Government Response to Coronavirus 5: We're On Our Own

[Cartmann99]

3 hours ago, Cartmann99 said:

In my mostly rural county, it's taken less than a month for the number of confirmed cases to double. and we've tested less than 3% of the people who live here.

Today's numbers:

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Just in case it's unclear, the 2622 cases for 06/16/2020 are for the entire state of Texas, not my county.

[Cartmann99]

Texas Governor says state can handle spike in COVID-19 cases

Quote

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Gov. Greg Abbott insisted Tuesday that Texas’ health care system can handle the record-high number of new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations as the state aggressively pushes to reopen its economy.

At a news conference, Abbott acknowledged that many Texans have become lax about wearing masks and social distancing as coronavirus restrictions have been lifted, and urged them to take greater responsibility for stopping the spread of the virus and to stay home as much as possible.

“It does raise concerns, but there is no reason right now to be alarmed,” Abbott said of the recent spike in cases.

Tuesday marked the eighth time in nine days that the state set a new high for hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients, with 2,518, which was an increase of nearly 200 since Monday. That exceeded the number of hospitalized patients on Memorial Day, which at the time was the lowest in more than a month, by more than 1,000.

State health officials on Tuesday also reported 2,622 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, which was a single-day high. The state also reported 46 new deaths, doubling the state’s daily average for the last two weeks.

Texas began aggressively reopening its economy on May 1, and the business-friendly Republican governor has continued to relax restrictions despite the increase in infections.

In the past week, Abbott allowed retailers, restaurants and amusement parks to increase capacity, even as local officials in some of the hardest hit areas such as Dallas, Houston and Austin urged residents and businesses to remain vigilant about social distancing and wearing face masks. On Friday, amusement parks in counties with more than 1,000 cases will be allowed to operate at 50% capacity.

Abbott and health officials said the state has enough equipment and available hospital beds to handle the spike — nearly 15,000 open beds, including nearly 1,700 in intensive care units.

He said COVID-19 clusters in state prisons, senior living centers and among young adults going to bars without following proper health precautions could be behind the increases in some counties. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission issued a warning to bars stating that their liquor licenses would be suspended for 30 days if they are found to be not complying with public health guidelines.

Abbott, who wore a mask at his news conference when other officials were speaking, urged Texans to follow social distancing guidelines. He allowed his statewide stay-at-home order to expire in May.

“We just want to double down and remind everybody that the things we learned in March, April and May we still have to be practicing. COVID-19 hasn’t magically left the state of Texas,” he said.

That drew a swift rebuke from state Democrats and the Democratic leaders in the state’s largest cities, who have accused the governor of stymieing their efforts to enforce social distancing and mask wearing.

“The governor has failed all Texans by refusing to take the evidence-based actions needed to flatten the COVID-19 curve. We have to face reality: Managing this crisis goes way beyond knowing how many hospital beds are available,” said state Rep. Chris Turner, the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.

The mayors of nine of Texas’ biggest cities, including Austin, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio, wrote a bipartisan letter asking Abbott to let cities set and enforce rules on issues such as masks.

“A one-size-fits-all approach is not the best option,” they wrote. “We should trust local officials to make informed choices about health policy.”

I find myself shaking my head a lot these days.

[Audrey2]

14 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Ted sums it up nicely:

 

I'm sorry... Would you all please remind me again but the Republicans are the pro-life party?

[clueliss]

@Audrey2 can’t do that because the same party that is pro-life is also pro capital punishment and wants to end lives.

[GreyhoundFan]

Abbott is another piece of work. My company tried to get me to relocate to Texas. I'm so glad I said no.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

"A GOP sheriff vowed not to enforce Arizona’s coronavirus restrictions. Now he’s tested positive."

Spoiler

As the rest of Arizona followed a stay-at-home order imposed by the governor in May, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb proclaimed that the state’s attempt to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus was unconstitutional.

“The numbers don’t justify the actions anymore,” the defiant Republican sheriff told the Arizona Republic at the time, vowing not to arrest people or shut down businesses that violated the order. “Three hundred deaths is not a significant enough number to continue to ruin the economy.”

On Wednesday, less than two months after publicly challenging the state’s efforts to slow the spread of a virus that has now spiked in Arizona, Lamb announced he had tested positive for the coronavirus before a scheduled meeting with President Trump.

In a Facebook post, Lamb wrote that he was invited on Tuesday to the White House as part of Trump’s meeting with law enforcement officials and the signing of his executive action on policing. As part of a mandatory coronavirus screening for all White House visitors, he learned he had the virus.

The sheriff, who is asymptomatic, said he believes he got infected during a campaign event on Saturday, speculating that it was “likely I came into contact with an infected individual.”

A video of a campaign event in San Tan Valley, Ariz., over the weekend showed Lamb, who is running unopposed in November, hugging, shaking hands and taking pictures with supporters. The video shows that no one in the large crowd of people appears to be wearing a mask or maintaining social distancing. The same goes for Lamb, who has been selling campaign merchandise and autographed photos of himself during his unopposed bid for reelection, according to PinalCentral.com.

“Unfortunately, as a law enforcement official and elected leader, we do not have the luxury of staying home,” he wrote. “This line of work is inherently dangerous, and that is a risk we take when we sign up for the job. Today, that risk is the COVID-19 virus.”

Lamb said that he would self-quarantine for a minimum of 14 days.

“I alerted the Pinal County Public Health Dept. immediately after my positive test, and they are working to track all those I came in contact with following the Saturday event,” he wrote.

Lamb was one of several sheriffs in the state who vowed to not enforce April’s emergency order from Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R). “I think people want to know that we’re going to support their constitutional rights,” he said to the Republic in May.

At a time when coronavirus cases are again increasing nationwide, Arizona has seen the largest percentage spike among states in the past week. Since June 11, there have been nearly 9,700 new cases of the coronavirus in Arizona, an increase of 31 percent, according to an analysis by The Washington Post. In total, the state has had almost 41,000 confirmed cases and at least 1,239 deaths.

News of Lamb’s positive test came on the same day Ducey announced that local governments are allowed to set their own mask-wearing regulations.

“There is a trend, and the trend is headed in the wrong direction, and the actions we’re going to take are intended to change that direction and reverse this trend,” Ducey, wearing a black mask, said at a news conference Wednesday.

But critics expressed disappointment in the governor for declining to issue a statewide mandatory mask order in response to the alarming rise in cases. One of those critics is Tucson Mayor Regina Romero (D), who suggested to the Guardian that Ducey has modeled his coronavirus policy on Trump’s views rather than public health data. Trump is expected to visit Arizona next week for one of the first campaign rallies since the start of the pandemic.

“I just hope that it’s not tied to Trump’s visit, the unwillingness to make the call for mandatory face masks in Arizona,” Romero said. “But it seems to all tie together.”

She added, “These are people’s lives.”

 

[GreyhoundFan]

This is a surprise:

 

[GreyhoundFan]

I can't stand Pence:

 

[GreyhoundFan]

You couldn't make this up.

[Audrey2]

4 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

You couldn't make this up.

Conservatives you can follow the White House recommendations all you like. Don't wear masks they're for liberal wussies. Don't give up your rights to get really close to people and give him a handshake and even a hug. People who are planning to vote against Trump, please make sure you continue to wear masks, socially distance yourself, and avoid large gatherings. If the covid deniers lose some voters... Maybe Darwin can sort this out  Donald, you are missing the boat here. Have you thought of marketing MAGA caskets?

Edited June 18, 2020 by Audrey2

[ADoyle90815]

Once again, I'm glad I live in California. The main way we're going to get infections to go down until there's a vaccine is for everyone to wear masks when in public.

California's governor issues statewide order on masks in public.

[Cartmann99]

The statewide case numbers today in Texas:

Spoiler

A message from Governor Abbott:

 

[Ozlsn]

12 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Three hundred deaths is not a significant enough number to continue to ruin the economy.”

I wonder what number he would regard as significant enough. If all of his immediate family were in the 300, would it be significant enough? How about just his kids? 

[Ozlsn]

Multiple Florida hospitals have no ICU capacity.

Spoiler

As Florida health officials report another record single-day increase in cases of the novel coronavirus, new data shows hospitals across the state have filled most or all available beds in their respective intensive care units.

Numerous Florida medical facilities reported dwindling ICU bed availability on Thursday, with several reporting no availability at all, according to the latest report published by Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). Palm Beach County was among those statewide regions where the availability of beds was most scarce. An accompanying reportfrom AHCA shows about 75 percent of available hospital beds statewide are currently occupied.

The AHCA's data showed two of Palm Beach County's 17 hospitals have already filled all ICU beds, while several other medical centers reported limited availability. One hospital in Miami-Dade County has also reached its ICU bed capacity as of Thursday, and the majority of hospitals have filled more than half of beds in intensive care units. Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties have reported two of Florida's most severe local virus outbreaks.

More than 12,500 people have been hospitalized with virus infections in Florida since the start of the pandemic, according to the state's Department of Health (DOH). The number accounts for all patients admitted to medical facilities, so Thursday's daily total is unclear.

AHCA released its most recent data regarding Florida's hospital and ICU beds as the state sees a substantial spike in virus cases. Florida confirmed its highest daily increase in positive diagnoses on Thursday, surpassing four single-day records set throughout the past week. The DOH's latest update confirms 3,207 new cases identified since Wednesday, bringing Florida's total to 85,926 diagnoses overall. Almost 17,000 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Florida over the last seven days.

Florida health officials previously told Newsweek they attributed the sharp increase in cases to expanded testing procedures implemented throughout the state since it began reopening early last month. However, infectious disease experts and government leaders have warned that simultaneous increases in hospitalization numbers may signal a more serious uptick in transmission, one that could be linked to loosened restrictions for business operations and public gatherings.

The latest figures reported by Florida's DOH on Thursday showed the state's total virus case count had more than tripledsince reopening procedures were first initiated on May 4. Governor Ron DeSantis permitted all state regions to enter Phase 2 of Florida's reopening plan on June 5, allowing bars, movie theaters and other entertainment venues to begin operating. Most other establishments, including personal care services, gyms, restaurants and retailers, reopened with some limitations in place when DeSantis effected Phase 1.

Responding to a rise in local cases, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said the city would not transition into its third reopening phase until outbreak numbers decrease again. Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Broward county officials have determined their own reopening timelines separate from DeSantis' order.

Newsweek reached out to Florida's DOH and AHCA for comments on the state's latest case and hospitalization data, but did not hear back in time for publication.

Well that wasn't predictable at all. It's like the virus DGAF about massaged data or increased testing as long as humans are congregating and exchanging breath.  Or touching each other. Or touching things that have been contaminated and then touching their face.

I can't believe how angry I am about this - as for the increased hospitalizations reflecting an increase in transmission, well duh. And it's likely that for every hospitalised case there is at least one person who doesn't realise they're infected, isn't quarantining and won't be tested. I have no idea what Florida's R number is, but I can absolutely guarantee it's over 1.0.

[Ali]

15 hours ago, ADoyle90815 said:

Once again, I'm glad I live in California. The main way we're going to get infections to go down until there's a vaccine is for everyone to wear masks when in public.

California's governor issues statewide order on masks in public.

Do you know how California is handling the homeless population?

[WiseGirl]

Back to square one because people can't follow the rules.  We are not even at the second wave yet.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/19/health/us-coronavirus-friday/index.html

Meanwhile Dr. Fauci warns of an "anti-science bias" in the U. S. 

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/18/politics/anthony-fauci-coronavirus-anti-science-bias/index.html

Gee who could he be talking about?

Edited June 19, 2020 by WiseGirl
added text

[SassyPants]

20 hours ago, ADoyle90815 said:

Once again, I'm glad I live in California. The main way we're going to get infections to go down until there's a vaccine is for everyone to wear masks when in public.

California's governor issues statewide order on masks in public.

I don’t  understand why EVERYONE isn’t mandated to wear a mask at all times when outside their own homes. Why does someone else’s right to choose to go unmasked and risk potential infection of OTHERS, Trump others’ rights to navigate safely? WHY is this OK with anyone? I’m in CA and many in my county are refusing to follow the law. This would be like me driving drunk, because I decide to ignore that law, not caring if I potentially maim or kill another. I am really angry at this point. How hard is this? It’s an effing mask, use some common sense.

[47of74]

Some Naval douchebaggery today

Quote

The Navy has decided not to reinstate the former captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, Brett Crozier.

Crozier was dismissed from his position on April 2 by former Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly after a four-page letter written by Crozier leaked to the media. The letter was a desperate plea for help in the fight against coronavirus that had broken out onboard the carrier.

In a bizarre twist, Modly flew to the USS TR after dismissing Crozier to defend his decision to do so. The speech Modly delivered to the crew over the TR's speaker system was similarly leaked. Modly called Crozier "too stupid" to his former crew. Modly soon after apologized and resigned. 

Meanwhile, COVID-19 continued to spread rapidly through the USS TR's crew. The carrier was forced to dock in Guam, the U.S. was forced to negotiate with the island's leadership to reach an agreement on housing the majority of the ship's crew on land while the outbreak was mitigated, and 1,273 sailors eventually tested positive. One of the Department of Defense's three total COVID-related active-duty deaths is USS TR crewmember Aviation Ordnanceman Chief Petty Officer Charles Robert Thacker Jr.

I bet fuck face or one of his groupies had something to do with this. 

[Ozlsn]

2 hours ago, 47of74 said:

Some Naval douchebaggery today

I bet fuck face or one of his groupies had something to do with this. 

Presumably they found Crozier responsible for the leak to the media?  Honestly I cannot imagine how it feels to be in his position, pleading for help and being utterly ignored as your crew were falling sick around you.

[WiseGirl]

This is not going to end well. 

Six Trump campaign staffers working on Tulsa rally test positive for Coronavirus. 

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/20/politics/trump-campaign-staffers/index.html

[JMarie]

On 6/19/2020 at 12:47 PM, SassyPants said:

I don’t  understand why EVERYONE isn’t mandated to wear a mask at all times when outside their own homes. Why does someone else’s right to choose to go unmasked and risk potential infection of OTHERS, Trump others’ rights to navigate safely? WHY is this OK with anyone? I’m in CA and many in my county are refusing to follow the law. This would be like me driving drunk, because I decide to ignore that law, not caring if I potentially maim or kill another. I am really angry at this point. How hard is this? It’s an effing mask, use some common sense.

Why should I follow traffic lights and signs? Why should I drive 15 MPH through a school zone? Don't people understand that these things slow me down and make me late for work? Don't people trust me to take care of me? Why are they all up in my business? IT'S ALL ABOUT MEEEEEEEE!

Sometimes I wish there was a tv channel that only features fluffy kittens and heavily frosted cupcakes.

[SassyPants]

1 hour ago, JMarie said:

Why should I follow traffic lights and signs? Why should I drive 15 MPH through a school zone? Don't people understand that these things slow me down and make me late for work? Don't people trust me to take care of me? Why are they all up in my business? IT'S ALL ABOUT MEEEEEEEE!

Sometimes I wish there was a tv channel that only features fluffy kittens and heavily frosted cupcakes.

In the past, I’ve said this, yes, tongue in cheek, in certain circumstances, a little bit of authoritarian leadership and rule can go a long way. The US has become an “all about my wants” asshole magnet.

Edited June 20, 2020 by SassyPants

[GreyhoundFan]

4 hours ago, JMarie said:

Sometimes I wish there was a tv channel that only features fluffy kittens and heavily frosted cupcakes.

Pluto TV has a Cats 24/7 channel (channel 430). I don't think they have any that are just cupcakes...

[JMarie]

Recap of Tulsa rally, courtesy of CNN

Trump: We've done 25 million tests. Probably 20 million more than anyone else. Of course we're going to have a lot of positives with a lot of tests. Look at Germany, look at South Korea. Not as many positives. So I told them to slow the testing down.

-- 2020 population of Germany is 83 million, which would mean 1 in 3 Germans would be tested

-- 2020 population of South Korea is 51 million, which would mean 1 in 2 South Koreans

-- nobody in the background is wearing a mask

 

[Ozlsn]

3 hours ago, JMarie said:

So I told them to slow the testing down.

The point at which he stops testing of visitors to see him is the point I will believe he actually believes his own bullshit.