Buckle your seat belts, Missouri…Attorney General Eric Schmitt wrote agencies this week demanding they drop mitigation measures which will put a halt to COVID-19 response efforts. Say what?
This coming at a time when many counties in Missouri boast less than a 40% vaccination rate. SHOW ME THAT VIRUS! State House Minority Leader Crystal Quade (D-Springfield) said “Attorney General Schmitt is using his office as a tool for his campaign at the expense of not only taxpayer dollars, but at the risk to the health and safety of every Missourian, whether it’s asking adult vigilantes to submit photos of school children wearing masks or threatening school boards and health departments, the Attorney General is clearly trying to score political points with the far right.”
Schmitt’s spokesperson responded by saying that the AG is merely “fighting for the freedom and liberty of all six million Missourians.”
Germ theory has yet to be introduced to the Show Me state for fear of ridicule, but the office of the AG, at this time, does support bloodletting, snail slime to treat warts, and python bile to treat genital ulcers.
Read more here.
And a local update…from the Tucson Sentinel:
With more than 200 staffers at the Pima County Jail about to lose their jobs because they have not been vaccinated against COVID-19, Sheriff Chris Nanos cautioned them Monday, releasing a statement that the move is not a "bluff" and "with every decision come consequences."
About 216 workers in the Pima County Sheriff's Department, including 206 employees at the Adult Detention Center, are among the 386 county workers who have refused to comply with a mandate that they become fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of the year.
"The consequences have been laid out. The line in the sand has been drawn and the clock is ticking. I implore you to do the right thing," Nanos wrote in a memo to PCSD staff released Monday afternoon. "Do what is right for your families, your loved ones and the preservation of your lifestyle. More importantly, do what is right for yourself and get vaccinated."
Nanos told his staffers that it "saddens me" that some people are "misleading" them by persuading them to not be vaccinated.
"Many of these same individuals have already become vaccinated and more will," Nanos wrote. "They then leave you to the consequence of a poor decision. In a cruel twist, they will retain their jobs at your expense. The die is cast and if you choose not to be vaccinated – or if you cannot get an accommodation, your employment will be terminated. This employer does not bluff by serving each of you with a formal notice of intent to terminate. Please take heed."
The county has reported that 84 percent of their 6,279 active employees were fully vaccinated as of last Monday, leaving almost 1,000 employees unvaccinated. 57 county employees have been granted exemptions.
Interpret this information in the manner of your choosing.
And here’s a handy interactive map to track COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. Keep those masks on, folks.
On a more positive note, science has shown there’s a possibility of curing type 1 diabetes using a new stem cell therapy. After unsuccessful treatment using python bile, scientists said, “what the heck, let’s try some stem cells!” Good on ‘em.
And now…