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Covid-19 miscellany

The US Food and Drug Admin on the vaccine:
Both vaccines are messenger-RNA vaccines that encode the virus's spike (S) glycoprotein.

We have this progression:
  • Live virus
  • Attenuated virus
  • Killed virus
  • Virus-coat proteins made by genetically-engineered organisms
  • Messenger-RNA strands that encode those coat proteins
M-RNA is an alternative to proteins -- our bodies use them to make copies of those proteins.
 
Congress votes to avert government shutdown for now as Covid relief talks drag on - CNNPolitics
The move ratcheted up pressure on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to finalize a stimulus agreement that they have said for days they are on the cusp of reaching.
Now lawmakers will stay in Washington over the weekend as Hill leaders continue to work with many rank-and-file members growing increasingly frustrated and impatient over the lack of information about a major rescue package they have yet to see but expect to be voting on in just a matter of days.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "The fact that Republicans are forcing Dems to choose between stimulus money OR unemployment benefits, as if we couldn’t easily do both, is barbaric.

Do they know that people in red states are hungry too, or do they just not care?

This is inhumane." / Twitter


Chris Hayes on Twitter: "When you say the simple, established truth ..." / Twitter
When you say the simple, established truth it sounds extreme, but it is what it is: The Trump administration has actively pursued policies to spread the virus, and dramatically increase the number of Americans sickened and killed by the virus.

This is, to my mind quite distinct from that many examples of mistakes, incompetence and failures in dealing with the virus we've seen from state and local officials - Democrat and Republican - as well as the governments of other countries from Belgium to Canada.

Our federal government under Trump was the only one, along with Sweden, that actively choose to get its people sick in large numbers and actively resisted policies to test, trace and suppress the virus.
 
Ilhan Omar on Twitter: "11,000 workers at Tyson foods have contracted COVID. At least 3 dozen have died. This is the kind of behavior Republicans want to give immunity to with their corporate liability shield. McConnell's 'grim reaper' nickname will be reality if this passes. (link)" / Twitter
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Tyson Foods has fired seven top managers at its largest pork plant after an independent investigation into allegations that they bet on how many workers would test positive for the coronavirus, the company announced Wednesday.

The company said the investigation led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder revealed troubling behavior that resulted in the firings at the plant in Waterloo, Iowa. An outbreak centered around the plant infected more than 1,000 employees, at least six of whom died.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "I don’t know if any Republicans follow me, ..." / Twitter
I don’t know if any Republicans follow me, but if you’re a Republican voter that wants to see another survival payment and unemployment insurance (or doesn’t want to see another Wall St giveaway attached), you should really get on the phone and call your GOP members of Congress.

And if you believe “both sides are blocking checks & COVID relief” then you should call your member of Congress anyway and ask them if they support stimulus checks & UI, and for how much.

If you don’t already, you deserve to know how your district is being represented in talks.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Is $600 for a second COVID check enough?" / Twitter
  • Yes - 5.3%
  • No - 32.8%
  • Hell no - 62%
(FYI this is the current proposed COVID package amount - PLEASE CALL YOUR MEMBER if you have any doubt whatsoever on what their stance is)

And if you don’t want your member to vote for a $600 deal, you really need to tell them that.

Don’t think “oh I voted for a Dem, we’ll be fine.”

No. If there’s an amount that’s too little, or any other red line that you want them to vote NO on, then you need to tell them that.
 
Report: Bible Belt Christians Are Dying After Ignoring Social Distancing Guidelines | Michael Stone
notes
‘A phantom plague’: Evangelical fundamentalists who openly defied social distancing guidelines are dying of coronavirus in frightening numbers - Alternet.org - from back in April 29
Countless non-fundamentalist churches in the United States, from Catholic to Lutheran and Episcopalian, have embraced social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic and temporarily moved their activities online. But many Christian fundamentalists and evangelicals have been irresponsibly downplaying the dangers of COVID-19 and doing so with deadly results: journalist Alex Woodward, in the U.K.-based Independent, reports that the pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 30 pastors in the Bible Belt.

“Dozens of pastors across the Bible Belt have succumbed to coronavirus after churches and televangelists played down the pandemic and actively encouraged churchgoers to flout self-distancing guidelines,” Woodward reports. “As many as 30 church leaders from the nation's largest African-American Pentecostal denomination have now been confirmed to have died in the outbreak, as members defied public health warnings to avoid large gatherings to prevent transmitting the virus.”
The more fundie sorts of people tend to believe that calamities are punishments for their sufferers' sins. Calamities like COVID-19. So are they willing to accept that their suffering is a punishment for their sins?
 
Employers Are Allowed To Require Employees To Get Coronavirus Vaccine, Government Says

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has determined that employers will be allowed to require employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine and block them from entering the workplace if they refuse.

The commission explained in newly updated guidance that such a requirement does not violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, which forbids employers from performing medical examinations on employees.

A vaccine does not constitute a medical examination, the EEOC said, because the employer is “not seeking information about an individual’s impairments or current health status.” Employers may also choose to require documentation that an individual received a COVID-19 vaccine, the commission said, because it would not amount to a disability-related inquiry. Additional questioning about an individual’s medical history, however, must be handled with caution.
 
Stubborn Fed feud freezes stimulus talks - POLITICO
then
Congress dashes toward final approval of $900 billion stimulus - POLITICO - "Congress is now poised to deliver $900 billion in coronavirus aid as soon as Sunday evening after breaking a multi-day stalemate over the Federal Reserve’s lending powers."

Low-income children wait months for USDA food aid to replace school meals - POLITICO - "'It should be a four-alarm fire,' says one expert, given the high hunger rates among families."

"A sign advertises a program that allows food stamp recipients to use their EBT cards to shop at a farmer's market in Topsham, Maine." - "Use SNAP/EBT and get bonus fruits and vegetables" - in French, Spanish, some Arabic-script language, and Somali
The gap in benefits comes as nearly one in five households with children reported earlier this month not having enough to eat, according to new Census Bureau data. Childhood hunger is associated with reduced learning and poor health outcomes, including hindered brain development as well as significant behavioral and mental health issues.

“It should be a four-alarm fire,” said Elaine Waxman, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, noting that she has never seen food insecurity rates as high as they are right now. “Not only is it indicating short-term deprivation, but we know from lots of research that the repercussions of this will carry into the future."
 
I see the EU is banning flights from Britain because of a new covid-19 variant. Things look to be precautionary at this point.

Covid: Nations impose UK travel bans over new variant

European nations have begun to apply travel bans with the UK after it reported a more infectious and "out of control" coronavirus variant.

Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium are all halting flights and travel. The measures vary and are initially generally short-term.

An EU meeting will be held on Monday morning to discuss a more co-ordinated response.

The new variant has spread quickly in London and south-east England.
 
VIDEO: Rep. Pressley Calls for Robust Direct Cash Payments for the People | Representative Ayanna Pressley
noting
Rep. Pressley Calls for Robust Direct Cash Payments for the People - YouTube

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Let me make something EXTRA clear.

Dems have demanded:
- $1200 checks
- restoring $600 UI
- Retroactive benefits

That’s not just a statement- even Speaker Pelosi has pushed for retroactive benefits.

Senate Republicans are hacking it back to $600 & demanding corporate bailouts." / Twitter


Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "We have also demanded school, hospital, and mass transit funding (aka “state and local”) and Republicans have treated that as a “deal breaker.”

Yes. Teacher salaries and funding school safety measures for safe reopening are a “dealbreaker” for GOP." / Twitter


Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Also to be clear, here are just SOME of the items Republicans are fighting tooth and nail against in the middle of a pandemic:

- 2nd round of $1200 checks
- Restoring unemployment $
- Money for school, hospital, public transit
- Retroactive benefits
- Mortgage & rent protections" / Twitter


Steven Dennis on Twitter: "BREAKING: Senator Ron Johnson blocks $1,200 checks for Americans sought by Senator Josh Hawley. ..." / Twitter
BREAKING: Senator Ron Johnson blocks $1,200 checks for Americans sought by Senator Josh Hawley.

Johnson cites the deficit.

Senator Sanders also pushing another round of stimulus checks. Much smaller checks are being discussed by bipartisan leaders to keep the plan under $900B while still giving hundreds of billions to smaller biz, etc.

Democratic leaders also back the stimulus checks, but had wanted it to be ON TOP of the $900B bipartisan package.

Hawley said Sanders would make another effort to send the checks, which are capped so wealthier people don't get them, later today.

Ron Johnson said that targeted aid to small businesses and people that are suffering makes sense, but said he objected to broad approach, and noted unemployment is 6.7%, which he implied wasn't that high.

Trump has at various times also talked up more checks, but where is he?

Flashback to 2017 debate on the Trump tax law, Lee and Rubio tried to shift a bit more of the business tax cuts to kids, but were blocked

Republican senators like Ron Johnson straight up saying more money should go to business owners, instead of child tax credits.

NEW: Senator Ron Johnson just blocked Senator Bernie Sanders' effort to enact $1,200 relief checks.

"I'm not heartless," he said.

Notes he vote for the CARES Act, but is worried about "mortgaging our children's future."

"Let's target it properly."
Sen. Josh Hawley is a Republican.
 
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Blocking critical funds in a pandemic is an act that knowingly creates hunger, eviction, & desperation.

Republicans fearmonger about “violence,” but what is knowingly creating hunger, eviction, sickness if not violence?

If you care about deficits so much, then tax the rich." / Twitter


-

Daniel Golson on Twitter: ".@AOC is documenting the whole process of getting the vaccine and answering questions about it on her Instagram story, and it's more informative (and easier to digest) than literally anything else I've seen from the government about it" / Twitter
It must be noted that AOC has a background in education. She was a tutor for the National Hispanic Institute - "The National Hispanic Institute was founded in 1979 and annually serves between 2,000-2,500 students. To date, NHI has served over 100,000 students and works with 80 colleges and universities. NHI's mission is to create experiences that engage achieving high school and college age youth in community leadership roles that advance our quality of life."

Daniel Golson on Twitter: "For everyone asking why she (and other members of government) have gotten the vaccine before healthcare workers, she literally talks about this in her story. That's why you should watch it! But here it is too.

Healthcare workers ARE getting vaccinated, for the record. https://t.co/9mzezeXMdm" / Twitter


Then
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "If you have any questions or unease about the COVID vaccine, I got you!

I’d *never* ask you to do something I wasn’t willing to do myself.

Yday per national security policy (PPD40), Congress began getting vaccinated.

I took the jab & am here to answer your questions. Ask away! https://t.co/ZyBgXi7kRl" / Twitter
 
Passengers who were onboard a United Airlines flight from Orlando to Los Angeles during which a man died from coronavirus have shared photographs that depict the utter chaos on board. Medics who were allowed on board once the plane had landed attempted to save him while his wife revealed within earshot of other travelers that her husband had been showing symptoms of COVID-19 for the past week, having lost his sense of taste and smell.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...d-United-fight-complete-chaos-passengers.html

How on earth did this guy get to board ?
 
Passengers who were onboard a United Airlines flight from Orlando to Los Angeles during which a man died from coronavirus have shared photographs that depict the utter chaos on board. Medics who were allowed on board once the plane had landed attempted to save him while his wife revealed within earshot of other travelers that her husband had been showing symptoms of COVID-19 for the past week, having lost his sense of taste and smell.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...d-United-fight-complete-chaos-passengers.html

How on earth did this guy get to board ?

Maybe he just lied about the symptoms? If he was asked, he may have said he had no symptoms. Or he wasn't even asked.
 
AOC checked in 24 hours after she got her COVID-19 vaccine shot.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "So how does a COVID mRNA vaccine work, anyway?💉

And how does it compare to a traditional vaccine, or just getting COVID?

Well, it comes down to a story of spikes🦠 & burglars 🦹🏻*♀️

Here’s a layperson stab at an explanation: (Docs, feel free to weigh in!) https://t.co/hneHYxML3p" / Twitter


Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "(I’d also technically swap the word “COVID cell” for “COVID protein” since it’s a virus but you get the picture)" / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "(Also that’s my dog snoring in the background 🐶 )" / Twitter

The doctors put a Band-Aid on her injection spot, and it looks the color of her skin.

She felt a little muscle soreness in that arm. She usually feels a little bruised the day after a shot in an arm.

She also feels a little bit tired. That's also common, and she's had a busy week. So she's spent the day resting.

Her explanation of how a vaccine works was a bit oversimplified, I must concede.
 
Saw this posted on FB:

My grandma is not expected to make it through the night. She got covid after my family decided they just had to gather for Thanksgiving, where someone brought it and gave it to everyone else. When they visited my grandma over the following week at her care facility, they gave it to her.

This could have been avoided. We would not have to have a funeral for Christmas if they had just stayed home for Thanksgiving. They're literally a meme. I am so angry.
 
Andrew Cuomo on Sunday slammed the 'reprehensible' inaction as the United States 'continues to let in six flights a day' from Britain, where a new coronavirus strain is spreading. The New York governor told reporters: 'Right now, this variant in the UK is getting on a plane and flying to JFK. Right now. Today. Literally six flights a day. And all it takes is one person.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...efully-new-virus-variant.html#article-9073099

I would think that flights from the UK arrive at a number of cities around the USA. But it seems Europe is banning flights from the UK and the Euro tunnel is being closed. Too late now.
 
Congress agrees on $1 trillion in coronavirus relief, including bonus jobless benefits, $600 stimulus checks - oregonlive.com
Top Capitol Hill negotiators sealed a deal Sunday on an almost $1 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package, finally delivering long-overdue help to businesses and individuals and providing money to deliver vaccines to a nation eager for them.

The agreement, announced by congressional leaders, would establish a temporary $300 per week supplemental jobless benefit and a $600 direct stimulus payment to most Americans, along with a new round of subsidies for hard-hit businesses and money for schools, health care providers and renters facing eviction.

...
House leaders informed lawmakers that they would vote on the legislation on Monday, and the Senate was likely to vote on Monday, too. Lawmakers were eager to leave Washington and close out a tumultuous year.

...
Still, delays in finalizing the agreement prompted the House to take up a one-day stopgap spending bill to prevent a government shutdown at midnight Sunday. The Senate was likely to pass the measure Sunday night as well.

The final agreement would be the largest spending measure yet. It combined COVID-19 relief with a $1.4 trillion government-wide funding plan and lots of other unrelated measures on taxes, health, infrastructure and education. The government-wide funding would keep the government open through September.
So they are supposed to vote on it tomorrow. Let's see if that happens.
 
Biden receives first dose of Covid-19 vaccine on live television - CNNPolitics

Schumer, Ocasio-Cortez Among First NY Lawmakers to Receive COVID Vaccine – NBC New York

Sen. Chuck Schumer
Chuck Schumer on Twitter: "At the advice of the attending physician in the Capitol, I received the first of two shots of the COVID-19 vaccine today.

The vaccine is safe and effective, and I encourage everyone to take it as it becomes available." / Twitter


Rep. Gregory Meeks is D-NY-05
Rep. Gregory Meeks on Twitter: "Today I got my first shot. My trust has always been in science and physicians, and they’ve determined that the vaccine is safe and effective.

I know there’s skepticism, especially in communities like mine, but this is how we turn the page on the pandemic and return to normal. https://t.co/j7WTi5oPG7" / Twitter


Rep. Nydia Velazquez is D-NY-07
Rep. Nydia Velazquez on Twitter: "It is with full confidence in science and the safety of the vaccine that I took the COVID-19 vaccine this morning. As the distribution continues, I encourage all New Yorkers to take this step.

Armed with science and a collective desire to defeat this virus, we will prevail. https://t.co/3OggmMcvhZ" / Twitter


Rep. Antonio Delgado is D-NY-19
Antonio Delgado on Twitter: "The COVID-19 vaccine will help protect our communities and save lives. Yesterday, I received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, and I will continue to wear a mask, social distance, and follow the advice of medical experts to stop the spread. https://t.co/xEguFLvUBm" / Twitter

Rep. John Katko is R-NY-24
Rep. John Katko on Twitter: "In accordance with guidance issued by Congress’s Office of the Attending Physician, today I joined many of my colleagues in receiving my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. https://t.co/ncfWryvWgi" / Twitter

Rep. Tom Reed is R-NY-23
Tom Reed on Twitter: "Today, I received dose #1 of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
This vaccine is safe, effective, and painless.
Working together, we will continue to distribute these modern miracles and bring an end to COVID-19. (1/2) https://t.co/xjcJiVxHYs" / Twitter

Tom Reed on Twitter: "While this pandemic has caused much pain, it has also reminded us that our nation is filled with great Americans — like our health care heroes and medical innovators — who help to keep the country safe and inspire us even in its darkest days. (2/2)" / Twitter
 
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