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COVID-19 Brief: Vaccinations for 5 and Under Coming as Omicron Proves More Dangerous

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and White House chief medical advisor, said they expect the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will authorize the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children under the…

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COVID-19 Brief: Vaccinations for 5 and Under Coming as Omicron Proves More Dangerous

COVID-19 vaccines are still not authorized for the youngest in our population, kids five and younger, but emergency use authorization for the PfizerBioNTech vaccine is expected soon. For that and related stories, continue reading.

Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine for 5-Year-Olds & Under Coming Soon

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and White House chief medical advisor, said they expect the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will authorize the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children under the age of five in the next month. In the Pfizer clinical trials, two doses didn’t create an adequate immune response in children two to four years of age, so Fauci suspects it will likely be authorized for three doses.

“My hope is that it’s going to be within the next month or so and not much later than that, but I can’t guarantee that,” Dr. Fauci said in an interview with Blue Star Families, a nonprofit that supports military families.

Both Vaccination and Previous Infection Offers Strong Protection Against Delta

New data out of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and public health organizations in California and New York suggests that vaccination and previous infection provided strong protection against infection and hospitalization during the Delta wave. And surprisingly, the case and hospitalization rates were lower in people who had recovered from natural infection than people who had been vaccinated. The data is not without its problems. It was built on information through November 2021, before booster shots were common. And it did not take into account the Omicron variant. And, of course, the vaccines don’t come with anywhere near the risk of death and long-term health problems that COVID-19 does.

“We know that vaccination remains the safest strategy for protecting against COVID-19,” said Benjamin Silk, Ph.D., a CDC epidemiologist.

Ji Chunpeng/Xinhua via Getty Images

How Long Do Boosters Offer Protection?

U.K. researchers have made estimates for how long a third shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will last, although the results are varied. They find that protection against infection probably lasts less than six months, but protection against severe disease is stronger. Protection immediately after the third shot is very high but drops to about 70% after two weeks, and by three months, it reduces the risk of symptomatic infection by approximately 50%. A month later, it’s about 40%.

Immunologist Jennifer Gommerman at the University of Toronto noted, “The vaccine’s efficacy against infection relies on our level of antibodies because they are really our first line of defense against SARS-CoV-2.” It’s not unusual for antibody levels to decrease over time. But the immune system is made up of more than just antibodies, and protection against severe disease doesn’t rely only on antibodies. Gommerman added, “So with declining antibody levels, you might be vulnerable to an infection but not necessarily vulnerable to disease—that’s a different kettle of fish.”

Omicron Appears More Dangerous for Children

The risk of COVID-19 to children has been relatively low up to this point, but studies are suggesting that the Omicron variant is more dangerous for children than previous strains. This conclusion came from an analysis of hospitalization rates from one of South Africa’s largest medical insurance programs. Out of 2 million beneficiaries of the country’s Government Employees Medical Scheme, an analysis of 56,164 COVID-19-related hospitalizations found the admission rate for children four years and younger was 49% higher during the Omicron wave than during the Delta surge. It was also higher than surges caused by the Wuhan and Beta variants. Admissions were also 25% higher for children four to 18 than for the Delta wave, but lower than for Beta.

Omicron and Long COVID

With the highly infectious Omicron variant causing an enormous surge, public health officials are wondering if this will result in even more long COVID cases. So far, they don’t think so. Long COVID has more than 50 symptoms that can last for weeks or months after the initial COVID-19 infection. Most people with Omicron infections seem to have more cold-like, milder symptoms, which might be the result of more immunity from previous infections or vaccines. Although the data is still coming in, a study in the U.K. suggests that vaccinated individuals are 49% less likely to develop long COVID. Fauci noted that “long COVID can happen no matter what virus variant occurs. There’s no evidence that there’s any difference between Delta or Beta or now Omicron.”

No Evidence of Live SARS-CoV-2 in Breastmilk

A study from the University of California from 160 samples of breastmilk from 110 women with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 found no evidence that breastmilk transmits the virus to their babies. Using PCR testing, subgenomic RNA from the virus was detected in the milk of seven women, including six of 65 women with confirmed COVID-19. Subgenomic RNA is not a live (infectious) virus, although some scientists think it might suggest replicating virus. The bottom line is that they did not find evidence that breastmilk from mothers infected with COVID-19 contained infectious genetic material.

Gilead’s Remdesivir Decreases Mechanical Ventilation

Research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal demonstrated that Gilead’s antiviral drug remdesivir decreases the use of mechanical ventilation by almost 50% for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. They randomized 1,282 patients at 52 Canadian hospitals from August 14, 2020, to April 1, 2021, to receive either remdesivir or standard of care. Patients who received remdesivir had an in-hospital mortality rate of 18.7% compared to 22.6% in the standard-of-care group and 60-day mortality was 24.8% and 28.2%, respectively. The remedesivir group had an 8% mechanical ventilation rate compared to 15% for the standard-of-care cohort.

Merck Makes Deal with Approximately 30 Generic Drugmakers for its COVID-19 Antiviral

Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, with U.N.-backed Medicines Patent Pool, signed a deal with almost 30 generic drugmakers around the world to produce Merck’s COVID-19 antiviral molnupiravir. It allows 27 generic drugmakers from India, China and countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East to manufacture ingredients and the finished drug. The deal will allow for distribution of the pill to 105 less-developed countries, with some deliveries beginning as early as February. In the poorer countries, the course of 40 pills for five days will run about $20. In the U.S., it runs about $700. Merck, Ridgeback and Emory University will not receive royalties from the sale of the low-cost generics while the World Health Organization has COVID-19 classified as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

Valneva’s COVID-19 Vaccine Neutralizes Omicron

 Saint Herblain, France-based Valneva announced results from an early laboratory study showing that antibodies produced by three doses of its inactivated COVID-19 vaccine candidate, VLA2001, neutralized the Omicron variant. The tests were on 30 people in the Phase I/II trial, testing an Omicron pseudovirus on sera. All 30 samples created neutralizing antibodies against the Wuhan wild-type strain and the Delta and Omicron variants.

BioSpace source:

https://www.biospace.com/article/covid-19-vaccine-expected-to-be-authorized-for-5-year-olds-and-younger-and-more-covid-19-news

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Mike Pompeo Doesn’t Rule Out Serving In 2nd Trump Administration

Mike Pompeo Doesn’t Rule Out Serving In 2nd Trump Administration

Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Former Secretary…

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Mike Pompeo Doesn't Rule Out Serving In 2nd Trump Administration

Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a new interview that he’s not ruling out accepting a White House position if former President Donald Trump is reelected in November.

“If I get a chance to serve and think that I can make a difference ... I’m almost certainly going to say yes to that opportunity to try and deliver on behalf of the American people,” he told Fox News, when asked during a interview if he would work for President Trump again.

I’m confident President Trump will be looking for people who will faithfully execute what it is he asked them to do,” Mr. Pompeo said during the interview, which aired on March 8. “I think as a president, you should always want that from everyone.”

Then-President Donald Trump (C), then- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L), and then-Vice President Mike Pence, take a question during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus at the White House in Washington on April 8, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

He said that as a former secretary of state, “I certainly wanted my team to do what I was asking them to do and was enormously frustrated when I found that I couldn’t get them to do that.”

Mr. Pompeo, a former U.S. representative from Kansas, served as Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director in the Trump administration from 2017 to 2018 before he was secretary of state from 2018 to 2021. After he left office, there was speculation that he could mount a Republican presidential bid in 2024, but announced that he wouldn’t be running.

President Trump hasn’t publicly commented about Mr. Pompeo’s remarks.

In 2023, amid speculation that he would make a run for the White House, Mr. Pompeo took a swipe at his former boss, telling Fox News at the time that “the Trump administration spent $6 trillion more than it took in, adding to the deficit.”

“That’s never the right direction for the country,” he said.

In a public appearance last year, Mr. Pompeo also appeared to take a shot at the 45th president by criticizing “celebrity leaders” when urging GOP voters to choose ahead of the 2024 election.

2024 Race

Mr. Pompeo’s interview comes as the former president was named the “presumptive nominee” by the Republican National Committee (RNC) last week after his last major Republican challenger, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, dropped out of the 2024 race after failing to secure enough delegates. President Trump won 14 out of 15 states on Super Tuesday, with only Vermont—which notably has an open primary—going for Ms. Haley, who served as President Trump’s U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

On March 8, the RNC held a meeting in Houston during which committee members voted in favor of President Trump’s nomination.

“Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump on his huge primary victory!” the organization said in a statement last week. “I’d also like to congratulate Nikki Haley for running a hard-fought campaign and becoming the first woman to win a Republican presidential contest.”

Earlier this year, the former president criticized the idea of being named the presumptive nominee after reports suggested that the RNC would do so before the Super Tuesday contests and while Ms. Haley was still in the race.

Also on March 8, the RNC voted to name Trump-endorsed officials to head the organization. Michael Whatley, a North Carolina Republican, was elected the party’s new national chairman in a vote in Houston, and Lara Trump, the former president’s daughter-in-law, was voted in as co-chair.

“The RNC is going to be the vanguard of a movement that will work tirelessly every single day to elect our nominee, Donald J. Trump, as the 47th President of the United States,” Mr. Whatley told RNC members in a speech after being elected, replacing former chair Ronna McDaniel. Ms. Trump is expected to focus largely on fundraising and media appearances.

President Trump hasn’t signaled whom he would appoint to various federal agencies if he’s reelected in November. He also hasn’t said who his pick for a running mate would be, but has offered several suggestions in recent interviews.

In various interviews, the former president has mentioned Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Vivek Ramaswamy, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, among others.

Tyler Durden Wed, 03/13/2024 - 17:00

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International

Riley Gaines Explains How Women’s Sports Are Rigged To Promote The Trans Agenda

Riley Gaines Explains How Women’s Sports Are Rigged To Promote The Trans Agenda

Is there a light forming when it comes to the long, dark and…

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Riley Gaines Explains How Women's Sports Are Rigged To Promote The Trans Agenda

Is there a light forming when it comes to the long, dark and bewildering tunnel of social justice cultism?  Global events have been so frenetic that many people might not remember, but only a couple years ago Big Tech companies and numerous governments were openly aligned in favor of mass censorship.  Not just to prevent the public from investigating the facts surrounding the pandemic farce, but to silence anyone questioning the validity of woke concepts like trans ideology. 

From 2020-2022 was the closest the west has come in a long time to a complete erasure of freedom of speech.  Even today there are still countries and Europe and places like Canada or Australia that are charging forward with draconian speech laws.  The phrase "radical speech" is starting to circulate within pro-censorship circles in reference to any platform where people are allowed to talk critically.  What is radical speech?  Basically, it's any discussion that runs contrary to the beliefs of the political left.

Open hatred of moderate or conservative ideals is perfectly acceptable, but don't ever shine a negative light on woke activism, or you might be a terrorist.

Riley Gaines has experienced this double standard first hand.  She was even assaulted and taken hostage at an event in 2023 at San Francisco State University when leftists protester tried to trap her in a room and demanded she "pay them to let her go."  Campus police allegedly witnessed the incident but charges were never filed and surveillance footage from the college was never released.  

It's probably the last thing a champion female swimmer ever expects, but her head-on collision with the trans movement and the institutional conspiracy to push it on the public forced her to become a counter-culture voice of reason rather than just an athlete.

For years the independent media argued that no matter how much we expose the insanity of men posing as women to compete and dominate women's sports, nothing will really change until the real female athletes speak up and fight back.  Riley Gaines and those like her represent that necessary rebellion and a desperately needed return to common sense and reason.

In a recent interview on the Joe Rogan Podcast, Gaines related some interesting information on the inner workings of the NCAA and the subversive schemes surrounding trans athletes.  Not only were women participants essentially strong-armed by colleges and officials into quietly going along with the program, there was also a concerted propaganda effort.  Competition ceremonies were rigged as vehicles for promoting trans athletes over everyone else. 

The bottom line?  The competitions didn't matter.  The real women and their achievements didn't matter.  The only thing that mattered to officials were the photo ops; dudes pretending to be chicks posing with awards for the gushing corporate media.  The agenda took precedence.

Lia Thomas, formerly known as William Thomas, was more than an activist invading female sports, he was also apparently a science project fostered and protected by the athletic establishment.  It's important to understand that the political left does not care about female athletes.  They do not care about women's sports.  They don't care about the integrity of the environments they co-opt.  Their only goal is to identify viable platforms with social impact and take control of them.  Women's sports are seen as a vehicle for public indoctrination, nothing more.

The reasons why they covet women's sports are varied, but a primary motive is the desire to assert the fallacy that men and women are "the same" psychologically as well as physically.  They want the deconstruction of biological sex and identity as nothing more than "social constructs" subject to personal preference.  If they can destroy what it means to be a man or a woman, they can destroy the very foundations of relationships, families and even procreation.  

For now it seems as though the trans agenda is hitting a wall with much of the public aware of it and less afraid to criticize it.  Social media companies might be able to silence some people, but they can't silence everyone.  However, there is still a significant threat as the movement continues to target children through the public education system and women's sports are not out of the woods yet.   

The ultimate solution is for women athletes around the world to organize and widely refuse to participate in any competitions in which biological men are allowed.  The only way to save women's sports is for women to be willing to end them, at least until institutions that put doctrine ahead of logic are made irrelevant.          

Tyler Durden Wed, 03/13/2024 - 17:20

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RFK Jr. Reveals Vice President Contenders

RFK Jr. Reveals Vice President Contenders

Authored by Jeff Louderback via The Epoch Times,

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former…

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RFK Jr. Reveals Vice President Contenders

Authored by Jeff Louderback via The Epoch Times,

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former Minnesota governor and professional wrestler Jesse Ventura are among the potential running mates for independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the New York Times reported on March 12.

Citing “two people familiar with the discussions,” the New York Times wrote that Mr. Kennedy “recently approached” Mr. Rodgers and Mr. Ventura about the vice president’s role, “and both have welcomed the overtures.”

Mr. Kennedy has talked to Mr. Rodgers “pretty continuously” over the last month, according to the story. The candidate has kept in touch with Mr. Ventura since the former governor introduced him at a February voter rally in Tucson, Arizona.

Stefanie Spear, who is the campaign press secretary, told The Epoch Times on March 12 that “Mr. Kennedy did share with the New York Times that he’s considering Aaron Rodgers and Jesse Ventura as running mates along with others on a short list.”

Ms. Spear added that Mr. Kennedy will name his running mate in the upcoming weeks.

Former Democrat presidential candidates Andrew Yang and Tulsi Gabbard declined the opportunity to join Mr. Kennedy’s ticket, according to the New York Times.

Mr. Kennedy has also reportedly talked to Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) about becoming his running mate.

Last week, Mr. Kennedy endorsed Mr. Paul to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as the Senate Minority Leader after Mr. McConnell announced he would step down from the post at the end of the year.

CNN reported early on March 13 that Mr. Kennedy’s shortlist also includes motivational speaker Tony Robbins, Discovery Channel Host Mike Rowe, and civil rights attorney Tricia Lindsay. The Washington Post included the aforementioned names plus former Republican Massachusetts senator and U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, Scott Brown.

In April 2023, Mr. Kennedy entered the Democrat presidential primary to challenge President Joe Biden for the party’s 2024 nomination. Claiming that the Democrat National Committee was “rigging the primary” to stop candidates from opposing President Biden, Mr. Kennedy said last October that he would run as an independent.

This year, Mr. Kennedy’s campaign has shifted its focus to ballot access. He currently has qualified for the ballot as an independent in New Hampshire, Utah, and Nevada.

Mr. Kennedy also qualified for the ballot in Hawaii under the “We the People” party.

In January, Mr. Kennedy’s campaign said it had filed paperwork in six states to create a political party. The move was made to get his name on the ballots with fewer voter signatures than those states require for candidates not affiliated with a party.

The “We the People” party was established in five states: California, Delaware, Hawaii, Mississippi, and North Carolina. The “Texas Independent Party” was also formed.

A statement by Mr. Kennedy’s campaign reported that filing for political party status in the six states reduced the number of signatures required for him to gain ballot access by about 330,000.

Ballot access guidelines have created a sense of urgency to name a running mate. More than 20 states require independent and third-party candidates to have a vice presidential pick before collecting and submitting signatures.

Like Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Ventura is an outspoken critic of COVID-19 vaccine mandates and safety.

Mr. Ventura, 72, gained acclaim in the 1970s and 1980s as a professional wrestler known as Jesse “the Body” Ventura. He appeared in movies and television shows before entering the Minnesota gubernatorial race as a Reform Party headliner. He was a longshot candidate but prevailed and served one term.

Former pro wrestler Jesse Ventura in Washington on Oct. 4, 2013. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

In an interview on a YouTube podcast last December, Mr. Ventura was asked if he would accept an offer to run on Mr. Kennedy’s ticket.

“I would give it serious consideration. I won’t tell you yes or no. It will depend on my personal life. Would I want to commit myself at 72 for one year of hell (campaigning) and then four years (in office)?” Mr. Ventura said with a grin.

Mr. Rodgers, who spent his entire career as a quarterback for the Green Bay Packers before joining the New York Jets last season, remains under contract with the Jets. He has not publicly commented about joining Mr. Kennedy’s ticket, but the four-time NFL MVP endorsed him earlier this year and has stumped for him on podcasts.

The 40-year-old Rodgers is still under contract with the Jets after tearing his Achilles tendon in the 2023 season opener and being sidelined the rest of the year. The Jets are owned by Woody Johnson, a prominent donor to former President Donald Trump who served as U.S. Ambassador to Britain under President Trump.

Since the COVID-19 vaccine was introduced, Mr. Rodgers has been outspoken about health issues that can result from taking the shot. He told podcaster Joe Rogan that he has lost friends and sponsorship deals because of his decision not to get vaccinated.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets talks to reporters after training camp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center in Florham Park, N.J., on July 26, 2023. (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

Earlier this year, Mr. Rodgers challenged Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Dr. Anthony Fauci to a debate.

Mr. Rodgers referred to Mr. Kelce, who signed an endorsement deal with vaccine manufacturer Pfizer, as “Mr. Pfizer.”

Dr. Fauci served as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from 1984 to 2022 and was chief medical adviser to the president from 2021 to 2022.

When Mr. Kennedy announces his running mate, it will mark another challenge met to help gain ballot access.

“In some states, the signature gathering window is not open. New York is one of those and is one of the most difficult with ballot access requirements,” Ms. Spear told The Epoch Times.

“We need our VP pick and our electors, and we have to gather 45,000 valid signatures. That means we will collect 72,000 since we have a 60 percent buffer in every state,” she added.

The window for gathering signatures in New York opens on April 16 and closes on May 28, Ms. Spear noted.

“Mississippi, North Carolina, and Oklahoma are the next three states we will most likely check off our list,” Ms. Spear added. “We are confident that Mr. Kennedy will be on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. We have a strategist, petitioners, attorneys, and the overall momentum of the campaign.”

Tyler Durden Wed, 03/13/2024 - 15:45

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