Gov. Steve Sisolak of Nevada announced during a press conference today that on April 5 all Nevadans 16-years-old and up will be able to schedule a vaccination for the coronavirus. Prior to that, on March 22 vaccine availability will open up to anyone 16 and older with underlying health conditions. Investigative news journalist David Charns reports Sisolak noted that appointments will be based on availability and doses received. The Silver State is currently receiving nearly 65,000 doses of vaccine a week.
#BREAKING: Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak says all Nevadans 16 and older can schedule a vaccine starting April 5. #8NN
#BREAKING: Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak says vaccine availability will open up to anyone 16 and older with underlying health conditions on March 22. @GovSisolak
Nevada is now receiving nearly 65,000 doses per week, @GovSisolak says. Much higher than 45,000 a few weeks ago and 17,000 in the first few weeks. #8NN
Ginger go-go dancer Seth Fornea (via BosGuy) Some news items you might have missed: • BosGuy: Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with ginger go-go dancer and model Seth Fornea (above). Talk about bringing new meaning to the phrase “lucky charms…” • Block Club Chicago: Did Eric Trump jump the line for COVID vaccination? A top executive of a West Side hospital in Chicago bragged about vaccinating Eric Trump the same day the hospital vaccinated workers at Trump Tower Downtown. Trump would not have been eligible to be vaccinated in Chicago. • Kenneth-in-the-212: It’s Wrestle Wednesday over at KIT212 and well-worth the click as he features 30-year-old pro wrestler David Starr (below). • Washington Blade: Dean Trantalis, currently serving as the first openly gay mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., came under criticism by LGBTQ activists this week for backing and signing a proclamation approved by the Fort Lauderdale City Commission honoring the city’s Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, which has a history of anti-LGBTQ policy positions. • The Hill: The Kentucky legislature has passed a bill that would require a governor to fill a vacant U.S. Senate seat with a member of the departed senator’s party. While both houses of Kentucky’s legislature is controlled by Republican supermajorities, the state currently has a Democrat in the governor’s mansion, Gov. Andy Beshear. • USA Today: The House voted 413-12 on Wednesday to award Capitol police, Metropolitan police and other law enforcement agencies with the Congressional Gold Medal, for protecting lawmakers, staffers, reporters and visitors from insurrectionists on Jan. 6. Twelve Republicans voted against the measure for combining the medal with what they deemed “editorial comments about the January 6 sequence of events.”
12 members who voted against House bill to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Capitol Police & those who protected the Capitol on Jan 6 🏅
Massie Harris Gooden Good Gaetz Cloud Clyde Steube Biggs Gohmert Greene Rose Final Tally: 413-12 — K Tully-McManus (@ktullymcmanus) March 17, 2021
An independent pharmacist in Brooklyn came to the aid of LGBTQ seniors who were having difficulties trying to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Ambar Keluskar, a pharmacist who supervises Rossi Pharmacy in Brooklyn, found himself with hundreds of doses of vaccine he had “just sitting in the freezer.”
The state of New York allows pharmacies to dispense the vaccines, but with some limitations. Citing the lack of ability to verify the identity and occupation of some eligible candidates like essential workers, the state limits pharmacists to giving the vaccine to teachers, child care workers and people over the age of 60.
In January, Keluskar began making the shots available at his pharmacy. At first, he received 100 doses a week from the state, and then upped that to 200.
But by March, the number of eligible people signing up for vaccinations began to decline. Keluskar pointed to the opening of a mass vaccination site in the area for the lessening demand.
With state laws requiring him to notify the state if he hadn’t used all doses sent to him, Keluskar became worried state authorities would stop sending him doses.
So, he decided to look outside his pharmacy for eligible folks including taking to social media to make it known he had doses to spare.
To be clear. My pharmacy has never discarded a dose of vaccine. We always use everything drawn up. However, right now I'm not doing any vaccinating and my freezer has vaccine in it. All providers should be operating at max capacity.
— Ambar Keluskar, PharmD (@ambarkeluskar) March 3, 2021
Not a single dose of COVID vaccine will ever be wasted at my pharmacy. What is being wasted due to the 65+ rule is hours of operational capacity. We could've easily vaccinated 70 or more people today but instead, we could only find enough patients for one complete vial.
— Ambar Keluskar, PharmD (@ambarkeluskar) March 3, 2021
Thanks to an aide in the office of State Senator Jabari Brisport, Kelsukar got in touch with Stonewall House, New York City’s first LGBTQ-only senior housing building in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood.
It turns out most of the residents there, many homebound, had not been able to get their vaccination. With scheduling done primarily online, many seniors with limited income and/or poor internet access can find themselves left out of the process of signing up for vaccine appointments.
One resident, 78-year-old Emma DeJesus, told the New York Times, “I can’t handle the phone. Everything is on the computer now and I don’t have a computer.”
After weeks of unsuccessful attempts to schedule an appointment for a vaccine shot, DeJesus is now looking forward to receiving her second shot so she can visit her nieces in the Bronx.
Keluskar was able to deliver nearly 50 vaccinations in that first visit to Stonewall House. And since then, he’s had outreach from two city councilmen for additional pop-up visits.
This past Saturday, Keluskar vaccinated more than 150 more eligible candidates at Ingersoll Houses, a large public housing development in Fort Greene.
Keluskar told the New York Times he hopes restrictions on vaccine eligibility will be lifted soon, but until then, “we have to do everything can to stay in the program, and keep providing, keep vaccinating people.”
My team and I could be vaccinating people, instead we're spending time and money on things like advertising and cold calling.
— Ambar Keluskar, PharmD (@ambarkeluskar) March 4, 2021
Fox News talking head Tucker Carlson Fox News talking head Tucker Carlson seemed a bit outraged in a recent screed when he demanded to know ‘how effective’ the approved COVID-19 vaccines are.
So, all of this should prompt some pretty tough questions for our public health experts in this country. And one of those questions is, “How effective is this coronavirus vaccine?” How necessary is it to take the vaccine?
Don’t dismiss those questions from anti-vaxxers, don’t kick people off social media for asking them, answer the questions — especially now. The administration would like you to take this vaccine, Joe Biden told you last week if you don’t, you can’t celebrate the Fourth of July.
But it turns out there are things we don’t know about the effects of this vaccine and all vaccines by the way — it’s always a trade-off. So, should this scare you? We don’t know, but the rest of us deserve an answer.
Well, Tucker, have you tried checking out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website? Have you checked out the FDA website? Both will tell you a study for the Pfizer vaccine involved 36,523 participants, 18,198 received the vaccine and 18,325 received saline placebo. The vaccine was 95 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 disease among these clinical trial participants. In the vaccine group, 8 developed cases of COVID-19 while there were 162 COVID-19 cases in the placebo group. Also from the FDA site – a similar study of the Moderna vaccine found it to be 94.1% effective in preventing serious cases of the coronavirus. This isn’t really hard, you know… And by the way, Joe Biden did not say if you don’t get the vaccine “you can’t celebrate the Fourth of July.” Biden said there was a “good chance” that friends and families would be able to safely gather together in small groups to celebrate July 4th if Americans would vaccinated and continue to follow health guidelines, such as mask-wearing. p.s. Tucker, your boss, Rupert Murdoch, got the shot almost the instant it was available. So, there’s that… One more thing: Fox News and conservatives are tying themselves in knots trying to give all the credit for the vaccines to Donald Trump. So, which is it? Is he to blame for a faulty vaccine or does he get credit for vaccines that are helping stave off the coronavirus?
The vaccines are hugely effective that’s why Rupert Murdoch got it as soon as he possibly could. You’ll remember Rupert Murdoch, he’s Tuckers boss.
Fox News' Tucker Carlson just sat in front of hundreds of thousands of Americans and asked "how effective is the vaccine?" as if the answer were some great mystery or government conspiracy. "Answer the question," he demanded. Literally the first thing that comes up in Google: pic.twitter.com/Ic4LIy9lmF
Lady Gaga (image via Instagram) Some news items you might have missed: • LGBTQ Nation: Lady Gaga (above) and MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow were among the LGBTQ folks who scored Grammy Awards Sunday night. Check out the list of artists honored at the intimate (but live) event last night. • The Advocate: A group of local merchants have proposed changing the name of Montreal’s historic Gay Village to simply “The Village” or “Montreal’s Village” in an effort to be more inclusive of the entire 2SLGBTQ community. The 2S stands for two spirit. Not all residents are on board with the proposed change, however. • The Gaily Grind: A disgruntled Trump supporter, Michael Challans, is playing the victim after he was caught on tape shouting homophobic slurs at his gay neighbor for flying a flag on his front porch celebrating Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss. After yelling phrases like “faggot ass flag,” “f*cking fag” and “mother f*cking queer,” Challans told police he “has no problems with gay people.”
• HuffPost: Amazon announced plans last week to stop selling all books that frame transgender and other sexual identities as mental illness, a decision it reached after four Republican senators complained to CEO Jeff Bezos last month when the company pulled a single book on the subject from its virtual shelves. • Mediaite: A new poll shows 57% of Republicans believe the COVID-19 pandemic is “exaggerated.” Plus, a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll shows 49% of Republican men have no plans to get vaccinated. • Outsports: Conor McDermott-Mostowy just won 2 US Championships in speed skating. Now he’s coming out as gay.
The latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, which surveyed 1,227 American adults, shows 49% of Republican men say they don’t plan on getting vaccinated against the coronavirus compared with just 6% of men who identify as Democrats. Overall, 67% say they either plan to get their shot or already have, while 30% say they will not be getting the vaccine. More from NPR:
Among those who responded to the survey, 73% of Black people and 70% of White people said that they either planned to get a coronavirus vaccine or had done so already; 25% of Black respondents and 28% of white respondents said they did not plan to get a shot.
Latino respondents were slightly more likely to say they would not get vaccinated at 37%, compared with 63% who either had or intended to get a vaccine.
Former President George W. Bush Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and former First Ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton and Rosalynn Carter discuss the important role of COVID-19 vaccination in getting back to the moments we miss and love. Let me see, something seems to be missing… Nope. I’m wrong. To get the latest information on the COVID-19 vaccines, visit GetVaccineAnswers.org.
A new once-a-month pill for PrEP is proving to be ‘extremely potent’ in testing Some news items you might have missed: • Metro Weekly: Pharmaceutical company Merck has released data from the second phase of trials into its antiretroviral drug islatravir, a once-a-month pill to protect against HIV infection, which has proven to be “extremely potent.” • Billboard: Of the eight Grammy nominees for best new artist, three — CHIKA, Kaytranada and Phoebe Bridgers — openly identify as LGBTQ. • New York Daily News: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said on Monday that she’s “excited” to sign a bill banning transgender girls and women from participating in sports teams that correspond to their gender identity. South Dakota is the second U.S. state this year, after Mississippi, to pass legislation targeting transgender sports athletes. • Amazon Prime: “Love The One You’re With” (2021) is a dramatic comedy from award winning comedian and filmmaker Sampson McCormick that follows a couple, Miles and Avery as they navigate the possible ending of a long term relationship. The story offers surprise twists, lots of laughter and a mind stirring story line.
• The Independent: The coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech was able to combat a new variant that was rapidly circulating in Brazil, a new study has found. • Des Moines Register: Four months after Iowans voted in record numbers, Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed legislation cutting the state’s early voting period and closing the polls an hour earlier on Election Day. Every Republican present for debate in the House and Senate voted for the legislation. Every Democrat voted against it. #AndSoItBegins • Palm Beach Post: Despite his false claims about mail voting during the 2020 election cycle, Donald Trump requested a mail ballot on Friday for the third time in his Palm Beach County voter history. • Law and Crime: In their bid to get him out of the Grady County Jail in Oklahoma, attorneys for an 18-year-old defendant in the U.S. Capitol siege said another inmate attacked him. They also said their client caught COVID-19 while behind bars. He allegedly assaulted a police officer and was armed with a baton.
Teen Who Allegedly Wanted to ‘FIGHT’ for Trump at Capitol Was Attacked in Jail, Also Caught COVID: Defensehttps://t.co/RAzvTaMEGe
He got smacked in the face for mouthing off to another “tenant” who was using the phone. Pretty standard jail stuff in the US. Not as bad as the movies show, but it is annoying, irritating and full of lessons like this one.
Gee, that’s too bad. — Michael (@thekodadog) March 9, 2021
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued guidance for those people who have been fully vaccinated (two weeks past your final shot) in regard to what is or isn’t safe to do. From the New York Times:
Fully vaccinated Americans may gather indoors in private homes with one another in small groups without masks or distancing.
Vaccinated people may gather in a private residence with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for developing severe disease if they contract the coronavirus, also without masks or distancing.
Vaccinated Americans need not quarantine or get tested if they have a known exposure to the virus, as long as they do not develop symptoms of infection. If they do develop symptoms, they must isolate themselves, get tested and speak with their doctor.
In public, vaccinated people must continue to wear masks and maintain social distance, and take other precautions, such as avoiding poorly ventilated spaces, covering coughs and sneezes, washing hands often and following any other protocols that are in place.
Vaccinated people should continue to avoid large and medium gatherings, though the agency did not specify the gathering size with numbers.
As I reported yesterday, over 90 million people in the U.S. have received at least one shot of vaccine. In related news, new polling shows 68% of Americans approve of President Biden’s handling of the COVID crisis. By comparison, the highest approval marks Donald Trump received during the COVID pandemic was 55% in mid-March 2020. The poll also showed a majority of Americans (56%) think face mask mandates are being lifted too soon.
According to an ABC News/Ipsos poll released Sunday, 68% of Americans support President Joe Biden's pandemic response. https://t.co/4ADKSj6WyX
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that, as of Sunday, 90,351,750 Americans have received at least one shot of coronavirus vaccine. Breaking those numbers down, 58,873,710 Americans have received one shot of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine (which constitutes 17.7% of the population), and 30,686,881 have received both shots (9.2%). So far, 116,363,405 doses of vaccine have been delivered to healthcare professionals to use. Herd immunity would be reached, at the earliest, with an estimated 70% of the 330,000,000 people in the U.S. vaccinated, which would be about 231,000,000 people. (graphic via CDC)
Gov. Steve Sisolak of Nevada announced during a press conference today that on April 5 all Nevadans 16-years-old and up will be able to schedule a vaccination for the coronavirus. Prior to that, on March 22 vaccine availability will open up to anyone 16 and older with underlying health conditions. Investigative news journalist David Charns reports Sisolak noted that appointments will be based on availability and doses received. The Silver State is currently receiving nearly 65,000 doses of vaccine a week. 
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