Friday, April 16, 2021

Looting...

 



Florida has approved an “anti-riot” bill that gives harsher penalties to protesters.

The bill, passed by the state’s Republican-controlled legislature , includes stiffer punishment for crimes committed during a riot or violent protest. It would allow authorities to hold arrested protesters until a first court appearance, and it would establish new felonies for organizing or participating in a violent demonstration.

The proposal would make it a second-degree felony to destroy or demolish a memorial, plaque, flag, painting, structure or other object that commemorates historical people or events. That would be punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

It would also strip local governments of civil liability protections if they interfere with law enforcement’s efforts to respond to a violent protest, and adds language to state law that could force local governments to justify a reduction in law enforcement budgets.

Clots...!!

 



Federal health officials say the ultra-rare blood clots reported in six people who received Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine are similar to blood clots detected in a  small number of people in Europe who were immunized with AstraZeneca’s shot.

 The six cases in the U.S. were in women between the ages of 18 and 48.  Women have been disproportionately affected by both vaccines.

The blood-clotting disorder is called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, and it was only reported in individuals who also had low levels of blood platelets, a condition called thrombocytopenia.

The Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines are both adenovirus viral vector-based vaccines with similar mechanism.
 
No thrombotic syndrome cases have been reported in people who have received either the Pfizer Inc. PFE, or Moderna Inc. MRNA, mRNA vaccines.

Is it necessary for young people to be vaccinated at all?   Listen to the science.


Thursday, April 15, 2021

Stripped...

 


In February, the Air Force announced that it will begin retiring the B-1B Lancer from service by divesting 17 bombers from the fleet of 62.

The divestment is being done to cut costs, streamline modernization and maintenance for other aircraft, and prepare for the introduction of the Air Force's future B-21 Raider bomber.

"Beginning to retire legacy bombers, to make way for the B-21 Raider, is something we have been working toward for some time," Gen. Tim Ray, the head of Air Force Global Strike Command, said in a release. "We're just accelerating planned retirements."

Four of the bombers are expected to be kept in Type 2000 storage, meaning they can be returned if needed after maintenance, but may most likely be stripped for parts. (The Air Force has already resurrected two B-52s.)

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Clots...

 




Federal authorities recommended that states stop using Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine while an investigation is conducted into six serious cases of clotting problems — one of which was fatal — that were reported among women who received the vaccine.

The blood clots are similar to those reported by several European countries after use of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine. And they are similar to an event that occurred during Johnson & Johnson’s U.S.-based clinical trial, an event that led to a temporary pause in that trial last fall. That case involved a man in his 20s, STAT reported at the time.

As of Monday, more than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine had been administered in this country. But officials acknowledged the investigation — and increased use of the vaccine, which was shipped in record numbers last week — could lead to the discovery of more cases.

How many women of the same age range that shows clotting problems have been vaccinated?   Just a thought.

Moral...

 


Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Pause...

 



Injections of Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose coronavirus vaccine came to a sudden halt in much of the country on Tuesday after federal health agencies called for a pause in the vaccine’s use following the emergence of a rare blood clotting in six recipients.

All six were women between the ages of 18 and 48 and all developed the illness within one to three weeks of vaccination. One woman died and a second woman in Nebraska has been hospitalized in critical condition.

Nearly seven million people in the United States have received Johnson & Johnson shots so far.

Astra Zeneca has the same issue with clots.  

Monday, April 12, 2021

Mutation...

 



Wonderful. Awesome. Fantastic. Those are the adjectives Emory University researcher Mehul Suthar used to describe the immunity levels seen just after the second dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.

But Suthar and colleagues at Emory’s Vaccine Center found that stunning immunity dulled after six months but not to such an extent that the vaccine was ineffective. In fact, Suthar estimated that in three age groups studied – 18-to-55, 56-to-70 and 71-and-older – neutralizing antibodies should linger for one to two years.

“The 484 mutation has been identified by several groups, that it seems to escape antibody responses,” Suthar said. “Other groups are finding that mutations within what’s called the N-terminal domain of that spike protein also encode for escape antibodies.”