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Monday, January 3, 2022

Wake-Up Call: CDC May Alter COVID Isolation Guidelines


Dr. Anthony Fauci said yesterday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering adding a negative test to its new reduced isolation guidelines for people who have Covid, but are asymptomatic. The White House's top medical adviser, who appeared on ABC's This Week and CNN's State of the the Union, said the negative test addition is being considered after the CDC got significant pushback when it reduced its isolation recommendation from 10 days to five days for people with Covid who are asymptomatic or no longer having symptoms. They were advised to wear a mask for five days after that when around others, but a negative Covid test wasn't deemed necessary for leaving isolation, an omission that drew criticism from many health experts.


Fauci also addressed the new surge driven by the highly-contagious omicron variant, saying, "The acceleration of cases that we’ve seen is really unprecedented, gone well beyond anything we’ve seen before." He said that while there's growing evidence that omicron could cause less severe illness, the data is still early, and he's concerned in particular about the tens of millions of unvaccinated Americans. Fauci also said he's concerned about omicron overwhelming the health care system and causing "major disruptions" in essential services, quote, "particularly with critical jobs to keep society functioning normally."


🛬THOUSANDS OF FLIGHT DELAYS CONTINUE: Thousands of flight delays continued on Sunday, caused by a combination of winter weather and Covid-driven staffing shortages among flight crews and at airports, as flyers tried to return home after the holidays. Tracking service FlightAware reported that more than 2,600 flights in the U.S. and 4,400 worldwide were grounded Sunday, after more than 2,700 were canceled Saturday in the U.S. and 4,700 worldwide. Part of the weather problems was a winter storm that hit the Midwest on Saturday, with about one-quarter of all flights out of Chicago's O'Hare Airport canceled yesterday. Some airlines are doubling or tripling pay for pilots and cabin crews to ensure they have enough crewmembers to reduce cancellations.

➤BIDEN SAYS U.S. WILL 'RESPOND DECISIVELY IF RUSSIA FURTHER INVADES' UKRAINE: President Biden said in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday that the U.S. and its allies, quote, "will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine," the White House told reporters. The two leaders' conversation came just days after Biden spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged him to ease the crisis at the border with Ukraine, where Russia has massed as many as 100,000 Russian troops. 


The U.S. and its European allies have warned of serious consequences if Russia were to invade, and Biden said Friday he'd made clear in the call with Putin that there would be a, quote, "heavy price to pay," threatening strong economic sanctions. Putin, for his part, told Biden new sanctions could lead to a complete breakdown of relations between the two countries. Putin wants security guarantees from the U.S. and NATO, including that an expansion of NATO would never include Ukraine. Biden has signaled the U.S. won't make concessions on NATO or Ukraine's future.

🔥TWO STILL MISSING AFTER COLORADO WILDFIRE; CAUSE OF BLAZE SOUGHT: Two people remained missing yesterday after the huge Colorado wildfire that broke out unusually late in the year last Thursday, destroying nearly 1,000 houses and other buildings over at least 9.4 square miles in suburban areas between Denver and Boulder. One other person who'd been missing was found alive, officials said on Sunday, while searchers continued to look for the other two. Investigators were still trying to determine what caused the wildfire, with Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle saying authorities are following a number of tips and had executed a search warrant at one location, but wouldn't give details. Pelle also wouldn't say whether he thought the fire was caused by arson. The investigation is complicated by the snow that fell on Saturday, covering the burned structures that were still smoldering in some places.

➤BIDEN, HARRIS TO DELIVER REMARKS ON ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF CAPITOL ATTACK: The White House said yesterday that President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver remarks on Thursday (January 6th) to mark the one-year anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Capitol. That will take place alongside a list of events previously announced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for the anniversary, including a moment of silence on the House floor and a prayer vigil on the steps of the Capitol.

POLL..AMERICANS MORE WORRIED ABOUT WHATS IN STORE FOR 2022:   Americans are less optimistic and more worried about what's in store for the world in 2022 than they were at the start of 2021, according to a new Axios/Momentive poll. 




More than half, 54 percent, said they're more fearful than hopeful about what will happen in 2022, while 44 percent said they're more hopeful. By contrast, 63 percent said last year that they were more hopeful about 2021 and just 36 percent were more fearful. Momentive's Laura Wronski said, "The end of last year was a particularly hopeful time," partly because of a change in presidential administrations and partly because everyone thought things could only get better in 2021 after the first year of Covid. Still, a majority of 61 percent are still more hopeful than fearful about what's ahead for the pandemic in 2022, while 37 percent are more fearful, and 68 percent are more hopeful than fearful about what the year ahead has in store for them personally, in contrast to what it holds for the U.S. and the world, while 30 percent are more fearful. In other questions, respondents named Covid and former President Donald Trump when asked what they'd like to hear less about in 2022 -- Republicans had President Biden as a top choice too -- and said "travel" when asked what they want to do more of in 2022.

➤DEFENSE SECRETARY AUSTIN POSITIVE FOR COVID, HAS 'MILD' SYMPTOMS: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement yesterday that he'd tested positive for Covid-19 and was having "mild" symptoms. The 68-year-old, who is fully vaccinated and had a booster shot, said he would isolate at home for the next five days "in accordance with CDC guidelines." He stated, "To the degree possible, I plan to attend virtually this coming week those key meetings and discussions required to inform my situational awareness and decision making. I will retain all authorities."


➤TWITTER BANS REP. GREEN'S PERSONAL ACCOUNT FOR COVID MISINFORMATION: Twitter said yesterday that it had permanently banned the personal account of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for multiple violations of its Covid-19 misinformation policy. The far-right Georgia Republican lost her account under Twitter's strike system, with five or more strikes leading to permanent suspension. Greene blasted the decision, calling Twitter "an enemy to America" that "can't handle the truth." She claimed her account was suspended after tweeting statistics from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, a government database that includes unverified raw data. The first-term congresswoman still has her official Twitter account.

🍺DRY JANUARY...EXPERTS EXPLAIN WHAT A MONTH WITHOUT ALCOHOL CAN DO FOR YOUR BODY, MIND: Dry January is an initiative that was started in 2012 by Alcohol Change UK to get people to see the mental, physical, and even financial benefits of living without alcohol. Now it’s pretty trendy to take part in the trend of ditching alcohol for the whole month of January, and there are some real benefits to gain from it as well. Dr. George F. Koob, the director of the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism says participating in Dry January can be a great way to learn more about your drinking habits, which can help you make healthier choices moving forward. He says the break can also shed light on how drinking alcohol affects your physical and mental health. In terms of purely physical results, Dr. Tyler Oesterle says heavy drinkers may find they see the biggest change if they participate, but for light drinkers, 31 days isn’t really enough to make any significant difference physically. Elective sobriety coach Amanda Kuda says that while 31 days might not be long enough to make any meaningful changes, it can be a great start for someone who is sober-curious. Kuda adds, “Dry January is a socially acceptable way to take a step back from alcohol, in a world that’s obsessed with booze.”

 
🏈NFL SCORES -- WEEK 17:
  • Cincinnati Bengals 34, Kansas City Chiefs 31
  • Buffalo Bills 29, Atlanta Falcons 15
  • Chicago Bears 29, New York Giants 3
  • Tennessee Titans 34, Miami Dolphins 3
  • Las Vegas Raiders 23, Indianapolis Colts 20
  • New England Patriots 50, Jacksonville Jaguars 10
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28, New York Jets 24
  • Philadelphia Eagles 20, Washington Football Team 16
  • Los Angeles Rams 20, Baltimore Ravens 19
  • Los Angeles Chargers 34, Denver Broncos 13
  • San Francisco 49ers 23, Houston Texans 7
  • Arizona Cardinals 25, Dallas Cowboys 22
  • New Orleans Saints 18, Carolina Panthers 10
  • Seattle Seahawks 51, Detroit Lions 29
  • Green Bay Packers 37, Minnesota Vikings 10
Monday Night Football on ESPN:  Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers (8:15 p.m. ET)

🏈BROWN WALKS OFF FIELD, NO LONGER WITH BUCCANEERS: Wide receiver Antonio Brown walked off the field late in the third quarter of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 28-24 win over the New York Jets yesterday in a bizarre incident, and is now no longer with the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay was behind 24-10 when an apparently frustrated Brown was talking to teammate Mike Evans, who tried to calm him down. But Brown took off his pads, jersey, gloves and T-shirt, and then walked off into the tunnel at MetLife Stadium, waving to fans as he went. 


Head coach Bruce Arians said after the game, "He is no longer a Buc. All right? That’s the end of the story." Arians told Fox Sports that he was trying to get Brown to go into the game and Brown refused twice -- he didn't know why -- and then Arians told him to "get out." Bucs quarterback Tom Brady said of Brown, who has a history of personal conduct issues and bizarre behavior, "Everybody should do what they can to help him in ways that he really needs it. . . . I think everyone should be very compassionate and empathetic toward some very difficult things that are happening."

🏈EAGLES QB HURTS NARROWLY AVOID COLLAPSING RAILING AFTER WIN: Philadephia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts narrowly avoiding a collapsing railing as he walked to the tunnel after the Eagles' 20-16 win over the Washington Football Team yesterday (January 2nd). Hurts, who led Philly to a fourth straight win, was walking to go into the tunnel at Washington's FedEx Field when a railing with fans leaning over it to slap hands with him collapsed. Hurts was able to just avoid it, and then helped some of the fans who'd fallen to their feet. The team said it appeared no one has been seriously injured.

 
🏈BENGALS' CHASE BREAKS SINGLE-GAME ROOKIE RECEIVING RECORD: Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase broke the NFL's single-game rookie receiving record yesterday in the Bengals' 34-31 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Chase had 11 catches for 266 yards and three touchdowns, breaking the previous rookie receiving record of 255 yards by former Buffallo Bills wide receiver Jerry Butler in a 1979 game. Chase also broke Cincinnati's single-game receiving record.

🏈WASHINGTON'S SEALS-JONES SUFFERS NECK INJURY IN SCARY CAMERAMAN COLLISION: Washington Football Team tight end Ricky Seals-Jones suffered a neck injury in a scary sideline collision in yesterday's 20-16 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The collision happened on the sidelines at the end of a play in the second quarter, causing Seals-Jones to fall and hit his head on the artificial turf. He was carted off the field and didn't play for the rest of the game. Washington head coach Ron Rivera said after the game that Seals-Jones was fine and was walking around the locker room at halftime. The cameraman was able to walk off the field with some help, but returned to continue working the game.

🏒PENGUINS GET 8-5 WIN, TWO HAT TRICKS AFTER TWO-WEEK COVID LAYOFF: The Pittsburgh Penguins had an 8-5 win over the San Jose Sharks yesterday with two hat tricks as they returned from a two-week layoff due to Covid cases on the team. Pittsburgh had missed five games, last playing on December 19th. But they picked where they left off, getting their eighth straight win yesterday. Scoring hat tricks were Evan Rodrigues and Bryan Rust.



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