"WW C"- COVID-19, GLOBAL CASES SURPASS 676 MILLION...CASES 676,609,955 DEATHS 6,881,955 US CASES 103,804,263 US DEATHS 1,123,836 8:30pm 1/28/24

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2 More Reps Test Positive for COVID-19, Slam GOP Colleagues Who 'Cruelly' Refused to Wear Masks

Rep. Pramila Jayapal slammed her GOP colleagues and told them to "simply wear a d--- mask" while announcing her positive test


Two more members of Congress announced Tuesday they have tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total number of lawmakers to test positive since last Wednesday's U.S. Capitol riots to three.

Reps. Pramila Jayapal, of Washington, and Brad Schneider, of Illinois, announced they had contracted the virus in separate statements. Both of the Democratic lawmakers blamed their Republican colleagues for not wearing masks while under lockdown in the U.S. Capitol building last week during the riots.

Speaking with PEOPLE on Monday afternoon, Jayapal, 55, said she had "a little fever" while waiting for her test results to come back. "We all got stuck in that room with Republicans who refuse to wear masks," the Congresswoman said.

In a press release confirming her positive result later Monday night, Jayapal said some GOP lawmakers had "cruelly" and "recklessly" refused to wear masks when offered to them during the lockdown.



"Too many Republicans have refused to take this pandemic and virus seriously, and in doing so, they endanger everyone around them," Jayapal said. "Only hours after President [Donald] Trump incited a deadly assault on our Capitol, our country, and our democracy, many Republicans still refused to take the bare minimum COVID-19 precaution and simply wear a d--- mask in a crowded room during a pandemic."

RELATED: Lawmakers 'May Have Been Exposed' to Coronavirus During Capitol Riot Lockdown, Physician Says

Schneider, 59, announced his positive result on Twitter and shared a video of some GOP lawmakers refusing masks offered by their colleagues. The Illinois representative wrote that "several Republican lawmakers in the room adamantly refused to wear a mask, as demonstrated in video from Punchbowl News, even when politely asked by their colleagues."

The Punchbowl News video shows Reps. Andy Biggs, Michael Cloud, Markwayne Mullin and Scott Perry seemingly refusing offers to put on protective face masks that were being handed out.
President-elect Joe Biden told reporters Monday he was "appalled" by the video: "I think it's irresponsible," Biden, 78, said.
Health officials have recommended people wear face masks in order to limit the spread of the coronavirus, which has infected more than 22.6 million people across the country, according to a New York Times tracker. At least 376,476 people have died from the COVID-19 respiratory illness.
Rep. Abigail Spanberger told PEOPLE it was "astounding" some lawmakers refused to wear masks during the lockdown.
"We are all huddled in this giant room, and people are frazzled and there's pictures [of the riots] coming out and we still do not really actually know what's going on," Spanberger, a Democratic representative from Virginia, said. "Some colleagues who had been screaming about all the things that, you know, those violent rioters were screaming about, were just calmly unwilling to put on their masks."
Spanberger, 41, said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a newly-elected Republican from Georgia, also refused to wear a mask — despite there being "multiple announcements by democratic caucus chair, Hakeem Jeffries and Republican conference chair Liz Cheney."
RELATED: Joe Biden Is 'Not Afraid' to Take Oath of Office Outside Despite U.S. Capitol Security Concerns
Tuesday's announcement that two more representatives tested positive follows news that 75-year-old Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, of New Jersey, had also contracted the virus. Watson Coleman, a cancer survivor, blamed "a number of members within the space ignored instructions to wear masks" during last week's lockdown.
On Sunday, Congressional physician Brian Monahan warned lawmakers that some may have been exposed while under lockdown last week, as pro-Trump rioters sieged on the Capitol building.



CONTINUED:
3 Lawmakers Test Positive for COVID-19 After Riots | PEOPLE.com

 

[easy_b]

 

[praetor]

5,000 a day can't be far away.

 

[zod16]

a moment of levity...

 

[LennyNero1972]

 

[zod16]

5,000 a day can't be far away.

Stupid people don't understand things until they directly impact them and this is exposing how many truly fucking stupid there are here. People are just living life as if there isn't a global pandemic and then have the tears for tv when the inevitable happens. I have been working from home for damn near 9-10 months now but that is a luxury. I only feel bad for the people who are trying to take this shit seriously but have jobs where they have to interact with idiots who don't give a fuck.

 

[Dirtylakerie]

 

[Helico-pterFunk]

Langley churches flouting pandemic rules could risk losing tax breaks | CityNews Vancouver

A Langley Township councillor says churches and non-profits which openly violate public health orders during the COVID-19 pandemic should lose local tax exemptions.

www.citynews1130.com

Canada-U.S. land border closure extended to Feb. 21

The COVID-19 travel restrictions in place at the Canada-U.S. land border are being extended for another month and will remain in effect until Feb. 21, 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Tuesday.

www.ctvnews.ca

B.C. uses up all doses of COVID-19 vaccine, trying to 'be nimble' while working with feds

Officials in British Columbia say they're "trying to be nimble" as they work with their federal counterparts on the distribution plan for COVID-19 vaccines.

bc.ctvnews.ca

Showers, washrooms and a 'warming tent' installed for homeless at Strathcona Park

New services suggest eight-month-old homeless camp will probably be there for several more months

vancouversun.com

B.C. doctor says Ontario's stay-at-home-order 'could potentially happen here'

A B.C. doctor says Ontario's stay-at-home order could potentially happen here if case numbers continue to climb.

bc.ctvnews.ca

 

[praetor]

 

[Camille]

 

[Camille]

 

[Camille]

 

[Camille]

 

[praetor]

Only one dose needed.

 

[praetor]

I've seen people do this dumb shit.

 

[therealjondoe]

 

[raze]

 

[praetor]

 

[Camille]

 

[lightbright]

Disney proves that no one does it bigger than Disney.....

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Disneyland to become "super" COVID-19 mass-vaccination site


Disneyland has remained closed since the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S. in March, and the company has furloughed tens of thousands of employees. Now, the theme park is set to become the first mass-vaccination site in Orange County, California, as the state faces record COVID-19 deaths.


Government officials announced late Monday that Disneyland will be the first "Super Point-of-Dispensing" (POD) site in the county when it begins operations later this week.

"The Disneyland Resort, the largest employer in the heart of Orange County, has stepped up to host the county's first Super POD site — undertaking a monumental task in our vaccination distribution process," acting chairman Andrew Do, Orange County Supervisor, representing the First District, said in a statement.





Disneyland to become "super" COVID-19 mass-vaccination site - CBS News

 

[ShortyCumStain]

Should be da same for domestic flights too.

 

[praetor]

 

[praetor]

You have to scroll down for the second video in the link.

 

[praetor]

 

[praetor]

 

[code_pirahna]

And another Congressman this morning...

BTW, I believe all Congressmen have been vaccinated. But, you need multiple doses over time and still take
a period before immunity kicks in.

Then there is a question of what strain this is.

It will be interesting to see how serious their infection is though. It is a good sign that the vaccine is doing is actually helping if none of these folks end up in the hospital.

 

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Mayor de Blasio Announces 24/7 Mega Vaccination Site at Citi Field


NEW YORK—Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced that Citi Field will become a 24/7 mega vaccination site. Operated by the NYC Health + Hospitals Test & Trace Corps, the site is currently slated to launch the week of January 25th.
"The Mets are hitting it out of the park today," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. "By making Citi Field a 24/7 vaccination site they’re stepping up to the plate for New Yorkers across our city.”
“Alex and I have talked about the importance of the Mets being actively involved in our community and we are happy to help out,” said Mets Owner Steve Cohen. “Partnering with the Mayor and City to open Citi Field as a 24/7 vaccination site will help get more people vaccinated faster as part of the City’s recovery from COVID-19.”
An additional 24/7 mega site also launched today at 125 Worth Street in Manhattan, adding to the two sites that are currently operational in the Bronx and Brooklyn. A site in Staten Island at the Vanderbilt Gotham Health Center will launch Friday, followed by a site at the DOHMH clinic in Corona, Queens on Saturday. By the end of this week, a total of five 24/7 vaccination sites across the city will be open, with one location in each borough.
The Citi Field site will eventually scale up to be able to vaccinate approximately 5,000-7,000 eligible New Yorkers per day, building on the City' s goal to offer one million doses of the vaccine by the end of January. For other sites citywide, eligible New Yorkers can make their vaccine appointments using the City’s Vaccine Finder, which aggregates all vaccination locations open to the eligible public citywide into a single, accessible five-borough network, including City-run sites and private providers.
New Yorkers 75 or older and frontline essential workers such as teachers and education workers, childcare staff, first responders, public safety workers, public transit workers, and other frontline essential workers are now eligible to get the free COVID-19 vaccine. Eligible New Yorkers in Phase 1A or 1B can reserve their appointment by calling 877 – VAX – 4NYC or by visiting nyc.gov/VaccineFinder.
This helpful tool allows New Yorkers to access the vaccine however works for them, at locations they know and trust in their own communities. Eligible New Yorkers who wish to make an appointment over the phone can do so by calling 877 – VAX – 4NYC between the hours of 8:00 AM - 9:00 PM, seven days a week.
Phase 1A priority groups also continue to be eligible for vaccines including healthcare workers and staff with direct patient contact, emergency responders, staff at COVID-19 testing and vaccination locations, home health aides, and long-term care staff and residents, among others.
“All New Yorkers must have access to the COVID-19 vaccine, and this massive new site gives us the ability to deliver the vaccine rapidly so that we can protect New Yorkers and keep our city safe,” said NYC Test & Trace Corps Executive Director Dr. Ted Long. “With a track record of testing millions of New Yorkers for the virus, the addition of our latest 24/7 vaccination site at Citi Field builds on the strong base we have established through the Test & Trace Corps to win the fight and finally end this pandemic.”
“The vaccination location at Citi Field adds to our growing network of vaccine access points citywide, making it even easier for eligible New Yorkers to access the safe, free COVID-19 vaccine,” said Deputy Mayor Melanie Hartzog. “With more and more New Yorkers determined eligible by the State to be vaccinated all the time, we’re focused on continuing to ramp up our capacity for vaccination to meet demand. With vaccine supply very limited, however, we urge New Yorkers scheduling appointments to be patient – and new sites like Citi Field will help us deliver on our promise of vaccines for all.”




Mayor de Blasio Announces 24/7 Mega Vaccination Site at Citi Field | City of New York (nyc.gov)

 

[praetor]

 

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Scientists fear the 'escape mutant' in coronavirus variant from South Africa

(CNN)Scientists have identified an "escape mutant" that may decrease the efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines.

The mutation -- called E484K -- has been found in a variant of the coronavirus first spotted in South Africa two months ago. That variant has now spread to 12 other countries.

Penny Moore, associate professor at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in South Africa, called the mutation "alarming."

"We fear this mutation might have an impact, and what we don't know is the extent of the impact," she said.

E484K is called an "escape mutant" because it's been shown it might be able to escape some of the antibodies produced by the vaccine.

"I'm worried," said Alex Sigal, a virologist at the Africa Health Research Institute.

Sigal, Moore, and other scientists who are studying the E484K mutation still have to complete their work in the lab to see if the vaccine is less effective against this new variant.

Based on what they've seen so far, they say they highly doubt E484K will render the coronavirus vaccines useless. Rather, they think there's a possibility the mutation -- on its own or in combination with other mutations -- could decrease the efficacy of the vaccine against the variant.

They also worry E484K might be an indication the novel coronavirus is showing its ability to change before our eyes. If this mutation happened in a matter of months, other problematic mutations could follow.

"This virus may be taking the first steps down a fairly lengthy road towards vaccine resistance," said Andrew Ward, a structural virologist at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California.

"It's the beginning of a long haul," Moore said. "That's what's really shaken me up about this. It's a sobering wake up call."
"Escape mutant" is like a disobedient child
To understand the potential danger posed by the E484K mutation, picture a teacher in front of a classroom full of rowdy first graders.

After months of trying to get her class under control, the teacher finally nails it. She gets them to sit still in their chairs.

But after a while, one child leaves the class, and another takes his place. This new child -- this new little rascal -- won't sit down. The teacher's technique for calming the children doesn't work with him.

The teacher here is the vaccine, and the rascally student is the E484K mutation.

When the vaccines being used in the US were put to the test this summer and fall, they nailed it, virtually conquering the virus into submission. But since then, parts of the virus have sometimes swapped themselves out for new bits and sometimes those new bits don't behave.

To test out these new bits, researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle and elsewhere have looked at plasma from patients who recovered from Covid-19 to see if their antibodies can fight off E484K and other mutations.

What they found is that E484K challenges the ability of some antibodies to neutralize the virus.
While the attention has been focused on E484K, scientists are also keeping an eye on other mutations in the variant.

The next step is to test these mutations against antibodies created by vaccines -- that's the work scientists are doing now and hope to announce in the next few weeks.
"Escape mutant" also found in variant in Brazil
E484K isn't only in the variant first found in South Africa -- it's recently been found in a variant in Brazil as well.

That variant hasn't been reported in other countries. But according to GISAID, an independent data sharing initiative, the one first spotted in South Africa (its scientific name is 501Y.V2), has now been tracked in 12 other countries: the UK; Botswana; France; Australia; Germany; Switzerland; Japan; Sweden; South Korea; Finland; Ireland and the Netherlands.

But even if E484K -- alone or in combination with other mutations in the variant -- ends up being a problem, the variant likely won't escape all the antibodies produced by vaccines, considering that the vaccines produce many antibodies.

The concern is more for what happens as the virus mutates over and over.

It's not that the coronavirus is such a speedy mutator -- in fact Sigal, one of the South African researchers, called it "a real slowpoke." It's that the virus is spreading so quickly around the world, and each time it goes from person to person, it gets another chance to mutate.

"It creates more opportunities for the virus to learn how to be resistant to the vaccine," said Paul Bieniasz, a virologist at the Rockefeller University. "It's going to be, over time, likely chipping away at vaccine efficacy, but we're not going to fall of a cliff tomorrow."


Such misbehavior wasn't expected from a coronavirus, which has always been thought of as relatively stable, Sigal said.

"This virus really showed us it can adapt, and could be able to escape," he said. "It just goes back to the first rule of virology: don't underestimate your virus."









Scientists fear the 'escape mutant' in coronavirus variant from South Africa - CNN

 

[Varis]

My eye glasses broke, went to eyeglass shop to order a new lense, walked in without an appointment they looked at me like mofo is you crazy? Made an appointment. Then check other places online and they are waaay booked up. Damn I dont need an eye exam , just reorder one lense that fell out.

 

[praetor]

 

[praetor]

 

[lightbright]

Vaccine reserve was already exhausted when Trump administration vowed to release it, dashing hopes of expanded access

HHS Secretary Alex Azar said Tuesday the federal government would no longer hold second vaccine doses in reserve and urged states to broaden eligibility

When Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced this week that the federal government would begin releasing coronavirus vaccine doses held in reserve for second shots, no such reserve existed, according to state and federal officials briefed on distribution plans. The Trump administration had already begun shipping out what was available beginning at the end of December, taking second doses directly off the manufacturing line.

Now, health officials across the country who had anticipated their extremely limited vaccine supply as much as doubling beginning next week are confronting the reality that their allocations will remain largely flat, dashing hopes of dramatically expanding access for millions of elderly people and those with high-risk medical conditions. Health officials in some cities and states were informed in recent days about the reality of the situation, while others are still in the dark.
Because both of the vaccines authorized for emergency use in the United States are two-dose regimens, the Trump administration’s initial policy was to hold back second doses to protect against the possibility of manufacturing disruptions. But that approach shifted in recent weeks, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.

These officials were told that Operation Warp Speed, which is overseeing the distribution of vaccines, stopped stockpiling second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at the end of last year. The last shots held in reserve of Moderna’s supply, meanwhile, began shipping out over the weekend.

The shift, in both cases, had to do with increased confidence in the supply chain, so that Operation Warp Speed leaders felt they could reliably anticipate the availability of doses for booster shots — required three weeks later in the case of the Pfizer-BioNTech product and four weeks later under Moderna’s protocol.
But it also meant there was no stockpile of second doses waiting to be shipped, as Trump administration officials suggested this week. Azar, at a Tuesday briefing, said, “Because we now have a consistent pace of production, we can now ship all of the doses that had been held in physical reserve.” He explained the decision as part of the “next phase” of the nation’s vaccination campaign.
Those in line for their second shots are expected to get them on schedule since states are still getting regular vaccine shipments. But state and local officials say they are angry and bewildered by the shifting directions and changing explanations of supply.

The health director in Oregon, Patrick M. Allen, was so disturbed that he wrote Azar on Thursday demanding an explanation. “Earlier today, we became concerned when we discovered there were no additional doses available for allocation,” he said in the letter, which was reviewed by The Washington Post.
On a call with Perna earlier the same day, Allen wrote, the four-star Army general had “informed us there is no reserve of doses, and we are already receiving the full allocation of vaccines.”
“If true, this is extremely disturbing, and puts our plans to expand eligibility at grave risk,” Allen added. “Those plans were made on the basis of reliance on your statement about “releasing the entire supply” you have in reserve. If this information is accurate, we will be unable to begin vaccinating our vulnerable seniors on Jan. 23, as planned.”

HHS spokesman Michael Pratt confirmed in an email that the final reserve of second doses had been released to states for order over the weekend but did not address Azar’s comments this week, saying only, “Operation Warp Speed has been monitoring manufacturing closely, and always intended to transition from holding second doses in reserve as manufacturing stabilizes and we gained confidence in the ability for a consistent flow of vaccines.”

He also said states have ordered only about 75 percent of what is available to them.
Azar’s comments followed a Jan. 8 announcement by President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team that his administration would move to release all available doses, rather than holding half in reserve for booster shots. Biden’s advisers said the move would be a way to accelerate distribution of the vaccine, which is in short supply across the country.
When Azar embraced the change four days later — after initially saying it was shortsighted and potentially unethical to put people at risk of missing their booster shots — he did not say the original policy had already been phased out, or that the stockpile had been exhausted. Signaling to states that they would soon see expanded supply, he also urged them to begin vaccinating adults 65 and older and those under 64 with a high-risk medical condition. Officials in some states embraced that directive, while others said suddenly putting hundreds of thousands of additional people at the front of the line would overwhelm their capacity.

In subsequent conversations with state and local authorities, federal officials sought to temper those instructions, said people who participated in the conversations. Gustave F. Perna, chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed, spoke directly to officials in at least two of the jurisdictions receiving vaccine supply, explaining that allocations would not increase and that they did not have to broaden eligibility as they had previously been told, according to a health official who was not authorized to discuss the matter.

The revised instructions led additional jurisdictions to hold off on broadening their priority groups. One state health official noted that the updated eligibility guidance announced Tuesday did not appear on the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, even though it was stated as federal policy by Azar and by Robert R. Redfield, the CDC director, in their remarks earlier this week. Under the original recommendations, adults 65 and older and front-line essential workers were to comprise the second priority group, known as phase 1b, in line after medical workers and residents and staff of long-term care facilities.

But the issue of supply was most troubling to state health officials.
“States were shocked and surprised that they did not see an increase in their allocations, and when they asked for explanations, some of them were told there was not a large stockpile of second doses to draw from,” said an official working with numerous states on vaccination planning who spoke on the condition of anonymity to recount sensitive conversations. “They thought they were getting more doses and they planned for more doses and opened up to 65 and up, thinking they were getting more.”

In an email that reached some state officials on Friday morning, Christopher Sharpsten, an Operation Warp Speed director, called it a “false rumor” that “the federal government was holding back vaccine doses in warehouses to guarantee a second/booster dose.”
But it had been Azar who said Tuesday that “we are releasing the entire supply we have for order by states, rather than holding second doses in physical reserve.”
There was additional confusion. Another change Azar announced this week — making allocation of doses dependent on how quickly states administer them — would not take effect for two weeks, he said.
But Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) on Thursday tweeted that federal officials had notified the state that it would receive an additional 50,000 doses next week “as a reward for being among the fastest states” to get shots into arms. West Virginia, meanwhile, which is moving at the fastest clip based on CDC data, did not get any additional doses, said Holli Nelson, a spokeswoman for the state’s National Guard.
In a sign that the incentive structure may not be long-lived, a senior Biden transition official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to address ongoing deliberations, said this week the team did not look kindly on a system that “punishes states.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/01/15/trump-vaccine-reserve-used-up/

 

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New York Congressman Who Got Vaccine Diagnosed With Covid

Rep. Adriano Espaillat

Democratic Representative Adriano Espaillat of New York said he tested positive for Covid-19 after receiving the second dose of a vaccine, and is isolating at home.

“I received the second dose of the #COVID19vaccine last week and understand the affects take time,” Espaillat said on Twitter Thursday. “I have continued to be tested regularly, wear my mask and follow the recommended guidelines.”




Espaillat tested positive on Wednesday evening and is “feeling well and currently not experiencing any symptoms,” he said in an emailed statement. The lawmaker, whose 13th Congressional District includes Harlem, Washington Heights and northwest Bronx, said he received the first dose of the vaccine made by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE last month. The other inoculation approved by the U.S. is made by Moderna Inc.

The Pfizer shot was made available to members of Congress last month and some, including Republican Representative Kay Granger of Texas, were diagnosed with Covid after getting the first of the two-dose regimen. Studies show the vaccines are fully effective at one to two weeks after the second dose, depending on the vaccine. While they prevent disease, it is not clear whether they prevent asymptomatic infection.

Espaillat -- who spoke on the House floor Wednesday and voted to impeach President Donald Trump -- said he’s been tested regularly including over the last two days as he’s traveled from New York to Washington.

Several House Democrats were diagnosed with Covid after they had to take shelter during last week’s attack on the Capitol. They have rebuked their Republican colleagues for not wearing masks and introduced rules to enforce face coverings.

New York Congressman Who Got Vaccine Diagnosed With Covid - Bloomberg

 

[therealjondoe]