So, got some good news about vaccines for kids under five down there, which is awesome. But, uh, has anyone else noticed that the story about vaccines has really changed a lot?
Like, they’ve kind of just completely stopped talking about whether or not they have any effectiveness at preventing you from getting COVID-19 entirely, haven’t they? They still do a great job at preventing death, serious illness and hospitalization – so far – but nobody’s talking about not catching COVID at all anymore.
Shouldn’t we be hearing about updated vaccines by now? Or maybe entirely new 2.0 version vaccines? Or even more boosters for everyone?
Speaking of, Omicron BA.1, BA.1.1 and BA.2 seems to have burned through fairly quickly, but we’re obviously in the midst of yet another surge (ours so far seems to be made up of BA.2 and variations thereof) and I haven’t heard a single peep about, y’know, mitigation efforts. Not to mention we’ve got some nasty new Omicron variations on deck (BA.4, BA.5), and no one’s really talking about those.
Guys, I know we’re tired. I’m so exhausted with this, I can’t even tell you. But we don’t get to just ignore it.
🐘 CBS News: Hungary’s Orban opens CPAC by telling conservatives “we need to coordinate the movement” of allies – CPAC, the major conservative convention that happens every year, just held an event in Hungary, which is run by a fascist government. I’m sure it’s technically possible that there are conservatives/Republicans who aren’t fascist or fascist-curious, but if there are any left, they sure are deep in hiding.
💉 New York Times: Pfizer says three doses of its vaccine produce a strong response in the youngest children. – This is great news, unequivocally. Three shots are 80% effective in preventing symptomatic infection in kids 6 months to 5 years old.
🤷♀️ The Guardian: Capitol attack panel to hold six public hearings as it aims to show how Trump broke law – I’m not sure I see a point to this. Anyone who would watch this probably already knows or has guessed anything they have to say. Anyone who needs to hear this won’t watch, and wouldn’t believe any of it if they did. No one who should seems to be going to jail because of these hearings, as far as I can tell. Do they think it’s going to affect mid-terms? Prevent Trump from running in 2024?
🤬 Slate: A Rude Awakening – Alison Green, who writes the extremely popular work-advice blog, Ask A Manager, has a little article here about the horror show customer-facing people are dealing with.
🥜 Lifehacker: Throw Out These Recalled Jif Peanut Butters ‘Immediately,’ FDA Says – There’s a bunch of Jif peanut butter products with salmonella. Check your PB now and make sure you don’t have any of the contaminated products. You can see the full list here.
Notes & Thoughts 