Vaccine nationalism: https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/18/world/united-nations-130-countries-no-vaccine-trnd/index.html .
US to donate $4 billion for vaccines for poorer countries: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-announce-us-donate-billion-covid-19-vaccines/story?id=75978762 . Donating money has a very different timeframe for vaccination than providing vaccine. This is still vaccine nationalism.
UK will donate surplus vaccines to poorer countries: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-56117120 . And this is vaccine nationalism “lite”. It makes clear who is at the head of the line.
AstraZeneca’s vaccine delivery based on “best efforts”: https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/17/europe/uk-astrazeneca-vaccine-contract-details-intl/index.html . Not all publicity is good publicity, especially when it’s “failure to deliver” publicity.
Resistance to AstraZeneca vaccine growing in some European countries as side effects cause front-line workers to call in sick: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-latest-factbox/factbox-latest-on-the-worldwide-spread-of-the-coronavirus-idUSKBN2AI2F8 . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/these-doctors-want-to-pick-their-covid-19-vaccine-fearing-reactions-lower-efficacy-11613649603 .
Pfizer vaccine 75% effective after one dose, according to Israeli study: https://www.jpost.com/health-science/sheba-says-pfizer-vaccine-75-percent-effective-after-one-dose-659498 . The study was published in The Lancet.
Novavax strikes deal to provide 1.1 billion doses to COVAX: https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/novavax-heels-coronavirus-shot-data-enters-massive-supply-deal-global-vaccine-consortium . This starts to get COVAX past the AstraZeneca vaccine. WSJ: More on COVAX: https://www.wsj.com/articles/covax-covid-19-vaccine-11613577473 .
Pregnant women invited for vaccine trial: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/pfizer-begin-covid-vaccine-clinical-trial-pregnant-women-n1258233 . Only the healthiest women will choose to participate. So the trial, while needed, starts with limitations.
Two young women masquerade as elderly to get vaccinated: https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2021/02/18/young-florida-women-dressed-as-grannies-to-get-coronavirus-vaccine-and-it-worked/#// . They were caught when they returned for their second dose.
No genomic sequencing, and no idea what the hell we are doing: https://apnews.com/article/experts-warn-virus-variants-states-open-ef733cb1b2546492c24996377a0f20a7 . We just continue to make the same mistake over and over again. The proper science is not put in place. We continually try to reopen blind. The vaccines will eventually dig us out of this mess, but people are dying needlessly. It is particularly infuriating that putting genomic testing and contact tracing in place early would have saved both lives and the economy. We should do it now for the emerging variants.
Children protected from COVID by quick initial immune response: https://consumer.healthday.com/b-2-19-kids-quick-immune-system-response-protects-them-from-covid-19-study-2650597793.html .
WSJ: Missed steps in the vaccine rollout: https://www.wsj.com/articles/behind-americas-botched-vaccination-rollout-fragmented-communication-misallocated-supply-11613663012 . The Journal tiptoes around the obvious answer: lack of federal leadership – that is, Orange Julius and his gang of lying incompetents.
Most firms fined for COVID safety violations are not paying up: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-workplace-fines-ex/exclusive-most-u-s-firms-hit-with-covid-19-safety-fines-arent-paying-up-idUSKBN2AI1JT .
WSJ: Feds investigate Cuomo over COVID nursing home data: https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-prosecutors-investigating-how-cuomo-administration-handled-covid-19-in-nursing-homes-11613624562 . More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/nursing-home-death-data-was-sought-from-cuomo-by-u-s-prosecutors-11613699774 .
WSJ: WHO hunt for COVID origin focuses on rabbits and ferret badgers: https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-hunt-for-covid-19-origin-who-team-focuses-on-two-animal-types-in-china-11613665015 .
Finland reports new COVID strain: https://news.yahoo.com/covid-19-strain-discovered-finland-004300838.html . While this may seem unlikely given the low viral load in Finland, it did occur. Note that Finland found it because they do GENOMIC TESTING.
WSJ: VIPs in Peru spark Vaccine Gate: https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-covid-vaccine-secretly-given-to-vips-11613678130 .
Italy’s COVID anniversary commemoration cancelled … by COVID: https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-italy-europe-coronavirus-pandemic-ed9367dc8a6ed69be2ad5d2e6c27adcf . US reopening plans are simply ignoring how devastating the UK variant has been in country after country. It is in 42 states (at least) right now. We will need a variant “booster shot”. Enough with Fantasy Island already!
WSJ: Weekly jobless claims rise: https://www.wsj.com/articles/weekly-jobless-claims-coronavirus-02-18-2021-11613607535 . We have been in the 750,000 to 900,000 range for quite some time. The entire range is above any claim level seen prior to the pandemic.
WSJ: Sale explored for IBM Watson Health: https://www.wsj.com/articles/ibm-explores-sale-of-ibm-watson-health-11613696770 . A strong performance on Jeopardy apparently isn’t everything.
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Republican Congressmen don’t grasp the purpose of metal detectors: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/capitol-police-investigate-member-incidents-metal-detectors-house-chamber_n_602dd485c5b67c32961b2d8e . Civility and social responsibility are apparently way too advanced for them.
Republican moderates continue to exit the party of Orange Julius: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-politics-republicans-defections-a/analysis-exodus-of-republican-voters-tired-of-trump-could-push-party-further-right-idUSKBN2AI1XC .
The Republican Civil War: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-mcconnell-feud-could-threaten-republicans-path-to-power . The focus on the Orange Julius – McConnell spat takes away from the political realities which the article points out. First and foremost, OJ is a narcissist (which is a mental illness). Of course his involvement means that he will make the 2022 election about himself.
Mr. Law ticks off seven battleground Senate elections in 2022. The question is whether OJ will throw any of these primaries to one of his supporters, which would increase the odds of a Democratic victory in the general election. There are 34 Senate seats up in 2022, 20 Republican and 14 Democratic. OJ did not win any of those 14 states with Democratic Senate seats. Biden won 2 of the 20 states with Republican Senate seats (Toomey, PA, and Johnson, WI).
The Republicans have Burr (NC), Portman (OH) and Toomey (PA) retiring, with others possible (Grassley, IA). Those are all competitive seats, and the Republicans must gain a seat to control the Senate. (Shelby of Alabama is also retiring.) Right now, the Republicans look likely to lose 1 to 3 seats in 2022. OJ’s legal and financial problems may take him out of the mix, except as a spoiler.
And the Democrats have a weapon that is apparently secret to the Republicans. Biden will tamp down the pandemic. The stimulus bill will boost the economy as well. Democratic proposals on immigration reform are likely to be popular, as are certain gun reform ideas. In other words, policy and economic popularity will likely come the Democrats’ way. Policy could win the 2022 Senate for the Democrats.
Nikki Haley asks for a loss and gets one: https://www.nationalreview.com/news/trump-refuses-meet-with-nikki-haley-after-capitol-riot-criticism/ . How stupid do you have to be to ask for this meeting? Well, it is the Idiot Olympics, after all. More: https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/18/politics/nikki-haley-donald-trump-mar-a-lago/index.html . “Learns” is too strong a term here.
Ted Cruz shocks the Idiot Olympics with his Entitled Whitie floor routine: https://www.fatherly.com/news/ted-cruz-blames-his-kids-for-cancun-trip-during-texas-crisis/ . Apparently Frackin’ Ted was piqued by Rick Perry’s “let them eat cake” performance yesterday. So he flew out of the Texas ice locker to Cancun! Ted’s response to those freezing to death in his state was international travel with his children in a pandemic!!: https://www.eatthis.com/news-cdc-covid-travel-warning/ . Seriously, this is completely over the top even for Cruz. More: https://www.thecut.com/2021/02/ted-cruz-explains-decision-to-flee-to-mexico-in-texas-crisis.html . Um, that’s not an overnight bag …
Caught in the act, Cruz flew back and issued a statement blaming his own poor judgment ON HIS KIDS (they are 12 and 10). I’m sure they are mortified to be in the news. You are not a good parent, Ted. Ted has apparently decided that to replace Orange Julius, you have to demonstrate sleaze in every category. (How else do you explain that beard?)
He’s already Frackin’ Ted here and Lyin’ Ted to the right (according to Orange Julius himself). For his lifelong absolutely clueless behavior, “Flyin’ Ted” runs away with Idiot Olympic bronze! (We only award bronze to them because, well, they’re idiots. Not the best result in a two-party system.)
Update: And now, more words from Flyin’ Ted: https://apnews.com/article/ted-cruz-mexico-vacation-amid-storm-b0cdc326db95bf25d93de9e877e05862 . Oh, and a weak article from WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/articles/sen-ted-cruz-to-return-from-mexico-trip-11613674334 .
Further Update: Damage grows for Flyin’ Ted: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ted-cruz-traveled-to-jamaica-for-july-4th-last-year-defying-public-health-guidelines-during-the-pandemic-report-says/ar-BB1dOL9g?li=BBnb7Kz . People who live in glass houses …
Meanwhile, things are bad in Texas, with 31 deaths now attributed to the storm: https://news.yahoo.com/texas-in-turmoil-and-no-one-is-taking-accountability-we-are-in-the-middle-of-a-humanitarian-crisis-001836836.html . And now that Ted’s back … he will have no impact whatsoever.
Texas grid was minutes away from catastrophic failure: https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/texass-power-grid-was-seconds-and-minutes-away-from-going-dark-for-months-per-reports/ar-BB1dOx4f?li=BBnb7Kz . Dear Rick Perry: A federal takeover of this mess would stabilize the grid. Sincerely, the millions who are/were without power for days.
(And I’m still awaiting the power company in Oregon. It still looks like middle of next week)
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NASA lands Perseverance on Mars: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/18/mars-landing-nasas-perseverance-rover-lands-successfully-on-surface.html . Too bad Flyin’ Ted wasn’t on it. More: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-space-exploration-mars-idUSKBN2AI1CA . WSJ: More (and a cool graphic): https://www.wsj.com/articles/nasas-perseverance-rover-lands-on-mars-after-seven-minutes-of-terror-11613682303 .