COVID-19 Megathread 6: Return of the Omicron

[pbrower2a]

I did my part and got the first two doses. I'm not getting a third for years.

If we need a booster after only 8 months, that means we were lied to and sold a bill of goods.

We got rushed vaccines, and rushed vaccines may be imperfect -- although they have saved lives (perhaps mine). I got some nasty side-effects indicating that

(1) I had successfully evaded COVID-19)
(2) I would be in deep trouble with COVID-19, and
(3) it was only a matter of time before I got sick from it.

We were not lied to; we were not sold a bill of goods. People not inoculated have died. COVID-19 has proved to be far worse than we had yet been told. It is still relatively new as a disease and with no obvious precedent. It has since been shown to contribute to diabetes (a medical disaster), organ damage, cognitive loss, and sexual dysfunction. So where is the positive?

Objective science, including medical science, is never perfect. More than anything else, objective science more reliably points in the right direction than perhaps kindness and charity.    

[emailking]

New Zealand is locking down the whole country for 3 days over 1 case.

[Roll Roons]

New Zealand is locking down the whole country for 3 days over 1 case.

Absolute insanity. Their population is smaller than Colorado's. Is it that hard to vaccinate people?

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

People stopped testing and tracing the 1.9T package didn't say just hand out vaccines, they said continue to test and trace, bit again, they stopped giving out food and water to help lure people

[Real Texan Politics]

New Zealand is locking down the whole country for 3 days over 1 case.

Absolute insanity. Their population is smaller than Colorado's. Is it that hard to vaccinate people?

How vaccinated is New Zealand? And Australia for that matter? I could see them still locking down even after their population is 100% vaccinated (which I imagine is their goal).

[emailking]

NZ is 20% vaccinated and hasn't prioritized it on the logic that other countries need it more.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

They are pushing this booster shot and the disease attack your Red blood cells not your T Cells

I feel fine after getting the injection and I don't live in a Snowy Environment

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

NZ is 20% vaccinated and hasn't prioritized it on the logic that other countries need it more.

If they feel they don't need to be vaccinated, why do they feel like they need to completely lock down over one case?  Obviously the cost of vaccination is going to be way lower than the cost of an economic lock down.

[emailking]

I don't know. Maybe that will change now. They didn't have a case they couldn't trace and contain to the border in a long time now so maybe they thought they were good.

[Joe Biden 2024]

Greg Abbott tested positive.

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/harrysiegel/status/1427735439977369604


Edited to add:


https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1427742212553691140

[Progressive Pessimist]

Abbott hasn't experienced karma until he also loses his power for two weeks.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

I don't want to defend Abbott, because of his policies overall, but he was fully vaccinated, so I really don't understand what the problem was. After I got vaccinated, I wouldn't even think twice about attending an indoor gathering of that size. And I probably have.

[Drew]

Here in Dane County, WI, our mask mandate is being reinstated.  Our 7 day average has increased by nearly 400% in the last month despite our high vaccination rate.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Possibly a poor choice of words here, but a great idea.

https://twitter.com/NBCLA/status/1427498520513327131

[ProudModerate2]

https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1427742212553691140

Why is it that I consistently see images/video of Republican gatherings (in tight, indoor areas) with about 90% no-one wearing a mask, to Democratic gatherings where we have 90% of people wearing a mask.

[Darthpi – Anti-Florida Activist]

https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1427742212553691140

Why is it that I consistently see images/video of Republican gatherings (in tight, indoor areas) with about 90% no-one wearing a mask, to Democratic gatherings where we have 90% of people wearing a mask.

Because one party has committed itself to the idea that the pandemic isn't a big deal, and no amount of human suffering is allowed to interfere with that narrative.

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1427742212553691140

Why is it that I consistently see images/video of Republican gatherings (in tight, indoor areas) with about 90% no-one wearing a mask, to Democratic gatherings where we have 90% of people wearing a mask.

You shouldn’t need to wear a mask if you are fully vaccinated.  Given that Republicans are much more likely get vaccinated than Democrats, it is entirely reasonable that they would be less likely to wear masks at gatherings.  Oh wait….

[DINGO Joe]

Another Giant Wisconsin Turd is hospitalized with COVID

GOP Senator Railed Against Vax, Caught COVID, Then Hid It From Dem Colleagues

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Check out Alabama and Louisiana on Worldometer. I think we may have our first two states where cases have fallen off a cliff.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Florida threatens to remove school officials who disobey DeSantis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ fight over school mask mandates took a dramatic turn on Tuesday after the state Board of Education ruled two defiant school districts broke state law and threatened to remove local elected officials for disobeying the GOP governor.

School leaders in Alachua County and Broward County, who are resisting DeSantis’ order banning mask mandates, now could face a range of possible punishments for defying the DeSantis administration, which has taken a hard line against enacting additional Covid-19 precautions despite a record-breaking surge in cases and hospitalizations brought on by the Delta variant.

DeSantis should be in jail awaiting charges, not the governor's mansion.

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

Check out Alabama and Louisiana on Worldometer. I think we may have our first two states where cases have fallen off a cliff.

Unfortunately, daily reporting in so many states now is inconsistent, and cases and death are retroactively added so often, that you can’t really trust any trends that appear until at least a week later.

[DINGO Joe]

Congrats to Mississippi for surging into 3rd place into deaths per capita on the Worldometer.  And given that the Worldometer is still using 2019 pop estimates instead of 2020 Census data it doesn't show that they're actually closing in on New York for 2nd.

[Sir Mohamed]

https://twitter.com/axios/status/1428001349531222017

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

https://twitter.com/NateSilver538/status/1427270229349048326
Yeah, this (except a possibly premature vaccination of the kids).


Biden inherited a Vaccine Machine from Trump, but has been so far a disastrous. Had such an advantage vs Europe, but didn't manage to exploit it. Unsurprisingly, given that a wearing of useless masks still takes a lot of oxygen in Democrats' public messaging.