To Mask or Not To Mask — That is the Question?

Dear Friends, The mask mandate issue has been all over the place. The controversial and ambivalent Dr. Fauci has been on both sides of the issue of mask importance. There’s logic and some science that masks help, according to the CDC guidelines. However, some masks have been proven to be useless, while other types are better. Although the enforcement can be ridiculously overdone, masks can be advantageous if worn properly, and the mask is not some insipid bandanna material that is nothing more than false security! I am ok with the mask mandate for now. Most businesses in those states that have lifted the mask mandate, like my newly adopted state of Florida, still require masks to be worn at all times. I saw a quote from WDEL on Delaware Governor John Carney’s position about other states dropping the mask mandate: “I don’t think that makes a lot of sense — it’s certainly an ill-informed decision that might reverse some of the gains that have been made.” Once the majority of folks get vaccinated or get Coronavirus and survive, masks will not be necessary. I can live with it a little longer and agree with Carney on his take on masks. Regarding lockdowns, unfortunately Governor Carney seems to be in constant lockstep with the unscientific lockdowns. Considering the authoritarian, unconstitutional mandates coming out of the White House, Delaware’s future worries me. Carney has been an authoritarian despot, who through his severe lockdowns, sent many Delaware businesses and individuals into financial ruin and emotional despair. It’s time to open Delaware entirety Governor! Stop all the Gestapo crap. Rehoboth has had enough to deal with — more than any community should have had to deal with — especially shutting down our beaches and boardwalk this past summer and now having the major inconvenience of Joe Biden every weekend! Please read the article below and send me your input. Respectfully yours, [avatar user=”Judson Bennett” size=”thumbnail” align=”left” link=”https://twitter.com/Judson_Bennett” target=”_blank”]JUDSON Bennett-Coastal Network[/avatar] Some states are lifting mask mandates, not Delaware By NICK CIOLINO Coronavirus spread is decreasing in Delaware, but the message from state officials is still one of caution. As the wave of COVID cases continues to ebb across the US and more of the population gets vaccinated, some states are lifting mask mandates and other economic restrictions. Gov. John Carney calls this decision ill-informed, and says it may reverse some of the gains made in slowing the spread of the virus. “It’s certainly not consistent with the guidance from the public health experts, the CDC, the NIH,” said Carney. “We’ve, kind of, taken the lead from them from the beginning and we’ll continue to do so.” And state Public Health Director Dr. Karyl Rattay warns against mutations of the virus. “We are seeing decreases or improvements in our numbers which is great, but we also are seeing some variants in our populations. We know that these variants—both the UK variant and the South African variant—are more contagious,” said Rattay. The latest CDC guidance says it is safe for people who have been vaccinated to gather privately together without masks or social distancing. And Rattay says Delaware is adopting this guidance as well. “That might be a group of four or six friends who might want to play cards, or, you know, have some sort of special gathering like that. If everyone is fully vaccinated, that’s fine,” she said. Coronavirus metrics for community spread are the lowest in Delaware since the fall, and about 10% of the state’s population has been vaccinated so far. It’s been almost a year since restrictions related to the virus were first enforced in Delaware.Dear friends, From my perspective, 2020 was a terrible year. I have never felt so lonely, so concerned, so disappointed, so angry, and so sad. I am certain many of you share my feelings. I am not going to go into details. We all, regardless of our station in life, have experienced a disconcerting situation this past year. Today is a new beginning. When I was a kid I had a big sign on my bedroom wall that said “Cheer Up, things could be worse, so I cheered up, and sure enough things got worse!” Folks, I anticipate 2021 and 2022 to be really tough. Things are going to change. America is going to be different. Regardless, this patriot intends to keep fighting for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Indeed, “hope springs eternal.” We must keep trying. For me, the battle is to remain healthy, fight for freedom of speech, lower taxes, stop censorship and propaganda, keep the 2^nd amendment, and to promote capitalism. For me, mediocrity is a fate worse than death and the destruction of the American Dream is unacceptable. As long as I can, I will speak my mind and attempt to give you my viewpoint on things that are happening. Sometimes, I make a little difference and that gives me reason to hope and to continue. Tonight, I will be staying home and watching TV with my beloved feline-“Miss Josephine”. I plan on cooking a pork roast with Sauerkraut, and some mashed potatoes. I will also cook a few traditional black-eyed peas for good luck. I have a bottle of Crystal Champagne in the fridge and an apple pie. I intend to splurge like the outrageous Epicurean I really am, while I salute America, and pray to God for salvation. I wish each of you many blessings. Indeed, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!  God bless you and God bless America! Sincerely yours, [avatar user=”Judson Bennett” size=”thumbnail” align=”left” link=”https://twitter.com/Judson_Bennett”]JUDSON Bennett-Coastal Network[/avatar]There’s no question that combating COVID-19 is an extremely difficult task from all angles. The Virus is an invisible threat with no clear guidelines on how to be dealt with; but that does not mean we have to make a complicated situation more difficult. Based on the government’s response, testing demand, and projected timelines, we must put more focus on allowing the private sector to get involved, and most importantly the smaller local labs that can meet the local demand. It is becoming clear that US governments are incapable of efficiently administering testing at the scale needed, as well as maintaining a safe environment for all citizens, which is in large part due to reliance on outdated testing strategies and a non-integrated systems that do not address the needs of the country as a whole, or individual communities. There is a huge opportunity to fill this void with state-of-the-art testing products, strategies and equipment, combined with a local approach that understands the communities being engaged, to deliver tailored testing solutions to allow policy makers and employers to re-open with confidence. By taking the federal government out of the equation and leaving testing up to the private sector, we can perform a much more efficient job by removing politics and sticking to what really matters; science and business. America is founded on capitalism, so why not revert to what we do best? Adapt and overcome obstacles through innovation, not from the elected officials, but from industry professionals who have dedicated their careers to studying disease testing and control. As CEO of Todos Medical, I’ve been able to work with a team that is focused on the distribution of a comprehensive suite of solutions for the screening and diagnosis of COVID-19 and the development of blood tests for the early detection of cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. What I’ve learned is that there are a handful of companies with highly collaborative, like minded professionals who are working around the clock to transition from disciplines like cancer testing to find optimal solutions for COVID-19. What I’d like to see is more encouragement from the government to leave testing deployment to multidisciplinary collaborative companies who are working together to make big gains in scaling the testing process to match the demand we have here in the United States. Governments should stay focused on what they are best at: paying for solutions that work. Private industry should stay focused on developing innovative solutions that reduce costs and improve outcomes. There is no question that unlike the cost of most diseases, COVID-19’s costs must account for overall economic costs, so that the solutions developed can address the outcomes required to open the economy again. The private sector can do this if government provides the needed infrastructure funding needed to increase lab capacity, and cuts the red tape stopping common sense solutions from being implement. As pool testing becomes the testing method of choice over the summer for the needed asymptomatic (COVID+ & COVID-), we must integrate this into our strategy. We must now marry the information we have learned over the last 6-8 months about COVID-19 with concrete actionable plans that address the bottlenecks required to make people feel safe. There will be risks with every plan, however a plan that systematically reduces risks in a stepwise fashion and isolates those risks so the Virus can be contained is what must emerge. Together with our partners at Meridian Health and Moto Para, we are able to bring such plans to the marketplace expeditiously. Gerald Commissiong is CEO of Todos Medical. He is currently a director, President & CEO of Amarantus Bioscience Holdings, Inc. and is interim-CEO of Breakthrough Diagnostics, Inc., Todos’ joint venture with Amarantus. This story was originally published in Black Star NewsOPINION Dear Friends, I awoke this morning to the distressing news that yesterday we had 10,000 new cases of Coronavirus in Florida in one day. Folks I live in Palm Beach, it is a beautiful paradise, and people are terrified. I rode my bike along the inner-coastal at 7 a.m. this morning, cruising by majestic Palm trees and gorgeous, colorful gardens. Every so often I would pass a walker, jogger, or another biker — all masked — and as we met up, they would turn their heads, but not before I could see the fear in their eyes. Everybody is wondering, “Could she have it, could he?” The virus is everywhere here, and finally this time people are beginning to take it seriously. This old warrior is diabetic and that combined with 3 months of isolation, listening and watching our country turn into anarchy, has frankly got me on edge. We are all in the same boat, however, this pandemic is terribly disconcerting and I don’t want it! Interestingly, a month ago, Florida was the pristine state. The virus was under control, and all the indicators were it would be safe to reopen the closed economy, including bars, restaurants, beaches, gyms, and so on. This was allowed under the condition that people would engage in social distancing and wear masks. Unfortunately, many people took the reopening by Florida’s positive Governor to mean, “Let the party begin!” The virus was still lurking, as the bars opened in full swing. Absolutely no social distancing — NONE! The beaches looked like anthills with folks snugged together. The virus spread like wildfire! The protests we had in south Florida did not help either. As far as I am concerned, Governor DeSantis did the right thing in opening the state. The people did the wrong thing in not following the rules. We cannot stay isolated. Our businesses must be open. Until there is a vaccine, business and the pandemic must coexist. Poverty will kill us faster than the virus. Therefore with some minor, logical regulations, DeSantis is determined to keep it all going. Additionally, Florida schools will be opening in the fall. Right now, the bars are again closed and there is no indoor dining. Masks are now mandatory in public! Folks here is the bottom line, we have got to open our businesses and we have to send our children back to school. At the same time, we have to avoid close contact and wear masks. Washing hands, vitamins, zinc, constant vigilance are all extremely important. Guys like me with diabetes, have to be extra careful. Please stay safe, I pray for better days. God bless America! Respectfully yours, JUDSON Bennett-Coastal Network There seems to be a growing global trend in the communities of the prominent billionaire global elites, one which, luckily, has seen some of the world’s richest families carve out swaths of their income dedicated to improving the Earth through charity. The most well known billionaire philanthropists is Bill Gates, cofounder of Microsoft, who, through the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation, the largest charitable organization in the world, has donated over $36 billion since 2000. Other household names also top the list of charitable donors: Warren Buffet, Carlos Slim and Sergey Brin to name a few. But one lesser known billionaire is quietly doing his part to make the world a better place. Brian Sheth made his fortune as the co-founder and President of Vista Equity Partners, a private equity and venture capital firm which owns over 50 software companies and employs over 65,000 people worldwide. Together with his wife, Adria Sheth, Brian founded The Sangreal Foundation, a charitable organization focused on conservation and environmental protection. Through a hands-off approach, The Sangreal Foundation identifies global issues, partners with select organizations, builds a team of world-class specialists, enables them through funding and back-end support and then let the experts do their work. It’s an interesting take on the normally routine charity structure. The Sangreal Foundation focuses on building teams and giving them the tools to tackle the problem themselves. The Sangreal Foundation website claims “Sangreal’s hands off approach keeps our teams supported without monopolizing our efforts. Because of that, we’re able to find new and diverse causes to support so we can continue to help change the world.” Now, Sheth is involved in helping the world heal from this pandemic. and a Democrat, had been watching an effort to gather  America’s top scientists and a collection of billionaires and industry titans who say they have the answer to the coronavirus pandemic. They needed a backdoor  to deliver their plan to the White House. The group, led by a 33-year-old physician-turned-venture capitalist named Tom Cahill, from Boston, has enough lofty connections to influence government decisions in the war against Covid-19. Sheth was an early investor in Dr. Cahill’s fund and had been on the first call. His expertise was technology, though, not immunology. He had become friendly with Thomas Hicks Jr., the Dallas businessman and co-chairman of the Republican National Committee. Mr. Sheth introduced Mr. Hicks to Dr. Cahill’s group. The rest of the story can be read in the Wall Street Journal or on MSN.