COVID risk for vaccinated remains low: https://www.yahoo.com/now/covid-19-risk-vaccinated-people-123559748.html . The daily rate probably does not convert to an annual rate linearly. The underlying point is that vaccines are not 100% effective, but that does not make them 0% effective. However, the perspective in this article may be useful to share with those who freaked out over the recent comments about viral load in the vaccinated.
School COVID risk increases: https://www.usnews.com/news/education-news/articles/2021-09-07/schools-approach-critical-juncture-with-kids-and-coronavirus . As this newsletter has been saying for some time, this outcome was entirely foreseeable. Delta is very infectious among children, and kids under 12 are unvaccinated. Duh. More from CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/07/health/us-coronavirus-tuesday/index.html . While severe COVID effects among children are so far relatively rare, the sheer volume of cases argues against the severity analysis. And kids will take this illness home to their parents and grandparents.
WSJ: Schools try testing to avoid quarantines: https://www.wsj.com/articles/schools-use-covid-19-tests-to-keep-students-out-of-quarantine-11631016000 . So has logic just gone down the toilet in this country? Obviously, this is a higher-risk approach and schools are already failing with the quarantine approach. Therefore, the outcome is obvious.
Idaho rations hospital care: https://apnews.com/article/business-health-education-coronavirus-pandemic-idaho-a9c1cc1a47b6d7f33165dd57603e0472 . Officials had indicated they were near the breaking point, and the system is now broke. This will likely stress hospitals in surrounding states.
Air Force vaccination rules: https://www.stripes.com/branches/air_force/2021-09-07/coronavirus-vaccine-air-force-deadline-2800959.html . Wait, Space Force members are referred to as “guardians”? There was already trouble when their logo looked like Star Trek’s. Are they going to switch to the new Cleveland baseball gear?
Another Florida conspiracy theorist is hospitalized with COVID: https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-fred-lowry-covid-skeptic-hospitalized-florida-20210908-6oyxhiyaxbbbre47gzsehry4wa-story.html . Do these people believe that the entire mainstream media is in a conspiracy to lie to them? Or do they just use this crap to exert power over the uneducated in the GOP base? (You know what I think.) More: https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/how-trump-devastated-republican-trust-media-n1278577 .
The Miami Herald isn’t taking any crap from DeMentis: https://thehill.com/homenews/media/571107-miami-herald-hits-desantis-on-vaccine-claims-profile-in-selfishness . This follows telling WSJ to stuff it. Science is definitely on the side of the Miami Herald. The “profile in selfishness” comment is, I think, a subtle reference to “Profiles in Courage”. It reminded me of Lloyd Bentsen slapping down Dan Quayle in their 1988 vice presidential debate: “Senator, I knew Jack Kennedy, and you’re no Jack Kennedy”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senator,_you’re_no_Jack_Kennedy . You go, Miami Herald. The Washington Post also chimes in: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ron-desantis-and-the-worst-fallacy-about-vaccine-skepticism/ar-AAOc3lt?li=BBnb7Kz . As does Dr. Fauci: https://www.cnn.com/videos/health/2021/09/07/dr-anthony-fauci-ron-desantis-covid-19-vaccine-claim-newday-vpx.cnn .
J&J vaccine is scarce: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/once-all-the-rage-the-johnson-and-johnson-covid-19-vaccine-has-all-but-disappeared/ar-AAObn3L?li=BBnb7Kz .
Louisiana revokes 7 nursing home licenses after Ida evacuation to warehouse: https://www.modernhealthcare.com/safety-quality/louisiana-revokes-nursing-home-licenses-after-deaths . You may have seen one of the operators on TV, defending the number of deaths as below the daily typical deaths in the nursing home. This would seem to be the dictionary definition of “tone-deaf”. And that’s almost certainly an understatement.
WSJ: COVID leads to UK tax increases: https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-k-is-among-first-western-nations-to-increase-taxes-to-cover-covid-19costs-11631033953 .
COVID surges in Israel: https://fortune.com/2021/09/07/israel-vaccination-poster-child-covid-surge-shows-world-coming-next/ . Note that Israel has met vaccine resistance, and the prevalence of cases in children is growing due to their lack of vaccination.
Another death in Japan from contaminated Moderna vaccine: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/third-person-dies-after-receiving-contaminated-moderna-vaccine/ar-AAObQBx?li=BBnb7Kz .
WSJ: Ongoing efforts to exit Afghanistan: https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-working-with-taliban-on-flying-remaining-americans-out-of-afghanistan-11631011085 .
Abbott signs new voting restrictions into “law”: https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-texas-voting-laws-voting-rights-2def6b2ee8d6c313f2cae300c280f5aa . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/texas-gov-greg-abbott-signs-contentious-voting-bill-into-law-11631033213 . I agree with the NAACP: this is disgusting. The battle now turns to the courts. However, the required outcome is obvious. There is no evidence of voter fraud, the alleged justification for the law. The law is targeted at urban communities, and particularly minorities, as the article notes. This disproportionate impact is unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Frankly, the act of voter suppression should be abhorrent in any democracy. While the outcome may be obvious, as a practical matter a judge must say so. The behavior of the Supreme Court’s conservative majority is rightfully subject to suspicion. And this is the type of case which is likely to reach the Supreme Court. We will see, hopefully well in advance of the 2022 elections.
Abbott becomes Costello: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/texas-gov-abbott-defends-new-abortion-law-vows-eliminate-all-n1278648 . His defense of this ridiculous abortion law is that Texas will eliminate all rapists. Obviously, that has a zero chance of happening. It is now standard practice for GOP politicians to tell absurd lies in defense of their absurd actions.
Orange Julius backs challenger to third House Republican who voted to impeach him: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-backs-challenger-third-house-republican-who-voted-impeach-2021-09-07/ . Herrera Beutler’s district has a large chunk that is in suburban Portland. I wouldn’t regard this district as a safe Republican district. As such, Orange Julius’ actions may end up helping the Democrats in their fight to retain control of the House.
Bizarre South Carolina case becomes more bizarre: https://apnews.com/article/south-carolina-8c6934aa5a4e4363bdbdbfe1fe6e01e2 . I have followed this case for some time, but haven’t mentioned it in the newsletter previously. What seemed incomprehensible is why the wife and child would have been gunned down. More recently, the husband was shot. He then indicated he was impaired from drugs and alcohol and was resigning from the firm. Now the firm announces that money is missing. They must be pretty sure of this to say so publically before completing an audit.
One wonders if he was somehow in trouble with a drug dealer. But who were the two shooters, and what were their motives? Other than the husband and a drug dealer, there are no obvious suspects. Original reports were that the husband was shot in the head, here downgraded to “grazed”. So the easiest explanation is that the husband is behind all of this.
Denver Broncos basically forfeited a game last year because their quarterbacks as a group tried to evade league’s COVID protocols: https://sports.yahoo.com/broncos-q-bs-tried-to-fool-covid-system-in-2020-but-were-caught-on-surveillance-154819459.html . Hey, the rules apply to everybody else but us.
WSJ: iPhone 13 coming in a week: https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-apple-iphone-expected-to-be-unveiled-at-sept-14-event-11631036799 .
Another astronomical oddity passes through Earth’s backyard: https://www.thedailybeast.com/this-very-weird-accidental-star-could-help-reveal-the-secrets-of-the-cosmos . It looks like our neighborhood is going to hell.