Measles and Florida
‘Grossly irresponsible’: Florida congresswoman blasts surgeon general over measles outbreak
There’s a measles outbreak in Florida. Should you change your travel plans?
COVID and Political Parties
Republicans’ excess death rate spiked after COVID-19 vaccines arrived, a study says
“More specifically, the researchers say, their adjusted analysis found that “the excess death rate among Republican voters was 43% higher than the excess death rate among Democratic voters” after vaccine eligibility was opened.”
THE RIGHT’S ANTI-VAXXERS ARE KILLING REPUBLICANS
“Since Covid-19 vaccines arrived, the gap in so-called excess deaths between Republicans and Democrats has widened, a new study says.”
“Despite the fact that more than 1 million Americans have died from the virus, many Republican political leaders, particularly in red states, refused to impose stringent public health restrictions during the pandemic, and criticized mask and vaccination mandates. That opposition led many Republicans to deny that the vaccines worked and to refuse to get the shots. In Florida, one of the two states included in the study, Gov. Ron DeSantis transformed himself into a national Republican leader and possible presidential contender by leading the right-wing charge against public health mandates.
The partisan divide over vaccination developed almost as soon as Covid-19 vaccines became available in early 2021, and it continued to widen. By September 2021, 92 percent of registered Democrats had been vaccinated, compared with only 56 percent of Republicans, according to a Gallup survey at the time.
But the National Bureau of Economic Research study provides some of the strongest evidence yet that the refusal of many Republicans to get vaccinated has made them much more likely to die from Covid-19. While those who have been vaccinated often still contract the virus, many studies have shown that people who have been vaccinated are much less likely to die from the disease.
There have been previous efforts to measure the impact on health of the partisan divide over Covid-19 vaccinations. But the National Bureau of Economic Research study offers a more detailed look at death rates in two states among Republicans and Democrats.
The study tracked 577,659 people who died in Ohio and Florida at age 25 or older between January 2018 and December 2021. It then linked those people to their 2017 Ohio and Florida voting records.
Between March 2020 and March 2021, excess death rates for Republicans in Ohio and Florida were 1.6 percentage points higher than for Democrats; but from April 2021 to December 2021 — after vaccines became widely available — the gap widened to 10.6 percentage points. The study found that the largest gaps in excess death rates between Republicans and Democrats came in Ohio and Florida counties with low vaccination rates. By using county-level vaccination rates in Ohio and Florida, “we find evidence that vaccination contributes to explaining differences in excess deaths by political party affiliation, even after controlling for location and age differences,” the study said.”
This is how many lives could have been saved with COVID vaccinations in each state
“One tragic fact about the nearly 1 million people who died of COVID-19 in the U.S. is that a huge share of them didn’t have to.
In Tennessee, 11,047 of the people who died could have survived if everyone in the state had gotten vaccinated. In Ohio, that number is 15,875. Nationally it’s nearly 319,000, according a new estimate.”
COVID-19 Mortality by State
DeSantis’s State Surgeon General is dangerous!
‘What Price Was My Father’s Life Worth?’ Right-Wing Doctors Are Still Peddling Dubious COVID Drugs
Gov. DeSantis and Florida surgeon general warn against new COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine
THE RIGHT’S ANTI-VAXXERS ARE KILLING REPUBLICANS
“Since Covid-19 vaccines arrived, the gap in so-called excess deaths between Republicans and Democrats has widened, a new study says.”
“Despite the fact that more than 1 million Americans have died from the virus, many Republican political leaders, particularly in red states, refused to impose stringent public health restrictions during the pandemic, and criticized mask and vaccination mandates. That opposition led many Republicans to deny that the vaccines worked and to refuse to get the shots. In Florida, one of the two states included in the study, Gov. Ron DeSantis transformed himself into a national Republican leader and possible presidential contender by leading the right-wing charge against public health mandates.
The partisan divide over vaccination developed almost as soon as Covid-19 vaccines became available in early 2021, and it continued to widen. By September 2021, 92 percent of registered Democrats had been vaccinated, compared with only 56 percent of Republicans, according to a Gallup survey at the time.
But the National Bureau of Economic Research study provides some of the strongest evidence yet that the refusal of many Republicans to get vaccinated has made them much more likely to die from Covid-19. While those who have been vaccinated often still contract the virus, many studies have shown that people who have been vaccinated are much less likely to die from the disease.
There have been previous efforts to measure the impact on health of the partisan divide over Covid-19 vaccinations. But the National Bureau of Economic Research study offers a more detailed look at death rates in two states among Republicans and Democrats.
The study tracked 577,659 people who died in Ohio and Florida at age 25 or older between January 2018 and December 2021. It then linked those people to their 2017 Ohio and Florida voting records.
Between March 2020 and March 2021, excess death rates for Republicans in Ohio and Florida were 1.6 percentage points higher than for Democrats; but from April 2021 to December 2021 — after vaccines became widely available — the gap widened to 10.6 percentage points. The study found that the largest gaps in excess death rates between Republicans and Democrats came in Ohio and Florida counties with low vaccination rates. By using county-level vaccination rates in Ohio and Florida, “we find evidence that vaccination contributes to explaining differences in excess deaths by political party affiliation, even after controlling for location and age differences,” the study said.”
For Example, Ron DeSantis!
Ron DeSantis outflanks Trump on the right with his call for Covid vaccine probe
“One Trump adviser said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ call for the investigation is a “shot across the bow” with 2024 implications.”
COVID vaccines saved 3.2 million US lives, researchers say
“The COVID-19 vaccines developed by biotech companies Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson saved more than 3 million American lives over a two-year period, according to new research from the Commonwealth Fund.”
Vaccines Could Have Saved 22,000 Lives in Texas and Florida, Researchers Say
- “States with higher immunization rates saw fewer Covid deaths
- Shots could have kept as many as 1.3 million out of hospital”
The Changing Political Geography of COVID-19 Over the Last Two Years
Ron DeSantis’ New Surgeon General Appeared in ‘Demon Sperm’ Doctor’s COVID Conspiracy Video
“Joseph Ladapo—the doctor appointed on Tuesday as Florida’s new surgeon general by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis—once appeared in a COVID-19 conspiracy video featuring Dr. Stella Immanuel. Immanuel, a pediatrician and religious minister, gained notoriety in 2020 for her bizarre theories, including that “demonic seed” causes endometriosis and ovarian cysts.
In July 2020, Ladapo appeared in a 43-minute viral video as part of a group called America’s Frontline Doctors. None of the doctors in the video were epidemiologists or immunologists best qualified to speak on infectious diseases, Rolling Stone reported at the time. The doctors’ recorded speech was organized by the Tea Party Patriots, a right-wing group backed by wealthy Republican donors.
The video promoted hydroxychloroquine as a “cure” for COVID-19, even though studies haven’t substantiated that claim. The video also said that masks do not slow the virus’ spread and that COVID-19 is less deadly than the flu. Both claims are untrue.”
Pro-Trump counties now have far higher COVID death rates. Misinformation is to blame
“Since May 2021, people living in counties that voted heavily for Donald Trump during the last presidential election have been nearly three times as likely to die from COVID-19 as those who live in areas that went for now-President Biden. That’s according to a new analysis by NPR that examines how political polarization and misinformation are driving a significant share of the deaths in the pandemic.”
Someone tweeted a great link:
https://dangoodspeed.com/covid/
It includes this chart:
https://dangoodspeed.com/covid/total-deaths-since-june-2021
Increasing Public Criticism, Confusion Over COVID-19 Response in U.S.
- “Democrats and those who lean to the Democratic Party are much more likely than Republicans and Republican leaners to say they have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine (90% vs. 64%).
- Among fully vaccinated adults, partisan differences persist for booster shots: 73% of fully vaccinated Democrats say they’ve gotten a COVID-19 booster shot within the last six months, compared with 55% of fully vaccinated Republicans.
- Eight-in-ten Republicans ages 65 and older (80%) have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. Lower shares of Republicans ages 50 to 64 (62%), 30 to 49 (57%) and 18 to 29 (52%) say the same.
- Republicans with a postgraduate degree are 24 points more likely than those with a high school diploma or less education to have received a COVID-19 vaccine (81% vs. 57%). These differences are more modest among Democrats.”
This is so sad:
Deadly partisan divide: Gap between COVID deaths in red vs. blue counties larger than ever
“October saw the largest difference to date, with three times as many residents dying of COVID-19 in counties where at least 60% voted for Trump than in counties that supported Biden.”
THE ANTI-VACCINE RIGHT BROUGHT HUMAN SACRIFICE TO AMERICA
“Since last summer, the conservative campaign against vaccination has claimed thousands of lives for no ethically justifiable purpose.”
The Republican Party’s Anti-Vaxx Wing Is Too Big to Fail
“When an ideological extreme faction with unpopular views emerges, it becomes a threat to the party that hosts it. At first, the party’s incentive is to banish the extremists, lest their toxic ideas taint the party’s brand with the broader electorate. But if the radical faction’s growth is not arrested, the calculus changes, and barring the doors can no longer work. It forms a large enough part of the base that the party can’t afford to alienate its members. The crank wing becomes too big to fail.
I believe the anti-vaccine movement is reaching that point in the Republican Party. The movement’s position is akin to the tea party in 2009, or the birther movement a few years later — perhaps (this is a rough estimate) smaller than the former but larger than the latter. The cause has too many adherents, who supply too much energy, for the party to risk alienating.”
A US Senator,
and US House members,
GOP’s House Judiciary Committee members, led by Rep. Jim Jordan, tweet that booster shots don’t work
DeSantis ‘disremembers’ history for political purposes. Trump tweeted “Free (fill in the state) the day the White House released its Shutdown Plan”
DeSantis says he regrets not speaking out ‘much louder’ against Trump’s recommendation to stay home
Science backs mask mandates. But in Missouri and elsewhere, they’re politically toxic
“Studies have repeatedly found mandates encourage mask use and slow COVID spread. Politics and lawsuits make them unattractive to policymakers”
A twitter friend with a great twitter thread:
‘A sacrificial lamb’: Pandemic politics force out hundreds of public health officials
For COVID-19 vaccinations, party affiliation matters more than race and ethnicity
“Of Americans surveyed from Sept. 13-22, 72% of adults 18 and older had been vaccinated, including 71% of white Americans, 70% of Black Americans, and 73% of Hispanics. Contrast these converging figures with disparities based on politics: 90% of Democrats had been vaccinated, compared with 68% of Independents and just 58% of Republicans.”
GOP courts anti-vaxxers with jobless aid
Red America has seen the highest rates of cases and deaths, and the lowest rate of vaccinations
DeSantis administration puts Florida health director on leave for encouraging vaccinations for his staff
‘Normal’ Republican Ron DeSantis Wants to Lock Up Anthony Fauci
“Being a less deranged authoritarian than Trump is a low bar.”
December 24, 2021:
3rd Florida-based ship has outbreak, state cases hit record
“MIAMI (AP) — A COVID-19 outbreak took place on a South Florida-based cruise ship for the third time this week, as the number of coronavirus cases in Florida hit its highest level since the start of the pandemic.”
Missouri and Masks,
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson commissioned data on masks but didn’t release it after it showed they were effective: report
- “Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s office asked the state health department to analyze data on mask effectiveness, according to the Missouri Independent and the Documenting COVID-19 project.
- The data showed masks were effective, particularly during the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.
- But the governor’s office never publicly released the findings, the report said.”
Some GOP states carving out “natural immunity” exception to COVID vaccine requirements
Noted vaccine skeptic Marjorie Taylor Greene rakes in cash from vaccine makers
“The Republican congresswoman — who recently boasted about not being vaccinated against Covid-19 — owns thousands of dollars worth of stock in vaccine manufacturers.”
The Vaccine Works!
Breakthrough case review finds 97% of COVID-19 cases in vaccinated individuals don’t result in severe illness
“BOSTON — Today the Massachusetts Department of Public Health released a review of breakthrough COVID-19 cases in vaccinated Massachusetts residents and found nearly 97% of all breakthrough cases in the Commonwealth have not resulted in hospitalization or death. Additionally, the review found unvaccinated residents are five times more likely to become infected than fully vaccinated residents (two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or one dose of Johnson & Johnson) and unvaccinated residents are 31 times more likely to become infected than fully vaccinated residents who have received a booster.”
The Covid-19 vaccination map looks almost exactly like the election map
New documentary examines Gov. DeSantis’ response to COVID-19 in Florida
““Killing a State,” to be released late spring 2021 on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime, explores how COVID-19 has impacted and continues to affect the Sunshine State, how DeSantis responded and what could have been done differently, such as addressing issues with the unemployment system and enforcing a mask mandate.”
Florida pulls pro-vaccination television ads, replacing with spots that don’t mention vaccines
“State sponsored commercials promoting COVID-19 vaccinations have been pulled from Florida’s airwaves.
The new ads that replaced them make no mention of the vaccine.
Spots are produced by the Florida Department of Health, which then disseminates them to stations around the state. Direction for the new ads come straight from the top, Governor Ron DeSantis, and the change has been noticeable.”
University of Florida launches formal investigation after reports of pressure to destroy Covid-19 research data
“A formal investigation has been launched by the University of Florida after an internal report detailed a culture of fear among faculty members claiming political influence on campus as well as instances of pressure to destroy and delay publication of Covid-19 research data.”
Oklahoma
Judge denies Oklahoma GOP governor’s request to block military vaccine mandate
Tennessee
Back to Florida
DeSantis Spokesperson Blames Vaccine Passport on the Rothschilds
We are the only nation on earth with FoxNews and GOP Governors,
Florida:
Ron DeSantis Is “Offended” by Biden’s Attempt to Prevent Americans From Dying a Miserable, Preventable Death
Florida grapples with COVID-19′s deadliest phase yet
Florida Judge Orders Immediate Lifting of DeSantis’ Ban on School Mask Mandates
Masks Work!
Dr. Joseph Ladapo of “America’s Frontline Doctors” is now in charge of public health in Florida
“Dr. Joseph Ladapo, a member of the fringe medical group “American’s Frontline Doctors” and signer of the widely criticized Great Barrington Declaration, is Florida’s new Surgeon General, appointed because he agrees with the dubious COVID-19 policies of Gov. DeSantis and, like the Governor, allows ideology to trump science.”
Florida’s next surgeon general opposes mask, vaccine mandates
“Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a new surgeon general for Florida on Tuesday, a Harvard-trained doctor who advocated for an approach to the coronavirus pandemic that emphasizes protecting individual rights over community-based precautions.
Dr. Joseph Ladapo, a UCLA researcher who expressed skepticism that vaccines could help end the pandemic, said Tuesday that he would “reject fear” as a public health strategy.
“Florida will completely reject fear as a way of making policies,” Ladapo said. “That’s been something that’s been, unfortunately, a centerpiece of health policies.””
Florida Deaths Per 1,000 Per Week Since Football Season Started:
- 8/27/21 3rd 1.33
- 9/3/21 1st 1.51
- 9/10/21 2nd 1.57
- 9/17/21 1st 1.69
- 9/21/21 1st 2.07
- 9/24/21 2nd 1.53
- 9/28/21 3rd 1.45
- 10/1/21 6th 1.27
- 10/5/21 7th 1.03
Anti-vaxxer named FL surgeon general
“Physician and researcher Joseph Ladapo was named Florida surgeon general on Tuesday, calling for being “done with fear” amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 51,000 of the state’s residents.”
Idaho Hospitals Run Out Of Beds For COVID-19 Patients, Ration Care
“Hospitals in Idaho are overwhelmed with an influx of COVID-19 patients. The state is allowing crisis standards of care, meaning that hospitals are rationing care when necessary, saving ICU beds for those most likely to survive.”
Idaho Deaths Per 1,000 Per Week Since Football Season Started:
- 8/27/21 22nd 0.30
- 9/3/21 18th 0.48
- 9/10/21 12th 0.54
- 9/17/21 4th 1.22
- 9/21/21 5th 1.30
- 9/24/21 10th 0.96
- 9/28/21 8th 1.13
- 10/1/21 2nd 1.49
- 10/5/21 1st 1.83
COVID-19 has killed thousands in Idaho. Funeral homes are struggling to store bodies
Idaho morgues are running out of space for bodies as COVID-19 deaths mount
5 things to know about Dr. Ryan Cole, latest Central District Health board appointee
“1. HE HAS AN EXTENSIVE MEDICAL BACKGROUND
2. HIS LAB PROCESSED THOUSANDS OF COVID-19 ANTIBODY TESTS
3. HE’S A FIERCE CRITIC OF COVID-19 VACCINES
4. HE’S ADVOCATED FOR ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS TO COVID-19
5. HE OPPOSES MASK AND VACCINE MANDATES”
Washington governor to Idaho officials: Stop ‘clogging up my hospitals’
“Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) criticized neighboring Idaho’s leadership late last week, saying that Idaho Gov. Brad Little’s (R) policies were “clogging up” Washington’s hospitals.
“Today in my state, Washington citizens in many cases cannot get heart surgery, cannot get cancer surgery that they need, because we are having to take too many people of unvaccinated nature and unmasked, many of whom come from Idaho, and that’s just maddening frankly,” Inslee said in an MSNBC appearance on Friday.
“So we are calling for Idaho and the leaders there to lead and take some commonsense measures,” Inslee continued. “I’m disappointed the governor of Idaho has spent more time trying to reduce protection by reducing vaccine usage instead of concentrating on this, and then clogging up my hospitals.”
Washington hospital execs: little capacity to help Idaho
“Hospitals are canceling necessary surgeries and taking longer to deal with heart attacks and strokes because COVID patients are taking up so many beds. Nearly 1,700 patients are hospitalized with COVID, up from 350 in June and early July before the delta variant’s spread among the unvaccinated drove the spike, Briley said.
More than 95% of hospitalized patients are unvaccinated — a staggering amount of unnecessary suffering, Briley said. Some 260 patients are on ventilators.”
“About two-thirds of Washington residents age 12 and older had been fully vaccinated as of last week, and 74% have received at least one dose, according to Washington Department of Health data.
In conservative northern Idaho, only about 4 in 10 eligible residents are fully vaccinated. Hospitals there are so packed that authorities announced last week facilities would be allowed to ration care, potentially giving life-saving care to some patients at the expense of others.
Hospitals there have sent patients to hospitals in Washington, particularly in Spokane, though how many is not clear. The New York Times reported Monday that as of last week, Providence Sacred Heart in Spokane had patients from Idaho taking up 29 beds.
Briley said that while it’s normal for eastern Washington hospitals to treat patients from Idaho and vice versa, the influx of COVID patients had caused “some ripple effect” in western Washington.”
South Carolina Deaths Per 1,000 Per Week Since Football Season Started:
- 8/27/21 7th 0.64
- 9/3/21 5th 0.92
- 9/10/21 4th 0.85
- 9/17/21 3rd 1.34
- 9/21/21 6th 1.15
- 9/24/21 4th 1.18
- 9/28/21 4th 1.37
- 10/1/21 4th 1.43
- 10/5/21 3rd 1.36
The US death toll from Covid-19 just surpassed that of the 1918 flu pandemic
“Despite all the scientific and medical advances of the past 103 years, the Covid-19 pandemic has now killed more Americans than the 1918 flu pandemic did.More than 675,000 people in the United States have died from Covid-19, according to Johns Hopkins University. That surpasses the estimated US death toll from the deadliest pandemic of the 20th century.”
White House welcomes fight with GOP governors over vaccine mandates
“Republican governors have emerged as one of the most consistent foils to President Biden during his eight months in office, with a brewing fight over coronavirus vaccine mandates shaping up to be the next battleground.
Biden has seemingly embraced the clash with GOP state leaders, vowing to use executive powers to sidestep their opposition to mask and vaccine requirements in his efforts to get the pandemic under control.
After Biden last week unveiled a slew of new measures and rules to compel workers and federal employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19, several GOP governors vowed to fight the mandates in court or with orders of their own.”
Mississippi,
Mississippi Deaths Per 1,000 Per Week Since Football Season Started:
- 8/27/21 2nd 1.33
- 9/3/21 2nd 1.41
- 9/10/21 1st 1.74
- 9/17/21 2nd 1.42
- 9/21/21 4th 1.41
- 9/24/21 7th 1.10
- 9/28/21 12th 1.01
- 10/1/21 10th 0.98
- 10/5/21 9th 1.00
I live in the SEC of COVID-19:
Texas:
Judge rules Texas governor can’t enforce mask mandate ban
Tennessee:
Governor Lee expects skyrocketing COVID-19 deaths to lower in coming weeks
Third judge blocks Gov. Lee’s mask opt out in schools
Alaska
Alaska’s Deaths per 1,000:
- 8/27/21 13th 0.51
- 9/3 30th 0.20
- 9/10 41st 0.16
- 9/17 39th 0.23
- 9/21 31st 0.29
- 9/24 29th 0.39
- 9/28 2nd 1.51 !
- 10/1 1st 1.72 !!
- 10/5 24th 0.51
The @GOP is so adverse to any shutdown (donors) they are attacking masks and vaccines and telling their base that it is OK to catch COVID, there are cures. It has gone from hydroxychloroquine to livestock de-wormer.
An Internet Friend’s Twitter Thread on Vaccinations and Deaths:
And we keep seeing sad stories repeating themselves over and over and over again:
FoxNews and others are getting people killed
I am a huge Alabama football fan but I dreaded football season and what might happen
Compare the Top 25 in Deaths Per 1,000 per Week from August 27, 2021 to October 5, 2021:
| 27-Aug-21 | 5-Oct-21 | ||||||
| Deaths per 1,000 | Daily Avg Deaths | Deaths per 1,000 | Daily Avg Deaths | ||||
| 1 | Louisiana | 1.37 | 63.9 | 1 | Idaho | 1.83 | 32.7 |
| 2 | Mississippi | 1.33 | 39.6 | 2 | West Virginia | 1.60 | 28.7 |
| 3 | Florida | 1.13 | 242.1 | 3 | South Carolina | 1.36 | 69.9 |
| 4 | Arkansas | 1.07 | 32.1 | 4 | Alabama | 1.30 | 63.7 |
| 5 | Kansas | 0.65 | 19.0 | 5 | Georgia | 1.06 | 113.3 |
| 6 | Nevada | 0.64 | 19.9 | 6 | Kentucky | 1.04 | 46.3 |
| 7 | South Carolina | 0.64 | 33.0 | 7 | Florida | 1.03 | 222.3 |
| 8 | Wyoming | 0.64 | 3.7 | 8 | Wyoming | 1.01 | 5.9 |
| 9 | Kentucky | 0.60 | 27.0 | 9 | Mississippi | 1.00 | 29.7 |
| 10 | Texas | 0.59 | 171.0 | 10 | Texas | 0.90 | 261.3 |
| 11 | Missouri | 0.58 | 35.6 | 11 | Oklahoma | 0.84 | 33.4 |
| 12 | Alabama | 0.55 | 27.0 | 12 | Tennessee | 0.77 | 52.3 |
| 13 | Alaska | 0.51 | 3.7 | 13 | Louisiana | 0.71 | 33.0 |
| 14 | Oklahoma | 0.49 | 19.4 | 14 | Nevada | 0.66 | 20.4 |
| 15 | Georgia | 0.45 | 48.0 | 15 | North Carolina | 0.66 | 69.0 |
| 16 | Tennessee | 0.43 | 29.4 | 16 | Montana | 0.65 | 7.0 |
| 17 | Montana | 0.39 | 4.1 | 17 | Arizona | 0.64 | 46.4 |
| 18 | West Virginia | 0.38 | 6.9 | 18 | Indiana | 0.63 | 42.7 |
| 19 | North Carolina | 0.36 | 38.1 | 19 | Arkansas | 0.58 | 17.4 |
| 20 | Oregon | 0.33 | 13.7 | 20 | Ohio | 0.55 | 64.7 |
| 21 | Arizona | 0.30 | 21.9 | 21 | Hawaii | 0.54 | 7.7 |
| 22 | Idaho | 0.30 | 5.4 | 22 | Virginia | 0.53 | 45.1 |
| 23 | Washington | 0.30 | 22.7 | 23 | Washington | 0.53 | 40.4 |
| 24 | Indiana | 0.29 | 19.7 | 24 | Alaska | 0.51 | 3.7 |
| 25 | Delaware | 0.26 | 2.6 | 25 | South Dakota | 0.50 | 4.4 |
I live in the SEC of COVID-19:
