thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-29--Child Labor In Palm Oil Industry Tied To Girl Scout Cookies

ASSOCIATED PRESS A child carries palm kernels collected from the ground across a creek at a palm oil plantation in Sumatra , Indonesia .
Child labor has long been a dark stain on the $ 65 billion global palm oil industry .
Olivia Chaffin , a Girl Scout in rural Tennessee , was a top cookie seller in her troop when she first heard rainforests were being destroyed to make way for ever-expanding palm oil plantations .
On one of those plantations a continent away , 10-year-old Ima helped harvest the fruit that makes its way into a dizzying array @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and cosmetics brands .
Ima is among the estimated tens of thousands of children often working alongside their parents in Indonesia and Malaysia , which supply 85 % of the world ’ s most consumed vegetable oil .
An Associated Press investigation found most earn little or no pay and are routinely exposed to toxic chemicals and other hazardous conditions .
Some never go to school or learn to read and write .
Others are smuggled across borders and left vulnerable to trafficking or sexual abuse .
The AP used U.S. Customs records @ @ @ @ @ @ @ producers , traders and buyers to trace the fruits of their labor from the processing mills where palm kernels were crushed to the supply chains of many popular kids ’ cereals , candies and ice creams sold by Nestle , Unilever , Kellogg ’ s , PepsiCo and many other leading food companies , including Ferrero – one of the two makers of Girl Scout cookies .
Olivia , who earned a badge for selling more than 600 boxes of cookies , had spotted palm oil as an ingredient on the back of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relieved to see a green tree logo next to the words “ certified sustainable.
” She assumed that meant her Thin Mints and Tagalongs weren ’ t harming rainforests , orangutans or those harvesting the orange-red palm fruit .
Thousands of miles away in Indonesia , Ima led her class in math and dreamed of becoming a doctor .
Then her father made her quit school to help meet his high company targets on the palm oil plantation where she was born .
Instead of attending fourth grade , she squatted in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kernels littering the ground .
In much smaller neighboring Malaysia , a newly released government report estimated more than 33,000 children work in the industry there – nearly half of them between the ages of 5 and 11 .
That report did not directly address the tens of thousands of so-called “ stateless ” boys and girls living in the country with parents who came from bordering countries .
Many producers , Western buyers and banks belong to the 4,000-member Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil , a global association that provides a green @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dealing with palm oil that ’ s been certified as ethically sourced .
The RSPO has a system in place to address grievances , including labor abuse allegations .
But of the nearly 100 complaints listed on its case tracker in the last decade in the two Southeast Asian countries , only a handful have mentioned children .
Palm oil is contained in roughly half the products on supermarket shelves and in almost three out of every four cosmetic brands , and many kids are introduced to it the day they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fat in infant formula .
As they grow , it ’ s present in many of their favorite foods : It ’ s in their Pop-Tarts and Cap ’ n Crunch cereal , Oreo cookies , KitKat candy bars , Magnum ice cream , doughnuts and even bubble gum .
Olivia is not the first Girl Scout to raise questions about the way palm oil makes its way into the cookies .
More than a decade ago , two girls in a Michigan troop campaigned against its use , leading the Girl Scouts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and agree to start using sustainable palm oil , adding the green tree logo to its roughly 200 million boxes of cookies , which bring in nearly $ 800 million annually .
The Girl Scouts did not respond to questions from the AP , directing reporters to the two bakers that make the cookies ― Little Brownie Bakers in Kentucky and ABC Bakers in Virginia .
Those companies and their parent corporations , Ferrero and Weston Foods respectively , also did not comment on the findings .
But both said they were committed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

A child carries palm kernels collected from the ground across a creek at a palm oil plantation in Sumatra, Indonesia. Child labor has long been a dark stain on the $65 billion global palm oil industry. ASSOCIATED PRESS
They are two young girls from two very different worlds, linked by a global industry that exploits an army of children.
Olivia Chaffin, a Girl Scout in rural Tennessee, was a top cookie seller in her troop when she first heard rainforests were being destroyed to make way for ever-expanding palm oil plantations. On one of those plantations a continent away, 10-year-old Ima helped harvest the fruit that makes its way into a dizzying array of products sold by leading Western food and cosmetics brands.
Advertisement
Ima is among the estimated tens of thousands of children often working alongside their parents in Indonesia and Malaysia, which supply 85% of the world’s most consumed vegetable oil. An Associated Press investigation found most earn little or no pay and are routinely exposed to toxic chemicals and other hazardous conditions. Some never go to school or learn to read and write. Others are smuggled across borders and left vulnerable to trafficking or sexual abuse.
Olivia Chaffin, 14, stands for a portrait with her Girl Scout sash in Jonesborough, Tenn., on Nov. 1. Olivia is asking Girl Scouts across the country to stop selling cookies, saying, "The cookies deceive a lot of people. They think it's sustainable, but it isn't." ASSOCIATED PRESS
The AP used U.S. Customs records and the most recently published data from producers, traders and buyers to trace the fruits of their labor from the processing mills where palm kernels were crushed to the supply chains of many popular kids’ cereals, candies and ice creams sold by Nestle, Unilever, Kellogg’s, PepsiCo and many other leading food companies, including Ferrero – one of the two makers of Girl Scout cookies.
Olivia, who earned a badge for selling more than 600 boxes of cookies, had spotted palm oil as an ingredient on the back of one of her packages, but was relieved to see a green tree logo next to the words “certified sustainable.” She assumed that meant her Thin Mints and Tagalongs weren’t harming rainforests, orangutans or those harvesting the orange-red palm fruit.
Advertisement
Olivia Chaffin takes photographs in a wooded area as she works on a Girl Scout photography merit badge in Jonesborough. ASSOCIATED PRESS
But later, the whip-smart 11-year-old saw the word “mixed” on the label and quickly learned it meant exactly what she feared: Sustainable palm oil had been blended with oil from unsustainable sources. To her, that meant the cookies she was peddling were tainted.
Thousands of miles away in Indonesia, Ima led her class in math and dreamed of becoming a doctor. Then her father made her quit school to help meet his high company targets on the palm oil plantation where she was born. Instead of attending fourth grade, she squatted in the unrelenting heat, snatching up the loose kernels littering the ground.
She sometimes worked 12 hours a day, wearing only flip flops and no gloves, crying when the fruit’s razor-sharp spikes bloodied her hands or scorpions stung her fingers. The loads she carried went to one of the very mills feeding into the supply chain of Olivia’s cookies.
A child collects palm kernels from the ground at a palm oil plantation in Sumatra, Indonesia. Indonesia is the world's largest palm oil producer. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Advertisement
“I am dreaming one day I can go back to school,” she told the AP.
Child labor has long been a dark stain on the $65 billion global palm oil industry, identified as a problem by rights groups, the United Nations and the U.S. government.
With little or no access to daycare, some young children in both countries follow their parents to the fields. In some cases, an entire family may earn less in a day than a $5 box of Girl Scout Do-si-dos.
“For 100 years, families have been stuck in a cycle of poverty and they know nothing else than work on a palm oil plantation,” said researcher Kartika Manurung, who has published reports detailing labor issues on Indonesian plantations.
A boy collects palm kernels from the ground at a palm oil plantation in Sumatra, Indonesia. The U.N.'s International Labor Organization has estimated that 1.5 million children, between 10 and 17 years old, work in Indonesia's agricultural sector. ASSOCIATED PRESS
The AP’s investigation into child labor is part of a broader in-depth look at the industry that also exposed rape, forced labor trafficking and slavery. Reporters crisscrossed Malaysia and Indonesia, speaking to more than 130 current and former workers ― some two dozen of them child laborers – at nearly 25 companies.
Advertisement
Indonesian government officials said they do not know how many children work in the country’s massive palm oil industry. But the U.N.’s International Labor Organization has estimated 1.5 million children between 10 and 17 years old labor in its agricultural sector. Palm oil is one of the largest crops, employing some 16 million people.
In much smaller neighboring Malaysia, a newly released government report estimated more than 33,000 children work in the industry there – nearly half of them between the ages of 5 and 11. That report did not directly address the tens of thousands of so-called “stateless” boys and girls living in the country with parents who came from bordering countries.
Babies and toddlers of female palm oil workers nap in a makeshift daycare center in Sumatra, Indonesia, as their parents work. Most mothers who work on palm oil plantations do not have access to childcare, forcing them to take their young children with them into the fields. ASSOCIATED PRESS
An official from Malaysia’s Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities did not respond to repeated requests for comment, but Nageeb Wahab, head of the Malaysian Palm Oil Association, called allegations of child labor very serious and urged complaints to be reported to authorities.
Soes Hindharno, an official from Indonesia’s Manpower Ministry, said he had not received any complaints about child labor occurring in his own country, but an official from the ministry that oversees women and children’s issues labeled it an area of growing concern.
Advertisement
Many producers, Western buyers and banks belong to the 4,000-member Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, a global association that provides a green stamp of approval to those committed to dealing with palm oil that’s been certified as ethically sourced. The RSPO has a system in place to address grievances, including labor abuse allegations. But of the nearly 100 complaints listed on its case tracker in the last decade in the two Southeast Asian countries, only a handful have mentioned children.
Students of a boarding school rest in their dormitory in North Kalimantan, Indonesia. Some palm oil workers who work illegally in Malaysia send their children to the school in this transit town because they have no access to education in Malaysia due to their parents' employment status. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dan Strechay, the RSPO’s global outreach and engagement director, said the association has started working with UNICEF and others to educate members about what constitutes child labor.
Palm oil is contained in roughly half the products on supermarket shelves and in almost three out of every four cosmetic brands, and many kids are introduced to it the day they’re born – it’s a primary fat in infant formula. As they grow, it’s present in many of their favorite foods: It’s in their Pop-Tarts and Cap’n Crunch cereal, Oreo cookies, KitKat candy bars, Magnum ice cream, doughnuts and even bubble gum.
A little girl helps her parents work on a palm oil plantation in Sabah, Malaysia. Many children gather loose kernels and clear brush from the trees with machetes, never learning to read or write. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Advertisement
Olivia is not the first Girl Scout to raise questions about the way palm oil makes its way into the cookies. More than a decade ago, two girls in a Michigan troop campaigned against its use, leading the Girl Scouts of the USA to join the RSPO and agree to start using sustainable palm oil, adding the green tree logo to its roughly 200 million boxes of cookies, which bring in nearly $800 million annually.
The Girl Scouts did not respond to questions from the AP, directing reporters to the two bakers that make the cookies ― Little Brownie Bakers in Kentucky and ABC Bakers in Virginia. Those companies and their parent corporations, Ferrero and Weston Foods respectively, also did not comment on the findings. But both said they were committed to sourcing only certified sustainable palm oil.
Olivia Chaffin displays merit badges that she has been awarded for selling Girl Scout Cookies in Jonesborough. She was a top cookie seller in her troop when she first heard rainforests were being destroyed to produce palm oil. ASSOCIATED PRESS
When contacted by the AP, other companies affirmed their support of human rights for all workers, with some noting they rely on their suppliers to meet industry standards and abide by local laws. If evidence of wrongdoing is found, some said they would immediately cut ties with producers.
“We aim to prevent and address the issue of child labor wherever it occurs in our supply chain,” said Nestle, maker of KitKat candy bars. And Kellogg’s, the parent company of Pop-Tarts, said it was committed to working with suppliers to source “fully traceable palm oil.” There was no response from Mondelez, which owns Oreo cookies, or Cap’n Crunch parent company PepsiCo.
Advertisement
Now 14, Olivia, who lives in Jonesborough, Tennessee, has started a petition to get palm oil removed from Girl Scout cookies. And she’s stopped selling them.
“I thought Girl Scouts was supposed to be about making the world a better place,” she said. “But this isn’t at all making the world better.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-29--Archie Makes A Surprise Guest Appearance On Meghan Markle & Prince Harry's First Podcast

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex released their eagerly anticipated holiday special on Tuesday , nearly two weeks after Spotify announced its multiyear partnership with the couple ’ s new Archewell Audio production company .
The couple ’ s son , Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor , even makes a surprise appearance and says a few words into the microphone .
It ’ s the first time royal fans have ever heard the 1-and-a-half year old publicly speak .
“ We ’ re glad you ’ re here .
As we all know , it ’ s been a year , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ episode .
“ And we really want to honor the compassion and kindness that has helped so many people get through it.
” “ And , at the same time , to honor those who have experienced uncertainty and unthinkable loss , ” Meghan adds .
“ Our thoughts have been with you , especially during this holiday season.
” For the special holiday episode , the duke explained that the couple asked some of their friends ― and people they admire ― to document their thoughts on what they ’ ve learned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hopeful for going into 2021 .
“ We were curious to hear what they ’ d reflect on when they had a moment to themselves … without navigating the sometimes awkward dance of a video chat , ” Harry said .
“ Meaning , no one having to say ‘ you ’ re on mute ’ over and over again — which is probably one of the defining phrases of 2020.
” Stacey Abrams , who Meghan mentioned speaking to over the summer , stops by to chat , along with José Andrés @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the couple ’ s Archewell Foundation .
Sir Elton John and James Corden , longtime friends of the couple , also pop by .
Spotify previously revealed a snippet of Harry and Meghan ( and their podcast voices ! )
introducing themselves earlier this month , when their new venture and deal was announced .
“ Should we , should we start ?
Hmm ?
Ladies first , ” the duke says to Meghan at the beginning of the clip .
The duchess replies , “ No , say it !
’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with your accent.
” The duke and duchess released a statement about their choice to partner with Spotify in December on the heels of their megawatt deal with Netflix in September .
“ What we love about podcasting is that it reminds all of us to take a moment and to really listen , to connect to one another without distraction , ” they said in a joint statement shared with HuffPost at the time .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are officially taking over the heir-waves. And little Archie is helping too!
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex released their eagerly anticipated holiday special on Tuesday, nearly two weeks after Spotify announced its multiyear partnership with the couple’s new Archewell Audio production company.
Advertisement
The podcast episode features a star-studded lineup of inspirational figures and Sussex friends, all reflecting on their 2020 experiences through audio diaries.
The couple’s son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, even makes a surprise appearance and says a few words into the microphone. It’s the first time royal fans have ever heard the 1-and-a-half year old publicly speak.
Archie publicly speaks for the first time on the couple's new podcast. Pool via Getty Images
“We’re glad you’re here. As we all know, it’s been a year,” Harry says in the beginning of the episode. “And we really want to honor the compassion and kindness that has helped so many people get through it.”
Advertisement
“And, at the same time, to honor those who have experienced uncertainty and unthinkable loss,” Meghan adds. “Our thoughts have been with you, especially during this holiday season.”
For the special holiday episode, the duke explained that the couple asked some of their friends ― and people they admire ― to document their thoughts on what they’ve learned this year and what they’re hopeful for going into 2021.
“We were curious to hear what they’d reflect on when they had a moment to themselves … without navigating the sometimes awkward dance of a video chat,” Harry said. “Meaning, no one having to say ‘you’re on mute’ over and over again — which is probably one of the defining phrases of 2020.”
Special guests include climate and food activist Christina Adane, tennis pro Naomi Osaka, professor and podcast host Brené Brown, Loveland Foundation founder Rachel Cargle, Deepak Chopra, novelist Matt Haig, poet and mental health campaigner Hussain Manawer, George the Poet, and actor and director Tyler Perry.
Stacey Abrams, who Meghan mentioned speaking to over the summer, stops by to chat, along with José Andrés, whose World Central Kitchen recently partnered with the couple’s Archewell Foundation. Sir Elton John and James Corden, longtime friends of the couple, also pop by.
Advertisement
At the end of the episode, the couple introduces a very special guest ― Archie.
“You can speak into it,” the duke says, directing Archie to the microphone.
“Archie, is it fun?” the duchess says, as Archie repeats after her and says, “Fun.”
“After me,” the duke says, “Ready? Happy ...”
“Happy ...” Archie repeats.
“New ... ” the duke and duchess say.
“New ... Year,” Archie finishes, all by himself.
“YAY!” Meghan and Harry exclaim, before the duke signs off with a trademark “BOOM” and laughs, while Archie lets out a little giggle.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex released their first holiday episode with Archewell Audio and Spotify on Tuesday. Chris Jackson via Getty Images
Spotify previously revealed a snippet of Harry and Meghan (and their podcast voices!) introducing themselves earlier this month, when their new venture and deal was announced.
“Should we, should we start? Hmm? Ladies first,” the duke says to Meghan at the beginning of the clip. The duchess replies, “No, say it! ’Cause I think it sounds really nice with your accent.”
Advertisement
·
The duke and duchess released a statement about their choice to partner with Spotify in December on the heels of their megawatt deal with Netflix in September.
“What we love about podcasting is that it reminds all of us to take a moment and to really listen, to connect to one another without distraction,” they said in a joint statement shared with HuffPost at the time.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-30--I Isolated In A COVID-19 Quarantine Hotel And It Was Nothing Like You Would Expect

I was between homes when I found out I had been exposed to the coronavirus .
I live in San Francisco , and the city provides free , government-sponsored COVID-19 testing to its residents .
As soon as I learned I had come in contact with the virus , I was able to go to a walk-in testing site .
I couldn ’ t move in anywhere new or crash with friends because I might have had the virus and didn ’ t want to expose anyone .
I ’ d been laid off due to the pandemic and was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a hotel on my own dime was financially out of the question .
The van that came to pick me up was not , in fact , an ambulance , but it was a large white van with vaguely janky-looking plastic sheeting held together with tape to separate me from the driver .
The van said “ SF Paratransit ” on the side , so that slightly reassured me that I was not about to become part of the plot of a film starring Liam Neeson .
We arrived at the hotel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with a fenced-in parking lot monitored by security guards so nobody could come in ( or leave ) .
As he let me out of the back of the van , the driver sardonically remarked with a chuckle , “ We ’ re here !
Time to heat up the Jacuzzi and get the mini-bar ready !
” I was greeted by two friendly nurses who showed me to my room , verified that I knew why I was there , took my temperature , and explained how the quarantine was going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every “ guest ” at the hotel had been exposed to the virus , we were not allowed to leave until we were medically cleared .
Therefore , nobody was provided with room keys , so if we left our rooms , we would not be able to get back in .
However , if I needed fresh air , I could contact the front desk and they would allow me into the hotel ’ s courtyard .
They said they did daily checks on each guest to monitor our symptoms and noted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including mental health support staff .
My room had a phone with a clearly marked number I could call at any hour of the day to ask for extra towels , extra food or anything else I might need .
The dispatcher had mentioned I could take walks around the parking lot , so I double-checked with the nurses to see if this was allowed .
Thus began my stay in the quarantine hotel ― or “ Hotel COVIDfornia , ” as I nicknamed it .
My room had WiFi , a desk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a microwave .
I made a schedule for myself to adhere to every day so that I ’ d stay productive and , you know , not go crazy .
I wrote , applied for jobs , and spent a lot of time searching for a place to move into once I was discharged as coronavirus-free , disclosing my situation with every potential place I talked to .
Throughout my time at the hotel , I was concerned that I was taking up space needed for someone who was actively sick .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t have anywhere else to quarantine , had been exposed to COVID-19 , and still might be sick ― just asymptomatic or with symptoms about to show up ― so it would be worse to wander around in public or stay with someone else .
On Day 3 , as I was settling into the riveting nightly routine I ’ d developed over the past nine months ( i.e.
, binging “ 90 Day Fiancé ” spinoffs and beating Midwestern strangers at Words With Friends ) , I suddenly became extremely congested and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chest got tight , my nose was stuffed up , I couldn ’ t smell , and I started having to take dramatic open-mouth heaves in order to feel any air come into my lungs .
A few days before the end of my stay , someone stopped in to give me a COVID-19 test , noting that if it came back negative , I ’ d be good to go in a couple of days .
They also said they would be able to help me find somewhere else to stay if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place .
Los Angeles , New York and some other cities and counties have similar quarantine options for those who need them .
If you or someone you know has been exposed to COVID-19 and has nowhere else to isolate , contact your local health department , pandemic resources site or COVID-19 hotline to find out whether such services are available .
( At least in San Francisco , the infected person you came in contact with needs to call the hotline and state that they have exposed you . )

YakobchukOlena via Getty Images
When I told people I was going to stay in a completely isolated COVID-19 quarantine hotel, they said it sounded like the plot of a horror movie. I can’t say I entered the situation without any sense of trepidation myself.
I was between homes when I found out I had been exposed to the coronavirus. I live in San Francisco, and the city provides free, government-sponsored COVID-19 testing to its residents. As soon as I learned I had come in contact with the virus, I was able to go to a walk-in testing site.
Advertisement
My results came in roughly 30 hours, and I tested negative. However, false negatives are possible, especially early in an infection, and it can take two to 14 days for symptoms to show up, so I wasn’t necessarily in the clear yet.
I couldn’t move in anywhere new or crash with friends because I might have had the virus and didn’t want to expose anyone. I’d been laid off due to the pandemic and was surviving off odd jobs, so isolating in a hotel on my own dime was financially out of the question.
But San Francisco provides free quarantine hotels for people who have nowhere else to isolate. I left a message on the hotline explaining my situation. When they called and asked if I was ready to go, the dispatcher made sure I knew what I was getting myself into.
“It’s total isolation, so you can go for a walk around the parking lot with your mask on, but that’s about it,” she warned.
Advertisement
“That’s fine!” I chirped. I was more than happy to be super-isolated if it meant eliminating the risk of spreading the virus to others.
“We’ll send you three meals a day, and we do COVID testing on-site, so you won’t have to leave for any reason,” she explained.
“Wow, OK!” I said.
“We’ll send a van to pick you up in half an hour. Just so you know, depending on which cars we have available at the moment, it might be an ambulance.”
“Wow! I ... what?”
The van that came to pick me up was not, in fact, an ambulance, but it was a large white van with vaguely janky-looking plastic sheeting held together with tape to separate me from the driver. The van said “SF Paratransit” on the side, so that slightly reassured me that I was not about to become part of the plot of a film starring Liam Neeson.
Still, as I stepped into the van and watched the driver shut and bolt the door, I had a brief moment of “Wait ― what exactly have I gotten myself into?”
Advertisement
Plastic sheeting inside the van separated the author from the driver. Courtesy of Jessica Nemire
We arrived at the hotel. It was a standard two-star facility, with a fenced-in parking lot monitored by security guards so nobody could come in (or leave). As he let me out of the back of the van, the driver sardonically remarked with a chuckle, “We’re here! Time to heat up the Jacuzzi and get the mini-bar ready!”
I was greeted by two friendly nurses who showed me to my room, verified that I knew why I was there, took my temperature, and explained how the quarantine was going to go. They said that because every “guest” at the hotel had been exposed to the virus, we were not allowed to leave until we were medically cleared. Therefore, nobody was provided with room keys, so if we left our rooms, we would not be able to get back in. However, if I needed fresh air, I could contact the front desk and they would allow me into the hotel’s courtyard.
They said they did daily checks on each guest to monitor our symptoms and noted there were medical professionals on-site 24/7, including mental health support staff. My room had a phone with a clearly marked number I could call at any hour of the day to ask for extra towels, extra food or anything else I might need. The dispatcher had mentioned I could take walks around the parking lot, so I double-checked with the nurses to see if this was allowed.
“You can, but just be careful talking to other residents, because they might be COVID-positive.” Roger that.
Advertisement
The little ledge in front of her room where the author sat to get some air. Courtesy of Jessica Nemire
Thus began my stay in the quarantine hotel ― or “Hotel COVIDfornia,” as I nicknamed it. My room had WiFi, a desk, a TV, a mini-fridge and a microwave. I made a schedule for myself to adhere to every day so that I’d stay productive and, you know, not go crazy. I wrote, applied for jobs, and spent a lot of time searching for a place to move into once I was discharged as coronavirus-free, disclosing my situation with every potential place I talked to.
Throughout my time at the hotel, I was concerned that I was taking up space needed for someone who was actively sick. I tried to remember that I didn’t have anywhere else to quarantine, had been exposed to COVID-19, and still might be sick ― just asymptomatic or with symptoms about to show up ― so it would be worse to wander around in public or stay with someone else.
Lunch, Day 3 Courtesy of Jessica Nemire
On Day 3, as I was settling into the riveting nightly routine I’d developed over the past nine months (i.e., binging “90 Day Fiancé” spinoffs and beating Midwestern strangers at Words With Friends), I suddenly became extremely congested and found it hard to breathe. My chest got tight, my nose was stuffed up, I couldn’t smell, and I started having to take dramatic open-mouth heaves in order to feel any air come into my lungs.
Advertisement
Since, like many of us, I’ve obsessively Googled every random ailment I’ve had since late March, I knew that shortness of breath is a COVID-19 symptom. I realized that I was literally surrounded by on-call nurses, so I picked up the phone and called them.
Someone answered immediately. We shared a laugh over the fact that I wasn’t sure what my room number was (“I don’t get out much,” I joked) and she brought me two different decongestant medicines.
My symptoms persisted the entire time I was there, and they were bad ― like “turning the bathroom into a makeshift sauna three times a day just so I could breathe through my nose” bad.
When I disclosed this to the nurses during one of the daily checks, they reassured me that because the congestion wasn’t accompanied by any other symptoms, it was probably just due to allergies (and they were correct).
The Hotel COVIDfornia bed with the super-comfy blanket the author brought with her. Courtesy of Jessica Nemire
Advertisement
A few days before the end of my stay, someone stopped in to give me a COVID-19 test, noting that if it came back negative, I’d be good to go in a couple of days. They also said they would be able to help me find somewhere else to stay if I still didn’t have a place.
My test came back negative, and I was discharged with a government-issued letter stating that I was COVID-free.
So, was my stay at Hotel COVIDfornia like something out of a horror movie? Not even a little bit. Instead, it’s an amazing service that San Francisco offers to its residents, along with free testing, to try to slow the spread of the virus.
Los Angeles, New York and some other cities and counties have similar quarantine options for those who need them. If you or someone you know has been exposed to COVID-19 and has nowhere else to isolate, contact your local health department, pandemic resources site or COVID-19 hotline to find out whether such services are available. (At least in San Francisco, the infected person you came in contact with needs to call the hotline and state that they have exposed you.)
Please note that this is the account of my personal experience at one facility in San Francisco, and I can’t speak to the experience of staying in a quarantine hotel anywhere else. Still, if you or someone you know has been exposed to COVID-19 and doesn’t have anywhere else to isolate without risking exposing others, a quarantine hotel could be a safe and reassuring answer.
Advertisement


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-30--Argentina's Senate Approves Bill Legalizing Abortion

The vote means that abortion will be legalized in Pope Francis ’ homeland up to the 14th week of pregnancy , and also will be legal after that time in cases of rape or danger to the mother ’ s life .
It will have repercussions across a continent where the procedure is largely illegal .
Argentina will be the largest Latin American country to legalize abortion and the vote was being closely watched .
With the exceptions of Uruguay , Cuba , Mexico City , Mexico ’ s Oaxaca state , the Antilles and French Guiana , abortion remains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until now has penalized women and those who help them abort .
The only exceptions were cases involving rape or a risk to the health of the mother , and activists complain even these exceptions are not respected in some provinces .
Just hours before the Senate session began Tuesday , the pope weighed in , tweeting : “ The Son of God was born an outcast , in order to tell us that every outcast is a child of God .
He came into the world as each child comes into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we can learn to accept our weaknesses with tender love.
” A previous abortion bill was voted down by Argentine lawmakers in 2018 , but this time it was backed by the center-left government .
The outcome of the latest vote , however , had still been considered uncertain .
That was partly due to the fact that the political parties , including the governing Peronist movement , gave their legislators freedom to vote as they chose .
Two of the 72 senators were absent , and 43 of the remaining 70 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feminist movement has been demanding legal abortion for more than 30 years and activists say the bill ’ s approval could mark a watershed in Latin America , where the Roman Catholic Church ’ s influence has long dominated .
“ Our country is a country of many contradictions , ” said Ester Albarello , a psychiatrist with a network of health professionals that supports the bill , who was among the demonstrators outside the congressional building .
“ It is the only one in the world that brought members of its genocidal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guarantees .
But we still don ’ t have legal abortion .
Why ?
Because the church is together with the state.
” Also outside the legislature , a group that calls its members “ defenders of the two lives ” set up an altar with a crucifix under a blue tent .
Dressed in a white smock and light-blue face mask , teacher Adriana Broni said that even if the abortion law won approval , “ I will not teach that it is a right to kill , murder , a baby @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bill seeks to eradicate the clandestine abortions that have caused more than 3,000 deaths in the country since 1983 , according to figures from authorities .
In addition to allowing abortion within the first 14 weeks of pregnancy , the legislation also will establish that even after that period , a pregnancy can be legally terminated if it was the result of rape or if the person ’ s life or integral health was in danger .
It will allow conscientious refusal to participate in an abortion for health professionals and private @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against the procedure .
But they will be required to refer the woman to another medical center .
Conscientious objection also could not be claimed if a pregnant woman ’ s life or health was in danger .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina’s Senate passed a law legalizing abortion early Wednesday after a marathon 12-hour session, a victory for the women’s movement that has been fighting for the right for decades.
The vote means that abortion will be legalized in Pope Francis’ homeland up to the 14th week of pregnancy, and also will be legal after that time in cases of rape or danger to the mother’s life. It will have repercussions across a continent where the procedure is largely illegal.
Advertisement
The measure was passed with 38 votes in favor, 29 against and one abstention, after a session that began late Tuesday.
It was already approved by Argentina’s Chamber of Deputies and has the support of President Alberto Fernández, meaning the Senate vote was its final hurdle.
Argentina will be the largest Latin American country to legalize abortion and the vote was being closely watched. With the exceptions of Uruguay, Cuba, Mexico City, Mexico’s Oaxaca state, the Antilles and French Guiana, abortion remains largely illegal across the region.
Argentina until now has penalized women and those who help them abort. The only exceptions were cases involving rape or a risk to the health of the mother, and activists complain even these exceptions are not respected in some provinces.
Advertisement
Abortion-rights activists watch live video streaming of lawmakers in session, outside Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Dec. 30, 2020. AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko
Just hours before the Senate session began Tuesday, the pope weighed in, tweeting: “The Son of God was born an outcast, in order to tell us that every outcast is a child of God. He came into the world as each child comes into the world, weak and vulnerable, so that we can learn to accept our weaknesses with tender love.”
A previous abortion bill was voted down by Argentine lawmakers in 2018, but this time it was backed by the center-left government. The outcome of the latest vote, however, had still been considered uncertain. That was partly due to the fact that the political parties, including the governing Peronist movement, gave their legislators freedom to vote as they chose. Two of the 72 senators were absent, and 43 of the remaining 70 senators were men.
Outside the Senate, pro- and anti-abortion activists gathered, with the bill’s supporters wearing the color green that represents their pro-abortion movement.
Argentina’s feminist movement has been demanding legal abortion for more than 30 years and activists say the bill’s approval could mark a watershed in Latin America, where the Roman Catholic Church’s influence has long dominated.
Advertisement
“Our country is a country of many contradictions,” said Ester Albarello, a psychiatrist with a network of health professionals that supports the bill, who was among the demonstrators outside the congressional building. “It is the only one in the world that brought members of its genocidal military dictatorship to justice with all the guarantees. But we still don’t have legal abortion. Why? Because the church is together with the state.”
Also outside the legislature, a group that calls its members “defenders of the two lives” set up an altar with a crucifix under a blue tent. Dressed in a white smock and light-blue face mask, teacher Adriana Broni said that even if the abortion law won approval, “I will not teach that it is a right to kill, murder, a baby who has no voice.”
Supporters said the bill seeks to eradicate the clandestine abortions that have caused more than 3,000 deaths in the country since 1983, according to figures from authorities.
In addition to allowing abortion within the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, the legislation also will establish that even after that period, a pregnancy can be legally terminated if it was the result of rape or if the person’s life or integral health was in danger.
It will allow conscientious refusal to participate in an abortion for health professionals and private medical institutions at which all doctors are against the procedure. But they will be required to refer the woman to another medical center. Conscientious objection also could not be claimed if a pregnant woman’s life or health was in danger.
Advertisement
____


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-30--Oxford-AstraZeneca Coronavirus Vaccine Approved For Use In UK

The developers said they hoped it will become the “ vaccine for the world ” because of its low cost and ease of storage .
The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine uses normal refrigeration while the other vaccines currently in use require ultra-cold storage .
He added he was “ highly confident ” enough people would be vaccinated by the spring “ that we can now see the route out of this pandemic ” but warned there is still “ a difficult few weeks ahead.
” “ We can see the pressures right now on the NHS and it is absolutely critical that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they can to stop the spread , particularly of the new variant of this virus that transmits so much faster , he said .
“ But we also know that there is a route out of this .
The vaccine provides that route out .
We have all just got to hold our nerve over the weeks to come.
” AstraZeneca said it aimed to supply millions of doses in the first quarter of next year as part of an agreement with the British government to supply up to 100 million .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said : “ Today is an important day for millions of people in the U.K. who will get access to this new vaccine .
It has been shown to be effective , well-tolerated , simple to administer and is supplied by AstraZeneca at no profit.
” Professor Andrew Hayward , professor of infectious diseases epidemiology at University College London , told BBC Breakfast the vaccine not needing to be stored at the cold temperatures required for the Pfizer vaccine would make “ an enormous difference.
” He said : “ It means that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get involved in vaccination , all the GP practices , as well as more simple community centers , for example , can get involved in the vaccine .
“ It means we can take the vaccine to where it ’ s needed , rather than bringing people in to the limited places where we can deliver it .
“ So it should make for a step change and it should also allow us to reach out to the most affected communities.
” Brilliant to end 2020 with such a moment of hope : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus vaccine has today been authorised for use by @ mhragovuk The # coronavirus vaccine is our way out of the pandemic - now we need to hold our nerve while we get through this together .
— Matt Hancock ( @ MattHancock ) December 30 , 2020 Studies have shown the vaccine to have an average efficacy rate of 70 % – though this rose to 90 % when half a dose , followed by a full dose , was given to trial participants .
The Oxford shot is the second vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by experts at the U.K. ’ s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency ( MHRA ) , who assess vaccines for safety , quality and effectiveness .
But it has also advised the government to prioritize giving as many “ at-risk ” people their first dose , rather than giving out the required two doses in as short a time as possible .
The Department of Health said everyone will still receive their second dose within 12 weeks of their first .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
The U.K. on Wednesday became the first country in the world to approve a coronavirus vaccine created by Oxford University and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca.
The developers said they hoped it will become the “vaccine for the world” because of its low cost and ease of storage. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine uses normal refrigeration while the other vaccines currently in use require ultra-cold storage.
Advertisement
A separate trial on the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is still underway in the U.S.
U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the development was “fantastic news” and confirmed that the rollout would begin Jan. 4.
He added he was “highly confident” enough people would be vaccinated by the spring “that we can now see the route out of this pandemic” but warned there is still “a difficult few weeks ahead.”
“We can see the pressures right now on the NHS and it is absolutely critical that people follow the rules and do everything they can to stop the spread, particularly of the new variant of this virus that transmits so much faster, he said.
“But we also know that there is a route out of this. The vaccine provides that route out. We have all just got to hold our nerve over the weeks to come.”
Advertisement
AstraZeneca said it aimed to supply millions of doses in the first quarter of next year as part of an agreement with the British government to supply up to 100 million.
The company’s chief executive Pascal Soriot said: “Today is an important day for millions of people in the U.K. who will get access to this new vaccine. It has been shown to be effective, well-tolerated, simple to administer and is supplied by AstraZeneca at no profit.”
Professor Andrew Hayward, professor of infectious diseases epidemiology at University College London, told BBC Breakfast the vaccine not needing to be stored at the cold temperatures required for the Pfizer vaccine would make “an enormous difference.”
He said: “It means that all of the centers that would normally get involved in vaccination, all the GP practices, as well as more simple community centers, for example, can get involved in the vaccine.
“It means we can take the vaccine to where it’s needed, rather than bringing people in to the limited places where we can deliver it.
Advertisement
“So it should make for a step change and it should also allow us to reach out to the most affected communities.”
“We have a vaccine for the world,” one study leader, Oxford’s Dr. Andrew Pollard has said.
Brilliant to end 2020 with such a moment of hope: the @UniofOxford / @AstraZeneca #coronavirus vaccine has today been authorised for use by @mhragovuk
The #coronavirus vaccine is our way out of the pandemic - now we need to hold our nerve while we get through this together. — Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) December 30, 2020
Studies have shown the vaccine to have an average efficacy rate of 70% – though this rose to 90% when half a dose, followed by a full dose, was given to trial participants.
The Oxford shot is the second vaccine to be given the seal of approval by experts at the U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), who assess vaccines for safety, quality and effectiveness.
The MHRA authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for use in the U.K. at the start of December.
The independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is set to publish its latest advice for the priority groups to receive the vaccine.
Advertisement
But it has also advised the government to prioritize giving as many “at-risk” people their first dose, rather than giving out the required two doses in as short a time as possible.
The Department of Health said everyone will still receive their second dose within 12 weeks of their first.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-29--Congressman-elect Luke Letlow Dies Of COVID-19 Complications

The 41-year-old contracted the virus on Dec. 18 and was later moved to an intensive care unit in Shreveport , Louisiana , for treatment as his condition worsened .
He “ apparently suffered a cardiac event this evening , ” and efforts to resuscitate him failed , Dr. G.E .
Ghali of LSU Health Shreveport told The New Orleans Advocate .
Ghali added that Letlow ’ s condition , though still critical , had apparently been improving when the cardiac event occurred .
Letlow , who was elected in a December runoff , was set to take office Sunday as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ COVID-19 has taken Congressman-elect Letlow from us far too soon , ” he wrote on Twitter .
“ I am heartbroken that he will not be able to serve our people as a U.S. Representative , but I am even more devastated for his loving family.
” It is with heavy hearts that @ FirstLadyOfLA and I offer our condolences to Congressman-elect Luke Letlow ’ s family on his passing after a battle with COVID-19 .
# lagov — John Bel Edwards ( @ LouisianaGov ) December 30 , 2020 Letlow is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Letlow , and two young children , his spokesperson Andrew Bautsch said in a statement .
He is the first member or member-elect of Congress known to have died from complications of the coronavirus , Politico noted .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Congressman-elect Luke Letlow (R-La.) has died of COVID-19.
The 41-year-old contracted the virus on Dec. 18 and was later moved to an intensive care unit in Shreveport, Louisiana, for treatment as his condition worsened.
He “apparently suffered a cardiac event this evening,” and efforts to resuscitate him failed, Dr. G.E. Ghali of LSU Health Shreveport told The New Orleans Advocate. Ghali added that Letlow’s condition, though still critical, had apparently been improving when the cardiac event occurred.
Advertisement
Letlow, who was elected in a December runoff, was set to take office Sunday as Louisiana’s youngest ever congressman.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) expressed grief at Letlow’s passing.
“COVID-19 has taken Congressman-elect Letlow from us far too soon,” he wrote on Twitter. “I am heartbroken that he will not be able to serve our people as a U.S. Representative, but I am even more devastated for his loving family.”
It is with heavy hearts that @FirstLadyOfLA and I offer our condolences to Congressman-elect Luke Letlow’s family on his passing after a battle with COVID-19. #lagov — John Bel Edwards (@LouisianaGov) December 30, 2020
Letlow is survived by his wife, Julie Barnhill Letlow, and two young children, his spokesperson Andrew Bautsch said in a statement.
Advertisement
He is the first member or member-elect of Congress known to have died from complications of the coronavirus, Politico noted.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-29--Jim Jordan Schooled On History After Invoking Founders To Swipe At COVID-19 Lockdowns

Rep. Jim Jordan ( R-Ohio ) was offered a history lesson on Twitter after he fretted over stay-at-home orders imposed to limit the spread of the deadly coronavirus ravaging the nation .
“ What would the Founders say ?
” the congressman asked on Twitter .
Amid spiking COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations , several states have tightened restrictions , ordering businesses to close and asking residents to stay at home .
In Jordan ’ s home state of Ohio , Republican Gov .
Mike DeWine has extended a nighttime curfew through Jan. 2 and suggested he might soon close bars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ skepticism about the severity of the pandemic .
Earlier this month , he mocked the nation ’ s top infectious disease expert , Dr. Anthony Fauci , for his plea that Americans avoid Christmas travel .
December has been the deadliest month of the pandemic yet for the U.S. More than 60,000 deaths have been recorded this month alone .
60 million Americans are subject to a stay at home order or curfew .
11 million are right here in Ohio .
What would the Founders say ?
— Rep. Jim Jordan ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Critics noted that the Founders had in fact followed strict measures to stifle infectious disease outbreaks based on the science of their time .
During the American Revolution , George Washington worked to contain a smallpox epidemic by isolating anyone suspected of infection and limiting outside contact with his army .
In 1776 , when the British withdrew from Boston , Washington mandated that only soldiers that had already been infected be allowed into the city .
In 1796 , in response to a deadly yellow fever outbreak , Congress passed the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Washington .
It authorized the federal government to help states enforce quarantines as necessary .
George Washington established quarantine guidelines , travel bans and isolated those infected with smallpox during the Revolutionary War-the colonists even passed a law in 1731 that made reporting the illness mandatory .
Had they denied it , like you are , none of us would be here .
https : //t.co/Csp4VIaKcz — Amee Vanderpool ( @ girlsreallyrule ) December 29 , 2020 There was a massive smallpox epidemic during the American Revolution .
Washington quarantined the infected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spots travel to his army , and even sent a thousand soldiers to Boston to prevent the spread there .
You should try reading a book sometime .
— Kevin M. Kruse ( @ KevinMKruse ) December 29 , 2020 The founders would probably have taken sensible precautions .
When Philadelphia , the US capital , had a yellow fever outbreak in 1793 , Washington and pretty much the entire federal government left the city .
https : //t.co/yUeesR8mMr — Don Moynihan ( @ donmoyn ) December 29 , 2020 The Founders passed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3rd Congress in 1796 , signed by PRESIDENT GEORGE WASHINGTON .
It directed the feds to help states enforce quarantines .
The Con Law study of Gibbons v. Ogden 22 US 1 ( 1824 ) would 've enlightened you further .
https : //t.co/K9fHIO9SqJ — ( ( ( Ethan Bearman , 306 and 81 million ) ) ) ( @ EthanBearman ) December 29 , 2020 Also , Jacobson v. Massachusetts , 197 U.S. 11 ( 1905 ) would 've also enlightened you to the state police powers , like Gibbons , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ liberty is not without limits .
— ( ( ( Ethan Bearman , 306 and 81 million ) ) ) ( @ EthanBearman ) December 29 , 2020 This is why we should n't elect wrestling coaches to be in congress if they have no passed a basic history and civics course first .
Boston had a complete lockdown in 1778 after a smallpox outbreak .
Many of the founders were there .
They abided by it for months .
— Kurt `` Masks Save Lives '' Eichenwald ( @ kurteichenwald ) December @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Washington used variolation & isolation to protect his soldiers .
Quarantine was common due to outbreaks of smallpox , measles , yellow fever , and more .
They understood the seriousness of infectious disease & the nascent science behind its control .
https : //t.co/QZ9dKbHZgX — Dr. Tara C. Smith ( @ aetiology ) December 29 , 2020 It would have taken you less than a fucking minute to google this shit and discovered that George Washington ordered quarantines during the small pox epidemic in the 1770s-80s .
https : //t.co/yks6gYi9QJ — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ December 29 , 2020

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) was offered a history lesson on Twitter after he fretted over stay-at-home orders imposed to limit the spread of the deadly coronavirus ravaging the nation.
“What would the Founders say?” the congressman asked on Twitter.
Amid spiking COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, several states have tightened restrictions, ordering businesses to close and asking residents to stay at home. In Jordan’s home state of Ohio, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has extended a nighttime curfew through Jan. 2 and suggested he might soon close bars and restaurants.
Advertisement
Jordan has repeatedly expressed skepticism about the severity of the pandemic. Earlier this month, he mocked the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, for his plea that Americans avoid Christmas travel.
December has been the deadliest month of the pandemic yet for the U.S. More than 60,000 deaths have been recorded this month alone.
60 million Americans are subject to a stay at home order or curfew.
11 million are right here in Ohio.
What would the Founders say? — Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) December 29, 2020
Critics noted that the Founders had in fact followed strict measures to stifle infectious disease outbreaks based on the science of their time.
Advertisement
During the American Revolution, George Washington worked to contain a smallpox epidemic by isolating anyone suspected of infection and limiting outside contact with his army. In 1776, when the British withdrew from Boston, Washington mandated that only soldiers that had already been infected be allowed into the city.
In 1796, in response to a deadly yellow fever outbreak, Congress passed the first federal quarantine law, which was signed by Washington. It authorized the federal government to help states enforce quarantines as necessary.
There’s more history below, courtesy of Jordan’s Twitter critics.
George Washington established quarantine guidelines, travel bans and isolated those infected with smallpox during the Revolutionary War-the colonists even passed a law in 1731 that made reporting the illness mandatory.
Had they denied it, like you are, none of us would be here. https://t.co/Csp4VIaKcz — Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) December 29, 2020
There was a massive smallpox epidemic during the American Revolution.
Washington quarantined the infected, refused to let people from hot spots travel to his army, and even sent a thousand soldiers to Boston to prevent the spread there.
You should try reading a book sometime. — Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) December 29, 2020
The founders would probably have taken sensible precautions.
When Philadelphia, the US capital, had a yellow fever outbreak in 1793, Washington and pretty much the entire federal government left the city. https://t.co/yUeesR8mMr — Don Moynihan (@donmoyn) December 29, 2020
Advertisement
The Founders passed An Act Related to Quarantine during the 3rd Congress in 1796, signed by PRESIDENT GEORGE WASHINGTON.
It directed the feds to help states enforce quarantines.
The Con Law study of Gibbons v. Ogden 22 US 1 (1824) would've enlightened you further. https://t.co/K9fHIO9SqJ — (((Ethan Bearman, 306 and 81 million))) (@EthanBearman) December 29, 2020
Also, Jacobson v. Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11 (1905) would've also enlightened you to the state police powers, like Gibbons, in prioritizing health during emergencies and that individual liberty is not without limits. — (((Ethan Bearman, 306 and 81 million))) (@EthanBearman) December 29, 2020
This is why we shouldn't elect wrestling coaches to be in congress if they have no passed a basic history and civics course first. Boston had a complete lockdown in 1778 after a smallpox outbreak. Many of the founders were there. They abided by it for months. — Kurt "Masks Save Lives" Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) December 29, 2020
Probably the same thing since a founder literally dealt with a pandemic pic.twitter.com/ClRwonBQqt — Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) December 29, 2020
They would likely approve. Washington used variolation & isolation to protect his soldiers. Quarantine was common due to outbreaks of smallpox, measles, yellow fever, and more. They understood the seriousness of infectious disease & the nascent science behind its control. https://t.co/QZ9dKbHZgX — Dr. Tara C. Smith (@aetiology) December 29, 2020
Advertisement


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-30--Georgia Review Of Voter Signatures Finds No Fraud In Presidential Election

The Georgia Secretary of State ’ s Office announced Tuesday that it completed its audit of ballot signatures and found no fraud in the presidential election , dealing yet another blow to President Donald Trump ’ s efforts to overturn the results .
The secretary of state ’ s office , in partnership with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation , performed a signature match audit in Cobb County after credible allegations that the process was not followed during the June primaries .
The review found “ no fraudulent ballots ” and that the county had a “ 99.99 % ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ procedures during the presidential election , the secretary of state ’ s office said in a press release .
Georgia has already conducted a hand recount and a subsequent machine recount at the request of the Trump campaign ; both reviews affirmed President-elect Joe Biden ’ s win in the state .
“ The Secretary of State ’ s office has always been focused on calling balls and strikes in elections and , in this case , three strikes against the voter fraud claims and they ’ re out , ” Georgia Secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in a statement .
Trump on Tuesday tore into Raffensperger and Georgia Gov .
Brian Kemp , a Republican who was an outspoken supporter of the president leading up to the election , over the audit results .
“ I love the Great State of Georgia , but the people who run it , from the Governor ... to the Secretary of State , are a complete disaster and don ’ t have a clue , or worse , ” Trump tweeted .
“ Nobody can be this stupid .
Just allow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turn the state Republican ... .
” Trump then appeared to suggest Raffensperger rigged the election against Trump to help his brother , whom the president said “ works for China.
” Raffensperger does not have a brother .
It ’ s possible Trump was referring to Ron Raffensperger , an executive of the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei .
But Georgia ’ s secretary of state is not related to him .
Biden was the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Georgia in 28 years , narrowly beating Trump , who won the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Georgia as the state ’ s two runoff Senate races , scheduled for Jan. 5 , inch closer .
The elections will determine which party controls the upper chamber .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
The Georgia Secretary of State’s Office announced Tuesday that it completed its audit of ballot signatures and found no fraud in the presidential election, dealing yet another blow to President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results.
The secretary of state’s office, in partnership with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, performed a signature match audit in Cobb County after credible allegations that the process was not followed during the June primaries.
Advertisement
The review found “no fraudulent ballots” and that the county had a “99.99%” accuracy rate in performing correct signature verification procedures during the presidential election, the secretary of state’s office said in a press release.
Georgia has already conducted a hand recount and a subsequent machine recount at the request of the Trump campaign; both reviews affirmed President-elect Joe Biden’s win in the state.
“The Secretary of State’s office has always been focused on calling balls and strikes in elections and, in this case, three strikes against the voter fraud claims and they’re out,” Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) said in a statement.
Trump on Tuesday tore into Raffensperger and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican who was an outspoken supporter of the president leading up to the election, over the audit results.
Advertisement
“I love the Great State of Georgia, but the people who run it, from the Governor ... to the Secretary of State, are a complete disaster and don’t have a clue, or worse,” Trump tweeted. “Nobody can be this stupid. Just allow us to find the crime, and turn the state Republican....”
Trump then appeared to suggest Raffensperger rigged the election against Trump to help his brother, whom the president said “works for China.” Raffensperger does not have a brother.
It’s possible Trump was referring to Ron Raffensperger, an executive of the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei. But Georgia’s secretary of state is not related to him.
Trump continued to attack Kemp on Wednesday, calling the governor an “obstructionist” and urging him to resign. Georgia election officials, as well as election officials nationwide and the Justice Department, have found no evidence of widespread voter fraud or irregularities.
Biden was the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Georgia in 28 years, narrowly beating Trump, who won the state in 2016. All eyes remain on Georgia as the state’s two runoff Senate races, scheduled for Jan. 5, inch closer. The elections will determine which party controls the upper chamber.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-30--Boston Dynamics' Robots Are Dancing Now, And Yes, It's Still Scary

This is how the robot overlords will celebrate when they take over .
Boston Dynamics , the Massachusetts company known for its cutting-edge work in robotics , released footage Tuesday of its famous robot collection boogieing to The Contours ’ 1962 R & B hit “ Do You Love Me ?
” The impressive performance featured the humanoid Atlas , dog-inspired Spot and box-moving Handle , all of which move with unsettling precision in the nearly 3-minute routine .
It went viral after it was shared by Reza Zadeh , a technology executive and machine learning expert , who said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ less intimidating.
” It 's pretty awesome how dancing makes robots less intimidating .
Looking forward to seeing more nontrivial Machine Learning on these robots .
Credit : Boston Dynamics .
pic.twitter.com/wnB2i9qhdQ — Reza Zadeh ( @ Reza_Zadeh ) December 29 , 2020 Tesla founder Elon Musk seemed impressed but summed up the general sentiment in one word : The company has become widely known through viral videos of its incredibly agile and advanced robots .
Its most famous machine , Spot , is already being put to work in the real world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its Spot models in September 2019 , and they have since been used to patrol oil rigs , assist law enforcement , help on construction projects and in hospitals to help doctors communicate with COVID-19 patients .
Hyundai Motor Group purchased a controlling stake in the company from SoftBank Group earlier this month for $ 1.1 billion .
The companies said in a statement that the deal would elevate their respective strengths in manufacturing , logistics , construction and automation .
Some Twitter users welcomed our dancing robot masters with open arms .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ convincing .
totally .
personally looking fwd to getting killed by one of these and then having it do the crank that dance on my body !
https : //t.co/QytdZZNO6e — Cody Ko ( @ codyko ) December 29 , 2020 Boston Dynamics has released yet another video of its robots dancing that is equal parts impressive , creepy , and cringe https : //t.co/RF5mQQhC0m pic.twitter.com/h9hDiEJK8X — Mikael Thalen ( @ MikaelThalen ) December 29 , 2020 How fun , they said .
How cute , they said .
Isn ’ t it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the day came when the cute little dancing robot turned on them .
And now they have to listen to this song on repeat as they slave away for their robot masters .
It has begun.pic.twitter.com/cQ8o85VTpI — Jo ( @ JoJoFromJerz ) December 30 , 2020 Working at Boston Dynamics must be part terrifying part incredibly fun 🤖 ( this was shot in the same room as my video with SPOT a few weeks ago ) Full video : https : //t.co/hm4KKwrGZ2 pic.twitter.com/1tt5IxvBlL — Marques Brownlee ( @ MKBHD ) December 29 , @

This is how the robot overlords will celebrate when they take over.
Boston Dynamics, the Massachusetts company known for its cutting-edge work in robotics, released footage Tuesday of its famous robot collection boogieing to The Contours’ 1962 R&B hit “Do You Love Me?”
The impressive performance featured the humanoid Atlas, dog-inspired Spot and box-moving Handle, all of which move with unsettling precision in the nearly 3-minute routine.
It went viral after it was shared by Reza Zadeh, a technology executive and machine learning expert, who said that the dance made the robots “less intimidating.”
Advertisement
It's pretty awesome how dancing makes robots less intimidating. Looking forward to seeing more nontrivial Machine Learning on these robots. Credit: Boston Dynamics. pic.twitter.com/wnB2i9qhdQ — Reza Zadeh (@Reza_Zadeh) December 29, 2020
Tesla founder Elon Musk seemed impressed but summed up the general sentiment in one word:
Less? — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 29, 2020
The company has become widely known through viral videos of its incredibly agile and advanced robots.
Its most famous machine, Spot, is already being put to work in the real world. The robot maker began leasing out its Spot models in September 2019, and they have since been used to patrol oil rigs, assist law enforcement, help on construction projects and in hospitals to help doctors communicate with COVID-19 patients.
Advertisement
Hyundai Motor Group purchased a controlling stake in the company from SoftBank Group earlier this month for $1.1 billion. The companies said in a statement that the deal would elevate their respective strengths in manufacturing, logistics, construction and automation.
Some Twitter users welcomed our dancing robot masters with open arms. Others will probably need a lot more convincing.
totally. personally looking fwd to getting killed by one of these and then having it do the crank that dance on my body! https://t.co/QytdZZNO6e — Cody Ko (@codyko) December 29, 2020
TikTok "personalities" shaking right now knowing their dance moves can be automated and outsourced https://t.co/ZIUOIkqS3R — CircleToonsHD (@CircleToonsHD) December 30, 2020
This is what they'll do when they win. https://t.co/0XjE7nzsP8 — Ben Schwartz (@rejectedjokes) December 29, 2020
Advertisement
Boston Dynamics has released yet another video of its robots dancing that is equal parts impressive, creepy, and cringe https://t.co/RF5mQQhC0m pic.twitter.com/h9hDiEJK8X — Mikael Thalen (@MikaelThalen) December 29, 2020
Oh, look.
Someone taught robots how to dance on our graves.
Super.pic.twitter.com/Cad0m42iEz — Holly Figueroa O'Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) December 30, 2020
How fun, they said.
How cute, they said.
Isn’t it just wonderful, they said.
Until the day came when the cute little dancing robot turned on them.
And now they have to listen to this song on repeat as they slave away for their robot masters.
It has begun.pic.twitter.com/cQ8o85VTpI — Jo (@JoJoFromJerz) December 30, 2020
Working at Boston Dynamics must be part terrifying part incredibly fun 🤖
(this was shot in the same room as my video with SPOT a few weeks ago)
Full video: https://t.co/hm4KKwrGZ2 pic.twitter.com/1tt5IxvBlL — Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) December 29, 2020
I, for one, welcome our Boston Dynamics robot overlords. — the new 2021 model mark hoppus (@markhoppus) December 29, 2020
Advertisement


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-30--No, It's Not Surprising That A California Nurse Got COVID-19 After His First Vaccine Shot

A nurse in San Diego is making headlines for testing positive for COVID-19 about a week after receiving a coronavirus vaccine shot ― but in no way does this mean the vaccines don ’ t work .
To the contrary , doctors and public health experts expect things like this to happen to some people .
Emergency nurse Matthew W. ( who has only been identified with his last initial ) told local station ABC 10News that he tested positive on Dec. 26 after starting to feel sick on Christmas Eve with muscle aches , chills and fatigue .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Pfizer vaccine on Dec. 18 .
But his illness should not sound any alarm bells .
Both of the vaccines approved for use in the United States so far ― manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna ― require a patient to get two shots , spaced a certain number of days apart .
People receiving the Pfizer vaccine are told to wait 21 days before getting their second jab .
The drugs have been praised for their high efficacy rate ― around 95 % each ― but that ’ s only if you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , available data suggests the Pfizer vaccine has about 50 % efficacy .
Medical professionals use the term “ efficacy ” to describe the proportionate reduction in cases of COVID-19 among vaccinated people .
The word is basically synonymous with “ effectiveness ” ( although researchers will sometimes impose slightly different definitions ) .
It is therefore likely that some people will contract COVID-19 between their first and second shots .
In that period , like Matthew W. , they will have only about a 50 % reduced risk of becoming sick .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ people will contract COVID-19 after the second shot ― the vaccines do not offer 100 % protection .
Additionally , it is possible that Matthew W. had caught the virus before receiving his first shot , because it can take up to two weeks for people to start feeling symptoms .
All of this is a big part of the reason why public health experts are discouraging people from immediately resuming their normal lives after they get vaccinated .
Researchers are confident , however , that the vaccines will offer a high degree @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as more and more of the population is inoculated .
As that happens , scientists expect to gain an even clearer understanding of the protection that each vaccine offers .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
A nurse in San Diego is making headlines for testing positive for COVID-19 about a week after receiving a coronavirus vaccine shot ― but in no way does this mean the vaccines don’t work.
To the contrary, doctors and public health experts expect things like this to happen to some people.
Emergency nurse Matthew W. (who has been identified only with his last initial) told local station ABC 10News that he tested positive on Dec. 26 after starting to feel sick on Christmas Eve with muscle aches, chills and fatigue.
Advertisement
The 45-year-old had received his first shot of the Pfizer vaccine on Dec. 18. But his illness should not sound any alarm bells.
Fixed this for you @Reuters:
“Two doses are needed of the COVID Vaccine to get immunity: California nurse gets Covid after only one dose of vaccine” https://t.co/P0Lqlv6Eus — Dr. Comilla (@comilla_s) December 30, 2020
Both of the vaccines approved for use in the United States so far ― manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna ― require a patient to get two shots, spaced a certain number of days apart. People receiving the Pfizer vaccine are told to wait 21 days before getting their second jab.
Neither vaccine contains live virus. Neither contains whole dead virus. Neither can give you COVID-19. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines work by giving the body instructions for how to make a harmless protein that is a distinguishing feature of the actual virus so that when or if the vaccinated person gets exposed to the virus, their body already knows what to do to fight it off.
Advertisement
The drugs have been praised for their high efficacy rate ― around 95% each ― but that’s only if you get both shots. After one shot, available data suggests the Pfizer vaccine has about 50% efficacy. Medical professionals use the term “efficacy” to describe the proportionate reduction in cases of COVID-19 among vaccinated people. The word is basically synonymous with “effectiveness” (although researchers will sometimes impose slightly different definitions).
It is therefore likely that some people will contract COVID-19 between their first and second shots. In that period, like Matthew W., they will have only about a 50% reduced risk of becoming sick.
It’s also likely that some people will contract COVID-19 after the second shot ― the vaccines do not offer 100% protection.
Additionally, it is possible that Matthew W. had caught the virus before receiving his first shot, because it can take up to two weeks for people to start feeling symptoms.
All of this is a big part of the reason why public health experts are discouraging people from immediately resuming their normal lives after they get vaccinated.
Advertisement


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-30--Canada To Require Negative COVID-19 Test For People Entering Country

TORONTO ( AP ) — The Canadian government said Wednesday that passengers must have a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days before they arrive in the country .
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the measure will be implemented in the next few days .
Canada already requires those entering the country to self-isolate for 14 days and it has already banned all flights from the United Kingdom because of the new variant of COVID-19 spreading there .
The decision came a day after the premier of Canada ’ s largest province said he had ordered his finance minister @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a time the government is urging people to avoid nonessential travel because of the pandemic .
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday it is “ unacceptable ” that Finance Minister Rod Phillips went to the French island of St. Barts for the holidays .
“ We ’ re going to have a very tough conversation when he gets back , ” Ford said .
“ There can ’ t be rules for elected people and nonelected people.
” Ford said Phillips “ never told anyone ” he was leaving but Ford said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country “ shortly after he arrived.
” “ My mistake .
I take full responsibility .
At that time , I should have said ‘ get your backside back into Ontario ’ and I didn ’ t do that , ” Ford said .
The finance minister ’ s Twitter account had suggested that he was in Ontario while he has been in St. Barts .
In a video posted on Christmas Eve , he was shown sitting by a fireplace with a gingerbread house and a little Christmas tree and drinking eggnog @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for nonessential reasons .
This is deeply concerning .
We must reiterate that now is not the time to travel , ” Howard Njoo , Canada ’ s deputy chief public health officer , said Wednesday .
Ontario began a provincewide lockdown on Dec. 26 and Ford has been blaming travelers for bringing the new coronavirus to the province .
Canada ’ s national government and the Ontario government have both repeatedly asked Canadians not to travel abroad during the pandemic .
The Ford government already was being criticized for halting vaccination operations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provincewide lockdown until the day after Christmas .
Ontario set a new daily record for cases on Wednesday with 2,923 , with just over one-third of them in the country ’ s largest city of Toronto .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
TORONTO (AP) — The Canadian government said Wednesday that passengers must have a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days before they arrive in the country.
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the measure will be implemented in the next few days.
Advertisement
Canada already requires those entering the country to self-isolate for 14 days and it has already banned all flights from the United Kingdom because of the new variant of COVID-19 spreading there.
The decision came a day after the premier of Canada’s largest province said he had ordered his finance minister to end a Caribbean vacation he took at a time the government is urging people to avoid nonessential travel because of the pandemic.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday it is “unacceptable” that Finance Minister Rod Phillips went to the French island of St. Barts for the holidays.
“We’re going to have a very tough conversation when he gets back,” Ford said. “There can’t be rules for elected people and nonelected people.”
Advertisement
Ford said Phillips “never told anyone” he was leaving but Ford said he knew Phillips was out of the country “shortly after he arrived.”
“My mistake. I take full responsibility. At that time, I should have said ‘get your backside back into Ontario’ and I didn’t do that,” Ford said.
The finance minister’s Twitter account had suggested that he was in Ontario while he has been in St. Barts. In a video posted on Christmas Eve, he was shown sitting by a fireplace with a gingerbread house and a little Christmas tree and drinking eggnog.
Phillips said he was returning immediately.
Opposition parties called for Phillips to be removed from cabinet.
Phillips also travelled to Switzerland in August.
“Some Canadians are still travelling for nonessential reasons. This is deeply concerning. We must reiterate that now is not the time to travel,” Howard Njoo, Canada’s deputy chief public health officer, said Wednesday.
Ontario began a provincewide lockdown on Dec. 26 and Ford has been blaming travelers for bringing the new coronavirus to the province.
Advertisement
Canada’s national government and the Ontario government have both repeatedly asked Canadians not to travel abroad during the pandemic.
The Ford government already was being criticized for halting vaccination operations over the holidays and for delaying a provincewide lockdown until the day after Christmas.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-30--COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Is Way Behind Schedule. Should We Worry?

The ‘ Last Mile ’ Of Distribution May Be The Toughest States Made Plans But Needed More Federal Help “ @ @ @ @ @ the CDC should have provided better guidance about school re-openings and masking , it could @ @ @ @ @ the vaccine , ” said Kayyem .
“ A functioning federal government provides a floor @ @ @ @ @ has to be accomplished , and then it provides the resources to do it .
@ @ @ @ @ federal government had to do when it came to COVID , and it didn ’ @ @ @ @ @ now we ’ re stuck.
” The States And Feds Still Have Time

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Trump administration officials were saying just a few weeks ago that 20 million Americans could be vaccinated against COVID-19 by year’s end. Now here we are, and only 2.1 million people have gotten shots, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Even allowing for a lag in the reporting of data, the final numbers for 2020 will be well short of the administration’s goal, as Operation Warp Speed officials have acknowledged.
Advertisement
The question going forward is what the failure represents. Is it nothing more than the predictable, ultimately temporary early difficulties that come with such a complex and massive undertaking — or a sign that vaccine distribution is about to become a major failure, just like testing and the distribution of personal protective equipment were earlier in the pandemic?
Over the past week, HuffPost put that question to a group of experts, including some who have been working with federal, state and local officials throughout the COVID-19 crisis. And nobody seemed quite sure of the answer.
Most said patience was important. Vaccine distribution was bound to be difficult in the United States because of our chronically underfunded public health infrastructure, our dispersed and diverse population, and the way we divide power between federal and state government. Not surprisingly, the country leading the world in per capita COVID-19 vaccinations is Israel, which has none of those problems.
But the U.S. is also behind the United Kingdom, and now that vaccinations have started in the European Union as well, it’s likely other countries will overtake us. A big reason, experts agree, is that the overwhelming focus of Operation Warp Speed was on producing the vaccines and shipping them from factories, and not what comes after.
Advertisement
The ‘Last Mile’ Of Distribution May Be The Toughest
The Trump administration left most of the planning for the “last mile” of distribution almost entirely to state and local public health departments, which were already overwhelmed dealing with the pandemic. And although those agencies are about to get a funding boost, thanks to the COVID-19 relief package that Congress passed and Trump signed this week, the agencies needed that money months ago.
“We’ve had a slow start on distribution in most of the U.S. ― a result of insufficient support and belated attention to the nitty-gritty of getting the vaccines from the freezers into people’s arms,” Joshua Michaud, associate director for global health policy at the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, told HuffPost.
Operation Warp Speed put a big focus on the production and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines but left planning for the "last mile" — getting shots into arms — mostly to state and local authorities. Pool via Getty Images
Jason Schwartz, a health policy professor at Yale specializing in vaccine policy, was even blunter. “It’s been striking to me, for months, that there hasn’t been every bit as much urgency and attention to how we actually get a vaccine to a few hundred million people … as there has been to the research and development of the vaccine itself,” he said.
Some parts of the country are doing better than others, as a recent state-by-state survey from Bloomberg found.
Advertisement
West Virginia, for example, has already delivered shots to its entire nursing home population, according to officials there. In Maine, a state whose vaccination rate is also among the nation’s best, the detailed, ready-to-go delivery plans included acquiring dry ice from seafood supply companies. In Florida, by contrast, seniors in one county are camping out overnight on lawn chairs because officials there decided to offer vaccines through mass clinics on a first-come, first-serve basis.
States will learn best practices from each other, experts predicted, and they will work through some of the early kinks, especially when it comes to uncertainty over who should get the vaccine when. As soon as that happens, the pace of vaccination is likely to pick up.
But there is more to be done, especially at the federal level, because in many ways, this initial phase of vaccine distribution is the easy part. Front-line medical workers and people living or working in long-term care facilities can be vaccinated with relatively minimal outreach and organization. Getting shots to the rest of the country is going to be a lot more difficult.
“These problems are still correctable,” said Juliette Kayyem, a former federal and state homeland security official who is now a senior lecturer at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. “It’s really important that we not rush to judgment about how this is going. It’s also really important we fix the problems as quickly as possible.”
Vaccinating The American Public Is A Daunting Challenge
Figuring out how to vaccinate the full U.S. population against COVID-19 begins with some arithmetic. There are more than 330 million people here, and establishing “herd immunity” requires reaching at least 75% of them, according to the prevailing consensus among scientists.
Advertisement
That’s roughly 250 million people, and as long as the U.S. relies on vaccines that require two doses, 500 million shots. Reaching the entire population ― or at least getting close, which is the ultimate goal ― would require more like 660 million shots.
Nobody knows for sure how many shots the U.S. can provide at this point, but Topher Spiro, vice president for health policy at the Center for American Progress, helped to put together the estimate that was circulating on Capitol Hill as Congress negotiated over the COVID-19 relief package.
“A functioning federal government provides a floor, for the minimum that has to be accomplished, and then it provides the resources to do it. That’s all the federal government had to do when it came to COVID, and it didn’t do that.” - Juliette Kayyem, former homeland security official
Based on available data from flu vaccines, peak capacity is around 70 million shots a month, Spiro said. That includes the shots delivered in pharmacies and private physician offices, as well as employer pop-up clinics, government-run vaccination centers, and other venues. Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers, told HuffPost the 70 million figure seems about right.
At that pace, it would take six or seven months to reach herd immunity, potentially putting it within reach by summer, though it would depend on how long ramping up to that full capacity takes. It would take another few months after that to reach nearly the entire population.
Advertisement
But those figures are based on a vaccine that is more straightforward to administer than the COVID-19 shots are. With the flu shot, there’s no need to make sure people are signed up for follow-up doses, for starters, and less need for counseling because people are familiar with it. There’s also no need for social distancing while flu shots are being given.
And it’s not just the sheer number of people to vaccinate that represents a big challenge. It’s also the difficulty of reaching those in rural and low-income communities ― especially when it comes to the Pfizer vaccine, which requires ultra-cold storage typically unavailable outside of major health care facilities. Another issue with Pfizer’s vaccine is that it ships in boxes of 975 doses. Some rural areas won’t need that many and nobody wants to waste vaccine supply.
When you take all of those factors into account, achieving herd immunity by summer starts to seem a lot more difficult ― unless, somehow, the United States can figure out a way to deliver vaccines a lot more quickly.
States Made Plans But Needed More Federal Help
Figuring out how to vaccinate the public has been a topic of conversation for months and, at the CDC’s direction, states and territories submitted formal distribution plans in October.
Many of those plans use existing flu vaccination programs as the starting point. They rely primarily on existing private providers like doctors’ offices and pharmacies, then fill in the gaps with some combination of mass vaccination centers and drive-through clinics. They also call for increasing the number of people who can administer the vaccine, whether through training, tapping volunteers or calling up the National Guard ― an option that the Trump administration just made easier for governors by issuing some new regulatory guidance.
Advertisement
Some vaccination plans mention using strategies that states have developed through biological disaster drills. Others talk about building on the infrastructure states have created for COVID-19 testing, and at least one state, Pennsylvania, has already tested drive-through vaccination clinics that would operate the same way its drive-through testing sites have.
“We'll be playing catch-up for a while.” - Joshua Michaud, Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
But the state plans are generally not specific, as researchers at ProPublica and the Kaiser Family Foundation found in a pair of investigations. The plans didn’t typically have figures on the number of free-standing clinics they would have to set up, for example, or how many new vaccinators they might have to train.
Some of this was by necessity. In early fall, when officials were putting the plans together, they still didn’t know for sure which vaccines would be ready first or precisely which groups of people the federal government would recommend vaccinating first. State and local health departments were also inundated with other coronavirus-related tasks, like contact tracing, and they were desperate for money.
That is precisely why the federal government should have taken more aggressive action, experts now say. Had the federal government been on top of things, these experts told HuffPost, it could have helped with tasks like setting up a nationwide online registry, both for the sake of documenting who got the vaccines and sending out reminders for second doses ― something that states are now doing on their own.
Advertisement
“You see pictures of people holding up cards saying that I got vaccinated today and that’s great, but what year are we living in?” said Richard Serino, former deputy administrator at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and director of emergency services in Boston. “I’m not a techie, but something tells me that we can do better than giving people a card.”
More importantly, perhaps, the federal government could have provided better guidance on how to construct clinics or mobile units ― specifying, for example, how many people it would take if you include counseling, data entry and actual administration of the shots. “It’s everything down to the floor plans,” said Serino. “This is how people can flow through in an hour, how many staff you need per 1,000 people, and so on.”
Not all states would have used these plans, just as many states have modified federal guidance on who should get shots when. But with ready-to-go schematics ― and, ideally, money to start acquiring equipment and training extra personnel ― states could have been putting systems in place months ago so they were ready to go once the supply arrived.
“In the same way that the CDC should have provided better guidance about school re-openings and masking, it could have provided guidance on administering the vaccine,” said Kayyem. “A functioning federal government provides a floor, for the minimum that has to be accomplished, and then it provides the resources to do it. That’s all the federal government had to do when it came to COVID, and it didn’t do that, so now we’re stuck.”
The States And Feds Still Have Time
An essential caveat is that, among developed countries, the U.S. is among the least well-equipped for mass vaccination delivery. The lack of a truly universal health care system means large portions of the population have tenuous or no connection to health care providers. A lack of spending on public health infrastructure has left local agencies without the staff they need to do their jobs in ordinary times, let alone in the middle of a crisis.
Advertisement
“Given the circumstances, and given the funding over the last 10 years for public health, you could argue it’s amazing where we are,” Hannan said.
And it’s not too late to make things better. It will be a few weeks before the vaccine supply really ramps up and becomes available to people outside the highest-priority groups. That’s enough time to find and train new vaccinators, or to make arrangements for paying existing vaccinators to do more. It’s also enough time to set up new facilities, acquire equipment and make arrangements for public clinics.
On Tuesday, President-elect Joe Biden indicated that his team was already thinking about this. In a speech attacking the Trump administration for the slow vaccine distribution, Biden said his administration would “work to set up vaccination sites and send mobile units to hard-to-reach communities.”
But Biden didn’t specify what, exactly, that will entail, and it will be three more weeks before he and his team take charge. Until then, it looks like the success of delivery will depend heavily on local and state officials’ ability to make adjustments on the fly and expand capacity now that federal funding is finally on the way.
“States will learn as they go and the pace of distribution will surely accelerate,” Michaud said. But, he also noted, “we’ll be playing catch-up for a while.”