China reportedly gave American diplomats anal COVID-19 tests

 

Never a dull News Day here in the DIN Headquarters!

The Chinese government has used anal swabs to test US diplomats for COVID-19 – but Beijing insisted to Washington that the butt checks were made “in error,” according to a report.

“The State Department never agreed to this kind of testing and protested directly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when we learned that some staff were subject to it,” a State Department rep told VICE World News on Wednesday.

Washington complained that the rather invasive procedure was undignified, according to the report.

The State spokesperson said Beijing had assured Washington that the tests were given “in error” — and that diplomats were exempt from the test, which was required for incoming travelers in some parts of China.

“We have instructed staff to decline this test if it is asked of them, as was done in the past,” the rep told VICE World News, which noted it was unclear how many diplomats or their family members had undergone the procedure.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Thursday denied Beijing had even asked American diplomats to undergo the anal tests.

“To my knowledge…China has never required US diplomatic staff stationed in China to conduct anal swab tests,” Zhao told a daily news briefing in Beijing, Reuters reported.

In an email to Reuters, a State Department spokesperson said it was “committed to guaranteeing the safety and security of American diplomats and their families, while preserving their dignity.”

Officials in China have used anal swabs to test people it considers at high-risk of contracting the illness, including residents of neighborhoods with confirmed cases as well as some international travelers, according to AFP.

Tests using anal swabs can avoid missing infections as viral traces in fecal samples or anal swabs could remain detectable for longer periods than in those from the respiratory tract, Li Tongzeng, a respiratory diseases doctor in Beijing, told state TV recently.

Stool tests also may be more effective in detecting infections in kids as their waste carries a higher viral load than adults, researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong said in a paper published last year.

China’s National Health Commission said in an online post that in some cases, the deadly bug can be more easily detected in anal samples than in throat and nasal samples.

According to the commission’s instructions, the samples are collected by inserting a cotton swab about one to two inches into the rectum.

A traveler from Australia to China who was tested with anal swabs in September told VICE World News the procedure felt like having diarrhea.

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Realizing they Have a "Dangerous Lunatic" in the White House ...House Democrats ask Biden to give up sole power to launch nuclear bomb

 

Over thirty House Democrats are asking President Biden to consider renouncing his authority to launch nuclear weapons.

In a letter sent Tuesday but publicized Wednesday, 31 lawmakers led by Reps. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) and Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) urge the commander in chief to “consider modifying the decision-making process the United States uses in its command and control of nuclear forces.”

“As president, two of your most critical and solemn duties are the security of the country and the safeguarding of its nuclear arsenal,” the letter reads, noting the president’s sole authority to order the use of nuclear weapons assures keeping them under civilian control.

“However, vesting one person with this authority entails real risks,” Panetta and Lieu continued.

“Past presidents have threatened to attack other countries with nuclear weapons or exhibited behavior that caused other officials to express concern about the president’s judgment,” the two said, referencing former President Donald Trump’s very public feudwith North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

In terms of alternatives, the two California Democrats suggested a number of options.

One would be to require that the vice president and speaker of the House of Representatives concur with the president’s decision to strike.

Another option would be requiring certifications from the secretary of defense that the strike order was valid, as well as the attorney general that it was legal.

The two lawmakers also suggested requiring a Congressional declaration of war and specific approval from Congress on the strike. 

The last option they suggested was creating a permanent council of Congressional leaders that would hold regular deliberations with the president and their administration on national security issues.

That council would be required to be consulted before the launch of any nuclear weapon.

Panetta is the son of Leon Panetta, who served as Defense Secretary and CIA director under President Obama and was chief of staff to President Clinton. 

The White House did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment on the letter.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment on his stance on the president’s nuclear authority.

“While any president would presumably consult with advisors before ordering a nuclear attack, there is no requirement to do so,” the letter states, “The military is obligated to carry out the order if they assess it is legal under the laws of war.”

“Under the current posture of U.S. nuclear forces, that attack would happen in minutes.”

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Surprise Surprise... How Much of the Trillion Dollar Covid Stimulus Going to Fight the Virus

 

Dear Democrats:

Stop calling it a "COVID Relief" plan. A better name would be "The Pelosi Payoff." pic.twitter.com/YLEwvbakJE

— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) February 25, 2021

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Arab Slams Arab MK"s in the Knesset who Support Terrorism

 

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Arab MK in Knesset Cannot Say "Israel" Out of His mouth and Cannot Name the First Palestinian King

 

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A post shared by Alex (@alexei_the_king)

Israel bans sale of all seafood from Mediterranean after massive oil spill

 

The Health Ministry on Wednesday barred the sale of seafood from the Mediterranean Sea after a massive oil spill severely contaminated most of Israel’s coastline and killed wildlife.

The ban covers fish and other marine life sold for consumption. It went into effect immediately and will last until the Health Ministry issues a retraction.

The decision was made “in light of the environmental pollution in the Mediterranean Sea, which has been expressed, among other ways, in the amounts of tar found on the Mediterranean beaches in recent days,” the Health Ministry said.

The ruling was a precautionary measure and there was no definite evidence that eating the fish posed a danger. Samples of marine life had been sent to Agriculture Ministry laboratories to check for contaminants, the Health Ministry said.

Officials notified the fishing community and sellers of seafood.

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Racism Solved! White Guy will no longer voice black 'Simpsons' character

 

Racism solved https://t.co/d7oEnC7LeV

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) February 23, 2021

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Press During Trump Called them “kids in cages” But Now by Biden They call them “shelters” or “migrant facilities.”

 

.@PressSec is asked if the admin is putting "kids in cages" with the new migrant detention for children being opened at the border:

"This is not kids being kept in cages. This is a facility being opened that is going to follow the standards of other HHS facilities." pic.twitter.com/3uihs0nBqJ

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) February 23, 2021

When you want to do another “kids in cages” photoshoot, but then you remember Biden built them😭 pic.twitter.com/l1VBnmNxyq

— Rogan O’Handley 🇺🇸 (@DC_Draino) February 24, 2021

These were “cages” under Trump. Now under Biden they are “shelters” or “migrant facilities.” https://t.co/EZzedIAVaJ

— Dinesh D'Souza (@DineshDSouza) February 23, 2021

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Turns Out That the People That arrived in Israel with Forged Permits Were Chareidim and Will be Deported

 

Please tell me that it ain't so ..

please tell me that the forgers are not those who are shoimrei Torah Umitzvois that are into Chesed and distribute chicken soup while having no compunction of spreading death and disease

Please tell me that it was chilonim that drive on shabbos!  

Twenty ultra-Orthodox arrivals from New York were barred from entering the country today after it was discovered they had used forged permits from the committee that currently approves entry to the country.

The families who arrived on a flight to Israel from New York on Wednesday forged their entry permits and will be deported,.

The 13 members of one of the families were all foreign nationals. The second family had an Israeli mother, a foreign father and six children, Channel 12 reported.

One family of 13, who are not Israeli, will be deported tonight, with another family of seven, in which the mother is Israeli, still under review.

Reports say  that Israeli authorities were investigating claims that passengers on an El Al flight from New York, which was later discovered to be carrying 11 travelers infected with the coronavirus, had provided fake test results before boarding the plane.

A woman on the plane claimed that she heard ultra-Orthodox passengers boasting that they had used fake coronavirus tests to get on the flight, Hebrew media reported. Other passengers said that during the flight ultra-Orthodox passengers did not wear masks at times and that the cabin crew did little to encourage them to cover up.

The Health Ministry on Wednesday asked the IDF Home Front Command and the Shin Bet security agency to check if the passengers really did fake the virus tests they had presented before getting on the plane, Channel 12 reported.

El Al, Israel’s national carrier, said in response to the report that all of its flights are handled in accordance with the instructions of various authorities.

“The claims made by passengers were passed on to the acting authorities and we are investigating the claims with the flight crew,” El Al said.

Israel’s land and air gateways have been largely closed since January 25, with Ben Gurion Airport shuttered for all but a few special flights by Israeli airlines to bring back citizens stranded abroad. Health officials are concerned that more contagious strains of the coronavirus could arrive in the country from abroad, as is the case with the so-called British mutation which now accounts for almost all new COVID-19 infections in the country.

Ministers approved early Wednesday the reinstatement of a compulsory quarantine period in special government-run hotels for all those arriving from abroad, a day after the previous regulations on the matter expired.

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Alarming COVID-19 study finds virus survives on fabric for 3 days

 

A new study has revealed that the virus which causes COVID-19 can linger on fabric, such as clothing or upholstery, for up to three days.

Between polyester, a poly-cotton blend and 100% cotton fabrics, the polyester posed the greatest risk, even after 72 hours; on full-cotton samples, the virus lasted one day, while the poly-cotton blend remained contaminated by viral droplets — designed to mimic human saliva — for just six hours.

The breakthrough finding could be especially dangerous when it comes to clothing worn by health-care workers, said Dr. Katie Laird, a microbiologist and author of the study. 

If not frequently washed, the fabrics could help transmit the virus from patient to patient. 

“When the pandemic first started, there was very little understanding of how long coronavirus could survive on textiles,” said Dr. Laird, a leading infectious disease researcher at De Montfort University in Leicester, United Kingdom.

“Our findings show three of the most commonly used textiles in health care pose a risk for transmission of the virus,” she continued in an interview for the university’s news site. “If nurses and health-care workers take their uniforms home, they could be leaving traces of the virus on other surfaces.”

In terms of sanitizing, researchers also found that soap and scorching hot water — at least 153 degrees Fahrenheit (67 degrees Celsius) — was required to effectively clean 100% cotton fabric, which is commonly used for medical staff uniforms.

Regular household washing machines typically only go up to about 130 degrees on their hottest setting. 

The findings suggest that hospital staff should refrain from wearing their uniforms home, according to Dr. Laird, whose study has been submitted to a research journal for publication, pending peer review.

“This research has reinforced my recommendation that all health-care uniforms should be washed on site at hospitals or at an industrial laundry,” she said. “These wash methods are regulated and nurses and health-care workers do not have to worry about potentially taking the virus home.”

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