SocraticGadfly: Coronavirus Week 91: Omicron hits Tex-ass, Strangeabbott begs Biden help; sports leagues cave

January 04, 2022

Coronavirus Week 91: Omicron hits Tex-ass, Strangeabbott begs Biden help; sports leagues cave

Gov. Abbott wants President Biden to open more federal COVID testing sites in Texas as Omicron surges. Biden has promised more federal sites nationally, but hasn't said where. Another round of hypocrisy by Strangeabbott, as he and Kenny Boy Paxton have battled local mask mandates (not even sure where all those cases by counties and school districts are in our court system right now, as they got forgotten about before the Omicron surge) and other public health measures.

The partial answer is that, as of right now, the mandate bans remain unenforced and, with the return to school, many new districts may adopt them as a part of a suite of policies.

The gap between the serious and the stupid continues to grow: The rate at which the already-vaxxed are getting boosters is outpacing the rate of first shots, though Texas remains low in both. (My county is at 35 percent and 10 percent, respectively.)

Omicron has started hammering the health care industry on cases, but hospitalizations here (contra some northern states) have not surged as much.

Jemele Hill rightly calls out the NBA and NFL, and the NFL especially at playoff time, for caving to players on various issues, including reducing quarantine time equally for the vaxxed and unvaxxed.

Fauci may support a vax-to-fly mandate, but won't say if he officially recommended it to Biden.

RIP E.O. Wilson, great entomologist and naturalist, but controversial proponent of sociobiology, a precursor to ev psych. (And, yes, he WAS "all wet" or close to it on that.)

RIP Sarah Weddington, Roe v. Wade attorney.

No comments: