Misinformation Kills
QAnon and alt-right fanatics spread misinformation causing unnecessary deaths. It is a shame. At least, Twitter suspended crazy Georgia politician Marjorie Taylor Greene for violating its Covid misinformation policies.
Omicron will do terrible damage among the unvaccinated in January. Nursing homes and hospitals risk of being overwhelmed in the coming weeks. CMS issued safety guidance on facilities’ compliance with a safety mandate for healthcare worker COVID-19 vaccinations.
Any facility with a staff vaccination rate above 80% with a plan to achieve a 100% rate within 60 days would not be subject to penalties. The guidance shows a strong commitment to safety and deterrence. However, the safety rules only apply to 25 states. CMS guidance doesn’t apply to the following states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.
While the nationwide staff vaccination rate approaches 80%, nine states still had under 70% of workers fully vaccinated as of data collected through Dec. 12.