Commentary
-
Our commentary partners will help you reach your own conclusions on complex topics.
Hey Everyone, Peter Zeihan here from Iceland where some places look like Minnesota, somethings like North Carolina, some like Wyoming, some like New Zealand. And, some like Mars.
When I was, I came in from the mountains yesterday I found out that the United States, the FDA, gave full approval to the Pfizer vaccine. So it’s no longer in emergency authorization. I just wanted to discuss very briefly what that means and what that doesn’t mean. Let’s start with what that doesn’t.
This does not mean that the COVID vaccine is no longer experimental because it hasn’t been experimental for a year.
The phase three trials that we did last year on Pfizer were the largest field trials of any medication ever in human history.
So it ceased to be an experimental drug a year ago.
What emergency use authorization means is that the medication is to be used only in a prescribed manner, in a very specific situation, as applied by a medical professional.
So in this case as a two shot regimen to be administered as a vaccine. Once it has full authorization that opens it up for others uses which it wasn’t necessarily designed. So we’re seeing some of that third shots are going to start next month, but to give you a really good idea of what it can mean, theoretically, when Botox was approved, it got an initial authorization kind of like the emergency authorization and it was to be used, you know, to smooth out your forehead. Well, once it got full approval could be used for other things. And since then it has been used in migraine treatments.
So it’s not like we’ve gone from experimental to non-experimental. We’ve gone from fully approved to approved in a much broader array of circumstances.
Okay. So that’s, what doesn’t mean? What it does mean is that we now have legal cover for any employer to allow mandates from places throughout their employee system.
The courts have already been very aggressive in approving mandates up to and including the Supreme Court, but now that there’s full authorization, and this has been indicated by the FDA to be safe in all circumstances for nearly all people, you should expect to see a cascade of mandates that are gonna effect probably the plurality of American workers by the end of the year and only accelerating after that because there’s now no absolutely no legal or safety reason to think otherwise.
For those of you who are curious about COVID and Iceland, remember that two thirds of the population lives in your Reykjavik and that’s where about 85% of COVID cases are, more concentrated the population, the more likely to have respiratory disease. It’s just how it works.
But I spoke to somebody at the hospital in Akureyri, which is the second largest town yesterday. And she indicated to me that the number of people who have been vaccinated, but who are hospitalized is two for the entire country.
So 97% of the cases that they have seen here in the recent surge are, are minor.
They have a very aggressive test and trace system here and nothing like the United States. So they’re turning up a lot of cases because of the Delta, but because the population is 90% vaccinated, the only people that are ending up in the hospital are this handful of people that for whatever reason, have not been able to get the vaccine yet. So it’s actually pretty well under control here.
The probably gonna fall off of the red list for the European Union tier four list for the United States very, very quickly because the virus spurting out here, there’s just not enough population to carry it forward.
Okay. That is everything from me. Hope you’re all enjoying the summer back home. And I will return to the states in a couple of weeks, take care.
-
Texas heat challenges a strained energy grid
As May begins, much of the country is experiencing the gradual onset of warmer weather. Texas is already feeling the full force of it, with temperatures in many areas reaching the 80s and 90s. During this time of the year in Texas, power grids can become strained due to increased demand spurred on by early…
-
Japan’s navy gets an upgrade
Following their defeat in World War II, the people of Japan pursued a largely pacifist foreign policy. Today, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and with near-daily news regarding China’s threatening activities throughout the greater Pacific, the Japanese are reinvesting in military defense and reaffirming their alliances with Pacific partners like Australia and the United States.…
-
How could RFK Jr. impact 2024 election?
Many Americans speculated about how a potential RFK, Jr. campaign might impact the 2024 elections. While RFK is neither a Democrat nor a Republican, many of his positions favor Donald Trump’s base over Joe Biden’s, particularly his various conspiracy theories on a wide range of subjects. Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan says that GOP…
-
Global warming won’t impact Russian-Chinese shipping
The seas above Russia’s northern coastline are too frozen for shipping, but some have wondered whether global warming might change that in the decades to come. If those seas were to become navigable for commercial shipping, new direct routes between Russia and China could theoretically open up. Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan throws more…
-
Can other nations replicate success of US shale revolution?
The “shale revolution” has provided the United States with a bountiful domestic supply of oil. But extracting oil from shale is a highly technical process, and it is also dependent on specific geological formations. Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan tackles the question of whether or not other nations might be able to replicate the…
Latest Stories
-
Police move in on UCLA protesters, call encampment an 'unlawful gathering'
-
Divisive college protests bring out bipartisan unity in Congress
-
Anticipated offshore wind rebound faces test after Biden admin proposal
-
US gray wolves in danger of being taken off endangered species list
-
Violence on UCLA campus over war in Gaza forces cancellation of classes
Popular Opinions
-
In addition to the facts, we believe it’s vital to hear perspectives from all sides of the political spectrum.
Latest Opinions
In addition to the facts, we believe it’s vital to hear perspectives from all sides of the political spectrum. We hope these different voices will help you reach your own conclusions.
The opinions published in this section are solely those of the contributors and do not reflect the views of Straight Arrow News.
Latest Commentary
We know it is important to hear from a diverse range of observers on the complex topics we face and believe our commentary partners will help you reach your own conclusions.
The commentaries published in this section are solely those of the contributors and do not reflect the views of Straight Arrow News.
Peter Zeihan
Geopolitical StrategistJapan’s navy gets an upgrade
How could RFK Jr. impact 2024 election?
Global warming won’t impact Russian-Chinese shipping
Dr. Frank Luntz
Pollster and Political Analyst‘Take the job seriously’: Why Americans are fed up with Congress
‘If we can shrink it, it will stop growing’: Americans talk debt, deficit
‘I don’t think they care’: Undecided voters explain their reasons
Pete Ricketts
U.S. Senator for Nebraska