Infected senator says COVID-19 ‘not a death sentence’
MADISON, Wis. — Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said Monday that he never had any symptoms after testing positive Oct. 2 for the coronavirus, declaring that COVID-19 “is not a death sentence.”
As of Monday, more than 152,000 people in Wisconsin had tested positive for the virus, with 1,474 deaths, according to the state Department of Health Services. The seven-day average of new confirmed cases reached a new high of 2,547, up from 2,395 a week ago. Wisconsin has seen a spike in cases in recent months, and has been one of the top five states in the country for new cases per capita.
The number of people hospitalized due to COVID-19 in Wisconsin also hit a record high Monday at 950, according to the Wisconsin Hospital Association. The previous high was 907 set four days earlier.
Johnson said that while there have been “so many tragedies” for those who test positive, “at the same time, COVID is not a death sentence.”
Johnson said he was last tested for the virus Oct. 5 and again tested positive, but “I have never had a symptom, ever.”
“I'm one of the very lucky 40% who test positive for the coronavirus but don't get COVID,” Johnson, 65, said during a conference call to discuss the beginning of Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett.
Johnson, who said he was shocked that he tested positive, was quarantining at his home in Oshkosh. Johnson said he had a lung X-ray and blood work done last week and that all his tests came back normal.
Johnson reiterated his opposition to Wisconsin's mask mandate, issued by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. A judge Monday upheld the order, rejecting attempts by the Republicancontrolled Legislature and a conservative law firm to overturn it.
Johnson, who said he wears a mask “in appropriate situations,” said the mandate is “largely unenforceable” and that is why he is against it.
No herd immunity: The head of the World Health Organization warned against the idea that herd immunity might be a realistic strategy to stop the pandemic, dismissing such proposals as “simply unethical.”
At a media briefing Monday in London, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said health officials typically aim to achieve herd immunity by vaccination. Tedros noted that to obtain herd immunity from a highly infectious disease such as measles, for example, about 95% of the population must be immunized.
“Herd immunity is achieved by protecting people from a virus, not by exposing them to it,” he said. Some researchers have argued that allowing COVID-19 to spread in populations that are not obviously vulnerable will help build up herd immunity and is a more realistic way to stop the pandemic, instead of the restrictive lockdowns that have proved economically devastating.
“Never in the history of public health has herd immunity been used as a strategy for responding to an outbreak,” Tedros said.
WHO estimates less than 10% of the population has any immunity to the coronavirus, meaning the vast majority of the world remains susceptible.
Tedros said that too little was known about immunity to COVID-19 to know if herd immunity is even achievable.
Vatican outbreak: Four Swiss Guards have tested positive for coronavirus and were showing symptoms, the Vatican said Monday, as the surge in infections in surrounding Italy penetrates the Vatican walls.
The Swiss Guards, the world's oldest standing army, provide ceremonial guard duty during papal Masses, man the Vatican gates and help protect the 83-year-old Pope Francis.
The four are in isolation while their contacts are being traced, the Vatican said Monday. They join three other Vatican residents who tested positive in recent weeks plus the dozen or so Holy See officials who tested positive during the first wave of the outbreak.
Despite the positive cases among his own guards, Francis on Monday was seen once again without a mask. He warmly greeted Cardinal George Pell in his private studio, and neither man wore a mask. Also unmasked were Pell's secretary and the Vatican photographer.
Francis, who lost part of one lung to illness when he was a young man, has drawn sharp criticism in social media for shunning a mask during his Wednesday general audience, held last week indoors. He was seen shaking hands with clerics and otherwise mingling with the masked crowd. His bodyguards were similarly maskless.
Belarus crackdown: Authorities said Monday they detained 713 people during mass protests a day earlier against the reelection of the country's authoritarian leader in a disputed election — the harshest crackdown in weeks on demonstrators.
The Interior Ministry reported that out of those detained Sunday, 570 of them were still in custody awaiting a court hearing. In a separate statement, the ministry threatened to use firearms against the protesters “if need be,” saying that the rallies “have become organized and extremely radical.”
Despite the detentions, protests in Belarus continued Monday in Minsk, the capital.
Protesters are demanding the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko.
Navalny attack: European Union foreign ministers agreed Monday to impose sanctions on Russian officials and organizations blamed for the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a Soviet-era nerve agent.
At a meeting in Luxembourg, France and Germany urged their EU partners to freeze the assets of those suspected of involvement and ban them from traveling in Europe under sanctions to combat the use and spread of chemical weapons.
“It was a complete acceptance by all member states,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters after the talks. “Everybody was supporting this proposal.”
Borrell provided no details about who might face sanctions or when the measures might come into force, but said that technical work on preparing the action will now proceed.
Navalny, an anti-corruption investigator and major political opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, fell ill on Aug. 20 during a domestic flight in Russia.
He was flown to Germany for treatment two days later and is still recovering there.
Last week, tests conducted at labs designated by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons confirmed that Navalny was the victim of a Novichok nerve agent.