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

[Daehawk]

Axios

Oklahoma has secured a $2.6 million refund for a malaria drug purchase once touted by former President Trump as a treatment for COVID-19, the state's attorney general announced Friday.

If they're that dumb Im not sure they should get a refund.

[Smoove_B]

https://twitter.com/DelthiaRicks/status ... 0348274692

Several states are turning away Covid vaccine doses from their federal government allocations. The daily average of coronavirus vaccine doses administered across the United States has fallen below 2 million for the first time since early March

[$iljanus]

https://twitter.com/DelthiaRicks/status ... 0348274692

Several states are turning away Covid vaccine doses from their federal government allocations. The daily average of coronavirus vaccine doses administered across the United States has fallen below 2 million for the first time since early March

Fine ship them to MA. We're not vaccine hesitant and my 14 year old will use it.

[Zarathud]

These states should be publicly shamed. Everyone there should be reminded their Governors have failed.

[$iljanus]

These states should be publicly shamed. Everyone there should be reminded their Governors have failed.

Or their Republican run state legislatures. Too many governors try to do the right thing but are tethered to the hood of the clown car.

[LawBeefaroni]

Isn't it very very likely that the main reason that kids are a larger % of new cases is because older people are mostly vaccinated? Seems like the Occam's Razor explanation.

it's part of it, yes. But the data isn't great - we haven't been testing kids to the same degree as adults. Is this a truly concerning rate increase or have kids been ~10-15% of all cases in the U.S. since March of 2020 and we're just seeing a lack of vaccination bump? No one knows.

If the vaccine works and more adults are vaccinated, then as a percentage vs total population, adult rate of infection will decrease and kids will increase. This isn't necessarily due to a higher rate of infection among kids. In fact, barring any other evidence, it's pretty much what you'd expect when vaccinating one population and not another.


In fact, kid infections could be declining but at a slower rate if decline than adults and the kids % would go up.

[Blackhawk]

These states should be publicly shamed. Everyone there should be reminded their Governors have failed.

As with so many other things, via what conduit? The people that need to hear it don't listen to the outlets that would say it, and if they hear it they've been trained to stop listening and assume it is 'fake news.'

There are no longer any lines of communication between differing viewpoints.

[Smoove_B]

If the vaccine works and more adults are vaccinated, then as a percentage vs total population, adult rate of infection will decrease and kids will increase. This isn't necessarily due to a higher rate of infection among kids. In fact, barring any other evidence, it's pretty much what you'd expect when vaccinating one population and not another.

In fact, kid infections could be declining but at a slower rate if decline than adults and the kids % would go up.

All true, but our data set for kids has a giant hole in it. We can't (easily) compare COVID-19 rates in children 5-11 between March of 2020 and December of 2020 to right now because all of the data we have is skewed towards adults.

[Smoove_B]

There are no longer any lines of communication between differing viewpoints.

Your vaccination status (for some) is a political issue and I genuinely believe that there's a core group intentionally not vaccinating because it "triggers the libs". There's another group that is (ironically) very much into "my body, my choice" and they're not going to vaccinate either. There are definitely distinct groupings at work, with some possible overlaps. I'm not sure that changes much, but I genuinely have no hope for these people.

Overall, I think there's really three groups of concern remaining (as vaccine supplies shift):

(1) The willfully ignorant (above)
(2) Children (a mixed group made up of kids that will get it and kids that wont' for any number of reasons, including #1)
(3) Marginalized populations (groups that are mistrustful of government and/or have been under-served for decades by public health and public services)

So depending on those % populations in your community, the next phase of the pandemic is going to look very, very different.

The wildcard is businesses - what's going to happen once the vaccines are fully approved? Are they going to require them for workers? Are they going to require that customers wear masks as guided by their state health or CDC information? Are some businesses going to require documentation? I think it's total crap that this will likely fall on the backs of corporate America, but we've been asking them to do the heavy lifting since March of last year. What happens next is likely going to be strongly influenced by the choices they make, imho.

[Defiant]

https://twitter.com/ForecasterEnten/sta ... 0938628096

[Zaxxon]

I'm not sure 'non-political' is an appropriate way to boil down folks who elected not to vote in 2020.

[Jaymon]

This week I started seeing celebrity commercials for vaccination. I recognized John Legend, but wasn't sure about some of the other commercials.

[malchior]

https://mobile.twitter.com/chrisderose/ ... 1395259396

[YellowKing]

My employer already essentially does this. We are required to get a health assessment every year in order to get a lower insurance rate. You are certainly free to opt out of it, and along with that freedom you get less money in your paycheck.

[LordMortis]

It's an example of how Corporate Marxism and institutionalized fraudulent voting that Biden's controller Harris and her Democrat Congress are pushing are an existential threat to the US.

I swear to Pancake January 6th will be an open mark of pride for all too many possibly as early as the election of 2022.

Don't want the vaccine and don't like the offer? Quit. Or maybe organize as a group to protect your interests from the job creators who are the backbone of success of the United States and its economy. Maybe establish some sort of union of purpose?

[Grifman]

These states should be publicly shamed. Everyone there should be reminded their Governors have failed.

Or their Republican run state legislatures. Too many governors try to do the right thing but are tethered to the hood of the clown car.

It's not necessarily either of them. We just have a lot of stupid people, regardless of who runs the state government. After all, Trump's touted his Operation Warp Speed and taken the vaccine himself (though in secret) and people still distrust the vaccine. We have a huge strain of "don't trust the govt/experts" in America and social media has made them stronger since they no longer feel isolated in their stupidity.

[Grifman]

Hehe, I did read today that anti-maskers/anti-vaccine people are now wondering if they should now start wearing masks to protect them from vaccinated people "shedding the virus" on them, so there's that working for us.

[Smoove_B]

Hehe, I did read today that anti-maskers/anti-vaccine people are now wondering if they should now start wearing masks to protect them from vaccinated people "shedding the virus" on them, so there's that working for us.

The long con is finally paying off!

[El Guapo]

https://twitter.com/rob_sheridan/status ... 8497861635

[Unagi]

Hehe, I did read today that anti-maskers/anti-vaccine people are now wondering if they should now start wearing masks to protect them from vaccinated people "shedding the virus" on them, so there's that working for us.

Seems to admit that vaccines work and masks are effective?

[Zaxxon]

https://twitter.com/cnnbrk/status/13928 ... 67840?s=19

[Smoove_B]

I was just about to post this! Not sure if he's adjusting the message based on the heated discussions here, but we can hope!

[ImLawBoy]

Now we just have to figure out Fauci's OO user name . . . .

[pr0ner]

Now we just have to figure out Fauci's OO user name . . . .

Probably one of Smoove's alts.

[Zaxxon]

Now we just have to figure out Fauci's OO user name . . . .

Probably one of Smoove's alts.

Have we ever seen Fauci and Smoove in the same room together?

[pr0ner]

Now we just have to figure out Fauci's OO user name . . . .

Probably one of Smoove's alts.

Have we ever seen Fauci and Smoove in the same room together?

Hmmm....

[stimpy]

You know, it dawned on me that the anti-vaxxers could just go get the shot and keep spouting how they are so adamantly against it and would never get it. They could keep the charade up and still look cool to their buddies.
Who would know?

[ImLawBoy]

You know, it dawned on me that the anti-vaxxers could just go get the shot and keep spouting how they are so adamantly against it and would never get it. They could keep the charade up and still look cool to their buddies.
Who would know?

Wouldn't it be a surprise when they were able to start communicating with each other via 5G telepathy despite claiming neither got the shot!

[Smoove_B]

Who would know?

If workplaces, movie theaters, airlines, etc... require proof they'd need to either remain silent or betray their status for want of movie popcorn or a cheap flight to Vegas.

[Smoove_B]

Vaccines work!

https://twitter.com/cyrusshahpar46/stat ... 1543900168

Reported Covid-19 deaths (7-day average) are now at the lowest point since April 1, 2020. Still too many but progress.

In terms of politics, we need to shift gears and start really committing to the rest of the world, asap.

[YellowKing]

We had an anti-masker post a long diatribe on NextDoor today arguing that making children wear masks was opening them up to mass-scale kidnapping and sex trafficking because the mask covered up their faces making them unrecognizable from any other kid. Or some logic.

I've never seen a group of people so goddamned obsessed with kidnapping kids for sex.

[Skinypupy]

After hearing about the vaccine lottery in Ohio where 5 random vaccinated people will receive $1MM (put in place after they rescinded most of the COVID safety restrictions, mind you), this seemed very appropriate.

https://twitter.com/aetiology/status/13 ... 7026054147

[Zaxxon]

CDC says vaccinated folks no longer need masks indoors or outdoors in most cases.

[Smoove_B]

https://twitter.com/HirokoTabuchi/statu ... 4158389248

Exceptions: masks should still be worn when visiting doctors, hospitals, nursing homes; when traveling by bus, plane, train or other modes of public transportation, or while in transportation hubs like airports and bus stations; and when in prisons, jails or homeless shelters.

[Defiant]

https://twitter.com/HirokoTabuchi/statu ... 4158389248

Exceptions: masks should still be worn when visiting doctors, hospitals, nursing homes; when traveling by bus, plane, train or other modes of public transportation, or while in transportation hubs like airports and bus stations; and when in prisons, jails or homeless shelters.

They really need to add "when robbing a bank" to the list of exceptions.

[Smoove_B]

And again, as a reminder - the CDC isn't your state or local health authorities. The CDC is making their recommendations; follow your locals (who should be following the CDC).

[Zaxxon]

Curious your thoughts on this, Smoove. Particularly for vaccinated folks who have unvaccinated kids. I still plan to wear a mask indoors pretty much everywhere for now, but for example is it now considered safe for me to (for example) attend an indoor sporting event without the kids? Or is there still considered to be a risk of me bringing something back home? Same question for less crazy-in-2021 stuff like going to a store for non-required items without the kids.

[LordMortis]

CDC says vaccinated folks no longer need masks indoors or outdoors in most cases.

Wow. You're fast. They just announced this moments ago live.

[Zaxxon]

And again, as a reminder - the CDC isn't your state or local health authorities. The CDC is making their recommendations; follow your locals (who should be following the CDC).

If only. My local authorities declared the pandemic over a month ago.

[Smoove_B]

Curious your thoughts on this, Smoove. Particularly for vaccinated folks who have unvaccinated kids. I still plan to wear a mask indoors pretty much everywhere for now, but for example is it now considered safe for me to (for example) attend an indoor sporting event without the kids? Or is there still considered to be a risk of me bringing something back home? Same question for less crazy-in-2021 stuff like going to a store for non-required items without the kids.

Good questions. I'm just finding out about this at the same time as everyone else - which is a bit unusual - I would have expected notice this morning that this was happening. My best guess at this point is that the administration is taking a calculated risk in trying to push vaccination rates higher and it was a decision that was made over the last day or so to try and really drive those that are hesitant to get vaccinated (because they can now see a measurable benefit).

I'll need to review the info when I can get it, but my impression is that they're saying they believe the risk is so low as to be a non-concern for a vaccinated person to (1) acquire and (2) transmit the virus to someone that's not vaccinated. To be clear #1 can happen but it would suggest the data is saying even if #1 happens, #2 is ultra-low risk by way of no cases of it happening (that we're aware of).

As someone living with a partially vaccinated adult and unvaccinated kid, I'm definitely invested in the answers here myself.

EDIT: Yeah, they also just updated their infographic