Fourth US COVID wave has started

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

Perhaps because a number of major hospital chains have forced vaccine mandates on workers, leading to many quitting.....

An interesting point but speculative.

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

I'm sorry you think stating observable facts is flippant or insensitive. Everything I stated is observably factual and happened precisely as I stated.

I think you should be less dismissive of health workers who, across the world, have worked tirelessly and often under extreme stress for 18 months dealing with the impact of this pandemic.

[Cow Poke]

I am asking you why you ignored my question. To repeat, if everything is so "hunky dory" in Texas why has Mr Abbott requested assistance from health workers outside of the state?

Because it's your typicaly bird-brained "try to recover from my own profound ignorance" question --- nobody claimed "everything is so 'hunky dory' in Texas.

Try asking a real question not based on a dishonest premise.

[Reepicheep]

I am asking you why you ignored my question. To repeat, if everything is so "hunky dory" in Texas why has Mr Abbott requested assistance from health workers outside of the state?

I don't know where these 2,500 out of state healthcare workers are going to come from. They certainly won't be coming from any of the nearby southern states, since each of them is also in the middle of a COVID crisis. I suspect Abbott made this announcement primarily as a means to reassure the people of Texas that he has the situation under control. Meanwhile, Abbott is continuing to levy fines and take legal action against municipal governments, school boards, hospitals, private companies, etc. who realize the situation is out of control and who want to take common sense actions such as instituting mask mandates and vaccination requirements.

In any case, the 2,500 medical personnel Abbott has promised for the state is too little, too late. Each day, the number of Texans in hospitals (new admissions minus releases and deaths) rises by almost 400, so the all hospitals are going to be in crisis mode for at least the next couple of months.

[Cow Poke]

An interesting point but speculative.

Not speculative if you've been watching the news in Texas. Stop getting your news from damnyankees.

More than 150 Houston hospital workers fired or quit after refusing COVID-19 vaccine

BY MOLLY HENNESSY-FISKE,
EMILY BAUMGAERTNER
JUNE 22, 2021 UPDATED 10:05 PM PT
HOUSTON —

At least 153 employees of a Houston hospital — including nurses and other medical staff — were fired or resigned Tuesday after refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, one of the first mass terminationssince vaccinations started in the U.S. this year, reinvigorating a national anti-vaccine movement.

In April, Houston Methodist Hospital began requiring vaccination for its more than 25,000 employees across Texas, claiming to be the first hospital in the nation with a COVID vaccine mandate. Those who did not provide proof of vaccination by June 7 — or who had not applied for an exemption based on “medical condition (including pregnancy deferment) or sincerely held religious belief” — faced suspension without pay for two weeks. The hospital fired two managers for refusing the vaccine in April, and suspended 178 more staff members on June 7.

This is happening all over Texas.

[Cow Poke]

I think you should be less dismissive of health workers who, across the world, have worked tirelessly and often under extreme stress for 18 months dealing with the impact of this pandemic.

Firing them for not getting the vaccine is being "dismissive" of them in the most literal way.

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

I don't know where these 2,500 out of state healthcare workers are going to come from. They certainly won't be coming from any of the nearby southern states, since each of them is also in the middle of a COVID crisis. I suspect Abbott made this announcement primarily as a means to reassure the people of Texas that he has the situation under control. Meanwhile, Abbott is continuing to levy fines and take legal action against municipal governments, school boards, hospitals, private companies, etc. who realize the situation is out of control and who want to take common sense actions such as instituting mask mandates and vaccination requirements.

In any case, the 2,500 medical personnel Abbott has promised for the state is too little, too late. Each day, the number of Texans in hospitals (new admissions minus releases and deaths) rises by almost 400, so the all hospitals are going to be in crisis mode for at least the next couple of months.

Not according some here. You and I are merely "fear mongering"!

It appears for some that in Texas Everything is for the best in that best of all possible states [apologies to Voltaire]

[rogue06]

An interesting point but speculative.

Yet easy enough to confirm or falsify.

FWIU, while vaccination rates are high among doctors (I've heard over 90%), the rate among nurses is only around 50%. Given the daily availability they have to the vaccines this suggests a high level of unwilling resistance. The sort that would lead to high rates of leaving the field -- which apparently is already happening due to "burn out" over the past year.

Interestingly, last week I heard that a recent survey found that the primary reason given for someone deciding that they would quit their job isn't being forced to take a pay cut but being forced to get a vaccine.

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

Firing them for not getting the vaccine is being "dismissive" of them in the most literal way.

Pardon? Where have I referred to staff being fired?

[rogue06]

Not according some here. You and I are merely "fear mongering"!

It appears for some that in Texas Everything is for the best in that best of all possible states [apologies to Voltaire]

Texas is in many ways like Trump. Everything must be the biggest, the best, the greatest, the yuuugest.

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

Not speculative if you've been watching the news in Texas. Stop getting your news from damnyankees.

More than 150 Houston hospital workers fired or quit after refusing COVID-19 vaccine

BY MOLLY HENNESSY-FISKE,
EMILY BAUMGAERTNER
JUNE 22, 2021 UPDATED 10:05 PM PT
HOUSTON —

At least 153 employees of a Houston hospital — including nurses and other medical staff — were fired or resigned Tuesday after refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, one of the first mass terminationssince vaccinations started in the U.S. this year, reinvigorating a national anti-vaccine movement.

In April, Houston Methodist Hospital began requiring vaccination for its more than 25,000 employees across Texas, claiming to be the first hospital in the nation with a COVID vaccine mandate. Those who did not provide proof of vaccination by June 7 — or who had not applied for an exemption based on “medical condition (including pregnancy deferment) or sincerely held religious belief” — faced suspension without pay for two weeks. The hospital fired two managers for refusing the vaccine in April, and suspended 178 more staff members on June 7.

I can understand the removal of staff who are not vaccinated as they may prove asymptomatic and infect others.

However, the right to choose comes with the responsibility of accepting the outcome of one's choice.

This is happening all over Texas.

Is it?

[Reepicheep]

It is interesting to compare COVID statistics for Texas and Canada:

POPULATION
29 million - Texas
39 million - Canada

DAILY NEW COVID CASES (seven day average)
14,202 - Texas
1,735 - Canada

DAILY COVID DEATHS (seven day average)
86 - Texas
7 - Canada

Canada's new cases tend to be much less severe than Texas cases, since many of the Canadian cases are in vaccinated individuals who are much less likely than the unvaccinated to have symptoms severe enough to require hospitalization.

Taking into account population size, the Texas death rate is currently 16x the rate in Canada and rising.

Canada is also going through a fourth COVID wave, caused primarily by the 20% of Canadian adults who refuse to be vaccinated. I won't be surprised if, at some point, we will have to reinstitute mask mandates. Canada's situation should improve once vaccines are approved for children under the age of 12.

As an aside: a member of my congregation is a high level medical researcher who has been doing COVID research for over a year. He still wears a mask in many public settings, even though he is fully vaccinated. I asked him about this a couple of weeks ago after church, and he said that under the circumstances it is a reasonable precaution to take. I've decided to follow his example and wear a mask when I'm surrounded by people, for example, when I go grocery shopping.

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

Texas is in many ways like Trump. Everything must be the biggest, the best, the greatest, the yuuugest.

It appears the literary reference missed you.

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

It is interesting to compare COVID statistics for Texas and Canada:

POPULATION
29 million - Texas
39 million - Canada

DAILY NEW COVID CASES (seven day average)
14,202 - Texas
1,735 - Canada

DAILY COVID DEATHS (seven day average)
86 - Texas
7 - Canada

Canada's new cases tend to be much less severe than Texas cases, since many of the Canadian cases are in vaccinated individuals who are much less likely than the unvaccinated to have symptoms severe enough to require hospitalization.

Taking into account population size, the Texas death rate is currently 16x the rate in Canada and rising.

Canada is also going through a fourth COVID wave, caused primarily by the 20% of Canadian adults who refuse to be vaccinated. I won't be surprised if, at some point, we will have to reinstitute mask mandates. Canada's situation should improve once vaccines are approved for children under the age of 12.

As an aside: a member of my congregation is a high level medical researcher who has been doing COVID research for over a year. He still wears a mask in many public settings, even though he is fully vaccinated. I asked him about this a couple of weeks ago after church, and he said that under the circumstances it is a reasonable precaution to take. I've decided to follow his example and wear a mask when I'm surrounded by people, for example, when I go grocery shopping.

Maybe Texans are just more weak and feeble than Canadians!

I shouldn't be flippant but for some remarks here it almost obligatory.

[rogue06]

It appears the literary reference missed you.

That would be difficult since you made sure to mention it was from Voltaire