IDEAS ON TONIGHTS “BRAVO SIERRA WITH BIG JOHN”:
Covid-19 Still making lives miserable. Canceling major events to creating a sub-class.
- Germany has canceled its Oktoberfest celebration for the second year in a row due to an ongoing coronavirus surge
Germany’s Oktoberfest, the world’s largest beer festival held every year in Munich, will not take place in 2021 due to the coronavirus crisis, officials said. The pandemic has forced the cancellation of the hugely popular festival for the second consecutive year. It had been scheduled from September 18 to October 3. The decision was made by Bavarian state Premier and Munich Mayor. They said that “Oktoberfest is the “most global” festival there is, and that the pandemic is not yet under enough control to allow people from all over the world to gather in tents.” (DW)
- European countries plan to open their borders to fully-vaccinated foreign travelers in June
People from countries with low infection rates will also be allowed into the EU, according to what the European Commission president tweeted. To enter the EU, travelers would need to be fully vaccinated with one of the shots authorized by the European Medicines Agency, which include the Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson jabs. Children would need negative PCR COVID tests to travel with their parents. Regardless of their vaccination status, people traveling from countries with low coronavirus cases will be allowed to enter the EU. The countries that as of now comply with what the EU considers a low caseload are Australia, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand. An “emergency brake” mechanism will allow EU countries to turn away travelers from countries that see a rapid increase in cases or which detect new coronavirus variants that spread more easily. EU countries can impose their own requirements, such as COVID tests for passengers or quarantines. The U.K. also plans to ease border restrictions starting on May 17 under a “traffic light system.” (BBC)
However, vaccination rates across the country have plateaued as more states expand eligibility to all residents. To get more people to roll up their sleeves, incentives ranging from free beer to signing bonuses are being offered by cities, states and local businesses. The average daily rate of vaccination has been on the decline for about two weeks. More than 20 states are not ordering all available doses of the vaccine as interest slows. Just last week, Philadelphia nearly lost 1,000 doses that were set to expire. So far, just 40% of the adult population in the United States is vaccinated, and 70% of the senior population has had their shots, CDC data shows (https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home). In order to achieve herd immunity, officials say 70% to 80% of the population must be vaccinated.
- Krispy Kreme giving away free donuts for showing vaccination card through end of 2021
Krispy Kreme is providing a sweet incentive to encourage more people to roll up their sleeves for the COVID-19 vaccine: Free doughnuts through the end of 2021. Consumers who show a valid COVID-19 vaccination card at locations nationwide will get a free Original Glazed doughnut. The freebie is valid at all 369 Krispy Kreme shops located in 41 states and available “anytime, any day, every day for the rest of the year,” according to the Krispy Kreme chief marketing officer. No purchase is necessary. On top of that, for their employees, they are offering up to four hours of paid time off for each COVID-19 vaccination for its employees. And it isn’t alone. Businesses including retailers such as Best Buy, Target and Trader Joe’s, have been providing paid time off to employees who get the vaccine. (USA Today)
- Budweiser beer on tap with COVID vaccine
Budweiser launched a similar campaign called “A Beer on Bud,” that runs through May 16th (https://www.mycooler.com/en/free-bud/register.html). People that are vaccinated and over the age of 21 can enter the “Reunite with Buds” giveaway for a chance to win a debit card to buy a free beer. On April 7, (A.K.A. National Beer Day) people were able to get a COVID shot and get a free Samuel Adams beer. The beer brand released a new national TV spot “Your Cousin From Boston Gets Vaccinated” in what they say is “to help combat skepticism amongst drinkers with humor” and announced the #ShotForSam vaccine incentive program. A couple of caveats: The free beer for the COVID-19 vaccine offer started on April 12th (although National Beer Day is held annually April 7th) and is for the first 10,000 drinkers who “share evidence of their vaccination on social media” by May 15 or while supplies last. A vaccine card or medical information is not required and the beer brand suggests showing an “I’m vaccinated” sticker or bandage photo with the hashtag #ShotForSam on Instagram or Twitter for a chance to receive $7 cash through the Cash App to cover a Sam Adams of their choice from their favorite local bar or restaurant. (USA Today)
Other businesses offering time off and even extra money to get vaccinated for COVID-19 include AT&T, Instacart, Trader Joe’s, Aldi, Lidl, Chobani, Olive Garden, Petco, Darden Restaurants, McDonald’s and Dollar General. Banks like Santander, Bank of America, Wells Fargo & Co. and Chase are offering their employees time off for vaccine appointments. Target said it will offer its hourly employees up to four hours of pay to get both shots and cover Lyft rides to vaccination sites, up to $15 each way. Kroger will offer $100 in store credit, on top of a $100 one-time payment, for getting the vaccine. Publix Food & Pharmacy said its employees will get $125 gift cards. (Philly Voice)
Although there seems to be plenty of companies pushing for everyone to become vacinated, it doesn’t seem to be on the minds of about half the people in the United States for multiple reasons, ranging from fear of side effects (and there are a LOT to consider) caused by health reasons to religious backgrounds to just not believing it will work believing in Herd Immunity. Each to their own respect believe deeply they are doing what is right for their body and family members. Remember, it’s the person’s body, it’s their choice. No one should be shamed or have to be treated differently because they choose not to accept the vaccine. If it works for those vaccinated, why should the people who are vaccinated worry about those who are not? That’s a question asked over and over by those on both side. For all those who rushed into getting the COVID-19 vaccine, we are finally starting to see more people who are against taking it be noticed more and more in the news.
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WA State High School Caught Bribing Students To Get The COVID Vaccine
A Seattle, Washington-area high school is encouraging students to get the COVID-19 vaccine. In return for getting the jab, roughly half of the student’s community service requirements for graduation will be satisfied. The Chimacum Junior/Senior High School (CJSHS), located in Port Townsend, sent a letter to students last week with ideas for how they can complete the 55 hours of community service that is required in order to receive a diploma. The school emailed students this week with ideas saying that students can pick up litter, attend an online school board Zoom meeting, or write a letter to a newspaper editor, but one community service option caught a parent’s attention: getting the COVID vaccine. Students who decide to get the COVID vaccine and submit proof of immunization will receive credit for 25 hours worth of community service. “At CJSHS, we are providing our students with opportunities to improve their community in ways accessible to them given the circumstances of this pandemic,” CJSHS Principal said via email. “Vaccination is just one of the voluntary ways that students can choose to fulfill this requirement. We know that immunization helps protect our community, which is why we call it a service. There is no coercion; students can choose any of the options or suggest their own”, he added. One parent rightfully took issue with the school incentivizing a health decision that’s between the student, their parents, and their doctors. The parent believes this is a way for the school to “influence” students’ decisions and push them toward getting a vaccine they would otherwise shy away from. This incentive encourages minors to make medical decisions they aren’t mature enough to make. If a teenager wants to receive the vaccine but his or her parents object to it, the community service incentive can encourage students to falsify their parents’ signatures and circumvent safeguards to get the vaccine. Other parents agreed that schools, teachers, and administrators need to stay out of medical decisions. They don’t know if a student has allergies or religious reasons for not getting the vaccine. Maybe their doctors have advised against it or they weighed the pros and cons and simply decided the vaccine wasn’t for them. It doesn’t matter the reason why a teenager does or does not get the jab. It’s none of the school’s business. (KTTH)
Something else that is caused by last years pandemic:
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US birth rates drop for every major race, ethnicity and almost every age group
The U.S. birth rate fell 4% last year, the largest single-year decrease in nearly 50 years, according to a government report. The rate dropped for moms of every major race and ethnicity, and in nearly age group, falling to the lowest point since federal health officials started tracking it more than a century ago. Births have been declining in younger women for years, as many postponed motherhood and had smaller families. Birth rates for women in their late 30s and in their 40s have been inching up, but not last year. The CDC report is based on a review of more than 99% of birth certificates issued last year. The findings echo recent analysis of 2020 data from 25 states showing that births had fallen during the coronavirus outbreak. The pandemic no doubt contributed to last year’s big decline, experts say. Anxiety about COVID-19 and its impact on the economy likely caused many couples to think that having a baby right then was a bad idea. But many of the 2020 pregnancies began well before the U.S. epidemic. CDC researchers are working on a follow-up report to better parse out how the decline unfolded. Other highlights from the CDC report:
- About 3.6 million babies were born in the U.S. last year, down from about 3.75 million in 2019. When births were booming in 2007, the U.S. recorded 4.3 million births.
- The U.S. birth rate dropped to about 56 births per 1,000 women of child-bearing age, the lowest rate on record. The rate is half of what it was in the early 1960s.
- The birth rate for 15 to 19-year-olds dropped 8% from 2019. It’s fallen almost every year since 1991.
- Birth rates fell 8% for Asian American women; 3% for Hispanic women; 4% for Black and white women; and 6% for moms who were American Indians or Alaska Natives.
- The cesarean delivery rate rose, slightly, to about 32%. It had generally been declining since 2009.
- The percentage of infants born small and premature (at less less than 37 weeks of gestation) fell slightly, to 10%, after rising five years in a row.
The current generation is getting further away from having enough children to replace itself. The U.S. once was among only a few developed countries with a fertility rate that ensured each generation had enough children to replace it. About a dozen years ago, the estimated rate was 2.1 kids per U.S. woman, but it’s been sliding, and last year dropped to about 1.6, the lowest rate on record. (USA Today)
On the bright side, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention got a big slap in their face this week. Even the current Presidential Administration may have felt it:
- A federal judge ruled that the CDC did not have the authority to institute a national moratorium on evictions
The ruling is a victory for property owners who challenged the moratorium that’s been in place since the Trump administration first enacted it last fall. The Biden administration had wanted the moratorium to extend through June 30th, but D.C. District Court Judge ruled that the Public Health Service Act does not give the CDC the legal authority to institute such a rule. The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development said the Biden administration has allocated a voucher system to give billions of dollars to renters to keep them in their homes. The moratorium only banned evictions for nonpayment of rent. A number of renters since last fall have reported being forcefully evicted for other small violations as a workaround. Judges in some states declined to recognize the federal order. The Department of Justice says it plans to appeal the ruling, which would bring the case to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. (The Hill)
- House Republicans demand answers from CDC on seemingly cozy relationship with teachers unions
House Republicans are demanding answers from the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on whether new school reopening guidelines were based on politics and Democratic campaign donations rather than coronavirus science. GOP leaders on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are raising alarms over newly released emails that show a flurry of communication between CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, her top advisors, and teachers union officials. The emails revealed that the powerful teachers union, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), was making language suggestions for the CDC’s latest school reopening guidelines released on February 12th. The emails “raise significant concerns about whether you, as the Director of the CDC, are putting politics over science and Biden-Harris campaign donors over children,” according to Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Republican Representative of Washington. Such revelations also raise serious questions as to whether you are honoring your pledge to ensure CDC guidance is evidence-based and free from politics. The emails shed new light on your public about-face on her stance on whether schools can safely reopen without teachers first being vaccinated. The members are demanding answers on the scope of the communication between the CDC and American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA) and more information on how the powerful teachers unions influenced the union-approved guidelines. The Republicans also allege “the CDC was not forthcoming” with the Energy and Commerce Committee when members previously asked for names of any stakeholders engaged by the CDC during the preparation of the updated guidance. On March 17, 2021, the CDC sent a response but did not provide information on this item, the letter states. The emails between the CDC and the teachers unions were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by the conservative watchdog group Americans for Public Trust. The CDC defended its conversations with the unions as routine. “As part of long-standing best practices, CDC has traditionally engaged with organizations and groups that are impacted by guidance and recommendations issued by the agency,” a spokesman said. (New York Post)