Post by mhbruin on Jan 9, 2022 9:29:43 GMT -8
US Vaccine Data - We Have Now Administered 519 Million Shots (Population 333 Million)
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California Precipitation (Updated Tuesdays)
Reservoirs are still low, but they take time to refill and it may take the spring snow melt.
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The US is Averaging 4,650 New Cases Per Minute.
That's over 77 new cases every second.
We are averaging one COVID death every minute.
Here's the "Encouraging News".
CDC Director: "The overwhelming number of deaths, over 75%, occurred in people who had at least 4 comorbidities. So really these are people who were unwell to begin with and yes, really encouraging news in the context of Omicron."
I Am Sure 30 Million Americans Are Encouraged
I Guess Some People Want to Thin the Herd
From March, 2020:
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick is of the opinion that old people, i.e. those most at risk, should volunteer to die to save the economy.
Appearing on Fox News, Patrick told Tucker Carlson, “No one reached out to me and said, ‘As a senior citizen, are you willing to take a chance on your survival in exchange for keeping the America that all America loves for your children and grandchildren?’” But if they had? “If that is the exchange, I’m all in,” Patrick said.
My Daughter Has a Comorbidity. So Does My Wife.
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More "Encouraging News". You And Your Child Might Not Get Diabetes
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that people 18 and under who recover from COVID-19 are at an increased risk of developing Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.
The finding “highlights the importance of COVID-19 prevention strategies, including vaccination, for all eligible persons in this age group, in addition to chronic disease prevention and management,” the researchers state.
Their report, published Friday, follows other studies that suggest adults may be at an increased risk of developing diabetes after recovering from COVID-19.
Other researchers have also noticed an uptick in diabetes diagnoses among children recovering from the virus in Europe.
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Do These Count As COVID Hospitalizations?
As the super contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads, hospitals are seeing a growing trend: Patients admitted for other ailments are also testing positive for Covid-19. Doctors say it may mean more people have asymptomatic or undiagnosed disease than the current data show.
Across NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital’s 10 campuses, just less than half of patients are admitted with Covid, meaning they were hospitalized for a non-Covid related issue but were also tested and found to be carrying the virus. Statewide the figure is 43 percent, according to state data.
“I’ve admitted patients with abdominal pain, I’ve admitted patients with chest pain who had no symptoms of respiratory illness, cough or Covid, and they just ended up being Covid positive,” said Dr. Rahul Sharma, the emergency physician-in-chief for the NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
Hospitals across the country are also seeing a greater proportion of these so-called incidental Covid cases amid the omicron surge.
In Austin, Texas, some local hospitals report that 30 percent to 40 percent of the patients admitted for other reasons are also Covid positive, Dr. Desmar Walkes, medical director/health authority for the city of Austin and Travis County, said a news call Thursday.
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Here's Looking At You, Cosmos
NASA has weaved its Webb.
The tennis court-size James Webb Space Telescope, which was folded up neatly inside a rocket for its much-anticipated launch on Christmas Day, is now fully deployed, NASA said Saturday.
Over the past 14 days, the observatory’s enormous gold-coated primary mirror and smaller secondary mirror were unfurled, and the telescope’s multilayered sunshield was extended. The announcement marks the completion one of the riskiest and most challenging maneuvers since it launched into space.
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Immigration is a BIG Problem. Just Not the Problem the QOP Is Talking About
One of the biggest stories in America at the start of 2022 is what has been called the great resignation: people of all ages and occupations walking away from their jobs in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to worker shortages.
The forces behind those shortages are complex, from fears of infection to childcare needs to worker burnout, but one factor that may be overlooked is that fewer new Americans are coming into the country. The past few years have seen a sharp drop in immigration and those declines have had real impacts on the worker pool.
The impacts can be seen by looking at the most basic measure, net international migration into the United States. According to the Census, that figure in 2021 was one-quarter what it was in 2016.
The latest figure for that population was 247,000. Five years earlier it had been more than 1 million. (These figures are gathered mid-year to mid-year so the numbers above represent figures from July 1 of one year to June 30 of the next.)
When You Have to Wait on Hold for an Hour, Blame the Previous Guy
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"Interested In", "Examining", "Could Give Rise To"? Just Read the Freaking Mueller Report and Indict Him for Obstruction!
House investigators are interested in whether Trump oversaw a criminal conspiracy after communications turned over by Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows and others suggested the White House coordinated efforts to stop Biden’s certification, the sources said.
The select committee has several thousand messages, among which include some that suggest the Trump White House briefed a number of House Republicans on its plan for then-vice president Mike Pence to abuse his ceremonial role and not certify Biden’s win, the sources said.
The fact that the select committee has messages suggesting the Trump White House directed Republican members of Congress to execute a scheme to stop Biden’s certification is significant as it could give rise to the panel considering referrals for potential crimes, the sources said.
Members and counsel on the select committee are examining in the first instance whether in seeking to stop the certification, Trump and his aides violated the federal law that prohibits obstruction of a congressional proceeding – the joint session on 6 January – the sources said.
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As I Keep Saying, Drop the Word "Immunity"
From JAMA:
The goal for the “new normal” with COVID-19 does not include eradication or elimination, eg, the “zero COVID” strategy.2 Neither COVID-19 vaccination nor infection appear to confer lifelong immunity. Current vaccines do not offer sterilizing immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Infectious diseases cannot be eradicated when there is limited long-term immunity following infection or vaccination or nonhuman reservoirs of infection. The majority of SARS-CoV-2 infections are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, and the SARS-CoV-2 incubation period is short, preventing the use of targeted strategies like “ring vaccination.” Even “fully” vaccinated individuals are at risk for breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection. Consequently, a “new normal with COVID” in January 2022 is not living without COVID-19.
Meanwhile China Tries a Zero COVID Strategy. Good Luck With That.
The numbers are small, but the major port of Tianjin may be facing China's first outbreak of omicron of any size, less than four weeks before the Winter Olympics open in nearby Beijing.
The city began mass testing of its 14 million residents on Sunday after a cluster of 20 children and adults tested positive for COVID-19, including at least two with the omicron variant. Officials said the virus has been circulating so the number of cases could grow.
China has stepped up its strict zero tolerance strategy in the run-up to the Olympics, which open Feb. 4. The Chinese capital is 115 kilometers (70 miles) northwest of Tianjin and many people regularly travel back and forth by car or on a high-speed rail link that takes less than one hour.
Elsewhere, millions of people are being confined to their homes in Xi’an and Yuzhou, two cities that are farther away but have larger outbreaks. Both have been traced to the delta variant. The outbreak in Yuzhou is also affecting Zhengzhou, the Henan provincial capital 70 kilometers (40 miles) to the north. Zhengzhou has been conducting mass testing and is closing schools starting Monday.
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HBCU's Matter
Meharry Medical College, an HBCU in Nashville, Tennessee, has decided to give a portion of the funding they received through the CARES Act directly to their students.
After deep consideration, Meharry’s administration decided to give roughly a third of its CARES Act funding — $10 million — directly to its future doctors, dentists and public health researchers. All told, 956 students received payments.
Meharry’s students had already been heavily involved in the pandemic response, staffing Nashville’s mass covid testing and vaccination sites. But the money isn’t so much surprise compensation for volunteer efforts as it is an investment in a future career — and an assist in overcoming financial hurdles Black students especially face to become medical professionals.
While Black Americans make up roughly 13% of the population, the Association of American Medical Colleges finds Black doctors account for just 5% of the nation’s working physicians — a figure that has grown slowly over more than a century. And studies have found that Black patients often want to be cared for by someone whom they consider culturally competent in acknowledging their heritage, beliefs and values during treatment.
Meharry graduates more Black physicians than almost any other U.S. school. And half of its M.D.s enter the high-demand but lower-paying specialty of primary care.
Our Family Donates to HBCU's Every Month Through UNCF.
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Deltacron? Omilta?
A new coronavirus variant nicknamed "Deltacron" has been discovered in Cyprus, local media reported on Saturday.
The variant has a similar genetic background to the Delta variant, as well as some of the mutations from Omicron, explained Dr. Leondios Kostrikis, the head of the laboratory of biotechnology and molecular virology at the University of Cyprus, according to the Cyprus Mail.
In total, 10 of the mutations from Omicron were found in the 25 samples taken in Cyprus. 11 of the samples came from people who were hospitalized due to the virus, while 14 came from the general population.
Quick! Ban Travel From Cyprus! It Won't Help, But It Will Look Like We Are Doing Something.
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Who Won The Week?
71-year-old Black social justice advocate Ben Frazier of Jacksonville, who risked arrest after causing Gov. Ron DeSantis to flee for challenging his covid policies at a public press event
Dr. Peter Hotez and Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi of Texas Children's Hospital & Baylor College of Medicine, for developing a "game changer" Covid vaccine that can be made easily and cheaply for poor countries
The nerds at NASA, as the James Webb Space Telescope deploys all five layers of its sunshield, and secondary mirror, with pinpoint precision
Alvin Bragg, who became the first Black Manhattan District Attorney, taking over the Trump fraud investigation from Cy Vance, Jr.
President Biden: Jan. 6 speech goes right after Trump & his cult; rolls out a plan to fight meat monopolies; unemployment drops to 3.9%
The Congressional Progressive Caucus, for endorsing legislation to expand the Supreme Court by four seats
French President Emmanuel Macron, for vowing to "piss off" his country's anti-vaxxer cult at every opportunity
The air quality in the House, as Devin Nunes departs to be Donald Trump's newest chambermaid
Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley, for sentencing the three racist Georgia idiots who murdered Ahmaud Arbery to life in prison
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What Do Liberals Believe?
People who work full time shouldn’t live in poverty
Homelessness shouldn’t exist in the richest country in the world
Women deserve both equal rights and equal pay
Corporations and rich people shouldn’t be able to legally bribe politicians
Trashing the planet for profit is wrong and must stop
Every American should have world-class healthcare at little or no cost
Free higher education (and quality public schools) unlock human potential which benefits the entire country
Children should learn the true racial history of America so they can empathize with their peers who are still experiencing these problems and grow up to become well-informed adults
Women should make their own medical decisions, not politicians
Massively profitable industries, from oil/coal/gas to Walmart and Amazon, shouldn’t get billions in subsidies and tax breaks
Children shouldn’t fear getting shot at school
When Wall Street banksters steal from us all, they should be imprisoned instead of bailed out
No CEO is worth $10,000 an hour ($20 million a year) or more
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What Does the QOP Believe?
“Free and fair elections” are for suckers
White men should run the country and the world
Violence is a legitimate tool in politics
Conspiracy theories like the one suggesting Democrats drink children’s blood as an “elixir of youth” are probably real
Rich people and their kids shouldn’t have to pay taxes
More guns means less crime and fewer deaths
The darker your skin, the more likely you’re a criminal
Leadership is about instilling fear, not vision
Women are men’s property
Climate change and evolution are tricks to take away our freedoms and ruin religion
Education makes people stupid
Going into politics is the ticket to riches and fame
Rich people should make a buck off everything the government does through privatization
Helping people who’re going through a rough patch is a waste of time
The “rule of law” only applies to minorities and the poor
Money and power are the only truly important things in life
Teaching the true racial history of America is a plot to make white children feel sad
LGBTQ people don’t deserve respect or rights
Wealth is proof of goodness; poverty is proof of moral failure
“Giving” citizens things like healthcare, education, family leave, etc. are all “socialism” and will destroy “the American way of life”
Government has no right to regulate pollution or protect consumers
“Fiscal responsibility” is a phrase that can justify just about anything
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Meanwhile Rittenhouse Gets Off
The man who bought Kyle Rittenhouse an assault-style rifle when he was only 17 has agreed to plead no contest to contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a non-criminal citation, and avoid convictions on the two felonies he’d been facing.
Black was 18 when he purchased the rifle for Rittenhouse at a hardware store in Rusk County in May of that year. At 17, Rittenhouse was too young to legally purchase the weapon.
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The Return of the Cassie
She Was Gone 56 Dog Years
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Who Wants to Wear Used Norwegian Underwear?
Norway’s military is facing a supply shortage that is particularly personal: New recruits are being asked to wear previously used undergarments – including socks, bras and underwear – returned by conscripts after they complete their service.
The plan was originally meant to be voluntary, as the pandemic led to delivery delays. But officials have now made it mandatory to hand over all clothing and equipment for laundering and reuse upon graduation, Norwegian state broadcaster NRK reported.
Norway, a NATO member that shares a northern border with Russia, introduced compulsory military service for both men and women in 2015. About 8,000 recruits complete the program each year, and initial service generally lasts 12 to 19 months.
Until recently, the conscripts were allowed to keep undergarments such as underwear, wool socks and T-shirts, in addition to headgear and field boots, according to defense publication Forsvarets Forum, which first reported on the plan to recycle military kit.
Armed Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Vegard Norstad Finberg told the defense publication that the garments are laundered and checked for quality — with defective and worn items thrown away, while minor damage is repaired.
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The Iowa QOP Doesn't Want You To See How the Sausage Is Made
When Iowa’s 2022 legislative session commences Monday, there will be a notable absence on the floor of the state Senate: reporters.
Republican leaders in the state Senate told journalists last week they will no longer be allowed to work on the chamber floor, a change that breaks with a more than 140-year tradition in the Iowa Capitol. The move raised concerns among free press and freedom of information advocates who said it is a blow to transparency and open government that makes it harder for the public to understand, let alone scrutinize, elected officials.
The new rule denies reporters access to the press benches near senators’ desks, a proximity current and former statehouse reporters told The Washington Post is crucial for the most accurate and nuanced coverage. The position allows reporters to see and hear everything clearly on the Senate floor and to get real-time answers and clarifications during debates.
Beginning this session, reporters will be seated in a public upper-level gallery.
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CDC doesn't do a good job of reporting around holidays.
Doses Administered 7-Day Average | Number of People Receiving 1 or More Doses | Number of People 2 or More Doses | New Cases 7-Day Average | Deaths 7-Day Average | |
| Jan 9 | 1,331,635 | 246,812,939 | 207,662,071 | ||
| Jan 8 | 1,286,783 | 246,447,823 | 207,452,448 | ||
| Jan 7 | 1,226,151 | 246,050,320 | 207,229,983 | 668,497 | 1,513 |
| Jan 6 | 1,164,127 | 245,653,518 | 207,016,514 | 614,552 | 1,350 |
| Jan 5 | 1,117,999 | 245,278,020 | 206,797,799 | 586,391 | 1,245 |
| Jan 4 | 1,093,005 | 244,947,293 | 206,581,659 | 554,328 | 1,238 |
| Jan 3 | No Data | 491,652 | 1,165 | ||
| Jan 2 | No Data | 438,082 | 1,174 | ||
| Jan 1 | No Data | 411,871 | 1,151 | ||
| Dec 31 | No Data | 391,098 | 1,135 | ||
| Dec 30 | 1,234,917 | 243,527,564 | 205,811,394 | 360,276 | 1,144 |
| Dec 29 | 1,042,911 | 243,182,423 | 205,638,307 | 316,277 | 1,100 |
| Dec 28 | 1,091,279 | 242,813,374 | 205,420,745 | 277,241 | 1,085 |
| Dec 27 | 1,034,442 | 242,433,620 | 205,196,973 | 240,408 | 1,096 |
| Dec 26 | No Data | 206,577 | 1,041 | ||
| Dec 25 | No Data | 196,511 | 1,053 | ||
| Dec 24 | No Data | 195,713 | 1,108 | ||
| Dec 23 | 1,189,954 | 241,520,561 | 204,740,321 | 192,453 | 1,199 |
| Dec 22 | 1,283,244 | 241,583,543 | 204,818,717 | 176,097 | 1,213 |
| Dec 21 | 1,542,936 | 241,132,288 | 204,578,725 | 161,261 | 1,223 |
| Dec 20 | 1,554,261 | 241,881,712 | 204,098,982 | 149,331 | 1,188 |
| Dec 19 | 1,558,720 | 241,571,084 | 203,926,479 | 132,659 | 1,169 |
| Dec 18 | 1,562,366 | 241,205,528 | 203,727,446 | 127,445 | 1,182 |
| Dec 17 | 2,065,555 | 240,775,382 | 203,479,206 | 125,775 | 1,182 |
| Dec 16 | 2,043,207 | 240,321,022 | 203,159,327 | 122,296 | 1,179 |
| Dec 15 | 1,795,384 | 239,975,167 | 202,748,005 | 119,546 | 1,187 |
| Dec 14 | 1,904,464 | 239,553,956 | 202,504,037 | 117,950 | 1,143 |
| Dec 13 | 1,951,329 | 239,274,656 | 202,246,698 | 117,890 | 1,147 |
| Dec 12 | 1,984,721 | 239,008,166 | 201,975,235 | 116,742 | 1,131 |
| Dec 11 | 2,020,853 | 238,679,707 | 201,688,550 | 116,893 | 1,131 |
| Dec 10 | 1,721,570 | 238,143,066 | 201,279,582 | 118,575 | 1,146 |
| Dec 9 | 1,583,662 | 237,468,725 | 200,717,387 | 118,052 | 1,089 |
| Dec 8 | 1,611,831 | 237,087,380 | 200,400,533 | 118,515 | 1,092 |
| Dec 7 | 1,781,389 | 236,363,835 | 199,687,439 | 117,488 | 1,097 |
| Feb 16, 2021 | 1,716,311 | 39,670,551 | 15,015,434 | 78,292 |
| At Least One Dose | Fully Vaccinated | % of Vaccinated W/ Boosters | |
| % of Total Population | 74.3% | 62.5% | 36.3% |
| % of Population 5+ | 79.0% | 66.5% | |
| % of Population 12+ | 84.4% | 71.5% | 39.4% |
| % of Population 18+ | 86.4% | 73.2% | 51.2% |
| % of Population 65+ | 95.0% | 87.8% | 60.4% |
California Precipitation (Updated Tuesdays)
| Percent of Average for this Date | Last Week | |
| Northern Sierra Precipitation | 158% | 170% |
| San Joaquin Precipitation | 156% | 170% |
| Tulare Basin Precipitation | 145% | 151% |
| Snow Water Content - North | 135% | 134% |
| Snow Water Content - Central | 148% | 148% |
| Snow Water Content - South | 160% | 158% |
Reservoirs are still low, but they take time to refill and it may take the spring snow melt.
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The US is Averaging 4,650 New Cases Per Minute.
That's over 77 new cases every second.
We are averaging one COVID death every minute.
Here's the "Encouraging News".
CDC Director: "The overwhelming number of deaths, over 75%, occurred in people who had at least 4 comorbidities. So really these are people who were unwell to begin with and yes, really encouraging news in the context of Omicron."
I Am Sure 30 Million Americans Are Encouraged
I Guess Some People Want to Thin the Herd
From March, 2020:
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick is of the opinion that old people, i.e. those most at risk, should volunteer to die to save the economy.
Appearing on Fox News, Patrick told Tucker Carlson, “No one reached out to me and said, ‘As a senior citizen, are you willing to take a chance on your survival in exchange for keeping the America that all America loves for your children and grandchildren?’” But if they had? “If that is the exchange, I’m all in,” Patrick said.
My Daughter Has a Comorbidity. So Does My Wife.
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More "Encouraging News". You And Your Child Might Not Get Diabetes
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that people 18 and under who recover from COVID-19 are at an increased risk of developing Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.
The finding “highlights the importance of COVID-19 prevention strategies, including vaccination, for all eligible persons in this age group, in addition to chronic disease prevention and management,” the researchers state.
Their report, published Friday, follows other studies that suggest adults may be at an increased risk of developing diabetes after recovering from COVID-19.
Other researchers have also noticed an uptick in diabetes diagnoses among children recovering from the virus in Europe.
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Do These Count As COVID Hospitalizations?
As the super contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads, hospitals are seeing a growing trend: Patients admitted for other ailments are also testing positive for Covid-19. Doctors say it may mean more people have asymptomatic or undiagnosed disease than the current data show.
Across NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital’s 10 campuses, just less than half of patients are admitted with Covid, meaning they were hospitalized for a non-Covid related issue but were also tested and found to be carrying the virus. Statewide the figure is 43 percent, according to state data.
“I’ve admitted patients with abdominal pain, I’ve admitted patients with chest pain who had no symptoms of respiratory illness, cough or Covid, and they just ended up being Covid positive,” said Dr. Rahul Sharma, the emergency physician-in-chief for the NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
Hospitals across the country are also seeing a greater proportion of these so-called incidental Covid cases amid the omicron surge.
In Austin, Texas, some local hospitals report that 30 percent to 40 percent of the patients admitted for other reasons are also Covid positive, Dr. Desmar Walkes, medical director/health authority for the city of Austin and Travis County, said a news call Thursday.
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Here's Looking At You, Cosmos
NASA has weaved its Webb.
The tennis court-size James Webb Space Telescope, which was folded up neatly inside a rocket for its much-anticipated launch on Christmas Day, is now fully deployed, NASA said Saturday.
Over the past 14 days, the observatory’s enormous gold-coated primary mirror and smaller secondary mirror were unfurled, and the telescope’s multilayered sunshield was extended. The announcement marks the completion one of the riskiest and most challenging maneuvers since it launched into space.
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Immigration is a BIG Problem. Just Not the Problem the QOP Is Talking About
One of the biggest stories in America at the start of 2022 is what has been called the great resignation: people of all ages and occupations walking away from their jobs in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to worker shortages.
The forces behind those shortages are complex, from fears of infection to childcare needs to worker burnout, but one factor that may be overlooked is that fewer new Americans are coming into the country. The past few years have seen a sharp drop in immigration and those declines have had real impacts on the worker pool.
The impacts can be seen by looking at the most basic measure, net international migration into the United States. According to the Census, that figure in 2021 was one-quarter what it was in 2016.
The latest figure for that population was 247,000. Five years earlier it had been more than 1 million. (These figures are gathered mid-year to mid-year so the numbers above represent figures from July 1 of one year to June 30 of the next.)
When You Have to Wait on Hold for an Hour, Blame the Previous Guy
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"Interested In", "Examining", "Could Give Rise To"? Just Read the Freaking Mueller Report and Indict Him for Obstruction!
House investigators are interested in whether Trump oversaw a criminal conspiracy after communications turned over by Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows and others suggested the White House coordinated efforts to stop Biden’s certification, the sources said.
The select committee has several thousand messages, among which include some that suggest the Trump White House briefed a number of House Republicans on its plan for then-vice president Mike Pence to abuse his ceremonial role and not certify Biden’s win, the sources said.
The fact that the select committee has messages suggesting the Trump White House directed Republican members of Congress to execute a scheme to stop Biden’s certification is significant as it could give rise to the panel considering referrals for potential crimes, the sources said.
Members and counsel on the select committee are examining in the first instance whether in seeking to stop the certification, Trump and his aides violated the federal law that prohibits obstruction of a congressional proceeding – the joint session on 6 January – the sources said.
--------------
As I Keep Saying, Drop the Word "Immunity"
From JAMA:
The goal for the “new normal” with COVID-19 does not include eradication or elimination, eg, the “zero COVID” strategy.2 Neither COVID-19 vaccination nor infection appear to confer lifelong immunity. Current vaccines do not offer sterilizing immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Infectious diseases cannot be eradicated when there is limited long-term immunity following infection or vaccination or nonhuman reservoirs of infection. The majority of SARS-CoV-2 infections are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, and the SARS-CoV-2 incubation period is short, preventing the use of targeted strategies like “ring vaccination.” Even “fully” vaccinated individuals are at risk for breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection. Consequently, a “new normal with COVID” in January 2022 is not living without COVID-19.
Meanwhile China Tries a Zero COVID Strategy. Good Luck With That.
The numbers are small, but the major port of Tianjin may be facing China's first outbreak of omicron of any size, less than four weeks before the Winter Olympics open in nearby Beijing.
The city began mass testing of its 14 million residents on Sunday after a cluster of 20 children and adults tested positive for COVID-19, including at least two with the omicron variant. Officials said the virus has been circulating so the number of cases could grow.
China has stepped up its strict zero tolerance strategy in the run-up to the Olympics, which open Feb. 4. The Chinese capital is 115 kilometers (70 miles) northwest of Tianjin and many people regularly travel back and forth by car or on a high-speed rail link that takes less than one hour.
Elsewhere, millions of people are being confined to their homes in Xi’an and Yuzhou, two cities that are farther away but have larger outbreaks. Both have been traced to the delta variant. The outbreak in Yuzhou is also affecting Zhengzhou, the Henan provincial capital 70 kilometers (40 miles) to the north. Zhengzhou has been conducting mass testing and is closing schools starting Monday.
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HBCU's Matter
Meharry Medical College, an HBCU in Nashville, Tennessee, has decided to give a portion of the funding they received through the CARES Act directly to their students.
After deep consideration, Meharry’s administration decided to give roughly a third of its CARES Act funding — $10 million — directly to its future doctors, dentists and public health researchers. All told, 956 students received payments.
Meharry’s students had already been heavily involved in the pandemic response, staffing Nashville’s mass covid testing and vaccination sites. But the money isn’t so much surprise compensation for volunteer efforts as it is an investment in a future career — and an assist in overcoming financial hurdles Black students especially face to become medical professionals.
While Black Americans make up roughly 13% of the population, the Association of American Medical Colleges finds Black doctors account for just 5% of the nation’s working physicians — a figure that has grown slowly over more than a century. And studies have found that Black patients often want to be cared for by someone whom they consider culturally competent in acknowledging their heritage, beliefs and values during treatment.
Meharry graduates more Black physicians than almost any other U.S. school. And half of its M.D.s enter the high-demand but lower-paying specialty of primary care.
Our Family Donates to HBCU's Every Month Through UNCF.
--------------
Deltacron? Omilta?
A new coronavirus variant nicknamed "Deltacron" has been discovered in Cyprus, local media reported on Saturday.
The variant has a similar genetic background to the Delta variant, as well as some of the mutations from Omicron, explained Dr. Leondios Kostrikis, the head of the laboratory of biotechnology and molecular virology at the University of Cyprus, according to the Cyprus Mail.
In total, 10 of the mutations from Omicron were found in the 25 samples taken in Cyprus. 11 of the samples came from people who were hospitalized due to the virus, while 14 came from the general population.
Quick! Ban Travel From Cyprus! It Won't Help, But It Will Look Like We Are Doing Something.
--------------
Who Won The Week?
71-year-old Black social justice advocate Ben Frazier of Jacksonville, who risked arrest after causing Gov. Ron DeSantis to flee for challenging his covid policies at a public press event
Dr. Peter Hotez and Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi of Texas Children's Hospital & Baylor College of Medicine, for developing a "game changer" Covid vaccine that can be made easily and cheaply for poor countries
The nerds at NASA, as the James Webb Space Telescope deploys all five layers of its sunshield, and secondary mirror, with pinpoint precision
Alvin Bragg, who became the first Black Manhattan District Attorney, taking over the Trump fraud investigation from Cy Vance, Jr.
President Biden: Jan. 6 speech goes right after Trump & his cult; rolls out a plan to fight meat monopolies; unemployment drops to 3.9%
The Congressional Progressive Caucus, for endorsing legislation to expand the Supreme Court by four seats
French President Emmanuel Macron, for vowing to "piss off" his country's anti-vaxxer cult at every opportunity
The air quality in the House, as Devin Nunes departs to be Donald Trump's newest chambermaid
Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley, for sentencing the three racist Georgia idiots who murdered Ahmaud Arbery to life in prison
--------------
What Do Liberals Believe?
People who work full time shouldn’t live in poverty
Homelessness shouldn’t exist in the richest country in the world
Women deserve both equal rights and equal pay
Corporations and rich people shouldn’t be able to legally bribe politicians
Trashing the planet for profit is wrong and must stop
Every American should have world-class healthcare at little or no cost
Free higher education (and quality public schools) unlock human potential which benefits the entire country
Children should learn the true racial history of America so they can empathize with their peers who are still experiencing these problems and grow up to become well-informed adults
Women should make their own medical decisions, not politicians
Massively profitable industries, from oil/coal/gas to Walmart and Amazon, shouldn’t get billions in subsidies and tax breaks
Children shouldn’t fear getting shot at school
When Wall Street banksters steal from us all, they should be imprisoned instead of bailed out
No CEO is worth $10,000 an hour ($20 million a year) or more
--------------
What Does the QOP Believe?
“Free and fair elections” are for suckers
White men should run the country and the world
Violence is a legitimate tool in politics
Conspiracy theories like the one suggesting Democrats drink children’s blood as an “elixir of youth” are probably real
Rich people and their kids shouldn’t have to pay taxes
More guns means less crime and fewer deaths
The darker your skin, the more likely you’re a criminal
Leadership is about instilling fear, not vision
Women are men’s property
Climate change and evolution are tricks to take away our freedoms and ruin religion
Education makes people stupid
Going into politics is the ticket to riches and fame
Rich people should make a buck off everything the government does through privatization
Helping people who’re going through a rough patch is a waste of time
The “rule of law” only applies to minorities and the poor
Money and power are the only truly important things in life
Teaching the true racial history of America is a plot to make white children feel sad
LGBTQ people don’t deserve respect or rights
Wealth is proof of goodness; poverty is proof of moral failure
“Giving” citizens things like healthcare, education, family leave, etc. are all “socialism” and will destroy “the American way of life”
Government has no right to regulate pollution or protect consumers
“Fiscal responsibility” is a phrase that can justify just about anything
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Meanwhile Rittenhouse Gets Off
The man who bought Kyle Rittenhouse an assault-style rifle when he was only 17 has agreed to plead no contest to contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a non-criminal citation, and avoid convictions on the two felonies he’d been facing.
Black was 18 when he purchased the rifle for Rittenhouse at a hardware store in Rusk County in May of that year. At 17, Rittenhouse was too young to legally purchase the weapon.
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The Return of the Cassie
She Was Gone 56 Dog Years
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Who Wants to Wear Used Norwegian Underwear?
Norway’s military is facing a supply shortage that is particularly personal: New recruits are being asked to wear previously used undergarments – including socks, bras and underwear – returned by conscripts after they complete their service.
The plan was originally meant to be voluntary, as the pandemic led to delivery delays. But officials have now made it mandatory to hand over all clothing and equipment for laundering and reuse upon graduation, Norwegian state broadcaster NRK reported.
Norway, a NATO member that shares a northern border with Russia, introduced compulsory military service for both men and women in 2015. About 8,000 recruits complete the program each year, and initial service generally lasts 12 to 19 months.
Until recently, the conscripts were allowed to keep undergarments such as underwear, wool socks and T-shirts, in addition to headgear and field boots, according to defense publication Forsvarets Forum, which first reported on the plan to recycle military kit.
Armed Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Vegard Norstad Finberg told the defense publication that the garments are laundered and checked for quality — with defective and worn items thrown away, while minor damage is repaired.
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The Iowa QOP Doesn't Want You To See How the Sausage Is Made
When Iowa’s 2022 legislative session commences Monday, there will be a notable absence on the floor of the state Senate: reporters.
Republican leaders in the state Senate told journalists last week they will no longer be allowed to work on the chamber floor, a change that breaks with a more than 140-year tradition in the Iowa Capitol. The move raised concerns among free press and freedom of information advocates who said it is a blow to transparency and open government that makes it harder for the public to understand, let alone scrutinize, elected officials.
The new rule denies reporters access to the press benches near senators’ desks, a proximity current and former statehouse reporters told The Washington Post is crucial for the most accurate and nuanced coverage. The position allows reporters to see and hear everything clearly on the Senate floor and to get real-time answers and clarifications during debates.
Beginning this session, reporters will be seated in a public upper-level gallery.
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