"Clotty", Pfizer's New Mascot

 

Read more about it by going here.

Oh-oh!

Above, yours truly with Martin Link last January. Photo by Russell Azbill.

A few minutes ago, I received word that the Martin Link Gallup supper group member Bob Weeks is in the hospital with COVID.  I think he mentioned before that he was vaccinated. 

It was a good thing that I didn't attend Sunday's dinner at his home due to allergy issues, but there is a possibility that those who did may have contracted it. Hopefully not. I was with one attendee's husband today at Denny's. If she got exposed to it, then he may also be exposed to it through his wife. Again, hopefully not.

I don't think that I should be too concerned since I have been fully vaccinated, including two boosters (Pfizer). Generally, symptoms show up anywhere between 3 to 14 days from exposure (give or take). 

Roger, one of our gang in Jamestown, came down with it months ago and we didn't catch it from him. Hopefully, we'll have dodged a bullet again. Knock on wood!

We'll just have to wait and see.

FDA Approves 2nd Booster

This shouldn't be much of a surprise to those of us who have been paying attention. The Food and Drug Administration has authorized a second COVID-19 booster.

I had the first booster in October. I am not sure if I am getting a second one. I'll have to mull it over.

According to the Gateway Pundit:

The Food and Drug Administration announced on Tuesday that it authorized another Covid-19 booster shot of the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines for people 50 and older and certain immunocompromised individuals.

That means four doses of the mRNA vaccine within a 2-year span. Is this the beginning of annual Covid shots?

To read more, go here.

New Pfizer CEO: 4th Booster "Is Necessary"

Here we go again.

The Pfizer CEO is now saying that a fourth booster shot is necessary to keep hospitalizations more manageable and sickness more mild.

In the interests of full disclosure, I had my third Pfizer booster last October.

From The Hill:

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said on Sunday that a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will be necessary to continue to help keep hospitalizations manageable and sicknesses more mild. 

"Right now, the way that we have seen, it is necessary, a fourth booster right now. The protection that you are getting from the third, it is good enough, actually quite good for hospitalizations and deaths," Bourla said while appearing on CBS's "Face the Nation."

"It's not that good against infections but doesn't last very long. But we are just submitting those data to the FDA [Food and Drug Administration], and then we will see what the experts also will say outside Pfizer," he added.

In August, the FDA fully approved Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for people at least 16 years old or older. A third dose of Pfizer's vaccine has been granted emergency use authorization.

Bourla told CNBC on Saturday of his company's plans to submit data for a fourth COVID-19 dose.

What's next? Quarterly boosters?

To read more, go here. 

Why So Many Vaccinated People Getting COVID-19?

The omicron variant of the coronavirus seems to be spreading like wildfire. It especially raged during the holiday season.

People are wondering why so many vaccinated people are getting COVID-19 lately. AP News gives some answers.

They reported:

Why are so many vaccinated people getting COVID-19 lately?

A couple of factors are at play, starting with the emergence of the highly contagious omicron variant. Omicron is more likely to infect people, even if it doesn’t make them very sick, and its surge coincided with the holiday travel season in many places.

People might mistakenly think the COVID-19 vaccines will completely block infection, but the shots are mainly designed to prevent severe illness, says Louis Mansky, a virus researcher at the University of Minnesota.

And the vaccines are still doing their job on that front, particularly for people who’ve gotten boosters.

Two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine still offer strong protection against serious illness from omicron. While those initial doses aren’t very good at blocking omicron infection, boosters — particularly with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines — rev up levels of the antibodies to help fend off infection.

I got my two Pfizer shots in February and my booster in October. So far, so good.

To read more, go here. 

Pfizer, BioNTech Vaccine Neutralizes Omicron With Three Shots

Praise the Lord!

It appears that I am well-protected from the Omicron variant of coronavirus, if the following is to be believed.

Reuters reported that three doses of the Pfizer vaccine is enough to neutralize the Omicron variant, according the lab tests.

They reported:

Dec 8 (Reuters) - BioNTech and Pfizer (PFE.N) said on Wednesday a three-shot course of their COVID-19 vaccine was able to neutralise the new Omicron variant in a laboratory test and they could deliver an Omicron-based vaccine in March 2022 if needed.

In the first official statement from vaccine manufacturers on the likely efficacy of their shot against Omicron, BioNTech and Pfizer said that two vaccine doses resulted in significantly lower neutralising antibodies but that a third dose of their vaccine increased the neutralising antibodies by a factor of 25.

I had my initial Pfizer vaccinations in February and got the booster in October. I had no ill effects each time, save for a sore arm at the vaccination site.

To read more, go here. 

Pfizer Hid From Public The Number of Deaths In COVID Clinical Trials

Back in February, I got the Pfizer vaccine (two separate shots).

Last month, I got the Pfizer booster shot.

Each were my choice and not from any government pressure. And, each time, the only reaction I had was soreness at the injection sites (I switched arms in February).

Well, there were some who were not so lucky and it was announced by Pfizer that only 15 people died during the clinical trials.

That wasn't the truth. The actual number of deaths were a little higher.

From The Gateway Pundit:

Pfizer lied about the number of individuals who died during thir COVID vaccine trials.

The actual number of deaths during the clinical trials was 21 not 16 as was originally reported.

This was four more deaths than the clinical trials control group.

So Pfizer lied about their deadly trials and just reported their greatest earnings ever.

When do the arrests start?

To read more, go here. 

Foreign Citizens Seek US-Approved Vaccines As Travel Resumes

Above, Asia Lipovetckaia and Armand at the 2016 portrait unveiling party at the Odyssey Restaurant. Photo by Lori Thornhill.

As the U.S. is opening up to foreign travelers, many of them are in a quandary. The vaccine they received, such as Sputnik V, is not recognized by the Food and Drug Administration. In order to be allowed in, they must be vaccinated with FDA-approved vaccines.

KRQE reported:

Starting Monday, the United States plans to reopen to foreign travelers who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. But there’s a catch: non-immigrant adults need to have received vaccines authorized by the Food and Drug Administration or which received an emergency use listing from the World Health Organization.

That leaves many hopeful travelers across the globe who taken full courses of vaccines widely used in other parts of the world — Sputnik V and the China-produced CanSino jab, in particular — scrambling to get reinoculated with shots approved by U.S. authorities.

Two other Chinese vaccines, Sinopharm and Sinovac, have been approved by the WHO and will thus be accepted for travel into the U.S.

While Sputnik V is used in around 70 countries worldwide, it has still not been approved by either the FDA or the U.N. health agency. Nearly 1 million people have received the vaccine in Hungary, a Central European country of around 10 million.

Hungary was one of only two countries in the 27-member European Union to roll out the Russian vaccine. Fewer than 20,000 people received it in Slovakia.

Citizens of Russia, where use of Sputnik V is most widespread, also are seeking Western-approved shots so they can travel abroad. Faced with the prospect of being turned away from flights, Russians have booked tours to Serbia, which has authorized use of the Pfizer-BioNTech, China’s Sinopharm and the AstraZeneca vaccines in addition to Sputnik V.

Russia, which unveiled Sputnik V with much fanfare as the world’s first registered vaccine in August 2020, criticized U.S. plans to leave the vaccine off its list of approved shots.

Artist Asia Lipovetckaia of St. Petersburg, Russia was planning to come to New Mexico for a 2-3 week visit, but the pandemic hit and those plans had to be scrubbed. She can come to the U.S. if she gets vaccinated by a FDA or WHO-approved vaccine. She could go to Serbia to get it as the above article stated. To date, she has not been vaccinated.

To read the full article, go here.

When You're Fully Vaccinated

Two weeks have passed since I received my Pfizer COVID-19 booster shot.

I became curious about the vaccine and booster and decided to check the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.

In a nutshell, in regards to the vaccine, the CDC says:

COVID-19 vaccines are effective at protecting you from getting sick. Based on what we know about COVID-19 vaccines, people who have been fully vaccinated can do things that they had stopped doing because of the pandemic.

These recommendations can help you make decisions about daily activities after you are fully vaccinated. They are not intended for healthcare settings.

In general, people are considered fully vaccinated: ±

• 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or 

• 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine

If you don’t meet these requirements, regardless of your age, you are NOT fully vaccinated. Keep taking all precautions until you are fully vaccinated.

 In regards to the booster (from Johns Hopkins Medicine):

What is a COVID-19 vaccine booster?

A COVID booster shot is an additional dose of a vaccine given after the protection provided by the original shot(s) has begun to decrease over time. Typically, you would get a booster after the immunity from the initial dose(s) naturally starts to wane. The booster is designed to help people maintain their level of immunity for longer.

 

The World Has Gone Crazy

The Looney Left Report

Yesterday morning, I had an appointment to get my Pfizer booster shot at the Gallup Safeway supermarket pharmacy department.

Upon arrival, I was given a form to complete that included some health-related questions.

At the top, for sex, it asks if one is male, female or other. Other?! What "other" sexes are there? Hermaphrodites, perhaps? Or is it the 50 other sexes the Democrats have created?

Really, folks, things have gotten out of hand.

It was a standard form for coronavirus vaccinations, not something Safeway cooked up. It had to have been concocted by some leftist wackos in Washington, D. C. (or maybe in Santa Fe).

The world has gone crazy!

26° Outside! Brrr!

Above, a view of the ol' homestead from down the road a week ago. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Right now, it is around 26° outside. That all depends upon where the weather report source is from. In a way, I wish I were still in Lake Havasu City as the daytime temperature there is in the 80s and the current temperature there is now 57°.

I expected this and turned on The Beast's holding tank heaters set a space heater inside it and in the GOCO Beast Barn last evening.

I had to up my thermostat inside the house as it feels a little chilly, despite having a space heater nearby. The way things are going, it won't be long when we get some more snow.

I hope the temperature warms up for when I have to into Gallup today to get my Pfizer booster shot this morning. It is just as well since I have some grocery shopping to do. 

According to the National Weather Service, this is what the week looks like:

Today

Sunny, with a high near 63. Light and variable wind becoming west 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight

Mostly clear, with a low around 34. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Thursday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. Light and variable wind becoming west 5 to 10 mph in the morning.

Thursday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 36. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Friday

Sunny, with a high near 68. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Friday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 38.

Saturday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 64.

Saturday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 38.

Sunday

Sunny, with a high near 63.

Sunday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 40.

Monday

Sunny, with a high near 68.

Monday Night

A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40.

Tuesday

A 30 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 56.

 

It's My Choice

Above, at the Rockwood Station of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad last year. Photo by Mitch Geriminsky.

When it was announced that booster shots for vaccinated people against COVID-19 would be made available, I was on the fence on whether or not I would get it. I was slightly leaning against getting it. I received the Pfizer vaccine. It's my choice. 

But, when our post office mistress Janice Casamero passed away recently from it, I changed my mind. It's my choice.

There are some anti-vaccination folk out there, with varying reasons. I don't criticize them for their stance. I am opposed to forced vaccination mandates on people. That's government infringement on people's freedom of choice. To force someone to get a vaccination or be prevented to hold a job is totally wrong. A weekly COVID-19 test is a reasonable alternative, in my view.

So, I will be getting the booster following the upcoming Lost Dutchman clampout. 

It's my choice.

Pfizer and AstraZeneca Paid Lobbyists to Direct Australia’s Leaders to Push Vaccine Mandates

When I got vaccinated back in February, it was by my choice and not from any government mandate. I got the Pfizer vaccine.

If someone does not wish to get vaccinated, I believe that it is their right not to. Many have their own reasons why. Some just have very bad reactions to vaccines in general.

It is has been revealed that some of the vaccine makers has been lobbying for mandates down in Australia.

From the Gateway Pundit:

A former Australian member of Parliament came out and said Pfizer and AstraZeneca are paying lobbyists to direct Australia’s leaders to push vaccine mandates.

Clive Palmer, leader of the United Australia Party claimed ousted New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian was told she wouldn’t be charged in a corruption probe if she imposed a vaccine mandate.

Palmer made these statements a couple weeks ago but it has garnered a lot of attention this weekend after Berejiklian resigned in disgrace following a corruption probe.

Two weeks ago, Palmer said Pfizer and AstraZeneca were paying lobbyists tens of millions of dollars to direct Australia’s liberal leaders to push the double jab.

A slight conflict of interest, don't you think? This couldn't be happening here, right?

To read more, go here.

Southern Governors React To Biden's Vaccine Mandates

Above, from this year's Wells Fun Run. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When I received my Pfizer vaccinations last February, it was by my choice, not from some government dictator dipshit ordering me to do so. 

His Fraudulency Joe Biden's edict yesterday to force private businesses to mandate vaccinations of employees is unconstitutional.

Several southern governors were quick to respond.

From Fox 13 Memphis:

MID-SOUTH — President Joe Biden said more aggressive measures must be taken to keep children in schools and protecting them from COVID-19.

During a speech on Thursday, the president called for governors to require the vaccine for all school employees and for districts to implement regular testing for students and staff.

Moments after Biden’s speech, some Mid-South Governors released statements on Twitter about the new plans.

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said the President has “no authority to require that Americans inject themselves because of their employment at a private business.” Reeves also went to say on the vaccine itself is “life-saving, but this unconstitutional move is terrifying.”

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson also took to Twitter and released a statement following Biden’s new plans. He said he fully supports efforts to increase vaccination rates, but the federal government mandates on private businesses are “not the right answer.”

Finally, Governor of Tennessee Bill Lee also released a statement on Twitter after President Biden’s speech. He said the vaccine is the best tool to combat the pandemic, but “heavy-handed mandates are the wrong approach.” Gov. Lee said he will “stand up for all Tennesseans” when it comes to the Constitution and the mandate of the vaccines.

To read more, go here. 

FDA Grants Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Full Approval

To those who would not get covid vaccine until FDA approved, now is your chance (Pfizer is FDA approved as of today.) If I were you, I would sign up today for an appointment and ‘beat the rush.’ - Greta Van Susteren.

Seven months after I received the Pfizer vaccine (two separate shots), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted their full approval of the Pfizer vaccine.

According to Fox Business:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday granted full approval to Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for individuals 16 years and older.

"The FDA’s approval of this vaccine is a milestone as we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic," Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a statement issued Monday. "While this and other vaccines have met the FDA’s rigorous, scientific standards for emergency use authorization, as the first FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine, the public can be very confident that this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product."

COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have all previously been granted emergency use authorization (EUA) after meeting the FDA's safety and efficacy requirements. The full licensure announced Monday stems from a so-called biologics license application, building on previously-submitted pre-clinical and clinical data, information relating to the manufacturing process, vaccine quality data and site inspections.

To read more, go here. 

Third COVID-19 Booster Challenged By Immunologists

For the past several days, I have been wondering about the "need" to get a third booster shot if one is already vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine. I am one of them.

Apparently, I am not alone. Why is there a "need" for a booster? It is politics, my friend.

After the debacle of Afghanistan and other screw-ups by the Biden Administration, I wouldn't trust them on this. They plan to make the booster shots available starting September 20.

From Stat News (some snippets):

The Biden administration’s decision to start authorizing third doses of Covid-19 vaccine in September is being met with bafflement, concern, and even anger from a number of immunologists, vaccinologists, and people steeped in the normal way such decisions are made.

Many flat-out challenged the need for booster doses at this time. Others questioned the morality of administering third shots to Americans when most people on the planet haven’t received one. And some worried that a decision had been made before the Food and Drug Administration had ruled on the need for a booster or a key vaccine advisory committee had evaluated the data — typically the way vaccine policy is set.

Anna Durbin, a vaccines researcher at Johns Hopkins University, said the vaccines continue to be highly effective in preventing hospitalizations, severe infections, and deaths among most vaccinees.

That they may not work as well over time in preventing mild illnesses among those vaccinated isn’t necessarily a sign the vaccines are failing, said Durbin, who insisted that people are going to need to accept that fact. “We cannot keep [boosting] and say: ‘We’re going to prevent colds in everybody,’ ” she said.

The decision to boost so early in the country’s use of the vaccines isn’t science-based, in Durbin’s view. “I think there’s this tidal wave building that’s based on anxiety. And I don’t think it’s based on scientific evidence that a booster is needed.”

To read the full article, go here.

No More Mask Mandates

I've been vaccinated since February, so I am not going to submit to anymore mask mandates.

For you unvaccinated, you're on your own.

New Mexico Adopts New CDC Mask Guidance

Above, yours truly at the Albuquerque Sunport in January. Photo by Mitch Geriminsky.

New Mexico has adopted the guidance on face masks that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced yesterday.

According to KOB Channel 4:

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The New Mexico Department of Health announced Friday that the state will be adopting the CDC's updated guidance on face masks for those who are fully vaccinated.

The CDC's new guidance says that in most circumstances, fully vaccinated individuals are no longer required to wear a mask in either indoor or outdoor settings.

All individuals who are unvaccinated or not yet fully vaccinated are still required, per the public health order and CDC guidance, to wear a mask in public settings.

People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose, or two weeks after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

I received my two Pfizer vaccine doses in February.

To read more, go here. 

90% of Vaccinated People Developed Antibodies Against Coronavirus Variants

Above, shoppers at Asakusa's Nakamise Dori during normal times. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The following article originates from Japan, but it does apply here for those of us who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Pfizer vaccine.

I have been fortunate to have been vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine back in February.

The Japan News (Yomiuri Shimbun) reported: 

About 90% of Japanese people who received two doses of Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine against COVID-19 developed antibodies that could prevent the onset of the disease from novel coronavirus variants as well as the original virus, a study by Yokohama City University has found.

As coronavirus variants are spreading in Japan, the research highlights the importance of promoting the ongoing vaccination program.

In the study, blood samples were collected from 105 doctors and nurses, aged 24 to 62, who were vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine in March and April. The vaccine is normally given in two doses on two separate occasions. The samples were taken before and after the inoculations.

Examination of the antibodies contained in blood a week after the second inoculation showed that 99% of the participants had developed antibodies that are likely to have a sufficient preventive effect against the original form of the novel coronavirus. High efficacy was confirmed for variants as well, with 94% of the participants found to have developed antibodies effective against the British variant that is spreading in the nation, 90% for the South African variant and 97% for the Indian variant.

 To read more, go here.

New Mexico Nearing Goal of 60% Adult Vaccinations

Things are looking up in New Mexico when it comes to vaccinating the population. It is one of the leading states in COVID-19 vaccinations.

The goal is to have at least 60% of the population vaccinated by the end of June.

According to the Albuquerque Journal:

SANTA FE – More than 1 million New Mexicans have now received at least one vaccine dose – a significant milestone as the state pushes to vaccinate 60% of its adults against COVID-19 by the end of June.

It means the state would reach the target if every person who’s already received one shot of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine returns for their second dose. The third vaccine, Johnson & Johnson, requires only one shot.

I received my two Pfizer shots back in February with no ill effects (except for a sore arm for a few days each time).

To read more, go here.