Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[lineygoblue]

I'd slap that guy in the face with a turkey drumstick, but it'd be a waste of a good turkey drumstick.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Just in case you haven't heard:

Some parts of Europe, especially in the East where former Soviet Block countries have low vax rates and very high R factors are skewing new case numbers EU wide up (approach with caution and find context).

There's a new "variant of concern" now named Nu, that is popping up in South Africa with isolated cases of Nu produced COVID in limited other areas. I've read a good deal about this variant and yes, it has the necessary properties to become dominant but, very importantly, it's too early to tell if it will become dominant. Some of these variants just disappear. Nu may do that, it may not. Germany (a COVID control poster child), Austria and Bulgaria have announced tighter mitigation measures. They are regional, like they should be, and vary from everybody stay home to well, we have to learn to deal with this fucker without restricting mobility and social contacts to the extent that was done in March, 2020.

The announcement by WHO today drove all markets down. In the US down 900 points. Here's the good news, just becasue I'm always looking for it:

Moderna Inc. MRNA, +20.57% said Friday it will "rapidly advance" an omicron-specific COVID-19 booster vaccine candidate and continue to work on booster candidates designed to anticipate mutations of the coronavirus and to study and test higher booster doses also meant to boost immunity. The World Health Organization's technical advisory group earlier on Friday assigned the variant, which was first reported in South Africa, the Greek letter omicron, and said it has been designated a "variant of concern." The US, the U.K. and the European Union have implemented travel bans on South Africa and neighboring countries on Friday, amid concerns the variant may be more transmissible.

Never, never underestimate the capacity of the human race to innovate where the business environment facilitates such things ..... Uhhhh, not in China.

[Hannibal]

A new variant has come along to keep the pandemic going.

What a shock.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Shocking.

:::yawn:::

[Mike]

Is Nu Covid better than old Covid?

[Jeff Buchanan]

A new variant has come along to keep the pandemic going.

What a shock.

Yes, but the reaction to it's discovery is probably not about left wing governments announcing this news to perpetuate the level of control they've managed to achieve since SARS2 was first recognized and produced declarations from these governments of new powers bestowing PHEs. It's first, the kind of over-reaction to the PH circumstance by various agencies, like the WHO and Fauci, then, secondly, the implementation of increased restrictions to movement and social contacts these OMG announcements spur. The massive social and economic costs of these outweighing marginal benefits. I've warned about this, yet here we are.

This is reflective of the "do something" mentality that governments think are expected of them. Here's the thing. I still think like a pilot: we were taught that when the engine fire warning light comes on, the first thing you do is wind your watch. Obviously this is metaphorical. It means stop and think before acting. Governments that affect our lives aren't coming close to doing that. Imposing travel bans on southern regions of Africa are going to make other nations who may experience an outbreak of Omicron to be reluctant to report it. That's counter-productive.

Europe is in a bit of a different spot dealing with Delta and what amounts to a comparably low vaccination rate and slow introduction of boosters. But the "wind your watch first" metaphor applies and it sure looks like governments in the European region aren't thinking about costs/benefits.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Monday comment on SARS2 and COVID. Let's get this out of the way. Reports that cases of the new SARS2 variant, Omicron, surged in South Africa are accurate and it is also accurate to note that SA has a 35% vaccinate rate and that the surge is among the unvaccinated - actual numbers are hard to find. The point is ...... duhhh and that if you're vaccinated or previously infected, your risk of serious illness from Omicron is about the same as typical every day risks you'll encounter that you don't avoid. Yet, OMG, shut down boarders!! That is an absurd and extremely damaging governmental/PH action.

Look, this is what viruses do. I don't mean to minimize the impact of SARS2 on the public health. It's been bad but SARS2 is none the less following the path of typical influenza viruses that mutate for which vaccines are available, effective in preventing symptoms and updated annually. Are we closing boarders every seasonal flu outbreak? Closing schools, restaurants, sporting events and concerts? Of course not. We have vaccines that are effective in preventing serious symptoms and in the case of mRNA vaccines that target SARS2 much easier to modify for mutations than flu vaccines. We also know that SARS2 has an identifiable serious infection predilection for certain age cohorts and/or accompanying co-morbid conditions. It does not take a PhD virologist to target mitigation measures to vulnerable populations. The whole population of a specific country, county or city, does not have to be imposed upon to mitigate the impact of SARS2

I know some here have issues with proof of vaccination, the pay to play approach some local and national governments have taken (e.g. the EU phone app based COVID Certificate). Outside of Europe, the use of phone apps to prove you've been vaccinated or tested negative to enter various congregate venues is spotty. There is a ton of opposition to them but vaccination is proven to be hands down the best mitigation measure there is. The rest have marginal impact and economic and social costs of imposing them are very high. So, when 2 + 2 = 4, you make fucking sure that the most vulnerable populations have access to vaccines and if they don't want to take them then if any population needs to have restricted access to congregate venues, these are the ones. The rest of us, either vaccinated or not at risk, go about our lives normally. Sure, take precautions if you feel like you're participating in a risky circumstance, test if you have symptoms, isolate if your positive, recover, then resume normal activities. Pretty much like what nations do during the flu season.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Another deadly variant.

yawn

[Kapture1]

this will be their push for mail in midterms.

[Kapture1]

first 100 pages. Going to take 57 more years to get all of it.

[Hannibal]

I hope that Dr. Fauci gives me permission to hug my mom this Christmas.

[Jeff Buchanan]

RE Kapture's post:

Attorney Aaron Siri is head legal council to the Informed Consent Action Network (Ican) a large, well funded and organized Ant-vax organization. Siri is himself, probably an anti-vaxer which is fundamentally immaterial but he's become the face of Ican's goal to disrupt federal, state and local vaccine mandates. Ican has been accused of spreading manipulative misinformation about the vaccines and building on the natural fears of the public and general resistance to government mandates of anything to advance their cause.

Siri has most recently launched a legal undertaking whose strategy has the net effect of causing several schools and agencies to drop vaccine mandates based on questionable legalities that haven't been yet tested in court and, according to legal experts looking at Ican's latest efforts on the legal front would probably not be grounds for judges to stay vaccine mandates. In general and to date, the courts have found vaccine mandates, properly constructed and targeted are legal.

A review by Ican/Siri of a recent release of Pfizer data allegedly contains information that more neurological adverse events are being reported since the vaccine was introduced almost a full year ago. I don't know if it is accurate or valid or what it actually means but I'm suspicious of it because of the source (Ican) who has alleged it.

My sense is that the tweet that references Aaron Siri's discovery of this 91+ page document released by Pfizer is part of Ican's and Siri's objective to block vaccine mandates in the courts. The objective of this particular legal exercise being taken on by Siri would seem to be based on evidence that may or may not be supportive of claims that adverse effects of mRNA vaccines are much worse than first reported and in numbers greatly exceeding what was found in the trials. I've read the document. Seems pretty harmless and a straight forward release of adverse event reports Pfizer may have received. I think is over-interpretation of the information Pfizer released. There isn't reference to the vaccine adverse event data base maintained by the FDA so .....????

This is a 5 month old Guardian article but it will give you some background on Ican. TIFWIW:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/22/anti-vax-group-legal-blitz-deter-vaccinations

[Kapture1]

documents came from the FDA via FOIA, not Aaron Siri.

[lineygoblue]

I hope that Dr. Fauci gives me permission to hug my mom this Christmas.

If I were you, I'd really piss him off and hug her at least once on Christmas Eve, and twice on Christmas. Just for spite.

Anyone that still has their mom around to hug needs to do so no matter what Chairman Joe or Fauchi says.

[Dr. Strangelove]

yeah, Kevin McCarthy is totally going to be able to keep the biggest morons in the party under control