Heading into the Thanksgiving holiday, hospitals across the United States are overwhelmed by a potent three-headed respiratory monster of COVID, seasonal flu, and Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The situation is expected to get worse before it improves, and yet our public officials are sticking with their tired “vaccine only” containment strategy. The Biden Administration has even resorted to promoting <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-11439641/White-House-offers-grocery-discounts-boost-lackluster-covid-booster-rates.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$20 dollar discounts</a> on groceries to boost flagging vaccine rates.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Among the key takeaways from the 2022 elections was voters yearning for a sense of normalcy. The populace wants to turn the page on the pandemic and the containment strategies that have been imposed upon us.
For doctors, that means returning to a pre-pandemic mindset of applying critical thinking and pushing back on misguided protocols and policies — especially those offered up by bullying public health agencies influenced by profit-making entities. Politicians talk about putting America first — for doctors, patients must always come first.
For nearly three years, the world has been living in a fog. In the face of a once-in-a-century pandemic, a terrified populace was asked to comply with a widespread groupthink and accept the closing of our economy, schools, businesses, and churches. Masks and under-tested vaccines were mandated. Livelihoods for those who refused to go along were threatened.
These measures have not aged well. It’s no wonder the public yearns for normalcy.
Consider the vaccines. After the federal government used its full force to spearhead a mass vaccine effort, serious questions have arisen about the products’ safety. Never mind that the vaccines fell woefully short of preventing infection or transmission of the disease. According to a report from <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027869152200206X" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Journal of Food and Chemical Toxicology</a>, mRNA injections can weaken the natural immune system, fueling deadly diseases such as heart problems and blood clots.
Pfizer and Moderna, which have received billions of dollars from the U.S. government for COVID products, have now launched trials to determine whether there are any <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-11426007/Pfizer-Moderna-launch-trials-track-issues-arise-YEARS-getting-vaccines.html?ito=social-twitter_mailonline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">long-term negative health impacts</a> caused by the vaccines that public health officials assured us were safe and forced many to get.
Those who sounded the first alarms on the long-term dangers of the vaccines have been vindicated by solid, reproducible scientific data. Rigorous science doesn’t lie. So now we know that after being dismissed, the physicians and researchers who mustered the courage to speak truth to power were right all along. They put patients first, at great personal risk.
From the outset of the pandemic, the <a href="http://flccc.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance</a> (FLCCC) embraced and nourished an ethical ethos of medicine that rooted itself in the welfare of humanity. Our physicians, clinical advisors, alliance associates, staff, volunteers, patients, families, supporters, and colleagues who have locked arms to defend the Hippocratic Oath to ‘do no harm’ — along with legions around the world — have always put patients first.
Unfortunately, we were not rewarded for our efforts. Quite the opposite. California even passed a law that could strip medical professionals of their licenses to practice if deemed guilty of spreading “misinformation” — that is, anything that deviates from official “contemporary scientific consensus.” Of course, today’s consensus is tomorrow’s debunked information, but that has not stopped California bureaucrats in their quest to silence the scientific process. It has gotten so bad that <a href="https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/11/14/doctors-sue-to-block-california-covid-disinformation-law/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the ACLU</a> has intervened.
Despite these roadblocks, we applied our patient-first principles and built a coalition of physicians, patients, and concerned citizens while fending off censorship and cancellation efforts. But as the world prepares to move beyond the COVID emergency, our shared ethical ethos of medicine and its core imperatives — to act with morality, compassion, and integrity — must endure. In its embrace, one and all are welcome.
The holiday season is a time for healing, giving thanks, and reflecting. As we do so, we must open our eyes and clearly assess the havoc caused by the pandemic and respond with the highest degree of medical integrity to the ever-changing healthcare landscape it has created.
Since COVID won’t be our last global public health emergency, we must learn from our mistakes and build on our successes to better prepare. We have already issued new protocols for navigating the three-headed respiratory threat overrunning hospitals today – and it’s a <a href="https://covid19criticalcare.com/treatment-protocols/flu-rsv-treatment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">comprehensive strategy</a> that goes beyond simply vaccines.
It is time to open our hearts and loudly proclaim that patients must always be our priority — not power or profits.
Isn’t it time to put patients — and all the citizens of the world — first?
Pierre Kory, M.D. is President and Chief Medical Officer of the <a href="https://covid19criticalcare.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance.</a>
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Daily Wire.

Influenza vaccine vials pattern background

Patients Must Be A Doctor’s Priority, Not Power Or Profits

COVID

Medical

Readers Pass

U.S.

Vaccines

Researchers at the University of Houston have developed a new vaccine for the dangerous drug fentanyl, which has killed thousands of Americans.
Illicit fentanyl, which is primarily smuggled into the United States from Mexico, is being mixed with other illicit drugs, then sold as powders, nasal sprays, or even pills looking like legitimate prescription drugs.
“Over 150 people die every day from overdoses of synthetic opioids including fentanyl, which is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine,” SciTech Daily <a href="https://scitechdaily.com/fentanyl-vaccine-breakthrough-potential-game-changer-for-opioid-epidemic/">notes</a>.
“Two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal depending on a person’s body size, tolerance and past usage,” the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) <a href="https://www.dea.gov/resources/facts-about-fentanyl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">writes</a>.
“Fentanyl is the single deadliest drug threat our nation has ever encountered,” Anne Milgram, administrator of the DEA, has<a href="https://www.dea.gov/fentanylawareness" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> stated</a>. “Fentanyl is everywhere. From large metropolitan areas to rural America, no community is safe from this poison. We must take every opportunity to spread the word to prevent fentanyl-related overdose death and poisonings from claiming scores of American lives every day.”
Roughly 80% of people who have become dependent on fentanyl suffer a relapse, estimates say. But the new discovery can act as a relapse prevention agent.
“Our vaccine is able to generate anti-fentanyl antibodies that bind to the consumed fentanyl and prevent it from entering the brain, allowing it to be eliminated out of the body via the kidneys,” lead author Colin Haile stated. “Thus, the individual will not feel the euphoric effects and can ‘get back on the wagon’ to sobriety.”
“These preclinical results demonstrate efficacy in neutralizing FEN’s effects and warrant further development as a potential therapeutic for OUD and overdose in humans,” the study <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/14/11/2290/htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claims</a>, adding, “We expect minimal side effects in clinical trials because the two components of our formulation (CRM and dmLT) are already in other vaccines on the market or have been tested in multiple human clinical trials and shown to be safe and effective.”
No side effects were observed in the rats used in the study; the research team has plans to start manufacturing clinical-grade vaccine soon followed by clinical trials in humans .
Study co-author Therese Kosten added, “Fentanyl use and overdose is a particular treatment challenge that is not adequately addressed with current medications because of its pharmacodynamics and managing acute overdose with the short-acting naloxone is not appropriately effective as multiple doses of naloxone are often needed to reverse fentanyl’s fatal effects.”

New York CIty sweep of homeless encampment

New Vaccine Targets Fentanyl, May Offer Route Back To Sobriety

Fentanyl

Health

Science

Once President Donald Trump left the Oval Office, Hollywood jumped aboard the vaccine train.
Celebrities far and wide pushed the jab from their social media perches, the late-night landscape, and even “Saturday Night Live.”
Stars who <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/stephen-colbert-brutally-mocks-pro-trump-coronavirus-protesters" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shamed Americans</a> for protesting the COVID lockdowns during the Trump era, promoted mass vaccinations with equal vigor.
One could argue in favor of the logic behind the push at the time. We were told the vaccines not only protected us from the virus’ worst symptoms, but helped prevent recipients from spreading it to others.
We later learned the vaccine’s efficacy waned in subsequent months, some still died after receiving boosters, and the shot’s ability to stop the spread was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/scandalous-pfizer-exec-tells-eu-lawmaker-covid-jab-was-never-tested-to-show-it-blocked-transmission" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more hype than reality</a>.
“Breakthrough” infections went from rare to commonplace. Some argued about the vaccine’s side effects, <a href="https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/study-confirms-link-between-covid-19-vaccination-temporary-increase-menstrual-cycle-length" target="_blank" rel="noopener">including interruptions in the menstrual cycle</a>. That’s despite early findings there was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/23/covid-vaccines-periods-menstruation-changes-data-experts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“no data” to suggest such a link.</a>
Celebrities aren’t doctors. They don’t spend long weekends in labs poring over the latest medical findings. Yet they used every bully pulpit possible to promote vaccinations and shame anyone who disagreed, without acknowledging the various sides of the public debate.
Dozens and dozens of stars <a href="https://people.com/health/celebrities-and-politicians-get-covid-19-vaccine-photos/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shared their vaccination photos</a> on social media to promote the cause.
&#8220;My wing is feeling a little sore, but it&#8217;ll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy,&#8221; Big Bird tweeted.
Far-Left singer John Legend, who has supported the Defund the Police movement, told Gayle King why he got his shot.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve seen the devastation, the separation &#8230; we did Christmas on Zoom. I want to get back with my family &#8230; and not fear their health and their safety.&#8221;
“Saturday Night Live” also got into the act, sharing pro-vaccine messaging in multiple segments.
An April 2021 sketch on “Saturday Night Live” featured a faux game show named “Will You Take It?” in which guest host Daniel Kaluuya played a doctor all but begging his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocJCAfFQgCQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unvaccinated family members</a> to get the jab.
Naturally, the unvaccinated are portrayed as slow, God-fearing, and stubborn, to be kind.
A December 2021 SNL sketch featured Kate McKinnon as Dr. Anthony Fauci, along with lines mocking GOP politicians who <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/tv/snl-can-only-laugh-americas-vaccination-quandary-rcna8485" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cautioned against mass vaccinations</a>.
Outgoing “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah <a href="https://www.primetimer.com/watch/trevor-noah-rips-anti-vaxxer-novak-djokovic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">excoriated tennis great</a> Novak Djokovic for not getting vaccinated, even though being young and in peak physical condition meant he had little to fear from the virus.
The most infamous example is Stephen Colbert’s “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSkFyNVtNh8&amp;t=3s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Vax Scene</a>.” The sketch featured musical numbers, including dancing needles, in an attempt to promote the medical treatments.
“We are the Vax Scene, get your shot right now in your arm, it won’t hurt, then go hug your mom.”
“In-noc-u-lation, for the whole nation, get a shot in your arm and get a haircut.”
Here’s what one YouTube commenter blithely commented underneath the clip: “If anyone has ever wondered what propaganda actually looks like, you’ve found it … ”
Howard Stern took a combative tone regarding the vaccine. Those who chose against the jab, he said, deserved to <a href="https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/howard-stern-hospitals-ban-unvaccinated-people-1235157846/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suffer the consequences</a>: “It’s time for you to get it. Now, if you don’t get it, in my America, all hospitals would be closed to you. You’re going to go home and die. That is what you should get. Absolutely.”
Stern famously admitted to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/too-much-for-me-howard-stern-recalls-exhausting-first-time-leaving-his-bunker-in-2-years-for-fear-of-catching-covid" target="_blank" rel="noopener">becoming a recluse during</a>, and after, the pandemic.
His pal Jimmy Kimmel used his late-night perch to similarly swipe at the unvaccinated, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jimmy-kimmel-suggests-hospitals-should-refuse-to-treat-unvaccinated-covid-patients">suggesting that they should be banished from hospitals</a>. He also served up <a href="https://mashable.com/video/kimmel-covid-19-vaccination-childrens-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a faux children’s book to mock the unvaccinated.</a>
“Dot Got a Shot” ends with the child receiving a COVID vaccination, even though children represent a microscopically small threat of serious illness or death due to the virus.
Kimmel capped the book by suggesting anti-vax parents were akin to flat-earthers.
Of course, there may be a simple answer to this obsequious behavior on Hollywood’s part, beyond a willingness to do the Democrats’ bidding at every chance.
A new <a href="https://www.judicialwatch.org/covid-19-vaccine-campaign/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Judicial Watch exposé</a> showed how the Biden administration aggressively pursued social media platforms, celebrities, and late-night television shows to push its pro-vaccine, no questions asked agenda.
 Here’s a sampling of their proposals and plans.
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Vaccine engagement package to all entertainment talent and management agencies</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Vaccine engagement package to all media companies and show producers</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Start celebrity Share the Mics</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Late night hosts vaccination video</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Launch Hollywood comedy writers video content</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Work with YouTube on an original special about vaccinations targeted to young people (similar to the YouTube’s Dear Call of 2020 special)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Request that the major live TV entertainment shows feature hosts being vaccinated on air (ex: the hosts of The Voice)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Request vaccination specials with BET, The Undefeated, Desus &amp; Mero, Sneaker Shopper. Hot Ones</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Work with the Hollywood guilds to work vaccination messaging into scripted and reality TV shows (ex: Writers Guild, Directors Guild.)</li>
</ul>
It’s hard to say how successful every part of this strategy proved, but it’s clear it either met with some success or Hollywood, Inc. read the administration’s mind.
Again and again.
It doesn’t mean the various stars who promoted vaccines, and aggressively shamed anyone who questioned their efficacy, don’t have more explaining to do.
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="http://www.hollywoodintoto.com/">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News&#8217; Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en">@HollywoodInToto</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Biden Admin Aggressively Pursued Celebrities, Late Night Shows To Push Pro-Vaccine Agenda

COVID-19 Vaccine

Hollywood

John Legend

Saturday Night Live

Sesame Street

Stephen Colbert

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/it-was-the-mandates-not-the-fine-print-fact-checkers-miss-point-in-rush-to-defend-pfizer">COVID</a> vaccine may soon be added to the childhood vaccination program.
If the vaccine is added, all public school children could be required to get the COVID vaccine.
The Thursday <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/meetings/downloads/agenda-archive/agenda-2022-10-19-20-508.pdf">schedule</a> for a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) committee shows it is set to consider revisions to the child immunization program. Later on Thursday, the CDC&#8217;s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is also scheduled to vote on immunization schedules.
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It is not clear that the committee will consider adding the COVID vaccine to childhood vaccinations, but the schedule <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/CDC-2022-0111-0001" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appears</a> to indicate that is the plan.
Every U.S. state requires public school students to receive childhood immunizations, and many use the CDC&#8217;s list as a guide.
In June, Dr. Ashish Jha, head of the White House COVID task force, said the data shows that the COVID vaccine protects children.
&#8220;Let’s set the record straight, because the data here is actually quite clear,&#8221; Jha <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2022/06/23/press-briefing-by-white-house-covid-19-response-team-and-public-health-officials-86/">said</a> at a press briefing.
&#8220;Kids are better protected if they are vaccinated. If they are vaccinated, they are far less likely to get seriously ill. They’re far less likely to end up in the hospital, far less likely to end up in the ICU,&#8221; Jha said.
However, some critics say there is far from enough clinical data on the COVID vaccine in children for the shot to be made mandatory for them.
&#8220;There has never been a vaccine added to the child immunization schedule without solid clinical evidence that it reduces disease significantly in the community. The COVID vaccine in children will be the first. It will be added with no clinical data,&#8221; said Dr. Marty Makary, a surgeon and professor at Johns Hopkins University.
&#8220;Many of us are asking, why even have an FDA? Why even do clinical trials?&#8221; Makary told Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, some are concerned about the vaccine&#8217;s risks for younger recipients.
For boys and young men ages 12 to 24, certain mRNA-based COVID vaccines <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2788346">increased</a> their risk of developing myocarditis, or the inflammation of the heart muscle that can reduce the heart&#8217;s ability to pump blood, according to some studies.
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The Pfizer COVID vaccine <a href="https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccines">currently</a> only has an Emergency Use Authorization for children under 12, meaning it has not yet gained full Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for young kids.
The Moderna COVID vaccine <a href="https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/moderna-covid-19-vaccines">only has</a> emergency authorization for those under 18, so it does not have full FDA approval for school-aged children.
The Johnson &amp; Johnson COVID vaccine is not yet fully approved by the FDA for anyone, but it <a href="https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/janssen-covid-19-vaccine">does have</a> emergency authorization for adults 18 and up.
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Children are at <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/coronavirus-outbreak-and-kids">low risk</a> of developing severe cases of COVID, which has primarily been deadly for the elderly and immunocompromised. Nevertheless, the CDC has recommended that children six months and older get vaccinated and that children five and up get a booster shot.
Some parents and lawmakers have already <a href="https://thesungazette.com/article/education/2021/11/10/local-residents-push-back-against-impending-school-vaccine-mandate/">pushed back</a> against their local schools requiring the COVID vaccine for children.
In Pennsylvania, for example, lawmakers <a href="https://senatorcrisdushpa.com/2021/12/14/pa-senate-prohibits-vaccine-mandates-for-school-children/">worked</a> to stop the state from requiring children to get the vaccine to attend school, citing the harm children have already suffered from remote learning during the pandemic.

US-HEALTH-VIRUS-VACCINE

COVID Vaccines May Soon Be Added To Childhood Vaccination Program

Children

COVID-19

Public Schools

Vaccine Mandate

Two hundred genetically modified mosquitoes with an experimental malaria vaccine packed inside a Chinese food takeout-style box inoculated 26 participants in a University of Washington study last month.
As reported by <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://thecountersignal.com/genetically-modified-mosquitoes-vaccinate-a-human/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Counter Signal</a>, each participant placed their arms in the box to receive three to five jabs over 30-day intervals during the clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health.
&#8220;We use the mosquitoes like they&#8217;re 1,000 small flying syringes,&#8221; Dr. Sean Murphy, physician and scientist at the university, told <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/09/21/1112727841/a-box-of-200-mosquitoes-did-the-vaccinating-in-this-malaria-trial-thats-not-a-jo">NPR</a>.
Murphy, who also serves as the lead author on a Science Translational Medicine paper that details the vaccine trials, said the study would not be used to vaccinate millions of people. Instead, the team crafted the bloodsuckers because formulating a parasite delivered with a needle takes up too much time and money.
Using a flying insect during the early stages of the trial made more sense for delivery because the parasites mature much quicker.
Still, those tiny flying needles infected the subjects with a minor version of malaria but not enough to cause severe illness.
&#8220;Half of the individuals in each vaccine group did not develop detectable P. falciparum infection, and a subset of these individuals was subjected to a second [Controlled Human Malaria Infection] 6 months later and remained partially protected,&#8221; the study reads, according to <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.abn9709">Sceince.org</a>. &#8220;These results support further development of genetically attenuated sporozoites as potential malaria vaccines.&#8221;
Carolina Reid, a volunteer, was one of the participants who came down with malaria.
&#8220;My whole forearm swelled and blistered,&#8221; Carolina Reid, volunteer, told NPR. &#8220;My family was laughing, asking like, &#8216;why are you subjecting yourself to this?'&#8221;
Reid, who joined the trial in 2018, pocketed a $4,100 payment for participating in the study.
Others who were protected against the disease only lasted a few months before the vaccine wore off.
Dr. Kirsten Lyke, a physician and vaccine researcher at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, told NPR, &#8220;they went old school with this one.&#8221;
&#8220;All things old become new again,&#8221; she said, adding that developing such genetically modified live parasites has proven to be a &#8220;total game changer.&#8221;
According to the university&#8217;s <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://twitter.com/UMBaltimore/status/1545453781298593792?s=20&amp;t=5bJ0ConXj6EccwsY0RV4Mw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> page, Lyke led the Phase 1 trials for the Pfizer/NioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and served as co-investigator for the Moderna and Novavax COVID-19 vaccine trials.
Researchers believe the experimental approach could result in a more effective vaccine in the future, considering the world&#8217;s first malaria jab only has an efficacy rate of 30-40%, according to the World Health Organization.
&#8220;We think we can obviously do better,&#8221; Stefan Kappe, an author of the study and parasitologist at the University of Washington Seattle and Seattle Children&#8217;s Research Institute, told NPR, adding that &#8220;increasing production capability to scale up manufacturing will require investment.&#8221;
The team said they would eventually transfer the vaccine into syringes rather than mosquitoes to get a more accurate dosage.

Close-Up Of Insect

University Of Washington Vaccinates Humans Using Genetically Modified Mosquitoes

Unvaccinated

Washington

&#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/saturday-night-live" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Saturday Night Live</a>&#8221; alum Jim Breuer said he&#8217;s &#8220;100 percent not&#8221; political after being slammed for questioning what he called the COVID &#8220;puppet masters&#8221; when it comes to the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/covid-19-vaccine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vaccine</a>.
During the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/snl-alum-jim-breuer-cancels-shows-at-venues-requiring-vaccine-slams-segregation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">55-year-old</a> comedian&#8217;s recent appearance on &#8220;The Glenn Beck&#8221; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYYIJ52J8tg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">podcast</a>, the host asked Breuer about the &#8220;kind of price&#8221; he&#8217;s paid for being called political, according to <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/shows/glenn-beck-podcast/when-did-medicine-become-political-jim-breuer-doesn-t-care-if-you-think-his-comedy-is-too-political?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Blaze</a>.
&#8220;What blows my mind is how many people say, &#8216;Oh, you’re political now,’” Breuer explained. &#8220;I ask them, what part is political? First, I&#8217;m talking about you trying to stick a needle in me. Is that political or did you get conned and brainwashed to think it&#8217;s political?”
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Jim Breuer Doesn&#039;t Care if You Think His Comedy Is Too Political | The Glenn Beck Podcast | Ep 154" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TYYIJ52J8tg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
&#8220;When is medicine political?&#8221; he added, noting how he&#8217;s been labeled a &#8220;conspiracy theorist&#8221; because he questioned the efficacy of the vaccine. &#8220;I&#8217;m not. I&#8217;m 100% not [political],” Breuer said.
&#8220;When COVID kicked in, I said, &#8216;You know what? All bets are off,’” Breuer continued. &#8220;I already knew I wasn&#8217;t in control. But now, not only am I not in control from the natural order of life, but now the puppet masters that are in control just let us all know, &#8216;You know, we&#8217;ll decide when you can do things and what you have to do to go back to your natural pleasures.’”
The stand-up comedian said it all made him realize there&#8217;s no longer &#8220;time to worry about what people think of me.&#8221;
&#8220;I know where I&#8217;m at in life,&#8221; Breuer shared. &#8220;I know where I&#8217;m at spiritually. I know where I&#8217;m at with my family. I know where I&#8217;m at in life.&#8221;
Beck replied that having such a realization has &#8220;tremendous power&#8221; and said it “spooks the hell out of people.&#8221;
&#8220;But it shouldn&#8217;t!&#8221; the comedian exclaimed. &#8220;I&#8217;m excited that other people get this &#8230; they&#8217;re stuck. We ain&#8217;t got time for stuck. To me, this is the time of, &#8216;You gotta rise.&#8217; For years and years and years, you allow fear to control your life. Fear of dying. Fear of I might get sick &#8230; everything&#8217;s based out of fear. It&#8217;s time for the fearless. It&#8217;s time for the fearless.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ill-never-be-mad-at-god-snl-alum-jim-breuer-gets-emotional-talking-faith-wifes-cancer-diagnosis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8216;I&#8217;ll Never Be Mad At God&#8217;: &#8216;SNL&#8217; Alum Jim Breuer Gets Emotional Talking Faith, Wife&#8217;s Cancer Diagnosis</a>

Jim Breuer-2

‘Saturday Night Live’ Alum Says He’s ‘100 Percent Not’ Political After Being Slammed For Questioning COVID ‘Puppet Masters’

Celebrities

comedian

Entertainment

Glenn Beck

The time has come for employers to stop mandating COVID vaccines and boosters for their employees as a condition of employment. 
At worst, these policies have forced employees nationwide to become vaccinated under threat of immediate termination, with few exceptions for medical or religious reasons. At best, the policies have resulted in the banishment of noncompliant employees to the solitude of their homes, where they work without knowing if or when they will be allowed back to their offices to see their colleagues, clients, and friends.
As an employment lawyer with a master’s degree in public health (obtained during the height of the pandemic), I have supported the widespread use of COVID vaccines and related safety measures. I am vaccinated and boosted myself and do not regret making those decisions. My vaccinations and boosters, however, did not stop me from coming down with COVID earlier this year.
Regardless of one’s thinking on COVID vaccines in general, several developments over the past eight months have shifted the analysis regarding workplace vaccine mandates. When taken into consideration, I believe these developments make a strong case for why employers should now reverse course and rescind their mandates. After all, the scientific community would tell us that when information changes, our response should change accordingly. To do otherwise would be to ignore science.
First, the currently available vaccines do little to prevent infection, i.e., little to prevent someone from catching COVID. This is because the vaccines have not kept pace with the newer COVID variants currently circulating throughout the country and world. There is therefore no longer any legitimate reason, under employment law or the principles of public health practice, to discharge or otherwise discipline someone over a refusal to get vaccinated or boosted, regardless of whether they otherwise have a good reason for an exemption. 
Second, and equally important, we are experiencing a shortage of employees to fill the many open jobs across the nation. Firing and disciplining non-compliant employees, or not hiring them in the first place, because they refuse to get a vaccine that is now of little use in preventing an infection is both scientifically unjustified and economically negligent. This is especially true for companies that allow workers to telecommute yet still seek to enforce vaccine mandates.
Even medical employers have stopped requiring their patient-facing employees to get vaccinated and boosted. Some of the nation’s most liberal school districts have similarly rescinded their mandates, for both teachers and students. If medical and educational institutions recognize the shortcomings of the current vaccines, America’s major corporations should be no different. 
It is time to act responsibly, put politics aside, and remove another issue that needlessly divides the country. That is not to say that the scientific community should give up on developing new, more effective vaccines. This can still be accomplished without threatening employees’ livelihoods over something that, at least for now, has been proven quite unnecessary.
John-Paul Singh Deol is Partner and Head of Employment Law at the Dhillon Law Group and has extensive experience representing C-level and VP-level executives.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

hand of Doctor wearing surgical glove and certify Vaccination card and passport for first dose Vaccine Covid-19 (coronavirus)

Here’s Why The COVID Vaccine Mandates For Employees Need To End

Podcaster Joe Rogan reacted to Brian Stelter leaving CNN and said “they&#8217;re all on the chopping block” at the network because they &#8220;suck at their job.&#8221;
During Friday&#8217;s episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/5xCeuH6zui8r27ImExB6K6?si=jfAhALdaQjy-BCSNs_GoBQ">podcast</a>, the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/get-the-f-out-of-here-joe-rogan-says-health-dept-showed-up-in-his-studio-in-la-amid-covid-enforcement">host</a> talked with former New York Times reporter and author Alex Berenson about <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-rogan">Rogan</a> being attacked by CNN for taking “horse dewormer” after he tested positive for the coronavirus in 2021 and the recent layoffs at the network.
“And one of the things that drove me nuts about when they were so mad at me about COVID,” Rogan shared. “Forget about the fact that CNN literally used a filter on my face to make me look jaundiced.”
“We&#8217;ve showed side-by-side clips of the original video that I posted on Instagram,” he said. “And then they took that and put it through a filter that made me look yellow.”
“But all those people are gone now, which is hilarious,” he added. “All those CNN people.”
Berenson replied, “Brian Stelter &#8230; boop.”
“Yeah,” Rogan replied. “They&#8217;re all on the chopping block. Don Lemon&#8217;s on the chopping block. Jim Acosta. They&#8217;re all on their way out. Which is hilarious. But they should because they suck at their job. It has nothing to do with what they did to me.”
The host then showed the original CNN clip to Berenson, who replied that Rogan looked “like the Hulk.”
“Yeah, it&#8217;s crazy,” the podcaster shared. “They wanted to make me look like dog s***. They wanted to make me look like I&#8217;d been smoking &#8230;”
Berenson replied, “Oh, I remember that, horse dewormer!”
Rogan responded saying, “yes,  &#8216;praises horse dewormer,&#8217;” in relation to what CNN had said about him. “Meanwhile, I didn&#8217;t praise it. This is what I did. I listed the things that I took and I said I&#8217;m way better in three days. In five days I was negative. No one cared about that.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-brian-stelter-out-at-cnn-after-network-cancels-his-show">CNN</a> recently announced <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rogan-torches-brian-stelter-cnn-do-you-listen-to-other-people-they-talk-very-differently-than-you">Stelter</a> was leaving the company and his media show “Reliable Sources&#8221; would come to an end on August 21, as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-brian-stelter-out-at-cnn-after-network-cancels-his-show">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported.
Rogan consistently proves he&#8217;s not afraid to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/you-guys-out-of-your-fing-mind-he-cant-talk-right-anymore-joe-rogan-talks-biden-decline-history-of-lying">tackle any issue</a>, speaking about everything from how President Joe Biden “can’t talk right anymore” to calling out <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chris-rocks-doing-his-fing-job-joe-rogan-blasts-will-smith-after-he-assaulted-rock-at-oscars">Will Smith</a> for slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars for just doing his “f***ing job.”
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/theyre-fed-joe-rogan-says-canada-is-communist-now-being-led-by-a-fing-dictator">&#8216;They&#8217;re F***ed&#8217;: Joe Rogan Says &#8216;Canada Is Communist&#8217; Now, Being Led By A &#8216;F***ing Dictator&#8217;</a>

Joe Rogan

‘They Suck At Their Job’: Joe Rogan Says After Stelter Canned, ‘They’re All On The Chopping Block’

Brian Stelter

Don Lemon

Megyn Kelly opened her show Wednesday with a brutal takedown of Dr. Anthony Fauci and why she believed he should never be in a position of power again. “Good riddance,” she said, adding that he would “not be missed.”
During SiriusXM&#8217;s “The Megyn Kelly Show” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FShh16xQops" target="_blank" rel="noopener">podcast</a> — following the news the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-fauci-reveals-he-will-retire-this-year-pursue-next-chapter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resigning</a> from his roles in the federal government in December — the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/this-is-a-disgrace-megyn-kelly-blasts-upenn-for-nominating-lia-thomas-as-ncaa-woman-of-the-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">host</a> played clips of all the lies she said Fauci had told during the pandemic that have since been proven true.
“The truth is that Dr. Fauci, who had a greater hand than anyone in causing Americans to lose their jobs, years of learning, and even their lives — thanks to the social and economic upheaval he helped foist upon us during the pandemic — ought to be ashamed to show his face in polite society,” Kelly explained. “Instead the man is self-congratulatory.”
She played a clip of Fauci talking about his integrity and truth. She responded to it saying, “truth, that&#8217;s a joke. As even he has inadvertently admitted. He lied about his views on masks for example. Saying we didn&#8217;t need them. Which happened to be true. Then saying we did. And that he only lied earlier to preserve them for medical workers.”
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Megyn Kelly Says &quot;Good Riddance&quot; Dr. Fauci and Reveals the Truth About His Lies" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FShh16xQops?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen title="Megyn Kelly Says "Good Riddance" Dr. Fauci and Reveals the Truth About His Lies"></iframe>
The host noted that studies proving otherwise by the CDC were then ignored by Fauci and any criticism of his “edicts” were declared “anti-science.” She said that in May of 2020 the director admitted the “real reason he wanted us all masked” was because they were a “symbol.”
“‘Wear my symbol, serfs,’” Kelly exclaimed, in character as Fauci. “‘Wear two of them in fact.’ He later thought double masking were, quote, common sense. ‘Efff you and eff your kids, I am the science.’”
“Now he says, ‘these weren&#8217;t lies, it wasn&#8217;t a flip-flop, it was just the evolution of facts,’” she added. “What science evolved on the wearing of masks? Something you admit you knew you were lying about at the time you first publicly commented. What science evolved on the vaccination level needed to allegedly get us to herd immunity?”
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/abandoning-reality-megyn-kelly-puts-feminist-group-on-blast-when-it-makes-nonsense-claim-about-trans-women-and-women" target="_blank" rel="noopener">host</a> pointed out that Fauci once said that herd immunity would be reached when “we got to 70 percent” vaccinated only to later change his mind and state it would be at 80 to 85 percent.
“He said he changed the number when he thought the public would tolerate a greater percentage,” the former Fox News host answered her own question. “Another lie that he admitted to. This wasn&#8217;t the evolution of anything, besides Anthony Fauci&#8217;s con.”
“He mocked the idea of natural immunity, eliminating the need for his beloved, mandatory vaccines,” she added. “Despite admitting years earlier that natural immunity is in fact the gold standard. His unexplained reversal cost millions their livelihoods. As of October of 2021, 5 percent of unvaccinated adults said they had lost a job due to a vaccine mandate, according to the Kaiser Foundation.”
“But Fauci&#8217;s biggest lie was told under oath when he testified before Congress that his group at the NIH [National Institute of Health] never funded gain of function research in Wuhan, China,” Kelly continued. “The kind that experiments on bat coronavirus to try to make them more lethal or more transmissible in humans.”
The host said despite Fauci&#8217;s denial, the “NIH was later forced to admit in writing &#8230; that it had indeed funded” the research in China.
The host said Fauci worked with the White House to “encourage censorship” on the tech platform against anyone questioning his claims. She then focused on the “irreparable harm” done to children who were forced to remain out of school for two years under his guidance, as she said Fauci to this day is “indifferent to the harm that he helped cause.”
“The learning loss especially among poor kids, does he care about them?” Kelly asked. “The suicidality of isolated teenagers, many of whom unfortunately, succeeded in taking their own lives. The lack of language development and social skills in kids forced to mask for the better of two years all because they wore his symbol.”
“We should pray this guy never gets near another grant or health group again in his life,” Kelly concluded in her 19 minute takedown. “He has destroyed the trust in public health. His decisions have hurt countless numbers of people &#8230; and we did indeed suffer irreparable harm sir, whether you care to admit it or not. Good riddance Dr. Fauci. You are not truth and you will not be missed.”

Key Speakers At Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Conference

‘Good Riddance’: Megyn Kelly Drops Brutal Takedown Of Dr. Fauci, ‘You Are Not Truth And You Will Not Be Missed’

Anthony Fauci

Megyn Kelly

At times like these, the world of sports can seem inconsequential, providing little more than the circus portion of the “bread and circuses” craved by any late-stage empire.
With that said, though, we need to talk about Aaron Rodgers. The four-time NFL MVP might just be the best football player on the planet. He’s also one weird dude.
Rodgers briefly became a beacon of freedom and individualism amidst a lockstep league last <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/11/05/aaron-rodgers-coronavirus-vaccines/">November</a> when he revealed his vaccination status (unjabbed) and then decried the woke mob that subsequently descended upon him with cancellation on their minds. Rodgers had described himself as “immunized” during a 2021 training camp interview. This was technically accurate, given that he had contracted COVID and had a degree of natural immunity. But the mob, sensing an opportunity for a prominent scalp, seized on that assertion as evidence that Rodgers had lied about his vaccination status and pushed for his banishment from polite society. 
In an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Rodgers eloquently responded by stating his case, cleverly appropriating the left’s “my body, my choice” mantra. “I’m not some sort of anti-vax, flat-earther,” Rodgers said. “I believe strongly in bodily autonomy and the ability to make choices for your body, not to have to acquiesce to some sort of woke culture or crazed individuals who say you have to do something.”
The Left promptly pounced and seized &#8211; something they’re always accusing the Right of doing.
An early-November <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/nov/06/aaron-rodgers-covid-interview-vaccine-hesistanccy">article</a> in The Guardian ran the headline: “Anti-vaxxer Aaron Rodgers’ spectacular fall from grace happened in record time.” That article closed with this triumphant assertion: “Rodgers will never compete for the title of most-liked player in the league again and he has nobody but himself to blame. Not all defeats in the NFL happen on the field.”
Three months later, Rodgers was hoisting his second straight NFL MVP award and fourth overall, even as the vaccine’s reputation for efficacy was imploding like a condemned Vegas casino. Some fall from grace.
Many on our side, so desperate for like-minded souls, adopted the Packers quarterback as one of us after seeing Rodgers’ brave stance as an oasis of sanity in a common-sense desert. And the passage of time proving the poor performance of the vaccine — embodied by our vaxxed, boosted and COVID-ridden commander in chief — have largely vindicated Rodgers’ stance.
But Rodgers is anything but a conservative standard-bearer. On the contrary — the guy is currently letting his freak flag fly. And as usual, conservatives’ knee-jerk embrace of a controversial figure on the basis of some minuscule slice of common ground has backfired.
Rodgers’ personal life, always a source of intrigue due to his estrangement from his family of origin, has taken a turn for the exotic and esoteric.
A serial dater of celebrities — such as Olivia Munn, Danica Patrick, and Shailene Woodley— Rodgers has, for the moment, eschewed the celebrity dating game in favor of a mystic woman named “Blu of Earth.” Blu is the founder of a “modern mystery school for women to reclaim the magical, radically authentic, wise, wild, unapologetic you.
He showed up to training camp looking like Nicolas Cage from “Con Air” and sporting a wildly elaborate left-arm <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/07/31/packers-qb-aaron-rodgers-elaborates-on-his-offseason-tattoo/">tattoo</a> that could be generously described as “mysterious” and less generously as “bizarre” or even “Satanic” — complete with Zodiac symbols and an all-seeing eye. To add a cherry to this eccentricity sundae, Rodgers recently <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2022/08/03/aaron-rodgers-opens-up-about-psychedelic-use-ayahuasca-mental-health-podcast">opened up</a> about his experiences with the psychoactive drug ayahuasca, citing it as an important component in his journey of healing and self-love. Alrighty then.
So what to make of Rodgers? Icon of freedom or self-absorbed weirdo?
First of all, there’s no denying that Rodgers is great at what he does. He makes throws that no other quarterback can make. While he may suffer in comparisons with Tom Brady due to a relative lack of postseason success, he has labored for his entire career in the NFL’s smallest market (by far) with a franchise that hasn’t exactly broken the bank to surround him with weapons. His excellence has allowed him to pile up the honors — he’s one MVP award shy of Peyton Manning’s record of five — while earning the undying respect of his peers and opponents.
And yes, he did take a stand for freedom at some degree of risk to his professional and personal reputation.
My suggestion: Don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater when people like Rodgers are concerned. Embrace those points of agreement where they exist, but don’t fall into the Left’s trap of equating common ground with total endorsement.
Aaron Rodgers is a phenomenal football player and a supporter of personal freedom. That’s enough for me. 
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Daily Wire.

Wells – NFL’s Aaron Rodgers Is One Weird Dude

He’s A Four-Time NFL MVP And One Weird Dude

Aaron Rodgers

Not allowing Novak Djokovic into the country to play the U.S. Open reveals a new level of government policy becoming laughably passé. Health officials should use the current controversy to change course and admit out loud what everybody already knows: COVID is with us to stay. Let’s act and plan accordingly.
We have officially reached the peak of Mount Absurdity.
Arguably the greatest tennis player in the world today, chasing history and seeking to ascend the Mount Olympus of his sport &#8211; with COVID antibodies running through his veins no less, &#8211; Novak Djokovic is not going to be allowed to compete at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in just a few weeks.
This policy would make sense if we could vaccinate our way out of <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_dailycases">COVID waves of mass infection</a>. Clearly, we cannot. This policy would make sense if Djokovic was any type of threat to the public health of Americans. Clearly, he is not. This policy would make sense if it was shown to have the smallest tincture of efficacy against COVID variants taking hold in the United States. Clearly, it cannot.
Heck, this policy would make the slightest iota of sense &#8211; and I mean very slight &#8211; if it was part of an international consortium of countries attempting to create a consensus of how to respond to international travel.
I was an ardent believer in the vaccines early on. I still believe it makes sense to get one if you are older or have health problems. But no one in their right mind who looks at the current level of <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/05/04/1096412194/whats-up-with-the-new-omicron-variants">vaccine efficacy in preventing infections</a> can conclude that Djokovic is at any type of risk. Does anybody think Djokovic is going to test positive and end up in the hospital or on a ventilator? What about the fact that we are in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html">the midst of yet another surge</a>? Doesn’t prudence dictate taking a cautious approach? Even the New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/21/briefing/ba5-covid-surge-paxlovid.html">now admits</a>, “evidence suggests that BA.5 does not cause more severe disease than other Omicron variants&#8230;Instead, the percentage of Covid cases leading to bad outcomes is declining.”
No less a tennis authority than John McEnroe <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/john-mcenroe-novak-djokovic-should-play-us-open">weighed in</a> as he performed commentary duties during Wimbledon: “These politicians are getting in the way too much. They did it in Australia. Let’s let the guy come in and play in the U.S. I mean come on. This is ridiculous,&#8221; McEnroe said while Djokovic waved to the crowd at the All England Club. “But I don’t make those decisions. I hope someone makes the right one and allows him to play. That’s my personal opinion.&#8221;
On July 20, U.S. Open organizers <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/sports/us-open-confirms-novak-djokovic-wont-be-able-to-play-unless-he-gets-vaccinated-195559057.html">released a statement</a> about the current Djokovic controversy. In part it reads, “The U.S. Open does not have a vaccination mandate in place for players, but it will respect the U.S. government’s position regarding travel into the country for unvaccinated non-U.S. citizens.”
But the position of the U.S. government is wholly anchored in the misbegotten, and frankly outdated, belief that restricting unvaccinated international travelers from entering the country will somehow translate into less severe waves of infection in the United States. As was <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/unvaccinated-fans-can-attend-us-open-why-cant-novak-djokovic-opinion-1726487">noted in Newsweek,</a> unvaccinated and unmasked fans will be allowed to congregate by the thousands for two weeks at the U.S. Open, but the greatest player in the world in pursuit of its greatest historic prize, cannot show up to play in front of them?
In the always rational world of Twitter, some Djokovic enthusiasts earnestly wonder aloud if he is being targeted, if there is a Rafael Nadal cabal deep inside the American government trying to tilt tennis history and give an unfair advantage to the Spaniard in their historic race for the most Grand Slam titles. Of course, this policy of not allowing unvaccinated foreigners into the country applies to all foreigners, not just Djokovic. So, no conspiracy here. That said, many point to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-unvaccinated-novak-djokovic-facing-deportation-from-australia-after-visa-canceled-a-second-time">the saga that ensued in Australia</a> in January as proof of Djokovic’s mistreatment by government authorities around the world. Even Nick Kyrgios, who up to that point had been a <a href="https://people.com/sports/nick-kyrgios-responds-novak-djokovic-said-didnt-have-much-respect-for-him/">brutal critic</a> of Djokovic, <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/1546116492915343360">found his own government’s policies</a> and treatment of Djokovic to be <a href="https://twitter.com/NickKyrgios/status/1479315449271619586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1479315449271619586%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwwos.nine.com.au%2Ftennis%2Fnick-kyrgios-defends-novak-djokovic-australian-open-2022-news-updates%2F5eddaf2d-3165-4e19-91f9-9cb85335ecec">reprehensible</a>. The two have since happily ended their feud and Djokovic <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAPqnH1vKK0">admitted to a “bromance</a>” during the awards ceremony after the Wimbledon final.
So, what is really going on here?
Government officials are well aware they cannot prevent or even slow the spread of new variants. They inadvertently admitted as much when they decided to <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/international-travel/index.html">abandon testing requirements </a>for Americans re-entering the country. If they know the vaccines don’t prevent infection of the current BA.5 variant, and they also allow Americans to enter the country who might well be infected, what sense does it make to continue a policy that doesn’t allow unvaccinated foreigners into the country? If the American government wanted to save a patina of face it could force the unvaccinated to take a test before entering the country or allow them to provide evidence of natural immunity. But even that doesn’t appear to be on the table.
The Djokovic brouhaha is emblematic of modern bureaucracy’s pernicious habit of attempting to show it is “doing something,” even if everybody knows this something is utterly pointless. Modern statecraft has re-oriented itself to be endlessly responsive, hyper sensitive to the changing landscape of civil society. This is a worldview which perpetuates the statist belief that every problem must—just must!—have a policy solution.
In so doing, policy can quickly became hasty, imprudent, or in this case, laughable. Everyone is slowly coming around to the truth that Covid is with us to stay. We can mask, vaccinate, distance, and worship at the altar of Zoom meetings as much as we want. <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health-news/covid-19-cases-are-going-to-ebb-and-flow-with-or-without-restrictions">It won’t matter</a>. This is why vaccine mandates are being abandoned faster than <a href="https://time.com/6198354/netflix-subscribers-loss-second-quarter-future/">Netflix subscriptions</a>.
Let Djokovic play. He won’t hurt anyone. Let’s use this as a chance to abandon an outdated policy and be truly responsive to both science and the public.
Jeremy S. Adams is the author of the recently-released Amazon best-selling book Hollowed Out: A Warning About America&#8217;s Next Generation. He has taught American civics for 24 years in Bakersfield, California and was the 2014 California Teacher of the Year (DAR). You can follow him on Twitter @JeremyAdams6.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

U.S. Open

COVID Is Here To Stay, Let Djokovic Play

Novak Djokovic

Tennis

The first case of polio in the United States in nearly a decade was identified in New York Thursday.
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-york">New York</a> State and Rockland County Departments of Health confirmed Thursday that a case of polio had been identified in Rockland County. State health officials said that the virus likely originated outside the U.S., as the particular strain of the virus they identified was transmitted by a person who received an oral polio vaccine, which is no longer used in the U.S.
&#8220;The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and the Rockland County Department of Health today alerted the public to a case of polio in a Rockland County resident,&#8221; officials wrote in a <a href="https://health.ny.gov/press/releases/2022/2022-07-21_polio_rockland_county.htm">statement</a> Thursday. &#8220;State and County health officials are advising medical practitioners and healthcare providers to be vigilant for additional cases.&#8221;
The statement notes that the polio virus typically spreads orally, usually through contact with fecal matter from an infected person, or hands contaminated by fecal matter. The disease can also spread through mouth-to-mouth contact or saliva. The disease itself, called poliomyelitis, attacks the nervous system. Symptoms can be mild and flu-like, including fatigue, muscle pain, muscle weakness, fever, and stiffness. In rare cases, it can also cause paralysis and even death. Symptoms do not typically appear for up to 30 days, during which time an infected person can still transmit the disease to others.
The disease became extremely rare with the advent of the polio <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/vaccines">vaccine</a>. The vaccine was introduced in 1955, and a national vaccination program was conducted in the 1950s and 60s. The last naturally occurring case in the United States occurred in 1979, the statement noted. The last known case was recorded by the CDC in 2013. According to the <a href="https://polioeradication.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/weekly-polio-analyses-WPV-20220503.pdf">World Health Organization</a>, there were six cases of polio in three countries in 2021, and there have been just three cases between January and May of this year.
Officials said this case likely originated outside the U.S. in a country that uses an oral vaccine. &#8220;In this case, sequencing performed by the Wadsworth Center – NYSDOH&#8217;s public health laboratory – and confirmed by CDC showed revertant polio Sabin type 2 virus,&#8221; the statement reported. &#8220;This is indicative of a transmission chain from an individual who received the oral polio vaccine (OPV), which is no longer authorized or administered in the U.S., where only the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) has been given since 2000. This suggests that the virus may have originated in a location outside of the U.S. where OPV is administered, since revertant strains cannot emerge from inactivated vaccines.&#8221;
State health officials said they were cooperating with Rockland County and New York City Health Officials to continue investigating the case. They are also urging individuals to get vaccinated against polio. Rockland County announced in the statement that it would be opening a polio vaccination clinic Friday, July 22, and a second clinic on Monday, July 25.
&#8220;Based on what we know about this case, and polio in general, the Department of Health strongly recommends that unvaccinated individuals get vaccinated or boosted with the FDA-approved IPV polio vaccine as soon as possible,&#8221; New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said. &#8220;The polio vaccine is safe and effective, protecting against this potentially debilitating disease, and it has been part of the backbone of required, routine childhood immunizations recommended by health officials and public health agencies nationwide.&#8221;

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