The Core
Why We Are Here => Water Cooler => Topic started by: rcjordan on March 23, 2020, 05:53:08 PM
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Populace: Pffffffftttt!
California coronavirus: Crowds packed beaches despite shelter in place order - CNN
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/23/us/california-stay-at-home-beach-goers/index.html
All Marin County parks to close after residents disobey stay-at-home order
https://www.kron4.com/news/all-marin-county-parks-to-close-after-residents-disobey-stay-at-home-order
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Tarrant will fine, jail those who violate coronavirus orders | Fort Worth Star-Telegram
https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article241414501.html
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PNW coastal cities take matters into their own hands after thousands arrive on beaches | KATU
https://katu.com/news/local/vacationers-have-to-leave-says-warrenton-manzanita
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Coronavirus: Carnival CEO: Cruise ships 'not a riskier environment'
https://www.usatoday.com/story/experience/cruise/cruise-lines/carnival-cruise-lines/2020/03/22/coronavirus-carnival-ceo-cruise-ships-not-riskier-environment/2896725001/
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Central church hosts more than 1,800 people amid covid-19 outbreak | BRProud.com | WVLA | WGMB
https://www.brproud.com/health/coronavirus/central-church-hosts-1800-people-amid-covid-19-outbreak/
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hhh. love this one..
NC Governor Cooper to Wilmington restaurants with sidewalk service: "Nice try"
https://www.starnewsonline.com/news/20200320/roy-cooper-to-wilmington-restaurants-with-outdoor-service-nice-try
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Seen on Twitter:
From the Whatever File: Some bookstores are seeing a high demand for coloring books for grownups.
Jeez. We're only in the first week or so of self isolation.
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And businesses are looking for every loophole rather than complying with the intent of the law...
GameStop: We Can Stay Open During Lockdowns Because We're 'Essential Retail'
https://kotaku.com/gamestop-we-can-stay-open-during-lockdowns-because-wer-1842415962
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>Gamestop
Mayors should have the power to revoke retail licenses for 30 days.
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Indiana governor orders Hoosiers to stay home until April 7, except for essential needs
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/indiana-governor-orders-hoosiers-to-stay-home-until-april-except/article_456af480-6ced-5850-a363-7913a06b61f2.html#utm_campaign=blox&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter_nwi
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>to revoke retail licenses for 30 days.
There was *unconfirmed* buzz 2 days ago that the PA gov threatened to revoke Gamestop's business license. Yesterday, I saw a headline that said Gamestop was now curb pickup only.
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If People Aren’t Listening to Fauci or Cuomo, Maybe They’ll At Least Listen to Danny DeVito
https://www.mediaite.com/news/if-people-arent-listening-to-fauci-or-cuomo-maybe-theyll-at-least-listen-to-danny-devitos-impassioned-plea-to-stay-home/
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Spring breakers who refused to stop partying now have coronavirus – BGR
https://bgr.com/2020/03/23/coronavirus-updates-spring-break-party-goers-fall-ill/
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Coronavirus: UK lockdown 'inevitable' as Brits flock to public spaces - Business Insider
https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-uk-lockdown-inevitable-public-flock-public-spaces-covid-19-2020-3
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Those who violate N.J. lockdown orders to be prosecuted, officials say. ‘The time for warning is over.’ - nj.com
https://www.nj.com/coronavirus/2020/03/those-who-violate-nj-lockdown-orders-to-be-prosecuted-officials-say-the-time-for-warning-is-over.html
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Denver orders residents to stay home as coronavirus spreads: "We will enforce when and where necessary"
https://www.denverpost.com/2020/03/23/denver-stay-home-order-coronavirus/
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Italy charges more than 40,000 people with violating lockdown
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/18/italy-charges-more-than-40000-people-violating-lockdown-coronavirus
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Canada, too.
A clearly unhappy Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday said people defying advice to isolate themselves to fight a coronavirus outbreak should “go home and stay home” or face sanctions.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-canada/enough-is-enough-trudeau-tells-canadians-to-stay-home-major-province-clamps-down-idUSKBN21A2X8
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More Italy. Best one yet.
‘We will send police. With flame-throwers’: Italian mayors lose it at people refusing to self isolate
https://nationalpost.com/news/world/we-will-send-police-with-flame-throwers-italian-mayors-lose-it-at-people-refusing-to-self-isolate
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Brazil quits talking. Shows how to clear a beach.
Brazilian police using a helicopter to blow sand on people at the beach.
https://i.imgur.com/UzyqpTJ.gifv
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Washington State just got their stay at home orders this evening. All non-essential business closed. But not surprisingly the marijuana shops are considered "essential". We can still get groceries, go out for walks, take the family to the park to run around (but the playground equipment is closed), etc. but that is about it. ALL gatherings (including weddings and funerals) are banned. 2 weeks right now but that of course could change.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/texas-lieutenant-governor-says-grandparents-are-willing-to-risk-dying-from-coronavirus-to-save-economy
Texas lieutenant governor says grandparents are willing to risk dying from coronavirus to save economy
"The lieutenant governor of Texas thinks "lots of grandparents" may be willing to die of the coronavirus to stop a possible economic recession that could affect their grandchildren's lives."
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"So I say, let's give this a few more days or weeks, but after that, let's go back to work and go back to living. Those who want to shelter in place can still do so. But we can't live with this uncertainty," Carlson read before asking Patrick to expound on his message.
"I'm not living in fear of COVID-19. What I'm living in fear of is what's happening to this country," Patrick prefaced his remarks. "No one reached out to me and said, 'As a senior citizen, are you willing to take a chance on your survival in exchange for keeping the America, that all America loves, for your children and grandchildren?' And if that's the exchange, I'm all-in. And that doesn't make me noble or brave or anything like that."
That's just insane; it isn't even a valid argument. Those nations who took the strongest actions the soonest will be bouncing back first. The United States had over two months to prep. The administration completely dropped the ball, now they are literally telling old people to die because they believe stock portfolios are worth more than human lives.
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>‘We will send police. With flame-throwers
I like how the Italian mayors have had enough. We need ours to do the same. Lock down in Denmark was extended to after Easter April 13th..
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States threatening jail time over coronavirus orders' violations | Fox News
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/states-threatening-jail-time-over-coronavirus-order-violations
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Ummm, I think I pulled a hamstring. You guys go ahead.
"Those of us who are 70-plus, we’ll take care of ourselves. But don’t sacrifice the country."
Fox News’s coronavirus coverage slid back off the rails on Monday - Vox
https://www.vox.com/2020/3/24/21192222/fox-news-coronavirus-coverage-dan-patrick-drugs
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>70-plus
That's right Republicans, kill off a big part of your core supporters right before the election. Brilliant strategy.
These guys are a dumb as a sack of hammers.
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The public just wants this to be over NOW. They're just telling them what we want to hear.
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I'm watching the Fox News "town hall", Trump is pushing the "everybody needs to go back to work" narrative very hard.
The Mississippi Governor is refusing to do a shutdown. (https://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2020/mar/23/governor-rejects-state-lockdown-covid-19-mississip/)
As hard as they are pushing this, I don't know if their base is going to get on board with dying for the economy.
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>on board
Thousands of Liberty students expected to return to campus amid coronavirus outbreak
https://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/thousands-of-liberty-students-expected-to-return-to-campus-amid/article_a7b91be3-217a-598e-a367-34950271e6c6.amp.html
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Mayor Gabe Brown:
"Listen up dipshits and sensible people. I might not have the best bedside manor. I might not put you at ease like the Governor does, but I don’t care. You need to realize that this is a serious ordeal. In fact, it’s a big f**cking deal. Stay at home.
I didn’t give you information to induce panic. I gave you information, so that you’d be informed."
Walton Mayor: "Listen Up Dipshits... It's a Big (F***ing) Deal" | The River City News
https://www.rcnky.com/articles/2020/03/24/walton-mayor-listen-dipshits-its-big-fing-deal
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Austin to shelter in place until April 13. But the list of exceptions is long.
https://www.kvue.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-austin-texas-update-shelter-in-place-open-essential-businesses/269-f104a14e-63f2-4ce8-b61e-0e7753269eb9
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IIRC, Dallas, Houston, & Wacko are also going SIP. Dunno about the exceptions.
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Bill Gates says we can’t restart the economy soon and simply “ignore that pile of bodies over in the corner”
https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/3/24/21192638/coronavirus-bill-gates-trump-reopen-business
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Ohio governor urges public to call authorities on businesses violating pandemic rules | TheHill
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/public-global-health/489327-ohio-governor-urges-public-to-call-law-enforcement
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Trump’s Target for Ending Lockdown Sets Up Clash With Governors - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-24/kudlow-says-trump-wants-economy-open-but-won-t-ignore-doctors
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Legal experts say a U.S. president has quite limited power to order citizens back to their places of employment, or cities to reopen government buildings, transportation, or local businesses. Here is why.
What does the Constitution say about who makes decisions about public welfare?
The United States is a federalist system, meaning power is shared between a national and state governments.
Under the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, state governments have power to police citizens and regulate public welfare. In the country’s early years, it was up to state and local authorities to lead the response to the yellow fever epidemic, not the federal government.
Explainer: Trump has little power to restart U.S. economy - Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-reopen-explain/explainer-trump-has-little-power-to-restart-u-s-economy-idUSKBN21B3F5
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Gotcha!
Mayor Garcetti announces DWP will shut off water and power of nonessential L.A. businesses that don’t close
https://ktla.com/news/coronavirus/mayor-garcetti-expected-to-hold-daily-briefing-on-l-a-s-covid-19-response/
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California coronavirus prevention measures could last another 12 weeks, Gov. Gavin Newsom says
https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article241485161.html
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CAN: COVID-19 cases almost double as N.L. ramps up punishment | CBC News
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/covid19-janice-fitzgerald-wednesday-march-25-update-1.5509291
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"It's clear to me that we may not be achieving the level of compliance that is needed"
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signals he may consider stricter coronavirus order | The Texas Tribune
https://www.texastribune.org/2020/03/24/texas-gov-greg-abbott-signals-he-may-consider-stricter-coronavirus-ord/
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JoAnn Fabrics, Michaels and GameStop all got hit with cease-and-desist orders for staying open as the coronavirus spreads.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/joann-fabrics-michaels-gamestop-refused-to-close-illinois_n_5e7ba754c5b6cb08a926acea
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Mountain lions moving back into Boulder during lockdown.
https://www.reddit.com/r/aww/comments/fos9k0/mountain_lions_moving_back_into_boulder_during/
Top comment: "Top 5 ways to ensure your city stays in during the quarantine"
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You can't hide!
Toronto is gathering cellphone location data from telecoms to find out where people are still congregating amid coronavirus shutdown
https://business.financialpost.com/technology/city-of-toronto-gathering-cellphone-location-data-from-telecoms-in-bid-to-slow-spread-of-covid-19-tory
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UK’s Home Office warned that people who continue to flout coronavirus lockdown rules in England will be breaking the law and could be arrested by police.
Those who ignore tougher restrictions on movement could be hit with a £60 (about €66) fine initially and another for £120 (€132) for a second offence.
Officers were given the power to enforce rules on staying at home and avoiding non-essential travel as of 1pm today.
They can order members of the public to go home, leave an area, have the power to disperse a group, using “reasonable force, if necessary”.
Police can also take steps to make sure parents are stopping their children from breaking the rules.
police in England given new powers
https://www.thejournal.ie/people-who-ignore-lockdown-rules-in-uk-could-be-arrested-5058851-Mar2020/
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Meanwhile, in do-little FL..
Florida coronavirus deaths doubling every four days
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/coronavirus/fl-ne-florida-coronavirus-cases-doubling-20200327-otrtqlai5jan7koka6nu4zlj6q-story.html
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North Carolina gov is locking us down, effective Monday 5pm. News conference on now.
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Shelter in place: NC issues statewide stay at home order | Raleigh News & Observer
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article241469211.html
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>effective Monday 5pm
Damn, considering the confirmed cases ratio in NC that's really late in the crisis.
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>late
Most, maybe all, of our urban areas were shut down or in the process. Most of our rural counties have only one or two cases or even zero (but very little testing).
And... though he's a Democrat, the demographic runs Southern & red --particularly in the rural counties. And the rural counties tend to control the legislature.
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The Coronavirus Isn’t Just A Blue State Problem | FiveThirtyEight
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-coronavirus-isnt-just-a-blue-state-problem/
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Governors’ coronavirus pacts could thwart Trump goal of reopening country
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/27/coronavirus-trump-governors-152539
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Residents can be fined $1,000 if caught without masks in one city in Texas
https://abc13.com/laredo-texas-coronavirus-wearing-masks-covid-19/6070657/
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LA is pushing for masks too, I would not be surprised if California had a mandate for them soon.
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Governor Mike DeWine: Ohio's stay-at-home order extended until May 1; changes made
https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/governor-mike-dewine-ohios-stay-at-home-order-extended-until-may-1/95-5c687939-2c07-4bc0-925b-91e44dfdd9ef
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That'll work...
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte orders police and military to kill citizens who defy coronavirus lockdown - CBS News
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rodrigo-duterte-philippines-president-coronavirus-lockdown-shoot-people-dead/
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Clueless Georgia governor had no idea coronavirus could spread without symptoms "until the last 24 hours"
https://boingboing.net/2020/04/02/clueless-georgia-governor-had.html
Um, you have to be kidding me.
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Cut him some slack, he's been busy purging registered voters.
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Michigan Department of Health and Human Services issued an Emergency Order that sets a civil fine of up to $1,000 for violating orders related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
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Coronavirus cases: Cuomo doubles fines for New York social distancing rules
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/06/coronavirus-in-new-york-cuomo-doubles-max-fine-for-breaking-social-distancing-rules.html
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Acting relatively early has helped California flatten the curve*:
https://www.noozhawk.com/article/brian_goebel_california_flattened_covid_19_curve_in_march_20200405
*would have been great if Gavin Newsom read on the Core and acted sooner, but at least he moved once the evidence was clear
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SC issues coronavirus stay-at-home order, limits number of shoppers in stores | postandcourier.com
https://www.postandcourier.com/health/covid19/sc-issues-coronavirus-stay-at-home-order-limits-number-of-shoppers-in-stores/article_144481a6-7834-11ea-b747-9324c93bd43b.html
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Gov. Inslee orders Washington schools closed for remainder of year
https://mynorthwest.com/1804273/gov-inslee-orders-washington-schools-closed-for-remainder-of-year/
Figured it was just a matter of time. Doesn't make sense for everyone to go back to school for a couple weeks if they even wanted to open them back up.
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NYC Mayor Out to Prove That GOP Have Not Cornered the Market on COVID-19 Ignorance (https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/nyc-mayor-coronavirus-asymptomatic-statements-978553/)
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.
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Funny and sad in that it explains the problem well.
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Actually, the governor of Kentucky was talking about this in an interview and it's actually worse than that. A better analogy is to say that it's like having peeing and non-peeing sections of a swimming pool, and every time someone pees in the peeing section, people in the non-peeing section have to give them a dollar.
He was talking specifically about how the businesses in "your" community are doing the right thing and paying the price, and you're returning the favor by driving across the border and patronizing their competition.
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Wait! This capacity cut smells ripe for unintended consequences.
New Jersey governor slashes all train, bus and light rail transit capacity by 50%
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/11/new-jersey-governor-slashes-all-train-bus-and-light-rail-transit-by-50percent.html
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Alberta, CAN was prepared.
David Staples: Masterminds behind Alberta's medical supplies surge to meet COVID-19 crisis | Edmonton Journal
https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/david-staples-masterminds-behind-albertas-medical-supplies-surge-to-meet-covid-19-crisis/
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Connecticut governor: No restrictions lifted before May 20th | TheHill
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/492645-connecticut-governor-no-restrictions-lifted-before-may-20th
US governors announce multi-state pacts to begin easing coronavirus orders | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/13/democrats-governors-states-coronavirus-outbreak
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Poor choice of words: "Texans are dying to get back to work"
Texas gov thinks 'most states can reopen even sooner than later,' 'we don't have to wait until May 1' | Fox News
https://www.foxnews.com/media/texas-greg-abbott-states-reopen-before-may
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>multi-state pacts
Stepping into the void of Federal territory.
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Florida ordered coroners to stop releasing coronavirus death data (https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/495295-florida-ordered-coroners-to-stop-releasing-coronavirus-death-data-report)
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>void
The vacuum in Federal authority and sane leadership is so huge that states are having to ban together. Especially to resist pressure from Trump's "death cult" buddies.
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The head of Sweden's no-lockdown coronavirus plan said the country's heavy death toll 'came as a surprise' | Business Insider
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/coronavirus-sweden-lockdown-chief-says-high-death-toll-was-surprise-2020-5
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The state of Texas is warning Mayor Ron Nirenberg and County Judge Nelson Wolff their local coronavirus orders are unlawful.
Attorney General Ken Paxton said the orders are superseded by order put in place by the state of Texas, and could confuse residents of Bexar County and San Antonio.
“Unfortunately, a few Texas counties and cities seem to have confused recommendations with requirements and have grossly exceeded state law to impose their own will on private citizens and businesses. These letters seek to avoid any public confusion as we reopen the state,” Paxton said. “I trust that local officials will act quickly to correct any orders that unlawfully conflict with Texas law and Governor Abbott’s Executive Orders.”
https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/ken-paxton-sends-letter-warning-bexar-county-san-antonio-of-unlawful-covid-19-orders
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Surpise, surprise!
• 23 states are seeing upward trends in newly reported cases from one week to the next: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Oregon, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.
• Eight states are seeing steady numbers of newly reported cases: Indiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Utah.
• 18 states are seeing a downward trend: Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and Wisconsin.
• One state, Vermont, has seen a decrease of at least 50%.
Spikes in US coronavirus cases bring states and cities back to the table to discuss protection measures - CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/19/health/us-coronavirus-friday/index.html
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NC Gov. Cooper: North Carolina Pauses in Safer At Home Phase 2, Adds Statewide Requirement for Face Coverings
https://governor.nc.gov/news/north-carolina-pauses-safer-home-phase-2-adds-statewide-requirement-%EF%BB%BF-face-coverings
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>>Requirement for Face Coverings
Washington is now requiring face coverings too. Starts on Friday. In theory businesses can't serve people who aren't wearing masks. I am very interested to go to the grocery stores this weekend to see if they are enforcing this. I know Costco had a requirement for the last few weeks but there were still plenty of people with no masks there.
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It is being widely ignored in California. Someone who is traveling sent me this shot and said he is seeing signs like this everywhere.
One of the challenges: by definition, people who are gallivanting around tourist towns are not people particularly concerned with the spread of Covid.
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>widely ignored in California
I am seeing a pretty wide variation from area to area. My local town is pretty good about masks and the numbers are showing it compared to the neighboring towns. Overall though the state is doing quite poor, as are most states right now.
I am trying to imagine what life is going to be like when we crack the 10% infected level.
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From our So-What-Did-You-Expect Dept;
Governor Says Texas Has 'Massive' Outbreak As New Cases Again Exceed 5,000
https://www.newsweek.com/governor-says-texas-has-massive-outbreak-new-cases-again-exceed-5000-1513238
With more than 5,500 cases in a single day, Florida smashes coronavirus record
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/20200624/with-more-than-5500-cases-in-single-day-florida-smashes-coronavirus-record
Coronavirus CA: State reports over 7,000 cases, new daily high
https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article243762387.html
U.S. Sets Record for Daily New Cases as Virus Surges in South and West
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/24/world/coronavirus-updates.html
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>>widely ignored in California
Seeing signs like this around here:
(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/105856547_10157341819802393_4421158386562329868_n.jpg?_nc_cat=108&_nc_sid=110474&_nc_oc=AQk8cR6LUl_FkP3scJftvAo3mkLOqc9zyoGG1GmGzo5lbi3vseloPH-nGXAMLD0mFXI&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=242831129fa423c8ac7a15e6c5ecfac0&oe=5F1C2A72)
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I've seen headlines that bars and restaurants are closing again in Houston. It must be truly apocalyptic there.
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>Texas
They've had their asses handed to them.
Coronavirus: Texas pauses state's reopening plan as cases, hospitalizations rise
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/25/texas-gov-abbott-pauses-states-reopening-plan-as-coronavirus-cases-hospitalizations-rise.html
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Nothing to see here.
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Gov. Ducey: 'Arizona on pause' as more coronavirus case spikes expected
https://www.abc15.com/news/region-phoenix-metro/central-phoenix/watch-live-governor-ducey-to-give-3-p-m-coronavirus-update
OK Governor Stitt says closing businesses again ‘not a part of the discussion’
https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/stitt-says-closing-businesses-again-not-a-part-of-the-discussion-as-coronavirus-cases-rise/
NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo Yanks Movie Theaters From Phase 4
https://deadline.com/2020/06/ny-gov-andrew-cuomo-movie-theaters-malls-gyms-phase-4-covid-cases-spike-states-1202969792/
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My local town is pretty good about masks
A friend just went to Berkeley and said it is completely different than here in CA District 4. Everyone wearing masks, keeping distance, etc.
But then again, Alameda County (where Berkeley is) voted 14% for Trump and San Francisco voted 9% for Trump. But here in Mariposa County and in neighboring Tuolumne County where the above sign came from, we went 58% and 57% for Trump. Lassen County, the county that reopened early and then had to shut back down, went 79% for Trump in 2016. And as we know, mask-wearing has become a means of signaling political affiliation.
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Florida governor under fire over claims state is 'cooking the books' on Covid-19 | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/26/florida-governor-ron-desantis-republican-coronavirus
Florida withholds coronavirus hospitalization data - South Florida Sun-Sentinel
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/coronavirus/fl-ne-coronavirus-hidden-health-data-20200625-fxaqlfnlrbgm3ouzrcm55yhaxe-story.html
As COVID Cases Surged, Florida Shut Down Its Business Complaint Portal
https://www.wlrn.org/post/covid-cases-surged-florida-shut-down-its-business-complaint-portal#stream/0
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Florida adds another 8,942 new COVID-19 cases, breaking single-day record again
https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/florida-coronavirus-numbers-june26/67-8de17be9-e4ef-4ef4-9dbe-fb7f434fe538
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Yep. It's the bars...
"All bars and similar establishments that receive more than 51% of their gross receipts from the sale of alcoholic beverages are required to close at 12:00 pm Friday."
Coronavirus: Texas rolls back its reopening plan as cases rise
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/26/texas-rolls-back-its-reopening-a-day-after-pausing-plans-as-coronavirus-cases-rise.html
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<added>
It's bad, real bad, if....
Florida Suspends Consumption of Alcohol at Bars Statewide
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/florida-suspends-consumption-of-alcohol-at-bars-statewide-1.1456929
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>it's bad
Yup.
Florida's cv19 graph goes hockey-stick.
https://boingboing.net/2020/06/26/florida-reports-a-massive-surg.html
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I wish they would report positivity rate. Reporting cases is like reporting the number of people caught for speeding or tax evasion. That one number just doesn't tell you enough to be informed.
One of my pet peeves is that journalists are generally terrible at statistics, which makes most statistics-based reporting terrible.
If you look at the surge in the context of the positivity rate, Florida looks terrifying
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/testing/individual-states/florida
My home state appears to be getting it right
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/testing/individual-states/vermont
If you look at CA, you see that it is setting highs for new cases, but the positivity rate isn't changing much.
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/testing/individual-states/california
So though both CA and FL are setting records, CA is looking way better than FL and way worse than VT
New York's performance looks amazing
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/testing/individual-states/new-york
-
>positivity rate
This site does if you drill into the state stats -- the blue beaker icon next the state in the table as you scroll down.
https://coronavirus.1point3acres.com/en
https://coronavirus.1point3acres.com/en/test?state=CA
-
All the links I posted show state-level data for
- tests
- positives
- positivity rate
Check out the graph for Florida. Not good. I'm actually surprised that CA is holding steady.
But there you go - it probably took us each less than five minutes to find that data, and yet most articles don't mention it because
1. Most journalists really don't understand statistics *at* *all*
2. They are on deadline and it is mostly a volume industry, not an insight industry
-
>Florida. Not good. I'm actually surprised that CA is holding steady.
North Carolina PR is around 8%, not horrific.
-
1 in 4 Houston Residents Testing Positive for COVID-19 Amid Texas Outbreak
https://www.newsweek.com/1-4-houston-residents-testing-positive-covid-19-amid-texas-outbreak-1515349
-
The Florida Department of Health reported more than 11,000 new COVID-19 cases Saturday (https://www.wftv.com/news/local/florida-reports-record-breaking-11458-new-covid-19-cases-orange-county-see-more-than-1k-new-cases/44AF7RIP3BG7LHQ7DU2RDF3ZVM/)
-
NC isn't doing great, cases & hospitalizations are creeping up --but at least case increases aren't exponential. Daily deaths are declining over this past week. When compared to the Southern states around us, we look fantastic.
https://covidtracking.com/data/state/north-carolina/#historical
-
More Than 20 U.S. States Now Require Face Masks In Public : NPR
https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/07/10/889691823/more-than-20-u-s-states-now-require-face-masks-in-public
-
Gov. DeSantis is Florida Man
Florida reports more than 15,000 new cases, shattering record
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/12/florida-reports-more-than-15000-new-coronavirus-cases-shattering-record.html
-
Newsom Orders Bars, Indoor Dining Closed Across California as Virus Spikes
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/california/newsom-orders-bars-indoor-dining-closed-across-california-as-virus-spikes/2325216/
-
Gyms are still open in my county, I don't understand the thinking there.
-
>gyms
California shuts bars, indoor dining and most gyms, churches – Orange County Register
https://www.ocregister.com/2020/07/13/california-shuts-bars-indoor-dining-and-most-gyms-churches/
-
So, it is interesting, my county is doing better than most -- probably due to more mask wearing and a higher average education than the rest of the state, but some here think allowed means safe. I did a drive-by of my gym and there are people in there huffing and puffing away on the treadmills. On the way to a mailbox today there were a group of 20 young maskless Mormons in close proximity to each other while filing their way into their ward.
-
Texas hospitals are running out of drugs, beds, ventilators and even staff | The Texas Tribune
https://www.texastribune.org/2020/07/14/texas-hospitals-coronavirus/
-
Republican Governor of Mississippi does the math on herd immunity (in 7 tweets)
https://twitter.com/tatereeves/status/1282783825219682304
Starts with
I’m not a health care expert by any means, but I am a math guy.
Concludes with
"Unless you're willing to go without hospitals after a car wreck or heart attack, we need a different approach. Right now, despite mixed messages at the beginning, it seems like masks are the best bet. They're a hell of a lot better than widespread shut downs. Please wear one!"
-
Oklahoma governor who rejected mask order tests positive for coronavirus
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jul/15/oklahoma-kevin-stitt-coronavirus-covid-19
-
Florida > UK (https://www.newsweek.com/florida-alone-just-exceeded-entire-uk-confirmed-coronavirus-cases-1518094)
-
"when it comes to the coronavirus, we have met the enemy, and he is us."
Californians fight over second coronavirus shutdown
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-07-16/californians-cant-mask-their-anger-at-second-coronavirus-shutdown
-
Major US retailers -Walmart, Target, CVS, Kohls- are now requiring masks in their stores.
-
"Between January to June 30, Florida reported 8,671 excess deaths, that’s more than double the 3,650 deaths the state attributed to COVID-19."
Excess deaths raise concerns about pandemic’s death toll in Florida
https://www.fox4now.com/rebound/excess-deaths-raise-concerns-about-pandemics-death-toll-in-florida
-
A Detailed Map of Who Is Wearing Masks in the U.S. (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/17/upshot/coronavirus-face-mask-map.html)
-
UK: Councils given new local lockdown powers
https://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2020/07/17/councils-given-new-local-lockdown-powers/
-
Walmart's masks-required policy goes into effect today, I believe. Lowes and Home Depot have also announced masks to be required. If you wanted to pick a venue almost guaranteed to out the no-mask opponents, you couldn't do much better than Walmart, Lowes, & Home Depot.
There have already been some gun-waving incidents in Wallyworld last week when customers were asked to put on a mask. I'm expecting quite a few more as it becomes policy. My news feeds say that the Walmart employees are scared to try and enforce it.
Home Depot says they are putting bouncers at the entrances.
-
Reality sucks.
Nearly Two-Thirds of Texans Say that COVID-19 is "Out of Control" – Texas Monthly
https://www.texasmonthly.com/politics/poll-texans-greg-abbott-coronavirus/
-
McDonald's Will Require Face Masks At Its More Than 14,000 U.S. Restaurants : NPR
https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/07/24/895126897/mcdonalds-will-require-face-masks-at-its-more-than-14-000-u-s-restaurants
-
NC still teetering on the cusp but some signs are encouraging --positivity rate is approaching 5%. New cases/deaths per day approx 2200/30.
Meanwhile (Note that this is from FL media) ....
Coronavirus Florida: ‘Flori-duh,’ DeSantis in national spotlight for bungling pandemic - Ocala.com
https://www.ocala.com/news/20200726/coronavirus-florida-lsquoflori-duhrsquo-desantis-in-national-spotlight-for-bungling-pandemic/1
-
>>De Santis
The simple fact is that every politician, almost regardless of the decisions they made, is at risk because of CV. You have De Santis on one side catching fire for stupidly opening the economy, but meanwhile in California you have Newsome catching fire for stupidly closing the economy.
https://pvtimes.com/news/third-recall-attempt-launched-against-newsom-87260/
I think that as a general rule, Covid hotspots are bad for incumbents.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2020/07/13/popularity-dives-of-governors-in-coronavirus-hotspots/#71f2697a430f
-
Looking at the gubernatorial candidates here in Washington nearly all the Republican candidates (30 candidates total on the ballot) are pushing to re-open everything ASAP. Overall I would be pretty right-leaning but for the most part I am pretty pleased with how our Democratic governor has handled things so far. Makes me think the elections this fall will be a lot uglier than normal no matter who wins.
Has anyone seen any numbers tied to the economy in states like Florida that have re-opened vs. others that are still mostly or at least partly closed? Is reopening really boosting those economies? Are unemployment claims down in those state?
-
>NC
Governors who took the virus seriously from the start get a boost
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/meet-the-press/governors-who-took-virus-seriously-start-get-boost-n1234960
-
Attention! Put your head between your legs and kiss your a## goodbye.
Central Florida county COVID-19 positivity rate jumps to over 30 percent, health officials say
https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/central-florida-county-covid-19-positivity-rate-jumps-to-over-30-percent-health-officials-say
<+>
Help us out, Gov. DeSantis. We’re dying here - South Florida Sun-Sentinel
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/editorials/fl-op-edit-desantis-masks-20200729-klyb3eypgfcyhpsb3ezmxx4fkm-story.html
-
Georgia: Kid records crowded HS hallway where all the kids aren't wearing masks and gets suspended. (https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/News/video/student-suspended-showing-fellow-students-masks-72209309)
-
I hope the ACLU or some such group takes the kid's case. What the principal did might be defensible for some rationales, but his reasoning is anathema to American values (at least as per Tinker vs Des Moines that says that students do not leave their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse door).
-
Well, that didn't take long
UNC-Chapel Hill moves all classes online after 130 more COVID-19 cases
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article245014185.html
-
>UNC-Chapel Hill
"If [a student's tuition] payment is not received by 5 p.m. on August 17th, classes may be cancelled."
https://cashier.unc.edu/tuition-fees/important-dates/
thanks for playing
-
I'm sure that's just a coincidence.
Oh wait, no, it is *exactly* what this professor of higher education financing predicted in the July 31 episode of Planet Money
https://www.npr.org/2020/07/31/897983620/college-fails
I think Covid will be a watershed moment for higher education that will expose many of the... uh... less accurate assertions made over the years about costs and value. I don't think there's a way back to the glory days of the early 2000s for universities.
Full disclosure: I have been predicting this every year for 25 years for some reason or another and I have so far been wrong 24 times, but I'm sticking to my broken-clock analysis until the damn hands come around to my point of view, so help me God.
-
This may interest you, ergophobe:
https://www.profgalloway.com/uss-university
Here is their data set with "thrive, survive, struggle" rating and "value-to-cost" metric.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CUs3HrqstC2oV3CF3_di4yW6Y4K_CIrUJNEEHCCKo7A/edit#gid=0
-
Good article. I have not read/heard a lot of Galloway's stuff, but I like that he's willing to shoot from the hip and be a little more out there than most scholars.
>>delusional
But as I say, I have been saying that about universities for 25 years and so far, I've been wrong 24 times. The bizarre form of university we have in the US seems strangely persistent.
-
Notre Dame reports 89 new COVID-19 infections in one day
https://www.southbendtribune.com/coronavirus/notre-dame-reports-89-new-covid-19-infections-in-one-day-monday/article_da52e7d4-e170-11ea-90a9-17e2f3aaecde.html
<+>
More than 2,000 students, 500 teachers in Mississippi in quarantine due to COVID-19
https://www.wjtv.com/health/coronavirus/more-than-2000-students-500-teachers-in-mississippi-in-quarantine-due-to-covid-19/
-
Notre Dame, Michigan State suspend in-person instruction
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/18/notre-dame-suspends-in-person-instruction-coronavirus-398043
-
UNC-Chapel Hill moves all classes online after 130 more COVID-19 cases
https://twitter.com/BretDevereaux/status/1295909929228873728
So everyone is talking about UNC's COVID-19 mess - and all that criticism is perfectly valid. But we also need to talk about why the uni-administration probably had no choice. Buckle up and let's talk about university finances and the 4 horsemen of the academipocalypse. 1/lots?
1/lots = 1/27
-
>university finances
I recently read headlines that said more that a few universities depend on sports to be their money-makers. Without fans, booster clubs, licensing agreements, logo sweatshirts, etc. they are sucking air bigtime.
-
Universities sound alarm as coronavirus cases emerge just days into classes — 530 at one campus
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/08/25/college-coronavirus-cases/
-
Not at all a surprise, I am not sure why we keep having magical thinking on this topic.
-
Yeow!
UNC-Chapel Hill Reports 31.3% of Students Tested Have COVID—And There Are Probably More
https://indyweek.com/news/orange/unc-carolina-inn-covid-19/
-
They must be approaching herd immunity then. Wow.
-
>more that a few universities depend on sports to be their money-makers.
Iowa State allowing 25,000 fans at first football game despite rising COVID cases in state
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/iowa-state-football-25000-fans-first-game-coronavirus-pandemic/
-
N.C. State Eclipses 1,000 Coronavirus Cases Among Students
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/north-carolina/articles/2020-09-16/nc-state-eclipses-1-000-coronavirus-cases-among-students
-
Parents sent child to Massachusetts school despite positive COVID-19 test
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/516859-parents-sent-child-to-massachusetts-school-despite-positive-covid-19
-
North Carolina has the lowest rate of positive COVID-19 tests in the south (5%)
https://www.wcnc.com/video/news/local/wake-up-charlotte/north-carolina-has-the-lowest-rate-of-positive-covid-19-tests-in-the-south/275-1b3862c6-80f9-453f-b0ea-eee28f8c8dbb
Rural counties are running 7-13%, though.
-
Rural counties are running 7-13%, though.
Strange. In our rural county we have one of the lower rates in CA. I think of urban areas with their bars and stores as being at more risk.
-
New York state marks lowest 1-day death toll since start of pandemic
https://abc7ny.com/health/covid-updates-ny-marks-lowest-1-day-death-toll-since-start-of-pandemic/6478675/
-
THIS:
But our eagerness for good news at the expense of being realistic is bigger than anything manufactured by this administration; Trump, rather, is only playing to what is an inherently American tendency toward optimism, as my colleague Damon Linker has written. Most of us have never lived through a crisis of this magnitude, and it can seem impossible, in our otherwise relatively safe lives, that this is really happening. Sometimes we absolutely need to cling to good news for our mental health's sake (although that usually means one has a realistic understanding of the bad parts, too). There are also grimmer explanations for why so much of our population does not seem to engage with the bad news: They just don't care. As The Atlantic has compellingly argued, "Part of the reason this majority-white, majority-non-elderly country has been so blasé about COVID-19 deaths is that mostly Black people and old people are dying."
America needs to hear the bad news first
https://theweek.com/articles/938990/america-needs-hear-bad-news-first
Why the U.S. Stopped Caring About COVID-19 Deaths - The Atlantic
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/09/covid-death-toll-us-empathy-elderly/616379/
-
>>American tendency toward optimism
My first trip to Europe was during the Reagan presidency. I remember someone asked me to explain American politics and specifically said, "When someone promises to cut taxes, raise military spending and reduce the debt, how is that Americans find this reasonable?"
-
Fauci says Vermont should be a model for the nation
https://www.necn.com/news/coronavirus/vermont-gov-to-give-coronavirus-update-4/2323238/
I mentioned in the real-estate thread, this is a bonanza for my sister-in-law's real-estate business. Non-stop calls from out-of-staters wanting to look at homes in Vermont since the Fauci comment.
-
> out-of-staters wanting to look at homes in Vermont
Heh! Until the winter hits. They'll be even more restricted by weather than by covid.
White River Junction, VT is nice ...in the summer. One of my daughters went to boarding school in West Lebanon for 3 years. I once ate in a Burger King that the only part you could see above the snow was the top of the roadside sign and a few spaces in the parking lot that they'd had cleared with a loader. They'd tunneled into the building entrance.
-
>>Until the winter hits.
Funny you should mention that. My brother had that realization and bought this fancy new connected bike (Wahoo Kickr). He said that a week later they were sold out... everyone is starting to think about what winter is going to look like. Limited skiing. No gyms.
Keep in mind, though, that most of these people are coming from large Northeastern cities, and I will take winter in Vermont over winter in Boston just about any year.
-
> out-of-staters wanting to look at homes in Vermont
My next door neighbors just drove from TX to VT to consider relocating. They are newly remote workers.
-
Here we go....
Florida Lifts State Restaurant Restrictions
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/25/world/covid-coronavirus.html#link-42149007
"
DeSantis, a Republican and avid supporter of President Trump who spoke at the president’s rally in Jacksonville on Thursday, said that he would sign an order allowing restaurants and many other businesses to operate at full capacity as part of Phase 3 of his administration’s reopening plan.
County governments would be allowed to limit capacity but not by more than 50 percent, Mr. DeSantis said — a new restriction on local control.
/"
=======
Gov. DeSantis Lifts Coronavirus Restrictions The Day After Florida Had Highest Daily Death Rate In US
https://www.mediaite.com/tv/gov-desantis-lifts-coronavirus-restrictions-the-day-after-florida-had-highest-daily-death-rate-in-us/
-
U.S. is 'not in a good place' as daily coronavirus cases grow, Fauci says
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/28/the-us-is-not-in-a-good-place-as-coronavirus-cases-grow-beyond-.html
SOooo...
Florida lifts all COVID-19 restrictions
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/florida-lifts-covid-19-restrictions/story?id=73294496
-
Non-stop calls from out-of-staters wanting to look at homes in Vermont since the Fauci comment.
The virus sent droves to a small town. Suddenly, it's not so small
"Bear complaints are up. Plumbers are booked until Christmas. And the dump is “sheer pandemonium."
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/26/us/coronavirus-vermont-transplants.html
The long-term consequences could be massive:
The last time that happened in a big way was during the back-to-the-land movement in the 1960s and ’70s, when the state’s population grew by 35,000, among them such icons as Bernie Sanders and Ben and Jerry’s.
-
Florida reports spike in new coronavirus cases days after restrictions relaxed
https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/29/health/us-coronavirus-tuesday/index.html
So, since Florida is doing so well...
Tennessee governor ending all statewide restrictions on businesses, gatherings
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/518801-tennessee-governor-ending-all-statewide-restrictions-on-businesses
-
>New cases surged to 3,266 from the 738 reported Monday, according to the state's health department. That's the highest one-day number since September 19.
:-\
-
SC governor: Restaurants can return to 100% capacity soon
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/oct/1/sc-governor-restaurants-can-return-to-100-capacity/
-
Looks like the White House is the new hot spot.
Journalists who work at the White House are testing positive for Covid-19 - CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/02/media/journalists-white-house-covid-19/index.html
A maskless Mike Lee hugs guests at White House event - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dUlWu1zQO4
Notre Dame president, Utah Sen. Mike Lee test positive for COVID-19 after White House visit
https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/notre-dame-president-utah-sen-mike-lee-test-positive-for-covid-19-after-white-house-visit
White House Outbreak: Here Are The People Who Have Tested Positive For Covid Near President Trump
https://www.forbes.com/sites/elanagross/2020/10/02/white-house-outbreak-here-are-the-people-who-have-tested-positive-for-covid-near-president-trump/
-
That trip to Bedminster NJ after Trump already was feeling sick and knew he was exposed was in character.
-
Another one;
Tillis was at the White House event last weekend
Sen Thom Tillis Tests Positive
https://politicalwire.com/2020/10/02/tillis-tests-positive/
-
It's becoming a who's who of the GOP:
https://www.thedailybeast.com/kellyanne-conway-tests-positive-for-covid-19
+Bill Stepien, Trump’s campaign manager
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/02/trump-campaign-manager-tests-positive-for-covid-19-425722
-
>Looks like the White House is the new hot spot.
More cases in the White House than in all of Vietnam.
-
>White House
At least seven 8 people who attended event for Trump’s supreme court nominee have confirmed they have coronavirus
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced Saturday morning that he has tested positive.
> a who's who of the GOP:
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel Tested Positive for Coronavirus on Wednesday
https://www.thedailybeast.com/republican-national-committee-chairwoman-ronna-mcdaniel-tested-positive-for-coronavirus-on-wednesday
<+>
As far as I can ascertain, Johnson was not infected at the Rose Garden event.
Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin has tested positive
<++>
>Vietnam
Former Trump official Anthony Scaramucci: White House is on the way to having more cases of coronavirus than New Zealand.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12370063
-
>>Scaramucci
Now that's funny. Oddly, I just listened to an interview with him on a Best Of Recode/Decode. The interview was from 2018, but he is a much more interesting guy than I had thought based on his career as White House Communications Director.
Of course, it's hard to judge the whole person based on an 11-day career.
-
Boris Johnson Defends COVID Strategy as UK Infections Soar
https://time.com/5896168/uk-coronavirus-strategy/
-
China is back to normal — the US and Europe are not. Here's how it succeeded.
https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-china-back-to-normal-us-europe-struggle-2020-10
-
I'm in Vietnam, 99.9999% normal.
A lot of reasons why, I would say doing what you are told to do is 50% of it, community is the other 50%.
-
I'm in Vietnam, 99.9999% normal.
I don't think that is an option for the west now.
-
>west
NY Health Officials Order Shutdown of 10,000 Person Wedding in Brooklyn – NBC New York
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/coronavirus/ny-health-officials-order-shutdown-of-10000-person-wedding-in-brooklyn/2674708/
COVID News: Police bust Queens Luxe Banquet Hall with more than 200 inside - ABC7 New York
https://abc7ny.com/queens-banquet-hall-luxe-illegal-gathering-bust/7121170/
<+>
Miami Beach Will No Longer Enforce County-Wide Curfew, Opening Door For Clubs To Stay Open Until 5 AM
https://miami.cbslocal.com/2020/10/18/miami-beach-curfew-lifted-bars-clubs/
Florida Reports Highest Coronavirus Numbers In Past Two Months
https://miami.cbslocal.com/2020/10/17/florida-reports-highest-coronavirus-numbers-in-past-two-months/
-
I'm in Vietnam, 99.9999% normal.
I don't think that is an option for the west now.
Of course it is, do what you are told, care about others. Is that too hard to do?
-
>Is that too hard to do?
Apparently it is. I find it incredibly frustrating that we know what we need to do but we don't have the will to do it.
-
Eight months in, California is containing COVID-19 as other states spike. Here’s why. (https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/10/18/eight-months-in-california-is-containing-covid-19-as-other-states-spike-heres-why/)
Nationwide, daily infections are up one-quarter in the last two weeks, and the country just reported its most in a single day since July. Lightly populated North Dakota is seeing 85 new cases a day per 100,000 residents over the last two weeks. California? Ten new cases per 100,000, up just 2 percent in two weeks.
The reasons why, health experts say, are made clear by a stroll through San Francisco. Pedestrians are masked and passing each other at acceptable social distances. Painted circles partition off small groups at one of the city’s most popular parks. Posters stapled to signposts once hawked live music; now, they advertise masks.
Every city could be San Francisco, and every state like California, these experts say. SARS-CoV-2 has proved to be a complex and mysterious virus, but eight months since it landed on our shores, the science seems clear on a simple way to contain it.
“If you social distance and you wear masks, you decrease the cases dramatically,” said Dr. John Swartzberg, an infectious disease expert and professor emeritus at UC Berkeley. “A culture that accepts the science and follows it is going to do better.”
-
Of course, there’s no guarantee Californians won’t grow impatient with the current restrictions, pushing to end them or resolving to ignore them. Cases could spike again. But so far the state seems cautious in the face of its recent success.
Meanwhile, up here in the redneck country, mask-wearing has largely stopped according to what my wife saw at the grocery store last week. A month ago, everyone in the grocery store was masked. She said, with I'm sure some exaggeration, that on Thursday "nobody" was wearing masks. I have heard a lot of stories of people with masks being verbally aggressed and some friend who are frontline workers have had things happen like customers come up and aggressively exhale at them (yeah, that's a thing in our culture now).
Of course, our area is one of a handful of CA counties that has been Yellow since the day the four-color rating was enacted (to date, only eight counties have reached Yellow). So people here are getting complacent.
On the other hand, I see a big gap between frontline workers and customers. The workers seem ever more vigilant. One friend who works in a *bar* (but a bar that only allows sit down, has limited tables and has most service outside) has a face shield that is like a cowling around his whole head. He said, "Once you've upgraded to the deluxe shield, you feel naked being out with just a mask."
-
>masks
Masks are abandoned here, too. Except, as you say, essential workers and in healthcare settings.
THIS:
As the Coronavirus Surges, a New Culprit Emerges: Pandemic Fatigue - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/17/us/coronavirus-pandemic-fatigue.html
-
I don't get out much but from what I've seen, mask wearing is up. But then we are spiking, seems like we break a record for new cases every day.
/Random Thought/
Plexiglass sales must be high right now. Somebody said, "I've never seen so many ingenious ways to fasten plexiglass everywhere and to anything," and I have to agree.
-
>Plexiglass
Plexiglass barriers do little or nothing for aerosols.
-
Illinois orders tighter restrictions on bars, restaurants and gatherings in several suburban counties as coronavirus positivity rates rise
https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-coronavirus-restrictions-roll-back-suburbs-20201020-6fhep6fodfdmpgbl5q7o26qdli-story.html
-
NC reaches 250K cases, more than 4,000 dead; no further reopening for at least 3 weeks
<+>
Today, I masked up and went deeeep into rural NC lumber country to my preferred, farm-to-counter butcher shop. This community is about as remote as it gets along the east coast; 8 houses, a train crossing, & said butcher shop / grocery store --25 miles from the nearest small town and hours to the nearest metro area. It was bustling, lots of coming and going, maybe 50 adults or more.
My wife & I were the only ones wearing masks in the place, customers OR employees. Ironically, there was a poster on the door that said the governor required masks in retail establishments.
The virus is over and done out in the sticks.
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Florida numbers keep coming in bad, so there's only one thing to do...
Screw with the numbers!
Florida coronavirus numbers delayed, state to shift how it investigates after Palm Beach reports 50 new deaths - Orlando Sentinel
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/coronavirus/os-ne-florida-coronavirus-wednesday-october-21-20201021-bsoxaphvxnf2djwdyseemxrqjq-story.html
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Coronavirus: Florida reports 5,557 new cases Thursday, most in 2 months
https://www.local10.com/news/local/2020/10/22/coronavirus-florida-reports-5557-new-cases-thursday-most-in-2-months/
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Charts show latest surge could push Texas past California for most coronavirus cases - SFChronicle.com
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Charts-show-how-coronavirus-cases-in-Bay-Area-15649129.php
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>masks
Masks are required in all businesses here. In the past few weeks I have only seen a handful of people not wearing masks in the stores. I do know there are a few restaurants where the employees aren't masking up when customers aren't there but once customers come in they all put their masks on.
There have been a few incidents here where store managers have gotten into confrontations with people not wearing masks and on the local FB groups restaurants and businesses get called out pretty heavily when they aren't enforcing the mask policies.
There isn't a lot of mask wearing however when people are just out and about. At the parks or hiking trails very few people are wearing masks. It is hit or miss on the streets downtown too. But for the most part when people go into a business they are wearing masks.
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'I don't know what to do anymore': Utah officials share dire words as state sees record 1,543 new COVID-19 cases
https://www.ksl.com/article/50035781/i-dont-know-what-to-do-anymore-utah-officials-share-dire-words-as-state-sees-record-1543-new-covid-19-cases
Gov. Herbert warns Utah hospitals starting to fill up and ‘should cause us all alarm'
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2020/10/22/gov-herbert-state-health/
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> mask wearing however when people are just out and about.
Cyprus have just introduced compulsory wearing of masks when outdoors, except when exercising.
Expect an increase in Lycra sales and slightly quicker walking.
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That makes no sense to me, because the virus would be more likely to spread from the heavy breathing of exercise.
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Across the border in Idaho the hospital is at 99% capacity, they just moved back to "red" which is their version of bad, and of course yesterday they just lifted the mask mandate. I just don't understand.
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San Francisco's Go Slow Approach Seems to Have Paid Off
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-10-25/san-francisco-slow-coronavirus-reopening
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Which states got it right and how/why
The odds could have been stacked against the state. The virus arrived in Vermont during the first wave sweeping the country. It shares borders with some of the hardest-hit states and has the third-oldest population in the country.... If the country as a whole had the same per capita death rate as Vermont, the nationwide death toll would be 30,000 instead of more than 215,000.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/14/best-state-responses-to-pandemic-429376
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I am shocked! Shocked!
UK Coronavirus: The Eat Out to Help Out accelerated second wave of Covid 19 study says
https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-eat-out-to-help-out-accelerated-second-wave-of-covid-19-study-says-12118285
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It's a mystery!
What’s behind Florida’s surging coronavirus cases? | WFLA
https://www.wfla.com/community/health/coronavirus/whats-behind-floridas-surging-coronavirus-cases/
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Texas Becomes First U.S. State to Exceed One Million Coronavirus Cases
https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2020-11-07/texas-becomes-first-us-state-to-exceed-1-million-coronavirus-cases
COVID-19 in Florida: 4,452 new infections, test positivity highest in three months - South Florida Sun-Sentinel
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/coronavirus/fl-ne-florida-coronavirus-deaths-cases-saturday-november-7-20201107-vgcptil2yzffloy4lqp4binzuy-story.html
'Dangerous times' - U of Utah Hospital ICU reaches 99 percent capacity
https://www.fox13now.com/news/coronavirus/local-coronavirus-news/dangerous-times-u-of-u-hospital-icu-reaches-99-percent-capacity
Nebraska: 'We're headed in the wrong direction': Record COVID hospitalization rates hit concerning levels
https://www.ketv.com/article/were-headed-in-the-wrong-direction-record-covid-hospitalization-rates-hit-concerning-levels/34592216
New record: North Carolina reports 2,908 new cases of coronavirus :: WRAL.com
https://www.wral.com/coronavirus/new-record-nc-reports-2-908-new-cases-of-coronavirus/19373616/
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'Very worst of the pandemic' ahead in US with no apparent strategy, experts say | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/08/coronavirus-pandemic-trump-biden-strategy-experts
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President-Elect Biden Has A Plan To Combat COVID-19. Here's What's In It
Biden says he'd use the Defense Production Act to increase production of masks, face shields and other personal protective equipment so that supply exceeds demand.
This should have been done 6 months ago. Good 6 point plan.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/11/08/930887069/hold-president-elect-biden-has-a-plan-to-combat-covid-19-heres-what-s-in-it
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I think it's the demand side that needs work. I believe this was posted here already:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q3PSISAZL8
Since the election, I've heard of an uptick in people being aggressed due to wearing masks.
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Vivek Murthy, who was the nation’s top doctor when Biden was vice president under President Barack Obama, will be named as one of the co-chairs
Biden names fired surgeon general as a head of COVID-19 taskforce
https://nypost.com/2020/11/08/biden-names-fired-surgeon-general-as-a-head-of-covid-19-taskforce/
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Deep red Utah;
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert issues statewide mask mandate as covid-19 cases spike - The Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/11/09/utah-emergency-masks-mandate-covid/
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Now the question is, will mask orders from a Republican governor attenuate the polemics around masks or split the party in Utah.
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>attenuate the polemics around masks or split the party
Debbie says that there won't be much change unless the deaths & serious, debilitating cases get to 1 in 20-ish. Otherwise, denial reigns.
OR
The governor puts some bite into the enforcement with fines and jail time, then it'll hurt the party.
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A look at the members of President-elect Biden’s coronavirus task force
https://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/meet-the-members-of-president-elect-bidens-coronavirus-task-force/DPJLUG2NTVEORO4TYKIEXIMNWE/
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> serious, debilitating cases get to 1 in 20-ish. Otherwise, denial reigns.
Florida coronavirus spread has hit 1 in 25 residents as US passes 10 million cases - Orlando Sentinel
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/coronavirus/os-ne-florida-coronavirus-monday-november-9-20201109-yo2pvmx2gbd3jpgxxgbikublge-story.html
>Utah
Mask mandate from Utah governor draws pushback, protests - Deseret News
https://www.deseret.com/utah/2020/11/9/21557460/utah-mask-mandate-protest-governor-gary-herbert-coronavirus-covid19-salt-lake-county
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People have to know someone who gets hit.
Which is not true with, say, terrorism. People have deep fears about terrorism and we have put up with all manner of privacy invasion, inconvenience, expense and security theater. I think it's been worth it though. Every day, I say thanks for all the people close to me whose lives have been saved by making us take our shoes off at the airport and confiscating my nail clippers. If only mask wearing were as effective as that, I think we could all get behind it.
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Like you said in a some time ago in a different thread, it isn't how many people die but about how they die.
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That's my wife's stock response when I start getting on the above rant. "People focus on interesting ways to die" I think is her usual phrasing... though that's still not quite right
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https://www.dumbwaystodie.com/song
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Mayo Clinic Health System says area hospitals are 100% full
https://wqow.com/2020/11/10/mayo-clinic-health-system-says-area-hospitals-are-100-full/
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Virus surge: Schools abandon classes, states retreat
https://apnews.com/article/schools-abandon-classes-virus-surge-36e842656de5f5193f3d55e37ffc8351
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Gov. Tate Reeves: Mississippi would not participate in national lockdown if issued
https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2020/11/12/national-lockdown-coronavirus-not-in-ms-gov-reeves/6269903002/
<+>
"Almost all of the 16 Republican governors who oppose statewide mask mandates are ready to reject Biden’s plea, they told POLITICO or declared in public statements"
Red state governors reject Biden on mask orders - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/13/republican-governors-reject-biden-mask-orders-436385
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U.S. COVID-19 case rate per 100k by state | Statista
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1109004/coronavirus-covid19-cases-rate-us-americans-by-state/
Yeah! My state sucks less that 2/3rds of the country.
<+>
Oregon, New Mexico order lockdowns as other states resist
https://www.thestate.com/news/article247173914.html
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https://www.cbsnews.com/news/marjorie-taylor-greene-incoming-house-member-says-masks-are-oppressive-covid-19-surge/
marjorie taylor green - people voted her into congress
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Deeeep red ND issues mask mandate.
North Dakota issues statewide mask mandate to stem spread of COVID-19
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/525968-north-dakota-issues-statewide-mask-mandate-to-stem-spread-of-covid-19
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I was told it was a blue state disease.
But yeah... saw that on the chart you posted the other day. North Dakota is bad.
Interestingly, the state that was best on that chart was Vermont, the state that
a) voted most heavily against Trump
b) has a Republican governor who took it seriously from day 1
I know a lot of Democrats and Trump-haters from Vermont who have really admired the way Phil Scott handled Covid
I love Vermont politics. Always some of the most interesting in the country. And the gubernatorial race in the age of Covid was no exception....
Phil Scott announced on May 28, 2020, that he would seek a third term as governor, but in light of Covid, he would not campaign, maintain a campaign staff or fundraise. In a contested primary, he took 73% of the Republican vote (no surprise for an incumbent), but Scott also won 5% of the vote in the Progressive Party primary as write-ins.. For folks following along at home, that was the party that Bernie Sanders essentially created in his mayoral run that first put him in public office. So 5% of the Sanderistas voted for a Republican incumbent who as not even on the ballot in their primary, but who had one of the most aggressive Covid responses in the country. In fact, I would say *the* most aggressive response in the country relative to infection rates. The response in New York was more aggressive, but that had a crisis on their hands.
What did this aggressive response to Covid do for the Republican governor in the general election? In a state that went 66% Democrat for president, the Republican governor took 69% of the vote without even campaigning.
And that's not baseline popularity. When he ran for reelection in 2018, without Covid, he not only did worse in the general election (55%), he actually did worse in the Republican primary (67%). So even among the party faithful, he *gained* ground.
Of course, it's too late to change 2020, but I think he shows what could have happened in the US.
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Surging virus cases get a shrug in many Midwestern towns
https://www.kfyrtv.com/2020/11/14/surging-virus-cases-get-a-shrug-in-many-midwestern-towns/
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>Vermont
I always wanted to visit there and the NE in general. The general impression I get is that they are largely independent and resourceful.
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I didn't think North Dakota HAD 2200 people.
2,278 cases of COVID-19 reported in North Dakota, new single-day high
https://www.valleynewslive.com/2020/11/14/2278-cases-of-covid-19-reported-in-north-dakota-new-single-day-high/
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Thousands of cars form lines to collect food in Covid-hit Texas - CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/15/us/dallas-texas-food-bank-coronavirus/index.html
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> mask wearing however when people are just out and about.
Cyprus have just introduced compulsory wearing of masks when outdoors, except when exercising.
Expect an increase in Lycra sales and slightly quicker walking.
Plus... In Paphos and Limassol (similar to States) hard curfew 8pm to 5am. Travel between the two districts essentially banned, negative covid test with last 7 days if you are one of the few with exception to travel. Oh and road blocks checking paperwork is in order, not pulling people over at random, every single vehicle is stopped and checked
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Another GOP state decides masks are better than bodies piled in morgue trailers.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announces statewide mask mandate
https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/national/coronavirus/iowa-governor-kim-reynolds-announces-statewide-mask-mandate
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> state
Now that the election is over GOP governors are under less pressure to play to their base.
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Ye-ow! Stay outta South Dakota. 50% positivity rate!!!
"South Dakota, where more than half of tests have come back positive for weeks"
They Resisted COVID Measures, Until Now
https://www.newser.com/story/299066/governors-relent-after-resisting-covid-measures.html
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The number of Covid-19 cases reported each week in Florida has tripled since the state reopened - CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/23/us/florida-cases-triple-reopening/index.html
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‘Indiana is on fire’: Gov. Eric Holcomb orders hospitals to delay elective surgeries as COVID-19 overwhelms health care system
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/ct-ptb-covid-indiana-hospital-cancel-surgeries-st-1210-20201209-ue3zumvnbjgbfldlxgsvojr5gi-story.html
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Young People Have Less Covid-19 Risk, but in College Towns, Deaths Rose Fast
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/12/us/covid-colleges-nursing-homes.html
But since the end of August, deaths from the coronavirus have doubled in counties with a large college population, compared with a 58 percent increase in the rest of the nation. Few of the victims were college students, but rather older people and others living and working in the community.
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All Indiana jury trials suspended until March 1 due to COVID-19
The Indiana Supreme Court has suspended all jury trials statewide until March 1 in response to the continuing surge of COVID-19 cases across the Hoosier State.
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/all-indiana-jury-trials-suspended-until-march-1-due-to-covid-19/article_52465113-fbb7-560c-96fd-2317834e9b60.html?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter_nwi
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Netherlands to go into tough, five-week lockdown over Christmas
https://nypost.com/2020/12/15/netherlands-to-go-into-tough-five-week-lockdown-over-christmas/
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Herd Immunity: Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf says coronavirus approach 'has failed' - BBC
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55347021
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Well, this is helpful.
Brazil President Bolsonaro says 'COVID-19 vaccine can turn people into crocodiles'
https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/south-america/brazil-president-bolsonaro-says-covid-19-vaccine-can-turn-people-into-crocodiles.html
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Christmas household mixing has been banned in England's new Tier Four, and cut to Christmas Day for the rest of the country.
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UK: Police will stop people fleeing new Covid tier 4 areas, ministers say
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/dec/20/police-to-stop-people-fleeing-new-covid-tier-4-areas-hancock-says
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Despite Strict Measures, England’s Virus Cases Are Soaring - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/12/29/world/covid-19-coronavirus-updates
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Recall that in the first weeks of the outbreak in China our satellites picked up gas clouds that were attributed to massive crematory operations.
California suspends pollution-control limits to deal with backlog in cremations
https://www.smh.com.au/world/central-america/california-suspends-pollution-control-limits-to-deal-with-backlog-in-cremations-20210119-p56v7m.html
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Coronavirus: California's cases down 50%; hospitalizations by 25%
https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/01/29/coronavirus-california-has-cut-its-cases-in-half-and-hospitalizations-by-a-quarter/
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We just got permission to restart lodging... and so the cycle begins again.
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CDC ranking: NC COVID-19 vaccine effort leaps from almost bottom to near the top
https://www.heraldonline.com/news/state/north-carolina/article248868494.html#storylink=mainstage_card
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The severe health conditions that qualify Californians under 65 for COVID vaccines
https://www.sfgate.com/coronavirus/article/covid-severe-health-conditions-qualify-vaccine-15951984.php
— Cancer, current with debilitated or immunocompromised state
— Chronic kidney disease, stage 4 or above
— Chronic pulmonary disease, oxygen dependent
— Down syndrome
— Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
— Pregnancy
— Sickle cell disease
— Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies (excludes hypertension)
— Severe obesity (Body Mass Index ≥ 40 kg/m2)
— Type 2 diabetes mellitus with hemoglobin A1c level greater than 7.5%
I happen to know from studies that those with Chronic kidney disease are 4 times more likely to die from Covid-19. I would expect that transplants and heart conditions to have a similar mortality rate.
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A lot of those conditions often have an overlap.
I've read recently that pregnant woman are 14 13 times more likely to die from covid-19 than non-pregnant women of the same age. That's huge, I'm not sure why it isn't getting more attention.
Apparently down symptoms patients are getting do not resuscitate status in UK hospitals.
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Travel bans do little to stem COVID-19 spread
https://www.futurity.org/travel-bans-covid-19-spread-2525432
The investigators also found that selective lockdown policies, for example restriction only on the activity of the elderly, seems not to have a great effect on the overall transmission of the epidemic.
Deploying their algorithmic framework to model scenarios in which restrictions are lifted, the researchers found that lifting restrictions on social activity must happen gradually to avoid a second wave, while the timing and swiftness of removal of travel restrictions seem not to have a great effect on the transmission.
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>lifting restrictions on social activity must happen gradually to avoid a second wave
Just one of several;
SC governor allows alcohol sales past 11 PM, lifts COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings
https://www.wbtv.com/2021/02/26/sc-governor-allow-alcohol-sales-past-pm-lift-covid-restrictions-gatherings/
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Travel bans do little to stem COVID-19 spread
https://www.futurity.org/travel-bans-covid-19-spread-2525432
is effective only in the first phases of the epidemic, and reduces in proportion to the spread of infection across a population.
I wonder if that means it is effective in stopping new variants.
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Abbott Ends Texas Mask Mandate, Says Businesses Can Fully Reopen - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/02/world/greg-abbott-texas-masks-reopening.html
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Meanwhile, in France, Macron is begging people to "just hang on" for another little bit, indicating without promising that the little bit will be in the 6-8 week range to give them time to get more people vaccinated.
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"North Carolina is among the best-performing U.S. states when it comes to distributing vaccines evenly among Black and White residents. That’s partly because the state is by far the best at collecting demographic data.
About 11% of North Carolina’s Black population has received at least one shot, compared with 17% of the state’s White residents, the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker shows. That puts North Carolina in fourth place for the smallest spread between the two groups among states with the most comprehensive data sets. Other states might be doing as well or better than North Carolina in terms of equality, though huge numbers of incomplete records obscure the national picture.
North Carolina’s success is no accident."
One state’s focus on data helps shrink its racial vaccine gap - The Boston Globe
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/03/06/business/one-states-focus-data-helps-shrink-its-racial-vaccine-gap/
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Look Indiana is a heavily Republican state and has been forever. It's also a heavily pro Trump state. So how do you get a bunch of people influenced by conspiracy theories to get vaccinated?
Do a mass vaccination event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the Indy 500 is run.
https://www.wishtv.com/news/coronavirus/theyre-on-it-agencies-help-with-vaccinations-at-indianapolis-motor-speedway/
All of a sudden the line of cars stretches back through 3 counties. For Hoosier gear heads being able to drive into the Mecca of US car racing for free and all they need to do is get a little dinky shot in the arm, is like a pilgrimage. All anti-vax reservations get forgotten in a heartbeat.
This is so Indiana.
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>This is so Indiana.
Whatever it takes.
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>This is so Indiana.
Whatever it takes.
I'm with you. It was a genius move and needed. The J&J, one and done, shot helps.
The more successful jabs out there the more resistance to getting vaccinated weakens.
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Worth a read.
State-by-state data on COVID-19 vaccinations in the United States
https://ourworldindata.org/us-states-vaccinations
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Judge allows Austin TX mask mandate to continue, rejecting Texas AG Ken Paxton's arguments
https://www.bakersfield.com/ap/national/judge-allows-austin-mask-mandate-to-continue-rejecting-texas-ag-ken-paxtons-arguments/article_ba1c1ee7-2157-55d6-b49a-2ef6b25eb754.html
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Austin mask mandate:
"Lawyers for (Texas AG) Paxton, who sued to overturn the mask mandates as illegal and invalid, argued that Gov. Greg Abbott's pandemic-related executive orders trump local requirements under powers granted by the Texas Disaster Act."
So the AG logic is: COVID is a disaster, therefore the state forbids local prevention mandates. What?
Important note: "Travis County has a COVID-19 rate of 73.2 deaths per 100,000, compared with 160 per 100,000 residents statewide"
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Barcelona has concert for 5,000 with no distancing
- masks FFP2 (same as N95? Better?) required at all times
- tests required ahead of time
https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2021/03/28/un-concert-de-rock-reunit-5-000-personnes-a-barcelone-pour-une-experience-clinique_6074715_3244.html
No results in yet
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North Carolina among 28 states with high case rates that are increasing
https://www.wral.com/coronavirus/north-carolina-among-28-states-with-high-case-rates-that-are-increasing/19604054/
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Anthony Fauci: 'It's still not OK' for vaccinated people to dine indoors
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/apr/12/anthony-fauci-its-still-not-ok-for-vaccinated-peop/
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Michigan Extends Mask Order, Capacity Limits Amid Surge
https://wdet.org/posts/2021/04/16/90864-michigan-extends-mask-order-capacity-limits-amid-surge/
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States ranked by COVID-19 cases: April 21
https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/public-health/states-ranked-by-confirmed-covid-19-cases-july-1.html
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As a Vermonter by origin, I find it interesting the VT, ME and NH are all clustered near the bottom.
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Data Scientist: Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s Decision to Shut Restaurants Will Save Lives
https://www.wweek.com/news/state/2021/05/01/data-scientist-gov-kate-browns-decision-to-shut-restaurants-will-save-lives/
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Barcelona has concert for 5,000 with no distancing
...
No results in yet
Results are now in. Result? No sign of any cases spread during the concert.
https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2021/04/27/concert-test-en-espagne-aucun-signe-de-contagion-au-coronavirus-detecte-un-mois-apres_6078235_3244.html
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California mandated masks. Florida opened its restaurants. Did any of it matter?
Which Covid-19 restrictions really worked — and which ones really didn’t?
https://www.vox.com/coronavirus-covid19/22456544/covid-19-mask-mandates-lockdown-debate-evidence
Spoiler alert: the data is incredibly noisy, it's really difficult to say... but it looks like requiring masks indoors was a very good idea and a lot of the "social distancing" didn't accomplish much.
Tune back in in about two years when the data is crunched, peer reviewed and published.
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Coronavirus: Carnival CEO: Cruise ships 'not a riskier environment'
Venice welcomes it's first cruise ship since the beginning of the pandemic (in French)
https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2021/06/03/venise-accueille-son-premier-bateau-de-croisiere-depuis-le-debut-de-la-pandemie_6082729_3210.html
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Nothing new here, but the graph makes a good visual.
There's A Stark Red-Blue Divide When It Comes To States' Vaccination Rates (https://www.npr.org/2021/06/09/1004430257/theres-a-stark-red-blue-divide-when-it-comes-to-states-vaccination-rates)
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Bay Area counties issue strong recommendation for indoor masking as COVID cases rise, even for vaccinated - ABC7 San Francisco
https://abc7news.com/bay-area-mask-recommendation-covid-masks-requirement-delta-variant-cases/10891802/
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70% of Marin's COVID-19 cases are attributable to the Delta variant according to Dr. Willis with hospitalizations right now invariably among unvaccinated people.
https://abc7news.com/what-delta-variant-means-for-unvaccinated-gavin-newsom-california-mask-mandate-social-distancing-coronavirus/10869615/
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It is now obvious that the delta variant can slip through the cracks. Since I am squarely in the vulnerable group --but not ready to give up travel or restaurant meals-- I've resorted to time-shifting & being choosy about venues to avoid the usual crowded times/places. At the local mex restaurant last week at 3pm, I only had brief contact with one person.
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>time-shifting & being choosy about venues
Time to put a dining table in the Sprinter?
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Here in Cape Town my wife and I have resorted to eating out at certain times of the day to avoid crowds - luckily our two or three favourite restaurants have taken the whole social distancing advice to heart and have almost 'reinvented' their dining room layout, but still with the same awesome menus.
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>time-shifting & being choosy about venues
We have few venues to choose from around here, but we time-shifted even before covid. We would try to get in and out before the main lunch crowds arrived because my husband's hearing fares better with less background noise.
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>Sprinter
I deeply dislike eating take-out. (And the Sprinter's plates expired & battery died during the lockdown.)
>favorite restaurant
Seafood is a problem on my dialysis diet. I've *finally* found a small restaurant(seats 50) in a nearby very rural town that does a fantastic prep job and will grill shrimp, scallops, & oysters with no seasoning. At 4:pm the customers start arriving. By 5pm it is packed. Vax rates for adults in this very red county was 27% last I checked --and not a mask in sight. This one is going to be a challenge.
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>27% last I checked --and not a mask in sight
That's the bit that is baffling to me. If one wants to avoid the vaccine you would think that that person would do everything they could to reduce their chances of exposure. I have a dumb cousin (by marriage) who is afraid of getting the jab; he has bought into all the conspiracy theories, yet he'll do nothing to protect himself. On top of that he goes and visits his elderly grandmother on occasion.
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>baffling
Half of Unvaccinated Americans Not Concerned About Delta Variant, Poll Finds
https://www.webmd.com/vaccines/covid-19-vaccine/news/20210719/half-unvaccinated-americans-not-concerned-delta-variant-poll
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Just found out my BIL has Covid. They just moved back here from England 6 weeks ago and based on past conversations I am 95% sure they aren't vaccinated. We haven't talked a ton about Covid but I think when I talked about some of the restrictions here he kind of scoffed at them. Guessing he got it from a co-worker. And now of course my wife and I are psyching ourselves out and wondering if we are sick. We haven't had a ton of contact with him in the past week so we are probably fine but it is always scary when someone you know and have had contact with gets sick.
-
>BIL
Keep us posted, Doc. But everything I've seen so far just points to cold-like symptoms for the vaccinated.
Here are the Covid symptoms to watch for if you are fully vaccinated
https://www.syracuse.com/coronavirus/2021/07/here-are-the-covid-symptoms-to-watch-for-if-you-are-fully-vaccinated.html
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Somewhat OT...
>>symptoms
A friend and his family are part of a blood study where they have blood drawn every so often to test for antibodies. It turned out that his daughter (early 20s) got Covid twice without knowing it. The first time she had a small antibody response and a much bigger one the second time, but never any symptoms and did not pass it to her parents or sister (though her sister, who is in her last year of medical school, managed to get Covid all on her own... no surprise there).
-
And, as I was writing that a friend who has been feeling ill texted me this (with names removed):
I didn't think much of it, but then X and Y, both fully vaxxed with Pfizer, and another friend in Georgia fully vaxxed with Moderna, all had breakthrough COVID cases (fever, lost their taste, etc) so I'm slightly concerned and got us tested today.
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Vietnam locks down capital Hanoi for 15 days as cases rise - The Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/vietnam-locks-down-capital-hanoi-for-15-days-as-cases-rise/2021/07/23/c0644d3a-ec2e-11eb-a2ba-3be31d349258_story.html
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Meanwhile, in France 114,000 people demonstrated last weekend against vaccine passports, many wearing yellow stars, equating vaccine passports with the yellow stars Jews were forced to wear under Nazi rule.
https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2021/07/19/le-port-de-l-etoile-jaune-lors-des-manifestations-contre-le-passe-sanitaire-suscite-l-indignation_6088738_823448.html
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And... everything we know about the effectiveness of lockdowns.
https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/lockdown-effectiveness-much-more
This one quote is interesting...
Goolsbee and Syverson study the US situation and find that “while overall consumer traffic fell by 60 percentage points, legal restrictions explain only 7 of that. Individual choices were far more important and seem tied to fears of infection.”
But there are big variations by region and country and specific policies and all that.
The author also wrote a "What I learned while writing the lockdown post"
https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/things-i-learned-writing-the-lockdown
It has some interesting comments about getting more done by pulling from the side in a policy tug-a-war
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Arkansas GOP governor who is holding town halls to urge vaccinations said people he meets have called the shot a 'bioweapon' and talked about 'mind control'
https://www.businessinsider.com/arkansas-governor-people-call-vaccine-a-bioweapon-mind-control-2021-7
...and don't forget Jesus.
https://old.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/orx94q/know_your_bible/
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Spoiler alert: Jesus didn't vote for Trump either.
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California to require proof of vaccination for state workers
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/california-to-require-proof-of-vaccination-for-state-workers
NYC to require vaccines or weekly testing for city workers
https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-health-coronavirus-pandemic-662b50089c314a8083a1aa0be26549bd
-
+
VA implements first federal agency vaccine mandate
https://theweek.com/coronavirus/1003034/va-implements-first-federal-agency-vaccine-mandate
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I didn't think we'd see that until full approval, but there has been a lot of chatter about it lately.
The Matt Yglesias (I think) take was that the FDA says they can't violate their process without injuring their integrity, but
- they already did that with the Alzheimer's fiasco
- if things go south and we all get horrible conditions from the vaccine, nobody is going to say, "Well, don't blame the FDA. I know that hundreds of millions of doses were given out, but they said it was only and Emergency Use Authorization, so you should have expected some horrible side effects."
When you add that up, there's not a lot of downside and there is a lot of upside. Of course, it's like a self-driving car. If an employer requires a vaccine and someone dies, that's going to be deemed unacceptable, regardless of the overall fatality equation
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US, UK, ??: F*ck it, we're done with this. Time to party.
COVID-19 Surging as North Carolina Set to Ease Restrictions
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/north-carolina/articles/2021-07-26/covid-19-surging-as-north-carolina-set-to-ease-restrictions
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Yep, here we go. Interesting times, to say the least.
-
A movement seems to be developing among large gov & health employers, as it has previously been cleared for employers to mandate vaccines.
LA requires city workers to get vaccinated or regular tests | The Fresno Bee
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/article253073643.html#storylink=mainstage_card
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The park concessioner and the federal govt just mandated masks inside all buildings.
-
Florida recorded its fourth highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began 16 months ago, reporting 17,589 new cases Wednesday
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article253119138.html
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Canada ain't messing around;
Two travellers from U.S. fined $20,000 each for fake vaccination documents
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2021/07/30/two-travellers-from-us-fined-20000-each-for-fake-vaccination-documents.html
-
Biden orders tough new vaccination rules for federal workers
https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-joe-biden-business-health-travel-a1670ffa08f1f2eab42c675d99f1d9ad
-
Canada ain't messing around;
We're going to have to go there if we want the new federal employee mandate to work. It's already happening here - people who are unvaccinated are signing paperwork saying they are vaccinated because that gave them (until last week) the right to go without a mask a work. Lots of lying and no followthrough.
Meanwhile, in a quirk that is unique here, many vaccinated people are lying and saying they are not vaccinated, because unvaccinated people must live in single-occupancy employee housing, but vaccinated people might potentially get a roommate. So there's a perverse incentive to not vaccinate or to vaccinate and lie about it, especially now when everyone has to mask again so there's no incentive to lie about being vaccinated when you're not.
I can't believe that we have "mandates" that simply require a signature. It's absurd. What was the point of issuing those vaccine cards if you aren't going to ask people to show them?
-
Florida reports highest number of new COVID-19 cases in a single day since the start of the pandemic - CBS News
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-covid-cases-record-high/
-
Florida breaks COVID-19 hospitalization record with more than 10,200 patients | TheHill
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/565864-florida-breaks-covid-19-hospitalization-record-with-more-than-10200
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>>Florida
49% vaccination rate. That leaves a lot of population with no protection. Add to that that even though the vaccine seems to keep most breakthrough cases out of the hospital
- the breakthrough cases are just as contagious as non-vaccinated (it now appears)
- even if you're 95% protected against serious illness, that still leaves a lot of people
-
PS - that said, overall as a state, Florida is doing better than my region. I just looked in the five-county region around me, the highest vaccination rate was 43%. Some are still in the 30s.
And, not surprisingly, we had 19 cases last week, which I think is our most ever. We only have 18,000 residents, so literally 1 in a 1000 got a positive Covid test last week.
Merced County is barely even into the 30s. The NYT dashboard shows them as 31% fully vaccinated.
-
21 cases over the weekend - again, that is more than .1% in three days. In 3 cases the status is unknown. 13 unvaccinated, 5 vaccinated in a county where 40-some-odd percent are vaccinated.
-
I'm kinda shocked/dismayed by how much social norms influence human behavior; it seems to trump logic and self-preservation.
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>norms
'A new Axios-Ipsos poll reveals that people who aren't vaccinated say the rise in Covid cases is the fault of "Foreigners traveling to the U.S." (37%), "Mainstream media" (27%), "Americans traveling internationally" (25%), and "Joe Biden" (21%). Vaccinated people, on the other hand, blame the surge on "The unvaccinated" (79%), "Donald Trump" (36%), and "Conservative media" (33%).'
Unvaccinated people blame "mainstream media" and foreigners for rise in Covid cases | Boing Boing
https://boingboing.net/2021/08/03/unvaccinated-people-blame-mainstream-media-and-foreigners-for-rise-in-covid-cases.html
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I would say "all of the above" except Biden. I don't see how to lay this at his feet. I would also give a 90/10 split to conservative/mainstream media.
Speaking as one of those liberals who would jump straight to the unvaccinated, conservative media and politicians, above all Trump as mostly to blame, the simple fact is you don't get the Delta variant from India into the US without international travel. So you can parse it both ways - if we hard-locked the borders, we wouldn't have Delta (but in that case, the economy would be a wreck). Or if people could just get their sh## together and get vaccinated, we would not have the surge either (but in that case, we'd all have the Bill Gates tracking chip embedded and Apple users would get brain-locked).
At this point there is plenty of vaccine if people would just take it. Madera County stuck at 31% is just insane.
There are many problems, but I think basic statistical illiteracy is a part of this. People don't understand compounding probabilities, by which I mean that many of them (not the hardcore QAnon anti-vaxxers) get that the vaccine reduces risk by, say, 90%. What I don't think they get is that bringing the R-naught down by 90% quickly brings down a surge because .1^1 = .1, but .1^3 = .001, so three-hop infection paths become extremely rare.
Even if the vaccine were 50% effective, it means that my chance of getting infected from a 5th degree contact would be reduced by 1/2^5 = 0.03125. So it reduces my chance that the virus jumps from my friend's electrician's kid's teacher to me by 97%. At 90% effective, it reduces that particular risk by 99.999%.
It's hard for a virus to propagate under either of those conditions. But I think if it were 50%, people would think it wasn't worth it because they would see it as 50/50 for getting the virus.*
*True story - at a friend's house, his new (now ex) girlfriend offered me bottled water and I said I would prefer tap water. She was aghast and said, "You don't have to drink that!" (this was in a place with very good tap water... we're not talking Fresno or Flint). I had just read a report that had tested bottled waters and found you had only a 50% chance that it would be better than your tap water and a 50% chance it would be worse. I told her that and she said, "See, then it's worth it."
That's how well most Americans understand basic probabilities.
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>I would say "all of the above" except Biden. I don't see how to lay this at his feet.
I would have liked to have seen an actual push campaign for vaccines with incentives if needed rather than setting the July 4th goal and calling it good. We also get a lot of mixed messages from who, cdc, fauci, et al. I think some better leadership throughout would have helped and I'm surprised he didn't bring more to the table. Maybe it was just wishful thinking on my part.
>That's how well most Americans understand basic probabilities.
I've come to the conclusion that our people are just getting dumber, to boot.
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>>actual push campaign
I agree that I would have liked a more active campaign, but then I'm one of those damn vaccinated liberals who still thinks journalists should actually talk to people with fancy degrees in the actual subspecialty they're talking about. So I'm just part of the problem, as it were.
When I said I couldn't lay it Biden's feet, I was thinking, "Can't do more without guaranteeing losing the House and Senate in 2022." And I'm not sure getting another 10% vaccinated is worth an election.
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NYC vaccine mandate
https://www.vox.com/recode/2021/8/3/22607985/new-york-vaccine-mandate-indoor-dining
It looks they are going to require some proof. Oh, that's one thing he could have done - require federal workers and contractors to show evidence of vaccination.
And more liberal propaganda. Yes, actually, it is the unvaccinated (and a discussion of Provincetown).
Breakthrough cases aren’t the cause of the US Covid-19 surge
Unvaccinated people still make up the vast majority of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. They’ve made up more than 94 percent of reported Covid-19 cases in states with available data... Based on data in the US, unvaccinated people are eight times as likely to get the virus and experience disease symptoms, 25 times as likely to be hospitalized, and 24 times as likely to die, compared to people who are vaccinated.
https://www.vox.com/22602039/breakthrough-cases-covid-19-delta-variant-masks-vaccines
The good news: a third dose may help against Delta
Pfizer data suggest third vaccine dose boosts protection against Delta variant
The data, which involved tests of 23 people, have not yet been peer-reviewed or published.... It's not clear if boosted antibody levels actually correlate to better protection, or if that extra protection is even needed.
The data show that the vaccine's efficacy peaked at more than 96% from a week to around two months after receiving a second dose of vaccine, and then appeared to gradually decline to 83.7% four to six months later
https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/28/health/pfizer-third-dose-data-bn/index.html
The bad news: it's going to cost more.
Pfizer and Moderna Will Raise the Price of Their Vaccines After Adaptation to New Variants
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/379108
And Ron DeSantis strikes another blow for student rights
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs order that would strip schools of funding for imposing a mask mandate for students
https://www.businessinsider.com/desantis-signs-bill-block-school-mask-mandates-2021-7
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U.S. Military to Require Covdi-19 Vaccines for All Troops - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-09/pentagon-to-require-covid-vaccine-for-all-troops-by-sept-15
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Children’s hospitals are swamped with Covid patients
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/08/11/covid-children-hospitals-schools-reopen-503885
Only 2 pediatric ICU beds open in Dallas area
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/567326-only-2-pediatric-icu-beds-open-in-dallas-area
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Georgia County Shuts Down All Schools Amid Major Student COVID Outbreak
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ware-county-georgia-schools-shut-covid-delta_n_6118377fe4b0454ed70e5c52
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U.S. to recommend COVID vaccine boosters after 8 months
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/us-to-recommend-covid-vaccine-boosters-after-8-months/ar-AANoSVH
<added>
Pfizer submits data to FDA for authorization of Covid vaccine booster shot for general population
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/16/covid-vaccine-booster-shot-pfizer-submits-data-to-fda-for-approval.html
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, fully vaccinated, tests positive for COVID-19
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/08/17/texas-governor-greg-abbott-positive-covid/
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>bring it on
US coronavirus: As Covid-19 hospitalizations increase, more Americans are deciding or being forced by employers to get vaccinated
https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/20/health/us-coronavirus-friday/index.html
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> being forced by employers
I think this will really ramp up once we have standing approval instead of emergency use for the vaccines. End of the month the first supposedly clears approval iirc.
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>ramp up
Biden just put the shoulder to nursing homes ...get the staff vaccinated or lose Medicare & Medicaid payments. They live on Medicare & Medicaid payments.
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"The company’s city-based stores remain the most challenged as international tourism has yet to come back and people are more cautious about jamming into crowded spaces."
Macy's sees big divide between suburban, urban reaction to Covid delta
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/19/macys-sees-big-divide-between-suburban-urban-reaction-to-delta.html
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They've gone rogue...
Trump booed after telling supporters to get Covid vaccine | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/aug/22/donald-trump-rally-alabama-covid-vaccine
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FDA approves Pfizer vaccine
https://boingboing.net/2021/08/23/fda-approves-pfizers-covid-vaccine.html
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>FDA
US military moves ahead with vaccine mandate for all service members
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-military-moves-ahead-with-vaccine-mandate-for-all-service-members/2343913
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TLDR; No
Can you collect unemployment if you are fired for refusing to get the vaccine?
https://www.wane.com/news/local-news/can-you-collect-unemployment-if-fired-because-of-refusal-to-get-the-vaccine/
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>>FDA
>>mandate
>>unemployment
Recent all-employee meeting in the park. People could submit questions ahead of time. One of the questions: "Will I be forced to choose between keeping my job and taking an untested drug?"
Other question: We have plexiglass shields in front of us to protect us from the public, but no shield to the side to protect us from co-workers who refuse to get vaccinated. Can we get side shields as well?
-
Really not a bad idea.
US: This should totally work!
https://old.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/paki8u/this_should_totally_work/
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We have one remaining holdout in the office. The other one quit a few weeks ago. I told the last one yesterday to expect we will likely require full vaccination very soon to stay on board.
I heard "vaccine concerns", "religious concerns" and tears were shed. I said we'd talk through it but I'm sticking to my guns.
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Got this from r/dataisbeautiful/ (https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/pbzaeg/oc_usa_covid_cases_per_100k_stratified_by_county/).
-
Yosemite is partially in Tuolumne County
"In August, nine Northern California counties have seen more patients hospitalized with COVID-19 than at any other point in the pandemic: Amador, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Placer, Plumas, Shasta and Tuolumne."
Mortuaries fill, hospitals clog in rural California towns with low vaccination rates
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article253818378.html#storylink=mainstage
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I think I posted that in the Save yourself thread (that info anyway, but different article). I am pretty sure that is an undercount of counties. Meanwhile the neighbor, and unvaccinated retired physician, tells me it's all a media hoax and that the vaccine is more dangerous than the disease.
Great quote
"'You told us to do all these things last year, and it never materialized,'" Inscore said the person told him. "'Why should we believe you now?' Well, I'll tell you why you should believe us now: because the wolf is here."
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My feeds are full of headlines about schools switching to mask mandates or -fewer- going back to virtual. My granddaughter's 1st grade class didn't make it a week before they were quarantined.
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>> You told us to do all these things last year, and it never materialized
Duh, isn't "never materialized" exactly the point?
That's the paradox of prevention ... a warning is given and heeded, then when the bad thing doesn't happen some people think the concern was overblown and dismiss the risk as no big deal.
I wish I had an effective response to such thinking.
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Duh, isn't "never materialized" exactly the point?
That is always the problem with everything preventative. The ozone hole. Terrorist attacks. Bridge inspections. etc.
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Perquimans County is one of the nearby NC counties with a very low vax rate. Must be bodies in the street....
Perquimans County Schools revises mask policy, universal mask-wearing now required indoors
https://www.wavy.com/news/north-carolina/perquimans-county-schools-revises-mask-policy-universal-masks-now-required-indoors/
I'm seeing rural regional school boards reversing their mask policies as soon as reality kicks in. I'm expecting some of them to be forced to go virtual in a few weeks. Hopefully, I'm wrong.
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Fewer than 10 NC school districts still make masks optional amid rising COVID-19 cases
https://www.wral.com/fewer-than-10-nc-school-districts-still-make-masks-optional-amid-rising-covid-19-cases/19855189/
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Britons, Unfazed by High Covid Rates, Weigh Their ‘Price of Freedom’
Britain is reporting more than 30,000 new coronavirus cases a day, but the public seems to have moved on. Experts say this could be a glimpse into the future for other countries.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/28/world/europe/coronavirus-britain-uk.html
“We don’t seem to care that we have these really high infection rates,” said Tim Spector, a professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London who has been leading a major study of Covid-19 symptoms. “It looks like we’re just accepting it now — that this is the price of freedom.”
Some of that equanimity may stem from the fact that Britain’s case rate, while high, has not yet risen anywhere near the level that government officials predicted when they lifted virtually all Covid restrictions last month. Some may be because so many Britons are vaccinated, fewer serious cases are being reported. And some of it may simply reflect fatigue, after 17 months of baleful headlines and stifling lockdowns.
-
Britons, Unfazed by High Covid Rates, Weigh Their ‘Price of Freedom’
Britain is reporting more than 30,000 new coronavirus cases a day, but the public seems to have moved on. Experts say this could be a glimpse into the future for other countries.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/28/world/europe/coronavirus-britain-uk.html
“We don’t seem to care that ......
deaths are not high like they were:
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=current+covid+deathe+rate+graph+uk
thats the high vac rate, and possibly that its summer. The big question is can the hospitals cope, the back log of other stuff is horrendous. A mate just paid £15k for a hip opp, as at under 60 years old the wait for the NHS was too long. Life is too short, he needs to be out biking with me :)
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>>thats the high vac rate
OTOH...
Israeli study on viral load, Delta infections, vaccinations and boosters
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210906/Israeli-study-on-viral-load-Delta-infections-vaccinations-and-boosters.aspx
The findings revealed that the two-dose regimen of the BNT162b2 vaccine is highly effective in reducing viral loads of delta breakthrough infections during the initial two months post-second dose vaccination. Compared to unvaccinated individuals, vaccinated individuals exhibited 15-fold lower viral loads, which is similar to that observed in breakthrough infections by non-delta variants. However, the protection against viral load started reducing after two months of the second vaccine dose, followed by a complete diminution after 6 months.
-
Wow.. My estimate was 20 fold improvement from rough calcs in the UK.
That decline is worrying. We have a booster coming soon.
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The BBS show "More or Less" discussed this study.
There is a lot to sort out, but I'll try to summarize as accurately as I can plus some subsequent reading.
Antibodies have a half life. For measles, it's 200 years. For tetanus it is 11 years. It's looking like for Covid it may only be a few months.
But the immunological response depends on a combination of antibodies and memory B cells that can produce more antibodies. So it's not clear that antibody levels falling to "naive" levels is the same as the immunological response returning to naive levels.
Measures of antibody levels is merely a proxy. The best indicators will be infection rates, hospitalization rates and death rates. It seems like the vaccine is not holding up that well against simple infection, but is still holding up well against severe illness, perhaps because the memory B cells have that memory and can ramp up to produce antibodies faster than in a naive patient.
What would be most helpful is epidemiological studies.
>> booster
I'm ambivalent about this. The head of the WHO has likened this to throwing out a second life preserver to someone who's life preserver is getting frayed while there are others who still have no flotation device at all.
And if it's true that the life preserver is already waterlogged and starting to sink, it still raises the question of how many life preservers we throw at rich mostly healthy people when high-risk poor people are still waiting for one.
-
Some light reading
Immunological memory cells
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6102609/
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On a lighter note ...
-
We we on the UK trains and asked how to get to Leicestershire. Got a great laugh from all around us. Still irks Louise.
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Let's see if this really happens.
"NEW: The President will announce that all employers with 100 or more employees will be required to mandate COVID-19 vaccines or require testing at least once a week, and they’ll have to provide paid time off."
Joe Biden goes nuclear, will mandate COVID vaccines (or testing) for most private employees.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/09/biden-mandates-covid-vaccines-or-testing-private-employees.html
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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul imposes mask mandate on omicron Covid worries
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/10/ny-gov-kathy-hochul-imposes-statewide-mask-mandate-amid-spread-of-omicron-covid-variant.html
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NC's COVID case positivity rate nearly 30%; local hospitals near capacity
https://www.wral.com/coronavirus/nc-s-covid-case-positivity-rate-nearly-30-local-hospitals-near-capacity/20062351/
90% of patients hospitalized in Duke Health's ICU units are unvaccinated
Every patient in the Duke Health system on the highest level of life support is unvaccinated
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UF report: Up to 80% of FL will have caught COVID-19 by end of omicron wave
https://www.wesh.com/article/uf-report-majority-floridians-catch-covid-omicron-wave/38686256
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Our small local hill is closed due to Covid. In their case, however, they would run in the red midweek between NY and MLK, so I suspect the managers are not sad to shut down Tues-Friday this week.
But it's rippling through the industry. Many places are close to closing or only able to open on a limited basis.
Colorado ski resorts have only opened limited terrain due to employee shortages during COVID surge
First it was meager snow. Then the snow came, but so did omicron.
https://www.denverpost.com/2022/01/05/colorado-ski-area-staffing-omicron/
Killington Ski Resort working to contain coronavirus outbreak among staff
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/01/05/metro/killington-ski-resort-working-contain-coronavirus-outbreak-among-staff/
Europe’s Ski Slopes Are Open Despite Omicron, at Least for Now
EU’s Covid-19 certificate has people skiing like it’s 2019; ‘I don’t love it, but it saved us’
https://www.wsj.com/articles/europes-ski-slopes-are-open-despite-omicron-at-least-for-now-11639836003
Friend who works at a ski area confirms Covid is very prevalent and within her broader company they are getting reports that more areas are hanging by a thread.
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Vaccine Cash Incentives Don't Work, U.S. Study Shows - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-25/paying-americans-to-get-a-vaccine-doesn-t-work-new-study-shows
Lotteries held to incentize people to get vaccinated didn't work - CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/15/health/covid-19-vaccine-lotteries-didnt-work/index.html
But wait!!!
First-dose vaccinations quadruple in Quebec ahead of restrictions at liquor and cannabis stores | CTV News
https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/first-dose-vaccinations-quadruple-in-quebec-ahead-of-restrictions-at-liquor-and-cannabis-stores-1.5731327
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Manitoba had a lottery to promote vaccines for a while and at the time I thought they should use the funds to make it easier for people to get the jab.
When my brother wanted to make his appointment for his first shot, online appointments weren't available for our area and it took him over an hour on the phone to make the booking. I wonder how many people said to heck with it!
If the lottery $$$ had been spent on better website programming or a phone call-back system or more clinics in more places, I'll bet more people would have been vaxxed sooner.
One of the first rules of business ... or life, really ... is to make it easy for people to do the thing you want them to do.
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>online
There is a problem with this reliance on online reg. A lot of elderly people don't use the internet. When you require reg. online for an appointment it's a big barrier. Standing in line for long periods at a vaccination center is a huge barrier. Waiting on hold on the telephone to register for 50 min. is a big barrier.
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>> reliance on online reg
I agree that online reg doesn't work for everyone but it should be an option for those who can use it.
Every appointment made online shortens the phone queue ahead of you!
>> on hold on the telephone to register for 50 min
Yes, especially for those whose workday doesn't grant time for that.
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I've got nothing against online reg, it's only when we rely on it too much and it becomes a bottleneck.
Unfortunately, we have fewer approved vaccines than I thought we would and the two main ones require special freezers which tends to consolidate where they can be administered. It's hard to go grass roots when your vaccine requires special handling.
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Florida added almost 400,000 new COVID-19 cases this week | WUSF Public Media
https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/health-news-florida/2022-01-08/florida-added-almost-400-000-new-covid-19-cases-this-week
test positivity rate, which topped 31% statewide
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Hate tax more than vax.
KUOW - Quebec's 'unvaxxed tax' has people rushing to get vaccinated
https://www.kuow.org/stories/quebec-s-unvaxxed-tax-has-people-rushing-to-get-vaccinated
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Florida breaks record with 430,297 COVID cases this week
https://www.local10.com/news/florida/2022/01/14/florida-adds-nearly-60k-new-covid-cases-3-deaths/
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At the height of the lockdown in the first wave, our county had something like 8-10 active cases and 0-2 hospitalized. Current report is 58 active cases and 16 hospitalized. And keep in mind, with the new quarantine rules, "active cases" is cut almost in half.
The main hotel in the park has 12 of the kitchen staff out. Going into the MLK holiday, the concessioner is just hanging on. Ski areas too. Unless we are at the post-Christmas peak and things get better from hear, expect things to start closing. That is, if current rates go on for another couple weeks, businesses will simply start to close.
Already, my transmission repair is pushed back a couple weeks - too many mechanics in quarantine.
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On that animated US covid cases graph posted here a few days ago, you can see peaks coming just after major holidays.
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Yes, pre-holiday predictions were for a peak around Jan 15-20. I think the question is whether the faster incubation of omicron means we're already there or the higher virulence means we haven't seen the peak yet.
Should be soon, but the question is whether it will be before or after businesses shut down en masse. So far it's mostly reduced days/hours. But if case rates go up 20%, it's just going to be shutting the doors for a couple weeks.
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Sewage sampling in Boston indicates that they have peaked.
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Yes, I believe I posted that a couple days ago - down 40% since Jan 1.
That said, Boston peaked early. If you look at the other graphs for other cities, it looks a lot worse at places where omicron hit later. So Boston is almost certainly past peak. NY too. But the rest of us might just be getting there and here we tend to peak a bit after LA and SFO. So I think we'll need to wait and see what this week and next bring.
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> Boston peaked early
Agreed. We're still in that 'rural lag' I posted. It is raging here, too soon to tell if it is peaking but there are hints that it may be.
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The states are reporting a small, but often increasing, number of deaths. But none that I've reviewed are stating what number or percentage of those current deaths are among the unvaccinated. Louise says that omission provides fodder to the anti-vaxxers because the they can point to the total number and say "See, the vax doesn't really work." I'm inclined to agree.
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I read somewhere (reputable) that of the hospitalized, 90 something percent are those that are un-vaccinated.
https://www.wthr.com/article/news/verify/yes-most-patients-hospitalized-because-of-covid-19-are-unvaccinated-coronavirus-indiana/531-fa9fa91e-5f3e-4c85-8408-df81b9f1dede
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90 something percent are those that are un-vaccinated.
thats my understanding in the UK. Maybe the powers are keeping it quiet... A bit of regulated Darwinism. ;) (I don't believe that)
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Cyprus gives the numbers each day, usually between 70-80% unvaccinated in hospital.
https://cyprus-mail.com/2022/01/19/coronavirus-2226-new-infections-no-deaths/
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>70-80% unvaccinated in hospital
70% unvaccinated in hospital is what my 9-county region just reported.
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+40,000 positives here today. New records every day.
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Cyprus gives the numbers each day, usually between 70-80% unvaccinated in hospital.
Whats your vaccination rate over there?
Hold that, found it:
Vaccination
Cyprus has administered at least 1,635,530 doses of COVID vaccines so far. Assuming every person needs 2 doses, that’s enough to have vaccinated about 68.2% of the country’s population.
Interesting, I would expect that (both) to be higher.
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These are the 10 states with the lowest partial vaccination rates in the country, according to the most recent data:
Idaho (52.85%)
Wyoming (56.78%)
Mississippi (56.91%)
Louisiana (58.55%)
Indiana (59.13%)
Alabama (59.7%)
Tennessee (59.71%)
Ohio (61.63%)
Georgia (62.28%)
Montana (62.78%)
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Alabama tops 45% COVID positivity rate, among highest in nation
https://www.al.com/news/2022/01/alabama-tops-45-covid-positivity-rate-among-highest-in-nation.html
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In the past seven days, the state has added 130 deaths, the highest seven-day death average since Nov. 11, according to Herald calculations of CDC data. In the past seven days, the state has added 43,701 cases per day, on average. In all, Florida has recorded at least 5,347,828 confirmed COVID cases and 64,002 deaths.
Florida COVID update: Highest seven-day average for deaths since November | Miami Herald
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article257665398.html
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>>10 states with the lowest partial vaccination rates
All of which are higher than our county in California. We had almost 500 cases over the last two weeks in a population of 18,000. That means almost 3% of the county GOT Covid in the last two weeks.
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Ottawa declares a state of emergency over truckers' growing anti-government protests
The so-called "Freedom Convoy" that arrived in Ottawa more than a week ago to protest the Canadian government's vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers has been honking horns, blocking downtown streets and disturbing residential neighborhoods.
https://www.npr.org/2022/02/07/1078861392/ottawa-protest-state-of-emergency
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Detroit Dashcam: 12 hour wait through US Canadian border because of protests.
https://old.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/sohgen/12_hour_wait_through_us_canadian_border_because/
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U.S. truckers planning protest convoy, perhaps starting in L.A. for Super Bowl, DHS warns
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trucker-protest-convoy-super-bowl-los-angeles-dhs-warning/
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French ‘freedom convoys’ head towards Paris police checkpoints | France | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/11/french-freedom-convoys-head-towards-paris-police-checkpoints
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This article really resonates with me:
There Is Nothing Normal about One Million People Dead from COVID (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/there-is-nothing-normal-about-one-million-people-dead-from-covid1/)
>Mass media and policy makers are pushing for a return to pre-COVID times while trying to normalize a staggering death toll
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Here’s What We Know About ‘Johns Hopkins Study’ on Lockdowns
It's a non-peer reviewed working paper that has not been endorsed by the university.
https://www.snopes.com/news/2022/02/03/johns-hopkins-study-on-lockdowns/
Worth a read, especially if you are having discussions/arguments with people influenced by the Covid denial mediaverse
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Followup. Here's a quote form the Reuters article the Snopes article cites
The Imperial team estimated that by early May, between 12 and 15 million people in total in Austria, Belgium, Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland - around 4% of their combined population - had been infected with COVID-19. By comparing the number of deaths counted with deaths predicted by their model if no lockdown measures had been introduced, they found some 3.1 million deaths were averted.
A second study by scientists in the United States, published alongside the Imperial-led one in the journal Nature, estimated that lockdowns in China, South Korea, Italy, Iran, France and the United States had prevented or delayed around 530 million COVID-19 cases.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-lockdowns-idUSKBN23F1G3
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> delayed
This is an important thing, not just because it prevented ICU's from getting overwhelmed, but because we learned better ways of treating patients that were infected. People have a better chance at survival now 2+ years into the pandemic than people did at the beginning.
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CDC: US Records 1,045,389 Excess Deaths During Covid-19 Pandemic
https://gizmodo.com/the-u-s-has-had-a-million-extra-deaths-since-the-pande-1848547641
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Coloradans Seek A Fourth COVID Booster Shot, Few Are Eligible – CBS Denver
https://denver.cbslocal.com/2022/02/15/colorado-covid-booster-fourth-shot/
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UK Ministers meeting now to confirm ‘living with Covid’ plans
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2022/feb/21/uk-covid-live-boris-johnson-to-lift-all-remaining-restrictions-in-england