In a January 25 statement, OSHA announced the withdrawal of the vaccination and testing emergency temporary standard, which it issued on November 5, 2021. In its statement, it pitched the mandate as a means to “protect unvaccinated employees of large employers with 100 or more employees from workplace exposure to coronavirus.”

According to a court document, Judge Thomas Rademaker said that neither the governor nor the state health commissioner had the authority to enact the mandate without the state legislature, since the governor no longer has emergency powers.

The document says in part, “There can be no question that every person in this State wishes, wants and prays that this era of COVID ends soon and they will surely do their part to see that is accomplished.

However, enacting any laws to this end is entrusted solely to the State Legislature. While the intentions of Commissioner Bassett and Governor Hochul appear to be well aimed squarely at doing what they believe is right to protect the citizens of New York State, they must take their case to the State Legislature.

Same mental capacity ?

A federal judge on Friday blocked a Biden administration order mandating that federal employees be vaccinated against COVID-19.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown ruled against the Biden administration, arguing that President Joe Biden lacked authority to “mandate that all federal employees consent to vaccination against COVID-19 or lose their jobs.”

“It is instead about whether the President can, with the stroke of a pen and without the input of Congress, require millions of federal employees to undergo a medical procedure as a condition of their employment. 

— NO HE CANT —

So importantly right now we are pivoting our language, we really want to make sure people are up to date. That means if you recently got your second dose you’re not eligible for a booster. You’re up to date. If you are eligible for a booster and you haven’t gotten it, you’re not up to date and you need to get your booster in order to be up to date,” Walensky said. 

STOP COMPLYING AMERICA!

The survey of 1,016 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on January 5, 2022 by the Heartland Institute and Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

The survey found that 75% of likely Democratic voters – but only 21% of Republicans and 38% of unaffiliated voters – have a favorable opinion of Dr. Fauci. Among other findings of the survey:

– Fifty-eight percent (58%) of voters would oppose a proposal for federal or state governments to fine Americans who choose not to get a COVID-19 vaccine. However, 55% of Democratic voters would support such a proposal, compared to just 19% of Republicans and 25% of unaffiliated voters.

– Fifty-nine percent (59%) of Democratic voters would favor a government policy requiring that citizens remain confined to their homes at all times, except for emergencies, if they refuse to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Such a proposal is opposed by 61% of all likely voters, including 79% of Republicans and 71% of unaffiliated voters.

– Nearly half (48%) of Democratic voters think federal and state governments should be able to fine or imprison individuals who publicly question the efficacy of the existing COVID-19 vaccines on social media, television, radio, or in online or digital publications. Only 27% of all voters – including just 14% of Republicans and 18% of unaffiliated voters – favor criminal punishment of vaccine critics.

– Forty-five percent (45%) of Democrats would favor governments requiring citizens to temporarily live in designated facilities or locations if they refuse to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Such a policy would be opposed by a strong majority (71%) of all voters, with 78% of Republicans and 64% of unaffiliated voters saying they would Strongly Oppose putting the unvaccinated in “designated facilities.”

– While about two-thirds (66%) of likely voters would be against governments using digital devices to track unvaccinated people to ensure that they are quarantined or socially distancing from others, 47% of Democrats favor a government tracking program for those who won’t get the COVID-19 vaccine.

How far are Democrats willing to go in punishing the unvaccinated? Twenty-nine percent (29%) of Democratic voters would support temporarily removing parents’ custody of their children if parents refuse to take the COVID-19 vaccine. That’s much more than twice the level of support in the rest of the electorate – seven percent (7%) of Republicans and 11% of unaffiliated voters – for such a policy.

The survey also found that more black voters (63%) than whites (45%), Hispanics (55%) or other minorities (32%) support Biden’s vaccine mandate for government workers and employees of large companies.

President Biden’s strongest supporters are most likely to endorse the harshest punishments against those who won’t get the COVID-19 vaccine. Among voters who have a Very Favorable impression of Biden, 51% are in favor of government putting the unvaccinated in “designated facilities,” and 54% favor imposing fines or prison sentences on vaccine critics.

STOP IT NOW

Our vaccines are working exceptionally well,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky tells @wolfblitzer

CDC statistics showed that four of five of the most-vaccinated U.S. counties were high-Covid-transmission counties, while the least-vaccinated counties tended to be low-transmission.

Nonetheless, the White House and the top advisor, Dr. Anthony Fauci, claim that the vaccinations are highly-effective and the best way to eradicate Covid.

Becerra told “CNN Newsroom” that “people will die” if the mandate gets struck down. He added that would be on the justices’ “conscience.”

The study, from the CDC, says: “Among 1,228,664 persons who completed primary vaccination during December 2020–October 2021, severe COVID-19–associated outcomes (0.015%) or death (0.0033%) were rare. Risk factors for severe outcomes included age ≥65 years, immunosuppressed, and six other underlying conditions. All persons with severe outcomes had at least one risk factor; 78% of persons who died had at least four.”

“The FDA has now authorized booster shots for children ages 12 to 15. Vaccinating our children is the best way to protect them from the Omicron variant,” Biden proclaimed on Friday:

“The Biden Administration’s response to COVID is getting worse every day,” Trump wrote on Wednesday in a press release. “Joe Biden said, ‘there is no federal solution’ to the pandemic, but he then federalized the distribution of antibodies, and red states are getting the short end of the stick. In my administration, we respected the role of Governors to take care of their own states, and they could request antibodies and therapeutics depending on what they needed. That’s the way our Country is supposed to be run.”

“Now, there’s talk by the Biden Administration again about closing schools and even vaccine mandates for school children,” he added. “This is an outrage, and MAGA nation should rise up and oppose this egregious federal government overreach. The Democrats are so incredibly mandate happy—there is discussion about a vaccine mandate for school kids this year in Detroit and other Democrat-run places.”

“Our administration did what they said could not be done—vaccines in record time,” he added. “But we never issued mandates, and I never would! People should be able to choose how they want to govern their own health. The federal government must be reined in and give the people back the freedom to decide whether they want to be vaccinated or not.”

“Joe Biden said he would never issue mandates, but he did it anyway like so many other things,” he added

IDIOT ”TEACHERS” HOLDING SIGNS SHOW AMERICANS THAT CHILDREN ARE EXPENDABLE

A report of the results of elementary and middle school students’ performance on a standardized assessment of reading and mathematics showed more students began the 2021 school year below grade level.

The report, “Understanding Student Learning: Insights from Fall 2021,” reflects data gathered when students took the i-Ready Assessment over the last two years.

According to Curriculum Associates, publisher of the i-Ready Assessment, the data’s key finding is that fewer elementary and middle school students began the 2021 academic year on grade level in reading and math than in the three years prior to the decision to close down schools and subsequent attempts to block their reopening by the teachers’ unions.

Hospitals must now clarify if patients with the virus came to the hospital due to symptoms of COVID or because of some other ailment. 

1) 96% of all Omicron cases in Germany among vaccinated: The respected Robert Koch Institute reported last week that among the 4,206 Germans infected with Omicron for whom their vaccination status was known, 95.58% were fully vaccinated. More than a quarter of them had booster shots. Given that the overall background rate for vaccination in Germany is 70%, this means that the shots now have a -87% effectiveness rate against Omicron

2) Omicron among vaccinated outpacing unvaccinated by 28% in Ontario: The government in Ontario posts continuous data on case rates by vaccination status. The fact that the vaccinated have rapidly overtaken the unvaccinated in new infections demonstrates a clear negative effect of the shots against Omicron.

3) In Denmark, 89.7% of all Omicron cases were among fully vaccinated: As of Dec. 31, just 8.5% of all cases in Denmark were unvaccinated, according to the Statens Serum Institut. Overall, 77.9% of Denmark is fully vaccinated, and Omicron seems to hit younger people for whom there is a greater unvaccinated pool, which indicates clear negative efficacy. Even for non-Omicron variants, the un-injected composed only 23.7% of the cases.

4) Just 25% of the Omicron hospitalizations in the U.K. are unvaccinated: Not only are the vaccinated more likely to contract Omicron, but they are likely more at risk to be hospitalized. While American hospitals put out unverifiable information about “nearly everyone seriously ill with COVID being unvaccinated,” the U.K. continues to put out quality continuous data that shows the opposite. According to the U.K.’s Health Security Agency’s latest “Omicron daily overview,” just 25% of those in the hospital with suspected Omicron cases are unvaccinated.

Although that is roughly in line with the percentage of unvaccinated overall in the U.K., we know that Omicron cases are overwhelmingly among younger people who have a greater share of the unvaccinated. Dr. Abdi Mahamud, the WHO’s incident manager for COVID, said last week that Omicron has not hit most of the elderly yet.

According to the latest U.K. vaccine surveillance report (p. 21), between 32% and 40% of the age groups under 40 are unvaccinated. Which means that, with a 25% hospitalization rate, the unvaccinated are very possibly underrepresented in the Omicron hospitalized population, which again indicates negative efficacy to the shots.

5) 33 of 34 hospitalizations in Delhi hospital were vaccinated: The Indian Express reported that 33 of the 34 people hospitalized for Omicron in Delhi’s Lok Nayak hospital were fully vaccinated. Two of them received the booster shot. While some of them were international travelers, it’s important to remember that India has a much lower vaccination rate than the West. This is another small indication that not only might one be more likely to get Omicron after having gotten the shots, but possibly could be more vulnerable to hospitalizations, very likely due to some form of antibody dependent disease enhancement (ADE).

6) Vaccinated exponentially more likely to get re-infected with COVID: A new preprint study from Bangladesh found that among 404 people re-infected with COVID, having been vaccinated made someone 2.45 times more likely to get re-infected with a mild infection, 16.1 times more likely to get a moderate infection, and 3.9 times more likely to be re-infected severely, relative to someone with prior infection who was not vaccinated. Although overall re-infections were rare, vaccination was a greater risk factor of re-infection that co-morbidities!

Hence, the findings of this first-in-its-kind study harmonize with what a Public Health England survey found in October; namely, that the vaccines seem to erase a degree of N (nucleocapsid) antibodies generated by prior infection in favor of narrower S (spike) antibodies. “Recent observations from UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) surveillance data that N antibody levels appear to be lower in individuals who acquire infection following 2 doses of vaccination,” stated the week 42 report from the U.K. (p. 23).

This finding also correlates with what researchers from Mount Sinai in New York and Hospital La Paz in Madrid found last year – that the second dose of the vaccine “determines a contraction of the spike-specific T cell response.” In that report, researchers already observed that other research has shown “the second vaccination dose appears to exert a detrimental effect in the overall magnitude of the spike-specific humoral response in COVID-19 recovered individuals.”

At this point, how is there any benefit, much less a net benefit, from the shots? There are currently 21,000 deaths reported to VAERS, along with 110,000 hospitalizations and over 1 million total adverse events. Most deaths and injuries are never reported to VAERS. Now that the efficacy is, at best, a wash and at worst negative, why are we not discussing the short-term and long-term liabilities of the shots?https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=BMDC6884174781

Remember, the VAERS numbers don’t even begin to quantify the long-term concerns, such as cancer and auto-immune diseases. A heavily redacted analysis of the Pfizer shot (p. 16) from the Australian Therapeutic Goods Agency (TGA) flatly conceded, “Neither genotoxicity nor carcinogenicity studies were performed.”

Consider the fact that the CEO of Indiana-based life insurance company OneAmerica, which has been around since 1877, revealed last week that the death rate among 18- to 64-year-old Hoosiers is up 40% from pre-pandemic levels. That is four times above what risk assessors consider catastrophic. Yes, some of this has been due to the virus, but given the age group, OneAmerica CEO Scott Davidson said that most of the claims for deaths being filed are not classified as COVID-19 deaths. Brian Tabor, the president of the Indiana Hospital Association, who spoke at the same news conference as Davidson, said that Indiana hospitals are flooded with patients “with many different conditions.” Any wonder what those ailments are if not COVID itself?Indeed, those who say the injections are a “medical miracle” are correct, just not in the way they meant it.

https://www.theblaze.com/op-ed/horowitz-6-important-covid-data-points-that-destroy-the-prevailing-narrative

Judge Reed O’Connor, the U.S. District Court judge for the Northern District of Texas, was acting in response to a lawsuit filed by First Liberty Institute in November on behalf of 35 special forces service members.  O’Connor issued a preliminary injunction barring the Navy and Defense Department from enforcing the mandate.

(Associated Press) President Joe Biden cannot require teachers in the Head Start early education program to be vaccinated against COVID-19, a Louisiana federal judge ruled Saturday, handing a victory to 24 states that had sued the federal government.

U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty wrote that the Biden administration unlawfully bypassed Congress when ordering that workers in Head Start programs be vaccinated by Jan. 31 and that students 2 years or older be masked when indoors or when in close contact outdoors.

Head Start is a federally funded program that promotes education for children under the age of 6 who are from low-income families.

Doughty, an appointee of then-President Donald Trump, wrote that the separation of powers is crucial to the country’s founding and quoted former President Ronald Reagan, who said “the nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”

“If the Executive branch is allowed to usurp the power of the Legislative branch to make laws, then this country is no longer a democracy — it is a monarchy,” Doughty wrote.

COVID Has Been Overtaken by a Secondary Pandemic—and It’s Real, I discussed Illness Anxiety Disorder, or “health anxiety.” Specifically COVID-related Illness Anxiety Disorder. As defined by Mayo Clinic, Illness Anxiety, in part, is needlessly worrying about becoming seriously ill.

Illness Anxiety Disorder, sometimes called hypochondriasis or health anxiety, is worrying excessively that you are or may become seriously ill.

You may have no physical symptoms.

Or you may believe that normal body sensations or minor symptoms are signs of severe illness, even though a thorough medical exam doesn’t reveal a serious medical condition.

The University of Pittsburgh will require all of its students to “shelter-in-place” upon their return for the school’s spring semester as the United States continues to break records for COVID-19 cases.

“A University-wide shelter-in-place period will begin on Saturday, Jan. 8 on all campuses for students in University housing,” the school said in a memo to students. “During the shelter-in-place period, students should only leave their rooms or apartments to attend classes, labs or clinicals in person (if in-person classes were approved by the dean of your school); pick up food; exercise safely; study in the library; work when necessary; and shop for essentials and medical needs.”

The Court writes: ‘It is undisputed that an agency cannot act without Congressional authorization.’ That would apply to all of Biden’s orders.”

Texas leaders on Friday scored a massive victory against the Biden administration’s mask and vaccine mandates after a judge in the US District Court – Northern District of Texas, Lubbock Division, ruled for a halt in the conditions for funding for Head Start programs, which is ostensibly designed to provide education-related services to low-income children.

Buried in the Head Start program is a requirement for school staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and near-universal masking for both children and adults.

Per the ruling, Texas leaders including Gov. Greg Abbott argue that the Act “does not authorise such mandates, that irreparable injury would result from them that [the Department of Health and Human Services] failed to comply with the Administrative Procedure Act in adopting the conditions, and that the mandates violate various Constitutional doctrines.”

The court agreed with these arguments, finding that there is a likelihood the mandates do not fit within the Head Start Act’s authorisation and that the mandates are “arbitrary and capricious,” so it has preliminary enjoined their enforcement across Texas.

Hotez said Friday on CNN’s “The Lead” that because the Omicron variant is so transmissible, “we should anticipate widespread social disruptions over the next few weeks.”

“This is going to be a very tough time, a tough way to start the year because we should anticipate widespread social disruptions over the next few weeks. First of all, in the transportation hub we are already hearing about TSA workers being knocked out of the workforce. Not because they’re getting very sick, but they are at home sick with COVID. In addition, the air traffic controllers, the ground crew, it’s going to be tough to do air travel for the next few weeks

Missouri GOP Gov. Mike Parson is allowing the COVID-19 state of emergency to expire Friday despite a surge in cases and a record-high single-day tally of infections for the pandemic, reports the Missouri Independent.

Over 95 percent of reported cases of the Omicron COVID-19 variant in Germany occurred in fully vaccinated individuals, according to a new report from the federal government. The paper – published December 30th by the German agency the ‘Robert Koch

http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=62769

“For people who are unvaccinated or are more than six months out from their second mRNA dose (or more than 2 months after the J&J vaccine) and not yet boosted, CDC now recommends quarantine for 5 days followed by strict mask use for an additional 5 days,” the updated guidance reads. “Alternatively, if a 5-day quarantine is not feasible, it is imperative that an exposed person wear a well-fitting mask at all times when around others for 10 days after exposure. Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure, but should wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure.”

“Centers for Disease Control Director Rochelle Walensky has repeatedly denied that the Biden administration plans to consider people who do not get boosters to be unvaccinated.”

Thursday on FNC’s “The Ingraham Angle,” Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) speculated there was a financial incentive driving the vaccine-centric response from public health officials and Big Pharma.

REP. ANDY BIGGS (R-AZ): Well, thanks, Lisa. Good to be with you. I think he is right in two reasons. Number one, when he talks about Big Pharma having other economic interests, they got on a path and they want to keep this path there. And, these other therapeutics aren’t really going to make them a lot of money. So, you got to look at the money angle for sure. But then, you also have to look at the efficacy of big government married to Big Pharma here and what you see is kind of this power, this control, this move for that. That’s also what’s going on, in my opinion,

San Diego County reported a total of 5,976 new coronavirus cases Thursday, setting a new single-day record, according to county records.

The previous single-day record was set on Jan. 7, when the county health department reported 4,550 new cases.

Besting the previous record by nearly 1,500 cases on the eve of New Year’s Eve clearly unsettled those in charge of protecting the public health.

Dr. Cameron Kaiser, San Diego’s deputy public health officer, said in a statement released Thursday afternoon to tamp down plans for ringing in the new year.

Los Angeles County reported more than 20,000 new cases on Thursday, nearly the highest single-day total of the pandemic, according to the Los Angeles Times:

The long-feared winter coronavirus wave reached new heights Thursday as Los Angeles County reported more than 20,000 new cases, fueled in part by the highly transmissible Omicron variant that is washing over the region.

Overall, California’s reported average daily coronavirus caseload has more than quadrupled in the last two weeks — an astonishing rise that has pushed infection levels significantly higher than at any point during the summer surge.

“We are, in fact, experiencing the worst of a surge at the moment with the rising number of cases,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer told reporters.

Thursday’s total in L.A. County, 20,198, is one of the highest in the pandemic. Over the last two days, the nation’s most populous county has announced nearly 37,000 new cases.

And the San Jose Mercury News reported that California is experiencing the fastest rate of spread in the pandemic, with even highly-vaccinated areas like Contra Costa County experiencing a 76% rise in the past two weeks.

In response, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) called for the U.S. Congress to retake control of D.C.’s governance, saying, “You are destroying children. Under the Constitution – you answer to Congress. It’s time for Congress to take over DC – open schools, open restaurants & businesses, clean up jails, enforce the laws, & end the crazy.”

—- After all this idiot came from a HIGH RISK HIGH INFECTION AREA and went to a low risk zone!

“Welcome to Florida, AOC!” the tweet said. “We hope you’re enjoying a taste of freedom here in the Sunshine State thanks to @RonDeSantisFL’s leadership.”

“P.S. We recommend the Rock Shrimp Roll and the Aoki Tai the next time you decide to dine in Miami. Cheers!,” another tweet said

While being interviewed by MSNBC host Ayman Mohyeldin, filling in for Rachel Maddow, Fauci admitted that many of the children who are in the hospital with Covid-19 are not in the hospital because of the disease.

Sen. Ted Cruz is accusing Dr. Anthony Fauci of editing his message and engaging in “pandemic politics” on COVID-19 after the doctor’s comments on the number of children who have been hospitalized during the pandemic. 

Fauci, the chief medical adviser for the Biden administration and head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, came under fire on Twitter from Cruz, R-Texas, after he said in an MSNBC interview that there is a difference between the number of children who are in the hospital with COVID-19 “as opposed to because of COVID,” reports Fox News.

“And what we mean by that: If a child goes into the hospital, they automatically get tested for COVID and they get counted as a COVID-hospitalized individual, when, in fact, they may go in for a broken leg or appendicitis or something like that. So it’s over counting the number of children who are, quote, hospitalized with COVID as opposed to because of COVID,” Fauci said in the interview. 

Twitter has issued a suspension to Dr. Robert Malone, a key architect of mRNA technology that has helped catapult COVID vaccines into early use who has become a vocal critic of COVID-19 mandates and regulations

Kary Mullis, the inventor of the PCR, said many years ago that the PCR should not be used to diagnose infectious diseases, “It does not tell you that you are sick.”

Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) students cannot return to school after winter break unless they show proof of a negative coronavirus test.

“The sudden suspension of multiple monoclonal antibody therapy treatments from distribution to Florida removes a health care provider’s ability to decide the best treatment options for their patients in their state,” the letter read, criticizing the “shortsightedness” of the Biden administration

New cases of coronavirus in the U.S. soared to their highest level on record Thursday, peaking at an average of over 265,000 per day as a surge driven largely by the highly contagious omicron variant continues unabated.

Mask appeal: The addiction of surgical masks in Japan

Wearing surgical masks is a social norm in Japan, but for some, it can be an addiction

1 of 3

Tor Ching Li For The Straits Times In TokyoPUBLISHED APR 8, 2017, 5:00 AM SGTFacebookTwitter

Spring has come – and with it, teary eyes and runny noses for those with hay fever, as pollen is released into the air with each gust of wind that comes with the change in seasons.

This is the start of the peak sales season for surgical masks in Japan, which help to alleviate the cold-like symptoms of pollen allergy.

Anyone visiting the country at this time of the year will find it hard to walk on the streets and not meet anyone wearing a mask.

But if you stay in Japan long enough, you would realise that the Japanese love affair with the surgical masks goes beyond health and hygiene – to the realm of psychology and even pathology.

While many wear the mask as a defence against allergens, some use it as a cover-up, a shield against social situations that trigger anxiety.

Figures attest to a phenomenon some have termed “mask dependency”: Mask production rose 20 per cent year on year in 2015, to a record high of 4.9 billion pieces, according to latest data from the Japan Hygiene Products Industry Association.

• 20%Year-on-year percentage increase in mask production in 2015.4.9bNumber of masks produced in 2015, a record high.50%Percentage increase in number of mask addicts seeking counselling at a clinic in recent years, compared with in 2009.

Total sales nationwide tallied 23.2 billion yen (S$294 million) in 2014, said marketing consultant firm Fuji Keizai. When the H1N1 flu epidemic broke out in 2009, sales peaked at 34 billion yen.

NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT

Around one in three of Japan’s 127 million people suffers from hay fever, according to a Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare survey.

The volume of pollen in the air is nothing to sneeze at – pollen from over 60 types of plants and trees, such as the Japanese cedar and cypress, are linked to hay fever.

Leading mask maker Unicharm was the first hygiene products supplier to offer disposable, pollen- blocking masks in 2003, and after the outbreak of Sars in the same year, developed masks it claimed could prevent cold.

Before that, masks were mainly reusable ones made of cotton, with a replaceable gauze filter.

Mr Kikuo Tomioka, a Unicharm spokesman, said: “Our masks are fitted with filters that can keep out pollen, viruses or air polluting PM2.5 fine particulate matter, and are designed for a snug fit.”

Since wearing a mask when one has a cold or flu is a socially-approved act of consideration for others, as well as a safeguard against viruses and allergens, disposable masks that were cheap and considered more hygienic proved to be the game changer.

Nearly one in three Japanese wore masks every day in 2011, compared with around one in five in 2008, according to a survey by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, a leading maker of pollution-related face masks.

CONVENIENT CONCEALMENT

For many people, especially women, masks are for days when they feel less attractive.

“I wear masks on days when I don’t have time to put on make-up before going out,” said Ms Mai Hashimoto, a business marketing officer in her 30s.

She goes through about a dozen masks every two weeks.

“Now, there are many types of masks to choose from, such as those that can make your face look smaller, and they also come in various colours, which is nice,” she added.

Mr Eiji Takahashi, a salesman in his 40s, said he started wearing masks regularly about five years ago.

“During the dry winter months, I found that wearing masks helped to keep my throat moisturised. It also keeps my face warm when I’m outdoors,” he said.

“Now, it’s become a habit.”

Major pharmacies stock at least five to six different types of masks at any one time.

Unicharm’s Mr Tomioka said the company has 11 types of masks – from “3D” masks that stand away from the face and masks that make one’s face look smaller, to masks with aroma, like mint-scented ones, with various levels of textures for ease of wearing.

On the market, there are even pink masks for ladies and black ones for men.

Since 2012, some matchmaking companies have even started offering speed dating where participants are required to wear surgical masks. The purported aim is to encourage participants to get to know their would-be sweethearts without judging each other first by looks.

Such matchmaking events have proven to be a hit and have spread all over Japan.

The spokesman for a Tokyo-based organiser, Mask Matchmaking, said: “Wearing masks sometimes makes it hard to hear what the other person is saying, so naturally, people draw nearer to each other.”

‘MASK DEPENDENCY’

But for some Japanese, wearing masks has become an addiction.

Mr Yuzo Kikumoto, who set up professional counselling service Kikiwell in 2006, was the first to coin the term “mask dependency” in a paper he wrote in 2009.

People were wearing surgical masks not for the purposes they were intended for, he wrote, but because they had grown used to living behind the anonymity of a mask.

The situation has got even more serious in recent years, Mr Kikumoto told The Straits Times.

The number of mask addicts seeking counselling at his practice has increased by 50 per cent since 2009, he said.

Sufferers are mostly in their 30s to 40s, with women making up slightly more than half of the number , or 60 per cent.

“While some people used to feel safe or secure when going out with a mask, it has reached a stage where they cannot go out without wearing a mask. That’s how serious it is getting,” said Mr Kikumoto, who is a frequent guest on local TV talk shows and news programmes.

The reason for mask dependency, he said, is a feeling of insecurity in public, exacerbated by the proliferation of social media. Many who use social media frequently have become more self-conscious and crave the praise and approval of others. Those who lack such affirmation may then suffer from a deeper sense of inferiority, he added.

“The mask acts as a security blanket, and people with this addiction cannot talk to people without wearing a face mask. And society’s acceptance of interactions behind masks perpetuates such a dependency,” said Mr Kikumoto.

Like any addiction, treatment needs to start with recognition and admission, he added.

“An environment or situation that requires interaction with people is also needed,” he said, recommending regular exposure to social situations.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 08, 2017, with the headline Mask appeal: The addiction of surgical masks in Japan. Subscribe

SOURCE OF ABOVE::

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/mask-appeal

 “I can’t stress enough the need to wear masks and avoid large public gatherings as this disease once again surges,” she stated. 

COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations have also been increasing since mid-November but are far below levels during last winter’s surge, according to the Times.

France will ban concessions at cinemas and all consumables on public transport from January 3rd in order to “combat” the spread of the Omicron variant. Additional measures, ostensibly meant to combat the spread of the mild virus, were announced by French Prime Minister Jean Castex during a press conference on December 27th.

Indoor events with 2,000 attendees and outdoor events with 5,000 attendees will be allowed to continue, so long as everyone in attendance remains seated. Bars and restaurants will also stay open, but all food and drinks must be consumed from a seated position in order to battle the latest wave of COVID-19.

Wallace said, “I mean, I am a Fauci groupie, a thrice vaccinated, mask adherent. I buy kn95 masks by the caseload. They are in every pocket. I wear them everywhere except when I sit down. And I am certain this is not a variant I can outrun.”

.

When asked by reporters if he will force domestic travelers to get the jab, Biden responded it depends on the recommendation of health experts.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to the president, is set to receive the largest federal retirement package in U.S. history at $350,000 per year, according to Forbes.

“Joe Biden claimed he would shut down the virus,” the RNC tweeted Monday night. “Now a year later when he failed to do so, he says there is no federal solution to COVID. Joe Biden is a hypocrite.”

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., also fumed at Biden’s attitude change.

“When Joe Biden says ‘there is no federal solution,’ he’s trying to avoid blame for his incompetence,” Cotton tweeted. “If he really believes this, he should rescind his unconstitutional federal mandates.”

Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott agreed.

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 isn’t quite as widespread as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) previously led people to believe.

The agency reported Dec. 20 that 73% of COVID-19 cases across the United States were Omicron, up from just 0.7% two weeks before. Now, that number has been revised all the way down to 22.5%.

The numbers may have been skewed because not all COVID-19 cases in the United States are sequenced to determine which variant they are, meaning the CDC can only estimate based on the cases that are sequenced and submitted to the agency.

The latest face of face-diaper mental illness aboard aircraft, perpetuated by Joe Biden’s FAA.

Washed up model actress assaults elderly man on plane while he sat on airplane. Spits on him shortly after.

…encouraged by Joe Bidens Face Diaper FAA rules.

Public records also reveal that Cornwall was arrested for driving under the influence in Walton County, Florida, last year. She also has several arrests for domestic abuse, one in Florida and another in Los Angeles. Both arrests were from last year.

Baltimore County this week declared a state of emergency due to the Chinese coronavirus and is reintroducing mask mandates — a move Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski blamed on unvaccinated Americans, calling them selfish for refusing to get the shot.

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 are on the rise again due to the omicron variant and its high level of transmissibility.

On Dec. 26, 189,714 new cases of COVID-19 were reported. Of those, 54,828 came from New York City. This means that 28.9% of new cases reported for Dec. 26 came from the Big Apple.

Citing official government statistics, the numbers are contained in a report by MailOnline’s Senior Health Reporter.

“In the two weeks to December 21, hospitals in England recorded 563 new coronavirus inpatients – the majority of which are believed to be Omicron now that the variant is the country’s dominant stain.”

“But just 197 (35%) were being primarily treated for Covid, with the remaining 366 (65%) only testing positive after being admitted for something else.”

Through December 21, 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported a total of 5,779 unruly passenger incidents this year. Of these incidents, the FAA has launched 1,054 investigations, which is approximately a 600% increase from the annual average of the previous twenty-five years.

Despite Kelly’s words of wisdom, Delta Air Lines issued regulations demanding masks be continuously worn “except while eating, drinking, or taking oral medications for brief periods. Prolonged periods of mask removal are not permitted for eating or drinking – masks must be worn between bites and sips.” American Airlines issued a similar masking requirement for passengers.

Data from the U.S. Department of Labor, colorized analysis by the Republican National Committee.

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 has found that the most common symptoms are akin to the common cold.

PROJECTIons:

COVID-19 deaths will soar by 73% to 15,600 a week by January 8 and cases might leap to 1.3 million by Christmas Day, the CDC said. New projections released Wednesday show there will be some 15,600 new COVID deaths a week as of January 8 — more than 2,200 deaths per day. That’s about a 58% jump from the 8,900 deaths currently being recorded each week, which equals nearly 1,300 deaths a day.

U.S. health officials and scientists have been forced to rely on information from outside the U.S., mainly from Israel, the United Kingdom, and South Africa, in order to learn more about the delta and omicron variants of COVID-19.

“There’s a lot of data that’s coming in from a lot of different places. It’s coming in from the U.K., it’s coming in from Israel, it’s coming in a lot from South Africa, which is ahead of the rest of the world in the experience they’re having with omicron,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in a statement to Politico. “We’ve gotten virus either in the live virus form or in the pseudo virus form. But we don’t have enough of this in the United States to be able to bank on our own clinical experience 

Bioethicist Ezekiel Emanuel, a former member of President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 advisory board during the transition, told Politico that “We’re relying on everyone else’s data. We should be providing data to the world and we are not. We started [the pandemic] with a serious problem of not enough data and bad data infrastructure. We have not made the structural investments we need. The ideal is that we have real-time data. And we don’t have that. We’re not even close to that.”

FACE DIAPERS FOREVER

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has tested positive for COVID-19.

He was tested Friday after showing mild coronavirus symptoms. The mayor’s office confirmed Turner is fully vaccinated and has received a booster shot.