Category Archives: Covid-19

I was under the mistaken impression that when it comes to Covid-19 vaccines, the population could effectively be divided into three categories: Those who've taken advantage of the free, safe, and effective vaccines, those who've refused, and those who want the shots but can't get them for health reasons.

What didn't occur to me is that there might be a fourth category: People who've been vaccinated, but who then pursue misguided efforts to undo it.

NBC News reported noted a TikTok video which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views in which someone created a process through which people could bathe in a concoction in order to "detox the vaxx."

Not surprisingly, the concoction doesn't work. It doesn't even make any sense. But what is surprising is the fact that such instructional efforts exist for people who want to de-vaccinated themselves after having gotten the shots. From the NBC News piece:

The video is one of several methods anti-vaccine influencers and communities on social media have in recent weeks suggested to their many followers who have capitulated and received the Covid shot. Anti-vaccine message boards are now littered with users caving to societal pressure or work mandates and receiving a coronavirus vaccination.

That last point was of particular interest, because it explains the motivations behind these strange instructions. There are apparently significant groups of Americans who, for whatever reason, didn't want to be vaccinated, but they grudgingly did the right thing anyway in order to keep their jobs.

In related news, vaccine requirements continue to be effective.

But some of these same folks, who apparently don't want the potentially lifesaving protections the vaccines make possible, believe the process can be undone.

Putting aside the fact that no one should want to de-vaccinate themselves, it's also true that these efforts don't work.

Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist and adjunct professor at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, told NBC News, "Once you're injected, the lifesaving vaccination process has already begun. You can't unring a bell. It's just not physically possible."

She added, "The transaction process for the mRNA vaccine is fairly quick. Basically, by the time you get out to your car, sorry, the magic has already started."

If the doctor had to add "sorry" to her comments that would be an unfortunate sign of the times. I am assured by a Canadian friend that north of the border it ironically meant "too bad."

Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MSNBC political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governing and Seized American Politics."

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Why would anyone try to undo vaccinations after getting Covid-19 shots? - MSNBC

Health providersin California cannot turn away adults 18 and olderseeking a COVID-19 booster shot, according to a letter dated Nov. 9fromDr. Toms J. Aragn, the states public health director, expanding eligibility past older individuals and others with high risks.

The letter states that while providers should proactively outreach to patients who are 65 and older, have underlying health conditions, and received the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine, they should also allow patients to "self-determine their risk of exposure."That mayinclude their work, location,household members or social inequity.

"Do not turn a patient away who is requesting a booster if the patient is 18 or over and has met the 6-month original vaccination series time period for the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or it has been at least 2 months since their J&J vaccine,"Aragn writes in the letter.

Related:Coachella Valley youngsters get their COVID-19 vaccines

More:California parents can schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments for children ages 5-11

More than 179,800 additional/booster doses have been administered in Riverside County, according to county data.

California's booster eligibility goes beyondthe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidance, which endorsed boosters in October for individuals who: received their initial Pfizer or Moderna vaccine series at least six months ago; are 65 and older; 18 and older and live in long-term care settings, have underlying medical conditions orwork or live in high-risk settings; or received their Johnson & Johnson shot at least two months ago.

Colorado and New Mexico have also expanded booster eligibility to all adults.

Pfizer and BioNTechasked the U.S. Food and Drug Administrationto authorize theirbooster shotfor adults 18 and older on Nov. 9, but no decision has been made as of Monday.

Ema Sasic covers health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

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COVID-19 booster eligibility expanded to all adults in California - Desert Sun

Pediatric health leaders are sounding the alarm overa growing number of mental health crises in children as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, theAmerican Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatryand the Childrens Hospital Association jointly declared a national emergency in children's mental healthin October.

The groupspointed to an increasing number of childhood mental health crises and suicide rates from 2010 to 2018. The pandemicintensified those issues and worsened inequities, especially in communities of color, a news release from the groups stated.

"Children and families across our country have experienced enormous adversity and disruption," the release said."We are caring for young people with soaring rates of depression, anxiety, trauma, loneliness and suicidality that will have lasting impacts on them, their families and their communities."

Between March and October 2020,emergency department visits for children with mental health emergencies rose by 24% among kids age5-11 and 31% for kids age 12-17, compared with2019 levels, according to CHA.There was more than a 50 percent increase insuspected suicide attempts among girls age 12-17 who madeemergency department visitsin early 2021, compared withthe same periodin 2019.

Many young people have experienced the loss of a loved one from the coronavirus during the pandemic. RecentAAP data showsmore than 140,000 children in the U.S. experienced the death of a primary or secondary caregiver during the pandemic,with children of color disproportionately impacted.

The children's healthgroups released a long list of recommendations to address the crisis, including increased federal funding for access to mental health resources, moreaccess to telemedicine,andthe expansion of short-stay units to ease a shortage of beds for children and adolescents experiencing mental health issues.

Mental health on the frontline: COVID-19 has highlighted the mental toll nurses face. Organizations must create a better system | Opinion

As the delta variantdrove the latestCOVID-19 surge, along with a record number of cases and hospitalizations among children, Dr. Meg Rush called it a "parallel epidemic" to the youth mental health crisis.

Rush, who leadsMonroe Carrell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, testified before Congress in September about the effects of COVID-19 on children.

"Children and families across the country face substantial disruptions to their daily lives due to COVID-19," Rush said. "I have consistently had equally, if not more, numbers of children admitted to my hospital in the last six weeks with a behavioral health primary diagnosis as I have (for) COVID."

Dr. Heather Kreth, a psychologist who helps leadpediatric behavioral health at Vanderbilt, cares forpatients at the children's hospital awaiting beds in the psychiatric hospital.

She said while the uptick in mental health crises among youth is recent, the shortage of beds for them and the lack of access to proper care was decades in the making.

"On any given day, I can have between five and 35 children and adolescents who are here waiting for psychiatrictreatment," she said. "At Vanderbilt and at hospitals across the country, this has been a growing problem year-over-year."

She said they are on track this year to have the most behavioral health admissions at the children's hospital than ever before. She said that is consistent with what other hospitals are experiencing.

While she fully supportsCOVID-19 mitigation strategies includinglockdowns, virtual schooling, masks and vaccinations, she is concerned about isolation and disruption during the pandemic especially for at-risk youth.

"The pandemic poured salt in the wound, but the wound was already gushing blood," Kreth said.

'Protect your mental': Tennessee Titans WR A.J. Brown reveals battle with depression, wants others to 'protect your mental'

Even as COVID-19 cases decline, restrictions easeand vaccines are made available for more children, the wide-ranging mental health effectsof the pandemic could last for years.

For the Dembowczyk family, navigating the needs of their three school-age children brought mental health to the forefront of their conversations.Their oldest two are16 and 13 and attend school in person in Murfreesboro. But their youngest, who is 9, has a weakened immune system. Theyultimatelydecided to homeschool him full-time during the pandemic to keep him safe.

As mask mandatesand COVID-19 safety measures becametopics of national debate and the virus surged repeatedly,the Dembowczykssaid their older children were anxious about catching COVID-19 or spreading it to others especially their younger brother.

Brian Dembowczyk said their youngest has struggledwith loneliness and missing out on school and social events. He also watched his son grow frustrated when others around them didn't take COVID-19 seriously.

TaraDembowczyk said theycheck in with their kids during family dinners, making space to discuss everything from their experiences at school to the larger issues driven by the pandemic worldwide. She and her husband also take to time to ask each kid privately to rate their anxiety on a scale of oneto 10, with 10 being the most intense.

"These questions spur deeper conversations and provide opportunities to discuss coping techniques," TaraDembowczyk said. "Having those check-ins is vital to loving them through their difficult times."

TheDembowczyks said their family has adapted well. More than anything, they hope heightened mental health awareness inspires others to seek help when they need it.

"They have to bear such weight on their minds and hearts," Brian Dembowczyk said."We're in a community, and you can't shield yourself entirely. What we do affects others, and we need to remember that."

Experts have learned that the virus itself can have wide-ranging physical, neurological and mental health effects on people.

The long-term effects of COVID-19 on adults and childrencan include physical symptoms includingfatigue, chronic pain, inflammation and heart palpitations. Some struggle with depression and difficulty concentrating.Multisystem inflammatory syndrome, knownin children asMIS-C,also is linked to COVID-19.

A study published in March spanning61 hospitalsand 31 statesdelved deeper into the neurologicaleffects of COVID-19 in young people.

The study, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,included 1,695 patients under age 21 who werehospitalized with acute COVID-19 or multisystem inflammatory syndrome between March and December 2020. Itfound hundreds experienced neurological symptoms ranging from altered awareness, seizures anddifficulty walking or crawling to anxiety, depression andpsychosis.

Of the patients, 22% had neurologic involvement, which I think surprised us all quite a bit," said Dr. Elizabeth Mack, who contributed to the study and oversees critical pediatric care at the Medical University of South Carolina. "Of those cases, 88% experienced only temporary symptoms, which is certainly reassuring, but the other 12% did not bounce back and some did not survive, which are big numbers when youre looking at over 1,000 patients.

One 10-year-old boy in Middle Tennessee, who The Tennessean has chosen not to name to protect his identity, developed severe anxiety, depression and frequent seizures after having COVID-19 in September 2020.

Some days, the seizures come four at a time. They usuallylast for about a minute andleavehim exhausted and confused. It takes him an hour or two to recover.

After a slew of hospital stays, appointmentsand tests,doctors diagnosed with the boy withnonepileptic seizures, generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder. Nonepleptic seizures are often associated with psychological issues, according to the National Institute of Health.

He's now on medications to help regulate his mood, sleep, depression and anxiety and is in special education at his school. Sometimes he goes days without seizures, but his mental health isfaltering.

While his case is still a mystery, his mom is convinced it's linked to COVID-19.

Though he was nothospitalized and did not develop MIS-C, his mom saidthe findings of the study echo what has happened to her son after the virus ran its course.

Mack said there is much to learn when it comes to how COVID-19 affects children long-term, bothphysically and neurologically. While the study focused on children who were hospitalized, Mackhopes to see moreresearch on the long-term effects of the virus on children inbothinpatient and outpatient settings.

"We're on the cusp of figuring out what all can happen," she said.

Find reporter Rachel Wegner at rawegner@tennessean.com or on Twitter @rachelannwegner.

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'Salt in the wound': Tennessee kids grapple with mental health effects of COVID-19 pandemic - Tennessean

Covid-19 cases are starting to climb again in select regions across the U.S. after stabilizing at a high level following this summer's delta surge, White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Monday.

Fauci's comments came just a day after the country reported a seven-day average of more than 82,000 new cases, up 11% from the week before, according to a CNBC analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University. Nationwide cases were down 57% last week from the delta wave's peak this summer, but a jump in Covid patients in the Midwest and Northeast is fueling the sudden increase.

"The only thing that's a little bit disconcerting is that we're beginning to plateau," Fauci said during an interview hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center. "In other words, the deceleration of cases is now plateaued, and in some areas of the country, we're starting to see a bit of an uptick."

Infections had been on the decline for weeks after hitting a delta wave peak of 172,500 new cases per day on Sept. 13. They flattened out at a high level, bouncing between 70,000 and 75,000 new cases a day for nearly three weeks through most of last week, and are now once again increasing.

Average daily cases have jumped by 19% and 37% in the Midwest and Northeast over the last week, respectively, according to Johns Hopkins data. Hospitalizations, which lag an increase in infections, are up 11% over that same period in the Midwest, while the number of currently hospitalized patients with Covid is flat in the Northeast.

Cases and hospitalizations have fallen sharply in the South, where the delta wave hit earliest and hardest over the summer.

About 47,000 patients with the virus are currently hospitalized nationwide, according to a seven-day average of data from the Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. is reporting an average of roughly 1,150 Covid fatalities per day, according to Johns Hopkins data. Both figures are flat over the past week.

Besides the plateauing cases, Fauci, also director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the U.S. must focus on vaccinating the roughly 60 million people nationwide who have not yet been immunized. That excludes 28 million children ages 5 to 11 who became eligible to receive Pfizer's two-dose Covid vaccine earlier this month, he noted.

"There's a lot of good news, but some challenging news that we really need to address as we go into the winter months," Fauci said.

Fauci added that those who've been fully vaccinated for Covid can gather for the holiday season without concern. But he recommended wearing a mask in indoor congregate settings with cases still hovering at a high level nationwide.

"When you're with your family at home, goodness, enjoy it with your parents, your children, your grandparents," he said. "There's no reason not to do that."

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Dr. Fauci says Covid cases are starting to climb in some areas of the U.S. - CNBC

As announced two weeks ago, less-stringent COVID-19 protocols will go into effect starting Monday night for fans at Mavericks games in American Airlines Center. On Monday morning, the franchise issued a news release updating the details of the protocols.

The franchise also announced that pediatric vaccine doses will be available for children 5-to-11 years old starting at Monday nights game against Denver, which tips off at 7 p.m.

With the Mavericks citing a reduction in COVID-19 infection and hospitalization rates in North Texas, the updated protocols include:

-- Fans seated within 15 feet of the court still must submit proof of COVID-19 vaccination, or a negative COVID-19 test administered within 48 hours of entry. All other fans, however, no longer are required to submit proof of vaccine or a negative test result.

-- Facemasks still are required for all employees and AAC guests over the age of 2.

-- The Mavericks will continue to offer Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and boosters, administered by MD Labs, in the Old No. 7 Club beginning three hours before tip-off until halftime. But starting Monday, pediatric doses will be available for children aged 5-to-11.

The Mavericks will continue their season-long COVID-19 safety measures in American Airlines Center, including: Electrostatic sanitizing of the arena bowl and seats after each event; sanitizing of all high-touch areas multiple times throughout games; plexiglass partitions at all concession stands and food service stations; offer 200 hand-sanitizing stations throughout the arena; cashless venue points of sale; suites dedicated to immunocompromised fans; and all gameday staff still will be vaccinated.

With our season off to a great start on the court, we strive to maintain that same positive energy off the court, Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall said in the news release.

The safety and well-being of our fans will always be our top priority.

+++

Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

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Dallas Mavericks announce updated COVID-19 fan protocols that go into effect Monday night - The Dallas Morning News

A vaccination center worker inoculates a woman with the Biontech vaccine against Covid-19 in Lower Saxony. Moritz Frankenber/dpa/picture alliance via Getty I hide caption

A vaccination center worker inoculates a woman with the Biontech vaccine against Covid-19 in Lower Saxony.

Another wave of COVID-19 is sweeping across Europe, setting new records in some countries.

Records for daily infections have been shattered in recent days in Germany, the Netherlands and Austria. While deaths from COVID-19 are way down from last year in many European countries, Russia with barely a third of its population vaccinated has seen a steady two-month surge and now leads the world in total coronavirus deaths for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

The Netherlands' government announced Friday the country will return to a partial lockdown starting Saturday in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus cases.

The World Health Organization's COVID-19 report for the week ending Nov. 7 showed that Europe, including Russia, was the only region with a rise in deaths from the virus, up 10%. Overall, new coronavirus cases were on the decline in most of the world, but were up 7% in Europe and 3% in Africa.

Last week, the WHO's director for Europe, Dr. Hans Kluge, said the region "is back at the epicenter of the pandemic where we were one year ago."

A virologist at Warwick Medical School in the U.K., Lawrence Young, told Reuters that the latest surge is yet another hard lesson for Europe. "If there's one thing to learn from this it's not to take your eye off the ball," he said.

Vaccine hesitancy, waning immunity among the already inoculated and relaxed restrictions are all considered factors in the new wave, according to Reuters.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has blamed the surge in new cases and deaths in there squarely on hesitancy, saying he can't understand why Russians are reluctant to get the country's Sputnik V vaccine.

In Germany, where cases on Thursday surged to a new record of more than 50,000, the country's health minister, Jens Spahn, has said his country must do "everything necessary" to break the latest wave of the disease, Deutsche Welle reported.

"The situation is serious and I recommend that everyone takes it as such," he said. Spahn and the head of Germany's Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases, Lothar Wieler, warned that intensive care units across the country were under severe strain from COVID-19 patients, particularly in the states of Saxony, Thuringia and Bavaria.

Spahn said free COVID-19 tests will be offered again starting Saturday.

Olaf Scholz, likely to succeed Angela Merkel as Germany's next chancellor, has called on people either to be vaccinated, recovered or have negative tests to go to work and for stricter rules to enter restaurants and cinemas.

Nearly a third of Germany's population is not yet fully vaccinated, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

By contrast, Portugal and Spain where new cases have been minimal top the European vaccination statistics, with rates in excess of 80%. Infections are also low in France, which has kept restrictions in place since summer, including a requirement to show a vaccine passport to do nearly everything.

Austria which has a vaccination rate similar to Germany's and has also posted record infections in the past week appears to be days away from imposing a lockdown for anyone who is not fully inoculated.

Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg has called a national lockdown for the unvaccinated "probably inevitable," adding that two-thirds of the population should not have to suffer because the other third refused to be vaccinated.

If the federal government approves, Upper Austria will impose restrictions on the unvaccinated beginning Monday. Salzburg is considering similar measures.

Schallenberg said the unvaccinated face an "uncomfortable" winter and Christmas.

In the Netherlands, a three-week partial lockdown was announced Friday, Reuters reported.

During a news conference Friday, caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the country will return to a partial lockdown starting Saturday ordering all bars and restaurants to close at 8 p.m. and sporting events to be held without audiences.

Dutch government officials also recommended that no more than four visitors be allowed in people's homes.

Denmark, which has also seen a recent upswing in cases, this week ordered its people to present a pass in the form of a smartphone app when they enter bars, restaurants and other public places. It is also considering fast-track legislation to require a digital "corona pass" for employers, according to Reuters.

While the United Kingdom saw a similar increase in cases last month, there are signs of a leveling off since then.

NPR's Jonathan Franklin contributed to this report.

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Europe and Russia battle a new wave of COVID-19 - NPR

Since testing positive, 78 residents and staff have recovered.

November 15, 2021, 10:28 PM

4 min read

A nursing home in Connecticut is recovering from a significant coronavirus outbreak, after 89 residents and staff tested positive for the virus, facility leadership reported Monday.

The outbreak at Geer Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in North Canaan, Connecticut, began in late September. Eight residents with "serious underlying health issues" died as a result of the outbreak, nursing home leadership said in a statement.

They said 78 residents and staff have since recovered since testing positive, and there are now only three active cases within the community of individuals living within the nursing home.

"We are encouraged to see only 3 active cases of covid-19 remaining within our nursing home. Of the total 67 residents affected over the course of this outbreak, 56 are fully recovered and off isolation. Sadly, we have lost 8 individuals with serious underlying health issues to Covid," Kevin O'Connell, the Geer Village Senior Community CEO, wrote.

Facility leaders said 87 of the 89 infected residents and staff were fully vaccinated, so leaders are "obviously concerned we experienced some level of waning immunity."

The outbreak occurred prior to boosters being made available, O'Connell told ABC News.

"We had it scheduled for Nov. 2, and then that got put aside because of the pandemic," O'Connell said, stressing that officials from the nursing home reached out to Walgreens "right away," when they were told that the booster was made available to residents.

However, O'Connell said that scheduling booster shots can be logistically complicated, because it entails coordinating it for all the staff and residents. "It takes a while to get that all set up," he said.

Booster shots will be made available to all eligible staff and residents when there are no new positive cases for two full weeks.

"We're following the guidance of the Department of Health," said O'Connell, "and they do not recommend providing booster to anybody with active infections for 14 days after the outbreak."

The CDC currently recommends that all individuals, 18 and older, who live in long-term care facilities, receive a COVID-19 booster shot, given the fact that residents are likely to live closely together, and are often older adults with underlying medical conditions, which cause them to be at "increased risk of infection and severe illness from COVID-19."

"We continue to monitor the situation closely and will provide updates for residents, staff, families and community stakeholders as the situation changes," officials from the home said over the weekend.

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Connecticut nursing home COVID-19 outbreak results in 89 infected, 8 dead - ABC News

Theres another pill to treat COVID-19 thats expected to be considered for federal approval after Pfizer announced Friday that its new antiviral drug is 89% effective in reducing hospitalizations and deaths from the virus in high-risk adults.

Pfizer, the company behind one of the three COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in the United States, said the clinical trial for the drug paxlovid will be stopped due to the overwhelming efficacy demonstrated in these results. The company said it is seeking emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Last month, Merck and Florida-based Ridgeback Biotherapeutics submitted a similar request for their drug, molnupiravir, after finding it cut the risk of hospitalization or death from COVID-19 by about 50% in adults seen as likely to progress to severe illness because theyre older or have certain medical conditions, such as heart disease.

The United Kingdom became the first country to approve the use of the Merck pill Thursday.

The pills, the first medication for COVID-19 patients that can be taken orally rather than being injected or given intravenously, like monoclonal antibody treatments, are being called a game changer for a pandemic now in its second year.

But Dr. Brandon Webb, an Intermountain Healthcare infectious diseases physician, said while the new antiviral treatments are good news, the pills should not be seen as a substitute for getting vaccinated against the virus and taking other preventive measures such as wearing a mask.

Treatments should be looked at as a safety net or a Band-Aid for individuals who unfortunately do get COVID, Webb said. But theyre not a solution to the pandemic.

Still to come, the doctor said, is detailed data about how safe the pills are to take, and how well theyre tolerated by patients. The Pfizer pill series includes a protease inhibitor, part of the drug cocktail treatment for HIV patients thats been in use for many years.

There will be some really important real-world practicalities, he said. From having treated patients with HIV with protease inhibitors, we know that those are very commonly associated with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, as well as a number of other drug interactions and other things we need to watch out for.

The pills were initially studied in high-risk patients who had not gotten vaccinated, Webb said, the group most likely to see the biggest benefit. At least initially, the pills are expected to be authorized only for adults considered at high risk of hospitalization or death from COVID-19, and administered under a doctors care, he said.

Before we crown it a game changer, I think its important to recognize that these oral drugs may not be for everyone. Not everyone will tolerate them, Webb said, and some may be taking other drugs for medical conditions that could cause issues.

All drugs have side effects and all drugs have a risk versus benefit profile, he said, adding that its important for people to understand that right now, we dont know that the safety of the pills is any better than the safety of the vaccines.

Concerns have been raised about treatments being viewed as an alternative to vaccination, considered the key to stopping the spread of the deadly virus, Webb said. In Florida and other states, people have skipped vaccines and other cheaper methods of preventing COVID-19 in favor of monoclonal antibody treatments that cost $2,100.

Theres always a concern in the current political environment that the role of treatments for COVID will be misinterpreted as a primary therapy rather than a secondary therapy that is intended to complement preventive measures and vaccinations, Webb said.

Only developing immunity to the virus through widespread vaccination can prevent the emergence of new variants like the delta variant that drove up case counts, hospitalizations and deaths starting last summer and stop the pandemic, the doctor said.

Pfizer Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla touted the pills in a news release as having the potential to save patients lives, reduce the severity of COVID-19 infections, and eliminate up to nine out of 10 hospitalizations.

Bourla called the news of the clinical trial results a real game changer in the global efforts to halt the devastation of this pandemic.

A Pfizer executive who led the drugs development, Annaliesa Anderson, said, The results are really beyond our wildest dreams, the New York Times reported. She said he hopes the new drug can have a big impact on helping all our lives go back to normal again and seeing the end of the pandemic.

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Pfizer announces pill to treat COVID-19. Heres what you need to know - Deseret News

Can the Packers beat the Chiefs without Aaron Rodgers?

Sports Seriously: Aaron Rodgers will be out this week after testing positive for COVID-19. Andy Nesbitt and Charles Curtis discuss whether Jordan Love can still lead Green Bay to a win Sunday in Kansas City.

Sports Seriously, USA TODAY

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers made his first public comments Friday since testing positive for COVID-19, addressing why he told the news media in August that he was "immunized" and why he is not vaccinated.

Rodgers will not play in Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs and won't be allowed at the team facility for the next 10 days, according to NFL protocols.

He addressed the controversy and backlash for 45 minutes on the"Pat McAfee Show," offering a strong rebuke of the process and referencing several debunked talking points circulating among people opposed to the vaccine.

DANGEROUSLY MISINFORMED: Aaron Rodgers isn't a victim of 'woke mob'

RODGERS HAS COVID: He lied about being vaccinated, and being a team player

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"I am somebody who's a critical thinker," he said. "I believe strongly in bodily autonomy and the ability to make choices for your body."

However, Rodgers said he is not a so-called "anti-vaxxer."

"I am not a COVID-denieror any (expletive) like that," Rodgers said. "I just wanted to make the best choice for my body."

Rodgers said he has been tested dailyper NFL protocol and said he was "in the cross hairs of the woke mob right now."

"So, before my final nail gets put in my cancel culture casket, I'd like to set the record straight on so many of the blatant lies out there. I tested for COVID over 300 times before testing for possible positive and I probably got it from a vaccinated player," Rodgers said.

He hasn't provided details on which infected player he believes he was exposed to or any details of where or when he could have been exposed.

The three-time MVP claimed he did extensiveresearch on the vaccines, but said he was allergic to something in both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Hesought alternative treatment when he said the two vaccines available weren't right for him.

"For me it involved a lot of studying in the offseason," Rodgers said. "I put a lot of time and energy into researching and met with a lot of different people in the medical field to get the most information about the vaccines before making a decision."

Rodgers also said he consulted with his friend Joe Rogan and mentioned ivermectin, a medicine that is generally used to treatthreadworms, roundwormsand other parasites. That medicine is not approved for use in battling COVID-19 by the Food and Drug Administration.

"The specific protocol, I am going to keep between me and my doctors," he said.

Rodgers appealed to the NFL on his unnamed alternative treatment, which was rejected, and says that the Packers, his teammates and the NFL knew of his status when he was questioned by the media in August.

"I have followed every single protocol to a T, except that one that makes absolutely no sense to me," Rodgers said, referencing that unvaccinated players must be six feet apart and wearing a mask when speaking to the media.

He also saidan NFL doctor had told himit would be impossible for a vaccinated person to catch or spread COVID. The NFL refuted Rodgers' claim later Friday, telling Pro Football Talk,"No doctor from the league or the joint NFL-NFLPA infectious disease consultants communicated with the player. If they had, they certainly would have never said anything like that."

On the McAfee show, Rodgerswent on to mentioncivil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., saying,"The great MLK said, 'You have a moral obligation to object to unjust rules and rules that make no sense.'"

Rodgers said he was excited for his backup Jordan Love to play against the Chiefs and has talked to him concerning Sunday's game.

"I feel really good and if this was the flu, I would be playing on Sunday.I hope we can take a step backwith the lying and the witch hunt," he said.

More here:

Aaron Rodgers confirms hes unvaccinated, has taken ivermectin in first comments after testing positive for COVID-19 - USA TODAY

A resort at Natadola Bay in Fiji is among many to have felt the effect of COVID on tourism. Aileen Torrest-Bennett/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

A resort at Natadola Bay in Fiji is among many to have felt the effect of COVID on tourism.

The main island of Tonga has gone into a week-long lockdown after the South Pacific nation reported its very first COVID-19 case of the pandemic late last week.

The COVID-positive traveler, who is fully vaccinated and was showing no symptoms, arrived in Tonga last Wednesday on a flight from Christchurch, New Zealand. All 214 others aboard the flight have tested negative and the infected traveler, a young missionary, is currently quarantined in a facility.

"So far, we're very happy that nothing else has happened besides that one case," Dr. Viliami Puloka told NPR from his home in Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga. The retired general practitioner and public health specialist said it was just a matter of time before the virus reached them.

"I think in general, people do understand what is happening and it's been expected that at some point, as long as this virus is anywhere, this virus everywhere," he said.

Under the lockdown, which began at midnight Tuesday, schools, bars and restaurants will be closed for a week and a curfew imposed on the island of Tongatapu, where a majority of Tonga's population lives. People will only be able to leave their homes for essential business, such as getting groceries, medicine or banking.

Puloka said while the chance of the virus getting out into the wider community was very slim, the community seemed keen to keep it from spreading. The confirmed case has spurred a rush to get vaccinated, according to local media.

"I think it was just kind of disappointing because they were looking forward to opening up the border and accepting people from outside, but this is what has happened," Puloka said.

Small Pacific island nations and territories have been spared the worst of the pandemic because of their ability to isolate themselves from the rest of the world.

Puloka said if an outbreak of COVID-19 were to happen in Tonga, a cluster of islands about 500 miles southeast of Fiji, its limited resources and natural isolation would foster "a very huge disaster that I don't think we can really handle."

Yet shutting borders long-term for countries that depend economically on commodity exports and tourism has led to a glaring irony of the pandemic: Those who have managed to keep the pandemic out may be some of the last to recover from it.

A policy brief from the Australia-based Lowy Institute released last year warned that countries and territories across the Pacific faced a potential "lost decade" and a permanent economic setback due to the economic and social damage wrought by the pandemic.

A year later, the outlook for the region remains largely the same, says Roland Raja, lead economist at the Lowy Institute.

"Economically speaking, the recovery has been very slow in the Pacific, while the rest of the world is bouncing back," he told NPR.

The slow bounce-back of tourism in some Pacific countries and territories is to blame. While others, such as Papua New Guinea the largest economy in the region and a country dependent on commodity exports are simply more overwhelmed with COVID-19 than they were last year, Raja said.

And while the region as a whole has a good vaccination rate, Raja says the light at the end of the tunnel "is not actually even clear."

"I think at the moment, that's what it looks like the Pacific is very much likely to be amongst the slowest, if not the slowest region, to recover from from this crisis," he said.

Some countries across the vast Pacific, which includes 2.3 million people spread across roughly 15% of the globe, have attempted to balance their economic needs with the health of their people.

French Polynesia is one of them. Tourism is the French overseas territory's main economic driver and officials have estimated a nearly $1.2 billion loss because the pandemic brought international tourism to a standstill.

Tourists go snorkeling in Fiji. Tourism has taken a major hit in the Pacific. Victor Bonito/Reef Explorer Fiji/AFP via Getty hide caption

Tourists go snorkeling in Fiji. Tourism has taken a major hit in the Pacific.

After initially shutting its borders in March of 2020, French Polynesia, which includes renowned tourist islands Tahiti and Bora Bora, has since opened and closed its borders a handful of times. The territory has also made exceptions for French citizens and locals, such as politicians, to travel in and out, says Guillaume Colombani, a long-time tourism worker in Tahiti.

Still, he says that since the start of the pandemic the tourism sector "has suffered a lot."

Paris controls the borders. Each time they're opened, people there get "very scared," Colombani says. French Polynesia has racked up over 45,000 COVID-19 cases and some 636 deaths.

This attempted balancing act has left many, like Colombani, unsure "that all the decisions that were made or taken were very good for us."

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Tonga recorded its first-ever COVID-19 case as Pacific charts pandemic recovery - NPR