Covidiots

“Jason, nothing personal. I’m not upset with you or anybody in the position like you have, who works for a living. I understand you were following your laws and rules. I was trying to make a point to the corporate overlords and I’m sorry that I had to use you to do it. And if I hurt your feelings, I …

The Texas Tribune reports: State Sen. Bob Hall is not a doctor. Still, a Texas Senate committee considered a proposal from Hall that would ban any entity — public or private — from requiring their employees receive the COVID-19 vaccine. “The mere fact that a person has not received a specific vaccine does not make them a threat to others’ …

San Francisco’s ABC News affiliate reports: A tense situation on a flight from JFK Airport in New York to SFO after an unruly passenger refused to wear a mask, began snorting a white substance, and then was accused of touching at least one female passenger. The plane was diverted to Minneapolis where the man was arrested. “So we as a …

Variety reports: In a new video, former “Silver Spoons” star Ricky Schroder can be seen harassing a Costco employee after they wouldn’t let him enter the store without a mask. “Because in the state of California and the county of Los Angeles, and Costco, there has been no change to our mask policy,” the employee, whose name is Jason, said. TMZ …

Washington DC’s NBC News affiliate reports: A former staffer is suing U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), accusing the congressman of taking a “reckless” approach to COVID-19, exposing his staff and himself to the virus. The suit alleges the congressman flouted U.S. House safety rules, ignored warnings about unsafe conditions, and required staff to provide personal favors and tasks for the …

Morning Consult reports: When it comes to incentives, 57 percent of unvaccinated adults said a big cash payment, such as a $1,000 savings bond, would sway them, while 43 percent said they’d probably or definitely get vaccinated if they were offered a smaller reward, such as a $50 bond. Unvaccinated people were about as receptive to the stick as they …

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports: The U.S. government says the state of Florida has no legal right to force the CDC to reopen the cruise line business at the nation’s seaports. Lawyers representing the state and federal government squared off before U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday in Tampa on Wednesday after Florida sued the CDC, claiming an agency program for …

Tampa’s NBC News affiliate reports: Timothy Carpenter, 66, was shopping at Chesterdales Home & Garden store on Tamiami Trail North where the privately-owned store requires customers and staff to wear face masks, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies told Carpenter he was trespassed from the store and needed to leave. Carpenter responded saying he would leave when he …

“My message to folks is there’s a lot of good reasons to get vaccinated, but for some of them, you know, if you need another one, go get vaccinated so you’re alive to vote against me in the next election. “I don’t care. I just want to get it done. It’s not assuming these people are hesitant, they’re ideologically opposed. …

The CBC reports: Calgary police have arrested two organizers of a church service who have been defying public health restrictions throughout the pandemic. On Saturday, Artur and Dawid Pawlowski were charged with organizing an illegal in-person gathering, inciting or inviting others to attend an illegal gathering, as well as promoting and attending the gathering. Throughout the pandemic, the brothers have …

Newsweek reports: A Minnesota man posted a video of himself that appeared to show him stealing a vial of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in order to “test it at a lab.” The man, who has been identified by his social media accounts as Thomas Humphrey, filmed himself at what appeared to be the beginning of a COVID-19 vaccine …

The Insider reports: An Oregon church that previously sued the state’s governor over COVID restrictions has been linked to dozens of new cases of the virus in recent weeks. According to data published on May 5 by the Oregon Health Authority, 74 people associated with the People’s Church in the city of Salem contracted COVID-19 between April 6 and April …

The Associated Press reports: States asked the federal government this week to withhold staggering amounts of COVID-19 vaccine amid plummeting demand for the shots, contributing to a growing U.S. stockpile of doses. From South Carolina to Washington, states are requesting the Biden administration send them only a fraction of what’s been allocated to them. The turned-down vaccines amount to hundreds …

The Oregonian reports: A Republican state lawmaker who authorities say let violent protesters into the Oregon Capitol in December says he is ill with COVID-19. “I have a really bad case of COVID and I’m kind of on the mend a little bit,” Rep. Mike Nearman said on a conservative radio talk show. Nearman faces a hearing in Marion County …

NBC News reports: A bar owner was arrested Wednesday over allegations that he was selling fake Covid-19 vaccination cards at his establishment in California. Charges against Todd Anderson, 59, include identity theft, forging government documents, and falsifying medical records, according to a statement from San Joaquin District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar. An investigation was opened after California’s Department of Alcoholic …

The Daily Beast reports: In what has become a commonplace occurrence these days, Fox News host Tucker Carlson addressed a controversy purely of his own making on Thursday night, this time regarding his dangerous and sloppy suggestion that dozens of Americans a day are dying from the coronavirus vaccines. How did he explain away the highly misleading and disingenuous speculation? …

The Salem Statesman Journal reports: At least 74 people associated with Peoples Church in Salem have contracted COVID-19, according to the Oregon Health Authority. Oregon health officials began investigating the outbreak on April 6. OHA did not release information about it until May 5. It’s now the state’s eighth-largest active workplace outbreak. The church, located at 4500 Lancaster Drive NE, …

Reuters reports: Brazil’s former health minister told a parliamentary inquiry on Tuesday that President Jair Bolsonaro’s right-wing government knew full well that the treatment they were advocating for COVID-19 patients had no scientific basis. Luiz Henrique Mandetta, who was fired last April by Bolsonaro for not agreeing to push the malaria drug chloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment, testified before a …

Patch Santa Monica reports: A group of anti-mask protesters stood outside Santa Monica schools Monday, harassing students and parents just outside the campus. “You’re not supposed to talk to other people’s children, OK?” One father, who confronted the group outside the school said. “You’re walking around a school. Creepy.” He told them to stay away from kids at John Adams …

“You can see where this is going, and at high speed. Soon, virtually all college students in America will be required to take the COVID vaccine. “In effect, it is a national mandate. Though, because it has happened piecemeal, school by school, each apparently making an independent decision, few have recognized that as it’s happened. “But a national mandate is …