They’ve finally done it.  It had to be done to derail the pending lawsuits.  The definition of “vaccine” and “vaccinated” have been altered by the CDC to suit the narrative all mainstream parties have agreed upon.  We always assumed a “vaccine” was a tiny sample of the disease in question, maybe a “dead” sample, to alert the body’s immune system and develop defensive mechanisms.  Since the vaccine purports to tackle COVID-19 by other means, instead of explaining how the mysterious concoction works they’ve just changed the definition to avoid the conversation.  And they get to keep calling it a vaccine.

It seemed a little strange that as soon as they rolled out the “vaccine,” there was an immediate surge in infections, hospitalizations and dire sickness.  Israel has one of the highest vaccination rate of any nation. They’re also reportedly suffering an outbreak of COVID that is one of the worst on earth.  Maybe they should behave like Australia and just lock everybody down.  Not everybody everywhere, just the big cities on the east Coast.  Places like Sydney and Brisbane.  Call the police if you see somebody too far from their house, or marauding maskless.

It’s mindboggling to see police in the free world wrestling people to the ground for no reason other than a peaceful protest.  Aren’t protests allowed?  Yes, but those people were in violation of COVID restrictions!  If you see what’s transpired already you’ll be shocked.  Apparently we’re going to get in line for everything the experts say, or they’ll try to deny everything they can.  If you took the shot for whatever reason, we hope it does no harm.  But there are cases where harm has been almost immediate and irreversible.  Maybe it’s a low percentage statistically, but since when do Americans relinquish God-given freedoms because some bureaucrat has decreed it using “official” statistics to hammer the uncooperative?

If the shot is such a miracle, why won’t everybody at the agencies that demand we take it, take it themselves?  That just might be a problem.  What about star athletes who are saying they’re not about to sit still for demands or mandates that might affect them physically.  Are sports franchises going to fire their biggest drawing athletes over a urination contest (metaphorically speaking)?  We’ll see won’t we, assuming we can overcome both COVID and the impossible demands from “experts”?

What about the millions of people who’ve already contracted and overcome the evil virus?  Apparently they don’t count.  They too have to get shots and papers to prove it.  Are the number who react badly too statistically small to be factored in?  Or are these, uh, dictatorial so and sos so drunk on power that they think they can order us around?  Who works for whom?

How about the 900 pages that have been released, showing that the foremost intellect on earth (Dr. Fauci) was in on the creation of this mutated crud?  He argued for “increase of function” research, sent American taxpayers’ money to fund the “research.”  Apparently mice with “humanized” cells were provided from the United States, and you know the rest.  Maybe it makes some sense that the mastermind should be the foremost expert on avoidance, but we’re not buying it.

We never expected that our own health and safety would be used as the excuse to introduce the United States to an authoritative police state.  But the decrees have been handed down by Executive Order to millions of Americans who will be directly affected.  Roll up your sleeve or else…

This assumes that those who opted to get the vaccine are in favor of everybody else being forced by Executive Order to do likewise. That’s a miscalculation.  The lawsuits are flying.  Even the association representing the officers of every Washington agency are threatening to sue, and they would likely be the enforcers of the edicts handed down yesterday.

The vaccine mandate is going to end up at the Supreme Court, as the losing party in any number of pending cases will take it up the ladder.  Maybe you’ve noticed that the Supreme Court has been less than reliable about upholding Constitutional rights.  There’s a chance that freedom will be upheld, but the big guy says this has nothing to do with liberty or personal freedom.  The courts will have to decide, and no telling how long it may take.

It is interesting that fresh off the globe-girdling disaster created in Afghanistan, that the big guy would come out with a Constitution-crushing order to get everybody excited about something other than those left behind, or the heinous acts the goat ropers commit without a second thought.  Let’s all worry about the vaccine orders, how about that.  Something indicates that the big guy didn’t even write the speech.  Maybe he doesn’t realize the firestorm that he’s ignited.  The words sounded like somebody else, who couldn’t get away with anything as obvious as this.

Tomorrow is the 20^th anniversary of that horrendous day, September 11, 2001.  We’re seeing the reminders all over the place, Never Forget.  But that’s only partially true.  There is a major aspect of this thing that we must not remember.  That is those who perpetrated the slaughter.  In that case, never remember.  Have you seen anything about the hijackers in the heartfelt memorials?  Their names?  Their images?  No?  Probably that’s because the United States just surrendered to Islamic zealots dedicated to the same outcome as the terrorists who hijacked the airliners.  Never Remember who was responsible for all that death and extended suffering.  The current regime just put people just like them in the driver’s seat and gave them untold amounts of firepower and money.

Suddenly it looks like an alliance is forming,  China, Pakistan and Afghanistan.  We’ve already been terrorized with the China virus.  The Taliban has been staging in Pakistan all these years.  That’s why the outfit still exists.  We’ve got treaties with Pakistan that prevented the eradication of the Taliban.  What a great time to go on offense against Americans.  You know, we bitter clingers.

Mark

The post Weekly Update by Mark Armstrong – 10 September 2021 first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Greetings from Tyler,

Real life has become a science fiction thriller that we wouldn’t even watch.  It’s too predictable, not believable, and hokey beyond description.  It has ugly proponents who think they’re movie stars, telling us what we should and should not be doing,  They might change their minds in a day or a week, but we’re supposed to hang on their every word, ESPECIALLY when they make no sense!

Two governors in particular are in the crosshairs of the media, the CDC and authoritarians everywhere.  That would be DeSantis of Florida and Abbott of Texas.  Who do they think they are, saying that there will be no mask mandates or “vaccine” passports in their states?  They apparently realize that their citizens have had about enough.  We’ve been chased around over the last two years, many are willing to do just about anything to make it stop.  Take the shot, present papers, whatever.  People want their freedom back, and the ticket (we’re told) is to fulfill whatever requirements are demanded.

Both DeSantis and Abbott are standing in the way of the tyranny that is promoted as if for our own good.  Not so long ago, we were considered responsible enough to look out for ourselves.  But not anymore!  No, we have be to told, scolded, prodded and then punished.  Our representatives will look out for us.  Except they seem to be reeling with newfound power that has turned into a game of Simon Says.  Whether it makes sense to you or not, YOU WILL COMPLY if you want to access any number of goods and services.  It’s not the mark of the beast, but may be a precursor.  The “let no crisis go to waste” crowd has determined that they’ll make life miserable and block participation in commerce unless all requirements are fulfilled.  Where it ends, if it does, is anybody’s guess.

Who knew the CDC had all kinds of law-making power?  Apparently they can order everybody to do whatever they say.  Otherwise you’ll be in line for some kind of punishment, yet to be determined.  The current administration is working on that, and they have nearly every recognizable corporate entity to do their bidding.

You can hardly believe your eyes as you watch French policemen randomly check diners’ proof of “vaccine.”  Unbelievable.  You don’t suppose this nonsense is coming here?  It’s already here.  How in the world is anybody expected to accept all the bullying we’re being subjected to, while tens of thousands of third world refugees are being shipped into American cities and towns?  That’s the argument many are making.  Busloads are transported to cities and towns to take advantage of whatever the local church charity has to offer.  Half a million have come in since May according to the mainstream news.  The government is in effect paying “charities” to infiltrate the immigrants into American society with no requirements whatever.  Meanwhile, citizens have mandates.

Rand Paul says, “They can’t arrest us all.”  He’s urging people to stand against the “petty tyrants” and just say “no.”  If you think the vaccine is a good idea, get it.  But don’t do it because some bureaucrat says you “have to.”  If some business says you “have to” in order to have access, let them know they just lost a customer.  Well you might have guessed, Senator Paul has been “deplatformed.”  That’s but a small example of what we’ve been talking about.  A medical expert, Dr. Dan Stock gave a succinct six minute speech that apparently went viral, having been forwarded like crazy.  He said that we’re getting federal agency advice that contradicts science.  He said “vaccinated “ people can get and transmit the virus without becoming “symptomatic.”  He said several other things that are contrary to  the party line.  At the end, he offers to become an expert witness should anyone find themselves in a legal scrape over the “mandates” flung out across the land.  Youtube has deleted his video for violating “community guidelines,” though it’s still available at certain websites you never heard of.  It’s gone “viral” already.  The mainstream news knows nothing about it.

“Challenge accepted.”  That’s Amazon promising to save the planet.  There are now “global warming” commercials that feature young children leering disgustedly at the camera, and they’re madder than Greta Thunberg. They know that unless all transportation goes to re-chargeable  batteries, the future will be horrific.  Nobody seems to care where that charging energy comes from.  We’re just subjected to dirty looks from children, angry about global warming.  They know best and they’re none too pleased.  Thanks for “accepting the challenge” Amazon.  Major corporations are lauded for having “accepted the challenge.”  They’re going to save the planet ten years early, no less. Nothing has to make sense, you just do what they say and you’ll be fine.  You’ll still be able to access the business community as long as you’ve jumped through all the hoops.  Otherwise, let’s just say things will be difficult.

There’s no way to candy-coat the news coming out of Afghanistan.  As American forces withdraw, the Taliban floods in, killing those they don’t like and taking slaves of the women folk.  Everything was telegraphed in advance.  The Taliban was ready to roll in as soon as American forces departed.  Whatever brave talk there was about the Afghan army maintaining civility is out the window.  Twenty years of arming and training the  Afghanistan army and now those guns and vehicles are in Taliban hands.  Afghanistan is about to be back where it was before 9-11, and that’s the depressing reality.  Those Afghans who cooperated publicly with American forces are being flown to the United States.  The rest of the population is in trouble.  Which explains why they’re so happy and excited when the Taliban shows up.  Whoever has the guns is an honored guest.  It’s a cultural thing.

Is China about to annex Taiwan?  That’s a rising concern .  Who’s going to stop that from happening?  At this point I wouldn’t blame you if you gave up reading this Update.  The fix we’re in domestically and internationally is horribly depressing.  Sometimes maddening.  When Arnold Schwarzenegger this week said, “Screw your freedoms,” it elicited a response that I’d rather not have.  But that’s in essence a tenet of the indoctrination we’re being told to accept before they figure out how to force compliance.  Maybe a mark in the hand or forehead?

Mark

Source: http://www.intercontinentalcog.org/fridayupdates.php

The post Weekly Update by Mark Armstrong – 13 August 2021 first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

People register to receive the Covid-19 vaccine on Tuesday in Ningbo, where authorities have closed part of the world’s third-busiest port.  –Photo credit: AFP

China partly shut the world’s third-busiest container port after a worker became infected with COVID, threatening more damage to already fragile supply chains and global trade as a key shopping season nears.

All inbound and outbound container services at Meishan terminal in Ningbo-Zhoushan port were halted Wednesday until further notice due to a “system disruption,” according to a statement from the port. An employee tested positive for coronavirus, the eastern Chinese city’s government said.

The closed terminal accounts for about 25% of container cargo through the port, calculates security consultant GardaWorld, which said “the suspension could severely impact cargo handling and shipping.” Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd AG said there will be a delay in sailings.

This is the second recent shutdown of a Chinese port due to the coronavirus, after the closure of Yantian port in Shenzhen from late May for about a month. That shutdown caused goods to back up in factories and storage yards and also likely contributed to soaring freight rates, which are at record levels.

The fear is that this new disruption will further strain international shipping and supplies of goods, already hurt by the pandemic’s squeeze on manufacturers. An extended shuttering at Ningbo could be especially damaging for the world economy because seaborne trade usually rises toward the end of the year as companies ship Christmas and holiday products.

“There may be far-reaching downstream consequences going into Black Friday and holiday shopping seasons” and the next 24 hours will determine whether there is a large outbreak or not, said Josh Brazil, vice president of marketing at project44, a supply-chain intelligence firm. “One of the few givens in 2021 is endemic delays, and the fact that conditions can change almost overnight.”

In addition to the closed terminal, containers for shipment through the other terminals in the port will likely slow. The port will now only accept containers within two days of a ship’s estimated arrival time, according to a statement from shipping and logistics firm CMA CGM SA.

The biggest exports through Ningbo in the first half of this year were electronic goods, textiles and low and high-end manufactured goods, according to the city’s Customs Bureau. Top imports included crude oil, electronics, raw chemicals and agricultural products.

Speaking about the outbreak, Hugo De Stoop, CEO of oil shipper Euronav NV said “there will be an impact on China’s oil demand, but the length of the impact is unclear.”

For port outbreaks “the Chinese authorities are very very strict. When they find a case they will be very quick to shutdown, isolate the workers, isolate the coworkers who have had contact with that specific worker and then reopen as quickly as possible,” he told Bloomberg Television Thursday, adding that this strictness in dealing with outbreaks can disrupt markets.

All the close contacts of the infected worker have been identified and are in quarantine, according to Ningbo City’s statement. A port spokesman who declined to give his name said there was no new information when contacted Thursday.

The port was the third busiest globally in terms of container shipments in 2020 and the second busiest in China after Shanghai, according to maritime publication Lloyd’s List.

The discovery of the port worker that tested positive for COVID-19 shows that virus-prevention measures in Ningbo City still has loopholes, the local government said in a statement on its website Thursday, which urged officials to implement quarantines, disinfection and close affected areas to prevent the virus’ spread.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.

Source:  https://www.luxtimes.lu/en/world/trade-china-partly-shuts-world-s-third-busiest-port-risking-trade-611506cbde135b9236a3c5eb

The post China partly shuts world’s third-busiest port, risking trade first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The post Frustration grows with 90 million Americans holding out on vaccine first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

We’re all on our own.  The mainstream is brimming with stories of people who decided to wait and see what the side effects of the “vaccines” were, and are now suffering in some ICU unit.  One study indicates that the hospitalized cases are roughly split between people who are “fully vaccinated” and those who aren’t.  What are we to believe, especially when those giving advice don’t have a very good record for being truthful?  So the vaccinated are worrying that they’ll be infected with some variant carried by the un-vaccinated, and they’re none too pleased.

They’ve just applied the word “breakthrough” to the cases of the “vaccinated.”  Still, they tell us as if in unison, the shot will lessen the chance you’ll be sick unto death.  That’s reassuring.  Word is that the “vaccines” are about to be approved by the FDA.  That will take away the arguments all over the Internet that claim mandating an unapproved shot is a violation of the Nuremberg treaty that dates back to 1947.  Can you imagine the legal repercussions if the shots being pushed by every government entity and most of the private sector were not approved?  So the FDA has no choice but to approve the vaccines, then the mandates from on high will be legitimate from a legal standpoint.

Panic has spread like wildfire (again) as reports of new infections come from every quarter.  We all have it ringing in our ears, “Get the shot!”  People are wearing masks again, and this time it’s genuine fear, and not just virtue signaling.  No doubt, the sickness has spread and “health authorities” are telling everybody what to do.  Maybe the government can’t mandate vaccination, yet, and if the shots touted don’t fit the definition of the word, the definition can simply be changed.  The powers that be have the authority to change the definitions of words, and they’ve been doing it for some time.

It was last December when Governor Cuomo told Dr. Fauci that they were just like the movie stars Di Niro and Pacino.  They had a good laugh as they reveled in how famous they’d become.  Cuomo told Fauci he could pick which movie star he wanted to be.  They might have sealed their fates.   Pride cometh before a fall, says the Proverb, obviously still in effect after all these centuries.  Some truths are everlasting.  It looks like both of them tempted fate when they decided to flaunt their fame and supposed importance.  Lately they’ve probably both lost sleep, deservedly.

Fauci, worries that he’ll eventually be blamed for the “gain of function” research that he insisted was so important, even if it did cost lives. Lots of them.  The very suggestion causes him to act out in ways unbecoming the amiable saintly demeanor with which we’re so familiar.  Cuomo’s not laughing anymore as he’s busy trying to defend against all manner of “me too” accusations, and maybe even facing criminal charges.  It seems a little incongruous that Cuomo’s name now opens many a news segment for getting a little frisky with the help.  Never mind that he ordered sick and elderly corona virus patients into nursing homes, with many dead to show for it.  Officials can’t be bothered about that.  Nobody died as a result of his inappropriate behavior, and he’s reminding us he’s Italian.  We wouldn’t understand, hard as we might try.

Meanwhile the Taliban is taking over Afghanistan and the summer fires are raging in California, but then… freedom is banned in the Western world with newfound authority from “health officials.”  There’s trouble in the Gulf of Oman, with Iran suspected of tampering electronically with passing vessels.  Israel has a new Prime Minister, Naftali Bennet, who wants to cooperate with the White House, but worries that Iran is closer to a nuclear warhead than ever before.  It could get scary.

In sports, they’re celebrating so-called transsexuals, even at the Olympics.  These dudes could never pass for women, never.  But we’ve got bearded men kissing on the mouth in commercials, as if the news wasn’t bad enough.  We’re assailed with conflicting information and many don’t know who or what to believe, having been lied to so routinely.

Our trust has been squandered on a host of subjects, ranging from the global-warming scam to the Fauci flu.  We’re being lied to on a host of subjects, and we know it.  Our trust lies outside the cacophony of nonsense spilling from every device.  The mainstream has bought into too much clap trap, and cried wolf too often.  They’ve lost all credibility and can’t believe that we can’t just be herded around with their bogus “facts.”  Sorry.

Mark

Source: http://www.intercontinentalcog.org/fridayupdates.php

The post Weekly Update by Mark Armstrong – 6 August 2021 first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The coronavirus ward at Hillel Yaffeh Medical Center, Hadera, last month.  Credit: Amir Levy

Israel’s coronavirus cabinet concluded a three-hour-long meeting on Tuesday by announcing a series of new COVID-19 restrictions, as the country plunged deeper into a post-vaccination delta variant wave. The new regulations, including limiting gatherings to those with proof of immunity and encouraging working from home, will go into effect on Sunday.

A “green passport” – a document showing that someone has either been vaccinated, recovered from the virus or recently tested negative for it – will now be required for entry to events with fewer than 100 people.

The coronavirus cabinet also recommended that private companies have employees work from home, while government ministries will have to reduce the number of employees working in the office to 50 percent.

Children, who have exempt from the so-called green passport requirement, will now have to show a negative test result before entering such events. People will have to wear masks even at outdoor events with more than 100 people.

Also on Tuesday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz signed a call-up order for 1,000 reservists to help the army deal with the spread of the virus. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett spoke with the heads of all the parties in the governing coalition and said that additional restrictions had to be imposed now, since otherwise, Israel will likely have 800 seriously ill patients in another 20 days or so.

Earlier Tuesday, the government announced that arrivals from 18 countries would have to quarantine for a week, regardless of vaccination status, beginning on August 11.

New coronavirus cases neared 4,000 on Tuesday, Health Ministry data showed, for the first time since early March. Israel diagnosed 3,818 new COVID cases on Monday, Israel also recorded a four-month high for patients in serious condition, with 221 people. The percentage of positive coronavirus tests is also steadily rising, with 3.78 percent of Monday’s tests returning positive.

• All arrivals to Israel from U.S., Germany, France and 15 other nations to quarantine
• Israel’s public health chief says evidence points to waning COVID vaccine immunity
• Israeli PM: Serious COVID cases to quadruple in 20 days, we must impose new restrictions

Israel is continuing to spearhead its COVID-19 booster vaccination campaign, with nearly 40,000 elderly citizens and people with underlying medical conditions receiving the third jab since the weekend.

Source: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-to-reinstate-masks-outdoors-restrict-events-to-vaccinated-amid-delta-surge-1.10078697

The post Israel to Reinstate Masks Outdoors, Restrict Events to Vaccinated Only Amid Delta Variant Surge first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The post Facebook COVID-19 vaccine Fact-Checkers are funded by vaccine companies ” News Report first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

While there is legislative precedent for vaccine mandates, other strategies could help U.S. states achieve widespread vaccination for COVID-19.

The legal precedent for mandatory vaccinations dates back to a 1905 Supreme Court case after a smallpox outbreak in Massachusetts.

In this Q&A adapted from the November 17 episode of the Public Health On Call podcast, legal and public health expert Joanne Rosen talks with Stephanie Desmon about this precedent as well as other strategies states could consider to achieve widespread vaccination for COVID-19.

Once a COVID vaccine or vaccines are made available, could states mandate that people get them?

The short answer is yes. States have the legal and constitutional authority to require that the people who live in that state be vaccinated, or to introduce a vaccine mandate.

The authority for the state being able to compel vaccination—the affirmation of that authority—goes all the way back to a U.S. Supreme Court case in 1905 called Jacobson v. Massachusetts. That case arose in the midst of an outbreak of smallpox in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1902. Cambridge introduced an ordinance requiring all adults be vaccinated or revaccinated against smallpox. If they didn’t [get vaccinated], they would have to pay a fine of $5.

Jacobson was a resident of Cambridge who, for a number of reasons, objected to the vaccination mandate and brought a lawsuit against Massachusetts for the mandate. He raised a number of arguments, including one that his constitutionally protected liberty interests were being infringed by this mandate.

In that case, the Supreme Court—and —said that states have under their police powers, which is under the Constitution, the authority to enact reasonable regulations as necessary to protect public health, public safety, and the common good. Vaccination mandates constitute exactly that kind of permissible state action to protect the public’s health. Even though it’s 115 years old, this continues to be the benchmark case on the state’s power to mandate vaccination.

In response to the argument about this individual liberty interest, the court said that sometimes individual interests might have to yield to state laws that endeavour to protect the health of everybody—the “common good.” The court said: “The rights of the individual may at times, under the pressure of great dangers, be subjected to such restraint to be enforced by reasonable regulations as the safety of the general public may demand.”

So, yes: Once COVID vaccines are available, states could elect to require that people who live within that state be vaccinated.

How might states enforce vaccination of adults?

By and large, our immunization schedule begins as children, and we have to show proof of vaccination to go to school. It is a more complicated administrative manner to have a vaccine mandate that applies to adults because there isn’t a point of common intersection with the state or with some agency of the state the way we have with children. I don’t have a clear idea of this, but that would be something that states would have to work into a mandate. A requirement that people be vaccinated is only as effective as the way of ensuring that they are. That also raises issues that the vaccine has to be made available without charge or in a way that allows people to get coverage for it if it’s not covered by their insurance. Again—how are we able to keep track?

The other advantage that school-based proof of vaccination offers is for people who have some medical reason to not be vaccinated. All vaccine mandates include a medical exemption for people whose health would be imperiled because of an allergy to something in the vaccine or because they are immunocompromised or any other reason. When you go to school and show your proof-of-vaccination certificate or show that you’ve been exempted and you’re not vaccinated, it means that public health offices have a record of who is and who isn’t vaccinated. In the event of an outbreak of one of these vaccine-preventable diseases, we can identify and isolate the people who haven’t been vaccinated and who are obviously at higher risk for being infected.

The goal of a vaccination campaign is to have as many people as possible vaccinated. The exemptions that you spoke about would keep a number of people from becoming vaccinated. This was an issue with measles in recent years—there were too many exemptions and that’s what caused outbreaks. Is that something we might be up against with COVID-19?

Yes, absolutely. The measles outbreak in New York was about a year or two ago and, in California, it was traced to Disney World in 2014 or 2015.

The reasons for these outbreaks were religious exemptions in New York and personal belief exemptions in California. The legislators of California and New York revoked nonmedical exemptions as a result so that they could ensure higher rates of people immunized against measles. And, guess what? The rate of measles immunizations did go up when those exemptions were removed.

One of the reasons that nonmedical exemptions were introduced in the first place was to try to respond to and prevent vaccine-related backlash. There’s a very strong culture in this country and others of personal autonomy and not wanting the government to force you to do something or tell you what to do. People wanted to be able to make their own decisions about the risks they’re willing to take,. . The introduction of these exemptions, in part, was kind of like a safety valve to let some of the pressure out of the system so that people could feel that they had some choice.

Although it seems counterintuitive, providing some opt-out mechanism in fact can protect the overall integrity and legitimacy of the vaccine regime and public health. Yes, the goal of public health is to ensure that as many people as possible are vaccinated to prevent further transmission of disease. This leaves the question of “How best do we achieve that goal?” A vaccine mandate looks like it’s the most straightforward way to do it. But, if we have a lot of backlash and resistance to it, how do we then bring those folks onside?

One approach might be to start with a strong recommendation and education campaign. Physicians and health care providers can be part of this effort to educate people about the safety of vaccines. A particular issue that we may face with a COVID-19 vaccine that does arise with other vaccines, but not to the same degree, are questions about [safety] because it’s brand new. Measles, mumps, rubella, polio, and smallpox vaccines have been around for decades, if not even longer.  They are regarded as safe and we have decades of data. But COVID-19 vaccines are brand new, so there will probably be more concerns—even among people who are fully vaccinated against other diseases and who have vaccinated their children.

One approach, perhaps, to start is strong recommendation, and being transparent—as drug companies are doing their best to do—about what they know about safety. Then, once the vaccines are available, states can make it as easy as possible to get vaccinated. Even in the absence of a mandate, when you’re vaccinated, there are public records kept and they can see what percentage of residents have voluntarily been vaccinated. If the percentage is high enough to ensure that the whole community is protected, there wouldn’t be a need for a mandate.

Can private employers mandate a vaccine?

They can and they have. It’s very common in particular sectors. An employer has to have a “reasonable basis.”  If you worked in retail, I’m not sure a corporate entity could require that. They may want you to and recommend it, but it wouldn’t be reasonably related to the requirements of their job.

But in sectors in which the employees are themselves at greater risk of contracting vaccine-preventable illnesses or who work with populations that are especially vulnerable if they do get sick, like hospital workers, health care workers, and people who work in [long-term care] facilities, employers have required that their staff be vaccinated against the flu each year.

Another thing that states could do, short of a requirement across the board that everybody be vaccinated, is they could begin with a mandate that focuses on those sectors—people who are themselves at greater risk or who work in proximity with vulnerable populations. We don’t want the employees themselves getting sick and being a bridge, or “vector,” to infecting others who are vulnerable. People may object, but some more targeted form of vaccine mandate may make sense and also be possible.

Joanne Rosen is a legal expert and senior lecturer in Health Policy and Management and the Center for Law and the Public’s Health.

Source: https://www.jhsph.edu/covid-19/articles/can-covid-19-vaccines-be-mandatory-in-the-u-s-and-who-decides.html

The post Can COVID-19 Vaccines Be Mandatory in the U.S. and Who Decides? first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

SINGAPORE, July 23 (Reuters) – Vaccinated individuals accounted for three-quarters of Singapore’s COVID-19 infections in the last four weeks, but they were not falling seriously ill, government data showed, as a rapid ramp-up in inoculations leaves fewer people unvaccinated.

While the data shows that vaccines are highly effective in preventing severe cases, it also underscores the risk that even those inoculated could be contagious, so that inoculation alone may not suffice to halt transmission.

Of Singapore’s 1,096 locally transmitted infections in the last 28 days, 484, or about 44%, were in fully vaccinated people, while 30% were partially vaccinated and just over 25% were unvaccinated, Thursday’s data showed.

While seven cases of serious illness required oxygen, and another was in critical condition in intensive care, none of the eight had been fully vaccinated, the health ministry said.

“There is continuing evidence that vaccination helps to prevent serious disease when one gets infected,” the ministry said, adding that all the fully vaccinated and infected people had shown no symptoms, or only mild ones.

Infections in vaccinated people do not mean vaccines are ineffective, experts said.

“As more and more people are vaccinated in Singapore, we will see more infections happening among vaccinated people,” Teo Yik Ying, dean of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

“It is important to always compare it against the proportion of people who remain unvaccinated…Suppose Singapore achieves a rate of 100% fully vaccinated…then all infections will stem from the vaccinated people and none from the unvaccinated.”

Singapore has already inoculated nearly 75% of its 5.7 million people, the world’s second highest after the United Arab Emirates, a Reuters tracker shows, and half its population is fully vaccinated.

As countries with advanced vaccination campaigns prepare to live with COVID-19 as an endemic disease, their focus is turning to preventing death and serious diseases through vaccination.

But they are grappling with how to differentiate public health policies, such as mask wearing, between the vaccinated and those who are not.

Both Singapore and Israel, for example, reinstated some curbs recently to battle a surge in infections driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, while England lifted almost all restrictions this week, despite high caseloads.

“We’ve got to accept that all of us will have to have some restrictions, vaccinated or not vaccinated,” said Peter Collignon, an infectious diseases physician and microbiologist at Canberra Hospital in the Australian capital.

“It’s just the restrictions are likely to be higher for those unvaccinated than vaccinated people, but that may still mean they have mask mandates indoors, for instance.”

The Singapore data also showed that infections in the last 14 days among vaccinated people older than 61 stood at about 88%, higher than the figure of just over 70% for the younger group.

Linfa Wang, a professor at Duke-NUS Medical School, said elderly people had been shown to have weaker immune responses upon vaccination.

In Israel, which also has a high vaccination rate, about half of the 46 patients hospitalized in severe condition by early July had been vaccinated, and the majority were from risk groups, authorities said. read more

It was not immediately clear if the Singapore data reflected reduced protection offered by vaccines against the Delta variant, the most common form in the wealthy city state in recent months.

Two doses of vaccine from Pfizer (PFE.N)-BioNTech (22UAy.DE) or AstraZeneca (AZN.L) are nearly as effective against Delta as against the previously dominant Alpha variant, according to a study published this week. read more

Singapore uses the Pfizer and Moderna (MRNA.O) vaccines in its national vaccination programme.

Friday’s 130 new locally-transmitted infections were off this week’s 11-month high. The recent rise in cases prompted authorities to tighten curbs on social gatherings in the push to boost vaccinations, particularly among the elderly. read more

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/vaccinated-people-singapore-make-up-three-quarters-recent-covid-19-cases-2021-07-23/

The post Vaccinated people make up 75% of recent COVID-19 cases in Singapore, but few fall ill first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

SEOUL, South Korea — America’s No. 2 diplomat on Friday expressed sympathy for North Koreans facing hardships and food shortages linked to the pandemic and renewed calls for the North to return to talks over its nuclear program.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has recently warned of a “tense” food situation and admitted his country faces “the worst-ever” crisis. But his government has steadfastly insisted it won’t rejoin the talks unless Washington drops its hostility.

“We all feel for the people of the DPRK, who are indeed facing all the most difficult circumstances given the pandemic, and what it means as well for their food security,” U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told reporters in Seoul, referring to North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“We only hope for a better outcome for the people of the DPRK,” she said.

Sherman spoke after meeting South Korean officials, during which the two sides reaffirmed that they’ll continue diplomatic efforts to convince North Korea to return to the nuclear talks.

“We are looking forward to a reliable, predictable, constructive way forward with the DPRK,” Sherman said. “We have offered to sit and dialogue with the North Koreans, and we are waiting to hear from them.”

Speaking beside Sherman, South Korea’s first vice foreign minister, Choi Jong Kun, said, “We’ll wait for a North Korean response with patience as now is the coronavirus period.”

The talks between Washington and Pyongyang have made little headway since early 2019, when a second summit between Kim and then-President Donald Trump collapsed due to wrangling over U.S.-led economic sanctions. Kim has since threatened to bolster his nuclear arsenal and build more sophisticated weapons unless the Americans lift their hostile policy, an apparent reference to the sanctions.

Some experts say North Korea may be compelled to reach out to the United States if its economic difficulties worsen. Outside monitoring groups haven’t reported any signs of mass starvation or social chaos in North Korea. In recent speeches, Kim has called for his 26 million people to brace for prolonged COVID-19 restrictions, indicating the country wasn’t ready to reopen its borders despite the massive toll on its economy.

South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers this month that North Korea hasn’t received any foreign coronavirus vaccine. COVAX, the U.N.-backed program to ship COVID-19 vaccines worldwide, said in February that North Korea could receive 1.9 million doses in the first half of the year. But UNICEF, which procures and delivers vaccines on behalf of COVAX, said recently that North Korea hasn’t even completed the paperwork for receiving the vaccines and that it was unclear when they could be delivered.

After Seoul, Sherman is to travel on to Mongolia and then China, the North’s last major ally and aid benefactor. She’ll be the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit China since President Joe Biden was inaugurated in January.

During her visit to the northeastern Chinese city of Tianjin on Sunday, Sherman said she’ll discuss North Korea with Chinese officials, saying Beijing “certainly has interests and thought” on it.

“The Biden administration has described our relationships with China as obviously a complicated one. It has aspects that are competitive, it has aspects where it is challenging, and aspects where we can cooperate,” she said. “And thinking together about bringing the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is certainly an area for cooperation.”

Choi said China knows well it can play “a very important role” in efforts to bring back North Korea to dialogue. He said Sherman’s China trip would be “very meaningful” and that Seoul and Washington have a shared responsibility for Beijing to play its role.

Ahead of the meeting with Sherman, China has adopted a confrontational tone, reflecting the sharp deterioration in relations that began under Trump and continued under Biden.

The U.S. is “defining China as a competitor, provoking confrontation, and containing and suppressing China’s development,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a daily briefing. “The U.S. side has been calling for dialogue with China from a position of strength, which only reflects its arrogance and hegemony.”

Source: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/us-diplomat-worried-pandemic-food-supply-korea-79007373

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