COVID-19 Megathread 6: Return of the Omicron

[Mr. Illini]

Greg Abbott issues executive order banning vaccine mandates for private businesses

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/11/texas-greg-abbott-covid-19-vaccine-mandate/

Not sure that he actually has the ability to do this, but nonetheless, what a POS.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Greg Abbott issues executive order banning vaccine mandates for private businesses

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/11/texas-greg-abbott-covid-19-vaccine-mandate/

Not sure that he actually has the ability to do this, but nonetheless, what a POS.

Silly me.  I thought Republicans believed that government shouldn't try to tell private businesses what to do.

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

Greg Abbott issues executive order banning vaccine mandates for private businesses

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/11/texas-greg-abbott-covid-19-vaccine-mandate/

Not sure that he actually has the ability to do this, but nonetheless, what a POS.

Incredibly based. Great to see Republicans breaking the shackles of free market economics.

[Person Man]

Greg Abbott issues executive order banning vaccine mandates for private businesses

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/11/texas-greg-abbott-covid-19-vaccine-mandate/

Not sure that he actually has the ability to do this, but nonetheless, what a POS.

Incredibly based. Great to see Republicans breaking the shackles of free market economics.

“For” or “Of”?

[emailking]

What does it mean for Federal contractors based in Texas that are required to institute a vaccine mandate to continue to be Federal contractors?

[Sir Mohamed]

Greg Abbott issues executive order banning vaccine mandates for private businesses

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/11/texas-greg-abbott-covid-19-vaccine-mandate/

Not sure that he actually has the ability to do this, but nonetheless, what a POS.

Is that even lawful? Biden's EO concerns federal authorities and laws, over which Mr. Abbott has ZERO authority whatsoever.

We can have a debate over Covid restrictions and vaccines, policizing a deadly pandemic was one of the worst things the GOP has done.

[Skill and Chance]

Greg Abbott issues executive order banning vaccine mandates for private businesses

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/11/texas-greg-abbott-covid-19-vaccine-mandate/

Not sure that he actually has the ability to do this, but nonetheless, what a POS.

Is that even lawful? Biden's EO concerns federal authorities and laws, over which Mr. Abbott has ZERO authority whatsoever.

We can have a debate over Covid restrictions and vaccines, policizing a deadly pandemic was one of the worst things the GOP has done.

It depends on whether the general Biden OSHA mandate holds up in court.  If it's upheld, it preempts any contrary state laws.  If the OSHA mandate fails, the constitutional basis for imposing conditions on corporations with federal contracts is separate and very strong.  Those mandates are almost certain to survive.  So in this hypothetical, I think Texas-based companies with federal contracts would be required to mandate vaccines, while at the same time, Texas-based companies without federal contracts would be prohibited from mandating them.  Weird.

[Progressive Pessimist]

I know that Republicans are beyond consistently believing in laissez-faire anymore, but forcing businesses not to impose mask or vaccine mandates is as much of government interference as forcing them to impose them.

[AGA]

Greg Abbott issues executive order banning vaccine mandates for private businesses

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/11/texas-greg-abbott-covid-19-vaccine-mandate/

Not sure that he actually has the ability to do this, but nonetheless, what a POS.

Incredibly based. Great to see Republicans breaking the shackles of free market economics.

[Hammy]

Greg Abbott issues executive order banning vaccine mandates for private businesses

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/11/texas-greg-abbott-covid-19-vaccine-mandate/

Not sure that he actually has the ability to do this, but nonetheless, what a POS.

Give this God-forsaken hellhole of a state independence and be done with it.

[Pericles]

Greg Abbott issues executive order banning vaccine mandates for private businesses

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/11/texas-greg-abbott-covid-19-vaccine-mandate/

Not sure that he actually has the ability to do this, but nonetheless, what a POS.

Give this God-forsaken hellhole of a state independence and be done with it.

Within a few elections they could be the ones saving the rest of America from this kind of stupidity though.

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/freedlander/status/1448056634740183049

Paging Mr. Darwin.

[Hammy]

Greg Abbott issues executive order banning vaccine mandates for private businesses

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/11/texas-greg-abbott-covid-19-vaccine-mandate/

Not sure that he actually has the ability to do this, but nonetheless, what a POS.

Give this God-forsaken hellhole of a state independence and be done with it.

Within a few elections they could be the ones saving the rest of America from this kind of stupidity though.

Been hearing it for years. Heard the same story about Florida too, and we see how that went.

[Pericles]

Greg Abbott issues executive order banning vaccine mandates for private businesses

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/11/texas-greg-abbott-covid-19-vaccine-mandate/

Not sure that he actually has the ability to do this, but nonetheless, what a POS.

Give this God-forsaken hellhole of a state independence and be done with it.

Within a few elections they could be the ones saving the rest of America from this kind of stupidity though.

Been hearing it for years. Heard the same story about Florida too, and we see how that went.

It wasn't credible in 2011 but it is now. Going from Romney +16% to Trump +9% and then Trump +6% is a clear trend and it's also clear that Democrats have a lot of room to grow, they're not going to exhaust that growth anytime soon.

[SteveRogers]

Greg Abbott issues executive order banning vaccine mandates for private businesses

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/11/texas-greg-abbott-covid-19-vaccine-mandate/

Not sure that he actually has the ability to do this, but nonetheless, what a POS.

He almost certainly doesn’t. The emergency declaration law does give Abbot shockingly broad authority to “suspend” any regulatory statute or rule that interferes with disaster relief efforts. So his previous EO banning local mask mandates could at least purport to be based on his reading of the law as giving him the power to suspend local emergency measures (Such as mask mandates by public schools). It’s not clear at all where he thinks he gets the authority to tell a private business that they can’t set their own rules about vaccines.

[Progressive Pessimist]

https://twitter.com/freedlander/status/1448056634740183049

Paging Mr. Darwin.

This year's Darwin Awards has set a record for the most crowded field of nominees. The 2020 Democratic primary has nothing on this!

[Hammy]

Greg Abbott issues executive order banning vaccine mandates for private businesses

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/11/texas-greg-abbott-covid-19-vaccine-mandate/

Not sure that he actually has the ability to do this, but nonetheless, what a POS.

He almost certainly doesn’t. The emergency declaration law does give Abbot shockingly broad authority to “suspend” any regulatory statute or rule that interferes with disaster relief efforts. So his previous EO banning local mask mandates could at least purport to be based on his reading of the law as giving him the power to suspend local emergency measures (Such as mask mandates by public schools). It’s not clear at all where he thinks he gets the authority to tell a private business that they can’t set their own rules about vaccines.

Being a Republican automatically grants you unquestioned rule by decree and the courts have repeatedly backed this up.

[Frodo]

https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1448364944420974595

[Pericles]

Which vaccine is the best overall (of course there are different ways to judge it)? In New Zealand we could only get Pfizer, though I'd have been happy to get any.

[Hammy]

Which vaccine is the best overall (of course there are different ways to judge it)? In New Zealand we could only get Pfizer, though I'd have been happy to get any.

Moderna seems to have the strongest immune response and general immunity lasts longer, with Pfizer droppingto 20% effectiveness after six months. Moderna and Pfizer seem roughly equal (Moderna slightly higher) in preventing hospitalization/death with little to no drop-off.

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/AaronBlake/status/1448375753448599554

[emailking]

FDA vaccine advisers recommend emergency use authorization for booster dose of Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine

Vaccine advisers to the US Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously Thursday to recommend emergency use authorization of a booster dose of Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine.

The FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee agreed use of a booster dose would be safe and effective in some people six months out from their primary series.

Moderna had asked for emergency use authorization for a half dose of its vaccine to be used as a booster for certain people.

All 19 members of the committee supported authorizing a 50-microgram booster dose -- half the size of the 100-microgram doses used in the primary series of the two-dose vaccine -- at least six months after the second dose, and only for certain groups: people age 65 and older; people ages 18 to 64 who are at high risk of severe Covid-19; and people ages 18 to 64 whose exposure to the coronavirus in their settings or jobs put them at risk for Covid-19 complications or severe illness.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/14/health/fda-vaccine-advisers-moderna-thursday/index.html

[Progressive Pessimist]

https://twitter.com/AaronBlake/status/1448375753448599554

It really shouldn't be partisan to be scared s***less of the Republican Party being in any position of power. They're legitimately dangerous and in new ways too as time goes on.

[pbrower2a]

When it comes to COVID-19, the GOP is the "pro-death" party.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Which vaccine is the best overall (of course there are different ways to judge it)? In New Zealand we could only get Pfizer, though I'd have been happy to get any.

Moderna seems to have the strongest immune response and general immunity lasts longer, with Pfizer droppingto 20% effectiveness after six months. Moderna and Pfizer seem roughly equal (Moderna slightly higher) in preventing hospitalization/death with little to no drop-off.

J+J doesn't seem to have a drop-off.  Or at least I haven't seen it reported.  That would suggest the much-maligned J+J (which I got) is the winner.