MOScout Daily Update: FDA Vax Day? - MO ICUs Still Near Record Highs - Wasson Working CD-7 - Big Pessimism and more....

FDA Vax Day

NYTimes reports that the Federal Drug Administration “is poised to give its full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine as early as [today].”

What It Means

This could bring some momentum to vaccination rates which have sputtered lately.

·         It removes one of the talking points among skeptics, that the vaccine is “experimental.”  And it will be harder for vax opponents to make a logical distinction between this vaccine and the many other vaccines requirements that have been in place for decades.

·         It will likely green-light institutional mandates for vaccination.  Companies, schools, and governmental organizations may feel more secure in adopting policies requiring vaccinations.  

Meanwhile

According to the state’s dashboard, Missouri’s ICUs remain full of COVID patients.  I’d expected that the delta variant spread would peak last week and we’d see the start of a decline.  Not so.  We’re right near record highs with 639 ICU bed occupied, according to this morning’s stats.

·         And Wall Street Journal reports that “hospitals in the South and Midwest say they are treating more children with Covid-19 than ever… Although children are much less likely than adults to develop severe Covid-19 or die from the virus, recent data from the Department of Health and Human Services show pediatric hospitalizations for Covid-19 are at the highest point since the agency began tracking them last year…”

More on Wasson

One MOScouter confirms that former Sen. Jay Wasson is working the CD-7 race.

·         We could see Wasson ante $500,000 into his campaign to get things going.  That would send a message to other wanna-bes.

·         And: “Ron Richards is working Joplin for him.”

The Big Pessimism

I was surprised by last week’s Remington/MOScout poll question asking Missourians about their optimism for the future.

Q3: When you think about the future, do you think that the next generation of Americans will likely have a better quality of life than you, or a worse quality of life?

A better quality of life: 22%

A worse quality of life: 66%

Not sure: 12%

I wonder how much of this is pandemic blues, how much is deep-seats economic anxiety, and how much is a sense of shifting cultural norms.

There was a partisan difference – perhaps attributable to Dems having one of their own in the White House – in the responses.

14% of Republicans think the future will better with 82% saying it’ll be worse.  Democrats were evenly split on the question 42% versus 40%.  And Independents sided with Republicans in the pessimism, 13% better versus 71% worse.

Politically, it’s always seemed like the easier play is to feed folks’ fear that the future is bleak and the threats are menacing.  But it feels like we could use some Reagan optimism these days.

Gubby Appts

Governor Mike Parson announced the appointment of Brice R. Sechrest as Associate Circuit Judge for St. Francios County in the 24th Judicial Circuit. Mr. Sechrest will fill the Associate Circuit Judge vacancy created by the resignation of the Honorable Joseph L. Goff, Jr. The appointment will become effective on September 6, 2021.

New Committees

Taxpayers for Accountability was formed.  It’s a PAC.  Its treasurer is Sherri Talbot.

Lobbyist Registrations

James Harris added Information Resource Group.

Thomas Dempsey and Dave Berry deleted St. Charles County Convention & Sports Facilities Authority.

Gamble & Schlemeier deleted Pharmacy Business Associates, and True Care Pharmacy.

Birthdays

Happy birthday to Neil Swanson.