Government Response to Coronavirus 6: Dr. MyPillow and Demon Sperm

[ADoyle90815]

California is going back to the most restrictive form of places being open. It's what happens when people quit wearing masks or social distancing in public.

https://ktla.com/news/california/california-faces-new-wave-of-restrictions-as-covid-19-cases-double-in-last-month/

[47of74]

Iowa faith leaders are calling on #CovidKim to put in a mask mandate

Quote

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) -A group of Iowa faith leaders called on Governor Kim Reynolds to follow the recommendations of the White House Coronavirus Task Force issue a statewide mask mandate during a Zoom meeting on Monday afternoon hosted by the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa.

“The White House Coronavirus Task Force has implored the leaders of our state, particularly Governor Reynolds, to take quick and rigorous action to curb the extreme rise in positive cases and to reduce the increased hospitalization rate of COVID-19 cases that are stressing our healthcare system. The Governor has announced some limited actions but not the full range of steps necessary to reduce the alarming rate of growth in Iowa’s cases,” the group said in an earlier statement.

The group included the interfaith alliance as well as representatives from the UCC, Sikh, Islamic, Jewish, and Episcopal communities.  I don't see #CovidKimmy paying any attention to them though.  Even if all 4 Catholic bishops in Iowa joined with that call Kimmy is still probably basking in the glow of fuck face winning Iowa and Democrats losing a bunch of races here in Iowa. 

#CovidKim is supposed to give a brief address tonight to announce new steps to mitigate the virus.  Wouldn't surprise me if it was more of the same from her.  Or she'll do something stupid and try implementing orders that would work well in larger cities but leave rural residents without access to vital services. 

 

[47of74]

#CovidKim announced her new measures this evening.

Quote

Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a new public health proclamation regarding COVID-19 on Monday evening, including new rules regarding when masks are required in public places in the state.

The proclamation, which is in effect starting 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday until December 10, includes a section stating that any person two years of age or older must use a mask or face covering when inside an indoor space that is open to the public where they are within six feet of individuals outside of their household for at least 15 minutes at a time. The requirement applies to both private-owned locations and state buildings.

The mask requirement does not apply to persons with a medical condition or disability that would prevent them wearing a mask, when working alone in a space with social distancing, when a person is consuming food or drink in an establishment, for athletes in competition or a person engaged in physical exercise, persons in a religious, educational, artistic, or cultural presentation or performance, a person who is deaf or hard of hearing, when a service being provided requires the temporary removal of a mask, when a person is asked to show their identity, or for public safety officers.

Indoor gatherings will be limited to 15 people or less by the proclamation, including weddings, funerals, family gatherings, festivals, conventions, and other “nonessential” gatherings. The restriction on occupancy does not apply to meetings or gatherings in an office or workplace environment, or for normal retail operations. Similarly, outdoor gatherings will be limited to 30 people or less.

Nothing like shutting the barn door after everyone has bolted.  If she, fuck face, and the rest of the GOP had done their fucking jobs at the beginning none of this would be necessary now.

[Cartmann99]

Texas surpasses 20,000 virus deaths, second highest in US

Quote

Texas surpassed 20,000 confirmed coronavirus deaths Monday, as COVID-19 continues to surge in the United States.

That is the second-highest death count overall in the U.S., trailing only New York, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins University. It’s the 22nd-highest per capita at 69.7 deaths per 100,000 people.

So far, Texas leaders have given no indication of forthcoming restrictions to keep people from gathering and spreading the virus. Instead, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in recent days has been emphasizing that new therapeutics and vaccines are expected to become available soon.

A state appeals court last week sided with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and lifted a local shutdown order in El Paso, where mobile morgues are being trucked in to help overwhelmed hospitals and funeral homes.

The El Paso county morgue reached out to the El Paso Sheriff’s Department for help after it became “overwhelmed,” according to El Paso Sheriff’s Department Public Affairs Director Chris Acosta. Inmates of the county’s detention facility “were asked to help for a stipend of $2 an hour,” Acosta said in a statement.

According to Acosta, between four and eight participants of the detention facility’s trusty program have volunteered daily since Nov. 9. She said they are accompanied by a sheriff’s deputy and two detention officers and are provided with personal protective equipment. The volunteers are minimum custody inmates with misdemeanor offenses, Acosta said, and their volunteer service is temporary “since we are waiting for the National Guard to take over.”

Texas also became America’s first state to record more than 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases last week. It also recently surpassed California, the most populous state, in recording the highest number of positive coronavirus tests. The true number of infections is likely higher because many people haven’t been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick.

During the summer, people with COVID-19 overwhelmed hospitals in Houston and in the Rio Grande Valley, along the border with Mexico. But in the fall case numbers dipped, and Abbott began relaxing some coronavirus restrictions, allowing restaurants and gyms to let more people inside. He also let county leaders decide if they wanted to reopen bars at 50% capacity.

Since then, the virus has spread.

Over the past two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases has increased by 3,430.4, an increase of 53.6%.

Texas now ranks 31st in the country for new cases per capita, with 428.3 new cases per 100,000 people over the past two weeks. One in every 417 people in Texas tested positive in the past week.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court said Monday that the Texas Department of Criminal Justice had substantially met the demands of inmates at a Houston area facility for safety equipment. The court agreed with a federal appeals court, which previously cancelled a federal judge’s April order for TDCJ to provide inmates with hand sanitizer, masks and unrestricted access to soap. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dissented.

[47of74]

This was from the Sac Bee - which generally leans liberal in its view.

Quote

First, there’s the uber-expensive dinner at a restaurant the vast majority of Californians will never have a chance to visit. This is a bad look for an elected official at any time, but especially during a pandemic that has claimed more than 18,000 lives in California and devastated the state’s economy. It’s no secret that the Newsoms have tons of money, but it’s très gauche of them to flaunt it at a time like this.

Second, the exquisite dinner was held to celebrate the 50th birthday of Kinney, a Newsom insider and lobbying firm partner with a knack for getting his way in the corridors of power. For example, Newsom — who claims to care deeply about climate change — came under fire from environmentalists earlier this year after his administration approved fracking permits for Aera Energy. Who represents Aera in Sacramento?

“That company, Aera Energy — a joint venture of Shell and ExxonMobil — is represented by the lobbying firm Axiom Advisors. Axiom’s lobbyists include Jason Kinney, a senior advisor to Newsom while he served as lieutenant governor, and Kevin Schmidt, a policy director for Newsom during the same time period,” reported Steve Horn of Capital & Main. “Kinney’s wife, Mary Gonsalves Kinney, Capital & Main previously reported, is also the personal stylist for First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom.”

Newsom’s haute cuisine hypocrisy is a disaster for the state’s efforts to get Californians to understand the deadly threat of COVID-19. He just handed more ammunition to Republican leaders who have decried the state’s emergency shutdowns of restaurants, gyms and churches. If the governor can eat out with friends — and if his children can attend their expensive school — why must everyone else sacrifice?

 

I now think Newsom should resign from his office, even though there's a crisis going on.  Turn it over to Lt. Gov Kounalakis.  I don't think an apology is enough from Gov. Newsom here.  This sort of shit will get us eaten alive in future elections and is going to be stapled to every other ad that the Republicans run in the 2022 California gubernatorial elections.  

It's almost as bad as #CovidKim's criminal negligence because it sends a message to Republicans that said CovidKim is on the right course and Newsom is just another card carrying member of the limousine wing of the Democratic party.

Edited November 17, 2020 by 47of74

[AmazonGrace]

 

[47of74]

Now all 99 counties are in the red zone here in Iowa.

Quote

Federal officials described an out-of-control spread of the novel coronavirus in the state of Iowa in a new weekly report, with nearly all metrics worsening in the state compared to the previous week.

The document, issued to all 50 states by the White House Coronavirus Task Force on Sunday, November 15, and obtained by ABC News on Tuesday, described the spread of COVID-19 in Iowa as “exponential and unyielding." The only statistic tracked by the report that improved during the week of November 8 through November 14, compared to the previous week, was the number of tests conducted in the state.

The rate of new cases in Iowa places the state in the “red zone,” according to the task force, which is defined as a rate of new cases of at least 101 per 100,000 population during the week. Iowa’s rate was the third-highest in the country at 991 new cases per 100,000 population, showing an increase of 370 from the previous week’s rate. The national average was 294 per 100,000.

Polk County, Linn County, and Scott County were the top-three counties for the highest number of new cases, representing 26.7% of the state’s total 31,281 cases during the week. The total number of cases during the week was about 60% higher than the previous week. Iowa conducted more tests than the national average at 3,768 per 100,000 population, and the number of tests increased by 19% to 118,881. The national average for testing rate during the week was 2,676 per 100,000 people.

Hell of a fucking job #CovidKim.  Maybe if you and fuck face had done your fucking jobs early on we wouldn't be at this point now. 

[47of74]

Berlin police had to forcefully disperse protesters.

Quote

German police used water cannons and pepper spray Wednesday to disperse people protesting coronavirus restrictions in Berlin's government district, after crowds ignored calls to wear masks and keep their distance from one another in line with pandemic regulations.

Officers avoided shooting the cannons directly at protesters because there were children in the crowd, and they worked slowly and methodically to disperse the crowd, Berlin police spokesman Thilo Cabiltz said. Some protesters popped open umbrellas and held their ground until they were eventually forced back.

More than 100 people were arrested, Cabiltz said, and many more temporarily detained. Nine police officers were injured. The protest crowd thinned significantly by late afternoon as many demonstrators marched back to the city's main train station, chanting and blowing whistles.

The protests came as German lawmakers debated a bill that would provide legal underpinning for the government to issue social distancing rules, require masks in public and to close stores and other venues to slow the spread of the virus.

The bill was quickly approved and signed in to law.  Invariably this led to protesters comparing the new law to the 1933 Enabling Act.  Of course the new bill is nothing of the sort, and many in the German  government didn't like the comparison.  That said I do think they should keep Germany's painful history in mind and realize that it is possible to backslide if the government doesn't hold itself to the highest standards.

I noticed German law enforcement acted with lots of restraint responding to the protest here given the presence of children and weren't tear gassing children, beating people up, or have plainclothes goons shoving them into unmarked vehicles unlike some others I could mention here.  Even if there were no children they would not stoop to Trumpian levels. 

[47of74]

And of course the surge is straining testing again in the US

Quote

With coronavirus cases surging and families hoping to gather safely for Thanksgiving, long lines to get tested have reappeared across the U.S. — a reminder that the nation’s strained testing system remains unable to keep pace with the virus.

The delays are happening as the country braces for winter weather, flu season and holiday travel, all of which are expected to amplify a U.S. outbreak that has already swelled past 11.5 million cases and 250,000 deaths.

Laboratories warned that continuing shortages of key supplies are likely to create more bottlenecks and delays, especially as cases rise across the nation and people rush to get tested before reuniting with relatives.

“As those cases increase, demand increases and turnaround times may increase,” said Scott Becker, CEO of the Association of Public Health Laboratories. “So it’s like a dog chasing its tail.”

 

[Cartmann99]

 

 

[Ozlsn]

5 hours ago, 47of74 said:

And of course the surge is straining testing again in the US

Honestly this is where a coordinated federal response would really be helpful. Being able to shift test processing to areas with capacity, monitoring where to send in extra teams and testing capacity, even things like being able to work out deals with places like universities to use facilities and personnel to bulk up capacity. Yes you can do it state by state, but a coordinated response would probably be more cheaper and effective. 

Also a 59% positive test rate is horrific. I think if you're in South Dakota you should assume everyone you encounter is infected and interact accordingly. 

[47of74]

19 minutes ago, Ozlsn said:

Also a 59% positive test rate is horrific. I think if you're in South Dakota you should assume everyone you encounter is infected and interact accordingly. 

Yeah Ortonville, Minnesota where that one job I’m being considered for is right on the border. So having SD next door with the likes of #CovidKristi is less than appealing. 

[AmazonGrace]

 

 

[47of74]

A prison staff member died here in Iowa. 

Quote

The Iowa Department of Corrections reported the first coronavirus-related death of a prison staff members as the state reported that confirmed virus infections have now surpassed 200,000.

The Corrections Department reported Thursday that a staff member at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville died on Monday due to a COVID-19 infection.

So far 8 prisoners died due to Covid here in Iowa.

Hell of a job #CovidKim. Making working for the state a death sentence. 

[47of74]

I hope they all said Z minus

Quote

Gov. Kim Reynolds was served hundred of postcards grading her response to the pandemic in Iowa.

The Iowa CCI Action Fund asked Iowans to fill out the cards and hand delivered them to Terrace Hill on Friday afternoon.

The group said it gives Reynolds a failing grade for not issuing a statewide mask mandate. They call her leadership through the COVID-19 crisis "reckless."

"There's not a lot of escape hatches because people aren't going to forget," said Cherie Mortice, with Iowa CCI. "She's painting a horrible legacy for herself. I don't think people will forget about this."

Unfortunately I think most Iowans will forget come 2022.  All she has to do is say the reich words about the gays and abortion along with sprinkling in some good ol' fashioned racist code words and they'll come running to vote for her.

[47of74]

These people make me fucking sick.

Quote

Many Republican lawmakers in states where coronavirus cases and hospitalizations have surged are not only rejecting statewide mask mandates. They’re also resisting rules requiring them in their own capitols.

Efforts to require lawmakers and staff to wear masks have received a cool reception even in statehouses that have seen outbreaks of the virus or where Republican governors have issued statewide mandates. It’s echoing a partisan divide nationwide over a simple step that health experts say is proven to help keep others safe.

“We’re supposed to be modeling for our constituents and for our residents in our state,” said Arkansas state Sen. Stephanie Flowers, a Democrat in the majority-Republican Legislature who proposed a rule requiring senators to wear a mask or risk losing their per diem payments. “You’ve got the governor asking everyone to wear a mask and socially distance. It’s not like I’m asking for something nobody has heard of.”

Many legislatures are still planning and drafting rules for their 2021 legislative sessions, while four chambers approved rules requiring masks for sessions this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

I'm about to the point where if one is Republican they are no longer welcome in my home and it will be a cold day in fucking hell before they ever are again. 

[47of74]

And we have this horse's ass down in Tennessee who wants to wait for the Holy Spirit to tell him to enact a mask mandate;

Quote

As health experts warn about a holiday surge in coronavirus cases, a Tennessee mayor said he is holding off on ordering a mask mandate until the Holy Spirit guides him to do so.

“I do believe masking helps prevent the spread of it, but I don’t feel I should mandate people wearing masks at this time,” Lincoln County Mayor Bill Newman said. “The Holy Spirit dwells within us. When I pray for guidance, I may not know the answer immediately.”

The county of 34,000 residents has reported more than 1,300 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began.

“I don’t feel comfortable at all, and yes, it’s very worrisome,” said Brad Bates, a Fayetteville resident. “Not following the science and taking actions to protect other people doesn’t feel very Christian to me.”

I get the feeling said Holy Spirit could grab him and yell at him to enact a mask mandate and he still wouldn't want to.

Edited November 23, 2020 by 47of74

[Alisamer]

I read some article yesterday about how some other countries (I think Spain and Germany specifically, maybe?) were already setting up their vaccination centers and had plans in place to get as many people as possible vaccinated as quickly as possible. It was uplifting.

Then I looked at the government here in the US, and sighed. The president is playing golf, there seems to be no coordination, and it's looking like nothing of merit is going to happen until late January. Best case scenario seems like hospitals working directly with drug companies to get their staff vaccinated, and hopefully state or local governments getting first responders vaccinated, and then starting with nursing homes and the most at-risk. I'm sure congress members and White House staffers will be some of the very first to get the vaccine (and secret service too, hopefully - they've been exposed so often already). 

And even if individual states do manage to get vaccines distributed quickly and widely, I haven't heard much about costs. Since we don't have universal healthcare and huge numbers of people are still out of work (and have their unemployment running out at Christmas, for many), how is that going to work? How much will it cost? Are people going to have to choose between a vaccine and food?  For reference the flu shot is around $40 without insurance most places, based on a quick google (though Costco looks cheaper). 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[Ozlsn]

2 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

This is so unimaginably awful. South Dakota today has the same number of deaths listed as Victoria, which has a population over 7.4 times larger.

North Dakota has even more deaths, with an even smaller population. And I can't imagine how people in either state are feeling - the death toll is usually a fortnight behind the cases, and at our peak it felt like the numbers would never fall, that it would never end. I crunched the numbers to see what the number of deaths would be here with 1 per 900 population, and I cannot imagine how utterly horrible it must be - and how completely overloaded their systems must be. 

[Coconut Flan]

1 hour ago, Ozlsn said:

This is so unimaginably awful. South Dakota today has the same number of deaths listed as Victoria, which has a population over 7.4 times larger.

North Dakota has even more deaths, with an even smaller population. And I can't imagine how people in either state are feeling - the death toll is usually a fortnight behind the cases, and at our peak it felt like the numbers would never fall, that it would never end. I crunched the numbers to see what the number of deaths would be here with 1 per 900 population, and I cannot imagine how utterly horrible it must be - and how completely overloaded their systems must be. 

People can deny science all they want, but they do it at their own peril and sadly the peril of those whose futures they hold.

[AmazonGrace]

Says @realdonaldtrump  2020 Strategic Advisor, former Special Assistant to POTUS, Comms Director:

 

[47of74]

I hope Newsom sees at this point why taking a do as I say not as I do attitude is so fucking harmful

Quote

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pandemic group outing to the French Laundry and his decision to send his kids to in-person private school are reigniting talk of a recall that was once relegated to the fringes of conservative groups in deep blue California.

In a collision of unfortunate events for Newsom, conservative activists last week won a 120-day court extension to continue gathering recall signatures, and they're hoping to capitalize on events so damaging for the governor that he has avoided reporters for a week despite an escalating pandemic crisis.

Nearly two decades after California Republicans successfully fueled the drive to recall Democratic Gov. Gray Davis and catapult Arnold Schwarzenegger to the state’s top spot, the GOP faithful are hoping the court ruling will be a “game changer," said Tom Del Beccaro, chair of the RescueCalifornia.org drive.

Before Newsom's foibles, the governor had strong approval ratings in October, approaching 60 percent overall, while Democrats enjoy nearly a 2-to-1 registration advantage over Republicans in the state. But party activists are betting that a new round of business closures and a curfew during a fast-moving coronavirus spread — and the flurry of damaging French Laundry stories — will help them with another longshot bid that worked spectacularly in 2003.

When you take a rules are for other people attitude that causes shit like this and gives recalls like this life it wouldn't have had otherwise.  I'm serious - if he had any serious thought of fighting the pandemic or doing right by the people of California and this country he'd resign right now. 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[Ozlsn]

1 hour ago, AmazonGrace said:

"Pro life". Good call there Coney Barrett, glad to see you upholding the value you were elevated for.