No. Not really.
But that doesn't stop everyone from acting like it is.
The best you can say is that recent variants have been less lethal than previous variants. LESS lethal, not NON-lethal.
The vaccination rate at first looked like we were going to the lead the world. But then the partisan COVIDIOTS kicked in and we his a ceiling of maturity. We lost our lead and fell behind many other developed countries.
In my area of the world, and increasingly so in the rest of the United States, mask wearing has become a thing of the past. Less than 5% of the people I see out and about are masked. And among the unmasked? Me. Sad, but true. I have one in my pocket in case I feel crowded, but that doesn't happen much.
I have been keeping track of statistics daily from the Georgia Department of Health, trying to stay on top of what was happening state-wide and in my local counties. Several months ago, the DOH cut back to the five weekdays. Now, they are only posting once a week.
Do the numbers warrant that? Meh. Hard to tell, Cases still exist. There are still several dozen deaths a day. The numbers are down from the peak of the last surge. But it ain't over.
Locally, the number of cases haven't gone down. THEY'VE REVERSED. Ware County, since the start of the pandemic, had 9,998 reported cases on April 7th. They were on the verge of five figures! As of the last report, April 20th, Ware County had... 9,894 cases. WHHHHAAATTT? Total cases went down 104!
Well. That could mean 1) they screwed up earlier, 2) they're screwing up now, or 3) they have chortingly applied a new standard that allows them to edit out what they consider marginal cases.
I'n betting on option 3.
Biden and the Democrats have done many good, positive things to help the country weather the pandemic storm. They did everything humanly (and democratically) possible to promote and make available the vaccines. They supported mask mandates wherever they could. They passed and provided COVID prevention funding.
But hang on to your hats. I'm going to tell you where the Democrats fell short.
The State of the Union. When they did that speech sans masks, it sent a message that it was over, Even to me. Was it the medically sound thing to do? I don't know. I know that many of the congressional Democrats who had not gotten COVID for so long finally scummbed to it. Granted, they were very mild cases, as they were vaccinated. but they nevertheless got it.
School districts around the country reversed their mask mandates, including New York City under the guidance of NYC Mayor Eric Adams (who also recently got COVID). Why? Maybe partly science, but also because they want to stay in office. It's clear that many parents, for better or worse, don't want a mask mandate, and Democrats fear their power.
I don't like the Democrats caving like that, but I sadly understand the point. If they don't do it, they will be swept from office.
I don't understand it. The politicians most responsible for their state's poor reactions and for endangering more people are being hailed as successes. It disgusts me.
DeSantis forged state COVID numbers. He promoted false cures. He bullied students who dared to wear masks near him. Every step of the way, his behavior in the COVID crisis has been reprehensible. And yet...he is likely to be the Republican nominee in 2024. Can anyone explain that to me?
My church, which has been extra cautious throughout this, no longer requires masks. Alison does not wear one at work. It is rare to see them at stores.
Given the current state of the pandemic in Georgia, this may be a fair reaction.
But it is still unnerving. Because it is not over. It may be in slight "remission" but it is not gone.
We must remain vigilant.
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