Free Republic

The Covid-19 vaccine question is a complicated one which involves many issues. Are government mandates appropriate? Are private employer mandates appropriate? How good and/or bad are the vaccines as a prevention against Covid-19, or against serious health issues, or against death from Covid-19? How risky are the vaccines when it comes to possible side effects? How risky is taking the vaccine as opposed to not taking it? Should there be religious exemptions for people who have conscience concerns about the vaccine? This article doesn't deal with any of those. I might take up some of those issues in the future,...

The FDA just released its briefing book for Pfizer’s request for a third dose of Comirnaty (or is that BNT162b2? No matter! It’s approved either way, sorta). It is every bit the mess we all expected. Let’s go to the highlights: Pfizer basically hasn’t bothered to test the booster AT ALL in the people actually at risk - it conducted a single “Phase 1” trial that covered 12 people over 65. The main Phase 2/3 booster trial (beware efforts to cover multiple “phases” of drug research at once, you want it bad you get it bad) included no one over...

President Biden announced Thursday that the federal government will shell out $2 billion to buy almost 300 million rapid tests for COVID-19 – despite the fact that the tests are woefully inaccurate compared to PCR, or polymerase chain reaction, tests. Biden said the rapid tests would be distributed to community health centers, food banks and schools across the US “so that every American, no matter their income, can access free and convenient tests.” However, rapid COVID-19 tests — which typically involve a health professional swabbing a person’s nose or throat but also have at-home versions — vary in accuracy depending...

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) announced Thursday that state employees in congregate settings will be required to get the coronavirus vaccine or “adhere to face covering requirements and submit to regular testing.” The new vaccine protocols are set to take effect on September 1 and will focus on 48 facilities in Maryland, ironically nicknamed the Free State from generations past. According to Hogan, “these actions are being taken to further protect our most vulnerable citizens.”

A George Mason University law professor with naturally acquired immunity from COVID is fighting against his employer’s strict COVID vaccine mandate. Antonin Scalia Law School Professor Todd Zywicki, who recovered from a bout with COVID and has blood tests showing antibodies to the virus, said he will not agree to the university’s policy that employees get the vaccine or face numerous sanctions. “George Mason is forcing me to choose between serving my students on one hand and undergoing an unnecessary and potentially risky medical procedure on the other,” Zywicki said in a statement. “Multiple clinical studies have shown that natural...

Emeral Robinson asked how the CDC is testing for the Delta variant and she completely falls apart and says it’s because “the experts” say so.https://twitter.com/MrsT106/status/1421190490058334210

There are two narratives emerging this week that should concern every American. The first is the Delta Variant narrative that’s giving authoritarians another boogeyman for their ongoing fearmongering campaign. The second is the homogenization of certain protocols regardless of vaccination status. Wear masks, get tested, social distance, prepare for lockdown — and it doesn’t matter if you’ve been “vaccinated” or not.The latest example comes out of Los Angeles where the LAUSD has announced all students and faculty must get tested for Covid-19 weekly in order to attend in-person classes. According to KTLA:The Los Angeles Unified School District will require all...

"The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) will require weekly tests for the coronavirus when staff and students return to school in mid-August, regardless of vaccination status, according to a notice published on Thursday..."

German Health Minister Jens Spahn is planning compulsory coronavirus tests for travelers entering the country, regardless of where they travel from, Funke Media Group reported on Tuesday. The ministry is aiming for “an expansion of test requirements upon entry as quickly as possible,” according to a document seen by the media group. The goal is to curb the recent rapid rise in infections, especially with the highly contagious delta variant. Currently, air passengers and people entering from high-risk areas are obliged to provide a negative test or proof that they have been fully vaccinated or have recovered from an infection....

More than half of Covid hospitalisations are patients who only tested positive after admission, leaked data reveal.The figures suggest vast numbers are being classed as hospitalised by Covid when they were admitted with other ailments, with the virus picked up by routine testing.Experts said it meant the national statistics, published daily on the government website and frequently referred to by ministers, may far overstate the levels of pressures on the NHS.The leaked data – covering all NHS trusts in England – show that, as of last Thursday, just 44 per cent of patients classed as being hospitalised with Covid had...

In updated guidance on COVID-19 testing strategies, the World Health Organization (WHO) says it does not currently recommend widespread screening of people without symptoms, citing the cost of such a strategy and its ineffectiveness. “Widespread testing of asymptomatic populations, including through self-testing, is not currently recommended, based on lack of evidence on impact and cost-effectiveness of such approaches and the concern that this approach risks diverting resources from higher priority testing indications,” the guidance stated.However, “countries with the resources and desire to expand testing to the general public (regardless of symptoms) should demonstrate that they have the necessary public health...

New documents obtained by TrialSite News suggest routine quality testing issues were overlooked in the rush to authorize use of the Pfizer COVID vaccine.By: Megan RedshawNew documents obtained by TrialSite News suggest routine quality testing issues were overlooked in the rush to authorize use of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine, and that U.S. and other governments are conducting a massive vaccination program with an incompletely characterized experimental vaccine.Regulatory documents revealed Pfizer didn’t thoroughly examine biodistribution and pharmacokinetics issues relating to its vaccine before submitting the vaccine to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for review.In fact, in key studies — called biodistribution...

Below is my column in The Hill newspaper on the announcement that the University of California will now join the “test-blind” movement and end the use of the SAT and ACT in its admissions decisions. Some have called for the change to increase diversity in the schools, particularly after California voters refused to change the long ban on affirmative action in education under state law. Here is the column:The Supreme Court will decide early next month whether to take a new case on the use of race in college admissions. For decades, the court has fractured on the issue and...

Four Maui dogs have been learning to sniff out virus in sweatFour Maui-based canines are wrapping up a study that is training dogs to detect COVID-19 in a person’s sweat. Makawao-based Assistance Dogs of Hawaii and The Queen’s Medical Center on Oahu partnered together late last year on the study, which has been using sweat samples from people to teach the dogs to hone in on the scent of the virus, which has infected and killed millions worldwide. Next month the two organizations will be submitting their research for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, said Maureen Maurer, Assistance Dogs of...

Once again, more Pennsylvania counties are showing substantial spread of the coronavirus, Gov. Tom Wolf’s office said Monday. Across Pennsylvania, 50 of the state’s 67 counties have substantial transmission of COVID-19, Wolf’s office said. That’s an additional five counties compared to last week, when the Wolf administration said 45 counties showed substantial transmission of COVID-19. The positive test rate rose to 9.5% for the week of April 2-8, which represents a slight increase from 9.4% the previous week. It is the fourth straight week the positive rate has risen, but the uptick is much smaller than in previous weeks. At...

High-level members of the state Department of Health were directed last year by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker to conduct prioritized coronavirus testing on the governor's relatives as well as influential people with ties to the administration, according to three people with direct knowledge of the matter. Members of Cuomo's family including his brother, his mother and at least one of his sisters were also tested by top health department officials — some several times, the sources said. The medical officials enlisted to do the testing, which often took place at private residences, included Dr....

Concerns have been raised that rapid response Covid-19 tests are providing too many false positives, therefore 'ruining' the return of students to UK schools. It has been reported that pupils are testing positive with on-the-spot Covid tests, isolating, and then testing negative with more reliable lab tests. The Royal Statistical Society has said that more of the new positive cases recorded in schools by rapid testing methods could be inacurate than accurate. It is believed this is the case because infection rates are currently low. Meanwhile, the Government has released a new analysis reassuring the public that lateral flow tests...

NYC has seen vending machines for engagement rings and Brooks Brothers shirts, as well as PPE like gloves and sanitizing wipes, but this new Manhattan machine is really testing the limits. Since January, a storefront at 225 W. 34th St. — formerly home to a Lane Bryant — has hosted two of health company Wellness 4 Humanity’s new vending machines, which sell DIY at-home COVID tests instead of snacks or sodas. For $149 — credit or debit cards only, no cash — you can pick up a PCR saliva test, use it at your leisure, mail it to one of...

The number of new coronavirus cases is in steep decline, both in the U.S. and the UK. Here at home, the number of new reported cases per day is below 100,000 — down from almost three times that many early in the year. The daily number of new cases is about what it was in mid-to-late October, before the weather got cold. (All numbers cited are from Worldometer.)Unfortunately, the number of deaths per day attributed to the virus hasn’t declined as sharply. New deaths are averaging a little below 3,000, down from a peak of more than 4,000 in mid-January....

Leaders of several major U.S. airlines met online Friday with White House officials to press their case against requiring coronavirus tests for passengers on domestic flights, saying it would undermine the already fragile industry. White House press secretary Jen Psaki downplayed speculation that the Biden administration could soon impose a requirement that passengers on domestic flights first pass a COVID-19 test. But she stopped short of taking the idea off the table. “Reports that there is an intention to put in place new requirements such as testing are not accurate,” Psaki said. She described the meeting with CEOs as “brief.”...