Friday, November 26, 2021

UK Raises Alarm Over New COVID Variant Which Could Beat Vaccines

https://www.newsmax.com/us/covid-uk/2021/11/25/id/1046222/

UK Raises Alarm Over New COVID Variant Which Could Beat Vaccines

(Dreamstime)

Thursday, 25 November 2021 06:44 PM

Britain on Thursday said it was concerned by a newly identified coronavirus variant spreading in South Africa that might make vaccines less effective and imperil progress made across the world in fighting the pandemic.

The UK Health Security Agency said that the variant - called B.1.1.529 - has a spike protein that was dramatically different to the one in the original coronavirus that COVID-19 vaccines are based on.

Officials characterize the variant, which has double the number of mutations as the currently dominant Delta variant, as the "worst one yet."

It was only first identified at the start of the week but Britain rushed to introduce travel restrictions on South Africa and five neighboring countries, acting much more swiftly than with previous variants.

"What we do know is there's a significant number of mutations, perhaps double the number of mutations that we have seen in the Delta variant," Health Secretary Sajid Javid told broadcasters.

"And that would suggest that it may well be more transmissible and the current vaccines that we have may well be less effective."

Britain announced it was temporarily banning flights from South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Eswatini from 1200 GMT on Friday and returning British travelers from those destinations would have to quarantine.

Javid said that more data was needed but the travel restrictions were necessary as a precaution, as scientists said lab studies were needed to assess the likelihood of the mutations resulting in greatly reduced vaccine efficacy.

Officials have advised the government on the need to act swiftly and pre-emptively in case the concerns over the impact of variant are borne out, even though it could take weeks to generate all the information needed about its characteristics.

Earlier on Thursday, South African scientists said they had detected the new COVID-19 variant in small numbers and were working to understand its potential implications.

The variant has also been found in Botswana and Hong Kong, but the UK Health Security Agency said that no cases of the variant had been detected in Britain.

“Early evidence from genomic surveillance in South Africa suggests that B.1.1.529 is a serious cause for concern," Ewan Birney, Deputy Director General of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, said.

"We know that early action is far better than late action. It may turn out that this variant is not as large a threat as Alpha and Delta, but the potential consequences of not acting on the possibility it could be are serious."

Asian and European Countries, Alarmed by New COVID Variant, Tighten Curbs (possible vaccine resistant?)

Asian and European Countries, Alarmed by New COVID Variant, Tighten Curbs

(Dreamstime)

Friday, 26 November 2021 05:52 AM

Global authorities reacted with alarm on Friday to a new coronavirus variant detected in South Africa, with the EU, Britain and India among those announcing stricter border controls as scientists sought to determine if the mutation was vaccine-resistant.

Britain banned flights from South Africa and neighboring countries and asked British travelers returning from there to quarantine, while European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the EU also aimed to halt air travel from the region.

Scientists are still learning about the variant, identified this week, but the news pummeled global stocks and oil amid fears what new travel bans would do to already shaky economies across southern Africa.

The variant has a spike protein that is dramatically different to the one in the original coronavirus that COVID-19 vaccines are based on, the UK Health Security Agency said, raising fears about how current vaccines, successful against the more familiar delta variant, will fare.

"As scientists have described, (this is) the most significant variant they've encountered to date," British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is to hold a meeting in Geneva at 1100 GMT. Experts will discuss the risks it presents and if it should be designated as a variant of interest or variant of concern, WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said.

Nearly 100 sequences of the variant have been reported, and early analysis shows it has "a large number of mutations" requiring further study, Lindmeier said.

One epidemiologist said it may be too late to tighten travel curbs.

"I think we have to recognize that most likely this virus is already in other places. And so if we shut the door now, it’s going to be probably too late," said Ben Cowling of the University of Hong Kong.

South Africa will speak to British authorities to try to get them to reconsider their ban, the foreign ministry in Pretoria said. "Our immediate concern is the damage that this decision will cause to both the tourism industries and businesses of both countries," Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said in a statement.

'ACT STRONG, FAST AND NOW'

The variant, called B.1.1.529, has also been found in Botswana and Hong Kong, according to the UK Health Security Agency. Israel said it was barring its citizens from traveling to southern Africa after one case of the new strain was found in a traveler returning from Malawi.

"We are currently on the verge of a state of emergency, " Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said, according to a statement from his office.

"Our main principle is to act fast, strong and now."

European countries had already been expanding booster vaccinations and tightening curbs as the continent battles a fourth wave of the coronavirus, led by the delta variant, with many reporting record daily rises in cases.

The new wave and discovery of the new variant come as Europe and the United States enter winter, with more people gathering indoors in the run-up to Christmas, providing a breeding ground for infection.

Italy imposed an entry ban on people who have visited southern African states in the last 14 days, and Germany will declare South Africa a virus variant area, a health ministry source said.

India issued an advisory to all states to test and screen international travelers from South Africa and other "at risk" countries after easing some of its travel restrictions earlier this month.

Singapore's health ministry said it would also restrict arrivals from the region, and Japan tightened border controls for visitors from South Africa and five other African countries.

The coronavirus has swept the world in the two years since it was first identified in central China, infecting almost 260 million people and killing 5.4 million.

(here we go again) WHO meets to discuss new, ‘heavily mutated’ COVID-19 variant...Variant seems to be most heavily mutated so far in outbreak

https://www.foxnews.com/health/who-meets-to-discuss-new-heavily-mutated-covid-19-variant

(anther post says possible vaccine resistant)

WHO meets to discuss new, ‘heavily mutated’ COVID-19 variant

Variant seems to be most heavily mutated so far in outbreak

By Edmund DeMarche | Fox News

The World Health Organization is holding a meeting Friday to discuss the dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases in South Africa that has been blamed on a new variant of the virus.

Joe Phaahla, South Africa’s minister of health, identified the new variant as B.1.1.529, and said it seems highly contagious among young people.

The BBC reported that the new variant seems to be the most heavily mutated so far in the outbreak. James Gallagher, the health correspondent, wrote that one scientist described the variant as "horrific." He said the meeting of the WHO will likely result in the variant receiving a Greek code-name, like the delta variant.

"This variant did surprise us," Tulio de Oliveira, the director of the Center for South Africa’s Epidemic Response and Innovation, told the news outlet. "It has a big jump on evolution [and] many more mutations that we expected."Health Minister Joe Phaahla on a site visit at the Grand West Casino on August 20, 2021 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Nature magazine reported that the variant was first reported in Botswana earlier this month. The report said scientists are trying to determine if the variant can somehow evade the immune response. One researcher in Johannesburg said, "We’re flying at warp speed.

An overview of Discovery Health Covid-19 vaccination site on October 21, 2021 in Sandton, South Africa.

Aris Katzourakis, an expert at virus evolution at the University of Oxford, said, "A burning question is does it reduce vaccine effectiveness because it has so many changes."

The British government announced that it was banning flights from South Africa and five other southern African countries effective at noon (1200GMT) on Friday, and that anyone who had recently arrived from those countries would be asked to take a coronavirus test.

U.K. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said there were concerns the new variant "may be more transmissible" than the dominant delta strain, and "the vaccines that we currently have may be less effective" against it.

Grant Shapps, the British transportation secretary, called the move essential, according to Reuters. He said the spike protein was "dramatically different" from the virus that the vaccines were designed to counter.

The Israeli Health Ministry says it has detected the country's first case of a new coronavirus variant in a traveler who returned from Malawi. Naftali Bennett, the prime minister, said the country is close to declaring a state of emergency over the variant.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Jacksonville men charged with falsifying voter registration forms

https://www.yahoo.com/news/jacksonville-men-charged-falsifying-voter-230541961.html

Jacksonville men charged with falsifying voter registration forms

Dan Scanlan, Florida Times-Union

Wed, November 24, 2021, 6:05 PM

The discovery of at least 60 voter registration applications for people who were dead or did not authorize them has led to the arrest of two Jacksonville men, the State Attorney's Office said.

Devin Deangelo King was arrested on Nov. 3 and Jordan Rayeshaun Daniels on Nov. 17 on charges of criminal use of personal identification information, jail records show. Both are 33.

Both the State Attorney's Office and Supervisor of Elections Mike Hogan said the motive doesn't appear to be political but for financial gain.

"This was a group working with what we call a third-party organization," Hogan said. "... We did not see anything political about it. It was, I think, people who were greedy. There's an incentive there to get as many as you can in."

Voting access: Activists call on Duval elections supervisor to expand access to early voting sites

Legislative elections: Statehouse races heat up during changing of guard in Duval County

The discovery also does not indicate any problem with Duval County's voting system, he said. His staff noticed the forms — some of the thousands submitted by many groups that do voter registration, change of party affiliation or addresses — did not look right.

"It just shows the diligence of the people who are working through this process to make sure that everything is right, not just the accuracy of the vote count, but the validity of our voter roll," Hogan said. "You have to be diligent to make sure you keep accurate records, and this is proof that we can find and eliminate it."

How the scheme was determined

The arrests follow a joint investigation by the Sheriff’s Office and State Attorney’s Office into identity theft.

Investigators initially met Aug. 19 with the elections office to review inconsistencies on a large number of recently turned-in voter registration applications, the State Attorney's Office said. Such forms contain personal identification information such as name, date of birth and driver’s license numbers.

The inconsistencies included signatures that did not match, plus personal identification information that was not correct. A review showed they had been initialed by two men, the State Attorney's Office said.

The investigators contacted numerous people listed on the forms. They determined several applications associated with Daniels and King were falsified, the State Attorney's Office said.

Hogan did not know which database might have been used to find the names inscribed on the registration forms, saying there are "so many" out there that can contain that information.

Guest Column: Citizens have the right to expect that elections will be conducted fairly

Campaign coffers: First reports show thousands already raised by Jacksonville sheriff's candidates for 2023

Hogan is advising registered voters to check the status of their registration to ensure all information is up to date and accurate, saying the security of voter registration and elections is a serious matter, and voters must be able to trust the process.

Registered voters who find irregularities with their registration information should contact the Supervisor of Elections Office at (904) 255-8683.

The arrests were announced just days before a Dec. 7 special election to fill the City Council At-Large Group 3 seat left vacant by the recent death of Tommy Hazouri.

If convicted, King and Daniels would each face a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years in prison, the State Attorney's Office said.

dscanlan@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4549

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville men charged in voter registration fraud scheme

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Please pass on....CNN’s Up to Its Old Tricks… Lightens Skin Color of Waukesha BLM-Supporting Christmas Parade Killer

CNN’s Up to Its Old Tricks… Lightens Skin Color of Waukesha BLM-Supporting Christmas Parade Killer

By Jim Hoft
Published November 24, 2021 at 3:05pm
51 Comments

Waukesha Christmas Parade mass murderer Darrell Brooks appeared in court for the first time this week after slaughtering 6 people and injuring over 60 others in a Christmas Parade attack.

Brooks is a black racist, a Trump-hater, an anti-white radical who barreled through a Christmas Parade on Sunday in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

CNN posted his photo on their website following his arraignment.
They lightened his skin.

Is cnn embarrassed about black people?... Racist if you ask me

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Catholic University of America Posts Paintings of George Floyd as Jesus in Campus Ministry Office (pass this on)

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/11/catholic-university-america-posts-paintings-george-floyd-jesus-campus-ministry-office/

Catholic University of America Posts Paintings of George Floyd as Jesus in Campus Ministry Office

By Jim Hoft
Published November 22, 2021 at 9:16pm
1153 Comments

The Catholic University of America has paintings of George Floyd as Jesus hanging outside of the university chapel in the campus ministry office and inside its law school.

The Daily Signal reported.

Paintings depicting George Floyd as Jesus Christ hang in both The Catholic University of America’s campus ministry office and its law school, The Daily Signal has learned.

Catholic University appeared to shrug off responsibility for the painting Monday, telling The Daily Signal that artist Kelly Latimore’s painting “Mama” depicts “the Virgin Mary supporting the body of the dead Christ”—although the artist has indicated repeatedly that his painting depicts both Floyd and Jesus.

“You can identify Jesus by the marks in the halo,” said Karna Lozoya, vice president for university communications. Lozoya would not further address the matter with The Daily Signal.

“The icon has no place at The Catholic University of America; it is blasphemous and an offense to the Catholic faith, but it is not surprising at all that it was put there,” a junior at Catholic University told The Daily Signal in an email. “It is just another symptom of the liberalization and secularization of our campus.”

This is not the first time something like this happened.
Democrats pictured repeat felon George Floyd as an angel during his funeral.
They sure pick some bizarre role models.

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Monday, November 22, 2021

UPDATE: It Was Intentional! Christmas Parade Killer Darrell Brooks Charged with 5 Counts of Intentional Homicide – The Media Was Wrong AgainUPDATE: It Was Intentional! Christmas Parade Killer Darrell Brooks Charged with 5 Counts of Intentional Homicide – The Media Was Wrong Again

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/11/update-intentional-christmas-parade-killer-darrell-brooks-charged-5-counts-intentional-homicide-media-wrong/

ANOTHER LOW LIFE piece of crap !!! (my opinion of course)

4 of the 5 dead were the dance group called " the dancing Grannies". They were all ELDERLY ladies. You piece of garbage and everyone else that stands by you.

UPDATE: It Was Intentional! Christmas Parade Killer Darrell Brooks Charged with 5 Counts of Intentional Homicide – The Media Was Wrong Again !

By Jim Hoft
Published November 22, 2021 at 2:46pm
11 Comments

IT WAS INTENTIONAL!

Waukesha suspect Darrell Brooks with his Ford SUV in a video he published on YouTube in 2019.

Multiple people were killed and injured after a person driving an SUV plowed through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin on Sunday evening.

As The Gateway Pundit reported earlier the suspect’s name is Darrell Brooks and he was recently released on bail.

The suspect Darrell Brooks is a sex offender and has a long record.The Chisholm attorneys let the Christmas parade killer back on the street last week.

And now we know that Darrel Brooks was released back on the street with a VERY LOW BAIL after he purposely RAN OVER A WOMAN with his car following a fight.

That woman was his baby’s mother.

Earlier today the media ran defense for this monster saying he was actually fleeing some sort of knife fight. We now know this was also a media lie.

Authorities charged Darrell Brooks with five counts of homicide on Monday afternoon.

The attack was intentional.

FIVE COUNTS OF INTENTIONAL HOMICIDE!

BREAKING: Waukesha Police is recommending 5 counts of intentional homicide for Darrell Brooks with additional charges to come after ramming through Christmas parade pic.twitter.com/sHleoxkGvi

— Benny (@bennyjohnson) November 22, 2021

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Ramblings About Daily Life. Let's Blame it On Menapause.

Friday, November 26, 2021