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Judge Rules Against San Diego Unified’s COVID Student Vaccine Mandate
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported:
A judge struck down San Diego Unified School District’s COVID-19 student vaccination mandate Monday, saying that the mandate conflicts with state law.
The ruling effectively saves thousands of unvaccinated students from being kicked out of in-person school. San Diego Unified’s mandate would have forced students 16 and older to learn remotely via independent study starting Jan. 24 if they did not get both doses of the COVID vaccine by Monday.
The court’s ruling, by San Diego Superior Court Judge John Meyer, immediately affects only San Diego Unified. But the ruling could have influence in challenges to COVID vaccine mandates that have been adopted by a handful of other California school districts.
Biden Administration’s Vaccine Requirements Take Center Stage at Supreme Court
The Biden administration’s coronavirus protection requirements intended to persuade millions of healthcare and other workers to get vaccinated are taking center stage at the Supreme Court.
More than half the states and coalitions of business and religious groups are asking the justices for emergency action to block the administration’s nationwide vaccine-or-testing mandate for large businesses, which would cover about 80 million workers.
And the administration itself is asking the court to lift lower-court decisions that have blocked a vaccine mandate for healthcare workers in facilities that receive Medicare and Medicaid funds. That implicates about 17 million workers.
The court has called for additional briefing in those cases by Dec. 30, which suggests rulings early in the new year.
Judge Says Biden’s Vaccine Mandate Goes Beyond Workplace and Into Public Health, Blocks It
A federal judge in Missouri issued a preliminary injunction Monday blocking President Joe Biden‘s COVID vaccine mandate for federal contractors in 10 states, saying it extended beyond the president’s authority and was more of a public health mandate than a workplace mandate.
The decision comes in addition to the nationwide halt to the mandate issued by a federal judge in Georgia on Dec. 7.
U.S. Magistrate Judge David Noce issued the ruling saying that the federal government can typically only set rules like wages, non-discrimination policies and employees’ rights for federal contracts. “The vaccine mandate would reach beyond the workplace and into the realm of public health,” Noce wrote.
‘No More Shutdowns:’ NYC Offers $100 to Get Boosters at City-Run Sites Before New Year’s
New York City is digging back into its pockets as it scrambles to curb the record-setting Omicron tide, offering $100 cash to anyone who gets a COVID-19 booster at a city-run vaccine site between now and New Year’s Eve, the mayor said Tuesday.
Calling the program “by far the biggest booster incentive program in the United States of America,” Bill de Blasio acknowledged the limited-time opportunity but said it was coming at exactly the right time for the pandemic-weary city.
New Yorkers can also go to SOMOS sites partnering with the city and get the $100 incentive. There are more than 1,000 options — and home booster options as well.
Steve Bannon Says ‘War on Unvaccinated’ Is Starting, Dismisses ‘Mass Vaccinations’
With Omicron spreading rapidly throughout the United States, Steve Bannon warned that he felt a “war” against unvaccinated people is coming and pushed back on the White House’s strategy to fight the pandemic by increasing inoculations.
Bannon, the former White House Chief Strategist under Donald Trump, called Omicron the strain of COVID-19 that could help America reach herd immunity. He noted that the variant, which is now the dominant strain in the U.S., is highly transmissible but believed to cause less severe disease than other variants.
The goal of herd immunity, which is achieved through either large numbers of inoculations or a majority of people having antibodies due to previous infections, is to have enough people protected from a virus that it struggles to spread and thereby helps protect those who cannot be inoculated.
Intel Tells Unvaccinated Employees They Face Unpaid Leave
Intel has told workers that unvaccinated people who don’t get an exemption for religious or medical reasons will be on unpaid leave beginning in April.
The California-based semiconductor company told employees last month they had a Jan. 4 deadline to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or seek an exemption, citing a government mandate for federal contractors.
In a Dec. 7 memo to employees, Chief People Officer Christy Pambianchi told employees the Jan. 4 vaccine deadline remains in place. She wrote that employees who aren’t vaccinated must seek a medical or religious accommodation and submit to weekly testing, regardless of whether they are still working remotely.
Airline CEO Says ‘Idiot’ Anti-Vaxxers Should Not Be Allowed to Fly, Shop for Groceries
The CEO of Ryanair, one of the largest airlines in Europe, said last week that those who have chosen not to get vaccinated against COVID-19 should be banned from various aspects of everyday life.
Michael O’Leary told The Telegraph that authorities should be making life harder for “idiot” anti-vaxxers or those who’ve denied the jab without good cause.
“If you’re not vaccinated, you shouldn’t be allowed in the hospital, you shouldn’t be allowed to fly, you shouldn’t be allowed on the London Underground, and you shouldn’t be allowed in the local supermarket or your pharmacy either,” O’Leary told the paper.
Washington, DC to Reinstate Indoor Mask Mandate
Washington, DC will reinstate an indoor mask mandate beginning Tuesday, Dec. 21, until the morning of Jan. 31, Mayor Muriel Bowser said on Monday.
The mayor added that all employees, contractors and grantees of the District of Columbia government must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and must have a booster shot. There will be no test-out option, the mayor said. There was no deadline specified for the vaccination guidance.
Fox Tightens Its Vaccine Rule, Removing a Test-Out Option for NYC Office Workers
Fox Corporation, the owner of Fox News, told employees on Friday that those working in New York City would have to show proof they’d had at least one dose of the COVID vaccine by Dec. 27, removing the option to get tested weekly instead.
The new policy was in keeping with New York City’s vaccine rule, which Mayor Bill de Blasio announced in early December and which is more stringent than a contested Biden administration rule requiring vaccine mandates or weekly testing at larger employers.
Why I’m Pro-Vaccine but Anti-Vaccine Mandate
Last Thursday, the University of California fired my good friend and new colleague, Aaron Kheriaty, for refusing vaccination. The next day, a federal circuit court allowed President Joe Biden‘s OSHA vaccine mandate to take effect throughout the United States, meaning many other citizens may soon be penalized.
But we should not treat conscientious objectors to the vaccine like this.
Dr. Kheriaty, a physician and psychiatrist, has taught and treated patients at the UC-Irvine Hospital and Medical School for 15 years. He has also directed the medical school’s bioethics program.
He treated COVID patients throughout the pandemic, including when everyone was most concerned about the virus’ lethality. As a result, he caught the virus and developed natural immunity.
COVID: EU Vaccine Passports Only Valid 9 Months Without Booster
The European Commission announced Tuesday that COVID vaccine certificates in the bloc would only be valid for nine months without a booster shot.
Announcing the decision, the EU Commission said that a harmonized validity period for COVID vaccine passports “is a necessity for safe free movement and EU level coordination.”
EU residents are recommended to receive a booster shot six months, at the latest, after they’re fully vaccinated. But the certificate will be valid for three additional months as a grace period to ensure access to booster doses, the Commission added.
Spain, Portugal Face New Restrictions Despite High Vaccine Rates
Despite vaccination rates that make other governments envious, Spain and Portugal are facing the hard truth that, with the new Omicron variant running rampant, these winter holidays won’t be a time of unrestrained joy.
Portugal on Tuesday announced a slew of new restrictions over Christmas and the New Year, making working from home mandatory and shutting discotheques and bars beginning Saturday night. Also, a negative test result must be shown to enter Portuguese cinemas, theaters, sports events, weddings and baptisms until at least Jan. 9.
Catalonia, home to the northeastern city of Barcelona, is prepared to become the first Spanish region to reinstate serious limitations and put a damper on the holiday cheer.
Catalan health authorities have asked the courts to authorize a battery of measures including a new nightly curfew from 1-6 a.m., a limit of 10 people per social gathering, the closure of nightclubs, and capping restaurants at 50% of indoor seating and stores, gyms and theaters at 70% capacity. If approved, the rules would take effect on Christmas Eve and last for 15 days, wiping out most New Year’s parties.
iPhone Users Could Soon Have an Easier Time Getting Through Airport Security Lines
Apple’s plan of allowing iPhone and Apple Watch users to store their driver’s license and state ID in the Wallet app was originally set to arrive this year before being pushed back to 2022.
Now the Secure Technology Alliance announced in a post that the transportation administration will accept Mobile Driver’s Licenses (mDL) at two airports next February.
The goal will be to streamline the ID verification process so travelers can quickly file through security lines.
Some users have raised privacy concerns about keeping their most sensitive information housed in a device that could end up in the wrong hands. Security experts who spoke with NPR are worried digital IDs will make us more reliant on tech companies than before and fear the feature could be used for tracking and monetization.
A Bluetooth Bug in a Popular At-Home COVID Test Could Falsify Results
A security researcher found a Bluetooth vulnerability in a popular at-home COVID-19 test allowing him to modify its results.
F-Secure researcher Ken Gannon identified the since-fixed flaw in the Ellume COVID-19 Home Test, a self-administered antigen test that individuals can use to check to see if they have been infected with the virus. Rather than submitting a sample to a testing facility, the sample is tested using a Bluetooth analyzer, which then reports the result to the user and health authorities via Ellume’s mobile app.
Gannon found, however, that the built-in Bluetooth analyzer could be tricked to allow a user to falsify a certifiable result before the Ellume app processes the data.
Meta Cracks Down on Phishing Scams That Use Its Trademarks
Meta is taking legal action against the bad actors who allegedly impersonated Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram to conduct a phishing scam. The company claims that since 2019, the defendants created over 39,000 websites in an attempt to replicate Meta’s services, subsequently deceiving users and collecting their login information.
In the post on its blog, Meta explains that the defendants used a relay service, Ngrok, to send internet traffic to the phony login pages they created, all while concealing their identity and location.
Those who clicked the phishing link were brought to a login page that resembled Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, or WhatsApp. When the user attempted to log in, defendants would collect their victims’ usernames and passwords.
