Pfizer booster neutralizes Omicron: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/pfizer-says-booster-dose-vaccine-protects-omicron-variant-rcna7970 .
US boosters hit a million a day: https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/u.s.-boosters-surge-to-all-time-high-on-omicron-fears . At this pace, it will still take 6 months to get all the vaccinated boosted.
Definition of “fully vaccinated” undergoing shift: https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-12-08/fauci-says-its-a-matter-of-when-not-if-the-definition-of-fully-vaccinated-will-change .
US hits 200 million vaccinated, but COVID still spikes upward: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-pandemics-dc8943700b4a65fe1031a7f6ab40026d . We are running 119,000 new cases per day. A change in the definition of “fully vaccinated” will substantially lower the 200 million count, as so far only 25% of those eligible have received a booster.
Delta surges in Pennsylvania as hospital chain runs out of beds: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-pennsylvania-a14addad0c7c7d67c71ad6f3364dbefa .
Michigan record hospitalizations still rising: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/michigan/articles/2021-12-08/record-high-michigan-covid-19-hospitalizations-still-rising .
WSJ: The details of lab testing for vaccine effectiveness against Omicron: https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-blood-samples-are-helping-scientists-test-covid-19-vaccines-against-omicron-11638959582 .
Latest US updates from USA Today: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2021/12/08/omicron-covid-variant-vaccines-mandates/6425346001/ .
WSJ: NYC vaccine mandate heads to court: https://www.wsj.com/articles/judge-temporarily-halts-new-york-city-covd-19-vaccine-mandate-for-public-workers-11638975629 .
University of Florida documents pressure to destroy COVID analysis, align with DeMentis: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/584909-university-of-florida-researchers-pressured-to-destroy-covid-19-data .
Tennessee medical board removes vaccine misinformation policy under GOP pressure: https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/584964-tennessee-medical-board-removes-virus-misinformation-policy-from . The GOP wins another skirmish in suppressing the facts.
UK Omicron cases doubling every two to three days: https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-omicron-cases-doubling-every-2-3-days-and-expected-to-be-dominant-strain-with-a-month-12490171 . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-k-imposes-new-covid-19-restrictions-as-omicron-cases-double-every-few-days-11638993182 .
Omicron’s R0 – So just how infectious is Omicron? The R0 is the average number of people infected by one patient. Delta’s R0 is currently estimated at 1.5, and Delta is one of the most infectious disease viruses we’ve seen. The latest estimate for Omicron’s R0 is 3.4, or about 2.3 times as infectious as Delta. Again, as vaccines are not 100% effective and not everyone will be vaccinated, COVID has quite a ways to run. COVID will remain embedded in the human population.
COVID surges in Poland and Eastern Europe: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-ukraine-poland-warsaw-2f631e3b51446af1aef39c8bf96955e8 .
CNN searches for good news: https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/08/politics/omicron-gas-prices-inflation-what-matters/index.html . The way things have been going, this is not a bad idea.
WSJ: Opioid settlement in New York: https://www.wsj.com/articles/allergan-reaches-200-million-opioid-settlement-with-new-york-state-counties-11638991195 .
California plans to be abortion sanctuary if Roe overturned: https://apnews.com/625a118108bcda253196697c83548d5b . So the expectation has always been that if Roe was overturned, there would be about a 50-50 split between the states banning and allowing it. However, California is talking about going a couple of steps beyond. Given the Texas “vigilante” abortion law, I wonder if the abortion ban states will criminalize citizens helping citizens get to California. This could become the 21st century Underground Railroad. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/california-may-pay-expenses-for-women-seeking-abortions-from-other-states-11638996688 .
WSJ: More on the Amazon outage: https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-outage-disrupts-lives-surprising-people-about-their-cloud-dependency-11638972001 . Surprisingly, the outage knocked out a number of smart devices, like cat food dispensers. Wow, and inflatable reindeer were knocked out. All of this depresses me about the state of modern society.
WSJ: The future of data: https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-understand-the-data-explosion-11638979214 . Of course, a huge percentage of this data is just crap. One example given here is that YouTube receives an hour of video every second.
Manchin and Tester vote with Senate Republicans to repeal vaccine mandates: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/senate-passes-resolution-defund-repeal-biden-vaccine-mandate-n1285636 . The reporting of “long odds in the House” is, as far as I know, inaccurate. So Nancy Pelosi does not have to bring this to the floor, she won’t, and that’s the end of it. More likely, she will refer it to a committee that will kill it. But again, to the best of my knowledge there is no possibility of passage in the House. As a side note, Roger Marshall, a new physician-senator from Kansas, is a nut. His natural immunity comment is ridiculous – you have to catch the disease to have natural immunity. That recommendation is malpractice.
United Healthcare loses $60 million suit for under-reimbursing ER services in Nevada: https://apnews.com/article/science-health-business-state-courts-las-vegas-mass-shooting-ab6efae567be8dc77e53d24dc4c4f0b1 . So, this problem would not occur under a public healthcare system.
Not protecting kids from social media: https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-mark-zuckerberg-richard-blumenthal-facebook-c242e1cd4ded5f09a6830eb232f2d8a3 . I agree with (Republican) Senator Mike Lee of Utah, who commented, “You are the new Tobacco”: https://www.deseret.com/utah/2021/12/8/22823858/sen-lee-to-instagram-youre-the-new-tobacco-whether-you-like-it-or-not-social-media-congress-hearing . So Facebook has focused on monetizing social media without regard to the safety of its users. Federal regulation is overdue.
Shooter’s parents hire high profile attorney while the kid has a public defender: https://www.insider.com/michigan-shooting-suspect-public-defender-parents-hire-own-attorney-2021-12 . This family screams deep dysfunction.
Biden signs executive order to make US government carbon neutral by 2050: https://news.yahoo.com/biden-signs-executive-order-on-climate-change-to-require-net-zero-emissions-from-federal-government-by-2050-210250866.html . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-signs-order-committing-u-s-to-net-zero-emissions-by-2050-11638994931 .
North Carolina Supreme Court delays 2022 primaries over redistricting challenges: https://www.npr.org/2021/12/08/1062542865/north-carolina-delays-2022-primaries-to-give-redistricting-challenges-more-time . North Carolina redistricting stunts have ended up in the US Supreme Court multiple times over the past 25 years. The North Carolina GOP-dominated legislature rejects fundamental fairness in elections as a matter of course.
WSJ: Mark Meadows sues to quash subpoenas: https://www.wsj.com/articles/house-panel-probing-capitol-riot-to-hold-mark-meadows-in-criminal-contempt-11638982497 . Since executive privilege has been waived by the sitting president, and OJ does not appear to have executive privilege any longer, this lawsuit is likely going nowhere fast.
OJ’s new media company: A $1 billion “amateurish delusion”: https://news.yahoo.com/people-are-laughing-at-trumps-new-company-214853729.html . There are apparently zero competent people in OJ’s orbit.
Meanwhile, Russia still loves Orange Julius: https://www.thedailybeast.com/russian-state-tv-drops-deranged-love-letter-to-its-darling-trumpushka-donald-trump . So the global focus was historically good versus evil. But now the fight pits the facts against global propaganda.
WSJ: Assessing Russia’s intentions toward Ukraine: https://www.wsj.com/articles/russia-ukraine-border-what-to-know-11638874853 .
Why China’s real estate sector is a concern for the global economy: https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/584838-chinas-economic-clay-feet . This detailed explanation of the issues behind China’s overleveraged real estate sector makes clear the risks to global economic growth.