Total U.S. dead: 999,027.
Biden Health Officials Warn of Substantial Increase in Virus Cases
The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged local leaders and individuals to at least consider returning to wearing masks in indoor public settings.
WASHINGTON — Federal health officials warned on Wednesday that a third of Americans live in areas where the threat of Covid-19 is now so high that they should consider wearing a mask in indoor public settings. They cited new data showing a substantial jump in both the spread of the coronavirus and hospitalizations over the past week.
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More than 32 percent of Americans now live in counties with medium to high levels of virus transmission, compared with about 24 percent the previous week.
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The warnings from Dr. Walensky and other federal health officials seemed somewhat at odds with President Biden’s own stance. The attitude in the West Wing more closely mirrors that of most
Americans, who have eagerly moved away from mask-wearing and other
strategies to prevent infection.
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...he no longer treats the pandemic as his chief concern among many.
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Biden says the shift in his tone is the result of the country’s success. Many people are vaccinated, a fair number are boosted... But the new approach is also a recognition of the political reality. Many Americans have decided to accept the risk of infection to resume their normal routines.
Friends and enemies, don't accept the risk. It is not worth it.This thing even in the mild form I have is a pain in the ass. It lasts a long time. Go about your normal routines, work, school, but wear a goddamned mask, and take it easy on the socializing. Transmissibility of this thing is frictionless. ONE afternoon of band practice by my son with his friend, who unbeknownst to him, was infected, was enough to infect 1) John's dad 2) my son, and 3) me.
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The president’s stance could backfire if the virus’s latest surge continues to build, evading the vaccines and making more people seriously ill. Should that happen, it could look like a repeat of last summer, when the president declared “independence” from the virus ahead of the July 4 holiday, only to see massive waves of illness and death once the Delta and Omicron variants hit.
Mr. President, do not get caught with your pants down again. PLEASE.