COVID-19 Megathread 6: Return of the Omicron

[Progressive Pessimist]

First they demanded that we close schools for a year until vaccines were available.

Then they demanded that they be first in line for the vaccine.

Now they demand no vaccine mandates!!

Abolish teachers unions and fire, without pensions, all teachers who refuse to get vaccinated.

https://twitter.com/musicsf/status/1423044387601207301?s=21

I'm a big union supporter, but this is pretty ridiculous.

[pppolitics]

Arkansas governor says he regrets ban on mask mandates

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/04/politics/asa-hutchinson-arkansas-mask-mandate/index.html

[GeorgiaModerate]

WHO calls for a moratorium on booster shots

The World Health Organization is calling for a moratorium on Covid-19 vaccine booster shots until at least the end of September, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.  

“Even while hundreds of millions of people are still waiting for their first dose, some rich countries are moving towards booster doses,” Tedros said. “So far more than 4 billion vaccine doses have been administered globally. More than 80% have gone to high and upper middle income countries, even though they account for less than half of the world’s population.”

Germany, the UK, and Israel have all announced plans to provide booster shots for certain vulnerable populations.

https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-vaccine-updates-08-04-21/h_ac3c02e64fbb8b0bd50ccd5073493b1a

So between this announcement by the WHO and this article I saw about a golfer's reasons for not getting vaccinated:

https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/31958173/bryson-dechambeau-returns-being-covid-positive-regret-not-getting-vaccinated

...it occurred to me that some people in the US may still be hesitant about getting the vaccine because they are worried about denying a scarce dose that could be going to someone in greater need, especially in a less privileged country.  

This is especially true given that so much of the discussion around vaccines in the first half of the year revolved around the ethics of vaccine access for various groups, and how this was tied up with notions of privilege, both within the US and across countries.  

So if someone's argument for not being vaccinated is "I'm young and healthy and privileged, and I'd like the vaccine dose to go to someone who has less access to health care and who is more likely to be affected by the virus", how do we counter that?  And given the recent WHO statement, should we try to counter it?

I would be sympathetic to this argument only from those who pledge to never come into contact with any other people in their community.  Remember that it's not just their own health they're risking by not getting vaccinated.  It doesn't matter if they're young and healthy; that doesn't help the older or immunocompromised person they subsequently infect.

But that's true of all the people in other countries who are not getting the vaccine because rich countries are hoarding so many of the doses.  If we actually cared about doing the most good worldwide instead of just in the US, then why wouldn't we prioritize sending doses of the vaccine to wherever in the world it would do the most good, ahead of young and healthy people in the US?

I think it's not only reasonable but entirely appropriate for the US -- and every other country -- to place a priority on protecting its own population.  Since we are indeed a wealthy country, I'm all for assisting less wealthy countries by providing surplus vaccines and assistance with distributing them, and I believe the US is doing just that; we've already shipped tens of millions of doses to other countries, or are in the process of ramping up to do so.  But the key word there is "surplus".  Other people may feel differently.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Arkansas governor says he regrets ban on mask mandates

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/04/politics/asa-hutchinson-arkansas-mask-mandate/index.html

If he has any 2020 aspirations, they've gone up in flames with this statement alone. In contrast, Ron DeSantis probably will say that he regrets that he didn't criminalize mask-wearing.

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

WHO calls for a moratorium on booster shots

The World Health Organization is calling for a moratorium on Covid-19 vaccine booster shots until at least the end of September, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.  

“Even while hundreds of millions of people are still waiting for their first dose, some rich countries are moving towards booster doses,” Tedros said. “So far more than 4 billion vaccine doses have been administered globally. More than 80% have gone to high and upper middle income countries, even though they account for less than half of the world’s population.”

Germany, the UK, and Israel have all announced plans to provide booster shots for certain vulnerable populations.

https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-vaccine-updates-08-04-21/h_ac3c02e64fbb8b0bd50ccd5073493b1a

So between this announcement by the WHO and this article I saw about a golfer's reasons for not getting vaccinated:

https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/31958173/bryson-dechambeau-returns-being-covid-positive-regret-not-getting-vaccinated

...it occurred to me that some people in the US may still be hesitant about getting the vaccine because they are worried about denying a scarce dose that could be going to someone in greater need, especially in a less privileged country.  

This is especially true given that so much of the discussion around vaccines in the first half of the year revolved around the ethics of vaccine access for various groups, and how this was tied up with notions of privilege, both within the US and across countries.  

So if someone's argument for not being vaccinated is "I'm young and healthy and privileged, and I'd like the vaccine dose to go to someone who has less access to health care and who is more likely to be affected by the virus", how do we counter that?  And given the recent WHO statement, should we try to counter it?

I would be sympathetic to this argument only from those who pledge to never come into contact with any other people in their community.  Remember that it's not just their own health they're risking by not getting vaccinated.  It doesn't matter if they're young and healthy; that doesn't help the older or immunocompromised person they subsequently infect.

But that's true of all the people in other countries who are not getting the vaccine because rich countries are hoarding so many of the doses.  If we actually cared about doing the most good worldwide instead of just in the US, then why wouldn't we prioritize sending doses of the vaccine to wherever in the world it would do the most good, ahead of young and healthy people in the US?

I think it's not only reasonable but entirely appropriate for the US -- and every other country -- to place a priority on protecting its own population.  Since we are indeed a wealthy country, I'm all for assisting less wealthy countries by providing surplus vaccines and assistance with distributing them, and I believe the US is doing just that; we've already shipped tens of millions of doses to other countries, or are in the process of ramping up to do so.  But the key word there is "surplus".  Other people may feel differently.

But my underlying question isn’t about US policy itself.  It is about someone essentially saying that they disagree with US policy, and refuse the vaccine because they believe a low-risk person in a privileged country should not receive it before a high-risk person in a less-privileged country.  Should this person be grouped in with the rest of the anti-vaxxers?

[It’s so Joever]

WHO calls for a moratorium on booster shots

The World Health Organization is calling for a moratorium on Covid-19 vaccine booster shots until at least the end of September, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.  

“Even while hundreds of millions of people are still waiting for their first dose, some rich countries are moving towards booster doses,” Tedros said. “So far more than 4 billion vaccine doses have been administered globally. More than 80% have gone to high and upper middle income countries, even though they account for less than half of the world’s population.”

Germany, the UK, and Israel have all announced plans to provide booster shots for certain vulnerable populations.

https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-vaccine-updates-08-04-21/h_ac3c02e64fbb8b0bd50ccd5073493b1a

So between this announcement by the WHO and this article I saw about a golfer's reasons for not getting vaccinated:

https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/31958173/bryson-dechambeau-returns-being-covid-positive-regret-not-getting-vaccinated

...it occurred to me that some people in the US may still be hesitant about getting the vaccine because they are worried about denying a scarce dose that could be going to someone in greater need, especially in a less privileged country.  

This is especially true given that so much of the discussion around vaccines in the first half of the year revolved around the ethics of vaccine access for various groups, and how this was tied up with notions of privilege, both within the US and across countries.  

So if someone's argument for not being vaccinated is "I'm young and healthy and privileged, and I'd like the vaccine dose to go to someone who has less access to health care and who is more likely to be affected by the virus", how do we counter that?  And given the recent WHO statement, should we try to counter it?

I would be sympathetic to this argument only from those who pledge to never come into contact with any other people in their community.  Remember that it's not just their own health they're risking by not getting vaccinated.  It doesn't matter if they're young and healthy; that doesn't help the older or immunocompromised person they subsequently infect.

But that's true of all the people in other countries who are not getting the vaccine because rich countries are hoarding so many of the doses.  If we actually cared about doing the most good worldwide instead of just in the US, then why wouldn't we prioritize sending doses of the vaccine to wherever in the world it would do the most good, ahead of young and healthy people in the US?

I think it's not only reasonable but entirely appropriate for the US -- and every other country -- to place a priority on protecting its own population.  Since we are indeed a wealthy country, I'm all for assisting less wealthy countries by providing surplus vaccines and assistance with distributing them, and I believe the US is doing just that; we've already shipped tens of millions of doses to other countries, or are in the process of ramping up to do so.  But the key word there is "surplus".  Other people may feel differently.

But my underlying question isn’t about US policy itself.  It is about someone essentially saying that they disagree with US policy, and refuse the vaccine because they believe a low-risk person in a privileged country should not receive it before a high-risk person in a less-privileged country.  Should this person be grouped in with the rest of the anti-vaxxers?

As stated, depends on if they are being cautious given their status.

[sguberman]

Biden is apparently making a plan to allow fully vaccinated tourists into the US
https://twitter.com/Yamiche/status/1423070067034673158

[GeorgiaModerate]

WHO calls for a moratorium on booster shots

The World Health Organization is calling for a moratorium on Covid-19 vaccine booster shots until at least the end of September, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.  

“Even while hundreds of millions of people are still waiting for their first dose, some rich countries are moving towards booster doses,” Tedros said. “So far more than 4 billion vaccine doses have been administered globally. More than 80% have gone to high and upper middle income countries, even though they account for less than half of the world’s population.”

Germany, the UK, and Israel have all announced plans to provide booster shots for certain vulnerable populations.

https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-vaccine-updates-08-04-21/h_ac3c02e64fbb8b0bd50ccd5073493b1a

So between this announcement by the WHO and this article I saw about a golfer's reasons for not getting vaccinated:

https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/31958173/bryson-dechambeau-returns-being-covid-positive-regret-not-getting-vaccinated

...it occurred to me that some people in the US may still be hesitant about getting the vaccine because they are worried about denying a scarce dose that could be going to someone in greater need, especially in a less privileged country.  

This is especially true given that so much of the discussion around vaccines in the first half of the year revolved around the ethics of vaccine access for various groups, and how this was tied up with notions of privilege, both within the US and across countries.  

So if someone's argument for not being vaccinated is "I'm young and healthy and privileged, and I'd like the vaccine dose to go to someone who has less access to health care and who is more likely to be affected by the virus", how do we counter that?  And given the recent WHO statement, should we try to counter it?

I would be sympathetic to this argument only from those who pledge to never come into contact with any other people in their community.  Remember that it's not just their own health they're risking by not getting vaccinated.  It doesn't matter if they're young and healthy; that doesn't help the older or immunocompromised person they subsequently infect.

But that's true of all the people in other countries who are not getting the vaccine because rich countries are hoarding so many of the doses.  If we actually cared about doing the most good worldwide instead of just in the US, then why wouldn't we prioritize sending doses of the vaccine to wherever in the world it would do the most good, ahead of young and healthy people in the US?

I think it's not only reasonable but entirely appropriate for the US -- and every other country -- to place a priority on protecting its own population.  Since we are indeed a wealthy country, I'm all for assisting less wealthy countries by providing surplus vaccines and assistance with distributing them, and I believe the US is doing just that; we've already shipped tens of millions of doses to other countries, or are in the process of ramping up to do so.  But the key word there is "surplus".  Other people may feel differently.

But my underlying question isn’t about US policy itself.  It is about someone essentially saying that they disagree with US policy, and refuse the vaccine because they believe a low-risk person in a privileged country should not receive it before a high-risk person in a less-privileged country.  Should this person be grouped in with the rest of the anti-vaxxers?

Well, I was trying to address Mr. Morden's specific point in the previous post; my response to your question was earlier in the chain, but let me try to restate it here.  Even if the person refusing the vaccine is sincere in their belief (and not just using it as an excuse), it's unrealistic because it treats the relative risk solely on an individual basis.  What I was trying to say is that this creates a false value judgment, because there are also high-risk people in their local community.  Unless this person is going to be in complete isolation, by refusing to vaccinate they risk not only themselves but everyone they come in contact with, everyone those people subsequently contact, and so on.

Whether they should be grouped in with the rest of the anti-vaxxers depends on whether you think intentions are more important than outcomes.  They may be coming from an altruistic viewpoint (although one I believe is incorrect, as stated above) but they still place the community at risk just as much as a rabid anti-vax conspiracy theorist does.  And it's the risk to the community that's my main concern in this; if people risked solely their own health and nobody else's, then they're free to take that risk as far as I'm concerned.

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/thedailybeast/status/1423057593577132032

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

https://twitter.com/marcorubio/status/1422977279731318788

Rubio thinks that doing his part to prevent an infectious disease from killing people is a "courtesy".

[emailking]

112,000 cases today

And 650 deaths. They're definitely ticking up.

[Not Me, Us]

I've been exposed to someone who was exposed.

Me and the person who was exposed are fully vaccinated.

The person who was exposed was around the sick person about 10-15 minutes on Monday, before they knew they had covid.  Found out today the girl has covid.

I was around the person who was exposed at various times, sometimes close contact, yesterday and today.

I'm worried, and I'm not sure if I should be.  Guess I'm hoping someone here can reassure me.

You'll be fine. I work retail without a mask and I'm sure have been exposed to numerous unvaccinated people or even people who were positive, and I have yet to catch the virus since I'm fully vaccinated.

[GP270watch]

Second Amendment remedies!

[ProudModerate2]

Second Amendment remedies!

She should be arrested for enticing violence on others.
Disgusting POS she is.

[Hammy]

https://twitter.com/marcorubio/status/1422977279731318788

Rubio thinks that doing his part to prevent an infectious disease from killing people is a "courtesy".

He's not wrong if you look at the entire point made in his tweet--the mask mandates are never enforced and the people who need to wear them the most will simply continue not doing so, and vaccines are the only thing that will end the pandemic.

First they demanded that we close schools for a year until vaccines were available.

Then they demanded that they be first in line for the vaccine.

Now they demand no vaccine mandates!!

Abolish teachers unions and fire, without pensions, all teachers who refuse to get vaccinated.

Stop using San Francisco lunacy to support your lunacy.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

I have always supported unions, and I went to many rallies against right-to-work laws in the 2010s.

But something has got to be done about the teachers' unions. I can't believe how selfish they are.

This has pit workers in different fields of work against each other instead of promoting solidarity. These unions are controlled opposition.

Unions who have connived to deny children their schooling should lose their monopoly bargaining power.

[Mr. Morden]

Arkansas governor says he regrets ban on mask mandates

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/04/politics/asa-hutchinson-arkansas-mask-mandate/index.html

If he has any 2020 aspirations, they've gone up in flames with this statement alone.

If he had 2020 aspirations that weren't already fulfilled, then it's moot now, since we're now in 2021.

[Mr. Morden]

WHO calls for a moratorium on booster shots

The World Health Organization is calling for a moratorium on Covid-19 vaccine booster shots until at least the end of September, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.  

“Even while hundreds of millions of people are still waiting for their first dose, some rich countries are moving towards booster doses,” Tedros said. “So far more than 4 billion vaccine doses have been administered globally. More than 80% have gone to high and upper middle income countries, even though they account for less than half of the world’s population.”

Germany, the UK, and Israel have all announced plans to provide booster shots for certain vulnerable populations.

https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-vaccine-updates-08-04-21/h_ac3c02e64fbb8b0bd50ccd5073493b1a

So between this announcement by the WHO and this article I saw about a golfer's reasons for not getting vaccinated:

https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/31958173/bryson-dechambeau-returns-being-covid-positive-regret-not-getting-vaccinated

...it occurred to me that some people in the US may still be hesitant about getting the vaccine because they are worried about denying a scarce dose that could be going to someone in greater need, especially in a less privileged country.  

This is especially true given that so much of the discussion around vaccines in the first half of the year revolved around the ethics of vaccine access for various groups, and how this was tied up with notions of privilege, both within the US and across countries.  

So if someone's argument for not being vaccinated is "I'm young and healthy and privileged, and I'd like the vaccine dose to go to someone who has less access to health care and who is more likely to be affected by the virus", how do we counter that?  And given the recent WHO statement, should we try to counter it?

I would be sympathetic to this argument only from those who pledge to never come into contact with any other people in their community.  Remember that it's not just their own health they're risking by not getting vaccinated.  It doesn't matter if they're young and healthy; that doesn't help the older or immunocompromised person they subsequently infect.

But that's true of all the people in other countries who are not getting the vaccine because rich countries are hoarding so many of the doses.  If we actually cared about doing the most good worldwide instead of just in the US, then why wouldn't we prioritize sending doses of the vaccine to wherever in the world it would do the most good, ahead of young and healthy people in the US?

I think it's not only reasonable but entirely appropriate for the US -- and every other country -- to place a priority on protecting its own population.  Since we are indeed a wealthy country, I'm all for assisting less wealthy countries by providing surplus vaccines and assistance with distributing them, and I believe the US is doing just that; we've already shipped tens of millions of doses to other countries, or are in the process of ramping up to do so.  But the key word there is "surplus".  Other people may feel differently.

But my underlying question isn’t about US policy itself.  It is about someone essentially saying that they disagree with US policy, and refuse the vaccine because they believe a low-risk person in a privileged country should not receive it before a high-risk person in a less-privileged country.  Should this person be grouped in with the rest of the anti-vaxxers?

Well, I was trying to address Mr. Morden's specific point in the previous post; my response to your question was earlier in the chain, but let me try to restate it here.  Even if the person refusing the vaccine is sincere in their belief (and not just using it as an excuse), it's unrealistic because it treats the relative risk solely on an individual basis.  What I was trying to say is that this creates a false value judgment, because there are also high-risk people in their local community. 

This doesn’t seem like a false value judgment at all.  Yes, there are some unvaccinated high risk people everywhere, but in the US there are certainly fewer than in many other parts of the world, since a high percentage of those who would otherwise be at risk in the US are already vaccinated.  In many other parts of the world, virtually no one is already vaccinated.  There are other parts of the world where an unvaccinated infected person is liable to do more damage to those around them because there are more vulnerable people for them to do damage to.  Or in other words, if one was currently allocating vaccines geographically to wherever in the world the vaccines would do the most good, they probably wouldn’t pick the US as their #1 destination.

You said in your response to my post that “It's not only reasonable but entirely appropriate for the US -- and every other country -- to place a priority on protecting its own population.”  But the question here is not about the US government primarily, but individual Americans choosing to let others get their doses first, before they do, if they believe others are in more need.

Now, the problem is that there’s no legal way for an individual citizen to donate a dose that would otherwise go to them to someone else.  If there’s more of a slowdown in US demand for the vaccine, then does that prompt the US government to donate more doses to other countries where it’s more in need, rather than just hoard all the doses even when they’re not using them?  If it did prompt them to do so, then great.  But if not, and most/all the doses that would otherwise go to Americans just end up getting dumped, then yeah, attempting to let the vulnerable in other countries go first doesn’t work.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

First they demanded that we close schools for a year until vaccines were available.

Then they demanded that they be first in line for the vaccine.

Now they demand no vaccine mandates!!

Abolish teachers unions and fire, without pensions, all teachers who refuse to get vaccinated.

https://twitter.com/musicsf/status/1423044387601207301?s=21

College professors though have the correct idea: https://kstp.com/coronavirus/hundreds-of-u-of-m-professors-give-work-stoppage-ultimatum-if-no-vaccine-mandate/6196819/?cat=1

[The Dowager Mod]

My boy Murphy. 
https://twitter.com/NJGov/status/1422998723366461441

[Dr. Arch]

The updated numbers for COVID-19 in the U.S. are in for 7/29-8/4/2021 per: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

From March 2020 to mid-July 2021, I kept track of COVID-19 numbers daily. Now that there's a light at the end of the tunnel and states are staggering their daily updates, I am switching to a mid-week to mid-week model (Thursday to Wednesday).

Wednesdays are ideal for weekly updates since holidays don't usually fall in the middle of the week, and most states would have reported some update by that day each week.

New Legend:

Δ Change: Comparisons of Weekly Growth or Decline of COVID-19 Spread/Deaths

Σ Increase: A week's contribution to overall percentage growth of COVID-19 cases/deaths.

• IE:What's the overall change in the total?

You may access the archive of daily reports below, with the last daily update at the end, which was on 7/6/2021.

Day-to-Day Archive from 3/26/2020-7/6/2021
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Spoiler alert! Click Show to show the content.

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6/16-6/22: <Baseline Week>

• Cases: 34,433,696
• Deaths: 617,864

6/23-6/30:

• Cases: 34,544,094 (+110,398 | Σ Increase: ↑0.32%)
• Deaths: 620,237 (+2,373 | Σ Increase: ↑0.38%)

7/1-7/7:

• Cases: 34,641,189 (+97,095 | ΔW Change: ↓12.05% | Σ Increase: ↑0.28%)
• Deaths: 621,851 (+1,614 | ΔW Change: ↓31.98% | Σ Increase: ↑0.26%)

7/8-7/14:

• Cases: 34,848,068 (+206,879 | ΔW Change: ↑113.07% | Σ Increase: ↑0.60%)
• Deaths: 623,838 (+1,987 | ΔW Change: ↑23.11% | Σ Increase: ↑0.32%)

7/15-7/21:

• Cases: 35,146,476 (+298,408 | ΔW Change: ↑44.24% | Σ Increase: ↑0.86%)
• Deaths: 625,808 (+1,970 | ΔW Change: ↓0.86% | Σ Increase: ↑0.32%)

7/22-7/28: <Last Week>

• Cases: 35,487,348 (+340,872 | ΔW Change: ↑14.23% | Σ Increase: ↑0.97%)
• Deaths: 628,098 (+2,290 | ΔW Change: ↑16.24% | Σ Increase: ↑0.37%)

7/29-8/4: <This Week>

• Cases: 36,176,471 (+689,123 | ΔW Change: ↑102.17% | Σ Increase: ↑1.94%)
• Deaths: 631,299 (+3,201 | ΔW Change: ↑39.78% | Σ Increase: ↑0.51%)

[Torie]

Fauci update on booster shots:

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/566526-fauci-booster-shots-for-immunocompromised-very-high-priority

[GP270watch]

My boy Murphy.  
https://twitter.com/NJGov/status/1422998723366461441

 It's pretty clear now this is a pandemic of stupidity. This state of general ignorance America finds itself in has been building long before Covid-19.

[jamestroll]

Just get vaccinated and wear a mask (for now) in crowded areas and live an other wise normal life is the best advice here.

[pbrower2a]

Second Amendment remedies!

This is simply terrible. "Second amendment remedies" are for encounters with someone who seeks to do literal harm, like robbery, rape, murder, or taking my family off to a concentration camp. It is far better that we have an effective police force and honest courts to suppress crime... and that we not elect criminals to offices high and low.