hotair--2020-12-24--House GOP blocks attempt to add Trump's $2,000 checks to COVID relief package

What could be more “ disloyal ” than House Republicans blocking the president ’ s heroic initiative to boost disaster payments to struggling Americans ?
I fear the only proper response is to primary them .
All of them .
Starting with Kevin McCarthy .
If we ’ re going to have a GOP civil war between those who will and won ’ t do Trump ’ s bidding , no one should be spared .
“ Today , on Christmas Eve morning , House Republicans cruelly deprived the American people of the $ 2,000 that the President agreed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement afterward , no doubt chortling as she dictated it .
“ If the President is serious about the $ 2,000 direct payments , he must call on House Republicans to end their obstruction.
” The House GOP ’ s fig leaf in blocking the Dem proposal was that it complied with only half of the demands made by the president in his video on Tuesday night .
He called for $ 2,000 checks *and* eliminating some of the foreign aid provisions in the COVID/omnibus spending bill .
Republicans proposed their own bill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were blocked in turn by Democrats — although why Trump and McCarthy ’ s caucus suddenly care about foreign aid remains a bit of a mystery .
The president ’ s own budget proposed some of that same aid , after all .
And McCarthy seemed to have no problem with the foreign aid appropriations in the bill until Trump objected to them after it passed : I think the reason for Trump ’ s very belated concern about foreign aid is as simple as this : Some righties complained about its presence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back to pretending that they ’ re fiscal conservatives now that Biden ’ s about to take office .
Foreign aid is the lowest-hanging fruit on the tree when complaining about federal spending and it ’ s intuitively irritating to a nationalist like Trump , who resents handing out money abroad even if it helps extend our influence internationally .
So he glommed onto the fiscal-con criticism and made it part of his grievance against the COVID/omnibus package — even though the only thing he ’ s really mad about in all this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ welcome Joe Biden as president .
As for McCarthy , spare a little sympathy for him on Christmas Eve .
Apparently he and Cocaine Mitch were completely blindsided by the Tuesday night Trump video , believing that they ’ d finally put this months-long mess behind them before unemployment benefits ran out for millions of laid-off workers .
White House legislative staffers were reportedly caught off-guard too , and took to apologizing to Republican lawmakers for not giving them advance warning after Trump ’ s video went live .
The video was so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people on Capitol Hill are wondering who wrote the script for it .
Mark Meadows seems to have known it was coming , per WaPo , but he probably didn ’ t contribute to it since he ’ d been opposed to increasing the checks to $ 2,000 on deficit-hawk grounds .
Steve Mnuchin probably didn ’ t contribute either , as Trump apparently doesn ’ t even want to speak to him .
Mitch McConnell hasn ’ t spoken to the president since Tuesday either , believing that it wouldn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his advisors told the Post .
Sounds like the president ’ s just lighting things on fire to make trouble for Republicans whom he resents for not backing his coup attempt enthusiastically enough , in other words .
McCarthy might be the only person with real influence in Congress who ’ s still sufficiently within his good graces that he might be able to steer him towards doing the right thing .
McCarthy told House Republicans yesterday on a conference call that the president hadn ’ t committed to vetoing the bill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shutdown bearing down and millions in dire financial jeopardy .
Presumably he ’ s working on him behind the scenes to just sign the damned thing already before voters grab their torches and pitchforks .
“ I don ’ t know if we recover from this , ” said Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina on the conference call , referring to the uproar if aid is delayed for several more weeks and Republicans end up taking the blame .
“ We will have a hell of a time getting this out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of this mess would be for both chambers to cave and adopt Trump ’ s plan for $ 2,000 checks .
But it sounds like that ’ s a nonstarter for the Senate : Maybe Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue can get through to Trump .
If Foxx is right that the party will have a hell of a time getting this out of people ’ s heads , it stands to reason that the two Republicans from Georgia will bear the immediate brunt of that .
They ’ ll face voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a new poll , Loeffler has already slipped behind Raphael Warnock , 49/47 .
( Perdue remains a point ahead of Jon Ossoff . )
Every day that Trump delays signing and/or the Senate GOP delays caving to his demand for $ 2,000 checks is a day that Warnock and Ossoff will rub Loeffler ’ s and Perdue ’ s faces in it , exploiting the divide on the right and uniting the left in outrage .
Here ’ s another number out of Georgia today that ’ s cause for some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think of a single major player in the party who wants Trump to hold off on signing the bill .
The problem is that he ’ s concluded , not incorrectly , that all of those players have abandoned his completely futile bid to cling to power so he no longer feels obliged to do them any favors .
In fact , according to Politico , he thinks this last-second obstruction of the bill is some sort of political winner for him .
“ We spoke to a few people in touch with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he has come to think that this fight he has pitched — teasing a veto on a covid/funding bill that his administration negotiated — is playing well with Americans , ” the paper reported .
Trump apparently believes that you can ’ t go wrong by demanding more generous checks for Americans and less spending on non-Americans , and normally that would be true .
Normally .
But the circumstances right now aren ’ t normal : It reminds me of the aftermath of his disastrous first debate with Biden , when Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ performance and no one around him had the stones to tell him the hard truth .
He ’ s strongly disposed psychologically to believe that the public loves everything he does , which helps explain why he ’ s having so much trouble accepting that he lost the election .
Someone should put him on the phone with Foxx so that she can inform him which party is likely to be blamed if the bill tanks because the Republican president and the Republican congressional leadership can ’ t get together on desperately needed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll read today is this Washington Post story about laid-off workers phoning the newspaper confused and panicked to try to get information about the status of the bill after Trump ’ s surprise video on Tuesday night .
They had been led to believe that unemployment benefits would be extended and that $ 600 checks were coming .
Now they ’ re being told that the deal is in limbo and could collapse entirely if Trump runs out the clock on this session of Congress instead of signing or vetoing it before January @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spoke to WaPo broke down in tears during their interviews .
“ If I were not a strong woman .
If I didn ’ t have my faith in God , I probably would have jumped off a bridge .
That ’ s how bad it seems some days , ” said one laid-off medical worker with teenaged children living on $ 275 per week right now .
Trump ’ s impulse to deliver bigger checks as part of the package is a good one , but it ’ s four months too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than good by delaying relief that ’ s already in the pipe — especially if his motive in all this really is just revenge on McConnell and Thune .
Exit quotation from a former White House staffer : “ He ’ s turning a fairly decent four years with a decent record into an utter disaster .
Most selfish thing I ’ ve ever seen .
”

What could be more “disloyal” than House Republicans blocking the president’s heroic initiative to boost disaster payments to struggling Americans?
I fear the only proper response is to primary them. All of them. Starting with Kevin McCarthy.
If we’re going to have a GOP civil war between those who will and won’t do Trump’s bidding, no one should be spared.
The House tried to pass the $2,000 payments during a pro forma session on Christmas Eve day, a brief meeting of the chamber where typically only a few members attend. Democrats aimed to approve the measure by unanimous consent, which means any one lawmaker can block it. Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., offered the proposal from the House floor, but was blocked because the measure was not approved by House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif… House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement after her party’s measure failed that she would hold a full recorded vote on the proposal for $2,000 payments on Monday.
“Today, on Christmas Eve morning, House Republicans cruelly deprived the American people of the $2,000 that the President agreed to support,” said Pelosi in a statement afterward, no doubt chortling as she dictated it. “If the President is serious about the $2,000 direct payments, he must call on House Republicans to end their obstruction.”
The House GOP’s fig leaf in blocking the Dem proposal was that it complied with only half of the demands made by the president in his video on Tuesday night. He called for $2,000 checks *and* eliminating some of the foreign aid provisions in the COVID/omnibus spending bill. Republicans proposed their own bill today to strip out those provisions and were blocked in turn by Democrats — although why Trump and McCarthy’s caucus suddenly care about foreign aid remains a bit of a mystery. The president’s own budget proposed some of that same aid, after all. And McCarthy seemed to have no problem with the foreign aid appropriations in the bill until Trump objected to them after it passed:
McCarthy didn’t raise any objections to foreign aid (or any other spending programs) in his statement in support of Covid relief-government funding package: https://t.co/JZEafB1GU6 https://t.co/6LUiaDg95o — John Bresnahan (@bresreports) December 24, 2020
I think the reason for Trump’s very belated concern about foreign aid is as simple as this: Some righties complained about its presence in the bill because they’re back to pretending that they’re fiscal conservatives now that Biden’s about to take office. Foreign aid is the lowest-hanging fruit on the tree when complaining about federal spending and it’s intuitively irritating to a nationalist like Trump, who resents handing out money abroad even if it helps extend our influence internationally. So he glommed onto the fiscal-con criticism and made it part of his grievance against the COVID/omnibus package — even though the only thing he’s really mad about in all this is McConnell and John Thune preparing to welcome Joe Biden as president.
As for McCarthy, spare a little sympathy for him on Christmas Eve. Apparently he and Cocaine Mitch were completely blindsided by the Tuesday night Trump video, believing that they’d finally put this months-long mess behind them before unemployment benefits ran out for millions of laid-off workers. White House legislative staffers were reportedly caught off-guard too, and took to apologizing to Republican lawmakers for not giving them advance warning after Trump’s video went live. The video was so closely held, in fact, that people on Capitol Hill are wondering who wrote the script for it. Mark Meadows seems to have known it was coming, per WaPo, but he probably didn’t contribute to it since he’d been opposed to increasing the checks to $2,000 on deficit-hawk grounds. Steve Mnuchin probably didn’t contribute either, as Trump apparently doesn’t even want to speak to him. Mitch McConnell hasn’t spoken to the president since Tuesday either, believing that it wouldn’t be “helpful,” as one of his advisors told the Post.
Sounds like the president’s just lighting things on fire to make trouble for Republicans whom he resents for not backing his coup attempt enthusiastically enough, in other words. McCarthy might be the only person with real influence in Congress who’s still sufficiently within his good graces that he might be able to steer him towards doing the right thing. McCarthy told House Republicans yesterday on a conference call that the president hadn’t committed to vetoing the bill yet, a hopeful note with a shutdown bearing down and millions in dire financial jeopardy. Presumably he’s working on him behind the scenes to just sign the damned thing already before voters grab their torches and pitchforks. “I don’t know if we recover from this,” said Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina on the conference call, referring to the uproar if aid is delayed for several more weeks and Republicans end up taking the blame. “We will have a hell of a time getting this out of people’s head.”
There’s always a chance he’ll sign the bill as-is!
This bill will be flown to the president at his Mar-a-Lago club today, sources told me. https://t.co/w0KNdEhEAa — Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) December 24, 2020
Another way out of this mess would be for both chambers to cave and adopt Trump’s plan for $2,000 checks. But it sounds like that’s a nonstarter for the Senate:
— he said the way to not shut the government down is the president reconsidering his objections to this bill — republicans were “assured” trump would sign the package. — Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) December 24, 2020
Maybe Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue can get through to Trump. If Foxx is right that the party will have a hell of a time getting this out of people’s heads, it stands to reason that the two Republicans from Georgia will bear the immediate brunt of that. They’ll face voters 12 days from now — and according to a new poll, Loeffler has already slipped behind Raphael Warnock, 49/47. (Perdue remains a point ahead of Jon Ossoff.) Every day that Trump delays signing and/or the Senate GOP delays caving to his demand for $2,000 checks is a day that Warnock and Ossoff will rub Loeffler’s and Perdue’s faces in it, exploiting the divide on the right and uniting the left in outrage.
Here’s another number out of Georgia today that’s cause for some concern:
Per data from @gtryan, 64,942 people who did not vote in November have cast a ballot in the runoff. Those voters are younger and more likely to be Black, Hispanic, or Asian, than voters who also cast ballots in the general election. The presidential was decided by 12,670 votes. pic.twitter.com/PpK3dIdPpF — Jacob Rubashkin (@JacobRubashkin) December 24, 2020
Offhand I can’t think of a single major player in the party who wants Trump to hold off on signing the bill. The problem is that he’s concluded, not incorrectly, that all of those players have abandoned his completely futile bid to cling to power so he no longer feels obliged to do them any favors. In fact, according to Politico, he thinks this last-second obstruction of the bill is some sort of political winner for him. “We spoke to a few people in touch with the president and they say this: he has come to think that this fight he has pitched — teasing a veto on a covid/funding bill that his administration negotiated — is playing well with Americans,” the paper reported. Trump apparently believes that you can’t go wrong by demanding more generous checks for Americans and less spending on non-Americans, and normally that would be true. Normally.
But the circumstances right now aren’t normal:
BUT HERE’S WHAT WON’T PLAY WELL WITH THE BASE: the social safety net our country is supposed to provide is about to be ripped away in the middle of the holiday season. On Saturday, pandemic unemployment assistance — used by gig workers — runs out. On Dec. 31, pandemic emergency unemployment compensation — which lengthened UI — runs out, as does the eviction moratorium and the medical expense deduction. All gone unexpectedly unless the president signs the $2-trillion package.
It reminds me of the aftermath of his disastrous first debate with Biden, when Trump was reportedly “elated” by his performance and no one around him had the stones to tell him the hard truth. He’s strongly disposed psychologically to believe that the public loves everything he does, which helps explain why he’s having so much trouble accepting that he lost the election. Someone should put him on the phone with Foxx so that she can inform him which party is likely to be blamed if the bill tanks because the Republican president and the Republican congressional leadership can’t get together on desperately needed aid.
The saddest thing you’ll read today is this Washington Post story about laid-off workers phoning the newspaper confused and panicked to try to get information about the status of the bill after Trump’s surprise video on Tuesday night. They had been led to believe that unemployment benefits would be extended and that $600 checks were coming. Now they’re being told that the deal is in limbo and could collapse entirely if Trump runs out the clock on this session of Congress instead of signing or vetoing it before January 3. Some of the people who spoke to WaPo broke down in tears during their interviews. “If I were not a strong woman. If I didn’t have my faith in God, I probably would have jumped off a bridge. That’s how bad it seems some days,” said one laid-off medical worker with teenaged children living on $275 per week right now. Trump’s impulse to deliver bigger checks as part of the package is a good one, but it’s four months too late and is now doing more harm than good by delaying relief that’s already in the pipe — especially if his motive in all this really is just revenge on McConnell and Thune. Exit quotation from a former White House staffer: “He’s turning a fairly decent four years with a decent record into an utter disaster. Most selfish thing I’ve ever seen.”


hotair--2020-12-24--D.C. Mayor declares 'Dr. Anthony S. Fauci Day' on his 80th birthday

To most of us , today is known as Christmas Eve .
In Washington , D.C. today is also Dr. Anthony S. Fauci Day .
In honor of Dr. Fauci ’ s eightieth birthday , the Mayor of D.C. Muriel Bowser proclaimed December 24 , 2020 , as his day .
Dr. Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and frontman for the White House coronavirus task force , Fauci is a face of the scientific community during the coronavirus pandemic .
He ’ s been active in giving interviews just about everywhere possible in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interviews to network and cable news shows to late-night talk shows , Fauci is not hard to find .
He ’ s everywhere .
One of the odd things that have resulted in this crazy year is that a government bureaucrat has been elevated to celebrity status .
His fifteen minutes of fame shows no signs of slowing down as we go into 2021 .
Why is this happening , though ?
Fauci seems like a nice enough man .
As a face of the pandemic , he presents himself as a kind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wear a face mask and wash our hands while we keep six feet away from others .
He attends meetings with the White House coronavirus task force and offers his expert opinions , having over forty years of experience in battling epidemics .
Fauci has advised six presidents – Joe Biden will be the seventh president who receives his advice .
But , at this stage in his career and his life , he ’ s a talker , not a doer .
He isn ’ t in a lab developing a vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scientists working diligently seven days a week and around the clock with Operation Warp Speed deserve their day of recognition .
They are the ones who developed the vaccines that will now save millions of lives while Dr. Fauci takes a bow .
Mayor Bowser acknowledges Fauci ’ s work on ending HIV/AIDS , which hasn ’ t happened even with his forty years of devotion to the virus .
There are therapeutic drugs now but no vaccines .
There is no cure for HIV/AIDS .
If Fauci is receiving honors for his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ research .
He has been head of NIAID for 36 years .
Fauci had been a major force behind a trial that had just proved that a long-acting injectable drug , cabotegravir , was highly effective at preventing women from contracting HIV .
This conclusion was reported in November and is seen as very good news .
“ I wanted the world to see that with all due respect to the extraordinary stress and strain that we ’ re going through with Covid , HIV is still a very important disease , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interview to mark his 80th birthday on 24 December and the HIV epidemic ’ s official 40-year mark in the coming year , Fauci reflected on the fight that , likely unknown to much of the public , has dominated exactly half his life .
“ My career and my identity has really been defined by HIV , ” said Fauci , who oversees a $ 1.8bn HIV budget at NIAID and is a leader of the global HIV research response .
“ Because I ’ ve been in a very unique position @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , very few people who were there from the very first day of HIV.
” Fauci is a resident of Washington , D.C. and the mayor did what many mayors do for their city ’ s famous residents – she proclaimed a day to honor him .
It ’ s his eightieth birthday but we know it ’ s happening his year because of the coronavirus .
Fauci has often been hailed by Trump ’ s opponents , like Mayor Bowser , for pushing back on statements made by President Trump during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr. Birx , Fauci ’ s protege , and the White House coronavirus response coordinator , being given her own day by the mayor .
She , too , lives in D.C. and has a long career focused on infectious diseases .
Fauci is the celebrity this year .
You ’ ll have to excuse me if I don ’ t consider him a hero during the coronavirus pandemic .
He ’ s doing his job and giving guidance on mitigating the pandemic .
That ’ s fine but it ’ s not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s been more hero-like in his efforts against HIV/AIDS .
The health care workers and first responders transporting patients in ambulances are the heroes during the pandemic .
They are risking their own health to care for those who are infected with the coronavirus .
Mayor Bowser said , “ Dr .
Fauci has been a shining light in dark times for the nation , promoting truth over fear and giving Americans hope in their government.
” Fauci has tried to remain positive in his remarks but he often goes into doom and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ severity of outbreaks in hot spots .
He ’ ll fit right in with the Biden administration , with whom he has agreed to join , and Biden ’ s schtick that winter is coming .
The dark days of winter are coming .
Biden has replaced optimistic talk that our best days are ahead of us with wallowing around in darkness and despair .
I will give Fauci credit for walking the walk besides talking the talk .
He hasn ’ t been caught in violation of his own advice , except @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stands during a baseball game , sitting next to his wife and another person in an otherwise spector-free stadium .
Fauci was there to throw out the game ’ s opening pitch , because he ’ s a celebrity , you know .
Anyway , he didn ’ t travel during the Thanksgiving holiday and his grown daughters didn ’ t come home .
He and his wife are doing the same for Christmas .
Happy birthday , Dr. Fauci .
Merry Christmas .
I do hope the new year brings more recognition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than Washington , D.C. career bureaucrats .

To most of us, today is known as Christmas Eve. In Washington, D.C. today is also Dr. Anthony S. Fauci Day. In honor of Dr. Fauci’s eightieth birthday, the Mayor of D.C. Muriel Bowser proclaimed December 24, 2020, as his day.
Dr. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and frontman for the White House coronavirus task force, Fauci is a face of the scientific community during the coronavirus pandemic. He’s been active in giving interviews just about everywhere possible in the media, from podcasts and radio interviews to network and cable news shows to late-night talk shows, Fauci is not hard to find. He’s everywhere. One of the odd things that have resulted in this crazy year is that a government bureaucrat has been elevated to celebrity status. His fifteen minutes of fame shows no signs of slowing down as we go into 2021.
Why is this happening, though? Fauci seems like a nice enough man. As a face of the pandemic, he presents himself as a kind but stern grandfather, nagging us to wear a face mask and wash our hands while we keep six feet away from others. He attends meetings with the White House coronavirus task force and offers his expert opinions, having over forty years of experience in battling epidemics. Fauci has advised six presidents – Joe Biden will be the seventh president who receives his advice. But, at this stage in his career and his life, he’s a talker, not a doer. He isn’t in a lab developing a vaccine or a cure for COVID-19.
The scientists working diligently seven days a week and around the clock with Operation Warp Speed deserve their day of recognition. They are the ones who developed the vaccines that will now save millions of lives while Dr. Fauci takes a bow. Mayor Bowser acknowledges Fauci’s work on ending HIV/AIDS, which hasn’t happened even with his forty years of devotion to the virus. There are therapeutic drugs now but no vaccines. There is no cure for HIV/AIDS.
If Fauci is receiving honors for his work, it should be from HIV/AIDS research. He has been head of NIAID for 36 years. Fauci had been a major force behind a trial that had just proved that a long-acting injectable drug, cabotegravir, was highly effective at preventing women from contracting HIV. This conclusion was reported in November and is seen as very good news.
“I wanted the world to see that with all due respect to the extraordinary stress and strain that we’re going through with Covid, HIV is still a very important disease,” Fauci told the Guardian. In an interview to mark his 80th birthday on 24 December and the HIV epidemic’s official 40-year mark in the coming year, Fauci reflected on the fight that, likely unknown to much of the public, has dominated exactly half his life. “My career and my identity has really been defined by HIV,” said Fauci, who oversees a $1.8bn HIV budget at NIAID and is a leader of the global HIV research response. “Because I’ve been in a very unique position of now being one of the very, very few people who were there from the very first day of HIV.”
Fauci is a resident of Washington, D.C. and the mayor did what many mayors do for their city’s famous residents – she proclaimed a day to honor him. It’s his eightieth birthday but we know it’s happening his year because of the coronavirus. Fauci has often been hailed by Trump’s opponents, like Mayor Bowser, for pushing back on statements made by President Trump during the pandemic. We don’t see Dr. Birx, Fauci’s protege, and the White House coronavirus response coordinator, being given her own day by the mayor. She, too, lives in D.C. and has a long career focused on infectious diseases. Fauci is the celebrity this year. You’ll have to excuse me if I don’t consider him a hero during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Dr. Fauci has been a hero to our nation during this incredibly difficult year, working tirelessly to save lives and guide our nation’s response to and recovery from the pandemic,” said Mayor Bowser. “We are incredibly proud to count him among the many D.C. residents who are sacrificing so much to keep our communities healthy and safe,” she said. “I issue this honor on behalf of all Washingtonians in gratitude and recognition of Dr. Fauci’s service to our nation and our city.”
He’s doing his job and giving guidance on mitigating the pandemic. That’s fine but it’s not hero-level work. Frankly, he’s been more hero-like in his efforts against HIV/AIDS. The health care workers and first responders transporting patients in ambulances are the heroes during the pandemic. They are risking their own health to care for those who are infected with the coronavirus.
In honor of Dr. Fauci's 80th birthday tomorrow, I proclaim Thursday, December 24, 2020, “Dr. Anthony S. Fauci Day” in Washington, DC. We are incredibly proud to count Dr. Fauci among the many DC residents who are sacrificing so much to keep our communities healthy and safe. pic.twitter.com/UqvS4sebMf — Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) December 23, 2020
Mayor Bowser said, “Dr. Fauci has been a shining light in dark times for the nation, promoting truth over fear and giving Americans hope in their government.” Fauci has tried to remain positive in his remarks but he often goes into doom and gloom mode in his warnings about the severity of outbreaks in hot spots. He’ll fit right in with the Biden administration, with whom he has agreed to join, and Biden’s schtick that winter is coming. The dark days of winter are coming. Biden has replaced optimistic talk that our best days are ahead of us with wallowing around in darkness and despair.
I will give Fauci credit for walking the walk besides talking the talk. He hasn’t been caught in violation of his own advice, except when he was seen maskless in the stands during a baseball game, sitting next to his wife and another person in an otherwise spector-free stadium. Fauci was there to throw out the game’s opening pitch, because he’s a celebrity, you know. Anyway, he didn’t travel during the Thanksgiving holiday and his grown daughters didn’t come home. He and his wife are doing the same for Christmas.
Happy birthday, Dr. Fauci. Merry Christmas. I do hope the new year brings more recognition for hard-working heroes across the country more than Washington, D.C. career bureaucrats.


hotair--2020-12-24--Democrat Brindisi takes the lead in NY-22 race

Yesterday we learned that the race in NY-22 had narrowed from 19 votes earlier this week down to 3 to 5 votes .
After more counting throughout the day yesterday , Democrat Anthony Brindisi has taken the lead .
Brindisi ( D ) has a 14-vote lead over challenger Claudia Tenney ( R ) after several hundred affidavit ballots from Oneida County were finally tabulated this week .
The new counts from Oneida County put Brindisi at 155,625 votes to Tenney ’ s 155,611 , which amounts to a 0.004 % lead for Brindisi .
…a Tenney campaign spokesman said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Utica and Rome , two urban areas he said would favor Brindisi .
In addition to counting more contested ballots in Oneida County , the judge spent much of Wednesday deciding whether or not to count 118 contested absentee ballots from Madison County .
Tenney ’ s attorneys wanted those ballots tossed because they were all stamped Nov. 4th , the judge interviewed everyone working at the post office that day , all of whom denied the ballots came in late : Tenney ’ s attorneys asked a Republican election commissioner , Mary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said she couldn ’ t say definitively whether the ballots arrived after Nov. 3 , because six people worked in the office on Nov. 4 and any one of them could have received the late ballots and then timestamped them .
DelConte asked Egger to name the employees .
He asked if they could be available to testify .
And then he put them on the stand… The six employees gave various versions of “ no ” when asked whether they had received any late ballots , and their answers seemed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ judge seems to know what the split was among those 118 ballots but the absentee ballots tended to favor Brindisi .
The count still isn ’ t done yet .
Election officials in Oneida County will continue going through the remaining ballots next week , however Judge DelConte ’ s court is closed and won ’ t reopen until January 4 .
So there ’ s no chance this will be decided in time for the start of the new Congress .
Once the judge does return to work , he ’ ll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of the official count but at this point it certainly looks as if he ’ s planning to include everything he ’ s seen so far .
The race is still tight enough that the lead could change again but we ’ re running out of ballots to count at this point .

Yesterday we learned that the race in NY-22 had narrowed from 19 votes earlier this week down to 3 to 5 votes. After more counting throughout the day yesterday, Democrat Anthony Brindisi has taken the lead.
Brindisi (D) has a 14-vote lead over challenger Claudia Tenney (R) after several hundred affidavit ballots from Oneida County were finally tabulated this week. The new counts from Oneida County put Brindisi at 155,625 votes to Tenney’s 155,611, which amounts to a 0.004% lead for Brindisi. …a Tenney campaign spokesman said the disputed Oneida County votes came from Utica and Rome, two urban areas he said would favor Brindisi.
In addition to counting more contested ballots in Oneida County, the judge spent much of Wednesday deciding whether or not to count 118 contested absentee ballots from Madison County. Tenney’s attorneys wanted those ballots tossed because they were all stamped Nov. 4th, the judge interviewed everyone working at the post office that day, all of whom denied the ballots came in late:
Tenney’s attorneys asked a Republican election commissioner, Mary Egger, to testify virtually, and she said she couldn’t say definitively whether the ballots arrived after Nov. 3, because six people worked in the office on Nov. 4 and any one of them could have received the late ballots and then timestamped them. DelConte asked Egger to name the employees. He asked if they could be available to testify. And then he put them on the stand… The six employees gave various versions of “no” when asked whether they had received any late ballots, and their answers seemed to satisfy DelConte.
No one besides the judge seems to know what the split was among those 118 ballots but the absentee ballots tended to favor Brindisi.
The count still isn’t done yet. Election officials in Oneida County will continue going through the remaining ballots next week, however Judge DelConte’s court is closed and won’t reopen until January 4. So there’s no chance this will be decided in time for the start of the new Congress. Once the judge does return to work, he’ll still have to decide which ballots become part of the official count but at this point it certainly looks as if he’s planning to include everything he’s seen so far.
The race is still tight enough that the lead could change again but we’re running out of ballots to count at this point.


hotair--2020-12-24--Feel-good video of the day: The Christmas Movie Arena Battle Death Match

Having finally conceded the point on Die Hard — well , mostly anyway — I ’ m still left with the question : just what exactly makes a film a Christmas movie ?
Is the answer just snow ?
Or is the presence of a Christmas tree enough , regardless of the context ?
Fortunately , The Babylon Bee has stepped into the breach for a nation riven with conflict over which movies qualify for Christmas viewing .
“ This world is full of killjoys who want to murder cheer , ” the song below postulates , just after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Battle Death Match : Twenty films enter , one film leaves .
Say , maybe Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is a Christmas movie too !
Naaah … no snow .
Or Christmas trees .
The feral children mightremind us of Christmas shopping , but that ’ s still no sale … or is it ?
One movie doesn ’ t appear to get an entry into the arena , but it deserves that kind of death both as a Christmas movie and as a rom-com .
Of course , I mean the glurgy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which for some reason has become a holiday tradition for far too many people .
Irish comedian George Fox offered a brilliant “ TED talk ” on Twitter this week explaining the myriad ways in which this film is awful , which are hilariously all true .
Be sure to read the entire thread , but … I may have to concede on Die Hard .
I ’ ll never back down on Love Actually .

Having finally conceded the point on Die Hard — well, mostly anyway — I’m still left with the question: just what exactly makes a film a Christmas movie? Is the answer just snow? Or is the presence of a Christmas tree enough, regardless of the context?
Fortunately, The Babylon Bee has stepped into the breach for a nation riven with conflict over which movies qualify for Christmas viewing. “This world is full of killjoys who want to murder cheer,” the song below postulates, just after the start of the alien-imposed Christmas Movie Arena Battle Death Match:
Twenty films enter, one film leaves. Say, maybe Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is a Christmas movie too! Naaah … no snow. Or Christmas trees. The feral children mightremind us of Christmas shopping, but that’s still no sale … or is it?
One movie doesn’t appear to get an entry into the arena, but it deserves that kind of death both as a Christmas movie and as a rom-com. Of course, I mean the glurgy, pretentious, and contrived Love Actually, which for some reason has become a holiday tradition for far too many people. Irish comedian George Fox offered a brilliant “TED talk” on Twitter this week explaining the myriad ways in which this film is awful, which are hilariously all true. Be sure to read the entire thread, but …
Just to say there were also MANY other things wrong with this movie including but not limited to: -Toxic behaviour
-Problematic portrayal of mental health issues/institutions
-The ONLY female lead being utterly & bizarrely forgotten about by the movie itself before the 3rd act pic.twitter.com/M6C34uwcVz — George Fox (@Comedyfox) December 23, 2020
I may have to concede on Die Hard. I’ll never back down on Love Actually.


hotair--2020-12-24--Is this the freest moment for speech in history or is speech under assault from censors and cancel c

Is this the freest moment for speech in history or is speech under assault from censors and cancel culture

There ’ s been an interesting argument going on the past couple of days between Vox ’ s Sean Illing and Greg Lukianoff of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education ( FIRE ) .
It started with a piece at Vox titled “ What the 2020 debate over free speech missed.
” As with many Vox pieces , this one is framed as a correction to some consensus view , usually on the right , that Vox wants to challenge .
Not every Vox piece falls into this well worn “ Ackshually… ” framework but this one does .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ examples , from the battle at the NY Times over Sen. Cotton ’ s op-ed , to Bari Weiss quitting the Times , to Andrew Sullivan being pushed out by New York magazine , to Glenn Greenwald leaving the Intercept and even including Matt Yglesias recent departure from Vox .
And the common complaint , if there is one , is that public discourse is being stifled .
As Greenwald lamented , “ how imperiled , across all societal sectors , this indispensable value of free discourse has become.
” Greenwald ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrong at the same time .
The boundaries of speech are being contested , on different fronts and for various reasons .
But that has always been the case .
What ’ s genuinely new about this moment is the number of voices in the discourse .
We ’ re living in what is unquestionably the freest and most open information space in human history .
So all of the challenges to speech are occurring alongside an explosion of … speech .
It ’ s pretty hard to argue with that .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blogs about 15 years ago , around the same time Matt Yglesias and Andrew Sullivan got into it .
Blogs democratized speech to a new degree .
And then social media came along and now it ’ s even easier to share your opinion than ever .
And to his credit , Illing does acknowledge that there ’ s something censorious happening on the left right now .
Again , I think he makes a fair point .
The only reason we ’ re hearing from so many petty tyrants on the left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be so vocal now .
Their calls to silence “ hate speech ” and whatever else offends them in a given day probably couldn ’ t exist without social media .
That said I do want to return to that first sentence in the paragraph above because I think that ’ s where he loses me .
But before we get to that , Greg Lukianoff of FIRE put together an large thread on Twitter arguing that free speech is in worse shape than Illing seems ready to admit .
He has more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s skip ahead : The big picture seems to suggest things are getting worse this year : Skipping ahead , Lukianoff eventually comes back to what ’ s happening on American college campuses : He offers lots more examples and then gets to a survey of 20,000 students FIRE did this year .
To try to sum up this long thread , Lukianoff is saying that yes we have a lot more access to speech thanks to technology but we also seem to have a growing number of would-be censors and while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ latter has the potential to undo a lot of that , either legally as in Hong Kong or culturally as on American campuses and social media .
For his part , Sean Illing felt he was being misunderstood : My own take on this argument is that Illing is correct that , in general , we have more voices in the conversation than ever .
So that ’ s a big win for free speech and he ’ s right that we shouldn ’ t skip over that .
But I think he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the fact that there seems to be a small but quickly growing consensus on the left in favor of dumping liberalism and free speech in favor of cancel culture .
It ’ s not live and let live or even I hate what you ’ re saying but I ’ ll defend you ’ re right to say it .
What ’ s been building over the last 6 years or so is closer to ‘ Shup up or else !
’ Cancel culture doesn ’ t want to argue it wants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ isn ’ t a bug it ’ s a feature of woke thinking .
As I pointed out above , Illing does mention this in passing and even allows that it may not be a good idea for the left to pursue it .
But ultimately he seems strangely blase about where that might lead .
That ’ s why the line I highlighted above bothers me : “ But in a truly free society , everything is up for grabs.
” Well , no , it ’ s not .
In a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defended and is not up for grabs .
Sure , there may be people who think it ’ s up for grabs and who act or speak as if it is , but those people should be quickly shown the error of their ways by those of us who know better .
Not to defend a particular partisan outcome but to defend free speech itself .
Illing doesn ’ t seem engaged in that effort .
His argument boils down to this : Arguments for censorship have always been around and are a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ let ’ s not panic .
What I think he ’ s missing is the urgency that Lukianoff has precisely because he ’ s on the front lines of these battles .
He sees people getting run over by the censors and he sees it ’ s a growing trend .
What matters is stopping the censors in their tracks before they gain credence and claim more victims .
Maybe Sean Illing does care about that but you don ’ t really get the sense that he does from his piece which sounds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ play out , i.e .
“ in a truly free society , everything is up for grabs.
” But free speech is not up for grabs .
The fact that we have a lot more of it now than 20 years ago doesn ’ t mean we can take it for granted and wink at the petty tyrants trying to cancel people they disagree with .

There’s been an interesting argument going on the past couple of days between Vox’s Sean Illing and Greg Lukianoff of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). It started with a piece at Vox titled “What the 2020 debate over free speech missed.” As with many Vox pieces, this one is framed as a correction to some consensus view, usually on the right, that Vox wants to challenge. Not every Vox piece falls into this well worn “Ackshually…” framework but this one does.
2020 was an especially rancorous year, and among the many things we fought about was the state of free speech in America. There’s a rising contingent of heterodox thinkers — on the left and right — who argue that a culture of censoriousness has enveloped intellectual life and curtailedfree speech.
Illing then walks through a list of examples, from the battle at the NY Times over Sen. Cotton’s op-ed, to Bari Weiss quitting the Times, to Andrew Sullivan being pushed out by New York magazine, to Glenn Greenwald leaving the Intercept and even including Matt Yglesias recent departure from Vox.
And the common complaint, if there is one, is that public discourse is being stifled. As Greenwald lamented, “how imperiled, across all societal sectors, this indispensable value of free discourse has become.” Greenwald’s critique of cancel culture is right and wrong at the same time. The boundaries of speech are being contested, on different fronts and for various reasons. But that has always been the case. What’s genuinely new about this moment is the number of voices in the discourse. We’re living in what is unquestionably the freest and most open information space in human history. So all of the challenges to speech are occurring alongside an explosion of … speech.
It’s pretty hard to argue with that. I got into this in the era of blogs about 15 years ago, around the same time Matt Yglesias and Andrew Sullivan got into it. Blogs democratized speech to a new degree. And then social media came along and now it’s even easier to share your opinion than ever. And to his credit, Illing does acknowledge that there’s something censorious happening on the left right now.
But in a truly free society, everything is up for grabs. The left, at this moment, is exerting a lot of cultural power and forcing mainstream media institutions to bend to new and shifting ideological standards. Whether that is, ultimately, good for leftist political movements is a separate conversation. What’s clear is that the digital media environment doesn’t privilege the same voices and attitudes that prevailed in the pre-digital world. It’s too competitive and fragmented now. That’s a major shift in how we think and communicate and it’s producing massive conflict.
Again, I think he makes a fair point. The only reason we’re hearing from so many petty tyrants on the left is because they have the ability to be so vocal now. Their calls to silence “hate speech” and whatever else offends them in a given day probably couldn’t exist without social media. That said I do want to return to that first sentence in the paragraph above because I think that’s where he loses me.
But before we get to that, Greg Lukianoff of FIRE put together an large thread on Twitter arguing that free speech is in worse shape than Illing seems ready to admit.
It’s important to address this because there’s been a trend in “nothing to see here,” thinly sourced stories claiming that nobody should really worry about free speech, Cancel Culture, or any of these themes. (2/65) — Greg Lukianoff (@glukianoff) December 23, 2020
Within its first few hours, Hong Kong’s "snitch hotline" received over 1,000 calls of residents reporting potential violators—presenting an opportunity to target people with opposing political views. https://t.co/tkoWFGyJtS (5/65) — Greg Lukianoff (@glukianoff) December 23, 2020
He has more to say about Hong Kong but let’s skip ahead:
And I could write dozens of tweets on #censorship in Turkey alone, but here’s one: in Turkey over the last six years, over 900 minors, between ages 12 and 17, have faced trial for insulting President Erdogan:https://t.co/sSAhgGNGgS (11/65) — Greg Lukianoff (@glukianoff) December 23, 2020
India is continuing what some critics have called its "digital apartheid" policy in Kashmir, where high-speed internet is banned and all connections are highly regulated: https://t.co/tbtg50PA1S (13/65) — Greg Lukianoff (@glukianoff) December 23, 2020
France’s recently proposed "global security bill" prohibits the publishing of images of on-duty police officers which could result in a year in prison and a €45,000 fine: https://t.co/0vdYNvFsFM (17/65) — Greg Lukianoff (@glukianoff) December 23, 2020
The big picture seems to suggest things are getting worse this year:
According to @pressfreedom: "The number of journalists jailed globally because of their work hit a new high in 2020…" https://t.co/oKj9JpDXg8 (20/65) — Greg Lukianoff (@glukianoff) December 23, 2020
Skipping ahead, Lukianoff eventually comes back to what’s happening on American college campuses:
.@theFIREorg we've seen a dramatic increase in submissions from students and faculty seeking help. By early Sept, we’d already broken our all-time record. At 1,461 submissions for the year and counting, it’s been our busiest year:https://t.co/XGlEl2IJPT (35/65) — Greg Lukianoff (@glukianoff) December 23, 2020
Or the student at @JonesCollege_ who had to defend his rights in court for asking his peers their opinion on marijuana policies? https://t.co/HglHG1BEgF (37/65) — Greg Lukianoff (@glukianoff) December 23, 2020
Or another @HaskellU student kicked out of campus housing for saying a campus employee was "being an asshole" for threatening to tow his car? (He slept in his car after being kicked out during a pandemic/stay-at-home order!) https://t.co/t38iLHgFUe (39/65) — Greg Lukianoff (@glukianoff) December 23, 2020
He offers lots more examples and then gets to a survey of 20,000 students FIRE did this year.
Six in 10 students reported that they could not express an opinion because of how students, a professor, or their administration would respond. This number is highest among “strong Republicans” (73%) and lowest among “strong Democrats” (at a still not great 52%). (51/65) — Greg Lukianoff (@glukianoff) December 23, 2020
87% of students reported that @SenSanders should be allowed to share his views on campus, but only 69% said the same for @realDonaldTrump and 78% for @JoeBiden. (53/65) — Greg Lukianoff (@glukianoff) December 23, 2020
37% of Ivy League students say that shouting down a speaker is “always” or “sometimes” acceptable, compared to 26% of students not enrolled at Ivy League colleges. When it comes to removing flyers, the figures are 37% to 28%. (55/65) — Greg Lukianoff (@glukianoff) December 23, 2020
And here’s Lukianoff’s counter-argument:
I know left-leaning people & others don’t like the term "Cancel Culture" because right-leaning people & Trump have glommed onto it. But others have seen it, too, including Pres. Obama, the Harper's Letter signatories, & many journalists.https://t.co/ga6xEC1fsi (59/65) — Greg Lukianoff (@glukianoff) December 23, 2020
And I researched and wrote about its ancestor, “call-out culture,” with the great @JonHaidt in "The Coddling of the American Mind" which I've been updating here: https://t.co/L5zGgcbmNO (61/65) — Greg Lukianoff (@glukianoff) December 23, 2020
BUT if Cancel Culture is not your cup of tea, can journos/academics at least help out the cause of free speech, in ANY of these trends? There is great harm in diminishing free speech in 2020 when threats abound. We & the cause of #freespeech could really use your help! (65/65) — Greg Lukianoff (@glukianoff) December 23, 2020
To try to sum up this long thread, Lukianoff is saying that yes we have a lot more access to speech thanks to technology but we also seem to have a growing number of would-be censors and while the former is good news, the latter has the potential to undo a lot of that, either legally as in Hong Kong or culturally as on American campuses and social media.
For his part, Sean Illing felt he was being misunderstood:
Did not say and do not believe free speech isn’t worth worrying about. In fact, the whole point is that explosions in speech can undermine the very conditions that make free speech possible. That’s the central point. Did say that there are perhaps more pressing immediate threats. — Sean Illing (@seanilling) December 23, 2020
My own take on this argument is that Illing is correct that, in general, we have more voices in the conversation than ever. So that’s a big win for free speech and he’s right that we shouldn’t skip over that. But I think he’s far too quick to skip over the fact that there seems to be a small but quickly growing consensus on the left in favor of dumping liberalism and free speech in favor of cancel culture. It’s not live and let live or even I hate what you’re saying but I’ll defend you’re right to say it. What’s been building over the last 6 years or so is closer to ‘Shup up or else!’ Cancel culture doesn’t want to argue it wants to dominate and punish disagreement. Censorship isn’t a bug it’s a feature of woke thinking.
As I pointed out above, Illing does mention this in passing and even allows that it may not be a good idea for the left to pursue it. But ultimately he seems strangely blase about where that might lead. That’s why the line I highlighted above bothers me: “But in a truly free society, everything is up for grabs.” Well, no, it’s not. In a truly free society, freedom itself is defended and is not up for grabs. Sure, there may be people who think it’s up for grabs and who act or speak as if it is, but those people should be quickly shown the error of their ways by those of us who know better. Not to defend a particular partisan outcome but to defend free speech itself.
Illing doesn’t seem engaged in that effort. His argument boils down to this: Arguments for censorship have always been around and are a natural part of free speech, so let’s not panic. What I think he’s missing is the urgency that Lukianoff has precisely because he’s on the front lines of these battles. He sees people getting run over by the censors and he sees it’s a growing trend. What matters is stopping the censors in their tracks before they gain credence and claim more victims.
Maybe Sean Illing does care about that but you don’t really get the sense that he does from his piece which sounds more like a justification for letting things play out, i.e. “in a truly free society, everything is up for grabs.” But free speech is not up for grabs. The fact that we have a lot more of it now than 20 years ago doesn’t mean we can take it for granted and wink at the petty tyrants trying to cancel people they disagree with.


hotair--2020-12-24--U.S. has vaccinated one million so far -- after aiming for 20 million by year's end

Ed flagged this in a post earlier but I think it deserves its own thread .
I ’ ve been debating with myself since last night what the proper level of consternation about it should be .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 1,008,025 shots had been administered as of Wednesday at 9 a.m .
ET .
That ’ s roughly 19 million doses shy of earlier projections for December and leaves public officials a little more than a week — about 8 days — to try to close that gap .
The U.S. would need to vaccinate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through Dec. 31 to meet its goal .
Two vaccines – from Pfizer and Moderna – have been authorized for use by the Food and Drug Administration , and the U.S. has shipped a total of 9,465,725 doses across the nation , according to CDC data .
Moncef Slaoui , the head of Operation Warp Speed , said at a White House event last month that he expected 20 million doses might be available by the end of the year .
He overestimated by … a lot , it turns out .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t save lives , vaccinations save lives .
Having nearly 10 million doses “ available ” is wonderful — but largely useless if only 10 percent of them are ending up in people ’ s arms .
There ’ s a good case , made by Ed in his post , that this is no big deal .
It ’ s still incredibly early in the process , is it not ?
And we all knew there ’ d be hiccups as the rollout began .
Think back to March and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. as the virus burned through New York , New Jersey , and parts of the northeast .
The country didn ’ t see its first day of more than 100,000 tests until March 26 .
Three days ago it conducted more than 20 million , a 20-fold increase .
Just as we got much , much better at testing over time , we ’ ll get much , much better at vaccinating people en masse .
Don ’ t forget either that vaccines from companies other than Pfizer and Moderna may be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be much easier to cope with logistically than the current ones .
Johnson & Johnson ’ s product is a one-dose shot that can be stored for months at standard refrigerator temperatures , without the ultra-cold technology needed for the current ones .
This is a tremendously ambitious national effort that ’ s been put together with almost miraculous speed , with the vaccine moving from development to shots in arms in the span of 11 months .
Our famously sclerotic federal bureaucracy did something quickly and effectively for once .
Are we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that their most ambitious timeframe for getting 20 million people vaccinated will end up having been too optimistic by a few weeks ?
There ’ s a good case for worrying too , though .
Yes , of course the feds should be given lots of slack in the earliest weeks of the rollout .
But what do the difficulties we ’ re experiencing now portend about the pace of vaccinations two or three months from now ?
I thought the main difficulty early would be making sure that the weekly supply from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the demand , but that ’ s not the problem .
We have more doses than we ’ re able to use right now , as noted above .
It turns out that administering the vaccine expeditiously is more challenging than many of us thought : Slaoui himself admitted to reporters yesterday that the process of getting shots in arms has been slower than he expected .
It seems to me that two of the easiest groups in America to vaccinate en masse should be medical professionals and nursing-home residents , the two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Large numbers of them are concentrated in specific locations , after all .
As long as doses are plentiful , and they are right now , one would think it ’ d be easy enough to vaccinate an entire nursing home or hospital in the span of a few hours .
If it ’ s this time-consuming to get America ’ s population of doctors and nurses inoculated when they have the vaccine at their fingertips and know how to administer it themselves , how long is it going to take to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ April ?
In fact , some of the challenges doctors are dealing with in getting immunized presage the problems we ’ ll have in getting the wider population immunized .
A few weeks ago Stat published a report warning that inoculating medical professionals won ’ t be as much of a breeze as everyone supposes .
Not all doctors and nurses work in major cities , needless to say , and not all rural facilities have the capacity to store the vaccine in the conditions required .
Medical workers in more rural locations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hours , to get their shots .
They may need a sick day after a dose due to side effects .
Who handles their duties on the job while they ’ re busy getting immunized and coping with the aftermath ?
The real shortage at the moment is manpower , not the product itself .
Doctors and nurses are a little busy these days , as we ’ re all aware , which limits their ability to staff a gigantic effort to vaccinate the entire U.S. population .
States are so desperate for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re deputizing medical and nursing students , even firefighters , to do it .
I assume at some point we ’ ll hear talk of sending the National Guard out to locations in major cities to deliver the jab .
Ed had a smart idea : Why not offer people early access to the vaccine in exchange for volunteer work administering the shots to others ?
In return for , say , two hours of training and a 10-hour commitment to dosing it out , you get to cut the line .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This isn ’ t like the slow rollout of testing in February or March , where more tests early might have helped prevent some transmission but may not have radically changed the outcome .
We will get radical changes in the outcome depending upon how efficiently the vaccine is distributed .
The slower it rolls out , the more people die .
Simple as that .
And there ’ s a lot of death on tap for January and February : The feds are hoping to reach 100 million vaccinations by March , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proposition I ’ d wager on .
That said , we may be doing better right now than the headline of this post would indicate .
Gen. Gus Perna told Reuters that there ’ s a reporting lag in the CDC data , which is where the “ one million ” figure comes from .
We ’ re beyond that already , although it ’ s unclear how far beyond .
The CDC reminded Reuters that there ’ s also a reporting lag on the part of the states that are actually dosing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much of one that we ’ re actually going to hit the 20-million target before New Year ’ s , but enough that we ’ re not actually at a mere five percent of what our target was for the end of 2020 .
If the slow pace continues , I wonder if we might end up with the feds easing off of prioritizing different groups ( e.g.
, senior citizens ) within the population and allowing a first-come-first-served free-for-all .
In a way , that ’ s counterintuitive : If the big @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the shots , the last thing we want is young adults getting on line and forcing some seniors to wait .
But there are bound to be refuseniks in the senior population , and some seniors will doubtless be slow to get the shot even if they ’ re willing — and meanwhile doses will be sitting in pharmacy refrigerators , unused , as the virus continues to spread .
If the manpower problem can be solved , the feds may be so desperate to pick up the pace of getting the public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ priority framework and say that anyone who wants it should just go ahead already and get it .
We ’ ll see .

Ed flagged this in a post earlier but I think it deserves its own thread. I’ve been debating with myself since last night what the proper level of consternation about it should be.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 1,008,025 shots had been administered as of Wednesday at 9 a.m. ET. That’s roughly 19 million doses shy of earlier projections for December and leaves public officials a little more than a week — about 8 days — to try to close that gap. The U.S. would need to vaccinate more than 2.1 million people per day through Dec. 31 to meet its goal. Two vaccines – from Pfizer and Moderna – have been authorized for use by the Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. has shipped a total of 9,465,725 doses across the nation, according to CDC data.
Moncef Slaoui, the head of Operation Warp Speed, said at a White House event last month that he expected 20 million doses might be available by the end of the year. He overestimated by … a lot, it turns out. And as the now-familiar saying goes: Vaccines don’t save lives, vaccinations save lives. Having nearly 10 million doses “available” is wonderful — but largely useless if only 10 percent of them are ending up in people’s arms.
There’s a good case, made by Ed in his post, that this is no big deal. It’s still incredibly early in the process, is it not? And we all knew there’d be hiccups as the rollout began. Think back to March and the crippling shortage of testing in the U.S. as the virus burned through New York, New Jersey, and parts of the northeast. The country didn’t see its first day of more than 100,000 tests until March 26. Three days ago it conducted more than 20 million, a 20-fold increase. Just as we got much, much better at testing over time, we’ll get much, much better at vaccinating people en masse. Don’t forget either that vaccines from companies other than Pfizer and Moderna may be coming online soon, and may also be much easier to cope with logistically than the current ones. Johnson & Johnson’s product is a one-dose shot that can be stored for months at standard refrigerator temperatures, without the ultra-cold technology needed for the current ones.
This is a tremendously ambitious national effort that’s been put together with almost miraculous speed, with the vaccine moving from development to shots in arms in the span of 11 months. Our famously sclerotic federal bureaucracy did something quickly and effectively for once. Are we really going to sit here and bitch that their most ambitious timeframe for getting 20 million people vaccinated will end up having been too optimistic by a few weeks?
There’s a good case for worrying too, though. Yes, of course the feds should be given lots of slack in the earliest weeks of the rollout. But what do the difficulties we’re experiencing now portend about the pace of vaccinations two or three months from now? I thought the main difficulty early would be making sure that the weekly supply from Pfizer and Moderna could keep pace with the demand, but that’s not the problem. We have more doses than we’re able to use right now, as noted above. It turns out that administering the vaccine expeditiously is more challenging than many of us thought:
The slow pace has barely picked up from the first week when 614,000 shots were given although nearly 2.9 million were shipped… Jason Schwartz, assistant professor of health policy at Yale School of Public Health, described the initial tally as “discouraging” and said “the challenges of getting vaccines out as quickly as we’re able to manufacture them will only grow.”… [A doctor in Boston] He said experts at the hospital modeled that giving Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine would take 10 minutes, about two to three times as long as a flu shot, due to the procedures needed because the vaccine is stored in a deep freeze.
Slaoui himself admitted to reporters yesterday that the process of getting shots in arms has been slower than he expected.
It seems to me that two of the easiest groups in America to vaccinate en masse should be medical professionals and nursing-home residents, the two groups that are being vaccinated right now. Large numbers of them are concentrated in specific locations, after all. As long as doses are plentiful, and they are right now, one would think it’d be easy enough to vaccinate an entire nursing home or hospital in the span of a few hours. If it’s this time-consuming to get America’s population of doctors and nurses inoculated when they have the vaccine at their fingertips and know how to administer it themselves, how long is it going to take to get average joes vaccinated in March and April?
In fact, some of the challenges doctors are dealing with in getting immunized presage the problems we’ll have in getting the wider population immunized. A few weeks ago Stat published a report warning that inoculating medical professionals won’t be as much of a breeze as everyone supposes. Not all doctors and nurses work in major cities, needless to say, and not all rural facilities have the capacity to store the vaccine in the conditions required. Medical workers in more rural locations will need to travel, potentially for hours, to get their shots. They may need a sick day after a dose due to side effects. Who handles their duties on the job while they’re busy getting immunized and coping with the aftermath?
The real shortage at the moment is manpower, not the product itself. Doctors and nurses are a little busy these days, as we’re all aware, which limits their ability to staff a gigantic effort to vaccinate the entire U.S. population. States are so desperate for people to administer shots that they’re deputizing medical and nursing students, even firefighters, to do it. I assume at some point we’ll hear talk of sending the National Guard out to locations in major cities to deliver the jab. Ed had a smart idea: Why not offer people early access to the vaccine in exchange for volunteer work administering the shots to others? In return for, say, two hours of training and a 10-hour commitment to dosing it out, you get to cut the line.
And time is of the essence here. This isn’t like the slow rollout of testing in February or March, where more tests early might have helped prevent some transmission but may not have radically changed the outcome. We will get radical changes in the outcome depending upon how efficiently the vaccine is distributed. The slower it rolls out, the more people die. Simple as that. And there’s a lot of death on tap for January and February:
BREAKING: @TSA screened 1,191,123 individuals at airport checkpoints nationwide yesterday, Wednesday, Dec. 23. It’s the highest checkpoint volume since March 16, when 1,257,823 people were screened. If you choose to travel this holiday, please wear a mask. — Lisa Farbstein, TSA Spokesperson (@TSA_Northeast) December 24, 2020
The feds are hoping to reach 100 million vaccinations by March, which, er, is not a proposition I’d wager on. That said, we may be doing better right now than the headline of this post would indicate. Gen. Gus Perna told Reuters that there’s a reporting lag in the CDC data, which is where the “one million” figure comes from. We’re beyond that already, although it’s unclear how far beyond. The CDC reminded Reuters that there’s also a reporting lag on the part of the states that are actually dosing out the shots. Probably not so much of one that we’re actually going to hit the 20-million target before New Year’s, but enough that we’re not actually at a mere five percent of what our target was for the end of 2020.
If the slow pace continues, I wonder if we might end up with the feds easing off of prioritizing different groups (e.g., senior citizens) within the population and allowing a first-come-first-served free-for-all. In a way, that’s counterintuitive: If the big problem right now is manpower in administering the shots, the last thing we want is young adults getting on line and forcing some seniors to wait. But there are bound to be refuseniks in the senior population, and some seniors will doubtless be slow to get the shot even if they’re willing — and meanwhile doses will be sitting in pharmacy refrigerators, unused, as the virus continues to spread. If the manpower problem can be solved, the feds may be so desperate to pick up the pace of getting the public immunized that they’ll drop the priority framework and say that anyone who wants it should just go ahead already and get it. We’ll see.


hotair--2020-12-24--NY Governor still working on a way to go to the Bills' playoff game

When I wrote about New York Governor Andrew Cuomo ’ s stated desire to attend a Buffalo Bills playoff game despite having repeatedly locked down the state ’ s residents due to the pandemic earlier this week , I thought I was being mostly tongue in cheek when I asked if he would really have the nerve to try to attend .
After all of the other high-profile instances of hypocrisy we ’ ve seen from other elected officials breaking their own rules and going to everything from wine tastings to the hairstylist , nobody could really be that tone-deaf @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have once again overestimated our elected officials .
It sounds like the Godfather of New York wasn ’ t kidding around .
He immediately began setting up meetings to see if the Bills ’ stadium could be set up to accommodate at least a limited number of fans to attend the big game .
And you can bet that he would be one of them if he can manage it .
( Buffalo News ) Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz was taken by surprise by Gov .
Andrew M. Cuomo ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a way to allow up to 6,700 fans into next month ’ s Buffalo Bills home playoff game through a combination of pre-game Covid-19 testing and postgame contact tracing .
But if the state can pull together a plan to let fans back into the stadium by Tuesday or Wednesday of next week , Poloncarz said , the county will scramble its work force to help make it happen .
“ It ’ s getting real close , ” Poloncarz told The Buffalo News .
“ We have to have a decision by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what we have to do for staffing and security purposes , and working with the other agencies we work with , state and federal , to ensure that it ’ s a safe and secure environment for our fans.
” Just to be clear , large swaths of New York State ( including Buffalo ) are still under various levels of lockdown orders .
Case numbers continue to surge in some areas .
Indoor dining and larger public gatherings are still forbidden until at least January 1st .
But somehow… miraculously… only a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be safe to allow nearly ten thousand people to travel to Buffalo and go into a stadium to watch a football game ?
And it just so happens to be a game that the Governor himself very much wants to attend ?
To add even more nonsense to this puzzle , the “ plan ” currently under discussion would include provisions to minimize the risk of turning this into a superspreader event .
One element of that strategy is to provide for instant COVID testing of everyone who arrives at the stadium @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allowed inside .
I suppose that makes sense , but who is going to provide ten thousand test kits ?
County Executive Mark Poloncarz immediately stated that he did not support making the county provide the test kits even if they had enough to do so .
Cuomo apparently responded by saying the state would take care of it .
But we ’ re still seeing test kit shortages in various parts of the state .
Is shipping ten thousand of them off to a football game the best use of our resources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Commissioner seemed somewhat appalled .
Dr. Howard Zucker conceded that they might be able to put safety precautions in place for the inside of the stadium , but there would be no way to do that for all of the tailgate parties and other festivities that always unfold in the parking lots prior to the game .
It ’ s a fair point .
And we ’ re really going to do all of this just so the Governor who has been lockdown-crazy all year can go watch a football game ?
Welcome @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hypocrisy , stay for the crazy .

When I wrote about New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s stated desire to attend a Buffalo Bills playoff game despite having repeatedly locked down the state’s residents due to the pandemic earlier this week, I thought I was being mostly tongue in cheek when I asked if he would really have the nerve to try to attend. After all of the other high-profile instances of hypocrisy we’ve seen from other elected officials breaking their own rules and going to everything from wine tastings to the hairstylist, nobody could really be that tone-deaf, right? Well, apparently I have once again overestimated our elected officials. It sounds like the Godfather of New York wasn’t kidding around. He immediately began setting up meetings to see if the Bills’ stadium could be set up to accommodate at least a limited number of fans to attend the big game. And you can bet that he would be one of them if he can manage it. (Buffalo News)
Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz was taken by surprise by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s announcement Wednesday that the state is studying a way to allow up to 6,700 fans into next month’s Buffalo Bills home playoff game through a combination of pre-game Covid-19 testing and postgame contact tracing. But if the state can pull together a plan to let fans back into the stadium by Tuesday or Wednesday of next week, Poloncarz said, the county will scramble its work force to help make it happen. “It’s getting real close,” Poloncarz told The Buffalo News. “We have to have a decision by midweek next week just so we know what we have to do for staffing and security purposes, and working with the other agencies we work with, state and federal, to ensure that it’s a safe and secure environment for our fans.”
Just to be clear, large swaths of New York State (including Buffalo) are still under various levels of lockdown orders. Case numbers continue to surge in some areas. Indoor dining and larger public gatherings are still forbidden until at least January 1st. But somehow… miraculously… only a few days later it’s going to be safe to allow nearly ten thousand people to travel to Buffalo and go into a stadium to watch a football game? And it just so happens to be a game that the Governor himself very much wants to attend?
To add even more nonsense to this puzzle, the “plan” currently under discussion would include provisions to minimize the risk of turning this into a superspreader event. One element of that strategy is to provide for instant COVID testing of everyone who arrives at the stadium, with nobody who tests positive being allowed inside. I suppose that makes sense, but who is going to provide ten thousand test kits? County Executive Mark Poloncarz immediately stated that he did not support making the county provide the test kits even if they had enough to do so. Cuomo apparently responded by saying the state would take care of it. But we’re still seeing test kit shortages in various parts of the state. Is shipping ten thousand of them off to a football game the best use of our resources?
Cuomo’s own State Health Commissioner seemed somewhat appalled. Dr. Howard Zucker conceded that they might be able to put safety precautions in place for the inside of the stadium, but there would be no way to do that for all of the tailgate parties and other festivities that always unfold in the parking lots prior to the game. It’s a fair point.
And we’re really going to do all of this just so the Governor who has been lockdown-crazy all year can go watch a football game? Welcome to New York. Come for the hypocrisy, stay for the crazy.


hotair--2020-12-24--Fauci: I've been lying to you about herd immunity

I can ’ t remember the last time I heard a public official , especially a highly influential public official , admit to deceiving the public .
No , wait .
Now that I think about it , I do remember .
It was … Anthony Fauci , back in June , admitting that Americans were deliberately given bum advice about masks early on in order to preserve the extant supply for medical professionals .
So , why weren ’ t we told to wear masks in the beginning ?
“ Well , the reason for that is that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and many people were saying this , were concerned that it was at a time when personal protective equipment , including the N95 masks and the surgical masks , were in very short supply .
And we wanted to make sure that the people namely , the health care workers , who were brave enough to put themselves in a harm way , to take care of people who you know were infected with the coronavirus and the danger of them getting infected.
” Recently the Times noticed that his estimate of how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be vaccinated before herd immunity sets in has begun to shift .
Early on he said it ’ d be 60-70 percent .
Lately he ’ s been saying “ 75 , 80 , 85 percent ” or “ 75 to 80-plus percent.
” Was he just being sloppy before or had something in the science changed since his initial estimate ?
There ’ s been some new data , Fauci said .
But also , he ’ s been lying all along : In a telephone interview the next day , Dr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deliberately been moving the goal posts .
He is doing so , he said , partly based on new science , and partly on his gut feeling that the country is finally ready to hear what he really thinks .
Hard as it may be to hear , he said , he believes that it may take close to 90 percent immunity to bring the virus to a halt — almost as much as is needed to stop a measles outbreak… “ When polls said only about half of all Americans would take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immunity would take 70 to 75 percent , ” Dr. Fauci said .
“ Then , when newer surveys said 60 percent or more would take it , I thought , ‘ I can nudge this up a bit , ’ so I went to 80 , 85.
” The last person in government who should be lying to the public about anything is the lead spokesman for a national pandemic response , especially with a mass vaccination effort under way .
Compliance with prevention measures requires trust — trust that onerous social-distancing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the vaccine is safe , trust that authorities are leveling with you about the risk and how soon the pandemic might end if follow the guidance .
That ’ s why we all freak out when the likes of Gavin Newsom is caught dining out in defiance of his own COVID hygiene protocols .
It ’ s not just that it makes him look like a hypocritical choad , it ’ s that people are destined to conclude from his behavior that gathering is less risky than it actually is .
Trust @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Fauci has given Americans good reason not to trust him by misleading them and then copping to it .
Reading the passage above , I thought back to his clashes with Rand Paul during Senate testimony this year .
Paul warned Fauci that he may be an expert but his word isn ’ t law ; elected officials write the rules for their constituents , not scientific bureaucrats .
That ’ s correct , said Fauci .
I ’ m a scientist , so my job is simply to give you the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it from there .
Except he hasn ’ t done that .
He ’ s hidden the hard scientific truth in order to shape public opinion — twice , at least .
He ’ s playing PR guy when , of all people in government , he should be dealing exclusively in facts and letting the chips fall where they may .
We ’ re left with an inescapable question : Was he lying about herd immunity before or is he lying now ?
I don ’ t grasp the logic of lying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ herd immunity sets in at 60-70 percent or 75-85 percent , the takeaway for the average joe is that most of us will need to get the jab in order to squash the virus .
The point of lying , I assume , was to give the public false hope that the path to pre-pandemic normalcy was a bit shorter than it actually is , but for most of us the difference between a 70 percent immunity threshold and an 85 percent threshold is meaningless .
The bottom line is that a great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be vaccinated before it ’ s party time and thus we all need to do our part .
So why lie ?
Why be cute about the numbers ?
If anything , I ’ m led to wonder whether Fauci is lying now by artificially inflating the number needed for immunity because he thinks raising the bar might encourage fencesitters to bite the bullet and get the vaccine .
Now that we know that he ’ s practicing social engineering via deceptive public comments , everything he says can be questioned in those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that supposedly influenced his assessment , I ’ m guessing it has to do with the new strain of coronavirus propagating in the UK .
“ The more transmissible a pathogen , the more people must become immune in order to stop it , ” the Times notes .
That UK strain is allegedly 70 percent more transmissible than the current dominant strain and it ’ s almost certainly already here .
Scientists who ’ ve examined it closely are saying “ whoa ” — literally : At least one of the mutations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in different parts of the world , suggesting to scientists that that mutation really does provide the virus with an evolutionary advantage .
There ’ s no reason to panic yet : Pending further study , the scientific consensus seems to be that the vaccines might be a bit less effective against the UK strain but still strongly effective .
The situation may be bleaker , though , for monoclonal antibody treatments , which were given to Trump , Chris Christie , and Rudy Giuliani when they were sick with COVID .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the mutations [ in the UK strain ] drove changes to a segment of virus that lies very close to the regions recognized by monoclonals made by the pharmaceutical companies Eli Lilly and Regeneron , making it more difficult for the antibodies to bind and neutralize the pathogen , ” Scientific American reported today .
Which is all the more reason to get vaccinated ASAP .
Get the shot before you get the virus and you ’ re protected ( mostly ) .
Get the virus before you get the shot and doctors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do as much for you as they ’ d hoped .
By the way , with a week still to go , December is now the deadliest month of the entire pandemic for the United States , with 57,683 Americans killed by COVID through last night .
The total number of Americans killed in theater in the decade-long Vietnam War : 58,220 .

I can’t remember the last time I heard a public official, especially a highly influential public official, admit to deceiving the public.
No, wait. Now that I think about it, I do remember.
It was … Anthony Fauci, back in June, admitting that Americans were deliberately given bum advice about masks early on in order to preserve the extant supply for medical professionals.
So, why weren’t we told to wear masks in the beginning? “Well, the reason for that is that we were concerned the public health community, and many people were saying this, were concerned that it was at a time when personal protective equipment, including the N95 masks and the surgical masks, were in very short supply. And we wanted to make sure that the people namely, the health care workers, who were brave enough to put themselves in a harm way, to take care of people who you know were infected with the coronavirus and the danger of them getting infected.”
Recently the Times noticed that his estimate of how much of the population will need to be vaccinated before herd immunity sets in has begun to shift. Early on he said it’d be 60-70 percent. Lately he’s been saying “75, 80, 85 percent” or “75 to 80-plus percent.” Was he just being sloppy before or had something in the science changed since his initial estimate?
There’s been some new data, Fauci said. But also, he’s been lying all along:
In a telephone interview the next day, Dr. Fauci acknowledged that he had slowly but deliberately been moving the goal posts. He is doing so, he said, partly based on new science, and partly on his gut feeling that the country is finally ready to hear what he really thinks. Hard as it may be to hear, he said, he believes that it may take close to 90 percent immunity to bring the virus to a halt — almost as much as is needed to stop a measles outbreak… “When polls said only about half of all Americans would take a vaccine, I was saying herd immunity would take 70 to 75 percent,” Dr. Fauci said. “Then, when newer surveys said 60 percent or more would take it, I thought, ‘I can nudge this up a bit,’ so I went to 80, 85.”
The last person in government who should be lying to the public about anything is the lead spokesman for a national pandemic response, especially with a mass vaccination effort under way. Compliance with prevention measures requires trust — trust that onerous social-distancing rules are just and effective, trust that the vaccine is safe, trust that authorities are leveling with you about the risk and how soon the pandemic might end if follow the guidance. That’s why we all freak out when the likes of Gavin Newsom is caught dining out in defiance of his own COVID hygiene protocols. It’s not just that it makes him look like a hypocritical choad, it’s that people are destined to conclude from his behavior that gathering is less risky than it actually is.
Trust is essential. At least twice now, Fauci has given Americans good reason not to trust him by misleading them and then copping to it.
Reading the passage above, I thought back to his clashes with Rand Paul during Senate testimony this year. Paul warned Fauci that he may be an expert but his word isn’t law; elected officials write the rules for their constituents, not scientific bureaucrats. That’s correct, said Fauci. I’m a scientist, so my job is simply to give you the hard scientific truth and let you take it from there.
Except he hasn’t done that. He’s hidden the hard scientific truth in order to shape public opinion — twice, at least. He’s playing PR guy when, of all people in government, he should be dealing exclusively in facts and letting the chips fall where they may.
We’re left with an inescapable question: Was he lying about herd immunity before or is he lying now? I don’t grasp the logic of lying to Americans about this earlier. Whether herd immunity sets in at 60-70 percent or 75-85 percent, the takeaway for the average joe is that most of us will need to get the jab in order to squash the virus. The point of lying, I assume, was to give the public false hope that the path to pre-pandemic normalcy was a bit shorter than it actually is, but for most of us the difference between a 70 percent immunity threshold and an 85 percent threshold is meaningless. The bottom line is that a great majority of the population will have to be vaccinated before it’s party time and thus we all need to do our part.
So why lie? Why be cute about the numbers? If anything, I’m led to wonder whether Fauci is lying now by artificially inflating the number needed for immunity because he thinks raising the bar might encourage fencesitters to bite the bullet and get the vaccine. Now that we know that he’s practicing social engineering via deceptive public comments, everything he says can be questioned in those terms.
As for the new data that supposedly influenced his assessment, I’m guessing it has to do with the new strain of coronavirus propagating in the UK. “The more transmissible a pathogen, the more people must become immune in order to stop it,” the Times notes. That UK strain is allegedly 70 percent more transmissible than the current dominant strain and it’s almost certainly already here. Scientists who’ve examined it closely are saying “whoa” — literally:
Michael Worobey, a biologist at the University of Arizona, has seen more than 100,000 different strains of the virus that causes Covid-19. But when he saw the new variant from the UK, he noticed something different. “This is the first variant I’ve seen during the whole pandemic where I took a step back and said: ‘Whoa,'” he remembers… “This virus has like 17 unique mutations that haven’t been seen elsewhere, and that is really unusual,” Worobey said.
At least one of the mutations on the spike protein has turned up in different parts of the world, suggesting to scientists that that mutation really does provide the virus with an evolutionary advantage. There’s no reason to panic yet: Pending further study, the scientific consensus seems to be that the vaccines might be a bit less effective against the UK strain but still strongly effective. The situation may be bleaker, though, for monoclonal antibody treatments, which were given to Trump, Chris Christie, and Rudy Giuliani when they were sick with COVID. “A December 1 preprint study found that the mutations [in the UK strain] drove changes to a segment of virus that lies very close to the regions recognized by monoclonals made by the pharmaceutical companies Eli Lilly and Regeneron, making it more difficult for the antibodies to bind and neutralize the pathogen,” Scientific American reported today.
Which is all the more reason to get vaccinated ASAP. Get the shot before you get the virus and you’re protected (mostly). Get the virus before you get the shot and doctors at the hospital may not be able to do as much for you as they’d hoped.
By the way, with a week still to go, December is now the deadliest month of the entire pandemic for the United States, with 57,683 Americans killed by COVID through last night. The total number of Americans killed in theater in the decade-long Vietnam War: 58,220.