Stephan: I am stunned at the difference in quality of life between those States, governed by Democrats, and those governed by Republicans, during this latest phase of the Covid-19 pandemic. If this were a historical event, instead of present date, and one just looked at the numbers one could reasonably infer that Republicans were a kind of death cult and that believers were willing to put their allegiance to the cult above their own wellbeing or the wellbeing of their family, even at the risk of their own death. Here is Democratic Vermont at the positive happier of the spectrum.
People dine outside on Church Street in downtown Burlington.
BURLINGTON, VERMONT — The sweaty Lindy Hoppers stood in a circle clapping to a hard-driving beat — switching partners andlaughing on the ballroom floor of The Champlain Club in Vermont’s largest city.They clasped hands and rock stepped and spun in and out of quick embraces to swinging jazz rhythms on one of the last hardwood ballrooms in Burlington.With explosions of Covid-19 cases in almost every state fueling yet another nationwide surge in the deadly pandemic, the 30 dancers of all ages and skill levels could be engaging in a risky pleasure.”I thought partner dancing was always going to be the last thing to come back from the pandemic because there’s so much interaction,” said one dancer, Lorilee Schoenbeck, a naturopathic physician.
Stephan: And here, at the negative end of the spectrum is Missouri, where the pandemic is almost out of control, and where Repubcian anti-vaxxerism is so strong that people that vary from the death cult feel they have to do so in secret.
Even as the more contagious Delta variant drives a surge in infections, the Covid-19 vaccination effort has become so polarized in Missouri that some people are trying to get shots in secret to avoid conflicts with friends and relatives, a doctor there said.
In a video circulated by her employer, Dr. Priscilla A. Frase, a hospitalist and the chief medical information officer at Ozarks Healthcare in West Plains, Mo., said this month that several people had pleaded for anonymity when they came in to be vaccinated, and that some appeared to have made an effort to disguise themselves.
“I work closely with our pharmacists who are leading our vaccine efforts through our organization,” she said, “and one of them told me the other day that they had several people come in to get vaccinated who have tried to sort of disguise their appearance and even went so far as to say, ‘Please, please please, don’t let anyone know that I got this vaccine.’”
It was not clear how many people had tried to alter their appearance to avoid recognition, or […]
Stephan: And here we have Florida, governed by the rising Republican political star -- there is talk he may run for president -- the incompetent Ron De Santis, who if not the stupidest governor in America is certainly high on the list. Floridians who are part of his death cult must surely be proud of him, he is allowing them to kill themselves at an astonishing rate.
In my opinion, the difference between Democratic high vax, and Republican low vax states ought to be a subject of national debate and discussion. If wellbeing is your calibration there can be no doubt which approach of governance best fosters wellbeing. It also tells us that Republican culture is inferior to Democratic culture.
Republican Governor Ron De Santis
Saturday, the state of Florida reported more new COVID-19 cases to the Centers for Disease Control than any previous day in the coronavirus pandemic: 21,683.
That’s a 12.1% jump over the previous record, Jan. 7’s 19,334 cases during the worst month of the pandemic. Daily case counts routinely surpassed 10,000 as the pandemic peaked a second time. In the succeeding months, daily case counts returned to 2,000 and 8,000.
Florida, which represents about 6.5% of the U.S. population, accounts for about 21.4% of the country’s new cases, based on the data the state is reporting to the CDC.
Florida also reported 108 deaths Saturday, eight days after reporting 148 deaths. Before this most recent surge, you have to go back to March 26 to find a higher single-day death count (159).
SOUTH FLORIDA VACCINATIONS AND HOSPITALIZATIONS
The CDC rated the level of community transmission in each Florida county as “high.”
▪ In Miami-Dade County, 1,662,045 people, 61.2% of the total population, have completed their vaccination regimen. […]
Stephan: America's obsessive gun psychosis undeterred by the pandemic is roaring through the American culture like a fever.
A bin of ammunition Credit: AP
SEATTLE — The COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with record sales of firearms, has fueled a shortage of ammunition in the United States that’s impacting law enforcement agencies, people seeking personal protection, recreational shooters and hunters — and could deny new gun owners the practice they need to handle their weapons safely.
Manufacturers say they’re producing as much ammunition as they can, but many gun store shelves are empty and prices keep rising. Ammunition imports are way up, but at least one U.S. manufacturer is exporting ammo. All while the pandemic, social unrest and a rise in violent crime have prompted millions to buy guns for protection or to take up shooting for sport.
“We have had a number of firearms instructors cancel their registration to our courses because their agency was short on ammo or they were unable to find ammo to purchase,” said Jason Wuestenberg, executive director of the National Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors Association.
Doug Tangen, firearms instructor at the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, the police academy for the state, said […]
