New COVID Vaccines, Old COVID Denial & Selfishness

Well, here's an unsurprising headline from CNBC: "New Covid vaccines are coming to the U.S. this fall, but uptake may be low — Here’s why".

And the reasons why are the usual excuses:

"That’s largely because pandemic fatigue, the belief that Covid is 'over' and confusion over personal risk levels could deter some people from getting an additional shot, experts in public health and health policy told CNBC."

This not only proves that Americans have no brains, but it also proves that the CDC has done a lousy job of convincing the public that COVID is still here and it's still dangerous.   

There have been no public service announcements on TV urging Americans to work together to defeat COVID, no appeals to basic decency, no further slogans such as "My mask protects you, your mask protects me".  Instead there's been complete silence. 

The article continues, "It will be a 'very uphill battle' to get people to take those jabs, especially given the sluggish uptake of the most recent shots that rolled out, said Jen Kates, senior vice president of the health policy research organization KFF".

It should be considered a national disgrace that we are still in this position 3 years later.

Further Proof That Americans Are Ignorant

I can't get over this Economist/YouGov poll that says "One in four Americans say there is currently a COVID-19 pandemic." 

Only 1 in 4!  No wonder we're in trouble.

And the following statistic just verifies what I have come to realize about how stupid my fellow countrymen are: "Three-quarters of Americans  either say the COVID pandemic is over or say there never was one".

The people who actually think there never was a COVID pandemic despite over 1 million deaths must also think that the Holocaust never happened.

Stay Safe!

Vox asks "Is it time to be worried about Covid-19 again?"  

Unfortunately, most Americans stopped worrying about COVID even before Biden told 60 Minutes in 2022 that COVID was over.  Many have never taken it seriously from the first.

All I can say is, if you never worry about it, then you're a fool. And if you know there's a surge coming and still haven't been vaccinated and still engage in reckless behavior, then I have no sympathy for you if you get sick.

Those of us who have taken it seriously, read everything about it, gotten vaxxed and booster and masked, and are protecting ourselves and others -- we're doing the right thing, and all the minimizing and gaslighting won't affect us one bit.

Better safe than sorry!

UFOs "Pose a National Security Risk"

I looked at the TV in time to see a Congressman say that UFOs may pose a security risk to the United States.

I don't think so. Beings from other planets have discovered that Americans are stupid, and they're certainly not going to learn anything worthwhile from us.

Instead of wasting time in hearings, Congress should talk about genuine national security risks: terrorism; espionage; COVID; unending streams of illegal aliens spreading diseases; unsanitary conditions and disease caused by drug addicts and homeless bums in our streets; violent crime and constant shoplifting that causes the closings of stores; and they should do something to stop it.

"Long COVID Persists as a Mass Disabling Event"

Karen Bonuck, PhD is a pediatric health researcher and a professor of family and social medicine, has an opinion piece on the debilitating Long COVID. Here are some excerpts.

"The latest CDC data on long COVID in U.S. adults and an alarming World Health Organization (WHO) statement about its long-term impact underscore the pandemic's lingering and debilitating effects. Like the satirical film 'Don't Look Up,' in which scientists couldn't focus media or politicians on the climate crisis, most Americans are content to avert their eyes from the long COVID crisis. Meanwhile, the millions now missing from public life because of it have no choice but to stare down the gamut of its sweep.

"Leaning into my disability advocacy hat, I have been reaching out to people across disciplines and government to sound the alarm that long COVID is a mass disabling event. And it is not going to disappear, as much as media outlets and policymakers want to move on and ignore it.

So, what can you do as a healthcare professional? Listen to your patients -- and believe them."

Those suffering from Long COVID need to be taken seriously at last.

U.S. Pandemic News for Americans to Ignore

Of course you'll shrug this all off as a hoax, but read it anyway.

1. From NBC News: "The CDC is preparing for a winter with '3 bugs out there': Covid, flu and RSV; Vaccine fatigue is already here, although many Americans will be urged to get three different shots this fall."

I remember how horrific last Fall was, sitting in the ER waiting room and watching as coughing, very sick, maskless adults and children came in a steady stream. I'd rather not see that again any time soon.

2.  From USA Today: "The next pandemic could spring from the US meat supply, new report finds"

"The next global pandemic could come from the United States.

"That's the sobering message of a report from Harvard Law School and New York University, examining how humans, livestock and wild animals interact here.

"Many familiar ‒ and terrifying diseases ‒ originated in animals, including HIV/AIDS, Ebola, Zika, pandemic flu and COVID-19. Some started in other countries, typically on the African or Asian continents. These so-called zoonotic diseases are often blamed on poor hygiene, lack of government oversight or unsafe practices in those places.

"While Americans often think 'it couldn't happen here,' regulations are so loose and interactions so frequent, researchers found, that a virus or another contagious bug could easily jump from animals to people in the U.S., sparking a deadly outbreak."

So maybe instead of a tripledemic, we will have a quadrupledemic. Stay tuned.

Man Shocked That People Are Protecting Themselves From COVID

If you're still COVID-conscious like most smart people are, you will enjoy this opinion piece by a guy named Dennis Malloy. It's titled "Some People in NJ Are Still Getting 'Booster & Wearing Masks", and he's shocked by that fact. Here are some of his observations.

"If you've been to a supermarket lately you may have seen people still wearing masks. It's usually the elderly shoppers and the numbers seem to have dwindled from a couple of months ago.

"I make sure not to stare and try to keep my distance for their comfort. You can even see some younger employees wearing them at certain places. Everyone is entitled to live as they please and they'll get no argument from me. Live and let live. Yet, I was surprised to find out that some people are still getting the boosters for COVID-19.

"The other day I called a car service to take a family member to a concert. The guy came highly recommended by a local app. When we spoke on the phone, the driver asked if the person was vaccinated. I stammered a bit and answered, yes. They work in healthcare and were forced to get the two shots. He said he won't let anyone in his car that isn't vaccinated.

He certainly has every right to feel that way. It's his car and he can make up his own rules. I was just shocked that people are still concerned about that even though everyone I know who got vaccinated also got COVID. He told me he has not gotten the virus and he's anxious to get his SIXTH booster this September!"

He's shocked! He's also confusing the original shots with the boosters.  I've had a total of 6 COVID shots (3 boosters) myself since 2021 and find it reassuring, not shocking.

He ends by saying, "For those of us who thought the whole thing was behind us, think again. Some people were so shocked by the entire episode, that they're still hanging on to it, much to my surprise. Live and let live, but please don't lecture me."

By "the whole thing", I assume he means the pandemic, which is not over. The reason that we are "still hanging on" to protecting ourselves against COVID is because of people like the writer who think COVID is behind us.

"The Urgency of Normalizing Behavior Despite Continuing COVID Illness & Death"

Have you heard about In-N-Out Burger's new mask policy in several states? Per this excellent Forbes column written by Judy Stone, an infectious disease specialist,  "In-N-Out Burger has a new store policy prohibiting employees from wearing masks unless they have an approved doctor’s note.

"The policy, confirmed in a call this morning, was introduced to 'emphasize the importance of customer service and the ability to show our Associates' smiles and other facial features.'  It continues by stating that this will help 'balance two things that In-N-Out is known for – exceptional customer service and unmatched standards for health, safety, and quality.'

"Those employees who refuse will be disciplined 'up to and including termination of employment.'”

So, protecting yourself from COVID is reason for termination because it's more important that people can see you smile. Brilliant!

Dr Stone continues:

"It is not just In-N-Out pushing the urgency of normalizing behavior, despite ongoing Covid illnesses and deaths throughout the country. I’ve had repeated complaints from University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) staff over the years that they are not allowed to wear N95 masks or, early on, to double mask. They are only allowed to wear flimsy surgical masks with ear loops provided to them. Similarly, patients have to request that staff caring for them mask. I asked the administration, 'What if they are old, or confused, or just plain scared of authority? How will they know that they can ask without jeopardizing their care?' The only response was that patients should check signage.

"And it’s not just Covid-19 that people might want to protect themselves from. In recent weeks, large swaths of the country have been under air-quality alerts from the large wildfires in Canada.

"There seems to be no good argument for In-N-Out Burger to force employees to take obvious health risks. This case will likely go to litigation. Will the courts favor business interests or the well-being and safety of employees?"

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It amazes me to go to a doctors' office specializing in autoimmune diseases and seeing everyone unmasked, even the elderly and frail. In every medical waiting room you find patients coughing into the air, totally unconcerned. I thought medical offices were places where patients could expect to be protected, but evidently that's no longer a priority. 

These people who think COVID is over had better be prepared for the next surge.

Great Melanie Phillips Column Re: Israel & the US

I feel the same way, so I applauded Melanie Phillips' column today titled Herzog’s lamentable performance; Israel needs to deliver an entirely different message to its two-faced US ally.

Some excerpts:

"When it came down to it, Herzog failed in his most important task. In the continuing furore over Israel’s judicial reforms, with the Biden administration outrageously telling the Israeli government to abandon its policy and snubbing Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by failing to invite him to the White House, Herzog needed to avoid being played off against the prime minister. He needed to demonstrate there wasn’t so much as a cigarette paper between them..

"But he didn’t do that. Instead, he spun the 'heated and painful debate' over judicial reform as 'the clearest tribute to the fortitude of Israel’s democracy'.

"Is that really how Israel’s president sees the mass disruption to public life resulting from the demonstrations, not to mention the protesters’ intimidation and harassment of government ministers? Is that really how he sees the outrageous threats and blackmail by IDF reservists that they will refuse to answer the call to defend their country unless the judicial reforms are abandoned?

"Herzog should have told Congress the truth: a sustained attempt is being made to destroy Israeli democracy, using street power to bring down a democratically elected government, ostensibly because the protesters disagree with a platform on which the government was elected.

"He should have told Congress that the judicial reform package has been wildly misrepresented and distorted by its opponents. Above all, he should have said the government under Netanyahu is united and should be supported.

"Herzog said none of these things. Instead, he brought Congress to its feet through  emotional bromides, extolling the US as 'our greatest partner and friend' and purring about 'how deeply our stories complement each other’s'.

"True, he incorporated a couple of subtle rebukes. He drew attention to the two-way nature of the alliance with America 'in which Israel has been making critical contributions to the national security and interests of the United States in numerous ways'.

"Apparently alluding to the continuing US funding of the Palestinian Authority, despite its refusal to abandon its 'pay-for-slay' rewards to terrorists and their families, Herzog said: 'It should be clear that one cannot talk about peace while condoning or legitimising terror, implicitly or explicitly..'.

"Few would have noticed these downplayed remarks. Herzog blew his one opportunity to alert the American people to the malice and aggression being displayed towards Israel by the Biden administration. Instead, he created the impression that relations between Israel and the US couldn’t be better."

Don't Be COVID-Complacent

People are acting like COVID never happened and that they have no reason to worry. I can't imagine how we're going to persuade them to get the Fall booster if they don't even think there's a problem. They may be in for a rude awakening:

COVID-19 Metrics See First Increase Since January: CDC
"The increases are small, and it’s unclear if the trend will last, but it’s a notable reversal after months of declines.

"The agency reported this week that coronavirus emergency department visits, test positivity rates and wastewater levels 'have begun to show small increases nationally.'

"Additionally, COVID-19 hospitalizations have leveled out and are no longer declining.

"In the U.S., new coronavirus strains are on the rise. While the so-called arcturus strain is the most prominent variant circulating, several other omicron subvariants are increasing, including XBB.2.3 and EG.5.

"Coronavirus deaths in the U.S. are still decreasing. But deaths tend to lag behind increases in cases and hospitalizations."

The U.S. & Israel

1. This headline shows how relations with Israel have deteriorated since Biden became President: "US House passes resolution 412-9 affirming Israel ‘not a racist or apartheid state’" That you have to affirm what ought to be crystal clear shows how things have changed for the worse.

Here's the list of the 9 antisemites, per The Hill,  "All nine Democrats who opposed the measure are members of the Progressive Caucus, which Jayapal is the chairwoman of: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (Mich.), Jamaal Bowman (N.Y.), Summer Lee (Pa.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.), Cori Bush (Mo.), Andre Carson (Ind.), Delia Ramirez (Ill.) and Ayanna Pressley (Mass.). Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) voted 'present.'"  I bet they will all get reelected anyway.

2. Here's the pot calling the kettle black:

From World Israel News: "President Joe Biden sent a warning to Israel through the media Wednesday, telling the New York Times’ Thomas Friedman that if judicial reform is not passed with a wide consensus, there is a risk to the allies’ relationship. 'You are going to break something with Israel’s democracy and with your relationship with America’s democracy, and you may never be able to get it back,' Biden said in a message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu through Friedman." Joe, concentrate on fixing the problems YOU created in YOUR country before you dare to threaten and criticize Israel.

Equine Insanity

I've always liked to read about both sides of the Civil War, since it's part of our history. The Ken Burns documentary on the Civil War was one of the finest historical programs I've ever seen.

But thanks to political correctness, the names of Southerners who fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War are being erased, and their monuments removed.

Over at Hot Air, I saw this link to a Virginia website called Bacon's Rebellion.  This post describes the latest ridiculous example of an erasure of American history, which shows the depths to which PC has sunk.  This is happening on the campus of Washington and Lee University (probably soon to be renamed Washington and ___). 

Not content to remove every mention of Robert E.Lee, the college president is now trying to erase Lee's famous horse, Traveller. His horse! How a horse can possibly offend anyone, I don't know, except that he was Lee's horse, and I guess that's offensive enough for some people. Maybe Richard Adams' novel "Traveller" will be banned from the campus bookstore next.

You have to read this for yourself to believe it.

Please Don't Waste Your Vote on RFK Jr.

I thought this New York Post headline about the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dinner was one of the best ever written in terms of the guaranteed publicity: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. press dinner explodes in war of words and farting. You have to read the whole thing to believe it. Somehow, I can't imagine such a headline ever being written about his father, RFK; or about his uncle, JFK.

As New York magazine describes it, "On Wednesday night, the New York Post’s 'Page Six' published a piece that already seems destined to join this pantheon. The subject matter is inherently hilarious: Two men got into an argument about climate change at a press dinner promoting Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential candidacy, and one farted loudly. But it’s Mara Siegler’s writing and some strong visual choices by the Post team that make it transcendent. While I urge you to read the full story, as its majesty can’t really be summarized, here are some particularly delightful elements."

I read the New York Post every day, so I somehow wasn't at all surprised to see this RFK,Jr. headline today: RFK Jr. says COVID was ‘ethnically targeted’ to spare Jews.  And he said this at the same dinner.

"'COVID-19. There is an argument that it is ethnically targeted. COVID-19 attacks certain races disproportionately,'  Kennedy said. 'COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.'"

Bobby must be rolling in his grave.And Trump should be glad he didn't attend this dinner, because the press would have somehow pinned all all of it on him.

Workplace Mask Lunacy: Smiles Over Safety

From The Daily Meal:  In-N-Out Burger's Alleged New Mask Policy Is Causing Controversy

"Now, the company's pandemic stances have landed it in hot water again, as a tweet from Dr. Lucky Tran, a molecular biologist who frequently writes about public health issues for The Guardian and other outlets, alleges that In-N-Out is banning its employees from wearing masks. Tran's tweet includes an apparent internal memo from In-N-Out executives stating, 'No masks shall be worn in the Store or Support facility unless an Associate has a valid medical note.'"

"What is the reasoning behind In-N-Out's purported mask ban? According to the memo, the mandate is intended to 'emphasize the importance of customer service and the ability to show our Associates' smiles and other facial features.' Also of note is the fact that the memo is addressed to employees in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Texas, and Utah. That leaves two states where In-N-Out operates — California and Oregon — that are apparently exempt from the mandate."

Rational people would rather be protected from COVID than see your smile. In-N-Out is a perfect name: what's In is worker safety. What's going to be Out is business, when customers find somewhere else safer to eat and when the workers leave to find a safer job.

Patients Beware

From Spectrum News/Associated Press: "Maine moves to drop COVID-19 vaccine requirement for health care workers."

"A COVID-19 vaccine requirement for health care workers is expected to be dropped soon in Maine, with a state agency saying the mandate met its goal of limiting the spread of the coronavirus at the pandemic's height but is no longer needed based on evolving scientific evidence."

(And in Florida, the GOP thinks COVID-19 vaccine is a bioweapon.)

Well, hooray for them, but what about the patients they are supposed to protect?  Don't they count?  Or won't they even care if they catch COVID from their doctor?  COVID is airborne, and it's still causing illness and death, no matter how much you want to pretend the disease as vanished & the vaccine is a killer.)

The (Anti-Israel/BDS) Squad Strikes Again

It came as no surprise to read this headline today: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to boycott Herzog’s address to Congress. Actually, it's better for everybody if the barmaid and her like-minded colleagues don't attend, since they seem to relish their anti-Israel stance.

You can be sure that if Palestinian leader Abbas came to address Congress, the Squad would be the first to RSVP.

Do you really want congressmen in your audience with an attitude like this?  "Earlier this week, Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar told The Messenger there was 'no way in hell' she would attend Herzog’s address, slated for next Wednesday." 

In my opinion, there's no way in hell that such antisemites ought to be elected to Congress in the first place.

In Case You Thought COVID Was Over...

From the UK Telegraph:  Cyprus becomes ‘island of dead cats’ after outbreak of feline coronavirus kills 300,000;Experts warn that ‘many cats’ could die if the virus circulating in Cyprus makes its way to Britain 

We had better hope that this particular coronavirus strain doesn't jump from cats to humans.

Hypocrites Against Israel

Here's the best headline about Biden's treatment of Israel:  "‘Breakdown in shared values’: NY Times says US ‘reevaluating’ ties with Israel, blames Netanyahu".   

"In his latest article slamming the Netanyahu government, New York Times journalist Thomas Friedman claimed that a breakdown of the U.S.-Israel relationship is  'inevitable.'

“The Biden team sees the far-right Israeli government, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, engaged in unprecedented radical behavior — under the cloak of judicial 'reform' — that is undermining our shared interests with Israel, our shared values and the vitally important shared fiction about the status of the West Bank that has kept peace hopes there just barely alive,'  Friedman wrote in the column published Tuesday, titled “The US Reassessment of Netanyahu’s Government Has Begun.”

Oh, that's a good one!  Biden is destroying his own country, and he wants to tell Netanyahu how to run his? Netanyahu should tell Biden to see to his own business instead. With allies like Biden, and previously Obama, who needs enemies?

The Church of the Perpetually Offended

All I had to do was read the headline, and I knew right away what it was that some idiot was whining about. And I'm Jewish!

Anglican Leader Says Opening Of Lord’s Prayer Is ‘Problematic’ For Some

"An archbishop in the Church of England said the opening of the 'Lord’s Prayer' is considered 'problematic' to some people because the 2,000-year-old prayer starts by addressing God as 'Our Father.'

"Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell told the General Synod, the legislating and ruling body of the Church of England, that referring to God as 'father' might be offensive to some people because of the negative connotations of patriarchy. "

Is he crazy? Doesn't he  have real issues to concern himself with? If he and the other fools who find the word "father" offensive don't like it, why don't they start their own Church of the Politically Correct;  change every mention in the Bible of the words "father", "he", and "him"; and leave the majority of sane worshippers alone?!

Americans Fighting Back Against Crime

From the New York Post: "New York City council members from both sides of the aisle blamed 'lack of enforcement'  after a CVS worker stabbed to death a serial shoplifter in Manhattan — a less than subtle dig at Manhattan’s liberal District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

The furor erupted in the hours after Scotty Enoe, 46, fatally knifed serial thief Charles Brito, 50, after being punched early Thursday, making it the latest in a disturbing string of self-defense killings in recent months."

Enoe should be hailed as a hero, like Daniel Penny,  Jordan Neely, and others who have had to fight back against random muggings, random murders, senseless attacks that go unpunished and excused by politically correct prosecutors.

You have store employees who have been fired for videotaping or trying to stop shoplifters. You have stores having to close down and employees left jobless because of crime. How much more can citizens take of this when the law protects the criminals and not the victims?

Fall Vaccines You Should Know About

Per The New York Times, here's the latest information on the vaccines you might want this Fall: Three Vaccines for Fall: What You Need to Know; Here’s who should get the flu, Covid and R.S.V. vaccines, and when.

Here are some excerpts:

"Everyone should have at least the flu and Covid shots this fall, experts said.

"No one knows when these viruses will re-emerge, so you should get the shots early enough in the fall to build immunity against the pathogens. Most people will not want or be able to make multiple trips to a clinic or pharmacy to space the shots apart.

"That probably means September or October. Most Americans may want to consider receiving the flu and Covid shots at the same time, so they are prepared to face either virus. Older adults who are in poor health — who have heart or lung disease, for example, or are on home oxygen — should get all three shots, some experts said.

"They should 'get them as quickly as possible and definitely before the season, and do it all at once,' Dr. Chu said."

I'll gratefully be the first in line. Hopefully everyone else will do their part as well.

More Ridiculous Rules from the Language Dictators

In his novel "1984", "through his creation and explanation of Newspeak, Orwell warns the reader that a government that creates the language and mandates how it is used can control the minds of its citizens."

That's also known as brainwashing. This is what delusional educators and propagandists have been doing over the years with politically correct terminology, and now they keep trying to convince us that men can give birth to babies, and that all people are "menstruators".

Here's the latest idiocy from, naturally, Oregon: "Portland city govt tells staff to avoid mentioning 'pregnant women' and 'citizens' in woke language directive. Portland told staffers to completely remove the female aspect from pregnancy terms, breast feeding" 

What are they going to do, fire you? Just because these PC people are delusional doesn't mean you have to change your language and agree with them.  They must be desperate, because they seem to waste an inordinate amount of time and money promoting this nonsense.

Enough already!

Funny Headline from the Babylon Bee

I needed a good laugh today, and I got one: "New White House Janitor Günter Hiden Arrives To Clean Up Leftover Cocaine"

Here We Go Again: Maniac Kills People at Random

"Man in bulletproof vest fatally shoots 5, wounds 2 in Philadelphia; suspect in custody.

"[The police commissioner] said she had 'absolutely no idea why this happened.' It wasn't immediately clear if the victims had any connection to the shooter.

'At this point, all we know is that this person decided to leave their home and to target individuals,' Outlaw said."

Could it possibly be home-grown terrorism?   Or is that a dirty word because everyone would rather blame the guns than the gunman?  Most of the usual thugs you read about who kill each other at parties & funerals out of uncontrolled rage or drugs usually don't come prepared with a bulletproof vest. Whatever it is, we need more crime-fighting power in this country, and fast.

Argus Hamilton Quips

We could use a good laugh, so here's the latest column of humorist Argus Hamilton's take on current events. 

Here's just one of his observations: "President Biden flew to Chicago Wednesday to deliver a campaign speech where he touted the economic success of his policies before a raucous crowd of Chicago Democrats. It took a while but they've finally identified the heckler who was shouting obscenities during Biden's speech. It was him."

Taking Mask Guidelines Backwards

These excerpts are from the Daily Beast on June 30, 2023: Why the CDC’s New Mask Guideline Proposal May Actually Imperil Frontline Workers.  Please read the entire article - you won't believe it.

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"In March 2020, as lockdowns gripped the world and the COVID-19 pandemic was officially in full swing, Lisa Brosseau, a national expert on respiratory protection and infectious diseases at the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, was pleading with the CDC to 'follow the science.'

"HICPAC will meet in August and may vote on proposed updated guidelines for infection control—and it may end up exacerbating concerns rather than assuaging them. An informational slide deck outlining the committee’s proposed updated guidelines, obtained and reviewed by The Daily Beast, makes little mention of aerosol transmission of viruses, and cites what experts say are flawed studies to suggest there is no difference in the protection offered between respirators like N95s and surgical masks.

"If accepted, the guidelines could enshrine unsafe practices for health-care workers at a time when the industry is already suffering from critical staffing shortages.

"In the section discussing pathogen transmission, there is only a cursory mention of aerosols and airborne transmission, but no real discussion of the types of protection needed for different types of viruses. More shocking, however, is the Evidence Review at the end of the slide deck, in which the studies cited by HICPAC as supporting evidence of its conclusions do not appear to be as robust and persuasive as many public health experts expected.

"Dr. Robert Harrison, an occupational medicine specialist and a clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco, told The Daily Beast the evidence cited in the slide deck guidelines flies in the face of  'clear science.'

"Citing 13 different studies of laboratory-confirmed viral respiratory infections, a summary chart at the end of the presentation concludes there is 'no difference between surgical masks and N95s in preventing respiratory infections.'"

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Why would you deliberately want to sabotage COVID mitigations? After all we've already gone through, instead of progressing in its COVID policies and decisions, it sounds like the CDC is actually regressing, and the American people will suffer even more as a result.

Dr.Ruth's Newsletter

Dr. Ruth Ann Crystal's latest medical newsletter is up on Substack, and as always, it's very informative. She writes:

"As we move into the July 4th holiday, COVID hospitalizations, emergency room visits and wastewater levels are all low, but temperatures especially in the southern U.S. are very high. We continue to have a 'variant soup' of many different subvariants showing up, but none are pushing the others out which is good news. As many people in the hottest areas will be moving indoors for the foreseeable future, it will be important for people to do a COVID test if they get a 'summer cold'."

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After every holiday weekend when people travel and gather, there's usually a spike in COVID cases, so let's see what happens this time.  I have a feeling that there won't be very many people masking in the large fireworks crowds and at the Capital Fourth concert!