TallGuyJohninBKK

One of the last times this kind of case was before the Supreme Court last year, from the various news reports, the result was a mixed decision -- a ruling striking down a federal vaccine mandate in the private sector, but upholding one for federally funded health facilities. A Look at the Supreme Court Ruling on Vaccination Mandates January 20, 2022 "The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a Biden administration mandate that large businesses require their employees to either be vaccinated or tested once a week for the coronavirus. In a 6-3 order, the justices blocked an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) emergency rule for businesses with more than 100 employees — one that would have impacted more than 80 million workers. The justices did, however, allow a vaccination mandate by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for health-care workers at some 76,000 federally funded facilities to stand. (more) https://law.stanford.edu/2022/01/20/a-look-at-the-supreme-court-ruling-on-vaccination-mandates/ Supreme Court blocks Biden Covid vaccine mandate for businesses, allows health-care worker rule "The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked the Biden administration from enforcing its sweeping vaccine-or-test requirements for large private companies. But the conservative-majority court allowed a vaccine mandate to stand for medical facilities that take Medicare or Medicaid payments. The OSHA mandate required that workers at businesses with 100 or more employees get vaccinated or submit a negative Covid test weekly to enter the workplace." https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/13/supreme-court-ruling-biden-covid-vaccine-mandates.html From what I'm reading, it seems like there's also a lot of other vaccine mandate cases / challenges still working their way through the various federal district and courts of appeal.

Some added background on the case's history in the lower courts: "U.S. District Court Judge Georgette Castner denied the preliminary injunction request on June 7, 2022, saying the plaintiffs had “failed to demonstrate likelihood of success on the merits and irreparable injury…” The judge said the state had a rational interest in protecting the health and safety of vulnerable patients and maintaining a safe environment for workers and the operation of healthcare services. The plaintiffs later appealed the federal judge’s decision to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled the lawsuit moot because by that time the governor’s vaccine mandate had been rescinded due to the waning of the pandemic and COVID-19 transmission rates." https://njbia.org/us-supreme-court-declines-to-hear-nj-covid-19-vaccine-case/

"The U.S. Supreme Court rejected to hear an appeal relating to COVID-19 vaccine requirements in the workplace, dealing a blow to vaccine skeptics across the nation. On Tuesday morning, the Supreme Court orders list showed that it was denying to hear any further arguments in the case Katie Sczesny, et al. v. Murphy, Gov. of New Jersey, et al. The case focused on four New Jersey nurses who filed a lawsuit against New Jersey's [now already rescinded] COVID-19 vaccine requirements in the workplace, citing religious freedom and health concerns. The Supreme Court did not provide any further explanation for its refusal to hear the case, but the decision allows a ruling in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit to stand. The lower court ruled that the vaccine mandate challenged by the nurses did not violate their Constitutional freedoms..." (more) https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/supreme-court-delivers-blow-to-vaccine-skeptics/ar-AA1jUCdl As stated in the above report, because the Supreme Court did not explain why it decided against taking up the case, there's apparently no way of knowing whether their decision was an endorsement of the prior lower court rulings upholding New Jersey's COVID vaccination policy, or perhaps instead a recognition that the issue was by now moot because New Jersey rescinded the challenged policy earlier this year. Governor Murphy Signs Executive Order Lifting COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement for Employees in Health Care Settings 06/12/2023 Order Follows Last Week’s Announcement by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Rescinding the Federal Vaccination Requirement TRENTON – Following recent changes to federal requirements regarding COVID-19 vaccines, Governor Phil Murphy today signed Executive Order (EO) No. 332 to lift the COVID-19 vaccination requirements for health care settings in New Jersey. An executive order signed on April 3, 2023 previously lifted the requirement for employees in health care settings who were not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations to undergo routine testing, while also lifting both the COVID-19 vaccination and testing requirements for workers in congregate settings. Today’s EO lifts the remaining requirement that health care settings maintain a policy requiring their workers to be up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations. (more) https://www.nj.gov/governor/news/news/562023/20230612a.shtml

Thailand MoPH Weekly COVID report for Nov. 5- 11: --287 new COVID hospitalizations, down 17 from the prior week --1 new COVID death, unchanged from the prior week --67 COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition --30 COVID patients hospitalized requiring intubation to breathe. https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=main

And more from Israel: Bivalent mRNA booster effective, ‘essential’ for older adults April 19, 2023 Key takeaways: Bivalent mRNA booster vaccine efficacy for preventing hospitalization was 72%. Bivalent mRNA booster vaccine efficacy for preventing mortality was 68%. "Bivalent messenger RNA booster vaccinations were effective for preventing COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths in older adults, according to data presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases. ... To assess the effectiveness of a bivalent mRNA vaccine booster dose to reduce COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, Arbel and colleagues conducted a retrospective, population-based, cohort study in Israel between Sept. 27, 2022, and Jan. 25, 2023." (more) https://www.healio.com/news/infectious-disease/20230419/bivalent-mrna-booster-effective-essential-for-older-adults

COVID vaccines repeatedly have been shown to reduce the risks of being infected by COVID and spreading it to others, especially in the months immediately post vaccination. And equally or more importantly, also have been shown to substantially reduce the risks of serious illness, hospitalization and death from COVID among those who have been fully vaccinated (primary series plus a booster). Just because something doesn't provide 100% protection, doesn't erase the value of getting 20, 30, 50, 70 etc percent protection (reduced likelihood) of various bad outcomes. Bottom line overall -- you're somewhat less likely to catch COVID, and a whole lot less likely to get seriously ill or die from it. COVID vaccine-boosted nursing home residents at 23% to 33% lower risk of infection "A study today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report finds that US nursing home residents who weren't up to date on recommended COVID-19 vaccines were at a 30% to 50% higher risk for infection than those who were current—or a 23% to 33% lower risk for vaccinated residents." https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/covid-vaccine-boosted-nursing-home-residents-23-33-lower-risk-infection AND, regarding protection against severe outcomes (hospitalization or death): Effectiveness of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine booster doses against Omicron severe outcomes 07 March 2023 "Among community-dwelling adults aged ≥50 years in Ontario, VE against Omicron-associated severe outcomes increased with booster doses of monovalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, but protection waned over time after each dose. Third doses continued to provide strong protection (85–87%) against severe outcomes among subjects aged 50–69 years even 8 months after vaccination, but lower protection (76–79%) among those aged ≥70 years. Fourth doses restored waning of protection from third doses and continued to provide strong protection (86–89%) 4 months after vaccination for all age groups. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-36566-1

And more on this from Canada: Ontario requires masking for long-term care home staff amid rise in COVID-19 outbreaks Nov 10, 2023 "Masking is now required for staff in long term care homes across Ontario amid a recent rise in COVID-19 outbreaks, cases and resident hospitalizations, the provincial government says. A Nov. 2 memo from the Ministry of Long-Term Care to LTC licensees says the requirement is based on advice from Dr. Kieran Moore, chief medical officer of health. Homes were expected to implement the requirement no later than Nov. 7, it says. ... There have been 5,459 COVID-19 cases among long-term care residents, with 181 people hospitalized from Aug. 27, 2023 to Oct. 28, Public Health Ontario says in a Nov. 7 surveillance report. A total of 106 people have died." (more) https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-masking-requirement-staff-long-term-care-homes-1.7026056

November 10, 2023 With the country well into flu season, the majority of nursing home workers remain unvaccinated for the flu as well as Covid-19. ... That’s only 22.9% of health care workers that received Covid shots this year, and 47.1% for flu shots based on data collected on more than 2 million staff members across nearly 14,000 nursing homes. Health care workers in hospitals had better flu vaccination rates than those in nursing homes at 81%, the report found, but up-to-date Covid was lower at 17.2%. (more) https://skillednursingnews.com/2023/11/majority-of-nursing-home-workers-behind-on-flu-covid-vaccinations/ Influenza and Up-to-Date COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Health Care Personnel — National Healthcare Safety Network, United States, 2022–23 Influenza Season "CDC and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommend that health care personnel (HCP) receive an annual influenza vaccine and stay up to date with recommended COVID-19 vaccination. ... During January–June 2023, NHSN defined up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination as receipt of a bivalent COVID-19 mRNA vaccine dose or completion of a primary series within the preceding 2 months." ... Vaccination of health care personnel (HCP) is a critical strategy to minimize transmission of infection in health care settings (1,2). HCP are at high risk for work-related exposure to viruses such as influenza and SARS-CoV-2 but are less likely to transmit these infections when they are vaccinated." https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7245a5.htm

November 09, 2023 "Good news for people struggling with sensory problems after a bout of COVID-19. Although mild cases of the disease often impair the ability to taste and smell, and the problem can drag on for months, a new study from Italy shows that most people return to their senses, as it were, within 3 years. "In the vast majority of cases, the loss of the sense of smell is not irreversible," said Paolo Boscolo-Rizzo, MD, a professor of medicine, surgery, and health sciences at the University of Trieste, and a co-author of the study, published as a research letter today in JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery. ... A study this past June showed a strong correlation between severity of COVID-19 symptoms and impaired sense of taste and smell, and estimated that millions of Americans maintained altered senses." (more) https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/998297?form=fpf https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaotolaryngology/article-abstract/2811861

... It may have seemed like an ideal getaway for Florida businessman Patrick Parker Walsh. Instead, he’s serving five and half years in federal prison for stealing nearly $8 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds that he used, in part, to buy Sweetheart Island. While Walsh’s private island ranks among the more unusual purchases by pandemic fraudsters, his crime was not unique. He is one of thousands of thieves who perpetrated the greatest grift in U.S. history. They potentially plundered more than $280 billion in federal COVID-19 aid; another $123 billion was wasted or misspent. The loss represents close to 10% of the $4.3 trillion the U.S. government has disbursed to mitigate the economic devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. (more) https://apnews.com/article/pandemic-fraud-grift-millions-private-island-a005ecfc3226f4ea501eb952c8ec1a8f

Ya, but look on the bright side... At least he wasn't nabbed by the police for doing AI photo mockups of monks in a way that brings discredit on their....uhhh....whatever it's called.

Ohhh... the irony..... :-)

As a veteran of sinus issues and sinus rinsing long before COVID came along, one caution about this: At least when it comes to the sinus rinsing aspect of this, sinus doctors don't want people to be using regular table salt because it's iodized, meaning it has iodine added. For sinus rinsing, they want people to be using NON-iodized salt... which often can be sea salt. And also for sinus rinsing, NOT tap water or distilled water, but preferably purified or boiled and then cooled water. Or commercially sold saline solution bottled products.

What VAERS Can and Can’t Do, and How Anti-Vaccination Groups Habitually Misuse Its Data June 6, 2023 ... "As early as 1997, Ellenberg explained in a journal article that the way VAERS is designed, “sensitivity takes precedence over specificity; reporting of all serious events following vaccination is encouraged, inevitably resulting in large numbers of reports that do not represent vaccine-induced problems.” ... How are regulators so confident that the increased reporting in VAERS isn’t a safety concern? Because all of the data — including from VAERS, but also from all the other systems — consistently show that the COVID-19 vaccines have a good safety record. “It’s data from multiple systems in the United States and data from other systems in other countries in Europe and in Canada and Israel, and really all over the globe,” Shimabukuro said." https://www.factcheck.org/2023/06/scicheck-what-vaers-can-and-cant-do-and-how-anti-vaccination-groups-habitually-misuse-its-data/

There's some reasons in particular why the VAERS system may be being overwhelmed with dubious reports, making it more difficult for the CDC and FDA to evaluate legitimate ones -- per Johns Hopkins: The public database of reported post-vaccination health issues is often misused to sow misinformation ... "Since the emergence of COVID-19 vaccines, however, the database has garnered more dubious notoriety. Anti-vaccination fringe groups have attempted to spin false stories using VAERS data, adding to misinformation about the safety of COVID-19 vaccinations. ... That means events that happen even years later and have no obvious connection to a vaccine, such as feelings of anger, end up reported in the system, says Talaat. ... “The COVID vaccine especially is where VAERS has gotten so misused,” Talaat says. “Eighty percent of people in this country have gotten at least one dose. Well, a lot of things have happened to 80% of people in the last two years that are unrelated to the vaccine.” (more) https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2022/what-vaers-is-and-isnt

... A new study being presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting in Anaheim, Calif. determined that both a low- and high-dose saline regimen appeared to be associated with lower hospitalization rates compared to controls in SARS-CoV-2 infections. ... "The low- and high-saline solutions consisted of 2.13 grams and 6 grams of salt dissolved in 8 ounces of warm water, respectively. Gargling and nasal rinsing was done four times a day for 14 days. ... During the study period, 9,398 individuals with positive SARS-CoV-2 infection were evaluated and were the reference population. The hospitalization rates in the low- (18.5%) and high- (21.4%) saline regimens were significantly lower than in the reference population (58.8%.) (more) https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-11-gargling-salt-covid-hospitalization.html

I'm not a scientist, and I certainly don't know what did or didn't go on in China with the research there, or the pertinent federal rules involved... But one thing I do know is, even in recent months, there doesn't seem to be much credible, public evidence of meaningful wrongdoing on the so-called "gain of function" front involving Fauci. For example: --The Office of the Inspector General for the federal Department of Health and Human Services issued its report in January, finding there were problems with the federal oversight of the grant in question, but making absolutely no findings or statements about whether any prohibited "gain of function" research involving viruses has occurred. Federal watchdog finds problems with NIH oversight of grant funding bat virus research in China 25 Jan 2023 ... "the audit refrains from commenting on whether the results of the WIV hybrid virus experiments constituted “enhanced growth” that should have potentially triggered the special HHS review. OIG “did not assess scientific results for any of the experiments or make any determination regarding the accuracy of NIH’s or EcoHealth’s interpretations of … research results,” the report says." https://www.science.org/content/article/federal-watchdog-finds-problems-nih-oversight-grant-funding-bat-virus-research-china And then more recently in July, the HHS barred federal funding for the Wuhan lab for non-compliance with federal rules involving failures to produce requested documents. And once again, nothing to substantiate Paul's claims involving Fauci and gain of function research. US suspends federal funding to Wuhan lab over non-compliance July 20, 2023 ... "U.S. Republicans released a report in 2021 citing "ample evidence" that WIV scientists were working to modify coronaviruses to infect humans and such manipulation could be hidden. In June 2023, U.S. intelligence agencies found no direct evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic stemmed from an incident at the WIV." https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-suspends-federal-funding-wuhan-lab-over-non-compliance-2023-07-19/ And Paul's notion of trying to get the federal Department of Justice and/or the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia to investigate and prosecute Fauci for supposed perjury likewise seems to have drawn crickets..... Lastly, do a Google search for "Fauci" and "gain of function" for say the past year, and look for any reporting from any major U.S. news media outlet confirming Paul's claims, and you'll find nothing except right-wing partisan stuff. Nothing that I could find in recent times from Associated Press, Reuters, Bloomberg, the major television new networks (except for the widely discredited Fox News), or any of the major U.S. newspapers like NYT, WAPO, USAToday, etc etc... If Paul really has some kind of legitimate "bombshell," it's got to be the most ignored and unreported bombshell around. (Queue the resident conspiracy theorists...)

In public health circles, it's referred to as the seasonal "tripledemic" -- the confluence of COVID, seasonal flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections: US CDC expects 'tripledemic' hospitalizations to remain high this year vs pre-pandemic levels "Sept 14 (Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Thursday it expects the total number of hospitalizations from COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus infections and flu this year to be similar to last year, higher than pre-pandemic levels. The government health agency also said it expects flu and RSV infections to increase over the fall and winter seasons. ... A surge in cases of RSV infections coinciding with an increase in COVID transmission and an earlier-than-normal flu season has raised the specter of a so-called 'tripledemic' of respiratory illness across the United States." https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-cdc-expects-tripledemic-hospitalizations-remain-high-this-year-vs-pre-2023-09-14/ Hence the reason some hospitals are upping their face masking policies.

And what Fauci has said in reply:

This topic in the OP also wouldn't be the first time Rand Paul has gone down the false / unproven "bombshell" road on these matters, for example: No ‘Bombshell’ On COVID-19 Origins June 29, 2023 ... "...on June 13, a Substack post, citing anonymous government sources, claimed to know with “100%” certainty the identity of three [COVID] “patients zero” who manipulated viruses in the lab. ... In a June 18 interview on Fox News, clips of which were shared on Facebook, Republican Sen. Rand Paul repeated the supposed findings of the Substack post, calling them a “big deal.” ... Paul ... then suggested the information might be confirmed the next day, when the Director of National Intelligence was expected to release additional declassified information.... But in its report, which arrived belatedly on June 23, the U.S. Intelligence Community, or IC, does not substantiate any of these details." https://www.factcheck.org/2023/06/scicheck-no-bombshell-on-covid-19-origins-u-s-intelligence-rebuts-claims-about-sick-lab-workers/ Ooooppsss.... No "bombshell" there! :-) Rand Paul, Fox News and Substack... What a trio!

I believe, in the UK cases discussed above, the onset of blood clots -- when that actually occurred -- was relatively soon after vaccination, from days to a few weeks, and occurred more often after the first shot. "The clots that are linked to this vaccine have very specific characteristics: They occur in less common areas of the body, like the abdomen or brain. People affected also have low platelet levels." https://www.healthline.com/health/adult-vaccines/astrazeneca-vaccine "The cases typically occur within weeks of vaccination." https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/20/health/doctor-death-astrazeneca-covid-vaccine.html The UK man discussed in the OP article here fell ill about 10 days after his first shot.

Indeed. The article says he was age 44 back in 2021... Unvaccinated people that age back in that period of time got no free pass from COVID disease/illness.

The following isn't limited just to the AZ vaccine, but is referring to the impact of COVID vaccines in general in England: "Work by the UK Health Security Agency and the University of Cambridge Medical Research Council Biostatistics Unit suggests that roughly 127,500 deaths were prevented by the Covid vaccination programme in England, up to 24 September 2021. Every death is a terrible event for the people involved, but the number caused by the Covid vaccines is much smaller in comparison." ... Overall, the vaccines have therefore saved vastly more lives than they have cost." https://fullfact.org/health/covid-vaccines-saved-many-lives/

Nov. 8, 2023 "Most San Francisco Bay Area counties are reinstituting mask requirements among workers in healthcare settings, timed to coincide with the arrival of the annual respiratory illness season and an expected late-year resurgence of COVID-19. ... Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Sonoma and Napa counties have issued health orders requiring employees in patient care areas to wear masks through the winter respiratory viral season — defined as Nov. 1 through April 30. Santa Cruz County, just to the south, has issued a similar order. Santa Clara and Marin counties have gone a step further, requiring both healthcare workers and patients to wear masks during a shorter designated period: Nov. 1 through March 31." https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-11-08/bay-area-reinstates-mask-requirements-in-healthcare-settings-will-l-a-follow

There's a certain irony here also, given that for years, many of the most vocal anti-vaxers have been railing against the supposedly unproven mRNA vaccines, and often saying if they had to be vaccinated at all, they'd instead choose the older, more traditional vaccine formulation like that used in the UK-developed AZ vaccine. No mRNA vaccines for them. Well, as it turned out, the more traditional vaccine method used in the UK AZ vaccine and a similar type used in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the U.S. (AZ was never approved for use in the U.S.) ended up having far more (though still rare) serious side effects than either the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccines have had. Right now in the U.S. and the UK, the Pfizer and the Moderna mRNA COVID vaccines are the ones still being mainly used three years later. And the AZ vaccine in the U.K. and the J&J vaccine in the U.S. basically have been discontinued because of their rare side effect issues and that other, safer alternatives (mRNA) are available. J&J Covid-19 vaccine no longer available in the US May 15, 2023 "Last year, the CDC limited the emergency use authorization of the vaccine to adults for whom other vaccines aren’t appropriate or accessible due to risk of a rare and dangerous clotting condition called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) after receiving the vaccine. Only about 7% of people who are vaccinated in the US got the J&J vaccine as their first shot." https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/15/health/johnson-johnson-covid-vaccine-end/index.html AND No plans for UK to order more supplies of AstraZeneca Covid vaccine JCVI says mRNA vaccines such as the Pfizer and Moderna jabs are the most effective for UK booster programme 16 Aug 2022 "Deemed a British success story, and estimated to have saved millions of lives worldwide, the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid jab played a key role early in the UK’s vaccination programme. But Prof Anthony Harnden, the deputy chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), has suggested it is unlikely to be used in the future. ... He said an abundance of caution over the issue of blood clots in younger people was one reason the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab was not deemed suitable for the booster programme, along with public perception of the vaccine." https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/aug/16/no-plans-for-uk-to-order-more-supplies-of-astrazeneca-covid-vaccine