Covid-19: American Acceptionalism

When cases start to decline, we're two weeks from hospitalizations declining and then two more weeks from deaths declining. So March will be the bright ray of hope. In the meantime we have to jab every arm we can.

 

My two states are both doing odd things with Covid policy. In Idaho, the newly seated legislature forced an end to the State of Emergency that the governor has been operating under to address the Covid pandemic in the state. They are trying to do so without impeding the flow of federal money coming because of the declaration (certain funds only being available following an emergency declaration), but are willing to risk it in order to remove any barrier to individual freedoms. They are also working to strip the office of the governor of some of its powers to declare emergencies. Individual legislators want to remove powers from local health districts too (including making it a misdemeanor to mandate masks) but it is not clear the full legislature will take that up.

In Washington, the governor has re conceptualized the steps necessary to move towards reopening away from county-specific measures to regional ones centered on the most populous urban center. Here in the East Region, there are nine counties, some exceedingly rural - for example, Adams County only has 2200 residents. County Commissioners in all but the largest county - Spokane with more than half a million residents - are frustrated because whatever the eight counties do essentially don't matter in determining progress. I live in the second largest county at 50k, and the rest are 45k, 23k, 20k, 13k, 11k, 8k, and 2k. The concern is that instead of giving people incentives to comply with regulations (which may be necessary for reticent folks), they may abandon such actions because everything hinges on Spokane County.

 

Today was a good day. I have never been happier to wait in a line. If you’re eligible, join me and sign up to get your vaccine. Come with me if you want to live! pic.twitter.com/xJi86qQNcm

— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) January 20, 2021

I found this funny.

California is finally starting to get its vaccine act together somewhat. This is dodger stadium. Disneyland has been up a week as a super pod site and its working alright. My parents got their vaccine shots no problem.

 

I drove to get my mom vaccinated last night. Large drive through facility much like the governator above at my local county Convention Center. Quick and easy.

 

That's not a county, that's a village.

 

That's what extreme rural looks like.

 

If the parliament doesnot block it we Dutch have a curfew from 20:30 till 04:30.

 

Does that mean events like jet powered combines and fishing with dynamite?

 

Wait what??????????

Did I just have a stroke????????????? Are my language centers destroyed?????????? Then how am I typing?????????????

 

I feel like the grown-ups have arrived. My cross-the-street neighbor, who ran biodefense planning for the Obama NSC (and authored the playbook that Trump & Co. completely ignored), is back on the NSC.

Thank you @NTI_WMD and to all my colleagues there, my team, and around the world. This is a huge honor and a major responsibility — there is so much to do, and I am grateful to everyone for the tremendous personal and professional support. Let’s get stuff done! https://t.co/E7nuhxiPbp

— Beth Cameron (@BethCameron_DC) January 19, 2021

 

Well, we should jab every arm we can regardless.

But UK cases have been declining for at least 10 days now so if hospitalizations lag by two weeks then we should see some good news on that front very soon.

 

See, this is why he's mad at y'all...

 

He said x-treme.

And to be fair the only rural place I know that has regular dynamite fishing was the Philippines.

 

So my 102 year old grandmother for her first shot right after Christmas. Tested positive a few days later.

never developed any symptoms.

just got her second negative test and is fully vaccinated now.

 

All sorts of impressive!

 

Second thing he's done in the last two weeks that's made me smile.

 

4370 recorded covid deaths today. A new high.

 

Deaths are the most lagging indicator of course. The good news is that new cases and total hospitalization are starting to come down.

So fingers crossed.

 

But they are what matter.

 

Side note, my state dropped under 3000 new cases for the first time in months today. Getting a good news overload kind of feeling today.

Now if I could just send my son back to in-person classes in good conscience, it would be the trifecta.

 

I just received an email from the Ulster County executive on just how f****d we are.

"Last week, New York State received 300,000 total vaccines to vaccinate millions of eligible residents. This week, a fundamental failure at the federal level has resulted in even fewer doses for the state with only 250,000 being made available to the entire state. What does that mean for us here in Ulster County? It means we need more and we need them now. The only entity able to up our numbers of vaccines is the federal government."

"Last week we received 1,200 doses in Ulster County [pop 180,000], and this week we are only being allocated 1,000 vaccine doses. We confirmed receipt of these doses today, and we will be reactivating our POD site on Thursday to make sure we distribute them as quickly as possible."

 

Awesome news.

Can I also say, this virus is so, so ********ing weird. That fact is such a contributing factor to the conspiracies about this, unfortunately.

 

Van Morrison will challenge the Northern Irish government in court over its “blanket ban” on live music in licensed venues arising from coronavirus restrictions, his lawyer said on Tuesday.

Solicitor Joe Rice said the Northern Irish singer-songwriter, who has released several protest songs against Covid-19 rules in recent months, will ask the high court in Belfast to review the policy.

 

I'm in the same county. My wife (frontline healthcare) got hers. But the rest of her co-workers, who mostly tried to make appointments the same day or next, were too late.