The Politics of Covid 19, mask wearing and the vaccination process

[Smoove_B]

Proof that communities around the nation have elected representative politicians. They're marching into the Senate chambers to hear a speech about why forcing the House to wear masks was wrong.



Truly, if elected representatives can't model what should be happening right now, there's no chance of the Average American (tm) buying into this.

[LawBeefaroni]

US House of Representatives: A second chance at high school.

[Zaxxon]

US House of Representatives: A second chance at high school.

Too much credit.

[malchior]

ABC News

Isn't this what the Israeli's were saying and might this be why Pfizer said a 3rd shot was necessary?

A week after the crowds descended upon Provincetown, Massachusetts, to celebrate the Fourth of July -- the holiday President Joe Biden hoped would mark the nation's liberation from COVID-19 -- the manager of the Cape Cod beach town said he was aware of "a handful of positive COVID cases among folks" who spent time there.

"We are in touch with the Health Department and Outer Cape Health Services and are closely monitoring the data," Alex Morse told reporters.

The announcement wasn't unusual with roughly half of the country still unvaccinated and flare-ups of the virus popping up in various states.

But within weeks, health officials seemed to be on to something much bigger. The outbreak quickly grew to the hundreds and most of them appeared to be vaccinated.

As of Thursday, 882 people were tied to the Provincetown outbreak. Among those living in Massachusetts, 74% of them were fully immunized, yet officials said the vast majority were also reporting symptoms. Seven people were reported hospitalized.

The initial findings of the investigation led by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, seemed to have huge implications.

Before Provincetown, health officials had been operating under the assumption that it was extraordinarily rare for a vaccinated person to become infected with the virus. And if they did, they probably wouldn't end up passing it on to others, such as children too young to qualify for the vaccine or people who were medically vulnerable.

The idea that vaccines halt transmission of the virus was largely behind the CDC's decision in May suggesting vaccinated people could safely go without their masks indoors and in crowds, even if others were unvaccinated.

[Skinypupy]

Sigh…

[Little Raven]

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.

[Smoove_B]

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.

Indeed.

Gov. Mike Parsons of Missouri went on Fox News to announce his state will never do a mask mandate next to map showing how dire the Covid situation is there

[Zaxxon]

I would say we're fucked but it just seems superfluous at this point.

[Smoove_B]

How about now?

A new executive order issued Thursday from Gov. Greg Abbott stripped local officials' ability to limit capacity at businesses or to require vaccines or face masks.

Abbott tweeted that the order "emphasizes that the path forward relies on personal responsibility rather than government mandates."

The new order overrides previous orders, so local officials can't restrict business capacity, even if hospitalization rates are over 15% in an area.

[Alefroth]

personal responsibility.

[Smoove_B]

Yes please - The Dam is Breaking, courtesy of Wired:

For now, the country has a patchwork of vaccine mandates, and those patches are concentrated in wealthier, coastal regions where vaccination rates tend to be higher. They’re bound to be less common in places where political messaging, amplified by misinformation on social media, has discouraged vaccine uptake. It’s the same politicized pattern seen throughout the pandemic with issues like masks.

But think of this particular patchwork as more like a web: Vaccine mandates only need to reach each person once, where it matters most to them. Maybe that’s a requirement for going to work, or for stepping inside a favorite restaurant or bar. Unlike requiring a mask, which can be taken off the minute someone leaves a place with a masking rule, once you get a shot, you and others around you are protected wherever you go.

The web will be sparse in some places. States like Montana, Arizona, and Texas have hustled to pass legislation banning vaccine mandates or requiring proof-of-vaccination in various contexts. But with businesses increasingly on board with mandates for the sake of their bottom lines, “those states are starting to look more and more like outliers,” Kates says.

[Kraken]

The P-town outbreak has got us raising our shields again in Mass. population centers. Some restaurants, bars, and clubs in Boston, Cambridge, and other cities are demanding proof of vaccination for entry. Masks are getting less uncommon in the burbs and will be mandatory in public schools in the fall. Most importantly, government and businesses are starting to mandate vaccination for their employees. We had stalled at a bit over 60% fully vaxxed; I hope this will push us to 70-75% by fall.

The first VaxMillions winner is a 63-year-old dude eyeing retirement who lives in Weymouth, just a few miles away. When asked how he was going to spend it, he said that he wasn't necessarily going to -- a man after my own heart. I'd give half of it to friends and family and put the rest in the future housing kitty. Four more chances coming....

[Ralph-Wiggum]

I'd give half of it to OO friends and family and put the rest in the future housing kitty. Four more chances coming....

Very generous of you, my close and long-lasting friend!

[Freyland]

I'd give half of it to OO friends and family and put the rest in the future housing kitty. Four more chances coming....

Very generous of you, my close and long-lasting friend!

Yes, I have often spoken of the immense respect I have of Kraken's generosity and loyalty to his online friends.

[stessier]

I'd give half of it to OO friends and family and put the rest in the future housing kitty. Four more chances coming....

Very generous of you, my close and long-lasting friend!

Yes, I have often spoken of the immense respect I have of Kraken's generosity and loyalty to his online friends.

As someone from Massachusetts whose mother grew up in Michigan, I've always felt a deep kinship with Kraken that far surpasses mere friendship.

[$iljanus]

I'd give half of it to OO friends and family and put the rest in the future housing kitty. Four more chances coming....

Very generous of you, my close and long-lasting friend!

Yes, I have often spoken of the immense respect I have of Kraken's generosity and loyalty to his online friends.

As someone from Massachusetts whose mother grew up in Michigan, I've always felt a deep kinship with Kraken that far surpasses mere friendship.

I hope Kraken didn’t mistake my offer to buy him a pint if I won the lottery a sign of stinginess on my part.it would have been the first of many for my fellow neighbor!

[Defiant]

The CDC releases the paper about the July 4th outbreak in Ptown:

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7031e2.htm

[malchior]

The CDC releases the paper about the July 4th outbreak in Ptown:

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7031e2.htm

Might as well publish, amirite? It's not like it's worth going through a regular internal publication process. That mob is baying for blood...just so they can pick apart what the report says. This is by far the dumbest timeline I could imagine.

[Smoove_B]

It has become abundantly clear the CDC needs people at the highest levels that are experts in public health communication. Of all the positions to not have added since Biden took office, I am astounded at the complete lack representation, even still.

I mean, they don't have to be as qualified as Nate Silver, but surely they can find someone respected.

[YellowKing]

I mean, they don't have to be as qualified as Nate Silver, but surely they can find someone respected.

[malchior]

Honestly they need an expert in crisis communications, period. Someone from the WH should have insisted on it because the CDC is just getting dragged through the mud and that's extremely unhelpful.

Edit: It's almost like the WH is using the CDC as a Covid shield and ceding the fight to the cable pundits.

[Defiant]

The CDC releases the paper about the July 4th outbreak in Ptown:

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7031e2.htm

Might as well publish, amirite? It's not like it's worth going through a regular internal publication process.

IIUC, this is what unnerved the CDC and got a change in guidelines. If we're going to making changes to public guideline based on it, then I think making it public isn't unreasonable.

[malchior]

The CDC releases the paper about the July 4th outbreak in Ptown:

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7031e2.htm

Might as well publish, amirite? It's not like it's worth going through a regular internal publication process.

IIUC, this is what unnerved the CDC and got a change in guidelines. If we're going to making changes to public guideline based on it, then I think making it public isn't unreasonable.

Oh no doubt. I more meant that as a comment on the ridiculous people who were screaming about how the CDC was hiding the data from them. One part conspiracy theory, one part instant gratification culture, and another part stiggint it. Once it was leaked, they obviously decided to just release it because the potential damage is done.

[Smoove_B]

I more meant that as a comment on the ridiculous people who were screaming about how the CDC was hiding the data from them. One part conspiracy theory, one part instant gratification culture, and another part stiggint it.

SEE: Congressman Dan Crenshaw who was stoking the fires yesterday as he was apparently privy to an advance copy of what was published in the MMWR today.

But this tweet is so goddamn good.

wild that "as contagious as chickenpox" doesn't mean anything to anyone under 30.... because of.... nevermind

[Smoove_B]

Keep going

Just in: Walt Disney Co. says all of its salaried and non-union U.S. employees must be vaccinated, and those who are not have 60 days to get inoculated

[LordMortis]

DeSantis must be pissed at the corporate communism. I wonder how he'll tie this Scarlett Johansen's lawsuit.

[LawBeefaroni]

Just got word that there is a confirmed case of strep throat at the kiddos school. Forgot about that one. They're masked indoors which probably helps but the extreme hand sanitizer use of the past year has decreased significantly.

[LawBeefaroni]

DeSantis must be pissed at the corporate communism. I wonder how he'll tie this Scarlett Johansen's lawsuit.

Yeah, but he's got the unions on his side, finally.

[LordMortis]

DeSantis must be pissed at the corporate communism. I wonder how he'll tie this Scarlett Johansen's lawsuit.

Yeah, but he's got the unions on his side, finally.

Because organized labor = freedom against the tyranny of right to work and at-will mandates? Labor as a means to control capital and production will free us from corporate communists!

[Zaxxon]

Keep going

Just in: Walt Disney Co. says all of its salaried and non-union U.S. employees must be vaccinated, and those who are not have 60 days to get inoculated

I'm waiting for WalMart. If that domino falls, then it's on.

[Smoove_B]

I'm waiting for WalMart. If that domino falls, then it's on.

I've actually had the same thought and I agree. I've been watching very closely, but I can't get a sense of what they might do. I am hoping they mandate it (obviously). Sorry, I'm not very mysterious with my positions on these things.

EDIT: Apparently Walmart mandated it for corporate staff and management level employees today. That's a start...

[Zaxxon]

Sweet.

[Isgrimnur]

Welp, no more going maskless outside of my office at work. Just got an email that I now have to wear a mask while roaming the halls, after a few weeks of freedom due to being vaccinated.

Ditto.

Boss cleared us to FT work-from-home.

[LawBeefaroni]

DeSantis must be pissed at the corporate communism. I wonder how he'll tie this Scarlett Johansen's lawsuit.

Yeah, but he's got the unions on his side, finally.

Because organized labor = freedom against the tyranny of right to work and at-will mandates? Labor as a means to control capital and production will free us from corporate communists!

Mostly because Dis can only apply the mandate to non-union workers. Making strange bedfellows.

[hepcat]

I'd give half of it to OO friends and family and put the rest in the future housing kitty. Four more chances coming....

Very generous of you, my close and long-lasting friend!

Yes, I have often spoken of the immense respect I have of Kraken's generosity and loyalty to his online friends.

As someone from Massachusetts whose mother grew up in Michigan, I've always felt a deep kinship with Kraken that far surpasses mere friendship.

I hope Kraken didn’t mistake my offer to buy him a pint if I won the lottery a sign of stinginess on my part.it would have been the first of many for my fellow neighbor!

I hope Kraken remembers the time I gave him one of my kidneys.

I mean…sure..he didn’t technically NEED it. But I put it in his fridge that night because he MAY someday need it. That’s the kind of friend I am.

[Zaxxon]

Only one kidney, eh?

[hepcat]

As Dewey Crow taught me, I only have three, man!

[Kraken]

I'd give half of it to OO friends and family and put the rest in the future housing kitty. Four more chances coming....

Very generous of you, my close and long-lasting friend!

Yes, I have often spoken of the immense respect I have of Kraken's generosity and loyalty to his online friends.

As someone from Massachusetts whose mother grew up in Michigan, I've always felt a deep kinship with Kraken that far surpasses mere friendship.

I hope Kraken didn’t mistake my offer to buy him a pint if I won the lottery a sign of stinginess on my part.it would have been the first of many for my fellow neighbor!

I hope Kraken remembers the time I gave him one of my kidneys.

I mean…sure..he didn’t technically NEED it. But I put it in his fridge that night because he MAY someday need it. That’s the kind of friend I am.

Eh, you forgot the fava beans.

Seriously, we "only" need $250k to grease all of our retirement gears, so even after taxes a million bucks would leave me a lot of joy to spread around to people who really need help. Or maybe I'd buy me a ticket for a Blue Origin flight instead. Bezos is eventually going to end up with all of the money anyway.

[Smoove_B]

Best summary I've seen

The reason it’s illegal for economists to give medical advice is because they might advise you that since your kid is statistically more likely to die in a car accident than drowning, just don’t bother worrying about them drowning. If only I were joking.

[Daehawk]

I feel a lot healthier mentally these days now that I simply skip over and block out news stories on anti vaxxers, large gatherings, parties full of young people, churches that claim God will protect them, and anything Trump related. By ignoring the ignorant, the stupid, and the mean folk and news I feel better for it. F them and may they suffer for their dumbassedness and lack of thinking.