Those who declining to get vaccinated because they believe the vaccines were produced too quickly, or believe vaccines don't prevent the spread of COVID-19, or claim the vaccine has severe side effects -- are no different than mainstream anti-vaxxers who claim the COVID vaccine inserts microchips into you, or is a global conspiracy to control people, or other fallacies ---- these people have one thing in common -- they are operating off of misinformation and they really don't care about others in society. When jem, Tsing Tao or others claim they have not gotten the COVID vaccine (there is no excuse at this point) -- and then put forward misinformation claims on why they have not received it, there is only one thing to call them -- ANTI-VAXXERS. They try to claim they are not but this does not hold water -- they are just as much anti-vaxxers as the delusional person who claims the vaccine has micro-chips or will cause Bill Gates to control the world. There is one more common attribute encompassing anti-vaxxers -- they tend to promote & spread vaccine and COVID misinformation. We regularly see that here on ET. Let's see what Tsing Tao's hometown paper has to say about these anti-vaxxers operating off of misinformation who are undermining Florida's recovery. Misinformation is keeping Floridians from getting vaccinated, USF survey shows The more someone is exposed to misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, the survey shows, the less likely they are to get vaccinated. https://www.tampabay.com/news/healt...ns-from-getting-vaccinated-usf-survey-shows/# A new survey shows Florida’s vaccination efforts are being hampered by misinformation and political polarization. University of South Florida researchers surveyed 600 residents across the state, and 36 percent of respondents said they have not yet received the coronavirus vaccine while 16 percent said they no intention of getting vaccinated in the future. The answers of those respondents reveal what researchers call the “most significant drivers of vaccine hesitancy.” The survey shows 74 percent of vaccine-hesitant responders who said they “probably” or “definitely” won’t get the vaccine blamed side effects. About 51 percent said they believe the vaccines were produced too quickly while 21 percent said they don’t believe vaccines prevent the spread of COVID-19. All those concerns are based on falsehoods. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that severe or life-threatening reactions to vaccines are rare. The vaccines were created using established mRNA technology. Federal data shows the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines are more than 90 percent effective and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is more than 66 percent effective at preventing illness. The survey reveals just how widely misinformation has spread among Florida residents, said Stephan Neely, an associate professor in the School of Public Affairs who helped conduct the survey. Nearly three-quarters of respondents say they’ve heard at least one harmful rumor about the coronavirus vaccine in the past 6 months; a third say they’ve heard at least four rumors. But the survey shows a person doesn’t have to believe a rumor for it to impact their decision to get vaccinated. Among respondents who hadn’t been exposed to misinformation, 74 percent had already been vaccinated. That number falls to 63 percent after they encounter at least one source of misinformation. And of those who were exposed to six or more harmful rumors, only half said they’ve been vaccinated. “That exposure is sufficient to plant the idea in your head, that something may or may not be true, and to kind of create that hesitancy,” Neely said. “It doesn’t necessarily even have to be something you believe for it to start kind of creeping into your thinking.” The survey was conducted by a team of USF researchers who contacted 600 Floridians on June 3 and June 14 who are representative of the state’s age, racial and gender composition. “It’s shocking to see it written down,” said Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, about the survey’s findings. His organization tracks the spread of vaccination misinformation through social media and other platforms. “We know that over 50 million Americans directly follow one of the either a group or an individual who’s spreading misinformation on social media,” he said. “And if they’re sharing it with their friends, it doesn’t take many clicks of the share button before you get 75 (percent).” Those who are hesitant aren’t necessarily anti-vaxxers, either. Less than 18 percent of those who said they were vaccine hesitant said they oppose vaccines in general. “It’s less ‘I hate vaccines’ and more ‘I’m hearing all sorts of stuff and I just can’t deal with it right now,’” Ahmed said. “It’s really a tiny number of people who are genuine anti-vaxxers.” One of the best ways to dispel misinformation, experts say, is to talk to a trusted medical expert like a primary physician. But fewer than a third of the Floridians who responded to the survey have talked to their primary physician about getting vaccinated. “So one of the big takeaways there is that we just need to better inform people about the process by which the vaccines were created,” Neely said. “Yes, the COVID vaccine itself was created in record time. But the mRNA technology behind those vaccines has been developed for years.” The study doesn’t report whether those who talked to a doctor were more likely to be vaccinated. About 80 percent of Americans report that their family physician is their most trusted source of information about the vaccine, according to a study from the Kaiser Family Foundation. And the overwhelming majority of doctors strongly recommend patients get the COVID-19 vaccine. Instead people turn to the internet for answers, Ahmed said, and “there’s a great disparity between those being exposed to misinformation via social media, and those receiving good information from their physician” Part of the problem is the loss of regular personal contact with a medical professional during the lockdown, said Dr. Christina Eldredge, a former family physician who now teaches health informatics at the University of Florida. “In the pandemic we were separated from each other,” Eldredge said, “not just our friends and family, but from our trusted healthcare providers as well.” The survey suggests another reason why people aren’t listening to their doctors: polarization. Political alignment is one of the biggest determining factors whether or not someone has been vaccinated. Three-quarters of respondents who identify as Democrats say they’ve been vaccinated. That number drops to less than 60 percent for Republicans and Independents, according to the USF survey. “This new pattern in vaccine hesitancy that we’ve seen around the COVID vaccine is in part because of the deliberate targeting of Republicans, and in particular Trump supporters,” Ahmed said. “The reason for all of this is primarily social media,” he said. “And the fact that (social media companies) profit not just from people before visiting those platforms to see misinformation, but also the subsequent debate over that misinformation.”
Let's see how things are going with COVID in Florida -- where DeSantis and his allies have demanded that government workers be back in buildings... while setting no requirement that they be vaccinated. These are the people -- who can't even stop COVID from killing and hospitalizing half the unvaccinated people in a government IT office which holds a mere couple dozen employees -- who want to sent out crowded cruises out with thousands of unvaccinated people. A coronavirus outbreak hit a Florida government building. Two people are dead but a vaccinated employee wasn't infected https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/22/us/florida-manatee-county-coronavirus-outbreak/index.html Two people are dead and four of their coworkers were hospitalized after a Covid-19 outbreak swept through a government building in Manatee County, Florida. The outbreak began in the IT department, according to Manatee County Administrator Scott Hopes, who is also an epidemiologist. Another person who worked on the same floor but in a different department also tested positive for coronavirus last week. Of the six people infected, five were hospitalized. One employee who was in the hospital died and another employee who was not hospitalized also died, Hopes told CNN's Erin Burnett. The only exposed employee in the IT office who was vaccinated did not get infected, Hopes said. "The clinical presentation gives me concern that we're dealing with a very infectious variant that is quite deadly," Hopes told Burnett. The government building was closed on Friday as a precaution. It reopened Monday but officials didn't implement a mask requirement, instead keeping them optional. Hopes said he's encouraging workers who aren't vaccinated to wear a mask and the county is making them available to employees and visitors. "Clearly masks work, but the vaccine is more important at this point," Hopes said. Manatee County will offer a Covid-19 vaccine clinic for employees at the administration building on Friday.
Hey GWB, how's the cruise industry exodus of Florida going? Have they put DeSantis in his place yet? Or maybe they've required vax passports and DeSantis gave in?
Remember at least from my point of view, DeSantis passing a law saying Cruise Ships cannot require vaccine passports was the issue for me that would be struck down. DeSantis claimed private businesses could do what they want and then he passed a law telling private businesses what to do. DeSantis actually listened to his lawyers (AG) and took the proper path since the cruise ship actions were based on CDC guidelines and sued the CDC directly to say its guidelines were excessive when they requested conditional sailings. Since restaurants and arenas and other areas were opening with less restrictions the suit claimed the CDC overstepped its bounds. WIth cruise ships they were mandtatory restrictions from sailing while other industries were given recommendations. Court found that CDC did have a right to have requirements or guidelines for cruise ships but that CDC was excessive and overreached in its requirements in some of the steps such as test sailings before accepting passengers when compared to rules ofr airlines and other leisure activities. Court also said I believe that CDC guidelines could be recommendations or goals for cruise ships to request but the stay would not be in effect until July. Court also said CDC and Florida can keep negotiating to reach some agreement. DeSantis did not win against the cruise ships, he went against the CDC to try and lift their restrictions. Cruise ships are still free to require what they want before you can sail because they are a private business and they can request non-vaccinated passengers to go through extra daily steps or have some restrictions while onboard their private ship in international waters. The court NEVER said the ships cannot require vaccines to sail and the ships are free to make their own decision on this. In his ruling, Judge Merryday said Florida was likely to prevail in its claim that the CDC exceeded its authority in issuing the conditional-sailing order. He contrasted the shutdown approach the agency took with the cruise industry to the voluntary recommendations it has issued for other leisure and hospitality industries, such as hotels, casinos and sporting arenas. And he said decreasing infection rates and increasing vaccinations in the U.S. have reduced the risk of Covid-19 outbreaks aboard ships. He gave the CDC an opportunity to propose a narrower injunction no later than July 2, and ordered the parties to continue with mediation.
Seeing that all the cruise ships are requiring that everyone who claims to be vaccinated to prove their vaccination status ---- and treating unvaccinated adults like lepers onboard. I would say it's going very well for the cruise industry thumbing their nose at DeSantis' stupidity. Basically unvaccinated passengers on Royal Caribbean will only be able to sit in their cabins and choke their chicken. Royal Caribbean imposes restrictions on unvaccinated passengers: report Unvaccinated passengers will have additional mask and testing requirements https://www.foxnews.com/travel/royal-caribbean-restrictions-unvaccinated-passengers
"DeSantis for the win" - Protest Prosecution edition A Trump supporter could be the first Floridian prosecuted under Ron DeSantis' new anti-protest law Florida Republicans may soon see their latest stunt backfire in their faces https://www.salon.com/2021/06/23/a-...uted-under-ron-desantis-new-anti-protest-law/ A Florida man was arrested and charged with multiple felonies last Thursday after intentionally performing a "burnout" with his car over a Pride-themed mural painted on an intersection in Delray Beach, opening him up to become the first person charged under the state's controversial new "anti-riot" bill pushed by Republicans. Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed the bill meant to crack down on protests in the wake of the George Floyd uprisings earlier this year, just as the trial against former Minneapolis police officer Derick Chauvin was wrapping up. The legislation was heavily opposed by first amendment activists and Black lawmakers in the state. Now a young Trump supporter may be the first person entangled by the new law. Alexander Jerich, 20, is accused of deliberately making skid marks across a mural meant to commemorate the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting, in his Chevrolet Silverado. According to WPBF, Delray Beach Police have since charged Jerich with criminal mischief, reckless driving, and evidence of prejudice. Just prior to the incident, Jerich was allegedly participating in a pro-Trump rally in celebration of the former president's birthday that was put together by the Palm Beach County Republican Executive Committee. A witness told the police that heard someone holler "tear up that gay intersection" before Jerich shortly defaced the mural with his car. The incident was also caught on video, which allowed the police to identify Jerich, who turned himself in, through a license plate search. Rand Hoch, founder and president of the Palm Beach Human Rights Council, told WFOR that Jerich carried out "a deliberate act of violence against the LGBTQ community. We've made such progress here in the last 30 years on LGBTQ issues. To see someone do something like this took me by surprise." "Kudos to the Delray Beach Police Department for swiftly identifying and arresting this hateful criminal," Hoch added. The city had just unveiled the mural two days before the incident, according to law enforcement, and paid north of $16,000 for its creation. Jerich could now be subject to heightened penalties imposed by Florida's new GOP-backed "anti-riot" law signed back in April. As WPEC's Sam Kerrigan noted: "When it comes to this case, the key here is that this new anti-riot law also stops someone from damaging historic property or a memorial. And under the law, this new Pride mural in Delray Beach, here, qualifies as a memorial because it's dedicated to the lives lost in the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando." Hoch, too, suggested that Jerich could be charged under the new GOP measure.
Lets see how long this goes on before RC changes policy, realizing that they can't fully load a boat with vaccinated passengers and the cost to run the ship is prohibitive. You want to wager? I mean, you don't exactly have a good track record but today could be your lucky day, GWB.