In recent months, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. has radically changed pandemic policies, coronavirus policies and vaccine policies. It’s very likely that Covid vaccine boosters will be limited to seniors and medically vulnerable people from now on. It’s very likely that the CDC’s annual flu shot program has been quietly shut down. Kennedy also recently fired the 17-member Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. All in all, a lot of people are going to die of treatable viruses and diseases. Not only that, if there’s another pandemic – or even just a really contagious Covid surge – the current system will not be able to handle it whatsoever. Speaking of, there’s a new Covid variant going around, and I’d be willing to bet that there will be zero Covid booster shots targeted for it.
A new variant of the virus that causes Covid-19 has already caused a surge in cases in Asia — and its signature symptom is a severe sore throat that feels like “razor blades.”
Covid variant NB.1.8.1 — which has informally been dubbed “Nimbus” — is being monitored by the World Health Organization as this latest mutation of the wildly contagious virus already makes up more than 10% of cases in Asia, Salon reports, adding that it’s now been detected in the United States, Europe, and Canada.
The variant has a high “immune evasion, supporting its potential for future dominance,” according to a pre-print study that has not yet been peer-reviewed.
This strain, Salon reports, causes “razor blade throat,” or a severe sore throat; Other symptoms include traditional flu-like symptoms like congestion, fatigue, a mild cough, fever, and muscle aches, and more infrequently diarrhea and nausea, The Independent reports.
Per that outlet, WHO says global risk is “currently low, and existing Covid-19 vaccines are considered effective in preventing severe disease.” But as Dr. Rajendram Rajnarayanan, of the New York Institute of Technology, told Salon, “NB.1.8.1 is a strong candidate for the summer surge.”
“I know that everybody wants to forget about this disease, but it’s not going to allow us to,” Dr. Janko Nikolich, Professor and Chair of the Department of Immunobiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine said, according to ABC Action News.
CB told me that she’s already been masking up when she’s in any kind of indoor group. It feels like we should all be stocking up on masks and being more careful and aware when we’re around other people. There have been “summer variants” in previous years, and they turn into much bigger deals in the fall and winter. Anyway, as I said, it will probably be difficult for under-65 people to get Covid boosters this fall, not that anyone is working on boosters to deal with the new variants anyway. This variant sounds horrible too.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images and Kennedy’s IG.
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- U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attends U.S. President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump was expected to address Congress on his early achievements of his presidency and his upcoming legislative agenda. Featuring: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Where: Washington, United States When: 04 Mar 2025 Credit: POOL via CNP/INSTARimages.com
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- US President Donald J Trump makes remarks on the India-Pakistan cease-fire, the new US-China Trade Deal, the return of Eden Alexander from Hamas captivity and the high cost of prescription drugs before signing an executive order that he promises will lower the cost of those prescription drugs almost immediately, during a press conference in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US Featuring: Robert F Kennedy Jr Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 12 May 2025 Credit: Chris Kleponis/POOL via CNP/INSTARimages.com
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- United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr; United States Secretary of Education Linda E. McMahon; and Lee Zeldin, Director, United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); take part in a Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, May 22, 2025. Credit: Francis Chung / Pool via CNP Featuring: Robert F Kennedy Jr, Linda McMahon, Lee Zeldin Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 22 May 2025 Credit: Francis Chung/POOL via CNP/INSTARimages.com
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- United States President Donald Trump and US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr take part in a Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission event in the East Room of the White House Featuring: Donald Trump, Robert F Kennedy Jr Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 22 May 2025 Credit: Francis Chung/POOL via CNP/INSTARimages.com
This man is such an embarrassment – to his family, to his appointed position, to his country, and to humanity. The drug addiction and worm have rotted his brain to cottage cheese, and he has no empathy, sympathy or logical reasoning. His legacy will be the preventable deaths of many, many vulnerable elderly and children in this country, not to mention healthy adults who die from preventable disease.
I can’t decide who is the biggest idiot appointed by the Idiot in Chief, and it just might be him or Hegseth. It’s a close race.
I think the term idiot implies he doesn’t know what he is doing and the systematic destruction of our healthcare industry while laying the ground work for as many illnesses and possible pandemics as possible is just because he really loves supplements and clean eating.
He has been called a malicious intentional sociopath by so many people who have dealt with him. I think it’s unfair to attribute his actions to stupidity as opposed to straight up malice. We are dealing with many people whose actions are fully intended to cause pain, suffering, mental and emotional and physical trauma and death. That is the whole point. But we can’t fathom that and so we write off their actions as stupidity because the reality is far more terrifying.
I agree. Cruelty is the goal with this administration. trump wants to be the tough guy and thats what he thinks make him look strong and tough.
Thank you for saying this. I also point out every time someone mentions him that he is a virulent racist – he believes Black people have a different physiology and should be on a different vaccine schedule (he also falsely accused an innocent Black kid of the murder his cousin, Michael Skakel, committed everyone should google this). He is also an animal abuser – he put small rodents in blenders in college. He is sick AF.
I do believe the intent is to kill off as many people as possible as quickly as possible. I just hope Canada takes the lead on this new Covid variant.
It’s going to get really really ugly and many people will die from a preventable illness like the flu.
Yes, thank you. They are being exceptionally focused and intentional in causing as much destruction and pain as possible.
I’ve been noticing retail and service workers in my local area are suddenly masking up again. That tells me something unpleasant is going around, who knows what, but in the absence of a functioning public health system, I guess it’s my only warning. Also, RFK JR looks like his dad, but if his dad was made of poor quality plastic and melting.
He looks like a boiled ham, just like Sean Penn.
I live in NYC and same here – lots of masking by people who work in stores and the grocery. I have never stopped masking on mass transit. Buy your masks now to prep for the Fall / Winter. Or get to Canada for your shots. We’re on our own.
Delightful.
Add in the massive increase in food pathogen illnesses, flu, measles, and all of the other Victorian diseases being coaxed out of near extermination … what a strong and healthy nation we are becoming!
What about our military though? Are we still proceeding with vaccine programs for them or are they going go just be walking bio weapons? Whose ranks can be decimated due to the structure of military life? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
I’ve been seeing more masks as well. I got sick last month and kept fearing it was a new variant and was wondering if the tests would pick it up. Because with this administration I know they aren’t on top of it nor do they care.
Traveling cross country in a few weeks and between all the air travel issues and this new variant I’m dreading this trip. And at my age, I really didn’t think I was going to be living like this: anxious and fearful about everything. From travel to my job.
When I had Covid in 2022 my throat felt like razorblades then, and I was in bed for 5 days. I can’t imagine it could be worse than that. This is definitely alarming.
Same. I had Covid in 2021 before I was eligible for the vaccine and my throat felt terrible and like there were razorblades in addition to all the other horrible symptoms. Even swallowing water was painful. I lost 11 pounds in two weeks time because I couldn’t eat or drink anything besides the smallest sip of anything (soup, water, electrolytes). It’s why I refuse to listen to the anti-vaccine, Covid deniers like RFKJr because he didn’t almost die after being so sick.
Every day something happens that makes it feel like the end of days 🙁
When I got Covid a few years ago that pain in the throat was actually my first (and almost only) symptom. It was thankfully short lived but then I lost my senses of taste and smell for a week, so that wasn’t much better.
It boggles my mind that your government has basically gone all the way off the rails, and it’s only been what…six months?
Same here. My first and worse symptom was an extreme sore throat. I didn’t really get much of the fever, coughing, stuffy nose, loss of taste or smell, or other typical symptoms.
I was also extremely fatigued but I couldn’t sleep, so that sucked. For about a month after I finally tested negative I had trouble sleeping and just didn’t feel well rested. I haven’t seen much about trouble sleeping being a COVID symptom but it was for me.
I had a booster two months ago so hoping it will protect. Will be traveling and have all my masks at the ready!!
Survival of he fittest. Is this how we solve the drug cost, medical care and insurance crises? Do away with the people making use of our hospitals and social service programs? Withhold vaccines and life saving medication and reserve them for those who can afford private pay. Eugenics?
RFK’s Uncle Jack was a chronically ill man for his whole life. In the world of eugenics, he would have been considered expendable.
Weren’t JFK’s issues mainly related to his War service? Rosemarie might be a better example, how she was treated definitely shows where RFK Jr learned it.
No, his health issues were not mainly related to his war service. That was the spin on his health during his political career. In fact, JFK’s health was so bad going back to his childhood that his father had to pull strings to get him into the Navy. He had already flunked the Army physical. Then JFK had to pull strings himself to get a combat assignment. He never should have been on a PT boat. The pounding on the ocean aggravated an already bad back. Historian Robert Dalleck has the most complete account of Kennedy’s lifelong health miseries in his biography which I believe is called JFK. But, yes, Rosemary is another good example.
JFK had Cushing’s disease.
@BeanieBean He had Addison’s.
When Trump finally checks out, I really hope he takes this freak with the dead brain worm with him. I never stopped masking in public and my only risk factor is that I’m older than dirt. But I don’t want to spend the rest of my life dealing with long COVID.
Worm brain isn’t going anywhere because he’s doing what heritage foundation wants. Jd vance, HF’s puppet and poster boy, is 1000x worse than dumpster fire. Once he’s in the oval office due to dumpy’s death, he’s never leaving. Democracy is done in the us.
I recently updated my Covid booster because of this insanity. CVS told me they’ve seen an uptick in people getting vaccinated for Covid and other things. The person who vaccinated me said they will still give the Covid vax to anyone that wants it as there are easy ways around the requirements. We are living in a terrible time.
Yup, it’s making the rounds thru my RI neighborhood. 4 so far have it, all have been sick in bed for a week so it’s not just a mild strain (they are all normally very healthy though over 65) and apparently it is highly contagious.
Same experience as others in that I’m seeing a lot more masks when out and about out. But you know, it’s all Biden’s fault (sarcasm)!
Since early 2020, I have gotten boosted every 6 months and just got another boost in March. I also double mask in public, do not attend indoor public events like concerts and have limited air travel (only 3 trips in the past 5 years – sad). As far as I know, I’ve never gotten Covid, but I did get Influenza A this January and ended up in the hospital – it was no fun. This idiot cancelled the spring 2025 flu conference (which tracks the flu strains in places like Australia) so they can plan the fall/winter flu vaccine and the conference was never rescheduled; we won’t have a flu vaccine ready for our flu season. Take precautions and stock up on supplies now (cough medicine, Aspirin, Tylenol, Vick’s, decongestants, throat lozenges, the numbing throat spray, gloves, masks, vitamin E, Zinc, etc.) – I fear come winter the pharmacy shelves are going to be very empty.
Good reminder. I think today I’m going to go over all my vaccinations–including ones I haven’t had to think about in a while, like measles & whooping cough–and ask what my doc recommends. I know she recently sent me an email about measles vaccines. This year’s flu, though, I don’t know what we’re all going to do.
It’s sad that our government has given up. I wish the general public knew that high ranking and rich folks filter or use uv to clean air. That Covid symptoms are respiratory and can be mild but the disease is vascular impacting organs, brain and immune system. That you need to test several times over several days before positive tests show up. That several hundred to thousand-mostly seniors-still die every month of Covid here in the US. One was my next door neighbor. My goddaughter developed Bell’s palsy from a super mild case this month. Masking and cleaning air makes economic sense for businesses and schools and anyone who cares about not missing work , special events or a senior loved one around the holiday table. Individually, I mask, go to well ventilated places, stay out of crowds and avoid sick people. I don’t cower in fear and stay home but at 66 I would like to keep my health and limit the number of Covid infections I get. Also -I am a huge fan of home air purifiers-make or buy, cleans odors, allergens, dust, pet smells /hair and air exchange keeps you alert, protects from wildfire smoke days (super toxic). Highly recommend.
Mask up, folks! 😷
Just got my 9th covid shot and mask up in public as my immune system is compromised from ongoing chemo. My stepdaughter is getting her PhD and the convocation ceremony is in Ontario in October (we’re on Vancouver Island). She REALLY wants us to be there but I’m terrified of flying and being in a crowded indoor space, even with a mask. So the walking brain worm is creating a situation whereby he’s guaranteeing a huge uptick of covid cases that will spread like wildfire. As much as I’d like to attend the ceremony, I think I will have to decline.
It’s called culling the herd. Trump is all for lowering the population. It is telling which groups are most at risk
It’s very telling. Culling the herd is all about “when we can’t squeeze anymore dollars out of you and god forbid, you might need some consideration from your government, nope – it’s time to die”.
I know of at least one person currently with Covid. She’s been very careful and wears an N90 mask in public all the time and STILL managed to get it.
Just FYI – the 2025/26 flu vaccine has already been approved.
A true backpfeifengesicht on display.
jesus.
I’ve never stopped masking because I have a screwed-up immune system. I also use a nitric oxide nasal spray (Enovid) when I can’t avoid crowds. It’s pricey, but it seems effective. (I’m not a doctor, so ask your doctor!!)
I’m so angry at RFK Jr.
I think that it should be a personal choice if someone wants to get a vaccine, but it should be available to those that want it… with all of these variants, it should not be difficult to access. Make it available, then if someone does not want it, then they can pass.