A post was merged into an existing topic: US in crisis - Black Lives Matter Fallout - National and local responses
Tulsa Health Department director ‘wishes’ Trump rally would be postponed as local COVID cases surge
In an interview with the Tulsa World on Saturday, Dr. Bruce Dart said Tulsa is seeing a “significant increase in our case trends” that makes a large gathering like the rally dangerous for not only attendees, but the president himself.
“I think it’s an honor for Tulsa to have a sitting president want to come and visit our community, but not during a pandemic,” said Dart. “I’m concerned about our ability to protect anyone who attends a large, indoor event, and I’m also concerned about our ability to ensure the president stays safe as well.”
State officials on Saturday reported 225 new cases of COVID-19, once again marking a new high in daily increases for both the state and Tulsa County.
“COVID is here in Tulsa, it is transmitting very efficiently,” Dart said. “I wish we could postpone this to a time when the virus isn’t as large a concern as it is today.”
Dart said his concern stems from a sudden spike in cases he said likely comes from a combination of factors, but not increased testing. Health department data shows Tulsa County’s 7-day rolling average for COVID-19 cases has risen from 24.9 cases on June 7 to 51.4 as of Friday.
4 Likes
Pence urged governors to echo a misleading claim about infection spikes.
Vice President Mike Pence encouraged governors on Monday to adopt the administration’s claim that increased testing helps account for the new coronavirus outbreak reports, even though evidence has shown that the explanation is misleading.
On a call with the governors, audio of which was obtained by The New York Times, Mr. Pence urged them “to continue to explain to your citizens the magnitude of the increase in testing” in addressing the new outbreaks.
And he asked them to “encourage people with the news that we’re safely reopening the country.”
In fact, seven-day averages in several states with outbreaks have increased since May 31, and in at least 14 states, the positive case rate is increasing faster than the increase in the average number of tests, according to an analysis of data collected by The New York Times.
The vice president played down the overall size of the outbreaks, stressing that some states were seeing what he called “intermittent” spikes of the virus.
4 Likes
Missed this one from earlier
5 Likes
3 Likes
Yeah. Not over til it’s over.
The Washington Post: Top Stories | Coronavirus recommendations ignored as case numbers rise
Even as the number of infections rose and hospital beds filled in some places, voices clamored for an end to mandatory mask-wearing. And relaxation of restrictions designed to curb the novel coronavirus continued.
“They’re either just over it, or they’ve come to believe it’s a phony pandemic because their own personal grandmother hasn’t been affected yet,” said Andrew Noymer, an epidemiologist at the University of California at Irvine, in Orange County. Elected officials last week forced the county health department to scale back a mask-wearing order. “People just think this is a nothingburger. So they think the risk is exaggerated.”
…
Some political leaders, from President Trump on down, are refusing to issue a consistent public health message about wearing masks and maintaining social distance, said Vin Gupta, an assistant professor at the same University of Washington institute. Gupta called Trump’s planned rally this month in Tulsa “medical malpractice.
“It’s as though they’re actively trying to oppose their public health professionals,” he said. “There isn’t a lot of ICU bed capacity out there, so if they get this wrong or Tulsa ends up being a superspreader event . . . who knows what’s going to happen?”
Mary Kay Henry, president of the Service Employees International Union, which represents 80,000 registered nurses, said “the idea that we are going to tolerate a certain number of deaths as a nation is outrageous. . . . It’s irresponsible of these governors to be so blasé about the idea that more people are going to be infected and die because they made a decision to reopen without the safety precautions that workers and consumers need.”
4 Likes
A missed story in the turmoil of recent weeks, combining more Trump regime racism with a bizarre attack on #H1B visas under the guise of protecting against COVID-19, even though Trump doesn’t believe in doing anything about it:
Trump Administration Considers Suspending H-1B, Other Visas Through the Fall
President is expected to take action scaling back employment-based immigration in move aimed at speeding economic recovery after pandemic crisis
Thread:
4 Likes
When in doubt, blame them darn young whippersnappers for your colossal screw-up, right?
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Criticizes Young People for Not Taking Coronavirus Seriously As Infections Rise
5 Likes
Texas - Mayors are requesting that Governor Abbott makes Texas have to wear masks and not optional. That seems the safest, but the least macho probably.
3 Likes
Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Father Dies From Complications Of COVID-19
“No words can describe what he meant to me and all who knew him,” the Minnesota Democrat said.
5 Likes
I think I can hold it until I get home. Forever.
Flushing the Toilet May Fling Coronavirus Aerosols All Over
A new study shows how turbulence from a toilet bowl can create a large plume that is potentially infectious to a bathroom’s next visitor.
This article is from May 8th. Things haven’t gotten at all better since it was written.
Other countries are winning against the virus. We are quitting.
The population of the US is 330 million
The population of the EU is 446 million
There’s a whole thread of charts like that.
5 Likes
Florida is a hotspot for the Coronavirus. Gov. DeSantis has done little to keep on top of this virus.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said 260 workers at the Orlando International Airport have tested positive for the coronavirus after nearly 500 employees were tested.
“[An]Airport in Central Florida had a couple of cases, they did the contract tracing. They looked [at] almost 500 workers [and] 260 people working close together were positive, 52 percent positivity rate on that one,” DeSantis said.
More than 2,780 new cases of coronavirus were reported in Florida on Tuesday.
The state reports more than 80,100 people have tested positive from COVID-19 and 2,993 people have died from coronavirus.
4 Likes
GOP Logic vs. Covid logic
Covid always wins
This AZ Sheriff and proponent not to wear masks caught the highly contagious virus. He was also supposed to visit the WH in the last day or so but was tested and could not attend.
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 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.
2 Likes
Businesses Want Virus Legal Protection. Workers Are Worried.
Businesses are lobbying Congress for protections against coronavirus-related lawsuits, but unions and Democrats fear a liability shield would encourage reckless behavior.
3 Likes
I just wish he wasn’t asymptomatic. I imagine he still thinks it’s nothing to be concerned about.
5 Likes
Former head of CDC says to study these mutation variations for insights into next steps.
4 Likes
4 Likes
CNN reporting that 6 T campaign staffers have Coronavirus.
No magical thinking can wash that fact away.
WTF. WTF. WTF…
#file under Election 2020 maybe too @anon95374541 and @MissJava…
4 Likes
NPR is on that story:
3 Likes