Lastly, I would highly recomment viewing the WHO virtual press conferences which have been happening since before this health crisis was called a pandemic.

You're preaching to the choir, Canada.

Let me be clear.

There's never been an impediment on my end... so knock yourself out. By all means, be clear.

Vaccines alone will not get us out of this pandemic.

Oh, FFS! State the obvious; we all know that.

Since the beginning of this pandemic, we have had in our possession all the tools necessary to beat this virus.

Incorrect because of your usage of the words "all" and "beat."

Some countries have been able to implement these public health measures better than others and we can all learn from each other what are the best practices.

Incorrect. Stop with the usage of "all"... since there are obviously multiple countries who couldn't teach us a dang thing about "public health measures" and/or "best practices."

While vaccinces are in such short supply they need to be used for vaccinating healthcare workers and the most vulnerable to developing severe disease and death - in ALL countries!

Okay. I'm going to stop right there. I've heard all this crap before. #SSDD However, the United States doesn't control the world's supply of vaccinations and can't force other countries to vaccinate or take any other public measures. You can keep whining about this on autopilot ad nauseam, but it won't change the fact that we cannot and do not control all nations. Then there are those contracts negotiated by the Trump administration, etc.

Me? I can't control the world's supply of vaccines. What I can do is volunteer to give them and cajole those hesitant to take them into changing their minds, and I'm good at it. So I've given a shit-ton of vaccines and cajoled many into taking it... even paid some of them (don't tell the others).

To the extent I can control the world's vaccine supply, I'm already doing it. It seems more productive that bitching repetitively about something I have no control over. :)

Lastly, I would highly recomment viewing the WHO virtual press conferences which have been happening since before this health crisis was called a pandemic.

The WHO DG, Dr. Tedros, along with Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, Mike Ryan and WHO COVID-19 technical lead, your fellow American Maria Van Kerkhove, have been invaluable in giving extremely comprehensive and helpful advice on how to save lives and shut down this virus from the beginning.

Let me be clear.

Vaccines alone will not get us out of this pandemic. Since the beginning of this pandemic, we have had in our possession all the tools necessary to beat this virus. Some countries have been able to implement these public health measures better than others and we can all learn from each other what are the best practices.

While vaccinces are in such short supply they need to be used for vaccinating healthcare workers and the most vulnerable to developing severe disease and death - in ALL countries! Incredibly, there are still some countries whose healthcare workers have not yet been vaccinated! Whose most vulnerable have not yet been vaccinated!

The WHO has been working hard and tirelessly long before the development of vaccines to set up a regime for vaccine equity known as the COVAX Facility. Which was meant to be the global clearinghouse for vaccine distribution so that the world's healthcare workers and most vulnerable to severe disease and death from COVID-19 could be vaccinated in order to save lives, as many lives as possible.

Unfortunately, the richer countries bypassed this equitable system that they themselves help set up and instead pursued bilateral arrangements with vaccine manufacturers. From a brutally political perspective, this inequitous approach is entirely understandable. But, the fact remains that this grossly inequitous distrubution of vaccines will prolong this pandemic and its economic fallout for all of us.

Me: In point of fact, Biden has never said the US was the most vaccinated country on the planet.

You: Actually, he did and on more than one occasion.

I'm talking about the context of percentages. If Biden did say that, his context likely wasn't percentages but regarding sheer numbers of vaccinations given.

Vaccines are the way to prevent death of the most vulnerable.

Well then, somebody better tell Japan since they've only vaccinated 1% of their population, have now called for emergency lockdowns in Osaka with Tokyo hot on Osaka's heels, and are now entering their fourth wave of the pandemic, with 28% of their population being "most vulnerable" because they are 65+.

Japan is proving that vaccines aren't the way out of this pandemic.

~ Elizabeth Miller

Next time you begin whining about the vaccine (lack of) sharing, I will remind you that Elizabeth Miller says vaccines aren't the way out of this pandemic and how Japan is doing such a bang up job in their COVID response:

<blockquote

In Japan, the cumulative deaths per 100,000 is less than 8. Compare to the US where that number is 170.

If the virus only spread and mutated based on the number of victims that actually succumbed to it, you would actually have a valid point, but it's spreading and mutating in Japan regardless of their number of fatalities... so your statistic is rather meaningless regarding the global spread of COVID and its variants. It spreads and mutates regardless of morbidity rate.

So to recap:

Japan... Osaka, Tokyo, state of emergency:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-20/tokyo-has-decided-to-seek-state-of-emergency-mainichi-says

Immunizations of those 65+ began days ago in April 2021 in Japan, and they've vaccinated about 1% of their population... but, hey, who needs vaccines anyway? /sarcasm off.

And I really do mean all that comment in [33] nicely, EM...

Elizabeth Miller
31

I mean this in the nicest way possible, but it seems rather the definition of "insanity" to whine repetitively...

Now that sentence makes some sense.

And I really do mean all that comment in [31] nicely, EM... you're complaining about vaccines and then doing 180s on us and claiming they're not the way out! Imma need you to pick a lane. ;)

In point of fact, Biden has never said the US was the most vaccinated country on the planet.

Actually, he did and on more than one occasion.

Ding, ding, ding!

Winner, winner... chicken dinner.

Japan is proving that vaccines aren't the way out of this pandemic.

I mean this in the nicest way possible, but it seems rather the definition of "insanity" to while repetitively and mercilessly about vaccines not being shared by the "rich countries" and how we're all totally effed unless we "share," and then turn right around a make the claim that "vaccines aren't the way out of this pandemic."

If vaccines aren't the way out, then why are you moaning about them not being shared. Pick a lane; you can't have them both. I'm just saying... in a nice way.

There isn't community transmission in Japan as there is the US and, indeed, North America.

Oh, really? Then why has Japan announced a "quasi state of emergency" as more contagious variants of COVID-19 are spreading for Osaka (second largest city in Japan)?

So, no, Japan is not the country "screwing up the global response", as you put it.

They're entering their 4th wave and have vaccinated 1% of their entire population. Might want to check that out, EM.

We here in the Americas can learn a lot from Japan's response and from the response from the Western Pacific region - about how effective the basic public health protocols can be when communities work together to keep themselves and others safe by reducing transmission.

Nope.

At the very least, he should NOT go around bragging about the US being the most vaccinated country on the planet.

In point of fact, Biden has never said the US was the most vaccinated country on the planet. Why would he when Israel has vaccinated almost 2/3rds of its population? Biden said the United States was vaccinating more people per day than any other country, and he's correct. Regardless, if you'd like Biden to win a second term versus being saddled with a right-wing fascist, you'll get over him explaining the successes of his administration in comparison to the previous one. The Obama/Biden administration didn't do enough horn tooting, and I would wager that Biden doesn't aim to repeat that.

That is what really stuck in my craw, truth be known.

Well, if you're concerned at all about his reelection, you best get it unstuck out of there and lay off Biden and/or Democrats for finally announcing their successes and doing a little horn tooting.

The US has purchased vaccines to cover double its population. These excess vaccines should be shared with low income countries, yesterday!

Purchasing and receiving the vaccines are two different things; millions of vaccines are still being manufactured. Also, the Trump administration negotiated the contracts with the vaccine manufacturers, and the Trump "America First" fascists nationalists included prohibitive clauses in those contracts:

The contracts the Trump administration signed with the vaccine manufacturers prohibit the U.S. from sharing its surplus doses with the rest of the world. According to contract language Vanity Fair has obtained, the agreements with Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Janssen state: “The Government may not use, or authorize the use of, any products or materials provided under this Project Agreement, unless such use occurs in the United States” or U.S. territories.

The clauses in question are designed to ensure that the manufacturers retain liability protection, but they have had the effect of projecting the Trump administration’s America First agenda into the Biden era. “That is what has completely and totally prohibited the U.S. from donating or reselling, because it would be in breach of contract,” said a senior administration official involved in the global planning effort. “It is a complete and total ban. Those legal parameters must change before we do anything to help the rest of the world.”

In a statement to Vanity Fair, a Defense Department spokesperson acknowledged the contract restrictions, saying: “DoD did attempt to negotiate terms that would allow the use of vaccine doses outside the U.S., but in some cases, the vaccine manufacturers refused.” Given the imperative to produce 300 million doses for the American public, said the spokesperson, Operation Warp Speed officials agreed that it was “more important to contract with the vaccine manufacturers for doses that could be used” by U.S. citizens “than walk away from the negotiations based on this single term.”

The impasse is especially frustrating because the Biden team’s global ambitions go beyond donating money or surplus vaccines.

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/04/why-the-us-still-cant-donate-covid-19-vaccines-to-countries-in-need

*
The WHO and its member states had the all-important vaccine equity all figured out last year before vaccines came on line but countries set up their own purchase deals in bilateral fashion with the vaccine manufacturers and it was the wild, wild west all over again.

Operative words there being "last year."

Because of this gross inequity, where health workers and the most vulnerable to severe disease have not yet been vaccinated in many countries, we will be dealing with this pandemic in rich countries for a lot longer than we otherwise would.

You want to focus on a country underperforming in spectacular fashion? Japan has vaccinated around 1% of the country, and those aged 65+ are about 28% of their entire population. Japan is entering its fourth wave at present with cases rising. Meanwhile, the Summer Olympics are coming right up in less than 100 days, and somebody (anybody) should really call those things off... but who's going to make them... WHO?

So, I'm thinking that the jury focused on the second degree murder charge, reviewed the evidence and decided on a guilty verdict. Then, of course, it's guilty on the other two charges as well.

Hope I'm right!

Japan is proving that vaccines aren't the way out of this pandemic.

There isn't community transmission in Japan as there is the US and, indeed, North America.

In Japan, the cumulative deaths per 100,000 is less than 8. Compare to the US where that number is 170.

So, no, Japan is not the country "screwing up the global response", as you put it.

We here in the Americas can learn a lot from Japan's response and from the response from the Western Pacific region - about how effective the basic public health protocols can be when communities work together to keep themselves and others safe by reducing transmission.

* Japan has vaccinated approximately 1% of its population.
* Tokyo is hosting the 2020 (postponed) Summer Olympics.
* The Summer Olympics are set to begin in less than 100 days.

Anyone wishing to concern themselves with a country that is screwing up the global response to COVID need look no further than Japan.

What you say would be viable IF there were enough vaccines for everyone on the planet and IF we didn't have to worry about virus variants of major concern and more dangerous than we have seen thus far.

There are not nearly enough vaccines to vaccinate the world's health workers and most vulnerable to severe disease, let alone entire national populations.

In this context, the point of vaccinations now is to avoid death, not the sniffles.

Maximum vaccination in the US will not protect the US from dangerous virus variants that emerge in low and middle income countries and that may render current vaccines ineffective.

Gross vaccine inequity will prolong the pandemic - for the US and everyone else. We may not be acting like we're all in this together but, make no mistake, we ARE all in this together and no country is safe until ALL countries are safe. That is a fact and how viruses work against us all.

The US has purchased vaccines to cover double its population. These excess vaccines should be shared with low income countries, yesterday!

No way! They knew they had to purchase double the amount if we were to have any hope that we’d have enough to fully vaccine our population. They realized that a lot of those vaccines would go in the trash because of people failing to show up at appointments, accidents, and human error. Anytime you are purchasing supplies for a large group of people, you best budget in enough supplies in case something happens and you need more. When I would take 200 kids camping for 3 nights/2 days, we bought enough food for 300 4 nights/3 days.

If there is remaining vaccines once we have taken care of everyone here, then by all means it should be given to needy countries. If we need to act quicker, then maybe it is time to have a new “We Are the World”-style fund raiser? I figure that would be an easy sell to get big named artists involved.

I have also heard that these same QAnon Trump supporters also think in all seriousness that Trump in fact is still President because Trump and Biden switched bodies and Trump now inhabits Joe Biden's body, if you can believe that!!!

If that is true, then they should support everything that Biden proposes without question! I’m all for that!

"I also don't believe the majority of the electorate will hold it against Joe if vax rates aren't ideal. After all, Joe wasn't the one that did such a number on the Trumpanzies, some of who were already anti-vax. Remember, these are the geniuses that still think the election was stolen and that QAnon is real. Hell, some of them think that Trump built his wall and Mexico secretly paid for it."

I have also heard that these same QAnon Trump supporters also think in all seriousness that Trump in fact is still President because Trump and Biden switched bodies and Trump now inhabits Joe Biden's body, if you can believe that!!!

Now, he says that he has the "Chinese shit" and "I thought I was going to die".

Unsurprisingly, he is sticking with the Republican plan to destroy America and still encouraging people to avoid getting vaccinated.

"I hereby predict that the Dems will hold the House and flip a couple-three GOP Senate seats next year."

I completely agree. I think Republicans are in for a rude shock if they think that simply based on historical trends they are going to flip the House next year.

I also see Democrats keeping narrow control of the House and picking up at least 2 Democratic Senate seats.

the "democratic" party as it currently stands was created by andrew jackson, which is how it got the "jackass" mascot, and was the party of slavery, segregation and racism until 1948. what i think you're trying to get at is that the party has swung much more conservative since 1980, to the point that gerald ford would be even more at home with today's democrats than 1980's era republicans.

that's just my guess; i forgot to bring my english to don dictionary today. in any case, we'd all feel more at home if we had some pie.

JL

As of a couple of months ago, more than 80% of all vaccines distributed have gone to rich countries while less than half of one percent have gone to poor countries.

The WHO and its member states had the all-important vaccine equity all figured out last year before vaccines came on line but countries set up their own purchase deals in bilateral fashion with the vaccine manufacturers and it was the wild, wild west all over again.

Because of this gross inequity, where health workers and the most vulnerable to severe disease have not yet been vaccinated in many countries, we will be dealing with this pandemic in rich countries for a lot longer than we otherwise would.

https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/what-we-do/news-stories/news/biden-administration-must-take-bold-action-ensure-global-covid-19

Duly noted!

Yeah, politically it's hard but it's also in the brutal self-interest of all of us. As for Biden, he should do both.

At the very least, he should NOT go around bragging about the US being the most vaccinated country on the planet. He doesn't have to do that. That is what really stuck in my craw, truth be known.

Elizabeth Miller wrote:
But, Bashi, if we continue with the grossly inequitous global distribution of vaccines, we risk having to deal with a virus variant far more dangerous than we have seen thus far.

Your point is well taken, but I cannot see any leader, dictator or democrat NOT prioritizing the needs of their country first. "If word got out" blah blah blah.

Trump changed politics. His direct way of speaking [lies, albeit] helped him beat 16 conventional Repugs in 2016...and then beat conventional Hillary. People hate politician talk. And both parties (cue DeathkillerDon) have lied to the American people for 40 years now.

It may be only temporary but we are in a political situation where action talks and bullshit walks. I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto. Not nowadays.

good idea, but i think in 2017-2021 the white house has had about all the stooges it can handle.

Do y'all remember when the Reagan-Bush the Elder train just got a-rolling? Back then, as always, numerous pundits were solemnly declaring that "the Democrats are Dead for a Generation." Cue Slick Willy and at length Repug hegemony faded away.

Well, it appears that a "political generation" is one or at best two House elections, two "cycles," right?

American political attention span and memory deficiencies may be the only rational anti-marijuana argument Joe has left.

But, Covid has killed 564,292 Americans and almost 10% of our population has been infected, and that's just the official diagnosed cases -- millions went undiagnosed along the way.

It trashed the economy, threw millions out of work and highlighted our racial and economic inequalities.

It earned JOE BIDEN 80 million votes and it looks like we're getting an administration with an FDR-like vision and the skills to get 'er done.

Stuff like this is hard to forget, as it's not anything silly like Transgender bathroom rights. Half a million dead 'Muricans! I think the electorate is not going to forget who made it this bad and who's making it better.

I hereby predict that the Dems will hold the House and flip a couple-three GOP Senate seats next year.

Work is in progress on a nasal swab delivered COVID vaccine. If that vaccine could injected into a cream pie....we could have drive thruThree Stooges Style inoculations!!!!

Yes, there isn't exacty a shortage of non-compliant humans.

Not so fast on the evolution favors the less lethal variant. It depends. How rapidly a virus can jump species is a factor. So are host density and host behaviors. There is an extensive literature on this topic.

We are way past that point. This disease is endemic in humans now. Luckily, evolution favors the less lethal when it comes to viruses. Like I mentioned to Stucki, if you have ever had the flu, it was very likely a descendant to the 1918 Spanish flu. We will probably get a booster yearly, maybe it can be mixed with flu vax so to have only one prick...