Perpetual PANDEMIC ?

COVID Vaccines Could Lose Their Punch Within a Year, Experts Say

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/948425

Editor’s note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Center.

Two-thirds of epidemiologists from leading academic institutions say the world will need new or modified vaccines for COVID-19 within a year, new research show..

In a survey of 77 epidemiologists from 28 countries by the People’s Vaccine Alliance, 66.2% predicted the world has a year or less before variants make current vaccines ineffective. The People’s Vaccine Alliance is a coalition of more than 50 organizations including African Alliance, Oxfam, Public Citizen, and UNAIDS.

Almost a third (32.5%) of those surveyed said ineffectiveness would happen in 9 months or less; 18.2% said 6 months or less.

Paul A. Offit, MD, director of the Vaccine Education Center with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, told Medscape Medical News that while it’s hard to say whether vaccines could become ineffective in that timeframe, “It’s perfectly reasonable to think it could happen.”

The good news, said Offit, who was not involved with the survey, is that SARS-CoV-2 mutates slowly, compared with other viruses such as influenza.

“To date,” he said, “the mutations that have occurred are not far enough away from the immunity induced by your natural infection or immunization such that one isn’t protected at least against severe and critical disease.”

That’s the goal of vaccines, he noted: “to keep people from suffering mightily.”

A Line May Be Crossed

“And so far that’s happening, even with the variants, Offit said. “That line has not been crossed. But I think we should assume that it might be.”

Offit said it will be critical to monitor anyone who gets hospitalized who is known to have been infected or fully vaccinated. Then countries need to get really good at sequencing those viruses, he added.

The great majority of those surveyed (88%) said that persistently low vaccine coverage in many countries would make it more likely that vaccine-resistant mutations will appear.

Coverage comparisons between countries are stark.

Many Countries Haven’t Given a Single Vaccine Dose

While rich countries are giving COVID-19 vaccinations at the rate of a person a second, many of the poorest countries have not given hardly any vaccines, the People’s Vaccine Alliance says.

Additionally, according to researchers at Duke University’s Global Health Innovation Center, high- and upper-middle-income countries, which represent one-fifth of the world’s population, have bought about 6 billion doses. But low- and lower-middle-income countries, which make up four-fifths of the population, have bought only about 2.6 billion, an article in Nature reports.

“You’re only as strong as your weakest country,” Offit said. “If we haven’t learned that what happens in other countries can (affect the global population), we haven’t been paying attention.”

Gregg Gonsalves, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, one of the academic centers surveyed, didn’t specify a timeline for when vaccines would become ineffective, but said in a press release that the urgency for widespread global vaccination is real.

 “Unless we vaccinate the world,” he said, “we leave the playing field open to more and more mutations, which could churn out variants that could evade our current vaccines and require booster shots to deal with them.”

“Dire, But not Surprising”

Panagis Galiatsatos, MD, MHS, a Johns Hopkins pulmonologist whose research focuses on healthcare disparities, said the survey findings were “dire, but not surprising.”

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, was another of the centers surveyed, but Galiatsatos wasn’t personally involved with the survey.

COVID-19, Galiatsatos points out, has laid bare disparities, both in who gets the vaccine and who’s involved in trials to develop the vaccines.

“It’s morally concerning and an ethical reckoning,” he told Medscape Medical News.

Recognition of the borderless swath of destruction the virus is exacting is critical, he said.

The United States “has to realize this can’t be a US-centric issue,” he said. “We’re going to be back to the beginning if we don’t make sure that every country is doing well. We haven’t seen that level of uniform approach.”

He noted that scientists have always known that viruses mutate, but now the race is on to find the parts of SARS-CoV-2 that don’t mutate as much.

“My suspicion is we’ll probably need boosters instead of a whole different vaccine,” Galiatsatos said.

Among the strategies sought by the People’s Vaccine Alliance is for all pharmaceutical companies working on COVID-19 vaccines to openly share technology and intellectual property through the World Health Organization COVID-19 Technology Access Pool, to speed production and rollout of vaccines to all countries.

In the survey, 74% said that open sharing of technology and intellectual property could boost global vaccine coverage; 23% said maybe; and 3% said it wouldn’t help.

The survey was carried out between February 17 and March 25. Respondents include epidemiologists, virologists, and infection disease specialists from the following countries: Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Canada, Denmark, Ethiopia, France, Guatemala, India, Italy, Kenya, Lebanon, Norway, Philippines, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, United Arab Emirates, Uganda, United Kingdom, US, Vietnam, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Offit and Galiatsatos reported no relevant financial relationships.

Marcia Frellick is a freelance journalist based in Chicago. She has previously written for the Chicago Tribune, Science News and Nurse.com and was an editor at the Chicago Sun-Times, the Cincinnati Enquirer, and the St. Cloud (Minnesota) Times. Follow her on Twitter at @mfrellick

Former nursing home LPN accused of removing Indiana patient’s oxygen, he later dies and now she’s facing a felony charge

Any healthcare worker who does not have prescriptive authority and goes against prescriber’s orders… could this apply to insurance/PBM companies, large hospital corporations that implement policies and procedures that force their employed prescribers to reduce or entirely titrate a pt completely off their pain management therapy or a number of other reasons that will complicate the pt’s co-morbidity issues … resulting in degrading the pt’s QOL or even being fatal for the pt.  Could these various entities be charged with practicing medicine without a license?  According to this article these entities could be charged with a felony.

Former nursing home LPN accused of removing Indiana patient’s oxygen, he later dies and now she’s facing a felony charge

https://www.whas11.com/article/news/local/indiana/indiana-nurse-patient-death-charge-oxygen-removed-wedgewood-clarksville-covid-19/417-15794ccd-4511-488f-aabf-12f3d9ebe912

The LPN is facing a felony charge of practicing medicine without a license court documents show.

CLARKSVILLE, Ind. — A nurse is facing charges after an investigation into oxygen being removed from a Clarksville nursing home resident who died hours later.

In a report by the Indiana Department of Health and Human Services, officials said a resident at Wedgewood Healthcare Center tested positive for COVID-19 around April 24, 2020.

According to the nurse’s notes, the resident’s O2 levels dropped as low as 65%. The nurse started high flow oxygen, but “eventually discontinued it, after which the resident passed away 7 hours and 45 minutes later.”

The report said the nurse, identified as Connie Sneed in court documents, did not notify the physician of the patient’s declining condition or the discontinuation of high flow oxygen. In an interview, the nurse said she “forgot to contact” the physician. 

The physician was only notified, by another nurse, that the resident had passed away the next morning.

“[I was] taking care of over 40 COVID patients, and the week that I had had was terrible, and that is one thing I forgot to do was call the doctor,” the nurse said.

An advanced practice registered nurse who practiced at the center said she wanted to send the resident to the hospital, and the resident said he wanted to go to the hospital, on April 28, but the nurse said she had discussed it with his family and they did not want him to be sent out.

The court documents said a Facebook post made by the nurse (Connie Sneed) said she asked the resident, who the report says suffers from dementia, if he wanted her to take it off and “let you go fly with the angels” and “he said yes.”

“I took it all off of him I went in the hallway and I cried and I let him go and he passed away 1 hour and 45 minutes after I left,” the nurse posted.

Sneed had been an employee at the center for 15 years when the incident happened, documents state.

In an interview, the nurse said she told the resident’s daughter, who has power of attorney, the oxygen was “prolonging the inevitable,” and the daughter told her if it was his wish, she could remove the mask.

The resident’s daughter told investigators she received a call from the nurse saying he was not doing well, and that if they sent him to the hospital he would get the same treatment the facility’s already doing, so the family said to keep him there.

The nurse then called to say the resident was not keeping the mask on. The daughter said she told the nurse to let him calm down and then put the mask back on him, and the nurse told her she would try, but could not force him to keep it on. The next morning, she received a call saying her father had died.

The report said the nurse has been fired and reported to the Indiana Board of Nursing. Additionally, the report said Wedgewood would be taking steps to prevent an event like that from happening again, including increased rounds to identify any changes in condition, daily reviews of all nursing notes and increased education on the care plan process.

Clarksville police confirmed they opened an investigation into the situation May 4, 2020, after being called by the Executive Director at Wedgewood. Clarksville police said they also contacted the Indiana Attorney General’s Office on May 6 to begin the process to transfer the investigation there.

Sneed is facing a felony charge of Practicing Medicine without a License def practices medicine or osteopathic medicine, according to court documents.

 

 

Epidural Steroid Injections / R.I.P. Dearest Jimmy / FDA-AADPAC

This promotes the video to a wider audience, thank you! ] Last November, Ms. Dawn Fickel was invited to address the FDA/AADPAC hearing on the safety and efficacy of epidural steroid injections. Her brother Jimmy was injected in 2013 with several simultaneous ESI’s using Pfizer’s Depo-Medrol (Methylprednisolone Acetate or MPA). The injections caused severe multiple adverse reactions that ultimately led to his death eight months later. Jimmy’s passing devastated his family and his friends. So please listen to Dawn’s heartfelt presentation in memory of her late brother to the FDA panel. May Jimmy’s spirit rest in peace, and may his memory echo the halls of the FDA forever. FDA Issues a MedWatch Drug Safety Alert on Epidural Steroid Injections (4/23/14) requiring strong label changes: FDA Link: http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/u… Video Link: http://youtu.be/DKboChc6yt8?list=UUOU… News Update – Pfizer Global has asked the Health Authorities of the World to make major changes to the Warnings & Contraindication Sections of their steroid Depo-Medrol®. Many have already complied. Among them are New Zealand, Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Switzerland, etc, even Russia, with the strange exception of the United States. Lawsuits are pending to force the agency to comply with the Safety changes issued by the manufacturer. Stay tuned. Link: https://jmp.sh/uxCiBGK PLEASE FILE A MED-WATCH VOLUNTARY ADVERSE MEDICAL EVENT REPORT WITH THE FDA if you believe that either you or a loved one was harmed by an ESI… Here’s the Link to FDA’s form 3500B, fill it out completely to your best ability. Link: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/script… Thank you for your time, Dennis J. Capolongo Director / EDNC End Depo-Now Campaign Washington, DC TheEDNC@verizon.net Closing Music Credit: “Secret Conversations” by The 126ers / YouTube Free-License Audio Library (Legal Disclaimer: All rights reserved ©2014/EDNC. Any and all duplication, (and/or posting) whether in full or in part is unlawful and prohibited. All video content & posted comments on this public forum are intended to express the investigative perspectives, impressions, findings and/or opinions of the host, the presenter as well as the viewer. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice for your individual case. Therefore please consult with your treating physician before making any medical decision. Follow only at your own personal discretion. Thank you.)

Dr. Thomas Kline, MD, PhD: Medical Myths Revealed: You can save lives for 26$

Dr. Thomas Kline, MD, PhD: Medical Myths Revealed: You can save lives for 26$

Narcan is being pushed on pain patients who have very little fear of overdosing and dying. you’re chances of dying on a prescription pain pill overdose are nearly zero, but if you are nervous, then we have a solution.

FDA Sends 2 More Warning Letters to Companies Selling OTC CBD Products

FDA Sends 2 More Warning Letters to Companies Selling OTC CBD Products

FDA Sends 2 More Warning Letters to Companies Selling OTC CBD Products (drugtopics.com)

The FDA has recently sent warning letters to Honest Globe Inc and BioLyte Laboratories LLC for selling products labeled as containing CBD in ways that violate federal law, according to the news release.1

Only 1 drug containing CBD has been approved by the FDA; therefore, the products from the 2 companies do not meet the requirements to be legally marketed without an approved new drug application (NDA). The agency cited that CBD has “known pharmacological effects on humans, with demonstrated risks.”

CBD cannot be legally marketed without an NDA regardless of whether the CBD is an active ingredient or inactive ingredient, according to current FDA requirements.

“The FDA continues to alert the public to potential safety and efficacy concerns with unapproved CBD products sold online and in stores across the country,” said Amy Abernethy, MD, PhD, FDA principal deputy commissioner in a news release.

“It’s important that consumers understand that the FDA has only approved one drug containing CBD as an ingredient. These other, unapproved, CBD products may have dangerous health impacts and side effects,” Abernethy said.

Following an FDA inspection in January of BioLyte facilities, the agency reported myriad violations. For one, BioLyte’s OTC topical drug products were being shipped out without “adequate control testing,” according to the FDA investigator. “For example, identity and potency testing is not performed for the active ingredient in your Topical Pain Relief drug product (Menthol 4%) before release,” the letter to BioLyte asserted. Other violations include failing to conduct at least 1 test to verify the components of its drug product and failing to establish a written testing program to assess the stability and appropriate storage conditions for its product. 2

BioLyte has 15 days to submit a sizeable collection of information to the FDA, including, but not limited to, the following:

  • A list of chemical and microbiological specifications, including test methods, that will be used to analyze each batch of the product before being sold
  • Microbiological testing methods that are capable of recovering bioburden in the product and determining whether any microorganisms are objectionable in relation to the product’s intended use, route of administration, and patient population
  • A commitment to testing each batch of product using certified methods
  • A summary of all results from each batch of product testing
  • A comprehensive review of the company’s material system to confirm that all suppliers of components, containers, and closures are qualified, and the materials have appropriate expiration dates
  • A comprehensive assessment, corrective and preventative action plan to ensure that the program is adequate

The FDA letter to Honest Globe stated3 “significant violations of current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) regulations for finished pharmaceuticals.”

FDA investigators found these violations, among others:

  • Failure to establish an adequate quality control unit, where the responsibilities and procedures for the quality control unit are not in writing and not fully followed
  • Failure to prepare batch production and control records that clearly document each major step in the manufacture, processing, packing, or holding of the batch, for each batch of products
  • Failure to create written procedures for production and process control in a way that assures that the products have the identity, strength, quality, and purity they are represented to have.

Honest Globe must also mitigate these violations within 15 days of the letter by preparing detailed records, analyses, summaries, and data for its pain relief products.

“We remain focused on exploring potential pathways for CBD products to be lawfully marketed while also educating the public about these outstanding questions of CBD’s safety,” Abernethy said. “Meanwhile, we will continue to monitor and take action, as needed, against companies that unlawfully market their products — prioritizing those that pose a risk to public health.”

 

References

  1. FDA Warns Companies Illegally Selling Over-the-Counter CBD Products for Pain Relief. News Release. FDA; March 22, 2021. Accessed March 23, 2021. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-warns-companies-illegally-selling-over-counter-cbd-products-pain-relief.
  2. Division of Pharmaceutical Quality Operations III. Warning Letter. FDA; March 18, 2021. Accessed March 23, 2021. https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/biolyte-laboratories-llc-603584-03182021.
  3. Division of Pharmaceutical Quality Operations IV. Warning Letter. FDA; March 15, 2021. Accessed March 23, 2021. https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/honest-globe-inc-597177-03152021

 

 

“Elder Abuse Claims” for Elder’s who have been cut off from pain medications for no medical reason by their Dr

We are currently looking for people that have experience and or knowledge about filing “Elder Abuse Claims” for Elder’s who have been cut off from pain medications for no medical reason by their Dr.
At the National Pain Council we want to develop a team to help others file these complaints and to keep track of them.  If you would like to volunteer a couple to three hours per week please let us know!
Contact us at nationalpaincouncil@gmail.com with the subject line of “Elder Care”.
Thank You,
National Pain Council

New Surgeon General : promised to use his role to turn the coronavirus pandemic around: no interest in war on drugs ?

Senate votes to confirm Vivek Murthy as surgeon general

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/senate-votes-on-vivek-murthy-for-surgeon-general

The role for the nation’s top doctor was filled by the Senate Tuesday, after President Biden’s nominee, Vivek Murthy, was confirmed as the U.S. Surgeon General.

During Senate testimony late last month, he promised to use his role to turn the coronavirus pandemic around – a subject not only of national importance but one that has personally affected Murthy, who has lost several family members to the deadly virus.

“This is a moment of tremendous suffering for our nation. More than half a million people have lost their lives to COVID-19, including beloved members of my own family,” he told lawmakers.

Murthy had advanced through the Senate’s Committee on Health, Education, Labor on a bipartisan basis in a 16-6 vote last week.

Five Republicans including Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Mitt Romney of Utah, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Roger Marshall of Kansas, crossed party lines to support Murthy’s nomination as the “Nation’s Doctor.”

As surgeon general, he will play a critical role in shaping the public message surrounding the virus, which has infected more than 29.8 million in the U.S. and killed over 543,000 Americans.

“If confirmed as surgeon general, my highest priority will be to help end this pandemic, work I’ve been doing over the past year with state and local officials, schools and universities, businesses, health care providers, and others,” Murthy said in his February testimony.

Murthy is no stranger to the high-profile role, as he was confirmed as surgeon general under President Obama and served from 2014-2017. He also advised Biden on the coronavirus while on the campaign trail.

His nomination raised eyebrows after reports surfaced which showed Murthy made more than $2.5 million during the pandemic from advising companies like Netflix, Carnival Cruise Line and Airbnb on their coronavirus response, first reported the Washington Post.

But during his nomination hearing, he said his previous experience in consulting on the COVID-19 response, makes him an asset to the role.

“I have seen first-hand the importance of providing clear, science-based guidance to Americans on how to protect themselves and others. And I know how urgent it is that we communicate clearly about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines and get them to people as quickly as possible, particularly those in underserved rural communities and communities of color,” he told lawmakers.

“The most important job of a doctor is to help patients heal. And if confirmed, that will be my mission as Surgeon General – to do whatever I can to help heal our communities and our nation,” he added.

Dr. Thomas Kline, MD, PhD: Medical Myths Revealed: What are red flags how do they affect your ability to get treatment with pain medicines

What are red flags how do they affect your ability to get treatment with pain medicines

I was shocked when I went through and started to make a list of all the red flags. These are from the federal government, from hospital associations from pharmacy associations it’s a collection from multiple sources. Red flags are warnings to stop look and listen. they can be used to stop the treatment of pain patients as though they were rules. They are supposed to tell people to document why these red flags are not going to be a problem. But that’s not what’s happening. Pharmacies are being shut down for ignoring red flags, but there’s over 100 of them pretty hard to keep track

 

Gretchen Whitmer may soon face Cuomo-like scrutiny over nursing homes, lawsuit plaintiffs say

Gretchen Whitmer may soon face Cuomo-like scrutiny over nursing homes, lawsuit plaintiffs say

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gretchen-whitmer-may-soon-face-cuomo-like-scrutiny-over-nursing-homes-lawsuit-plaintiffs-say

Michigan’s Democrat governor benefits from an exemption on disclosing data to the public, two critics say

The state of Michigan is facing a lawsuit whose plaintiffs are seeking information on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s coronavirus-related executive order regarding the state’s nursing home residents.

Whitmer could soon find herself under scrutiny similar to that faced by a fellow Democrat, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the Michigan men taking the legal action against Whitmer say.

Plaintiffs Steve Delie and Charlie LeDuff outlined the purpose of their lawsuit in an article published Friday by USA Today. Delie is an official with the think tank Mackinac Center for Public Policy, while LeDuff is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist.

“It shouldn’t take a lawsuit to obtain this critical data,” the pair write. “Gov. Whitmer made the same policy choice as Gov. Cuomo, forcing contagious senior citizens into close proximity with other medically vulnerable people. In fact, her policy, a similar version of which is still in effect today, went even farther, forcing some non-senior patients into nursing homes, including a 20-year-old. Michigan citizens deserve to know why she did this, and whether our governor is telling the truth about the consequences.”

“Gov. Whitmer made the same policy choice as Gov. Cuomo, forcing contagious senior citizens into close proximity with other medically vulnerable people.”

— Steve Delie and Charlie LeDuff, suing to access Whitmer data

The writers say Whitmer issued her executive order April 15, 2020, just a few weeks after Cuomo issued his similar order in New York on March 25, 2020.

They go on to note the recent disclosures about the Cuomo administration’s alleged underreporting of deaths of New York’s nursing home patients as the coronavirus spread. New York patient numbers were underreported by more than 40% while the state’s deaths were underreported by more than 75%, they note, citing reporting by The Associated Press.

Delie and LeDuff argue that the New York public had a right to know accurate information about what was happening regarding nursing home patients but didn’t receive the data until after a five-month-long legal fight.

Whitmer’s unique legal exemption

They then note that under Michigan law, Whitmer has the advantage of being legally exempt from Freedom of Information laws.

“Thanks to this exemption, the governor [Whitmer] has no obligation to produce any records whatsoever, despite making decisions affecting the lives of every Michigander,” the authors write.

“The governor [Whitmer] has no obligation to produce any records whatsoever, despite making decisions affecting the lives of every Michigander.”

— Steve Delie and Charlie LeDuff, suing to access Whitmer data

They allege that Whitmer has used the shielding provided by the exemption to “act with impunity” – and was not required to provide the data on which she based her coronavirus policy decisions.

“This is unacceptable,” Delie and LeDuff write.

Aside from Whitmer, only the governor of Massachuetts has a similar exemption, The Detroit News reported.

Earlier this month, Michigan Attorney General Danna Nessel, a Democrat, declined a request by state Republicans to investigate Whitmer’s nursing home-related actions, saying a probe wasn’t needed “at this time.”

“I appreciate that you and your colleagues have policy disagreements with Gov. Whitmer’s response to COVID-19,” Nessel wrote in a letter dated March 15. “But an investigation by my office is not the mechanism to resolve those disagreements.”

Republicans have condemned the Michigan governor for allowing nursing home residents recovering from the virus to return to their nursing homes or gain admittance, alleging the move put other residents at risk.

Whitmer created 21 hubs in existing nursing homes that were intended to have room for isolation and specialty equipment for elderly groups discharged from the hospital, The Detroit News reported.

But state Republicans wanted separate isolation units designated for elderly populations recovering from COVID-19, in order to prevent other nursing home residents from contracting the virus.

Last week a New York City nursing home director told Fox News he viewed Cuomo’s nursing home orders to be “ridiculous,’ and complained to state health officials, saying, “We can’t be doing this.”

Cuomo is facing an investigation by the FBI and federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, N.Y., regarding his nursing home policies, The New York Times reported Friday.

Navy vet shot himself after doc cut off opioid prescription, mom claims

Gary PressleyNavy vet shot himself after doc cut off opioid prescription, mom claims

https://nypost.com/2020/03/14/navy-vet-shot-himself-after-doc-cut-off-opioid-prescription-mom-claims/

The mother of a decorated Navy vet who committed suicide in the parking lot of a VA Hospital last year is seeking $8.25 million from the beleaguered agency — alleging her son became suicidal when a VA-affiliated doc cut off his opioid prescription.

Gary Pressley, 28, shot himself outside the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center in Dublin, Georgia, on April 5, several months after his pain management specialist nixed his Hydrocodone supply over a payment dispute with the VA, according to the claim.

As a result, Pressley “experienced excruciating pain, the horrible side effects of withdrawal and lost all hope,” according to the wrongful death claim Rhonda Machelle Wilson filed last month.

Pressley joined the Navy in 2008 and was honorably discharged four years later, after a motorcycle accident left him disabled with a fractured hip, pelvis and chronic lower back pain, the claim says.

Pressley found relief through his pain management doctor, Ana Maria Platon. But she stopped treating him and other vets in early 2019, because the VA owed her “hundreds of thousands of dollars and purposefully failed to reimburse her,” the claim says.

Wilson also alleges that staff at the Carl Vinson Medical Center failed to look for Pressley after his sister, Lisa Johnson, informed a VA operator her suicidal brother was in the parking lot with a loaded gun.

His body was discovered three hours later inside his car with heavy metal music blaring on the radio and a note beside him that read, “This is what happens by punishing already suffering people muahahaha.” On the back it said “Thank you for the release,” the claim says.

A disturbing photo of his slouched and lifeless corpse included in the claim provided to The Post shows him in a blood-soaked collared shirt and sunglasses.

Platon and the VA did not respond to requests seeking comment