thedenverpost--2020-12-28--Trump’s hesitation on relief bill will delay aid payments

WASHINGTON — The $ 900 billion economic relief package that President Donald Trump signed over the weekend will deliver vital aid to millions of struggling households and businesses .
Yet his nearly one-week delay in signing the bill means that it will take that much longer for the financial support to arrive .
The package that Trump signed at his private club in Florida on Sunday will extend two unemployment benefit programs providing aid to 14 million people that expired last week .
It will also provide small business loans and up to $ 600 in cash payments to most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a moratorium on evictions for one month .
The measure does not include aid for states and localities that are being forced to turn to layoffs and service cuts as their tax revenue dries up — a potential long-run drag on the economy .
The legislation extends the two federal jobless aid programs until mid-March and adds a $ 300 supplemental weekly payment .
But because Trump signed the bill on Sunday , a day after the two programs lapsed , that could cost the unemployed a week of benefits , with payments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The date was really unfortunate , ” said Michele Evermore , a senior policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project , a workers ’ advocacy group .
“ Now there ’ s some question as to when this gets paid out.
” It is possible that the Labor Department will interpret the law to allow payments for the week ending Jan. 2 , Evermore said .
But if the bill had been signed Saturday , payments clearly could have restarted this week .
And it will likely take two to three weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to resume the aid programs and pay out the extra $ 300 , Evermore said , a process that could have started earlier , after Congress first approved the bill about a week ago .
The delay will force those out of work to make hard decisions about paying for food , medicine or rent .
“ These are people who have been living in poverty for months , ” she said .
“ Any delay is an immense hardship.
” Months from now , economists say , the widespread distribution and use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic rebound as the virus is quashed , businesses reopen , hiring picks up and consumers spend freely again .
Yet the aid likely won ’ t last long enough to support struggling small businesses and the unemployed until the vaccine has been broadly distributed and a strong rebound has begun .
“ Some aid is better than no aid , ” said Gregory Daco , chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics .
“ It ’ s positive .
But it ’ s likely going to be insufficient to bridge the gap from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , when the health situation fully improves.
” President-elect Joe Biden has said he will seek another relief package soon after his inauguration next month , setting up another political brawl given that some Senate Republicans have said that with vaccines on the way , further government aid may be unnecessary .
The new aid package should boost the broader economy , according to Goldman Sachs .
Economists at the investment bank said late Sunday that they are boosting their growth forecast for the first three months of next year to 5 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an earlier estimate of 3 % .
Much of that upgrade is based on the inclusion of $ 600 stimulus checks , Goldman economists said .
Right now , however , the economy is in a renewed slump as a resurgent virus intensifies hardships for businesses .
Consumers have cut back on shopping , traveling , dining out and attending sports and entertainment events .
Key measures of the economy — retail sales , applications for jobless aid , travel spending — have weakened .
Roughly 14 million Americans faced a cutoff of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t agreed to the new package after months of stalemate .
Perhaps 2 million Americans would have been able to transfer to a state-run extended benefit program , but the rest would have had no income at all .
More than 4 million have already used all the unemployment aid available to them , which lasts 26 weeks in most states ; they will be able to reapply .
A program that provides unemployment aid for self-employed and contract workers will now pay benefits for 50 weeks , up from 39 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , on top of the 26 provided by most states , will also last for another 11 weeks .
Kathy Richardson , 60 , hopes to catch up on the car and rental payments that she has fallen behind on , now that she can reapply for unemployment benefits .
She started receiving jobless aid in the spring after she was laid off from her executive assistant job at a dental practice but the benefits ran out in November .
“ If it hadn ’ t been for family and friends I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ It ’ s been very stressful.
” Richardson , who lives in Overland , Missouri , just outside of St. Louis , had a Zoom interview for a new administrative job Monday and was hopeful about her prospects .
She has applied for work at Walmart , Target , and Burger King , she said , but was turned down because those companies assume she will quit once she can find a job more consistent with her career .
Her 18-year old son received Christmas presents from her three sisters this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I told him , ‘ Maybe we ’ ll have a special Christmas in July after I ’ ve gone back to work , ” Richardson said .
The much larger rescue package the government enacted in March was widely credited with averting a disaster .
By injecting money quickly into the pockets of individual Americans , it served to reduce poverty .
But as much of that aid expired over the summer , poverty grew .
Many people ran through the $ 1,200 direct payment checks that had been distributed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 600 in jobless benefits expired over the summer .
According to research by Bruce Meyer at the University of Chicago and two colleagues , the U.S. poverty rate jumped from 9.3 % in June to 11.7 % in November — an increase of nearly 8 million people .
The new relief package restores the Paycheck Protection Program , which offers forgivable loans to many businesses .
But many small businesses complain that the program in the past was too restrictive , requiring them to use most of the money on payroll and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the cost of personal protective equipment or other supplies .
According to the data firm Womply , about one in five small businesses have closed since early spring .
More than half of small businesses have just two months ’ cash on hand or less , and one in six has two weeks or less of cash , according to a survey by the Census Bureau .
“ It ’ s not stimulus — it ’ s a survival plan , ’ Michael Graetz , a Columbia University law professor who studies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the new relief package .
“ Will it allow people to survive for a little longer than they would have otherwise , given what was about to happen at the end of the year ?
The answer is yes .
Not doing it would have been malpractice.
’ AP Business Writer Paul Wiseman in Washington contributed to this report .

WASHINGTON — The $900 billion economic relief package that President Donald Trump signed over the weekend will deliver vital aid to millions of struggling households and businesses. Yet his nearly one-week delay in signing the bill means that it will take that much longer for the financial support to arrive.
The package that Trump signed at his private club in Florida on Sunday will extend two unemployment benefit programs providing aid to 14 million people that expired last week. It will also provide small business loans and up to $600 in cash payments to most individuals. In addition, it extends a moratorium on evictions for one month. The measure does not include aid for states and localities that are being forced to turn to layoffs and service cuts as their tax revenue dries up — a potential long-run drag on the economy.
The legislation extends the two federal jobless aid programs until mid-March and adds a $300 supplemental weekly payment. But because Trump signed the bill on Sunday, a day after the two programs lapsed, that could cost the unemployed a week of benefits, with payments not restarting until next week.
“The date was really unfortunate,” said Michele Evermore, a senior policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project, a workers’ advocacy group. “Now there’s some question as to when this gets paid out.”
It is possible that the Labor Department will interpret the law to allow payments for the week ending Jan. 2, Evermore said. But if the bill had been signed Saturday, payments clearly could have restarted this week.
And it will likely take two to three weeks for states to update their computer systems to resume the aid programs and pay out the extra $300, Evermore said, a process that could have started earlier, after Congress first approved the bill about a week ago.
The delay will force those out of work to make hard decisions about paying for food, medicine or rent.
“These are people who have been living in poverty for months,” she said. “Any delay is an immense hardship.”
Months from now, economists say, the widespread distribution and use of vaccines could potentially unleash a robust economic rebound as the virus is quashed, businesses reopen, hiring picks up and consumers spend freely again. Yet the aid likely won’t last long enough to support struggling small businesses and the unemployed until the vaccine has been broadly distributed and a strong rebound has begun.
“Some aid is better than no aid,” said Gregory Daco, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics. “It’s positive. But it’s likely going to be insufficient to bridge the gap from today until late spring or early summer, when the health situation fully improves.”
President-elect Joe Biden has said he will seek another relief package soon after his inauguration next month, setting up another political brawl given that some Senate Republicans have said that with vaccines on the way, further government aid may be unnecessary.
The new aid package should boost the broader economy, according to Goldman Sachs. Economists at the investment bank said late Sunday that they are boosting their growth forecast for the first three months of next year to 5% at an annual rate, up from an earlier estimate of 3%.
Much of that upgrade is based on the inclusion of $600 stimulus checks, Goldman economists said.
Right now, however, the economy is in a renewed slump as a resurgent virus intensifies hardships for businesses. Consumers have cut back on shopping, traveling, dining out and attending sports and entertainment events. Key measures of the economy — retail sales, applications for jobless aid, travel spending — have weakened.
Roughly 14 million Americans faced a cutoff of their federal unemployment benefits if Congress hadn’t agreed to the new package after months of stalemate. Perhaps 2 million Americans would have been able to transfer to a state-run extended benefit program, but the rest would have had no income at all. More than 4 million have already used all the unemployment aid available to them, which lasts 26 weeks in most states; they will be able to reapply.
A program that provides unemployment aid for self-employed and contract workers will now pay benefits for 50 weeks, up from 39. A federal program that provides extended benefits, on top of the 26 provided by most states, will also last for another 11 weeks.
Kathy Richardson, 60, hopes to catch up on the car and rental payments that she has fallen behind on, now that she can reapply for unemployment benefits. She started receiving jobless aid in the spring after she was laid off from her executive assistant job at a dental practice but the benefits ran out in November.
“If it hadn’t been for family and friends I’d be homeless,” she said. “It’s been very stressful.”
Richardson, who lives in Overland, Missouri, just outside of St. Louis, had a Zoom interview for a new administrative job Monday and was hopeful about her prospects. She has applied for work at Walmart, Target, and Burger King, she said, but was turned down because those companies assume she will quit once she can find a job more consistent with her career.
Her 18-year old son received Christmas presents from her three sisters this year, but not from her.
“I told him, ‘Maybe we’ll have a special Christmas in July after I’ve gone back to work,” Richardson said.
The much larger rescue package the government enacted in March was widely credited with averting a disaster. By injecting money quickly into the pockets of individual Americans, it served to reduce poverty. But as much of that aid expired over the summer, poverty grew. Many people ran through the $1,200 direct payment checks that had been distributed in April and May. And a supplemental $600 in jobless benefits expired over the summer.
According to research by Bruce Meyer at the University of Chicago and two colleagues, the U.S. poverty rate jumped from 9.3% in June to 11.7% in November — an increase of nearly 8 million people.
The new relief package restores the Paycheck Protection Program, which offers forgivable loans to many businesses. But many small businesses complain that the program in the past was too restrictive, requiring them to use most of the money on payroll and not enough for other expenses like rent, the cost of personal protective equipment or other supplies.
According to the data firm Womply, about one in five small businesses have closed since early spring. More than half of small businesses have just two months’ cash on hand or less, and one in six has two weeks or less of cash, according to a survey by the Census Bureau.
“It’s not stimulus — it’s a survival plan,’ Michael Graetz, a Columbia University law professor who studies tax and social policies, said of the new relief package. “Will it allow people to survive for a little longer than they would have otherwise, given what was about to happen at the end of the year? The answer is yes. Not doing it would have been malpractice.’
AP Business Writer Paul Wiseman in Washington contributed to this report.


thedenverpost--2020-12-28--More COVID-19 vaccines in the pipeline as U.S. effort ramps up

A huge U.S. study of another COVID-19 vaccine candidate got underway Monday as states continue to roll out scarce supplies of the first shots to a nation anxiously awaiting relief from the catastrophic outbreak .
Public health experts say more options in addition to the two vaccines now being dispensed — one made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech , the other by Moderna — are critical to amassing enough shots for the country and the world .
The candidate made by Novavax Inc. is the fifth to reach final-stage testing in the United States .
Some 30,000 volunteers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — a different kind than its Pfizer and Moderna competitors — really works and is safe .
“ If you want to have enough vaccine to vaccinate all the people in the U.S. who you ’ d like to vaccinate — up to 85 % or more of the population — you ’ re going to need more than two companies , ” Dr. Anthony Fauci , the top U.S. infectious disease expert , told The Associated Press on Monday .
The coronavirus is blamed for about 1.8 million deaths worldwide , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This has been the deadliest month of the outbreak in the U.S. yet , with about 65,000 deaths in December so far , according to the COVID Tracking Project .
The nation has repeatedly recorded more than 3,000 dead per day over the past few weeks .
And the U.S. could be facing a terrible winter : Despite warnings to stay home and avoid others over Christmastime , nearly 1.3 million people went through the nation ’ s airports on Sunday , the highest one-day total since the crisis took hold in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration ’ s Operation Warp Speed expects to have shipped 20 million doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to states by the beginning of January , fewer than originally estimated to the frustration of states and health officials trying to schedule the shots .
There is no real-time tracking of how quickly people are getting the first of the two required doses .
As of Monday , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had reports of more than 2.1 million vaccinations out of 11.4 million doses shipped — but the agency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can take days for reports from vaccine providers to trickle in and get added to the site .
“ Just because a vaccine arrives doesn ’ t mean we can put an on-the-spot clinic up and running , ” said Jenny Barta , a public health official in Carlton County , Minnesota .
But Tuesday , her agency aims to vaccinate 100 people in a drive-thru clinic for emergency medical workers that Barta hopes could become a model for larger attempts at mass vaccination .
Nurses will wheel vaccine to cars lined up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the drivers get their shots , they will wait in parking spaces to be sure they don ’ t have an allergic reaction before heading home .
“ Vaccinating one individual at a time is how we ’ re going to work our way out of this pandemic , ” she said .
Yet another worry hanging over the vaccine scramble : Will shots block a new variant of the coronavirus that emerged in Britain and might spread more easily ?
Fauci said that data from Britain indicates the vaccines still will protect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Health researchers will be “ looking at it very intensively ” to be sure .
A look at the frontrunners in the global vaccine race : The U.S. based its emergency rollout of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and a similar one made by Moderna and the NIH on studies suggesting they are both roughly 95 % effective .
Europe over the weekend began its first vaccinations with the Pfizer shot , and on Jan. 6 will decide whether to add Moderna ’ s .
These shots are made with a brand-new technology that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the spike protein that coats the coronavirus .
That messenger RNA , or mRNA , induces the body to produce some harmless spike protein , enough to prime the immune system to react if it later encounters the real virus .
Both vaccines must be kept frozen , the Pfizer shot at ultra-low temperatures that complicate its delivery to poor or rural areas .
Additional companies are working toward their own mRNA candidates , including Germany ’ s CureVac , which has begun a large study in Europe .
The Novavax candidate is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a “ more tried and true ” technology that needs only ordinary refrigeration .
The Maryland company grows harmless copies of the coronavirus spike protein in the laboratory and mixes in an immune-boosting chemical .
Novavax already has enrolled 15,000 people in a late-stage study in Britain and 4,000 in South Africa .
The newest and largest study , funded by the U.S. government , will recruit volunteers at more than 115 sites in the U.S. and Mexico and target high-risk older adults along with volunteers from Black and Hispanic communities , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We ’ ve got to protect our community and our people , ” said the Rev .
Peter Johnson , 75 , a prominent civil rights activist in Dallas who was among the first volunteers .
Two-thirds of participants will receive vaccine and the rest dummy shots , a twist from earlier vaccine studies that gave half their volunteers a placebo .
That should help researchers recruit people who wonder whether it ’ s better to take part in a study or wait their turn for an existing shot , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Novavax .
For many people , that would be a long wait : The Pfizer and Moderna shots are slated first for health care workers and nursing home residents , followed by people 75 and older and essential workers .
“ If you wanted to hedge your bets , for most people who aren ’ t in those very high-risk groups , the shortest route to getting the vaccine would be to sign up for a trial , ” said NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins .
The next big vaccine news may come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aiming for a one-dose COVID-19 vaccine .
Made in yet another way , it uses a harmless virus – a cold virus called an adenovirus — to carry the spike gene into the body .
In mid-December , J & J finished enrolling about 45,000 volunteers in a final-stage study in the U.S. and a half-dozen other countries .
Fauci expects early results sometime next month .
In Britain , regulators also are considering clearing a similar vaccine made by AstraZeneca and Oxford University .
Tests of the shots in Britain , South @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and partially protective — about 70 % .
But questions remain about how well the vaccine works in people over 55 and how to interpret results from a small number of people given a different set of doses .
A U.S. study of the AstraZeneca shots is still recruiting volunteers ; Fauci said researchers hope it will provide a more clear answer .
Companies in China and Russia also are producing adenovirus-based vaccines and began administering them before the results of final testing came in .
Argentina is expected to soon use the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t the only option .
Making vaccines by growing a disease-causing virus and then killing it is a still older approach that gives the body a sneak peek at the germ itself rather than just that single spike protein .
China has three such “ inactivated ” COVID-19 vaccines in final testing in several countries and has allowed emergency use in some people ahead of results .
An Indian company is testing its own inactivated candidate .
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is solely responsible for all content .
Subscribe to bi-weekly newsletter to get health news sent straight to your inbox .

A huge U.S. study of another COVID-19 vaccine candidate got underway Monday as states continue to roll out scarce supplies of the first shots to a nation anxiously awaiting relief from the catastrophic outbreak.
Public health experts say more options in addition to the two vaccines now being dispensed — one made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, the other by Moderna — are critical to amassing enough shots for the country and the world.
The candidate made by Novavax Inc. is the fifth to reach final-stage testing in the United States. Some 30,000 volunteers are needed to prove if the shot — a different kind than its Pfizer and Moderna competitors — really works and is safe.
“If you want to have enough vaccine to vaccinate all the people in the U.S. who you’d like to vaccinate — up to 85% or more of the population — you’re going to need more than two companies,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, told The Associated Press on Monday.
The coronavirus is blamed for about 1.8 million deaths worldwide, including more than 330,000 in the U.S. This has been the deadliest month of the outbreak in the U.S. yet, with about 65,000 deaths in December so far, according to the COVID Tracking Project. The nation has repeatedly recorded more than 3,000 dead per day over the past few weeks.
And the U.S. could be facing a terrible winter: Despite warnings to stay home and avoid others over Christmastime, nearly 1.3 million people went through the nation’s airports on Sunday, the highest one-day total since the crisis took hold in the U.S. nine months ago.
The Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed expects to have shipped 20 million doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to states by the beginning of January, fewer than originally estimated to the frustration of states and health officials trying to schedule the shots.
There is no real-time tracking of how quickly people are getting the first of the two required doses. As of Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had reports of more than 2.1 million vaccinations out of 11.4 million doses shipped — but the agency knows that count is outdated. It can take days for reports from vaccine providers to trickle in and get added to the site.
“Just because a vaccine arrives doesn’t mean we can put an on-the-spot clinic up and running,” said Jenny Barta, a public health official in Carlton County, Minnesota.
But Tuesday, her agency aims to vaccinate 100 people in a drive-thru clinic for emergency medical workers that Barta hopes could become a model for larger attempts at mass vaccination. Nurses will wheel vaccine to cars lined up in a county-owned snowplow garage. Once the drivers get their shots, they will wait in parking spaces to be sure they don’t have an allergic reaction before heading home.
“Vaccinating one individual at a time is how we’re going to work our way out of this pandemic,” she said.
Yet another worry hanging over the vaccine scramble: Will shots block a new variant of the coronavirus that emerged in Britain and might spread more easily? Fauci said that data from Britain indicates the vaccines still will protect against the virus but that National Institutes of Health researchers will be “looking at it very intensively” to be sure.
A look at the frontrunners in the global vaccine race:
GENETIC CODE VACCINES
The U.S. based its emergency rollout of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and a similar one made by Moderna and the NIH on studies suggesting they are both roughly 95% effective. Europe over the weekend began its first vaccinations with the Pfizer shot, and on Jan. 6 will decide whether to add Moderna’s.
These shots are made with a brand-new technology that injects a piece of genetic code for the spike protein that coats the coronavirus. That messenger RNA, or mRNA, induces the body to produce some harmless spike protein, enough to prime the immune system to react if it later encounters the real virus.
Both vaccines must be kept frozen, the Pfizer shot at ultra-low temperatures that complicate its delivery to poor or rural areas.
Additional companies are working toward their own mRNA candidates, including Germany’s CureVac, which has begun a large study in Europe.
PROTEIN VACCINES
The Novavax candidate is made differently, using what Fauci called a “more tried and true” technology that needs only ordinary refrigeration. The Maryland company grows harmless copies of the coronavirus spike protein in the laboratory and mixes in an immune-boosting chemical.
Novavax already has enrolled 15,000 people in a late-stage study in Britain and 4,000 in South Africa. The newest and largest study, funded by the U.S. government, will recruit volunteers at more than 115 sites in the U.S. and Mexico and target high-risk older adults along with volunteers from Black and Hispanic communities, which have been hit hard by the virus.
“We’ve got to protect our community and our people,” said the Rev. Peter Johnson, 75, a prominent civil rights activist in Dallas who was among the first volunteers.
Two-thirds of participants will receive vaccine and the rest dummy shots, a twist from earlier vaccine studies that gave half their volunteers a placebo. That should help researchers recruit people who wonder whether it’s better to take part in a study or wait their turn for an existing shot, said Dr. Gregory Glenn, research chief at Novavax.
For many people, that would be a long wait: The Pfizer and Moderna shots are slated first for health care workers and nursing home residents, followed by people 75 and older and essential workers.
“If you wanted to hedge your bets, for most people who aren’t in those very high-risk groups, the shortest route to getting the vaccine would be to sign up for a trial,” said NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins.
TROJAN HORSE VACCINES
The next big vaccine news may come from Johnson & Johnson, which is aiming for a one-dose COVID-19 vaccine.
Made in yet another way, it uses a harmless virus – a cold virus called an adenovirus — to carry the spike gene into the body. In mid-December, J&J finished enrolling about 45,000 volunteers in a final-stage study in the U.S. and a half-dozen other countries. Fauci expects early results sometime next month.
In Britain, regulators also are considering clearing a similar vaccine made by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.
Tests of the shots in Britain, South Africa and Brazil suggested they are safe and partially protective — about 70%. But questions remain about how well the vaccine works in people over 55 and how to interpret results from a small number of people given a different set of doses.
A U.S. study of the AstraZeneca shots is still recruiting volunteers; Fauci said researchers hope it will provide a more clear answer.
Companies in China and Russia also are producing adenovirus-based vaccines and began administering them before the results of final testing came in. Argentina is expected to soon use the Russian vaccine.
“KILLED” VACCINES
Spike-focused vaccines aren’t the only option. Making vaccines by growing a disease-causing virus and then killing it is a still older approach that gives the body a sneak peek at the germ itself rather than just that single spike protein.
China has three such “inactivated” COVID-19 vaccines in final testing in several countries and has allowed emergency use in some people ahead of results. An Indian company is testing its own inactivated candidate.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Subscribe to bi-weekly newsletter to get health news sent straight to your inbox.


thedenverpost--2020-12-28--Nashville bomber to neighbor: The world is “never going to forget me”

NASHVILLE , Tenn. — It seemed like a friendly chat between neighbors .
Only after a bomb exploded in downtown Nashville on Christmas morning could Rick Laude grasp the sinister meaning behind his neighbor ’ s smiling remark that the city and the rest of the world would never forget him .
Laude told The Associated Press on Monday that he was speechless when he learned that authorities identified his 63-year-old neighbor , Anthony Quinn Warner , as the man suspected of detonating a bomb that killed himself , injured three other people and damaged dozens of buildings .
Laude @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mailbox less than a week before Christmas and pulled over in his car to talk .
After asking how Warner ’ s elderly mother was doing , Laude said he casually asked , “ Is Santa going to bring you anything good for Christmas ?
” Warner smiled and said , “ Oh , yeah , Nashville and the world is never going to forget me , ” Laude recalled .
Laude said he didn ’ t think much of the remark and thought Warner only meant that “ something good ” was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Nothing about this guy raised any red flags , ” Laude said .
“ He was just quiet.
” Laude said Warner sometimes did not respond when he and other neighbors waved to him , but said he did not take it personally .
“ I knew that he was just a recluse , ” he said .
Warner left behind clues that suggest he planned the bombing and intended to kill himself , but a clear motive remains elusive .
“ We hope to get an answer .
Sometimes , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ David Rausch , the director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation , said Monday in an interview on NBC ’ s “ Today ” show .
“ The best way to find motive is to talk to the individual .
We will not be able to do that in this case.
” Investigators are analyzing Warner ’ s belongings collected during the investigation , including a computer and a portable storage drive , and continue to interview witnesses as they try to identify a motive for the explosion , a law enforcement official @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transactions also uncovered purchases of potential bomb-making components , the official said .
Warner had recently given away a vehicle and told the person he gave it to that he had been diagnosed with cancer , though it is unclear whether he indeed had cancer , the official said .
Investigators used some items collected from the vehicle , including a hat and gloves , to match Warner ’ s DNA and DNA was taken from one of his family members , the official said .
The official could not discuss the matter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ condition of anonymity .
Warner also apparently gave away his home in Antioch , a Nashville suburb , to a Los Angeles woman a month before the bombing .
A property record dated Nov. 25 indicates Warner transferred the home to the woman in exchange for no money after living there for decades .
The woman ’ s signature is not on that document .
Warner had worked as a computer consultant for Nashville real estate agent Steve Fridrich , who told the AP in a text message that Warner had said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Warner had not been on their radar before Christmas .
A law enforcement report released Monday showed that Warner ’ s only arrest was for a 1978 marijuana-related charge .
“ It does appear that the intent was more destruction than death , but again that ’ s all still speculation at this point as we continue in our investigation with all our partners , ” Rausch added .
Furthermore , officials have not provided insight into why Warner selected the particular location for the bombing , which damaged an AT & @ @ @ @ @ @ @ service and police and hospital communications in several Southern states .
By Monday , the company said the majority of services had been restored for residents and businesses .
Forensic analysts were reviewing evidence from the blast site to try to identify the components of the explosives as well as information from the U.S .
Bomb Data Center for intelligence and investigative leads , according to a law enforcement official who said investigators were examining Warner ’ s digital footprint and financial history .
The official , who was not authorized to discuss @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AP on condition of anonymity , said federal agents were examining a number of potential leads and pursuing several theories , including the possibility that the AT & T building was targeted .
Doug Korneski , the special agent in charge of the FBI ’ s Memphis field office , said Sunday that officials were looking at any and all motives and were interviewing acquaintances of Warner ’ s to try to determine what may have motivated him .
The bombing took place early on a holiday morning well before downtown streets were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a report of shots fired when they encountered the RV blaring a recorded warning that a bomb would detonate in 15 minutes .
Then , for reasons that may never be known , the audio switched to a recording of Petula Clark ’ s 1964 hit “ Downtown ” shortly before the blast .
In addition to the DNA found at the blast site , investigators from the Tennessee Highway Patrol were able to link the vehicle identification number recovered from the wreckage to an RV registered to Warner , officials said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leads , but right now there is no indication that any other persons were involved , ” Korneski said .
“ We ’ ve reviewed hours of security video surrounding the recreation vehicle .
We saw no other people involved.
” President-elect Joe Biden on Monday called the bombing “ a reminder of the destructive power an individual or a small group can muster and the need for continued vigilance across the board.
” President Donald Trump hasn ’ t publicly commented on the explosion but has spoken to Tennessee Gov .
Bill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to the governor ’ s office .
Balsamo reported from Washington , and Lavoie from Richmond , Virginia .
Associated Press journalists Scott Stroud and Mark Humphrey in Nashville , Michael Kunzelman in College Park , Maryland , Eric Tucker in Washington and Alexandra Jaffe in Wilmington , Delaware , contributed to this report .

Kimberlee Kruesi, Denise Lavoie, Michael Balsamo

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It seemed like a friendly chat between neighbors. Only after a bomb exploded in downtown Nashville on Christmas morning could Rick Laude grasp the sinister meaning behind his neighbor’s smiling remark that the city and the rest of the world would never forget him.
Laude told The Associated Press on Monday that he was speechless when he learned that authorities identified his 63-year-old neighbor, Anthony Quinn Warner, as the man suspected of detonating a bomb that killed himself, injured three other people and damaged dozens of buildings.
Laude said he saw Warner standing at his mailbox less than a week before Christmas and pulled over in his car to talk. After asking how Warner’s elderly mother was doing, Laude said he casually asked, “Is Santa going to bring you anything good for Christmas?”
Warner smiled and said, “Oh, yeah, Nashville and the world is never going to forget me,” Laude recalled.
Laude said he didn’t think much of the remark and thought Warner only meant that “something good” was going to happen for him financially.
“Nothing about this guy raised any red flags,” Laude said. “He was just quiet.”
Laude said Warner sometimes did not respond when he and other neighbors waved to him, but said he did not take it personally. “I knew that he was just a recluse,” he said.
Warner left behind clues that suggest he planned the bombing and intended to kill himself, but a clear motive remains elusive.
“We hope to get an answer. Sometimes, it’s just not possible,” David Rausch, the director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, said Monday in an interview on NBC’s “Today” show. “The best way to find motive is to talk to the individual. We will not be able to do that in this case.”
Investigators are analyzing Warner’s belongings collected during the investigation, including a computer and a portable storage drive, and continue to interview witnesses as they try to identify a motive for the explosion, a law enforcement official said. A review of his financial transactions also uncovered purchases of potential bomb-making components, the official said.
Warner had recently given away a vehicle and told the person he gave it to that he had been diagnosed with cancer, though it is unclear whether he indeed had cancer, the official said. Investigators used some items collected from the vehicle, including a hat and gloves, to match Warner’s DNA and DNA was taken from one of his family members, the official said.
The official could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
Warner also apparently gave away his home in Antioch, a Nashville suburb, to a Los Angeles woman a month before the bombing. A property record dated Nov. 25 indicates Warner transferred the home to the woman in exchange for no money after living there for decades. The woman’s signature is not on that document.
Warner had worked as a computer consultant for Nashville real estate agent Steve Fridrich, who told the AP in a text message that Warner had said he was retiring earlier this month.
Officials said Warner had not been on their radar before Christmas. A law enforcement report released Monday showed that Warner’s only arrest was for a 1978 marijuana-related charge.
“It does appear that the intent was more destruction than death, but again that’s all still speculation at this point as we continue in our investigation with all our partners,” Rausch added.
Furthermore, officials have not provided insight into why Warner selected the particular location for the bombing, which damaged an AT&T building and wreaked havoc on cellphone service and police and hospital communications in several Southern states. By Monday, the company said the majority of services had been restored for residents and businesses.
Forensic analysts were reviewing evidence from the blast site to try to identify the components of the explosives as well as information from the U.S. Bomb Data Center for intelligence and investigative leads, according to a law enforcement official who said investigators were examining Warner’s digital footprint and financial history.
The official, who was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity, said federal agents were examining a number of potential leads and pursuing several theories, including the possibility that the AT&T building was targeted.
Doug Korneski, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Memphis field office, said Sunday that officials were looking at any and all motives and were interviewing acquaintances of Warner’s to try to determine what may have motivated him.
The bombing took place early on a holiday morning well before downtown streets were bustling with activity. Police were responding to a report of shots fired when they encountered the RV blaring a recorded warning that a bomb would detonate in 15 minutes. Then, for reasons that may never be known, the audio switched to a recording of Petula Clark’s 1964 hit “Downtown” shortly before the blast.
In addition to the DNA found at the blast site, investigators from the Tennessee Highway Patrol were able to link the vehicle identification number recovered from the wreckage to an RV registered to Warner, officials said.
“We’re still following leads, but right now there is no indication that any other persons were involved,” Korneski said. “We’ve reviewed hours of security video surrounding the recreation vehicle. We saw no other people involved.”
President-elect Joe Biden on Monday called the bombing “a reminder of the destructive power an individual or a small group can muster and the need for continued vigilance across the board.”
President Donald Trump hasn’t publicly commented on the explosion but has spoken to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and offered resources and support, according to the governor’s office.
Balsamo reported from Washington, and Lavoie from Richmond, Virginia. Associated Press journalists Scott Stroud and Mark Humphrey in Nashville, Michael Kunzelman in College Park, Maryland, Eric Tucker in Washington and Alexandra Jaffe in Wilmington, Delaware, contributed to this report.


thedenverpost--2020-12-28--House voting on Trump’s $2,000 checks as GOP balks

WASHINGTON — Pandemic aid secured , Congress turned Monday to confront the White House on additional year-end priorities after President Donald Trump reluctantly signed a $ 2 trillion-plus COVID-19 relief and federal spending package that will provide relief for millions of Americans .
The House was voting during the rare holiday week session on Trump ’ s unmet demand for larger $ 2,000 virus relief checks .
Democrats who control the House favor the larger stipends , beyond the $ 600 payments included in the massive COVID bill .
But the president ’ s push for more spending is forcing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ payments into a tough spot .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared , “ Republicans have a choice : Vote for this legislation or vote to deny the American people ” the assistance she said they need during the pandemic .
The showdown could end up as more symbol than substance , and the outcome is highly uncertain .
Republican leaders indicated their party is split – some objecting to more spending while others are inclined to support Trump ’ s push for checks , wary of bucking the outgoing president ’ s demands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acknowledged the division and said Congress had already approved ample funds during the COVID crisis .
“ Nothing in this bill helps anybody get back to work , ” he said .
It ’ s unclear if Trump will have accomplished anything during the days of drama over his refusal to accept the sweeping bipartisan deal negotiated by his own administration .
The package the president signed into law late Sunday in Florida , where he is spending the holidays , includes two parts — $ 900 billion in COVID aid and $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It will deliver long-sought cash to businesses and individuals and avert a federal government shutdown that otherwise would have started Tuesday , in the midst of the public health crisis .
Aside from the direct $ 600 checks to most Americans , the COVID portion of the bill revives a weekly pandemic jobless benefit boost — this time $ 300 , through March 14 — as well as a popular Paycheck Protection Program of grants to businesses to keep workers on payrolls .
It extends eviction protections , adding a new rental assistance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expands on an earlier effort from Washington , the largest of its kind .
It offers billions of dollars for vaccine purchases and distribution , for virus contact tracing , public health departments , schools , universities , farmers , food pantry programs and other institutions and groups facing hardship in the pandemic .
Americans earning up to $ 75,000 will qualify for the direct $ 600 payments , which are phased out at higher income levels , and there ’ s an additional $ 600 payment per dependent child .
Meantime the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal agencies nationwide running without dramatic changes until Sept. 30 .
Together with votes Monday and Tuesday to override Trump ’ s veto of a sweeping defense bill , the attempt to send much higher pandemic-era checks to people is perhaps the last standoff of the president ’ s final days in office as he imposes fresh demands and disputes the results of the presidential election .
The new Congress is set to be sworn in Sunday .
The bill is expected to easily pass the House , but faces resistance Tuesday from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sudden decision to sign the bill came as he faced escalating criticism from lawmakers on all sides over his eleventh-hour demands .
The bipartisan bill negotiated by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had already passed the House and Senate by wide margins .
Lawmakers had thought they had Trump ’ s blessing after months of negotiations with his administration .
The president ’ s defiant refusal to act , publicized with a heated video he tweeted just before the Christmas holiday , sparked chaos , a lapse in unemployment benefits for millions and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
It was another crisis of his own making , resolved when he ultimately signed the bill into law .
In his statement about the signing , Trump repeated his frustrations with the COVID-19 relief bill for providing only $ 600 checks to most Americans and complained about what he considered unnecessary spending , particularly on foreign aid — much of it proposed by his own budget .
While the president insisted he would send Congress “ a redlined version ” with spending items he wants removed , those are merely suggestions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resist such cuts .
For now , the administration can only begin work sending out the $ 600 payments .
A day after the signing , Trump was back at the golf course in Florida , where he is expected to move after President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on January 20 .
Republican Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama , a conservative who supported Trump ’ s extraordinary and futile challenge of the election results , counted himself Monday among the opponents of a more generous relief package and Trump ’ s call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s money we don ’ t have , we have to borrow to get and we can ’ t afford to pay back , ” he said on “ Fox and Friends.
” But Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York said she was open to the idea of $ 2,000 checks .
“ Many Americans are in dire need of relief , ” she said on the show .
Altogether , Republicans and Democrats alike swiftly welcomed Trump ’ s decision to sign the bill into law .
“ The compromise bill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do an enormous amount of good for struggling Kentuckians and Americans across the country who need help now , ” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky. “ I thank the President for signing this relief into law.
” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer , D-N.Y. , said he would offer Trump ’ s proposal for $ 2,000 checks for a vote in Senate — putting Republicans on the spot .
“ The House will pass a bill to give Americans $ 2,000 checks , ” Schumer tweeted .
“ Then I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate.
” He said no Democrats will object .
“ Will Senate Republicans ?
” Democrats are promising more aid to come once Biden takes office , but Republicans are signaling a wait-and-see approach .
Biden told reporters at an event in Wilmington , Delaware , that he supported the $ 2,000 checks .
Colvin reported from West Palm Beach , Florida .
Associated Press writer Andrew Taylor contributed to this report .

WASHINGTON — Pandemic aid secured, Congress turned Monday to confront the White House on additional year-end priorities after President Donald Trump reluctantly signed a $2 trillion-plus COVID-19 relief and federal spending package that will provide relief for millions of Americans.
The House was voting during the rare holiday week session on Trump’s unmet demand for larger $2,000 virus relief checks. Democrats who control the House favor the larger stipends, beyond the $600 payments included in the massive COVID bill. But the president’s push for more spending is forcing his Republican allies who oppose the higher payments into a tough spot.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared, “Republicans have a choice: Vote for this legislation or vote to deny the American people” the assistance she said they need during the pandemic.
The showdown could end up as more symbol than substance, and the outcome is highly uncertain. Republican leaders indicated their party is split – some objecting to more spending while others are inclined to support Trump’s push for checks, wary of bucking the outgoing president’s demands.
Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, acknowledged the division and said Congress had already approved ample funds during the COVID crisis. “Nothing in this bill helps anybody get back to work,” he said.
It’s unclear if Trump will have accomplished anything during the days of drama over his refusal to accept the sweeping bipartisan deal negotiated by his own administration.
The package the president signed into law late Sunday in Florida, where he is spending the holidays, includes two parts — $900 billion in COVID aid and $1.4 trillion to fund government agencies. It will deliver long-sought cash to businesses and individuals and avert a federal government shutdown that otherwise would have started Tuesday, in the midst of the public health crisis.
Aside from the direct $600 checks to most Americans, the COVID portion of the bill revives a weekly pandemic jobless benefit boost — this time $300, through March 14 — as well as a popular Paycheck Protection Program of grants to businesses to keep workers on payrolls. It extends eviction protections, adding a new rental assistance fund.
The COVID package draws and expands on an earlier effort from Washington, the largest of its kind. It offers billions of dollars for vaccine purchases and distribution, for virus contact tracing, public health departments, schools, universities, farmers, food pantry programs and other institutions and groups facing hardship in the pandemic.
Americans earning up to $75,000 will qualify for the direct $600 payments, which are phased out at higher income levels, and there’s an additional $600 payment per dependent child.
Meantime the government funding portion of the bill keeps federal agencies nationwide running without dramatic changes until Sept. 30.
Together with votes Monday and Tuesday to override Trump’s veto of a sweeping defense bill, the attempt to send much higher pandemic-era checks to people is perhaps the last standoff of the president’s final days in office as he imposes fresh demands and disputes the results of the presidential election. The new Congress is set to be sworn in Sunday.
The bill is expected to easily pass the House, but faces resistance Tuesday from the Republican-led Senate.
Trump’s sudden decision to sign the bill came as he faced escalating criticism from lawmakers on all sides over his eleventh-hour demands. The bipartisan bill negotiated by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had already passed the House and Senate by wide margins. Lawmakers had thought they had Trump’s blessing after months of negotiations with his administration.
The president’s defiant refusal to act, publicized with a heated video he tweeted just before the Christmas holiday, sparked chaos, a lapse in unemployment benefits for millions and the threat of a government shutdown in the pandemic. It was another crisis of his own making, resolved when he ultimately signed the bill into law.
In his statement about the signing, Trump repeated his frustrations with the COVID-19 relief bill for providing only $600 checks to most Americans and complained about what he considered unnecessary spending, particularly on foreign aid — much of it proposed by his own budget.
While the president insisted he would send Congress “a redlined version” with spending items he wants removed, those are merely suggestions to Congress. Democrats said they would resist such cuts.
For now, the administration can only begin work sending out the $600 payments.
A day after the signing, Trump was back at the golf course in Florida, where he is expected to move after President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on January 20.
Republican Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama, a conservative who supported Trump’s extraordinary and futile challenge of the election results, counted himself Monday among the opponents of a more generous relief package and Trump’s call for higher payments.
“It’s money we don’t have, we have to borrow to get and we can’t afford to pay back,” he said on “Fox and Friends.”
But Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York said she was open to the idea of $2,000 checks. “Many Americans are in dire need of relief,” she said on the show.
Altogether, Republicans and Democrats alike swiftly welcomed Trump’s decision to sign the bill into law.
“The compromise bill is not perfect, but it will do an enormous amount of good for struggling Kentuckians and Americans across the country who need help now,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. “I thank the President for signing this relief into law.”
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he would offer Trump’s proposal for $2,000 checks for a vote in Senate — putting Republicans on the spot.
“The House will pass a bill to give Americans $2,000 checks,” Schumer tweeted. “Then I will move to pass it in the Senate.” He said no Democrats will object. “Will Senate Republicans?”
Democrats are promising more aid to come once Biden takes office, but Republicans are signaling a wait-and-see approach.
Biden told reporters at an event in Wilmington, Delaware, that he supported the $2,000 checks.
Colvin reported from West Palm Beach, Florida. Associated Press writer Andrew Taylor contributed to this report.


thedenverpost--2020-12-28--What the COVID-19 vaccine side effects feel like, according to those who have gotten the shot

Two and a half hours after being injected with a COVID-19 vaccine , Dr. Taneisha Wilson had the worst headache of her life .
In her home office in Cranston , Rhode Island , Wilson , 36 , an emergency physician with a constitution she calls “ horse-like , ” laid her head down on the desk .
Fighting a wave of nausea , she let out an involuntary groan loud enough to be heard by her husband in a room down the hall .
“ Are you OK , babe ?
” he called .
“ It felt like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an interview .
That is not how most people who get the vaccine feel afterward , but reactions like Wilson ’ s were not uncommon in the clinical trial results of the two COVID vaccines now being distributed across the country .
Pfizer , the company that makes the one she received , reported that some 13 % of recipients ages 18 to 55 had a bad headache after the first dose .
About 16 % of those who received the other vaccine , made by Moderna , in a late-stage trial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them from going about their daily routine .
As tens of millions of Americans await their turn for a shot , many are hungering for details about what to expect .
So , at the request of friends , colleagues and reporters , some people like Wilson who were in the vanguard of the biggest vaccination program in U.S. history are beginning to offer their personal accounts .
The New York Times interviewed several dozen of the newly vaccinated in the days afterward .
They recounted a wide spectrum of responses , from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t even tell I had the shot , ” said a hospital worker in Iowa City , Iowa — to symptoms like uncontrolled shivering and “ brain fog.
” A nurse assistant in Glendora , California , wondered whether the fever he ran was a side effect of the vaccine or a sign that he had been infected by one of his COVID patients .
And there was a dizzying variety of sore arms .
Some likened the pain to that from a flu shot ; for others , it was considerably @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who spoke to The Times for this article , Wilson stressed that she had no regrets about getting the shot , despite the headache , which was gone within 36 hours .
The Food and Drug Administration has found the vaccines to be safe and remarkably effective .
And public health leaders say mass vaccination is the only hope for controlling the virus that is now claiming the lives of close to 3,000 Americans a day .
But in these first weeks of vaccination , there is an inescapable element of suspense .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to get the necessary second dose , vaccine recipients are handed information on how to report side effects to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through an app called V-Safe .
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines both rely on a genetic technology that has never before yielded a vaccine that won regulatory approval .
They are authorized for emergency use only .
Studies of their safety , including the cases of an Alaska health care worker and a Boston doctor who experienced severe allergic reactions after receiving their shots , are still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bed at 10:30 on a weekday morning , she could not help but be “ hyper-aware , ” she said , “ that I had just been vaccinated with this novel vaccine.
” As vaccines go , experts have agreed , the two being distributed now elicit more reactions than most .
At the Sundale Nursing Home in Morgantown , West Virginia , Betty Shannon , 81 , said some fellow residents had an upset stomach after becoming some of the nation ’ s first seniors to receive a COVID vaccine .
Lorenzo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in California , was unusually tired and achy .
Delayna Frint , a nurse in Highlands Ranch , Colorado , said her arm was so sore after the shot that in order to hang intravenous therapy bags , she had to lower the stands .
But for infectious disease experts , a nation down for the count with post-vaccine malaise would be the best news in a long time .
The side effects dissipate within a few days , and they are a signal , the experts say , that the vaccine is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ side ’ effects , but it ’ s really just an effect , ” said Dr. Paul Offit , a University of Pennsylvania vaccinologist who is a member of the FDA ’ s vaccine advisory panel .
“ This is what your immune response does when it ’ s responding to an infection.
” The vaccines each work by prompting the body to make a particular protein that the coronavirus uses to enter human cells ; neither exposes the recipient to the virus itself .
The presence of that protein in the body @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that can destroy the protein — the key to providing protection against a future invasion of the actual virus .
But the process also releases substances that can cause inflammation , which can result in fever , fatigue , headache and other symptoms .
Many more participants in the vaccine trials registered discomfort after the second dose , given three or four weeks later , than after the first .
That is probably because by that time , the body is already primed to attack the protein , experts said .
Most of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans who received a vaccine this month had already been seen among the roughly 35,000 people who were vaccinated in the Pfizer and Moderna clinical trials .
But experts expect new ones to appear : “ If it ’ s a one-in-a-million thing , you need a million to see even one , ” said Dr. Peter Doshi , an associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy .
Some may be mild allergic reactions , like the “ body-wide itching ” and “ mild , small hives along forearm ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Connecticut , described in a Facebook post with a video clip .
Or they may be more severe , like the handful of cases of anaphylaxis that the CDC has already identified .
And others may simply be more intense versions of what the trials called “ fatigue.
” Alyson MacGregor , an associate professor of emergency medicine at Brown University and an accomplished home chef , said she spent the day after her vaccination in a mental fog that turned her attempt at the most basic of meals into an inedible blob @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I messed up ramen , ” she told her husband that night .
She felt , she said , as if “ there was a cloud over me , following me around.
” The first several million doses of both vaccines are earmarked for health care workers and for nursing home residents who are at elevated risk of dying from COVID-19 if they become infected .
Public health leaders have estimated that more than 200 million Americans will need to be vaccinated to effectively prevent the virus from spreading .
In polls , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ receiving COVID vaccinations .
And some front-line health workers have wrestled with whether discussing their own side effects might deter others from getting vaccinated .
“ I do worry — is it going to encourage someone to have second thoughts ?
” said Dr. Matthew Harris , 38 , an emergency medicine doctor in Great Neck , New York .
Harris was up all night with a fever , shivering underneath a blanket , after receiving the first shot .
He had joint pain in his wrists and shoulders that lasted into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ published a post on Facebook about receiving his shot .
It had been an especially emotional moment for him , nine months to the day after he was hospitalized with a severe case of COVID and did not know whether he would survive to see his wife and two young children again .
“ Please , ” one nonmedical friend commented on his vaccination post , “ let us know what the experience is like !
!
!
” So the next day , he posted about his reaction , with the hashtag @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ‘ This is the light at the end of the tunnel , ’ ” Harris said in an interview .
“ But are people going to feel great 100 % of the time after this vaccine ?
No .
And if we ’ re not honest with them , how can we expect them to trust us ?
” Dr. Sylvia Owusu-Ansah , an emergency physician in Pittsburgh , has also opted to chronicle her vaccine side effects on Facebook .
She is African American , and at the livestreamed inoculation earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she “ wanted to share with my community that it is OK. ” Distrust of the vaccine is particularly high among Black Americans , because of a history of mistreatment of Black people by the medical establishment .
In the name of transparency , Owusu-Ansah recorded “ mild muscle aches and pains with left arm soreness ” on day one and “ nasal congestion , mild headache ” on days three through five — pointedly beginning her posts with “ I AM STILL HERE !
” Forty-eight hours after Wilson ’ s post-vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ returned to her job in the emergency room at a hospital .
Like many hospitals around the nation , its intensive care unit was crowded with COVID cases .
On one recent shift , Wilson said , there were 12 patients in the critical care bay and only one bed available in the ICU to take them .
“ These are people having strokes , myocardial infarction that need catheterization , ” she recalled .
“ You have to understand the reality.
” That time , Wilson said , it wasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feel as if she was going to throw up .
She is scheduled for her second dose of the vaccine next month .
Subscribe to bi-weekly newsletter to get health news sent straight to your inbox .

The New York Times News Service Syndicate

Two and a half hours after being injected with a COVID-19 vaccine, Dr. Taneisha Wilson had the worst headache of her life.
In her home office in Cranston, Rhode Island, Wilson, 36, an emergency physician with a constitution she calls “horse-like,” laid her head down on the desk. Fighting a wave of nausea, she let out an involuntary groan loud enough to be heard by her husband in a room down the hall.
“Are you OK, babe?” he called.
“It felt like I got smacked,” Wilson recalled in an interview.
That is not how most people who get the vaccine feel afterward, but reactions like Wilson’s were not uncommon in the clinical trial results of the two COVID vaccines now being distributed across the country. Pfizer, the company that makes the one she received, reported that some 13% of recipients ages 18 to 55 had a bad headache after the first dose. About 16% of those who received the other vaccine, made by Moderna, in a late-stage trial had a reaction strong enough to prevent them from going about their daily routine.
As tens of millions of Americans await their turn for a shot, many are hungering for details about what to expect. So, at the request of friends, colleagues and reporters, some people like Wilson who were in the vanguard of the biggest vaccination program in U.S. history are beginning to offer their personal accounts.
The New York Times interviewed several dozen of the newly vaccinated in the days afterward. They recounted a wide spectrum of responses, from no reaction at all — “Can’t even tell I had the shot,” said a hospital worker in Iowa City, Iowa — to symptoms like uncontrolled shivering and “brain fog.” A nurse assistant in Glendora, California, wondered whether the fever he ran was a side effect of the vaccine or a sign that he had been infected by one of his COVID patients.
And there was a dizzying variety of sore arms. Some likened the pain to that from a flu shot; for others, it was considerably worse.
Like nearly every vaccine recipient who spoke to The Times for this article, Wilson stressed that she had no regrets about getting the shot, despite the headache, which was gone within 36 hours. The Food and Drug Administration has found the vaccines to be safe and remarkably effective. And public health leaders say mass vaccination is the only hope for controlling the virus that is now claiming the lives of close to 3,000 Americans a day.
But in these first weeks of vaccination, there is an inescapable element of suspense.
Along with a card reminding them when to get the necessary second dose, vaccine recipients are handed information on how to report side effects to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through an app called V-Safe.
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines both rely on a genetic technology that has never before yielded a vaccine that won regulatory approval. They are authorized for emergency use only. Studies of their safety, including the cases of an Alaska health care worker and a Boston doctor who experienced severe allergic reactions after receiving their shots, are still underway.
And as Wilson crawled into bed at 10:30 on a weekday morning, she could not help but be “hyper-aware,” she said, “that I had just been vaccinated with this novel vaccine.”
Navigating a Brain Fog
As vaccines go, experts have agreed, the two being distributed now elicit more reactions than most.
At the Sundale Nursing Home in Morgantown, West Virginia, Betty Shannon, 81, said some fellow residents had an upset stomach after becoming some of the nation’s first seniors to receive a COVID vaccine.
Lorenzo Alfonso, 34, a nurse assistant in California, was unusually tired and achy.
Delayna Frint, a nurse in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, said her arm was so sore after the shot that in order to hang intravenous therapy bags, she had to lower the stands.
But for infectious disease experts, a nation down for the count with post-vaccine malaise would be the best news in a long time. The side effects dissipate within a few days, and they are a signal, the experts say, that the vaccine is working.
“We call them ‘side’ effects, but it’s really just an effect,” said Dr. Paul Offit, a University of Pennsylvania vaccinologist who is a member of the FDA’s vaccine advisory panel. “This is what your immune response does when it’s responding to an infection.”
The vaccines each work by prompting the body to make a particular protein that the coronavirus uses to enter human cells; neither exposes the recipient to the virus itself. The presence of that protein in the body sets off the production of new antibodies that can destroy the protein — the key to providing protection against a future invasion of the actual virus. But the process also releases substances that can cause inflammation, which can result in fever, fatigue, headache and other symptoms.
Many more participants in the vaccine trials registered discomfort after the second dose, given three or four weeks later, than after the first. That is probably because by that time, the body is already primed to attack the protein, experts said.
Most of the reactions experienced by the 1.9 million Americans who received a vaccine this month had already been seen among the roughly 35,000 people who were vaccinated in the Pfizer and Moderna clinical trials. But experts expect new ones to appear: “If it’s a one-in-a-million thing, you need a million to see even one,” said Dr. Peter Doshi, an associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy.
Some may be mild allergic reactions, like the “body-wide itching” and “mild, small hives along forearm” that Dr. Megan Hajjar of Farmington, Connecticut, described in a Facebook post with a video clip. Or they may be more severe, like the handful of cases of anaphylaxis that the CDC has already identified.
And others may simply be more intense versions of what the trials called “fatigue.” Alyson MacGregor, an associate professor of emergency medicine at Brown University and an accomplished home chef, said she spent the day after her vaccination in a mental fog that turned her attempt at the most basic of meals into an inedible blob.
“I can’t believe I messed up ramen,” she told her husband that night.
She felt, she said, as if “there was a cloud over me, following me around.”
Debating Disclosure
The first several million doses of both vaccines are earmarked for health care workers and for nursing home residents who are at elevated risk of dying from COVID-19 if they become infected.
Public health leaders have estimated that more than 200 million Americans will need to be vaccinated to effectively prevent the virus from spreading. In polls, a substantial fraction have expressed hesitancy about receiving COVID vaccinations. And some front-line health workers have wrestled with whether discussing their own side effects might deter others from getting vaccinated.
“I do worry — is it going to encourage someone to have second thoughts?” said Dr. Matthew Harris, 38, an emergency medicine doctor in Great Neck, New York.
Harris was up all night with a fever, shivering underneath a blanket, after receiving the first shot. He had joint pain in his wrists and shoulders that lasted into the next day.
But he had already published a post on Facebook about receiving his shot. It had been an especially emotional moment for him, nine months to the day after he was hospitalized with a severe case of COVID and did not know whether he would survive to see his wife and two young children again.
“Please,” one nonmedical friend commented on his vaccination post, “let us know what the experience is like!!!”
So the next day, he posted about his reaction, with the hashtag #stillworthit.
“Everyone has read, ‘This is the light at the end of the tunnel,’” Harris said in an interview. “But are people going to feel great 100% of the time after this vaccine? No. And if we’re not honest with them, how can we expect them to trust us?”
Dr. Sylvia Owusu-Ansah, an emergency physician in Pittsburgh, has also opted to chronicle her vaccine side effects on Facebook. She is African American, and at the livestreamed inoculation earlier this month, she told reporters that she “wanted to share with my community that it is OK.” Distrust of the vaccine is particularly high among Black Americans, because of a history of mistreatment of Black people by the medical establishment.
In the name of transparency, Owusu-Ansah recorded “mild muscle aches and pains with left arm soreness” on day one and “nasal congestion, mild headache” on days three through five — pointedly beginning her posts with “I AM STILL HERE!”
Another Dose
Forty-eight hours after Wilson’s post-vaccine headache sent her to bed, she returned to her job in the emergency room at a hospital. Like many hospitals around the nation, its intensive care unit was crowded with COVID cases. On one recent shift, Wilson said, there were 12 patients in the critical care bay and only one bed available in the ICU to take them.
“These are people having strokes, myocardial infarction that need catheterization,” she recalled. “You have to understand the reality.”
That time, Wilson said, it wasn’t a vaccine side effect that made her feel as if she was going to throw up.
She is scheduled for her second dose of the vaccine next month.
Subscribe to bi-weekly newsletter to get health news sent straight to your inbox.


thedenverpost--2020-12-28--CU Buffs vs. Texas scouting report: Who has the edge, predictions and 3 things to watch

Colorado Buffaloes ( 4-1 ) vs. No .
20 Texas Longhorns ( 6-3 ) , Tuesday , 7 p.m. MT , Alamodome , ESPN , 850 AM , 104.3 FM 1 .
Remember the Alamo .
CU returns to the Alamo Bowl four years after its last visit — an inglorious 38-10 loss to Oklahoma State .
If the betting line ( Texas -9.0 ) is any indication , the public appears to think history will repeat itself .
The Buffs are 2-1 as underdogs this season .
Can they pull off another upset ?
2 .
Texas pitch .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ roster , including Pac-12 offensive player of the year Jarek Broussard and four other offensive starters .
A win over the Longhorns on Tuesday night could go a long way toward convincing other Lone Star State recruits to pick CU .
3 .
Losing Landman .
Nate Landman suffered a severe ankle injury at the close of the first half of CU ’ s 38-21 loss to Utah — one that not only ended the All-Pac-12 linebacker ’ s season , but took the life out of a Buffs defense that gave up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ final two quarters .
Will that unit recover in time to stifle a Longhorns attack that is 12th in scoring offense ( 41.3 ppg ) ?
Who has the edge ?
The late emergence of freshman running back Bijan Robinson added another home run threat to an already explosive Longhorns offense .
The five-star recruit out of Tucson , Ariz. , ripped off 172 yards on nine carries his last time out ( a 69-31 win at Kansas State ) and he has topped 100 yards rushing in two of his last three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sam Ehlinger ( 108 carries , 382 yards ) , the Nate Landman-less CU defense will have its hands full .
Good luck finding a more experienced QB in college football right now than Ehlinger , a four-year starter for the Horns with 45 games , 29 wins , 11,276 passing yards and 93 touchdowns under his belt .
The Austin native carved up Utah in a decisive 38-10 Alamo Bowl win a year ago with 201 yards and three TDs , but regressed just a tick this season .
If the Buffs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they must be able to apply pressure on the pass rush .
When the Buffs run • Sam Ehlinger last captain standing for Texas vs. CU Buffs in Alamo Bowl • From Broncos to Buffs , the pandemic taught us to take nothing — including each other — for granted • CU Buffs ’ trip to Alamo Bowl another chance to tap into fertile Texas recruiting grounds The Utah Utes did something no other opponent was able to do in the Buffs ’ five games this season : hold running back Jarek Broussard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defense may not be quite as stout as CU ’ s neighbors to the west , they ’ ve got plenty of playmakers .
Although one of them won ’ t be linebacker Joseph Ossai — the Horns ’ leader in tackles for loss ( 15.5 ) , who is one of four defensive captains to opt out of the Alamo Bowl .
The loss of receiver La ’ Vontae Shenault to suspension is an unneeded blow for an up-and-down Buffs passing game .
Senior quarterback Sam Noyer completed just 47.1 % of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and has thrown interceptions in each of his past four starts .
The good news for CU ?
Texas ’ secondary , which gives up an average of 274 yards per game ( 115th nationally ) , is vulnerable .
Perhaps freshman receiver Brenden Rice can build on his breakout game vs. Utah ?
Speaking of Rice , the Chandler , Ariz. , recruit scored the first punt return touchdown of his collegiate career the last time we saw him vs. Utah .
Was that more a product of a slippery , snowy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things to come from Hall of Famer Jerry Rice ’ s progeny ?
Texas has an explosive returner of its own : Defensive back D ’ Shawn Jamison has three return TDs in his career , including a 71-yard punt return in last year ’ s Alamo Bowl .
Disinterested Texas is vulnerable Texas .
That should be enough for a CU cover .
And a contest , on paper , that shouldn ’ t be this close .
The Longhorns pushed around a more physical Utah team in last year ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expect more of the same against the Buffs this year .
Every college football season , the same worn-out narrative is trotted out by the national sports media : Texas is back !
No , they are not .
The Longhorns are a constant mess of talent without direction .
The Buffs will prove it .

Colorado Buffaloes (4-1) vs. No. 20 Texas Longhorns (6-3), Tuesday, 7 p.m. MT, Alamodome, ESPN, 850 AM, 104.3 FM
Three things to watch
1. Remember the Alamo. CU returns to the Alamo Bowl four years after its last visit — an inglorious 38-10 loss to Oklahoma State. If the betting line (Texas -9.0) is any indication, the public appears to think history will repeat itself. The Buffs are 2-1 as underdogs this season. Can they pull off another upset?
2. Texas pitch. The Buffs have 22 Texans on their roster, including Pac-12 offensive player of the year Jarek Broussard and four other offensive starters. A win over the Longhorns on Tuesday night could go a long way toward convincing other Lone Star State recruits to pick CU.
3. Losing Landman. Nate Landman suffered a severe ankle injury at the close of the first half of CU’s 38-21 loss to Utah — one that not only ended the All-Pac-12 linebacker’s season, but took the life out of a Buffs defense that gave up 28 points in the game’s final two quarters. Will that unit recover in time to stifle a Longhorns attack that is 12th in scoring offense (41.3 ppg)?
Who has the edge?
When Texas runs
The late emergence of freshman running back Bijan Robinson added another home run threat to an already explosive Longhorns offense. The five-star recruit out of Tucson, Ariz., ripped off 172 yards on nine carries his last time out (a 69-31 win at Kansas State) and he has topped 100 yards rushing in two of his last three games. Between Robinson and mobile QB Sam Ehlinger (108 carries, 382 yards), the Nate Landman-less CU defense will have its hands full.
Edge: Longhorns
When Texas passes
Good luck finding a more experienced QB in college football right now than Ehlinger, a four-year starter for the Horns with 45 games, 29 wins, 11,276 passing yards and 93 touchdowns under his belt. The Austin native carved up Utah in a decisive 38-10 Alamo Bowl win a year ago with 201 yards and three TDs, but regressed just a tick this season. If the Buffs have any hope of containing him, they must be able to apply pressure on the pass rush.
Edge: Longhorns
When the Buffs run
The Utah Utes did something no other opponent was able to do in the Buffs’ five games this season: hold running back Jarek Broussard under 100 yards. While the Longhorns defense may not be quite as stout as CU’s neighbors to the west, they’ve got plenty of playmakers. Although one of them won’t be linebacker Joseph Ossai — the Horns’ leader in tackles for loss (15.5), who is one of four defensive captains to opt out of the Alamo Bowl.
Edge: Buffs
When the Buffs pass
The loss of receiver La’Vontae Shenault to suspension is an unneeded blow for an up-and-down Buffs passing game. Senior quarterback Sam Noyer completed just 47.1% of his passes in the loss to Utah and has thrown interceptions in each of his past four starts. The good news for CU? Texas’ secondary, which gives up an average of 274 yards per game (115th nationally), is vulnerable. Perhaps freshman receiver Brenden Rice can build on his breakout game vs. Utah?
Edge: Buffs
Special teams
Speaking of Rice, the Chandler, Ariz., recruit scored the first punt return touchdown of his collegiate career the last time we saw him vs. Utah. Was that more a product of a slippery, snowy Folsom Field? Or a sign of things to come from Hall of Famer Jerry Rice’s progeny? Texas has an explosive returner of its own: Defensive back D’Shawn Jamison has three return TDs in his career, including a 71-yard punt return in last year’s Alamo Bowl.
Edge: Texas
Post predictions
Sean Keeler, columnist: Texas 35, CU 27
Disinterested Texas is vulnerable Texas. That should be enough for a CU cover. And a contest, on paper, that shouldn’t be this close.
Matt Schubert, deputy sports editor: Texas 34, CU 20
The Longhorns pushed around a more physical Utah team in last year’s Alamo Bowl. Despite some disinterest, expect more of the same against the Buffs this year.
Kyle Fredrickson, beat writer: CU 27, Texas 24
Every college football season, the same worn-out narrative is trotted out by the national sports media: Texas is back! No, they are not. The Longhorns are a constant mess of talent without direction. The Buffs will prove it.


thedenverpost--2020-12-28--Broncos After Further Review: Vic Fangio confident Jerry Jeudy can bounce back after five drops

Broncos coach Vic Fangio said Monday he believes rookie receiver Jerry Jeudy has the right kind of approach and attitude to overcome his five-drop disaster in Sunday ’ s 19-16 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers .
“ Yes , I do think he ’ s got the right make-up , ” Fangio said .
“ When I ( said post-game ) it ’ s a ‘ defining moment , ’ sometimes a guy drops a pass here and there , but he had a few of them and I think he ’ ll learn a lot from that and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ catching the ball before anything else happens , regardless of whether you ’ re in traffic or not .
“ I think he ’ ll come out a better receiver for this.
” Fangio and the Broncos should hope Jeudy ’ s game was merely a blip .
The drops overshadowed Jeudy receiving a season-high 15 targets ( 14 in the previous three games combined ) .
He had six catches for 61 yards .
The five drops : Six-yard out route , eight-yard slant , five-yard slant , 12-yard corner and 45-yard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s throws on Jeudy ’ s drops weren ’ t perfect — his throw was slightly wide on the first and a little low on the third — but all were catchable .
The fourth drop would have been a touchdown , but it ’ s questionable whether Jeudy ’ s footwork was precise enough to stay in bounds .
In Sunday ’ s season finale against Las Vegas , the Broncos should prioritize sending Jeudy into the offseason on a positive note .
“ He ’ s proven during the season @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can be a helluva receiver in this league , ” Fangio said .
“ He can catch — he had a bad day ( Sunday ) in that regard , but he ’ s proven he has good hands.
” Here is our review of the Broncos-Chargers game : Playing time .
The Broncos ’ 77 offensive snaps were tied for the most this season with the Pittsburgh ( Week 2 ) and Kansas City ( Week 7 ) losses .
The skill-position snap counts : WR Tim Patrick ( 69 ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ WR DaeSean Hamilton ( 61 ) , Jeudy ( 61 ) , RB Melvin Gordon ( 51 ) , RB Royce Freeman ( 18 ) , TE Troy Fumagalli ( 18 ) , TE Nick Vannett ( 18 ) , WR Diontae Spencer ( 13 ) , RB LeVante Bellamy ( 8 ) , WR KJ Hamler ( 8 ) and TE/FB Andrew Beck ( 2 ) .
Dinking , dunking .
Los Angeles was mostly successful in taking away the Broncos ’ downfield passing game .
Lock was 3-of-12 passing for 62 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 16 “ air ” yards .
The completions were 18 yards to Hamilton , 19 to Fant and 25 to Hamilton .
Lock threw a catchable 45-yard pass to Jeudy on the final drive that was dropped , but earlier , he overshot Jeudy well downfield on what should have been a 72-yard touchdown .
Protecting Lock .
Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley rushed five or more players on only three of Lock ’ s 51 drop-backs .
The rate of 5.9 % was a season low for a Broncos opponent , ahead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the teams ’ first meeting ( three of 47 ) .
Lock was sacked twice , but no blame was booked since they were scrambles that failed to reach the line of scrimmage .
The Chargers had four knockdowns and five pressures .
RT Elijah Wilkinson had 2 1/2 disruptions allowed and LT Garett Bolles two .
• Vic Fangio expects to be back for third year as Broncos head coach in 2021 despite second straight losing season • O ’ Halloran vs. Newman : When did another disappointing Broncos season appear doomed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vic Fangio commit to a four-man pass rush ?
• Keeler : Jerry Jeudy tweets a good game , but his hands don ’ t back it up .
And it ’ s making John Elway and Drew Lock look like chumps .
Fourth down success .
The Broncos entered Sunday last in fourth down conversion rate ( 16.7 % , 2-of-12 ) , but converted both chances against the Chargers .
Trailing 16-6 on fourth-and-7 , Lock found Patrick for 27 yards ( 15 post-catch ) over the middle .
And on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fourth-and-10 , Lock ’ s throw deep middle was deflected by Chargers cornerback Chris Harris and corralled by Hamilton .
Playing time .
S Justin Simmons is one game away from playing every snap for a third consecutive season .
He played all 57 snaps Sunday along with S Kareem Jackson and CB Michael Ojemudia .
The other leaders were ILBs Josey Jewell/Alexander Johnson ( 56 ) , OLB Malik Reed ( 47 ) , OLB Jeremiah Attaochu ( 46 ) , CB De ’ Vante Bausby ( 42 ) , DE Dre @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DE Shelby Harris ( 39 ) .
In the dime package , S Trey Marshall played eight snaps in place of Alijah Holder .
Pass rush recap .
The Broncos had 10 total disruptions — two sacks and four knockdowns and pressures apiece .
The sacks were by Reed ( 4.53 seconds ) and Jones ( 2.27 seconds ) .
Attaochu had one knockdown and two pressures .
In coverage .
The breakdown in man coverage for the Broncos — Jewell ( 2-of-4 , 18 yards , one TD ) , Ojemudia ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( 1-of-1 , 26 yards ) , Bausby ( 4-of-5 , 46 yards ) , CB Will Parks ( 2-of-4 , 20 yards ) and CB Parnell Motley ( 1-of-3 , 23 yards ) .
Bausby ’ s benching .
Fangio finally gave up on Bausby following a lackadaisical missed tackle effort led to 21 post-catch yards by TE Stephen Anderson .
The book on Bausby — four allowed completions , three missed tackles and one penalty ( which came on a third-and-5 Chargers incompletion ) .
During the Chargers ’ final drive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ojemudia ( rookie who was benched earlier this year ) , Parks ( who was on Philadelphia last month ) and Motley ( who was on San Francisco ’ s practice squad last month ) .
Covering punts .
Sam Martin ’ s three punts had hang times of 3.56 , 4.38 and 4.19 seconds and his 34.7-yard net average was his lowest since Week 3 vs. Tampa Bay ( 34.2 ) .
Martin ’ s final punt hit at the Chargers ’ 7-yard line , but bounded into the end zone for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coverage players were watching the returner and not the football .

Broncos coach Vic Fangio said Monday he believes rookie receiver Jerry Jeudy has the right kind of approach and attitude to overcome his five-drop disaster in Sunday’s 19-16 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
“Yes, I do think he’s got the right make-up,” Fangio said. “When I (said post-game) it’s a ‘defining moment,’ sometimes a guy drops a pass here and there, but he had a few of them and I think he’ll learn a lot from that and that the focus needs to be on catching the ball before anything else happens, regardless of whether you’re in traffic or not.
“I think he’ll come out a better receiver for this.”
Fangio and the Broncos should hope Jeudy’s game was merely a blip. The drops overshadowed Jeudy receiving a season-high 15 targets (14 in the previous three games combined). He had six catches for 61 yards.
The five drops: Six-yard out route, eight-yard slant, five-yard slant, 12-yard corner and 45-yard post.
All of quarterback Drew Lock’s throws on Jeudy’s drops weren’t perfect — his throw was slightly wide on the first and a little low on the third — but all were catchable.
The fourth drop would have been a touchdown, but it’s questionable whether Jeudy’s footwork was precise enough to stay in bounds.
In Sunday’s season finale against Las Vegas, the Broncos should prioritize sending Jeudy into the offseason on a positive note.
“He’s proven during the season, at different times, that he can be a helluva receiver in this league,” Fangio said. “He can catch — he had a bad day (Sunday) in that regard, but he’s proven he has good hands.”
Here is our review of the Broncos-Chargers game:
Offense
Playing time. The Broncos’ 77 offensive snaps were tied for the most this season with the Pittsburgh (Week 2) and Kansas City (Week 7) losses. The skill-position snap counts: WR Tim Patrick (69), TE Noah Fant (64), WR DaeSean Hamilton (61), Jeudy (61), RB Melvin Gordon (51), RB Royce Freeman (18), TE Troy Fumagalli (18), TE Nick Vannett (18), WR Diontae Spencer (13), RB LeVante Bellamy (8), WR KJ Hamler (8) and TE/FB Andrew Beck (2).
Dinking, dunking. Los Angeles was mostly successful in taking away the Broncos’ downfield passing game. Lock was 3-of-12 passing for 62 yards on attempts that traveled at least 16 “air” yards. The completions were 18 yards to Hamilton, 19 to Fant and 25 to Hamilton. Lock threw a catchable 45-yard pass to Jeudy on the final drive that was dropped, but earlier, he overshot Jeudy well downfield on what should have been a 72-yard touchdown.
Protecting Lock. Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley rushed five or more players on only three of Lock’s 51 drop-backs. The rate of 5.9% was a season low for a Broncos opponent, ahead of 6.4% by the Chargers in the teams’ first meeting (three of 47). Lock was sacked twice, but no blame was booked since they were scrambles that failed to reach the line of scrimmage. The Chargers had four knockdowns and five pressures. RT Elijah Wilkinson had 2 1/2 disruptions allowed and LT Garett Bolles two.
Fourth down success. The Broncos entered Sunday last in fourth down conversion rate (16.7%, 2-of-12), but converted both chances against the Chargers. Trailing 16-6 on fourth-and-7, Lock found Patrick for 27 yards (15 post-catch) over the middle. And on the third-to-last play from scrimmage, on fourth-and-10, Lock’s throw deep middle was deflected by Chargers cornerback Chris Harris and corralled by Hamilton.
Defense
Playing time. S Justin Simmons is one game away from playing every snap for a third consecutive season. He played all 57 snaps Sunday along with S Kareem Jackson and CB Michael Ojemudia. The other leaders were ILBs Josey Jewell/Alexander Johnson (56), OLB Malik Reed (47), OLB Jeremiah Attaochu (46), CB De’Vante Bausby (42), DE Dre’Mont Jones (41) and DE Shelby Harris (39). In the dime package, S Trey Marshall played eight snaps in place of Alijah Holder.
Pass rush recap. The Broncos had 10 total disruptions — two sacks and four knockdowns and pressures apiece. The sacks were by Reed (4.53 seconds) and Jones (2.27 seconds). Attaochu had one knockdown and two pressures.
In coverage. The breakdown in man coverage for the Broncos — Jewell (2-of-4, 18 yards, one TD), Ojemudia (1-of-1, 12 yards), Johnson (1-of-1, 26 yards), Bausby (4-of-5, 46 yards), CB Will Parks (2-of-4, 20 yards) and CB Parnell Motley (1-of-3, 23 yards).
Bausby’s benching. Fangio finally gave up on Bausby following a lackadaisical missed tackle effort led to 21 post-catch yards by TE Stephen Anderson. The book on Bausby — four allowed completions, three missed tackles and one penalty (which came on a third-and-5 Chargers incompletion). During the Chargers’ final drive, the Broncos’ three corners were Ojemudia (rookie who was benched earlier this year), Parks (who was on Philadelphia last month) and Motley (who was on San Francisco’s practice squad last month).
Special teams
Covering punts. Sam Martin’s three punts had hang times of 3.56, 4.38 and 4.19 seconds and his 34.7-yard net average was his lowest since Week 3 vs. Tampa Bay (34.2). Martin’s final punt hit at the Chargers’ 7-yard line, but bounded into the end zone for a touchback when it appeared the Broncos coverage players were watching the returner and not the football.