COVID-19 Pandemic; Anti-Vaxxers Right and Left

We at the Justice Integrity Projectpresent another guest column on a timely topic by Dr. Steven Jonas, right, MD, MPH, MS, a professor emeritus of Preventive Medicine at Stony Brook Medicine (NY) and author / co-author / editor / co-editor of over 35 books. He has been published also on many current affairs news sites. His own political website,stevenjonaspolitics.com, will eventually archive the close to 1,000 political columns he has published since 2004.

He was also a career triathlete (36 seasons, 256 multi-sport races), who is now retired from the sport.

His latest book is Ending the ‘Drug War’; Solving the Drug Problem: The Public Health Approach, Punto Press Publishing, (Brewster, NY, 2016). It is available on Kindle from Amazon, and also in hardcover from Amazon. In 1996, he published a ‘future history’ of the United States entitled The 15% Solution: How the Republican Religious Right Took Control of the U.S., 1981-2022: A Futuristic Novel (Third Edition published by Trepper & Katz Impact Books, Punto Press Publishing, 2013, and also available on Amazon.

By Dr. Steven Jonas

The political (and it is primarily political) controversy over vaccination continues apace in this country. Of course, it is led primarily by the Republo-fascist Party because, in my view, they want to make things as bad as they can for the Biden Administration. There is also a small (but noisy) anti-vaxx cadre on the Left which cadre is sure that the vaccines which have been produced in this country will produce major harms down the road (that is WAY down the road — 15 years [easily tested-for, of course]). Further, like the much noisier ones on the Right they confuse the word “mandate” with the concept of forced vaccination (which NO one is proposing).

An Introductory Historical Note

Not too many people, other than students of Nazism, know that there was a “left-wing” of the Nazi Party. It was headed by the Strasser brothers, Otto and Gregor. As the beginning of the Wikipedia entry on them says:

“Strasserism (German: Strasserismus or Straßerismus) is a strand of Nazism that calls for a more radical, mass-action and worker-based form of Nazism hostile to Jews not from a racial, cultural or religious perspective, but from an anti-capitalist basis to achieve a national rebirth. It derives its name from Gregor and Otto Strasser, two brothers initially associated with this position.” This is a subject to which I shall return at the end of the column.

Some Comments on Vaccination, its Effectiveness, and Side-effectsDoes vaccination work to prevent acquisition of this highly infectious disease, transmitted through the air? Yes, most of the time. And when it doesn’t prevent infection of a specific individual, in most of those cases it diminishes the severity of the resulting illness.

Does vaccination have side-effects? Yes, it does. In most cases, beyond short-duration tenderness and redness at the injection site, are they primarily annoying rather incapacitating? Yes. As an example, I had the “tireds” for about two weeks after I received my second shot last spring. I had them again for a shorter period of time after I received my booster at the beginning of October. (Oh yes. I received the Pfizer vaccine.)

Have a significant number of people died after receiving the vaccine? The anti-vaxxers say “yes,” but don’t seem to be able to provide any data supporting their position (at least I haven’t seen any, and I am on a couple of left-wing anti-vaxx listservs, so presumably if there were any, it would have been sent around)…. . But one wonders, in this country why would the CDC not respond as vigorously to that situation as they have to the pandemic? Oh, I know. Because each and every employee at CDC is part of the “plandemic” plot and they really want to kill people beyond those who the virus has killed (at least according to cause-of-death reports, which are “obviously” false).

Might there be some very long-term side effect[s], resulting from this vaccine which is based on an entirely new and different mode of vaccine production? Yes, we are told by the anti-vaxxers, 15 years down the road there is going to be some significant damage, of some (unknown) kind, to the human population who took the vaccine. But of course, we do not know that to be true. It is indeed speculation. And if that speculation (which has no scientific basis, it’s only speculation) proved to be entirely incorrect, then possibly hundreds of millions of persons would have died unnecessarily. Hmm.

On the anti-Vaxxers

From the Left, there are folks like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Well, at least he’s consistent. He is against all vaccination, of children anyway, because of the association of certain child-hood vaccines (required for school entrance, by the way) which cause autism. That that is an hypothesis which has been proven to be entirely wrong seems to make no difference to Mr. Kennedy and his allies.

But at least he’s consistent. Most other anti-vaxxers, whether from the Left or from the Right seem to be entirely happy with traditional, required, pre-school vaccination programs, and with certain required vaccinations for certain kinds of employment or travel to certain locales (e.g., for Yellow Fever or polio).

Both the anti-vaxx Left and the anti-vaxx Right talk about refusing vaccination as a matter of “personal freedom.” Well first of all, it should be made clear that no one, at least on the Public Health side, is taking the position that people can be forced to be vaccinated. (And I have seen folks on the Left accidentally or purposefully confuse the public health position that vaccination can be required for, say, certain kinds of employment or entry into certain kinds of public spaces with a foreced-vacciantion position). . . .

The anti-Maskers

As for anti-maskers, for a disease transmitted entirely through the air, it is the most effective means for reducing transmission. Can masks be uncomfortable? They sure can (I wear mine every time I go outside, double-vaxxed and boostered or no. Comfortable? No. But I wear it.) Ah ha, you might say, so you don’t trust the vaccine, eh? Well, no I don’t not trust it, but there are exceptions to every rule, so why take a chance? As for right-wing anti-mask mandates/laws, I dealt with that subject at length here: Click Here. As for left-wingers who are against mask mandates because they interfere with their personal freedom, I haven’t dealt with that open in any detail, although I do bring up the defecation-in-a-public-water-supply Comparo with them on occasion.

As for the Governor who claimed that masks inhibit God’s love from getting into the person (sorry; misplaced that reference) how does he know that God is not a mask-wearer? Then apparently there are one or more anti-mask physicians who refuse, for example, to wear a mask when talking with, for example, an immune-compromised patient, because wearing a mask in any situation makes the doc uncomfortable. Must have forgotten the Hippocratic oath to which one has sworn: “First, do no harm.”

As for “do no harm,” on a Chris Hayes telecast, at a right-wing talker’s “town hall” a questioner asked, in reference to school board mask-mandates, “when do we start using our guns?”

Various Treatments

On ivermectin, and other proposed treatments, as THE approach to the pandemic in general, in order to avoid some negative effects that MIGHT (or might not) occur 15 years from now, they all rely on waiting until a patient becomes sick (and infectious). Furthermore, there is the matter of proof, or more important, being able to prove. Randomly allocated/double-blind studies which have to take place in persons already ill (where the alternative to ivermectin or other is hospital care which is known to be effective in most cases if caught early enough) cannot be carried out, for obvious ethical reasons. Even if it works, and no even semi- controlled studies to date have shown that it does, it does NOT, indeed cannot, prevent transmission. And further, on the subject, a controlled double-blind study would be very difficult to carry out. In what randomized group of sick patients will be found one-half who will be getting nothing to help them deal with the disease they already have (different from clinical trials of vaccines, where everyone is healthy to begin with). . . .

In summary, the Left anti-vaxxers think that they would be supporting/benefiting the public’s health according to some version of public health science. That version must come from another planet, and maybe the crew of the Good Ship Enterprise will find it someday. It is simply not the public health science to which virtually all public scientists (including myself, M.P.H., Board-certified in Preventive Medicine) subscribe. Are there a few exceptions here and there? Surely. Tell me of a human endeavour in which that sort of thing doesn’t occur. As for the political Right, it cares not a whit about the public’s health (see the cited columns above). It’s all about politics, right-wing politics of course, and at this stage of the pandemic, with Joe Biden in the White House, doing anything they possibly can to make him look bad.

Be Careful Who You Ally With

Finally, as for allies in the anti-vaxx struggle, of the two “Left-wing” Strasser brothers mentioned at the beginning of this column, Otto left the Party and Germany in 1930 (and somehow managed to survive the War). Gregor remained a Nazi through the early days of the Hitler Dictatorship, while still pronouncing his “left-wing” views.

On the Night of the Long Knives, many of Hitler’s enemies both within and outside of the Party, but still right-wingers, were killed. One prominent example was Ernst Roehm, the Commander of Hitler’s private army, the Sturmabteilung, which had fought street battles for him from the early 1920′s. He was killed, as the price to be paid for the continued support of the Military and the German ruling class. E.g., the SA’s dissolution (remember, it was a private army, directly loyal to Hitler) was demanded by the German armed forces as the price of their support for Hitler and his dictatorship. On other side, the “leftie” Gregor Strasser, Hitler supporter from the early days in the 1920′s, was also murdered.

 Editor’s note: This column was previously published here by OpEdNews, which also published extensive links for reference purposes as well as a reader comment section.

Contact the author Andrew Kreig

  Related News and Commentary

Chris Mora of California sits amid the art installation “In America: Remember,” which features flags representing every death from covid-19 in the United States, on the National Mall on Sept. 24. (Craig Hudson/For the Washington Post). The symbolic heart of Washington has been covered by nearly 700,000 white flags, each about a foot tall, representing the American lives lost to covid-19 and holding written memories from loved ones. The flags have been packed tightly into 60-foot-by-60-foot quadrants on 20 acres near the Washington Monument and the National Museum of African and African American History and Culture.

Washington Post, Opinion: What the 700,000 flags I put on the National Mall really mean, Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg (a social practice artist), Oct. 1, 2021. Twenty-five years of hospice volunteering has taught me that the most important thing we can afford people is their dignity.

That lesson formed the backbone of “In America: Remember,” my art installation that for the past three weeks blanketed Washington’s National Mall with 700,000 fluttering white flags, each one representing an American lost to the coronavirus pandemic. The art is an effort to reclaim the dignity of 700,000 people who have become reduced to a single number, a number too large to fathom.

My project began with outrage. I was outraged we had elected officials who would devalue the lives of the elderly, the poor and people of color in their approach to managing the pandemic. I was outraged we had allowed the death toll here in the United States to become so large as to be incomprehensible.

But the deeper meaning came when I heard the stories. In person, they poured out. Many visitors used the Sharpies we offered them to write their own dedications directly onto the flags. With each of their stories, my anger gave way to their outcries of grief.

 Recent health-related news and comment is provided below in reverse chronological order via selections by the Justice Integrity Project. Dr. Jonas is not responsible for the selections:

December

Dec. 29

Virus Victims, Responses

• New York Times, Live Updates: Case Records Across U.S. and Europe Are Broken as Omicron Wave Grows
• New York Times, Child Hospitalizations Rise, but Most Cases Are Milder
• New York Times, The Omicron variant might help defend against Delta, a lab study suggested
• New York Times, On the Slaughterhouse Floor, Fear and Anger Remain
• Washington Post, Iowan dies after waiting 15 days for a hospital bed; his family blames unvaccinated covid patients
• Washington Post, Federal court denies Oklahoma governor’s attempt to stop military vaccine mandate
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 842,161
• Washington Post, 205.4 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 28

Virus Victims, Responses

• Washington Post, Staff shortages at nursing homes worsen problems at overwhelmed hospitals
• Washington Post, Live Updates: NYC leads spike in child hospitalizations nationwide
• New York Times, Live Updates: New York City Schools Will Reopen Next Week With More Testing
• New York Times, Covid death rates are rising for some demographics, despite vaccines being widely available. Here’s why
• Washington Post, 5 GOP-led states extend unemployment aid to workers who lose jobs over vaccine mandates
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 839,605
• Washington Post, 205.2 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 27

Virus Victims, Responses

• Washington Post, 5 GOP-led states extend unemployment aid to workers who lose jobs over vaccine mandates
• Washington Post, Live Updates: New cases rise to record levels around the world
• New York Times, Live Updates: Fauci Suggests Vaccination Requirements for Air Travel as Disruptions Persist
• Washington Post, Thousands who ‘followed the rules’ are about to get covid. They shouldn’t be ashamed
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 837,854
• Washington Post, 204.8 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 26

Virus Victims, Responses

• New York Times, Another Christmas of Distress in America’s I.C.U.s
• Washington Post, ‘We’re sailing on a petri dish’: Holiday cruise passengers face outbreaks
• Washington Post, Outbreak sidelines ship whose crew is fully immunized, Navy says
• Daily Beast, Candace Owens: Trump Is Pro-Vax Because He’s ‘Too Old’ to Understand the Internet
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 837,779
• Washington Post, 204.8 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 25

Virus Victims, Responses

• New York Times, Another Christmas of Distress in America’s I.C.U.s,
• Washington Post, Denmark sees initial signs that dire omicron surge can be avoided
• Washington Post, Outbreak sidelines ship whose crew is fully immunized, Navy says
• New York Times, The U.S. will end the ban on travel to southern Africa, reversing rules imposed to combat Omicron’s spread
• Daily Beast, Candace Owens: Trump Is Pro-Vax Because He’s ‘Too Old’ to Understand the Internet
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 837,671
• Washington Post, 204.8 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 24

Virus Victims, Responses

• Washington Post, Trump becomes vaccine advocate despite his base’s skepticism
• New York Times, The U.S. will end the ban on travel to southern Africa, reversing rules imposed to combat Omicron’s spread
• Washington Post, Inside Biden administration’s failure to avert a covid testing shortfall
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 834,455
• Washington Post, 204.8 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 23

Virus Victims, Responses

• New York Times, Omicron Drives U.S. Virus Cases Past Delta’s Peak
• Washington Post, Biden announces omicron battle plan to include a half-billion free at-home tests
• Washington Post, FDA authorizes Pfizer’s anti-covid pill as omicron surges
• Washington Post, Sign-ups for Obamacare reached a record after Congress lowered the costs and employer coverage fell
• Washington Post, Supreme Court sets hearing on Biden’s vaccine rules for workers
• Washington Post, With omicron, many vaccinated Americans will at some point test positive. Here’s what to do, Derek Hawkins and Lindsey Bever
• Washington Post, Omicron variant ‘is going to find you,’ Fauci says in warning to the unvaccinated
• Washington Post, Editorial: A new generation of vaccines could turn covid-19 from a pandemic to just a problem
• New York Times, France and Italy Crack Down on Vaccine-Related Fraud
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 833,029
• Washington Post, 204.8 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 22

Virus Victims, Responses

• Washington Post, S. Africa’s huge omicron wave appears to be waning just as fast as it grew
• New York Times, Guest Essay: Facts Alone Aren’t Going to Win Over the Unvaccinated. This Might, Anupam B. Jena and Christopher M. Worsham
• Washington Post, Editorial: A new generation of vaccines could turn covid-19 from a pandemic to just a problem
• Washington Post, D.C. to require coronavirus vaccination to enter restaurants, gyms and other businesses
• Washington Post, UCLA, Columbia, Duke among colleges planning to start January with remote instruction as omicron surges
• Washington Post, FDA authorizes Pfizer’s anti-covid pill as omicron surges
• Washington Post, Sign-ups for Obamacare reached a record after Congress lowered the costs and employer coverage fell
• Washington Post, Biden aides see March 2021 rescue package as initial economic buffer against omicron
• Washington Post, One person caught the coronavirus. China locked down 200,000 of their neighbors
• Washington Post, As omicron explodes around world, covid cases in Japan plummet — and no one knows exactly why
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 828,836
• Washington Post, 204.8 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 21

Virus Victims, Responses

• Washington Post, Opinion: No, vaccinated people should not cancel their holiday plans, Leana S. Wen
• The Atlantic, How Long Does Omicron Take to Make You Sick? Katherine J. Wu
• New York Times, Live Updates: France and Italy Crack Down on Vaccine-Related Fraud
• New York Times, Are Schools Ready for the Next Big Virus Surge?
• Washington Post, Opinion: Sarah Palin’s anti-vax talk shows Republicans have become a death cult, Dana Milbank
• Washington Post, Dan Bongino threatened to quit his radio show over a vaccine mandate. So why hasn’t he?
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 828,836
• Washington Post, 204.1 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 20

Virus Victims, Responses

• Washington Post, Moderna says its booster shot should provide ‘good level of protection’ against omicron
• Washington Post, Live Updates: NYC seeks federal help as U.S. braces for record cases with omicron wave
• Washington Post, Omicron could redefine ‘fully vaccinated’ to include a booster dose
• Washington Post, Ohio hospitals take out newspaper ad begging people to get vaccinated
• Washington Post, Bowser reimposes indoor mask mandate as coronavirus cases surge
• Washington Post, Israel bans travel to the United States and Canada amid omicron fears
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 827,3236
• Washington Post, 203.9 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 19

Virus Victims, Responses

• Washington Post, Omicron could redefine ‘fully vaccinated’ to include a booster dose
• New York Times, Live Updates: A Washington State senator who led efforts to oppose coronavirus restrictions died after a Covid infection
• Washington Post, This highly vaccinated nation, Denmark, says the pandemic’s toughest month is just beginning
• Washington Post, A Taylor Swift fan party in Australia became a coronavirus super-spreader event with nearly 100 positive
• New York Times, See Where 12 Million U.S. Employees Are Affected by Vaccine Mandates
• New York Times, Live Updates: Labor Department Extends Vaccine Mandate Deadline for Large Companies
• Washington Post, Appeals court reinstates Biden’s vaccine policy for businesses, setting up a likely showdown at Supreme Court
• Washington Post, N.Y. cases hit record high for second straight day, upending holiday plans
• Washington Post, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are latest Nets players to enter NBA’s coronavirus protocols
• Washington Post, Hot economy collides with huge virus surge
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 827,206
• Washington Post, 203.5 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 18

Virus Victims, Responses

• New York Times, See Where 12 Million U.S. Employees Are Affected by Vaccine Mandates
• New York Times, Live Updates: Labor Department Extends Vaccine Mandate Deadline for Large Companies
• Washington Post, Appeals court reinstates Biden’s vaccine policy for businesses, setting up a likely showdown at Supreme Court
• Washington Post, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are latest Nets players to enter NBA’s coronavirus protocols
• Washington Post,Hot economy collides with huge virus surge
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 826,719
• Washington Post, 203.5 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 17

Virus Victims, Responses

• Washington Post, Omicron surges around the world as S. Africa’s daily cases surpass delta peak
• New York Times, Virus Cases Spike Across U.S., Spurring Disruptions and Cancellations
• Washington Post, In lawsuit, radio host Dave Ramsey’s former employee says he was told to ‘pray away’ covid before being fired
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 823,390
• Washington Post, 203.2 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 16

Virus Victims, Responses

• Washington Post, CDC recommends Pfizer, Moderna vaccines over Johnson & Johnson’s
• Washington Post, Live Updates: Omicron surges around the world as S. Africa’s daily cases surpass delta peak
• New York Times, Live Updates: Virus Cases Spike Across U.S., Spurring Disruptions and Cancellations
• New York Times, Analysis: A U.S. Omicron Surge Is Likely. Here’s What to Expect, David Leonhardt
• Washington Post, In lawsuit, radio host Dave Ramsey’s former employee says he was told to ‘pray away’ covid before being fired
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 823,390
• Washington Post, 203.2 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 15

Virus Victims, Responses

• Washington Post, Omicron spreading rapidly in U.S., could bring punishing wave as soon as January, CDC warns
• Washington Post, Citing omicron, advocates and Democrats press Biden to push faster on efforts to vaccinate the world
• Washington Post, Airline industry leaders called before Congress after massive taxpayer bailout
• Washington Post, Omicron is more resistant to vaccines but causes milder covid cases, major South African study finds
• Washington Post, Pfizer’s anti-covid pill prevents severe illness and should work against omicron, company says
• Washington Post, Air Force discharges 27 service members in first apparent dismissals over vaccine refusal,
• Washington Post, Taxpayers spent billions bailing out airlines. Did the industry hold up its end of the deal?
• Washington Post, Supreme Court won’t stop vaccine mandate for N.Y. health-care workers
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 821,335
• Washington Post, 202.2 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 14

Virus Victims, Responses

• Washington Post, Omicron is more resistant to vaccines but causes milder covid cases, major South African study finds
• Washington Post, Pfizer’s anti-covid pill prevents severe illness and should work against omicron, company says
• Washington Post, Air Force discharges 27 service members in first apparent dismissals over vaccine refusal,
• Washington Post, Taxpayers spent billions bailing out airlines. Did the industry hold up its end of the deal?
• Washington Post, Supreme Court won’t stop vaccine mandate for N.Y. health-care workers
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 819,315
• Washington Post, 202.2 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 13

Virus Victims, Responses

• Washington Post, Vaccine holdouts in U.S. military active-duty ranks approach 40,000
• New York Times, As U.S. Nears 800,000 Virus Deaths, 1 of Every 100 Older Americans Has Perished
• New York Times, Live Updates: A new statewide mask mandate went into effect in New York today
• Washington Post, Covid-19 live updates Omicron in D.C., 30 U.S. states as variant poised to dominate in Europe
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 817,956
• Washington Post, 201.7 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 12

Virus Victims, Responses

• Steady, Commentary: Forgotten Grievers, Dan Rather
• New York Times, As Vaccines Trickle into Africa, Zambia’s Challenges Highlight Other Obstacles
• Washington Post, An Amazon program has funneled thousands to anti-vax activists during the pandemic
• New York Times, Philadelphia has a high vaccination rate among health workers
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 817,789
• Washington Post, 201.7 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 11

Virus Victims, Responses

• Washington Post, Ex-Trump adviser Peter Navarro defies House subpoena in coronavirus probe
• New York Times, Live Updates: As Omicron Hits U.K., Scientists Say Vaccines Provide Reduced Protection
• New York Times, As Vaccines Trickle into Africa, Zambia’s Challenges Highlight Other Obstacles
• Washington Post, An Amazon program has funneled thousands to anti-vax activists during the pandemic
• Washington Post, Hundreds of people are fired, online learning set to return amid vaccine resistance at nation’s second-largest school district
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 817,326
• Washington Post, 201.7 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 10

Virus Victims, Responses

• Washington Post, More than 200 million people in U.S. are now fully vaccinated; deaths and cases are still rising
• New York Times, Philadelphia has a high vaccination rate among health workers
• New York Times, Vaccine Mandates Rekindle Fierce Debate Over Civil Liberties
• Washington Post, Live Updates: Warning of vaccine inequality, WHO again avoids endorsing boosters for general public
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 815,269
• Washington Post, 200 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 9

Virus Victims, Responses

• Washington Post, More than 200 million people in U.S. are now fully vaccinated; deaths and cases are still rising
• New York Times, Covid Live Updates: U.S. Hospitals Are Struggling Under a Delta-Fueled Surge in Cases
• New York Times, What Data Shows About Vaccine Supply and Demand in the Most Vulnerable Places
• New York Times, Among the least vaccinated countries, some have used nearly all of the Covid vaccine doses available to them. Others have struggled to distribute shots
• Washington Post, A GOP senator suggested gargling mouthwash to kill the coronavirus. Doctors and Listerine are skeptical,
• Washington Post, Live Updates: Omicron may require a 4th vaccine dose, Pfizer says
• Washington Post, Pfizer-BioNTech booster shot could prove pivotal in helping control omicron, companies’ research shows
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 813,904
• Washington Post, 199.3 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 8

Virus Victims, Responses

• Washington Post, Pfizer-BioNTech booster shot could prove pivotal in helping control omicron, companies’ research shows
• Washington Post, Live Updates: U.S. hospitalizations rise, driven by surges in four states
• Washington Post, Lab results show omicron has ‘much more extensive escape’ from antibodies than previous variants
• Washington Post, Unvaccinated hospital patients in Illinois should pay for their covid-19 care, Democrat proposes
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 812,205
• Washington Post, 199.3 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 7

Virus Victims, Responses

• Washington Post, Live Updates: U.S. coronavirus cases approach 50 million
• New York Times, Analysis: The Pandemic Largely Prompted the Supply Chain Crisis
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 810,254
• Washington Post, 199.3 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 6

Virus Victims, Responses

• New York Times, Spike in Omicron Variant Cases Puts Europe on Edge
• New York Times, Analysis: The Pandemic Largely Prompted the Supply Chain Crisis
• Washington Post, Cruise ship with at least 17 cases of coronavirus docks in New Orleans
• Washington Post, As covid persists, nurses leave staff jobs, triple their salaries as travelers
• Washington Post, Live Updates: Omicron detected in 17 U.S. states and more cases likely, CDC says
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 808,763
• Washington Post, 199.3 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 5

Virus Victims, Responses

• Washington Post, Scientists race to gauge omicron variant’s true threat
• New York Times, President Biden’s approach for free rapid testing will require some legwork, like submitting receipts to insurers
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 808,608
• Washington Post, 199 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 4

Virus Victims, Responses

• New York Times, President Biden’s approach for free rapid testing will require some legwork, like submitting receipts to insurers
• New York Times, How a Lab in Nebraska Is Tracking the Spread of Omicron in America
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 806,398
• Washington Post, 198.2 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 3

Virus Victims, Responses

• Washington Post, Those new covid measures Biden announced? Europe’s been doing that and more for a while
• Washington Post, As world focuses on omicron, delta variant overwhelms parts of U.S.
• Washington Post, Omicron covid variant three times more likely to cause reinfection than delta, S. Africa study says
• Washington Post, Live Updates: Many vaccines offer protection as boosters; study says Pfizer and Moderna may work best
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 806,398
• Washington Post, 197.8 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 2

Virus Victims, Responses

• Washington Post, Omicron variant identified in U.S.: First case of covid-19 linked to new variant found in California
• New York Times, Omicron Could Knock a Fragile Economic Recovery Off Track
• Washington Post, Federal mask mandate for transportation extended through March 18
• Washington Post, NFL suspends Antonio Brown, two others for submitting fake vaccination cards
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 805,004
• Washington Post, 197.8 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Dec. 1

Virus Victims, Responses

• Washington Post, Stricter coronavirus testing being weighed for all travelers to U.S.
• Washington Post, FDA advisers narrowly recommend authorization of first antiviral pill to treat covid-19, Carolyn Y. Johnson and Katie Shepherd, Dec. 1, 2021 (print ed.).
• Washington Post, Trump-appointed judges block Biden administration vaccine mandate for health-care workers
• Washington Post, Marcus Lamb, head of Daystar, a large Christian network that discouraged vaccines, dies after getting covid-19
• Washington Post, Nigeria reports West Africa’s first omicron cases, igniting confusion over timeline
• Worldometer, World & U.S. Coronavirus Case Totals: U.S. Deaths: 803,045
• Washington Post, 197.6 milliion in U.S. fully vaccinated

Contact the author Andrew Kreig