Just ahead of the recall election that he survived, Gov. Gavin Newsom boasted that California “continues to lead the nation” as the only state to reach the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s yellow “moderate” tier of community virus transmission. Meanwhile, Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis was getting a media pounding for his state’s case rate.
Now California’s case rate is twice that of the Sunshine State’s.
COVID-19 cases are not falling in California anymore. They have climbed back up to the CDC’s blood-red “high” level of virus transmission as the highly contagious delta variant continues to wreak havoc.Meanwhile, the virus has gone quiet in Deep South states that abandoned mask orders, opposed vaccine mandates, posted lower vaccination rates and saw larger outbreaks over the summer. California’s case rate is now well above Texas’ and double Florida’s, which along with the rest of the Gulf Coast are down to the CDC’s orange “substantial” transmission level.“There are early indications that the decline in the delta surge at the national level in the U.S. has ended,” said Ali H. Mokdad, professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington, which runs a widely followed model projecting the course of the pandemic. Currently, 19 states have increasing transmission, including several such as California “that had previously appeared to have been declining.”
California’s rate is also currently much higher than that of Southern states that did not implement mask and vaccine mandates and reported lower vaccination rates.
According to the “experts,” California is a victim of its own success.
Experts say California is “paying” for its success at controlling the spread of the virus earlier with higher infection rates now.California saw fewer coronavirus infections over the summer than states with lower vaccination rates as the Delta variant rapidly spread in unvaccinated communities.But those who were infected now have immunity, meaning there are fewer people spreading the virus.”These regions are now being partly protected by high prior infection rates,” Dr. Bob Wachter, chair of the medical department at the University of California-San Francisco, recently told The Mercury News. “But these people whose immunity comes from COVID are not very well protected, and their immunity will wane with time.”Ali H. Mokdad, a professor of health metrics at the University of Washington, added: “You’re paying for your success, which is weird.”Mokdad explained that states that saw large outbreaks over the summer are doing better now because the combination of infections and vaccinations have left fewer people at risk of contracting the virus.
Meanwhile, Newsom recently received his booster shot….the dropped out of sight for over a week. Assurances are being given that the disappearance is related to a family matter.
It’s rare, but not unprecedented, for Newsom to go a whole week without some type of appearance. Such absences are usually explained, including when Newsom leaves the state for vacation.In this case, the only statement from Newsom’s office came Oct. 29 and referred to unspecified family obligations. No additional information about the family’s circumstances has been released.It’s a relatively slow time in Sacramento as the state Legislature is not in session and won’t meet again until January. Recent storms mean no major wildfires are burning out of control, as has been the case in recent years.
Apparently he resurfaced briefly at the elitist, unmasked and un-socially distanced, revoltingly ostentatious Getty wedding.
I wish Newsom well. I also hope that he focuses on the distribution of inexpensive and effective treatments for COVID-19, as it is clear we will be continuing the cycles of infection for a while longer.
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