Covidiots

Little Rock’s NBC News affiliate reports: As concerns mount over the growing impact of the delta variant of COVID-19, figures released Friday show coronavirus cases again surging in Arkansas, topping levels seen in a year before. The Arkansas Department of Health reported 1,155 new cases of COVID-19 Friday afternoon, bringing the total number of cases in Arkansas to 355,460. Active …

The Daily Beast reports: Talk about a sick deal. The Small Business Administration has given anti-vaccine conspiracists a million-dollar-plus shot in the arm by forgiving massive loans to top opponents of inoculations, a review by The Daily Beast revealed. Ironically, this infusion has come via the Paycheck Protection Program, intended to relieve the economic strain brought on by the pandemic—the …

Charlotte’s ABC News affiliate reports: Passengers on American Airlines Flight 893 to Nassau, Bahamas were in a position to depart Monday when a group of high school students decided to stage a mask rebellion that lasted for hours. “Some people’s vacations are ruined. They were only going for a couple of nights. Now, they have to get rebooked,” passenger Stephanie …

USA Today reports: COVID-19 cases were up in nearly half of U.S. states, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. Alaska and Arkansas more than doubled cases in just the last week. South Carolina and Kansas are up more than 50%. In Missouri, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients jumped by nearly 30% over the Fourth …

The Associated Press reports: America’s top infectious disease expert said about 99.2% of recent COVID-19 deaths in the United States involved unvaccinated people. “It’s really sad and tragic that most all of these are avoidable and preventable,” he added. He told NBC’s “Meet the Press” it’s frustrating “where you have a formidable enemy” in the coronavirus and “yet we do …

“The red states probably have a lot of people that, you know, are very, very conservative in their thinking and they think, ‘Well, I don’t have to do that.’ “But they’re not thinking right. When it really boils right down to it, they’re in a lottery to themselves. You know, we have a lottery that basically says, if you’re vaccinated, …

The New York Post reports: A Washington state lawmaker apologized Thursday after he wore a yellow Star of David at an event to make a statement against COVID restrictions. “This gesture went too far,” state Rep. Jim Walsh, a Republican, said during a radio interview with host Jason Rantz. “It was inappropriate and offensive and I’m terribly sorry that it …

St. Louis’s CBS News affiliate reports: You should wear a mask even if you’re vaccinated. This is the message from local health departments. Three major municipalities have issued a public health advisory in response to the emergence of the Delta variant in the St. Louis region. St. Louis City and St. Louis and Jefferson counties issued the advisory, citing a …

The Springfield News-Leader reports: If you live in southwest Missouri, hospital executives say acquiring a severe case of COVID-19 could now mean a stay in St. Louis or Kansas City, as the global pandemic that has killed 3.9 million people continues to stretch Missouri hospital staffing. A handful of Springfield-area patients are already being treated hundreds of miles away in …

The Seattle Times reports: A Washington state lawmaker critical of COVID-19 vaccine mandates wore a yellow Star of David at a speech over the weekend — a symbol the Nazis forced Jews to wear during the Holocaust. State Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, had the star affixed to his pink shirt during a speech to conservative activists at a Lacey church …

The Hill reports: Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease doctor, on Tuesday said he is concerned that the widening gap between the vaccinated and unvaccinated in America will get worse, leading to possible spikes in coronavirus cases. “When you have such a low level of vaccination superimposed upon a variant that has a high degree of efficiency of spread, …

The Hill reports: Royal Caribbean cruises departing from Florida are requiring unvaccinated passengers above the age of 12 to buy travel insurance for medical and travel costs that could occur if they get COVID-19. The company announced on Tuesday unvaccinated passengers must get $25,000 in medical expense insurance and $50,000 insurance for quarantine and medical evacuation costs. The insurance is …

The Lincoln Journal-Star reports: A COVID-19 outbreak at a central Illinois summer camp has led to at least 85 cases of the virus among teens and adult staff, and to other cases at a nearby conference, the Illinois Department of Public Health said Monday. The two outbreaks occurred in Schuyler and Adams counties. At the summer camp, held in mid-June, …

The Guardian reports: Thousands of anti-lockdown and anti-vax demonstrators marched through central London on Saturday. It was billed the “Freedom March” by protesters who assembled at Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park from midday, some holding banners backing Donald Trump’s run for president in 2024, or supporting the far right conspiracy movement QAnon. Many of those present estimated it was the …

USA Today reports: As the U.S. emerges from the COVID-19 crisis, Missouri is becoming a cautionary tale for the rest of the country: It is seeing an alarming rise in cases because of a combination of the fast-spreading delta variant and stubborn resistance among many people to getting vaccinated. Intensive care beds are filling up with surprisingly young, unvaccinated patients, …

USA Today reports: Indiana University students are pushing back against the school’s fall COVID-19 vaccine requirement. In a lawsuit filed Monday, the students argue the requirement violates the Fourteenth Amendment, which reads that no state shall “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” The eight student plantiffs are suing the school’s board of trustees. …

Houston’s ABC News affiliate reports: A total of 153 workers at Houston Methodist Hospital have either resigned or have been fired after refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Earlier this month, the hospital reported 178 employees had been suspended for not complying with the hospital’s vaccine requirement for workers. It appears most of those employees chose to leave the hospital …

Politico reports: State efforts to juice Covid-19 vaccination rates through million-dollar lotteries haven’t reversed the steep decline in adults seeking out shots when many pockets of the country remain vulnerable to the coronavirus. While Ohio did see a two-week bump in adult vaccination rates last month after becoming the first state to offer sizable cash prizes, the pace of vaccinations …

“Hi, I’m Cole Beasley and I’m not vaccinated. I will be outside doing what I do. I’ll be out in public. If you’re scared of me then steer clear, or get vaccinated. “I may die of COVID, but I’d rather die actually living. I have family members whose days are numbered. “If they want to come see me and stay …

Miami’s NBC News affiliate reports: As the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday labeled the Delta variant of the novel coronavirus a “variant of concern,” Gov. Ron DeSantis downplayed the potential impact it could have on the state. DeSantis avoided directly answering a reporter’s question about whether the state needs to do more to prepare for the …