A new wave of COVID-19 is sweeping the country, with cases on the rise in nearly every state.

As of Aug. 19, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that COVID infections are growing or likely growing in 48 states and declining in zero states.
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The new COVID shots are expected to be rolled out at pharmacies, clinics and hospitals in September, experts say.

In January, 2026, Tennessee State Senator Janice Bowling filed Senate Bill 1949, the “mRNA Bioweapons Prohibition Act,” prohibiting the manufacture, acquisition, possession, or distribution of mRNA injections and products; requires state and local government officials to use all lawful means necessary to investigate or enforce suspected violations; punishes violations the same as manufacturing, acquiring, possessing, or transferring a weapon of mass destruction, which is a Class B felony."

Bowling 's district 16 covers a 6 county area south and east of Nashville, including Tullahoma.

From Wikipedia, Sen. Bowling, In 2021, said she believed early voting created “mischief”, "said the Covid 19vaccines could lead to genetic modification", "claimed that her rural district were providing litter boxes in schools to children that identify as cats."

R.F.K. Jr. Likely to Swap U.S. Childhood Vaccine Schedule for Denmark’s. The shift would mean fewer shots recommended for children. But a Danish health official found the idea baffling, saying the United States was getting “crazier and crazier in public health.”

Replacing the U.S. vaccine schedule with one like Denmark’s would be negligence.

Denmark is a nation of about 6 million people — smaller than the Atlanta metro area It has universal health care, national patient registries and a highly homogeneous population with low rates of vaccine-preventable diseases. Its immunization program is designed for a system where every child is tracked, every parent has access to care and every gap is quickly closed.

The United States is a nation of 340 million featuring enormous geographic, socioeconomic and demographic diversity. Millions are uninsured, with more probably coming soon. Many lack consistent prenatal care. Children enter daycare earlier because of restrictive parental leave policies. Disease burdens differ dramatically. Public health infrastructure is heterogeneous, sometimes varying county by county.

This is similar to the president looking into an Australian-style retirement program for America.

Australia, as is Denmark, is much more structured than the U.S. and offers more benefits. It doesn't always work to pick and choose parts of a program and expect the parts to succeed.

In 2025, the United States has recorded the most measles cases in more than 30 years, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows.
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The total number of cases nationwide has topped 1,900, with infections confirmed in at least 42 states.

Measles should not be taken lightly. There is a vaccine.

It could be worse. Is the CDC able to keep up and report up-to-date data? Are all states reporting valid and up-to-date data?

States should use expert medical society recommendations to shape their own vaccine policies. They can direct public health departments and clinicians to follow the guidance. If medical societies fail to organize quickly, states could create their own independent vaccine advisory boards. That approach is far from ideal — 50 separate boards with varying recommendations would add confusion — but inaction is worse.
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Relying on states will create a patchwork of protections. In states with weak public health leadership, children will be left behind. But this approach offers key benefits.

It protects residents in states committed to science-based policy.

Yeah, yeah, Tennesseans won't benefit from this policy, but some Tennesseans could travel to a sane state.

A child who wasn’t vaccinated died in a measles outbreak in rural West Texas, state officials said Wednesday, the first U.S. death from the highly contagious — but preventable — respiratory disease since 2015.

As the measles outbreak in Texas keeps spreading, parents who previously chose not to vaccinate their children are now lining up to get their kids the shots needed to protect them from the serious illness.
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124 cases of measles have been confirmed since late January, mostly in counties in West Texas, near the New Mexico border. So far, 18 patients have been hospitalized, often because they were having trouble breathing.
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Nearly all were either unvaccinated or hadn’t received their second MMR shot, which is usually given around age 5. That dose, plus one given around a child’s first birthday, are 97% effective at preventing measles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Oh, haven't they defunded the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yet?

Measles is considered one of the most contagious viruses in the world. It’s spread through tiny respiratory particles that can live in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person was there.

That’s why a mobile health care unit offering measles testing and vaccines for people who are not sick enough to be hospitalized has set up shop in emergency department parking lots in Lubbock and surrounding areas.

Preventive healthcare and regulations are not bad. We were the leaders of the world in these areas. Why does this administration want to destroy our country?

The lawyer, Aaron Siri, helping Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pick federal health officials for the incoming Trump administration has petitioned the government to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine, which for decades has protected millions of people from a virus that can cause paralysis or death.

Why CDC is working to end Polio globally,

In 1988, there were 350,000 cases of wild polio across 125 countries1 – with an estimated 1,000 children per day becoming paralyzed.
The world has come a long way in stopping polio since the launch of GPEI in 1988.

In 2023, there were a total of 12 confirmed cases2 of wild polio in two countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan. Efforts to eradicate polio over the last few decades have prevented more than 20 million cases of paralysis.

Experts fear polio is spreading undetected in Gaza.
The World Health Organization warned there is a "high risk" that the virus will spread “within Gaza and internationally if this outbreak is not responded to promptly and optimally.”

We must continue to do the good work. We can only hope the new administration doesn't take us back to an age where healthcare is only for the few.

Auburn University is giving away scholarships, unlimited meal plan upgrades, priority class registration and other perks to encourage students to get the Covid-19 vaccine.

One of the top prizes is an A-zone parking pass for the semester, which are usually for school employees. Students could also win $1,000 scholarships, VIP graduation parking passes and a chance to have lunch with Auburn President Jay Gogue.

Auburn University giving $1,000 scholarships, prime parking and other prizes to fully-vaccinated students