Deeply selfish and ignorant. Even if you refuse to be a responsible adult and protect others around you from infection, you can at least be a good teammate and not hurt your team with your absence. I don't know why any franchise would tolerate this kind of behavior.

Do you even let yourself encounter information that disagrees with your preconceptions or makes you feel uncomfortable? The official UK stats for all cause mortality show that the people who got the shots are dying at a faster rate than those who were wisely skeptical. I'll leave a link and the religiously devoted can virtue signal their refusal to even look at it.
https://nakedemperor.substack.com/p/pandemic-of-the-vaccinated-a-look

You still don't get it.

Deeply selfish and ignorant. Even if you refuse to be a responsible adult and protect others around you from infection,

Did you miss this?

cdc-director-covid-vaccines-cant-prevent-transmission-anymore

Of course we knew that a long time before the CDC got around to announcing it, but still, with them making it official even the most diehard bitter enders have to acknowledge that vaccines only help the vaccinated.

#4 Ish. In fairness it's a CDC spokesman who's responsible for the sloppy messaging here: Digging into the source report she's citing:

The CDC report acknowledges that the precision of its measurement of infectiousness in vaccinated people was limited. It's not backed by any studies actually tracking the spread. (Which of course would be really hard to do) It's not backed by any kind of lab experiments (again, this would be hard to do ethically)

As is typically the case, "indicates" and "might" are the words to use.

And everything is complicated by the very low number of people getting shots 3 and 4.

And it's a disaster as messaging. The intent was to encourage masking. What it's widely being parsed as is, waste of time doing anything.

They never completely prevented transmission. They do still appear to reduce the likelihood of transmission, based on the CDC's own data (case rates are still 2x higher in the unvaccinated than the vaccinated). If you're unvaccinated and never had it before, it's probably more than 2x.

Vaccines reduce transmission, just like they reduce the chance of catching it, the severity, and the chances of hospitalization or death.

They don't completely eliminate any of those.

But many people can only see in binary.

#6 The issue isn't that they never prevented transmission. It's that if you're fully vaccinated you appear to carry a similar viral load -- with a lot of qualifications. Only true of Omicron, but since that was the dominant strain at the time ... And it's also not clear if/how much being fully boosted affects things. And it's not clear how the current variant affects this either.

As I say, the intent of those talking points was to encourage people to mask up indoors. But since a very large number of people only got vaccinated so that they wouldn't have to mask up indoors what it communicated to those people is that it's a waste of time getting vaccinated.

Most people aren't good at nuanced or probabilistic arguments.

“I’m not going to let Canada tell me what I do and don’t put in my body for a little bit of money,’’ said Realmuto, a three-time All-Star. “It’s just not worth it.’‘

jt realmuto (and aaron nola, too, fwiw) is not good people.

kyle gibson may, or may not, just need a better doctor:

Kyle Gibson revealed Saturday that he’s unvaccinated against COVID-19, citing medicine he takes for ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel condition (IBD).

“The medicines I take don’t let me build up antibodies,” the pitcher said. “So I don’t have a vaccination.”

Crohn’s and Colitis’s Canada encourages patients with IBD to receive a full series of COVID-19 vaccines, “given the potential for benefit and the low risk of harm, particularly in regions with high transmission of the virus.”

“People with IBD who are using immunosuppression therapy should not delay subsequent doses of their COVID-19 vaccine beyond the time recommended by the manufacturers,” the organization wrote online.

Worth noting that there was like 8 months in 2021, including an entire MLB season, when the vaccines were readily available, very effective at preventing infection against the dominant strain, and these guys chose not to get vaccinated. I’d probably do away with the mandate today, but these guys really should have been vaccinated long ago.

The pure stupidity around vaccines blows my mind - one one side you have top doctors saying 'get the shot', the other side is mainly known charlatans and "doctors" who make money off fools who buy their books. Sigh.

Of course the vaccines now aren't as effective against the variants that keep showing up - and they will keep showing up thanks to incubators like JT and others who refuse to get vaccinated. They might be OK, but their bodies are great to create new versions to infect everyone else. Ah, but personal choice eh?

Ah well, at least his missing games helps the Jays, just like the Red Sox missing their closer helped earlier. Nice for it to help the Jays after 2 years of games in the US due to the rules.

I just do not get the anti-vaccine concept, there is no real evidence that it causes issues, so why the #### not take the stupid vaccine regardless of your own stupidity?

I was in the military, the number of shots I got in boot camp for crap I had no clue about was very high. Guess what, I'm still here today. Shut the #### up, get the stupid shot and move forward so you don't have to answer these questions... Literally the only reason to not get the shots is to make a political statement, proclaiming in all your glory that you are ####### stupid.

Buffalo Bob: "Hey, kids, what time is it...?"
Primates: "It's time for another COVID thread...!"

Came for the tears of the clowns, not disappointed.

Someone should ask these guys if they vaccinate their kids (assuming they have kids).

Someone should ask these guys if they vaccinate their kids (assuming they have kids).

Why would anyone vaccinate a healthy kid? That's just willfully stupid. They've never been at any real risk.

The huge scandal of this whole COVID is that the whole world (except Sweden) intentionally sacrificed the education and intellectual and emotional development of children in an attempt to save the lives of old people. The average age of someone who died from COVID in the US is 83. It was excusable for the first 3-4 months when we didn't know the risks, but by Sept. of 2019 having schools shut down and masking kids was inexcusable.

It's amazing how COVID and the gender stuff has exposed "progressivism" as a fundamentalist religion.

intentionally sacrificed the education and intellectual and emotional development of children in an attempt to save the lives of old people. The average age of someone who died from COVID in the US is 83.

"Sorry, Gramps, but you're expendable. Kids gotta kid, ya know. Safe travels. See you on the other side. Vaya con dios."


It was excusable for the first 3-4 months when we didn't know the risks, but by Sept. of 2019 having schools shut down and masking kids was inexcusable. It's amazing how COVID and the gender stuff has exposed "progressivism" as a fundamentalist religion.

And if we as a nation have learned only one lesson from the various covid protocols, it's that the MAGA crowd is defined by their thoughtful and rational responses to new and conflicting information.

Why would anyone vaccinate a healthy kid? That's just willfully stupid.

Talk about stupidity. I knew you were a Catholic, but since when has Catholicism become a branch of Christian Science?

Why would anyone vaccinate a healthy kid? That's just willfully stupid. They've never been at any real risk.

The huge scandal of this whole COVID is that the whole world (except Sweden) intentionally sacrificed the education and intellectual and emotional development of children in an attempt to save the lives of old people. The average age of someone who died from COVID in the US is 83. It was excusable for the first 3-4 months when we didn't know the risks, but by Sept. of 2019 having schools shut down and masking kids was inexcusable.

It's amazing how COVID and the gender stuff has exposed "progressivism" as a fundamentalist religion.

Get off your high horse there Chief. I'm pretty sure he's talking about the usual childhood vaccinations like measles, mumps, chicken pox... Or are you against them also?

The pure stupidity around vaccines blows my mind - one one side you have top doctors saying 'get the shot', the other side is mainly known charlatans and "doctors" who make money off fools who buy their books. Sigh.

"Those who disagree with me aren't real doctors, never mind that their backgrounds are comparable to the experts of expertise that I worship and far more impressive than mine and everyone else's here."

Doctors like Stella Immanuel?

It's amazing how COVID and the gender stuff has exposed "progressivism" as a fundamentalist religion.

Indeed, we might need the Establishment Clause to break up their racket.

Doctors like Stella Immanuel?

Or Eric Feigl-Ding.

Get off your high horse there Chief. I'm pretty sure he's talking about the usual childhood vaccinations like measles, mumps, chicken pox... Or are you against them also?

No. I'm talking about COVID. Those diseases are very dangerous to kids, so the vaccines make sense.

Talk about stupidity. I knew you were a Catholic, but since when has Catholicism become a branch of Christian Science?

I'm not against medical treatment in general, just unnecessary treatment. COVID vaccines for children are unnecessary. Just like I would never take a monkey pox vaccine, b/c I'm at zero risk.

And if we as a nation have learned only one lesson from the various covid protocols, it's that the MAGA crowd is defined by their thoughtful and rational responses to new and conflicting information.

Anyone willing to look will notice many of the longtime vocal opponents of lockdowns and mandates aren't members of the MAGA crowd or even Republicans -- but nearly all of them will vote GOP this fall.

EDIT: "New and conflicting information" is the revisionist way of contending that the public health geniuses were willing to entertain viewpoints that didn't jive with their own back in 2020-21. Nope, they instead supported the authoritarian censorship/deplatforming/demonetizing of those scientists, doctors, researchers, and economists.

I'm not against medical treatment in general, just unnecessary treatment. COVID vaccines for children are unnecessary.

So what are the chances that a North American pre-school child will ever contract any of those other diseases where vaccinations are required? Is polio on the rampage in New Jersey? What about measles or mumps?

Anyone willing to look will notice many of the longtime vocal opponents of lockdowns and mandates aren't members of the MAGA crowd or even Republicans -- but nearly all of them will vote GOP this fall.

Two of the more prominent lockdown opponents are Bill Maher and Bari Weiss, both of whom are about as likely to vote for Republicans as you are to campaign for Ekrem Imamoglu. (smile)

Two of the more prominent lockdown opponents are Bill Maher and Bari Weiss, both of whom are about as likely to vote for Republicans as you are to campaign for Ekrem Imamoglu. (smile)

Never mind this fall, Andy, I'm willing to wager that at least one of the two would vote for Ron DeSantis over Kamala Harris.

There was never any chance this thread wasn't going to be ruined quickly.

There was never any chance this thread wasn't going to be ruined quickly.

I was a bit surprised this article appeared after a piece on Chris Bassitt's COVID test comments didn't get posted.

So I've seen a bunch of misinformation about covid vaccines on primer, and i thought I'd chime in.

I worked on two covid vaccines. I'm literally an immunologist. I'm sitting in front of an hplc right now typing with nitrile gloves on.

1. To the people who say that covid vaccines cause excess mortality, you're wrong. This is an example of lies, damned lies, and statistics. The portion of the population that took the vaccine at the highest rate is elderly people, who are both most at risk of covid, and least susceptible to anti-vaccine denialism. Older people die more frequently in general, thus accounting for your stats that people who took the vaccine die more frequently.

2. To people who say vaccines cause heart problems and blood pressure problems, and this is a reason not to take them, you're wrong. What causes heart and blood pressure issues isn't the vaccine, it's covid's spike protein, and how your immune system responds to the spike protein. A covid infection has a much higher chance of damaging your heart or causing blood pressure problems, in addition to the risks of long covid, compared to taking the vaccine, in which such problems are quite rare. Obviously, no covid at all would be ideal, but that's not really an option without a time machine.

As with all vaccines, the benefits to yourself and others far far outweigh the small risks. Personally, i blame well meaning celebrity idiots (like Oprah) and conservatives in general (particularly Trump) for mainstreaming anti-vaccine denialism over the last 25 years, which led is to the problems of vaccine hesitancy we're having today in the English speaking world

That's all for now, you don't want to get me started on global warming denialism

Two of the more prominent lockdown opponents are Bill Maher and Bari Weiss, both of whom are about as likely to vote for Republicans as you are to campaign for Ekrem Imamoglu. (smile)

Never mind this fall, Andy, I'm willing to wager that at least one of the two would vote for Ron DeSantis over Kamala Harris.

You could be right about Bari Weiss, but definitely not Maher, who's much more resistant to the trope of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". Maher savages Democrats because he wants them to win more elections, whereas with Weiss it's often hard to tell exactly where her core principles lie. I think her vote would depend on just how hard De Santis continues to play his culture war card, but with her, who knows?

So I've seen a bunch of misinformation about covid vaccines on primer, and i thought I'd chime in.

I worked on two covid vaccines. I'm literally an immunologist. I'm sitting in front of an hplc right now typing with nitrile gloves on.

Ah, I see you’re going with the “facts provided by someone with the relevant expertise” approach. Which has, uh…been tried.

Sure, immunologists have science and facts, but do they have a substack.com link?

The Royals had half their regular Triple-A lineup out yesterday ahead of their trip to Toronto, and there are rumors up to 10 Royals players aren't making the trip.

Why would anyone vaccinate a healthy kid?

Because it's kind of pointless to wait until after someone gets sick to vaccinate him?

I assume we live in a simulation. I hope that our programmer runs another simulation offshooting from ours where a figure emerges that everyone (from the pope to your favorite sedevacantist to the ayatollahs to Richard Dawkins to Chris Truby) agrees is God Almighty. In that offshoot simulation on the day after everyone agrees this person is in fact God, that person declares "OK, get your ####### COVID shot and wear a mask indoors. And don't do that mask below the nose #### either." I'm pretty sure that this disagreement will go on, regardless of what that deity says or does.

Personally, i blame well meaning celebrity idiots (like Oprah) and conservatives in general (particularly Trump) for mainstreaming anti-vaccine denialism over the last 25 years, which led is to the problems of vaccine hesitancy we're having today in the English speaking world

You might be some über-talented immunologist and I don't challenge the first two points but then you just had to behave like a grade-A clown because... politics, of course.

For all of his other antics during the pandemic, Trump should be forever venerated for delivering on WarpSpeed, an unqualified success. And of course, we've got sound bite after sound bite of anti-Trump fanatics questioning any vaccine that would be procured, let alone disseminated, while Trump was POTUS that you shockingly gloss over.

As for "mainstreaming anti-vaccine denialism over the last 25 years," that was hardly a partisan issue prior to Wuhan.

And although I got vaxxed and later boosted and don't regret the decision, I've got two friends who got vaxxed and suffered tangible and irreversible side effects.

But the real issue here is not the vaccine, but the punitive mandate.

Maher savages Democrats because he wants them to win more elections, whereas with Weiss it's often hard to tell exactly where her core principles lie.

Bookmarked for early 2024, Andy!

We had our three boys vaccinated against COVID because:

1. There's no evidence that kids getting the vaccine is more dangerous than contracting COVID, and plenty of evidence of the opposite, even if the risk is very low.
2. While my kids might not be at any real risk of long-term damage from COVID, they can certainly pass it along to others. Having my children get a vaccine that can reduce the risk of them contracting the virus and/or passing it along seems like a socially responsible thing to do.

I don't know, it seems pretty simple to me. Unless the vaccine is dangerous to your particular child because of a pre-existing condition, there's no reason not to get them vaccinated.

Edit: Nevermind. Should not engage with trolls.

Get ready for a real #### show in the next 24 hours...

Being told that the number of members of the #Royals going on the restricted list ahead of the club’s series in Toronto could reach double-digits.

Official word should be coming following this afternoon's game — expected tally is 10, per source. Buckle up.

Eh. Not worth it.

@pgrathoff
Royals will be without 10 players in Toronto: Andrew Benintendi, MJ Melendez, Cam Gallagher, Whit Merrifield, Brad Keller, Brady Singer, Dylan Coleman, Hunter Dozier, Kyle Isbel and Michael A. Taylor.

Guess Benintendi is not going to the Yankees.

Scott Barlow and Jackson Kowar subverting expectations.

And of course, we've got sound bite after sound bite of anti-Trump fanatics questioning any vaccine that would be procured, let alone disseminated, while Trump was POTUS that you shockingly gloss over.

Right, because all those who booed Trump at rallies when he suggested they get vaccinated (and then meekly took it back) were taking their cues from Democrats.

Right, because all those who booed Trump at rallies when he suggested they get vaccinated (and then meekly took it back) were taking their cues from Democrats.

Schrödinger's ANTIFA.

As for "mainstreaming anti-vaccine denialism over the last 25 years," that was hardly a partisan issue prior to Wuhan.

Chief impact office jr

That's because you haven't been paying close attention to what kind of anti vaccine denialism is getting passed around in the right and left. I'm attuned to that. I'm sure there's absolutely plenty I don't see in life, but anti vaccine denialism has been a growing, growing, growing problem for years, from California crunchy granola types to Trump to Oprah to anti Obama conservatives who think vaccines have microchips

Maher savages Democrats because he wants them to win more elections, whereas with Weiss it's often hard to tell exactly where her core principles lie.

Bookmarked for early 2024, Andy!

You're on. You probably know more about Weiss than I do, though I get her free emails and I've seen her on Maher. I still say she should've forced the Times to fire her rather than quit. At this point she's mostly just preaching to her choir.

At this point she's mostly just preaching to her choir.

To be sure, Bari Weiss, and John McWhorter, for that matter, aren't preaching to the same audience as Christopher Rufo. If the Democrats still embraced the Bill of Rights, most of these folks would be straight-ticket Democrats.