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

[El Guapo]

Blatantly infringing on their rights to bear crossbows, incidentally.

[Smoove_B]

Just seeing now that a school district in NJ has decided they're going to create their own policy for COVID-19 and the BOE adopted rules saying effective immediately quarantine is now optional for close contacts of confirmed cases in the school - it will be the parent's choice to quarantine as long as the close-contact child is asymptomatic.

This is going to get...interesting.

[El Guapo]

Apparently one of the kids in my son's fourth grade class is out of school for the moment as a close contact of a positive case. According to my son it appears that the relevant kid's babysitter tested positive. So the relevant out of school (participating virtually I think) until he tests negative.

Which is all good. Though I guess it's still dependent on the parents self-reporting the contact, I suppose (which they did in this case).

[The Meal]

Ordered.

Two two-packs arrive on Saturday 12/18.

[El Guapo]

https://twitter.com/dburbach/status/1471463918946164744

I've complained a fair amount about our broken political institutions, and they play a big role in why we have wound up with such shitty people in office, but I have to complain a bit about the electorate as well. You would think that given how much red America is dying from COVID, that there would be some blowback against red state politicians from their base, right? But if anything it seems like it's more politically dangerous to favor even sensible and relatively mild COVID measures.

[LawBeefaroni]

You would think that given how much red America is dying from COVID, that there would be some blowback against red state politicians from their base, right? But if anything it seems like it's more politically dangerous to favor even sensible and relatively mild COVID measures.

It my be that it's just more politically expedient to follow the party line and blame everything on Federal Dems/Blue States. Even deaths caused by GOP policies (or lack of policies).

[Isgrimnur]

Something something government they deserve.

[Smoove_B]

Oh hey look, notorious Anti-vaxx chaos goblin apparently has some very specific requests if you're coming to his house for the holidays:

An invitation for a holiday party at the home of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—one of America’s most notorious anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists—reportedly urged guests to get tested or vaccinated for coronavirus before they came inside his house. Politico reports Kennedy held a holiday gathering at his home in California last week, and virtual invites told attendees to take the same precautions that Kennedy has spent the pandemic attempting to undermine for enormous financial gain.

But why?

When Politico asked him about the apparent hypocrisy at his shindig, Kennedy blamed his wife—Curb Your Enthusiasm star Cheryl Hines.

First, what a douche. Second, how the hell did I not know he was married to Cheryl Hines??? Now I feel extra gross.

[LordMortis]

https://twitter.com/dburbach/status/1471463918946164744

I've complained a fair amount about our broken political institutions, and they play a big role in why we have wound up with such shitty people in office, but I have to complain a bit about the electorate as well. You would think that given how much red America is dying from COVID, that there would be some blowback against red state politicians from their base, right? But if anything it seems like it's more politically dangerous to favor even sensible and relatively mild COVID measures.

If only you let them take imvermectin you wouldn't be killing so many republicans. That's how heartless you socialists are.

[Smoove_B]

I know that no one is surprised, but it's at least nice to have it documented:

The Trump administration deliberately undermined the nation's coronavirus response for political purposes, including by weakening testing guidance and championing widespread "herd immunity," according to a new report from the House panel investigating the pandemic response.

The Democratic staff report released Friday was a summation of the year's work investigating political interference in the pandemic response from Trump officials and the former president himself.

And while it's exactly as I expected (including the removal of face coverings and guidance against singing in church), let me specifically call out Dr. Birx as as being complicit. "I'll go on vacation" so she can say she wasn't there when all this additional BS was being floated in August of 2020 is absolutely disgusting. I hope history remembers the role she played.

[Daehawk]

[malchior]

And while it's exactly as I expected (including the removal of face coverings and guidance against singing in church), let me specifically call out Dr. Birx as as being complicit. "I'll go on vacation" so she can say she wasn't there when all this additional BS was being floated in August of 2020 is absolutely disgusting. I hope history remembers the role she played.

I'm sure it'll be downplayed as purely political even though it is ironic that the Democrats are displaying their usual political acumen by dumping this out on a Friday in the middle of the holidays.

And that email by Birx?! We knew she was bent but good lord. What a piece of garbage.

[LordMortis]

let me specifically call out Dr. Birx as as being complicit.

I'm not smart enough to know but she sure seemed complicit or a hack. When she sat there and let him talk about how smart he was to think about injecting chlorine or beaming sunlight to kill the virus when no one else was considering such simple cleansing, I pretty much tuned her out. Whether smart or not.

[Kasey Chang]

While NFL is panicking as some teams have 20+ players on COVID disabled list and is further tightening their protocols, some outsiders, and possible closet antivaxxers are calling for NFL to relax their COVID protocol because "no NFL players have gotten severely sick of died from COVID, therefore COVID is only of danger to the old or infirm". One even claimed that fantasy football is a proper reason for NFL to relax the COVID protocol.

[Smoove_B]

The mandate is back on the menu:

A federal appeals court has reinstated the Biden administration's vaccine and testing requirement for private businesses that covers about 80 million American workers.

The ruling by the 6th U.S. Court of Appeals in Cincinnati lifted a November injunction that had blocked the rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which applies to businesses with at least 100 workers.

In the decision Friday, the 6th Circuit noted that OSHA has historical precedent for using wide discretion to ensure worker safety and "demonstrated the pervasive danger that COVID-19 poses to workers—unvaccinated workers in particular—in their workplaces."

[Smoove_B]

In case anyone wanted video of the CEO of Southwest airlines testifying yesterday about masks and airplanes.

https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/stat ... 2639677450

After testifying for over 3 hours in a Senate hearing where he suggested masks may not be necessary on flights, Southwest CEO Gary Kelly tested positive for covid. Sitting with him were CEOs of Delta, United, American, and Pres of Flight Attend. Here he is.

[Unagi]

Omg. It’s almost hilarious how much of an ass that man should feel like.

But likely doesn’t.

[Smoove_B]

The woman in the blue mask sitting diagonally behind and giving him the side-eye knows exactly what's up.

[Smoove_B]

They know the story in Toronto:

When Linsey Marr boarded a bus in Lake Louise, Alta., earlier this week, she was floored to find out that she had to take off her N95 respirator and put on a medical mask for the ride.

The Virginia Tech engineering professor, who studies viruses in the air, said the policy defies scientific reason, because respirators offer far more protection than a medical mask, both to the wearer and others around them.

"It would be like asking someone to take off their seatbelt, and to use this piece of rope to tie themselves to the seat instead," Marr said by phone.

I keep seeing this mentioned over and over on social media by ID doctors - that hospitals aren't requiring staff to wear N95 masks or equivalents - they're just telling people to wear the surgical masks. And while they are helping, it's not enough.

The agency said in an email that evidence published before the emergence of Omicron did not support the use of N95s over medical masks to protect health workers against COVID-19. But until more is known about the new variant, "it is prudent to enhance all layers of protection," the agency said.

The Public Health Agency of Canada also updated its mask recommendations in November amid growing consensus that small airborne particles play a significant role in spreading the novel coronavirus, in a departure from previous messaging pointing to larger respiratory droplets as the main mode of transmission.

The guidelines endorse the use of respirators among the general public, noting that they may provide a better fit than medical or non-medical masks

Meanwhile in the United states, this is normal.

"They saw an injustice and they stood up" he said, totally serious.

[LawBeefaroni]

If everyone had to wear N95s, there would be no N95s. Remember when surgical masks ran out?

[LawBeefaroni]

Meanwhile in the United states, this is normal.

"They saw an injustice and they stood up" he said, totally serious.

Exactly what I'm talking about with the airline CEOs and their dog and pony show/super spreader event in front of Congress.

There are people in who refuse to fly masked. The airlines want them buying plane tickets, not RVs.

[Blackhawk]

And nobody wears surgical masks right anyway. Nobody bothers to actually fit them, and they breathe anywhere but through them.

[Isgrimnur]

Meanwhile in the United states, this is normal.

"They saw an injustice and they stood up" he said, totally serious.

“Your rights end where mine begin. You don’t get to tell me how I conduct myself,” Jenne said.

The complete lack of irony or understanding here is, I want to say mindboggling, but really, it's about par for the course.

[Alefroth]

My last remaining GOP state legislator, Doug Ericksen, died yesterday after contracting Covid while grifting in El Salvador last month. After contracting it, he emailed his colleagues asking them to send monoclonal antibodies. He eventually got a medevac to a FL hospital and not much has been heard from him since. His vaccination status is not public, but I have my hunches.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-ne ... th-covid/

[Daehawk]

https://twitter.com/davidaxelrod/status ... 7905870849

[Smoove_B]

So in contrast to the current U.S. plan to "booster our way out of this" (SPOILER: it's too late), the Germans are apparently realizing they're in trouble and shifting their plans

https://twitter.com/kniggem/status/1472643378705752077

BIG. Germany’s new coronavirus expert council, per ARD:

All models show that boosters alone don’t lead to a sufficient reduction of the omicron wave, “therefore additional contact restrictions are needed.”

Goal: Nationally effective contact restrictions in coming days.

Other measures:

- Ramp up vaccinations and boosters over the holidays

- Avoid large indoor gatherings

- Ramp up indoor masking with FFP2 (N95)

- Ramp up self testing

Assessment:

Omicron could lead to “explosive spread” that poses “high risk” to critical infrastructure in Germany (hospitals, police, EMS, telecoms, water, electricity) requiring immediate action now.

Also: No indication that Omicron is milder than Delta.

[Smoove_B]

If everyone had to wear N95s, there would be no N95s. Remember when surgical masks ran out?

Sorry, it took me a day to find the Tweet.

https://twitter.com/wsbgnl/status/1472465392442306562

On March 1st, the American Mask Manufacturers Association wrote to the White House that their members had 233 million N95 respirators ready to ship and could produce 298 million more per month. And with $75 million in funding scale to 3 billion per month.

But the advisors decided to go vaccinate only route and so he we are. We had the ability; it was ignored.

(the tweet is a reply to someone from yesterday, but it was originally posted a month or so ago)

[Smoove_B]

This is so good:

https://twitter.com/OmanReagan/status/1 ... 2516445184

This is what the White House is reading, this is what's guiding Biden's policy.

This is why 400,000 more people died this year in the US.

(embedded Tweet from Dr. Jha that basically boils down to "we must keep everything open and running")

The White House is being influenced by something we might call "pandemic centrism."

It says there is a compromise between saving lives and losing profits.

Where you let just enough people die to keep corporate profits up, but not so many that workers stop going to work.

"Pandemic centrism" is not public health policy.

It's economic policy that prioritizes the creation of wealth and the maintenance of the unjust status quo over saving lives, stopping illness, and preventing disability.

It's capitalism putting profit over life.

Oh, you're being cynical - that's not happening. But then go a few more:

How do I know the White House is reading this?

Because the White House Chief of Staff just retweeted it minutes ago.

When you say you're going to "listen to science" it matter which science you're listening to.

[Isgrimnur]

[The Meal]

Daaaaamn.

[Smoove_B]

Waiting for news story, but once again NJ legislators were scheduled to meet this morning at the statehouse. Unlike the last meeting, apparently the police are actually enforcing the requirement that mandates proof of vaccination or a negative test to enter. GOP members are saying they're going to sue everyone, because their feelings are very hurt and their shoes fell off.

[Defiant]

honestly, at this point, with Omicron, instead of vaccination or testing, it should be vaccination and testing.

[Defiant]

https://twitter.com/Yair_Rosenberg/stat ... 7196738576

[Smoove_B]

Testing is important but there are really mixed reports on the rapid tests and their ability to identify (1) truly asymptomatic people and (2) people in pre-illness (they'll become symptomatic but are shedding the virus ahead of visible symptoms). This is why masking is so critically important right now.

Testing will help, but it takes time (using PCR) to get a more reliable result. Masking protects *right now*. But these goons all refuse to wear masks, because freedom.

EDIT: Yeah, here you go - in the Atlantic this morning - Our Tests are Too Slow:

A pause here. We are still just weeks into our fight against Omicron, and it’s not easy to gather data on incubation periods, which might differ among populations, or suss out exactly how the virus is tangoing with our cells. But the early warning signs are here—and as my colleague Sarah Zhang has reported, we know enough to act.

All of this, then, ups the urgency on having tests that can quickly and reliably pinpoint Omicron. “If Omicron has a shorter incubation period, that’s going to wreak havoc on how we test for it and deal with it,” Omai Garner, a clinical microbiologist in the UCLA Health system, told me. But testing in the United States remains slow, expensive, and, for many, infuriatingly out of reach. We’re ill-prepared for the incoming Omicron surge not just because it’s a new version of the coronavirus, but because it’s poised to exploit one of the greatest vulnerabilities in our infection-prevention toolkit. The coronavirus is getting faster, which means it’s also getting harder to catch.

[malchior]

EDIT: Yeah, here you go - in the Atlantic this morning - Our Tests are Too Slow:

Test turn around time is a huge issue in our local district. My neighbor is on the school board. They've apparently been trying to figure out how to implement Test-To-Stay for return to school after the holidays. They apparently can't find a provider with the testing capacity and a quick enough turnaround (at any cost!) to do the required testing.

[Smoove_B]

I'm pretty confident anyone relying on a testing service for work (or school) is about to get a message that there will be delays in our area. We're now 4 days straight of NJ reporting nearly the same level of positive new tests and I'm 100% convinced they've hit a testing ceiling.

[Smoove_B]

Boston is...trying.

https://twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1472951872910729224

NEW: Boston bans unvaccinated people from indoor dining, indoor fitness, and indoor entertainment

[LawBeefaroni]

Seems like too little, too late. Especially since indoor dining is essentially maskless.

[Smoove_B]

Right, it's not going to help the mess we're currently in, but it's overall going to put pressure on people to vaccinate - ideally pushing overall vaccination rates higher. This is a long-term strategy, not a "we are dealing with crisis over Omicron" strategy.

It's pretty clear we (collectively) are already on a pre-determined path for what's unfolding right now.

[Kurth]

Boston is...trying.

https://twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1472951872910729224

NEW: Boston bans unvaccinated people from indoor dining, indoor fitness, and indoor entertainment

This is the kind of thing we should have been doing from the start. Not at a local, city level. Not at a state level. At a federal level.

This is what I was talking about when I was referring to policy that takes into account the fact that people are motivated by self-interest and are terrible at risk analysis (especially analysis that ventures into long term risk or risk for populations larger than themselves).

You cannot leave it up to them to decide. It needs to be decided for them.