Covid-19 miscellany

[lpetrich]

Senator Rand Paul on Twitter: "I was asked about getting vaccinated with others in Congress:

It is inappropriate for me - who has already gotten the virus/has immunity - to get in front of elderly/healthcare workers.

Same goes for AOC or any young healthy person. They should be among last, not first." / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Gee, maybe if the GOP hadn’t spent so much time undermining public faith in science, masks,& COVID itself, I wouldn’t have to weigh the potential misinfo consequences of what wld happen if leaders urged ppl to take a new vaccine that we weren’t taking ourselves!

& @ me next time" / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Our job is to make sure the vaccine isn’t politicized the way masks were politicized. If you actually listened to your constituents, you’d hear a LOT about viral claims about repro health.Ppl have ?s

Leaders shld show we won’t ask others to do something we wouldn’t do ourselves" / Twitter

-

I like these responses:

Samster Smithy on Twitter: "@RandPaul It is wrong for any Republican who downplayed risks, circulated misinformation to obtain vaccine. It is perfectly fine for AOC to get the vaccine since she has not engaged in this terrible behavior like most of the Republicans." / Twitter

Glenn-Simon Pardot on Twitter: "@AOC What's the real slap in the face to healthcare workers and seniors is the fact that congressional members who called COVID a hoax and refused to wear masks were able to get the vaccine before those who need it most." / Twitter

i Troll on Twitter: "@AOC Trump’s lawyer just got it

She was anti mask ... my blood is boiling https://t.co/3hUI4oaMn0" / Twitter
Sidney Powell

James Makula on Twitter: "@Jadefire01 @AOC We are criticizing the leaders of our country who ignored all protocol and told the common person to ignore all science and THEN jumping to the front of the line. If they didnt think it was a big deal, they wouldn't have gotten the vaccine. They did. It means they lied." / Twitter

 

[Angry Floof]

 

[lpetrich]

Ilhan Omar slams lawmakers including AOC for getting coronavirus vaccines ahead of elderly, frontline workers | Fox News

In response to
Anand Giridharadas on Twitter: "Serious question. Is seemingly our entire top political leadership getting the vaccine ahead of others because of their age or their importance?" / Twitter

AOC:
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "@AnandWrites The actual answer to your question lies in the National Security Council, which is where that decision was made in compliance with Presidential Policy Directive-40.

That policy was put in place in 2016 and established certain requirements for continuity of governance" / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "@AnandWrites If it was within indiv power to “give” the vaccine to someone else, I would! But according to these protocols, there’s a chance it could have just been stored.

There’s also a real risk in this age of misinfo of how it would be weaponized if leaders refused to take it en masse" / Twitter

Anand Giridharadas on Twitter: "@AOC I think that last point is especially important. If the one thing our entire leadership can agree on is getting the vaccine, that’s a win for Team Reality." / Twitter


Jaja Dingdong on Twitter: "@AnandWrites @AOC I have to be honest. It infuriates me that people who have actively lied about the dangers of covid, encouraged people to act in deliberate ways to spread it & have refused to help everyday people financially, or otherwise, to keep themselves safe, are at the front of the line." / Twitter


Reuters on Twitter: "Germany has reported almost 9,000 COVID-19 deaths. On a per capita basis, the German toll is one-third that of America and one-sixth that of the UK. For virus-tamer Merkel, global alliances trumped nationalism https://t.co/NjepSWLMVM" / Twitter
noting
For virus-tamer Merkel, global alliances trumped nationalism | Reuters

Channel 4 News on Twitter: ""Nine cases in a day does not compare to the United States' tens of thousands."

Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern responds to Donald Trump's claim that there's been a "huge surge" of Covid-19 in the country - saying the President is "patently wrong." https://t.co/z9HLUCpMjM" / Twitter
New Zealand has pretty much beaten the virus, and that nation is now pretty much back to normal except for strongly restricting travel to that nation.

• COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) | Ministry of Health NZ
• Unite against COVID-19 - NZ site
• COVID-19 Alert System | Unite against COVID-19

As I write this, NZ has 59 active cases and 5 new cases over the last day.

 

[Angry Floof]

Wasn't it continuity of governance policy already for a pandemic? Or was that something thought up for this pandemic?

 

[lpetrich]

Ilhan Omar on Twitter: "It would makes sense if it was age, but unfortunately it’s of importance and its shameful.

We are not more important then frontline workers, teachers etc. who are making sacrifices everyday.

Which is why I won’t take it.

People who need it most, should get it.

Full stop." / Twitter

Nancy Mace on Twitter: "Congress shouldn’t be putting themselves first in line ..." / Twitter

Congress shouldn’t be putting themselves first in line for the COVID-19 vaccination when the average American can’t get it. For as long as the vaccines are limited, we should prioritize healthcare and frontline workers, and every person at greater risk, especially the elderly.

I’ve had COVID already, and know I t is a serious illness. I want to help make sure others don’t get it, esp those who are most vulnerable.

I’ll wait my turn in line with the rest of my constituents when the vaccine becomes available to the rest of us. And yes, I will get it.

Alex Thompson on Twitter: ".@NancyMace and @IlhanMN will probably rarely agree on anything but both say members of Congress shouldn't be getting the vaccine in front of others. https://t.co/BgN8p01NSp" / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

Nancy Pelosi did not fake Covid-19 vaccination with capped needle | Fact Check

Facebook posts claim US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi pretended to receive a Covid-19 vaccine using a syringe that had a cap over the needle. This is false; an image of the top Democratic lawmaker being vaccinated makes clear that the needle was uncovered when the shot was administered.

Nancy Pelosi on Twitter: "Today, with confidence in science & at the direction of the Office of the Attending Physician, I received the COVID-19 vaccine. As the vaccine is being distributed, we must all continue mask wearing, social distancing & other science-based steps to save lives & crush the virus. https://t.co/tijVCSnJd7" / Twitter


Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib on Twitter: "I got my first dose of the #COVID19 vaccine yesterday ..." / Twitter

I got my first dose of the #COVID19 vaccine yesterday after consulting health professionals and colleagues. I encourage you all to trust the health care workers and the scientists who have taken care of us throughout this pandemic and have the most up-to-date, accurate info

As I work toward ensuring it is free and accessible to all, let's find some solace that we have reached this stage in the battle against this deadly virus and commit to continuing to do our part to prevent the spread. #MaskUp, keep six feet apart, and get tested.

Let's keep showing up for each other, #13thDistrictStrong, because when we do, we save lives.

In the meantime, here's where you can find important information on our state's vaccination plan: Coronavirus - COVID-19 Vaccine

 

[lpetrich]

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley on Twitter: "Today, I received my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as part of a ‘continuity of government plan.' I am feeling well. ..." / Twitter
Showing a picture of her with Rep. Lucy McBath.

Today, I received my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as part of a ‘continuity of government plan.' I am feeling well.

I encourage everyone to take the first opportunity available to receive the vaccine in the weeks and months to come.

As someone who has experienced how broken our healthcare system is firsthand, I have been deeply concerned throughout this crisis about equity issues in access to care, treatment & prevention.

Healthcare justice is not a reality in America.

The research & medical community have violated the trust of Black & brown people throughout our history.

It's up to research & medical institutions, elected officials, & our public health response to make amends & earn the trust of people of color as we distribute this vaccine.

I'll keep fighting to ensure frontline healthcare workers, those behind the wall, our essential workers, & the marginalized communities who have been hit hardest by this pandemic are able to access the vaccine rapidly & free of cost.

My full statement (link)

Congresswoman Pressley Receives COVID-19 Vaccine | Representative Ayanna Pressley

So AOC, RT, and AP have received the vaccine, while IO has refused it. That's 3 out of 4 for "The Squad".

As she rested, AOC took a picture of herself with some other Congresspeople who received the vaccine. One of them was a woman who looked much like Rashida Tlaib, glasses and all, and was wearing a blue dress(?). But when RT took it, she wore a black shirt with a purple jacket on top. So I may have misidentified that woman.

 

[Trausti]

Just throwing this out, here. Maybe. May. Be. The reason the US has a higher Covid death rate than East Asia is that Americans are unhealthy and fat.

Throw it where it belongs--the trash.

East Asia has a very low death rate because they're taking it seriously. We have a very high death rate because we are doing the biological equivalent of charging machine guns.

Obesity and Mortality Among Patients Diagnosed With COVID-19: Results From an Integrated Health Care Organization

Conclusion:

Obesity plays a profound role in risk for death from COVID-19, particularly in male patients and younger populations.

 List_of_countries_by_obesity_rate

How much could we reduce the Covid death rate if people just lost five to ten pounds and did a little exercise? Nah.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I can understand some in Government needing it first... but it just seems perverted for Government to get it first wave. People in Government die from a disease... compared to doctors and nursing homes? Who fucking cares?!

What? I'm not jaded.

 

[bilby]

Obesity and Mortality Among Patients Diagnosed With COVID-19: Results From an Integrated Health Care Organization

Conclusion:

Obesity plays a profound role in risk for death from COVID-19, particularly in male patients and younger populations.

 List_of_countries_by_obesity_rate

How much could we reduce the Covid death rate if people just lost five to ten pounds and did a little exercise? Nah.

Less than 5kg? It would have three eighths of fuck-all impact.

On obesity.

The effect on COVID would clearly be even less.

Here's a thought - why don't you shut the fuck up unless and until you have thought for at least a few seconds about the reasonableness of what you plan to say?

It's unlikely that you will become less wrong by this technique, but at least the rest of us wouldn't have to waste so much time with your ill informed bullshit.

 

[TSwizzle]

Oh noes, teh virus has mutated into a super duper infectious virus!

The mutant British strain of coronavirus is probably already in the United States and could even have originated there, scientists have said. The new strain - feared to be 70 per cent more transmissible and to spread more easily among children - has led to calls for the US to impose a travel ban on Britain, as dozens of countries including Canada have already done. But Scott Gottlieb, a former head of the FDA, told CNBC that the new strain 'is already in the US' and that a travel ban would not keep it out. 'As the virus continues to spread around the world, we're going to start to see more of these variants,' he warned.

DailyMail

70 PERCENT MORE INFECTIOUS people!!!! What on earth are we going to do now?

 

[lpetrich]

Fauci, Azar receive COVID-19 vaccine | TheHill

Top infectious disease doctor Anthony Fauci and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar were among Trump administration health officials and National Institutes of Health (NIH) front line medical workers who received a dose of Moderna's coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday.

CBS News on Twitter: "WATCH: Dr. Anthony Fauci receives the COVID-19 vaccine shot, saying he has "extreme confidence in the safety and the efficacy of the vaccine" (links)" / Twitter
noting
Dr. Anthony Fauci and other top health officials get coronavirus vaccine - CBS News

Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, was joined by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins and several NIH Clinical Center frontline health workers.

...
"This, what we're seeing now, is the culmination of years of research which have led to a phenomenon which is truly unprecedented — and that is to go from the realization that we're dealing with a new pathogen, a virus that was described in January of this year, to less than one year later to have vaccines that are going into the arms of so many people, including myself. And so I consider it an honor to be part of this process," Fauci said.

Did Pelosi Stage Photo of Herself Getting COVID-19 Vaccine? - at Snopes, the debunking site - concludes she didn't, that her getting a vaccine shot was real.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Obesity and Mortality Among Patients Diagnosed With COVID-19: Results From an Integrated Health Care Organization

Conclusion:

Obesity plays a profound role in risk for death from COVID-19, particularly in male patients and younger populations.

 List_of_countries_by_obesity_rate

How much could we reduce the Covid death rate if people just lost five to ten pounds and did a little exercise? Nah.

Of course it plays a substantial role. It's just not even in the ballpark of the size of the effect. We have had far more skinny people die than they have had total people die.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Oh noes, teh virus has mutated into a super duper infectious virus!

The mutant British strain of coronavirus is probably already in the United States and could even have originated there, scientists have said. The new strain - feared to be 70 per cent more transmissible and to spread more easily among children - has led to calls for the US to impose a travel ban on Britain, as dozens of countries including Canada have already done. But Scott Gottlieb, a former head of the FDA, told CNBC that the new strain 'is already in the US' and that a travel ban would not keep it out. 'As the virus continues to spread around the world, we're going to start to see more of these variants,' he warned.

DailyMail

70 PERCENT MORE INFECTIOUS people!!!! What on earth are we going to do now?

Natural selection.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Kirk Cameron doing his best to spread the cheer and Covid-19.

Actor Kirk Cameron is facing criticism for organizing at least two events in Southern California in recent weeks, where dozens of mask-less people stood shoulder-to-shoulder to sing Christmas carols in protest of state and local stay-at-home mandates.

"I'm getting ready to go out in 38 minutes, it's T-38 minutes for our Christmas caroling peaceful protest," Cameron said in an Instagram post in advance of an event held in the parking lot of The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks, California. "We are going to be celebrating our God-given liberties, our constitutionally protected rights at this time at Christmas to sing Christmas songs to gather, to assemble, and to sing about the birth of our savior."

Ain't none of those rights he speaks of in the Bible... anywhere. These were alleged rights men said existed that were endowed by the creator, but that didn't come with a reference or footnote.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Oh noes, teh virus has mutated into a super duper infectious virus!

The mutant British strain of coronavirus is probably already in the United States and could even have originated there, scientists have said. The new strain - feared to be 70 per cent more transmissible and to spread more easily among children - has led to calls for the US to impose a travel ban on Britain, as dozens of countries including Canada have already done. But Scott Gottlieb, a former head of the FDA, told CNBC that the new strain 'is already in the US' and that a travel ban would not keep it out. 'As the virus continues to spread around the world, we're going to start to see more of these variants,' he warned.

DailyMail

70 PERCENT MORE INFECTIOUS people!!!! What on earth are we going to do now?

Not certain about my response, but your response will likely require about 70% more arrogant smugness and 140% less empathy and 210% more willful ignorance.

 

[Shadowy Man]

Kirk Cameron doing his best to spread the cheer and Covid-19.

Actor Kirk Cameron is facing criticism for organizing at least two events in Southern California in recent weeks, where dozens of mask-less people stood shoulder-to-shoulder to sing Christmas carols in protest of state and local stay-at-home mandates.

"I'm getting ready to go out in 38 minutes, it's T-38 minutes for our Christmas caroling peaceful protest," Cameron said in an Instagram post in advance of an event held in the parking lot of The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks, California. "We are going to be celebrating our God-given liberties, our constitutionally protected rights at this time at Christmas to sing Christmas songs to gather, to assemble, and to sing about the birth of our savior."

Ain't none of those rights he speaks of in the Bible... anywhere. These were alleged rights men said existed that were endowed by the creator, but that didn't come with a reference or footnote.

Reminds me of one of the funniest lines I’ve ever heard on TV. From an episode of King of lthe Hill:

“I’m trying to contain the outbreak and you’re driving the monkey to the airport!”

 

[lpetrich]

Ayanna Pressley on Twitter: "Move, Mitch, get out the way." / Twitter

Rep. Angie Craig, D-MN-02
Angie Craig on Twitter: ".@AOC is exactly right. It’s an outrage that Minnesotans who care for adult dependents & children older than 16 are getting shortchanged. I led the charge to correct this oversight back in May – but the admin has refused to cooperate. The American people deserve an explanation." / Twitter

Charles Booker on Twitter: "“Mitch better have my money.” - America" / Twitter
then
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Okay, between @AyannaPressley’s hit and this one we’re gonna need to start a playlist.

I’ll add: Mitch don’t kill my vibe" / Twitter
then
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "+ You better work Mitch" / Twitter


Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "It looks like House GOP are going to try to block Trump’s request for $2k tomorrow.

Some other items they’ve blocked:
- Retroactive unemployment
- Survival checks for people w/ disabilities, college students, adult dependents
- Larger rent & mortgage assistance

List goes on" / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Don’t lose out hope though - Republicans are trying to block $2k checks tomorrow bc we’re expediting, but bc Trump also vetoed the Defense bill Congress will likely reconvene in the next few days.

Dems will then be able to override the GOP block & pass $2k checks to the Senate" / Twitter

People for Bernie on Twitter: "@AOC Paid sick leave" / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "@People4Bernie Yup! GOP blocked that too!" / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

Trump?s last-minute tantrum throws pandemic relief effort into chaos - The Washington Post

President Trump’s last-minute move to reject a sweeping coronavirus relief package is escalating confusion and panic among Republicans while setting the stage for an uncomfortable confrontation Thursday that could lead GOP lawmakers to object to their own president’s demand for larger stimulus checks for Americans.

The chaos is unfolding against the backdrop of another threatened government shutdown, with funding set to lapse starting Tuesday unless a spending bill to keep federal operations running is signed into law along with the virus aid bill. While the president hasn’t explicitly threatened a veto, his defiance of a deal negotiated by his own administration could spark a standoff that could conceivably last until Joe Biden is inaugurated Jan. 20.

Jeff Stein on Twitter: "Official at FreedomWorks, the conservative group, on POTUS' push for $2K in checks: "Trump is surrendering the argument on universal basic income ...

You are not better than AOC right now" https://t.co/sM5FZq6DXo" / Twitter
FreedomWorks is a teabagger group.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "He definitely isn’t better, that’s for sure " / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

Kelly Loeffler’s Letter Helped Set Stage for Husband’s $10 Billion Deal - "The senator never publicized the letter she signed opposing a moratorium on credit reporting. But months after she did, her husband made a notable acquisition."

Sam Brodey on Twitter: "New: In May, Sen. Loeffler made a behind-the-scenes push against D proposals to halt negative credit reporting b/c of COVID

Soon after, her husband's co. (which she has $9M in stock in) capped a $10B acquisition of a major player in consumer credit data https://t.co/RN2wptrDMn" / Twitter

then
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "In other COVID items GOP blocked:

Back in March, progressive Dems were working to stop negative credit reports during the pandemic, bc people shouldn’t be on the hook for years due to missed bills during COVID.

Looks like Kelly Loeffler helped block it, & her husband benefited:" / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Huge credit (no pun intended) on that push goes to Chairwoman @RepMaxineWaters.

I’m a proud member of FSC. In the House, ppl often shoot down big ideas.

Rep. Waters was different- from the outbreak of COVID, she elevated VERY bold proposals from us, incl recurring payments/UBI" / Twitter
That's the Financial Services Committee, headed by Maxine Waters, D-CA-43.