COVID Today: Athens Protests, US Military Base Requires Proof, Colleges Facing Pushback

All the Trump loving MAGAs are out protesting

In Athens, thousands rally against COVID-19 vaccinations

More than 5,000 anti-vaccine protesters, some them waving Greek flags and wooden crosses, rallied in Athens on Wednesday to oppose Greece’s coronavirus vaccinations programme.

Shouting “take your vaccines and get out of here!” and calling on Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to resign, the protesters gathered outside parliament under heavy police presence.

Wednesday’s protest was the biggest show of opposition to the inoculation drive. A recent poll by Pulse for Skai TV found most Greeks said they would get the vaccine, and the majority were in favour of the mandatory vaccination for some segments of the population.

About 41% of Greeks are fully vaccinated. On Monday, the government ordered the mandatory vaccination of healthcare workers and nursing home staff following a steep rise in new COVID-19 infections in the middle of the vital tourism season.

So Greek’s aren’t MAGAs? I thought only Republican Trump supporters were vaccine hesitant. Anyhow, if most Greeks said they would get the vaccine, why are only 41% fully vaccinated?

Alabama military base 1st in U.S. to order troops to show COVID vaccine proof

The commanding general of Fort Rucker has announced that the Alabama military base will require service members not wearing face masks “to show proof of vaccination” while on duty to combat rising COVID-19 cases.

Why it matters: The order, issued Wednesday, makes Fort Rucker the “first military base in the continental” U.S. to permit leaders to “check the vaccination status of those in uniform,” the Washington Post notes.

It doesn’t apply to civilians, just service personnel. And we all know that masks totally stop COVID, right? Because infection and death rates hit zero when Government instituted the mask mandates across the U.S. and the world, right?

Colleges, universities with Covid vaccination mandates facing pushback

Hundreds of colleges and universities across the nation are requiring students to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 before returning to campuses in the fall, but the mandates may be difficult to enforce fully.

Some schools such as Princeton University are requiring students to be fully vaccinated by Aug. 1, but it’s still unclear how others will manage vaccination and mask mandates — or what alternatives to on-campus learning may be offered to students who aren’t inoculated against Covid-19. (snip)

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, which is tracking the issue, 578 college campuses currently require students to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 before returning for the fall semester. The American College Health Association advises all colleges and universities to implement vaccination mandates for students and staff, but the logistics are proving to be complicated.

For example, a lawsuit brought by eight Indiana University students is awaiting a ruling on whether the school’s vaccination mandate is legal under state laws that prohibit vaccine passports. In response to an opinion published by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita in May, the university dropped its proof of vaccination requirement and only requires nonexempt students to indicate whether or not they have been vaccinated. And Boston College’s refusal to grant a religious exemption for students at the Catholic school has angered some students and parents who are requesting a change in policy.

Perhaps if colleges said they would reduce their tuition and book costs down to reasonable levels the kids would get the shots.