COVID week 59: 600K

Per Worldometers, whose version of COVID statistics both in the US and globally I've used since the start, yes, America has passed the 600,000 fatality mark. The death rate remains at 2 percent, yet another reason this is more than the flu.

Texas is over 50,000 dead and yet, at just one-third vaccination, even as Strangeabbott has done his latest Jesuiticial x barratry shift on this and banned all local governments, including schools, from requiring masks after the middle of next month.

That's despite ongoing denialists and other nutters either pretending otherwise or else claiming that the olde "they," this time of science, is hiding the truth about either a leak of a virus from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, or worse. Massimo's got one of these. My responses explain it all, or enough of it.

Shock me that HCQ nutter Sen. Bob Hall is now trying to prevent employers from checking on vaccination status of employees, and worse. Typical wingnut, claiming to support capitalism except on the many occasions they don't. I am surprised the Bobster hasn't claimed that a Chinese electromagnetic pulse weapon caused COVID.

The Trib reports on doing a medical residency during the pandemic.

Meet RFK Jr., Mercola and the rest of the "Disinformation Dozen" of COVID (and in many cases, pre-COVID) antivaxxerism. NPR has a summary, noting that many (signaling out RFK) are nutters about other things like 5G.

Skeptical Raptor says Rand Paul is wrong; it's still better protection to get a vaccine after getting COVID.

The Raptor also reports on "nice, polite Canadian" antivaxxers deliberately scheduling appointments, then cancelling of course, at vaccination clinics.