'This is Covid-21,' Belgium PM declares as 'Nu' variant hits Europe

Belgium’s prime minister has warned that the coronavirus facing the world today is very different from the one that appeared in Wuhan two years ago, claiming it is three times more contagious than the original strain.

Speaking on Friday, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo told a press conference that the latest wave of coronavirus should be called Covid-21, as panic over the ‘Nu’ variant grips Europe.

You could say that this is Covid-21 instead of Covid-19: it is three times more infectious than the original virus.

De Croo was speaking as Belgian scientists investigated two samples of Covid-19 which were believed to be the new B.1.1.529. Shortly after De Croo’s comments, virologist Marc Van Ranst confirmed that one of the samples was the variant first found in Botswana. The patient had returned from Egypt on Monday.

The strain, which is expected to be named after the Greek letter ‘Nu’, was first identified in samples taken in Botswana on November 11 and is believed to have spread widely across southern Africa.

The variant is known to have 32 mutations to the spike protein, which could allow the pathogen to evade vaccine-induced immunity. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has described the variant as “the worst one we’ve seen so far.”

The Belgian prime minister also announced a new range of Covid-19 measures to tame the spread of a deadly fourth wave of the virus. The restrictions include the closure of nightclubs and dance halls for a period of three weeks, as well as the prohibition of private parties. Hospitality will be forced to close at 11pm, while restaurants will be limited to a maximum of six people per table.

“We are trying to make sure that everyone can continue to see each other. We can still go out to bars or restaurants, there can still be activities, but it has to be done safely,” De Croo added.

To date, the fourth wave has been driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, which first emerged in India. Belgium has never had more infections than it does today, the prime minister noted.

https://www.rt.com/news/541454-belgium-covid19-virus-variants/

LA Firefighter Being "Investigated" For Literally Wiping His Ass With Vaccine Mandate Letter

A firefighter in LA has been placed on leave and is under investigation after he literally wiped his ass with a vaccine mandate notification letter.

The Los Angeles Times reports “The LAFD member responded to receiving the non-compliance letter by dropping his pants and wiping his buttocks with the letter.”

The report adds that the firefighter left “fecal matter on the document, before dropping it to the ground, according to the Stentorians of Los Angeles City, a group representing African American firefighters.”

LAFD spokeswoman Cheryl Getuiza told the Times that “The department is aware of the seriousness of the allegations and took immediate action upon learning of this incident.”

Getuiza said that the first responder “will face the consequences of any inappropriate acts,” adding that “no matter how our members react, all city employees must abide by the city ordinance — either file for an exemption, get vaccinated, or face termination.”

A spokesman for LA Mayor Eric Garcetti said that the “mayor’s expectation is that fire department leadership will handle this matter definitively, and make it clear that these appalling actions will not deter enforcement of rules that we’ve put in place to save lives.”

The Fire Commission president Jimmie Woods-Gray added “I am beyond appalled at such an act by an LAFD firefighter.”

The deadline for city workers to “show proof of full compliance” with the vaccine mandate has been pushed back in LA to December 18 from the initial date of October 20. However, those who have not already complied are seeing $65 deducted from their paychecks twice a week, which the city says will cover the cost of COVID-19 testing.

Mayor Garcetti has said “Let me be clear: any employee who refuses to be vaccinated by this date should be prepared to lose their job.”

As we have previously noted, there is fierce resistance to the vaccine mandates among first responders.

Police and firefighters in Los Angeles have formed a resistance group against COVID vaccine mandates for state workers in the city, stating that they aim to “maintain human rights, constitutional rights, civil rights, and civil liberties as sovereign natural free human beings, and American citizens.”

First responders in Oregon have also brought a lawsuit against the state and the governor for imposing vaccine mandates, while firefighters and police in New York continue to defy the mandates.

Many police officers have made videos of themselves signing off after being forced to resign.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky previously declared that the Biden regime is planning to provide vaccine hesitant police and other government workers with “education and counseling” to make them “comfortable” about taking the shots.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/la-firefighter-being-investigated-literally-wiping-his-ass-vaccine-mandate-letter

‘Dark money’ organization may have helped Biden win

A shadowy non-profit known as the Voter Participation Center reportedly spent over $100 million ahead of the 2020 presidential election to attract hundreds of thousands of votes from those considered likely to support Joe Biden.

The Washington-based group raised $85 million and spent an even larger amount delivering millions of mail and digital notifications to voters during 2020, The Hill reported this week. Accessing the group’s tax filings, the news outlet noted that last year’s spending dwarfed the $14 million it spent during the previous election in 2016.

Although the Voter Participation Center (VPC) does not explicitly campaign for specific candidates, it targets younger voters, minorities and unmarried women – all of whom traditionally favor Democrats but typically generate below-average turnouts.

The group’s CEO Tom Lopach told The Hill it had delivered some 371 million pieces of mail over the 2020 election cycle, urging voters to register for mail-in voting or to vote early. They also apparently sent out another 300 million digital messages through ads and emails.

Lopach estimated that the group had brought in about 272,000 votes from people who might not otherwise show up at polling stations – potentially helping Biden secure his narrow victories in swing states like Arizona, Wisconsin and Georgia.

Since the group is a registered non-profit, it is exempt from disclosing the sources of its funds – and Lopach did not elaborate. He did, however, say the group had “strong support from foundations” and “organizations who believe in voter participation, and private individuals.”

Describing the VPC as being among a “constellation of dark money organizations,” The Hill reported that hundreds of millions of “dark money” dollars flowed into the 2020 elections, both supporting and attacking Biden and Donald Trump, as well as prominent congressional candidates.

Watchdog group OpenSecrets, which tracks dark money in politics, has highlighted over $30 million in such funding spent during the election. That figure does not include funds from the VPC and other groups that have not filed with the IRS – which is how much of the dark money in elections only becomes publicly identified years later.

https://www.rt.com/usa/541430-dark-money-biden-election-2020/