Month: December 2021

Former U.S. senator and Republican presidential and vice presidential candidate Bob Dole died on Sunday at 98 years old. The Elizabeth Dole Foundation, named after his wife, announced that Dole died in his sleep early Sunday morning. A cause of death was not immediately revealed, however, Dole announced in February that he had been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer and would undergo treatment. The statement from the Elizabeth Dole Foundation read: ““It is with heavy hearts we announce that Senator Robert Joseph Dole died early this morning in his sleep,” adding, “At his death, at age 98, he had served the United States of America faithfully for 79 years.”

Dole served in the U.S. Army during World War II and survived serious injuries in battle in Italy. He earned two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars for valor during his service.  He served in the U.S. House as a representative from Kansas between 1961 and 1969. He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1968 and represented Kansas in the Senate for 27 years, the last 11 as the Republican leader.

In 1976, Dole was the vice presidential nominee on the Republican ticket with incumbent President Gerald Ford; they ultimately lost in the general election to Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale. Dole then resigned from the Senate in 1996 to make a bid for President, ultimately losing to incumbent President Bill Clinton. Following his Presidential run, Dole began serving as special counsel with the law firm Alston and Bird in Washington and was appointed by then-President George W. Bush to co-head a bipartisan commission that delivered suggestions on improving the military’s health care system in 2008. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Clinton in 1997 and received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2018.

Dole is survived by his wife, former Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, and daughter Robin Dole.

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The Louisiana Department of Health confirmed that ten passengers and crew members aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship tested positive for coronavirus. The Norwegian Breakaway returned to New Orleans on Sunday after a weeklong cruise.

The Louisiana state health department said its agency as well as Gov. John Bel Edwards, the city of New Orleans and the Port of New Orleans “are aware and working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to initiate existing COVID-19 agreements and protocols with the cruise line.” The ship had stops in Belize, Honduras and Mexico. More than 3,200 people were onboard, and they all were to be tested before leaving the ship. The ship has a passenger capacity of 3,964.

The cruise line said the patients were all fully vaccinated and they were asymptomatic. Those who test positive for the virus will be required to travel home in a personal vehicle or self-isolate in accommodations provided by the cruise line. Passengers were given a test to use in three days.

The CDC requires everyone to have a negative test before boarding cruise ships, and vaccinations for those eligible with limited exemptions.

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/cruise-ship-covid-19-infections-arrives-orleans-81569285

Editorial credit: stef brown / Shutterstock.com