COVID-19 Megathread 6: Return of the Omicron

[ElectionsGuy]

https://twitter.com/GovWhitmer/status/1393234054703681539

Yep. "It worked". Wisconsin's Court struck down the mask mandate and had literally less than half as many cases per capita as Michigan. "Neanderthal" Texas and "DeathSantis" Florida cases dropped while Michigan rose during April. All explained by science.

[ElectionsGuy]

Well, Michigan has almost twice the population density of Wisconsin, just to pick one possible influencing factor in per capita infection rate.  But you do you.

Note to the general readership: I will from now on be automatically ignoring anyone who posts as anti-mask or anti-vaccine.  You're just tiresome at this point.  The previous post was the last freebie before this policy goes into effect.

My comments, and any people who point out facts that don't support the civil liberty violations of children and regular society to curb a virus, are not anti-mask nor anti-vaccine. I'm pro-mask and pro-vaccine. I'm sick and tired of people straw-manning this sh**t. What you are saying is literally if you don't conform to a single "authorized" opinion of policy as if it's factually proven to be the only valid way, then you just plug your ears because you're close-minded. Doesn't seem very moderate to me.

[ElectionsGuy]

https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1422555523644264453

Democrats go full circle and support segregation.

[ElectionsGuy]

https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1422555523644264453

Democrats go full circle and support segregation.

Because those who forego the needle implicitly are introduced to the tar brush? Don’t be a bitch.


OK. That was mean but you generally are a reasonable guy but that was wrong. I’d rather call you a bitch than report you for hyperbolically equating public health to racism.

Do white liberals understand that a disproportionate number of Hispanics and blacks are unvaccinated? Are they deplorable "anti-vaxxers" who don't deserve to go into a restaurant? This policy is literally racist.

[ElectionsGuy]

https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1422555523644264453

Democrats go full circle and support segregation.

Because those who forego the needle implicitly are introduced to the tar brush? Don’t be a bitch.


OK. That was mean but you generally are a reasonable guy but that was wrong. I’d rather call you a bitch than report you for hyperbolically equating public health to racism.

Do white liberals understand that a disproportionate number of Hispanics and blacks are unvaccinated? Are they deplorable "anti-vaxxers" who don't deserve to go into a restaurant? This policy is literally racist.

No, it's not.  It's a public health policy regardless of how you try to twist it.  Anyone of any race can get in simply by showing proof of vaccination.  If they choose not to get vaccinated, that's their decision but it is not a racist policy.

You guys on the left argue all the time that policies that have disproportionate outcomes racially are systemically racist. And I agree with you, to an extent. I don't see why you can't see this. Creating a class of people that don't have access to basic recreational activities is so immoral, especially over a virus that poses little risk for young, healthy people, in which vaccinated people are supposed to be protected. And Democrats argued months ago that voter ID laws were the "new Jim Crow", lol. This is far more authoritarian and dangerous than a voter ID law.

[ElectionsGuy]

https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1422555523644264453

Democrats go full circle and support segregation.

What an ignorant, disgusting comment.

It's an ignorant, disgusting policy. I will never apologize for calling out government-mandated segregation. And I would think political moderates would think this is an extreme policy.

[ElectionsGuy]

Even Saagar Enjeti, who was frustratingly pro-lockdown last year (way to be a "populist", lol), is relenting at how ridiculous big corporations and universities with young, healthy, and vaccinated people are being subjected to restrictive covid measures because their leadership panics at any rise in cases.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7g8tbK6eeQ

[ElectionsGuy]

Yeah it's not as deadly as Delta it seems. Yes let's see where we are a week from now, in case holiday is still affecting it.

No kidding, that's been known for some time now. You'd think a supreme court justice would know basic facts like that.

[ElectionsGuy]

Johns Hopkins Study: Covid Lockdowns saved 0.2% of Lives at Enormous Economic and Social Costs in US/Europe.

https://sites.krieger.jhu.edu/iae/files/2022/01/A-Literature-Review-and-Meta-Analysis-of-the-Effects-of-Lockdowns-on-COVID-19-Mortality.pdf

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10466995/New-study-says-lockdowns-reduced-COVID-mortality-2-percent.html

'While this meta-analysis concludes that lockdowns have had little to no public health effects, they have imposed enormous economic and social costs where they have been adopted,' researchers wrote. 'In consequence, lockdown policies are ill-founded and should be rejected as a pandemic policy instrument.'

I said it in May 2020, when it wasn't socially acceptable, but now I'll say it again: worst public policy decision in decades.

[ElectionsGuy]

The covid nannies have completely lost Bill Maher

https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/1490353088045146122

[ElectionsGuy]

Let me guess, all of this is to declare "victory" over covid just in time for Biden's SOTU speech? And to hope people forget about what these people did over the last 2 years?

[ElectionsGuy]

This article discusses how the CDC has withheld much of the data concerning the effectiveness of the vaccine and of boosters among 18-49 year olds. This decision has been justified on the fear that such data could be "misinterpreted", in a manner that would cast doubt on vaccine effectiveness and fuel conspiracy theories regarding them. But I also feel that it is an abdication of duty on the agency's part, particularly since many health officials and experts say that their efforts would have been boosted by having access to this data.

They believe we're too stupid for it. Only the "experts" can see. This is why we rely so much on other countries' data. The CDC is an absolute dumpster fire of an institution.

This is the same sanctimonious attitude that led to Fauci and co. saying "masks don't work" in March of 2020 in an attempt to save them for healthcare workers. Because regular people are too stupid to be told accurate information that might be inconvenient for the short-term.

[ElectionsGuy]

BA.2 will be the next wave in April-May-June.

No one cares.

Democrats will be hurt electorally if they use BA.2 as justification to reimpose restrictions or mandates.

I'm already seeing some covid fear porn ratcheting back up with "spring break fears" and stuff like this. And inevitably, some pollsters will show Americans want restrictions back.

But Democrats' behavior will tell the real story. It's clear they know the real numbers, because this rush to lift restrictions didn't come with any public polls showing their policies were unpopular, but they did it anyway in a very coordinated way.

[ElectionsGuy]

Cases have reached a trough and are going slightly up now. This is not very surprising, the same thing happened for about a month in 2021 and it was made out to be "impending doom" but then decreased further starting in late April/May.

But Dr. Fauci has been back on the Sunday shows just to remind everybody that he exists after being quiet for a while and that his favorite covid policies may be "needed" again.

[ElectionsGuy]

But Dr. Fauci has been back on the Sunday shows just to remind everybody that he exists after being quiet for a while and that his favorite covid policies may be "needed" again.

He also said he didn't think they would be needed.

Rising cases are always an excuse. Biden said at this point last year, that states should be "pausing their reopening efforts" with a slightly higher number of cases. And that was the time that Democrats reponded hysterically over Abbott lifting restrictions, which afterward Texas saw a decrease in cases.

The only reason it's different this year is because there's an election coming up and people are less tolerant about covid culture.

[ElectionsGuy]

https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1517323130821386240

Real life > fake polls

[ElectionsGuy]

Flew post mandate for the first time yesterday.

I'd say maybe a quarter of people are still masking. Mostly women, no real correlation with age or race.

Interesting... Quinnipiac shows a slight majority of people favor the mask mandate repeal, but a majority still say they're going to wear a mask on planes.

At this point, it's fairly obvious to me that polling questions on mask have a massive social desirability effect. It's like if you're to ask how many books people read in a year, people are going to overestimate compared to reality so they don't look "stupid/uneducated". Some people are just always going to say they wear a mask to a stranger because the pro-maskers have intimidated/shamed others as a bad person if you don't.

My curiosity at this point is, how far back did this really stop becoming popular. It wasn't February, that's when the DNC panic memo went out.