Vaccination incentive offers grow: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2021-05-07/states-cities-and-companies-offer-incentives-to-get-covid-19-vaccine . This should get the “leaners” on board. From there, we’re pretty much down to the ignorant and the lazy.
WSJ: Nick Saban advocates vaccinations in Alabama: https://www.wsj.com/articles/nick-saban-covid-vaccine-alabama-football-11620358870 . Whatever works …
Administration strategy behind vaccine patent waiver proposal: https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-coronavirus-vaccine-coronavirus-pandemic-health-business-fe651a2f89a06c2af271a72410bbb039 . It shows humanitarian intention. Given the depth of this crisis, that should count for something. WSJ: More on the practical effects: https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-support-for-patent-waiver-unlikely-to-cost-covid-19-vaccine-makers-in-short-term-11620414260 .
WSJ: Vaccine doses being wasted, sort of: https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-vaccines-are-wasted-as-special-syringes-run-short-11620379801 . So, the vials are somewhat overfilled and this leads to the possibility of extra doses. By definition, there will be some waste in the vial use process because of the safety margin. As US supply now exceeds demand, this really relates to the global demand for vaccines. This is pretty much a mini-problem at this point. It feels like WSJ hunts for criticism of the new administration. They are doing a poor job.
WSJ: Pfizer raises 2021-22 vaccine dose production goal from 5.5 billion to 7.0 billion: https://www.wsj.com/articles/pfizer-lifts-covid-19-vaccine-production-targets-for-2021-2022-11620425904 . Even though it’s a two-dose vaccine, this is enough to vaccine half the global population.
CDC prepping guidance on identifying long COVID: https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-05-07/cdc-to-release-clinical-guidance-on-identifying-managing-long-covid . We do need to get our arms around a clinical definition of this condition.
WSJ: Pfizer asks FDA for full approval of its vaccine: https://www.wsj.com/articles/pfizer-biontech-ask-fda-for-full-approval-of-covid-19-vaccine-11620415712 . This is a logical next step. We already know the EUA, the emergency use approval. This is the BLA, the Biologics License Application.
WSJ: AstraZeneca considers skipping EUA, applying for EUA from FDA: https://www.wsj.com/articles/astrazeneca-weighs-seeking-full-u-s-approval-for-covid-shot-skipping-emergency-use-application-11620423584 .
WHO grants EUA to China’s Sinopharm vaccine: https://www.usnews.com/news/world-report/articles/2021-05-07/who-endorses-chinas-sinopharm-coronavirus-vaccine . Vaccine diplomacy will continue to play out over the coming months. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/who-recommends-chinas-sinopharm-vaccine-for-emergency-use-11620403582 .
WSJ: Latest US pandemic metrics: https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-covid-19-metrics-signal-hopeful-turn-11620423357 .
COVID variant tracking in Florida: https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/coronavirus/in-depth-tracking-covid-19-variants-in-florida .
WSJ: CMS warns US hospitals to make their pricing public: https://www.wsj.com/articles/hospitals-draw-warning-on-price-disclosure-rule-compliance-11620442193 .
Anti-vax Orthodox Jews tell vaccinated campers and staff they are not welcome at summer camp: https://www.jpost.com/international/orthodox-jewish-camp-to-ban-kids-staff-vaccinated-for-coronavirus-667566 . It is embarrassing and appalling that people choose to just make up science.
WSJ: Brazil’s mass vaccination experiment: https://www.wsj.com/articles/brazilian-towns-mass-vaccination-creates-oasis-of-well-being-11620392401 .
WSJ: India adjusts curbs on work and travel: https://www.wsj.com/articles/indian-states-impose-curbs-on-work-travel-to-help-slow-covid-19-surge-11620413239 .
India death rate “paradox” debated: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/372/6542/552 . There is not enough data to declare a paradox, and in any case one is very unlikely to exist. India’s median age is much lower than the US’s, so they would be expected to have much lower death rates under the original strain. That dynamic changes with the variants, and India does very little genomic sequencing. So no one has any idea what is going on. The much higher death rate in the elderly in the US appeared in nursing homes; it is not relevant in discussing India.
The study of 12 cities or a few rural villages is of very limited use in a country with 1.4 billion people, 70% of whom live in rural areas. The pounding India is currently taking indicates there is no paradox at all.
India as explained by Fox: https://www.foxnews.com/health/why-coronavirus-bad-india-experts . Good grief. How stupid does a government have to be to declare victory over a global pandemic when less than 2% of its population is vaccinated? What if that country has 1.4 billion people and is the world’s largest producer of vaccines? Feel sorry for anyone who thinks they’re informed by watching Fox.
Should children be vaccinated?: https://www.ft.com/content/6994b6fa-ed45-40c2-a7a7-0067cb8f2697 . Yes, of course, once proper testing is complete in order to establish safety and appropriate dosages. Why are all these uninformed “debates” reaching the news? Again, the variants are much more infectious and transmissible in children. Children not only die from COVID, they suffer multiple inflammatory syndrome (MISC) and long COVID. The comment that children would be vaccinated only to protect others just indicates no familiarity with basic facts.
US job growth slows abruptly: https://www.npr.org/2021/05/07/994217612/spring-slump-employers-add-just-266-000-jobs-in-april (link replaced 5/26/21). My guess is the restaurants and tourist companies which have come back are operating skeleton crews in hopes of summer success. It is not clear that they will return to financial health soon. Employment in the leisure and hospitality industries will remain iffy for at least another year. More: https://money.yahoo.com/april-2021-jobs-report-payrolls-labor-department-unemployment-181552009.html . This second article not only supports my guesses, but shows there is no employment gain in the economy except for this seasonal leisure/hospitality betting. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/april-jobs-report-unemployment-rate-2021-11620332156 .
WSJ: Texas energy regulators did not know the basics of their system: https://www.wsj.com/articles/as-texas-went-dark-the-state-paid-natural-gas-companies-to-go-offline-11620385201 . Okay, people make mistakes. Okay, everything in Texas is bigger, including the mistakes. That said, how can the energy regulators not know that they are taking actions that reduce power supply? This is important reporting …
Facts don’t matter to conservatives: https://money.yahoo.com/us-chamber-calls-for-ending-the-extra-300-in-unemployment-benefits-after-disappointing-jobs-report-151828040.html . I have no problem in rethinking these benefits to better target them to the people who need help. However, “unemployed” is a pretty good target. And the jobs report sucks. The fake researchers at the Chamber need to shut the hell up until they have something worthwhile to offer. That is likely to be a very long time.
There is a similar problem in publishing: https://www.mediaite.com/news/washingtonian-staff-revolts-after-ceo-seems-to-threaten-their-jobs-if-they-dont-return-to-office/ . Indications are that up to one-third of millennials will look for new employment as the economy stabilizes. Remote work is here to stay. Also, writing this newsletter has taught me that publishing companies are desperately working to expand their subscriber bases and monetize content. That is a hard lift. There is likely to be ongoing consolidation in journalism.
Civil rights charges in George Floyd death: https://apnews.com/article/george-floyd-officers-charged-6d87b905692ddfa9594b36c876366f4b . The arc of justice bends slowly. Police reform is coming. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/federal-grand-jury-indicts-former-officers-in-george-floyd-killing-11620397342 .
Pushback against Stefanik: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/former-reagan-staffer-david-mcintosh-says-elise-stefanik-terrible-for-gop-leadership-shes-very-much-a-liberal/ar-BB1gtcNw?li=BBnbfcL . This is hilarious and sad at the same time. The Republican Party currently has no policy or platform; they just promote anger. You move up the ranks based on the quality of your goosestep. One hopes this makes them a permanent minority party and increasingly irrelevant to actual governance. More: https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/07/politics/elise-stefanik-liz-cheney-trump/index.html .
The real hope for Pelosi is that the Orange Julius forces succeed in getting minions nominated in swing House districts, who then prove too nuts to get elected. The Liz Cheney ballot is secret for a reason. A Republican pollster sees a similar result but for a different reason – base suppression: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/pollster-frank-luntz-says-trumps-big-lie-may-cost-republicans-the-house-in-2022/ar-BB1gtxls?li=BBnb7Kz . This may be true in 2022, but for a different reason: OJ is not on the ballot. We’ve always assumed the party in power loses steam for this reason (the president is not on the ballot), but 2022 could be the reverse. And OJ may be broke or in jail.
Florida labor commissioner refuses to salute DeMentis: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/552303-possible-desantis-opponent-florida-is-no-longer-a-free-state . I don’t know that Fried can win a governor’s race. But there appears to be a developing trend of prosecuting The Big Lie against the Big Liars. More damaging press for DeMentis: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/florida-gov-ron-desantis-former-aides-say-he-treated-them-like-a-disposable-piece-of-garbage/ar-BB1gtaHe?li=BBnb7Kz . Obviously, they were disposable. That’s the OJ way.
Kushner the slumlord remains confused about victory: https://www.salon.com/2021/05/06/judge-jared-kushners-company-violated-many-laws-charged-bogus-fees-misled-tenants/ . Jared-Ivanka was a merger of crime families.
Why is the Gates divorce big news?: https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/why-bill-melinda-gates-divorce-literally-your-business-n1266622 . There is some truth to this article, but it’s factually inaccurate. Companies that are more than 100 years old are actually quite rare. The US had significant numbers of “robber barons” in the late 19th century. That was the source of the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. And the country was fascinated with the rich. Some, like the Rockefellers and Andrew Carnegie, tried to clean up their reputations through philanthropy. Bill Gates has followed that model.
Divorce was much less common at that time. Women, who couldn’t even vote, were forced to remain in these marriages by economics and social custom. Remember that “Citizen Kane” was drawn on the life of William Randolph Hearst. Who’s making a movie about Bill Gate or Jeff Bezos, Rosebud?