COVID! COVID! COVID!
Even Republicans are taking it seriously...for about 30 seconds.
I know, I know…I wrote about it yesterday. But you couldn’t get away from the story today. COVID accounted for 15 minutes of every hour on MSNBC all day, and usually it was the first 15 minutes. I woke up this morning to a two-column top of the front page headline in the New York Times: “Why Infections Are Rising in Vaccinated Americans.” I know the Times can’t cover a story the way I do, but I had to read more than halfway through the story for an answer to the headline that could have been delivered with one line: People who are vaccinated are being infected by people who are unvaccinated.
Three hundred words into the story, the Times finally got around to it: “Unvaccinated people are not, for the most part, taking precautions, and that’s what’s driving it for everybody,” the Times quoted Dr. Eric J. Rubin saying. He’s the editor of the New England Journal of Medicine. “We’re all susceptible to whatever anyone’s behavior is in this epidemic.”
Duh.
The Times story did present this interesting factoid that goes a long way to explaining what’s going on, not only with vaccinated people becoming infected, but with the nationwide spread of the virus in general: “People infected with the Delta variant may carry roughly a thousandfold more virus than those infected with the original virus.” The Times went on to explain that if you’re vaccinated and exposed to a low dose of the virus, it’s unlikely you will become infected. But when exposed to extremely high doses of the virus, as with the Delta variant, even a vaccinated person’s immune system may become overwhelmed.
MSNBC reported this evening that all 50 states now have increased numbers of infections, with the largest numbers centered in the by now well known red states that have the lowest numbers of vaccinated citizens. Everybody made a big deal all day about Alabama Governor Kay Ivey turning the page and suddenly becoming pro-vaccine. “Folks are supposed to have common sense. But it's time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks, not the regular folks. It's the unvaccinated folks that are letting us down," the Alabama governor told reporters in Birmingham. Alabama has the lowest rate in the country with only 33.9 percent of the population fully vaccinated. COVID cases there have doubled in the last week and are four times what they were two weeks ago.
The other big story was Sean Hannity, who on his Monday night show actually came out and told his viewers to “take COVID seriously,” adding, “It makes sense for many Americans to get vaccinated. I believe in science, and I believe in the science of vaccines.” Sincerity practically bled all over the camera lens.
How long do you figure it took him to shift into reverse and rejoin the anti-vax maniacs? Well, it took until Thursday, when he denied on his show that he had ever told anyone to get vaccinated. “I never told anyone to get a vaccine,” Hannity practically screamed. “I have been very clear. I am simply not qualified.”
“I’m not a medical doctor,” Hannity explained, as if common sense is awarded only to those in the white coats. “I know nothing about your medical history or your current medical condition. I think it’s inappropriate for me to do so. Instead, for over a year now I have been warning my viewers, you make my career possible.”
Huh? He’s been “warning” his fans that they “make his career possible”? I guess you could be generous and take that blithering nonsense as some kind of plea to the his followers to keep themselves alive so his numbers stay up, but I don’t have a clue what he’s talking about, do you?
You can, however, be assured that more will follow Hannity’s lead and re-embrace anti-vax hysteria. Just watch them.
Meanwhile, a bunch of Republican congresspersons had a little press availability yesterday at the Capitol steps. Yes, you read that right: they called the press together in front of the same Capitol steps Trump’s people stormed only six months ago, but let’s leave that aside for a moment, shall we? Steve Scalise of Louisiana, House Republican Whip, was the leader of the brave little band. The ostensible purpose of his smiling gathering was to urge Americans to get vaccinated. Folks, that lasted about a minute, and then they launched into an attack on Democrats for failing to pursue an investigation into where this virus, that for them only became a real threat about 30 seconds ago, originated. China! China! China! Commie! Commie! Commie! I guess if Pelosi and the Democrats can figure out where the virus originated for Scalise and his pals, they won’t have to face the terrible swift sword of Trump coming down on them for taking the virus seriously enough that they’re now recommending the vaccines…if only for 60 seconds.
I promise I’ll get off the COVID story soon, but for the meantime it’s useful to recall that it was shutdowns because of COVID that set stage for the storming of the Michigan State Capitol in May by armed Oathkeepers and other militia types It was just a dress rehearsal, but when Trump called on them to storm the Capitol in Washington over the certification of Biden’s victory in January, they were ready.
Lucian, I sympathize with your desire to move on and leave Covid Delta to the CDC and the talking heads from NPR. But seriously, it is taking pride of place here in the Sacramento region, even displacing all the anxiety over the wildfires that are currently burning in the Western Sierra. Unlike wildfire, which can be attacked through air – ground assault, nobody has yet died despite this environmental catastrophe that is daily taking shape in our forest lands.
Covid, however, is another story. Infection rates, hospitalizations, and result in deaths are on the rise. This past spring, we were breathing sighs of relief, and sort of congratulating ourselves that we Californians pretty much had our act together; and then Delta came on like gangbusters. The various vaccines we have still work, but were dealing with a more virulent isomer, and Delta is a bitch. Worse yet, the Republican hinterland, egged on by Fox News, and the usual suspects on Facebook and Twitter, sowing discord and denial, that have made progress lose momentum.
Finally, finally, some Republican elected officials are starting to get worried that all of this is going to blow back on them. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey came right out and said, and which you quoted, 'it is time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks, not the regular folks…" Well! Glory be! Some people are starting to wise up, not always where you wanted to be, but at least it is a start. That is an inflection point worth looking into more closely. People of conservative mien are starting to realize that the real world consequences of their political posturing are having horrific consequences. The evidence is clear, as Governor Ivey so noted, is the unvaccinated folks who are the heavies in this morality tale. That is bound to carry a lot of weight. Suddenly it is not the 'Gov'mint' that is stealing our Rights, and undercutting our manhood, but Jody, and all of his kinfolk. The image that I have in mind comes from Walt Disney's Fantasia, and its animation of Mickey Mouse as the sorcerer's apprentice. Once Mickey cast the magic spell and got the broom to start hauling water from the well, there was no stopping it. Things took on a life of their own, until the sorcerer arrived on scene to reverse the spell. But right now, we are drowning in an ocean of spite, and envy, and ignorance, and willfulness, spawned by the Republican Party and their allies; and what Governor Ivey referred to as 'regular folks' have segued from concern, to dismay, to abject terror. Already there are calls to put hickory stick and muscle into getting those who are noncompliant up to speed with the program. The CDC, intent on doing good science by withholding formal approval of those vaccines and use until every I is dotted and every T is crossed, is compounding the errors they made a year ago with their sloppy messaging. It is like stopping the D-Day Invasion to check to see whether every soldier has a clean mess kit, and a full canteen, all done while the landing craft are pushing towards the beach. I worked in government long enough to know that you can give conditional approval that has the effect of the full Monty, and the CDC should say so. This is not like thalidomide back in 1963, or something that got pulled out of Big Pharma's ass. If there was a time to wield a shillelagh, this would be it. You do not have to literally beat people about the head and shoulders, but you should be able to enforce masking rules, and keep the unvaccinated out of the restaurants and bars, and preferably off the street while they are still not vaccinated. I seem to remember MPs going into restaurants to check military personnel as to whether they had proper authorization to be there. We do not need to go quite that far; but we do need to convey the message that the situation has life-threatening implications, and that it will be handled as such. In my book, it is either mask up or find some other place to be. I am not averse to imposing monetary fines for people who were found to be violating the rules. It has been suggested that those who refuse to become vaccinated should be required to pay financial penalties in the form of higher health insurance premiums, the way it was done with those who could not kick the cigarette habit. As for the broadcast media, I would reinstate the old time Fairness Rule to allow their viewers access to truthful, unbiased information. They have a right to their opinion, but they have no right to amplification, or to dominate the public square using that which belongs to all of us. We saw what happened following the last election when the Trump Campaign and the Republican Party clogged the courts with bogus claims of election fraud. This is a matter of public health, where lives are at risk, and time is of the essence. If all they are doing is gas lighting and spreading this information, we can shut them down. As I mentioned in a previous posting, 'the Constitution is not a suicide pact.'
Finally, it is part of our culture to celebrate free speech, and let every voice be heard. That is okay, so long as there is legitimate grounds for debate. From a statistical standpoint, there is nothing to debate; this is not about 'free speech', 'personal rights', or, my favorite, 'personal choice'. The way I see it, someone exercises their 'personal choice' by being out in public among people; and if they are unvaccinated, and unmasked, they are not where they are allowed to be. No excuses. It is not like it was when we were back in college, and a kid did get a fake ID so we could go drinking with his buddies. Getting vaccinated is no big deal in terms of time and effort. It is a big deal, a BFD, as Joe Biden is known to have said, if you HAVE NOT gotten vaccinated, and you are using vaccination as a wedge issue to identify yourself in a particular way. Back in the day, sometime between the year I was 18 years old and the year I turned 30, there was a ballad that played fairly frequently on the radio, titled, "I fought the law, and the law won". This was teenage rebellion, but now we have a full third of our countrymen acting like a couple of teenage sports, with their collars up, hair coiffed in ducktails, and their testosterone pumping, and out to impress a bunch of teenage girls how cool they are. I cannot believe we are a country of 320 million people in thrall to a bunch of teenage delinquents and pubescent morons, whatever their chronological ages might be. This has to stop. The one way to do it is to drop the hammer on those who are spreading the lies and disinformation. This is not about personal rights, per se. It is about reasonable behavior that needs to be encouraged, and if necessary, compelled. Without it, nothing gets done; and people get sick and die for no reason at all except the selfishness of the people whom Governor Ivey identified as blameworthy for the mess that we are in. I would disagree with the governor on probably most issues; but on this one, she is right on the money. What is missing from her statement is her resolve to do something about it. But having connected the dots, and given voice to her conclusion, we need to make that conclusion a reality before more people get sick and die.
Well, it makes sense for the Republicans to get all hysterical about COVID-19 for right now because Trump's not making speeches and nobody seems to be listening to their denials about the Jan 6 insurrection, but it's not gonna last long, as you pointed out.
What gets me is the sheer goddamned hypocrisy of Kay Ivey who like most Republicans never met a lie she didn't like to repeat more than once. As I recall, her state is one of the least vaccinated states in the US, and she's on one hand blaming everyone for not getting a shot but on the other hand, "I've done all I could" which is to say nothing.
We're just going to have to live through this horror show for the next 6 months telling everyone "I told you so!" when it comes to vaccinations and by the way, keep your mask on while you're doing it because it's not over by a very long shot.
Take care and peace!