Free Republic

COVID-19 cases are expected to rise this fall as new variants become more prevalent. And, as unfortunately expected, it’s already triggered demands by some of our more zealous public health enforcers, not to mention some teachers’ unions, to reinstate mitigation measures including mandatory masking. Some researchers are already recommending that when cases go up, people will need to wear masks indoors again. ... None of this incipient hysteria is warranted. The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 is, as expected, continuing to mutate. The EG.5 variant is the most common US strain now, making up an estimated 21% of new infections...

The Biden regime has begun procuring COVID-19 equipment and hiring advisors on safety protocols, according to an exclusive report from War Room. This comes amidst increasing speculation that the White House might be preparing to reinstate pandemic-era lockdowns and mandates.

A new COVID-19 variant fueling a rise in cases is causing a new symptom that has not been associated with the virus during the three-plus years of the pandemic.The so-called Arcturus strain — officially known as XBB.1.16 — is believed to be one of the most infectious versions of the Omicron variant to date. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) variant tracker, XBB.1.16 United States cases have doubled in the last week. Itchy, red eyes not seen in earlier waves "are symptoms of the new Omicron variant," according to a brand-new report by the Mayo...

Matt Hancock suggested to an aide that they "frighten the pants off everyone", messages published by the Sunday Telegraph show. It appears the former health secretary discussed when to reveal the existence of the Kent variant of Covid, to ensure people comply with lockdown rules. In another exchange, the head of the Civil Service, Simon Case, suggested the "fear/guilt factor" was vital to the government's messaging. The BBC has not verified the messages. More than 100,000 WhatsApp messages were leaked to the Telegraph by the journalist Isabel Oakeshott, who has been a vocal critic of lockdowns. The former health secretary...

Now, why oh why would officials text about deploying a new variant? Hrm. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya shared screenshots of texts between UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Damon Poole from December of 2020, and gosh, golly gee, they were about ‘deploying the new variant.’ Yikes. This implies that they were ‘deploying’ other variants, yes? We should note that since these are screenshots we can neither confirm nor deny their authenticity HOWEVER … holy crap, you guys. If these are real? Take a look: Dec. 2020. UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock: "When do we deploy the new variant?" https://t.co/geFtC8wrcp pic.twitter.com/u3lr0EEKOe —...

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Golf, cricket and rugby became the first major sports to be affected by the new COVID-19 variant on Friday, prompting fears of renewed travel restrictions and disrupted events just as they were returning to normal nearly two years into the pandemic. European golfers withdrew midway through the season-opening DP World Tour tournament in Johannesburg and were scrambling to catch flights out of South Africa. Visiting cricket and rugby teams were doing the same. Golf was the first to be hit by the emergence of the new B.1.1.529 variant that was initially identified in South...

A new coronavirus variant, C.1.2, has been detected in South Africa and a number of other countries, with concerns that it could be more infectious and evade vaccines, according to a new preprint study by South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases and the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform. The study is awaiting peer review. Scientists first detected C.1.2 in May 2021, finding that it was descended from C.1, which scientists found surprising as C.1 had last been detected in January. The new variant has "mutated substantially" compared to C.1 and is more mutations away from the original virus...

Why is this man still in charge and not charged?You truly cannot trust a single word this man says. His statements today are completely contradicted by his statements tomorrow. He continues to rewrite science on a whim and not based on anything but the words from his mouth.Fauci is now blaming unvaccinated Americans for the next new variant.Dr. Rand Paul filed a criminal referral against Fauci this past weekend.Dr. Tony Fauci: If you allow the virus to freely circulate because so many people are unvaccinated you give it yet again an opportunity to mutate more and you may wind up...

Another new variant of the novel coronavirus has been found in Japan, the health ministry said Sunday. The new mutant strain, which is partly similar to different variants reported in the U.K. and South Africa, was detected in four infected people who arrived from Brazil, the ministry said. The National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) said there was no evidence at present that the new variant was highly infectious, but it was investigating whether it could cause severe symptoms and whether or not it is resistant to vaccines. Of the four people, a man in his 40s showed no symptoms...