Category Archives: medical news

medical news

Hypocrisy? Anyone?

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By John Kanelis / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

Democratic politicians have made quite a bit of hay about their Republican colleagues’ effort to lie about the efficacy of various COVID 19 vaccines and have blasted them to smithereens for refusing to wear masks in group settings.

As the saying goes … oops!

At least six Democratic politicians — all Texas pols holed up in Washington over a dispute involving voter suppression efforts in Austin — have tested positive for the coronavirus. They haven’t worn masks in their own group settings. Are they going to get sick and possibly die? Probably not. All of ’em have been vaccinated, but they reportedly have come down with the delta variant that now accounts for the vast majority of new infections being reported.

I mention this only to call attention to the harsh rhetoric that flies back and forth across partisan lines.

The Democrats who have tested positive are members of the Texas Legislature. They left Austin to stop a voter overhaul effort launched by Texas Republican lawmakers. Clearly they should have known better than to expose themselves to the variant that is creating considerable havoc across the nation, accounting for the increases in infection, hospitalization and death.

They no doubt will get a snootful from their Republican colleagues.

Sadly, they have it coming.

medical news

Ignore the know-nothings

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By John Kanelis / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

While visiting with a family member this afternoon, chatting about this and that, I made a command decision about how I will treat the yammering that comes from the anti-vaxxers out there who say we should ignore pleas to inoculate ourselves against the COVID-19 pandemic.

I will ignore them.

When Fox News blowhard Tucker Carlson says we should forgo the vaccine, I will ignore him. When such nonsense spills from the pie holes of politicians wedded to the nonsense spouted by POTUS 45, I will ignore them, too.

FYI, my family member happens to be on my side in this argument.

Now, that said … if a learned physician with the skill and knowledge credentials of, say, Dr. Anthony Fauci, says we should refuse the vaccine, I’ll give it all due consideration. Then I’ll disregard what he or she says, too.

The blowhards are know-nothing gasbags. They make handsome livings by being able to articulate half-baked opinions in a witty, reasonably articulate manner. They have their followers. I am not one of them. Thus, I do not take their blathering seriously; hell, I usually choose to avoid listening to it in the first place.

I established long ago my own bias. We all have it. You do, too. I am going to accept the opinions of those I trust. Dr. Fauci — the nation’s premier infectious disease expert — says the vaccines are safe and effective. That, dear friends, is good enough for me.

As for those who refuse to get vaccinated, or refuse to inoculate their children against the killer virus and its variant(s), they are putting themselves in dire peril. Worse, they are endangering their children.

All of them — every single one of them — should be ashamed.

medical news

Pandemic ‘not over’

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By John Kanelis / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy today told us a horrifying truth. The COVID-19 pandemic is not over, he told Fox News Sunday.

“We’re seeing increases in cases, particularly in parts of the country where the vaccination rates are low,” Dr. Murthy explained.

I’ll embellish a mere sigh with an anguished “arrrgghh!”

We now hear Facebook firing back at President Biden who blames social media platforms for spreading lies about the pandemic vaccines. I am going to stand with the president on this one.

There needs to be greater accountability among social media outlets and the disinformation they distribute. Such as the phony claims of danger posed by the vaccines. There can be no denying the link between the surge in cases and the fact that they are occurring in parts of the country where vaccination rates are low.

It ain’t happening in regions where vaccination rates exceed state and national averages.

Hmm. Is there a message to be learned? Uhh, yeah. Get vaccinated!

medical news

‘Pandemic of unvaccinated’

By John Kanelis / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

No one — and I mean not a single sane human being — wants to welcome this latest medical nightmare.

Which is that COVID-19 cases are on the increase, as are hospitalizations and, oh yeah, deaths from the worldwide pandemic.

Who’s responsible for this distressing turn of events? President Biden calls it the “pandemic of the unvaccinated.” That is a mantra repeated late this week by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Rachelle Wallensky.

Think of this for just a moment.

Those who dismiss the vaccines, who refuse to take them, who believe the foolishness being spread out there (that they turn bodies in magnets and plant the spores of Satan into our skulls) have contributed to this horrible new wave of infection and death.

CDC officials report the greatest spike in infection/hospitalization/death come from those parts of the country with the lowest vaccination rates. Those happen to be mostly in the southern part of the nation. Hmm. What does one make of that? Is there a political component to this horrible news? I happen to believe there is, but I’ll save that for another blog post.

Today I am concerned about my own family. Almost all of us are full vaccinated. The only one who hasn’t received the vaccine is our granddaughter, our 8-year-old. She will get hers soon.

But what does this mean for those of us who have been vaccinated? I keep hearing reports of fully vaccinated Americans being stricken by that delta variant COVID-19 strain that is knocking the stuffing out of us.

My wife and had not jettisoned our masks. We had them handy, partly for occasions such as what we are discussing today: a resurgence of the virus.

With that said, we’re donning our masks once again when we venture into public places with other human beings, many of whom do not bother with the masks. I don’t wish them ill, but I do wish they would follow our lead — my bride and me — and cover their faces while they mingle with the rest of us.

Oh, and the vaccines still are safe. They still are effective. They still are preventing needless headache, heartache and hysteria.

If only we all would heed the advice of highly trained medical professionals to get vaccinated.

medical news

Why target Dr. Fauci?

By John Kanelis / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

There is so much to unpack about the ongoing controversy surrounding the COVID pandemic and our nation’s effort to defeat it that I am left to separate these issues and examine them one at a time.

For instance, why has Dr. Anthony Fauci become a target of the far-right wing goofballs out there who now are applauding Americans’ refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Just to revisit Dr. Fauci’s entrance onto the national stage for a moment, I feel the need to remind everyone of a thing or two.

POTUS 45 brought him aboard ostensibly to provide medical advice on how to respond to the pandemic as it began to tighten its grip on the nation in early 2020. The ex-POTUS made an inspired choice, given that Fauci has long been renowned as the nation’s leading infectious disease expert.

Then he debunked the counsel that Fauci gave. The then-Numbskull in Chief called Fauci an “idiot,” and accused him of overstating the severity of the disease.

The president left office after being defeated by President Biden. The criticism of Dr. Fauci has continued. Members of Congress are calling for Fauci to be fired. Why? Beats the hell out of me!

Dr. Fauci has become a lightning rod for those who continue to insist that vaccines present some threat to their health. Meanwhile, the good doctor insists the vaccines are effective, they are safe, they prevent people from being infected by a disease that can kill them.

It’s fallen on deaf ears and become — if you can believe it — live ammo for the critics to fire back at the doctor and his friends and allies in the Biden administration.

Fauci spoke with uncharacteristic emotion when he referred to the conservative political action conference in Dallas this past weekend where attendees actually cheered reports of Americans declining to be vaccinated. Do these nimrods want Americans to die?

So, the criticism continues. What should be a universally unified effort to fight a killer disease has been split along partisan lines. To think, too, that an esteemed medical professional — with stellar and unimpeachable credentials built over many decades — has become a target of right-wing goofs who think they know more than he does.

Astonishing.

medical news

End the vaccine politics

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By John Kanelis / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

My request is simple and straightforward.

Let us end the politicization of the COVID-19 vaccines … shall we?

I am sickened to the core at the yammering of right-wing talking heads/blowhards/gasbags who continue to insist that the government is trying to force us to do something we don’t want to do, such as take the vaccine that protects us against a virus that continues to kill Americans.

For starters, no one is “forcing” anyone to do anything of the sort. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is trying to tell us until they run out of breath that all the available vaccines are safe, they are effective and they will protect us from infection, sickness and death.

And yet we hear from right-wing politicians and their pals in the right-wing media continue to insist that President Biden should “fire Anthony Fauci” because the good doctor — and senior administration pandemic medical and health adviser — is trying to frighten us into taking the vaccine.

Good grief, man!

I interpret Dr. Fauci’s message differently. He seeks to speak to us using common sense. If you have a vaccine that works, and is safe, it makes sense to take it to ward off the effect of a virus that has killed 4 million human beings worldwide and more than 600,000 Americans. Why is that such a frightening concept?

Don’t answer that. I know why. Because it serves as political grist for those who adhere to the misplaced skepticism and deception about the virus expressed by President Biden’s immediate predecessor, the former Moron in Chief.

Joe Biden says the virus “is on the run.” I believe him. However, we are not out of danger. Indeed, the danger is heightened by those who continue to wage a political war in the middle of a fight for our lives against a virus.

medical news, national news

Pandemic isn’t ‘over,’ doc

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By John Kanelis / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

If you thought a physician is an individual who uses common sense and scientific evidence to form opinions, then you haven’t heard the rantings of a congressman from the Texas Panhandle.

Republican Ronny Jackson, who represents the 13th Congressional District, put this gem out there on Twitter:

The pandemic is over. It’s time to FIRE FAUCI and let America open up again! Choose FREEDOM over Fauci, and liberty over government bureaucrats!

Earth to Carpetbagger Jackson: The pandemic isn’t over … you well-educated moron!

The delta variant is still sickening Americans. Granted, the big picture is a lot brighter than it was a year ago, or even six months ago. The variant, though, accounts for roughly half of the new cases of COVID-19 infections being reported.

As for “firing” Dr. Anthony Fauci, I would rather hear from him than hear from a loudmouth GOP politician who once served as White House physician, most notably for the 45th POTUS who continues to foment The Big Lie about the 2020 presidential election.

Jackson is a doctor, a retired Navy admiral. I get that he’s well-educated. He also is an interloper, moving to the 13th District of the Texas Panhandle only to run for public office.

He also hasn’t distinguished himself since taking office, blasting out ridiculous Twitter taunts and tirades daily … in the mold of the disgraced former Moron in Chief, the guy who lost his bid for re-election to President Biden.

Rep./Dr. Jackson is disgracing himself.

local news, medical news, State news

Get vaccinated, Texans!

By John Kanelis / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

This isn’t good news, folks.

Texans like to boast about how our state is No. 1. Well, we are far from No. 1 in the rate of inoculation against that killer virus, the COVID-19 pandemic that’s still killing too many of us.

The Texas Tribune reports that the state has inoculated about 43 percent of its population fully against the virus.

I was struck by the results coming from Amarillo and from Beaumont, two communities where I used to live. Amarillo had been vaccinating at double the state rate. Then the good folks of the Panhandle decided to stop exceeding the state standard. Amarillo’s fully vaccinated rate stands at 30 percent, a good bit below the state inoculation rate.

The Beaumont-Port Arthur metro area fares even worse, with just 28 percent of its residents claiming to be fully vaccinated.

I don’t know about you, but I believe that is disconcerting news to say the least. At worst it is frightening, given the spike in that the “delta variant” now accounts for about 25 percent of the new infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/07/06/coronavirus-texas-vaccination-amarillo/

President Biden keeps telling us that it is the “patriotic” thing to do to get vaccinated. The first time I heard him say it, I though the then-new president was overstating the importance. No more, man! I now am on board fully with Joe Biden’s summoning our patriotic spirit in fighting the virus.

I have been using High Plains Blogger to extol the message. And I will continue to speak out on this forum. It’s the best avenue at my disposal to say what I believe needs to be said.

I am able to speak with a clear conscience about vaccination. I am fully vaccinated, as is virtually my entire immediate family. We stand proudly as those who heeded the call to get the vaccine. To be sure, we have paid a hefty price from the pandemic. Two of our immediate family members were hospitalized with symptoms; one of those family members became, in the words of the medical staff tending to her, “seriously ill” from the virus, which means we could have lost her. I thank God Almighty each day that we didn’t.

This is all my way of urging everyone who is eligible to receive the vaccine to get the medication shot into your body. The CDC, the Food and Drug Administration and practically every medical expert on Earth say the vaccines are safe; they are effective; they will protect you and those with whom you come in contact.

As for my former neighbors in far-reaching regions of this vast state who continue to resist the vaccine, they are playing a dangerous game.

Note: A version of this blog was published initially on KETR.org.

medical news

Goal not met; big … deal

By John Kanelis / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

It’s the Fourth of July, everyone, a time for cheering, celebrating and acknowledging the accomplishments of this great nation.

Oh, but one thing we aren’t celebrating: President Biden’s prediction that we would have 70 percent of our population vaccinated fully against the COVID-19 virus.

Hey, we stand at 66-plus percent. That’s not bad. Am I worried that the president’s goal remains unmet? Only if we give up on the battle to get everyone vaccinated while eradicating the killer.

It was an ambitious goal to be sure.

I will compare it instead to where we were a year ago. The nation is faring many times better these days than we were at this time in 2020. The vaccines are being distributed. We have pledged to share much of it with needy nations. Infection rates are down, as are death rates. Yes, we have these troublesome virus variants with which to contend.

President Biden’s goal of 70 percent vaccination is far from a deal breaker. It only should remind us of work that still awaits for us to return to what we like to call “normal” activity.

medical news

Biden falls short … so what?

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By John Kanelis / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

President Biden vowed to have 70 percent of Americans inoculated against the killer virus by the Fourth of July.

Well … he’s gonna fall a bit short. Not by much, but we won’t hit the magic mark.

The New York Times reports that it appears that 67.6 percent will be totally vaccinated by that date, which has forced the White House to recalibrate its celebration of the progress they have made in getting us past the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new mantra is 300 million vaccinations in the first 150 days of the Biden administration.

You know what? It’s still — shall we say — a big f****** deal!

The Biden medical team has faced some push back from Americans on the vaccines. Some folks are reluctant to get vaccinated because of concerns about side effects. Or they have perhaps deluded themselves into thinking their immune anyway. Or — and this is the tough part — they adhere to a political notion that the pandemic is overrated in the first place.

The Times reports: Experts say that from a disease control perspective, the difference between 67 percent and 70 percent is insignificant. But from a political perspective, it would be the first time Mr. Biden has set a pandemic-related goal that he has not met. Mr. Biden has continually set relatively modest targets for himself and exceeded them, including his pledge to get 100 million shots in the arms of Americans by his first 100 days in office.

Biden Likely to Fall Just Shy of His July 4 Vaccination Goal (msn.com)

Whatever the case, President Biden’s lofty goal is just a tad out of reach. No sweat. We’re still a long way closer to eradicating the pandemic than we were a year ago.

I’ll accept that.