“The White House on Tuesday told states vaccine supply they leave unordered will become available to other states — the most significant shift in domestic vaccine distribution since President Biden took office, and part of an effort to account for flagging demand in parts of the country,” the Washington Post reports.
The Liberals Who Can’t Quit Lockdown
The Atlantic: “The spring of 2021 is different from the spring of 2020… Scientists know a lot more about how COVID-19 spreads—and how it doesn’t. Public-health advice is shifting. But some progressives have not updated their behavior based on the new information. And in their eagerness to protect themselves and others, they may be underestimating other costs.”
“Being extra careful about COVID-19 is (mostly) harmless when it’s limited to wiping down your groceries with Lysol wipes and wearing a mask in places where you’re unlikely to spread the coronavirus, such as on a hiking trail. But vigilance can have unintended consequences when it imposes on other people’s lives. Even as scientific knowledge of COVID-19 has increased, some progressives have continued to embrace policies and behaviors that aren’t supported by evidence, such as banning access to playgrounds, closing beaches, and refusing to reopen schools for in-person learning.”
New York, New Jersey, Connecticut Ending Restrictions
“New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are lifting most Covid-19-related restrictions on May 19, signaling a denouement for some of the country’s strictest lockdown orders and social distancing protocols imposed during the pandemic,” Politico reports.
Florida Moves to End Local Covid Restrictions
Associated Press: “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis moved to suspend all remaining COVID-19 restrictions imposed by communities across his state, signing into law on Monday freshly passed legislation giving him sweeping powers to invalidate local emergency measures put in place during the pandemic — including mask mandates, limitations on business operations and the shuttering of schools.”
“While the law DeSantis signed Monday goes into effect July 1, the Republican governor said he would issue an executive order to more quickly enact some provisions of the new law, including the preemption of existing coronavirus measures enacted by local governments such as mask mandates.”
The Vaccine Procrastinators
Axios: “Around 10% of Americans aren’t very eager to get the vaccine, but they’re not really hesitant either — they’re just waiting to get it until they get around to it, according to new Harris polling.”
Texans Now Rate Border Security Ahead of COVID-19
A new University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll finds that immigration and border security topped the legislative priorities list for 36% of voters, COVID-19, the energy system/grid, and the economy/jobs, together were the top priorities of 32%.
In February, COVID-19 was the top concern, with immigration and border security in second place.
What Are They Thinking?
Derek Thompson: “One in four Americans says they don’t plan to take the COVID-19 vaccine, and about half of Republicans under 50 say they won’t get a vaccine. This partisan vaccine gap is already playing out in the real world. The average number of daily shots has declined 20 percent in the past two weeks, largely because states with larger Trump vote shares are falling off the pace.”
“What are they thinking, these vaccine-hesitant, vaccine-resistant, and COVID-apathetic? I wanted to know. So I posted an invitation on Twitter for anybody who wasn’t planning to get vaccinated to email me and explain why.”
‘Herd Immunity’ Now Unlikely In United States
New York Times: “Now, more than half of adults in the United States have been inoculated with at least one dose of a vaccine. But daily vaccination rates are slipping, and there is widespread consensus among scientists and public health experts that the herd immunity threshold is not attainable — at least not in the foreseeable future, and perhaps not ever.”
“Instead, they are coming to the conclusion that rather than making a long-promised exit, the virus will most likely become a manageable threat that will continue to circulate in the United States for years to come, still causing hospitalizations and deaths but in much smaller numbers.”
CNN: Confusion over masks sparks new political showdown.
Joe Rogan Walks Back Comments on Vaccinations
“Joe Rogan back-pedaled on statements he made on his podcast last week when he suggested young people who are healthy do not need to get the coronavirus vaccine,” Axios reports.
Said Rogan: “I’m not a doctor, I’m a fucking moron. I’m not a respected source of information, even for me … But I at least try to be honest about what I’m saying.”
The Flu Has Nearly Disappeared Worldwide
Scientific American: “Since the novel coronavirus began its global spread, influenza cases reported to the World Health Organization have dropped to minuscule levels. The reason, epidemiologists think, is that the public health measures taken to keep the coronavirus from spreading also stop the flu. Influenza viruses are transmitted in much the same way as SARS-CoV-2, but they are less effective at jumping from host to host.”
“As Scientific American reported last fall, the drop-off in flu numbers was both swift and universal. Since then, cases have stayed remarkably low… The U.S. saw about 600 deaths from influenza during the 2020-2021 flu season. In comparison, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated there were roughly 22,000 deaths in the prior season and 34,000 two seasons ago.”
Schumer Backs Major Health Care Reforms
“Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) said in an interview published Friday that he supports measures to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices, as well as lowering the Medicare eligibility age and creating a public health insurance option,” The Hill reports.
Biden Launches Vaccine Finder Site
President Joe Biden’s administration has launched a website, text-message tool and phone hotline to link Americans with Covid-19 shots near them as the pace of vaccination in the U.S. has plateaued, Bloomberg reports.
100 Million Americans Now ‘Fully Vaccinated’
The White House announced 100 million adults in the U.S. are now fully vaccinated, CNN reports.
The Coronavirus Vaccine Is Very, Very Good
The Washington Post points out that, for those vaccinated, “the risk of serious illness from the coronavirus — and spreading the virus to others — is vanishingly low”:
- Out of 87 million people vaccinated, 7,157 experienced breakthrough infections.
- Of those, 498 were hospitalized and 88 died.
- So, vaccinated people have a 0.0005 percent chance of hospitalization and a 0.0001 percent chance of dying from the coronavirus.
“Those percentages are far lower than the risk of being hospitalized with or dying of the seasonal flu, some experts note. They also represent much less risk than people are willing to take on every day when they drive in their car or engage in a sport.”
India Sets Another Grim Record
“India’s coronavirus catastrophe is worsening. The country on Friday reported another record number of new cases over the preceding 24 hours, as the army opened its hospitals and patients struggled to access beds, oxygen and lifesaving treatment,” the Washington Post reports.
“Crematoriums are overwhelmed, and the health system is crumbling. Anger toward Prime Minister Narendra Modi is growing, especially over his decision to hold huge election rallies as infections soared. India’s death toll has passed 208,000.”
The Next 100 Days Are Pivotal for Covid Fight
Politico: “Containment, not eradication, is the most realistic goal: Public health experts say the coronavirus is here for the long-haul. Now, the challenge for Biden, his response team and state health officials will be managing the rolling series of outbreaks possibly driven by more dangerous virus variants, while avoiding the wishful thinking of the Trump administration, which downplayed the disease’s lethality.”
“In the best-case scenario, public trust in the shots will keep rising, particularly among the most vulnerable, including minority groups the administration seeks to reach. Federal, state and local public health officials will quickly deploy expanded tools like rapid testing, wastewater surveillance and contact tracing to spot and contain new outbreaks before they spark a wider surge.”
Axios: The next 100 million vaccinations in the U.S.
Vaccine Forgery Cards Spread
“Specific directions showing how to forge Covid-19 vaccination cards have proliferated on conspiracy, pro-Trump and anti-vaccination forums throughout the internet in recent weeks, as users have exploited a largely makeshift verification system,” NBC News reports.
“The cards, distributed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have been handed out to the more than 140 million Americans who have already received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccination. The Biden administration has declared it wouldn’t create a federal vaccination database, citing privacy concerns, paving the way for the cards to become the country’s default national way to verify if someone has been vaccinated.”
Gretchen Whitmer Ties Reopening to Vaccination Rates
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) outlined a plan that ties specific vaccination levels to rolling back COVID-19 restrictions, Detroit Free Press reports.
“In short: Two weeks after 60% of people get their first vaccine dose, the state will increase indoor capacity for sporting events, gyms and lift curfews on restaurants/bars; two weeks after hitting 65%, it will lift all indoor capacity restrictions; two weeks after hitting 70%, the state will rescind its mask mandate.”
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