Politics of Covid-19
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Whitmer Seems To Suggest FL Adding To Her State’s Pandemic Surge. One Of Her Top Aides Just Visited There.
Whitmer partially blamed her failure to contain the pandemic in her state on losing “in a Republican-controlled Supreme Court,” which resulted in her not having “all of the exact same tools.”
“At the end of the day, this is going to come down to whether or not everyone does their part,” Whitmer said. “That’s the most important thing. This variant, the B117 variant, is what is growing so quickly here in Michigan. We have the second most of it than, I think, right after Florida, at least that was the last data that I saw.”
“Michigan and Florida are not next to each other. But this is the time in the year that snowbirds come home from Florida, where people are going on spring break, and all of these things can contribute to spread,” she claimed. “And that’s why we’re imploring people to take this seriously, mask up, get tested. If you’ve been around someone who’s positive, stay home. And if you do get COVID, use one of these monoclonal antibodies so that we can keep you out of the hospital and help you retain your health.”
Whitmer’s comments come after two of her staffers were caught allegedly traveling out of state, including one who went to Florida, after Whitmer expressed concern over variants from outside of the state, specifically Florida.
Then why is Florida not suffering from a wave of infections ? But instead Florida's Numbers continue to me low or down
What a Cunning Stunt .......
Whitmer partially blamed her failure to contain the pandemic in her state on losing “in a Republican-controlled Supreme Court,” which resulted in her not having “all of the exact same tools.”
“At the end of the day, this is going to come down to whether or not everyone does their part,” Whitmer said. “That’s the most important thing. This variant, the B117 variant, is what is growing so quickly here in Michigan. We have the second most of it than, I think, right after Florida, at least that was the last data that I saw.”
“Michigan and Florida are not next to each other. But this is the time in the year that snowbirds come home from Florida, where people are going on spring break, and all of these things can contribute to spread,” she claimed. “And that’s why we’re imploring people to take this seriously, mask up, get tested. If you’ve been around someone who’s positive, stay home. And if you do get COVID, use one of these monoclonal antibodies so that we can keep you out of the hospital and help you retain your health.”
Whitmer’s comments come after two of her staffers were caught allegedly traveling out of state, including one who went to Florida, after Whitmer expressed concern over variants from outside of the state, specifically Florida.
Then why is Florida not suffering from a wave of infections ? But instead Florida's Numbers continue to me low or down
What a Cunning Stunt .......
Ron DeSantis Blasts Vaccine Messaging: 'Vaccines Are Effective, You're Immune, So Act Immune'
I guess the staff at Channel 2 missed a couple of pieces of news that support DeSantis’s position. In one study published by the CDC in late March, researchers tracked 4,000 individuals for 13 weeks with weekly COVID-19 tests. Of the 2,479 fully vaccinated participants, only three tested positive using a nasal swab test, while eight of the 447 with a single dose did. Of the 994 unvaccinated individuals, 161 tested positive for COVID-19.
This finding prompted CDC Director Rochelle Walensky to say on March 29 in an interview with Rachel Maddow: “Our data from the CDC today suggests that vaccinated people do not carry the virus, don’t get sick, and that it’s not just in the clinical trials but it’s also in real-world data.”
Scientists pushed back, and the CDC walked back Walensky’s comments, as they generally do when she dares to give encouraging news. An agency spokesperson told The New York Times:
As Fortune pointed out, the study did support Walensky’s statement.
No vaccine is 100% effective, and no one expects that it will be. No one became severely ill or died in the vaccinated group studied, and most of the 11 people who tested positive had symptoms. Because of how the nasal swab PCR tests work, in the absence of symptoms, it is impossible to know if the virus detected in the asymptomatic individuals was capable of replicating.
To transmit a virus, an individual must be carrying a sufficient load, and the viruses must be capable of replicating. A normal immune response will leave viral debris in a recovered patient’s nose that the PCR test can detect. This debris is why the CDC does not recommend retesting for at least 90 days post-COVID-19. They cite research that demonstrated that individuals could test positive and not transmit the virus:
I guess the staff at Channel 2 missed a couple of pieces of news that support DeSantis’s position. In one study published by the CDC in late March, researchers tracked 4,000 individuals for 13 weeks with weekly COVID-19 tests. Of the 2,479 fully vaccinated participants, only three tested positive using a nasal swab test, while eight of the 447 with a single dose did. Of the 994 unvaccinated individuals, 161 tested positive for COVID-19.
This finding prompted CDC Director Rochelle Walensky to say on March 29 in an interview with Rachel Maddow: “Our data from the CDC today suggests that vaccinated people do not carry the virus, don’t get sick, and that it’s not just in the clinical trials but it’s also in real-world data.”
Scientists pushed back, and the CDC walked back Walensky’s comments, as they generally do when she dares to give encouraging news. An agency spokesperson told The New York Times:
As Fortune pointed out, the study did support Walensky’s statement.
No vaccine is 100% effective, and no one expects that it will be. No one became severely ill or died in the vaccinated group studied, and most of the 11 people who tested positive had symptoms. Because of how the nasal swab PCR tests work, in the absence of symptoms, it is impossible to know if the virus detected in the asymptomatic individuals was capable of replicating.
To transmit a virus, an individual must be carrying a sufficient load, and the viruses must be capable of replicating. A normal immune response will leave viral debris in a recovered patient’s nose that the PCR test can detect. This debris is why the CDC does not recommend retesting for at least 90 days post-COVID-19. They cite research that demonstrated that individuals could test positive and not transmit the virus:
Chile has one of the world’s best vaccination rates. Covid is surging there anyway
Late-stage data of China’s Covid vaccines remain unpublished, and available data of the CoronaVac vaccine is varied. Brazilian trials found the vaccine to be just over 50% effective, significantly less effective than the likes of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca, while Turkish researchers have reported efficacy as high as 83.5%.
A study published by the University of Chile earlier this month reported that CoronaVac was 56.5% effective two weeks after the second doses were administered in the country. Crucially, however, they also reported that one dose was only 3% effective.
“This would help to explain why Chile — with one of the world’s most robust vaccine rollouts but 93% of the doses coming from China — has experienced a simultaneous significant expansion in cases, and a much slower decline in hospitalizations and deaths compared to the early rollouts in Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States,” Ian Bremmer, president of risk consultancy Eurasia Group, said in a research note.
maybe the Chinese Vaccine is crap
- Chile has endured a sharp uptick in Covid infections in recent weeks, even with its world-renowned vaccine rollout and strict lockdowns in place.
- A study published by the University of Chile earlier this month reported that CoronaVac was 56.5% effective two weeks after the second doses were administered in the country. Crucially, however, they also reported that one dose was only 3% effective.
- “I cannot stress this enough — for most countries, vaccines are not going to stop this wave of the pandemic,” Carissa Etienne, director of PAHO, said during a weekly press briefing on Wednesday.
Late-stage data of China’s Covid vaccines remain unpublished, and available data of the CoronaVac vaccine is varied. Brazilian trials found the vaccine to be just over 50% effective, significantly less effective than the likes of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca, while Turkish researchers have reported efficacy as high as 83.5%.
A study published by the University of Chile earlier this month reported that CoronaVac was 56.5% effective two weeks after the second doses were administered in the country. Crucially, however, they also reported that one dose was only 3% effective.
“This would help to explain why Chile — with one of the world’s most robust vaccine rollouts but 93% of the doses coming from China — has experienced a simultaneous significant expansion in cases, and a much slower decline in hospitalizations and deaths compared to the early rollouts in Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States,” Ian Bremmer, president of risk consultancy Eurasia Group, said in a research note.
maybe the Chinese Vaccine is crap
Pro-Lockdown Elites Experienced An Entirely Different Pandemic, Walled Off From Suffering Americans
“In many ways, they live in an entirely different country than the one most of us currently experience,” Domenech said while guest-hosting Fox News Primetime. “For them, this pandemic was a nuisance, an irritation. Not a life-altering event.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $15,000 indoor dinner in the heart of Napa Valley wine country at one of the most exclusive restaurants in the state defying his own coronavirus edict.
“I try to think about it in terms I can understand,” Domenech said. “There are two-bedroom houses for sale today in the neighborhood where I was born in Mississippi that cost less than Gavin Newsom’s dinner.”
Opponents of Democratic politicians’ lockdowns who are concerned about civil liberties are vilified as “not caring about human life” who “callously wanted people to die.”
“In many ways, they live in an entirely different country than the one most of us currently experience,” Domenech said while guest-hosting Fox News Primetime. “For them, this pandemic was a nuisance, an irritation. Not a life-altering event.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $15,000 indoor dinner in the heart of Napa Valley wine country at one of the most exclusive restaurants in the state defying his own coronavirus edict.
“I try to think about it in terms I can understand,” Domenech said. “There are two-bedroom houses for sale today in the neighborhood where I was born in Mississippi that cost less than Gavin Newsom’s dinner.”
Opponents of Democratic politicians’ lockdowns who are concerned about civil liberties are vilified as “not caring about human life” who “callously wanted people to die.”
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Visited Her Elderly Dad In Florida While Telling Michiganders Not To Travel
“In the past six months, she has left the state three times, once for the inauguration, once to assist her elderly father who is battling a chronic illness, and once to visit with Michigan’s National Guard troops,” said Bobby Leddy, Whitmer’s press secretary. “All trips were very brief, two full days or less, closely followed public health guidelines, and were made when Michigan’s daily positivity rate was in the low single digits.”
Breitbart News reported last week that a top Whitmer aide traveled to Florida for spring break and posted several pictures. Tricia L. Foster, appointed by Whitmer as the Michigan chief operations officer, documented her trip comprehensively on Facebook.
“In the past six months, she has left the state three times, once for the inauguration, once to assist her elderly father who is battling a chronic illness, and once to visit with Michigan’s National Guard troops,” said Bobby Leddy, Whitmer’s press secretary. “All trips were very brief, two full days or less, closely followed public health guidelines, and were made when Michigan’s daily positivity rate was in the low single digits.”
Breitbart News reported last week that a top Whitmer aide traveled to Florida for spring break and posted several pictures. Tricia L. Foster, appointed by Whitmer as the Michigan chief operations officer, documented her trip comprehensively on Facebook.
LightRoasted
If I may ...
If I may ...
forums.somd.com
I like how the some media are catching up to something I posted on the 13th with a direct link to the NIH website.
So When do the Masks Come Off?
can't take the masks off until the underserved decide to get the vaccine. Could be years.
forums.somd.com
TPD
the poor dad
I new I had seen that article before now - had Even bookmarked ItIf I may ...
I like how the some media are catching up to something I posted on the 13th with a direct link to the NIH website.
So When do the Masks Come Off?
can't take the masks off until the underserved decide to get the vaccine. Could be years.
Bill Maher Takes on the COVID-19 Narrative and Unexpectedly Give Props to Gov. Ron DeSantis
Bill Maher, the host of Real Time, proved he has a balanced news diet and does not swallow the narratives of the corporate media whole, at least on COVID-19. In his opening monologue this weekend, he blasted the liberal media outlets, based on poll results demonstrating that a plurality of Democrats overestimates the risks of COVID-19.
He said the media, the government, and the medical establishment took a “scared straight” approach to the pandemic to get people to comply with the recommendations. “Give it to me straight, doc, ’cause in the long run, that always works better than ‘you can’t handle the truth.'” Maher said he understands that doctors will sometimes exaggerate to get people to finish a medication, and politicians lie to cover their mistakes.
[clip]
Maher mocked The Atlantic for saying news outlets needed to stop using pictures of the beach for COVID stories because they give people the wrong idea. He flashed his science cred, noting that the beach is one of the best places you can be because sunlight is the best disinfectant, and vitamin D is the key to a robust immune system. Impressive. Citing Texas lifting their COVID restrictions and having lower cases three weeks later, he credits people getting outdoors.
Then, using what might be the worst picture in the Getty library of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, he busted the narrative on COVID management:
That’s an amazing admission for Maher, given that DeSantis is the number one target of the national media and Democrats. His profile within the Republican Party has risen over the last six months, and he is considered a top-tier candidate for 2024 by left-leaning outlets like Politico. Maher might have just given the competition a boost.
Bill Maher, the host of Real Time, proved he has a balanced news diet and does not swallow the narratives of the corporate media whole, at least on COVID-19. In his opening monologue this weekend, he blasted the liberal media outlets, based on poll results demonstrating that a plurality of Democrats overestimates the risks of COVID-19.
He said the media, the government, and the medical establishment took a “scared straight” approach to the pandemic to get people to comply with the recommendations. “Give it to me straight, doc, ’cause in the long run, that always works better than ‘you can’t handle the truth.'” Maher said he understands that doctors will sometimes exaggerate to get people to finish a medication, and politicians lie to cover their mistakes.
[clip]
Maher mocked The Atlantic for saying news outlets needed to stop using pictures of the beach for COVID stories because they give people the wrong idea. He flashed his science cred, noting that the beach is one of the best places you can be because sunlight is the best disinfectant, and vitamin D is the key to a robust immune system. Impressive. Citing Texas lifting their COVID restrictions and having lower cases three weeks later, he credits people getting outdoors.
Then, using what might be the worst picture in the Getty library of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, he busted the narrative on COVID management:
That’s an amazing admission for Maher, given that DeSantis is the number one target of the national media and Democrats. His profile within the Republican Party has risen over the last six months, and he is considered a top-tier candidate for 2024 by left-leaning outlets like Politico. Maher might have just given the competition a boost.
Fauci Calls The Bill Of Rights A 'Public Health Crisis'
WASHINGTON, D.C.—During an interview Tuesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci called the Bill of Rights in our Constitution a "public health crisis."
babylonbee.com
Health Official Slaps Fines, Criminal Charges Against Church Elders For Refusing To Let Him Disrupt Service
When a public health inspector — whom Flippin identified as Senior Health Inspector James Webster — showed up with police at the church during a service, church elders met him outside and refused to let him in, urging him to come back after the service. An elder read Section 176 of the Canadian Criminal Code to Webster, which forbids “disturbing religious worship or certain meetings.”
“Every one who wilfully disturbs or interrupts an assemblage of persons met for religious worship or for a moral, social or benevolent purpose is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction,” the law reads.
In response to being read the law, Webster grew visibly irritated, threatened to charge the elder with obstruction, and demanded identification. He later mentioned how he observed the men not wearing masks while they were inside and that he found it “kind of interesting” they put them on when they came outside to talk to him.
When Webster continued to threaten obstruction, which he repeatedly emphasized was “serious,” the elder said, “Like I said, we’re just holding a peaceful service. This is Charter territory we’re talking here, right?”
When a public health inspector — whom Flippin identified as Senior Health Inspector James Webster — showed up with police at the church during a service, church elders met him outside and refused to let him in, urging him to come back after the service. An elder read Section 176 of the Canadian Criminal Code to Webster, which forbids “disturbing religious worship or certain meetings.”
“Every one who wilfully disturbs or interrupts an assemblage of persons met for religious worship or for a moral, social or benevolent purpose is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction,” the law reads.
In response to being read the law, Webster grew visibly irritated, threatened to charge the elder with obstruction, and demanded identification. He later mentioned how he observed the men not wearing masks while they were inside and that he found it “kind of interesting” they put them on when they came outside to talk to him.
When Webster continued to threaten obstruction, which he repeatedly emphasized was “serious,” the elder said, “Like I said, we’re just holding a peaceful service. This is Charter territory we’re talking here, right?”
The COVID-19 Disaster That Did Not Happen in Texas
When Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, lifted his statewide face mask mandate and his limits on business occupancy in early March, Democrats warned that he was inviting a public health disaster. Yet a month and a half later, newly identified coronavirus cases in Texas have fallen by more than 50 percent, and daily deaths have dropped even more.
Meanwhile, states with stricter COVID-19 regulations have seen spikes in daily new cases. This is not the pattern you would expect to see if government-imposed restrictions played a crucial role in curtailing the pandemic, as advocates of those policies assume.
[clip]
Conversely, face mask mandates and occupancy limits did not prevent COVID-19 surges in states such as Michigan, where the seven-day average of newly confirmed infections has risen more than fivefold since March 1; Maine, which has seen a nearly threefold increase; and Minnesota, where that number has more than doubled. Cases also rose during that period, although less dramatically, in other states with relatively strict COVID-19 rules, including Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Washington.
[clip]
While some researchers have concluded that lockdowns had an important impact, others say there is little or no evidence that they affected mortality rates or trends in cases. According to a Nature Human Behaviour study of 226 countries published in November, "a suitable combination of NPIs [nonpharmaceutical interventions] is necessary to curb the spread of the virus," but "less disruptive and costly NPIs can be as effective as more intrusive, drastic ones (for example, a national lockdown)."
When Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, lifted his statewide face mask mandate and his limits on business occupancy in early March, Democrats warned that he was inviting a public health disaster. Yet a month and a half later, newly identified coronavirus cases in Texas have fallen by more than 50 percent, and daily deaths have dropped even more.
Meanwhile, states with stricter COVID-19 regulations have seen spikes in daily new cases. This is not the pattern you would expect to see if government-imposed restrictions played a crucial role in curtailing the pandemic, as advocates of those policies assume.
[clip]
Conversely, face mask mandates and occupancy limits did not prevent COVID-19 surges in states such as Michigan, where the seven-day average of newly confirmed infections has risen more than fivefold since March 1; Maine, which has seen a nearly threefold increase; and Minnesota, where that number has more than doubled. Cases also rose during that period, although less dramatically, in other states with relatively strict COVID-19 rules, including Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Washington.
[clip]
While some researchers have concluded that lockdowns had an important impact, others say there is little or no evidence that they affected mortality rates or trends in cases. According to a Nature Human Behaviour study of 226 countries published in November, "a suitable combination of NPIs [nonpharmaceutical interventions] is necessary to curb the spread of the virus," but "less disruptive and costly NPIs can be as effective as more intrusive, drastic ones (for example, a national lockdown)."
COVID-19 Hygiene Theater Is Out of Control
Think of the number of hours that schools, restaurants, and other businesses spend wiping down surfaces to prevent COVID-19 transmission even though we've known since last July that this wiping isn't necessary. Yet Americans continue to spend untold hours and dollars wiping surfaces to provide the appearance of virus protection to their patrons.
In Arlington, Virginia, my kids' schools have implemented overly stringent and frankly illogical measures that create barriers to accessing an effective education. For starters, the schools have only welcomed back a subset of their student population for two days a week for in-person education. They've also reduced the number of actual teaching days from five to four, during which the kids get only half of the education time they used to get. But they do spend time and energy wiping down surfaces and making students wipe their desks. They're also instructed daily to "limit touching of surfaces to only when is necessary."
Every morning I must fill out a form for each of my kids, assuring the school that they have no fever, yet the school still has temperature checks at every entry point of the building. The alleged need for temperature checks is one stated reason for why kids cannot be taught on site more than two days a week and why more kids can't be brought back for in-person instruction.
These theatrics continue even though Anthony Fauci admitted last August that temperature checks "are notoriously inaccurate." Nobody should be surprised. We've known for months that up to 40 percent of Americans with COVID-19 are asymptomatic.
Think of the number of hours that schools, restaurants, and other businesses spend wiping down surfaces to prevent COVID-19 transmission even though we've known since last July that this wiping isn't necessary. Yet Americans continue to spend untold hours and dollars wiping surfaces to provide the appearance of virus protection to their patrons.
In Arlington, Virginia, my kids' schools have implemented overly stringent and frankly illogical measures that create barriers to accessing an effective education. For starters, the schools have only welcomed back a subset of their student population for two days a week for in-person education. They've also reduced the number of actual teaching days from five to four, during which the kids get only half of the education time they used to get. But they do spend time and energy wiping down surfaces and making students wipe their desks. They're also instructed daily to "limit touching of surfaces to only when is necessary."
That isn't the only form of hygiene theater some schools perform.Every morning I must fill out a form for each of my kids, assuring the school that they have no fever, yet the school still has temperature checks at every entry point of the building. The alleged need for temperature checks is one stated reason for why kids cannot be taught on site more than two days a week and why more kids can't be brought back for in-person instruction.
These theatrics continue even though Anthony Fauci admitted last August that temperature checks "are notoriously inaccurate." Nobody should be surprised. We've known for months that up to 40 percent of Americans with COVID-19 are asymptomatic.
Blue States Reopen Their Economies but Double Down on Mask Mandates
A growing number of Democratic governors have set end dates for their states' coronavirus business restrictions. At the same time, they're promising to keep mask mandates on the books for the foreseeable future.
On Monday, Connecticut Gov. Nathan Lamont (D) said that come May, bars that don't serve food will be allowed to reopen for outdoor service, an 8-person per table limit on diners will be lifted, and the state's 11 p.m. curfew will be extended to midnight.
Provided that cases stay low and vaccinations continue apace, the governor added, all remaining business restrictions will be lifted by May 19.
A growing number of Democratic governors have set end dates for their states' coronavirus business restrictions. At the same time, they're promising to keep mask mandates on the books for the foreseeable future.
On Monday, Connecticut Gov. Nathan Lamont (D) said that come May, bars that don't serve food will be allowed to reopen for outdoor service, an 8-person per table limit on diners will be lifted, and the state's 11 p.m. curfew will be extended to midnight.
Provided that cases stay low and vaccinations continue apace, the governor added, all remaining business restrictions will be lifted by May 19.