-serving platitudes that virtue-signal their bare-minimum humanity. Now, it seems like an even more disgusting excuse to profit on the back of human lives.
The Denver Post article does quote from a few experts, who share their possible theories on why this might be happening. Anxieties are, of course, running high, as evidenced by the jump in calls to crisis hotlines. But some people think that this unprecedented crisis may actually be helping to create a sense of community; seeing so many other people so visibly struggling might put things into perspective for some people. Another theory is that people at risk for suicide might be too overwhelmed by the adrenaline of day-to-day survival — figuring out the logistics of simply things like groceries — that it might be temporarily suppressing their emotional pain. Read the rest
• One Trump fundraising event in Dallas next month has a price tag of $580,600 per couple.
Impeached president Donald Trump is scheduled to headline in-person fundraisers as early as June, which would be his first since the coronavirus outbreak stopped campaign events in March. Read the rest
Impeached President Donald Trump announced on a Friday afternoon in the middle of a pandemic that has killed more than 100,000 that he is terminating the relationship between the United States and the World Health Organization. Read the rest
“Test counts inflated, death tolls deflated, metrics shifted.”
“You don’t want to wear a mask fine, but you don’t have a right to go into that store if that store owner doesn’t want you to.” — NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo
Nate Powell is the writer and artist behind About Face, a brilliant webcomic about America's obsession with fascist fashion. His latest comic, Hide Out, is less of a macro-scale political analysis, and more of a quiet, reflective, internal piece about life in apocalyptic scenarios — but it's just as powerful, and just as much worth reading.
This Isn’t My Fantasy Apocalypse [Nate Powell / The Nib] Read the rest
I don't know who made this, but it's pretty great. Read the rest
Earlier this month, New Yorkers were challenged by their governor's office to create a public service announcement to "help communicate why it is so important to wear a mask to stop the spread of coronavirus." Over 600 submissions were received and were voted on by more than 200,000 people. The winning ad, Bunny Lake Films' "We Love NY" captures just the right vibe: it's positive, inclusive, and very "New York."
Gothamist reports:
While the "We Love NY" PSA by Bunny Lake Films (from directors Celine Danhier and Aliya Naumoff) received the most votes and became the official winner, the state will actually run two ads. "You Can Still Smile" by Blue Slate Films/Natalia Bougadellis came in second, just around 500 votes behind first place.
See a few more of the PSAs here. Read the rest
Apple says it is planning to reopen more than 100 US retail stores this week, and that because the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, most locations will only offer curbside or storefront service. Read the rest
The cruelty is the point. Read the rest
White House adviser Kevin Hassett said the quiet part out loud just now: “Our human capital stock is ready to go back to work.” Read the rest
The World Health Organization said on Monday that parts of the world where coronavirus infection rates are declining may face an “immediate second peak” if they prematurely loosen restrictions to slow the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. Read the rest
From NPR:
Deaths from motor vehicle crashes and fatal injuries are the biggest source of organs for transplant, accounting for 33% of donations, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, which manages the nation's organ transplant system.
But ever since the coronavirus forced Californians indoors, those accidents have declined. Traffic collisions and fatalities in the state dropped by half in the first three weeks of shelter-in-place restrictions, according to a study by the University of California, Davis. Drowning deaths dropped 80% in California, according to data compiled by the nonprofit Stop Drowning Now.
From March 8 to April 11, the number of organ donors who died in traffic collisions was down 23% nationwide compared with the same period last year, while donors who died in all other types of accidents were down 21%, according to data from UNOS.
Well this is awkward.
Organ Transplants Down As Stay-At-Home Rules Reduce Fatal Traffic Collisions [April Dembosky / NPR]
Image: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons Read the rest
It's curious, isn't it. It's now 6 months after impeached President Donald Trump said he was starting his 2020 physical.
He hasn't completed the routine medical examination he said he started in November.
The White House won't say why.
I wonder why. Read the rest
Kremlin sent 45 Aventa-M ventilators to the United States after Trump and Putin call
