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Daughter of Trump Voter Who Died From Covid-19 Speaks Out; Lasting Immunity to Covid-19 Discovered; and Bad News for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
During Monday’s Democratic National Convention, the daughter of a Trump voter who died from Covid-19 blistered President Trump. She did so during a speech in which she blamed Trump for her father’s death.
Kristin Urquiza’s father made a confession before he died. He said he felt “betrayed” by how President Trump handled the coronavirus pandemic.
“His only preexisting condition was trusting Donald Trump,” said Urquiza. “Donald Trump may not have caused the coronavirus, but his dishonesty and his irresponsible actions made it so much worse.”
“When I cast my vote for Joe Biden, I’ll do it for my dad,” she added. Without a doubt, Urquiza isn’t the only one who has lost a parent to this virus.
Related: Devoted Husband Dies After Visiting Covid-Stricken Wife in Hospital
New research is showing that human’s immune systems are storing information about Covid-19. What does this mean? That your body might be able to fight off the virus if you’re exposed again.
Even better, people who developed only mild symptoms, such as a migraine headache, are showing encouraging signs of strong, lasting immunity.
“Things are really working as they’re supposed to,” said Deepta Bhattacharaya, an immunologist at the University of Arizona.
“The antibodies decline, but they settle in what looks like a stable nadir,” said Dr. Bhattacharya. “The response looks perfectly durable.” The response by the antibodies is observable after about three months following the start of symptoms.
Marion Pepper, an immunologist at the University of Washington agreed. “This is exactly what you would hope for. All the pieces are there to have a totally protective immune response.”
Smita Iyer, an immunologist at the University of California added, “This is very promising. This calls for some optimism about herd immunity and potentially a vaccine.”
However, protection against reinfection can’t be fully confirmed until more research is done. Furthermore, proof needs to be shown that most people who encounter the virus a second time are actually able to ward it off.
Related: Fauci Warns Covid-19 Vaccine ‘Unlikely’ to Achieve Herd Immunity
On Monday, officials announced plans for an oil and gas leasing program in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This means they will drill in the remote Alaskan area.
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said that 1.5 million acres of Coastal Plain area will be available. He also said that the announcement “marks a new chapter in American energy independence” that could “create thousands of new jobs.”
However, environmental activists challenged the move. Their concern is that drilling the Arctic can exacerbate the current climate crisis and harm the environment.
Gina McCarthy worked as an Environmental Protection Agency administrator under former President Barack Obama. She called the decision an “egregious intrusion into the sacred lands of the Gwich’in and other Indigenous People.” Similarly, she called it a threat to US wildlife.
As a result, the staff attorney for the Alaska Project Nature Program for NRDC, Garett Rose, is taking action. He told CNN on Monday that the organization will challenge the decision.
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