CDC urges caution for vaccinated people – National & International News- THU 11Mar2021

CDC urges caution for vaccinated people. LA opens “tiny home” village for homeless. Myanmar’s Suu Kyi accused of accepting “illegal” payments; protesters say China behind Myanmar junta.

NATIONAL NEWS

Why the CDC is still urging caution for vaccinated people

Guidance for vaccinated individuals released earlier this week have caused some confusion and frustration. The CDC gave the OK for vaccinated people to gather in small groups without masks. This has offered some relief for the millions of elderly and medically vulnerable Americans. However, the CDC also warned vaccinated people against traveling to visit family or gathering in larger groups.

Amesh Adalja of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security says the CDC is still waiting for “ironclad data” before encouraging even vaccinated people to mingle freely. Early data from Israel, whose vaccination program leads the world, has been encouraging. The country has seen a huge drop in new cases and transmissions overall.

But at present, the CDC is cautioning Americans against the view of vaccination as an instant passport back to a “normal” life. COVID continues to circulate and mutate in a large portion of the population. While the vaccine offers protection, it isn’t a guarantee against transmission.

CDC spokesman Thomas W. Skinner says the guidance is “a good first step until we have more people vaccinated and data around vaccine effectiveness when it comes to real world circumstances”. Skinner says that until that data is in, it’s still important to minimize large gatherings of people, “especially those at high risk, even if they’re vaccinated”.

Click here for the full story (opens in new tab).

LA opens “tiny home” village for homeless

Los Angeles has one of the largest homeless populations in the country and has received widespread criticism for its failure to address the problem. The pandemic has brought the homeless issue into sharper focus since homeless people are at greater risk of contracting and spreading the virus. Social distancing restrictions also means that more homeless people are sleeping rough.

LA has opened its first “tiny home” village to address the problem. The 64-square-foot homes are cramped but comfortable. The “village” has a common space where residents can gather and a shared shower facility. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has committed to spending $2 billion this year to address the state’s homeless problem.

Click here for the full story (opens in new tab).

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Myanmar: Military accuses Suu Kyi of accepting illegal payments

The leaders of Myanmar’s military junta have accused democratically-elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi of accepting “illegal payments of $600,000” plus over 20lbs of gold. The military provided no proof of these transactions or their illegality. No reporting has yet shed any light on who it was that supposedly made these payments to Suu Kyi. These charges, vague though they are, are the most serious that the military has leveled at Suu Kyi.

Policeman told “shoot till they are all dead”

Former Myanmar policeman Tha Peng, along with several colleagues, fled to neighboring India after refusing orders to shoot peaceful protesters. According to Peng, he and others were told by superiors and members of the military to “shoot until they are all dead“.

Protester describes beatings in police custody.

Several recent deaths of protesters in police custody have raised fears and suspicions of torture and murder. One protester’s account seems to confirm these fears. The protester says police bundled him and 60 others into trucks and took them to an airbase. There, police separated the men from the women, photographed them, and then took them to separate rooms where they were beaten for hours. Some protesters were later released without explanation while others were formally arrested and imprisoned.

Protesters point the finger at China

Protesters are blaming Beijing for supporting the junta. Some have threatened to blow-up Chinese-backed pipelines and other infrastructure in the country as payback. The leader of Myanmar’s junta has recently hinted that he was willing to re-start currently stalled hydro-electric dam projects backed by China.