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CNN Political Analyst Says It’s Time to Make Vaccinations and Vaccine Passports Mandatory
CNN political analyst Julian Zelizer called on coronavirus vaccinations and vaccine passports to be made mandatory in the U.S., citing a concern for the Delta variant of the virus, as well as an increase in cases amongst the unvaccinated.
In a Wednesday column, Zelizer argued that Republicans and Democrats, including President Biden, were focusing too much on individual rights rather than “the good of the collective,” and declared that Americans shouldn’t view the vaccine “as an optional inoculation.”
“It is time to impose vaccine mandates and passports. The COVID-19 vaccines continue to perform extraordinarily well, but the rate of infection is worsening in unvaccinated populations. The Delta variant is offering a sobering reminder that the pandemic has faded in much of the country but certainly not ended,” Zelizer wrote.
Watch 1-Hour Version of Censored Interview With Inventor of mRNA Vaccine Technology
Children’s Health Defense reported:
In June, Dr. Bret Weinstein interviewed Dr. Robert Malone, the inventor of mRNA vaccine technology, and Steve Kirsch, philanthropist and tech entrepreneur who has become a respected force in the quest to give voice to people who have been harmed by COVID vaccines.
The 3.5 hour “DarkHorse Podcast” interview was censored on YouTube and other major social media platforms. Five days after the DarkHorse podcast was published, Malone’s scientific accomplishments and contributions were scrubbed from Wikipedia.
Trinity Health Sets Employee Deadline to Prove COVID Vaccine Status or Face Termination
Trinity Health is mandating all employees to prove they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sept. 21 or potentially lose their jobs, the Associated Press reported. Trinity is one of the country’s largest Catholic health care systems and one of the first hospital associations to require inoculation from employees.
All of the group’s 117,000 employees throughout 22 states, as well as contractors and anyone conducting business in a Trinity facility, have to meet the deadline. Exceptions to the requirement may be allowed for religious or health reasons, the Associated Press added.
American Airlines Flight Disrupted by Teens Who Refused to Wear Masks
Passengers aboard an American Airlines flight to the Bahamas spent an unexpected night in Charlotte, North Carolina, after unruly passengers refused to comply with a federal mask mandate.
The incident — which came during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year — is only the latest involving passengers refusing to comply with safety measures aboard planes during the pandemic.
Americans Will Need Masks Indoors as U.S. Heads for ‘Dangerous Fall’ With Surge in Delta COVID Cases
As the highly transmissible delta COVID variant continues to spread rapidly across the United States and elsewhere around the world, scientists and other health experts are warning that indoor mask mandates and other public health measures will likely make a return in the U.S. this fall.
The country, which just celebrated the Fourth of July with some of its first large gatherings in more than a year, is headed toward a “dangerous” fall season when delta is expected to cause another surge in new coronavirus cases, health experts say. Already the dominant variant in the U.S., delta will hit the states with the lowest vaccination rates the hardest — unless those states and businesses reintroduce mask rules, capacity limits and other public health measures that they’ve largely rolled back in recent months, experts say.
The Memo: Biden and Democrats Face Dilemma on Vaccine Mandates
Democrats including President Biden are grappling with what to do about the slowing pace of COVID-19 vaccinations.
The sharpest debate right now is centered on whether private businesses, federal workplaces and educational institutions should require proof of vaccination. If the White House encouraged such requirements, it would likely nudge some Americans who have not yet gotten vaccinated to do so.
But it would also open the president and his party up to accusations of overreach and nanny-statism on an issue that has become deeply partisan.
Psaki Encourages Private Companies to Use Vaccine Passports: ‘That’s an Innovative Step That They Will Take’
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday that the Biden administration will not mandate vaccine passports, but it will encourage private businesses to use them as they see fit.
“That’s not currently the role of the federal government,” Psaki told reporters aboard Air Force One. “There are a number of private sector entities, universities, institutions that are starting to mandate, and that’s an innovative step that they will take and they should take. That’s not — and we’re not taking issue with that.”
Hospitals Pressure Employees to Get Vaccinated as COVID Variants Spread
The Wall Street Journal reported:
Some hospitals are starting to mandate workers get COVID-19 vaccines as new immunizations flag and variants of the virus spread nationwide, spurring pushback from employees.
More than a dozen hospital systems have announced in recent months they will require the shots, including major hospital systems in Missouri and Michigan, states where less than half the total population is fully vaccinated. St. Louis-based SSM Health said its workforce must have at least one dose by Sept. 1, with an earlier deadline for leadership. Two other St. Louis-area hospital systems set deadlines for September and August. Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System gave employees until early September to comply.
Spectators Barred From Tokyo Olympics Venues Amid Japan’s COVID State of Emergency
Fans were barred from the pandemic-postponed Tokyo Olympics that will open in two weeks, following a state of emergency issued on Thursday.
The ban was announced by the International Olympic Committee and Japanese organizers, reducing the games to a made-for-TV event.
Although widely expected, the move marked a sharp turnabout from just weeks earlier, when Olympic organizers said they aimed to hold the games with limited spectators.
