Coronavirus

REPORT: Florida COVID Researchers Were Pressured To Destroy Data And Warned Not To Criticize DeSantis

The Hill reports: Researchers at the University of Florida allegedly felt pressured to delete COVID-19 data while working on a study for an undisclosed state entity, according to a report released on Monday by the Faculty Senate committee. The report stated that staff felt “external pressure to destroy” data, and “barriers to accessing and analyzing” data in a timely manner. Other …

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Fauci: Fully Vaxxed Will Soon Mean Including Booster

The Daily Beast reports: Dr. Anthony Fauci said in an interview with CNN Wednesday that his previous position regarding the definition of what it means to be fully vaccinated has evolved. Changing the definition to include booster shots is now a matter of “when, not if,” he said, though he indicated that was his personal opinion. The statement comes a …

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IL Bill Would Make Unvaxxed Pay Medical Expenses

Chicago’s NBC News affiliate reports: An Illinois Democratic lawmaker has introduced legislation that would require individuals who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 to pay for their own medical expenses, including hospital bills, if they contract the virus. State Rep. Jonathon Carroll filed HB 4259 on Monday in Springfield. The legislation would impact those residents who choose not to receive …

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Pfizer: Booster Shot Highly Effective Against Omicron

The New York Times reports: Pfizer and BioNTech said Wednesday that laboratory tests suggest that three doses of their coronavirus vaccine offers significant protection against the fast-spreading Omicron variant of the virus. The companies said that tests of blood from individuals who received only two doses found more than a 25-fold reduction in antibody levels against the Omicron variant compared …

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Trump Judge Blocks Mandate For Federal Contractors

The Associated Press reports: A federal judge on Tuesday blocked President Joe Biden’s administration from enforcing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees of federal contractors, the latest in a string of victories for Republican-led states pushing back against Biden’s pandemic policies. U.S. District Judge R. Stan Baker, in Augusta, Georgia, issued a stay to bar enforcement of the mandate nationwide. …

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NBA To Unvaxxed Players: You Cannot Enter Canada

ESPN reports: Any unvaccinated NBA player with temporary visa status who leaves the country will be unable to reenter the United States, according to a memo obtained by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Tuesday. For example, a player who is not vaccinated against COVID-19 would be unable to reenter the United States after playing in Canada. The same applies if an …

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New German Chancellor Vows To “React Decisively” Against Violent Demonstrations By Anti-Vax Activists

The Local Germany reports: In a press conference held after the signing of the new government’s coalition agreement in Berlin, incoming Chancellor Olaf Scholz slammed ‘threatening’ protests against Covid restrictions and vaccinations. “We must react decisively against violent demonstrations,” Scholz said. Referring to a recent protest staged outside the private house of Saxony’s Health Minister, Scholz said these kinds of …

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CDC Adds France And Portugal To “Do Not Travel” List

The Hill reports: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending that Americans avoid travel to France, Jordan and Portugal and several other countries because of a “very high level of COVID-19” within their borders. The CDC on Monday also issued Level 4: Do Not Travel advisories for Tanzania, Liechtenstein, Cyprus and Andorra. The agency noted, however, that …

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Gallup Poll: 40% Of Republicans Don’t Trust Doctors

Gallup reports: Republicans are less likely now than they were in the past to say they are confident in the accuracy of important medical advice their doctor gives them. Currently, 60% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are confident, down from 73% in 2010 and 70% in 2002. These results are based on Gallup’s annual Health and Healthcare survey, conducted Nov. …

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Man Charged With Selling Hundreds Of Fake Vax Cards

The Washington Post reports: A 23-year-old Maryland man has been charged with purchasing and distributing fake coronavirus vaccine cards to enrich himself, according to a criminal complaint unsealed in federal court Friday. The man, Amar Salim Shabazz, was allegedly not shy about his scheme, either. “I SELL PROOF OF VACCINATION CARDS,” he commented under an Instagram post about bars and …

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Anti-Vax Anti-LGBT Cultist Pastor Sick With Something

First, reminder from five months ago: In his sermon, Joshua Feuerstein told the biblical story of King Ahab and Jezebel and how they faced off against the prophet Elijah. He described Ahab as a senile old man and Jezebel as someone who “slept her way to the top.” “Does that sound familiar?” he said, leading to raucous cheers from worshipers. …

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De Blasio Issues Vax Mandate For Private Employers

The New York Daily News reports: Mayor de Blasio announced that New York City will impose a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all private employers. The mayor said that just about everyone working in the Big Apple will be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dec. 27. “We in New York City have decided to use a pre-emptive strike, to …

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Italy’s Restrictions On Unvaccinated Go Into Effect

The Associated Press reports: Italy is making life more uncomfortable for unvaccinated people this holiday season, excluding them from indoor restaurants, theaters and museums starting Monday to reduce the spread of coronavirus and encourage vaccine skeptics to get their shots. Italian police can check whether diners in restaurants or bars have a “super” green health pass certifying that they are …

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Study: J&J Vaccine Effective As Mix-And-Match Booster

USA Today reports: A new study found that the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine serves as an effective booster on top of full vaccination from the Pfizer vaccine. A J&J booster, administered six months after two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, increased antibody and T-cell responses, according to the study, demonstrating potential benefits of mix-and-match boosters. “There is early evidence …

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COVID Death Rate Now 2.7X Higher In Trump Counties

NPR reports: Since May 2021, people living in counties that voted heavily for Donald Trump during the last presidential election have been nearly three times as likely to die from COVID-19 as those who live in areas that went for now-President Biden. That’s according to a new analysis by NPR that examines how political polarization and misinformation are driving a …

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Norwegian Cruise Line Ship Reports COVID Outbreak

ABC News reports: Ten people aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship approaching New Orleans have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said Saturday night. The Norwegian Breakaway had departed New Orleans on Nov. 28 and is due to return this weekend, the Louisiana Department of Health said in a news release. Over the past week, the ship made stops in Belize, …

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CA Parents Knowingly Sent COVID+ Child To School

The Associated Press reports: Northern California parents knowingly sent their COVID-19 positive child and a sibling to school last month in violation of isolation and quarantine rules, causing a coronavirus outbreak in an elementary school, officials said Saturday. The parents could face a fine or a misdemeanor charge for violating Marin County’s health order, under which people who test positive …

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Merkel Makes Farewell Plea For Germans To Get Vaxxed

Reuters reports: Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Germans on Saturday to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to help turn the tide on a fourth wave of cases that she said had become “dramatic” in parts of the country. “We are in a very serious situation. In some parts of the country you can only describe it as dramatic: overfilled intensive care …

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REPORT: Omicron Spreads Twice As Fast As Delta Did

The New York Times reports: Underscoring growing concerns about Omicron, scientists in South Africa said on Friday that the newest coronavirus variant appears to spread more than twice as quickly as Delta, until now the most contagious version of the virus. Omicron’s rapid spread results from a combination of contagiousness and an ability to dodge the body’s immune defenses, the …

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Italian Man Wears Fake Arm For COVID Vaccination

The Guardian reports: An Italian man is facing charges of fraud after turning up for his Covid-19 vaccine wearing a fake arm. So determined was he to dodge the jab but still obtain a health pass, the anti-vaxxer may have paid hundreds of euros for the silicone prosthetic. The bizarre episode at a vaccine hub in Biella, a town close …

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