Monthly Archives: April 2021

The global tally for the coronavirus-borne illness rose above 144.8 million on Friday, as the death toll increased to 3.07 million, according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. continues to lead the world in cases and deaths by wide margins, with 31.9 million cases, or 22.1% of the global total, and 570,346 deaths, or 18.6% of the worldwide total. The U.S. added at least 61,901 cases on Thursday, while new deaths rose to at least 719, according to a New York Times Tracker. But the U.S. also leads the world in vaccines administered, with 27% of the poplation now fully vaccinated and 41% receiving at least one dose of two-dose vaccines.India is second to the U.S. by cases at 16.3 million after adding a record of more than 330,000 cases in a 24-hour period, setting a global record for a second day, the Times reported. India has suffered 186,920 deaths, according to its official numbers, or fourth-highest in the world. Brazil is third with 14.3 million cases and second by fatalities at 383,502. Mexico has the third-highest death toll at 214,095 and 2.3 million cases, or 15th highest tally. The U.K. has 4.4 million cases and 127,597 deaths, the fifth-highest in the world and highest in Europe.

View original post here:

Coronavirus tally: Global cases of COVID-19 top 144.8 million and India sees record of more than 330,000 cases in a single day - MarketWatch

The rollout of coronavirus vaccines in Florida was heralded as a light at the end of the tunnel for a pandemic that has upended normalcy and killed 35,000 people in the Sunshine State alone. Now comes the question of just how long the tunnel is.

Across Tampa Bay, officials are seeing slowdowns in the number of people lining up for doses. One site in Plant City averaged 200 to 300 shots a day during the first full week of April, though managers there had planned for a daily average of 1,000.

We have a lot of vaccines out there all over the place, but people arent getting it, said Kevin Watler, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County. How fast we can resume to normal really lies with people who are choosing not to get vaccinated.

Watler is talking about herd immunity, the point where enough people are immunized to block transmission of a virus. Its the final milestone before the pandemic can end.

Getting there will depend on many factors, experts say, including how many people acquire immunity through vaccination or infection, how long each type of immunity lasts and human behavior.

More than 45 percent of eligible Floridians have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and surveys show that hesitancy about the vaccines has been decreasing. After a rocky start to Floridas vaccine rollout, residents can now turn to multiple providers, even with the pause in the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. And doses, which are free of charge, are fairly easy to obtain for most people.

Still, a significant number of people dont plan to get vaccinated, according to surveys. And so far, children under 16, who make up nearly 20 percent of the population, arent eligible. That leaves roughly 10 million eligible Floridians over 16 who have yet to roll up their sleeve.

Large numbers of people without immunity makes a return to pre-pandemic life more risky, experts say. Infection could spread through non-immunized communities, which would offer a greater chance for the virus to mutate and become harder to control.

The result: more cases and a lengthening of the pandemic.

Already, a fourth spike of coronavirus cases has been fueled by variants that are more transmissible and have become dominant in the U.S., particularly in Florida.

We are in a race to get people vaccinated as soon as possible, because were just starting the next surge, said Marissa Levine, a professor of public health at the University of South Florida. We dont know what it will look like, but it has the potential to cause preventable suffering and death.

Between 60 and 85 percent of people need to be immune to the coronavirus to reach herd immunity, based on experts varying estimates.

That number becomes even more difficult to hit considering that all children arent eligible for shots yet. Without them, the percentage of immune adults would need to be even higher, said Josh Michaud, associate director of global health policy at Kaiser Family Foundation.

About 25 to 30 percent of American adults have contracted COVID-19 at some point in the pandemic, which gave them an estimated six to nine months of natural immunity, Michaud said. Vaccination, meanwhile, is thought to provide one to three years of immunity.

That means those infected in early 2020 have likely run out of antibodies to fight COVID-19, although some may have since been vaccinated, as directed by health experts. The overlap makes it difficult to know just how close we are to herd immunity, Michaud said.

In Hillsborough County, about 20 percent of adults have natural antibodies against COVID-19, according to a March study by Moffitt Cancer Center led by Dr. Anna Giuliano, founding director of the Center for Immunization and Infection Research in Cancer.

The only realistic way the state can get close to reaching herd immunity is through large numbers of people choosing to get vaccinated, Giuliano said. Some other experts disagree, saying it can be achieved over time as the virus continues to spread. But most agree that reaching it with vaccination will be less painful.

At some point, we will reach herd immunity, its just at what cost, said Dr. Edgar Sanchez, an infectious disease specialist with Orlando Health. Depending primarily on natural immunity, he said, would mean scores of more deaths.

Michaud, from Kaiser, said he isnt confident that herd immunity is just around the corner for the U.S., citing lower demand for shots. He called it difficult if not impossible to get there in the next few months.

As of April 21, more than 26 percent of Americans were fully vaccinated. Combine that with an optimistic 20 percent of people with natural defenses, and its still not enough to meet even the lowest estimate of immunity to eradicate the virus.

Edwin Michael, a professor of epidemiology at USF who is modeling predictions of the coronavirus in Florida, estimates that the state will reach herd immunity by December if the vaccination rate and current social measures stay the same.

At double the speed, the state would reach it in July, he estimates. At three times the speed, it would reach it in June, he said. But much could change those estimates, including human behavior and the current and future introductions of new coronavirus variants.

The state could slip in and out of herd immunity or see the threshold needed for it rise as some people who were inoculated early on run out of immunity and require booster shots, or as more contagious strains emerge.

This is now a race, Michael said, between the rate of vaccination, the social measures in place and the new wave of coronavirus cases.

Vaccine providers in Florida say they have doses for people who want them. But in many cases, available appointments are now taking longer to get filled, even as millions more people have recently become eligible.

Thats frustrating to those working in public health.

We fought to get the vaccine, and we got the vaccine, said Watler, the health department spokesman in Hillsborough County, where demand has slowed.

Last Monday, Pasco Countys health department said only 150 out of 900 vaccine appointments were taken. The health departments in Hernando and Pinellas counties are also seeing unfilled appointments.

Statewide, tens of thousands are getting vaccinated every day, state data shows. Floridas rate of vaccination is about on par with the nationwide average, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But its still not going as quickly as some had hoped.

The number of daily vaccinations for residents 65 and older, who have been eligible for shots since December, has been slowing since late March. Thats likely because about 80 percent of people in that age group already have been at least partially vaccinated.

But vaccinations among people ages 45 to 54, some of whom have been eligible for about three weeks, also have been trending down on a daily basis so far in April. About 40 percent of people in that age group had gotten at least one dose as of Wednesday.

Vaccinations among people ages 16 to 44 had been rising but have slowed in recent days. So far, about a quarter of people in that age group have gotten at least one dose.

The more-transmissible B.1.1.7 variant has become the dominant strain of the coronavirus in the country and Florida has the most cases of any state, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows.

The introduction of vaccines themselves could drive the mutation of variants, thanks to what is known as selection pressure causing the virus to adapt to survive, said Michael, the USF professor.

The mutations found so far, he said, have spread very fast.

Hillsborough County has seen the effects of the B.1.1.7 variant as COVID-19 admissions at Tampa General Hospital have swelled over the last month, said emergency department director Dr. Jason Wilson. Hardly any of the patients who tested positive had been vaccinated, he said.

The rise in cases is going up faster than the people getting vaccinated, and we want the opposite, Wilson said.

He and Dr. Kami Kim, an internal medicine physician at Tampa General, say the virus has been spreading more among young people, largely because fewer of them have gotten the vaccine, and they may be more likely to eschew social distancing and other safety measures.

Wilson said that, based on conversations hes had with patients, younger Floridians are less likely to get the shot than older people because they have repeatedly heard theyre less at risk for severe complications from the disease.

But even if those unvaccinated people dont get severely ill, experts say, they could still spread COVID-19, giving the virus opportunities to mutate into more-aggressive strains.

A growing share of Americans say they are willing to get the vaccine, according to a March poll by the Kaiser foundation. But vaccine hesitancy and outright resistance remains.

A steady 13 percent of people have said since December that they will definitely not be vaccinated, the poll found. Most identified as Republican or white evangelicals, with half of Republican respondents saying they feared being forced to get a vaccine against their will.

The poll also found that 17 percent of Americans are taking a wait-and-see approach, a smaller percentage than in earlier surveys. Those respondents worried about side effects, that they may be worse than the virus itself, as well as wanting to see more safety data over time.

While hesitancy among Black and Hispanic people has shrunk from earlier polling, those groups still expressed the most concern about not being able to get a vaccine from a trusted source or said they would have difficulty getting to a vaccine site.

Thirty-three percent of poll respondents did not know where to get a shot, and 46 percent werent sure about their eligibility.

Some of the same themes Kaiser found are reflected in Tampa Bay, according to the most recent survey by the Tampa Bay Partnership, which has spent more than a year tracking how local residents feel about the pandemic.

Three-quarters of respondents said they were more likely to get a vaccine in March, an increase from 67 percent in January. Many still cited concerns about side effects and said they needed more information.

More than 40 percent of Black residents said they were not likely to be vaccinated, as did 36 percent of residents ages 18 to 34.

Efforts need to focus on reaching people who are hesitant or dont know where to get vaccinated, experts say.

Its no longer enough to say, come and get your doses, said Jason Salemi, a professor of epidemiology at the University of South Florida. We have to tackle this problem.

Wilson, the Tampa General doctor, has been talking to one of his regular patients, a Black person with sickle cell disease, about vaccination for four months.

The patient has yet to agree, he said. But theyve made progress with longer conversations and more nuanced and focused questions about the vaccines.

This is a long-term, consistent and persistent conversation about some pretty complex science, Wilson said.

That same level of care and understanding needs to happen on a larger level, Wilson and other experts say. Many communities are still lacking information, access and trust in the vaccines and the recent pause on those by Johnson & Johnson has only added to their hesitancy.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management has hired 2,900 canvassers to knock on doors in four major cities, including Tampa, where the state and federal governments are running mass vaccination sites. Theyve visited more than 510,000 homes providing information and helping people sign up for shots, a division spokeswoman said.

Teams have talked to about 43,000 people in Hillsborough County neighborhoods, with about 11,000 agreeing to register for vaccines, the state said. Another 12,000 said they had already received shots, but about half 21,000 said they were not interested.

Pairs of canvassers circled a Brandon neighborhood on Wednesday as registered nurse Stacey Gedeon stood by, ready to answer any clinical questions. People most often ask about side effects, she said.

Her team interacts with about 300 people a day, with an average of 25 agreeing to register for shots. Earlier in the vaccine rollout, about 50 a day would agree to sign up, but the number has dipped as more people have been vaccinated. She saw a lull after the Johnson & Johnson pause, too, she said.

My team is trained not to pressure people, Gedeon said. We just give them the facts and information. They have to make a decision themselves.

The state has moved on other fronts, too, like locating vaccine clinics at places of worship and in rural communities. The Department of Health is working with Florida A&M University on a public service campaign aimed largely at Black residents in certain parts of the state.

Counties are bringing vaccines to underserved areas and joining with community and faith groups to get the word out. Hillsborough County, for example, recently bused residents of a mobile home park to get shots, and its hosted multiple social media events so residents could ask experts questions.

But Kim said a more coordinated plan and better collaboration among all stakeholders is needed to reach the numbers of people required for herd immunity. She added that the states supply of doses to vaccine providers has not been consistent or predictable enough for optimal and equitable distribution.

As Florida and the U.S. continue to work toward the goal of herd immunity, experts beg people to be patient and not abandon social distancing and other guidelines too quickly.

That could be a struggle, particularly in Florida, which has been open for months.

Dr. Tom Unnasch, a professor of public health and biology at USF, said a move by Gov. Ron DeSantis to preclude businesses from requiring evidence of vaccinations from customers could hurt efforts to contain the virus before enough people have immunity.

Unnasch said incentives to get the vaccine, such as employers requiring them or businesses offering deals, could help prod some who are reluctant.

None of us are really protected until were all protected, Unnasch said.

Staff Writer Langston Taylor contributed to this report.

CORONAVIRUS IN FLORIDA: Find the latest numbers for your county, city or zip code.

NEED A VACCINE? Here's how to find one in the Tampa Bay area and Florida.

VACCINES Q & A: Have coronavirus vaccine questions? We have answers, Florida.

GET THE DAYSTARTER MORNING UPDATE: Sign up to receive the most up-to-date information.

GET THE DAYSTARTER MORNING UPDATE: Sign up to receive the most up-to-date information.

A TRIBUTE TO THE FLORIDIANS TAKEN BY THE CORONAVIRUS: They were parents and retirees, police officer and doctors, imperfect but loved deeply.

HAVE A TIP?: Send us confidential news tips

Were working hard to bring you the latest news on the coronavirus in Florida. This effort takes a lot of resources to gather and update. If you havent already subscribed, please consider buying a print or digital subscription.

Continue reading here:

To beat coronavirus, herd immunity is the goal. Can Florida get there? - Tampa Bay Times

Oregon reported nearly 1,000 new coronavirus cases for a second day in a row Thursday, with average daily case counts at their highest levels since January.

The Oregon Health Authority also reported one new COVID-19 death.

Thursdays 993 confirmed or presumed infections are four more than Wednesdays numbers, and they are the most since Jan. 16 the last time Oregon recorded more than 1,000 cases in a day.

Oregon is now averaging about 750 daily cases over the past week while the number of people hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 is approaching 300. Both are at the highest levels since late January. Deaths, meanwhile, are substantially down.

Modeling released Thursday by Oregon Health & Science University projects cases will peak May 4, with a daily average of 1,326 for that week. Active hospitalizations are projected to peak about two weeks later, May 19, at 369. Cases and hospitalizations would precipitously fall afterward, according to the modeling.

Vaccines: Oregon reported 48,387 newly administered doses, which includes 28,535 Wednesday and the remainder from previous days.

Where the new cases are by county: Baker (14), Benton (24), Clackamas (116), Clatsop (4), Columbia (14), Coos (6), Crook (12), Curry (2), Deschutes (57), Douglas (5), Grant (1), Hood River (5), Jackson (46), Jefferson (6), Josephine (17), Klamath (54), Lake (2), Lane (54), Lincoln (7), Linn (34), Malheur (2), Marion (109), Morrow (1), Multnomah (206), Polk (20), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (8), Union (2), Wasco (16), Washington (128) and Yamhill (20).

Who died: Oregons 2,467th death linked to COVID-19 is a 67-year-old Linn County man who tested positive April 21 and died April 21 at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. He had underlying health conditions.

State officials also clarified that Oregons 2,461st victim was age 61, not 82.

Hospitalizations: 283 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 are hospitalized, up 11 from Wednesday. That includes 69 people in intensive care, up four from Wednesday.

Since it began: Oregon has reported 178,110 confirmed or presumed infections and 2,467 deaths, among the lowest per capita numbers in the nation. To date, the state has reported 2,662,784 vaccine doses administered, fully vaccinating 1,091,777 people and partially vaccinating 566,353 people.

To see more data and trends, visit https://projects.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/

-- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt

Visit link:

Coronavirus in Oregon: nearly 1,000 cases for second day in row - OregonLive

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Read the latest coronavirus news from around the world, get updates on the latest SpaceX launch and see more stories trending online today.

SpaceX rocket carrying four astronauts launches from Florida (CNN)

Senate passes bill to protect Asian Americans from hate crimes (LA Times)

Lawmakers hold good discussions on police reform in wake of Chauvin verdict (CBS News)

LeBron James says his deleted tweet about police shooting was being used to create more hate (Washington Post)

Family of MaKhia Bryant speaks out after teen is killed by Columbus police (NBC News)

At Biden Climate Summit, World Leaders Pledge To Do More, Act Faster (NPR)

The CDC and FDA are leaning toward resuming use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, sources say (CBS)

Scientists get creative to carry on research during pandemic (AP)

Debate grows over wearing masks outdoors (Yahoo)

India Is Experiencing A Devastating Wave Of Covid-19: Impact To Reverberate Around The World (Forbes)

Millennials moved back to their teenage bedrooms during the pandemic (Fox News)

Time running out for missing Indonesian submarine as U.S. joins search (Reuters)

Shock G of Digital Underground Dead at 57 (Complex)

ER Reunion Provides Good Fun For A Good Cause And Discusses A Possible Reboot (Deadline)

The Oscars are Hollywoods biggest night. Is it worth tuning in, or should you tune them out? (NBC)

Mortal Kombat reboot hits theaters and HBO Max (Yahoo)

Prince Louis is 3! See new photo in honor of his birthday (Today)

Read this article:

Coronavirus news, SpaceX launch & more: Whats trending today - cleveland.com

Over the last two weeks, Massachusetts reported another 24,036 COVID-19 cases, down from the 26,717 confirmed over the prior 14 days, according to the latest Department of Public Health community-level data.

The latest totals are based on data analyzed between April 4 and April 17.

Percent positivity also declined over the last two weeks, to 2.3% from the 2.48% recorded during the last 14-day update.

If you are having trouble viewing this chart, click here.

And as of data available Thursday, there are now 48 communities at high risk for COVID spread. Last week, the number of cities and towns at high risk was 59.

Officials began releasing the number of confirmed cases among children and teenagers several weeks ago. On Wednesday, 1,223 cases were confirmed in children younger than four over the last 14 days, down from 1,235 reported last week. Officials reported 1,400 infections in children between the ages of 5 and 9, down from 1,469 since the last update.

And 1,696 infections were confirmed in children between the ages of 10 and 14, which is down from 1,816 reported on April 14, according Wednesdays data. There were also 2,481 teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 infected with COVID over the last two weeks, down from 2,696 since the last update.

This week, 5,046 cases were confirmed among 20-somethings, down from the 5,942 reported last week.

While the distribution of new cases varies week-to-week, the slight reduction in cases among younger age groups follows what for several weeks now has been overall decline in COVID activity statewide. Hospitalizations, active infections and percent positivity have declined over the past seven days after several weeks of heightened concern over whether vaccinations are keeping pace with the rising numbers.

The decline in infections also suggests progress is being made in vaccinating elderly populations, which have seen fewer and fewer new infections and far fewer deaths in recent days. As of Thursday, nearly 2.2 million Massachusetts residents are fully vaccinated, and 5.4 million doses have been administered to date.

State health officials confirmed another 1,431 new COVID-19 cases and 17 virus-related fatalities on Thursday. On Monday, Massachusetts opened COVID vaccinations to all residents ages 16 and older.

Here is a breakdown of the cities and towns at high risk by county:

Barnstable County: Brewster, Dennis, Harwich, Yarmouth

Berkshire County: Adams

Bristol County: Berkley, Fall River, Freetown, New Bedford, Rehoboth, Seekonk, Swansea, Taunton, Westport

Dukes County: Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury

Essex County: Haverhill, Lawrence, Lynn, Methuen, Peabody

Hampden County: Chicopee, Hampden, Holyoke, Ludlow, Palmer, Southwick, Springfield

Middlesex County: Ayer, Dracut, Lowell, Townsend

Nantucket County: Nantucket

Norfolk County: Bellingham, Plainville

Plymouth County: Brockton, Carver, Plymouth, Wareham, West Bridgewater

Suffolk County: Revere

Worcester County: Sterling, Sutton, Templeton, Upton, West Boylston, Winchendon

Related Content:

Follow this link:

See how many coronavirus cases are in your Massachusetts city or town as of April 22 - MassLive.com

You can do a lot of things with minimal risk after being vaccinated. Although our public health expert says that maybe it's not quite time for a rave or other tightly packed events. Above: Fans take photographs of Megan Thee Stallion at a London show in 2019. Ollie Millington/Getty Images hide caption

You can do a lot of things with minimal risk after being vaccinated. Although our public health expert says that maybe it's not quite time for a rave or other tightly packed events. Above: Fans take photographs of Megan Thee Stallion at a London show in 2019.

Each week, we answer "frequently asked questions" about life during the coronavirus crisis. If you have a question you'd like us to consider for a future post, email us at goatsandsoda@npr.org with the subject line: "Weekly Coronavirus Questions."

I've been hearing about breakthrough infections in people who have been vaccinated. Should I be worried? What can I do to protect myself?

The short answer:

You don't need to worry only 5,800 out of 66 million fully vaccinated Americans have contracted COVID-19 but you should still take steps to protect yourself and others. Getting COVID after the vaccine is a good reminder why your vaccination card is not a get-out-of-jail-free card.

The long answer:

At this point, many of us can rattle off the COVID vaccine efficacy rates by heart: about 95% for Pfizer and Moderna; 66% for Johnson & Johnson globally, 72% in the U.S. (Remember, that means your chances of getting COVID after vaccination is way less than 1%.)

"Everybody sees that the stats are not 100%, but that immediately goes out the window and people just think, 'I've been vaccinated!'" says Charlotte Baker, assistant professor of epidemiology at Virginia Tech.

As powerful as these vaccines are, no vaccines offer 100% protection in the real world, Dr. Anthony Fauci pointed out in a press conference this week. So with the virus circulating at high rates in most communities, breakthrough infections shouldn't come as any surprise.

(Once we reach herd immunity and circulation levels drop, breakthrough infections will become even rarer. When was the last time you worried about getting diphtheria or pertussis? The vaccines that prevent them have similar efficacy rates 97% for diphtheria, and a range between 71 and 98% for pertussis as the COVID vaccines.)

"As long as the virus is not circulating and there's a high enough vaccine immunity in the community, then the risk is minimal, but if there is ongoing transmission at high levels it's still possible to get infected," says Dr. Jill Weatherhead, assistant professor of adult and pediatric infectious diseases at Baylor College of Medicine. "So that risk is still there and as we get more people vaccinated and the community spread goes down, the risk of breakthrough infections goes down significantly."

Until a much higher percentage of us are vaccinated, then, it's prudent to continue the "big 3" precautions we've all come to know and tolerate masking, physical distancing and washing your hands in most public or group situations.

In addition, consider these modifications and additions once you've been vaccinated:

Count to 2. Make sure to wait until you're fully vaccinated that's two weeks after your final dose before taking off your mask (and then only with other vaccinated folks, of course!)

Ask the question. If you don't know if someone you'll be seeing has been vaccinated, don't be shy. "With close friends, I just ask them," Baker says. "I say, I'd love to see you soon, so let's figure out the timeline [of who's been vaccinated when]." It feels like a fair question, she says. "If you're in a group of people going to see a play or a concert [in the same car], I'm comfortable asking if they are vaccinated. And if I don't know, I wear a mask," she says. (You'll still need to wear one once you get to the event, anyway!) Of course, getting over the initial fear of asking strangers if they're vaccinated may be trickier. "In those cases you're not sure, that's when you wear your mask," she says. "If you're unsure and it's not people you know or feel comfortable asking, keep your mask on."

Pack a spare mask. Speaking of masks, find one you really like if you haven't done so already. As you ease back into society, you'll still want a mask in your purse or pocket just in case, says Baker. That way, if you need to make a pit stop at a public restroom or dart into a grocery store, you'll be prepared.

Table space. If you're dining out, opt for outdoors at restaurants where tables are spaced at least 6 feet apart (considering tossing a measuring tape in your purse or backpack along with your emergency masks!)

The outdoors is still your best friend. Keep in mind that kids under 16 are not eligible to be vaccinated yet, so if you're visiting with multiple families, consider staying outside as much as possible.

If all this sounds like a damper on your newly vaccinated freedom, don't despair: Early data shows that even if you get a breakthrough infection, you may be less likely to pass it on to others, Weatherhead notes. Also, like all the other phases of the pandemic, this one won't last forever.

The bottom line? "Enjoy yourself a little more, but don't go crazy," Baker says. "Don't go to a huge rave."

Sheila Mulrooney Eldred is a freelance health journalist in Minneapolis. She's written about COVID-19 for many publications including Medscape, Kaiser Health News, Science News for Students and The Washington Post. More at sheilaeldred.pressfolios.com. On Twitter: @milepostmedia

Original post:

After My Vaccine, Can I Do Anything To Prevent The Rare 'Breakthrough' Case? : Goats and Soda - NPR

Just days after he went on a video rant of debunked COVID-19 myths, Ted Nugent says hes tested positive for COVID-19 and his symptoms have been pretty bad.

The Michigan rocker went on Facebook Live on Monday, saying thats when he tested positive after battling flu symptoms for nearly two weeks.

I have had flu symptoms for the last 10 days and I thought I was dying, Nugent said in his live video. I was tested positive today. Ive got a stuffed up head, body aches. My God, what a pain in the a--. I literally could hardly crawl out of bed the last few days. But I did. I crawled.

Nugent then went on to use racist language about the virus before giving debunked reasons why he hasnt taken the vaccine.

Nugents Facebook video announcing he has COVID-19 comes after he posted a video on his Facebook page on April 7 saying he wasnt scared of COVID-19 as he ranted about one debunked myth after another, including why the country didnt shut down for COVIDs one through 18.

I aint scared of nothing, Nugent said on Facebook on April 7. This years tour is cancelled again. Dirty lying scam. Smoke and mirrors. COVID-19 freaks.

I guess I would ask you, because Im addicted to truth, logic and common sense and my common sense meter would demand the answer to. Why werent we shut down for COVID one through 18? COVID 1-18 didnt shut anything down, but whoa, COVID-19, even though its 99.8% survivable. Why didnt we shut down for the AIDS epidemic or the flu or influenza every year?

Theyve claimed 500,000 people have died from COVID-19. BS!

Nugent went on to say that medical professionals have been made to put COVID-19 as the cause of death no matter what the cause of death was, which has also been debunked.

COVID-19 was named by The World Health Organization for the disease which is causing the novel coronavirus outbreak. COVID-19 stands for corona, VI (for virus), and D (for disease). The 19 is for 2019, the year in which the virus was first identified. There is no COVID one through 18.

According to the CDC, more than 564,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the United States.

Michigan is averaging 6,598 new COVID-19 cases per day and 56 new deaths per day over the last week. The state has reported 793,881 confirmed cases and 16,901 deaths related to COVID-19. Additionally, the state has reported 88,990 probable cases and 1,095 probable deaths.

MORE FROM MLIVE:

FOX 2s Maurielle Lue home following week in hospital with COVID: Most difficult illness Ive ever faced

Golf course, dentist, Kroger, Blue Cross Blue Shield fined for COVID-19 violations

173 infected in new coronavirus outbreaks at 41 schools, says Michigans April 19 school outbreak report

15.6% of U.S. adults are COVID-19 vaccine hesitant, how does Michigan stack up?

Whitmer and Fauci talk vaccines, Michigan COVID-19 surge on Meet the Press

Read more:

Days after calling it BS, Ted Nugent says hes been battling COVID-19: I thought I was dying - MLive.com