Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-diseases expert, warned lawmakers Tuesday that there may be as many as 100,000 new cases per day, 2.5 times the present record rate of infections, if the United States continues on its current trajectory. When asked by the Senate's health committee what the overall American death toll might be, Fauci said: “I can't make an accurate prediction, but it is going to be very disturbing.”
As infections climb precipitously across the South and West, hospitalizations are rising in seven states — Texas, Arizona, Nevada, South Carolina, Montana, Georgia and California. Average hospitalizations in these states are up at least 25 percent from last week, according to data tracked by The Washington Post.
Because of the surge, states are closing back down and workers are getting laid off for a second time, and Congress appears less inclined to provide additional aid. California, Florida, Arizona and Texas have implemented new policies that partly restrict restaurant or bar service. Nine other states have postponed or slowed their reopening plans. You can see where states are lifting restrictions (or shutting down again) on our reopening tracker.
The European Union confirmed Americans will not be allowed to travel there when it reopens Wednesday. The United States is leading the world in both officially confirmed infections and fatalities.
Despite what President Trump and some Republican leaders are saying, more coronavirus tests are coming back positive, and there’s been an increase in the number of states seeing positive test rates above 10 percent. The World Health Organizations suggests at least 14 straight days with those rates below 5 percent before relaxing containment measures.
Economists say a nationwide mask mandate could save 5 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product. The Goldman Sachs analysts are not health experts, and their research focused on the effects of federal policy on the GDP, but the findings are in line with published studies on the efficacy of masks.
As such evidence mounts that masks alone would have a significant impact on the spread of the virus, Trump's Republican allies are practically begging him to encourage wearing them. There's been a massive uptick in recent days of well-known Republicans pleading the case for masks, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Fox News host Sean Hannity and “Fox and Friends” host Steve Doocy. New data from the Pew Research Center suggests Trump’s handling of the pandemic is pushing his support lower.
Irvine Community News and Views:
Posted by Phyllis Agran, M.D. | June 26, 2020
…Let’s take a closer look at what’s going on locally. Our own County Supervisor and former Irvine Mayor, Don Wagner, has shown himself to be a menace to public health by first urging in May that the County be “opened up” without meeting State public health metrics. Soon after that, Wagner began questioning the usefulness of masks, bullying the County’s chief Public Health Officer Nichole Quick, MD over the masking matter. What was Dr. Quick’s transgression? Quite simply, she was doing her job. To protect workers and customers alike, Dr. Quick issued an order that required the use of facemasks in public as our small businesses reopened. Wagner challenged the science behind masking, forced the rescission of Dr. Quick’s order and, ultimately, he forced her resignation. Fortunately, Governor Gavin Newsom ended this dangerous nonsense in Orange County by imposing a State mandate of facemask use in public, effective June 18, 2020….
5 comments:
I think we need to make “Spike” Don Wagner’s new nickname.
Or Donald Trump Wagner?
One of the leaders of the anti-mask movement in OC teaches ESL at Saddleback:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09CxAbPkm_k&feature=emb_logo
Saddleback president's response to letter of concern about delusional anti-masker who teaches at the college:
Thank you for writing me about online statements made by Ms. Peggy Hall, who is employed as an adjunct instructor at Saddleback College. The statements appear to be part of an “anti-mask” campaign and contain misinformation that is contrary to opinions of public health experts and other credible scientists. They are political in nature. As such, they are protected by the First Amendment. Saddleback, as a public college, cannot encroach on the free speech rights of one of its employees, provided that speech is exercised on her own time, without using State resources, and provided Ms. Hall does not hold herself out as speaking in a representative capacity for the college. We also have no evidence to suggest that Ms. Hall is providing health misinformation to Saddleback students. Doing so would be unacceptable.
Please know that our college shares your contempt for those who risk public welfare by spreading false information and dismissing public health and other expert scientific advice. We reject the viewpoint that Ms. Hall espouses. We do not subscribe to any “debate” or “controversy” about whether face coverings prevent the spread of Covid-19. They do. We do not dismiss scientific expertise about the need for us all to wear face coverings in public, particularly while the number of cases continue to climb in our region and are far beyond “containable” levels where restrictions might be eased. It is a small price that we pay to show respect for others, the vulnerable, and the public good, to wear a thin layer of cloth over our nose and mouth!
Saddleback College teaches and embraces Science. We condemn those who make Science a partisan issue. The larger South Orange County Community College District that we are part of, today released the attached statement, clearly defining our position on the matter of masks and who does and does not represent the colleges or the district in public statements. (Peggy Hall represents neither.)
While I am as angry as you are that any employee of our college would be espousing ignorance, particularly at a time when we are making vital decisions affecting people’s health and safety based on science and encouraging our students and employees to follow that scientific advice to protect themselves and our community at large, I have no more right to take the actions you would like me to take in this case than I would against an employee who, on their own time, peacefully protested in a Black Lives Matter rally or who espoused fascist philosophy. Public institutions have a special role in defending the First Amendment, particularly when the political statements requiring its protection offend us and threaten public welfare.
Finally, please know that Saddleback College will be bringing back only a fraction of its employees and students this fall, as we believe that we can accomplish learning through distance education to prevent becoming a source of spread for Covid-19 in our community. Those who do come to our campus will be social distancing and wearing masks. Students who fail to do so will be escorted off campus. Employees who fail to do so will be disciplined.
We stand with you in the light of Science and Reason, hopeful that we will come together to defeat Covid-19 by making small sacrifices for each other and by rejecting the pull of partisanship, embracing scientific expertise and by role modeling and leading our community to do the right thing. We take our role as an institution of higher learning very seriously, now more than ever, when lives count on it.
Sincerely,
Dr. Elliot Stern President, Saddleback College
Stern's response is excellent, I think.
—Roy
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