Dr. Anthony Fauci receives the Moderna vaccine From ABC News:
The country’s most prominent infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, received his first dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday in a ceremonial event at the National Institutes of Health.
The event was shown live on national television as part of an effort to reassure Americans that the vaccine was safe and effective.
“I feel extreme confidence in the safety and the efficacy of this vaccine and I want to encourage everyone who has the opportunity to get vaccinated so that we can have a veil of protection over this country, that would end this pandemic,” he said as he waited for his shot.
I sure hope my arm looks that good when I’m 80-years-old.
Dr. Anthony Fauci gives a thumbs up as he receives the Moderna vaccine, saying feels “extreme confidence in the safety and the efficacy of this vaccine” and encourages “everyone who has the opportunity to get vaccinated.” https://t.co/u4XHEtO9Dcpic.twitter.com/KAFwgbHxV4
(photo: Daniel Schludi/Unsplash) The FDA has approved the coronavirus vaccine from Moderna for emergency use. From CNBC:
The vaccine — the second approved for use in the U.S. behind Pfizer and BioNTech’s — bolsters the U.S. supply of doses. The potentially life-saving shots are desperately needed to fend off the pandemic that has taken more than 300,000 American lives and overwhelmed hospitals.
The FDA’s emergency use authorization Friday approves the federal government’s plan to distribute roughly 5.9 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine to 64 states, territories and major cities across the nation next week.
“We likely will see shots in the arm by the very early part of next week, I would hope Monday or Tuesday,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on the “Today” show on Friday morning.
At this writing, there have been 17,459,296 cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. with 313,588 American deaths.
Austin Wolf scored at the 3rd annual PornHub Awards (image via Instagram) Some news items you might have missed: • OUT: Adult entertainment giant Pornhub held its third annual awards last night. The winners are decided by real data (based on what users searched, viewed, and sought after the most this year) from PornHub.com, which according to its website brings in over 140 million daily visitors and over 55 billion searches. Among the winners was Austin Wolf (above) who scored as ‘Top Daddy Performer’ of the year. • Boy Culture: Patti LaBelle’s gay Trumper nephew made headlines when he became involved in a deeply weird online mystery, in which he was apparently tweeting on behalf of a white Republican. Miss Patti had some words with her nephew. • LGBTQ Nation: Federal judge slaps down an Ohio law that bans transgender people from correcting birth certificates. Score one for the good guys! • Instinct Magazine: Josh Brolin is breaking the internet with his birthday suit photo. • TMZ: Atlantic City is auctioning off the opportunity of demolishing the long-closed, decaying Trump Casino. • The Advocate: Legendary gay actor Sir Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings, X-Men movies) is among the latest to get the new vaccine for the COVID-19 virus. The 81-year-old star said he’s feeling “euphoric” after getting his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. “I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone.”
I feel very lucky to have had the vaccine. I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone. https://t.co/gBLRR0OeJc
Excellent news! An FDA advisory committee has recommended approving the coronavirus from Moderna for use in the fight against COVID-19. From the Washington Post:
Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine got the greenlight from a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee Thursday, paving the way for authorization of a second shot aimed at slowing a pandemic that has killed nearly 310,000 people in the United States.
The panel voted that the benefits of the highly effective vaccine outweighed its risks for people individuals 18 years of age and older.
The FDA plans to authorize the vaccine Friday, according to knowledgeable individuals who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the schedule.
Gen. Gustave F. Perna, who is leading the federal effort in getting vaccine shipments out to states, has already prepped his team to ship nearly 6 million doses of the Moderna vaccine to 3,285 locations in the first week upon approval.
(photo: Daniel Schludi/Unsplash)The Washington Post reports vaccinations for the coronavirus have begun today as nearly 3 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine are being delivered to 636 locations across the U.S. More pandemic news from the Post: • After having passed on the opportunity to secure an additional 100 million doses of the vaccine from Pfizer, the U.S. is in talks with the pharma company for acquiring more in the second quarter of 2021, but no deal has been confirmed. • Donald Trump reversed course on a plan to have some White House staff members be among the first Americans vaccinated. The plan had been criticized in light of the Trump White House’s downplaying of the severity of the pandemic. • There’s also a late-to-the-dance public service campaign being launched to encourage people to take the vaccine Trump says he pushed so hard for. While more than eight in 10 Americans currently say they would take the vaccine, many are divided on the question of how soon.
BREAKING: Critical care nurse in New York is among first in US to receive a coronavirus vaccine: "We all need to do our parts to put an end to the pandemic." pic.twitter.com/I8SIFuddFv
Charley Pride (image via publicist)Charley Pride, whose rich baritone voice and impeccable song-sense altered American culture, died Saturday, December 12, 2020, in Dallas, Texas of complications from Covid-19 at age 86. Born a sharecropper’s son in Sledge, Mississippi, on March 18, 1934, Pride emerged from Southern cotton fields to become country music’s first Black superstar and the first Black member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. “No person of color had ever done what he has done,” said Darius Rucker in the PBS American Masters film Charley Pride: I’m Just Me. Pride was a gifted athlete who at first thought baseball would be his path from poverty, labor, and strife. But his musical acumen was more impressive than his pitching arm or his hitting skills, and he emerged as one of the most significant artists at RCA Records, with chart-topping hits including “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’,” “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone,” and “Mountain of Love.”
He won the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award in 1971, its top male vocalist prize in 1971 and 1972, and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020. His final performance came on November 11, 2020, when he sang “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’” during the CMA Awards show at Nashville’s Music City Center with Jimmie Allen, a modern-day hitmaker who counts Pride among his heroes. Charley Frank Pride was not the first Black artist to make important contributions to country music — DeFord Bailey was a star of the Grand Ole Opry from 1927 through 1941 — but Pride was a trailblazer who emerged during a time of division and rancor. After a stint in the Army, time working at a Missouri smelting plant, and some unsuccessful attempts to break into big-league baseball, he came to Nashville in 1963 and made demonstration recordings with help from manager Jack Johnson.
In 1967, Pride’s recording of “Just Between You and Me” broke into country’s Top Ten, and Pride quit his job as a smelter. Iron ore was behind him, and platinum records lay ahead. Between 1967 and 1987, Pride delivered 52 Top 10 country hits (including 29 number ones), was honored with Grammy awards, and became RCA Records’ top-selling country artist. His musicality opened minds and superseded prejudice. “We’re not color blind yet, but we’ve advanced a few paces along the path and I like to think I’ve contributed something to that process,” Pride wrote in his memoir.
Tennessee state Rep. David Byrd (via Facebook) Asking friends for their prayers via Facebook, Tennessee state Rep. David Byrd (R-Waynesboro) says he may soon be placed on a ventilator due to COVID-19. The Republican state lawmaker was hospitalized over the weekend with pneumonia and his oxygen levels are reportedly low. “I really need a miracle today!!” Byrd wrote on Facebook. “My doctor said if my oxygen level doesn’t improve then he has no choice but to put me on a ventilator. So please pray that God will breathe His healing spirit into my lungs!!” According to The Tennessean, Byrd was seen on the floor of the state House during a caucus meeting not wearing a face mask on November 24. Shortly before that, he hosted a dinner at a restaurant in his district for dozens of GOP colleagues, again with no mask in sight. It’s worth noting that in June Byrd voted in support of a House resolution stating that “mainstream media has sensationalized the reporting on COVID-19 in the service of political agendas.” And there you have it.
Ellen DeGeneres (screen capture) Emmy Award-winning talk show host Ellen DeGeneres shared via Twitter today that she’s tested positive for the coronavirus. “Hi Everyone, I want to let you all know that I have tested positive for COVID-19,” wrote Ellen. “Fortunately, I am feeling fine right now. Anyone who has been in close contact with me has been notified and I am following all proper CDC guidelines.” “I’ll see you all again after the holidays,” she wrote in closing before adding, “Please stay healthy and safe.” There’s no word on whether her wife, Portia de Rossi, or any staffers have tested positive. Production for her talk show has been paused until January according to Variety. Unfortunately, Ellen joins the ranks of just a few high-profile LGBTQ celebrities to have contracted the virus.
(photo via Flickr/WhiteHouse) Acting in response to the dozens of coronavirus infections that have occurred in the Trump administration, Team Biden plans on a heavy-duty scrub-down of the White House before taking up residency. From Politico:
The team only plans to have a skeleton staff working on campus at first, with most continuing to work remotely from home. They also plan to have the building — which has seen numerous virus outbreaks among staffers and top officials this year — meticulously sanitized.
That includes plans to “thoroughly clean and disinfect” all furniture, doorknobs, handrails and light switches, before Biden and his team move in. Additionally, a private contractor will provide “disinfectant misting services” to clear the air of lingering droplets.
A new high – U.S. records more than 3,000 coronavirus-related deaths in a single day. From the Washington Post:
After weeks of surging infections and rising levels of virus hospitalizations, the United States recorded more than 3,000 covid-19 deaths in a single day, a pandemic record, according to a Washington Post analysis.
The harrowing milestone comes as two vaccine candidates appear to be on the verge of clearing the country’s final regulatory hurdles.
Yet the new death record, as well as a new high of more than 106,000 covid-19 patients in hospitals, are grim reminders of the pandemic’s devastating toll.
Donald Trump took a victory lap yesterday in advance of any American being vaccinated against the virus that has now killed more than 289,000 Americans. And while many have compared the coronavirus to the common flu – saying it’s the same or similar – less than half of Americans have even gotten a flu vaccination this year. By the way – In the 2019/2020 season, the CDC estimates there were 22,000 deaths related to the common flu – not 289,000 deaths. So much for ‘the same or similar.’
