Booster promoted as hospitalizations surge: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/covid-booster-dr-jha-urges-post-thanksgiving-hospitalizations/story?id=95476035 .
Reverse vaccination technique teaches immune system not to attack treatments: https://theconversation.com/reverse-vaccination-technique-in-mice-suggests-new-way-to-teach-the-immune-system-not-to-attack-lifesaving-treatments-169716 .
Vaccine hesitancy in China continues: https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2022-12-18/i-dont-trust-it-vaccine-hesitancy-lingers-even-as-china-covid-cases-surge .
China undercounts COVID deaths: https://apnews.com/ec7583d303252a9c3408fc4cb757b5f0 . As usual with COVID, excess death statistics will be the best measure of COVID’s actual toll in China.
WSJ: Problems with telehealth counseling: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-failed-promise-of-online-mental-health-treatment-11671390353 . The company failed to give the patient an appropriate counselor. That does not relate to telehealth but to incompetence.
WSJ: Congress to focus on government spending bill: https://www.wsj.com/articles/congress-races-to-finish-1-7-trillion-spending-bill-before-christmas-11671330523 .
Russia shells heart of Kherson as infrastructure attacks continue: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-12-18/russian-shelling-targets-heart-of-city-of-kherson .
Musk asks Twitter users if he should step down as CEO: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/elon-musk-twitter-ceo-poll_n_639fb8d4e4b044143048c4e8 . Latest returns are 58% yes, 42% no. Musk says he will abide by the results. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/elon-musk-polls-twitter-users-asking-whether-he-should-step-down-11671409266 . Meanwhile, Musk bans “free” promotion of competitors: https://www.wsj.com/articles/twitter-plans-to-remove-tweets-promoting-rival-social-media-platforms-11671396671 .
“Avatar 2” has $134 U S plus $300 million international opening weekend, still short of expectations: https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-business-movies-james-cameron-338f3afa90a3e5844bf43413ef452dc1 . The film cost nearly $400 million to make. It must earn $2 billion just to break even.
World Cup 2022: Messi leads Argentina to win over France, he’s now Greatest of All Time: https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-sports-soccer-lionel-messi-gonzalo-montiel-e13fc1886725a0fe4f9e053e16a061bc . The “knock” on Messi was that he had never won the World Cup. It was star against star as Mbappe scored all 3 of France’s goals and still could not bring the defending champions home over Argentina. If a replay is available, watch it – this was the greatest soccer/football game ever played … WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/argentina-france-world-cup-messi-mbappe-11671386377 . Still more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/messi-mbappe-world-cup-final-argentina-france-11671392972 . Also: https://www.wsj.com/articles/argentines-celebrate-first-world-cup-title-win-since-1986-11671390738 .