West Virginia is the Number 1 state in COVID vaccinations and many other COVID stats.... Lets see what their Republican governor has to say... West Virginia Republican levels Texas Gov. Abbott for acting 'macho' and dumping mask mandate https://www.rawstory.com/jim-justice-greg-abbott/ West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) attacked fellow Republican, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas on CNN Thursday, saying that it was a mistake to reopen his state amid the pandemic. "COVID is completely over," Abbott told CNBC Thursday morning, attacking Democrats for "moving the goalposts" about when he can and can't reopen. There are currently five COVID-19 variants in the state and about 13.4 percent of Texans have been vaccinated with the first vaccine and 13.5 percent have tested positive. ICU occupancy rates in Texas are at 88 percent, reported the San Francisco Chronicle. West Virginia has taken a more cautious approach at reopening. "Well, to be honest with you John, I don't want this to become a political football," said Justice. "I don't want to be critical, but some people want to just move because it's the most politically correct thing they can do. It becomes almost a macho thing and everything. In West Virginia, we wanted to be cautious, safe, respectful of everybody's rights and everything. With all that we've done the right thing all the way through this thing. I mean, you know, if you step back and really look, first in the nation to test our nursing homes, first in the nation to get all our nursing homes vaccinated, first lading the nation in the administration of the vaccine. It goes just on, and on, and on." He said that the entirety of the pandemic, he's "always listened to the experts." That conflicts with reports about Abbott, who didn't even tell three of his four medical advisers that he was reopening the state. "We've been cautious, we've been bold, but we've been cautious," Justice continued. "I'm not going to throw mud on everything, and I'm not going to dance like a politician, because I'm not that. But at the end of the day, we're going to do the smart thing in West Virginia, we're not just going to do what's politically correct." The Austin American Statesman reported Tuesday that Abbott's decision to reopen may have been due to anger from people about the Texas blackout. "There's no explanation for the governor's action other than trying to distract us and the media from the failure of the state to protect us from the power outage," said Austin Mayor Steve Adler on Wednesday. See the video of Justice below: (Article has video)
Japanese supercomputer modelling shows that a single mask is 85% effective in preventing the spread of COVID by blocking particles. Two masks are 89% effective in preventing the spread of COVID. There is minimal gain in using two masks over one; however the point is wearing a single mask is highly effective in stopping the spread of COVID. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-japan-supercompute-idUSKBN2AX0BA
Gov. Abbott, where’s the evidence that it’s safe to remove Texas’ mask mandate? https://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/other-voices/article249726573.html In spite of recent warnings from public health officials, Gov. Greg Abbott lifted the state’s mask mandate, effective March 10. In response, we ask: What evidence did the governor use to change policy? We know that public health policy has been far more effective in dealing with the pandemic than individual actions alone. We understand the push to stimulate our economy and support our businesses. So why not start with increasing businesses’ allowed capacity to 100% while maintaining the mask mandate? Reports from governmental agencies, research scientists and international public health scholars affirm that masks reduce the transmission of COVID-19. Lifting the mask mandate so early in our vaccine distribution campaign may unleash another wave of the pandemic. So again, we ask, is it worth the risk? We continue to see substantial spread of COVID-19 in Tarrant County and beyond. Data confirm the current rise of more contagious COVID variants, and evidence suggests that cases nationally are no longer steadily declining but showing slight increases. New global infections increased recently in the Americas, Europe, southeast Asia and the eastern Mediterranean. Every effort we make to prevent infections will prevent new mutations and evolution of dangerous variants – we are in a battle of time. Recent estimates indicate that vaccination alone is insufficient to prevent further transmission and ultimately more deaths. We must continue to implement multiple mitigation strategies, including masks, while we vaccinate as efficiently as possible for the least deadly path to herd immunity. Lifting restrictions this early could result in up to 29 million additional cases of infection nationwide, some deadly. Eleven months ago, the governor committed to a collaborative approach for policy decisions “based on hard data and the expertise of our chief medical advisers.” In lifting the mask mandate, Abbott did not indicate an evidence-based public health guideline directing his decision, nor did he directly consult with his chief medical advisers for informed consensus on policy. Instead, he emphasized availability of vaccines and antibody therapy, reduced hospitalizations statewide and “safe practices that Texans are using.” He also highlighted two data points: 5.7 million Texans vaccinated and up to 10 million Texans recovered. These data points do not capture the full picture. As of March 2, the CDC metric of number of vaccinated per 100,000 residents ranked Texas 48th in the country, with 6.8% of Texans vaccinated This fraction of the population only includes those in Phase 1A and 1B of vaccination plans. Although teachers were recently deemed eligible for vaccination, we have yet to expand to the general population. So, masks are necessary to protect the majority of the Texas population, including frontline workers who are more vulnerable without the mask mandate. Our policymakers and leaders need to reinforce the value of the mask mandate and avoid one more cause for division in our nation. Now is the time to sustain the willingness of the population to adhere to public health guidance, reinforced by the mask mandate. Changing policy without solid evidence is premature and costly in this race against time. We applaud collaborative attempts to make accurate, timely policy decisions in the best interest of the public and our economic stability. We ask all leaders to ensure the public’s health by continuing to uphold evidence-based guidelines through this pandemic. Good policy, such as the mask mandate, helps make the healthy choice the easy choice. Without it, individuals and businesses are left to fight for the healthy choice on their own. As Texas reopens to full business operations, let’s support Texans in making healthy choices by continuing the mask mandate.
"The study had limitations. For example, the researchers tried to make calculations that accounted for other policies, such as bans on mass gatherings or bar closures, that might influence case and death rates. But the authors acknowledged that they couldn’t account for all possible influences — such as school re-openings. “It’s always very, very hard to thoroughly nail down the causal relationships,” Hanage said. “But when you take this gathered with all the other stuff we know about the virus, it supports the message” of the value of mask wearing and the peril of restaurant dining, he added" notes... 1... your article did not provide a link to the study so I would want to know who they could remove the the cycles we have seen with the virus... Places like California had huge second spikes even though mask mandates have remained in place the whole time. Removal of mask mandates could have been irrelevant to the spread. 2. Poorly ventilated enclosed restaurants may pose a larger risk... that would not be surprising.
Last statistical graph I posted (maybe a 2 months ago)...the U.S. had improved from 52% to 54% in face mask wearing. Yet, the researchers keep making a point...to control the Covid spread...proper face mask needs to be worn, fitted properly on the face and there needs to be > 90% of the population wearing them. My brother a doctor in South Dakota sees patients every day...most of them either not wearing a face mask properly or wearing a face mask that should not be worn. Here in Québec, Canada...when I go to the stores (e.g. grocery store), about 1/4 have the face mask not covering their nose and need to be told to cover their mouth and nose. Worst, once in awhile, I'll see someone pull down their face mask to cough, blow their nose in a hanky or sneeze. Fortunately, I see less people doing such in comparison to the beginning of the Pandemic. Simply, people are more educated now about Covid-19 and a little more respectful to others nearby. wrbtrader
Most masks are useless and probably, 50% effective at most. With gaps around the nose and loose straps at the back to boot, it gives people a false sense of security. Only N95 and KN95 masks should be used by Americans but, the "so called" experts including, the highly regarded Dr. Fauci all have no clue. Hell, do these experts even know the filtration rates of the different masks including, the cloth masks without filters? So, people get infected and die. When the extreme liberals including, our resident ET trolls blamed President Donald Trump for his handling of the Corona Virus, they exempted the inept and incompetent extreme liberal idols Andrew Cuomo and Gavin Newsom. Even now, these two are being praised by extreme liberal media hacks despite, causing the deaths of thousands for their handling of the Corona Virus in their states of New York and California. Such is the stupidity of these extreme liberal idiots, including our resident ET trolls.
So you have just now provided anecdotal evidence that all statistics are bullshit, because while people say they wear masks, you have seen them not wearing them properly to allow the study to be scientifically accurate. I think everyone with a logical android brain like mine knew this to be true, A YEAR AGO?!??!. So what is to be done with this information? It is to toss it, because it is all invalid. How many people do you see out there wearing the mask covering face but not nose? That = no mask. These fucking polls and studies are fatally flawed, because they rely on the honesty and intelligence of the people. And people are STUPID. It is really simple. Just wear the mask PROPERLY, use hand sanitizer when you get back to your vehicle (if applicable). Wash your hands with warm, soapy water when you get home. And do not touch your eyeball in public. So easy, a caveman can do it. Time to go to war with the stupid.