FDA to allow vaccine mix and match: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/u-fda-allow-mixing-matching-221119325-000401225.html . To me this has always made logical sense as more stimulative to the immune system. Now the scientific evidence backs up this idea. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/fda-nearing-approval-for-mixing-and-matching-covid-19-booster-shots-11634599855 .
Fifth US COVID wave “absolutely possible”: https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2021/10/18/u-of-ms-michael-osterholm-tells-us-whats-coming-next-in-the-pandemic . We can put math to Osterholm’s comments pretty easily. There are still about 65 million unvaccinated adult Americans. The virus is highly contagious, so if you don’t get the vaccine you have a strong chance of getting the virus at some point. Let’s suppose that 25% of the unvaccinated have already had COVID (so some natural immunity), and that 2/3 of the remainder ultimately get COVID. Let’s also stay with our estimate that COVID’s mortality rate is about 0.6%. Then 65 million times .75, times 2/3, times .006 equals another 195,000 deaths.
The pandemic is not over, dammit. And let me predict that soon we will have news stories of cops who quit rather than get vaccinated, and die of COVID. Based on the preceding math, that’s not a very risky prediction.
Miami private school tells parents children must stay home for 30 days after vaccination: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/miami-school-says-vaccinated-students-must-stay-home-for-30-days-to-protect-others-citing-discredited-info/ar-AAPEN1w . Why would you pay money to give your children an anti-science “education”? As the parents are apparently well-off, someone should file for a temporary restraining order against the school.
California parents protest school vaccine mandates: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-health-california-sacramento-e328f8e688b6217c5d7aa7a26882e0b5 . So, one thousand protesters show up in a state of 39 million. Again, this is not about individual rights. This is about social responsibility. Vaccinations are required for school to protect all of the children and staff. And you have a choice, which is to home school your children. Somehow home schooling seems like it won’t work out for these kids.
The eviction wave is still out there: https://tellusdaily.com/2021/10/18/as-rents-rise-so-do-pressures-on-individuals-at-danger-of-eviction/ . Sorry for the butchered English in this article. This is presumably a foreign website (India?), which I occasionally use for a NY Times article when it’s not otherwise available without an NYT subscription. The key sentence: “Rents rose 10.3% annually in the third quarter of 2021 in professionally managed properties … as vacancies rates plunged below 3% for the first time in three decades.”
The anti-science fruitcakes are still out there, too: https://www.thedailybeast.com/dennis-prager-announces-he-has-covid-after-hugging-thousands-to-get-it . Why do stations give this dangerous insanity a platform? Why do advertisers foot the bill?
College towns get the shaft in the 2020 Census: https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/wireStory/college-towns-plan-challenge-results-2020-census-80646102 . Because so many government funding programs are allocated based on population, significant funds are involved.
WSJ: California has the driest year in a century: https://www.wsj.com/articles/california-has-driest-year-since-1924-11634577173 . This is not academic. America relies on California for a lot of food. And of course most of the rest of the West is suffering drought, too. By the way, to really understand why the houseboats crowd up, look at the very top of the picture. That shows you how far the reservoir has fallen.
The PAC-12 shoots itself in the foot, again: https://sports.yahoo.com/washington-state-fires-football-coach-034613839.html . The Cougs coach had the highest pay of any public employee in the state, at $3 million. Governor Inslee makes $171,898, ranking him as the 956th highest paid official in Washington State. Governance is both a lost art and an increasingly unrewarding job. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/washington-state-nick-rolovich-covid-vaccine-11634608043 .
Colin Powell dies from COVID complications: https://www.today.com/news/politics/george-w-bush-remembers-colin-powell-great-man-death-84-rcna3182 . The former Secretary of State, 84, was fully vaccinated but suffered a breakthrough infection. His immune system was compromised by blood cancer. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/colin-powell-was-an-insider-who-also-stood-apart-11634578228 . Still more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/former-secretary-of-state-colin-powell-dies-at-84-11634560862 .
WSJ: Workers return to their pre-pandemic offices: https://www.wsj.com/articles/returning-workers-confront-creepy-time-capsules-of-pre-pandemic-life-11634568537 . The photo made me laugh out loud.