COVID-19 Megathread 6: Return of the Omicron

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Kentucky is lifting all mandates - even masks, even indoors, even for unvaccinated people.

That's it. It's over.

[lfromnj]

Whoever designed these Covid Vaccination cards should be fired !

I can't even carry them in a wallet.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

https://twitter.com/briantashman/status/1393215036114546694

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

https://twitter.com/JamesGleick/status/1393234468106866691

[Hammy]

Kentucky is lifting all mandates - even masks, even indoors, even for unvaccinated people.

That's it. It's over.

Have fun with your surge in a few weeks.

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

Kentucky is lifting all mandates - even masks, even indoors, even for unvaccinated people.

That's it. It's over.

Have fun with your surge in a few weeks.

Just like the surge that happened in Texas?

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

Or like school re-openings in Florida of DeSantis would backfire.


Kind reminder, that Dems still keep brown kids out of education loop.

https://www.pnas.org/content/118/17/e2022376118
Learning loss due to school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic

School closures have been a common tool in the battle against COVID-19. Yet, their costs and benefits remain insufficiently known. We use a natural experiment that occurred as national examinations in The Netherlands took place before and after lockdown to evaluate the impact of school closures on students’ learning. The Netherlands is interesting as a “best-case” scenario, with a short lockdown, equitable school funding, and world-leading rates of broadband access. Despite favorable conditions, we find that students made little or no progress while learning from home. Learning loss was most pronounced among students from disadvantaged homes.

Even in Netherlands' "Best-Case Scenario" kids learned nothing. Imagine, what damaged has been done to minority kids in US by racist cunning Democrats.

[Motorcity]

This is a terrible decision unless they're going to mandate proof of vaccination, otherwise it's just going to encourage unvaccinated people to lie and spread the virus more.

Here’s the thing, we can’t legally require vaccines. The Supreme Court would rule against it

It’s unlikely we will reach 75% vaccination rate. We are about 60% and rapidly slowing down despite having enough for everyone. It’s free at every Walmart and walk ins are ok.

Should vaccination people be forced to wear masks forever? That would be idiotic. Thank god for this decision it’s the right one

[Hammy]

This is a terrible decision unless they're going to mandate proof of vaccination, otherwise it's just going to encourage unvaccinated people to lie and spread the virus more.

Here’s the thing, we can’t legally require vaccines. The Supreme Court would rule against it

It’s unlikely we will reach 75% vaccination rate. We are about 60% and rapidly slowing down despite having enough for everyone. It’s free at every Walmart and walk ins are ok.

Should vaccination people be forced to wear masks forever? That would be idiotic. Thank god for this decision it’s the right one

Vaccines absolutely should be mandated.

[Drew]

Whoever designed these Covid Vaccination cards should be fired !

I can't even carry them in a wallet.

I agree that they should have made them the size of business cards that you can fit in your wallet.  What I do is I carry a copy of mine, printed on regular paper rather than cardstock so I can fold it and keep it in my wallet.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

This is a terrible decision unless they're going to mandate proof of vaccination, otherwise it's just going to encourage unvaccinated people to lie and spread the virus more.

Here’s the thing, we can’t legally require vaccines. The Supreme Court would rule against it

Jacobson v. Massachusetts

Jacobson v. Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11 (1905), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court upheld the authority of states to enforce compulsory vaccination laws. The Court's decision articulated the view that individual liberty is not absolute and is subject to the police power of the state.

I mean, yes, the Roberts court could overturn it, but it seems very unlikely with the current makeup of the Court. I think it would be 6-3 at worst. (Maybe 9-0 if the Biden admin hires Ginni Thomas, gives Barrett a book deal, and gives Gaetz contacts list to Kavanaugh.)

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Whoever designed these Covid Vaccination cards should be fired !

I can't even carry them in a wallet.

I agree that they should have made them the size of business cards that you can fit in your wallet.  What I do is I carry a copy of mine, printed on regular paper rather than cardstock so I can fold it and keep it in my wallet.

I used my smartphone to take a photo of mine.

[emailking]

I have a picture of it in my phone.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Whoever designed these Covid Vaccination cards should be fired !

I can't even carry them in a wallet.

I agree that they should have made them the size of business cards that you can fit in your wallet.  What I do is I carry a copy of mine, printed on regular paper rather than cardstock so I can fold it and keep it in my wallet.

I used my smartphone to take a photo of mine.

I did too.  The nurses giving the shots at my site were recommending this to everyone.

[Progressive Pessimist]

https://twitter.com/briantashman/status/1393215036114546694

This kind of thing also makes me wonder how right wingers who are simultaneously anti-mask and anti-vaccine are taking the news. Their heads must be spinning in not knowing the best way to trigger teh libz anymore.

By the way, back on topic, in New Jersey and New York apparently the mask mandate is still in effect. I personally don't care, but I'm sure some are disappointed; like this guy I saw at a 7-11 yesterday who was being very loud and overt about how happy he was in not having to wear a mask anymore.

[Calthrina950]

https://twitter.com/briantashman/status/1393215036114546694

This kind of thing also makes me wonder how right wingers who are simultaneously anti-mask and anti-vaccine are taking the news. Their heads must be spinning in not knowing the best way to trigger teh libz anymore.

By the way, back on topic, in New Jersey and New York apparently the mask mandate is still in effect. I personally don't care, but I'm sure some are disappointed; like this guy I saw at a 7-11 yesterday who was being very loud and overt about how happy he was in not having to wear a mask anymore.

Democratic states do seem to be proceeding at different rates now. In my home state of Colorado, Governor Polis, who was one of the last Democratic Governors to issue a mask mandate, has now become one of the first to effectively discard it. Vaccinated Coloradoans will no longer be required to wear a mask in most public settings, and the state is only "recommending", not requiring, that unvaccinated Coloradoans do so. The state still is asking people to respect the mandates of those businesses who choose to keep them.

Oregon and Pennsylvania have also effectively abandoned their mask mandates, and Minnesota has also. Other states, like New York and New Jersey (as you mentioned), and also North Carolina, Hawaii, Massachusetts, etc. seem to be dragging their feet more on lifting the mandates, but hopefully they will soon follow suit. It would be hypocritical of them not to do so otherwise. And national retailer chains are starting to respond; Walmart and Trader Joe's have abolished their mask requirement for vaccinated customers, and the latter isn't going to inquire into vaccination status.

[Dr. Arch]

The updated numbers for COVID-19 in the U.S. are in for 5/14 per: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

I'm keeping track of these updates daily and updating at the end of the day, whenever all states finish reporting for that day.

ΔW Change: Comparisons of Weekly Day-to-day Growth or Decline of COVID-19 Spread/Deaths.

• IE: Comparing the numbers to the same day of last week, are we flattening the curve enough?

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

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

Brackets []: These represent the total change for the day, including backlogged reports, if any.

• These numbers are inflated relative to the actual reports for the day, so they are not used to calculate the comparative percentage shifts.

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5/2: <Sunday>

• Cases: 33,180,441 (+30,701 [+34,433] | ΔW Change: ↓11.62% | Σ Increase: ↑0.10%)
• Deaths: 591,062 (+312 [+358] | ΔW Change: ↑14.71% | Σ Increase: ↑0.06%)

5/3: <M>

• Cases: 33,230,561 (+39,767 [+50,120] | ΔW Change: ↓16.20% | Σ Increase: ↑0.15%)
• Deaths: 591,514 (+452 | ΔW Change: ↓1.53% | Σ Increase: ↑0.08%)

5/4: <T>

• Cases: 33,274,659 (+44,098 | ΔW Change: ↓15.27% | Σ Increase: ↑0.13%)
• Deaths: 592,409 (+895 | ΔW Change: ↑15.78% | Σ Increase: ↑0.15%)

5/5: <W>

• Cases: 33,321,244 (+46,585 | ΔW Change: ↓17.70% | Σ Increase: ↑0.14%)
• Deaths: 593,148 (+739 | ΔW Change: ↓22.54% | Σ Increase: ↑0.12%)

5/6: <Þ>

• Cases: 33,369,192 (+47,948 | ΔW Change: ↓20.58% | Σ Increase: ↑0.14%)
• Deaths: 594,006 (+858 | ΔW Change: ↓1.38% | Σ Increase: ↑0.14%)

5/7: <F>

• Cases: 33,418,826 (+49,634 | ΔW Change: ↓17.15% | Σ Increase: ↑0.15%)
• Deaths: 594,911 (+777 [+905] | ΔW Change: ↓0.89% | Σ Increase: ↑0.15%)

5/8: <S>

• Cases: 33,454,581 (+35,755 | ΔW Change: ↓14.94% | Σ Increase: ↑0.11%)
• Deaths: 595,588 (+677 | ΔW Change: ↑4.31% | Σ Increase: ↑0.11%)

5/9: <Sunday>

• Cases: 33,476,781 (+22,200 | ΔW Change: ↓27.69% | Σ Increase: ↑0.07%)
• Deaths: 595,812 (+224 | ΔW Change: ↓28.21% | Σ Increase: ↑0.04%)

5/10: <M>

• Cases: 33,515,308 (+30,152 [+38,527] | ΔW Change: ↓24.18% | Σ Increase: ↑0.12%)
• Deaths: 596,179 (+367 | ΔW Change: ↓18.81% | Σ Increase: ↑0.06%)

5/11: <T>

• Cases: 33,550,115 (+34,807 | ΔW Change: ↓21.07% | Σ Increase: ↑0.10%)
• Deaths: 596,946 (+767 | ΔW Change: ↓14.30% | Σ Increase: ↑0.13%)

5/12: <W>

• Cases: 33,586,136 (+36,021 | ΔW Change: ↓22.68% | Σ Increase: ↑0.11%)
• Deaths: 597,785 (+839 | ΔW Change: ↑13.53% | Σ Increase: ↑0.14%)

5/13 (Yesterday): <Þ>

• Cases: 33,626,097 (+39,961 | ΔW Change: ↓16.66% | Σ Increase: ↑0.12%)
• Deaths: 598,540 (+755 | ΔW Change: ↓12.00% | Σ Increase: ↑0.13%)

5/14 (Today): <F>

• Cases: 33,664,013 (+37,916 | ΔW Change: ↓23.61% | Σ Increase: ↑0.11%)
• Deaths: 599,314 (+774 | ΔW Change: ↓0.39% | Σ Increase: ↑0.13%)

[pbrower2a]

Whoever designed these Covid Vaccination cards should be fired !

I can't even carry them in a wallet.

I agree that they should have made them the size of business cards that you can fit in your wallet.  What I do is I carry a copy of mine, printed on regular paper rather than cardstock so I can fold it and keep it in my wallet.

I used my smartphone to take a photo of mine.

I used my regular camera for a photo, but did so against the backdrop of the interior of a twelve-year-old car.  The context makes forgery difficult to make credible.

[Hammy]

This kind of thing also makes me wonder how right wingers who are simultaneously anti-mask and anti-vaccine are taking the news. Their heads must be spinning in not knowing the best way to trigger teh libz anymore.

These people have never used logic. They just take buzzwords and such and mesh them into sentences no matter how contradictory they are.

It reminds me of when Gingrich claimed the country would become atheist and run by Islamic extremists.

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1393631864984899586

[Interlocutor is just not there yet]

So far;


Retailers lifting mask requirements:  Costco, Publix, Trader Joes, Walmart

Retailers not lifting mask requirements: Home Depot, Macys, Disney parks (When indoors),

Retailers not lifting mask requirements but "re-evaluating" policy: Walgreens, CVS, Target, Kroger


I'm a little confused of Starbucks, since I just read they were still requiring masks for customers & employees.

[GeorgiaModerate]

So far;


Retailers lifting mask requirements:  Costco, Publix, Trader Joes, Walmart

Retailers not lifting mask requirements: Home Depot, Macys, Disney parks (When indoors),

Retailers not lifting mask requirements but "re-evaluating" policy: Walgreens, CVS, Target, Kroger


I'm a little confused of Starbucks, since I just read they were still requiring masks for customers & employees.

I was at Kroger this morning.  They still have a "Masks Required" sign up, so I wore mine inside even though I'm fully vaccinated.  But the percentage of masked people in the store was much lower than it has been, maybe 50% at the most.

[Hammy]

https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1393631864984899586

Honor system during a deadly pandemic when people have already been ignoring requirements? Really? This gross irresponsibility is why government-imposed mandates are still needed.

[Frodo]

The fate of the pandemic here is now resting on the shoulders of parents nationwide:

https://twitter.com/DanRodricks/status/1393576672985812996

[Bandit3 the Worker]

"Experts" don't get to decide these things.

The past 14 months have proven that they're not experts at anything except pooping their pants.