Congressional candidate Ken McFeeters opposes proposed ADPH COVID rule
On Wednesday, Republican Congressional candidate Ken McFeeters announced his opposition to a proposed Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) new rule requiring all the healthcare providers in the state to report every positive COVID-19 test in their office to ADPH. The proposed new rule would reportedly even require the doctors to report every suspected COVID-19 case that comes into the office to state authorities. McFeeters condemned the proposed change in COVID-19 reporting requirements. McFeeters is running for the GOP nomination for Congressional District 6. The proposed rule changes would require all positive tests for COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 to be reported to the County or State Health Department within 24 hours. ADPH released the proposed changes on November 20, 2023. The new rules would put positive COVID test results in the same category as Rabies, Polio, Tuberculosis, and Legionairre’s disease. “This is just another example of the idiotic policies of ADPH and Dr. Scott Harris, our State Health Officer,” McFeeters said in a statement. “Dr. Harris got everything wrong during the COVID pandemic, and now he wants more power over us? To demand that every positive COVID test be reported to the Health Department within a day is ridiculous.” McFeeters is concerned that the new rule further infringes on Americans’ privacy rights. “The COVID tests are notoriously unreliable,” McFeeters continued. “The number of false positives they give is too high. A positive test in a person with no symptoms doesn’t merit an urgent call to ADPH to give them your age, sex, address, ethnicity, phone number, and birthday.” McFeeters told Alabama Today that the economy never should have shut down in 2020 over COVID. He is also skeptical of the vaccine’s effectiveness and believes that the suspected side effects outweigh the benefits of mass vaccination. “COVID isn’t rabies. It’s not TB. Yes, it’s dangerous for the old and sick, but for most of us, it’s just a cold,” McFeeters continued. “Dr. Harris and ADPH have been either clueless or complicit throughout the COVID pandemic. Scott Harris has been a good little drone, carrying out the orders of Drs. [Anthony] Fauci and [Rochelle] Walensky, pushing lockdowns, mandates, and treatment protocols that left thousands dead. At the same time, he’s touted the Big Pharma party line and worked to marginalize courageous doctors who were treating sick people and saving lives.” McFeeters continued, “We don’t need this hysteric, intrusive level of reporting for COVID tests. What we do need is accountability for Dr. Harris and ADPH for the tens of thousands of Alabamians killed or injured by their COVID mismanagement, their deadly “treatments,” and the toxic jabs they forced on us.” A public hearing on the proposed reporting changes will be held on December 13, 2023 at 9:00 a.m., at the Alabama Department of Public Health, RSA Tower, Training Room 982, 201 Monroe Street in Montgomery. Ken McFeeters co-founded PAC Insurance Agency at age 21, and has worked there for the last 42 years. McFeeters is a father and grandfather. McFeeters said in his statement that he is running for Congress to disrupt Washington’s toxic culture of deceit and corruption and protect everyday Americans. McFeeters will face incumbent Congressman Gary Palmer and businessman Gerrick Wilkins in the Alabama Republican primary on March 5. The eventual Republican nominee will face Democratic nominee Elizabeth Anderson in the November 5 general election. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Inquiry into teachers unions influence over school COVID closures ramps up
The U.S. House Committee tasked with reviewing the federal pandemic response is ramping up its investigation into what influence teacher’s unions had over federal rules that kept schools closed. Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Chairman Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, sent a letter to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky demanding all records and communications between her and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten. Critics note that teacher’s unions are significant political donors and raise concerns that those funds could have earned undue access to health policy at the expense of students. As The Center Square previously reported, federal election filings reveal that the American Federation of Teachers and its local affiliates doled out $19,903,532 in political donations in the 2020 election cycle, with almost all of those funds directed to Democrats and liberal groups. AFT donations in 2020 included at least $5,251,400 for the Democrats Senate Majority PAC and $4,600,000 for the Democratic House Majority PAC, according to filings and data compiled by The Center for Responsive Politics’ Open Secrets database. A GOP report released in March last year confirmed these findings and reported that teacher’s unions had “unprecedented access” to the federal officials in charge of recommendations for school reopenings and COVID policy. “Teachers’ unions, including AFT, donated more than $43 million to liberal groups and candidates during the 2020 election cycle,” the GOP report said. “The two largest unions – which both endorsed then-candidate Biden for President – have approximately 4.7 million members. [CDC scientist] Dr. [Henry] Walke’s testimony to the Select Subcommittee shows the Biden Administration rewarded their support with unprecedented access to the policymaking process for guidance on re-opening schools.” Weingarten pushed back on these claims during a Congressional in April with Wenstrup’s subcommittee. AFT argues they were not in favor of keeping schools closed, but for the reopening of schools safely. “If you have educators in your lives, you know that their priority is their students – to create a safe environment for all children and to prepare them for life, career, college, and citizenship,” Weingarten testified at the hearing.. “We know that kids learn best in person, so opening schools safely – even as the pandemic surged – guided the AFT‘s every action.” With conflicting accounts, Wenstrup is now pushing to get those written communications to show what was really said between AFT and federal health officials. Wenstrup pointed out that during that same hearing, lawmakers learned that Weingarten had a “direct telephone line” to Walensky. The latest research shows significant learning loss from students who missed class because of the pandemic. The Department of Education released data last fall showing that national test scores declined the most in decades largely as a result of learning loss from school closures. “Average scores for age 9 students in 2022 declined 5 points in reading and 7 points in mathematics compared to 2020,” the report said. “This is the largest average score decline in reading since 1990, and the first-ever score decline in mathematics. This Highlights report compares performance on the NAEP long-term trend reading and mathematics assessments for age 9 students from the winter of 2020 to results of long-term trend assessments in the winter of 2022.” Wenstrup says the CDC is largely not cooperating with the investigation. “The Department of Health and Human Services is continuing its pattern of obstructing Congress by apparently only producing documents already made publicly available via the FOIA,” the letter said. “As a reminder, FOIA does not apply to Congress. While negotiating your upcoming testimony, the Department, apparently on your behalf, wrote that the negotiation was ‘counterproductive to the [S]elect [S]ubcommittee’s broader dealings with the Department.’ The Department’s obstruction will not be tolerated.” Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Steve Marshall joins letter urging the CDC to drop COVID-19 vaccine from child immunizations
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced on Saturday that he had joined eleven other attorneys general in a letter calling on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) not to include the COVID-19 vaccination on the list of child immunizations. “This week, the CDC acted without proper authorization in voting to release its child immunization recommendations before the close of the public comment period,” AG Marshall said. “But that’s just for starters. The CDC’s decision is unnecessary and in many states subjects children to retaliation for their parent or guardian’s decision to decline COVID-19 vaccinations. “Fortunately, Alabama law prohibits institutions of education—both public and private – from requiring students to prove any new immunization status as a condition of attendance,” Marshall continued. “However, the CDC’s recent move is damaging to the nation at large and is another example of that body and the medical community forcing unproven policies and medicines on children who are not at risk of bodily harm.” On Thursday, Attorney General Marshall and his colleague attorneys general wrote CDC Director Rochelle Wolensky, calling on the CDC not to include the COVID-19 vaccine in the Vaccines for Children Program (VFC), a program created by Congress in the wake of a measles outbreak to ensure that kids from low-income families have access to free vaccines. The COVID-19 vaccine has been added to the VFC, but is not required for admission to a public school within the state of Alabama. “The COVID-19 vaccine does not provide the same protection against life-threatening illnesses,” the attorneys general wrote in their letter. “Instead, it could put more kids at risk instead of protecting them, which is the purpose of the VCF. The CDC should not be treating kids in low-income households as lab experiments. Nor should pharmaceutical companies be allowed to use low-income families as cash cows.” The COVID-19 vaccines have proven to be enormously ineffective and come with a number of side effects. “Given the lack of need for kids to obtain the vaccines and their lack of effectiveness, adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of childhood immunizations amounts to little more than a payout to big pharmaceutical companies at the expense of kids and parents,” added the attorneys general. The letter was originally written by Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry. The attorneys general of Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, Texas, Oklahoma, and Utah also joined the letter. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
White House urges caution on COVID variants, pushes boosters
The Biden administration is calling on people to exercise renewed caution about COVID-19, emphasizing the importance of getting booster shots for those who are eligible and wearing masks indoors as two new highly transmissible variants are spreading rapidly across the country. The new variants, labeled BA.4 and BA.5, are offshoots of the omicron strain that has been responsible for nearly all of the virus spread in the U.S. and are even more contagious than their predecessors. White House doctors stressed the importance of getting booster doses, even if you have recently been infected. “Currently, many Americans are under-vaccinated, meaning they are not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Staying up to date on your COVID-19 vaccines provides the best protection against severe outcomes.” Walensky said the U.S. has seen a doubling in the number of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 since April, reflecting the spread of the new subvariants, though deaths remain steady around 300 per day. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said while the new variants are concerning, with boosters, indoor masking, and treatments the country has the tools to keep them from being disruptive. “We should not let it disrupt our lives,” he said, “but we cannot deny that it is a reality that we need to deal with.” He added that even if someone recently had COVID-19, they should get a booster. “Immunity wanes, so it is critical to stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines,” he said. All Americans age five and over should get a booster five months after their initial primary series, according to the CDC, and those age 50 and over — or those who are immunocompromised — should get a second booster four months after their first. According to CDC, tens of millions of eligible Americans haven’t received their first booster, and of those over 50 who got their first booster, only 28% have received their second. “If you’re over 50 and you haven’t gotten the shot this year, you should go get a shot,” said White House COVID-19 coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha. “It’s going to save your life.” Jha and Fauci said the U.S. is regularly discussing expanding eligibility for a second booster shot to all adults but that no decision has been made yet. “It’s a regulatory decision on the part of the FDA,” Fauci said. Jha said people who are eligible for a booster but haven’t received one shouldn’t wait for forthcoming vaccines targeted at the omicron strain in addition to the original form of the coronavirus. The U.S. has ordered 105 million of those updated shots, which studies show provide better protection against omicron variants, but they won’t be available until the fall. “Let me be clear, if you get vaccinated today, you’re not going to be ineligible to get the variants specific vaccine, as we get into the later part of fall and winter,” Jha said. “So, this is not a tradeoff. We’ve got plenty. It’s a great way to protect yourself.” Added Fauci, “The threat to you is now.” Walensky noted that CDC data shows that about a third of Americans are living in areas the agency classifies as experiencing a high level of COVID spread, where the agency recommends people wear masks in public indoor spaces. Another 41% live in the CDC’s “medium” level, where it recommends that people consider their own individual risk and consider masking. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
U.S. opens second COVID boosters to 50 and up, others at risk
Americans 50 and older can get a second COVID-19 booster if it’s been at least four months since their last vaccination, a chance at extra protection for the most vulnerable in case the coronavirus rebounds. The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine for that age group and for certain younger people with severely weakened immune systems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention later recommended the extra shot as an option but stopped short of urging that those eligible rush out and get it right away. That decision expands the additional booster to millions more Americans. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, CDC’s director, said it was especially important for older Americans — those 65 and older — and the 50-somethings with chronic illnesses such as heart disease or diabetes to consider another shot. “They are the most likely to benefit from receiving an additional booster dose at this time,” Walensky said. There’s evidence protection can wane, particularly in higher-risk groups, and for them, another booster “will help save lives,” FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks said. For all the attention on who should get a fourth dose of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, only about half of Americans eligible for a third shot have gotten one — and the government urged them to get up to date. Two shots plus a booster still offer strong protection against severe illness and death, even during the winter surge of the super-contagious omicron variant. The move toward additional boosters comes at a time of great uncertainty, with limited evidence to tell how much benefit an extra dose right now could offer. COVID-19 cases have dropped to low levels in the U.S., but all vaccines are less powerful against newer mutants than earlier versions of the virus — and health officials are warily watching an omicron sibling that’s causing worrisome jumps in infections in other countries. Pfizer had asked the FDA to clear a fourth shot for people 65 and older, while Moderna requested another dose for all adults “to provide flexibility” for the government to decide who really needs one. FDA’s Marks said regulators set the age at 50 because that’s when chronic conditions that increase the risks from COVID-19 become more common. Until now, the FDA had allowed a fourth vaccine dose only for the immune-compromised as young as 12. Vaccines have a harder time revving up severely weak immune systems, and Marks said their protection also tends to wane sooner. Tuesday’s decision allows them another booster, too — a fifth dose. Only the Pfizer vaccine can be used in those as young as 12; Moderna’s is for adults. What about people who got Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose shot? They already were eligible for one booster of any kind. Of the 1.3 million who got a second J&J shot, the CDC said now they may choose a third dose — either Moderna or Pfizer. For the more than 4 million who got Moderna or Pfizer as their second shot, the CDC says an additional booster is only necessary if they meet the newest criteria — a severely weakened immune system or are 50 or older. That’s because a CDC study that tracked which boosters J&J recipients initially chose concluded a Moderna or Pfizer second shot was superior to a second J&J dose. If the new recommendations sound confusing, outside experts say it makes sense to consider extra protection for the most vulnerable. “There might be a reason to top off the tanks a little bit” for older people and those with other health conditions said University of Pennsylvania immunologist E. John Wherry, who wasn’t involved in the government’s decision. But while he encourages older friends and relatives to follow the advice, the 50-year-old Wherry — who is healthy, vaccinated, and boosted — doesn’t plan on getting a fourth shot right away. With protection against severe illness still strong, “I’m going to wait until it seems like there’s a need.” While protection against milder infections naturally wanes over time, the immune system builds multiple layers of defense, and the type that prevents severe illness and death is holding up. During the U.S. omicron wave, two doses were nearly 80% effective against needing a ventilator or death — and a booster pushed that protection to 94%, the CDC recently reported. Vaccine effectiveness was lowest — 74% — in immune-compromised people, the vast majority of whom hadn’t gotten a third dose. To evaluate an extra booster, U.S. officials looked to Israel, which opened a fourth dose to people 60 and older during the omicron surge. The FDA said no new safety concerns emerged in a review of 700,000 fourth doses administered. Preliminary data posted online last week suggested some benefit: Israeli researchers counted 92 deaths among more than 328,000 people who got the extra shot, compared to 232 deaths among 234,000 people who skipped the fourth dose. What’s far from clear is how long any extra benefit from another booster would last, and thus when to get it. “The ‘when’ is a really difficult part. Ideally, we would time booster doses right before surges but we don’t always know when that’s going to be,” said Dr. William Moss, a vaccine expert at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Plus, a longer interval between shots helps the immune system mount a stronger, more cross-reactive defense. “If you get a booster too close together, it’s not doing any harm — you’re just not going to get much benefit from it,” said Wherry. The newest booster expansion may not be the last: Next week, the government will hold a public meeting to debate if everyone eventually needs a fourth dose, possibly in the fall, of the original vaccine or an updated shot. Even if higher-risk Americans get boosted now, Marks said they may need yet another dose in the fall if regulators decide to tweak the vaccine. For that effort, studies in people — of omicron-targeted shots alone or in
Barry Moore joins lawsuit to end mask mandate for air travel
Representative Barry Moore has joined sixteen of his colleagues in a lawsuit against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The lawsuit, Massie et al v. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, seeks to end the CDC’s mask mandate for individuals traveling on commercial airlines. Reports indicate the Biden Administration is extending the CDC’s mask mandate until April 18. Massie et al. v. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. The named defendants are Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rochelle P. Walensky in her official capacity as Director of the CDC, and Sherri A. Berger in her official capacity as Chief of Staff of the CDC. The lawsuit contains two primary claims: First, none of the statutes or regulations cited by the CDC for the authority to mandate that individuals wear masks on commercial airlines, conveyances, and at transportation hubs, permit the CDC to implement or enforce this mandate. Second, even if Congress had granted the CDC the authority to promulgate the mask mandate, the granting of this authority would violate a principle known as the “non-delegation doctrine.” Moore and his co-plaintiffs are asking a federal court to declare that “the mask mandate is beyond the CDC’s statutory authority or is unconstitutional.” The plaintiffs are also seeking an injunction that prohibits the CDC, or anyone acting on the CDC’s behalf, from enforcing the mask mandate. Rep. Thomas Massie argued that the CDC doesn’t have the authority to force people to wear masks on airplanes because Congress never passed a law requiring it. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not have the legal authority to force people traveling on commercial airlines to wear masks,” stated Massie. “Congress never passed a law requiring masks on commercial flights. This lawsuit targets the faceless bureaucrats who are behind the CDC’s unscientific regulation so that this illegal mask mandate can be brought to a permanent end.” Moore argued that the mandate should end immediately because it infringes on constitutional freedoms. “Government bureaucrats desperate for relevancy are waging a war against everyday American citizens and their constitutional freedoms,” stated Rep. Moore. “The unscientific mask mandate for commercial air travel should be ended immediately, and I am proud to join my friend Rep. Massie in this lawsuit to end this charade permanently.” Additional plaintiffs for the lawsuit include Reps. Thomas Massie, Rand Paul, Andy Biggs, Dan Bishop, Lauren Boebert, Andrew Clyde, Warren Davidson, Bob Good, Paul Gosar, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Brian Mast, Alex Mooney, Ralph Norman, Bill Posey, Matt Rosendale, and Chip Roy.
COVID a wildcard as Joe Biden prepares for State of the Union
President Joe Biden is hoping to use his upcoming State of the Union address to nudge the pandemic into the nation’s rear-view mirror. But it could turn into yet another disruptive display of national tensions and frustration over trying to move past COVID-19. Biden’s March 1 address to Congress will play out against what Vice President Kamala Harris has called a “malaise” over the persistence of COVID and growing public impatience to get back to normal after two full years of pandemic restrictions. The setting — Capitol Hill — remains one of the most significantly disrupted workplaces in the country, something of a ground zero for culture wars over the lingering restrictions. Proxy voting in the House allows lawmakers to skip going into the office and has been extended through March. Tours and office visits are limited. GOP lawmakers have racked up thousands of dollars in fines for violating mask-wearing mandates on the House floor. Seating for Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress last April was capped at about 200 — about 20% of usual capacity for a presidential presentation. White House officials say the protocols for Biden’s next one will be determined by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi indicated last week that lawmakers are aiming for “fuller participation” than last year, including inviting every member of Congress. She said, “I think the people are ready to pivot in a way that shows to the American people we largely have been vaccinated here.” But attendance, she added, will be “up to the Capitol physician.” Republicans, meanwhile, have grown increasingly vocal about rolling back restrictions at the Capitol. In the Senate, more than half of GOP lawmakers this week signed a resolution calling on Congress to lift all virus rules and reopen to visitors. “From stores to venues and most workplaces and schools, the rest of the United States has reopened, and it’s time for the Senate to do the same,” said Sen. Bill Hagerty, author of the resolution. Though the Capitol and other federal properties set their own rules, the District of Columbia’s indoor mask requirement for most indoor gatherings and businesses is to be lifted on the same day as Biden’s address. The White House, for its part, says it will set rules for the complex based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. There are no indications that Pelosi is prepared to lift the House chamber’s mask guidance, which she maintained last year even when the CDC eased indoor mask-wearing requirements for fully vaccinated individuals before the emergence of the Delta variant. The White House has taken extraordinary precautions to keep Biden from getting the virus, including requiring high-quality masks in his vicinity and limiting his travel and participation in large events. In addition to members of Congress, the State of the Union audience traditionally includes Cabinet members, military leaders, Supreme Court justices, diplomats, and other invited guests. It’s not yet clear if Pelosi has decided whether to send invitations to Washington’s diplomatic corps and other guests who normally fill the galleries for the address. A speech to a full House chamber would be by far the densest audience of Biden’s presidency to date. The debate over rules on wearing masks and getting vaccinated has become a major front in the nation’s culture wars, breaking down along regional and political lines. Scenes of mask-less celebrities enjoying the Super Bowl — when schoolchildren in some jurisdictions are required to wear masks even when outside at recess — have drawn criticism for unfairness. Some Biden allies are fretting that the Capitol scene could add fuel to the fire or that anti-mask conservative Republicans would use the speech for some stunt or protest. More broadly, federal officials are racing to finalize new, more flexible national guidance on mask-wearing and other policies before Biden steps up to the rostrum in the House chamber at 9:01 p.m. “We want to give people a break from things like mask-wearing when these metrics are better, and then have the ability to reach for them again, should things worsen,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said Wednesday. She indicated the revised guidelines, to be coordinated with a broad administration plan for the “next phase” of the virus response, should come around the end of February. Administration officials expect that new strategy and message to figure prominently in Biden’s speech as pandemic fatigue becomes more pronounced. There is growing concern that the federal government’s cautious approach to easing is leaving it out of step with even Democratic-run state and local governments that are lifting restrictions as coronavirus cases, hospitalizations, and deaths decline. The White House sees Biden’s speech — in concert with the expected loosening of virus limits — as an opportunity to help him stem an erosion of public confidence in his leadership. According to an AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll last month, just 45% of Americans said they approved of Biden’s handling of COVID-19, down from 57% in December and 66% in July. There is growing clamor in both parties. “This is an opportunity for the president to acknowledge the challenge that we faced over the last few years, but also acknowledge that we’re gonna have to learn how to live with COVID, and we know how to do that,” said Democratic Rep. Ami Bera, a California physician. In an interview, Bera said he hoped Congress would roll back some of its limits, including its mask mandate, and that Biden could speak to an audience that would symbolize the emergency phase of the pandemic was over. “It is a real bully pulpit, and the president could take this opportunity to move the country to a more normal space,” he said. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell this week criticized the Democrats’ approach, saying they only recently changed their tune because of shifting public opinion. “The only science that’s changed in the last two weeks is the political science,” he said. “The only data that’s changed in the last two weeks
Under pressure to ease up, Joe Biden weighs new virus response
Facing growing pressure to ease up on pandemic restrictions, the White House insisted Wednesday it is making plans for a less-disruptive phase of the national virus response. But impatient states, including Democratic New York, made clear they aren’t waiting for Washington as public frustration grows. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that New York will end its COVID-19 mandate requiring face coverings in most indoor public settings — but will keep it for schools. Illinois announced the same. Earlier this week, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Delaware all disclosed plans to join states that have lifted or never had mask requirements for their schools, and Massachusetts will follow suit at the end of the month. All but Massachusetts have governors who are Democrats, like President Joe Biden. Biden, who has long promised to follow to “follow the science” in confronting the pandemic, is hemmed in, waiting for fresh guidance from federal health officials, who so far still recommend that nearly all Americans wear masks in most indoor settings. Defending Biden, press secretary Jen Psaki acknowledged that while people are tired of masks and “we understand where the emotions of the country are,” the administration is following the advice of medical experts who rely on scientific evidence. “That doesn’t move at the speed of politics; it moves at the speed of data,” she said. Clearly feeling the pressure, the White House, for the first time, acknowledged movement in its planning, saying conversations have been underway privately to develop plans for guiding the country away from the emergency phase of the pandemic. Federal COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said officials are consulting with state and local leaders and public health officials on potential next steps. But as governors and local officials press for clearer federal guidelines for easing or ending restrictions, states, cities, and school boards are adopting an awkward patchwork of policies that differ widely from one place to the next. “We are working on that guidance,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a White House teleconference Wednesday. “As we’ve been encouraged by the current trends, we are not there yet.” The White House offered no timetable for the review or an indication of what it will recommend. And some critics say that’s not good enough. “The tragic thing is that these are governors that would probably have followed the White House’s guidance,” said Dr. Leana Wen, a former Baltimore health commissioner. “They wanted CDC input and asked for it, but without a clear timeline, at some point, they had to decide that they couldn’t wait any more. The fault is not theirs, but the CDC’s and by extension, President Biden’s, which, with each passing day, is making itself less and less relevant.” Asked whether Biden appears to be out of touch with the country, Psaki defended his caution. “As a federal government, we have the responsibility to rely on data on science, on the medical experts,” she said. Pressed on whether Americans should follow less-restrictive state or local rules or the stricter federal guidance, she repeated the White House’s daily counsel: “We would advise any American to follow the CDC guidelines.” New York’s Hochul and others aren’t waiting. They are ending or easing many broad mandates, though her state will keep masking rules in schools and health facilities. “Given the declining cases, given the declining hospitalizations, that is why we feel comfortable to lift this, in effect tomorrow,” Hochul said Wednesday. Even allies of the administration have argued that Biden should at least lay out a roadmap for moving back toward normalcy. He has been hesitant, aides say, in part because of the sting of his fleeting “declaration of independence” from the virus last summer, which proved premature in the face of the delta and then omicron strains. Now, though, cases and hospitalizations from COVID-19 have dropped markedly since they peaked earlier this year amid the spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant, and the vast majority of Americans are protected against the virus by effective vaccines and boosters. Still, more than 2,000 people infected with the virus die in the U.S. each day, and there is concern within the administration about letting up while deaths remain high. And Psaki noted that many Americans support continued mask-wearing. Some in the White House point to the consternation that was voiced in December after the CDC shortened the isolation time for Americans who test positive. While Biden and other administration officials emphasize that the threat from the virus is far diminished from a year ago, before the wide roll-out of vaccines and booster shots and the approval of rapid at-home tests and highly effective therapeutics, administration officials acknowledge that most federal guidelines have been slow to keep up. The CDC continues to recommend indoor mask-wearing in places of “substantial or high transmission” of the virus, which as of Wednesday was all of the U.S. but 14 rural counties. State and local leaders, nevertheless, have announced plans to ease virus restrictions in the coming weeks as omicron cases fall, citing the protections offered by vaccines as well as the increased availability of at-home testing kits and therapeutics for those who do catch the virus. Many of the restrictions eased last year, only to be reinstated as omicron swept the country. After more than a year of a top-down federally driven response, the emerging shift marks a return to the historical norm, where states have typically had the first say in how they handle public health emergencies. The CDC can advise them and issue general guidance for the nation, but in most situations, it cannot order them what to do. While the Biden administration has pushed back strongly against efforts by GOP governors to prohibit mask-wearing requirements, it is indicating that it will take a more flexible approach to jurisdictions that make their own choices. Policies lifting mask requirements “are going to have to be made at the local level” depending on case rates, Walensky said. Despite the encouraging reports in the Americas, Western Europe, and some
Hospitalizations skyrocket in kids too young for COVID shots
Hospitalizations of U.S. children under 5 with COVID-19 soared in recent weeks to their highest level since the pandemic began, according to government data released Friday on the only age group not yet eligible for the vaccine. The worrisome trend in children too young to be vaccinated underscores the need for older kids and adults to get their shots to protect those around them, said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since mid-December, as the highly contagious omicron variant has spread furiously around the country, the hospitalization rate in these youngest children has surged to more than 4 in 100,000 youngsters, up from 2.5 per 100,000. That compares with a current rate of about 1 per 100,000 for children ages 5 to 17, according to CDC data. In a statement, Walensky said that while children still have the lowest rate of hospitalization of any age group, “pediatric hospitalizations are at their highest rate compared to any prior point in the pandemic.” At a briefing, she said the numbers include children hospitalized because of COVID-19 and those admitted for other reasons but found to be infected. She noted that just over 50% of children ages 12 to 18 are fully vaccinated and only 16% of those 5 to 11 are fully vaccinated. As of Tuesday, the average number of children and teens admitted to the hospital per day with COVID-19 was 766, double the figure reported just two weeks ago. At a White House briefing this week, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said many children hospitalized with COVID-19 have other health conditions that make them more susceptible to complications from the virus. That includes obesity, diabetes, and lung disease. Fauci and Walensky have emphasized that one of the best ways to protect the youngest children is to vaccinate everyone else. Data suggest booster shots offer the best protection against omicron, and CDC this week recommended them for kids as young as 12. Among older ages already eligible, just 34% have received them. The surge in hospitalizations only heightens the concerns of parents worried about how to keep their infants and toddlers safe. Emily Hojara and Eli Zilke of Sawyer, Michigan, are being extra protective of their daughter Flora, who turns 2 in May. They limit her contact with other children, and no visitors are allowed in the house unless masked, not even grandparents. “It’s been a struggle, and now with this new variant, I feel it’s knocked us back,” Hojara said. She said the new hospitalization data “just reminds you that that anxiety is hovering really close.’’ “It’s scary that she can’t be vaccinated,” Hojara said of her daughter. Dr. Jennifer Kusma, a pediatrician with Chicago’s Lurie Children’s Hospital, said she has seen increasing numbers of kids hospitalized with omicron, and while most aren’t severely ill, she understands parents’ worries. “As a pediatrician, I really wish we already had that vaccine for these young kids,” Kusma said. But she added that what may seem like a long wait should reassure parents that vaccine testing is not being rushed. Many had hoped the new year might bring a vaccine for young children, but Pfizer announced last month that two doses didn’t offer as much protection as hoped for in youngsters ages 2 to 4. Pfizer’s study has been updated to give everyone under 5 a third dose, and data is expected in early spring. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Omicron upends return to U.S schools and workplaces
Some school systems around the U.S. extended their holiday break Monday or switched back to online instruction because of the explosion in COVID-19 cases, while others pressed ahead with in-person classes amid a seemingly growing sense that Americans will have to learn to co-exist with the virus. Caught between pleas from teachers fearful of infection and parents who want their children in class, school districts in cities such as New York, Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, and beyond found themselves in a difficult position midway through the academic year because of the super-contagious omicron variant. New York City, home of the nation’s largest school system, reopened classrooms to roughly one million students with a stockpile of take-home COVID-19 test kits and plans to double the number of random tests done in schools. “We are going to be safe, and we will be open to educate our children,” newly sworn-in Mayor Eric Adams said on MSNBC. New Yorker Trisha White said that she feels the risk is the same for her 9-year-old son in or out of school and that being with classmates is far better for him than remote learning. “He could get the virus outside of school,” she said as she dropped the boy off. “So what can you do? You know, I wouldn’t blame the school system. They’re trying their best.” While the teachers union had asked the mayor to postpone in-person learning for a week, city officials have long said that mask requirements, testing, and other safety measures mean that children are safe in school. The city also has a vaccination mandate for employees. New cases of COVID-19 in the city shot up from a daily average of about 17,000 in the week before the holidays to nearly 37,000 last week. Across the U.S., new COVID-19 cases have tripled in the past two weeks to over 400,000 a day, the highest level on record, amid a rush by many Americans to get tested. The high infection rates and resulting worker shortages are putting a heavy burden on employers, large and small. Thousands of airline flights have been canceled in recent days, and many businesses have shelved return-to-work plans. Weekend garbage collection was delayed in New Orleans, and jury trials in several Colorado counties were suspended. Some libraries on New York’s Long Island and a ski resort in New Hampshire had to close. Dawn Crawley, CEO of House Cleaning Heroes, a cleaning service based in Herndon, Virginia, said she had to cancel four of 20 cleaning jobs for Tuesday because four employees were sick — three with COVID-19. “The fear is it will run through the team” as well as customers, she said. Policymakers and health authorities have been mindful of the toll on the economy and the education system. Public health experts have said that eradicating the virus is unlikely and that the world will instead have to find a way to keep COVID-19 down to an acceptable level, the way it does with the flu. Last week, after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cut the recommended COVID-19 isolation period from 10 days to five, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said: “We want to make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science.” In another development Monday that could have a bearing on the ability of schools to stay open, the Food and Drug Administration gave its OK for Pfizer booster shots for children as young as 12. Boosters already are recommended for everyone 16 and older. Elsewhere around the country, the Los Angeles Unified School District announced Monday that schools will now reopen January 11 because of omicron’s rise. Furthermore, the district’s 600,000 students and roughly 73,000 employees will have to show a negative COVID-19 test result to enter campus. The district will have a testing site as well as take-home test kits available. Syracuse, New York, canceled school Monday because of the increasing number of infections and a lack of substitute teachers. In Wisconsin, the 75,000-student Milwaukee school system is going back to virtual instruction Tuesday because of rising cases among staff members. The district said it is aiming to return to in-person classes on January 10. The Madison, Wisconsin, district also announced a shift to virtual learning, beginning Thursday. Detroit School Superintendent Nikolai Vitti told parents there will be no in-person or online learning through Wednesday because of a high rate of infection among employees that could lead to extensive spread of COVID-19 and “excessive staff shortages.” The roughly 350,000 students in the Chicago school system returned, but a dispute between district leaders and the teachers union over safety measures could disrupt classes later this week. The union said it may vote Tuesday for remote teaching in the nation’s third-largest district. The Peoria, Illinois, district extended winter break by a week. Schools in Davenport, Iowa, surprised parents early Monday by announcing the cancellation of all classes for the day because of a shortage of bus drivers that was blamed at least in part on COVID-19. Minnesota’s educators braced for a spike in cases as classrooms reopened as scheduled. “What I’ve heard from superintendents is that they are nervous about omicron,“ said Bob Indihar, executive director of the Minnesota Rural Education Association. “It seems to be the new normal that changes are going to happen, and quarantines and people being out are just part of the process now. Districts are kind of taking it in stride.” The president of the National Parents Union, a network of parent organizations, called the sudden switch back to virtual learning “an abomination.” “Once again, parents are left scrambling at the last minute and, worse, far too many children are being deprived of an in-person learning experience, which is critical for their academic and social-emotional development,” Keri Rodrigues said in a statement. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
U.S. officials recommend shorter COVID isolation, quarantine
U.S. health officials on Monday cut isolation restrictions for Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five days and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said the guidance is in keeping with growing evidence that people with the coronavirus are most infectious in the two days before and three days after symptoms develop. The decision also was driven by a recent surge in COVID-19 cases, propelled by the omicron variant. Early research suggests omicron may cause milder illnesses than earlier versions of the coronavirus. But the sheer number of people becoming infected — and therefore having to isolate or quarantine — threatens to crush the ability of hospitals, airlines, and other businesses to stay open, experts say. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the country is about to see a lot of omicron cases. “Not all of those cases are going to be severe. In fact, many are going to be asymptomatic,” she told The Associated Press on Monday. “We want to make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science.” Last week, the agency loosened rules that previously called on health care workers to stay out of work for ten days if they test positive. The new recommendations said workers could go back to work after seven days if they test negative and don’t have symptoms. And the agency said isolation time could be cut to five days, or even fewer if there are severe staffing shortages. Now, the CDC is changing the isolation and quarantine guidance for the general public to be even less stringent. The change is aimed at people who are not experiencing symptoms. People with symptoms during isolation or who develop symptoms during quarantine are encouraged to stay home. The CDC’s isolation and quarantine guidance has confused the public, and the new recommendations are “happening at a time when more people are testing positive for the first time and looking for guidance,” said Lindsay Wiley, an American University public health law expert. Nevertheless, the guidance continues to be complex. ISOLATION The isolation rules are for people who are infected. They are the same for people who are unvaccinated, partly vaccinated, fully vaccinated, or boosted. They say: —The clock starts the day you test positive. —An infected person should go into isolation for five days, instead of the previously recommended 10. —At the end of five days, if you have no symptoms, you can return to normal activities but must wear a mask everywhere — even at home around others — for at least five more days. —If you still have symptoms after isolating for five days, stay home until you feel better and then start your five days of wearing a mask at all times. QUARANTINE The quarantine rules are for people who were in close contact with an infected person but not infected themselves. For quarantine, the clock starts the day someone is alerted they may have been exposed to the virus. Previously, the CDC said people who were not fully vaccinated and who came in close contact with an infected person should stay home for at least 10 days. Now the agency is saying only people who got booster shots can skip quarantine if they wear masks in all settings for at least 10 days. That’s a change. Previously, people who were fully vaccinated — which the CDC has defined as having two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine — could be exempt from quarantine. Now, people who got their initial shots but not boosters are in the same situation as those who are partly vaccinated or are not vaccinated at all: They can stop quarantine after five days if they wear masks in all settings for five days afterward. FIVE DAYS Suspending both isolation and quarantine after five days is not without risk. A lot of people get tested when they first feel symptoms, but many Americans get tested for others reasons, like to see if they can visit family or for work. That means a positive test result may not reveal exactly when a person was infected or give a clear picture of when they are most contagious, experts say. When people get infected, the risk of spread drops substantially after five days, but it does not disappear for everyone, said Dr. Aaron Glatt, a New York physician who is a spokesman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. “If you decrease it to five days, you’re still going to have a small but significant number of people who are contagious,” he said. That’s why wearing masks is a critical part of the CDC guidance, Walensky said. VARYING RECOMMENDATIONS The new CDC guidance is not a mandate; it’s a recommendation to employers and state and local officials. Last week, New York state said it would expand on the CDC’s guidance for health care workers to include employees who have other critical jobs that are facing a severe staffing shortage. It’s possible other states will seek to shorten their isolation and quarantine policies, and CDC is trying to get out ahead of the shift. “It would be helpful to have uniform CDC guidance” that others could draw from, rather than a mishmash of policies, Walensky said. Given the timing with surging case counts, the update “is going to be perceived as coming in response to pressure from business interests,” Wiley said. But some experts have been calling for the change for months because shorter isolation and quarantine periods appeared to be sufficient to slow the spread, she said. The move by CDC follows a decision last week by U.K. officials to reduce the self-isolation period for vaccinated people who test positive for COVID-19. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Omicron sweeps across nation, now 73% of new U.S. COVID cases
Omicron has raced ahead of other variants and is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the U.S., accounting for 73% of new infections last week, federal health officials said Monday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers showed nearly a six-fold increase in omicron’s share of infections in only one week. In much of the country, it’s even higher. Omicron is responsible for an estimated 90% or more of new infections in the New York area, the Southeast, the industrial Midwest, and the Pacific Northwest. The national rate suggests that more than 650,000 omicron infections occurred in the U.S. last week. Since the end of June, the delta variant had been the main version causing U.S. infections. As recently as the end of November, more than 99.5% of coronaviruses were delta, according to CDC data. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said the new numbers reflect the kind of growth seen in other countries. “These numbers are stark, but they’re not surprising,” she said. Scientists in Africa first sounded the alarm about omicron less than a month ago, and on November 26, the World Health Organization designated it as a “variant of concern.” The mutant has since shown up in about 90 countries. Much about the omicron variant remains unknown, including whether it causes more or less severe illness. Early studies suggest the vaccinated will need a booster shot for the best chance at preventing omicron infection, but even without the extra dose, vaccination still should offer strong protection against severe illness and death. “All of us have a date with omicron,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “If you’re going to interact with society, if you’re going to have any type of life, omicron will be something you encounter, and the best way you can encounter this is to be fully vaccinated.” Adalja said he was not surprised by the CDC data showing omicron overtaking delta in the U.S., given what was seen in South Africa, the U.K., and Denmark. He predicted spread over the holidays, including breakthrough infections among the vaccinated and serious complications among the unvaccinated that could stress hospitals already burdened by delta. Dr. Eric Topol, head of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, said other countries had seen omicron’s fast growth, but the U.S. data showed “a remarkable jump in such a short time.” Topol also said it’s unclear how much milder omicron really is compared with other variants. “That’s the big uncertainty now,” Topol said. “We have to count on it being a lot of hospitalizations and a lot of severe disease from omicron.” CDC’s estimates are based on thousands of coronavirus specimens collected each week through university and commercial laboratories and state and local health departments. Scientists analyze their genetic sequences to determine which versions of the COVID-19 viruses are most abundant. On Monday, the CDC revised its estimate for omicron cases for the week that ended December 11, after analyzing more samples. About 13% of the cases that week were from omicron, not the 3% previously reported. The week before, omicron accounted for just 0.4% of cases. CDC officials said they do not yet have estimates of how many hospitalizations or deaths are due to omicron. Though there remain a lot of new infections caused by the delta variant, “I anticipate that over time that delta will be crowded out by omicron,” Walensky said. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
