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Albany NY, news broke last night in the Albany Times-Union that while panicked and sick New Yorkers were desperately trying to get scarce COVID tests last March, Cuomo had secretly arranged for his friends and family to skip the line and get tested — in some cases repeatedly — in the comfort of their own homes. It reminds us of the John Lennon line: “How does it feel to be one of the beautiful people?”
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Ridgewood NJ, one thing we all know is there’s been an unrelenting torrent of bad news about the coronavirus. It’s a pandemic responsible for half a million deaths, so you’d expect a lot of negative news.
But a new study by Dartmouth College finds that a stunning 87% of COVID-19 coverage in national U.S. media outlets last year was negative.
Continue reading The Media Has Scared Americans to Death Over COVID
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New Brunswick NJ, Rutgers University will require the COVID-19 vaccine for students who are enrolled for the 2021 fall semester.
Assurances from the federal government that vaccines will be available for all Americans by the end of May and assessments by public health experts prompted university leaders to adjust the vaccine requirements for the fall semester.
Continue reading Rutgers University to Require COVID-19 Vaccine for Students
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Ridgewood NJ, The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) today released updated COVID-19 K-12 operational guidance for local health departments (LHDs). The updated guidance, which reflects recent changes to K-12 recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is aligned with the Administration’s goal of opening schools for in-person instruction for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year.
Continue reading New Jersey Department of Health Releases Updated COVID-19 School Recommendations
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Ridgewood NJ, in the Ridgewood Superintendent’s report Dr. Gorman commented on Ridgewood Schools transition to Phase II for students in grades 2-12 on April 19.
“Over the prior two weeks, we have seen a 3.5% increase in the number of students returning to in-person instruction. Kindergarten and first-grade students began an expanded in-person instructional model yesterday, March 22, and it was very exciting to see the students from both cohorts together in the classroom. The District will transition to Phase II for students in grades 2-12 on April 19. This date is still tentative, as it is dependent upon the COVID positivity rate not increasing. Families will continue to have the option to choose the fully remote model for the remainder of the school year. Visit the Reopening Our Schools site to view the Phase II communications, the COVID Dashboard, and related resources.”
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Trenton NJ, Governor Phil Murphy said at the March 22nd press conference , “So our dashboard is showing a current total of 3,510,311 doses. We’ve gotten another half-a-million shots into arms in just one week. And importantly, there have been a total of more than 2.3 million first doses administered by either the Pfizer or Moderna two-step vaccines or of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. That means that we are roughly halfway to our goal of — initial goal — of vaccinating 4.7 million individuals. And by the way, more than 1.2 million of those who live, work and study in New Jersey are now fully vaccinated.”
Continue reading Critics Claim Murphy Administration Has Fumbled Covid Vaccine Rollout
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Trenton NJ, New Jersey’s autumn/winter surge peaked in early January and then leveled off briefly from February 19-February 26 before increasing again. Unlike many states, New Jersey’s daily incidence only declined 50%—from approximately 6,000 new cases per day** to 3,000—before rebounding. New Jersey is now reporting 3,980 new cases per day, higher than its first peak in April 2020, and increasing steadily.
Continue reading New Jersey Leads the Nation in the Spread of COVID 19
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Ridgewood NJ, homeschooling is a legal instructional option in all 50 states and national homeschooling rates grew rapidly from 1999 to 2012 but had since remained steady at around 3.3%.
According to the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey the global COVID-19 pandemic has sparked new interest in homeschooling and the appeal of alternative school arrangements has suddenly exploded.
So, how significantly have homeschooling rates increased during the pandemic?
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Ridgewood NJ, the Lancet, a distinguished British medical journal, reported that 20% of Danish citizens infected in the first wave became reinfected in the second wave.
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Trenton NJ, Senator Joe Pennacchio today vowed that he and his Republican Senate colleagues would continue fighting for answers on behalf of New Jersey families who lost loved ones to the COVID virus in veterans and nursing homes.
Continue reading Time to Investigate NJ’s 10,000 Nursing Home Deaths
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Hackensack NJ, the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office administered its first series of covid-19 vaccine shots to inmates and detainees. The sheriff’s office correctional facility received 100 vials of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, which was administered by the medical staff within the jail.
Continue reading Bergen County Jail Prisoners’ Get Priority For COVID Vaccinations
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Ridgewood NJ, The AstraZeneca US Phase III trial of AZD1222 demonstrated statistically significant vaccine efficacy of 79% at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and 100% efficacy at preventing severe disease and hospitalisation.
photo courtesy of Valley Hospital
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Ridgewood NJ, It’s a milestone day for Valley Hospital! Valley has administered 50,000 doses of the Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines! They will continue to open up appointments as the vaccine becomes available. You can check appointment availability here: https://www.valleyhealth.com/vaccine.
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