Coronavirus

MakoMatt said:
In addition to the relationship of those with a higher education being more likely to get the vaccination……….. I think there is also a relationship with the amount of teeth you have in your head, and getting the vaccination. Most people with few to no teeth are anti-vax. Most with all there teeth, be they implants or such, are pro-vax.

Now, there is also a relationship between people with no teeth in their head, and having a education of approx. grade 4-5.

So my question, being both of these groups are anti-vax, is it having the dental issues, or lack of education that most contributes to their anti-vax position, or it a combination of the two?
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TonySmjc said:
Holy crap your all still going
On about this
You all need to move to florida
It’s barely a blip here anymore
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He's baaaaack! Lol
See what you missed? We ran out of things to fight about so now it's about word definitions. Can't make this chit up!
 
I have 18 implants, and besides my wisdom teeth have five others extracted with bridges to implants. Graduate degree, Caucasian, pistol licensed and I hunt, believe in women's rights, and capital punishment, and have voted for one demoncrap in the last 30 years. (But I am a Gemini LOL.)
 
same here....minus the dental work nor have I voted for a democrat.....ever!

Oh wait......I did vote for Cuomo but that was an Italian thing and I did know his sister.
 
I’m not so sure about the dental work thing

I know lots and lots of toothless folks that are pro vax
And just as many dental work enthusiast with pretty decent grad and undergrad degrees that day hold on a minute
Not so fast

you guys gotta get out more
 
Rut-roh!! Someone got caught with their hands in the ivermectin jar...

Waterville doctor suspended for spreading COVID-19 misinformation​

pressherald.com/2021/11/29/waterville-doctor-suspended-for-pushing-covid-19-misinformation/

By Matt Byrne November 29, 2021

A Waterville osteopathic doctor with a lengthy history of medical misconduct has been suspended from practice for 30 days for spreading misinformation about COVID-19 and signing off on vaccine exemption letters that a regulatory board found questionable.

Dr. Paul Gosselin, who operates the Patriots Health clinic on Kennedy Memorial Drive in Waterville, was suspended from the practice of medicine and prescribing medication in a Nov. 19 decision by the state’s Board of Osteopathic Licensure.

The suspension is effective until Dec. 18, but it could be lifted or extended following an adjudicatory hearing. The board’s next scheduled meeting is in early December, although it’s unclear if or when it will hold a full hearing on his suspension.

The decision came after state regulators reviewed multiple vaccine exemption letters Gosselin signed. They also received reports from other medical providers who were concerned Gosselin was spreading misinformation about the coronavirus, although the board’s notice of suspension does not specify what misinformation he shared. The decision also does not explain why the vaccination exemption letters were questionable.

The board said it found evidence that Gosselin committed fraud or deceit, and was incompetent and unprofessional, according to the emergency notice, which was posted online.

Gosselin, who was first licensed to practice in Maine in 1999, hung up when a reporter called to ask about the suspension Monday afternoon. He recently began a GoFundMe fundraiser, seeking $100,000 for his legal costs, saying he came under scrutiny for “for writing exemption letters and treating Covid.”

“This is not about Dr. Gosselin retaining his medical license but it is about revealing the truth about the current restrictions being imposed on our children and the American people,” Gosselin wrote in his online appeal for cash.

According to his clinic’s website, Gosselin offers “affordable attentive holistic healthcare” through a range of services, including traditional family practice and internal medicine, medication-assisted treatment for addiction and alternative medicine. He is the only medical provider listed at the clinic.

He also lists COVID-19 treatment options, including a regimen of vitamins, steroids and a blood thinner that is not approved by the FDA and has not been tested in clinical trials – but is being marketed by a group of doctors who claim it is effective. Those doctors, under the name Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance, were early proponents of another purported virus treatment that the FDA has not endorsed – prescribing the deworming medicine ivermectin, which is often prescribed for animals. The group maintains a nationwide list of pharmacies that have agreed to fill ivermectin prescriptions for off-label use.

One page on Gosselin’s clinic website offers a one-time flat rate of $200 for the unproven coronavirus regimen, with continued treatment through a membership program. It does not specify what treatments or medications are included in the service.

Gosselin also links to another medical group that is skeptical of vaccinations. One article he provides a link to, by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, pushes the unsanctioned use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. Other links to that group on Gosselin’s website suggest that mRNA vaccines for COVID-19, which were found to be safe and effective in double-blind clinical trials, may have unknown side effects. Some of the links also raise doubts about whether parents should vaccinate their children.
 

Oklahoma’s bid to exempt its National Guard from vaccine mandate is denied​

pressherald.com/2021/11/29/oklahomas-bid-to-exempt-its-national-guard-from-vaccine-mandate-is-denied/

By LOLITA C. BALDOR and ROBERT BURNS November 29, 2021

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday rejected a request by Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt that his state’s National Guard be exempt from a Pentagon requirement that all military members be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Stitt, a Republican, had asked Austin in early November to suspend the mandate for members of the Oklahoma Guard.

A spokesman for Stitt, Charlie Hannema, said in response to Austin’s rejection letter that the governor “maintains his position” that he is commander in chief of the Oklahoma Guard while they are on Title 32 status, meaning while they are on active duty under state control but with pay and benefits provided by the federal government.
The dispute is the first critical test of the military’s authority to require National Guard troops to get the shot, and it could lay the groundwork for legal battles with states that oppose the vaccine requirement.
So far, Stitt is the only governor to publicly challenge the military mandate.

In his letter to Stitt, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, Austin left open the question of how the vaccine requirement will be enforced and how far the Pentagon will go to force the issue. He did suggest that Guard troops who refuse the shots could lose their federal status, which could impact their pay and future benefits.

Austin wrote that all members of the Oklahoma Army and Air National Guard, “regardless of duty status,” must follow the directions of Army and Air Force service secretaries for COVID-19 vaccine compliance deadlines. “Failure to do so may lead to a prohibition on the member’s participation in drills and training” conducted under Title 32 of the U.S. Code, “and jeopardize the member’s status in the National Guard.”

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said any Oklahoma Guard member who refused to take the vaccine could be denied the opportunity to perform federally financed training.

“One could elect not to take the vaccine, of course, but then you would be putting at jeopardy your ability to stay in the National Guard,” Kirby said.

In his Nov. 2 letter to Austin, Stitt wrote that the mandate “violates the personal freedoms of many Oklahomans, as it asks them to potentially sacrifice their personal beliefs in order to not lose their jobs.” He said the state needs its Guard members for storms and other weather emergencies, and he asserted that it would be “irresponsible for the federal government to place mandatory vaccine obligations on Oklahoma national guardsmen which could potentially limit the number of individuals that I can call upon to assist the state during an emergency.”

In his response, Austin wrote, “The concerns raised in your letter do not negate the need for this important military readiness requirement.”

Under orders from Stitt, the state’s adjutant general, Brig. Gen. Thomas Mancino, put out a memo telling his troops that they aren’t required to get the shot and “no negative administrative or legal action” would be taken against them if they refuse.

First to be impacted could be members of Oklahoma’s Air Guard, who have until Dec. 2 to get vaccinated under a deadline set by the Air Force. Lingering questions include whether unvaccinated Air Guard members reporting for their monthly drill in December or January will be required to get a shot, or be sent home or reassigned if they refuse.

Stitt spokeswoman Carly Atchison has said that about 89 percent of the state’s Air Guard – estimated at more than 2,000 troops – has been vaccinated. A military official said that the Air Guard rate is expected to reach about 95 percent by the December deadline. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss statistics not yet public.

Austin’s decision was widely expected, since the Pentagon has argued for months that the vaccine is critical to maintaining a ready force that can deploy on a moment’s notice to protect the nation. Defense leaders say that as defense chief, Austin can set medical requirements for the military, including the Guard and Reserve, and that governors don’t have the authority to relieve troops of those requirements.
Vaccines against a variety of diseases have long been required for troops, with some getting as many as 17 for deployments around the world. And defense officials warn that service members who refuse to comply will risk losing their National Guard jobs.

Still, the National Guard presents a unique case. When Guard troops are on state active duty, such as responding to local events, they report to the governor and are paid by the state. But during their monthly or annual training or when they are responding to larger disasters in the state, they are in what is called Title 32 status, and are controlled by the governor but funded by the federal government.

The Guard can also be activated for federal duty, including for overseas deployments, under a different status, called Title 10, that treats them like active-duty troops, under federal control and funding.

Retired Brig. Gen. J. Roy Robinson, president of the National Guard Association of the U.S., said in an interview that is it common for Guard soldiers to have gaps or delays in their annual or routine medical requirements. And he said they often will arrive for monthly drill or their annual two-week training needing various vaccines or medical and dental check-ups.

Robinson, however, said he believes that until a service member is activated in Title 10 status, and is under the control of the federal government, the state retains any authority for enforcing requirements, such as the vaccine.

According to Stitt’s office, more than 1,000 Army and Air Force Guard members, or about 13 percent of the state’s 8,200 troops, have indicated they won’t get the vaccine, according to an internal survey. Atchison added that about 40 percent of Oklahoma’s Army Guard members are vaccinated, but they have until next June to get their shots, under a deadline set by the Army.
 
I can see chiropractors pulling that s_it, but half of our doctors are osteopaths and all our doctors, even the idiot allergist who didn't get the jab and whose long haul symptoms recently forced his retirement, recommended the jab.
 
OVERBORED said:
Osteopaths and chiropractors are good supplements to your overall healthcare but should NEVER replace an MD.
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Lots of Osteopaths in Maine, along with Physician Assistants, to supplement a very severe MD shortage. I saw a Neurology Osteopath a few years ago and was duly impressed, as was the Neuro-based retired PT I'm married to...
 
I was foreman on a wrongful death suit before I changed jobs and got Bs and Cs and was every lawyer's nightmare. The death, as in a unanimous and quick jury decision, was caused by an osteopath son insisting that his stroke victim dad be transferred to an osteopathic hospital where he worked, despite the dad not being ready for an ambulance ride. Took me years to get over my reluctance to have an osteopath treat me or mine.
Back on topic, Snoozeday today is quoting doctors who recommend the booster as a way to fight omnicron.
 
Smart money goes w/Darwin, even with "a spiritual attack from the enemy"...

Marcus Lamb, a Christian Broadcaster and Vaccine Skeptic, Dies of Covid​

Mr. Lamb, who co-founded the Daystar Television Network, repeatedly suggested on air that people pray instead of getting vaccinated.

By Alyssa Lukpat
Dec. 1, 2021, 5:52 p.m. ET

Marcus Lamb, a Christian broadcaster in Dallas who had been dismissive of Covid-19 vaccinations, died on Tuesday after contracting the coronavirus, his family said.

Mr. Lamb, 64, who frequently suggested on his Christian television network that people pray instead of getting inoculated, had to be rushed to the hospital when his oxygen levels dropped “all of a sudden” after he contracted the virus, his wife, Joni Lamb, said on the network on Nov. 18.

Mr. Lamb’s wife and son confirmed his death on Tuesday on “Ministry Now,” the show the couple had hosted together.

“I’m at a loss for words today,” his son, Jonathan Lamb, said on Twitter on Tuesday. “My father was promoted to heaven at 4am this morning.”

It was not immediately clear when Mr. Lamb had tested positive for the virus or where he had died. Daystar Television Network, the network the Lambs founded in 1997, did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

As the network’s chief executive, Mr. Lamb hosted his own broadcast as well as the show with his wife. His children regularly appear on the network, which says it reaches more than 108 million households.

Daystar broadcasters, including the Lambs, have repeatedly questioned the efficacy of the vaccine. On May 10, the couple’s show included a segment in which the Covid vaccine was falsely said to be “killing your immune system.”

“We want to warn you, we want to help you, we want to give you an alternative,” Mr. Lamb said.

Instead of getting vaccinated, “we can pray, we can get ivermectin and budesonide and hydroxychloroquine,” he said, referring to several drugs that have not been approved for Covid treatment by the Food and Drug Administration. Mr. Lamb also denounced vaccination mandates for schoolchildren.

On the Nov. 18 show, Ms. Lamb said her husband had contracted the virus after she had. He had diabetes, which exacerbated his symptoms, she said.

Last month, Jonathan Lamb said on a show that his father’s Covid battle was the result of “a spiritual attack from the enemy.”

Mr. Lamb last appeared on “Ministry Now” on Nov. 3, and he coughed several times throughout the hourlong broadcast.

Daystar has taken legal action against vaccination mandates. Last month, the network petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to “set aside” the federal mandate that companies with 100 or more employees require Covid vaccinations. The court stayed the mandate.

Marcus Daron Lamb was born on Oct. 7, 1957, in Cordele, Ga., according to an online biography from his network. He was a bishop in the Church of God. In addition to his wife and son, his survivors include two daughters, Rachel Lamb Brown and Rebecca Lamb Weiss.
 
Imagine that, a country who's politicians didn't turn COVID into a political debate...

Will High Vaccination Rates Help Spain Weather New Variant?​

Spain surpassed others in Europe by avoiding politicized debate about Covid shots. Citizens also largely heeded the health guidance from their leaders.

MADRID — A month ago, Spain was riding high on its successes against Covid-19. The country’s caseload was among the lowest in Europe, and nearly 80 percent of the country had been vaccinated, leaving few eligible people to give a shot to.

Then came the Omicron variant, and success gave way to uncertainty.

Three cases of the variant have been detected so far in Spain, as the number of Covid-19 infections steadily rose all November. The appearance of the variant has now prompted local governments to swiftly roll out new measures they had been considering. Catalonia is introducing a Covid-19 “passport,” the first in Spain. The Basque region is preparing emergency measures with restrictions on bars and restaurants that look like a return to the past.

The new steps show how fragile the gains against the virus can be. But the country’s broad acceptance of vaccination may prove to be critical.

If the current vaccines offer good protection against the variant, then Spain could be largely shielded against a potential new wave. If fighting Omicron requires reformulating the vaccines, then Spaniards seem ready and willing to take another shot if their leaders recommend it.

“As far as vaccines go, in Spain there’s just a wide consensus among citizens — they follow the recommendations of the scientists,” said Salvador Illa, Spain’s former health minister who oversaw the country’s response during the pandemic’s first year.

Experts attribute Spain’s vaccine success, in part, to its widely trusted public health system, which spearheaded the effort. Politicians also played a big role, taking their doses with fanfare early on and avoiding politicized debate about the vaccine. Spaniards, for the most part, followed the health guidance of their leaders when it came to vaccines, masks and other precautions.

Delays in the European Union’s vaccine rollout initially left Spain well behind the United States and Britain. But as supply issues were resolved, the country rapidly caught up. Now, almost 90 percent of those eligible for the shot — anyone over 12 years old — have gotten it, with few Spaniards left to vaccinate.

Walk the streets of Spain and one encounters a different Europe from the norm on much of the continent. Masks are not only worn indoors, but are worn outdoors by residents in many cities where the government has not required them for months.

And while fights over the pandemic response have been common in Spain’s charged political landscape, almost none have concerned whether citizens should be vaccinated.

Among the chief reasons for that consensus on vaccines, many said, was that Spain was hit hard by the pandemic early on. About 15,500 people perished from Covid-19 in April 2020 alone, putting Spain’s first wave in line with those in Italy and in New York City. Spaniards, like residents of those places, were inundated with headlines of hospitals overwhelmed by intubated patients and makeshift morgues that received the bodies.

Rafael Vilasanjuan, the policy director at ISGlobal, a Barcelona public health think tank, said the experience left a deep collective will for vaccination.

“In the first wave, we were completely unprotected,” he said. “There was nothing. This was a big deal in Spain.”

Countries like Germany and Austria, where vaccine resistance has now become entrenched in some corners, also faced deadly waves of infections. But they came later in the pandemic. In Germany, 69 percent of its 83 million people are fully vaccinated, while in Austria, a country of about nine million, 67 percent are fully vaccinated.

Mr. Vilasanjuan said Spain’s demographics also worked favorably toward vaccine acceptance. The country not only has many at-risk older adults — nearly 20 percent of the population — but Spanish youth live with their parents until they are 30, on average.

This led to many multigenerational households where young adults got vaccinations to protect older relatives.

“There’s been an intergenerational respect that has meant more people vaccinated,” Mr. Vilasanjuan said.

Another factor that may have set Spain apart from other countries was that its politicians largely avoided turning the scientific consensus on vaccines into an arena of debate.

Spain is a politically polarized nation. Nationalist showdowns and the emergence of a far-right political faction have riven the country in recent years, which could have created fertile ground for the mix of politics and vaccine resistance that was seen in the United States.

Yet while some fringe figures in Spain spoke out against vaccines, politicians rarely followed. The biggest debates largely centered around the Spanish economy and whether pandemic lockdowns had gone too far.

“Public officials just never put any of this into doubt, and this has been key not just in vaccines, but getting people to keep their masks on,” said Dr. José M. Martín-Moreno, a professor of preventive medicine and public health in Valencia who also worked with the World Health Organization.

The general store run by Rebeca Torres and her family in the remote mountain village of Navarredonda de Gredos offers a window into Spanish attitudes in fighting Covid-19.

As customers strolled inside on a recent snowy day, they didn’t need to put on masks before entering: They already had them on. Alongside rows of local breads and bottles of red wine were public health advertisements inviting people to get their third dose.


Ms. Torres said almost no one in town had even heard of anti-vaccine campaigners or their claims. She explained that she takes immunosuppressant drugs for multiple sclerosis and had spent years trusting science. She saw no need to stop now.

Maria Luisa Hernández, the pharmacist in the nearby village of Hoyos del Espino, said she believed that Spain’s first wave of infections jolted the population into readily accepting vaccines when they were available.

She estimated that about 60 percent of the area’s population was elderly. During the first weeks of the pandemic, lockdowns closed public health clinics, and people were able to reach their doctors only by phone. Many older residents were unable to navigate the complex system of online prescriptions.

Ms. Hernández, whose pharmacy remained open during the lockdown, ended up becoming the only health professional seeing the sick in person. She and everyone she knows is vaccinated. No one wanted to return to the situation in 2020, she said.

Still, Spain remains on guard, both because of the Omicron variant and the new wave of Covid-19 cases that began before the variant’s discovery. New infections have more than tripled in recent weeks, to about 190 cases per 100,000 people in the last 14-day period.

The numbers, however, are far lower than in other European countries, like Germany, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, which are now among the worst hit for infections.

Francisca Hernández sees this as no reason to let down her guard.

The 77-year-old, who is not related to the pharmacist, lives in a multigenerational household. Her daughter moved in with her after losing her job. Her son, a cattle rancher, is constantly meeting up with other men as they move their livestock to pastures, then coming to see her.

She said she got her third shot last week. Everyone in her family will soon have theirs once her youngest grandchildren qualify.

“In my circle, there is no one who isn’t vaccinated,” she said. “We know this is the only solution.”
 
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