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Dangerous Delta Roars: Booster Shots, Masks, Lockdown Protests

Could there be any more dangerous time than now, when Delta makes up 83% of all new cases and we're being told not to worry if you get Delta after being vaccinated because the vaccines are likely to prevent serious illness or death. They tell us only the unvaccinated need fear serious illness or death.

I don't buy that for a second. Nor do I care whether my chance of getting a serious sillness or death from Delta is 3% or 10%. That means some people, whatever the number, are going to get sick and die from it. Our lottery chances may be 85 million to 1 and people still buy tickets because they know someone usually wins. In this case, it's like drawing the Old Maid card, and I don't want to play that game.

Around the world, countries are imposing more lockdowns. The numbers in Cancun are so high that some hotels have designated specific floors for sick tourists. Cabo San Lucas is also through the roof. Australia has shut down Sydney. New Zealand has reimposed quarrantines for travel from Australia. [More...]

France has introduced vaccination passes for travel, and mask requirements for visiting tourist attractions.

New Zealand seems to have the only government that is still saying we must eradicate this virus, not just lower expectations and learn to live with it. No deaths are acceptable.

Our government is losing the information battle over vaccines. The undereducated and misinformed people are being used as tools of the ultra-right establishment and taking to social media where they find like-minded people whose brains are not functioning on all cyllinders to pick up the lies being fed them for political purposes.

They are being played like marionettes. They have even succeeded in tarnishing Dr. Faucci. They decimated the credibility of Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Check the statistics. There are more people hospitalized in Florida with COVID now than there were last winter.

It appears the Biden Administration is now recommending booster shots for those over 65. The Pfizer vaccine reportedly works only for 6 months. I got my first shot in February and my second in March. I hope they make those booster shots available quick.

Lastly, I am not trusting restuarants. The delta variant spreads so much quicker than COVID that I want to know who is preparing my food. And while we may sit with our own group at a table, the salt and pepper shakers and ketchup and hot sauce bottles get moved from table to table throughout the day. That was one of the reasons we were told not to have Thanksgiving dinner with others. In the beginning of COVID, there were several stories of families who gathered for a meal together, all got sick from COVID and died.

Between COVID, the fires, the floods in Europe, the blatant assassination of the leader of Haiti and more, the world is simply not in a good place right now. But someone needs to shut down the right-wing activists holding the puppet strings on their marginalized and underinformed base.

I''m sticking with my advice for a tax on social media posts.

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  • Display: Sort:
    We are supposed (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Jul 24, 2021 at 06:46:39 PM EST
    to be going to Playa del Carmen next month. I guess I will be wearing masks while I am there.

    Ooh nice (none / 0) (#57)
    by MKS on Fri Jul 30, 2021 at 06:37:16 PM EST
    A very good idea (none / 0) (#90)
    by MO Blue on Fri Aug 06, 2021 at 07:31:50 AM EST
    My daughter and her husband went to Los Cobos at the end of July. She is fully vaccinated and tested positive for COVID midway through their vacation and had to be quarantined for 8 days,  well past their scheduled departure date.   Her symptoms were equivalent to having a very bad cold or a mild case of the flu.

    Parent
    Geez, and I just joined the gym again. (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by fishcamp on Sat Jul 24, 2021 at 07:08:52 PM EST
    Monroe county,, which is the Florida keys, is either 69% or 74% vaccinated, depending which newspaper you read.  I'm going with the 74% news.

    Versions of this are happening all over (5.00 / 1) (#3)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jul 24, 2021 at 08:31:58 PM EST

    GOP Lawmaker Who Opposed Restrictions Now Sick

    July 24, 2021 at 9:05 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 20 Comments

    Maine state Rep. Chris Johansen (R), who has been an outspoken opponent of coronavirus restrictions, has reportedly contracted COVID-19, Maine Public reports.

    A man alleged to be Johansen said in a recording: "Listen up, I've got COVID and I'm really, really sick and I just don't have time to talk to you today."

    Today my distraught brother at the end of his tether with his vaccine denying family said "I really starting to hope one of the boys (talking about one of his grandsons) gets it who is young and healthy so maybe the others (older fatter ones) will get vaccinated before it's too late".

    He actually said this.  It is an absolutely stunning thing I could not imagine hearing my brother say.

    Im hearing a lot of anger.  Old inoculated folks are getting pi$$ed.  I'm hearing a lot that "these people" are keeping us from getting back to normal.

    I feel a change in the mood.  It's not funny anymore.  It's not ok.

    That's me. Angry. (5.00 / 1) (#17)
    by Chuck0 on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 01:41:22 PM EST
    The same idiots who railed against shutdowns and masks are the same idiots not vaccinated. What the EFF is wrong with these people? This will never go away as long as vaccination rates hover below 40% in some states. We will be battling COVID forever. Or least for the rest of my lifetime.

    I can't say it enough. This used to be a great country that could accomplish great things. Now it's a bunch of moronic rubes stifling the other half who are ready to move on to great things again.

    Parent

    See my comment below (5.00 / 1) (#18)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 01:54:27 PM EST
    About the new mask guidelines.

    I've been thinking with all the stress I might need to go to church.  Just in case.

    Parent

    Whoa! (5.00 / 1) (#19)
    by Zorba on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 02:04:19 PM EST
    Aren't you afraid that the church will collapse and you will be struck by lightning?  ;-)

    Parent
    Desperate times (5.00 / 2) (#20)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 02:11:34 PM EST
    Desperate measures

    Parent
    LOL (none / 0) (#21)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 02:16:11 PM EST
    Though some churches have a higher vaccination rate than the general public. I would say the vaccination rate at my church is 80% while the vaccination rate for the entire county is around 30%.

    Parent
    I would bet big money (none / 0) (#22)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 02:19:08 PM EST
    It ain't nothin close to that in 99% of the churches around here.

    Why are we talking about vaccination?  My concern was salvation.  Of my way of life.

    Parent

    Oh, I am sure (none / 0) (#24)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 02:49:07 PM EST
    it is nothing close to that in most churches in my area. Us and the Lutherans and probably some Methodists have high vax rates but the rest of the churches I doubt even make 50% and probably are more like 30% vax rate.

    Parent
    That was a joke (5.00 / 1) (#25)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 03:06:34 PM EST
    Of course.  I would not go to church even for the opportunity of infecting the whole congregation.  

    But I gotta tell you, people, vaccinated people, who are sick of the bullshite and angry because we are being stopped from returning to normal by morons and who are less scrupulous than I are reaching the end of their tether.

    People are getting F'ing angry.

    If it occurs to me.....

    Also, locally, most of the churches, black hole cesspools of Trump support, are the problem.

    Parent

    I get it (none / 0) (#26)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 03:27:50 PM EST
    My husband travels for work. He called this morning saying he was coming home because some moron had exposed him to delta COVID. Hubby had been working with this person at this company yesterday. I said is he vaccinated and hubby says this is S. GA. where nobody is getting vaccinated. Truly like 7 of the 20 worst counties in the US are in S. GA which is TRUMPLAND.

    What do these idiots not understand?

    Parent

    The real pi$$er (none / 0) (#29)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 03:39:44 PM EST
    is it is becoming clear most of them understand completely

    Parent
    Good srory (none / 0) (#23)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 02:28:08 PM EST
    Of the long conversation I had at the gym with the, manager, I guess.  He unlocks it and turns on the lights.
    Nice guy.  We have spoken before. I was the only living sole at the gym today.  It's never busy but I've never seen it empty.

    The conversation turned to is the emptyness because of covid, how many people we know who have fallen, etc.

    He seemed genuinely concerned and uncommonly, for the area, knowledgeable.  When I learned he was not vaccinated I shrug as if to ask why.  He mumbles something about not thinking it was important.

    After a suitable pause I said.  It's important.  And continued my thing.

    Believe it or not I thought that was a positive encounter.

    Parent

    I had a similar conversation this morning (none / 0) (#27)
    by Peter G on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 03:28:00 PM EST
    with the guy who came to hook up our new copier/network printer. And first I had to ask him to go back to the truck and get and put on his mask.  Since, "are you vaccinated" was the first thing I said to him when he came in the front door unmasked, to which he had an unsatisfactory answer.

    Parent
    He was not masked (none / 0) (#28)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 03:37:58 PM EST
    Never seen him masked.  I had a mask but was not wearing it because as I said the place was empty.  We were never nearer than 10 ft.
    And he has seen me around enough to know I like my space.

    I left thinking he might actually think about getting it done.  That's rare around here.

    Parent

    I hope (none / 0) (#44)
    by smott on Thu Jul 29, 2021 at 09:27:46 AM EST
    You convinced him, Cap'n.

    Parent
    I was out this morning (none / 0) (#45)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 30, 2021 at 12:11:52 PM EST
    just like before there are very few mask in sight here outside of Walmart.  Walmart, bless their heart, has been a place that feels safe the whole time.

    I was surprised after the news.  Sitting in the dispensary, in a mask, waiting my turn me and the 6 other unmasked people waiting listen to news of the consequences of denial and ads asking people to mask.  It was just a radio station.

    It was a surreal moment.  I think this wave is going to be different for these people when they think, here we go again.

    Parent

    It turns out (5.00 / 5) (#37)
    by Repack Rider on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 07:00:39 PM EST
    ...that COVID cures vaccine hesitancy.

    Parent
    It sounds (none / 0) (#4)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Jul 25, 2021 at 08:32:10 AM EST
    like conservatives are turning on conservatives at this point.

    Parent
    They definitely are (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jul 25, 2021 at 08:33:52 AM EST
    The republicans are being hit by unintended consequences again.

    Parent
    There is one small positive (5.00 / 3) (#6)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jul 25, 2021 at 08:56:01 AM EST
    these people have for years, decades really, been whining because they just don't understand why we elitists dismiss them and assume they are ignorant superstitious morons unable to understand even their own self interest.

    Well, this is why.  Thanks for making our point.

    Parent

    Good to hear (none / 0) (#7)
    by Yman on Sun Jul 25, 2021 at 11:44:43 AM EST
    Conservatives only seem to care when it affects them directly, which is often too little, too late. But they'll also be the first to b/tch and moan about businesses being forced to shut down or having to wear a mask.

    "Muh free-dumb!"

    Parent

    CDC county by county map (5.00 / 2) (#8)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 26, 2021 at 08:15:32 AM EST
    Mandated vaccination (5.00 / 2) (#10)
    by KeysDan on Mon Jul 26, 2021 at 12:09:24 PM EST
    is necessary as a condition of employment, access to facilities open  to the public.  The vaccines appear to, in largest measure, protect against the present variants, but it is likely that they will become less effective with newly emerging variants.  

    VA is on board. (5.00 / 1) (#12)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 26, 2021 at 02:04:45 PM EST
    I've had it (5.00 / 4) (#13)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Jul 26, 2021 at 02:49:12 PM EST
    Get vaxxed or get out!

    Get out of the facility, get out of the building, get out of the military, get out of the stadium, just get out.

    Just about everything we vaccinate for has poorer vaccine efficacy than the mRNA Covid-19 vaccines. The vaccine deniers have done this!

    If the vaxxed don't share breakthrough infections as easily as the unvaxxed, that changes the R0 and the spread to everyone. Get vaxxed or get out.

    Parent

    My insurer, a big one (Ascension) (5.00 / 3) (#39)
    by Towanda on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 08:54:00 PM EST
    is mandating the vaccine for employees.

    Thankfully, as I was appalled that one of the nurses at my primary physician's office is not vaccinated. Despite that my primary physician did get it and had a hard recovery. Iinformed him that I did not want that nurse near me again.

    And we just ended, early, home health care for my spouse. One of the nurses, only after I asked, admitted to not being vaccinated. And forgot her mask. I gave her one, told her to wear it and get her work done fast, and get out of our house.

    Home health care to the elderly! and not vaxxed or masked.

    I have had it with these people. My oldest grandchild starts kindergarten in a few weeks, amid this surge. He did not do pre-K last year to keep him safe, but now there is no option.

    I swear, if anything happens to him, I will be homicidal.

    Parent

    Scary. (5.00 / 1) (#40)
    by oculus on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 09:00:24 PM EST
    Trying to decide (none / 0) (#46)
    by Militarytracy on Fri Jul 30, 2021 at 01:07:15 PM EST
    If I'm going to get my hair done before everything gets crazy, you know...so I can sit at home with my hair. My hair has never been this long that I can remember, gets stuck in my bra when I'm dressing, so annoying LOL. Dogs lay on it and I can't get up. But what if I could grow it even longer than this? Covid decisions.

    Parent
    I started letting my hair grow (5.00 / 1) (#47)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 30, 2021 at 01:17:28 PM EST
    at the beginning of the first lockdown.  It is untouched as I believe you know but the decision was a moment.  

    I took a picture.

    Parent

    This is (5.00 / 1) (#48)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 30, 2021 at 01:21:33 PM EST
    Wow! (none / 0) (#50)
    by leap on Fri Jul 30, 2021 at 01:52:26 PM EST
    What fast-growing hair! What's your secret? </s>

    Parent
    Originally (5.00 / 1) (#51)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 30, 2021 at 02:06:15 PM EST
    I was planning one of those picture a day things.

    That got old pretty quick.

    Parent

    Ha ha (none / 0) (#69)
    by Peter G on Sat Jul 31, 2021 at 09:40:02 AM EST
    Also made you grow younger. Amazing!

    Parent
    Let it get longer, (5.00 / 2) (#49)
    by Zorba on Fri Jul 30, 2021 at 01:29:32 PM EST
    Then cut it off and donate it for wigs for chemotherapy patients.

    Parent
    It's really big though (5.00 / 1) (#55)
    by Militarytracy on Fri Jul 30, 2021 at 05:55:54 PM EST
    If only my hair could have kinked like this in the 80's.

    Parent
    Self. Longish. Sans color. (5.00 / 1) (#52)
    by oculus on Fri Jul 30, 2021 at 05:44:33 PM EST
    I can french braid my own hair (5.00 / 1) (#56)
    by Militarytracy on Fri Jul 30, 2021 at 05:59:42 PM EST
    I have braided it twice but what a pain to braid when the hair is that long.

    Parent
    I don't know if this is in my state or national (5.00 / 1) (#41)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 09:07:17 PM EST
    But I just saw only about 40% of nursing home workers were vaccinated.

    That mind blowing.

    Parent

    My daughter in law (5.00 / 1) (#42)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Jul 28, 2021 at 05:27:46 AM EST
    is a CNA at a nursing home and is not vaccinated even had a bad case of COVID prior to the vaccine. So it does not blow my mind.

    Parent
    My grandson (5.00 / 2) (#43)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Jul 28, 2021 at 05:29:32 AM EST
    starts school on Monday. I live in Trumpland and my county has a 38% vaccination rate. I can only imagine a repeat of last year where they started school and two weeks later had to close down for a month.

    Parent
    In under four pages of clear and simple prose, (5.00 / 1) (#80)
    by Peter G on Mon Aug 02, 2021 at 08:19:46 PM EST
    a leading conservative judge, the Seventh Circuit's Frank Easterbrook, explains why vaccine mandates do not violate anyone's established rights.

    Parent
    OMfG (5.00 / 2) (#30)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 03:57:43 PM EST
    All this article does (5.00 / 1) (#31)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 05:39:07 PM EST
    is make me say well, when they get sick I'm not going to feel sorry for them and if they die I will just say sayonara.

    Parent
    It's like the people (5.00 / 1) (#32)
    by jondee on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 05:52:20 PM EST
    in the movie Jaws who said Shark? What shark? right before their kids started getting eaten.

    Denial ain't just a river in Egypt.

    Parent

    To the thing we were discussing before (5.00 / 1) (#33)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 05:58:53 PM EST
    this kind of thing, which believe me surprises none of my vaccinated neighbors, is not exactly a persuasive argument for why we should wear a mask to "protect" them.

    That is exactly what the new mask guidelines do.

    Parent

    There is a guy on CNN right now (none / 0) (#35)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 06:26:22 PM EST
    trying to spin this, really ham handed, message from the CDC.

    NO NO NO
    It's NOT because of (what they said about unvaccinated spreading virus) its because UNVACCINATED people should wear masks.

    Ok, well, do you actually honestly think a CDC suggestion will get the morons to wear a mask?

    My guess is if anything it will harden resistance.

    I actually think it's a reasonable and honest statement from the CDC.  I just don't think it will be very effective.  For the vaccinated or the unvaccinated.

    Parent

    Sorry (none / 0) (#36)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 06:32:56 PM EST
    because of (what they said about VACCINATED spreading virus

    Parent
    Local three week music festival emailed (5.00 / 1) (#34)
    by oculus on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 06:24:58 PM EST
    Covid policy yesterday.   Sunmit vax proof in advance to box office. Vaxed persons-no masks required.  If nor vaxed, you must wear a mask. Not good enough.  

    My carping seems to have (5.00 / 1) (#53)
    by oculus on Fri Jul 30, 2021 at 05:45:54 PM EST
    encouraged today's email.  Wear a mask, vaxxed or unvaxed.

    Parent
    From HOTAIR (5.00 / 1) (#38)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 08:00:22 PM EST
    A very right leaning site.  


    I missed this detail from Rochelle Walensky's press conference earlier but it helps explain why the CDC is suddenly nervous about vaccinated people going around unmasked.
    It's getting attention online this afternoon too, partly because Drudge is highlighting the news and partly because excited vaccine skeptics are misunderstanding what it says, I suspect. When the CDC says that the vaxxed and unvaxxed have the same viral load, they don't mean they have the same amount throughout their bodies, including their lungs. That would mean the vaccines don't work, which is why anti-vaxxers have perked up about it. But we already know that they work: The numbers prove that the vaccinated are at far less risk of serious illness than the unvaccinated are. Delta usually can't get enough traction in a vaccinated person's body to debilitate them.

    What the CDC means is that the vaxxed and unvaxxed have similar amounts of viral particles in their noses and throats, making them equal risks to infect the people around them. That's a big deal and it helps explain the change in mask guidance. If the vaccinated are as likely to infect an unvaccinated person as another unvaccinated person is then reducing infections requires everyone to mask up, not just those who haven't had their shots. The average vaccinated person would respond to that by saying, "Why should I care if I infect someone who's unvaccinated? That's their problem." Fair enough, but epidemiologists are thinking big-picture. They want to slow the Delta surge as much as they can and buy time for vaccine holdouts to go get immunized before they're infected.

    It sounds like they are worried about people saying F U.  Get vaccinated.  IMO they should be.

    Which is why CDC. Should not (5.00 / 1) (#54)
    by oculus on Fri Jul 30, 2021 at 05:47:46 PM EST
    have stated vaxed persons don't need to wear masks.

    Parent
    I have been road testing (5.00 / 2) (#71)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Aug 02, 2021 at 09:01:50 AM EST
    a new tactic on the unvaccinated.  3 times in the last couple of day when I learned in conversation a person is not and/or will not be vaccinated.  Most recently last night with a friend of my sisters.

    They often say this with a Trumpie tone.  Defiant and strong.

    Being used to vaccinated people like me either running away or wheedling and begging them to reconsider, when I express pleasure bordering on barely concealed glee they are so they seem derailed.  I tell them, hey, it's a free country.  You don't want a vaccination, don't get a vaccination.  Hey, I say, that also works because it gets us to herd immunity.
    You be YOU.

    They stand there blinking trying to process what just happened.

    It's almost funny (5.00 / 1) (#113)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Aug 10, 2021 at 08:15:34 AM EST
    watching the same people who have twisted and trashed every bit of hard science information they have been given talk about how the lack of full approval by the FDA is a problem.

    As if everyone didn't know they would pull some made up conspiracy BS out of their butts about that when it happens.

    Booster Vaccination (5.00 / 2) (#128)
    by KeysDan on Thu Aug 19, 2021 at 12:01:03 PM EST
    The CDC has concluded that booster shots of Pfizer and Moderna will be needed in the coming months. Based on studies, it was demonstrated that while the vaccines remain highly effective against hospitalizations and deaths, the bulwark they provide against infection with the virus has weakened. Hence, a booster, eight months after the second shot, is recommended.

    The reasons for the decline in effectiveness is unclear, but it may be one or a combination of factors, such as waning vaccine immunity and the rise of the Delta variant.

    The booster campaign is not without detractors. However, from my perspective, none of the arguments against boosters are persuasive.

    One argument against boosters for all, are epitomized by the comment of Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist at Bellevue--Boosters would only be warranted if the vaccines were failing to prevent hospitalizations. "Feeling sick like a dog and laid up in bed. but not in the hospital with severe Covid is not a good enough reason" for boosters.  To me, a foolish assessment, not only ignoring being "sick as a dog",(and wind up in the hospital) but being exposed to long-term side effects. And, of course, the economic impact on the workforce.

    Another reason seems to broach the political and geopolitical.. We will be better protected by vaccinating the unvaccinated here and around the world. A good idea, but a separate one.

     Of course, the Biden Administration has delivered vaccines and promised even more to other countries. And, too, execution of the idea requires organization and provision for freezers to store Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. (perhaps the J and J vaccine, that has less demanding storage requirements should be reserved for use in other or developing countries).

    Also, arguments are made for boosters only in "vulnerable" populations--immuno-compromised and nursing homes.  We have been there before, when the supplies of vaccines were limited and priorities in distribution made sense. But, our supplies are now ample and, too,  we have learned over the past many months, that the virus does not limit its habitat. The best bet on nursing homes is that the unvaccinated staff and guests be required to be vaccinated.

    And, perhaps, the least persuasive is that boosters will undermine confidence in the vaccines, adding to the skepticism among people yet to receive one dose.

    Boosters for vaccinations are not unusual. Nor are annual vaccinations.  Even our pets need booster shots, say, for rabies.

    The benchmarks of hospitalizations and death are pragmatic, but not consistent with the mission of public health which promotes the welfare of the entire population and protects it from the spread of infectious disease.

     Medical practice, primarily, treats people who are sick. Public health works to prevent people from getting sick in the first place. I say, get the third, or booster shot.

    Thanks for this. (5.00 / 1) (#129)
    by leap on Thu Aug 19, 2021 at 06:46:26 PM EST
    Well-reasoned and clear.

    Parent
    The Israeli Health Ministry (none / 0) (#139)
    by KeysDan on Mon Aug 23, 2021 at 10:45:01 AM EST
    reported yesterday that a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine has significantly improved protection and serious illness among people aged 60 and older compared with those who received two shots.

    The protection against infection provided from 10 days after a third dose was four times higher than after two doses. And, the third for over 60-year olds offered five to six times greater protection after 10 days with regard to serious illness and hospitalization.

    Last week, Israel dropped the age of eligibility for a booster to age 40, and included pregnant women, teachers and health care workers below that age. The third doses is given only to those who received their second shot at least five months ago.

    Parent

    Should have happened months ago (5.00 / 1) (#130)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 20, 2021 at 07:09:04 AM EST

    Hospitals in North Texas have "quietly developed" a plan to allow doctors to take vaccination status into account when deciding how to triage intensive-care beds if the coronavirus pandemic overwhelms ICUs, The Dallas Morning News reports.


    They are back pedaling this now (none / 0) (#131)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 20, 2021 at 07:26:56 AM EST
    Too bad IMO

    Parent
    The unvaccinated: We pay with our health, (5.00 / 1) (#140)
    by KeysDan on Mon Aug 23, 2021 at 10:59:19 AM EST
    and we are going to pay with tax dollars and/or increased health insurance premiums.

    It is estimated that there were around 37,000 preventable virus hospitalizations among the unvaccinated adults in June and another 76,000 in July. The cost to the U.S. health system was more than $2 billion in June and July according to analysis by Peterson-KFF.

    My company is dropping (5.00 / 3) (#142)
    by Chuck0 on Mon Aug 23, 2021 at 12:51:03 PM EST
    100% coverage for COVID-19 as of September 1, 2021 because of the availability of the vaccine.

    I was infected at a time when you had to still jump through hoops to get a shot. I was waiting for a confirmation email for a vaccine appt when I got sick. When I got out of the hospital and was able to get vaccinated, I walked into a vaccination site with no appt. In and out in about 25 minutes.

    I say cover 0% for those unvaccinated by choice.

    My company also sends out notifications when an onsite employee reports a COVID infections. Those notifications are waaaay up the last 2 to 3 weeks. I have emailed site management urging a vaccine mandate. The unvaccinated can go find work elsewhere (or starve for all I care).


    Parent

    I agree (5.00 / 3) (#144)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Aug 23, 2021 at 01:03:52 PM EST
    They should absolutely prioritize medical care based on if you are vaccinated or not.  If you are not go to the back of the line.

    Parent
    BEHIND (5.00 / 1) (#146)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Aug 23, 2021 at 01:11:58 PM EST
    Heart attacks and appendicitis

    Parent
    Medical ethics have never allowed that approach (none / 0) (#149)
    by Peter G on Mon Aug 23, 2021 at 09:26:52 PM EST
    Do we refuse to treat smokers for cancer? Or the overweight for diabetes? Seriously, no.

    Parent
    You can't pass along (5.00 / 1) (#152)
    by Chuck0 on Tue Aug 24, 2021 at 08:45:52 AM EST
    diabetes and cancer to those around you by breathing or coughing on them.

    I understand your point. Those can be preventable conditions, but, they are not contagious and deadly to those around you.


    Parent

    That distinction explains why I believe (none / 0) (#153)
    by Peter G on Tue Aug 24, 2021 at 09:04:20 AM EST
    that vaccine mandates (and compulsory masking) are constitutional. But it has nothing to do with the ethics of denying people medical care -- or deferring it, or de-prioritizing them -- as punishment for their antisocial behavior. My clients in prison deserve full medical care regardless of their past antisocial conduct, for example.

    Parent
    Creating full-time employment for many (none / 0) (#154)
    by oculus on Tue Aug 24, 2021 at 05:36:44 PM EST
    Public entity attorneys.

    Parent
    Oh, treat them (none / 0) (#150)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Aug 23, 2021 at 09:29:41 PM EST
    After you treat the vaccinated.  And the heart attacks etc.

    Back of the line.

    Parent

    Because of them (none / 0) (#151)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Aug 23, 2021 at 09:32:24 PM EST
    there have been waits for ICU beds.
    Let them wait.

    Parent
    Is this a good time to recommend ... (5.00 / 1) (#147)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Aug 23, 2021 at 02:58:23 PM EST
    ... our reconsideration of the biblical practice of shunning?
    ;-D

    Parent
    This must be a first (none / 0) (#141)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Aug 23, 2021 at 11:36:14 AM EST
    Now we can (none / 0) (#143)
    by KeysDan on Mon Aug 23, 2021 at 12:52:12 PM EST
    watch for DeSantis to call on the State Medical Board to take disciplinary action (e,g,,licensure suspension) against these doctors.

      There is no bottom for these pro-virus miscreants.  And, they can't backtrack.  Trump now gets booed for recommending vaccination, Alex Jones shames.Trump for promoting the vaccine, saying on his show that  "Trump may not be that bright.  maybe, he is actually a dumba$$. "

    Parent

    I've been watching (none / 0) (#145)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Aug 23, 2021 at 01:10:21 PM EST
    a couple of crazy anti vaxxers I know (family connections) on FB.  They are becoming increasingly hysterical.   I would guess the fact they just gave Phizer full approval and mandates are now coming will not help with that.

    There's going to be random violence I think.  I never seen anything like this.  Really.

    Back to the crazies on FB I have watched over the last couple of weeks their encouragement evaporate.  No likes.  No shares.   Compared to just weeks ago.  More hysteria.

    If it was not such a nightmare it would actually be funny.

    Parent

    Scalisi got vaxed and announced it. (none / 0) (#9)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 26, 2021 at 11:21:50 AM EST
    And CDC reports uptick in # of vaccines administered. But I am double-masked at ABQ.

    Just die already (none / 0) (#11)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 26, 2021 at 02:02:16 PM EST
    the vaccinated are turning on the unvaccinated

    The messaging would be tricky but I actually think the most effective message we could have for the cult is - you know what, we are really not that upset you are killing yourself.  You be you.  Free-dumb is not free.

    Like I said, difficult.  Won't happen but I bet it would work.

    They said (none / 0) (#14)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Jul 26, 2021 at 03:02:39 PM EST
    something like this last year to the extent of you need to die for the economy. Maybe an updated version like you already were willing to die for the economy before vaccines came out and now blank blank blank. I just can't think of anything not mean to put in the blanks

    Parent
    From that link (none / 0) (#15)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Jul 26, 2021 at 05:38:24 PM EST

    We're used to hearing the rather disappointing fact that even months into the vaccination drive and with surplus vaccines everywhere only just under half (49.1%) the US population is vaccinated. Epidemiologically, that's bad news. But it looks different from an electoral perspective. 60% of adults (over 18) are vaccinated and fully 69% have received at least one dose. Shift our perspective in this way and you see that when you're talking about the political nation, a big, verging on overwhelming majority are vaccinated. Among people over 65, the group that votes most consistently, 80% are vaccinated. Furthermore there is a lot of evidence that vaccination rates escalate with age. People in their forties are substantially more vaccinated than people in their twenties. So higher rates of vaccination align with propensity to vote


    Parent
    So the CDC has officially changed mask guidelines (none / 0) (#16)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jul 27, 2021 at 01:26:34 PM EST
    They are now saying vaccinated people should wear a mask in "high transmission areas".
    I think that would be me.  Earlier in Walmart it was more than I expected.  About half masked.

    But according to Sanja on CNN the reason for the change is that they have found infected vaccinated people, even tho they may have no symptoms at all, can carry the same viral load as a person who is deathly ill.

    I don't see how the Delta variant (none / 0) (#58)
    by Militarytracy on Fri Jul 30, 2021 at 06:48:19 PM EST
    Isn't going to take a huge horrible bite out of mankind.

    i mostly (5.00 / 1) (#59)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Jul 30, 2021 at 06:52:19 PM EST
    worry about the children. Supposedly Pfizer is going to come out with an under 12 vaccine in September. Then I worry about the parents who can't work because they have a sick child.

    The absolute people who I don't worry about are these idiotic Trumpers. Again, it's too bad the virus doesn't just kill them instead of other innocent people.

    Parent

    But ARE they facts? (none / 0) (#60)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 30, 2021 at 07:24:01 PM EST
    To be fair (none / 0) (#61)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jul 30, 2021 at 07:26:50 PM EST
    It said healthcare workers.  Not nurses.

    Parent
    Conservatives (none / 0) (#62)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Jul 31, 2021 at 05:59:56 AM EST
    have done a great job confusing people. Some of those nurses are going to end up dying.

    Parent
    I think we need to be clear (none / 0) (#63)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jul 31, 2021 at 06:32:22 AM EST
    and stop blaming conservatives, FOX news or Tucker Carlson.

    Those women are not confused.  They are not. They work in the health care system.  They KNOW what the scientific community is saying.  They are NOT confused.

    They are stuck in a difficult place.  After months and months of lying and spreading disinformation for entirely political purposes they can't now bring themselves to admit the obvious truth, with hundreds of millions of doses safely given and proven effectiveness in the 90% range, and are stuck exposed and defiant.

    I have zero sympathy for them.  I don't hope they die but I hope all four get very very sick.

    Parent

    What he said (5.00 / 1) (#64)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jul 31, 2021 at 06:35:49 AM EST
    Andrew Sullivan: "We are at a stage in this pandemic when we are trying to persuade the hold-outs -- disproportionately white Republicans/evangelicals and urban African-Americans -- to get vaccinated. How do we best do this? Endless, condescending nagging won't help. Coercion is not an option in a free country. Since the vaccinated appear to be able to transmit the virus as well, vaccine passports lose their power to remove all risk. Forcing all the responsible people to go back to constraining their everyday lives for the sake of the vaccine-averse is both unfair and actually weakens the incentive to get a vaccine, because it lowers the general risk of getting it in the broader society."

    "So the obviously correct public policy is to let mounting sickness and rising deaths concentrate the minds of the recalcitrant. Let reality persuade the delusional and deranged. It has a pretty solid record of doing just that."



    Parent
    3 from Political Wire (none / 0) (#65)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jul 31, 2021 at 06:39:13 AM EST
    Quote of the Day

    July 31, 2021 at 7:34 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 7 Comments

    "If you're not vaccinated and if you have not had Covid... you're going to get the Delta variant."

    -- Adm. Brett Giroir, the Trump White House's COVID-19 testing czar, on CNN.

    -----

    Holdouts `Rush to Get Shots' as Delta Variant Spreads

    July 31, 2021 at 7:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 41 Comments

    Wall Street Journal: "Growing numbers of people are getting Covid-19 vaccines in areas hit hard by the Delta variant--offering a glimmer of hope but still far short of what is needed to end the pandemic."

    Washington Post: "More than 856,000 doses were administered Friday, the highest daily figure since July 3... This was the third week that states with the highest numbers of coronavirus cases also had the highest vaccination numbers."

    ----

    The Virus Consumes U.S. Politics

    July 30, 2021 at 8:00 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 369 Comments

    New York Times: "The American political system has come down with a case of long Covid... The resurgence of the disease, driven by the fast-spreading Delta variant, threatens to halt plans by both parties to shift their attention to other matters."

    "A drawn-out plague disproportionately afflicting red-state America could become an embarrassment for the G.O.P. even as anti-government language on matters of public health becomes an increasingly central strain of Republican messaging."



    Parent
    This has been a problem (none / 0) (#66)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Jul 31, 2021 at 06:48:28 AM EST
    even before the pandemic. How many times have you had a discussion with a conservative who refuses to admit there were no WMDs in Iraq and Bush lied to the country? It is like if they admit there was one lie either about the pandemic, Iraq or say supply side economics, it will be the string that unravels their entire belief system. Since the entire belief system is built on lies, admitting to one lie probably would unravel everything.

    Parent
    This time is different (none / 0) (#67)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jul 31, 2021 at 07:22:02 AM EST
    the impression I get from them is, yeah, just another day in the cult.  You and your facts are meaningless.

    Except they are not because this time our facts are coming for their delusional azzes.

    This is one argument we are going to win.  One way or another.  Schadenfreude is difficult to avoid.  


    Parent

    YEah (none / 0) (#68)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Jul 31, 2021 at 08:35:16 AM EST
    I know. Taken out by their own intransigence.

    Parent
    But taking us along for the ride. (none / 0) (#70)
    by oculus on Sat Jul 31, 2021 at 06:18:57 PM EST
    UCSD physician on NPR yesterday:  FDA should have hopped on certifying the vaccines months ago. No excuse for delay.

    Parent
    I'm ready for a booster (5.00 / 1) (#84)
    by Militarytracy on Wed Aug 04, 2021 at 09:19:28 AM EST
    Chop chop!

    Broadway seems to be preparing and/or prepared for some really depressed people to become a live audience again.

    Parent

    The GOP: Menace to Society, (none / 0) (#72)
    by KeysDan on Mon Aug 02, 2021 at 10:22:30 AM EST
    by Charles Blow, NYTimes, August 2, 2021.  "What do you call a party where many of its members have worked against a lifesaving, society-freeing vaccine in the middle of a pandemic, exposing many of their own followers to the deadly virus all for the sake of being contrarian, anti-establishment and anti-science?"

    "I call that party a national security threat and a cancer on our democracy."

    It seems likely that at least some small part (none / 0) (#73)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Aug 02, 2021 at 11:54:53 AM EST
    of these people who get very sick on the fake virus will be moved to re-examine their choices and beliefs

    I can tell you from personal interaction there are lots of people who  unbelievably at this point, do not believe it's a real thing,   That people are not dying in the numbers the left wing media say, that it's all just a lie.  They really really believe this.

    Will a ventilator convince them they have been lied to.    


    Parent

    And then (none / 0) (#74)
    by KeysDan on Mon Aug 02, 2021 at 02:04:59 PM EST
    there is Republican Governor Ron DeSantis who has threatened to defund Florida  schools if they require students to wear masks.  He said he wants to see his kids smiling and having fun.

    Parent
    I see kids in the playground in my neighborhood (5.00 / 1) (#76)
    by Peter G on Mon Aug 02, 2021 at 03:13:34 PM EST
    wearing masks all the time, and they appear to be having plenty of fun. And I cannot imagine they are not smiling. Certainly, I smile when I see them.

    Parent
    Kids are (none / 0) (#75)
    by Zorba on Mon Aug 02, 2021 at 03:06:57 PM EST
    now getting very ill, and even dying, of the Delta variant.  Will his kids be smiling and having fun if they wind up in the hospital?

    Parent
    God can't see us? (none / 0) (#77)
    by KeysDan on Mon Aug 02, 2021 at 03:50:34 PM EST
    A Republican state representative in Ohio, Nino Vitale, will not wear a face mask because "...we are created in the image and likeness of God.  That image is seen the most by our face".

    Vitale knows what god looks like? (5.00 / 2) (#78)
    by oculus on Mon Aug 02, 2021 at 04:00:25 PM EST
    Yeah, and I hear G*d has the same problem (none / 0) (#79)
    by Peter G on Mon Aug 02, 2021 at 06:52:58 PM EST
    with people wearing clothes. Oh, wait.

    Parent
    Fig leaf? I thought the first couple (none / 0) (#82)
    by oculus on Mon Aug 02, 2021 at 09:50:34 PM EST
    covered themselves.

    Parent
    Conservative tribal rules (none / 0) (#81)
    by jondee on Mon Aug 02, 2021 at 09:32:22 PM EST
    dictate that any ludicrous statement can be salvaged by bringing God into it, or by stating it with a flag prominently displayed behind you.

    Parent
    I just saw this poster (5.00 / 2) (#83)
    by jondee on Tue Aug 03, 2021 at 12:54:13 AM EST
    What do we want?

    Time travel!

    When do we want it?

    It's irrelevant!

    Parent

    25 and counting down (none / 0) (#85)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Aug 04, 2021 at 07:08:20 PM EST
    You have to give Asa some credit (none / 0) (#86)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Aug 04, 2021 at 07:11:03 PM EST
    Our (5.00 / 1) (#87)
    by FlJoe on Wed Aug 04, 2021 at 07:18:37 PM EST
    governor, DeathSantis is still exhibiting his complete dickishness.

    Parent
    Governor (5.00 / 1) (#89)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Aug 05, 2021 at 07:44:12 PM EST
    Who?

    Parent
    There are consequences (none / 0) (#88)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Aug 05, 2021 at 07:43:54 PM EST
    to screwing up last year and he is getting them in spades.

    Parent
    My brother has covid (none / 0) (#91)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 06, 2021 at 11:43:38 AM EST
    No doubt he got it from one of his dumb shite unvaccinated relatives.  I hope they know what they have done.  He's 80.  I just spoke to him he's feeling pretty bad.

    He is fully vaccinated

    oh, no (5.00 / 1) (#92)
    by leap on Fri Aug 06, 2021 at 01:12:46 PM EST
    I'm really sorry to hear that. How awful. I hope he can get through it, needless to say. Being fully vaxxed should help, for sure. Judging by your running commentary over the last months, it seemed inevitable. I hope his dumb-aff relatives have some connective tissue between their brains and not-brains, and can parse their cause and effect.

    Parent
    I hate them so much right now (none / 0) (#93)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 06, 2021 at 02:45:45 PM EST
    My wishes for your brother's full and (5.00 / 3) (#95)
    by desertswine on Fri Aug 06, 2021 at 09:52:50 PM EST
    speedy recovery.  Keep safe.

    Parent
    Thanks (none / 0) (#96)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Aug 07, 2021 at 09:47:57 AM EST
    I just spoke to him.  He still feels very crappy but no more crappy than yesterday.  Which is good.  I guess.

    Parent
    Best wishes, (5.00 / 1) (#97)
    by KeysDan on Sat Aug 07, 2021 at 11:23:29 AM EST
    ,Captain. While no such thing as zero risk, let us bank on the biomedical science for protection of the fully vaccinated.for a speedy recovery for your dear brother.


    Parent
    The thing is (none / 0) (#99)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Aug 07, 2021 at 12:28:55 PM EST
    my brother did everything he was supposed to do.  He even was careful around the unvaccinated grandchildren, tho I'm sure that's where it came from.
    To be clear, hard to keep track without a scorecard, this is not my brother in law who has one in the basement.
    My brother has been quite careful.  Way more careful than even most vaccinated folks around here.
    And he got it.
    My point is I think it's about to get a lot worse here.  The way I've seen people acting, which is like everything is totally back to normal.
    If my brother got it a whole lot of other people got it in the last couple of weeks.

    Vaccinations are picking up but I think it's too late for most of them.

    Parent

    type this into google (none / 0) (#100)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Aug 07, 2021 at 12:33:02 PM EST
    new covid cases in sharp county ar

    Parent
    I bet they (none / 0) (#94)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Aug 06, 2021 at 02:49:21 PM EST
    don't know what they have done and will say oh, he got it at the grocery store or something.

    Parent
    I'm so sorry (none / 0) (#98)
    by Militarytracy on Sat Aug 07, 2021 at 12:05:20 PM EST
    Sending virtual hugs

    Parent
    He's the same (5.00 / 4) (#101)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Aug 08, 2021 at 09:35:00 AM EST
    Still at home.  So far so good.

    Parent
    PWire (none / 0) (#102)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Aug 09, 2021 at 01:40:24 PM EST
    Pentagon to Require Military Vaccinations

    August 9, 2021 at 2:05 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 114 Comments

    The Pentagon will require members of the military to get the COVID-19 vaccine by Sept. 15, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a memo on Monday.

    AP (none / 0) (#103)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Aug 09, 2021 at 03:59:40 PM EST
    LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- Arkansas on Monday set a new record for the number of people in the state hospitalized because of COVID-19 as its coronavirus surge continued.

    The state reported its COVID-19 hospitalizations rose by 103, its biggest one-day increase, to 1,376. The state's previous record during the pandemic for COVID-19 hospitalizations was in January when it reported 1,371 virus patients in the hospital.

    The Department of Health reported that there are only eight intensive care unit beds available in the state. There are 509 COVID-19 patients in ICUs around the state and 286 on ventilators.

    Arkansas ranks third in the country for new virus cases per capita



    My brother (5.00 / 3) (#104)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Aug 09, 2021 at 04:03:34 PM EST
    Is going to get Monoclonal antibodies tomorrow.

    Parent
    That is good news (5.00 / 1) (#112)
    by MO Blue on Mon Aug 09, 2021 at 10:50:43 PM EST
    Here's to him improving each day. My daughter who is fully vaccinated got COVID last month. She felt bad for about a week but doing well now. Of course, she is only in her fifties.

    Parent
    I just had a bit of a (none / 0) (#105)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Aug 09, 2021 at 06:27:28 PM EST
    A screaming match on the phone with my brother in law.  

    I can't make him get vaccinated!

    You could kick his dumb azz out of your basement.

    Etc.

    Parent

    It brings it home (none / 0) (#106)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Aug 09, 2021 at 06:29:49 PM EST
    to know that if my brother were to suddenly get sicker he would have to hope one of those nine ICU beds in the entire state we're still available.

    Not in a good mood.

    Parent

    My bad (none / 0) (#107)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Aug 09, 2021 at 06:31:32 PM EST
    8 ICU beds.  And that was hours ago.  There was 20 deaths in the state today so there must have been a waiting list.

    Parent
    If it is like (none / 0) (#108)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Aug 09, 2021 at 06:50:28 PM EST
    GA where medical care is clustered having 8 ICU beds can mean really zilch. Here 8 beds could be in Atlanta which means pretty much nothing if you live anywhere south or east of Macon.

    I really hope your brother gets better and the antibodies work. I am guessing he must not be doing too great if he is getting the antibody treatment. Is this the brother that is an evangelical?  

    Parent

    In my family (none / 0) (#109)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Aug 09, 2021 at 06:57:36 PM EST
    there is the evangelicals and there is me.

    Parent
    Okay (5.00 / 1) (#110)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Aug 09, 2021 at 07:02:04 PM EST
    I just remember you talking about a brother that was educated and an evangelical.

    I have non-evangelical Trumpers in my immediate family. Plenty of aunts etc. that are evangelical Trumpers though. One thing I really hate Trump for is forever downgrading a bunch of people in my life. Or maybe I should thank him for showing me what kind of black hearts they have been hiding forever.

    Parent

    I say the latter (5.00 / 1) (#111)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Aug 09, 2021 at 07:18:50 PM EST
    yes my brother is an educated evangelical.  He has been very smart about covid from the first.  It's ironic he gets it first.

    As far as changing how you deal with certain people.

    Oh brother.  I'm done with these people.  I don't want to see them or hear about them.  Not at Christmas and not at thanksgiving.  I think Trump did the world be service.  He unmasked his followers.

    The world now knows how ignorant hateful and completely batshite crazy they are.  He really started showing who they are and the pandemic did the rest.

    Parent

    I have not missed (none / 0) (#114)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Aug 10, 2021 at 09:53:24 AM EST
    a tues or thurs in a while but I think I'm skipping the gym this week.  Reevaluate next week.

    Skipping the gym (5.00 / 2) (#118)
    by fishcamp on Tue Aug 10, 2021 at 06:16:51 PM EST
    is probably a good ida, but I'm going to continue three days a week at a new mid morning time when nobody else is there.  I'll be fully masked and listening to an old iPod mini, so the Republicans can't talk to me with their usual vitriol.

    Parent
    Sticking with the chamber music festival. (none / 0) (#119)
    by oculus on Tue Aug 10, 2021 at 07:55:25 PM EST
    Inside. Double-masked. Plus I constantly encourage the CEOt to urge all to wear masks.

    Parent
    Florida's Republican Governor (none / 0) (#115)
    by KeysDan on Tue Aug 10, 2021 at 12:54:54 PM EST
    Ron DeSantis mocked President Biden five days ago saying he "did not want to hear one blip about COVID from You."

    Today, Florida has requested 300 ventilators from the federal government as Florida cases keep rising. The Florida hospital capabilities are in crisis. Surprised DeSantis did not request help from like-minded Republican Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott. Oh wait, Texas hospitals are in crisis-- Texas is seeking ICU nurses, paying four times the customary pay scale--using federal relief funds ($5.6 Billion since April 2020).

    This is some serious 11th dimensional chess (none / 0) (#116)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Aug 10, 2021 at 01:37:38 PM EST
    or maybe an unidentified disease.   It sure is some curious politics.

    Parent
    A friend (none / 0) (#117)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Aug 10, 2021 at 02:06:33 PM EST
    of mine said after 2016 president election that it's all fun and games until people start to die.

    Parent
    Hawaii's COVID numbers have escalated ... (none / 0) (#120)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Aug 11, 2021 at 07:20:37 PM EST
    ... rather alarmingly to their highest infection rates since the start of the pandemic last year. And not surprisingly, it's been rising in tandem with the recent massive surge in tourism-related travel to the islands.

    (Gee, ya think, a coinky-dink? Who could've seen that coming, eh?)

    Our visitor arrival numbers are now surpassing the pre-COVID peak in 2019. The huge demand even prompted Alaska Airlines to add an additional flight between Seattle and Honolulu, which is now up to four daily nonstops. From Seattle. Alaska also flies nonstop from Seattle to Kauai, Maui (two flights) and Kona. That's eight daily flights here from just one city.

    Anyway, the 24-bed ICU at nearby Hilo Medical Center (which is about a mile down the road from our house) is now completely full. While 13 of the hospital's 24 current ICU patients were admitted for non-COVID issues, COVID has definitely put a real strain on the facility. Two ICU patients are presently being treated in the emergency room while awaiting openings upstairs.

    So, let's hope our mayor doesn't have another heart attack like he did earlier this year.

    Please stay safe, everyone. Aloha.

    tourism would get more of their residents vaccinated.

    Parent
    Our vaccination rate is just over 61%. (none / 0) (#123)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Aug 13, 2021 at 04:55:45 PM EST
    Further, about 70% of all Hawaii residents have received at least one dose, which places us among the top three states for high vaccination rates, along with Massachusetts and Vermont.

    But just like elsewhere, COVID-19 is now roaring like a wildfire through the ranks of the unvaccinated. On Oahu, where 70-75% of the state's population reside (and of which nearly 10% is military and military-dependent), the infection rate is 8.2% and the viral clusters appear to be centered in conservative evangelical church congregations and (not surprisingly) in the on-base communities of military personnel and their dependents at Schofield Barracks (Army), Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (Navy & Air Force) and and MCBH-Kaneohe Bay (Marines). IMHO, that's why the Pentagon really needs to mandate vaccinations for all military and civilian personnel.

    The Hawaii Dept. of Health has just reported 587 new cases today, of which 151 are here on the Big Island. All three hospitals with ICU facilities on our island - Hilo Medical Center, Kona Community Hospital (Captain Cook) and North Hawaii Medical Center (Waimea) - are presently operating at capacity.

    It's important to note that a majority of Hawaii patients who are presently in ICUs are NOT there due to COVID. But just as the rate of coronavirus infections has overwhelmed facilities in turn nationwide, it's had an adverse impact on those patients out here who need acute and specialized medical care for any reason right now. We're fast approaching the point of triage, where medical personnel will have to effectively ration the health care that is available at a given locale and prioritize who gets it.

    Please stay safe.

    Parent

    Huh. (none / 0) (#124)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Fri Aug 13, 2021 at 05:18:22 PM EST
    This list puts HI at 54% vaxed and 17th in the country.

    Data updated today.

    Parent

    ... statistics over the Becker Hospital Review.

    Parent
    But clearly, based on the results, HI is still not doing enough.

    Here's what your Lt Gov Josh Green says:

    Green said most of Hawaii's COVID-19 cases continue to be from community spread. According to state Department of Health data, travel-related COVID-19 cases in July made up about 14% of cases, with only 1% attributed to nonresident travelers.


    Parent
    Vaccine % (none / 0) (#125)
    by BGinCA on Sat Aug 14, 2021 at 11:24:02 AM EST
    I think the difference in the statistics is due to using total population vs population over 12 yrs of age(those eligible to receive the vaccine).
    https://tinyurl.com/yhmm7zhr

    Parent
    What Inci said (none / 0) (#122)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Aug 12, 2021 at 01:20:50 PM EST
    Key takeaway from infectious disease expert Inci Yildirim: "If you're vaccinated, you did the best thing you can do, and there's no reason to feel pessimistic. You're safe. But you will need to think about how safe you want people around you to be."

    I think many are re-evaluating how safe they want those around them to be.

    new infections in my counties, my town is in two, have doubled or tripled for the third day in a row.  Interested  to see tomorrow.

    I really think (none / 0) (#126)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Aug 14, 2021 at 12:07:56 PM EST
    opening the schools is not going to end well.  I don't have an alternative.  It must be frightening for parents.

    In a perfect world it would be scary.  But manageable. This is like the end of days.

    end of days (5.00 / 1) (#127)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Aug 14, 2021 at 12:09:53 PM EST
    Biden Offers Aid to Florida Schools Defying DeSantis

    August 14, 2021 at 6:49 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 403 Comments

    "The Biden administration is stepping in to offer financial assistance to Florida educators defying Gov. Ron DeSantis' (R) law banning local K-12 mask mandates," Axios reports.



    Parent
    This (none / 0) (#132)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 20, 2021 at 04:10:52 PM EST
    Texas Lt. Governor Blames African-Americans for Covid Surge

    August 20, 2021 at 4:30 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 126 Comments

    NBC News: "Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said unvaccinated African Americans -- not lax coronavirus precautions in states like his -- are responsible for the surge in Covid-19 cases in his state."

    Said Patrick: "The Covid is spreading, particularly most of the numbers are with the unvaccinated, and the Democrats like to blame Republicans on that. Well, the biggest group in most states are African Americans who have not been vaccinated. Last time I checked, over 90 percent of them vote for Democrats in their major cities and major counties, so it's up to the Democrats.

    It's a lie of course but I heard some talk at the gym that sounded like the white red necks were unhappy about being lumped in with urban blacks as the most unvaccinated demographic.  I'm sure the urban blacks are unhappy with it also.  The reasons were mostly different for the two groups.    But that has been the two groups.

    The coverage of this morons statement is probably resulting in some vaccinations in both groups as they learn they are being included in a group with the other

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    Seriously? (none / 0) (#134)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 20, 2021 at 07:58:46 PM EST
    Rachel Maddow did a piece tonite (5.00 / 1) (#135)
    by desertswine on Fri Aug 20, 2021 at 11:13:49 PM EST
    about the talking crazy heads on fox pushing ivermectin as a Covid treatment.  Actually its for parasitic roundworm treatment in animals.  It's not an anti-viral at all.  

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    Ivermectin (5.00 / 1) (#136)
    by KeysDan on Sat Aug 21, 2021 at 11:07:44 AM EST
    is an antihelmintic drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of parasitic roundworm infections in humans.  The dose is based on weight and other factors such as the medical condition.

    Side effects (and overdoses) may include passing out, shortness of breath, seizures, loss of coordination, increased heart rate, and vision changes.  Large/overdoses can be very dangerous.

    Ivermectin is also used in veterinary medicine for the treatment of roundworms in large animals, such as cows and horses. Veterinary medications are highly concentrated, with weight-related dosage forms. Horses, weight from about 900 to 2,200 pounds; dairy cow weight ranges from 1,400 to 2,000 pounds.

    Moreover, drugs used for veterinary use do not necessarily use FDA-approved inactive ingredients in their formulation and, hence, introduces another reason that veterinary products may not be suitable for human use.

    Apparently, these MAGAts and others have succumbed to snake oil and other nostrums since they have done their "research", as they often say, and would not want to put any thing questionable into their bodies, such as a vaccine.

    Getting their "treatment" for Covid at the feed store, where a physician's prescription may not be needed, sounds like a dandy idea. Maybe it will work for those Republican men and women who sport pony tails.  Who knows? Maybe the Poison Control Centers can help them out.

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    It amazes me how ... (none / 0) (#155)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Aug 25, 2021 at 09:01:35 PM EST
    ... so many people would turn to veterinary-grade anti-parasite medication to treat COVID rather than just set aside the ego and get the gawddammed vaccine. It's like the two yahoos who were arrested in Honolulu for using forged CDC vaccine verification cards when they entered the state. Why would they pay $100 for the cards, when the friggin' vaccine is FREE?

    I gotta tell ya, ownin' those libs seems like one helluva lot of work.
    ;-D

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    Just when my state was finally (none / 0) (#156)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Aug 25, 2021 at 09:50:59 PM EST
    being pushed off the front pages by higher body counts elsewhere....

    Arkansas inmates prescribed animal parasite medicine to combat COVID-19



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    I may get pilloried or deleted (5.00 / 1) (#137)
    by Chuck0 on Sat Aug 21, 2021 at 03:36:26 PM EST
    but as far as I am concerned, these people aren't dying fast enough. I have had enough of stupid.

    Pressly Stutts dying in SC from COVID was karma biting all if these idiots in the arse.

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    ... two far right squawk radio talk show hosts and anti-vaxxers from Palm Beach, FL, and Nashville, TN respectively, who both died during these past few days from you know what. It's rather hard to muster up much sympathy for these COVID kamikazes, who are willfully self-destructive victims of their own COVID-related right-wing genocide.

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    It's rough in Bama (none / 0) (#157)
    by Militarytracy on Fri Sep 03, 2021 at 03:01:49 PM EST
    The Army had to send nurses, partially because nurses couldn't do it anymore and many quit their job. Who can ask someone to be mentally and spiritually devastated because I want to be stupid? They have been maxed out for a year now.

    My three unvaccinated grandchildren are unfortunately recovering from Covid. It finally got one, so it got them all.

    Vaccinated oldest grand is fine though, vaxxed mom has a breakthrough case that she says is a stuffy nose. The Guard tested my newish SIL and he's negative so he is back to work.

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    the Herman Cain (none / 0) (#158)
    by leap on Fri Sep 03, 2021 at 04:22:58 PM EST
    Freedom Awards  

    Also, Sorry, Anti-vaxxer. Some of the same people are noted as in the above Freedom Awards.

    Egads. This is so depressing. You wonder if this willful ignorance will ever end. Probably not. Seems to be  permanent sub-set of our population.

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