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A conservative radio talk-show host who had told followers that they were "probably safer not getting" the COVID-19 vaccine if they weren't at high risk is now hospitalized in serious condition with the coronavirus, his family said.

Phil Valentine, who hosts "The Phil Valentine Show" on WWTN-FM in Nashville, Tennessee, contracted COVID-19 more than a week ago and "has since been hospitalized & is in very serious condition," his family said in a statement on Thursday.

Valentine, 61, is "suffering from COVID pneumonia and the attendant side effects," the statement said, adding, "He is in the hospital in the critical care unit breathing with assistance but is NOT on a ventilator."

Now that he's become ill with the coronavirus, he has "regrets" about his comments about the vaccines, his family said.

"Phil would like for his listeners to know that while he has never been an 'anti-vaxer' he regrets not being more vehemently 'Pro-Vaccine', and looks forward to being able to more vigorously advocate that position as soon as he is back on the air, which we all hope will be soon," the family said.

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A woman in Alabama whose 28-year-old son died of COVID-19 regrets not getting vaccinated and said his last words were 'this is not a hoax, this is real'

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Although reports of breakthrough COVID-19 cases occurring among fully vaccinated Americans are garnering much attention, as the country experiences a viral resurgence, new data illustrates just how rare these breakthrough infections are likely to be, and further shows that the vast majority of those becoming severely ill are the unvaccinated.

“While anecdotal cases and clusters can conjure concern around the vaccine, when put in the larger context of how many people have been vaccinated and the sheer volume of cases in the unvaccinated population, we recognize that the vaccines are working and how rare breakthroughs actually are,” said Dr. John Brownstein, the chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital and an ABC News contributor.

With more than 156 million Americans fully vaccinated, nationwide, approximately 153,000 symptomatic breakthrough cases are estimated to have occurred as of last week, representing approximately 0.098% of those fully vaccinated, according to an unpublished internal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention document obtained by ABC News. These estimates reflect only the adult population and do not include asymptomatic breakthrough infections.

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France's parliament approved a law early Monday requiring special virus passes for all restaurants and domestic travel and mandating vaccinations for all health workers.

Both measures have prompted protests and political tensions. President Emmanuel Macron and his government say they are needed to protect vulnerable populations and hospitals as infections rebound and to avoid new lockdowns.

The law requires all workers in the health care sector to start getting vaccinated by Sept. 15, or risk suspension. It also requires a "health pass" to enter all restaurants, trains, planes and some other public venues. It initially applies to all adults, but will apply to everyone 12 and older starting Sept. 30.

To get the pass, people must have proof they are fully vaccinated, recently tested negative or recently recovered from the virus. Paper or digital documents will be accepted. The law says a government decree will outline how to handle vaccination documents from other countries.

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Originally posted by rontuner:
Chicago 7-day rolling average of positive tests is holding at 130. I wonder if there was a lack of reporting over the weekend, or.... ?

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Originally posted by wtg:

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The Tennessee Department of Health will halt all adolescent vaccine outreach – not just for coronavirus, but all diseases – amid pressure from Republican state lawmakers, according to an internal report and agency emails obtained by the Tennessean. If the health department must issue any information about vaccines, staff are instructed to strip the agency logo off the documents.

The health department will also stop all COVID-19 vaccine events on school property, despite holding at least one such event this month. The decisions to end vaccine outreach and school events come directly from Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey, the internal report states.

Additionally, the health department will take steps to ensure it no longer sends postcards or other notices reminding teenagers to get their second dose of the coronavirus vaccines. Postcards will still be sent to adults, but teens will be excluded from the mailing list so the postcards are not “potentially interpreted as solicitation to minors,” the report states.

These changes to Tennessee’s vaccination strategy, detailed in an COVID-19 report distributed to health department staff on Friday, then reiterated in a mass email on Monday, illustrate how the state government continues to dial back efforts to vaccinate minors against coronavirus. This state's approach to vaccinations will not only lessen efforts to inoculate young people against coronavirus, it could also hamper the capacity to vaccinate adults and protect children from other infectious diseases.

https://www.tennessean.com/sto...covid-19/7928701002/

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Originally posted by BeeLady:
Just catching up with Oldest to coordinate his move to Vermont..

Only to find he is home with COVID...vaccinated, but had a sore throat..was tested on Sat, got results this morning.

His wife has been told she is clear as long as she has no symptoms as she, too, is vaccinated.

Oldest told me he wonders if his symptoms are more advanced just from the stress of knowing...

At least his Master's program is online!

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Originally posted by AdagioM:

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Originally posted by BeeLady:
Just catching up with Oldest to coordinate his move to Vermont..

Only to find he is home with COVID...vaccinated, but had a sore throat..was tested on Sat, got results this morning.

His wife has been told she is clear as long as she has no symptoms as she, too, is vaccinated.

Oldest told me he wonders if his symptoms are more advanced just from the stress of knowing...

At least his Master's program is online!

Oh, ugh, I’m so sorry, BL. Does he know if it’s the Delta variant?

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Missouri’s attorney general has filed suit seeking to halt a mask mandate that took effect Monday in the St. Louis area amid a rise in COVD-19 cases that are burdening a growing number of hospitals around the state.

The lawsuit by Attorney General Eric Schmitt argues the mandates are “arbitrary and capricious because they require vaccinated individuals to wear masks, despite the CDC guidance that this is not necessary.” It also questions mandating children to wear masks in school, noting they are less likely to become seriously ill.