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Tag Archives: vaccine

There’s a rake, Eric (r), go ahead and step on it

29 Wednesday Mar 2023

Posted by Michael Bersin in Eric Schmitt, social media, US Senate

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anti-vaccine, anti-vax, Corona virus, COVID-19, Department of Defense, dumbass, Eric Schmitt, Fascist pig, missouri, pandemic, right wingnut, vaccine

Yesterday, Eric Schmitt (r) proceeded to do so:

[image cropped]

Eric Schmitt @Eric_Schmitt
The Covid vaccine mandates were stupid.

The Biden Administration fired over 8000 military men and women over it.

Today Secretary Austin admitted he’s doing nothing to get these well trained men and woman back.

This is nuts.
[….]
5:02 PM · Mar 28, 2023

Yes, you are, Eric (r). Stupid and nuts.

Some of the responses:

These people take literally dozens of vaccines in the military – and it was just this one they refused to take – for political reasons.

If a soldier refuses a life-saving vaccine, will he refuse to save a brother in arms? They weren’t fired. They QUIT. I don’t want them back.

This one wasn’t a vaccine, it was an experimental drug that effects your very DNA that was illegally pushed on a captive audience.

They exist, apparently.

It’s what happens when you have an illegitimate regime full of diversity hires

That would be classified as a particularly obvious dog whistle.

For starters dbag, it is essential that military personnel have the ability to follow orders and recognize the chain of command.

The GOP wud weaken our military command by giving every soldier a choice of which rules and commands to obey. Military cannot work that way. Talk abt a Banana Republic. Can you imagine the day when every “who ha” in the U.S. has assault weapons & answers to a militia ldr, perhaps w/ a swastika on his uniform?

Maybe they were extra, you know like the Twitter employees you laughed about.

They were in the military and refused to follow an order. Of course they were fired. They have shown they will not follow orders.

The military is about following orders, they were fired for not following orders. It’s pretty cut and dry.

no, they were fired for refusing to obey a lawful order.

bye, Felicia

They were ordered to get the vaccine. They didn’t follow the order so they deserve what they got. If you had served perhaps you’d understand what following lawful orders means. Instead you’re engaging in political theater to divide people. You’re a disgrace.

Eric, you are still stuck on Covid mandates?? You need to move on to something else that will actually help people, like banning assault type weapons, red flag laws, mandatory background checks for gun purchases. Any actual ideas for HELPING people, not just complaining!!

Your act is getting old

They made the choice to not have one vaccine. Their choice.
I’m fine if they don’t return. Follow guidelines or find a new career. The rest of us operate this way. Pretty simple.

If they cannot follow direct orders in peacetime what happens on the battlefield? They should not be in our military.

Look at Eric grandstanding!

It’s in his nature.

What are you doing about guns?

Don’t hold your breath.

Lost ball in high weeds. [….]

Heh.

You should follow your logic and get rid of TB, malaria, and other vaccines.

Diversity Hire Austin is a disgrace

That would be classified as a particularly obvious dog whistle.

Why would we want them back? It would deteriorate troop cohesion and make us less safe.

The vaccines saved lives, stay in your lane

They failed to comply with a lawful order.

We also know that to have a safe and well prepared military, they receive many vaccines to keep them safe in other parts of the world. COVID vaccines did the same.

Well, they didn’t follow the rules, so…

How many vaccines are the military required to have or get before enlisting @Eric_Schmitt?

What other vaccines should members of the military not take? Get real.

I was in the military , the thought of not taking a vaccine was & is asinine

It’s one of freaking how many shots they got to get. Waaaah waaaah waaaah

How many other military vaccine requirements can be ignored?

Military preparedness is vital to our national security. Our troops receive a whole battery of vaccines to maintain their health and fitness. That’s their duty. If a vocal few can’t take orders then they shouldn’t have volunteered for service.

You don’t fire the military you ridiculous clown. Learn something about the UCMJ genius.

The military mandates dozens of vaccines for personal. Why did they not refuse those vaccines?

What’s nuts is being beholden to right-wing fantasy. We can’t have insubordination in our military.

From the moment that they decide to join the military, they know that they are required to take all available vaccines. They were given a direct order and they defied that order, and they were relieved of duty.

The military already has a ton of other required vaccines. Why should we give a shit about this

The Covid mandates for the military were not stupid. The military has many vaccines requirements. Covid killed millions, and made people sick. The military made the right call. Eric Schmitt you are way out of your league on the medical issue. Sit down and shut up.

My immunization record in the military was three pages long; you obey orders or GTFO. So f$&@ off POS #MAGATerrorisTraitoRacist

Eric Schmitt (r) [2022 file photo}.

Booster

01 Monday Nov 2021

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

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booster, COVID-19, missouri, vaccine

On Sunday I looked online for a place to get my COVID-19 booster. There were several in our small town, phramacies or grocery stores with a pharmacy. You can sign up for an appointment online (filling out the paperwork ahead of time and submitting it online) For some locations you can walk in. I opted to sign up online for the first available appointment time, 9:45 a.m. this morning.

I showed up a few minutes early. There was a handful of people in line at the pharmacy counter and a couple of others already in the queue to get their vaccine. Most were older folks. There was one young woman who appeared to be in her 20s or 30s. The pharmacy staff was cheerful and efficient.

They asked if I had an appointment. I did. They asked for my CDC vaccine card. They accessed the online information I had submitted, printed it up, then directed me to the entrance of the little privacy booth next to the pharmacy. I had a short and pleasant confirmation with an older gentleman who was waiting for fifteen minutes after his vaccination.

Once in the booth I was given my updated CDC vaccine card and a pile of informational papers. I was asked, “Which arm?” I indicated my right. I asked if the booster was the half dose. It was (that’s standard). I didn’t need a band-aid. I was instructed to hang out in the grocery store for fifteen minutes. I asked if I could wait in my car. “That probably wouldn’t be a good idea if you had a reaction. No one might be able to find you.” I replied, “What if I lean my head on the horn?” “[Laugh] Still not a good idea.” So, I walked around the grocery store, lingering at the craft beers for a while, until my fifteen minutes were up.

That was it. I was in and out within twenty-five minutes.

If you haven’t already done so, get vaccinated.

Wear your damn mask anyway.

Previously:

“Does the microchip have a data cap?” (February 12, 2021)

It’s been a year (March 13, 2021)

Has been, is now, and will always be

24 Friday Sep 2021

Posted by Michael Bersin in Roy Blunt, US Senate

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Asshole, Corona virus, COVID-19, Gaslighter, pandemic, right wingnut, Roy Blunt, social media, Twitter, U.S. Senate, vaccine

Roy Blunt (r) [2016 file photo].

What an asshole.

This afternoon:

Senator Roy Blunt @RoyBlunt
Americans deserve more details on how the administration will use vaccines to combat COVID-19 with clear and concise plans that put science ahead of politics.
[….]
1:12 PM · Sep 24, 2021

Have you ever met Mike Parson (r)? Just asking.

As always, there is much hilarity in the responses:

Arsonists demand to know what the fire department is going to do about all these fires in his neighborhood.[….]

Look at the map of Blue & Red States & compare it to vaccination rates. It is so obvious that Trump States reject the vaccines his administration claims to have developed.

Republicans at the federal and state level are to blame for unvaccinated people. The adults who I know who haven’t gotten vaccinated are all Republicans. I can’t understand how Republicans are ok that their voters are dying because of misinformation. Don’t you care about them?

Step 1: end Fox News
Step 2: end Facebook
Step 3: national mask mandates because states like Missouri put Republican anti science ahead of health
Step 4: national vaccine mandates because states like Missouri can’t let its citizens die fast enough to end this

Says the Senator who failed to vote for the commission to investigate the 1/6 assault on our Capital because he had enough details.

You should be pressing Governors if you actually want to accomplish something because the overwhelming majority of vaccine issues are at the state level.

Putting science ahead of politics sounds nice. Maybe you should try it once in a while, Roy.

Don’t hold your breath.

My God. How much more info do people need? Covid = bad, vaccine = good.

Oh, whatever happened to the party of personal responsibility? Here’s a plan – go to one of the 1,000’s of vaccine sites and get the shot.

Get the shot. Protect yourself and neighbors. How hard is that?

I’m sure you have @GovParsonMO‘s phone number. Maybe give him a ring on this one.

You can’t be serious with this. How about you start in our home state where only half the population is vaccinated. What are YOU doing?

WTAF is wrong with you? Joe Biden got the vaccine out to all Americans in an incredible amount of time for free. Talk to your Republican pals about why we are still dealing with Covid.

You are infuriating! You backed a narcissist who never had a plan. How dare you

Science. 2 shots. That’s all you need to tell your constituents. This isn’t hard. Stop being obtuse.

Impossible. It’s Roy Blunt (r) you’re talking about.

Poor Roy. This Twitter stuff really isn’t working for you. You should have a talk with however on your staff that posts these tweets because I have yet to see one single tweet from your account that make one damn bit of sense. Poor dumb bastard!

“This is a pandemic of the unvaccinated.”

10 Friday Sep 2021

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

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Tags

Corona virus, COVID-19, Joe Biden, pandemic, president, vaccine

Joe Biden (D) [2020 file photo].

Yesterday:

Remarks by President Biden on Fighting the COVID-⁠19 Pandemic
SEPTEMBER 09, 2021
[….]
5:02 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good evening, my fellow Americans. I want to talk to you about where we are in the battle against COVID-19, the progress we’ve made, and the work we have left to do.

And it starts with understanding this: Even as the Delta variant 19 [sic] has — COVID-19 — has been hitting this country hard, we have the tools to combat the virus, if we can come together as a country and use those tools.

If we raise our vaccination rate, protect ourselves and others with masking and expanded testing, and identify people who are infected, we can and we will turn the tide on COVID-19.

It will take a lot of hard work, and it’s going to take some time. Many of us are frustrated with the nearly 80 million Americans who are still not vaccinated, even though the vaccine is safe, effective, and free.

You might be confused about what is true and what is false about COVID-19. So before I outline the new steps to fight COVID-19 that I’m going to be announcing tonight, let me give you some clear information about where we stand.

First, we have cons- — we have made considerable progress in battling COVID-19. When I became President, about 2 million Americans were fully vaccinated. Today, over 175 million Americans have that protection.

Before I took office, we hadn’t ordered enough vaccine for every American. Just weeks in office, we did. The week before I took office, on January 20th of this year, over 25,000 Americans died that week from COVID-19. Last week, that grim weekly toll was down 70 percent.

And in the three months before I took office, our economy was faltering, creating just 50,000 jobs a month. We’re now averaging 700,000 new jobs a month in the past three months.

This progress is real. But while America is in much better shape than it was seven months ago when I took office, I need to tell you a second fact.

We’re in a tough stretch, and it could last for a while. The highly contagious Delta variant that I began to warn America about back in July spread in late summer like it did in other countries before us.

While the vaccines provide strong protections for the vaccinated, we read about, we hear about, and we see the stories of hospitalized people, people on their death beds, among the unvaccinated over these past few weeks.

This is a pandemic of the unvaccinated. And it’s caused by the fact that despite America having an unprecedented and successful vaccination program, despite the fact that for almost five months free vaccines have been available in 80,000 different locations, we still have nearly 80 million Americans
who have failed to get the shot.

And to make matters worse, there are elected officials actively working to undermine the fight against COVID-19. Instead of encouraging people to get vaccinated and mask up, they’re ordering mobile morgues for the unvaccinated dying from COVID in their communities. This is totally unacceptable.

Third, if you wonder how all this adds up, here’s the math: The vast majority of Americans are doing the right thing. Nearly three quarters of the eligible have gotten at least one shot, but one quarter has not gotten any. That’s nearly 80 million Americans not vaccinated. And in a country as large as ours, that’s 25 percent minority. That 25 percent can cause a lot of damage — and they are.

The unvaccinated overcrowd our hospitals, are overrunning the emergency rooms and intensive care units, leaving no room for someone with a heart attack, or pancreitis [pancreatitis], or cancer.

And fourth, I want to emphasize that the vaccines provide very strong protection from severe illness from COVID-19. I know there’s a lot of confusion and misinformation. But the world’s leading scientists confirm that if you are fully vaccinated, your risk of severe illness from COVID-19 is very low.

In fact, based on available data from the summer, only one of out of every 160,000 fully vaccinated Americans was hospitalized for COVID per day.

These are the facts.

So here’s where we stand: The path ahead, even with the Delta variant, is not nearly as bad as last winter. But what makes it incredibly more frustrating is that we have the tools to combat COVID-19, and a distinct minority of Americans –supported by a distinct minority of elected officials — are keeping us from turning the corner. These pandemic politics, as I refer to, are making people sick, causing unvaccinated people to die.

We cannot allow these actions to stand in the way of protecting the large majority of Americans who have done their part and want to get back to life as normal.

As your President, I’m announcing tonight a new plan to require more Americans to be vaccinated, to combat those blocking public health.

My plan also increases testing, protects our economy, and will make our kids safer in schools. It consists of six broad areas of action and many specific measures in each that — and each of those actions that you can read more about at WhiteHouse.gov. WhiteHouse.gov.

The measures — these are going to take time to have full impact. But if we implement them, I believe and the scientists indicate, that in the months ahead we can reduce the number of unvaccinated Americans, decrease hospitalizations and deaths, and allow our children to go to school safely and keep our economy strong by keeping businesses open.

First, we must increase vaccinations among the unvaccinated with new vaccination requirements. Of the nearly 80 million eligible Americans who have not gotten vaccinated, many said they were waiting for approval from the Food and Drug Administration — the FDA. Well, last month, the FDA granted that approval.

So, the time for waiting is over. This summer, we made progress through the combination of vaccine requirements and incentives, as well as the FDA approval. Four million more people got their first shot in August than they did in July.

But we need to do more. This is not about freedom or personal choice. It’s about protecting yourself and those around you — the people you work with, the people you care about, the people you love.

My job as President is to protect all Americans.

So, tonight, I’m announcing that the Department of Labor is developing an emergency rule to require all employers with 100 or more employees, that together employ over 80 million workers, to ensure their workforces are fully vaccinated or show a negative test at least once a week.

Some of the biggest companies are already requiring this: United Airlines, Disney, Tysons Food, and even Fox News.

The bottom line: We’re going to protect vaccinated workers from unvaccinated co-workers. We’re going to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by increasing the share of the workforce that is vaccinated in businesses all across America.

My plan will extend the vaccination requirements that I previously issued in the healthcare field. Already, I’ve announced, we’ll be requiring vaccinations that all nursing home workers who treat patients on Medicare and Medicaid, because I have that federal authority.

Tonight, I’m using that same authority to expand that to cover those who work in hospitals, home healthcare facilities, or other medical facilities –- a total of 17 million healthcare workers.

If you’re seeking care at a health facility, you should be able to know that the people treating you are vaccinated. Simple. Straightforward. Period.

Next, I will sign an executive order that will now require all executive branch federal employees to be vaccinated — all. And I’ve signed another executive order that will require federal contractors to do the same.

If you want to work with the federal government and do business with us, get vaccinated. If you want to do business with the federal government, vaccinate your workforce.

And tonight, I’m removing one of the last remaining obstacles that make it difficult for you to get vaccinated.

The Department of Labor will require employers with 100 or more workers to give those workers paid time off to get vaccinated. No one should lose pay in order to get vaccinated or take a loved one to get vaccinated.

Today, in total, the vaccine requirements in my plan will affect about 100 million Americans –- two thirds of all workers.

And for other sectors, I issue this appeal: To those of you running large entertainment venues — from sports arenas to concert venues to movie theaters — please require folks to get vaccinated or show a negative test as a condition of entry.

And to the nation’s family physicians, pediatricians, GPs — general practitioners –- you’re the most trusted medical voice to your patients. You may be the one person who can get someone to change their mind about being vaccinated.

Tonight, I’m asking each of you to reach out to your unvaccinated patients over the next two weeks and make a personal appeal to them to get the shot. America needs your personal involvement in this critical effort.

And my message to unvaccinated Americans is this: What more is there to wait for? What more do you need to see? We’ve made vaccinations free, safe, and convenient.

The vaccine has FDA approval. Over 200 million Americans have gotten at least one shot.

We’ve been patient, but our patience is wearing thin. And your refusal has cost all of us. So, please, do the right thing. But just don’t take it from me; listen to the voices of unvaccinated Americans who are lying in hospital beds, taking their final breaths, saying, “If only I had gotten vaccinated.” “If only.”

It’s a tragedy. Please don’t let it become yours.

The second piece of my plan is continuing to protect the vaccinated.

For the vast majority of you who have gotten vaccinated, I understand your anger at those who haven’t gotten vaccinated. I understand the anxiety about getting a “breakthrough” case.

But as the science makes clear, if you’re fully vaccinated, you’re highly protected from severe illness, even if you get COVID-19.

In fact, recent data indicates there is only one confirmed positive case per 5,000 fully vaccinated Americans per day.

You’re as safe as possible, and we’re doing everything we can to keep it that way — keep it that way, keep you safe.

That’s where boosters come in — the shots that give you even more protection than after your second shot.

Now, I know there’s been some confusion about boosters. So, let me be clear: Last month, our top government doctors announced an initial plan for booster shots for vaccinated Americans. They believe that a booster is likely to provide the highest level of protection yet.

Of course, the decision of which booster shots to give, when to start them, and who will give them, will be left completely to the scientists at the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control.

But while we wait, we’ve done our part. We’ve bought enough boosters — enough booster shots — and the distribution system is ready to administer them.

As soon as they are authorized, those eligible will be able to get a booster right away in tens of thousands of site across the — sites across the country for most Americans, at your nearby drug store, and for free.

The third piece of my plan is keeping — and maybe the most important — is keeping our children safe and our schools open. For any parent, it doesn’t matter how low the risk of any illness or accident is when it comes to your child or grandchild. Trust me, I know.

So, let me speak to you directly. Let me speak to you directly to help ease some of your worries.

It comes down to two separate categories: children ages 12 and older who are eligible for a vaccine now, and children ages 11 and under who are not are yet eligible.

The safest thing for your child 12 and older is to get them vaccinated. They get vaccinated for a lot of things. That’s it. Get them vaccinated.

As with adults, almost all the serious COVID-19 cases we’re seeing among adolescents are in unvaccinated 12- to 17-year-olds — an age group that lags behind in vaccination rates.

So, parents, please get your teenager vaccinated.

What about children under the age of 12 who can’t get vaccinated yet? Well, the best way for a parent to protect their child under the age of 12 starts at home. Every parent, every teen sibling, every caregiver around them should be vaccinated.

Children have four times higher chance of getting hospitalized if they live in a state with low vaccination rates rather than the states with high vaccination rates.

Now, if you’re a parent of a young child, you’re wondering when will it be — when will it be — the vaccine available for them. I strongly support an independent scientific review for vaccine uses for children under 12. We can’t take shortcuts with that scientific work.

But I’ve made it clear I will do everything within my power to support the FDA with any resource it needs to continue to do this as safely and as quickly as possible, and our nation’s top doctors are committed to keeping the public at large updated on the process so parents can plan.

Now to the schools. We know that if schools follow the science and implement the safety measures — like testing, masking, adequate ventilation systems that we provided the money for, social distancing, and vaccinations — then children can be safe from COVID-19 in schools.

Today, about 90 percent of school staff and teachers are vaccinated. We should get that to 100 percent. My administration has already acquired teachers at the schools run by the Defense Department — because I have the authority as President in the federal system — the Defense Department and the Interior Department — to get vaccinated. That’s authority I possess.

Tonight, I’m announcing that we’ll require all of nearly 300,000 educators in the federal paid program, Head Start program, must be vaccinated as well to protect your youngest — our youngest — most precious Americans and give parents the comfort.

And tonight, I’m calling on all governors to require vaccination for all teachers and staff. Some already have done so, but we need more to step up.

Vaccination requirements in schools are nothing new. They work. They’re overwhelmingly supported by educators and their unions. And to all school officials trying to do the right thing by our children: I’ll always be on your side.

Let me be blunt. My plan also takes on elected officials and states that are undermining you and these lifesaving actions. Right now, local school officials are trying to keep children safe in a pandemic while their governor picks a fight with them and even threatens their salaries or their jobs. Talk about bullying in schools. If they’ll not help — if these governors won’t help us beat the pandemic, I’ll use my power as President to get them out of the way.

The Department of Education has already begun to take legal action against states undermining protection that local school officials have ordered. Any teacher or school official whose pay is withheld for doing the right thing, we will have that pay restored by the federal government 100 percent. I promise you I will have your back.

The fourth piece of my plan is increasing testing and masking. From the start, America has failed to do enough COVID-19 testing. In order to better detect and control the Delta variant, I’m taking steps tonight to make testing more available, more affordable, and more convenient. I’ll use the Defense Production Act to increase production of rapid tests, including those that you can use at home.

While that production is ramping up, my administration has worked with top retailers, like Walmart, Amazon, and Kroger’s, and tonight we’re announcing that, no later than next week, each of these outlets will start to sell at-home rapid test kits at cost for the next three months. This is an immediate price reduction for at-home test kits for up to 35 percent reduction.

We’ll also expand — expand free testing at 10,000 pharmacies around the country. And we’ll commit — we’re committing $2 billion to purchase nearly 300 million rapid tests for distribution to community health centers, food banks, schools, so that every American, no matter their income, can access free and convenient tests. This is important to everyone, particularly for a parent or a child — with a child not old enough to be vaccinated. You’ll be able to test them at home and test those around them.

In addition to testing, we know masking helps stop the spread of COVID-19. That’s why when I came into office, I required masks for all federal buildings and on federal lands, on airlines, and other modes of transportation.

Today — tonight, I’m announcing that the Transportation Safety Administration — the TSA — will double the fines on travelers that refuse to mask. If you break the rules, be prepared to pay.

And, by the way, show some respect. The anger you see on television toward flight attendants and others doing their job is wrong; it’s ugly.

The fifth piece of my plan is protecting our economic recovery. Because of our vaccination program and the American Rescue Plan, which we passed early in my administration, we’ve had record job creation for a new administration, economic growth unmatched in 40 years. We cannot let unvaccinated do this progress — undo it, turn it back.

So tonight, I’m announcing additional steps to strengthen our economic recovery. We’ll be expanding COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan programs. That’s a program that’s going to allow small businesses to borrow up to $2 million from the current $500,000 to keep going if COVID-19 impacts on their sales.

These low-interest, long-term loans require no repayment for two years and be can used to hire and retain workers, purchase inventory, or even pay down higher cost debt racked up since the pandemic began. I’ll also be taking additional steps to help small businesses stay afloat during the pandemic.

Sixth, we’re going to continue to improve the care of those who do get COVID-19. In early July, I announced the deployment of surge response teams. These are teams comprised of experts from the Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC, the Defense Department, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency — FEMA — to areas in the country that need help to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Since then, the federal government has deployed nearly 1,000 staff, including doctors, nurses, paramedics, into 18 states. Today, I’m announcing that the Defense Department will double the number of military health teams that they’ll deploy to help their fellow Americans in hospitals around the country.

Additionally, we’re increasing the availability of new medicines recommended by real doctors, not conspir- — conspiracy theorists. The monoclonal antibody treatments have been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization by up to 70 percent for unvaccinated people at risk of developing sefe- — severe disease.

We’ve already distributed 1.4 million courses of these treatments to save lives and reduce the strain on hospitals. Tonight, I’m announcing we will increase the average pace of shipment across the country of free monoclonal antibody treatments by another 50 percent.

Before I close, let me say this: Communities of color are disproportionately impacted by this virus. And as we continue to battle COVID-19, we will ensure that equity continues to be at the center of our response. We’ll ensure that everyone is reached. My first responsibility as President is to protect the American people and make sure we have enough vaccine for every American, including enough boosters for every American who’s approved to get one.

We also know this virus transcends borders. That’s why, even as we execute this plan at home, we need to continue fighting the virus overseas, continue to be the arsenal of vaccines.

We’re proud to have donated nearly 140 million vaccines over 90 countries, more than all other countries combined, including Europe, China, and Russia combined. That’s American leadership on a global stage, and that’s just the beginning.

We’ve also now started to ship another 500 million COVID vaccines — Pfizer vaccines — purchased to donate to 100 lower-income countries in need of vaccines. And I’ll be announcing additional steps to help the rest of the world later this month.

As I recently released the key parts of my pandemic preparedness plan so that America isn’t caught flat-footed when a new pandemic comes again — as it will — next month, I’m also going to release the plan in greater detail.

So let me close with this: We have so- — we’ve made so much progress during the past seven months of this pandemic. The recent increases in vaccinations in August already are having an impact in some states where case counts are dropping in recent days. Even so, we remain at a critical moment, a critical time. We have the tools. Now we just have to finish the job with truth, with science, with confidence, and together as one nation.

Look, we’re the United States of America. There’s nothing — not a single thing — we’re unable to do if we do it together. So let’s stay together.

God bless you all and all those who continue to serve on the frontlines of this pandemic. And may God protect our troops.

Get vaccinated.

5:28 P.M. EDT

Joe Biden (D) [2014 file photo].

FDA grants full approval of Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine

23 Monday Aug 2021

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

approval, Corona virus, COVID-19, FDA, Food and Drug Administration, pandemic, Pfizer, vaccine

No more excuses.

This morning, from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration:

FDA NEWS RELEASE

FDA Approves First COVID-19 Vaccine
Approval Signifies Key Achievement for Public Health

For Immediate Release:
August 23, 2021

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has been known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, and will now be marketed as Comirnaty (koe-mir’-na-tee), for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older. The vaccine also continues to be available under emergency use authorization (EUA), including for individuals 12 through 15 years of age and for the administration of a third dose in certain immunocompromised individuals.

“The FDA’s approval of this vaccine is a milestone as we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. While this and other vaccines have met the FDA’s rigorous, scientific standards for emergency use authorization, as the first FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine, the public can be very confident that this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D. “While millions of people have already safely received COVID-19 vaccines, we recognize that for some, the FDA approval of a vaccine may now instill additional confidence to get vaccinated. Today’s milestone puts us one step closer to altering the course of this pandemic in the U.S.”

Since Dec. 11, 2020, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine has been available under EUA in individuals 16 years of age and older, and the authorization was expanded to include those 12 through 15 years of age on May 10, 2021. EUAs can be used by the FDA during public health emergencies to provide access to medical products that may be effective in preventing, diagnosing, or treating a disease, provided that the FDA determines that the known and potential benefits of a product, when used to prevent, diagnose, or treat the disease, outweigh the known and potential risks of the product.

FDA-approved vaccines undergo the agency’s standard process for reviewing the quality, safety and effectiveness of medical products. For all vaccines, the FDA evaluates data and information included in the manufacturer’s submission of a biologics license application (BLA). A BLA is a comprehensive document that is submitted to the agency providing very specific requirements. For Comirnaty, the BLA builds on the extensive data and information previously submitted that supported the EUA, such as preclinical and clinical data and information, as well as details of the manufacturing process, vaccine testing results to ensure vaccine quality, and inspections of the sites where the vaccine is made. The agency conducts its own analyses of the information in the BLA to make sure the vaccine is safe and effective and meets the FDA’s standards for approval.

Comirnaty contains messenger RNA (mRNA), a kind of genetic material. The mRNA is used by the body to make a mimic of one of the proteins in the virus that causes COVID-19. The result of a person receiving this vaccine is that their immune system will ultimately react defensively to the virus that causes COVID-19. The mRNA in Comirnaty is only present in the body for a short time and is not incorporated into – nor does it alter – an individual’s genetic material. Comirnaty has the same formulation as the EUA vaccine and is administered as a series of two doses, three weeks apart.

“Our scientific and medical experts conducted an incredibly thorough and thoughtful evaluation of this vaccine. We evaluated scientific data and information included in hundreds of thousands of pages, conducted our own analyses of Comirnaty’s safety and effectiveness, and performed a detailed assessment of the manufacturing processes, including inspections of the manufacturing facilities,” said Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., director of FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. “We have not lost sight that the COVID-19 public health crisis continues in the U.S. and that the public is counting on safe and effective vaccines. The public and medical community can be confident that although we approved this vaccine expeditiously, it was fully in keeping with our existing high standards for vaccines in the U.S.”

[….]

If you haven’t already done so, get vaccinated.

Wear a damn mask while you’re at it.

Johnson, Lafayette, and Saline Counties, Missouri

13 Friday Aug 2021

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

advisory, Corona virus, COVID-19, Delta variant, Department of Health and Senior Services, DHSS, Johnson County, Lafayette County, missouri, pandemic, Saline County, vaccine

Tonight, from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS):

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services posted a local alert for Johnson County and 2 other counties.

JOHNSON, LAFAYETTE & SALINE COUNTIES: COVID-19 cases in Johnson (299), Lafayette (256) and Saline (165) have increased in the past 14 days.

Hospitals in the region are seeing resource strain from dramatically increased numbers of COVID-19 patients and hospitalizations. As a result, several hospitals in the region are at or near capacity. Continued disease spread into Northwest Missouri is expected.

The Delta variant, which spreads more easily and poses higher risk of hospitalization than prior variants, is believed to be contributing to the increase. Vaccination continues to be our best tool to move past this pandemic.

Vaccination rates:
– Johnson County: 23.4%
– Lafayette County: 34.5%
– Saline County: 35.8%
Experts say at least 70% – 80% of people need immunity to minimize spread within a community.

COVID-19 Resources
– Vaccines: MOStopsCovid.com
– At Home & Community Testing: Health.Mo.Gov/CommunityTest

Those who choose not to get vaccinated should continue these important public health steps:
– Maintain at least six feet distance from others;
– Wear a mask when appropriate;
– Avoid others that appear to be sick;
– Avoid others if you have COVID symptoms;
– Cough or sneeze into your elbow or a tissue; and
– Wash your hands.
[….]

The DHSS Advisory – August 13, 2021:

A vaccination rate of 23.4%. What could go wrong?

“…You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight…?”

Cooling the marks out

03 Tuesday Aug 2021

Posted by Michael Bersin in Roy Blunt, social media, US Senate

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Cooling the mark out, Corona virus, COVID-19, grift, missouri, pandemic, Roy Blunt, social media, Twitter, vaccine

Roy Blunt (r) [2016 file photo].

Yesterday evening:

Senator Roy Blunt @RoyBlunt
Because of vaccines, we have a pathway out of this pandemic. COVID vaccines are safe, effective, and accessible. Please consider getting vaccinated.
[….]
5:56 PM · Aug 2, 2021

The marks aren’t there yet. Probably won’t ever be.

Learn the truth! The vaccine is not safe!! Look at the CDC website!!

Stop Gaslighting the public. According to VAERS over 11,000 have died from the vaccine and an equal amount have permanent disabilities from the JAB. Vaccinated people are being infected with COVID at the same rate as the unvaccinated. And you are calling it “safe & effective?”

Vaccines are killing more people than Covid now. The CDC buries the info on its website.

Liar

they do not work

Stop spreading lies! The vaccine is not safe! The test fir the vaccine has been recalled due to all false positive results. The vaccine has failed its peer test!! There is nothing safe about it!

You can’t possibly know if this is safe. It hasn’t been around long enough to know what long term effects are. List of things we were originally told were safe: cigarettes, baby powder, J&J suntan lotion, DDT, asbestos, Avandia, Zantak, the list is endless.

Well, either marks or trolls.

Previously:

Johnson County Community Health Services – Board of Trustees – August 2, 2021 – This is why we can’t have nice things (August 2, 2021)

You’ll already be a winner

22 Thursday Jul 2021

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Corona virus, COVID-19, Delta variant, DHSS, missouri, Missouri Lottery, pandemic, vaccination, vaccine

What a difference in just two weeks. What’s up with that?

The Missouri vaccine lottery.

Yesterday:

GOVERNOR PARSON LAUNCHES “MO VIP” CAMPAIGN GIVING VACCINATED MISSOURIANS A CHANCE AT $10,000
Press Release
JULY 21, 2021

JEFFERSON CITY Today, during a press conference at the State Capitol, Governor Mike Parson announced the launch of a statewide COVID-19 vaccination incentive program, MO VIP, to encourage vaccination among all Missourians age 12 and up. Over the next three months, 900 Missourians who have or will choose to be vaccinated will win cash or education savings account prizes in the amount of $10,000.

[….]

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) is partnering with Missouri Lottery to conduct a fair and secure program with a randomized selection process. DHSS is using federally funded Coronavirus Relief Funds to fund this campaign. This funding was approved under previous and current federal administrations for broad COVID-19 response purposes to include efforts to boost vaccine uptake.

[….]

To allow time for records and eligibility to be verified, confirmed winners will be announced two weeks following each drawing….

[….]

Additionally, local public health agencies that administer COVID-19 vaccines will now be eligible to provide a financial incentive of up to $25 for each vaccine recipient, up to a total of $11 million. This program would provide incentives for administrators to pass along to recipients for 440,000 vaccines administered across Missouri and would sunset on December 31, 2021. Local public health agencies are able to partner with enrolled COVID-19 vaccinators within the State of Missouri to be part of this program.”’

[….]

“…To allow time for records and eligibility to be verified, confirmed winners will be announced two weeks following each drawing…” Wait, is that verification in the form of something like a “vaccine passport”? Just asking.

Of Course, Mike Parson (r), couldn’t help himself. A year ago:

MISSOURI LAUNCHES THREE NEW RESOURCES TO AID COVID-19 ECONOMIC RECOVERY, INCLUDING $15 MILLION IN GRANTS FOR TOURISM
JULY 16, 2020

JEFFERSON CITY Today, Governor Mike Parson announced new resources as part of the Show Me Strong Recovery Plan, including the Show Me Strong Pledge, Business Recovery Lab, and $15 million in grant funding to help rebuild Missouri’s tourism industry.

[….]

….$15 million in CARES Act funding will be designated for destination marketing organizations (DMOs), entities that promote Missouri as a great place to visit. The funds will be administered by the Missouri Division of Tourism and will grant eligible DMOs funding for recovery efforts such as payroll relief, reimbursement for necessary safety equipment, and the initiation of marketing campaigns with messaging focused on safe travel.

[….]

How’s that one working out?

Get vaccinated.

Wear a damn mask.

Previously:

Cynical anti-science right wingnut sociopath attempts to distract everyone else from his gross incompetence (July 8, 2021)

Governor Mike Parson (r) [2018 file photo].

Aren’t we special (July 13, 2021)

Yeah, but Roy Blunt (r) can’t go door to door in Missouri to let people know because Mike Parson (r) wouldn’t like that very much (July 14, 2021)

The government is spying on us through our toasters… (July 15, 2021)

This is America – in two maps (July 21, 2021)

Yeah, but Roy Blunt (r) can’t go door to door in Missouri to let people know because Mike Parson (r) wouldn’t like that very much

14 Wednesday Jul 2021

Posted by Michael Bersin in Missouri Governor, Roy Blunt, social media, US Senate

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Corona virus, COVID-19, Mike Parson, missouri, pandemic, Roy Blunt, social media, Twitter, vaccine, vaccine hesitancy

Roy Blunt (r) [2016 file photo].

Jason Rosenbaum @jrosenbaum
Pretty strong and unequivocal message from @RoyBlunt as MO continues to deal with more Delta variant cases, especially in SW Missouri:
[….]
4:55 PM · Jul 14, 2021

Roy Blunt (r). Just a step or two…or three behind.

Governor Mike Parson @GovParsonMO
I have directed our health department to let the federal government know that sending government employees or agents door-to-door to compel vaccination would NOT be an effective OR a welcome strategy in Missouri!
7:47 PM · Jul 7, 2021

Cynical anti-science right wingnut sociopath attempts to distract everyone else from his gross incompetence (July 8, 2021)

Governor Mike Parson (r) [2018 file photo].

To call them clowns is an insult to clowns.

V for Vaccine

06 Sunday Jun 2021

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Corona virus, COVID-19, Get your shit together, pandemic, pin, vaccine

The latest in pinwear – so no one mistakes you for a right wingnut republican.

Pin: V for Vaccine

The pin, on a backing card, was included in the shipping box with our order from a national spice company. They’re a good company.

Pin backing card: “Victory over Covid!

V for victory.

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