The world’s first anti-vaccination movement spread fears of half-cow babies

ANTIVAX-HISTORY – The world’s first anti-vaccination movement spread fears of half-cow babies. 1,240 words, by Jess McHugh (Post special). Two photos.

In the early 19th century, British people finally had access to the first vaccine in history, one that promised to protect them from smallpox, among the deadliest diseases of the era. Many Britons were skeptical of the vaccine, however, with fears extending well beyond the fatigue and sore arm that go along with many modern shots. The side effects they dreaded were far more terrifying: blindness, deafness, ulcers, a gruesome skin condition called “cowpox mange” – even sprouting hoofs and horns…

Source: The world’s first anti-vaccination movement spread fears of half-cow babies

Opinion | Why the pandemic is not over yet – The Washington Post

Plenty of smart people are putting forward the narrative that the pandemic is essentially over. This is understandable; after all, it’s hard to blame anyone for feeling fatigued after 20 months of the same health crisis.

But the sentiment is misguided. There’s much more reason to suspect the pandemic is not done yet.

Even after the recent decline in cases, Americans are dying from covid-19 at the pace of 440,000 a year. Deaths from the opioid epidemic, by contrast, reached almost 70,000 last year. Covid-19 is still here and spreading fast…

Source: Opinion | Why the pandemic is not over yet – The Washington Post

Alex Jones Guilty in Sandy Hook Defamation Suits – The New York Times

Mr. Jones for years spread bogus theories that the shooting that killed 20 first graders and six educators was a government-led plot to confiscate Americans’ firearms and that the victims’ families were “actors” in the scheme.

The Sandy Hook families maintain that Mr. Jones profited from spreading lies about their relatives’ murders. Mr. Jones has disputed that, while for years failing to produce sufficient records to bolster his claims.

Juries in both states will next decide how much Mr. Jones should pay the families in damages, atop court costs. Those trials are scheduled for next year in both states.

Mr. Jones for years spread bogus theories that the shooting that killed 20 first graders and six educators was a government-led plot to confiscate Americans’ firearms and that the victims’ families were “actors” in the scheme. The Sandy Hook families maintain that Mr. Jones profited from spreading lies about their relatives’ murders. Mr. Jones has disputed that, while for years failing to produce sufficient records to bolster his claims. Juries in both states will next decide how much Mr. Jones should pay the families in damages, atop court costs. Those trials are scheduled for next year in both states.

“So, You Have an Ostomy”: The Complexity of Coping —Part 1 — lights camera crohn’s — Chen Song Ping

“So, You Have an Ostomy”: The Complexity of Coping —Part 1 — lights camera crohn’s – tells about experiences of life after ostomy surgery and quality of life living a stoma and a stoma bag.

“So, You Have an Ostomy”: The Complexity of Coping —Part 1 — lights camera crohn’s — Chen Song Ping

Flu shots uptake is now partisan. It didn’t use to be. – CNNPolitics (Me: Political pandemic and Covid-19DeathCult spreads further… will kill more)

According to the Ipsos data, 68% of Democrats said they have gotten a flu shot or are very likely to get one. Just 44% of Republicans said the same. This 24-point gap is very similar to the 30-point gap for Covid-19 vaccines.
The Kaiser poll shows basically the same thing. A clear majority (65%) of Democrats indicated that they had received or will definitely receive the flu shot. Just 40% of Republicans indicated they would. The 25-point partisan gap in this data is a near carbon copy of the 24-point gap in the Ipsos poll.
Now compare this data to what we saw in past years — specifically, in the years before the Covid-19 pandemic took its hold.
An AP-NORC poll in February 2020 asked adults whether they had received a flu shot in the last 12 months. In this poll, 58% of Democrats said they had compared to 54% of Republicans. This 4-point gap is well within any margin of error.
A Princeton Survey Research Associates International from the second half of 2016 queried adults about whether they had gotten a flu shot in the past year. This poll looked nearly identical to the 2020 poll with 55% of Democrats and 53% of Republicans saying they had gotten a flu shot in the last 12 months.
In other words, there was no partisan gap.

Source: Flu shots uptake is now partisan. It didn’t use to be. – CNNPolitics

What Aaron Rodgers Should See: Covid Pain in a Wisconsin E.R. – The New York Times

“If the vaccine is so great,” Rodgers said in an interview with a radio host who is a friend of his, “how come people are still getting Covid and spreading Covid and unfortunately dying from Covid?”

Apparently, Rodgers missed the memo that while they are not foolproof, the vaccines are close to 90 percent effective and by far the best tools we have to beat back this plague.

Rodgers has been spewing other falsehoods about the virus and its treatments. So maybe he should spend time with Dr. Kyle Martin. He’s the medical director of emergency services at St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, Wis., and he also works at two hospitals in rural parts of the state.

“We’re still very much in a crisis,” Dr. Martin, a self-described N.F.L. superfan, said when we spoke this week. “People are still dying in large numbers. And our health system, it’s stressed to the max.”

Covid-19 burns hot in Wisconsin, where it is now primarily a disease of the unvaccinated, many who clearly take their cues from celebrities like Rodgers.