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* Expect more of this…
"was tightened significantly down to 4.3 million doses shipped nationally next week." The following week, originally projected for another 8.8 million doses, is now only for 4.3 million.
— Kelly Bauer (@BauerJournalism) December 16, 2020
* The NY Times looks at covidiotic claims about vaccines…
Among their misleading notions is the idea that the vaccines are delivered with a microchip or bar code to keep track of people, as well as a lie that the vaccines will hurt everyone’s health (the vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna have been proved to be more than 94 percent effective in trials, with minimal side effects). Falsehoods about Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist who supports vaccines, have also increased, with rumors that he is responsible for the coronavirus and that he stands to profit from a vaccine, according to data from media insights company Zignal Labs.
Get. Off. Facebook.
* Tribune…
After a string of COVID-19 cases were reported at The School of Saints Faith, Hope and Charity in Winnetka last month, school officials dutifully notified the Cook County Department of Public Health and were soon delivered some troubling news.
The Roman Catholic elementary school had met the criteria for an outbreak, thrusting a thorny health and safety decision into the hands of the principal and the Archdiocese of Chicago about whether to halt in-person instruction.
“We decided to immediately pivot to e-learning for a temporary period, because first and foremost is the safety of our students and staff, and we just didn’t want to take the risk,” said Justin Lombardo, the leader of the archdiocese’s COVID-19 task force, who said students have been back in the classroom at the North Shore school since Nov. 30.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 163 such school-based outbreaks have been reviewed in the state, including nine reported Friday by the Illinois Department of Public Health. But while the state is now posting such numbers online — and health departments are assisting schools with surveillance of cases, contact tracing and guidance — it still falls to school officials to make the biggest decision: Does the school need to shut down again?
* Hopefully, we’ll be getting some national reporting requirements in January…
With minor exceptions, Florida quit including long-backlogged deaths in its daily counts on Oct. 24, 10 days before the Nov. 3 election, and resumed consistently including them on Nov. 17, two weeks after the election.
* Sun-Times live blog headlines…
Cook County Jail — one of the nation’s largest COVID-19 hot spots last spring — is worse now
NFL won’t allow teams to create postseason bubbles to prevent coronavirus infections
Congressional leaders nearing deal on long-delayed COVID-19 relief bill
Pritzker announces $711 million in budget cuts in ‘first phase of our path forward’
When the doctor becomes the patient
* Chicago Tribune live blog headlines…
Chicago teachers union discusses ongoing safety concerns over in-person classes, reiterates demands
Negotiators nearing agreement on long-delayed COVID-19 aid bill — including direct payments
Chicago handing out more than $11 million in relief to performance venues, restaurants and bars
‘Project Cheer’ making Christmas a little brighter for Decatur restaurant employees
* NBC Chicago live blog headlines…
Chicago Travel Order Updated With New Requirements; Only 1 State Below Quarantine Threshold
As Vaccinations Begin in Illinois, What Does That Mean for Phase 5? Pritzker Weighs In
Chicago’s Top Doctor Predicts When Coronavirus Will Be ‘in the Rearview Mirror’
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 1:08 pm
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Next Post: Madigan on Pritzker budget announcement: “We cannot ask our most vulnerable residents to bear the burden of this global pandemic” - Plans review of proposal’s impact on “various constituencies”
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A friend of a friend buys into the vaccine conspiracy theories (and others). I’m rapidly running out of patience on not letting him know he’s not important enough to be tracked via microchip, sterilized or whatever other nonsensical thing pops up.
Comment by Father Ted Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 1:22 pm
===I’m rapidly running out of patience on not letting him know===
Tell him this…
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 1:24 pm
Didn’t Dr. Ezike and/or Gov. Pritzker tell us about a month ago that there would be a dashboard with data for every school in the state? I am not aware that this has ever become a reality.
Comment by Smalls Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 1:28 pm
Chris Stein with the touchdown, and the fans go wild. Thanks for that Rich, I laughed so hard, spit sprayed on my screen.
Comment by Steve Rogers Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 1:29 pm
I love facebook.
Comment by Gravy Bond Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 1:32 pm
Rich, as always you hit the nail on the head. Our smarthphones ability to track us is probably 99.9% as effective as this mythical covid microchip
Comment by Sox Fan Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 1:33 pm
U2? I’m thinking the microchip might be better. /S
Comment by Bruce( no not him) Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 1:40 pm
Just last week the IDPH had to make an announcement that St. Marys in plainfield, in the joliet diocese, had an outbreak back in November. The school never went to remote learning at any point, and the school is currently bragging about it.
It should be noted that the IDPH was notified by a local resident and then made the public announcement due to the school itself deliberately not informing anyone in the community about the outbreak.
There’s a certain deja vu here at this specific diocese in the approach they are taking with withholding information. Why do we keep trusting them with the care of children.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 2:03 pm
What gets me is the anti vaccine people will pull the strangest people out of the woodwork to try and prove their case. I’ve got a high school friend who’s Mom is a nurse and her husband and both children are in the medical field. She is relying on a statement from Dr. Frank Shallenberger MD for her advice. Plus she claims both her grown children had COVID but only had it for eight hours and then it went away. So they most likely won’t need the vaccine.
I will let her know about U2, but I’m sure she’d rather it be quotes from Trump since she still believes he’s going to be President in 2021.
Comment by Club J Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 2:07 pm
===I love facebook===
Explains a lot.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 2:16 pm
=U2? I’m thinking the microchip might be better. /S=
Easy there with the U2 comments, you don’t want to have a *&#@&*# problem now do you?
/s
The school dashboard worries me a little. We send out a notice every time we are informed a student or staff member has a confirmed case of COVID. We put it on our website and social media as well as our alert system, so we are very transparent and responsive. But school data like the school report card is often misinterpreted by people for insidious reasons or through ignorance of how things work.
I probably should not worry because we get the info out ahead of any state or county reporting. but I cannot help it. Plus when has the state screwed anything up?
Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 2:18 pm
Instead of U2 can I hold out until I can get the Grateful Dead, Dan Hicks and The Hot Licks or Frank Zappa?
Comment by Drake Mallard Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 2:40 pm
Who in their right mind loves Facebook? Smh.
Comment by ;) Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 3:02 pm
If it was a Pork and the Havana Ducks album
I’d get the shot right away.
Comment by Ivesdale Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 4:56 pm
163 outbreaks. What does that translate into numbers of students and staff?
I’ve looked at a specific school district and was blown away by the number of staff infected in just a few weeks’ time. Of course the schools went remote. No one to teach. No subs. When young children get covid and sniffles, their teachers and everyone they carry their covid to probably don’t just get sniffles. I see why parents want their children back in school (sniffles). Why can’t they see why adults are pretty scared to be around those sniffles?
If a dashboard, easily accessible could educate parents, it sounds like it could really clarify issues for them.
Comment by A Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 5:15 pm
Is the John Gregory interviewed in that Times piece on Covid vaccines the same guy who used to be on WTAX?
Comment by Hank Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 11:03 pm