The Washington Post. Coronavirus Updates: Employees deserve time off for shots, Biden says.

Important developments in the pandemic.

By Ben Guarino with Angela Fritz  Email The Post's coronavirus coverage linked in this newsletter is free to access from this email.   The latest President Biden urged employers to pay workers to take time off for vaccine appointments and recovery in remarks Wednesday. “I’m calling on every employer large and small in every state to give employees the time off they need, with pay, to get vaccinated,” Biden said. The president also announced the country was on track to reach 200 million doses administered by the week's end. The protective benefits of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine outweigh the remote risk of blot clots, according to the European Medicines Agency. The agency, which evaluates medical products for the European Union, said Tuesday that the J&J vaccine should carry a warning label but its use does not require additional restrictions. U.S. regulators are expected to offer their guidance for this vaccine as soon as Friday.  With most of its adult populations vaccinated, including 90 percent of people age 50 and up, Israel is reopening. Restaurants, bars and beaches are busy again. Although its population can breathe a little easier, health officials note the pandemic is not yet over. Cases remain high among the 5 million Palestinians living in West Bank and Gaza, where Israel has not provided vaccine doses on a major scale.  And another Pacific island is easing its restrictions, too: Hawaii is simplifying travel rules beginning next month by allowing vaccinated state residents to travel between islands without needing a negative test. Hawaii officials said vaccine exemptions for out-of-state travelers would begin later this summer, but did not give a date. Israel isn't the only country enjoying the resumption of social life. New Zealand and Australia's dual-country travel bubble officially began this week when a plane from Australia landed in New Zealand, without any of the passengers having to quarantine. Travelers were greeted with live bands, tearful embraces and, in one New Zealand tourist town, an offer of a free bungee jump into a canyon.  But there will be side effects from the return to pre-pandemic habits: A forecast from the International Energy Agency projects carbon emissions will make their second-highest-ever yearly rise in 2021. The agency estimated global demand for oil will increase by 6 percent this year and for coal by 4.5 percent. Other important news India’s health-care system is breaking under the pressure from the 1.6 million covid-19 cases added in the past week. In one hospital there, 22 covid patients died after an oxygen tank ruptured. In-person learning is expanding in D.C. schools, but the wealthiest are disproportionately adding more room for students. An inspection report from the Food and Drug Administration lists systemic problems – including unsanitary conditions and poor worker training – at the Baltimore plant where Johnson & Johnson vaccines were contaminated.  On Thursday at noon Eastern time, Post reporters will be answering questions about vaccine distribution in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Have questions? Ask them here.   Guide to the pandemic Track confirmed cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S. and the spread around the world. U.S. vaccine distribution and delivery, tracked by state. Guides: Finding vaccine appointments | Vaccines | Variants | Masks Follow updates about the pandemic from Post reporters across the globe. Submit a question and we may answer it in a future story or newsletter.    Your questions, answered "If we are fully vaccinated, why should we be concerned if we get covid-19? It seems like all the data has suggested if you get it, the chances of which are slim, you will not get a serious case or be hospitalized. So it seems like it doesn't really matter once you are vaccinated if you get it, no?" —James in Massachusetts We've been challenged to calculate all these new risks since the beginning of the pandemic — going to the store, visiting elderly parents, taking the kids to the playground — and now we have to recalibrate that risk analysis for a post-vaccine life.  Yes, any of the vaccines will significantly reduce your chances of contracting covid-19, and if you happen to get it, then it is more likely to be akin to a cold rather than a severe respiratory illness that could put you in the hospital. But rarely in life, and in medicine in particular, are the risks zero. There's still a chance of getting sick, which you might personally be willing to take. Weighing the pros and cons, it might feel like you're ready to get back to normal once you're fully vaccinated. Here's the problem, though. We still have a lot of people in the United States (and the world) who have not yet received the vaccine. They fall into three categories: 1) the people who are refusing to get one; 2) the people still waiting in line or who are scheduled in the future; and 3) the immunocompromised people whose doctors have advised them not to get the shot, or for whom the shot is not working. Focus on those last two categories. As long as there's still a significant number of unvaccinated among us, our “vaccinated” choices will affect them. You might decide that you'll take the small risk of cold-like symptoms (or a symptomless infection), but if you do get it you can spread it to others, including, for example, strangers at the grocery store who haven't had the vaccine because they are immunocompromised. Double whammy: they can't get the shot yet and they are at higher risk of a life-threatening bout of covid. That is just one of the things public health experts are thinking about right now, and why they haven't said “once you get the vaccine, you're free.” Because with viruses, it's never just about us. We need all the healthy folks to get shots, so the people who can't will still be protected by the “herd” of immune people around them. That's when we can ease up on the concern.  Until then, we should take the standard precautions like wearing masks and social distancing.   Today’s top reads Find more stories, analysis and op-eds about the pandemic on our coronavirus page. Community pantries offer reprieve from covid-19 hardships in the Philippines By Regine Cabato ●  Read more »   Inmates sent home amid pandemic may have to return under Trump-era policy By Justin Wm. Moyer and Neena Satija ●  Read more »   The covid-19 vaccines are an extraordinary success story. The media should tell it that way. Opinion ●  By Leana S. Wen ●  Read more »

The Washington Post - Coronavirus Updates: It’s out of control, Americans say

The latest

Today is President Trump’s final day in office. His administration will end without having brought the coronavirus pandemic to heel. Ask Americans, and most — 9 in 10, according to a new nationwide Washington Post-ABC poll — will tell you the outbreak is not under control.

One statistic shows the grimmest consequence of a rampant pandemic: 400,000 deaths. The death toll was on track to reach that new height Tuesday, a number on par with the population of Tampa or Tulsa. The count has been rising faster; the United States hit 300,000 deaths less than five weeks ago.

News organizations, including The Post, sued the Small Business Administration to find out which companies benefited from the federal Paycheck Protection Program. Data from that lawsuit led to a startling discovery: Five groups known to spread anti-vaccine misinformation received $850,000. 

California officials said Sunday that a variant, first identified in Denmark early last year, was linked to large December and January outbreaks in Santa Clara county. Variants are not necessarily more contagious or dangerous, and a California epidemiologist said it was too soon to tell whether this one spreads more easily. 

And, finally, there is light. Nurses, doctors and other hospital staff say the vaccine jab also delivers a welcome emotion — hope. Health-care workers have cried with relief after getting their shots. Levity and newfound energy suffuses hospital corridors, they told reporter Karin Brulliard, and you can read to feel some, too. 

Other important news 

Here are a doctor's suggestions to reduce stress in this tremendously stressful time.

Clinical trials are underway to test additional coronavirus vaccines. But some older participants are dropping out to get the already authorized shots instead.

It was found there first. But the more contagious strain spreading around the world would no longer be called the “U.K. variant” if Britons had their way. In the Philippines, people cover their arms to hide where they’ve been injected — because, without legal vaccines, a black market has boomed.

Guide to the pandemic Track confirmed cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S. U.S. vaccine distribution and delivery, tracked by state. Your questions, answered “As the military enters D.C. to protect it during the inauguration this week, how many of the troops have been vaccinated?” — Cheryl in Illinois This is a good (and timely) question, with around 21,000 National Guard members descending on or already in Washington for the inauguration tomorrow. The short answer is that we don't know exactly how many service members have been vaccinated, but the Department of Defense released a vaccine plan in December. As of Dec. 31, the DOD said it received around 160,000 doses. There are about 450,000 National Guard members in total (by 2017 estimates). Even if the Pentagon wanted to vaccinate all of them immediately, it wouldn't be possible with the amount of vaccine on hand.  The DOD also has a tier system for vaccine allocation, just like states do. It is prioritizing “health care providers, support personnel, residents and staff of DoD long-term care facilities, and other essential workers and high-risk beneficiaries.” The National Guard is included in the first phase of the rollout, but there are only so many shots to go around. The DOD has probably received more doses since the end of December, but it would have to be a significant delivery to get through all of Phase 1. The other piece that complicates this answer is that the Pentagon has said the vaccine is voluntary for Defense personnel. “Voluntary for everyone,” Army Lt. Gen. Ronald Place, chief of the Defense Health Agency, said in December. “No ifs, ands or buts about it. Voluntary for everyone.”   Today’s top reads Find more stories, analysis and op-eds about the outbreak on our coronavirus page, including: Florida police were after a covid-19 data scientist. She turned herself in — and tested positive. WHO chief warns of ‘catastrophic moral failure’ as rich countries dominate vaccine supplies China rushes to build coronavirus quarantine center for 4,000 as it battles local outbreaks   400,000: The invisible deaths of covid-19 By Marc Fisher, Lori Rozsa, Mark Kreidler and Annie Gowen ●  Read more »   D.C. opened vaccine appointments to people 65 and older. Here’s what some seniors went through to get the shot. By Lola Fadulu, Jenna Portnoy and Tara Bahrampour ●  Read more »   A lab in Italy reported a cluster of the U.K. coronavirus variant. But that wasn’t enough to stop the spread. By Chico Harlan and Stefano Pitrelli ●  Read more »   A man tried to save a United passenger who died of covid-19. The airline offered him $200. By Hannah Sampson ●  Read more »   India launches what could be the world’s largest vaccination campaign. But it’s unclear if one of the vaccines works. By Joanna Slater and Niha Masih ●  Read more »

I'm adding this to my list of favorite quotes.

"I just want to play chess again after a long, long time."
-- Vincent Paul Palillo

Gumaca, Quezon Philippines

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

This blog has 1,024 posts about my favorite quotes at My favorite quotes.

This has something to do with a little problem in the Philippines.

Typhoon Goni made landfall in the Philippines and weather officials predicted “catastrophic wind damage” as it roared through the country.

Goni, a super typhoon, had sustained winds of 135 miles per hour at its center and gusts of 165 miles per hour as of early Sunday. The eye of the storm is expected to pass near Metro Manila, the capital region, which is home to 24 million people. Above, Filipino villagers rest inside a school.

"Upon being stopped by a soldier, she detonated the bomb she carried, killing herself and the soldier who stopped her, while wounding six police officers." Can you guess what religion this idiot belonged to before she blew herself up.

Wikipedia - 2020 Jolo bombings

The 2020 Jolo bombings occurred on August 24, 2020, when insurgents alleged to be Abu Sayyaf jihadists detonated two bombs in Jolo, Sulu, Philippines, killing 14 people and wounding 75 others. The first occurred as Philippine Army personnel were assisting in carrying out COVID-19 humanitarian efforts. The second, a suicide bombing, was carried out near the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral.

Background

For over three decades, the Abu Sayyaf has been launching terrorist attacks in support of making the province of Sulu independent from the Philippines, as part of the Moro conflict. Sulu is primarily Muslim, whereas the Philippines as a whole is primarily Christian. In 2004, the Abu Sayyaf launched the worst terrorist attack in Filipino history, bombing a ferry which killed 116 people. In 2016, they pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. They are known for using improvised explosive devices and for kidnapping foreigners for ransom, especially within Sulu province.

In June 2020, four Filipino soldiers investigating the presence of two female suicide bombers in Sulu were shot dead by police during a confrontation. In August 2020, some days prior to the bombing, the Philippine government arrested a number of militants belonging to the Abu Sayyaf organization. Security forces on Sulu were on high alert due to fears of retribution.

Attacks

On August 24, 2020, at 11:54 am, a motorcycle bomb placed next to a military truck detonated outside the Paradise Food Plaza in downtown Jolo, Sulu. The explosion killed six soldiers, six civilians and a police officer, as well as injuring 69 others. The police and military responded to the scene. An hour later, at 12:57 pm, a female suicide bomber approached the cordoned-off area and attempted to enter. Upon being stopped by a soldier, she detonated the bomb she carried, killing herself and the soldier who stopped her, while wounding six police officers. The second blast occurred approximately 100 meters (110 yd) away from the first blast, in front of a branch of the Development Bank of the Philippines. In total, seven soldiers, one police officer, and six civilians were killed; and 21 soldiers, six police officers, and 48 civilians were wounded. The site of the bombing was close to the site of the 2019 Jolo Cathedral bombings.

Aftermath

The following day, the Islamic State – East Asia Province (also known as Abu Sayyaf) claimed responsibility for the attack. The government believes that Abu Sayyaf bombmaker Mundi Sawadjaan created the bombs and armed the attackers. The entire municipality of Sulu was placed on lockdown following the blasts.

On August 29, 2020, in Patikul, soldiers searching for the perpetrators of the bombings were attacked by fellow Abu Sayyaf militants. The gunfight resulted in the death of a Filipino soldier and the wounding of seven others; two Abu Sayyaf militants also died in the fight.

Reactions

Immediately after the attacks, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque condemned the bombings saying "authorities are now conducting an investigation, which includes identifying individuals or groups behind these dastardly attacks." Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles condemned the attacks in "the strongest possible terms" and said that terrorism has "no place in a civilized world". He also stated that he will bring justice to those behind the "inhuman attack".

2020 Jolo bombings
Part of the Moro conflict
Jolo, Sulu Location of Jolo in the Philippines
Location	Jolo, Sulu, Philippines
Coordinates	06°03′11″N 121°00′03″E
Date	August 24, 2020 11:54 (PhST (UTC+08:00))
Attack type	Bombing Suicide bombing
Weapons	Bomb
Deaths	14 (+1 attacker)
Injured	75
Perpetrators	Abu Sayyaf (also known as Islamic State – East Asia Province)

Wikipedia is my friend.

In the news

COVID-19 pandemic

 

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• Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (pictured) announces his intention to resign due to medical concerns.
• Hurricane Laura kills at least 36 people across the Caribbean and the United States.
• The Africa Regional Certification Commission declares that wild polio has been eliminated in Africa.
• Two bombings in Jolo, Philippines, kill 15 people and wound 75 others.

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