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Fans, Ono, bandmates mark 40 years since John Lennon’s death

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Fans, Ono, bandmates mark 40 years since John Lennon’s death

Fans remembered John Lennon with flowers, candles, and songs Tuesday, the 40th anniversary of the former Beatle’s death after being shot outside his New York City apartment building.

In Central Park’s Strawberry Fields section, which is steps from where he was shot and is dedicated to Lennon, photos of the icon ringed the inlaid “Imagine” mosaic, along with a magazine, a small tree and other memorabilia, as musicians played nearby.

It was Dec. 8, 1980, when the world-famous musician was with his wife, Yoko Ono, and was shot by Mark David Chapman outside the Dakota apartments on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Chapman remains in prison.

At the time, The Associated Press reported, “Lennon and his wife were walking through the Dakota’s big, arched entryway about 10:50 p.m. when a man approached them and fired five shots from a .38-caliber pistol. Lennon yelled ‘I’m shot’ and staggered up a few steps into the building and collapsed.”

The anniversary was marked on social media by Ono, as well as by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, the two surviving members of the quartet that made up the Beatles. George Harrison died in 2001.

“The death of a loved one is a hollowing experience. After 40 years, Sean, Julian, and I still miss him,” Ono said, referring to Lennon’s two sons.

She also highlighted the toll of gun violence, posting an image of Lennon’s bloody eyeglasses and listing the number of people she said have been killed by guns in the U.S. since his death.

McCartney and Starr both made posts with images of them in their younger days with Lennon.

14 Fort Hood officers and enlisted soldiers fired or suspended over violence at base

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14 Fort Hood officers and enlisted soldiers fired or suspended over violence at base

The Army on Tuesday said it had fired or suspended 14 officers and enlisted soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, and ordered policy changes to address chronic leadership failures at the base that contributed to a widespread pattern of violence including murder, sexual assaults, and harassment.

Two general officers were among those being removed from their jobs, as top Army leaders announced the findings of an independent panel’s investigation into problems at the Texas base.

The actions, taken by Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, come in the aftermath of a year that saw 25 soldiers assigned to Fort Hood die due to suicide, homicide, or accidents, including the bludgeoning death of Spc. Vanessa Guillen. Guillen was missing for about two months before her remains were found.

Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, McCarthy said that based on the panel’s review, he concluded that the issues at Fort Hood, including major flaws in the reporting and response to sexual assault and harassment, “are directly related to leadership failures.” He said he was gravely disappointed in the commanders there, adding, “without leadership, systems don’t matter.”

Gen. James McConville, the chief of staff of the Army, told reporters that he spoke to Guillen’s mother on Tuesday morning and told her, “We are holding leaders accountable, and we will fix this.”

The firings and suspensions include Army Maj. Gen. Scott Efflandt, who was left in charge of the base earlier this year when Guillen was killed, as well as Maj. Gen. Jeffery Broadwater, commander of the 1st Cavalry Divisions. The administrative actions are expected to trigger investigations that could lead to a wide range of punishments. Those punishments could go from a simple letter of reprimand to a military discharge.

The base commander, Army Lt. Gen. Pat White, will not face any administrative action. He was deployed to Iraq as the commander there for much of the year.

McCarthy also ordered a new Army policy that changes how commanders deal with missing soldiers, requiring them to list service members as absent-unknown for up to 48 hours and to do everything they can to locate the service members to determine if their absence is voluntary or not before declaring anyone AWOL, or absent without leave.

Army leaders had already delayed Efflandt’s planned transfer to Fort Bliss, where he was slated to take over leadership of the 1st Armored Division. Command of a division is a key step in an Army officer’s career.

Efflandt’s move to the division was paused while the team of independent investigators conducted its probe into whether leadership failures contributed to the killings of several people, including Guillen, and who should be held accountable.

According to investigators, Guillen, 20, was bludgeoned to death at Fort Hood by Spc. Aaron Robinson, who killed himself on July 1 as police were trying to take him into custody. Her family has said Robinson sexually harassed her, though the Army has said there is no evidence supporting that claim.

Also in July, the body of Pvt. Major Morta was found near a reservoir by the base. And in June, officials discovered the remains of another missing soldier, Gregory Morales, about 10 miles from that lake.

The investigation involved 647 individual interviews of both male and female soldiers. Officials say 503 of the interviewees were women.

Army officials discovered 93 credible acts of sexual assault in the interviews, only 59 of which had been previously reported. Additionally, officials found 217 credible accounts of sexual harassment.

The Army announced it accepts all of the findings of the investigation as a whole, saying all issues are directly related to leadership failures.

After the press conference at the Pentagon, another was held at Fort Hood where officials announced the steps they would be taking at the base level.

Lt. General Pat White announced Operation People First at Fort Hood, which is aimed at shifting the climate at the Army base and improving soldier relationships with leadership.

White said already, more than 4 million man-hours have been pulled from other operations previously prioritized to focus on the new operation and eliminating sexual assault, sexual harassment, racism, and extremism at Fort Hood.

So far this year, 25 soldiers assigned to Fort Hood have died due to suicide, homicide, or accidents, compared to 32 deaths last year and 24 in 2018.

Fort Hood is the Army base in the United States with the highest number of violent crimes.

AstraZeneca/Oxford, once a frontrunner in COVID-19 vaccine race, has work to do to catch up

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AstraZeneca/Oxford, once a frontrunner in COVID-19 vaccine race, has work to do to catch up

AstraZeneca and Oxford University have more work to do to confirm whether their COVID-19 vaccine can be 90 percent effective, peer-reviewed data published in The Lancet showed on Tuesday, potentially slowing its eventual rollout in the fight against the pandemic.

Once seen as the frontrunner in the development of a vaccine against the coronavirus crisis, the British team was overtaken by U.S. drugmaker Pfizer, whose shots — with a success rate of around 95 percent — were administered to the U.K. pensioners on Tuesday in a world-first hailed as V-Day.

Detailed results from the AstraZeneca/Oxford trials have been eagerly awaited after some scientists criticized a lack of information in their initial announcement last month.

However, the Lancet study gave few extra clues about why efficacy was 62 percent for trial participants given two full doses, but 90 percent for a smaller sub-group given a half, then a full dose.

“[This] will require further research as more data becomes available from the trial,” the study said.

Less than six percent of U.K. trial participants were given the lower dose regimen and none of them were over 55, meaning more research will be needed to investigate the vaccine’s efficacy in older people who are particularly susceptible to COVID-19.

Pooling the results, overall efficacy was 70.4 percent, the data on Tuesday showed. That is above the 50 percent minimum set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Efficacy reflects how well a vaccine works in clinical trials. Effectiveness is how well a vaccine or a product will work in the real world rather than ideal settings.

Vaccine efficacy levels vary

COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and German partner BioNTech and from Moderna have reported efficacy levels of more than 90 percent in late-stage trials.

But the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine is seen as particularly important to tackling the pandemic in the developing world, as it would be cheaper and easier to distribute.

“The basic message: that the overall efficacy across the trials that are reported here is about 70 percent but with a clear description of its uncertainty,” said Stephen Evans, a professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

“The statistical uncertainty is that the efficacy could be as low as 55 percent or as high as 80 percent. The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines both have efficacies above 90 percent and are clearly more efficacious under trial conditions.”

Asked whether the half, then full dose regimen had been a mistake, Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group and chief investigator into the trials, told a news conference it had been “unplanned.”

Local and state leaders detail COVID-19 vaccine plan as first distributions start next week

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Local and state leaders detail COVID-19 vaccine plan as first distributions start next week

Among the thousands who signed up for COVID-19 vaccine trials is the newly elected president of the Houston Police Officers Union, Doug Griffith.

“I hope I can set an example,” said Griffith. “We’re supposed to lead by example, so I do everything I can to make sure our officers are protected. Somebody had to test these vaccines so I’m healthy. I thought it was a good choice for me to make.”

Griffith is now keeping an eye on when the vaccines will be available to police officers, though he knows it won’t be right away.

That’s because Texas is initially scheduled to get 1.4 million doses, with medical workers and nursing home residents being first priority.

“The initial shipment we are expecting is next week,” said Lara Anton, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services, which is the agency charged with dispensing the vaccines to the medical facilities across the state. The big facilities that have a large number of healthcare workers that we can vaccinate and a short period of time, that’s the first places that will get the vaccine.”

In Houston, Memorial Hermann is set to receive 16,500 doses for its entire medical system, including outlying facilities.

“We have a total of 12 sites for administering the vaccine,” said Memorial Hermann CEO Dr. David Callender. “I know our 12 sites, we can deliver a total of 1,800 vaccines a day. It will take us nine to 10 days to work through the supply.”

Callender said after the initial 16,500 doses, the hospital system will then receive the follow-up doses for those workers in about three weeks.

Overall, state health officials have divided the Texas population into tiers, with priority 1 people getting the vaccines first, and the rest will follow in the following months.

In the greater Houston region, which encompasses Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Galveston, Brazoria, and several outlying counties, here is how priority 1 recipients are broken down:

  • Healthcare workers: 163,834
  • EMS personnel: 16,509
  • Acute hospital employees: 99,088
  • Nursing home residents: 23,848
  • Adults over 65+: 949,259

“I am extremely excited about it,” said Dr. Mike Chang of SE Texas ER. “I am certainly in the queue for one of the first shots, absolutely.”

As an ER physician, Chang is scheduled for one of the earliest shots, possibly as early as Dec. 17. As a medical director for one of the smaller hospitals in Laredo, he is also in the midst of determining how to distribute his allotment of 1,950 vaccine doses next week.

Whether managing a smaller hospital, running a huge system like Memorial Hermann, or executing a statewide plan, the guiding principle for those involved is a simple one: “We need to ensure those people who need it most get it first.”

For the rest of Texas, expect vaccines by around April 2021.

U.K. begins world’s first Pfizer coronavirus vaccinations

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U.K. begins world’s first Pfizer coronavirus vaccinations

The U.K. rolled out the first coronavirus vaccines to the public on Tuesday, making it the first country to inoculate people with a treatment that went through full testing.

Margaret Keenan, who turns 91 next week, made history as the world’s first person to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine outside of trial conditions. The vaccine was approved by the U.K. drug regulator last week.

“I feel so privileged,” she said. “It’s the best early birthday present I could wish for because I can finally look forward to spending time with my family and friends in the New Year after being on my own for most of the year.”

An 81-year-old man named William Shakespeare became the second person to get the vaccine. He was inoculated in Coventry. “No, no, not nervous at all,” said Shakespeare, who lives in Warwickshire. “I’m very apprehensive about the side effects … but there’s a small chance of that.”

Now, the vaccine will be given to front-line health workers, nursing home workers, and those ages over 80, before it is given more widely among the U.K. population.

On the eve of the vaccine being rolled out, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was a “huge step forward” in the fight against the pandemic. It will be the country’s biggest vaccination drive ever.

Johnson’s sentiment was echoed by NHS England’s Chief Executive Simon Stevens, who said on Monday that it was a “decisive turning point in the battle against coronavirus.”

British newspapers, meanwhile, hailed it “V Day” and “Vaxit” (a play on “Brexit” — the other big news in the U.K. this week).

The rollout comes at a crucial time for the country; the U.K. has the third-highest number of coronavirus cases in Europe, after France and Italy, with over 1.7 million confirmed infections, and more than 61,000 deaths, data from Johns Hopkins University shows.

Fifty hospitals have been chosen to act as vaccine “hubs” in the U.K. and these will act as the primary place where the inoculations are administered. Later, the vaccine will be rolled out to community health centers, such as doctors’ surgeries, in order to facilitate a more general vaccination program, where the priority will depend on age and clinical need

Croydon University Hospital in London was one of the first hospitals to receive batches of the vaccine this weekend.

“It’s just incredible actually,” Croydon Health Services’ Chief Pharmacist Louise Coughlan told reporters.

“Obviously I can’t hold them in my hands because they are minus 70 degrees, but to know that they are here and we are amongst the first in the country to actually receive the vaccine and therefore the first in the world is just amazing. I am so proud,” she said.

The U.K. preordered 40 million doses of Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine, which proved to be 95% effective at preventing Covid infection in late-stage clinical trials.

As it’s a two-dose vaccine, the country has bought enough doses to vaccinate 20 million people. Pfizer’s delivery of the vaccines will be staggered, with the total amount expected to have been delivered by the end of 2021.

Britain has also preordered other Covid-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca and Moderna, but these are yet to be granted approval.

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Southeast Texas healthcare workers anticipating second COVID spike while battling pandemic fatigue

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Southeast Texas healthcare workers anticipating second COVID spike while battling pandemic fatigue

Health officials said they expect this spoke in coronavirus cases to get worse, and ICU hospital beds in Jefferson County are still nearing capacity Friday night.

Doctors and healthcare workers are expecting more new cases linked to Thanksgiving gatherings and believe the next two weeks will be critical.

Health experts are expecting to start hitting similar record numbers reported in July, back when new COVID-19 cases were 100 per day. This week, the daily average for new coronavirus cases is 84.

With a second COVID-19 peak on the horizon, healthcare heroes are preparing as best they can.

“This is exactly what happened in July and August, so we feel like it’s repeating again,” Christus St. Elizabeth vice president of medical affairs Dr. Waqar Ahmad said.

Hospitalizations are rising, he said. He sees the trend every day.

“We see the signs of fatigue and tiredness in the staff, they’ve been fighting this pandemic for a long time now,” Ahmad said. “The past week has been really, really busy.”

Hospitals are not just busy with coronavirus patients. According to SETRAC, the majority of hospitalizations in Jefferson County are made up of people with other illnesses.

Dr. Ahmad said if you have other health issues, do not be afraid to go to the doctor before it gets worse.

“Talk to your doctor,” he said. “If you don’t want to go to the office, talk to them on the phone, get their advice.”

As hospitalizations rise, so do positive COVID-19 cases.

“Yes, we’re seeing an increase in cases, but next week is really critical for us,” Lamar University Associate Professor Dr. Praphul Joshi said.

Dr. Joshi crunches the numbers for Jefferson County. The rise in cases the last few weeks are from infections before Thanksgiving weekend.

“We are getting more and more people getting tested, and our positivity rate is increasing that is another scary thing too,” he said.

Last week, Jefferson County averaged 75 positive cases a day, Dr. Joshi said. This week, the average is 84.

He said he expects that number to continue to climb.

“There’s this notion that the disease is gone, but we are way far, far off,” Dr. Joshi said. “We have a long ways to go.”

Dr. Ahmad also said another challenge hospitals are facing is healthcare workers getting the virus and having to call in sick.

Everyday actions have a trickle-down effect, which is why he said he is asking everyone to stay vigilant.

General Public Could Receive Vaccinations By July, Texas Health Officials Say

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General Public Could Receive Vaccinations By July, Texas Health Officials Say

Texas health officials on Monday said they hoped to start vaccinating the general public by next July, though that could change based on the type of vaccine and how many doses the state receives.

In its COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan update, the Texas Department of State Health Services laid out its phased approach to vaccinations, with the health agency expecting to have about 1.5 million vaccine doses available for limited distribution by the end of the month to hospital staff treating COVID-19 patients, as well as staff and residents at long-term care facilities.

A second phase, set to run from February to July, would increase the number of available doses to ensure access to those critical populations that remained unvaccinated.

That would mean vaccinations for the general public wouldn’t be in full swing until mid-summer, according to Dr. Imelda Garcia with DSHS.

“You’ll see the state will be involved in COVID-19 vaccine distribution for quite some time, and likely for close to a year just based on what we’re anticipating right now,” Garcia told a state Senate Health and Human Services Committee panel on Monday.

A fourth phase, projected to begin in October of 2021, would include boosters and would make vaccines available through private providers.

Around 225,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine will likely begin to be administered next week, according to the state’s plan, which is subject to change. Just under 50,000 of those doses are for hospital systems in Harris County, such as Memorial Hermann, Houston Methodist, and Harris Health.

“All systems are loaded,” said Saroj Rai, who works in the immunization unit at DSHS. “All selected hospitals are ready to go, and upon the issuance of emergency use authorization, those facilities will be ready to receive vaccine shipment.”

Fort Bend, Montgomery, and Galveston counties are also slated to receive first-week doses, according to the state health department.

Some health officials had previously expressed hope that the vaccine would be available by April but nonetheless urged the public not to drop its guard.

Dr. David Persse, Houston health authority, has continued to stress following public safety guidelines like social distancing and face coverings.

“We hear people like Dr. Fauci and others on the federal level talk about when the average person is going to have it,” Persse said late last month. “I’m hearing April is a common answer to that. I’m gonna put an asterisk with that answer because we’re going to have to see how fast it comes out and how fast it is consumed.”

The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, which is set to receive nearly 3,000 doses of the vaccine, said it was expecting its first doses any day now. And that might be before FDA grants Pfizer emergency authorization, hospital officials said.

In line with Texas guidelines, these doses will go to hospital employees that are working directly with COVID-19 patients in the ER and ICU, as well as EMS workers.

UTMB may receive more doses about a week after the first shipment, and Dr. Phillip Keiser, who is leading UTMB’s vaccine preparedness team, said the hospital may be able to vaccinate nearly 1,000 people a day.

“We think we’re ready, but we also recognize that the first couple weeks of this are probably going to be very confused and we have to be nimble and be flexible,” Keiser said.

Coronavirus In Greater Houston: City Surpasses 100,000 COVID-19 Cases

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Coronavirus In Greater Houston: City Surpasses 100,000 COVID-19 Cases

With a vaccine on the horizon, local officials are asking Houstonians to remain vigilant with social distancing and mask-wearing, to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

 

The city of Houston hit a grim milestone on Sunday, surpassing 100,000 COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic.

The Houston Health Department reported 1,333 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to at least 100,907 confirmed cases as of Monday morning. That number includes the removal of 32 previously identified cases, which were found to be duplicated. Of those cases, 94% were tested within the last two weeks.

The city also reported four new deaths, bringing the total in Houston to 1,465.

The news comes as the state of Texas continues its struggle to contain the spread of the virus. The Texas Department of State Health Services reported 8,436 new cases and 92 deaths Sunday, with 8,681 people hospitalized with COVID-19. And the seven-day average of new cases has quadrupled since the beginning of October, the Texas Tribune reported on Sunday.

A White House report made public last week warned that Texas and other states may be underplaying the pandemic and recommended public health officials in those states make clear to the public the severity of the virus.

Though a vaccine does appear to be on the horizon, health officials in Houston and beyond have urged the public not to drop their guard, and to continue following public safety guidelines like social distancing and face coverings.

Texas, meanwhile, has released its allocation list for the first week of vaccinations, which could come as early as Dec. 14, depending on FDA approval.

Hospitals in Harris County will get just under 50,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine in the first week’s allocation, while Fort Bend, Montgomery, and Galveston counties are also slated to receive first-week doses, according to the state health department.

Monday afternoon, a Texas task force charged with coordinating vaccine distribution will hold a public meeting with further details of its plan.

The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, which is set to receive nearly 3,000 doses of the vaccine, said it was expecting its first doses any day now. And that might be before FDA grants Pfizer emergency authorization, hospital officials said.

In line with Texas guidelines, these doses will go to hospital employees that are working directly with COVID-19 patients in the ER and ICU, as well as EMS workers.

UTMB may receive more doses about a week after the first shipment, and Dr. Phillip Keiser, who is leading UTMB’s vaccine preparedness team, said the hospital may be able to vaccinate nearly 1,000 people a day.

“We think we’re ready, but we also recognize that the first couple weeks of this are probably going to be very confused and we have to be nimble and be flexible,” Keiser said.

HPD: 3 people taken into custody after deadly shootout in northeast Houston

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HPD: 3 people taken into custody after deadly shootout in northeast Houston

A parking lot is littered with bullet casings and at least one person was shot after a deadly shootout over the weekend in northeast Houston.

Houston police responded to shots fired about 8:15 p.m. Sunday outside a business in the 400 block of Beltway 8 North.

Police said a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and shells from both pistols and rifles were found at the scene. Images from the scene showed the back window of a grey Volkswagen shot.

The shooting victim was taken to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Meanwhile, investigators said they made contact with three persons of interest who surrendered to police not far from the crime scene.

The suspects are cooperating with the investigation, an officer said.

They believe a gunfight erupted between several people, and there’s evidence shots were fired from several different directions. Police are reviewing surveillance footage to determine what role the suspects and the victim played in the shooting.

They’re also searching for other possible victims or property damage in the area.

Please check back for updates on this developing story.

United Airlines offering COVID-19 tests for some passengers

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United Airlines offering COVID-19 tests for some passengers

Starting Monday, United Airlines is offering passengers COVID-19 tests before they leave to ten select destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Certain countries require people to test negative before entering.

“It took a lot of time for us to look here in Houston, where to get the test,” said passenger Nicole Nogera.

Nogera from Honduras was visiting family and said she hopes to get tested through United Airlines next visit.

Passengers will get a COVID-19 test in the mail, they’ll administer it themselves and send it to a lab 72 hours before the flight.

Customers should expect to receive results within 24 to 48 hours.

Some countries require people to test negative to enter and this will help the passengers.

“We definitely want to be able to provide the customer the peace of mind that they know that these results are the ones required by the foreign government,” said Harry Cabrera with United Airlines IAH.

If someone tests positive, the airlines will work with the passenger to schedule a later flight.

The test costs $119.

The destinations include:

  • Aruba (AUA)
  • Belize City, Belize (BZE)
  • Guatemala City, Guatemala (GUA)
  • Lima, Peru (LIM)
  • Nassau, Bahamas (NAS)
  • Panama City, Panama (PTY)
  • Roatan, Honduras (RTB)
  • San Pedro Sula, Honduras (SAP)
  • San Salvador, El Salvador (SAL)
  • Tegucigalpa, Honduras (TGU)

 

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