thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-30--18 Actually Good Things That Happened in 2020

Bong Joon Ho made history as the first Korean to win the Best Director Oscar Finland moved to give new @ @ @ @ @ newborns .
Dogs trained to protect wildlife have saved 45 rhinos from poachers in South @ @ @ @ @ world rose up to protest police violence and racial injustice .
The Supreme Court rejected @ @ @ @ @ effort to end DACA .
The Supreme Court ruled that LGBTQ employees are protected by @ @ @ @ @ Thanks to stay-at-home orders , animal shelters are more empty than ever .
Polio was @ @ @ @ @ continent .
Scotland became the first country to make period products free .
The COVID @ @ @ @ @ in global carbon emissions in 2020 .
The 2020 election saw the most voter participation @ @ @ @ @ election led to historic wins for LGBTQ+ people and women of color .
It was @ @ @ @ @ for space exploration .
Hundreds of religious leaders called for a ban on conversion therapy @ @ @ @ @ vaccine , the biggest vaccination campaign in history has begun .

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Let’s start with the obvious: 2020 was a massively disappointing year, right from the jump. In January, we learned that 162 billionaires have the same wealth as half of humanity, and that we’d just muddled through the hottest decade on record. Then, February came and the coronavirus pandemic began to touch all of us.
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But amid all our struggles, there were glimmers of hope in the form of actual good news. (We know, it’s hard to believe.) Below, we rounded up 18 positive things that happened in 2020.
Bong Joon Ho made history as the first Korean to win the Best Director Oscar
In February, South Korean Bong Joon Ho won the Best Director Oscar for his film “Parasite,” becoming the first person from the Asian nation to take home the award. The film went on to take home the top prize at the Academy Awards — the first time any foreign-language film ever won Best Picture.
“Once you overcome the 1-inch barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many amazing films,” the director previously said during a Golden Globes acceptance speech through a translator.
Kevork Djansezian via Getty Images Writer-director Bong Joon-ho attends the 92nd Annual Academy Awards Governors Ball on Feb. 9, 2020.
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Finland moved to give new dads time off with their newborns.
In February, Finland’s new government announced plans to give all parents the same parental leave, in an effort to “promote wellbeing and gender equality.”
According to the BBC, paid allowance will increase to a combined 14 months, which works out to 164 days per parent. The decision comes as many other European countries move toward more equitable approaches to paternity leave. Sweden famously has the most generous leave policy, offering parents a combined 480 days of parental leave.
Congo discharged its last Ebola patient. The last Ebola patient being treated in the Democratic Republic of Congo went home from a treatment center in early March, according to the World Health Organization. It was a huge step in the country’s fight against the second-deadliest outbreak of the disease in history.
Dogs trained to protect wildlife have saved 45 rhinos from poachers in South Africa.
In March, we learned that a group of dogs trained to protect rhinos from poachers have saved saved 45 rhinos in South Africa.
The dogs, including beagles and bloodhounds, among other breeds, were trained from birth to track down poachers alongside humans in Greater Kruger National Park. The project is run by Southern African Wildlife College and Ivan Carter Wildlife Conservation Alliance. In the last decade, 9,442 African rhinos have been lost to poaching.
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People around the world rose up to protest police violence and racial injustice.
In the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis, protests arose in nearly all major cities across the United States. They broke out globally, too, extending to more than 60 countries in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and against racial injustice and police brutality.
GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT via Getty Images A protester holds a banner on Champ de Mars, in Paris, on June 6, 2020, as part of worldwide protests against racism and police brutality in the wake of the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man killed by police in Minneapolis.
Crayola unveiled new inclusive skin-tone crayons.
In May, Crayola unveiled its most inclusive skin-tone crayons yet. The “Colors of the World” pack includes crayons that represent over 40 skin tones, giving kids the chance to “accurately color themselves into the world,” the company said.
“Crayola hopes our new Colors of the World crayons will increase representation and foster a greater sense of belonging and acceptance,” Crayola CEO Rich Wuerthele said in a news release. “We want the new Colors of the World crayons to advance inclusion within creativity and impact how kids express themselves.”
The Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s effort to end DACA.
Summer brought Americans a handful of historic civil rights rulings: In June, the Supreme Court ruled that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, will remain in place, keeping nearly 650,000 undocumented young people safe from deportation.
In a 5-4 decision authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, the court ruled that President Donald Trump wrongly ended DACA. The majority opinion called the decision to end the program an “arbitrary” and “capricious” violation of the law.
Drew Angerer via Getty Images Greisa Martinez (R), who grew up as an undocumented immigrant in Dallas, Texas, reacts as she reads the Supreme Court's decision regarding the Trump administration's attempt to end DACA outside the U.S. Supreme Court on June 18, 2020, in Washington, D.C.
The Supreme Court ruled that LGBTQ employees are protected by civil rights employment statutes.
In another landmark decision in June, the Supreme Court ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects LGBTQ employees from being discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
It was a 6-3 ruling, with Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Neil Gorsuch joining the four liberal justices in the majority.
“Today,” Gorsuch said, “we must decide whether an employer can fire someone simply for being homosexual or transgender. The answer is clear.”
Thanks to stay-at-home orders, animal shelters are more empty than ever.
Across the board, shelters, nonprofit rescues and private breeders reported that the pandemic created a huge consumer demand for dogs and puppies as people stayed at home.
Twenty percent of respondents to a Nielsen survey in July said they adopted one or more dogs or cats between March and June, up from less than 5% over the same time last year.
According to a report from Shelter Animals Count, a nonprofit that collects stats on sheltered animals, shelter intake overall is down 24% compared to last year.
ARIANA DREHSLER via Getty Images An adopted pitbull named Mase plays in the grass with Delonte Hillery in a park in Escondido, California, on April 21, 2020. Jalene Hillery, Delonte's parent, says Mase has become a comfort dog for the family during this difficult time across the world due to Covid-19.
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Polio was officially eradicated on the African continent.
In August, the World Health Organization announced that Africa is free from wild poliovirus, leaving just two countries where the virus remains a threat (Afghanistan and Pakistan).
Asian Americans scored big in Major League Baseball.
This was a year of historic firsts for Asian Americans in Major League Baseball: In October, Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts become the first manager of Asian descent to led his team to a World Series victory (and the second Black manager to do so).
In November, Kim Ng was named the Miami Marlins’ general manager, making her the first woman and first East Asian American to hold the position in Major League Baseball history.
Getty Images In October, Dave Roberts become the first manager of Asian descent to led his team to a World Series victory. A month later, Kim Ng became the first woman and first East Asian American to hold the position of general manager in Major League Baseball history.
Scotland became the first country to make period products free.
In November, Scotland passed a bill to make period products such as tampons and pads free to all who need them.
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The Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill, which passed unanimously, requires local authorities to make sure that period products are accessible free of charge. According to NPR, schools and colleges must make period products freely available to students. Designated public places have to do the same.
Period poverty, or inadequate access to menstrual hygiene tools and education, is a problem that impacts women across the globe, including in the United States. A 2019 study of low-income American women found that nearly two-thirds of the women surveyed did not have the resources to buy menstrual hygiene products at some point during the past year.
The COVID pandemic drove a record drop in global carbon emissions in 2020.
At least staying at home benefited the environment a bit. Global greenhouse gas emissions fell by roughly 2.4 billion tons this year, a 7% drop from 2019 and the largest decline on record, according to new research from the University of East Anglia, the University of Exeter and the Global Carbon Project.
The 2020 election saw the most voter participation in 120 years.
COVID-19 may have have made the voting process a little different, but it didn’t deter voters. More Americans voted in the 2020 election — two-thirds of the voting eligible population, in fact — than in any other election in 120 years.
The election led to historic wins for LGBTQ+ people and women of color.
All eyes may have been on the presidency, but in lower level races, LGBTQ+ candidates and women of color were busy making history across the U.S.
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At least 50 women of color (including 46 Democrats) will serve in the next Congress, breaking the previous record of 48 set in the previous election, according to a report by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. Big winners include Cori Bush, a Black Lives Matter activist and the first Black woman that Missouri has sent to Congress.
Democrat Mauree Turner, a 27-year-Muslim who identifies as Black and non-binary, was elected to the Oklahoma state Legislature. And in Delaware, Sarah McBride, a 30-year-old LGBTQ activist, became the nation’s first openly trans state senator and the highest-ranking openly trans lawmaker in the country after winning her race.
Getty Images Sarah McBride, Mauree Turner and Cori Bush made history by winning their races.
It was actually a really great year for space exploration.
Life on Earth left a lot to be desired, but things were looking up in space. In 2020, NASA launched its most advanced rover yet to Mars and landed a spacecraft on an asteroid. And, for the first time since the Space Shuttle retired in 2011, a SpaceX rocket sent American astronauts to the International Space Station.
Hundreds of religious leaders called for a ban on conversion therapy.
More than 370 religious leaders joined forces in December to push for a global ban on conversion therapies ― any treatment attempting to change someone’s sexual orientation or identity.
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The declaration, put out by the Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT+ Lives, also called for an end to violence against and the criminalization of LGBT+ people. Signers included Archbishop Desmond Tutu; Rabbi Mel Gottlieb, the president of the Academy for Jewish Religion, California; and Rev. Michael-Ray Mathews, president of the Alliance of Baptists.
“We recognize that certain religious teachings have, throughout the ages, been misused to cause deep pain and offense to those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex,” the commission said in a statement. “This must change.”
AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images via Getty Images State Representative Dafna Michaelson Jenet of Colorado spoke during a signing of a state bill banning conversion therapy on minors last year.
Thanks to the COVID vaccine, the biggest vaccination campaign in history has begun.
No list of this kind would be complete without mentioning the best news of the year: the remarkably quick development of COVID-19 vaccines. In November, drug maker Pfizer announced it had created a vaccine that was more than 90% effective. Days later, Moderna announced it had developed a vaccine with similarly positive results: a drug that is 94% effective.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-30--Video Shows Park Ranger Use Stun Gun On Native American Man Who Left Hiking Trail

A Native American man in New Mexico said a park ranger shot him with a stun gun after the man walked off a hiking trail .
Video captured the moment when Darrel House , 30 , cried out after being struck by a stun gun at Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque on Sunday .
House , who is Oneida and Navajo , said he was out walking with his sister and his dog when he was stopped by a park ranger , who told him to get back onto the trail that he had veered off .
Though a video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the events leading up to the violent confrontation , the ranger can be heard asking House , a former Marine , for his identification .
After refusing to show his ID , House gives the ranger a fake name .
“ I didn ’ t see a reason to give my identification , ” House told NBC News on Tuesday after the footage went viral .
“ I don ’ t need to tell people why I ’ m coming there to pray and give things in honor to the land .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And I don ’ t think he liked that very much.
” In a separate video recorded by his sister , House is seen writhing on the ground after being struck by the ranger ’ s stun gun .
“ I don ’ t have anything , ” House says on the video .
“ I apologize for going off the trail.
” Vanessa Lacayo , a spokesperson for the National Park Service , told NBC News that the agency is investigating .
“ We take any allegation of wrongdoing very seriously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patience as we gather the facts of this incident , ” Lacayo said in an email .
House told NBC News that he was arrested and ticketed for three offenses : being off trail , interfering with agency function and resisting , and giving a false identity .

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A Native American man in New Mexico said a park ranger shot him with a stun gun after the man walked off a hiking trail.
Video captured the moment when Darrel House, 30, cried out after being struck by a stun gun at Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque on Sunday.
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House, who is Oneida and Navajo, said he was out walking with his sister and his dog when he was stopped by a park ranger, who told him to get back onto the trail that he had veered off.
Though a video recorded by House doesn’t show the events leading up to the violent confrontation, the ranger can be heard asking House, a former Marine, for his identification. After refusing to show his ID, House gives the ranger a fake name.
“I didn’t see a reason to give my identification,” House told NBC News on Tuesday after the footage went viral. “I don’t need to tell people why I’m coming there to pray and give things in honor to the land. I don’t need permission or consent. And I don’t think he liked that very much.”
In a separate video recorded by his sister, House is seen writhing on the ground after being struck by the ranger’s stun gun.
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“I don’t have anything,” House says on the video. “I apologize for going off the trail.”
Vanessa Lacayo, a spokesperson for the National Park Service, told NBC News that the agency is investigating. “We take any allegation of wrongdoing very seriously, and appreciate the public’s patience as we gather the facts of this incident,” Lacayo said in an email.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-30--Girlfriend Warned Police About Nashville Bombing Suspect In 2019

A Tennessee man suspected of detonating a bomb in downtown Nashville on Christmas morning had been reported to police in 2019 by his then-girlfriend for allegedly building bombs in an RV trailer ― the same kind of vehicle that exploded last week .
Metro Nashville police visited the home of Anthony Quinn Warner , 63 , who was killed in Friday ’ s blast , following that August report but did not search his residence or the vehicle , The Tennessean first reported , citing police documents .
Pamela Perry , in her documented interview with police , accused Warner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trailer at his residence.
” During questioning at her home , she was found with two unloaded guns that she said belonged to Warner , authorities said .
Anthony Quinn Warner , who was named as the suspect in the Christmas Day bombing in Nashville , is seen in a driver 's license photograph .
Police also spoke at the time with Nashville attorney Raymond Throckmorton , who they said identified himself as representing Perry and Warner , according to the police report .
He told officers that Perry feared Warner might harm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that she was suicidal .
He also expressed concerns about Warner to law enforcement , claiming Warner “ frequently talks about the military and bomb making , ” the police report said .
Warner “ knows what he is doing and is capable of making a bomb , ” Throckmorton told officers , according to the police report .
Police then visited Warner ’ s home , but he did not answer his door , according to their report .
They described several security cameras and wires attached to an alarm sign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parked in the fenced backyard , which they could not see inside .
A police spokesman told The Tennessean that officers had no authority to enter his home or property and had not detected “ any evidence of a crime.
” The following day , the FBI , which had been asked to investigate Warner ’ s background , reported that there were no records of Warner in its system .
The Defense Department , as well as the Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco , Firearms and Explosives , made similar conclusions .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ devices unit said it reached out to Throckmorton in the days after the initial report and were told that Warner “ did not care for the police ” and therefore “ Throckmorton would not allow his client to permit a visual inspection of the RV , ” authorities said .
Throckmorton , in an interview with The Tennessean on Tuesday , denied that he identified Warner as a client of his .
He also denied having told police that they couldn ’ t search Warner ’ s RV .
In the days leading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Warner reportedly gave away his car and house and told a passing neighbor that “ Nashville and the world is never going to forget me.
” He told a man he worked for as a computer consultant that he was retiring this month .

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A Tennessee man suspected of detonating a bomb in downtown Nashville on Christmas morning had been reported to police in 2019 by his then-girlfriend for allegedly building bombs in an RV trailer ― the same kind of vehicle that exploded last week.
Metro Nashville police visited the home of Anthony Quinn Warner, 63, who was killed in Friday’s blast, following that August report but did not search his residence or the vehicle, The Tennessean first reported, citing police documents.
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Pamela Perry, in her documented interview with police, accused Warner of “building bombs in the RV trailer at his residence.” During questioning at her home, she was found with two unloaded guns that she said belonged to Warner, authorities said.
“She did not want them in the house any longer,” a police spokesman told The Tennessean this week.
Anthony Quinn Warner, who was named as the suspect in the Christmas Day bombing in Nashville, is seen in a driver's license photograph. Handout . / Reuters
Police also spoke at the time with Nashville attorney Raymond Throckmorton, who they said identified himself as representing Perry and Warner, according to the police report. He told officers that Perry feared Warner might harm her, according to The Tennessean, and that she was suicidal. He also expressed concerns about Warner to law enforcement, claiming Warner “frequently talks about the military and bomb making,” the police report said.
Warner “knows what he is doing and is capable of making a bomb,” Throckmorton told officers, according to the police report.
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Police then visited Warner’s home, but he did not answer his door, according to their report. They described several security cameras and wires attached to an alarm sign at his door, and an RV parked in the fenced backyard, which they could not see inside.
A police spokesman told The Tennessean that officers had no authority to enter his home or property and had not detected “any evidence of a crime.”
Police investigate the house belonging to Warner in Nashville on Saturday. Terry Wyatt via Getty Images
The following day, the FBI, which had been asked to investigate Warner’s background, reported that there were no records of Warner in its system. The Defense Department, as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made similar conclusions.
Warner’s only arrest was for marijuana possession in 1978, according to a law enforcement report released Monday.
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Metro Nashville Police Department’s hazardous devices unit said it reached out to Throckmorton in the days after the initial report and were told that Warner “did not care for the police” and therefore “Throckmorton would not allow his client to permit a visual inspection of the RV,” authorities said.
A vehicle destroyed in a Christmas Day explosion remains on the street Tuesday in Nashville. A motive for the attack has remained elusive. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Throckmorton, in an interview with The Tennessean on Tuesday, denied that he identified Warner as a client of his. He also denied having told police that they couldn’t search Warner’s RV.
“Somebody, somewhere dropped the ball,” he told the newspaper.
In the days leading up to last week’s attack, Warner reportedly gave away his car and house and told a passing neighbor that “Nashville and the world is never going to forget me.” He told a man he worked for as a computer consultant that he was retiring this month.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-31--My Ex And I Are Co-parenting Amid COVID-19, And It's Full Of Unexpected Challenges

I recently got married again and blended families with my new husband , so we are now co-parenting our three kids from previous relationships .
He shares 50 % custody of his two boys with his ex , and I share 50 % percent custody of my daughter with mine .
Our life consists of a lot of scheduling , some compromise and many involved parents .
In California , we ’ ve had schools close for fires , floods and other natural disasters , but they were usually back open again in a couple of weeks .
No one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for as long as they have .
This was definitely something new for my husband and me to navigate with our ex-spouses .
Previously , my ex-husband and I mostly dropped off and picked up our daughter at school , which meant I could go weeks without any reason to see him .
There was the occasional school event or change in her schedule when we would have to drop her off outside of school hours , but those days were few and far between when school was in session .
Needless to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time since I had to see him regularly , and I can ’ t say I wasn ’ t worried about how it would go .
Since our divorce , we have always been co-parents , but have oscillated between being good friends and not talking much at all .
When we first separated , it was incredibly challenging to figure out how to make it work with two households and a new custody schedule .
We each had different views on parenting , bedtime , discipline and meals and were in constant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Eventually , we were able to put our egos aside and come together to create some continuity for our daughter .
It took me a while to work through my need to control everything and accept that what happens at his house is up to him and that boundaries needed to be respected .
There were many discussions over whether we were doing this right .
We had to decide if it was important that our kindergarten-aged child attend all her Zoom meetings .
I mean , is gym class really essential when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all day anyway ?
My husband ’ s older kids had real schoolwork to complete , and there were definitely a few assignments that got lost in the shuffle between homes .
We also needed to figure out what would be acceptable when it came to social distancing and outings outside of the home .
Ex-spouses are often eager to criticize what you do on your time , which made us all hyperaware of every decision we made .
Everyone was on edge and stressed out .
We had two families and three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to me to make sure we were all on the same page .
Would my ex make sure our daughter wore her mask in public and agree to limit playdates and other interactions ?
Could I trust the other adults in our kids ’ lives to take precautions and prevent us all from getting sick ?
As I started to talk to other co-parents , I realized that my worries were not just my own .
Our issues were minor compared to others with more serious problems to navigate .
There were parents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ custody battles , parents unable to take time off from essential jobs , parents losing their jobs altogether , or even worse , parents who were worried about matters such as neglect or abuse .
This was a challenging time for everyone and my heart broke for many of the other children I knew .
After a while , things got a lot easier for my ex-spouse and me .
We interacted regularly ; I can even say we became friends again .
Eventually , we realized that we are in the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not , so we might as well make the best of it .
We would occasionally have dinner , spend time together with our daughter , and I even cut his hair in our backyard a couple of times .
There is a certain level of trust that needs to be attained to let your ex-wife come at your head with scissors .
The bottom line is that none of this would have happened if we weren ’ t forced to see each other every two days .
Now , don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to list the things I wanted to do , seeing my ex-husband every morning before I ’ ve had my coffee wouldn ’ t be at the top .
But our daughter was thriving , and that is what mattered .
She loved that she got to see more of both of us , and the face-to-face time helped us to make decisions quickly and work out the schedule with ease .
Now , as the children go back to their classrooms , we are still getting along quite well .
Everyone has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learned to live life at a very different pace .
We continue to communicate as friends and even share an inside joke or cup of coffee every once in a while .
My ex-husband is a welcome guest in our home , and although he no longer has to come by regularly , I still see him far more than I did in the past .
My husband is a strong supporter of this and always treats my ex with the respect and dignity any father deserves .
Our life is messy and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been happier .
Our children are being raised in three loving homes and are so lucky to have many positive role models in their lives .

"Our life is messy and complicated, but I’ve never been happier," the author writes. lithiumcloud via Getty Images
Back in March, when COVID-19 hit, closing schools in California, I faced an unexpected challenge. As the internet exploded with memes and posts about distance learning, there were also a lot of co-parents like me panicking as they quickly realized that they no longer had school as a buffer and a degree of separation between households.
I recently got married again and blended families with my new husband, so we are now co-parenting our three kids from previous relationships. He shares 50% custody of his two boys with his ex, and I share 50% percent custody of my daughter with mine. Our life consists of a lot of scheduling, some compromise and many involved parents.
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In California, we’ve had schools close for fires, floods and other natural disasters, but they were usually back open again in a couple of weeks. No one thought our kids would remain at home for as long as they have. This was definitely something new for my husband and me to navigate with our ex-spouses.
Previously, my ex-husband and I mostly dropped off and picked up our daughter at school, which meant I could go weeks without any reason to see him. There was the occasional school event or change in her schedule when we would have to drop her off outside of school hours, but those days were few and far between when school was in session. Needless to say, it had been a long time since I had to see him regularly, and I can’t say I wasn’t worried about how it would go.
Since our divorce, we have always been co-parents, but have oscillated between being good friends and not talking much at all. When we first separated, it was incredibly challenging to figure out how to make it work with two households and a new custody schedule. We each had different views on parenting, bedtime, discipline and meals and were in constant competition to be the better parent.
Eventually, we were able to put our egos aside and come together to create some continuity for our daughter. It took me a while to work through my need to control everything and accept that what happens at his house is up to him and that boundaries needed to be respected.
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But add in distance learning and coronavirus restrictions, and you have a whole new set of norms to navigate.
There were many discussions over whether we were doing this right. We had to decide if it was important that our kindergarten-aged child attend all her Zoom meetings. I mean, is gym class really essential when she’s running around the house all day anyway?
My husband’s older kids had real schoolwork to complete, and there were definitely a few assignments that got lost in the shuffle between homes. We also needed to figure out what would be acceptable when it came to social distancing and outings outside of the home.
“Would my ex make sure our daughter wore her mask in public and agree to limit playdates and other interactions? Could I trust the other adults in our kids’ lives to take precautions and prevent us all from getting sick?”
Ex-spouses are often eager to criticize what you do on your time, which made us all hyperaware of every decision we made. Everyone was on edge and stressed out. We had two families and three households to consider and it felt important to me to make sure we were all on the same page. Would my ex make sure our daughter wore her mask in public and agree to limit playdates and other interactions? Could I trust the other adults in our kids’ lives to take precautions and prevent us all from getting sick?
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As I started to talk to other co-parents, I realized that my worries were not just my own. Our issues were minor compared to others with more serious problems to navigate. There were parents who were using COVID-19 as leverage in custody battles, parents unable to take time off from essential jobs, parents losing their jobs altogether, or even worse, parents who were worried about matters such as neglect or abuse. This was a challenging time for everyone and my heart broke for many of the other children I knew.
After a while, things got a lot easier for my ex-spouse and me. We interacted regularly; I can even say we became friends again. Eventually, we realized that we are in the same COVID-19 bubble whether we like it or not, so we might as well make the best of it.
We would occasionally have dinner, spend time together with our daughter, and I even cut his hair in our backyard a couple of times. There is a certain level of trust that needs to be attained to let your ex-wife come at your head with scissors.
The bottom line is that none of this would have happened if we weren’t forced to see each other every two days. Now, don’t get me wrong: If I had to list the things I wanted to do, seeing my ex-husband every morning before I’ve had my coffee wouldn’t be at the top. But our daughter was thriving, and that is what mattered. She loved that she got to see more of both of us, and the face-to-face time helped us to make decisions quickly and work out the schedule with ease.
Now, as the children go back to their classrooms, we are still getting along quite well. Everyone has relaxed a little, and we have learned to live life at a very different pace. We continue to communicate as friends and even share an inside joke or cup of coffee every once in a while. My ex-husband is a welcome guest in our home, and although he no longer has to come by regularly, I still see him far more than I did in the past.
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My husband is a strong supporter of this and always treats my ex with the respect and dignity any father deserves. Our life is messy and complicated, but I’ve never been happier. Our children are being raised in three loving homes and are so lucky to have many positive role models in their lives.
This has been a unique time and one we won’t forget, but it gives me hope for the future and whatever else comes next in our co-parenting journey.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-31--Wisconsin Hospital Worker Fired For Deliberately Spoiling COVID-19 Vaccine

GRAFTON , Wis. ( AP ) — A Wisconsin health system said Wednesday that 500 doses of coronavirus vaccine that had to be discarded after they were left unrefrigerated now appear to have been deliberately spoiled by an employee .
Aurora Medical Center first reported on the spoiled doses on Saturday , and said they had been accidentally left out overnight by an employee at Aurora Medical Center in Grafton .
In a statement late Wednesday , Aurora said the employee involved “ today acknowledged that they intentionally removed the vaccine from refrigeration.
” Aurora ’ s statement said they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matter to authorities for further investigation .
Their statement said nothing about a possible motive for the action , and health system officials didn ’ t immediately respond to messages seeking more information .
“ We continue to believe that vaccination is our way out of the pandemic .
We are more than disappointed that this individual ’ s actions will result in a delay of more than 500 people receiving their vaccine , ” the statement said .
Aurora declined to provide additional information , but said they would provide more details @ @

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GRAFTON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin health system said Wednesday that 500 doses of coronavirus vaccine that had to be discarded after they were left unrefrigerated now appear to have been deliberately spoiled by an employee.
Aurora Medical Center first reported on the spoiled doses on Saturday, and said they had been accidentally left out overnight by an employee at Aurora Medical Center in Grafton.
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In a statement late Wednesday, Aurora said the employee involved “today acknowledged that they intentionally removed the vaccine from refrigeration.”
Aurora’s statement said they had fired the employee and referred the matter to authorities for further investigation. Their statement said nothing about a possible motive for the action, and health system officials didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking more information.
“We continue to believe that vaccination is our way out of the pandemic. We are more than disappointed that this individual’s actions will result in a delay of more than 500 people receiving their vaccine,” the statement said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-31--Case Of Highly Infectious Coronavirus Variant Reported In Hard-Hit Southern California

LOS ANGELES ( AP ) — A mutant variant of the coronavirus that appears to be more contagious has been found in Southern California , where the state ’ s most populous county recorded more than 10,000 deaths and authorities warned they will be patrolling streets to shut down large New Year ’ s Eve gatherings that could spread the infection .
The COVID-19 daily death toll over 14 days has averaged about 150 people , or “ about equal to the number of deaths from all other causes , which is about 170 , ” said Ferrer .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ done a better job reducing transmission of the virus , many of these deaths would not have happened.
” The county , which has had about 40 % of the state ’ s virus deaths , is one of nearly two dozen in Southern California and the agricultural San Joaquin Valley area where hospital intensive care units have technically run out of room , although ICU patients are being placed in other hospital areas under “ surge ” procedures .
Meanwhile , California became the second state after Colorado to report finding a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first confirmed in the United Kingdom .
The patient , who developed symptoms on Dec. 27 , is a 30-year-old San Diego County man who didn ’ t have any history of travel , which could indicate that someone else already had brought the new strain into the state , officials said .
It is common for viruses to undergo minor changes as they reproduce and move through a population .
Scientists have found no evidence that the variant is more lethal or causes more severe illness , and they believe the vaccines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
But the fear is that mutations at some point will become significant enough to defeat the vaccines .
In L.A. County , more than 1 in 4 COVID-19 patients sent to hospitals are winding up in ICUs , according to county figures .
The struggle to find places for the most seriously ill means “ it ’ s not just the virus that ’ s proving fatal , but also the nightmare scenario of Angelenos dying because they can not get the appropriate care from overwhelmed ICUs , ” Ferrer said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ questions about how the version circulating in England arrived in the U.S. and whether it is too late to stop it now , with top experts saying it is probably already spreading elsewhere in the United States .
Public health officials also began warning of stricter enforcement of stay-home orders that aim to reduce COVID-19 spread by keeping people from mingling outside of their households .
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said hospitalizations and deaths linked to Christmas gatherings may show up in two or three weeks because of the infection ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Eve gatherings could start to overwhelm hospitals later in January in a third virus surge .
“ If you mix and mingle with people outside your household , it ’ s likely medical care will not be available when it ’ s needed in a few weeks , ” Garcetti said .
“ We will feel it in our homes , in our ICU units , and in our morgues.
” Garcetti said police will be out enforcing public health rules that prohibit large gatherings and the city had disconnected utilities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ house ” in the Hollywood Hills .
Gloria said he had asked police and the city attorney to pursue fines “ and potentially other enforcement actions ” against those who are “ blatantly and egregiously ” defying health orders .
“ Many have sacrificed their social lives for the greater good .
Others have treated this with a sickening level of apathy as their neighbors died , ” he said .

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — A mutant variant of the coronavirus that appears to be more contagious has been found in Southern California, where the state’s most populous county recorded more than 10,000 deaths and authorities warned they will be patrolling streets to shut down large New Year’s Eve gatherings that could spread the infection.
Los Angeles County reached a “terrible milestone” with 274 additional deaths in 24 hours for a record toll of 10,056 deaths, Los Angeles County Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer announced Wednesday.
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The COVID-19 daily death toll over 14 days has averaged about 150 people, or “about equal to the number of deaths from all other causes, which is about 170,” said Ferrer. “Most heartbreaking is that if we had done a better job reducing transmission of the virus, many of these deaths would not have happened.”
The county, which has had about 40% of the state’s virus deaths, is one of nearly two dozen in Southern California and the agricultural San Joaquin Valley area where hospital intensive care units have technically run out of room, although ICU patients are being placed in other hospital areas under “surge” procedures.
Meanwhile, California became the second state after Colorado to report finding a new strain of the virus that was first confirmed in the United Kingdom.
The patient, who developed symptoms on Dec. 27, is a 30-year-old San Diego County man who didn’t have any history of travel, which could indicate that someone else already had brought the new strain into the state, officials said.
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It is common for viruses to undergo minor changes as they reproduce and move through a population. Scientists have found no evidence that the variant is more lethal or causes more severe illness, and they believe the vaccines now being dispensed will be effective against it. But the fear is that mutations at some point will become significant enough to defeat the vaccines.
Also, a faster-spreading virus could swamp hospitals with seriously ill patients.
In L.A. County, more than 1 in 4 COVID-19 patients sent to hospitals are winding up in ICUs, according to county figures. The struggle to find places for the most seriously ill means “it’s not just the virus that’s proving fatal, but also the nightmare scenario of Angelenos dying because they cannot get the appropriate care from overwhelmed ICUs,” Ferrer said.
The cases triggered a host of questions about how the version circulating in England arrived in the U.S. and whether it is too late to stop it now, with top experts saying it is probably already spreading elsewhere in the United States.
Public health officials also began warning of stricter enforcement of stay-home orders that aim to reduce COVID-19 spread by keeping people from mingling outside of their households. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said hospitalizations and deaths linked to Christmas gatherings may show up in two or three weeks because of the infection’s lag time, and any New Year’s Eve gatherings could start to overwhelm hospitals later in January in a third virus surge.
“If you mix and mingle with people outside your household, it’s likely medical care will not be available when it’s needed in a few weeks,” Garcetti said. “We will feel it in our homes, in our ICU units, and in our morgues.”
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Garcetti said police will be out enforcing public health rules that prohibit large gatherings and the city had disconnected utilities on Tuesday at a “chronic party house” in the Hollywood Hills.
Hours after the new COVID-19 variant was detected Wednesday, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria signed an executive order directing stricter enforcement of state and local public health rules.
Gloria said he had asked police and the city attorney to pursue fines “and potentially other enforcement actions” against those who are “blatantly and egregiously” defying health orders.
Gloria praised residents who follow the rules, stay home as much as possible and wear masks when outside.
“Many have sacrificed their social lives for the greater good. Others have treated this with a sickening level of apathy as their neighbors died,” he said.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-31--China Approves 1st Homegrown Vaccine With Research Still Ongoing

BEIJING ( AP ) — China has approved its first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine for general use , health regulators said Thursday , marking the addition of another vaccine in the global fight against a virus that is surging back in many places as winter sets in .
The two-dose vaccine from state-owned Sinopharm is the first approved for general use in China .
The go-ahead comes shortly after the country launched a program to vaccinate 50 million people before the Lunar New Year holiday in February .
It also comes one day after British regulators authorized AstraZeneca ’ s inexpensive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could bring poorer countries , many of which have been unable to secure the Pfizer and Moderna doses being snapped up by rich countries , one step closer to getting vaccines sooner .
Pakistan ’ s science minister said Thursday that his government will buy 1.2 million doses of a Sinopharm vaccine , two days after its death toll topped 10,000 .
Technically , China granted conditional approval for the vaccine , which means that research is still ongoing , and the company will be required to submit follow-up data as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccine is sold on the market , Chen Shifei , the deputy commissioner of the National Medical Products Administration , told a news conference .
Final proof of its effectiveness will depend on publication of more data .
Experts have said important data was missing from Wednesday ’ s announcement , such as the size of the control group , how many people were vaccinated and at what point the 79.3 % efficacy rate was reached after injection .
In addition to the emergency vaccinations already underway , China plans to start vaccinating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as people with existing chronic illnesses .
Officials did not say what percentage of the population they will vaccinate in China .
Officials declined to name a particular price and gave conflicting statements about it .
“ It will certainly be in the limit of what people can afford , ” said Zheng Zhongwei , another National Health Commission official .
China ’ s vaccine , like Russia ’ s Sputnik shot , could be easier for countries around the world to handle than the Pfizer or Moderna shots , which have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s vaccine is able to be stored at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius ( 36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit ) , or a normal refrigeration temperature .
Meeting the WHO qualification could go some way toward assuring the rest of the world about the quality and efficacy of Chinese vaccines , which already face a reputation problem back home .
It would also open the path for Chinese vaccines to be distributed in COVAX and potentially in countries that don ’ t have their own regulatory agencies .
“ This is very exciting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that can be distributed in locations that don ’ t have the cold chain , ” said Ashley St. John , an immunologist at the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore .
“ But at the same time we have to temper the excitement .
We have to understand the long term efficacy , effect on transmission and effect on severe disease .
”

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BEIJING (AP) — China has approved its first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine for general use, health regulators said Thursday, marking the addition of another vaccine in the global fight against a virus that is surging back in many places as winter sets in.
The two-dose vaccine from state-owned Sinopharm is the first approved for general use in China. The go-ahead comes shortly after the country launched a program to vaccinate 50 million people before the Lunar New Year holiday in February. It also comes one day after British regulators authorized AstraZeneca’s inexpensive and easy-to-handle vaccine.
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The back-to-back approvals could bring poorer countries, many of which have been unable to secure the Pfizer and Moderna doses being snapped up by rich countries, one step closer to getting vaccines sooner. Pakistan’s science minister said Thursday that his government will buy 1.2 million doses of a Sinopharm vaccine, two days after its death toll topped 10,000.
Technically, China granted conditional approval for the vaccine, which means that research is still ongoing, and the company will be required to submit follow-up data as well as reports of any adverse effects after the vaccine is sold on the market, Chen Shifei, the deputy commissioner of the National Medical Products Administration, told a news conference.
The vaccine was developed by the Beijing Institute of Biological Products, a subsidiary of state-owned conglomerate Sinopharm. The company announced Wednesday that preliminary data from last-stage trials had shown it to be 79.3% effective.
It is an inactivated vaccine, which means the virus was grown in a lab and then killed. The germ is then injected into the body to generate an immune response.
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Final proof of its effectiveness will depend on publication of more data. Experts have said important data was missing from Wednesday’s announcement, such as the size of the control group, how many people were vaccinated and at what point the 79.3% efficacy rate was reached after injection.
Sinopharm is one of at least five Chinese developers that are in a global race to create vaccines for the disease that has killed more than 1.8 million people.
In addition to the emergency vaccinations already underway, China plans to start vaccinating high-risk population, such as seniors as well as people with existing chronic illnesses. Officials did not say what percentage of the population they will vaccinate in China.
“This is different in every country but the general thinking is that it has to reach 60% to protect the entire population,” said Zeng Yixin, vice minister of the National Health Commission.
Under emergency use, 4.5 million doses have already been given, including 3 million in the past two weeks, Zeng said.
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Practically, the conditional approval means that the drug or product in question may be restricted for certain age groups, according to Tao Lina, a former Shanghai Center for Disease Control immunologist.
Officials declined to name a particular price and gave conflicting statements about it. “It will certainly be in the limit of what people can afford,” said Zheng Zhongwei, another National Health Commission official.
A minute later, Zeng, the NHC official, stepped in to say that the vaccines “will definitely be free for the public.”
The vaccine is already under mass production, though officials did not answer questions about current production capacity.
China’s vaccine, like Russia’s Sputnik shot, could be easier for countries around the world to handle than the Pfizer or Moderna shots, which have stricter cold chain requirements. Sinopharm’s vaccine is able to be stored at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius (36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit), or a normal refrigeration temperature.
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Belarus and Argentina both launched mass vaccinations Wednesday using Russia’s vaccine. Sinopharm’s vaccine has already been approved in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, and is slated for use next in Morroco.
Other countries have also been buying doses of another Chinese vaccine candidate, made by Sinovac Biotech. Turkey received the shipments this week of 3 million doses. Indonesia and Brazil have all purchased Sinovac’s vaccines.
China is eager to distribute its vaccines globally, driven by a desire to repair the damage to its image by the pandemic that started a year ago in the central city of Wuhan.
President Xi Jinping has vowed to donate the vaccine as a public good to the world and China has joined COVAX, a global plan for equal distribution and access.
“We eagerly await Chinese vaccines to be included in COVAX’s vaccine bank soon and get WHO prequalification soon as well,” said Shen Bo, a Foreign Ministry official.
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The vaccine standards were developed in “close cooperation” with the WHO, officials said.
Meeting the WHO qualification could go some way toward assuring the rest of the world about the quality and efficacy of Chinese vaccines, which already face a reputation problem back home. It would also open the path for Chinese vaccines to be distributed in COVAX and potentially in countries that don’t have their own regulatory agencies.
“This is very exciting that there is another vaccine and one that can be distributed in locations that don’t have the cold chain,” said Ashley St. John, an immunologist at the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore. “But at the same time we have to temper the excitement. We have to understand the long term efficacy, effect on transmission and effect on severe disease.”
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Wu reported from Taipei, Taiwan.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-31--Trump Abruptly Cuts Short Florida Vacation To Return To White House

The White House announced the abrupt change in the president ’ s schedule late Wednesday , hours after Sen. Josh Hawley , R-Mo.
, said he will raise objections next week when Congress meets to affirm President-elect Joe Biden ’ s victory in the November election .
It ’ s a futile attempt to remain in power that Trump has been pushing following the failure of scores of legal challenges to the election outcome by his campaign , including at the Supreme Court .
Neither Trump nor the White House explained why he decided to shorten a vacation that had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump , accompanied by his wife , Melania , arrived at his Mar-a-Lago home after dark on Dec. 23 and spent practically the entire vacation focused on the futile attempt to overturn the election he lost to Biden .
That includes the effort to have Republican lawmakers challenge the vote when Congress meets Jan. 6 to affirm Biden ’ s 306-232 win in the Electoral College .
A group of Republicans in the Democratic-controlled House already had said they will object on Trump ’ s behalf during the Jan. 6 count of electoral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ senator to join them to force votes in both chambers , and Hawley stepped up .
The GOP objections , however , will not prevent Biden from being sworn in as president on Jan. 20 , and Sen. Kamala Harris , D-Calif. , a Black woman of South Asian descent , from becoming vice president .
During his vacation , Trump also took near daily swipes on Twitter at Georgia Republican Gov .
Brian Kemp and other state elections officials over his loss to Biden in that state .
While he has remained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power , Trump has stayed mum on major developments during the holiday break , including a Christmas Day bombing in Nashville , Tennessee , the discovery in California and Colorado of a new and apparently more contagious variant of the coronavirus , and Tuesday ’ s death of Rep.-elect Luke Letlow , R-La.
, from COVID-19 complications .
Since losing the election and beginning a campaign to overturn the outcome , the usually chatty Trump has avoided engaging with reporters , even those who accompanied him to Florida .
He went as far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remarks to U.S. troops , which is the type of event the White House typically opens for news coverage .
Before he left Washington , Trump stunned Capitol Hill by objecting to spending — much of it sought by his own administration — in a government funding bill that had been paired up with a fresh round of needed coronavirus relief that included $ 600 payments to most individuals .
Trump jeopardized the financial aid and flirted with a government shutdown slated for last Tuesday by implying that he wouldn ’ t sign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ payments to $ 2,000 , a sum sought by most Democrats and some Republicans .
Trump eventually signed the bill Sunday night after several days of uncertainty in exchange for congressional votes on his demands .
He also wants Congress to lift certain protections for social media companies and investigate his unfounded claims of fraud in the election .
Former Attorney General William Barr and other administration officials have said they saw no evidence of fraud on a scale massive enough to have changed the outcome of the election .
The House voted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ payments , but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky. , all but shut the door Wednesday when he declared that Congress had provided enough pandemic aid .
McConnell blocked attempts by Democrats to force a vote in that chamber on the higher payments sought by Trump .

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump is cutting short his Florida holiday vacation and returning to Washington on Thursday, one day earlier than expected for reasons the White House didn’t explain.
The White House announced the abrupt change in the president’s schedule late Wednesday, hours after Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said he will raise objections next week when Congress meets to affirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the November election.
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It’s a futile attempt to remain in power that Trump has been pushing following the failure of scores of legal challenges to the election outcome by his campaign, including at the Supreme Court.
The schedule change also means Trump will miss the glitzy New Year’s Eve party held annually at his private Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach.
Neither Trump nor the White House explained why he decided to shorten a vacation that had been expected to end on Friday.
Trump, accompanied by his wife, Melania, arrived at his Mar-a-Lago home after dark on Dec. 23 and spent practically the entire vacation focused on the futile attempt to overturn the election he lost to Biden. That includes the effort to have Republican lawmakers challenge the vote when Congress meets Jan. 6 to affirm Biden’s 306-232 win in the Electoral College.
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A group of Republicans in the Democratic-controlled House already had said they will object on Trump’s behalf during the Jan. 6 count of electoral votes. They needed at least one senator to join them to force votes in both chambers, and Hawley stepped up.
The GOP objections, however, will not prevent Biden from being sworn in as president on Jan. 20, and Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., a Black woman of South Asian descent, from becoming vice president.
During his vacation, Trump also took near daily swipes on Twitter at Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and other state elections officials over his loss to Biden in that state.
President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ASSOCIATED PRESS
While he has remained focused on the effort to stay in power, Trump has stayed mum on major developments during the holiday break, including a Christmas Day bombing in Nashville, Tennessee, the discovery in California and Colorado of a new and apparently more contagious variant of the coronavirus, and Tuesday’s death of Rep.-elect Luke Letlow, R-La., from COVID-19 complications.
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Since losing the election and beginning a campaign to overturn the outcome, the usually chatty Trump has avoided engaging with reporters, even those who accompanied him to Florida. He went as far as barring them from his Christmas Day remarks to U.S. troops, which is the type of event the White House typically opens for news coverage.
Before he left Washington, Trump stunned Capitol Hill by objecting to spending — much of it sought by his own administration — in a government funding bill that had been paired up with a fresh round of needed coronavirus relief that included $600 payments to most individuals.
Trump jeopardized the financial aid and flirted with a government shutdown slated for last Tuesday by implying that he wouldn’t sign the sweeping legislation unless lawmakers increased the payments to $2,000, a sum sought by most Democrats and some Republicans.
Trump eventually signed the bill Sunday night after several days of uncertainty in exchange for congressional votes on his demands. He also wants Congress to lift certain protections for social media companies and investigate his unfounded claims of fraud in the election.
Former Attorney General William Barr and other administration officials have said they saw no evidence of fraud on a scale massive enough to have changed the outcome of the election.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-31--Minneapolis Police Shoot, Kill Man During Traffic Stop

MINNEAPOLIS ( AP ) — Police in Minneapolis shot and killed a man during a traffic stop on the city ’ s south side Wednesday night , stirring anxiety about renewed protests following the first police-involved death in the city since George Floyd ’ s death while being arrested in May .
Police said the man died in an exchange of gunfire , and Chief Medaria Arradondo said witnesses said the man fired first .
He said the officers ’ body cameras were turned on and promised to release the video on Thursday .
“ I want our communities to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ themselves , ” he said .
Until then , Arradondo said , “ Please allow me , the ( state ) investigators , allow us the time , let us get the evidence , get the facts , so we can process this.
” Police spokesman John Elder said the incident happened about 6:15 p.m. while officers were carrying out a traffic stop with a man suspected of a felony .
Police did not provide details of the supposed felony nor release any information about the man , including his race .
Elder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the scene by medical personnel .
A woman in the car was unhurt , Elder said .
He declined to say whether police recovered a gun at the site of the shooting , a Holiday gas station .
Elder said no officers were hurt .
He said he didn ’ t know how many officers were at the scene carrying out the traffic stop or how many were involved in the shooting .
Dozens of people gathered at the scene in the hours after the shooting , including some who interrupted Elder and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media briefing .
Arradondo said the traffic stop was carried out by members of a police community response team — longstanding units that respond to things like drug investigations and gun crime .
He said he did not have additional details on why the man was sought .
The shooting happened less than a mile ( 1.61 kilometers ) from the street corner where George Floyd , a Black man who died in May after a Minneapolis officer pressed his knee on Floyd ’ s neck for minutes , even as Floyd pleaded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Floyd ’ s death sparked days of sometimes violent protest that spread around the country .
In Minneapolis , Floyd ’ s death also led to a push for radical change in the police department , long criticized by activists for what they called a brutal culture that resisted change .
A push by some City Council members to replace the department with a new public safety unit failed this summer .
Mayor Jacob Frey and Arradondo , who opposed doing away with the department , have offered several policy changes since Floyd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use of so-called no-knock warrants , revising use-of-force policies and requiring officers to report on their attempts to de-escalate situations .
Frey said in a statement late Wednesday he was working with Arradondo for information on the shooting and pledged to get it out as quickly as possible in coordination with the state investigation .
“ Events of this past year have marked some of the darkest days in our city , ” Frey said .
“ We know a life has been cut short and that trust between communities of color and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must all be committed to getting the facts , pursuing justice , and keeping the peace .
”

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Police in Minneapolis said they would release body camera video on Thursday from a traffic stop that ended with a man shot dead, the city’s first police-involved death since George Floyd died while being restrained by officers in May.
Police said the man was a suspect in a felony and that he died in an exchange of gunfire Wednesday on the city’s south side. Chief Medaria Arradondo said witnesses said the man fired first. He said the officers’ body cameras were turned on and promised to release the video on Thursday, even as a state-led investigation proceeds.
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The shooting stirred anxiety about renewed protests, seven months after unrest following Floyd’s death.
“I want our communities to see that so they can see for themselves,” he said. Until then, Arradondo said, “Please allow me, the (state) investigators, allow us the time, let us get the evidence, get the facts, so we can process this.”
Police spokesman John Elder said the shooting happened about 6:15 p.m. at a Holiday gas station as officers were carrying out a traffic stop. Police did not provide details of the supposed felony nor release any information about the man, including his race.
Elder said medical personnel pronounced the man dead at the scene. A woman in the car was unhurt, and no officers were hurt, Elder said. He declined to say whether police recovered a gun at the site of the shooting.
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The state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is handling an investigation.
Bayle Gelle, of Eden Prairie, told the Star Tribune on Thursday that the dead man was his son, 22-year-old Dolal Idd. Gelle told the newspaper that authorities haven’t given him any more information about what happened. He said several officers carried out a search warrant at his home Wednesday night.
“The police, they are brutality,” he told the Star Tribune. “I want to get justice.”
Online court records showed a string of minor traffic charges against Idd, but also a felony theft conviction in 2018 and a felony drug conviction in 2017. The records, which included a birthdate that would make Idd 23 years old, did not include detailed summaries of the cases.
The records also included a misdemeanor conviction in 2019 for carrying a pistol in a public place. The Star Tribune reported that charges in the case said Idd fired a gun in the basement shower of his parents’ home in suburban Eden Prairie with two children sleeping nearby. The charges said Idd was later arrested with a handgun that had been reported stolen in North Dakota.
Idd was Somali-American.
Arradondo said the traffic stop was carried out by members of a police community response team — long-standing units that respond to situations such as drug investigations and gun crime. He said he did not have additional details on why the man was sought.
The shooting happened less than a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the street corner where Floyd, a Black man, died in May after a Minneapolis officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for minutes, even as Floyd pleaded that he couldn’t breathe. Floyd’s death sparked days of sometimes violent protest that spread around the country and resonated worldwide.
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In Minneapolis, Floyd’s death also led to a push for radical change in the police department, long criticized by activists for what they called a brutal culture that resisted change. A push by some City Council members to replace the department with a new public safety unit failed this summer.
Mayor Jacob Frey and Arradondo, who opposed doing away with the department, have offered several policy changes since Floyd’s death, including revising use-of-force policies and requiring officers to report on their attempts to de-escalate situations. Just this week, the chief and mayor unveiled a new plan to involve the city attorney’s office more quickly in investigations of officers accused of misconduct.
Frey said in a statement late Wednesday that he was working with Arradondo for information on the shooting, and pledged to get it out as quickly as possible in coordination with the state investigation.
“Events of this past year have marked some of the darkest days in our city,” Frey said. “We know a life has been cut short and that trust between communities of color and law enforcement is fragile. ... We must all be committed to getting the facts, pursuing justice, and keeping the peace.”
All four officers involved in Floyd’s death were fired and quickly charged. They are scheduled for trial in March.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-31--Trump Crows That 'Everybody's Calling To Thank Me' For COVID-19 Vaccine 'Miracle'

President Donald Trump gloated Thursday that “ everybody ’ s calling to thank me ” for the “ miracle ” COVID-19 vaccines — which were developed by private companies .
He patted himself on the back in a video posted after the deadliest day during the deadliest month of the pandemic in America .
Trump ’ s vaccine boast in a tweeted White House video ( see above ) also comes as only a small fraction of the inoculations of 20 million people that federal health officials promised would be achieved by the end of the year have actually occurred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we developed a vaccine in just nine months .
We ’ ve already begun a nationwide vaccination program , and we ’ re sending the vaccine all over the world , ” Trump said in the video .
“ The world will benefit , we ’ ll benefit , and everybody ’ s calling to thank me.
” “ They said it would take a medical miracle , and that ’ s exactly what it is , ” Trump said .
Pfizer , the creator of the first vaccine on the market , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money for development of the vaccine from Trump ’ s Operation Warp Speed .
It did agree earlier this year to sell 100 million vaccine doses to the federal government , and agreed to provide an additional 100 million doses this month .
Pfizer complained earlier this month that millions of vaccine doses were languishing in warehouses awaiting shipment instructions from the Trump administration even as Americans were dying in record numbers .
More than 345,000 Americans have died of COVID-19 , greater than the country ’ s death toll during World War @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to date with 3,763 deaths .
The December toll is over 74,000 .
Trump didn ’ t mention these figures nor express sympathy to those who have lost loved ones in his video Operation Warp Speed vaccine czar Moncef Slaoui conceded on Wednesday that the program was unlikely to meet the goal of 20 million inoculations as 2021 starts .
“ We know that it should be better , and we ’ re working hard to make it better , ” he said at a press conference .
As of Wednesday morning , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to states and 2.8 million people — 14 % of the goal — had received their first shot , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Other nations , including Israel and the United Kingdom , are outstripping the U.S. in per capita vaccine delivery .
Many states are overwhelmed by the challenges of inoculating individuals while dealing with the surge in COVID-19 patients and helping swamped hospitals handle the crisis .
President-elect Joe Biden has slammed the Trump administration ’ s vaccine delivery stumbles .
The distribution plan is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and “ falling behind — far behind , ” he said Tuesday .
Biden vowed to “ move heaven and Earth to get us going in the right direction ” upon his inauguration on Jan. 20 .

President Donald Trump gloated Thursday that “everybody’s calling to thank me” for the “miracle” COVID-19 vaccines — which were developed by private companies. He patted himself on the back in a video posted after the deadliest day during the deadliest month of the pandemic in America.
Trump’s vaccine boast in a tweeted White House video (see above) also comes as only a small fraction of the inoculations of 20 million people that federal health officials promised would be achieved by the end of the year have actually occurred.
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“Thanks to Operation Warp Speed we developed a vaccine in just nine months. We’ve already begun a nationwide vaccination program, and we’re sending the vaccine all over the world,” Trump said in the video. “The world will benefit, we’ll benefit, and everybody’s calling to thank me.”
“They said it would take a medical miracle, and that’s exactly what it is,” Trump said.
Pfizer, the creator of the first vaccine on the market, has made clear that it accepted no money for development of the vaccine from Trump’s Operation Warp Speed. It did agree earlier this year to sell 100 million vaccine doses to the federal government, and agreed to provide an additional 100 million doses this month.
Pfizer complained earlier this month that millions of vaccine doses were languishing in warehouses awaiting shipment instructions from the Trump administration even as Americans were dying in record numbers.
More than 345,000 Americans have died of COVID-19, greater than U.S. combat deaths during World War II. Wednesday was the deadliest day to date with 3,750 deaths. The December toll is over 74,000.
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Trump didn’t mention these figures nor express sympathy to those who have lost loved ones in his video
Operation Warp Speed vaccine czar Moncef Slaoui conceded on Wednesday that the program was unlikely to meet the goal of 20 million inoculations as 2021 starts. “We know that it should be better, and we’re working hard to make it better,” he said at a press conference.
As of Wednesday morning, only 12.4 million doses had been shipped to states and 2.8 million people — 14% of the goal — had received their first shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Other nations, including Israel and the United Kingdom, are outstripping the U.S. in per capita vaccine delivery.
Trump quickly blamed the states for the shortfall, insisting in an earlier tweet: “Get moving!”
Many states are overwhelmed by the challenges of inoculating individuals while dealing with the surge in COVID-19 patients and helping swamped hospitals handle the crisis.
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The Federal Government has distributed the vaccines to the states. Now it is up to the states to administer. Get moving! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2020
President-elect Joe Biden has slammed the Trump administration’s vaccine delivery stumbles. The distribution plan is “not progressing as it should” and “falling behind — far behind,” he said Tuesday.
Biden vowed to “move heaven and Earth to get us going in the right direction” upon his inauguration on Jan. 20.
Clarification: Language has been amended to reflect that the number of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. has exceeded the number of U.S. combat deaths during World War II, not the total number of U.S. deaths during that conflict.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-31--This Is How Bad The COVID-19 Crisis Is In Los Angeles Right Now

Hospitals are running out of oxygen and other critical tools Patients are being treated in gift shops , chapels and @ @ @ @ @ bodies than the county can manage People are getting turned away from emergency rooms The @ @ @ @ @ and communities of color hard This follows the pattern of the impact of COVID-19 nationwide @ @ @ @ @ Black , Latinx and Native American people are around four times more likely than white @ @ @ @ @ if they catch the coronavirus .
And these segments of the population are nearly three @ @ @ @ @ from it , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
The Health @ @ @ @ @ become a memorial page The worst is yet to come

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It’s hard to grasp that the stories coming out of Los Angeles County’s COVID-19 outbreak are happening on American soil: patients dying in crowded hospital hallways, medical providers running out of oxygen canisters and dead bodies piling up with nowhere left to store them.
The county surpassed 10,000 coronavirus deaths on Wednesday, as well as its single-day record of COVID-19 deaths with 262 fatalities.
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The horror stories doctors, nurses and other people on the front lines of the pandemic have shared with The Los Angeles Times and other local media outlets have revealed a community under siege.
Here’s how bad the situation has become.
Hospitals are running out of oxygen and other critical tools
At least five hospitals across the county have declared internal disasters after running dangerously low on oxygen, which must be administered to COVID-19 patients struggling to breathe through their inflamed lungs.
Critically ill coronavirus patients need to receive about 10 times more oxygen per minute than the average patient sick with another disease, the Times reported. Between that and the overwhelming number of cases, aging hospitals simply don’t have the infrastructure to deploy enough high-flow oxygen treatment.
“They’re not able to maintain the pressure in the pipe to maintain oxygen delivery at that high level of pressure that’s required to be delivered through the high-flow oxygen delivery vehicles,” Dr. Christina Ghaly, the county’s Health Services director, told CNN on Tuesday. “Because of that high flow through the pipes, sometimes it’s freezing in the pipes, and obviously if it freezes then you can’t have a good flow of oxygen.
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Hospital doctors and nurses treat Covid-19 patients in a makeshift intensive care unit at Harbor UCLA Medical Center on Tuesday. Dania Maxwell via Getty Images
Doctors face impossible choices about who receives care
There is simply not enough care to go around with a surge this bad.
Scott Byington, a critical care nurse at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, told the Times on Thursday that his hospital confronts grim options, especially when patients need oxygen or care from a BiPap machine, which helps push oxygen into a patient’s lungs.
“You have to pick and choose,” he said. “That’s where we really are — we’re really at that point.”
Southern California’s intensive care unit availability has hovered around 0% for weeks now. Dr. Kimberly Shriner, an infectious disease specialist at Huntington Hospital, told Southern California Public Radio that her hospital has had to form a special committee to make the tough choices about who receives such care and who doesn’t.
“No health care worker ever wants to have to be put in the position to make this decision,” Shriner said. “Our job is to save lives and provide the very best care for everybody we can, but sometimes there’s just a limit to how many resources we have.”
Patients are being treated in gift shops, chapels and hallways
Hospitals have had to convert unlikely areas of their buildings into spaces to treat patients.
At Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital, the excess of patients has forced some patients to be placed in the gift shop, a chapel and conference rooms, CNN reported. That’s on top of the five tents already set up outside the hospital to manage the influx of patients.
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At St. Francis, the hallways of the emergency room are lined with patients, the Times reported. Some have died there.
Triage tents for treating COVID-19 patients are seen outside LAC + USC Medical Center this past weekend. Bing Guan / Reuters
There are more dead bodies than the county can manage
The surge in cases has led to “a backup of dead bodies at a variety of facilities and hospitals across the county,” Ghaly said at a press conference Wednesday.
Members of the National Guard are heading to the county coroner’s office next week to help the department manage the bodies. Meanwhile, some hospitals have hauled in freezer trucks to store the corpses. Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn on Thursday asked Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) for his help in having the USNS to USNS Mercy hospital ship dispatched to the area.
“This surge is the crisis that we dreaded all along,” she wrote to Newsom. “We need as much support as we can get for our health care workers, and we need the USNS Mercy back in the Port of Los Angeles.”
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Funeral homes are overwhelmed by families seeking to make arrangements for their dead loves ones.
Kenneth McKenzie, a mortician in Long Beach, told The Long Beach Post this week that he’s handling 10 to 12 bodies each day, up from his typical three to four. This week, he received an entire family lost to COVID-19: a brother, a sister, a mother and an uncle.
“Their house is empty,” he said, adding, “This is the side of it that nobody wants to talk about.”
People are getting turned away from emergency rooms
The hospitals that declared internal disasters are turning away ambulances. Over last weekend, 96% of hospitals in the county were diverting emergency patients elsewhere, CBS Los Angeles reported.
The county has given ambulances permission to decline to take low-risk patients with mild symptoms to hospitals under certain circumstances. At the other end of the medical spectrum, patients whose hearts have stopped and can’t be revived by first responders are not being taken to hospitals.
The crisis has hit lower-income people and communities of color hard
Hospitals in low-income areas and communities of color have been affected the hardest by the surge in cases, a Times analysis of hospital data showed this week. Many of these facilities serve South Los Angeles and the southern San Gabriel Valley.
This follows the pattern of the impact of COVID-19 nationwide. Across the U.S., Black, Latinx and Native American people are around four times more likely than white people to need hospital care if they catch the coronavirus. And these segments of the population are nearly three times more likely to die from it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Los Angeles County paramedics examine a potential Covid-19 patient sitting on the sidewalk before transporting him to a hospital in Hawthorne on Tuesday. APU GOMES via Getty Images
Los Angeles grocery stores, whose employees are largely minimum wage workers, are getting hit harder than ever by the virus, an investigation by NBC Los Angeles found this week. The grocery workers union has reported COVID-19 outbreaks at more than 137 Los Angeles area supermarkets in the past two months, affecting 854 supermarket workers.
“It’s so busy in the stores and there’s so many people, we were bound to get it,” Bertha Montes, a bakery worker at a Pasadena grocery store, told NBC.
She unknowingly spread the virus to her husband, daughter and grandson. “I felt so guilty,” she said.
The Health Department’s Twitter has become a memorial page
On Thursday, the county health department has been pleading with people to stay away from New Year’s Eve festivities by tweeting out a description of someone killed by COVID-19 every 10 minutes.
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The tweets have been brief but heart-wrenching: “The organic farmer with his own stand at the Farmer’s market.” “A husband who was still head over heels in love after 40 years of marriage.” “The grocery store clerk who always asked about your kids.”
The worst is yet to come
Holiday gatherings people had in violation of local and statewide orders are sure to cause another surge in cases as infections linked to those events begin to surface.
“We’re not seeing the effects of Christmas or New Year’s gatherings yet, but we fear that the numbers are only going to increase,” Dr. Thomas Yadegar, a pulmonologist and medical director of the intensive care unit at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center, told Los Angeles Magazine.
“Back in March and April, L.A. County had 700 COVID-19 patients in ICU beds. Today we are at 1,400,” he said. “We simply cannot fathom what a huge spike will do to our system.”
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-31--Black Man Mistakenly Detained By Unmasked Officers in Virginia Tests Positive For COVID-19

Mackey was handcuffed by police while eating a meal with his family in Virginia Beach ’ s Lynnhaven Mall on Dec. 19 .
The incident was caught on camera by Mackey ’ s fiancée , Shantel Covil , who posted it on Facebook .
In the viral footage , which had more than 40,000 reactions and 30,000 shares as of Thursday , Mackey can be heard repeatedly asking the officer handcuffing him to explain the detainment .
After police escort Mackey and his family outside , officers inform them that Mackey matched the description of a Black man with dreadlocks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cards .
Eventually , it becomes clear that the police have the wrong man , and a distraught Mackey is released .
“ This is how we get treated in 2020 , ” Mackey yells at the end of the clip .
“ This is why we say Black Lives Matter.
” Mackey , who was eating at the time of the detainment and had his mask temporarily lowered , took a COVID-19 test on Dec. 22 , local outlet WAVY-TV reported .
His positive test result came back on Christmas Eve .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s requests for comment .
But she told WAVY-TV that in the wake of the incident , the family is now closely watching their teenage son and 8-week-old infant .
Mackey ’ s symptoms include a “ low-grade fever , a cough and a sore throat , ” and the family believes they may have been exposed to the coronavirus during the detainment , she said .
“ I ’ m very angry that they put my family at risk , ” Covil told the outlet .
“ Me and Jamar , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that ’ s what upsets me the most.
” “ They arrested him , of course , no gloves , no masks , ” she said .
“ They took us out of our bubble , out of our safe space.
” Neudigate said an actual suspect charged with credit card fraud was in custody and a “ possible third party ” may have identified Mackey as the suspect to officers .
Neudigate added that the lack of masks would be addressed at a later date , and it was “ absolutely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mask and wear a mask in accordance with the governor ’ s directive.
” “ Right or wrong , we have to be able to apologize when our actions greatly inconvenience a member of the community that we serve , ” Neudigate said .
“ So let me take this opportunity to personally extend my apology to Mr. Mackey for this incident.
” As of Dec. 23 , Mackey told WAVY-TV that he was still speaking with his lawyer regarding possible legal action against the Virginia Beach Police .
He added that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it were given to him directly .
“ I haven ’ t been reached out to yet , ” Mackey said .
“ They did their interview live on Facebook , but , I will accept it if he contacts my phone , contacts my lawyer — maybe then , I would take it more seriously .
”

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Jamar Mackey, a Black man wrongfully detained by unmasked officers in Virginia Beach, Virginia, has tested positive for COVID-19 and is now suffering from mild symptoms.
Mackey was handcuffed by police while eating a meal with his family in Virginia Beach’s Lynnhaven Mall on Dec. 19. The incident was caught on camera by Mackey’s fiancée, Shantel Covil, who posted it on Facebook.
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In the viral footage, which had more than 40,000 reactions and 30,000 shares as of Thursday, Mackey can be heard repeatedly asking the officer handcuffing him to explain the detainment. After police escort Mackey and his family outside, officers inform them that Mackey matched the description of a Black man with dreadlocks who was suspected of using stolen credit cards. Eventually, it becomes clear that the police have the wrong man, and a distraught Mackey is released.
“This is how we get treated in 2020,” Mackey yells at the end of the clip. “This is why we say Black Lives Matter.”
Mackey, who was eating at the time of the detainment and had his mask temporarily lowered, took a COVID-19 test on Dec. 22, local outlet WAVY-TV reported. His positive test result came back on Christmas Eve.
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Covil did not respond to HuffPost’s requests for comment. But she told WAVY-TV that in the wake of the incident, the family is now closely watching their teenage son and 8-week-old infant. Mackey’s symptoms include a “low-grade fever, a cough and a sore throat,” and the family believes they may have been exposed to the coronavirus during the detainment, she said.
“I’m very angry that they put my family at risk,” Covil told the outlet. “Me and Jamar, that’s one thing but our kids, that’s what upsets me the most.”
“They arrested him, of course, no gloves, no masks,” she said. “They took us out of our bubble, out of our safe space.”
The man wrongfully detained by @vbpd, Jamar Mackey, has tested positive for #coronavirus per his fiancé. Mackey has mild symptoms. We are waiting to hear from @vbpd. pic.twitter.com/EPoh8RH9CA — Regina Mobley (@ReginaMobley757) December 29, 2020
The Virginia Beach Police Department addressed the incident in a statement and press conference on Dec. 21, with Police Chief Paul Neudigate saying an investigation was ongoing.
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Neudigate said an actual suspect charged with credit card fraud was in custody and a “possible third party” may have identified Mackey as the suspect to officers. Neudigate added that the lack of masks would be addressed at a later date, and it was “absolutely the expectation that officers will use a mask and wear a mask in accordance with the governor’s directive.”
“Right or wrong, we have to be able to apologize when our actions greatly inconvenience a member of the community that we serve,” Neudigate said. “So let me take this opportunity to personally extend my apology to Mr. Mackey for this incident.”
As of Dec. 23, Mackey told WAVY-TV that he was still speaking with his lawyer regarding possible legal action against the Virginia Beach Police. He added that he would take an apology more seriously if it were given to him directly.
“I haven’t been reached out to yet,” Mackey said. “They did their interview live on Facebook, but, I will accept it if he contacts my phone, contacts my lawyer — maybe then, I would take it more seriously.”
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-31--Covid Vaccine: NHS Staff Struggle To Get Jab In Echo Of PPE Shambles

The nurse said : “ We are all desperate for the vaccine but we ’ re not being communicated with and the organisation of who should get it first – in my opinion all frontline staff and ITU [ intensive care ] then work down the list – has been really poor and to be honest a shambles .
“ It is very difficult to care for patients if you are prone and on a ventilator .
The knock-on effects will not be limited to the care of those with Covid and other acute illnesses , but also in delayed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ illnesses leading to preventable admissions and sequelae [ secondary conditions developing from other illnesses and injuries ] , and a myriad of health issues that it will take years to fully address.
” Many staff have been left in a position where they are only able to access vaccines that are left over from the initial phase of the rollout to the over-80s , with some workers telling HuffPost UK that vaccination had become a matter of “ luck ” – or even just knowing a colleague who was involved in administering vaccines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patient failed to show for an appointment .

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Frontline NHS workers have described the Covid-19 vaccine rollout amongst staff as a “shambles” as they struggle to access the jab.
With echoes of the PPE crisis that defined the start of the pandemic’s devastating impact in March, doctors and nurses have accused the government of compromising patient safety as a result of “failing to protect the workforce”.
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Despite working face-to-face on a daily basis with Covid patients, as well as with others who could be asymptomatic carriers of the virus, healthcare workers say they have been left in the dark about how to get the vaccine.
In some cases, those most at risk have been offered it on a first-come, first-served basis, or been forced to call their own GP surgeries repeatedly.
Ambulances bring emergency patients to St Thomas Hospital in London amid a soaring number of cases. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
One nurse working in a north London hospital described the rollout as a “shambles” and described how after receiving “zero communication” staff had been sent an email telling them a limited number of people who replied could be booked in to receive the vaccine at a different hospital on a first-come first-served basis.
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She said staff had received no further communication after this email, instead receiving an email from NHS London “asking us all to pick up shifts and work harder please”.
The nurse said: “We are all desperate for the vaccine but we’re not being communicated with and the organisation of who should get it first – in my opinion all frontline staff and ITU [intensive care] then work down the list – has been really poor and to be honest a shambles.
“In terms of how staff are feeling at the moment, morale is pretty much rock bottom.”
She added that staff were leaving the NHS, and specifically A&E departments and intensive care units, “in their droves”, with hospitals “bursting at the seams” and “nowhere to put patients”.
She said: “We’ve had to treat sick patients on the back of ambulances as we have nowhere to put them in the hospital.
“We are all also having to ration oxygen and make tough choices when it comes to the elderly and patients with multiple co-morbidities which is heartbreaking for all involved.”
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The nurse also reported staff feeling under-appreciated by management, even after a particularly gruelling year.
She added: “The management teams aren’t showing much appreciation of staff – previous years have seen incentives over Christmas like a small bonus if you work more but nothing this year.
“The Christmas presents for the nurses [...] was a sandwich bag with a lollipop, a couple of biscuits and a Werther’s Original inside. That was the thanks for everything they’ve been through this year. All this means morale couldn’t really get any lower.
“I think both hospitals and the government should show more appreciation for the hell that staff are continuing to go through and have been going through for almost a year now.
“Just saying thank you is not enough. Getting vaccines to the right people would be a good place to start.”
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A pedestrian walks past the St Thomas' Hospital emergency department. Hollie Adams via Getty Images
London GP Dr Riz Khalid, who lives just outside the capital, said he had been forced to call his own home surgery to get the vaccine despite coming into close contact with patients every day – even going into their homes with zero space for social distancing.
He said: “I’m having to pester my own GP surgery for the vaccine. I know they’re very busy and I really don’t want to – as a GP myself I know what it’s like – but in my area it’s all being run through our own GP surgeries.
“It’s not being done on a national scale, though it really should be. My surgery has had to say: ‘We’ll get around to you when we can.’”
After already being infected with the virus in March, Khalid spoke of his fears that he could once again contract the virus and pass it onto his family including his wife, who suffers from underlying health conditions.
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“I’m a member of the BAME community, being ethnically from Pakistan originally – I’m at higher risk. We know from statistics that increases the risk of me becoming seriously ill, and I’m seeing patients on the front line day-to-day who could be asymptomatic carriers of Covid.
“Once again, NHS workers aren’t being protected and their lives are at risk as they try to care for other people.”
“I really want to be there for my patients and my colleagues and have that vaccination, which would allow me to be safe myself and provide that service. If I can’t get a vaccine I’m continually worried that I’ll get the virus again.”
With Covid cases now spiking at 50,000 per day for two continuous days and queues of ambulances pictures lining up outside hospitals across the country, NHS workers are facing a significant staffing crisis.
Thousands of staff members have been forced to self-isolate since the start of the pandemic, an issue that isn’t going away any time soon.
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Another doctor, who asked to remain anonymous, told HuffPost UK that the government’s failure to target frontline healthcare workers first was a “spectacularly short-sighted decision”, describing the move as “a grievous error”.
She added: “Traditionally, the NHS has always struggled over ‘winter pressures’ with increased demand and decreased workforce through illness. Covid-19 is no different. Patient safety is being compromised by failing to protect the workforce.
“It is very difficult to care for patients if you are prone and on a ventilator. The knock-on effects will not be limited to the care of those with Covid and other acute illnesses, but also in delayed cancer diagnoses, poor control of chronic illnesses leading to preventable admissions and sequelae [secondary conditions developing from other illnesses and injuries], and a myriad of health issues that it will take years to fully address.”
Dr Zainab Najim, a GP trainee in Norfolk, and a GP adviser for the Doctor’s Association UK (DAUK), said: “My personal experience would be that a nearby trust have patchily offered vaccines out to hospital staff.
“GP staff haven’t been told at all what’s going on. We may or may not be being sent slots in the new year.”
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Dr Ellen Welch, an out-of-hours GP in Cumbria and another GP adviser for the DAUK, said: “At present there is no central government guidance on this issue and the vaccination of staff has been carried out sporadically, often on an ad hoc basis, without appropriate prioritisation.
“Frontline staff are the greatest asset the NHS has and we should ensure we are protecting them. The impact of staff sickness is already taking its toll across the country. We can prevent further staff shortages by vaccinating our front line.”
But the news of the Oxford vaccine approval has brought hope to doctors, she added.
Many staff have been left in a position where they are only able to access vaccines that are left over from the initial phase of the rollout to the over-80s, with some workers telling HuffPost UK that vaccination had become a matter of “luck” – or even just knowing a colleague who was involved in administering vaccines and could squeeze them in if a patient failed to show for an appointment.
HuffPost UK has seen a letter from one NHS trust, University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB), to staff, which states: “The government’s stated priority is that the trust should use 75% of its vaccine allocation for over 80s and a further 20% for care home staff.
Paramedics wheel a patient into The Royal London Hospital. Hollie Adams via Getty Images
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“This leaves 5% (around 48 doses of vaccine from each allocation) for NHS staff and this includes other local NHS organisations as well as UHDB’s employees.”
Dr Julia Patterson, the founder and chief executive of campaign group EveryDoctor, said: “Healthcare workers need to be protected, not only to protect themselves but also to protect others they could infect with Covid-19.
“As the Covid cases soar and places are increasingly put into lockdown measures, the people who are still going to be out in the community are the frontline healthcare workers. It’s so important that they are prioritised.
“During the first wave there was inadequate protection from a PPE perspective, which led to the deaths of a lot of people. This time around, once again, NHS workers aren’t being protected and their lives are at risk as they try to care for other people.”
More than 640 NHS workers have died of Covid-19, many of them support staff such as porters and healthcare assistants, who struggled to access PPE at the start of the pandemic.
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Patterson said: “It is the people who weren’t first in line for PPE who were predominantly dying, because they weren’t receiving any protection.
“Obviously doctors and nurses are really important but we want to make it crystal clear – all frontline healthcare staff need this vaccine as soon as possible.”
Professor Wei Shen Lim, Covid-19 chair for the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said: “The JCVI’s advice on Covid-19 vaccine prioritisation was developed with the aim of preventing as many deaths as possible.
“As the single greatest risk of death from Covid-19 is older age, prioritisation is primarily based on age.
“It is estimated that vaccinating everyone in the priority groups would prevent around 99% of deaths from Covid-19.”
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