Free Republic

We were told by government officials that the lockdown was necessary to protect our vulnerable populations and to prevent overwhelming hospitals. As compassionate Americans, we listened. We destroyed our economy and our livelihoods. We left millions of individuals unsure of how they would pay their bills or put food on their tables. We temporarily and permanently shuttered businesses—both corporate and locally owned and loved. We suspended significant learning opportunities for our children and young adults. We did all of this because as Americans we recognize that each life has value. But did those officials keep faith with us? While we...

Today the Association of American Physicians & Surgeons filed its motion for a preliminary injunction to compel release to the public of hydroxychloroquine by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), in AAPS v. HHS, No. 1:20-cv-00493-RJJ-SJB (W.D. Mich.). Nearly 100 million doses of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) were donated to these agencies, and yet they have not released virtually any of it to the public.

Coronavirus hospitalizations in Arizona and Texas have hit record numbers as cases continue to surge in states in the South and the West, overwhelming medical professionals. Arizona reported a record high of 3,591 new cases Tuesday, with nearly 60,000 known cases in the state overall. The swell in cases came as President Donald Trump held a rally at a Phoenix megachurch Tuesday. There was a surge in the number of inpatient beds occupied by positive or suspected COVID-19 patients, with 2,136 beds occupied, compared to 1,992 Sunday, according to data from the state's Department of Health Services. Meanwhile, 84 percent...

I recently testified before the House Select Coronavirus Subcommittee on the meltdown in nursing homes, which excluding New York (which deliberately underreports) now account for over 55 percent of deaths with COVID. The House Democrats' goal was to blame these high death rates on President Trump - but the blame should belong squarely to the handful of governors who presided over these disasters. More than 60 percent of both nursing home deaths and total COVID-19 deaths occurred in just seven blue states with about 20 percent of the U.S. population: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Michigan....

Fauci said he thought “institutional racism” played a role in the disproportionate effect that the disease has on Black people. “Obviously, the African American community has suffered from racism for a very, very long period of time, and I cannot imagine that has not contributed to the conditions they find themselves in economically and otherwise.”

This past Saturday, after President Trump’s Tulsa rally did not draw the expected capacity crowd, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, “Actually you just got ROCKED by teens on TikTok who flooded the Trump campaign w/ fake ticket reservations & tricked you into believing a million people wanted your white supremacist open mic enough to pack an arena during COVID.” “Shout out to Zoomers. Y’all make me so proud. ??”Ocasio-Cortez was responding to claims that TikTok, with apparent help from within China, flooded the Trump campaign with fake reservation requests, discouraging others from attending.But what was most telling in her tweet was...

Cleveland Clinic is taking cost-reduction measures, including eliminating raises and delaying some capital projects, in reaction to more than $500 million in revenue shortfalls and increased expenses caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the health system said. The Clinic also reduced operating costs by restricting travel and changing how it manages paid time off, the health system said. “For the first time since the effects of the 2007–09 recession, the Cleveland Clinic has announced that it will not give pay raises in 2020,” a Clinic statement said. “Our priority is to preserve jobs and not reduce pay for our caregivers. This...

World leaders must not politicize the coronavirus pandemic but unite to fight it, the head of the World Health Organization warned Monday, reminding all that the pandemic is still accelerating and producing record daily increases in infections. The comments by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who has faced criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, comes as the number of reported infections soared in Brazil, Iraq, India and southern and western U.S. states, straining local hospitals. Tedros never mentioned Trump’s name or the fact that he is determined to pull the United States out of the U.N. health agency but warned against “politicizing”...

The remote-learning experiment isn’t going well. This month the University of Washington’s Center on Reinventing Public Education published a report looking at how 477 school districts nationwide have responded to the Covid-19 crisis. Its findings reveal widespread neglect of students. The report found only 27% of districts required teachers to record whether students participate in remote classes, while remote attendance has been abysmal. During the first two weeks of the shutdown, some 15,000 Los Angeles students failed to show up for classes or do any schoolwork. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that, 10 weeks in, “the Philadelphia School District registers just...

More people will be eligible to take a $100,000 coronavirus-related distribution from their retirement account. The IRS released guidance on Friday which details new rules for individuals affected by Covid-19 to take a withdrawal from a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. The CARES Act allows savers to take coronavirus-related distributions – emergency withdrawals – of up to $100,000 from their retirement plans and IRAs. And those who are under age 59½ can access the money without the usual 10% early withdrawal penalty.

Since the onset of the coronavirus outbreak, a vaccine has been widely regarded as the best path toward reopening society and returning to normalcy. Scientists have worked around-the-clock to develop a vaccine even entering late-stage human studies at record speed for the disease that has killed more than 430,000 people worldwide. Yet, despite these Herculean efforts, scientists say a one-time cure-all is unlikely. Data on close cousins of the COVID-19 virus, including seasonal coronaviruses that cause the common cold, suggests the COVID-19 vaccine probably won't offer lifelong protection -- although more research is needed to understand how well and for...

Just as it seemed baseball might - and a big emphasis on the “might” - be nearing some sort of a deal to start the 2020 season, the sport got a reminder of the difficulties it faces in trying to start a season during a pandemic. The Philadelphia Phillies on Friday closed their spring training complex after five players and three staff members tested positive for COVID-19 in Clearwater, Fla. NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury was the first to report the news. Those numbers could increase soon, as the club also noted 20 players (both major and minor leaguers) and...

Smoking may offer some protection against the coronavirus, an Israeli study has found. The results support recent similar findings by researchers in France, China and Italy, although a British study has found the opposite. Noting that conflicting reports exist regarding the impact of smoking on the likelihood of contracting the coronavirus, the Israeli team led by Dr. Ariel Israel undertook a population-based study pulling in data from over three million adult members of the Clalit Health Service, Israel's largest healthcare provider. Their results, presented in a non-peer reviewed paper published in medRxiv on Friday, found that "the risk of infection...

Blood samples from Covid-19 patients showed sicker patients had a high concentration of Alpha-defensin, a peptide involved in blood clots formation. Researchers around the world have been puzzled by a deadly Covid-19 complication: blood clots that can cause swollen legs, rashes and even sudden death. More than 30 percent of Covid-19 patients suffer from blood clots, which create lethal blockages in the lungs, kidneys, heart and brain. Dr. Abd Al-Roof Higazi, head of the Division of Laboratories and Department of Clinical Biochemistry at Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem, has found the mechanism that causes the clots. Higazi and colleagues...

New coronavirus reports from Beijing are very sketchy. According to Chinese authorities they have identified a new strain of coronavirus at a massive wholesale food market in Beijing called the Xinfadi Market. They are blaming “European Salmon”… Beijing officials have reported 79 cases over the past four days, the biggest concentration of infections since February. The spate of new cases prompted officials in many parts of the city to swiftly bring back tough counter-epidemic measures, with at least three districts entering “war-time mode.” Measures imposed included erecting round-the-clock security checkpoints, closing schools and sports venues, and reinstating temperature checks at...

Carlisle Events officials were considering their options Wednesday morning after the state Department of Health, citing COVID-19 concerns, sued the company to try to stop it from holding its Spring Carlisle car show that is expected to draw 100,000 visitors. Mike Garland, company spokesman, said the firm was declining comment on the suit filed in Commonwealth Court while awaiting advice from its lawyer. Meanwhile, the show, a huge automotive flea market that draws visitors and vendors nationwide, was still scheduled to run Wednesday through Saturday at the Carlisle Fairgrounds. It had already been delayed by two months due to the...

Rep. Ilhan Omar’s father died on Monday from complications of coronavirus, the congresswoman announced. The Minnesota Democrat released a statement that said Nur Omar Mohamed had passed earlier in the day after battling the virus which has sparked a worldwide pandemic. He was 67-years-old. “It is with tremendous sadness and pain that I share that my father, Nur Omar Mohamed, passed away today due to complications from COVID-19,” Omar’s statement read. “No words can describe what he meant to me and all who knew him. My family and I ask for your respect and privacy during this time,” the statement...

U.S. Rep. Ilham Omar said Monday that her father, Nur Omar Mohamed, had died from complications from the coronavirus illness COVID-19. "No words can describe what he meant to me and all who knew him," Omar, D-Minn., said in a statement. Omar, who asked for privacy, said her father died Monday. She did not provide information about her father's age or any previous medical conditions. The lawmaker, elected in 2018, is one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress. In the statement, she wrote, "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'cuun," which translates to, "Surely we belong to God...

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, revealed late Monday that her father died due to complications from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Omar announced the passing of her father, Nur Omar Mohamed, in a statement that included the phrase from the Quran, "Surely we belong to God and to him shall we return." "No words can describe what he meant to me and all who knew him," Omar said. "My family and I ask for your respect and privacy during this time." Omar was elected to Congress in 2018, becoming the first Somali-American lawmaker and one of...

The United States is banning all Chinese flights to and from America as retaliation for China failing to let U.S. carriers freely conduct operations. President Donald Trump’s administration said seven China-based airlines, including Air China Limited and Xiamen Airlines, will not be able to fly to or from the United States. An order from the U.S. Department of Transportation said it was “responding to the failure of” China “to permit U.S. carriers to exercise the full extent of their bilateral right to conduct scheduled passenger air services to and from China.” As a result of that failure, the United States “is...