SARS II: Respiratory Boogaloo

I have heard Pat Robertson say some decent things about trans people. I just figure occasionally some of the ganglion fire in an almost human configuration and they have a moment of thought before they succumb back to the hive mind.

7 days of lockdown for my state, because the NSW government looked at the lessons of the last 18 months, decided to roll the dice anyway and didn't lock down when they started getting a few Delta cases in the Sydney community. They locked down too late, now cases have spread through half the country.

Fucking Muppets.

First person I know personally has had a breakthrough case of the Delta variant. Back to the respirator mask for me.

ooooo the golden trough. how do they serve stuff there now?

I'm really torn about this. My employer desperately wants me back in the office, and so far I've been able to stall them because I'm a high risk for severe reactions. It'll be two weeks after my second Moderna shot on Monday, which I always assumed would mean I'd be out of excuses not to return, but now with Delta...

They've been really good about going along with whatever I can get a doctor's note for, but I feel like "wait until Ray gets a Delta booster shot, if they ever actually release one" might be a bridge too far.

"This is a pattern that Senator Paul has been doing at multiple hearings based on no reality," Fauci said. "I have not lied. Case closed."

Fuck. We're doomed.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/co...d-paul-s-wuhan-lab-funding-claim-you-n1274489

"Senator Paul, you do not know what you're talking about, quite frankly, and I want to say that officially." Fauci said.

"Leader McConnell"?

He’s the minority leader.

Long thread from an immunologist on why we might need a 3rd dose, and immunocompromised people most likely do. Big takeaway is that Pfizer really needs to release the data they gave the White House about why they think a delta-specific booster is warranted.

Yeah, I'm hearing too many "they were fully vaxed and caught delta" and "they were fully vaxed and caught delta and died" anecdotes to be happy without a booster.

I only read a few lines of your posts and today it was “So she pulls out the tip right away, and start complaining to me about not leaving it alone because someone is going to steal it.”.

Half the wingnuts think McConnell's a RINO anyway. This will just make the rest of them think so too.

Now Hannity says he's been pro vaccine all along.

I wonder if it's suddenly dawned on Republicans that they're killing their voters and on Rupert Murdoch that they're killing their viewers.

Why the shift is happening now, and so abruptly, is not clear. One possible factor is that, as CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reported, “there have been regular, high-level conversations between the White House & Fox News regarding pandemic & vaccine coverage.” Fox quickly denied the report.

Great news everyone!

The pandemic won't be over any time soon if the UK creates a new vaccine-resistant variant, as they are so desperately trying to.

I’m pretty sure astra Zeneca was designed to be vaccine resistant.

U.S. border to remain closed until at least Aug. 21

Earlier this week, Canada said it would open its border to fully-vaccinated Americans on August 9th.

This is a big "fuck you" to America's closest ally and most important trading partner.

Is Donald J. Trump still president or something? This sounds like a page right out of his playbook.

To which Americans respond with “hold my beer”.

Didn't Biden refuse to commit to opening the US side? I recall that was a CBC headline I didn't bother exploring further yesterday.

IdiotForge in exile considers this sort of coordination between the government and the media to be the first warning sign of fascism we've seen since Obama left office.

But in all seriousness I'd guess there were some gentle threats applied in Fox's direction.

I think you may be right. Speaks poorly of current Canada-U.S. relations that neither country is on the same page.

Biden is exactly what I feared. A toothless piece of shit who will only fight for the same shot Democrats won 40 years ago. He has no intention of forwarding any real progress.

Yeah, it's ridiculous that this wasn't already a done deal before Trudeau opened his mouth. He's totally rushing it, though. If even Jason Kenney can see that the lifting of restrictions needs to be tied to vaccination levels, Trudeau should have the same sense when it comes to reopening the border.

Reminder: Justin Trudeau is the only politician I've ever bothered to loudly boo in person.

2nd FB friend reporting a vaccine-breakthrough COVID case. This when the numbers around here are very low (though climbing fast). Contrast I only had one friend get it over the holidays, so these aren’t exactly cavalier people to begin with.

I watched the celebration in Milwaukee last night after the NBA Finals, couldn’t help but think it’s likely to turn into a superspreader event. I don’t care how outdoors it was, that was 65000 people packed in like sardines all breathing at each other. This is feeling very far from over.

The important question is: have any of these folks been hospitalized as a result?

If not, the vaccine is doing its job.

Also, calling it a "breakthrough" case is both inaccurate and sensationalist. Stop it.