Trenton NJ, Governor Phil Murphy today announced that all workers in certain state and private health care facilities and high-risk congregate settings will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or be subject to COVID-19 testing at minimum one to two times per week. This requirement will help increase protection against the spread of COVID-19, including the highly transmissible Delta variant, to vulnerable populations who have been hardest hit during the pandemic.
Ridgewood NJ, When President Trump first told the American public that a coronavirus vaccine could come this year — at the time he said possibly before Election Day — Democrats including Vice President-elect Kamala Harris said they would not trust Trump as to any vaccine’s safety.
Concord, New Hampshire , New Hampshire (US) Governor Chris Sununu last week signed into law a “medical freedom” bill that prohibits “any public facility, any public benefit, or any public service” from requiring state residents be vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 to receive or access such services or facilities. The law states that “every person has the natural, essential, and inherent right to bodily integrity, free from any threat or compulsion by government to accept an immunization.” Notably, the law sets out several exceptions, including vaccination requirements for schools, childcare, county nursing homes, and the state’s mental health system. Additionally, the New Hampshire Department of Corrections may mandate certain medical treatments or immunizations “when a direct threat exists.” The law does not address private businesses. Governor Sununu continues to voice support for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. According to state data, nearly 54% of the state’s residents are fully vaccinated, above the national average.
Did Governor Phil Murphy and New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli admit Vaccines don’t really work?
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, throwing to to doubt the value of vaccinations and following yesterday’s announcement by the Centers for Disease Control regarding masking, Governor Phil Murphy and New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli today strongly recommended that both vaccinated and unvaccinated residents wear masks in indoor settings when there is increased risk.
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Board of Education discussed additional ways to disseminate important communications to parents and whether or not masks will be required on school busses. For NJ Transit masks are STILL REQUIRED onboard vehicles and inside enclosed stations, but are no longer required on outdoor platforms or at bus stops.
Ridgewood NJ, according to Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security , in order to understand the effectiveness of vaccination efforts, health officials are monitoring for signs of “breakthrough” infections—ie, infections in fully vaccinated individuals—which provide insight regarding both the degree of protection provided by the vaccines as well as risk factors that could affect that protection. But in order to effectively utilize these data, health officials must determine (1) what qualifies as a breakthroughinfection and (2) whether they should treat all breakthroughinfections equally. As we covered previously, clinical trials for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines utilized different metrics to estimate efficacy, and depending on whether you look at SARS-CoV-2 infection, symptomatic COVID-19 disease, or severe disease or death, vaccine efficacy can vary widely. An article published in The Atlantic takes a similar look at breakthroughinfections.
Washington DC, the US is concurrently responding to and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, with an ongoing national vaccination campaign and widespread loosening of public health measures amid a recent increase in cases. Recognizing this balance as “fragile,” the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) on July 19 released its 7th comprehensive report on the COVID-19 pandemic, providing an additional 15 recommendations to various US government agencies. Previous reports included a total of 72 recommendations on COVID-19, with agencies agreeing to implement 57 of them and having fully implemented 16 to date.
Washington DC, Republican Whip and Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis Ranking Member Steve Scalise (R-La.) today blasted the Department of Justice’s refusal to investigate deadly mandates in New York, Pennsylvania, and Michigan sending COVID-19 positive patients into nursing homes and long-term care facilities, resulting in the unnecessary deaths of thousands of seniors.
Ridgewood NJ, with demand for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination largely leveling off in the US over the past 3 weeks, millions of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine doses are set to expire in the next few months. Several states and some global health experts are calling for the excess doses to be redistributed to other countries, but so far the US government has rejected those requests, citing legal and logistical challenges. However, states are now able to request a specific number of vaccine doses instead of having doses distributed to them based on their population. Delayed reporting, everyday wastage, and waning demand, including those who did not go back for second doses, are among the sources for a pile up of inventory.
Ridgewood NJ, In New Jersey there have been 49 fully vaccinated people who have died from the coronavirus through July 12, state health officials told NJ Advance Media.
Ridgewood NJ, in a study published July 14 in Nature, researchers describe a newly discovered “super antibody” capable of protecting against SARS-CoV-2 and a group of related coronaviruses, called sarbecoviruses. The antibody, named S2H97, is believed to work by attaching to a section of the ACE2 receptor binding motif on the virus spike protein that is only exposed when a sarbecovirus is attempting to enter a cell. S2H97 was able to prevent the spread of multiple sarbecoviruses between cells in a lab, and the antibody also protected hamsters from infection with SARS-CoV-2 isolated from the initial Wuhan, China, outbreak. Researchers further described the antibody as a pan-sarbecovirus due to its broad efficacy across the sarbecovirus subgenus. The description of a usually hidden antibody binding region in the ACE2 RBM is important because it could be used as a target for future vaccines and therapeutics. Additionally, a pan-sarbecovirus vaccine could be used to prevent outbreaks from as-of-yet-undiscovered members of the Coronaviridae family of viruses.
Trenton NJ, It seems clear to us that investors have gotten jittery in part because of the threat of a new round of business and school reopening restrictions. These concerns of a blue state like New Jersey return to invasive lockdown and mask requirements (See the item below) are well founded. Democrats like to impose controls on the economy.
Trenton NJ, Senator Michael Doherty said New Jerseyans should not be shocked if Governor Phil Murphy uses the Delta variant and overly sensitive PCR tests as an excuse to reimpose COVID-19 restrictions and mask mandates.
Trenton NJ, Governments all over the world have studied the COVID-19 pandemic from every angle but one. Governments have avoided publishing a realistic cost-benefit analysis of their lockdowns because the politicians are afraid that the results of “the science” will confirm the real costs of many of their draconian policies.
