FUCKDOWN, U.S.A.

[Fambo Number Mive]

In two counties in Texas (Austin and Travis) as well as people being asked to wear masks at all times in public, the Texas Tribune reports that unvaccinated people are asked to only leave their homes for essential trips.

[MojoJojo]

What seems to be a bit weird in the US is that even among those who believe in it (broadly "the left") vaccines are seen as 100% effective and if you're vaccinated absolutely no point in wearing a mask or taking any precautions whatsoever. The Washington Post has an article explaining that yes, you can still get covid after vaccination.

Seems like a strange blind spot.

[JamesTC]

Sounds like Florida is going full fuckdown.

[Fambo Number Mive]

The person in charge of Florida doesn't seem to bothered

As he rallied conservatives on Wednesday, one of the Republican Party's most prominent rising stars mocked new government recommendations calling for more widespread use of masks to blunt a coronavirus surge.

"Did you not get the CDC's memo?" Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joked before an almost entirely unmasked audience of activists and lawmakers crammed into an indoor hotel ballroom in Salt Lake City. "I don't see you guys complying."

https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2021/07/28/cdc-mask-guidance-met-with-hostility-by-leading-republicans/

[Fambo Number Mive]

In the last week Florida reported over 110,000 coronavirus cases, a 50% rise on last week's figure.

And the governor's latest excuse?

DeSantis has blamed the surge on a seasonal increase — more Floridians are indoors because of the hot weather with air conditioning circulating the virus.

If this was the case, surely a mask mandate is even more essential?

[Dog Botherer]

thinking about all those giant retirement resorts that are basically KKKlan chapters and smiling serenely

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

The disproportionate effect on poor people and black people makes any opportunity for - let's face it, a pretty shoddy - schadenfreude, impossible.

[jamiefairlie]

Also, surely KKK members are pretty well masked-up?

[Dog Botherer]

The disproportionate effect on poor people and black people makes any opportunity for - let's face it, a pretty shoddy - schadenfreude, impossible.

well over a year into this hell i'm taking what i can get

[Ferris]

In the last week Florida reported over 110,000 coronavirus cases, a 50% rise on last week's figure.

9,500 people per day on average going to hospital in Florida, and another 6,000 people per day in Texas. Combined population is ~50m (about 3/4 of the UK's 67m) so that'd be the equivalent of 20k hospital admissions per day in the UK. Their populations are fully vaccinated at rates of 49% and 44% respectively.

Not even going to mention the Deep Southern states which are being hammered harder but have fewer residents so their numbers aren't as eye opening, although they are rapidly accelerating upwards.

How long does this go on before someone important calls the management at Fox News and explains their voters are dying so actually we need to change the reporting narrative on all this please and thanks? I'm guessing never, but it is an important case study on the dangers of an under vaccinated population.

[mothman]

Don't forget we are talking about people who aren't that enamoured of the democratic process as a whole, anymore.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

What is the takeup from African Americans though, vs Whites aged 60+ ?

[Ferris]

What is the takeup from African Americans though, vs Whites aged 60+ ?

Depends state to state. Take up generally above 65 is good (90% I think) but that's at the federal level. I imagine it is much lower in the south, and lower again among minority Americans. Haven't looked at the data but I bet it is out there.

Edit: actually it's lower than I thought. About 80% of people over 65 are fully vaccinated, so 1 in 5 is unprotected. Hope they get that sorted pronto. I didn't see ethnicity breakdowns but again, I bet the data is out there somewhere.

[Ferris]

Found that while looking through the data.

To answer Shoulders' question:

https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/latest-data-on-covid-19-vaccinations-race-ethnicity/

Ethnicity plays a part, but from a quick scan it doesn't seem to be as big of a determination as I thought.

[DrGreggles]

Had a meeting earlier with a few guys in our US satellite offices.
N Carolina is about to lockdown again.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Crackin' graph gromit

[Fambo Number Mive]

The delta variant of the coronavirus is ravaging hospitals in Tennessee, and pediatric wings won't escape the crisis, the state's health chief said Thursday.

Dr. Lisa Piercey said the delta variant is rapidly spreading among children — who are quickly showing symptoms after possible exposure, possibly amounting to a much faster incubation time than previous versions of the virus.

Children's hospitals in Tennessee are on pace to be completely full by the end of next week, the Department of Health projects...

Her word of caution about the potential for children to become sick upon returning to classrooms comes as one of Tennessee's top Republican leaders, House Speaker Cameron Sexton, threatened school officials with legislative action if they implement mask mandates or return to virtual learning.

"I sure hope that school systems do not require a mask mandate for those students," Sexton said during a news conference Monday. "And if they do, I'm going to ask the governor for a special session. If they close the schools, I'm going to ask the governor for a special session."

https://eu.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2021/08/05/tennessee-health-chief-says-childrens-hospitals-could-full-next-week-delta-covid/5499631001/

[Fambo Number Mive]

Biology teacher tries to sue his school district for mandating masks, claiming they should follow Arizona state law: https://eu.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-education/2021/08/03/arizona-teacher-sues-district-over-school-covid-19-mask-mandate/5470965001/

Even if the school district aren't legally able to mandate masks, imagine being a biology teacher and wanting to prevent them from doing so. I don't know how big classes are on average in Metro Tech High School, but doing anything that might mean the students you teach are less likely to wear masks seems very risky for teachers.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

pediatric wings won't escape the crisis

Nor should they, little fucking cunts

[Ferris]

7 day average over 100k and rising. The breakdown is stark between the under vaccinated south and the almost-European north east.

[jamiefairlie]

The person in charge of Florida doesn't seem to bothered

Mickey Mouse?

[JamesTC]

Louisiana woman, Covid-19 man
We get together every time we can
The lack of masks can't keep us apart
There's too much love in the unvaccinated heart
Too much love in this Louisiana heart

[Dex Sawash]

Nor should they, little flying cunts

[Fambo Number Mive]

On Thursday, the Texas Education Agency released new guidance for schools on how to handle positive COVID-19 cases

https://twitter.com/wfaa/status/1423418544767787017

[Fambo Number Mive]

Interesting article showing how many of the unvaccinated people in the USA simply haven't been able to get vaccinated

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/06/opinion/covid-delta-vaccines-unvaccinated.html

An elderly woman who cares for two people with disabilities had tried and failed to schedule vaccinations for all three of them at the same time. This time, she succeeded. A woman who was able to vaccinate all the other eligible people in her family hadn't been able to get it herself because she has four young children she wasn't allowed to take to the vaccination center. That day her children played cornhole while she got the shot.

Not sure what playing cornhole is.

[mothman]

[Dog Botherer]

Interesting article showing how many of the unvaccinated people in the USA simply haven't been able to get vaccinated

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/06/opinion/covid-delta-vaccines-unvaccinated.html

Not sure what playing cornhole is.

bean bag toss for infants and drunk cunts. its shit.

[JamesTC]

That's not what urban dictionary says.

[Dex Sawash]

City level indoor mask mandate back in response to delta variant (Durham NC)

[Ferris]

A brief piece in the NY Times about vaccinations in Arkansas. It's quite an eye opener - there's a brief overview of 3 people over 60 getting incredibly sick (and if hospitals were busier or they didn't have health insurance, they'd be cadavers) and they are still not changing their minds about refusing a vaccine.

After nearly dying in quite an unpleasant way, one does change his mind and tries to convince others to get their vaccines - only 3 do. It is absolutely baffling from the outside.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/17/us/arkansas-covid-19-vaccine.html

Arkansas' governor said it 'was an error' to ban mask mandates.

"Sorry about that lads, dropped a clanger there! My bad."