On Thursday, AlertsUSA subscribers were notified of a White House announcement that despite being fully vaccinated and double-boosted (4 shots), Joe Biden had tested positive for COVID-19, was showing mild symptoms, and would continue working in isolation. His diagnosis comes as a more contagious subvariant of the coronavirus drives a new wave of cases in the U.S.
The oldest person ever to serve as president of the United States, Joe Biden appeared (virtually) at a White House meeting of economic advisers on Friday. While seemingly vigorous and engaged, his voice was noticeably deeper and it was quite apparent he was ill.
Where is Biden's Doctor?
One curious aspect about Biden's diagnosis are the medical updates provided by the White House. As has been the practice for many decades, when the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and President of the United States even goes for a general wellness checkup, his personal physician is in front of the White House press corps giving updates and answering questions. One would expect this even more so if the President is diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening illness.
Not in this case.
Instead, Joe Biden's health updates are provided verbally and in written form by the Press secretary and Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator. This is the same Dr. Jha who, by his own humiliating admission in front of Congress in 2020, had never treated a single COVID patient.
During the Friday press briefing, Dr. Jha and press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre were called out by the White House press corps.
"Why are we not hearing from Dr. O’Connor on this?"
"A couple of hours ago, right at 11:00, you got a detailed letter, uh, from uh, Dr. O’Connor. We've given you two detailed letters from Dr. O’Connor and you've heard from the letter. That is hearing directly from him. We're not playing telephone here. You're hearing directly from the physician. It is hearing directly from in his words you are hearing directly."
AlertsUSA includes this report in the weekly update due to the national security implications of the current situation. Something is seriously amiss and our adversaries are watching, waiting for particular signs of weakness or distraction. These include Iran, N. Korea, China and Russia. Given Joe Biden's diminished faculties even prior to contracting COVID, it is reasonable to conclude that this is a particularly dangerous time for the nation in light of the diverse tensions in different regions. Caution and vigilance are urged for American citizens, particularly if outside of the United States.
Polio In New York
On Thursday of this week, AlertsUSA subscribers were notified of an announcement by New York State health authorities of a confirmed case of polio in a resident of Rockland County, located just north of New York City.
Local health officials said they would begin a drive to increase vaccination against the potentially deadly virus and called on healthcare providers to look for more infections. They said the victim was experiencing paralysis and that he had not been vaccinated against the virus.
Reports indicate the individual is infected with what is known as a type 2 vaccine-derived poliovirus. This is a strain of weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine. Over time, this strain mutated allowing it spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio. It is for this reason that the United States stopped using the oral vaccine in 2000.
No cases of polio have originated in the United States since 1979, according to the CDC. Health officials in New York said the lone case originated outside the country.
Readers are reminded that polio is spread via contact with the stool or respiratory secretions of an infected individual, such as from cough or sneeze.
WHO Declares a PHEIC Over Monkeypox
The World Health Organization reconvened the Monkeypox Emergency Committee on Thursday of this week to assess the public health implications of the evolving multi-country outbreak. Global cases have passed 16,000, with reports from from 71 member states that span all six of WHO-designated world regions.
Early Saturday, AlertsUSA subscribers were notified the WHO declared the situation to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), which is defined as "an extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other states through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response".
According to the WHO, most reported cases so far have been identified through sexual health or other health services in primary or secondary health-care facilities, and have involved mainly, but not exclusively, men who have sex with men. This is unlikely to last long. According to Dr. Edward Hook III, emeritus professor of infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, movement of the disease into heterosexuals is just a matter of time. Already there are reports of monkeypox cases in children.
AlertsUSA continues to monitor the domestic and international threat environment around the clock and will immediately notify service subscribers, via SMS messages to their mobile devices, of new alerts, warnings and advisories or any developments which signal a change the overall threat picture for American citizens as events warrant. |
