Covidiots

“People should not have to die so some politicians can own the libs. They’re not owning anybody. They may end up owning the pandemic because they’re prolonging it. Perhaps it may be time to start naming these new variants after them. “Why not call it the DeSantis variant instead of the Delta variant? We could sell beer koozies that say …

West Palm Beach’s NBC News affiliate reports: South Florida talk show host Dick Farrel, known and beloved by fans for his over-the-top right-wing opinions, has died from complications from COVID-19. On Facebook, Farrel advocated against getting the coronavirus vaccine and was skeptical of Dr. Anthony Fauci and his recommendations concerning the coronavirus. Friends said after contracting the virus he changed …

The Evening Standard reports: An anti-vaxxer who filmed himself downplaying Covid-19 before posting it on Facebook has died of the virus. Solicitor Leslie Lawrenson, 58, died at his home in Bournemouth, Dorset, nine days after he published a video on why coronavirus was “nothing to be afraid of.” Mr Lawrenson, who reportedly had no underlying health conditions, had previously refused …

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas school districts will not be required to conduct contact tracing this year if a student contracts COVID-19, according to new guidelines issued by the Texas Education Agency this week. The TEA announced its rules in a public health guidance issued Thursday. While districts must report positive cases to the local health department and the state, …

USA Today reports: Eight college students challenging Indiana University’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement filed an appeal with the Supreme Court on Friday, asking the justices to consider immunization mandates for the first time since the pandemic began. Indiana’s public university said in May that students and faculty would be required to take the vaccine to attend classes in person with exceptions …

British tabloid The Sun reports: The heartbroken family of an anti-vaxxer nightclub boss who died of Covid have urged the public to get vaccinated. David Parker, 56, posted scores of Facebook comments mocking the vaccine. He dismissed it as “experimental” but just weeks later fell ill with the virus and died in hospital. David had posted hundreds of messages criticising …

Earlier this week the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra fired Emily Skala, its principal flute player, for her “controversial” social media posts and for an apparently internal dispute conducted over email. Yesterday the classical music site Slipped Disc posted a response from Skala and hoo boy: SARS-CoV-2 has been proven not to exist. The CDC has no sample to offer any lab …

St. Louis’s CBS News affiliate reports: A new policy required by a St. Louis-area transportation company is garnering strong opinions both within the community and online. Charlie Bullington owns Yo Transportation services, a business he started 16 years ago. Recently, he has made it a requirement that he will only transport passengers who aren’t wearing masks and have not gotten …

Jackson’s ABC News affiliate reports: A Florence woman says she regrets a Fourth of July get-together that became a “mini-pandemic” party. More than 20 people tested positive for COVID-19 and some were hospitalized. Hannah Frith said it changed her perspective on the virus and vaccinations. For Frith, it started as exhaustion, then a headache. A few days later, a friend …

The East Bay Times reports: Just one month ago, Jonathan Weltsch thought COVID-19 was only as severe as the run-of-the-mill flu. Believing the vaccine had not received adequate testing, Weltsch actively convinced people not to get vaccinated claiming “it would do more harm than good.” Then he got sick. When Jonathan and his family contracted COVID-19 earlier this month, they …

NBC News reports: Two airline passengers entering Canada from the United States were fined nearly $16,000 each for submitting fake vaccination cards and Covid-19 test results, officials said. The passengers also failed to stay at government-authorized accommodations, as is also required by the country’s government, Canada’s public health agency said Friday. The passengers, who were not identified in a news …

The Kansas City Star reports: Macon County Coroner Brian Hayes handles the death certificates for this cattle, corn and soybean region of 15,000 in north-central Missouri, near Kirksville — roughly 130 to 140 deaths each year. That includes certifying the deaths of the few dozen residents who have succumbed to the coronavirus. And in some cases, it has meant excluding …

Miami’s ABC News affiliate reports: Five people were told to leave a Spirit Airlines flight out of Fort Lauderdale Friday night after they refused to wear masks inside the plane, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office. After they left the plane, the disruption continued to spill over inside Terminal 4 when BSO deputies arrived. That’s when two of the men …

The Hill reports: An overwhelming majority of vaccinated Americans blames those who are unvaccinated for a recent spike in coronavirus cases nationwide, according to a new poll. Approximately four out of five vaccinated respondents, 79 percent, point to the unvaccinated for the rising cases, the Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index poll found. Just more than one-third of all vaccinated Americans — 36 …

The Local Italy reports: The website of Lazio, the Italian region that includes Rome, was down on Sunday after being hit by a cyber attack, meaning that people could no longer use it to book a Covid vaccine. The President of the Lazio region, Nicola Zingaretti, wrote on his Facebook page: “A massive hacker attack against LazioCrea computer systems that …

Sacramento’s NBC News affiliate reports: As the delta variant fuels a rise of COVID-19 cases in San Joaquin County, 25 people are in the ICU due to the virus. One of them is Philly Baird, a Ripon man who KCRA 3 first met in 2018. Baird had been so devoted to his beloved NFL team, the Philadelphia Eagles, he had …

“This new guidance affects all of us, of course. You have a bunch of kids, Americans care about their closest loved ones. And, yet, here we’ve got an order that is frankly going to compel some people to not get the vaccine, because of this kind of distrust that continues. I got the vaccine. In certain ways, I think, it’s …

The Daily Beast reports: The event, held at the state Capitol in Tallahassee, principally featured various COVID-19 masking skeptics. They included a Stanford professor with a history of opposing lockdowns, and a Tallahassee private school student who was “very concerned about masks being required this year.” Still, the standout may have been Mark McDonald [photo], a Los Angeles clinical psychiatrist. …

Mediaite reports: Former New York Times reporter-turned-anti vaccine proponent Alex Berenson straight up suggested contracting the coronavirus as a viable option for developing immunity to the virus that has killed more than 600,000 Americans. Despite being consistently wrong about the pandemic, Berenson is a recurring guest on Fox News, where he peddles anti-vax talking points that have been rebuked by …

Los Angeles’s ABC News affiliate reports: The owner of Basilico’s Pasta e Vino spoke out against a backlash on Monday, after posting flyers outside his business and on social media requiring proof that customers are not vaccinated. The flyers read: “Notice: Proof of being unvaccinated required. We have zero tolerance for treasonous, anti-American stupidity. Thank you for pondering.” Many people …