Britain Will Only Vaccinate Children Against COVID If Needed

A government adviser asserted that the United Kingdom hasn’t agreed on any plans to vaccinate children against COVID and will only do it if needed.

Professor Adam Finn, a child vaccination expert at Bristol University and a member of the JCVI advisory group, said no decision had been made.

Leaked government plans suggested ministers want to start getting jabs to millions of under 18s from August to try to achieve herd immunity in the United Kingdom, but the results from clinical trials involving children haven’t been released yet, and the effectiveness and side effects of the jabs when given to children are unknown.

AstraZeneca and Pfizer are both testing their vaccines on under 18s and expect to announce their conclusions by the summer.

Scientists say that giving COVID jabs to children is potentially complicated because they have virtually zero short term risk from the disease, and would only be vaccinated to protect old people, and it’s still unknown, however, how long COVID might affect them.

More than 28 million adults in the United Kingdom have had their first vaccine dose so far and the NHS is on track to reach all over 18s by the end of July.

Professor Finn said on Good Morning Britain that if it does turn out to be necessary to immunise children, he believed it was more likely that they would prioritise teenagers over younger children, only because the data they have at the moment is that transmission of the virus is more liable to occur from and between teenagers who are a little bit more like adults.

And he said that they need to discover before that, what symmetry of the population they need to immunise to get adequate herd immunity and to stifle transmission of the virus and to do that they need to have a clear perception of how efficiently the vaccines hinder infection and transmission, and that data is still on its way at the moment.

The United Kingdom will attempt to accomplish herd immunity, in which so many people are protected that the virus can’t spread, with COVID vaccines, but if the threshold of protection needed is high, and scientists say it’s possibly higher than two thirds, even vaccinating 100 per cent of adults with a 100 per cent effective vaccine, which won’t happen, would only offer 75 per cent, then children may need vaccinating too otherwise the virus will continue circulating amongst them.

However, should our children be forced to vaccinate for a virus that barely affects them? But then each time the virus is passed on, there’s a chance it could mutate, and the more times it’s passed on, the more mutations will occur.

The more mutations, the greater the risk of one of them being extremely dangerous and not being preventable by any of the current vaccinations.

However, this virus has been systemic, and we’d better hope that we’re all strong enough to survive, otherwise, we’ll ultimately stop fighting the new system, and eventually, it will just become easier to overlook the losses and forget what life was like before lockdowns and fear because we should never underestimate those committed to a plan.

Is This More Proof Meghan Markle Wants To Be The First Woman US President?

Meghan Markle has teamed up with one of the senior figures from Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, adding fuel to the rumours that the Duchess is keen to enter the political sphere.

And it emerged that Harry and Meghan had combined forces with Genevieve Roth, who will serve as a senior strategic advisor at the couple’s Archewell foundation.

Invisible Hand, a social impact agency established by Genevieve Roth, will also be working with Archewell on initiatives and campaigns.

Alaskan born Roth, who says she has a lifelong commitment to gender equity, previously served as the director of creative engagement for the 2016 Clinton Presidential campaign.

A graduate of Emerson College and the Columbia Journalism School Publishing Course, Genevieve Roth also worked with The White House and Let Girls Learn, a US government initiative started by former President Barack Obama and wife Michelle.

The news adds to the speculation that Meghan Markle, who routinely uses her position to comment on gender and racial equality, is keen to launch a political career.

A statement said Invisible Hand would be concentrating on strategic development through storytelling and community building in support of gender and racial equality.

A spokesperson for the Sussexes added that they join a rapidly growing team that’s genuinely committed to developing systemic cultural change and promoting compassionate communities across the globe.

This comes after Harry and Meghan’s right-hand woman in the US stepped down from her position.

Catherine St Laurent was headhunted by the pair from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to become their chief of staff and executive director of Archewell, their new non-profit organisation, last April.

The couple called her an incredible asset when they announced her appointment, adding that they were delighted to have her on their side, but it emerged that the Canadian born mother of two had suddenly left her post.

There was no explanation from her directly, but according to a news outlet, Catherine St Laurent had already stepped down, although she would continue to work with Archewell in an advisory role.

Numerous rumours have suggested the Duchess is planning a course to the White House, reports which ramped up in the aftermath of her interview with Oprah Winfrey, and Meghan’s friends have previously prompted speculation about her political aspirations, detailing her rise from humble beginnings as the embodiment of the American dream.

And both Meghan and Harry are like teeny boppers bouncing from one after school club to another, in a bid for notoriety. Politics – seriously? Mental health, they must be desperate for any easy money, and aligning with Hillary Clinton – oh my God!

Meghan seems to have some skills at least, well at least the ability to lie, the ability to be ruthless, the ability to ditch everyone and rewrite her own history. However, there’s a much greater chance of Donald Trump becoming the first woman president than there is of Meghan Markle winning any office, and is she not aware that she’s one of the most disliked women in the world?

And Meghan Markle would be given an enormous reality check if she went for president because it’s all well and good firstly being protected by the Royals, and suing anyone who challenges her, but all of her dirty laundries would come out if she goes into politics, and let’s face it, she couldn’t even manage being a princess, yet she wants to be a president! But then it looks like you have to be a liar to do the job anyhow, so she would probably fit in pretty well.

Harry Gets A Real Job

Prince Harry has got his first job in business as an executive at a Silicon Valley start-up that claims to be worth $1.73 billion, where he will promote an app used by corporate goliaths including Hilton, Facebook and oil giant Chevron to improve the mental health of their workers.

The Duke of Sussex was unveiled as the Chief Impact Officer at BetterUp, whose CEO Alexi Robichaux has refused to say how much the royal will be paid, but comparable positions at other Calfornia firms would command six or seven-figure salaries.

Harry, who’s served in the British Army but has no corporate experience, will not manage any employees but will be required to appear at special company functions and spend time at the company’s San Francisco office for meetings once COVID restrictions are lifted.

The prince, who says he’s been using BetterUp’s app since January, started talks with them about a position last Autumn after being introduced to USC graduate Mr Robichaux through a mutual friend.

BetterUp employs therapists and executive coaches on contracts, who are matched with clients to give mental health coaching by video link through the app.

Most of its clients are in the United States, but it does have executive coaches employed in the United Kingdom. The tech firm works with corporate giants including Facebook, Google, Snap Inc, NASA, Hilton and Warner Brothers.

And there will be some raised eyebrows because Harry has spoken extensively on the necessity to protect the environment, but BetterUp has also worked with oil colossus Chevron and demonstrating why he’s taken the position, Harry told the Wall Street Journal in a suitably corporate response that he plans to help create an impact in people’s lives.

Proactive coaching provides infinite opportunities for personal development, heightened awareness, and an all-round better life.

The problem is, he’s got the job on the back of being part of the family that represents the United Kingdom, yet he no longer represents the United Kingdom, and this is the man who didn’t seem to be able to support his wife when she felt suicidal, so what skills does he have for this kind of specialised work?

And it might appear as if he’s got a job, but we shouldn’t be so ignorant as not to believe it’s some sort of made-up position, but perhaps it might be good for him because he’ll be in precisely the best place for his mental support if Meghan chooses to divorce him.

Or maybe he could enrol Meghan as his first high profile mental health patient.

Could Dimming The Sun Help To Cool The Earth?

The first test of a project backed to spray millions of tonnes of chalk into the stratosphere, to dim the sun and cool the Earth, could happen in June.

Harvard University experts will test the system by sending a big balloon 12 miles above the Swedish town of Kiruna and have it drop 2kg of chalk dust into the stratosphere.

The purpose of the estimated $3 million mission, backed by billionaire Bill Gates, is to have the chalk deflect a portion of the sun’s radiation and stop it from hitting the surface, and cool the planet.

But the plan has been massively criticised since its inception, with project director Frank Keutsch even calling the need for this scale of geo-engineering terrifying, and experts have warned that the novel technique could be disastrous for weather systems in ways nobody can predict.

Backed by a variety of private donors including Bill Gates, the test mission is launching from Sweden as they could offer a launch by the end of this summer.

The test balloon will lift 600kg of scientific equipment 12 miles above the surface of the Arctic town and if all goes well, about 2kg of dust will be released.

This will then create a dust plume several kilometres in length, not big enough to have any impact on the intensity of the sun’s rays hitting the Earth.

During the first test, the team will gather data on how particles of dust react with the air. This could then be fed into computer models to determine what would occur if it were ever carried to scale.

Keutsch told the Times he wants to learn the real effects, as current models may be too optimistic and make the technique look attractive, and that it would take tonnes of dust and plumes many hundreds of kilometres to make a difference, the theory being that the dust would create a massive sunshade.

This would reflect some of the sun’s rays and heat back into space, dimming those that get through and so protecting Earth from the ravages of climate warming.

Keutsch, whose Harvard laboratory is leading the project, says the strategy would only be deployed in desperation to stop parts of the planet from becoming uninhabitable.

Studies show that without any attempts to stop climate change, such as curbs on greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels and other pollutants, parts of the world will be up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than they are today.

But this is something right out of a comic book villains playbook, and if the day does come when people commence messing around with the weather, then we’re done, but then all you have to do is look up geo-engineering, and you can see for yourself.

And Bill Gates attempting to play God will be a disaster, and it’s not a good idea to start terraforming the only planet you’ve got and which we can live on, and this man is a threat to humankind, and he needs to be locked up for the sake of himself, his family, and most of all, the sake of humanity and wasn’t there a little fella called Adolf Hitler who was comparable to Bill Gates, only he never had the money to buy the world’s governments.

Either that, or he believes he’s God, and we should all be extremely concerned, and it appears that Bill Gates has too much time on his hands – someone needs to give him something constructive to do – a bit of manual labour wouldn’t go amiss.

Every Adult In The United Kingdom Will Be Required To Play Their Part

Every adult will be encouraged to test themselves for coronavirus at least twice a week under new plans to help ease Britain out of lockdown.

Testing chiefs are driving the message in the hope of identifying people without symptoms.

They think that getting people to regularly swab is essential in driving down the spread of the virus and an advertising campaign will encourage Britons to play their part.

The new drive, revealed by the Times, will be supplemented by national sewage monitoring, and it’s expected that areas with growing cases will then be immediately identified and stopped by surge testing, possibly reducing the demand for future lockdowns.

Britain’s successful vaccine drive has led to calls for the lockdown to be eased more quickly, despite fresh regulations to prolong emergency government powers to extend restrictions by up to six months.

The bill is expected to sail through parliament despite threats of a Tory revolt.

The Tory MPs warned that Britain risks squandering the advantages of our vaccination programme by moving too slowly to lift the lockdown.

Amid signs of a mass revolt, a string of MPs said they were ready to vote against the Government this week when it attempts to extend COVID laws to the end of September.

The NHS yesterday revealed a third consecutive record day of vaccinations with 844,285 on Saturday.

The Institute of Economics Affairs yesterday said the success of the programme meant there was now a clear case for bringing forward Boris Johnson’s road map dates by four weeks.

This view was supported by Tory backbenchers, including former minister Steve Baker.

Mr Baker, the head of the COVID Recovery Group, said he will vote against plans to extend government powers, warning that the detention powers in the Coronavirus Act were excessive, unreasonable, and completely unnecessary and that renewing them would not be reconcilable with the Prime Minister’s guarantee that they’re on a one-way road to freedom by June 21.

Windsor MP Adam Afriyie said that he worries that some minds in government were centring on arbitrary dates rather than looking at the reality of the data on hospitalisations and deaths, which was what they were told in January would determine the unlocking.

Christopher Snowdon, of the Institute of Economic Affairs, said that even if the vaccination programme slowed down next month, they were in a far better place than anybody anticipated in January and that there was a strong case for bringing the roadmap forward by four weeks.

So, it seems it’s back to cases we go, and it’s a never-ending cycle – deaths, deaths, deaths, and then when those numbers fall, it’s cases, cases, cases, and then when those fall, those that haven’t learned from the past year, never will, but don’t forget, vaccines are the way out – right?

Coronavirus Appeared In China As Early As October 2019

The first case of a human infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID 19, may have occurred in China’s Hubei province as early as October 7, 2019.

Only in mid-December, two months later were the first cases officially reported in Wuhan at the now ill-famed Huanan wet market.

Further analysis of the virus spread and its molecular clock revealed it was most likely already established in Wuhan by this time and had been circulating in Hubei at low levels in early November 2019, and possibly as early as mid-October.

But due to novel symptoms of COVID 19 and an initially small number of infections, it was difficult to identify the pathogen.

As a result, the virus only came to the attention of the authorities when a cluster of inexplicable symptoms linked to the Huanan Seafood Market was seen in December, and this led to the now-discredited theory that the wet market, where a broad variety of animals are sold both alive and dead, was where the pandemic began.

Dr Jonathan Pekar from the University of California San Diego led a mathematical study to determine when and where it began, and his team examined 583 early virus samples from Hubei to find their latest common ancestor from which they all descended, and they found they dated back to about December 9.

But reports of the unusual pneumonia-like condition were being reported in the Chinese media before this date.

As a result of this, the researchers say the only rational explanation is that the first appearance of the virus which bounced from an animal into a human was a weak strain that quickly went extinct.

But before it fizzled out, the researchers hypothesised it mutated to become more potent and this variant then radiated throughout Wuhan and later the world.

The researchers recorded in their study, published in Science that in their initial analysis, they believe that November 17 represents the first documented case of COVID 19, and they conducted further analysis under this hypothesis using a computer model.

When accounting for a delay in transmission, discovery and manifestations occurring, the first case of COVID 19 infection transpired in Hubei on or about November 4, 2019, the researchers estimate.

However, this figure could be as early as October 7, the researchers calculated, but the researchers struggled to pinpoint a geographical area for the viruses origin, but say if the original strain, which was weaker than the Wuhan variant and all subsequent mutations, appeared in a rural area, it would have had to migrate to an urban area to survive.

But the bottom line is millions died.

Young People Who’ve Come Out As Asexual

Young people who define themselves as asexual have been sharing the often adverse reactions they encounter if they’re open about their lack of sexual desire, including being told they simply haven’t met the right person.

One of the most notable voices of the asexual community in the United Kingdom is 24 year old Yasmin Benoit, a model and activist who wants to raise the visibility of asexuality and aromanticism.

In an interview with a news outlet, she explained that she’s been branded a psychopath because of her sexuality and that people have assumed she’s been molested in the past to justify her absence of sexual attraction.

Yasmin said that they say that she doesn’t look asexual, and that she’s probably insecure, or that she must have been molested or must be gay, or that perhaps she’s just a psychopath.

According to asexual YouTuber Lynn Saga, 23, who uses the they/them pronoun, signs that you might be asexual if you’re not interested in intimacy, not rushing into a relationship, or having little or no crushes in your lifetime.

In a video marking Asexual Awareness Week, they opened up about how they first knew they were asexual, and that even though a tactile person, was never interested in sex and didn’t realise that was something people wanted.

They went onto say that not feeling the wanting of that sort of intimacy or feeling a connection like that is one of the biggest signs you might be asexual.

They said that teens are frequently told they haven’t met the right person yet, with people usually not accepting that they could be asexual.

Talking of growing up with different desires to their friends, Lynn went onto say that all of her friends around 15, 16 and 17 were beginning to think about getting into relationships and being boy or girl crazed and she was just sitting thinking about what those guys were on about.

British blogger Daniel Walker, 24, who runs the Slice Of Ace YouTube account told a news outlet that nine times out of 10 he has to explain to people what his sexuality means.

He’s physically affectionate with his male partner but has no desire to have sex, however, can engage in sexual activity comfortably as part of his relationship.

Shelby Grace, 27, is best known for her popular gaming videos, but has also opened up about her sexual orientation, having come out on a friend’s YouTube channel in January last year about being asexual.

It’s quite a simple concept – there’s little or no sexual desire, and some people are single and happy and don’t want to ruin that by being in a relationship.

Residents In Sydney’s West Are Told To Evacuate In The Face Of Floodwaters

Thousands of families across rain-soaked New South Wales face their homes being flooded as a once in a century mega-storm lashes Australia’s east coast.

Conditions were unstable and unpredictable as more flood alerts were declared for parts of western Sydney and NSW mid-north coast.

Surging floodwaters in Sydney’s west and north-west are now higher than the catastrophic 1961 flood, with residents in parts of Penrith being told to flee their homes by 9 pm before floods were expected to peak.

Other residents in the area were told to get out by 4.30 pm as the Nepean River broke its banks and floods of water destroyed homes.

The Bureau of Meteorology announced major flood alerts for the Hawkesbury, Nepean and Colo Rivers, warning of extreme flooding at Windsor, Sackville, Lower Portland and Wisemans Ferry.

The Hawkesbury at Richmond was forecast to reach 15 metres by 7 pm, with further rises possible – the river was expected to reach the same level at Windsor by 3 pm.

Further evacuation alerts were issued for the western Sydney suburbs of Eastern Creek, Stonecutters Creek and Marsden Park, where residents were told to prepare to leave their homes by 3 am.

Residents of parts of Wilberforce north of Hawkesbury were told to be ready to vacate by 9 am.

Severe weather remains in place for much of the NSW coast up to Queensland for life-threatening flash flooding with 137 schools closed and workers forced to stay at home.

Up to 60mm of rain was forecast to flood Sydney after 110mm fell in the space of 24 hours as two weather systems hit, and the NSW State Emergency Service declared western parts of Penrith as a high danger zone where some homes have already been flooded with water.

And an evacuation order was issued for all homes within the area bounded by the Nepean River, south of the Great Western Highway and west of Peach Tree Creek, including Captains Road, Finch Avenue, Ladbury Avenue, Memorial Avenue, Nepean Avenue, and Recreation Avenue.

Residents near the vicinity of Cables Wake Park bounded by the Nepean River, Jamison Road, and Peach Tree Creek were also ordered to evacuate, and the NSW SES alert stated that once floodwater reached 7.96m the Great Western Highway Evacuation Route would be cut.

If residents remained in the region, they might be trapped without power, water and other essential services and it might be too dangerous to rescue them.

Sadly in Sydney, there have been housing estates built that should never have been built, but hopefully, they will all get to safety as quickly as humanly possible because we can’t imagine what they could be facing or have endured so far.

White House Says Additional Factors Led To Five Staffers Losing Their Jobs

Press secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday that five White House staffers have been fired because of their prior use of drugs, including marijuana.

Marijuana has become a sensitive problem for President Joe Biden’s administration because 15 states and Washington, DC allow for recreational usage, despite a federal ban.

Jen Psaki said in a statement to The Associated Press that the administration has tried not to automatically punish potential staffers for legal behaviour in their communities by developing a more compliant policy.

And said that while they would not get into specific cases, there were added factors at play in numerous instances for the small number of individuals who were terminated.

She added in a tweet that the bottom line was that of the hundreds of people hired, only five people who’d started working at the White House, were no longer employed as a result of the policy.

The Daily Beast website first announced the firings Thursday night, and the move amassed harsh criticism from people all along the political rainbow.

Hundreds of aides in the two-month-old Biden administration have cleared the suitability reviewed by career staffers managing security concerns, and the White House has said there could be various factors for dismissals, including hard drug use.

The marijuana policy has become less stringent under the Biden administration, allowing for up to 15 past uses in a year amongst White House staffers.

The broader federal government has also become slightly more tolerant, with the Office of Personnel Management issuing a memorandum that says a person should not be considered unfit merely because of past marijuana usage, and that the seriousness of the use and the nature of the position would also be factors in judging new hires.

Security and suitability reviews have been an issue for past administrations, and at least twenty five clearance rejections were upturned by President Donald Trump’s administration, where people faced possible disqualification because of foreign influence, conflicts of interest, concerning personal conduct, financial difficulties, drug use and criminal behaviour.

Despite Jen Psaki’s statement on the matter, it’s difficult to dismiss Vice President Kamala Harris’s comments about marijuana, but then perhaps this is what happens when an old man is in charge, although is he really in charge, or is he just a tool?

But I don’t suppose it was just marijuana why these people were fired, and nobody really worries about grass anymore, and you can buy pot anywhere, it’s just a reality now.

Princess Margaret Accused The Royals Of Ignoring Her Mental Anguish

When Princess Margaret was aged six, she discovered that her father had become King and that her older sister Elizabeth would one day become Queen, and her response was revealing, and she told her nanny that she was nobody now, and as a Royal second sibling, it was a feeling that would plague her until she died in 2002.

The dynamic between Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret was, like that between Prince William and Harry today, a profoundly complicated one. It was also one whose illuminating intricacies have been surprisingly neglected by Royal biographers.

Although at times suffocatingly close, the sisters wore identical clothes until Elizabeth was in her teens, and their relationship was at other times marked by dramatic sibling tensions that shook their close bond to its core.

During a fitting for their father’s coronation in 1937, Margaret, launched a tantrum when she saw that the train to Elizabeth’s gown was a foot longer than hers.

Her mother coldly explained that because of her sister’s status of birth, she was entitled to that right, and it was a moment that always irritated Margaret, and when 18 years old Elizabeth was allowed by her parents to participate in the war effort by entering the women’s Auxillary Territorial Service in 1945, but Margaret, then 14 years old was overwhelmed with resentment, according to their nanny Marion Crawford.

Marion Crawford said that as usual she was quite cross at seeing Lilibet, the family name for the Queen, doing something without her, but in the meantime, Elizabeth said that Margaret always wanted what she had.

And it’s fair to say that in the popular imagination, every generation of the House Of Windsor was stalked by darkness. The good versus the naughty Royal – the rebellious extrovert versus the sensible introvert.

Prince William the straight shooter – Harry the wild child. Diana the demure, Fergie the roustabout – The Sun and the Moon, and these stereotypes usually conceal as much as they reveal, and yet, each set of Royal siblings, like all siblings, feed off this asymmetry.

And the Queen and Margaret were no exception, and as Margaret told a friend that when there are two sisters and one is the Queen who must be the source of honour and all that is good, the other must be the focus of the most creative malice, the evil sister.

But it was a different time back then, with different attitudes, and should we really unearth Princess Margaret to prop up the Markles? And in those days, the treatment was generally damaging to one’s mental health, and the perceptions of what caused mental illness, particularly in women were often misogynistic.

What Margaret had to go through was awful, but then a lot of other Royals have had to go through this as well, and it was the way at the time to keep a stiff upper lip and not speak about these things.

Not that it was a good thing, but we do have to begin looking at things from the perspective of the times because history is full of aversions, and the human race is continually evolving, and we should quit judging the past and start looking at what we could improve in the present.

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