buzzfeed--2020-12-15--Most Healthcare Workers Are Excited To Get A Coronavirus Vaccine, But Some Have Questions

Convincing medical staffers to get vaccinated will be a crucial first step in convincing everyone else .
Healthcare workers are at the front of the line to receive the United States ’ first coronavirus vaccine .
But hospitals have a challenge : Not all of them are thrilled to be there .
Amid a raging pandemic that has now killed more than 300,000 Americans , the vaccine , made by Pfizer and the German company BioNTech , is a beacon of hope .
Authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration on Friday , millions of doses will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , kicking off the most ambitious immunization campaign in US history .
To start off , the CDC recommends giving first priority to the most vulnerable groups : people at long-term care facilities and the nation ’ s 21 million healthcare workers .
After an exhausting year in which caseloads crushed emergency rooms across the country , many , if not most , doctors and nurses are ecstatic that a highly effective vaccine has arrived .
Another equally promising vaccine , by the company Moderna , is expected to be greenlit this week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday , a New York City critical care nurse named Sandra Lindsay became the first American to get Pfizer ’ s vaccine outside of a clinical trial .
Her message was clear : “ I want to instill public confidence that the vaccine is safe.
” “ Definitely I will be getting a vaccine , and I will be getting it publicly , ” Anthony Fauci , head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , said late last week .
“ I think that the data looks great .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think it ’ s a huge win for science , ” Krutika Kuppalli , an infectious diseases physician at the Medical University of South Carolina , told BuzzFeed News , before getting vaccinated on Tuesday .
Hospital staffers have been filling social media with joyous posts in anticipation of their shots .
But those who work in healthcare settings are not exempt from feeling skeptical or fearful about getting the new vaccine , according to surveys .
Healthcare workers appear to be moderately , but not overwhelmingly , willing to get vaccinated , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In a separate CDC survey this fall , 63 % of providers said they ’ d get vaccinated .
In an October survey of nearly 13,000 nurses , conducted by the American Nurses Foundation , about two-thirds of respondents said they were unsure or would not voluntarily get a vaccine .
And several hospital networks acknowledged in interviews with BuzzFeed News that , while the majority of their staffers are enthusiastic about getting vaccinated , some have reservations .
Ralph Wang , an emergency medicine physician at University of California , San @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his family can be protected from COVID-19 — but , he said , this shot feels different from something as familiar as the flu vaccine .
“ I ’ ve gotten it before .
Millions of people have gotten it before , ” Wang said .
It ’ s the “ newness ” of the coronavirus vaccine , he explained , that “ gives me pause.
” Ultimately , Wang said , his concerns are unlikely to outweigh the positives of helping protect his workplace , his family , and his community against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told me , ‘ Ralph , you have to decide right now , ’ I would probably say yes , ” he concluded .
Public health experts say that acknowledging and responding to these concerns in a transparent way will be important for building public trust in coronavirus vaccines as they are rolled out nationwide .
And they say that the gap in trust reflects a failure of the federal government — which poured $ 14 billion into an effort to rapidly develop and manufacture COVID-19 vaccines — to also invest in public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how they were vetted , and what ’ s known about safety .
That public-private partnership , Operation Warp Speed , “ has been a great program in terms of scientific rigor and integrity of the clinical trials , but it was never linked to a major program of communications , ” Peter Hotez , a vaccine expert at Baylor College of Medicine , told BuzzFeed News in an email .
The resulting information vacuum was often filled by corporate press releases aimed at shareholders and by the online anti-vaccine movement , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for this story said they would require their employees to get the vaccine , citing a belief that a mandate would be both impractical and likely to backfire .
Instead , they are hoping to get staffers on board voluntarily by answering questions , distributing information in various formats , making shots widely available , and encouraging those who get inoculated early to share their experiences with their peers .
“ It ’ s going to be a marathon , ” said Susan Mashni , head of the vaccine distribution task force at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ City .
Mashni said 60 % of doctors throughout the hospital network , and half of nonphysicians , noted in a recent survey that they ’ re enthusiastic about the vaccine .
“ If folks don ’ t feel comfortable right now , hopefully they ’ ll come back and feel comfortable with some time.
” Convincing doctors , nurses , and others of the importance of immunization will be crucial for the bigger task of swaying the public , which is expected to start getting vaccinated in April .
To stop the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 60 % to 70 % of the population will need to recover from COVID-19 or get vaccinated .
In a recent Pew Research Center poll , about 40 % of respondents said they “ definitely ” or “ probably ” would not get a vaccine , though about half of that group added that it ’ s possible they would get vaccinated once others do so and more information becomes available .
That makes the early rollout of the vaccine to healthcare workers even more crucial : Family physicians , studies have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on parents who are hesitant about vaccinating their children .
The same could be true for making sure the majority of Americans get the COVID-19 vaccine .
“ We encourage physicians to learn all they can , ” said Susan Bailey , president of the American Medical Association , “ because if we don ’ t have complete confidence in the vaccines , we ’ ll never convince our patients to have complete confidence.
” Pfizer ’ s vaccine is the fastest vaccine in history to make it from the lab to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authorized vaccine to be made from the genetic molecule messenger RNA ( mRNA ) , which instructs human cells to make proteins that prime the immune system to recognize and attack a coronavirus infection .
In a large late-stage clinical trial , the vaccine was 95 % effective at preventing infections , a rate that exceeded many scientists ’ expectations .
The vaccine was also found to be very safe , with no serious side effects .
Those qualities make the vaccine “ one of the greatest scientific accomplishments in history , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the FDA issued its authorization on Friday .
Moderna ’ s vaccine also uses an mRNA-based platform and is 94 % effective at preventing symptomatic illness , according to data released and confirmed by the FDA on Tuesday .
But to some people , the rapid development of those vaccines is troubling .
At the Medical University of South Carolina , where Kuppalli is helping coordinate the vaccine rollout , an employee asked her after a recent town hall : “ If these things are so great , why were we able to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In response , Kuppalli pointed to the three decades of research on mRNA as a potential medical tool , including human clinical trials on other vaccine candidates based on that technology , in part backed by years of investment from the federal government .
“ This is a very intricate , difficult process they ’ ve finally been able to figure out , ” she explained .
Because of the out-of-control outbreaks in the US , clinical trials for coronavirus vaccines were also able to quickly collect data that showed they worked .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ participants who received the placebo got infected ; in the same time frame , only eight people who got the vaccine became sick .
The FDA said it had “ no specific safety concerns ” about Pfizer ’ s vaccine , based on more than 18,000 trial participants who had received it .
But mild side effects were common : About a quarter of participants experienced some kind of reaction , most commonly arm soreness , fatigue , headaches , muscle pains , chills , joint pain , and fever .
No serious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
While two months of safety data have been reported so far , Pfizer will continue tracking participants for signs of side effects for two more years .
But Wang , the UCSF physician , is worried about the possibility of side effects so rare they ’ ll only show up once millions start to be vaccinated .
Such incredibly rare side effects are to be expected for any new drug or vaccine : For instance , for every 1 million flu shots , the risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome , an immune disorder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought to increase by one or two cases .
“ That ’ s a 1 in a million consideration , which we won ’ t know about [ with the coronavirus vaccine ] , ” Wang said .
A nurse practitioner at New York University ’ s Langone Medical Center , who requested anonymity because they were not allowed to speak to the press , also expressed concern about the unknowns , a reluctance they felt toward “ any new medication.
” “ The reality is we don ’ t know a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ There may not be any , but we ’ re not going to know that for a while.
” There are open questions about ultrarare or long-term side effects — and then there ’ s the vast amount of COVID-19 misinformation spreading online .
Since day one of the pandemic , social media platforms have been battling accounts that share out-of-context information , misconceptions , and flat-out falsehoods about the virus and , now , the vaccines .
One recent rumor , for instance , claimed that Pfizer ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make women infertile .
It was started by a blog called Health and Money News , flagged in Facebook ’ s efforts to combat misinformation on its platform , and decisively debunked by PolitiFact , the Associated Press , and the New York Times .
“ I don ’ t even know how this stuff gets made up , ” said Serena Bumpus , director of practice at the Texas Nurses Association .
“ It ’ s those sorts of things that we need to help people filter out and really pay attention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Even before the pandemic , vaccine hesitancy was identified by the World Health Organization as one of the top threats to global health .
And some of the public messaging around the coronavirus vaccines hasn ’ t helped restore confidence .
“ Operation Warp Speed ” was a name that seemed to prioritize speed over safety .
Trump pressured the FDA to approve a vaccine before the November election and contradicted timelines given by his own health officials .
And Kamala Harris , as a vice presidential candidate , said she would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alone .
The pharmaceutical companies haven ’ t always helped their own cause .
Pfizer and Moderna made public their typically secret clinical trial blueprints , but only after scientists urgently called for greater transparency .
And both companies released their promising data in press releases , not peer-reviewed studies .
( Last week , the FDA did release its independent analysis of Pfizer ’ s data , and the company published its results in the New England Journal of Medicine . )
More recently , when AstraZeneca and Oxford University published a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trials of their vaccine , they presented a range of efficacy rates for different dosing regimens .
But some outside scientists say that they were not transparent about how the trials were conducted and that they had spun their data to present more impressive results .
A lot of healthcare workers have the added hurdle of personally experiencing unequal health treatment , said Sheria Robinson-Lane , a professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing .
About 1 in 5 registered nurses , and 29 % of vocational nurses , identify as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We often don ’ t think of them as low-wage workers , but in many instances they are .
Many of them have poor access to health insurance , so many of them have seen the most devastating effects of COVID , ” Robinson-Lane said .
In the case of a vaccine , “ when people say , ‘ Let ’ s test it , and it needs to go to Black folks first , ’ people don ’ t necessarily look at that as a positive sort of thing .
They go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be guinea pigs , so to speak.
” Someday , hospitals could conceivably require employees to get immunized against the coronavirus .
There is legal precedent , experts said : Some hospitals already mandate some immunizations , like the mumps , measles , and rubella vaccine and a yearly flu shot .
But for now , Pfizer ’ s vaccine is still experimental .
It will be available under an “ emergency use authorization ” from the FDA , which is based on less data than a full approval .
“ Folks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a drug that ’ s not FDA-approved , ” said Mashni of the Mount Sinai Health System .
Employees would almost certainly resist any vaccine mandate at this stage , hospital directors said .
“ It ’ s not even a discussion right now , ” said Christine Turley of Atrium Health , a 70,000-employee hospital network in North and South Carolina and Georgia .
“ I can ’ t envision anybody doing that here , ” said Deb-Fischer Clemens , president of the South Dakota Nurses Association .
“ In South @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government , and there ’ s quite a population here that is not wanting anyone to tell them what to do.
” That said , she thought that most nurses in her state , where waves of critically ill patients are overwhelming intensive care units , are excited to get a vaccine .
As for the rest , she said , “ We just have to educate.
” Saad Omer , an expert in strategies to combat vaccine hesitancy and director of the Yale Institute for Global Health , said the most effective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the top .
In an analysis of surveys conducted in September , Omer and his colleagues found that a bipartisan endorsement of a vaccine from Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Trump would encourage people to take it .
Fauci ’ s endorsement would be even more persuasive to respondents of all political affiliations , the study found .
Omer also said that the federal government should run a national education campaign that delivers basic facts about vaccination to the public .
“ That hasn ’ t happened , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ big-picture level.
” The Trump administration is now launching such a campaign — initially delayed because of concerns that the president was using it to boost his chances of reelection — and President-elect Joe Biden is working on his own messaging plan .
In the meantime , hospitals have been mounting their own education efforts .
Mount Sinai is posting information for its employees internally , distributing FAQ sheets , compiling videos and PowerPoints , hosting town halls , and printing palm-sized cards with talking points to be carried around in case conversations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a Catholic health system based in Texas , is working with an internal group of physicians dedicated to addressing health inequities to get the word out to communities of color about the vaccine , said Sam Bagchi , the nonprofit ’ s chief medical officer .
In an employee survey , he said , one-third of respondents said they wanted the vaccine , 40 % were unsure , and the rest said they weren ’ t interested .
Some of Christus ’ s staff members were in the clinical trials , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their experiences with the rest of the organization “ so that it ’ s not me as a leader , it ’ s not the federal or state government , but it ’ s somebody ’ s peer , somebody that looks like them , somebody that ’ s from their same care area or from their same geography , ” he said .
“ They got the vaccine , it wasn ’ t that bad , and their arm hurt for a while — but now they ’ re feeling better , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did it.
” In these conversations , people should be open about the fact that no vaccine is a panacea , experts said .
“ There tends to be a lack of information that ’ s made available regarding both the good and bad things with vaccinations , ” Robinson-Lane said .
“ We talk about all of the benefits , but we don ’ t necessarily talk about some of the side effects or concerns.
” And Omer pointed out , “ There is no absolute safety in anything .
It is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a fact of life , unfortunately .
And the key is in the middle of a raging pandemic that sees mass mortality on a daily basis .
What is the risk-versus-benefit ratio of these vaccines ?
” Managers should not just warn employees about the possibility of side effects that surface in the days after their shots , but plan for it .
Staffers should stagger getting the vaccinations for themselves so people can take time off without jeopardizing medical care for patients , some experts say .
Above all , people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ persuading others , said Craig Spencer , an emergency physician at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center .
“ We all just assume that healthcare providers are a monolith and put science above all and think vaccines are the best things on the face of the earth , ” he said .
“ But there ’ s obviously variability , even amongst frontline workers , in their personal experience , and we can ’ t undermine that.
” As Pfizer has released more data about its vaccine , Spencer said , he has come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and feels “ really optimistic.
” Having treated patients during New York ’ s grueling surge in the spring , and now once again this winter , he added , being vaccinated would “ help with some of that mental exhaustion and that mental stress.
” Lately , Spencer has tried to spread some of that optimism to colleagues — nurses , technicians , security guards — who are approaching him with questions about the vaccine .
He is confident that more people will get on board as they hear firsthand from friends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I work with in my emergency room , I ’ ve worked with them for nearly a decade .
They trust me , ” he said .
For others , the decision will be based not on personal interactions but an assessment of the facts .
“ As a doctor and someone who does research , ” said Wang , “ I always want to look at primary publications to look at how the studies were done and to have a look at the data for myself.
” And for all his concerns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ benefits are not lost on him .
“ As healthcare workers in emergency departments , we ’ ll be protected , and so our patients will be protected , and our families will be protected , ” he said .
“ That ’ s why I would take the vaccine .
”

Healthcare workers are at the front of the line to receive the United States’ first coronavirus vaccine. But hospitals have a challenge: Not all of them are thrilled to be there.
Amid a raging pandemic that has now killed more than 300,000 Americans, the vaccine, made by Pfizer and the German company BioNTech, is a beacon of hope. Authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration on Friday, millions of doses will arrive in all 50 states this week, kicking off the most ambitious immunization campaign in US history. To start off, the CDC recommends giving first priority to the most vulnerable groups: people at long-term care facilities and the nation’s 21 million healthcare workers.
After an exhausting year in which caseloads crushed emergency rooms across the country, many, if not most, doctors and nurses are ecstatic that a highly effective vaccine has arrived. Another equally promising vaccine, by the company Moderna, is expected to be greenlit this week, bringing even more relief.
On Monday, a New York City critical care nurse named Sandra Lindsay became the first American to get Pfizer’s vaccine outside of a clinical trial. Her message was clear: “I want to instill public confidence that the vaccine is safe.”
“Definitely I will be getting a vaccine, and I will be getting it publicly,” Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said late last week. “I think that the data looks great. I’m excited about it. I think it’s a huge win for science,” Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious diseases physician at the Medical University of South Carolina, told BuzzFeed News, before getting vaccinated on Tuesday. Hospital staffers have been filling social media with joyous posts in anticipation of their shots.
But those who work in healthcare settings are not exempt from feeling skeptical or fearful about getting the new vaccine, according to surveys.
Healthcare workers appear to be moderately, but not overwhelmingly, willing to get vaccinated, a CDC advisory panel acknowledged last weekend. In a separate CDC survey this fall, 63% of providers said they’d get vaccinated. In an October survey of nearly 13,000 nurses, conducted by the American Nurses Foundation, about two-thirds of respondents said they were unsure or would not voluntarily get a vaccine. And several hospital networks acknowledged in interviews with BuzzFeed News that, while the majority of their staffers are enthusiastic about getting vaccinated, some have reservations.
Ralph Wang, an emergency medicine physician at University of California, San Francisco, is hopeful that he and his family can be protected from COVID-19 — but, he said, this shot feels different from something as familiar as the flu vaccine. “I’ve gotten it before. Millions of people have gotten it before,” Wang said. It’s the “newness” of the coronavirus vaccine, he explained, that “gives me pause.”
Ultimately, Wang said, his concerns are unlikely to outweigh the positives of helping protect his workplace, his family, and his community against a deadly virus.
“If someone told me, ‘Ralph, you have to decide right now,’ I would probably say yes,” he concluded.
Public health experts say that acknowledging and responding to these concerns in a transparent way will be important for building public trust in coronavirus vaccines as they are rolled out nationwide. And they say that the gap in trust reflects a failure of the federal government — which poured $14 billion into an effort to rapidly develop and manufacture COVID-19 vaccines — to also invest in public awareness about how the shots work, how they were vetted, and what’s known about safety.
That public-private partnership, Operation Warp Speed, “has been a great program in terms of scientific rigor and integrity of the clinical trials, but it was never linked to a major program of communications,” Peter Hotez, a vaccine expert at Baylor College of Medicine, told BuzzFeed News in an email. The resulting information vacuum was often filled by corporate press releases aimed at shareholders and by the online anti-vaccine movement, he said.
None of the hospitals interviewed for this story said they would require their employees to get the vaccine, citing a belief that a mandate would be both impractical and likely to backfire. Instead, they are hoping to get staffers on board voluntarily by answering questions, distributing information in various formats, making shots widely available, and encouraging those who get inoculated early to share their experiences with their peers.
“It’s going to be a marathon,” said Susan Mashni, head of the vaccine distribution task force at Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. Mashni said 60% of doctors throughout the hospital network, and half of nonphysicians, noted in a recent survey that they’re enthusiastic about the vaccine. “If folks don’t feel comfortable right now, hopefully they’ll come back and feel comfortable with some time.”
Convincing doctors, nurses, and others of the importance of immunization will be crucial for the bigger task of swaying the public, which is expected to start getting vaccinated in April. To stop the virus’s spread, experts say, 60% to 70% of the population will need to recover from COVID-19 or get vaccinated. In a recent Pew Research Center poll, about 40% of respondents said they “definitely” or “probably” would not get a vaccine, though about half of that group added that it’s possible they would get vaccinated once others do so and more information becomes available.
That makes the early rollout of the vaccine to healthcare workers even more crucial: Family physicians, studies have shown, can be a powerful influence on parents who are hesitant about vaccinating their children. The same could be true for making sure the majority of Americans get the COVID-19 vaccine.
“We encourage physicians to learn all they can,” said Susan Bailey, president of the American Medical Association, “because if we don’t have complete confidence in the vaccines, we’ll never convince our patients to have complete confidence.”


buzzfeed--2020-12-15--People On TikTok Are Losing Their Minds After Learning Mucinex Might Help You Get Pregnant

Using Guaifenesin and Mucinex to get pregnant is actually a practice that 's been around for years.
`` Studies have @ @ @ @ @ and it has been written about in fertility books since the '70s .
There is @ @ @ @ @ fertility doctors would be recommending it for everyone .
That being said , it has @ @ @ @ @ that makes sense with very few risks — and it is inexpensive !
There are @ @ @ @ @ people who may have improved natural fertility rates by taking an expectorant , like Mucinex @ @ @ @ @

Using Guaifenesin and Mucinex to get pregnant is actually a practice that's been around for years. " Studies have been published looking at this and it has been written about in fertility books since the '70s. There is no conclusive help — or fertility doctors would be recommending it for everyone. That being said, it has a hypothetical mechanism of action that makes sense with very few risks — and it is inexpensive! There are probably a small subset of people who may have improved natural fertility rates by taking an expectorant, like Mucinex," she said.


buzzfeed--2020-12-16--People Who've Woken Up Mid-Surgery Are Sharing Their Horror Stories, And It's Nightmare Fuel

`` I had to get knee surgery as I had 'chipped ' off a part of my kneecap and the @ @ @ @ @ and remove the bone .
He was a pretty playful guy , obviously worked with @ @ @ @ @ I was getting prepped , he was asking if I wanted to see the bone @ @ @ @ @ me being 13 and thinking that was cool as hell , I said yes .
@ @ @ @ @ to show the bone to me after the surgery .
But he actually patted me @ @ @ @ @ still open to show me the bloody piece of bone . ''

15.
"Well, while you are supposed to be awake for cornea transplant surgery, your eye is numb. However during this surgery on my left eye, I felt the cut into my old cornea. I said I felt it and the surgeon said 'You felt what?' I said I felt a sting like a cut and he did a few things and then started to cut again, and I said there it was again. So they had to give me a shot in my eyeball and that hurt! But I didn’t feel anything else after the shot. It was very unnerving!"


buzzfeed--2020-12-16--The US Officially Has Its First COVID-19 Vaccine

Nine grueling months into a deadly pandemic that has upended every aspect of life , the United States has a coronavirus vaccine .
The highly effective vaccine , made by the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer , was authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration on Friday , following an overwhelming 17–4 vote of confidence from an advisory panel of independent experts .
On Monday , the first shipments of the vaccines should arrive in states , which are expected to give them first to healthcare workers and people in nursing homes , federal officials said Saturday .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million people their first shots will be delivered by the end of the year .
`` The FDA ’ s authorization for emergency use of the first COVID-19 vaccine is a significant milestone in battling this devastating pandemic that has affected so many families in the United States and around the world , ” said FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn in a statement from the agency on Friday .
“ The tireless work to develop a new vaccine to prevent this novel , serious , and life-threatening disease in an expedited timeframe after its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ innovation and public-private collaboration worldwide.
” At a press conference on Saturday morning , Hahn said the agency had applied high standards of review `` so that Americans can have trust and confidence that the vaccine meets FDA ’ s rigorous standards for safety and effectiveness . ''
`` With this authorization , we know our federal partners are already moving to distribute the first doses of the vaccine throughout the country , '' Hahn said .
The vaccine is a source of badly needed hope in the depths of an out-of-control outbreak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infected millions more , strained hospitals , and shows no signs of letting up .
The licensure of the vaccine , which was developed in record time in partnership with the German company BioNTech , comes the same week that the US reported a record 3,000 COVID-19 deaths in a single day .
“ Actually having the vaccine in somebody ’ s arm in less than a year — 11 months to be exact , from January to the beginning of December — it would have been inconceivable to me a year or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Anthony Fauci , chief of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , at a Friday event prior to the authorization .
He added that he planned to get the vaccine publicly and that he will recommend his family get it , too .
From the outset , the Trump administration failed to adequately invest in efforts to prevent the virus ’ s transmission ; it instead staked the country ’ s hopes on never-before-developed therapeutics and vaccines , funded in part by a $ 14 billion public-private partnership called Operation Warp @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump tweeted a video address about the vaccine , calling it a “ medical miracle.
” “ We have delivered a safe and effective vaccine in just nine months .
This is one of the greatest scientific accomplishments in history , ” Trump said .
“ It will save millions of lives and soon end the pandemic once and for all.
” And Albert Bourla , Pfizer ’ s CEO , said , “ Pfizer ’ s purpose is breakthroughs that change patients ’ lives , and in our 171-year history there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a breakthrough than today with hundreds of thousands of people continuing to suffer from COVID-19.
” Pfizer ’ s vaccine on its own will not return society to normal , especially while early doses are limited .
To keep transmission low , everyone — vaccinated or not — will still have to wear a mask , socially distance , and wash their hands .
And it will take a long time before 60 % to 70 % of the population recovers from COVID-19 or gets immunized , the level that experts say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spreading .
This winter , the CDC director has warned , could be “ the most difficult time in the public health history of this nation.
” But data suggests that the vaccine works extremely well — far better than most scientists had expected .
Based on preliminary results from an ongoing late-stage clinical trial that now includes 44,000 people , the vaccine appears to be 95 % effective at preventing COVID-19 when compared with participants who received placebo shots .
That far exceeds the FDA ’ s minimum requirement of 50 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the flu shot is thought to be about 60 % effective on average .
Commonly reported side effects to Pfizer ’ s vaccine included arm soreness , fatigue , headaches , muscle pains , chills , joint pain , and fever .
The rate of serious side effects was very low , and none were clearly linked to the vaccine .
While the CDC has said healthcare workers and people who work or live in nursing homes should get the first shots , it ’ s ultimately up to governors to decide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intend to prioritize other groups , such as older people with high-risk conditions .
This is the first authorized vaccine made from a genetic molecule called messenger RNA ( mRNA ) — a stunning scientific achievement , considering that work on it began in January .
Previously , the mumps vaccine was considered the fastest ever developed , and that took four years to reach the market .
Several unique factors contributed to how quickly the vaccine could be tested and authorized .
For one , its underlying biotechnology was not invented in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ harness mRNA against various diseases for more than three decades .
Then the US ’ s disastrous handling of the pandemic led to a nationwide surge , enabling clinical trials to quickly rack up enough cases among participants to show that the vaccine worked .
And since Pfizer submitted its data on Nov. 20 , the FDA has compressed its vetting process into a span of weeks rather than months .
An “ emergency use authorization ” requires less data than a full approval .
At the same time , Hahn has stressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safety and efficacy .
In a change instituted this fall , the agency required that companies submit a minimum of two months ’ worth of safety data from half of the trial participants .
The US is the sixth country to authorize Pfizer ’ s vaccine , following the United Kingdom , Canada , Bahrain , Saudi Arabia , and Mexico .
A second mRNA vaccine , made by the biotech company Moderna , has also delivered extremely promising results and could be green-lit by the FDA as early as next week .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a painstaking endeavor .
Because the vaccine ’ s fragile mRNA molecules break down at room temperature , it must be transported and stored at -94 degrees .
That ’ s prompted states to rush to buy expensive , ultracold freezers , but they will likely be out of reach for rural , underresourced parts of the country .
Once thawed and diluted , a vial — which contains five doses apiece — has to be used within six hours .
The vaccine will not stem the outbreak if people don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely be another major challenge .
About 63 % of Americans recently surveyed by Gallup said they were willing to get a vaccine , up from an all-time low of 50 % in September .
That dip in confidence reflects how politicized vaccine development became this fall , when President Donald Trump was pushing federal scientists to approve one before the election .
Pfizer has since sought to distance itself from the president and Operation Warp Speed , with its head of vaccine development telling the New York Times last month that it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” While the company did not take federal money for research and development , Pfizer struck a $ 1.95 billion deal with the government to deliver 100 million doses , regardless of whether the vaccine was shown to work .
The gulf between the White House and the company became even clearer upon reports this week that the administration had declined an offer from Pfizer this summer to lock in additional doses beyond the initial shipment .
In the waning days of his presidency , Trump has kept up his efforts to interfere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Following reports that the agency planned to issue an authorization on Saturday , Trump demanded in a Friday morning tweet that it “ get the dam vaccines out NOW.
” White House chief of staff Mark Meadows allegedly told Hahn to submit his resignation if he didn ’ t authorize the vaccine by Friday , the Washington Post reported , though it ’ s unclear whether that would get doses to people any faster .
At Saturday 's press conference , Hahn called the report `` inaccurate . ''
The mRNA vaccine , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks apart , instructs human cells to make proteins that prime the immune system to recognize and attack a coronavirus infection .
Pfizer ’ s latest analysis , confirmed by the FDA , found it was 95 % effective at preventing COVID-19 among people who were at least 16 years old , starting just one week after the second shot .
That rate was calculated from a total of 170 people in the clinical trial who got infected : 162 people who were given placebo shots versus eight who received the vaccine .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ up across age categories , genders , racial and ethnic groups , and people with underlying conditions that raise the risk for severe illness .
“ Overall , there is not much to argue with here in terms of efficacy , ” Deepta Bhattacharya , an immunologist at the University of Arizona who is not on the FDA ’ s advisory panel , told BuzzFeed News by email .
“ It just looks great no matter how you look at it.
” Still , some significant questions remain .
People were defined as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive test result and at least one symptom , including a cough or loss of taste .
But there were far fewer severe cases that were life-threatening or required hospitalization , and critics have worried that a vaccine that primarily prevents mild cases will not provide help where it ’ s most needed .
The FDA concluded that the data does “ suggest protection from severe COVID-19 disease , ” though it is not definite .
It ’ s also not known whether the vaccine can prevent asymptomatic cases or stop an infected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s potentially important because asymptomatic cases are believed to make up 20 % to 30 % of all cases and are a significant driver in transmission .
Kathrin Jansen , Pfizer ’ s head of vaccine development , said during Thursday ’ s FDA panel meeting that participants are being screened for antibodies to try to address this question , with answers expected in early 2021 .
How long immunity to the virus will last is still up in the air .
But in a promising sign , Pfizer reported that patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protection two months after receiving their second shots .
There also wasn ’ t enough data to show how well the vaccine worked in people who are pregnant or lactating , those who have HIV/AIDS or an otherwise immunocompromised system , and children under 16 ( the study expanded to include those as young as 12 in October ) .
Older teens , on the other hand , were a topic of heated discussion during the panel meeting this week .
Several members raised concerns that there wasn ’ t enough data from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had 153 of them — to support giving them the vaccine .
The vaccine does seem very safe .
Based on more than 18,000 vaccine recipients , half of whom were tracked for at least two months after their second dose , the FDA said it saw “ no specific safety concerns.
” Pfizer has said it will continue tracking participants for signs of side effects for two more years .
In the short term , people shouldn ’ t be surprised if they have side effects after getting their shots .
Overall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who got the vaccine reported having some kind of reaction , most commonly arm soreness , fatigue , headaches , muscle pains , chills , joint pain , and fever .
That ’ s a higher rate than that of some other common immunizations , including the flu shot .
Operation Warp Speed chief science adviser Moncef Slaoui has compared the Pfizer vaccine ’ s rate of side effects to that of the shingles vaccine .
Side effects also occurred more in younger patients than in those age 55 and older , most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This may cause some problems in vaccine uptake , as younger people are aware that they are at lower risk following natural infection , ” Bhattacharya said .
“ Public messaging will matter here.
” As for severe side effects , the rate of those — about 1 in 200 — was virtually the same in participants who received the vaccine and the placebo .
The side effects that FDA said may have been related to the vaccine included swollen lymph nodes , heart arrhythmia , and one shoulder injury .
There were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Bell ’ s palsy , a condition that temporarily weakens facial muscles .
The FDA determined that the incidents weren ’ t statistically unusual given the number of people in the trial , but the agency will watch out for any cases as the vaccine is widely distributed .
Concerns have also emerged about whether people with severe allergies should get the vaccine .
This week , two healthcare workers in the UK reported allergic reactions after receiving their first shots .
Both had a history of severe allergies and have reportedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UK ’ s health regulator announced that people with a “ significant history of allergic reactions to a vaccine , medicine or food ” should not be given the vaccine .
It is not known what exactly the workers were allergic to .
Pfizer ’ s prescribing information in the US only warns that the vaccine should not be given to people with a known history of severe allergies to components of the vaccine , a narrower restriction than the one given by the UK .
The FDA has asked Pfizer to monitor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more data to the agency .
On Saturday , Peter Marks , the director of the FDA 's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research , said that people with a history of severe allergic reactions should talk to their doctors before getting their first shot .
`` The vaccine really is one we ’ re comfortable giving to patients who ’ ve had other allergic reactions other than severe allergic reactions to a vaccine or one of its components , '' Marks said .
`` So obviously you ’ ll need to tell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allergic reactions — they ’ ll help determine , knowing what ’ s in the vaccine , if you may be allergic to one of those components .
But we are making sure that sites where this vaccine is being administered have the ability to treat allergic reactions . ''
At Thursday ’ s FDA advisory meeting , Paul Offit , a vaccine expert at the Children ’ s Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of the panel , expressed concern about needlessly scaring people away from taking the vaccine .
He recommended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in people with common allergies .
“ This issue is not going to die until we have better data , ” Offit said Thursday .
With the release of the vaccine , a thorny question arises for the clinical trial volunteers who risked their bodies to help make it a reality : Should people who received the placebo now get the immunization ?
Pfizer has proposed giving the real shots to those people as they become eligible .
It ’ s hard to imagine that many would turn one down .
But the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ unblinding ” participants would irrevocably ruin scientists ’ chances to collect important data .
It ’ s a dilemma that will likely come up more and more as other COVID-19 vaccines become available in the US .
Moderna ’ s vaccine will be evaluated by the FDA ’ s advisory panel on Dec. 17 .
AstraZeneca and Oxford University , as well as Johnson & Johnson , are in late-stage trials .
This week , Operation Warp Speed ’ s chief science adviser suggested that the latter vaccine — a one-shot immunization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collect enough data from its trial for an FDA submission in January .
Fauci and other experts expect that immunizations for the general public can begin in April .
By then , even with a vaccine , more than a half million Americans could be dead .

Nine grueling months into a deadly pandemic that has upended every aspect of life, the United States has a coronavirus vaccine.
The highly effective vaccine, made by the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, was authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration on Friday, following an overwhelming 17–4 vote of confidence from an advisory panel of independent experts.
On Monday, the first shipments of the vaccines should arrive in states, which are expected to give them first to healthcare workers and people in nursing homes, federal officials said Saturday. They estimate that enough doses to give 20 million people their first shots will be delivered by the end of the year.
"The FDA’s authorization for emergency use of the first COVID-19 vaccine is a significant milestone in battling this devastating pandemic that has affected so many families in the United States and around the world,” said FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn in a statement from the agency on Friday. “The tireless work to develop a new vaccine to prevent this novel, serious, and life-threatening disease in an expedited timeframe after its emergence is a true testament to scientific innovation and public-private collaboration worldwide.”
At a press conference on Saturday morning, Hahn said the agency had applied high standards of review "so that Americans can have trust and confidence that the vaccine meets FDA’s rigorous standards for safety and effectiveness." "With this authorization, we know our federal partners are already moving to distribute the first doses of the vaccine throughout the country," Hahn said.
The vaccine is a source of badly needed hope in the depths of an out-of-control outbreak that has killed nearly 300,000 Americans, infected millions more, strained hospitals, and shows no signs of letting up. The licensure of the vaccine, which was developed in record time in partnership with the German company BioNTech, comes the same week that the US reported a record 3,000 COVID-19 deaths in a single day.
“Actually having the vaccine in somebody’s arm in less than a year — 11 months to be exact, from January to the beginning of December — it would have been inconceivable to me a year or two or three ago,” said Anthony Fauci, chief of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, at a Friday event prior to the authorization. He added that he planned to get the vaccine publicly and that he will recommend his family get it, too.
From the outset, the Trump administration failed to adequately invest in efforts to prevent the virus’s transmission; it instead staked the country’s hopes on never-before-developed therapeutics and vaccines, funded in part by a $14 billion public-private partnership called Operation Warp Speed.
On Friday night, President Donald Trump tweeted a video address about the vaccine, calling it a “medical miracle.” “We have delivered a safe and effective vaccine in just nine months. This is one of the greatest scientific accomplishments in history,” Trump said. “It will save millions of lives and soon end the pandemic once and for all.” And Albert Bourla, Pfizer’s CEO, said, “Pfizer’s purpose is breakthroughs that change patients’ lives, and in our 171-year history there has never been a more urgent need for a breakthrough than today with hundreds of thousands of people continuing to suffer from COVID-19.”
Pfizer’s vaccine on its own will not return society to normal, especially while early doses are limited. To keep transmission low, everyone — vaccinated or not — will still have to wear a mask, socially distance, and wash their hands. And it will take a long time before 60% to 70% of the population recovers from COVID-19 or gets immunized, the level that experts say is necessary for the virus to stop spreading. This winter, the CDC director has warned, could be “the most difficult time in the public health history of this nation.”
But data suggests that the vaccine works extremely well — far better than most scientists had expected.
Based on preliminary results from an ongoing late-stage clinical trial that now includes 44,000 people, the vaccine appears to be 95% effective at preventing COVID-19 when compared with participants who received placebo shots. That far exceeds the FDA’s minimum requirement of 50% for a COVID-19 vaccine. By comparison, the flu shot is thought to be about 60% effective on average.
Commonly reported side effects to Pfizer’s vaccine included arm soreness, fatigue, headaches, muscle pains, chills, joint pain, and fever. The rate of serious side effects was very low, and none were clearly linked to the vaccine.
While the CDC has said healthcare workers and people who work or live in nursing homes should get the first shots, it’s ultimately up to governors to decide who will receive them. Some states intend to prioritize other groups, such as older people with high-risk conditions.


buzzfeed--2020-12-16--Joe Biden Has Picked Gina McCarthy To Fill A New Role As US “Climate Czar”

President-elect Joe Biden is expected to name Gina McCarthy , the former Obama administration Environmental Protection Agency head , as the White House climate czar , a new high-level role tasked with spearheading the government ’ s domestic response to the climate crisis , according to a source familiar with the decision .
McCarthy , who has fiercely opposed President Donald Trump ’ s efforts to roll back climate rules in her role as president of the Natural Resources Defense Council , will lead a new White House office dedicated to US climate policy .
The news was first reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden ’ s second big climate hire , joining John Kerry , a former Secretary of State and presidential candidate , who will be leading the nation ’ s international talks in the new position of special presidential envoy on climate .
Biden ran on the most ambitious climate platform of any presidential candidate , and since getting elected he has named tackling climate change as among his top priorities .
Creating new high-level climate roles is among the demands from the Sunrise Movement , young climate activists pressing the federal government to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden also started filling other key roles in his administration with people that boast climate credentials , many of whom formerly worked in the Obama administration .
Brian Deese , the next director of the National Economic Council , played a key role in negotiating the Paris climate agreement during the Obama administration .
And Janet Yellen , Biden ’ s pick to be Treasury secretary , has long warned of the steep economic impacts of worsening climate change .
The new administration ’ s embrace of climate champions is a stark contrast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US from the Paris climate agreement , hired climate science deniers , undermined federal scientists , and rolled back climate policies to allow cars , trucks , and power plants to pollute more .
Now the planet is on track to warm 3.2 degrees Celsius ( or 5.7 degrees Fahrenheit ) by the end of the century , far off track from the goal of the Paris climate agreement to limit warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius ( or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit ) , resulting in catastrophic warming that would largely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seasons , further intensify storms , and lock in a damaging rise in sea levels .
Under McCarthy ’ s watch , the EPA expanded its oversight of climate polluters , from requiring power plants to cut their emissions under the Clean Power Plan to passing a trio of rules aimed at curbing oil- and gas-related air pollution .
The Trump administration then systematically tried , and in many cases succeeded , to undo those rules .
Biden has already pledged to start the process of returning to the Paris agreement on his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kerry , who helped secure the agreement in the first place under Obama , will oversee that process and serve as the US point person in those discussions .
Kerry will also be responsible for all other international engagement and negotiations on climate , including the Group of Seven ( G7 ) and Group of 20 ( G20 ) meetings and the Arctic Council , and will sit on the National Security Council to advise the president on national security and foreign policy .

President-elect Joe Biden is expected to name Gina McCarthy, the former Obama administration Environmental Protection Agency head, as the White House climate czar, a new high-level role tasked with spearheading the government’s domestic response to the climate crisis, according to a source familiar with the decision.
McCarthy, who has fiercely opposed President Donald Trump’s efforts to roll back climate rules in her role as president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, will lead a new White House office dedicated to US climate policy. The news was first reported by the Washington Post.
McCarthy is Biden’s second big climate hire, joining John Kerry, a former Secretary of State and presidential candidate, who will be leading the nation’s international talks in the new position of special presidential envoy on climate.
Biden ran on the most ambitious climate platform of any presidential candidate, and since getting elected he has named tackling climate change as among his top priorities. Creating new high-level climate roles is among the demands from the Sunrise Movement, young climate activists pressing the federal government to take urgent action on climate change.
Biden also started filling other key roles in his administration with people that boast climate credentials, many of whom formerly worked in the Obama administration. Brian Deese, the next director of the National Economic Council, played a key role in negotiating the Paris climate agreement during the Obama administration. And Janet Yellen, Biden’s pick to be Treasury secretary, has long warned of the steep economic impacts of worsening climate change.
The new administration’s embrace of climate champions is a stark contrast to the Trump administration, which withdrew the US from the Paris climate agreement, hired climate science deniers, undermined federal scientists, and rolled back climate policies to allow cars, trucks, and power plants to pollute more.
Now the planet is on track to warm 3.2 degrees Celsius (or 5.7 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century, far off track from the goal of the Paris climate agreement to limit warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius (or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), resulting in catastrophic warming that would largely wipe out coral reefs, extend wildfire seasons, further intensify storms, and lock in a damaging rise in sea levels.
Under McCarthy’s watch, the EPA expanded its oversight of climate polluters, from requiring power plants to cut their emissions under the Clean Power Plan to passing a trio of rules aimed at curbing oil- and gas-related air pollution. The Trump administration then systematically tried, and in many cases succeeded, to undo those rules.
Biden has already pledged to start the process of returning to the Paris agreement on his first day in the White House. Kerry, who helped secure the agreement in the first place under Obama, will oversee that process and serve as the US point person in those discussions.
Kerry will also be responsible for all other international engagement and negotiations on climate, including the Group of Seven (G7) and Group of 20 (G20) meetings and the Arctic Council, and will sit on the National Security Council to advise the president on national security and foreign policy.


buzzfeed--2020-12-16--The Trump Administration Has Finalized An Agreement To Send Asylum-Seekers To El Salvador To Seek Pr

The Trump Administration Has Finalized An Agreement To Send Asylum-Seekers To El Salvador To Seek Protection

Immigrants return to Mexico as others line up on their way to request asylum in the US .
The Trump administration has finalized an agreement to send certain asylum-seekers picked up at the border to El Salvador to seek protection in the Central American country , according to a Department of Homeland Security announcement sent to congressional staffers on Tuesday .
It is unclear how quickly the agreement would be implemented and whether the administration will actually invoke it prior to the arrival of President-elect Joe Biden .
The controversial plan was initially signed in 2019 , but implementation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year , US officials met with El Salvador 's president , Nayib Bukele , about the deal .
Last December , Bukele told CBS ’ s 60 Minutes that El Salvador was not ready for asylum-seekers from other countries .
Chad Wolf , the DHS ’ s acting secretary , has been in Central America discussing the deal with Bukele .
“ Implementation of the Asylum Cooperative Agreement between the United States and El Salvador is a critical step in the establishment of a truly regional approach to migration , and , more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to those migrants who are victims of persecution , ” Wolf said in the statement .
“ I am grateful to the Government of El Salvador , and to President Bukele personally , for their commitment to the implementation of the ACA , and for the resulting expansion of avenues for protection available to persecuted migrants in the region.
” The announcement added that the deal was put in place “ in order to confront the ongoing humanitarian and security crisis at the Southwest border due to historic levels of irregular migration and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” the statement continued , “ certain migrants requesting asylum or similar humanitarian protection at the U.S. border will be transferred to El Salvador to seek protection in El Salvador.
” News of the plans comes at the tail end of the Trump administration ’ s broader efforts to restrict asylum at the southern border , including a policy that forces asylum-seekers to remain in Mexico for the duration of their US immigration cases .
In recent months , DHS has relied on a public health provision to expel people from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safe-third-country-like deals with Guatemala , El Salvador , and Honduras — agreements with all three countries to accept asylum-seekers — were signed last year after negotiations led by then–DHS secretary Kevin McAleenan .
The Guatemala agreement was implemented late but plans to send asylum-seekers to El Salvador and Honduras stalled .
“ Implementation of the ACA will involve and facilitate cooperation between the two governments to expand El Salvador 's systems for offering humanitarian protections .
Building El Salvador 's protection capacity will involve the use of best practices developed by the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protection options for vulnerable populations , ” the statement read .
Advocates and asylum officers previously told BuzzFeed News that the unprecedented plan lacks legality and organization and will lead to immigrants being placed in dangerous circumstances .
Earlier this year , the Biden–Sanders task force , organized after the president-elect won the Democratic nomination , recommended an end to the agreements signed with the Central American countries .
Biden has said he wants to convene leaders in the region to discuss larger , structural issues regarding migration to the US border .

The Trump administration has finalized an agreement to send certain asylum-seekers picked up at the border to El Salvador to seek protection in the Central American country, according to a Department of Homeland Security announcement sent to congressional staffers on Tuesday.
It is unclear how quickly the agreement would be implemented and whether the administration will actually invoke it prior to the arrival of President-elect Joe Biden. The controversial plan was initially signed in 2019, but implementation of the deal was delayed.
Earlier this year, US officials met with El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, about the deal. Last December, Bukele told CBS’s 60 Minutes that El Salvador was not ready for asylum-seekers from other countries.
Chad Wolf, the DHS’s acting secretary, has been in Central America discussing the deal with Bukele.
“Implementation of the Asylum Cooperative Agreement between the United States and El Salvador is a critical step in the establishment of a truly regional approach to migration, and, more specifically, to the offer of protection to those migrants who are victims of persecution,” Wolf said in the statement. “I am grateful to the Government of El Salvador, and to President Bukele personally, for their commitment to the implementation of the ACA, and for the resulting expansion of avenues for protection available to persecuted migrants in the region.”
The announcement added that the deal was put in place “in order to confront the ongoing humanitarian and security crisis at the Southwest border due to historic levels of irregular migration and human smuggling.”
“Under the ACA,” the statement continued, “certain migrants requesting asylum or similar humanitarian protection at the U.S. border will be transferred to El Salvador to seek protection in El Salvador.”
News of the plans comes at the tail end of the Trump administration’s broader efforts to restrict asylum at the southern border, including a policy that forces asylum-seekers to remain in Mexico for the duration of their US immigration cases. In recent months, DHS has relied on a public health provision to expel people from the US citing the coronavirus pandemic.
The safe-third-country-like deals with Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras — agreements with all three countries to accept asylum-seekers — were signed last year after negotiations led by then–DHS secretary Kevin McAleenan. The Guatemala agreement was implemented late but plans to send asylum-seekers to El Salvador and Honduras stalled.
“Implementation of the ACA will involve and facilitate cooperation between the two governments to expand El Salvador's systems for offering humanitarian protections. Building El Salvador's protection capacity will involve the use of best practices developed by the United States and the international community to increase protection options for vulnerable populations,” the statement read.
Advocates and asylum officers previously told BuzzFeed News that the unprecedented plan lacks legality and organization and will lead to immigrants being placed in dangerous circumstances.
Earlier this year, the Biden–Sanders task force, organized after the president-elect won the Democratic nomination, recommended an end to the agreements signed with the Central American countries. Biden has said he wants to convene leaders in the region to discuss larger, structural issues regarding migration to the US border.


buzzfeed--2020-12-15--The Short Life And Death Of A "Toxic White Progressives" List

That day , a Thursday just a few weeks before the election , the issue was on her mind perhaps more than usual because of problems a friend was having on a campaign .
Two of the women she worked with were “ not even subtly microaggressive racist , but full-on mean toward Black women.
” It was , she said , a very clear pattern .
The friend had tried raising it , but no one in a position of power seemed willing to even have the conversation , let alone act .
“ I was like , This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ These two girls will get senior-level jobs in the administration or on some other campaign or at a firm and will just continue this pattern forever , because there are never any consequences.
” So , “ notoriously , ” she explained , this is something she would do : find a way to address a problem , the issue of racism and toxicity in Democratic politics , that she and many of her friends and coworkers felt daily but didn ’ t have the space , at least not collectively , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” she did not mean speaking to a reporter .
Cantrell , a 30-year-old Black woman who works in Democratic politics at a software company , has never been quoted in a story , though she does maintain an active online footprint , writing about skincare and makeup on Instagram , where she photographs beautiful jars of moisturizer and body scrub and close-up tufts of velvety cream , and on Twitter , where she has a small cult following and tweets under the name “ peloton daughter , ” a bit where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his Peloton bike , “ peddling away… not a care in the world… offline..not posting.. , meanwhile i am on here.. , .
On the app.
” And on the app , where she briefly went by her name until changing it back because anything other than “ peloton daughter ” felt wrong , Cantrell flits from personal topics ( dating , astrology , TikTok ) to politics , speaking to you from the cool remove of a voice that is dryly funny , lowercase only , caught somewhere between smartly observed humor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aughts reared a generation of political operatives who were reticent to breathe a bad word against the party if it wasn ’ t off the record or “ on background , ” Cantrell is part of a younger generation of staffers who aren ’ t afraid to get a little spicy on Twitter and just say what needs to be said .
When I asked her later if she wanted to talk about what happened over the 24 hours that followed , Cantrell answered my question quickly .
She was eager to talk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and stories , which were highly personal and not intended for public consumption , she said , but the speed with which she watched the whole thing warp from a safe and collaborative space , a resource for a small trusted group , into something else , spiraling Ouroborus-style to its death via the problems that had necessitated the document in the first place .
“ We couldn ’ t even have a day to talk about racism in the places we work before our white colleagues consumed it as group-chat gossip , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be nice if something came of this.
” Around 3 p.m. on Oct. 15 , three weeks before the election , Maya Cantrell opened a blank Google spreadsheet on her laptop and named it “ Toxic White ‘ Progressives.
’ ” She formatted the document as a basic table and in bold lettering added three column headers to the top of the page : a ) “ Name , ” b ) “ Workplace ( s ) , ” c ) “ What they did ( use next column for multiple offenses ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ logged out of her Gmail account and signed up for a new one , incognito — display name : Toxic Wypipo — with no identifiable link to her personal account , her work as a Democratic operative , or her location in New York City .
“ They all continue to get jobs .
A lot of us have to keep working for them .
There ’ s always someone willing to hire them.
” In politics , this is true more often than not .
The culture , with the long hours @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fear of being blackballed , is one that strongly incentivizes silence and inaction .
When a campaign does hand down consequences for such behavior , it is usually quietly , because the alternative might hurt the candidate or the cause .
The staffer is allowed to resign with dignity and move on to another job , sometimes with a promotion , where new coworkers may be subject to the same problematic behavior .
That morning , she sent a tweet : “ as we know , ” she wrote to her followers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with ‘ progressive ’ workplaces but my biggest beef of all is that no one gets fired until it ’ s way way way way too late ( or ever tbh ) .
the damage has been done !
it was done a long time ago and yet the [ y ] keep moving up to do ... more damage !
!
!
STOP IT.
” “ They all continue to get jobs , ” Cantrell said .
“ A lot of us have to keep working for them .
There ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There ’ s always a redemption arc .
There are a lot of repeat offenders who were on that list also .
The column for stories went on and on and on .
They go from place to place .
What happened doesn ’ t get reported .
Maybe they get fired from one place — then they get a new job and everything ’ s fine.
” Cantrell has worked across the party , for and with a number of candidates , state parties , and committees in the “ digital space @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and particularly online pocket of the party .
In 2016 , she left her job at a small education tech startup to join Hillary Clinton ’ s campaign .
She was an organizer in New Hampshire in the primary , and in the general election , she ran the digital organizing program in North Carolina .
She has since stayed in digital politics , including at the party ’ s central arm in Washington , the Democratic National Committee , where she served as the mobilization director for southern states , serving candidates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Doug Jones in Alabama .
“ I can ’ t really think of anyone in Democratic politics who has actually been completely ostracized from this world , ” she told me over the phone .
I also couldn ’ t really think of an example .
There were a few high-profile cases of firings from campaigns or firms with claims of toxic or racist work environments , but these were still limited compared to the regular , daily problems described by Cantrell and many other women and people of color .
So the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ email and an empty spreadsheet , set up from Cantrell ’ s apartment in New York after discussing the idea with a group of friends , all of whom were people of color who worked in Democratic politics .
“ Maybe we could just warn each other at a minimum , then at least when you get hired at these places , whether or not something has been done about it , we know , ” she said .
“ It was a resource for us.
” For the rest of the workday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ open tab .
Around 7 or 8 p.m. , she shared the link with her friends .
In the doc , everyone ’ s keystrokes rendered anonymously , with the settings adjusted such that Google automatically replaced every username with that of a randomly assigned animal , each in a different shade of pastel .
Across the document , working in different columns and rows , anonymous wombats and owls and moose typed out the traumatic things that happened to them at work : people who were openly hostile to staffers of color @ @ @ @ @ @ @ openly hostile to staffers of color , managers who favored white people , toxicity that infected office culture both broadly and in deeply specific ways , ranging from habitual yelling to sexual harassment .
These were the same privacy settings that had been in place on the “ Shitty Men in Media ” doc , another anonymous spreadsheet that circulated in the fall of 2017 at the dawn of the # MeToo movement , containing allegations about dozens of men who worked in journalism and publishing .
Like this list , which follows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black people , that one spun out of a broader nationwide reckoning .
Like this list , that one was created as a private resource , not an authoritative document meant for the eyes of the public , according to Moira Donegan , a writer who in January 2018 told the story of creating the list in New York magazine after she said a writer from Harper ’ s threatened to out her as the creator of the doc .
Like this list , that one contained unsubstantiated allegations that varied in degrees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and responsibility occupied a clearly gray ethical space .
And like this list , it very quickly spun out of the creator ’ s control — a conclusion that now seems inevitable , but which Cantrell says she did not anticipate .
“ I don ’ t think we had concerns .
There is a close-knit group and established level of trust with other Black people .
There was never any concern that it was going to end up where it shouldn ’ t have .
We still don ’ t know who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gave it to someone they shouldn ’ t have.
” It was as if a small bomb had gone off , silently and widely , hitting the anonymous online ecosystems that shape so much of the way information travels in politics and color the tone and feel of campaign culture .
In the span of less than 24 hours , the people of color who had participated in the list had felt exposed and seen their private space co-opted by colleagues they knew .
Some of the white people who were on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people and ranged from prominent operatives to lesser-known names across the Democratic Party , had been upset and alarmed , named without given the chance to respond .
And some of the white people who were not on the list had gleefully inhaled it as gossip before considering the reasons for the document or the substance of the stories within .
The headline on the story that first revealed the existence of Donegan ’ s spreadsheet had asked readers , “ What to Do With ‘ Shitty Media Men ’ ?
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s , setting off weeks of think pieces and eventually a lawsuit , but news outlets also opened their own HR inquiries after seeing the spreadsheet and reckoned with what it means for men to hold power in media and publishing .
The question of what to do with “ toxic white ‘ progressives ’ ” is its own particularly thorny question , like something people don ’ t quite know how to pick up and hold in the light .
When Cantrell closed her computer that first night , about 15 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The next morning , Oct. 16 , Cantrell could see the list was picking up steam : She saw about 25 anonymous users in the doc — people she figured were friends of her group , which was part of the initial plan .
“ It was like , ‘ Share this outside , but be careful and mindful of where you ’ re sharing it.
’ It was never a ton of people.
” A few cursors were dancing across the screen , actively adding new text .
I guess that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Around 11 a.m. , something turned .
Suddenly there were 50 to 60 people in the doc , which was not good .
Minutes later , she got a text from a white friend about the list , the first of several she would get that day .
“ Howww did this make its way to you , ” Cantrell wrote back to the woman .
“ its gossip , ” the friend responded via iMessage .
“ it all makes its way to me.
” The next text she got was from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ start this lol , ” he asked Cantrell , including a screenshot of his discussion of the list with another friend who had sent him the link moments earlier .
“ When people started finding out that it was being shared elsewhere , it was like… ‘ How did you get ahold of this ?
’ ” Cantrell said .
In the case of her white male friend , “ the chain was so baffling to me .
He wouldn ’ t tell me where he found it .
And that was another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked wouldn ’ t say where they had gotten it from .
It ’ s hard to say where it all went wrong .
There were names that came up , but then I would be like , ‘ OK , but where did they get it from ?
’ ” Mainly , it seemed to be swirling around the digital world , making the rounds .
“ And that ’ s not where I wanted it to be at all , ” Cantrell said .
Her immediate worries were : 1 ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the list who had seen it .
2 ) The stories included personal details such that the entry ’ s author might be easily identified by the entry ’ s subject .
3 ) At this point , anyone could edit the list anonymously in bad faith .
By noon , Cantrell decided to shut down public access entirely .
To open the doc , people would first have to request permission , which could not be done anonymously .
In a span of about three hours , 32 people requested access to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a stack of names still sitting in the inbox of her fake Gmail account , Cantrell counted 17 white people .
The nesting doll–style sequence of texts and screenshots about the list seemed to lead back to an anonymous Slack channel belonging to a small group of employees who work at a Democratic consulting firm .
These private Slack groups are popular among Democratic operatives , particularly young ones .
They function largely as unofficial chat rooms — slightly NSFW spaces for gossip , takes , and eyes-emoji-style content , set up outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Slack server .
Cantrell wasn ’ t a member of the channel , but she recognized people who were and understood the group to be small , made up of around 20 or so members , and mostly white .
At some point that morning , though she isn ’ t sure when , someone in the channel dropped the link to the list , and Cantrell believes that this was the point from which it “ escaped , ” spreading more widely .
Cantrell has a screenshot showing a snippet of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who sent this to me was like ” “ this will not end up well lol ” “ and it should be fine ” Around 3 p.m. , Cantrell just shut everything down , clearing out the entries , feeling stung .
“ The way they talked about it , ” Cantrell said , “ was just like , ‘ Oh this is my fun gossip for the day .
This is my entertainment.
’ And it absolutely wasn ’ t .
The way my white friends were texting me about it , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is so hot today.
’ Why would you even say that to me ?
At the very least , don ’ t talk about it like fun gossip — look at it seriously and think , ‘ Wow , there are deeply problematic people who work in this space , and part of our justice work should be addressing this also .
’ ”

In politics, this is true more often than not. The culture, with the long hours, the bad power dynamics, the fear of being blackballed, is one that strongly incentivizes silence and inaction. When a campaign does hand down consequences for such behavior, it is usually quietly, because the alternative might hurt the candidate or the cause. The staffer is allowed to resign with dignity and move on to another job, sometimes with a promotion, where new coworkers may be subject to the same problematic behavior. That morning, she sent a tweet: “as we know,” she wrote to her followers, “i have a lot of beef with ‘progressive’ workplaces but my biggest beef of all is that no one gets fired until it’s way way way way too late (or ever tbh). the damage has been done! it was done a long time ago and yet the[y] keep moving up to do... more damage!!! STOP IT.”
“They all continue to get jobs,” Cantrell said. “A lot of us have to keep working for them. There’s always someone willing to hire them. There’s always a redemption arc. There are a lot of repeat offenders who were on that list also. The column for stories went on and on and on. They go from place to place. What happened doesn’t get reported. Maybe they get fired from one place — then they get a new job and everything’s fine.”
Cantrell has worked across the party, for and with a number of candidates, state parties, and committees in the “digital space,” which makes up a large and particularly online pocket of the party. In 2016, she left her job at a small education tech startup to join Hillary Clinton’s campaign. She was an organizer in New Hampshire in the primary, and in the general election, she ran the digital organizing program in North Carolina. She has since stayed in digital politics, including at the party’s central arm in Washington, the Democratic National Committee, where she served as the mobilization director for southern states, serving candidates like Andrew Gillum in Florida and Sen. Doug Jones in Alabama.
“I can’t really think of anyone in Democratic politics who has actually been completely ostracized from this world,” she told me over the phone.
I also couldn’t really think of an example. There were a few high-profile cases of firings from campaigns or firms with claims of toxic or racist work environments, but these were still limited compared to the regular, daily problems described by Cantrell and many other women and people of color.
So the list started there, with a burner email and an empty spreadsheet, set up from Cantrell’s apartment in New York after discussing the idea with a group of friends, all of whom were people of color who worked in Democratic politics. “Maybe we could just warn each other at a minimum, then at least when you get hired at these places, whether or not something has been done about it, we know,” she said. “It was a resource for us.”
For the rest of the workday, the list sat empty in an open tab. Around 7 or 8 p.m., she shared the link with her friends. In the doc, everyone’s keystrokes rendered anonymously, with the settings adjusted such that Google automatically replaced every username with that of a randomly assigned animal, each in a different shade of pastel. Across the document, working in different columns and rows, anonymous wombats and owls and moose typed out the traumatic things that happened to them at work: people who were openly hostile to staffers of color, managers who protected people who were openly hostile to staffers of color, managers who favored white people, toxicity that infected office culture both broadly and in deeply specific ways, ranging from habitual yelling to sexual harassment.
These were the same privacy settings that had been in place on the “Shitty Men in Media” doc, another anonymous spreadsheet that circulated in the fall of 2017 at the dawn of the #MeToo movement, containing allegations about dozens of men who worked in journalism and publishing. Like this list, which follows months of protests over police violence against Black people, that one spun out of a broader nationwide reckoning. Like this list, that one was created as a private resource, not an authoritative document meant for the eyes of the public, according to Moira Donegan, a writer who in January 2018 told the story of creating the list in New York magazine after she said a writer from Harper’s threatened to out her as the creator of the doc. Like this list, that one contained unsubstantiated allegations that varied in degrees of severity, a forum whose fairness and responsibility occupied a clearly gray ethical space. And like this list, it very quickly spun out of the creator’s control — a conclusion that now seems inevitable, but which Cantrell says she did not anticipate.
“I don’t think we had concerns. There is a close-knit group and established level of trust with other Black people. There was never any concern that it was going to end up where it shouldn’t have. We still don’t know who was the one person of color who gave it to someone they shouldn’t have.”
It was as if a small bomb had gone off, silently and widely, hitting the anonymous online ecosystems that shape so much of the way information travels in politics and color the tone and feel of campaign culture. In the span of less than 24 hours, the people of color who had participated in the list had felt exposed and seen their private space co-opted by colleagues they knew. Some of the white people who were on the list, which grew to about 35 people and ranged from prominent operatives to lesser-known names across the Democratic Party, had been upset and alarmed, named without given the chance to respond. And some of the white people who were not on the list had gleefully inhaled it as gossip before considering the reasons for the document or the substance of the stories within.
The headline on the story that first revealed the existence of Donegan’s spreadsheet had asked readers, “What to Do With ‘Shitty Media Men’?” The list had circulated widely, unlike Cantrell’s, setting off weeks of think pieces and eventually a lawsuit, but news outlets also opened their own HR inquiries after seeing the spreadsheet and reckoned with what it means for men to hold power in media and publishing. The question of what to do with “toxic white ‘progressives’” is its own particularly thorny question, like something people don’t quite know how to pick up and hold in the light.
When Cantrell closed her computer that first night, about 15 people had a link to the doc.
The next morning, Oct. 16, Cantrell could see the list was picking up steam: She saw about 25 anonymous users in the doc — people she figured were friends of her group, which was part of the initial plan. “It was like, ‘Share this outside, but be careful and mindful of where you’re sharing it.’ It was never a ton of people.” A few cursors were dancing across the screen, actively adding new text. I guess that’s OK, Cantrell thought.
Around 11 a.m., something turned. Suddenly there were 50 to 60 people in the doc, which was not good. Minutes later, she got a text from a white friend about the list, the first of several she would get that day. “Howww did this make its way to you,” Cantrell wrote back to the woman. “its gossip,” the friend responded via iMessage. “it all makes its way to me.” The next text she got was from a white man: “Did you start this lol,” he asked Cantrell, including a screenshot of his discussion of the list with another friend who had sent him the link moments earlier.
“When people started finding out that it was being shared elsewhere, it was like… ‘How did you get ahold of this?’” Cantrell said. In the case of her white male friend, “the chain was so baffling to me. He wouldn’t tell me where he found it. And that was another thing — a lot of people we asked wouldn’t say where they had gotten it from. It’s hard to say where it all went wrong. There were names that came up, but then I would be like, ‘OK, but where did they get it from?’”
Mainly, it seemed to be swirling around the digital world, making the rounds. “And that’s not where I wanted it to be at all,” Cantrell said. Her immediate worries were: 1) There were definitely people who were on the list who had seen it. 2) The stories included personal details such that the entry’s author might be easily identified by the entry’s subject. 3) At this point, anyone could edit the list anonymously in bad faith.
By noon, Cantrell decided to shut down public access entirely. To open the doc, people would first have to request permission, which could not be done anonymously. In a span of about three hours, 32 people requested access to viewing permissions. Of those people, a stack of names still sitting in the inbox of her fake Gmail account, Cantrell counted 17 white people.
The nesting doll–style sequence of texts and screenshots about the list seemed to lead back to an anonymous Slack channel belonging to a small group of employees who work at a Democratic consulting firm. These private Slack groups are popular among Democratic operatives, particularly young ones. They function largely as unofficial chat rooms — slightly NSFW spaces for gossip, takes, and eyes-emoji-style content, set up outside the walls of a company’s Slack server. Cantrell wasn’t a member of the channel, but she recognized people who were and understood the group to be small, made up of around 20 or so members, and mostly white. At some point that morning, though she isn’t sure when, someone in the channel dropped the link to the list, and Cantrell believes that this was the point from which it “escaped,” spreading more widely.
Cantrell has a screenshot showing a snippet of the discussion on Slack:
11:53 a.m. User 1: “Wow”
“Tea is piping today.”
11:53 a.m. User 2:
“my friend who sent this to me was like”
“this will not end up well lol”
“just be smart if you’re writing stuff”
“and it should be fine”
11:54 a.m. User 3:
“Im obsessed with this doc”
Around 3 p.m., Cantrell just shut everything down, clearing out the entries, feeling stung.
“The way they talked about it,” Cantrell said, “was just like, ‘Oh this is my fun gossip for the day. This is my entertainment.’ And it absolutely wasn’t. The way my white friends were texting me about it, like, ‘OMG, the tea is so hot today.’ Why would you even say that to me? At the very least, don’t talk about it like fun gossip — look at it seriously and think, ‘Wow, there are deeply problematic people who work in this space, and part of our justice work should be addressing this also.’”


buzzfeed--2020-12-16--UNSPEAKABLE BRAVERY: These Senate Republicans Declared Joe Biden May Have Possibly, Technically Won

UNSPEAKABLE BRAVERY: These Senate Republicans Declared Joe Biden May Have Possibly, Technically Won The Election

Despite it long being clear that Biden had won , Senate Republicans have largely avoided defying Trump and referring to Biden as president-elect .
They cautioned that Trump had a right to exhaust all of his legal options and boy did he .
But now that the Electoral College votes have been cast , senators are changing their tune .
A series of senators conceded for the first time Monday that Joe Biden may have — according to the Constitution and pending any possible future legal appeals — won the election .
As senators returned to business Monday , many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ready to declare Joe Biden the winner of the election .
Some did come out and definitively say that Biden won .
Others seem to still be getting used to the idea .
Here , per Capitol Hill pool reports , are some of their responses .
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections .
To help keep this news free , become a member .
“ That ’ s the gotcha question of the day .
I know what the Constitution says , Article @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know that the Electoral College voted today , so to me , that tells us a lot.
” Q : “ So based on the Electoral College vote is it done , in your mind ?
” “ You know , they got through the Electoral College , yes , subject to any pending lawsuits that could change it .
But we ’ re going through the standard process and at that point in time — then again , you ’ ve got a couple more court cases that I expect to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” '' Well , it seems to me that being elected by the Electoral College is a threshold where a title like that is probably most appropriate and it 's , I suppose you can say official — if there is such a thing as official president-elect , or anything else–elect .
And there 's an inauguration that will swear somebody in and that person will be the president of the United States , but whether you call it that or not , you know , there are legal challenges that are ongoing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a remedy that would change the outcome but , so , I do n't — again I do n't know how politician refers to another politician , but it does look to me like the big race is really between the inaugural committee and the Justice Department at this point , so we 'll see how the emails turn out . ''
“ Yeah , yeah it ’ s a very , very narrow path for the president .
I do n't see how it gets there from here , given what the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that , I think we 'll let those legal challenges play out.
” “ I ’ m just really excited Iowa voted for President Trump , so … I think we ’ ll start to see the process rolling out , like it or not .
I know for Iowans it ’ s disappointing , but the process is what it is and the process will be followed.
” “ If that ’ s what the Electoral College decides today.
” ( The Electoral College did decide that today . )
“ My @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system of law in the United States and the Electoral College is part of that , and once the Electoral College has spoken then , uh , and then President Trump has the right to his legal challenges like anybody else does , and until both are resolved we have to watch it.
” “ I think he 's president-elect subject to whatever additional litigation is ongoing .
I 'm not aware of any .
Obviously , the Texas case was not successful as I believed .
But I would say , subject @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between now and January 20 , the answer yes.
” '' As soon as he crosses the 270 vote threshold , I mean there are still a couple of , I guess , last steps in the process , but in my view , that 's how in this country we decide presidential elections , that 's our Constitution , and I believe in following the Constitution . ''

WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden officially won the Electoral College Monday, taking 306 electoral votes to Donald Trump’s 232.
Despite it long being clear that Biden had won, Senate Republicans have largely avoided defying Trump and referring to Biden as president-elect. They cautioned that Trump had a right to exhaust all of his legal options and boy did he.
But now that the Electoral College votes have been cast, senators are changing their tune. A series of senators conceded for the first time Monday that Joe Biden may have — according to the Constitution and pending any possible future legal appeals — won the election.
As senators returned to business Monday, many were asked by reporters whether they were ready to declare Joe Biden the winner of the election. Some did come out and definitively say that Biden won. Others seem to still be getting used to the idea. Here, per Capitol Hill pool reports, are some of their responses.
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections. To help keep this news free, become a member.


buzzfeed--2020-12-16--20 Times The Female Anatomy Was Lost On Men In 2020

Today I discovered BOTH of my brothers thought that panty liners/sanitary towels were stuck directly onto the wearer ’ s @ @ @ @ @ underwear .
Apparently they thought the adhesive was to “ seal it shut ” .
@ @ @ @ @ .

Today I discovered BOTH of my brothers thought that panty liners/sanitary towels were stuck directly onto the wearer’s flaps, not to their underwear. Apparently they thought the adhesive was to “seal it shut”. One of them is married.