Powerball

Ex-FDA Chief Sees 'Struggle' To Vaccinate More Than Half U.S. Population https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/04/14/987265125/ex-fda-chief-sees-struggle-to-vaccinate-more-than-half-u-s-population

Nearly 7 million Americans might not get a COVID-19 vaccine because they don’t know it’s free https://fortune.com/2021/03/10/covid-vaccine-free-people-not-getting-coronavirus-vaccines-cost-price/

'Masks work': South Carolina's top health official says it's too early to drop mask mandates https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/south-carolina-health-director-face-mask-mandatory-spread-covid/275-60939c64-2f51-45b4-8171-a292989d2b20

Yeah, I can agree the optics are poor. Still, let some people tell it given the reactions, she just murdered Baby Jesus. In reality, she didn't do anything against scientific recommendations based on the information we have, and we don't have all of the details.

Just to provide some context and corrections to this misleading and agenda-driven post: 1. The State of Michigan confirmed the director has been fully vaccinated. 2. The CDC's guidelines say it's ok for fully vaccinated people to travel. 3. We don't know what activities the director partaked in while on vacation. 4. Michigan's current health director has not ordered or even recommended to Governor Whitmer (at least not on record) that the state lock down

Also, any restrictions would require a national strategy in order to be effective, since throughout the pandemic every individual state has proven they'd rather do their own thing (sometimes against CDC recommendations).

CDC panel postpones decision on J&J vaccine while it investigates rare, but serious, blood-clot issue https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/14/cdc-panel-postpones-decision-on-jj-vaccine-while-it-investigates-rare-but-serious-blood-clot-issue.html

White House says U.S. is working to accelerate doses of Pfizer, Moderna Covid vaccines https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/14/covid-vaccine-white-house-says-us-is-working-to-accelerate-pfizer-moderna-doses.html

On another forum, I said that Birmingham has become the new OKC. Obviously I was joking, but there's a tiny grain of truth to that based on the analysis below: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41612-018-0048-2

Dixie Alley has been getting all of the action (2 high risk events in a matter of days). It's been fairly quiet everywhere else (including Tornado Alley). That said, at least here, we still got a few more weeks until the peak of severe weather season. And the peak for much of the Midwest isn't until mid/late June.

Given the "strong" reactions in this thread, I feel it's prudent to post this. I said exactly this myself earlier, BTW: Pausing use of J&J Covid vaccine will not affect timeline of getting U.S. vaccinated, says doctor https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/13/pausing-use-of-jj-covid-vaccine-will-not-affect-timeline-of-getting-us-vaccinated-says-doctor.html

The CDC and FDA are doing the job they were established to perform by investigating a product that people are using to ensure it's as safe as possible. I don't see the issue.

Wrong. Nor the CDC, lol...

That said, I do agree with what someone else said earlier. While forcing NFL players to get vaccinated may be difficult at best, in fairness, fans should also be given the option to enter the stadium with a negative COVID test if they choose not to get vaccinated.

To be clear, my stance is a moral one. Unfortunately, I'm well aware it's legally and politically impalpable.

I stand by what I said, which was that it's an unfair double standard.

I leave for a second and come back to more than one person who has become unhinged over COVID safety measures.

Yeah, that's some BS.

Now that's something I have an issue with. Two different sets of rules... Hopefully, if the fans are mandated to be vaccinated, the players are as well.

In the mean time, the people who are unhappy about the developments with the J&J vaccine and others not getting vaccinated quick enough need to keep doing what the CDC has recommended since the beginning of the pandemic (and as well as encouraging others to do the same): *Maintain 6 feet distance from other individuals *Wear a mask at all times around other people when outside your home *Don't attend medium / large gatherings

People have been dying out there for well over a year. A brief pause to ensure the vaccine is as safe as it possibly can be makes little difference. And let's be clear. It's not like the government has banned the vaccine or is coming in to confiscate the supplies that have already been distributed. Once they complete their review, if all checks out, states can go right back to injecting people immediately. EDIT: And another point. This has no impact on the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines which are still being given to people as we type.

If this pause can help them discover ways to decrease risk from (just using random numbers I pulled out of thin air) 2% to 1%, or ensure the risk isn't greater than originally judged, that's a good thing IMO.

That's pretty gross hyperbole, and unhelpful IMO. The CDC and FDA (two government agencies that were created for the sole purpose of helping to ensure the medical products we use are safe) are doing the responsible thing and asking state to pause the vaccinations just to be certain there isn't a deeper issue with the J&J vaccine that would require more research and correction. If this form of due dillegence delays our mission for a few more days, then so be it. In the grand scheme of things, given this pandemic has been ongoing for well over a year, that's hardly a long time.

Yep. Then the other thing too is, it's not that states aren't getting enough vaccine doses, but rather they are still suffering from the lack of staff / volunteers to support with the vaccinations, as well as easily accessible sites where individuals can go to be vaccinated. I know someone in Michigan who tried getting an appointment for days. They were eventually able to get one, but not without going through a hell of a time. Given the situation and the choices available, I do think the Biden's administration's response to instead help Michigan distribute the supply it already has faster (by sending more vaccinators) was the right answer.

Also, if in fact Michigan has reached its peak in COVID cases with this surge, IMO increasing the vaccine supply to the state really wouldn't make a difference at this point. Too little, too late.