Back Story Newsletter
Good morning,
Plan B Covid Britain
The timing couldn’t be worse or more cynical some skeptics say, because on a day Britains P.M. Boris Johnson had to stand and apologize for a party being thrown in his Number 10 Downing Street a year ago against Covid rules, he then announced new restrictions.
The publics head is spinning over the Christmas Party scandal, and the new announcements of a semi slow lockdown.
Boris Johnson may have to resign as the scandal of the illegal party grows, even though he didn’t attend himself but has lied about it ever happening, and then admitted it did.
Boris Johnsons press person had to resign already because she stood at the podium of a mock press conference and appeared to joke about the secret party while the public was facing a cancelled Christmas and, and more importantly couldn’t visit sick loved ones, some of whom never came home again because of Covid.
Johnson appeared first in Parliament to apologize and then several hours later called a news conference to announce people the new variant Omicrom is spreading so fast, people should work for home, wear masks in public, and Covid vaccine passes will now be required for large gatherings.
It’s a growing scandal the P.M. has covered up, then said never happened, then details emerged of a secret Santa in his own home 2 floors down with wine and cheese, which he now says he will investigate. It has outraged the country which now doesn’t want to obey restrictions they don’t believe in, because the people who imposed them didn’t follow them themselves. The newspapers are savaging the Prime Minister today.
Booster And Covid
Pfizer said significantly yesterday that 2 vaccine shots are not sufficient in the battle against the new variant Omicron, but the company says 3 shots - the booster is.
It’s early. That finding was based on 39 samples only, and the current surge in the U.S. of hospitalizations is still mostly do to Delta variant. The Omicron will dramatically boost the spread of Covid and the booster shot will be needed to stop infections and ultimately deaths.
Other News…
-Germany has a new chancellor. Center-left Social Democrat Olaf Scholz has been elected by the Bundestag as the new chancellor of Germany, replacing Angela Merkel
-President Biden said he told Russian President Putin to expect sanctions like he’s never seen if he invades Ukraine, which means the Russian economy could be brought to collapse,. but no American troops will go to Ukraine
-The New Zealand government plans to ban young people from ever buying cigarettes in their lifetime in one of the world’s toughest crackdowns on the tobacco industry
AND FINALLY…
Spectacular rescue attempt after a car nearly went over Niagara Falls. On the U.S. side a Coast Guard was lowered to pull a woman for the vehicle. She was dead. In her late 60’s no one is quite sure how she and her car got there. Daring job by the Coast Guard.
Have a good day everyone and please share the letter.
Dana
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/08/health/pfizer-booster-omicron.html
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/08/boris-johnson-plan-b-covid-measures-england-omicron-vaccine-passports-mask-wearing