WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SETS RECORD VISITS FOR YEAR 7,017,658 VISITS! 2,098,003 VISITORS MADE 6 VISITS A DAY EVERY DAY. 63,330 UNIQUE VISITORS MADE 133,730 VISITS IN DECEMBER. WPCNR AVERAGED 17,284 VISITORS A WEEK, VISITING 31,270 TIMES.

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WHERE IS THE RESPONSIBILITY? WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?

COULD WE ASSEMBLE A ONE -DAY CONFERENCE OF POLITICIANS, LEADERS, BILLIONAIRE PHILANTHROPISTS. WALK THE WALK.

STOP THE GALAS. HOUSE THE HOMELESS, OPPRESSED AND HUDDLED MASSES.

ACT!

WPCNR THE SUNDAY BAILEY. News & Comment by John F. Bailey. October 9, 2022:

It has been a week since Mayor Eric Adams of New York (under disgraceful pressure) moved the Texas refugees from Orchard Beach, blaming flooding.

But Mayor Adams could have housed those refugees temporarily in the  Egyptian colossal pavilion on the Beach, (a higher ground positioned building), and much more secure. But he did not.

I suspect because of the protests from New Rochelle and the County Government of Westchester that Orchard Beach was not appropriate place to house them.

So Mayor Adams sent them to Randall’s Island and so far no real information on whether they were going into tents or into Icahn Stadium, or whatever or how they were going to be housed there.

I see no pictures of the thousands of poor souls, because that would be actually showing the ENTIRE metropolitan area outside New York City has not stepped up to help.

Mayor Adams declared a state of emergency Friday when I believe Texas sent another 9,000 into New York Friday. And of course, no public official, no President, Governor, Senator, Congressperson, or County Executive stepped up and said —

“We will help.”

I have heard of no church organizations opening their virtually empty churches in either Nassau, Suffolk or Westchester Counties exploring with Mayor Adams how they could help.

I have heard of no housing organizations step up to find facilities. I have no reports of Counties with facilities not filled to capacity, that are not filled up as being places where the refugees could be housed.(After all, they all have water fountains, a prerequisite.)

All towns and cities in Westchester have restaurants that could be paid to feed them. Schools could house the refugees after school and they have cafeterias that could be expanded to evening operations.

The federal government has not announced whether it is a policy to keep these poor souls in some form of high security incarceration, and keep records of  them and who they are.

No editorials from the papers of record about how America should help these people, whether they are Latino,Russian, Ukrainian, Iranian, Indian, whatever.

They need help.

The Statue of Liberty is shedding tears in the rain last week. We should send the Statue of Liberty back to France, if we do not help these people New York.

For God’s Sake, Ellis Island could be used as it was 150 years ago. It was built for classification of immigrants streaming in in the 19^th century. The military could build barracks. Mobile home builders could build housing.

Now Nassau County and Suffolk Counties can also chip in using some of their parks, schools.

Mayor Adams NEEDS to call a conference to house these people streaming in from the irresponsibly cruel and UnAmerican grandstanders like Governor Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis who have created this burden on New York and Martha’s Vineyard. Abbot could not heat his state in the winter or electrify his state after the freeze. DeSantis has no plan to fix the Florida West Coast. What Governors!

However, kudos for Martha’s Vineyard, they did not complain. They did not complain like New Rochelle and Westchester did. I know no details on how the Vineyard is doing this, but they are quietly coping.Not complaining.

Coping. That is something New Yorkers are known for doing. We are not now outside of New York City. The 9 counties are washing their hands. Not our problem. Really?

Meanwhile, Connecticut and New Jersey and New York need to conference up in one day—How about Monday? This would give the politicians who have said nothing about this terrible problem for refugees coming here of all ages and backgrounds – a tremendous workforce ready to do the jobs and do good in the big hope country, the United States of America.

If persons are willing to house immigrants in their homes, this has to be set up. A reader chastised me for my not opening my home to an immigrant family. Well how do persons with homes do that legally? Does the state want to keep track of them? The state has to decide and really they have to know who they are. Do the immigrants have any documents and vaccinations given them in Texas and Florida. (Hell we are behind in even vaccinating our own school children as of two weeks ago.)

I also want to see the business organizations of Westchester first to pat themselves on the back as vital to Westchester do something really vital: set up a clearing house of vacancies in office buildings and owned facilities that could be used for housing these people and and securing semi employment. If business does not think once in awhile nothing good happens. (Raising prices to maintain profit margins is an example of selfish not thinking.) 

Bottom Line: If no county leaders, borough leaders and upstate counties respond to Mayor Adams’ call for help, then Governor Hochul has to sacrifice the ire of counties and organizations everywhere in the state to do this humanitarian thing which the 9 counties surrounding New York City do not want to do and—

GOVERNOR HOCHUL — CALL – THE 2022 REFUGEE RELIEF AND RENAISSANCE CONFERENCE. HOLD IT IN THE JAVITTS CENTER—ALL COUNTY EXECUTIVES, POLITICAL CONTRIBUTORS, MAYORS, BUSINESS OWNERS, COMMUNCATIONS EXECUTIVES. MEDICAL ORGANIZATIONS AND MAKE A PLAN.

MAKE A PLAN.

Westchester particularly prides itself on doing good and treating people well. This is a real test.  We have to get a good grade. Right now you have an “F”

Please do it.

You’re not talking. So may I suggest strongly that you do it.

Save the refugees.

Make them Americans for life to rebuild this country as still the shining beacon of the world of hope and possibility and responsibility.

Send in the SEABEES, the National Guard.

Whatever it takes.

Take over the hotels. Motels.

Say “We will help.”

“What can we do? We’ll do it.”

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One of our biggest public health challenges is to decrease the rate of severe COVID-19 disease in the face of pandemic fatigue, dried up funding, misinformation, and a changing virus. Paxlovid—an antiviral medication—is a tool we still have left.

However, recent data shows concerning trends of Paxlovid use. For example, less than 30% of 80-85 year-olds with COVID are getting a prescription for Paxlovid. This is a major problem. This group is at the highest risk for severe disease and death, even if vaccinated. Improving knowledge, confidence, and thus prescriptions and use should be a priority.

Here is the latest data on effectiveness, rebounding, and drug interactions with Paxlovid. (To see how Paxlovid works, go here.)

Effectiveness

As with vaccines, we rely on two types of data: clinical trials data and “real world” data. Both have limitations, so looking at them together gives us the best picture.

Clinical trials

• The original Pfizer clinical trial tested the efficacy of Paxlovid on “high-risk” individuals: unvaccinated with at least one high risk characteristic, such age 65+ or a comorbidity. This trial was during the Delta wave. Paxlovid reduced hospitalization and death by 88%.
• Pfizer had a second clinical trial testing the efficacy on “standard risk” individuals, for example younger people. The drug was not effective. Pfizer stopped the clinical trial early.

Real world data

• A study published in Israel found Paxlovid reduced hospitalization by 70% and death by 80% but only for people aged 65+. There was no benefit for 40-64 year olds.
  • The vast majority of people in this study had some level of immunity (vaccination or prior infection). This means that Paxlovid helps vaccinated older adults.
• A study in Hong Kong found Paxlovid was useful among people >60 years old and <60 years old with a comorbidity. This study also included people who were vaccinated.
• Another study in Hong Kong found that, among hospitalized patients, Paxlovid reduced viral load and helped patients recover faster.
• A non-peer-reviewed report on 560,000 U.S. patients found similar patterns:
  • Among those 65+ years, 73% had a lower chance of hospitalization and 79% a lower chance of death.
  • When separated by vaccination status, the benefit remained. This analysis did not account for other variables that could explain this relationship, but the authors said this analysis is currently underway and, thus far, results have not changed.Unadjusted age distribution of COVID-19 hospitalization and death rates by Paxlovid use from March 1, 2022, through August 1, 2022, for patients with a complete primary series of COVID-19 vaccination but no documented booster vaccination.

Rebounding

COVID-19 rebound occurs when a person takes the drug for a few days, tests negative, and then tests positive again several days later. Since my last update, we still don’t know the “true” frequency in which this happens after Paxlovid. But we have discovered other important pieces to the rebounding puzzle:

1. Rebound doesn’t impact immunity. A small but important study found that rebounding after Paxlovid does not interfere with the immune system’s ability to develop protection. In other words, if you take Paxlovid, you will still make antibodies and T cells. In fact, this study found that you make more antibodies.
2. Rebounding is common without Paxlovid. A preprint found 1 out of 8 people rebounded without Paxlovid. Those that rebounded were more likely to be older. Among those that rebounded, only 10% had symptoms.
3. Rebounding may happen more frequently with Paxlovid. Another preprint found rebounding after Paxlovid (3 out of 11) was more common than rebounding without the drug (1 out of 25). Why this is the case is one of our biggest unanswered questions.
4. Rebounding is mild. Another important question is whether rebounding leads to severe disease or milder disease. In other words, does it cause harm? Small studies report the majority of people experience milder symptoms during rebound compared to the initial infection. LA County reports no severe COVID-19 cases after rebounding, too.

Interactions with medications

One limitation to Paxlovid is that it can interact with other medications. The older the person, the more comorbidities, and the more medications. This may explain suboptimal uptake. The good news is there aren’t too many drug-to-drug interactions. The Infectious Disease Society of America released a report summarizing the the top 200 prescribed drugs and their interactions with Paxlovid. They found only 2 drugs have interactions so severe that Paxlovid should be avoided:

• Rivaroxaban (Xarelto)
• Salmeterol (Serevent)

With the help of a clinician, other medications can be managed so Paxlovid remains an option. Be sure to get advice from a clinician.

Other benefits?

Severe disease is not COVID-19’s only outcome, so a comprehensive assessment of Paxlovid is beneficial, especially if we are considering populations outside of 65+:

• Transmission: A randomized control trial of more than 3000 people found that Paxlovid does not prevent COVID-19 infection.
• Long COVID: Unfortunately we do not know whether Paxlovid reduces the risk of long COVID.

Bottom line

Vaccination is the safest and most effective way to stay out of the hospital.

Paxlovid acts as a fantastic second line of defense among unvaccinated people and vaccinated older adults. This is the case even if they rebound.

We are entering winter with limited tools, so Paxlovid needs to be top of mind.

We’re simply missing too many opportunities to use it among high risk people.

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THIS WEEK EVERY WEEK ON

WHITE PLAINS WEEK

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WPCNR LAW JOURNAL. From the Westchester County District Attorney. October 8, 2022:

The Westchester County District Attorney’s Office has, for the first time, consented to the resentencing of a domestic violence survivor under New York State’s 2019 Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act (DVSJA).

The DVSJA gives the court discretion to resentence defendants who suffered sexual, psychological or physical abuse that significantly contributed to their criminal conduct.

Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah recommended a five-year resentence, the maximum under the DVSJA, for Jonitha Alston, who has been serving a 12-year sentence for her manslaughter conviction for the 2016 stabbing death of her boyfriend, Dennis Graham.

Judge Robert Neary vacated the original sentence, of which Alston served nearly five years, and granted our recommendation of a five-year resentence, with five years of post-release supervision, in Westchester County Court on October 7, 2022. 

“I want to thank the court for its thoughtful consideration. After a careful review of the motion filed by Ms. Alston under the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act, and a recent examination by an expert psychologist, we concluded that Ms. Alston was subject to physical and psychological abuse at the time of her offense, and the history of this abuse, combined with the perceived threat to her daughter at the time of the offense, significantly contributed to her commission of the crime,” DA Rocah said.

 “The Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act is an important evolution in the way the criminal justice system views survivors of abuse. The legislation is narrowly crafted and requires a strict set of eligibility requirements, which we took into consideration during our careful and thorough evaluation of this request.” 

“This is a life-changing result for Ms. Alston and her family, friends and community. This case shows what can be accomplished when the DVSJA is coupled with a prosecutor’s office that views domestic violence survivors through a compassionate, holistic and trauma-informed lens,” said Ross Kramer, Director of the Incarcerated Gender Violence Survivors Initiative at Sanctuary for Families, one of New York’s largest service providers and advocates for survivors of gender-based violence that played a lead role in the passage of the DVSJA. 

“Pace Women’s Justice Center is so pleased to see the Westchester County DA’s Office use the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act for the first time to reduce the sentence of an incarcerated survivor of domestic violence. It is fitting that this type of action was taken during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, giving voice to survivors. It speaks loudly of the Office’s understanding of the complexity of domestic violence prosecutions within the criminal justice system,” said Cindy Kanusher, Executive Director for Pace Womens Justice Center, which provides free legal services to victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and elder abuse. 

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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From the Westchester County Board of Legislators. October 5, 2022:

The Westchester County Board of Legislators unanimously voted to enact the Senior Citizens and Persons with Disabilities Home Owner’s Tax Exemption at their meeting held Monday night. The new law expands income eligibility for property tax exemptions by increasing the maximum household annual limit from $29,000 to $50,000.

The amendment to the current local law is a direct result of the suite of tax relief bills signed by Governor Kathy Hochul on August 8, 2022, allowing local municipalities the option to raise eligibility requirements (S.3085A/A.3956A). Eligibility for this exemption is limited to Westchester County homeowners that are either a person with disabilities or a senior citizen aged 65 years or older. The goal of the law is to allow more residents the ability to age in place within their current communities, especially for those on fixed incomes, by maintaining affordability during a time of record-high inflation.

Legislator Vedat Gashi, Chair of the Budget & Appropriations Committee and a lead sponsor of the bill, said, “We wasted no time in opting-in to the new tax exemption guidelines because it is our duty to help as many people as we can. Through this expansion, previously excluded individuals will for the first time qualify for this tax relief benefit and not have to worry about being priced out of their beloved neighborhoods.”

Legislator David Tubiolo said, “Our seniors have worked their entire lives without asking for much. All they ever wanted was the opportunity to provide for their families and contribute to their communities. We need to do our part to take care of our seniors in return and ensure they receive all the support they need to make Westchester their home forever.”