
MFA and COVID19 Update – August 28, 2022
photo: PDA’s Dr. Bill Honigman’s Healthcare Not Warfare Speech – We want Bernie rally 2016
By Dr. Bill Honigman, Healthcare Human Rights, Coordinator – Progressive Democrats of America
COVID & MFA REALITY CHECK
1,039,927 Total COVID19 deaths in US to date*
415,970 US COVID19 deaths prevented with MFA**
*Harvard University Daily Tracker
This is now our 133rd consecutive weekly PDA Online Town Hall since #COVID19 first hit the U.S. in the spring of 2020. And today, we must report once again that the United States continues to demonstrate that we might be an advanced country but not a civilized one, as we continue to hold the title of world leader in total COVID19 deaths to date.
The Harvard University daily tracking center is reporting the U.S. COVID19 total death toll today at 1,039,927, which means that an estimated 415,970 total Americans have now died from COVID19 that would still be alive today if we had a Universal Healthcare system of #SinglePayer expanded and improved #MedicareForAll (MFA).
That’s once again over a thousand more, specifically 1,340 more Americans, who died unnecessarily from COVID just this week, because the United States refuses to follow the science of public health policy and economics that saves money and saves lives with publicly funded rather than commercially funded and directed Healthcare.
According to OurWorldInData.org, an estimated 67.6% of world population have received at least one dose of the COVID19 vaccine, and 63.2% are thought to be fully vaccinated, and still only 20.9% of those who happen to live in low-income countries have received even that initial dose. The U.S. is thought to have a stagnant 79% of its population with at least one shot on board, and still only 67% with a complete initial series, with no significant change since last week’s reporting.
The Johns Hopkins Resource Center ranks COVID19 vaccinations with the U.S. now at No. 67, down a point from last week – now just behind India and Sri Lanka, and just ahead of El Salvador and Mongolia. Will we ever rank at or near the other advanced countries in this most basic public health response to an obvious public health crisis?
And worst state status in the U.S. COVID vaccination rate again this week, goes to Wyoming, at a stagnant 51.8% of its population fully vaxxed. Not my idea of Homeland Security, U.S. Representative and potential 2024 candidate for President Liz Cheney.
The CDC now estimates the Omicron subvariant BA.5 accounts for some 88.7% of U.S. COVID-19 cases, while BA.4 accounts for 3.6%. Other omicron subvariants make up the rest.
And, while new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths due to COVID are leveling or declining in most countries around the world, the northern hemisphere at least awaits possible surges in the coming colder months. This, as new so-called “multivalent vaccines” that cover Omicron and more viral variants are expected to become available hopefully still within the next couple of weeks.
Of course, it remains to be seen just how motivated the population overall will be to get what for many will be a fourth or fifth shot. Many who have now experienced mild or not-so-mild infections can attest to their desire to not have to suffer through unnecessary re-infections, and of course the more immunity there is across the global population, the more the virus will no longer have unwitting victims in which to further propagate and mutate.
Finally, this week revealed more clinical information about the latest public health scourge, the Monkeypox pandemic. Misdiagnoses, and prevalence among asymptomatic carriers or those with mild symptoms, is leading at least to the addition of new symptoms and criteria for diagnoses, if not yet more comprehensive processes for treatment and prevention.
All of which could lead one to ask, how much further ahead in response to this public health affliction would we be if we had publicly rather than commercially funded Healthcare in this country, as we should? Again, not my idea of Homeland Security.
So, what is Homeland Security? Expanded and improved MFA, not tweaked and massaged commercial Healthcare, only for those who can qualify or can afford it.
Onward to Healthcare justice!
And thanks again for listening.
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