Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Covid-19 roundup: Ivermectin poisoning reports up; vaccine-injury claims are hard to prove; mental-health issues grow

Here's a roundup of recent news stories about the pandemic and vaccination efforts:

Though health officials have warned the public that ivermectin doesn't treat Covid-19, many are still taking the anti-parasitic, and reports of ivermectin poisoning are on the rise. Read more here.

Coronavirus-vaccine injury claims are mounting, but there is little meaningful legal recourse for those who say they've been harmed. "More than 1,300 Covid vaccine-related injury claims are now pending before an obscure government tribunal, which to date has decided only two such cases, one involving swelling of the tongue and throat following the jab, the other alleging long-lasting, severe shoulder pain," Jenna Greene reports for Reuters. "In both instances, the government, which requires claimants to prove their injuries are “the direct result” of a Covid-19 vaccine, denied compensation. It’s a steep burden of proof. Lawyers tell me the vaccine is so new that there’s virtually no definitive research on injury causation to cite."

Thousands of workers are opting to get fired rather than get vaccinated. Read more here.

Some epidemiologists say the novel coronavirus is here to stay; much like the influenza virus, it will mutate and continue to infect people. But they note that the coronavirus is not the same thing as Covid-19: Covid-19 is the disease some people develop after being infected with the coronavirus, much like HIV sometimes evolves into AIDS. So, though the coronavirus will likely be around for a long time, the extreme illness associated with it won't be, as long as people stay up on their vaccinations. Read more here.

A recent poll found that nearly 40% of rural Iowans surveyed are struggling with mental health amid the pandemic. The findings are likely true elsewhere. Read more here.

Emergency rooms are now swamped with seriously ill patients, often those whose chronic conditions have become more serious after months of treatment delays. That's straining capacity at hospitals already inundated with Covid-19 patients. Read more here.

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