Page 48 of 89 FirstFirst ... 38 46 47 48 49 50 58 ... LastLast
Results 1,176 to 1,200 of 2212

Thread: COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus pandemic

  1. #1176
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2020
    Posts
    4,558
    Rep Power
    0

  2. #1177
    Moderator
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    11,768
    Rep Power
    21474859
    So Florida is now lowering the vaccine age to 60.

  3. #1178
    Scoopski Potatoes Nic B's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Sacramento, California
    Posts
    12,775
    Rep Power
    21474861
    Quote Originally Posted by raisedbywolves View Post
    So Florida is now lowering the vaccine age to 60.
    So now you can get it!

    I kid, I kid


    Quote Originally Posted by marakisses View Post
    yes i said i will leave it under you storage he said cuddle with me i said shut up it over??? what am i doing wrong??
    Quote Originally Posted by curiouscat View Post
    Happy Birthday! I hid a dead body in your backyard to celebrate. Good luck finding it under the cement. You can only use a stick to look for it.

  4. #1179
    Moderator
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    11,768
    Rep Power
    21474859
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    So now you can get it!

    I kid, I kid
    I knew someone was gonna say that!

    I still have 14 years, but at least things are moving in the (hopefully) right direction. Even for groups of people (cops, firefighters, and he tried with teachers but CVS said that Biden's mandate said ALL teachers with student contact, so the overrode DeSansBrains) our governor has said he is going to limit it by age. Right now only cops and firefighters over 50 can get it. DeSansBrains is of the firm belief that COVID is harmless to anyone under 65, he pretty much said so when the vaccine first came out. Science and reality are so overrated.

  5. #1180
    Scoopski Potatoes Nic B's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Sacramento, California
    Posts
    12,775
    Rep Power
    21474861
    Quote Originally Posted by raisedbywolves View Post
    I knew someone was gonna say that!

    I still have 14 years, but at least things are moving in the (hopefully) right direction. Even for groups of people (cops, firefighters, and he tried with teachers but CVS said that Biden's mandate said ALL teachers with student contact, so the overrode DeSansBrains) our governor has said he is going to limit it by age. Right now only cops and firefighters over 50 can get it. DeSansBrains is of the firm belief that COVID is harmless to anyone under 65, he pretty much said so when the vaccine first came out. Science and reality are so overrated.
    My younger sister just got her first dose, she is a school psychologist.

    It seems like here, the only issue is it's super hard to get an appointment.


    Quote Originally Posted by marakisses View Post
    yes i said i will leave it under you storage he said cuddle with me i said shut up it over??? what am i doing wrong??
    Quote Originally Posted by curiouscat View Post
    Happy Birthday! I hid a dead body in your backyard to celebrate. Good luck finding it under the cement. You can only use a stick to look for it.

  6. #1181
    Moderator
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    11,768
    Rep Power
    21474859
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    My younger sister just got her first dose, she is a school psychologist.

    It seems like here, the only issue is it's super hard to get an appointment.
    That's good she got it. Did she get the one and done J&J one or does she have to go back for a 2nd one?

    I saw that the Fema sites are now allowing LE and firefighters of any age to get it, despite DeSansBrains saying no. I hope they continue rolling it out for other essential workers, regardless of age.

  7. #1182
    Moderator puzzld's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Posts
    21,600
    Rep Power
    21474874
    Quote Originally Posted by raisedbywolves View Post
    That's good she got it. Did she get the one and done J&J one or does she have to go back for a 2nd one?

    I saw that the Fema sites are now allowing LE and firefighters of any age to get it, despite DeSansBrains saying no. I hope they continue rolling it out for other essential workers, regardless of age.
    Yes. I think any of the people who are dealing with the public, especially in close contact should be eligible for a vaccine. I think it should be health workers dealing with covid patients, vulnerable people who can't issolate, essential workers, then vulnerable people who have been able to isolate, then...

    Not those who can afford to buy a place in line...

    Anyway, mom and her caregiver have had both their shots, I had my first last week, roomie gets her first today, so one month and counting down till we are "fully vaccinated"
    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    lol at Nestle being some vicious smiter, she's the nicest person on this site besides probably puzzld. Or at least the last person to resort to smiting.
    Quote Originally Posted by nestlequikie View Post
    Why on earth would I smite you when I can ban you?

  8. #1183
    Moderator
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    11,768
    Rep Power
    21474859
    Quote Originally Posted by puzzld View Post
    Yes. I think any of the people who are dealing with the public, especially in close contact should be eligible for a vaccine. I think it should be health workers dealing with covid patients, vulnerable people who can't issolate, essential workers, then vulnerable people who have been able to isolate, then...

    Not those who can afford to buy a place in line...

    Anyway, mom and her caregiver have had both their shots, I had my first last week, roomie gets her first today, so one month and counting down till we are "fully vaccinated"
    Good news on getting your shots!

    Yeah, it's been laughable that DeSansBrains has been so strict on the things the other states have accepted as general guidelines, but yet he's rolled it out to plenty of people that don't fit those requirements...as long as they gave a campaign donation.

  9. #1184
    Scoopski Potatoes Nic B's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Sacramento, California
    Posts
    12,775
    Rep Power
    21474861
    Quote Originally Posted by raisedbywolves View Post
    That's good she got it. Did she get the one and done J&J one or does she have to go back for a 2nd one?

    I saw that the Fema sites are now allowing LE and firefighters of any age to get it, despite DeSansBrains saying no. I hope they continue rolling it out for other essential workers, regardless of age.
    She has to go back for the second one, she is just not sure when that will be.


    Quote Originally Posted by marakisses View Post
    yes i said i will leave it under you storage he said cuddle with me i said shut up it over??? what am i doing wrong??
    Quote Originally Posted by curiouscat View Post
    Happy Birthday! I hid a dead body in your backyard to celebrate. Good luck finding it under the cement. You can only use a stick to look for it.

  10. #1185
    Moderator puzzld's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Posts
    21,600
    Rep Power
    21474874
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    She has to go back for the second one, she is just not sure when that will be.
    Seriously? I'm amazed at the different way states are handling things. I had my second shot scheduled before the nurse would give me my first. I will say for the screwed up way SD has handled a lot of things they are doing a good job on vaccine distribution. The three largest medical systems in the state divided the state with the provider that had the most outlets in a region taking that piece of the state. You could call in to get on the waiting list, or use your patient portal (or set up a new portal if you weren't already a patient of that health system) You tell them your age and if you fit in any priority groups, i.e. health care worker, pre ex condition haver, teacher etc. You get a call to schedule an appointment when your number comes up. Choose which vac. clinic you want to go to at that time, when you get there, you answer a couple of questions, schedule your second shot, get your vacs. and wait the 15 minutes to make sure your not going to have a reaction. I was in and out in 17 minutes. The IHS and VA also have their own supply of shots. IHS has now vaccinated all adults who are enrolled in one of the tribes and want shots and is now expanding to do teachers on the theory that they are service providers to native children and are important in keeping kids in school.
    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    lol at Nestle being some vicious smiter, she's the nicest person on this site besides probably puzzld. Or at least the last person to resort to smiting.
    Quote Originally Posted by nestlequikie View Post
    Why on earth would I smite you when I can ban you?

  11. #1186
    Scoopski Potatoes Nic B's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Sacramento, California
    Posts
    12,775
    Rep Power
    21474861
    Quote Originally Posted by puzzld View Post
    Seriously? I'm amazed at the different way states are handling things. I had my second shot scheduled before the nurse would give me my first. I will say for the screwed up way SD has handled a lot of things they are doing a good job on vaccine distribution. The three largest medical systems in the state divided the state with the provider that had the most outlets in a region taking that piece of the state. You could call in to get on the waiting list, or use your patient portal (or set up a new portal if you weren't already a patient of that health system) You tell them your age and if you fit in any priority groups, i.e. health care worker, pre ex condition haver, teacher etc. You get a call to schedule an appointment when your number comes up. Choose which vac. clinic you want to go to at that time, when you get there, you answer a couple of questions, schedule your second shot, get your vacs. and wait the 15 minutes to make sure your not going to have a reaction. I was in and out in 17 minutes. The IHS and VA also have their own supply of shots. IHS has now vaccinated all adults who are enrolled in one of the tribes and want shots and is now expanding to do teachers on the theory that they are service providers to native children and are important in keeping kids in school.
    Yeah it seems like it's crazy here. I was listening to my morning show and they were comparing getting an appointment to getting tickets online. Like, you see an available appt, click it and by the time you hit continue, the appt is gone. Sounds insane.


    Quote Originally Posted by marakisses View Post
    yes i said i will leave it under you storage he said cuddle with me i said shut up it over??? what am i doing wrong??
    Quote Originally Posted by curiouscat View Post
    Happy Birthday! I hid a dead body in your backyard to celebrate. Good luck finding it under the cement. You can only use a stick to look for it.

  12. #1187
    Moderator
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    11,768
    Rep Power
    21474859
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    Yeah it seems like it's crazy here. I was listening to my morning show and they were comparing getting an appointment to getting tickets online. Like, you see an available appt, click it and by the time you hit continue, the appt is gone. Sounds insane.
    That's the way it is here too. A lot of people that got 1st shots now can't get 2nd shots.

  13. #1188
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2020
    Posts
    4,558
    Rep Power
    0
    https://pix11.com/news/coronavirus/i...investigating/

    A video of a man who refused to wear a mask in a Home Depot is under investigation by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, a spokesperson said Monday.

    In the video, the man argued with several Home Depot workers over the company?s mask policies. The unidentified man claimed to be exempt from wearing a mask, but became irate when workers refused to offer customer service and cited company policy.

    A manager told him he could be in the store, but workers did not have to interact with him because he was not wearing a mask, the video shows.

    While arguing with employees, the man claimed to work for the Port Authority.

    ?What did I do wrong? What did I do wrong? Do you know that I work for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, right?? the man said.

    It?s unclear when and where the video was taken, but the man claimed to live in Florida.

    The situation eventually escalated with the man screaming, ?I?m a superspreader? several times before leaving the store.

    A spokesperson said the Port Authority is looking into whether the man is actually associated with the agency.

    ?We mandate that all our employees adhere to wearing masks and other safety protocols in all our facilities. We expect that all employees follow all state and local mandates with respect to mask wearing and other safety measures,? the spokesperson told PIX11 in a statement Monday. ?We are looking into whether his claim of being associated with the Port Authority is true, in which case we will take appropriate action.?

    Home Depot did not immediately return a request for comment on the video.

  14. #1189
    Moderator
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    11,768
    Rep Power
    21474859
    So how does he live in Florida but work for the Port Authority? I think he just wanted to try to bully the workers.

  15. #1190
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2020
    Posts
    4,558
    Rep Power
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by raisedbywolves View Post
    So how does he live in Florida but work for the Port Authority? I think he just wanted to try to bully the workers.
    Umm Ex-Port Authority staff member from Florida bullying Home Depot employees to violate state orders to wear masks in New Jersey. Or fake cop.

  16. #1191
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2020
    Posts
    4,558
    Rep Power
    0
    https://fox40.com/news/california-co...san-francisco/

    SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) — An Uber driver with close to 6,000 rides under his belt and an excellent rating with the ride-sharing company is now thinking about never picking up another passenger.

    Video of a recent altercation that happened after he picked up three passengers in San Francisco has gone viral.

    “Yeah it was something I could have never imagined,” said the driver, who does not want his identity revealed.

    He said the incident happened Sunday afternoon after he picked up three women in San Francisco’s Bayview District. After they got in the car, things started going wrong when the subject of wearing a mask came up.

    “The moment I asked for the mask, they asked me if I have a spare one. To which I replied, ‘I don’t have it,’ and then the lady on the video who pulled the mask on, tried to snatch my phone. She started all this. She started cursing me for not having a mask,” he said.

    In the video, you see that same passenger coughing near his face.

    “It was all happening so fast. I just wanted to get over with it,” the driver said.

    Californians encouraged to ‘double mask’ to better protect from coronavirus spread
    He says the tumultuous ride lasted around 10 minutes.

    Before the women got out of his car, they sprayed something in his vehicle.

    “One lady in red pepper-sprayed probably for three or four seconds,” he said. “Yeah that was definitely pepper spray. I know! Then I realized, ‘This is too much. I need to contact police.’”

    San Francisco police confirmed receiving the report and said their robbery division is investigating the incident. KRON has asked Uber for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

    The incident has caused the driver to have second thoughts about continuing his relationship with the ride-sharing service.

    “I’m not really sure with continuing with Uber or doing another job or anything like that,” he said.

    Shortly after the incident, Lyft tweeted that they would be permanently banning the rider who refused to wear her mask.

    “Although this incident did not involve the Lyft platform, the unacceptable treatment of the driver in this video compelled us to permanently remove the rider from the Lyft community. Driving in a pandemic is not easy. Please wear a mask, respect one another, and be a good person,” the ride-hailing service said.

  17. #1192
    Moderator
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    11,768
    Rep Power
    21474859
    If this truly happened like this I hope they nail their asses. It's not like they won't know who they are.

  18. #1193
    Moderator
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    11,768
    Rep Power
    21474859
    https://www.wesh.com/article/florida...ering/35799885

    After expanding eligibility to age 55, Florida plans to open vaccinations to all


    So I got excited when I saw this headline, then I read the story. It's progress, but not quite there yet. It's got to drop to 55 first and there's no timetable for that, THEN it will open. At least it's something though.

    Has anyone else heard of people refusing to get the J&J vaccine? I've talked to 2 people this week that have said they will refuse the J&J vaccine and not get one rather than take the "inferior" vaccine. One is someone who has ignored all social distance warnings and got together in large groups all last year, which is greatly ironic. Not me, I will take whatever I can get. People do realize that it was tested against the variants when it efficacy was calculated, and the others weren't at the time their efficacy was calculated, right? Plus, the J&J efficacy goes up as time goes on. I will take whichever one is available, but I am beginning to think that I might be able to get the J&J sooner because people are being vaccine snobs.
    Last edited by raisedbywolves; 06-28-2021 at 12:42 PM.

  19. #1194
    Moderator
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    11,768
    Rep Power
    21474859
    https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/whi...uture-n1260706

    Biden directs states to make all adults eligible for Covid vaccinations by May 1

  20. #1195
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2020
    Posts
    4,558
    Rep Power
    0
    https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/12/astr...lot-fears.html

    LONDON — The coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford has now been suspended in a number of countries across Europe and Asia, following reports of blood clots in some vaccinated people. Many other nations, however, have defended their use of the shot and said they will continue their respective inoculation campaigns.

    Thailand on Friday became the first Asian country to halt the use of the jab over safety concerns, shortly after Denmark announced a two-week pause to its nationwide rollout after reports of blood clots and one death.

    In a setback to Europe’s ailing vaccination campaign, seven other countries have also suspended the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot: Norway, Iceland, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia.

    Austria and Italy, meanwhile, have said that they will stop using certain batches of the vaccine as a precautionary measure.

    Europe’s drug regulator, the European Medicines Agency, stressed on Thursday that there was no indication the shot was causing blood clots, adding it believes the vaccine’s benefits “continue to outweigh its risks.”

    The EMA acknowledged some member states had paused the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot but said inoculations may continue to be administered while an investigation of blood clot cases is ongoing.

    As of Wednesday, around 5 million people in Europe had received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Of this figure, 30 cases of so-called “thromboembolic events” have been reported. These cases refer to blood clots forming in the blood vessels and blocking blood flow.

    AstraZeneca has said the vaccine has been studied extensively during Phase 3 trials and peer-reviewed data confirms the shot is “generally well tolerated.”

    Why are countries pausing vaccination campaigns?
    Thailand’s health ministry on Friday announced it would temporarily postpone the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, reportedly describing the shot as a “good vaccine” but one it wishes to suspend for safety investigations.

    Kiattiphum Wongjit, permanent secretary for the Public Health Ministry, said the Southeast Asian country was able to pause its vaccination campaign because it had largely brought a second wave of Covid cases under control through quarantines and border controls, according to Reuters.

    The country of nearly 70 million people has so far recorded around 26,600 cases and 85 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

    Thailand’s decision to suspend its planned rollout of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which had been due to begin on Friday, came after the decision by the Danish Health Authority.

    “It is important to emphasize that we have not opted out of the AstraZeneca vaccine, but that we are putting it on hold,” Soren Brostrom, director of the National Board of Health in Denmark, said on Thursday.

    “There is good evidence that the vaccine is both safe and effective. But both we and the Danish Medicines Agency have to react to reports of possible serious side effects, both from Denmark and other European countries.”

    Many high-income countries have chosen to continue the rollout of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in the wake of safety concerns.

    The U.K., France, Australia, Canada and Mexico are among some of the nations that have sought to reassure citizens about the benefits of getting the vaccine and have said they will continue their respective inoculation campaigns.

    What do the experts say?
    The EMA’s safety committee is reviewing the issue, but has said there is currently no evidence the vaccination had caused blood clots — noting they are not listed as side effects of this vaccine.

    Europe’s drug regulator also noted that the data available so far showed that the number of blood clots in vaccinated people is no higher than that seen among the general population.

    “Reports of blood clots received so far are not greater than the number that would have occurred naturally in the vaccinated population,” said Dr. Phil Bryan, vaccines safety lead at Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory.

    “The safety of the public will always come first. We are keeping this issue under close review but available evidence does not confirm that the vaccine is the cause. People should still go and get their COVID-19 vaccine when asked to do so,” Bryan said.

    Stephen Evans, professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: “The problem with spontaneous reports of suspected adverse reactions to a vaccine are the enormous difficulty of distinguishing a causal effect from a coincidence.”

    “This is especially true when we know that Covid-19 disease is very strongly associated with blood clotting and there have been hundreds if not many thousands of deaths caused by blood clotting as a result of Covid-19 disease. The first thing to do is to be absolutely certain that the clots did not have some other cause, including Covid-19,” Evans added.

    How does the vaccine work?
    The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is a shot designed to prevent the coronavirus in people aged 18 and older. It is made up of an adenovirus that has been modified to contain the gene for making a protein from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

    The most common side effects of the shot, which does not contain the virus and cannot cause Covid, are typically mild or moderate and improve within a few days of vaccination.

    Late-stage clinical trials found the AstraZeneca-Oxford shot to have an average efficacy of 70% in protecting against the virus.

    A more recent study by Oxford researchers found that the Covid vaccine was 76% effective at preventing symptomatic infection for three months after a single dose, and that the efficacy rate actually rose with a longer interval between the first and second doses.

  21. #1196
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2020
    Posts
    4,558
    Rep Power
    0
    https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/05/detr...aboolainternal

    Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan rejected an initial allotment of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine this week, according to the Michigan state health department.

    At a press briefing Thursday, Duggan confirmed he declined this week’s allocation of J&J vaccines from the state, citing sufficient supply of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to cover demand from eligible residents.

    “Johnson & Johnson is a very good vaccine. Moderna and Pfizer are the best. And I am going to do everything I can to make sure that residents of the city of Detroit get the best,” Duggan said at a press briefing Thursday.

    The FDA on Saturday authorized J&J’s Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, making it the third shot to be approved for distribution in the U.S. and the only vaccine that requires just one dose.

    Clinical trial data shows J&J’s vaccine is 66% effective overall at protecting against Covid, compared with about 95% for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. While some have raised concern over the J&J vaccine’s lower efficacy rate, the J&J vaccine has proven to prevent 100% of virus-related hospitalizations and deaths, according to its clinical trial data.

    “All of the vaccines are safe and effective and I recommend that all vaccines be offered in all communities,” Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan’s chief medical executive, said in a statement to CNBC.

    “Also, the Johnson and Johnson vaccine was studied in a more recent time period with more easily transmitted variants, so I would not recommend comparing the studies with Pfizer and Moderna directly to the studies on Johnson and Johnson,” Khaldun said.

    At a Friday press briefing, White House senior Covid advisor Andy Slavitt said Duggan’s comments on the J&J vaccine were misunderstood.

    “We have been in constant dialogue with Mayor Duggan. ... He is very eager for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. And I think we would reiterate the message that for all of us, the very first vaccine we can take makes absolute sense to take,” Slavitt said.


    Dr. Gottlieb: Need to provide reasonable path for activity reintroduction
    In a statement later on Friday, Duggan reiterated the efficacy of the J&J shot at preventing Covid-related hospitalization and death.

    “The only reason we chose to not accept the first shipment of Johnson & Johnson was that we had enough capacity with Moderna and Pfizer to handle the 29,000 first and second dose appointments scheduled for the coming week, which already put us very close to our capacity at our current locations,” Duggan said in a statement Friday.

    The J&J allocation that Duggan rejected comprised 6,200 doses, which were distributed to other local health departments in Michigan, according to state health department spokesperson Bob Wheaton.

    Wheaton said the state does not expect to receive more J&J vaccines “for another couple of weeks.”

    Duggan said the city will open a new vaccination site for J&J shots when demand from eligible residents exceeds its supply of Moderna and Pfizer’s doses.

    “We always intended to distribute Johnson & Johnson once the demand warranted it and we had our distribution plan in place so we can make it just as accessible to our residents as we have Moderna and Pfizer,” Duggan said in the Friday statement. “By the time the next J&J shipment arrives, we will have our plan in place to make it available.”

  22. #1197
    Moderator puzzld's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Posts
    21,600
    Rep Power
    21474874
    Quote Originally Posted by raisedbywolves View Post
    If this truly happened like this I hope they nail their asses. It's not like they won't know who they are.
    https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...-wear-n1260914
    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    lol at Nestle being some vicious smiter, she's the nicest person on this site besides probably puzzld. Or at least the last person to resort to smiting.
    Quote Originally Posted by nestlequikie View Post
    Why on earth would I smite you when I can ban you?

  23. #1198
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2020
    Posts
    4,558
    Rep Power
    0
    https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/sta...alth-measures/

    Although, to my knowledge, no government entity or employer has actually mandated COVID-19 vaccination, legislation is pending in several states to head off any such attempts. Some of these bills attack mitigation measures like mask wearing as well, or provide religious and other exemptions to COVID-19 immunization. Other, more sweeping, bills tie the hands of public health officials with overly-broad measures going well beyond the current pandemic and exhibiting little regard to what the future may bring.

    The vast majority of bills, almost to the point of exclusivity, are sponsored by Republican legislators. As is true of bills weakening or eliminating school immunization requirements, anti-vaccination organizations like the Alliance for Natural Health, which assiduously protects your right to be bamboozled by fringe medical practitioners and their nostrums, are busy lobbying state legislatures to make sure vaccination mandates and the like never see the light of day, or at least permit generous exemptions.

    While I don’t believe broad COVID-19 mandates are warranted in our current circumstances, too many of these bills attack sensible public health measures like mask wearing or ban mandates in situations where they may be appropriate, like long-term care facilities. Bills broadly handicapping public health officials without thinking through the consequences are downright dangerous.

    Before we get to the pending legislation, let’s look briefly at how current federal law addresses state and private employer mandates. The FDA allows administration of the three COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the U.S. under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) issued for each. Per the federal law allowing the FDA to issue EUAs, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services must specify whether individuals may refuse the vaccine and the consequences for that refusal. Here, the FDA has made clear that anyone may refuse a COVID-19 vaccination and requires that this information be disclosed to the public. According to a recent JAMA Viewpoint article by public health and health law experts, “mandating COVID-19 vaccines under an EUA is legally and ethically problematic”.

    However, at the end of last year, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued pandemic-related Q&As that “favor a voluntary vaccination approach, but do not expressly prohibit a mandatory policy with appropriate ‘outs’ for disability and religious accommodations.” As best I can tell, the advice was not limited to vaccines with full FDA approval.

    Where employees are unionized, a collective bargaining agreement could require bargaining over the implementation of a mandate, or even consent-based vaccination, to avoid violating federal labor laws.

    In sum, federal law does not require vaccination of anyone but apparently does not prohibit private-sector employers from mandating employee vaccinations. (Please note: this is an SBM post, not legal advice. Consult a lawyer if you have questions.)

    With that, let’s turn to the pending state bills. As noted in my previous post on school vaccination legislation, different states have different abbreviations for legislation. To simply things (for me), I’m going to use whatever combination of letters and numbers the particular state uses with a link to the legislature’s website, where you can find all the details.

    Hog-tying public health
    Legislators in several states have introduced bills curtailing the authority of health officials to implement mitigation measures in a public health emergency. These take various forms, some disallowing vaccination mandates altogether, others adding that anyone refusing voluntary vaccination in an emergency cannot be quarantined or isolated, while others still create exemptions to vaccination mandates. Some bills are directed only at COVID-19; others cover all immunization mandates. The titles of, and language used in, several bills give us a hint as to their sponsors’ ideological leanings.

    Maryland HB 17, the “Consent of the Governed Act”, is an especially ham-fisted and poorly drafted reaction to the state’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Current Maryland law allows the Governor to declare a state of emergency and to issue orders to mitigate that emergency, such as Gov. Larry Hogan’s orders restricting restaurant capacity, mandating mask-wearing, and similar measures.

    No matter the emergency or its circumstances, HB 17 limits the duration of any state of emergency to 14 days, with a 14-day extension if approved by a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly, which must convene within 3 days of the order. Oddly, an emergency order cannot apply at all to state legislators or judges and the Governor cannot “threaten or arrest” legislators or judges for violation of an emergency order.

    The Governor cannot require

    any member of the public to remain indoors, wear a face covering, not congregate or assemble, close or limit capacity of a business, church, or school, or interfere with the right to obtain and try any medical treatment desired for any illness . . . or receive a vaccine or be forced under penalty of law to make any other health decision.

    Private citizens would have the right to sue to enforce this proposed law and could get an injunction and treble damages (and attorneys’ fees and costs) if they can prove the emergency order is “unreasonable as applied” to them.

    A similar effort to gut public health measures during emergencies is underway in Missouri. HB 1144 tracks the language of a “Right to Refuse” Model Act promoted by the “National Health Freedom Action” organization. As I described in a post last September, this group and its associates spread vaccine and COVID-19 misinformation and support laws shielding quacks, allowing the sale of unpasteurized milk, and otherwise protecting pseudoscience and those who benefit from its commodification.

    HB 1144’s sweeping provisions handicap both the state government and individual business owners who try to institute protective measures such as mask wearing and building capacity limitations, giving everyone the right to refuse such measures and imposing absurd conditions on their implementation. For example, a shop owner who wants customers to wear a mask must read aloud portions of the law granting the right to refuse this and other mitigation attempts to each potential customer, give them a written copy of the law, and get a written acknowledgement of its receipt.

    In South Carolina, HB 3217 allows anyone to refuse a vaccination offered as “part of any mass immunization project to protect against infectious disease, or to prevent the spread of a pandemic or a contagious or possibly contagious disease”. HB 3511 goes even further, providing that anyone who refuses a vaccination in such circumstances “may not be denied any right or privilege of citizenship”, which is defined to include “shopping”.

    In another sweeping measure, South Carolina HB 3526 transfers the authority to declare a state of emergency from the Governor to the state legislature and removes “public health emergency” altogether (and well as other events) from the list of circumstances permitting an emergency declaration. Declared public health emergencies would still be allowed in some circumstances but the power to mitigate them is reduced. For example, an infectious agent, chemical agent, or the like, posing “a substantial risk” of “widespread illness” would no longer be a sufficient reason for a public health emergency, which would be limited to risks of “a significant number of human fatalities” or “a serious economic impact to the agricultural sector, including food supply”. The authority to temporarily isolate or quarantine anyone is completely removed and a court order required.

    In North Dakota, HB 1320, which was, fortunately, soundly defeated, would have banned any state vaccination mandate, in any circumstances, and prohibited “making receipt of a vaccine a condition for entry, education, employment, or services”, presumably pre-empting school vaccination mandates along with the rest. It was strongly opposed by school officials and the science-based health community and supported by a North Dakota “health freedom” organization and two chiropractors, among others.

    In Oklahoma, a similar bill (SB 223), provides that any state entity, including school districts, cannot “through direct or indirect means, compel or coerce any person . . . to receive any immunization”, seemingly eliminating all school vaccination requirements as well. Likewise, Oklahoma SB 352 prevents any state entity or from compelling or coercing anyone “to undergo any unwanted medical procedure”, including immunizations and face mask wearing, with persons violating the proposed law subject to misdemeanor conviction. (Private employers are specifically excepted.)

    In what appears to be an attempt to cover any and all situations that could possibly arrive, Idaho HB 63, prohibits any state or local law or order that mandates “vaccination, immunization, genetic modulation, or inoculation” (or, as the bill refers to it, “forced or coerced vaccination”) in “any state of disaster or emergency or any proclaimed state of extreme emergency, insurrection, or martial law” and prohibits quarantining or isolation of those who refuse vaccination. (I had to look up “genetic modulation“. The science is beyond me but I am curious as to how it would come into play in an insurrection and such.)

  24. #1199
    Moderator
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    11,768
    Rep Power
    21474859
    Puzz, did your Mom and her caretaker have any issues with side effects after their 2nd shot? I keep hearing this on the news, but everyone I know that has had both has done just fine.

  25. #1200
    Moderator puzzld's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Posts
    21,600
    Rep Power
    21474874
    Quote Originally Posted by raisedbywolves View Post
    Puzz, did your Mom and her caretaker have any issues with side effects after their 2nd shot? I keep hearing this on the news, but everyone I know that has had both has done just fine.
    Mom complained that she was a little achy and tired, but she's going to be 83 in a couple of months so, this is not unusual for her, even on a good day. Of the other 3 people I interact with who've finished their shots, two spiked fevers in the 103 range for a couple of hours. One of them had a runny nose for a day or so, the other had a mild headache, not as bad as she had after the first shot, she also had a skin reaction where she got the shot, but she always has problems with that, with the flu and shingles shots, etc. The third person felt poorly enough that she took the day off to nap, but nothing more than just blehhh.
    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    lol at Nestle being some vicious smiter, she's the nicest person on this site besides probably puzzld. Or at least the last person to resort to smiting.
    Quote Originally Posted by nestlequikie View Post
    Why on earth would I smite you when I can ban you?

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 837 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 837 guests)

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •