COVID-19 could explode this summer

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Just saw this on The Rachel Maddow Show. They (she doesn’t put the show on herself) led her show with startling news from the University of Washington, a scientific institution the Centers of Disease Control would spotlight for its information and projections concerning the novel coronavirus. U. of Washington just adjusted its projections for infections and deaths from COVID-19 to August 4. Now, instead of a projection of 74,000 deaths by that date, they suggest there will be 134,000 deaths by August 4. And we will go from an average of 1,750 deaths per day now, to 3,000 deaths per day — by June 4.

And because of all the Stay-At-Home orders around the nation being lifted, at varying degrees, with the social distancing rules being relaxed or not followed at all, along with an increase in testing, there will be an increase of more than 100,000 new cases per day.

California Governor Gavin Newsom
(YouTube)

Governor Gavin Newsom said California would be starting to lift some of the Stay-At-Home restrictions this week. Is this a mistake?

The novel coronavirus will be spreading like a California wildfire throughout America.

Just saw this reported: There is no such thing as “herd immunity.” A doctor in New Orleans — one of the hardest hit areas — found that they were testing people who were positive a second time, after quarantining and getting rid of the virus. The idea that once you get the coronavirus you will be immune from it is a myth.

Johns Hopkins Department of Epidemiology called the concept of herd immunity a dangerous misconception. In their report on the idea they said, “To reach herd immunity for COVID-19, likely 70% or more of the population would need to be immune. Without a vaccine, over 200 million Americans would have to get infected before we reach this threshold. Put another way, even if the current pace of the COVID-19 pandemic continues in the United States — with over 25,000 confirmed cases a day — it will be well into 2021 before we reach herd immunity. If current daily death rates continue, over half a million Americans would be dead from COVID-19 by that time.”

If people are getting re-infected, going out into society assuming they are immune, that is a scary proposition. None of us are immune — ever. None of us will be immune until we have a reliable vaccine. And if 500,000 people have to die before we reach this mythical idea of herd immunity — just in the United States — I’m not down for that kind of society.

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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo put it best. In a press conference in March he said, “My mother is not expendable and your mother is not expendable and our brothers and sisters are not expendable and we’re not going to accept a premise that human life is disposable and we’re not going to put a dollar figure on human life.”

Dr Anthony Fauci guaranteed there will be a second wave of COVID-19. He thought it would be in the fall, coinciding with the flu season. Now, we find out, new White House reports estimate the number of confirmed infections to quadruple by July 4. The most alarming news of the week: Trump wants to wind down the coronavirus task force, end it and act as if the pandemic has just disappeared.

Fauci also said there is absolutely no evidence COVID-19 came from a lab, not in China or anywhere else. Another Trump fiction put to rest.

Trump’s little twerp of a son-in-law was on the White House lawn proclaiming the administration had been successful, Trump himself was on Fox News saying the same, claiming he has been treated worse than Abraham Lincoln — and every medical expert in America, from around the world, is telling us the worst is yet to come.

One hundred thirty thousand deaths by August 4 — before the second wave even hits. And we still don’t have adequate testing anywhere in the U.S., although thankfully California is stepping up testing. Governor Gavin Newsom wants to start relaxing the Stay-At-Home orders this week, and he’s loosening restrictions on the Orange County beaches, but he’s relaxing the rules slowly and deliberately.

Donald J. Trump has been the biggest impediment in this pandemic. He ignored and lied about it and otherwise evaded any responsibilities related to it. By not taking any action in January, when he was first given serious briefings about what was coming, he insured this pandemic would get very bad and the nation would be plunged into a deep depression as millions of people lost their jobs due to the novel coronavirus. Over 30 million now.

President Trump being interviewed by Brett Baier and Martha MacCallum of Fox News (YouTube)

Dr. Richard Bright, former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, filed a whistleblower’s complaint about the handling of the response to the pandemic that includes allegations of cronyism, that he was pressured to build up the nation’s stockpile with products that were financially tied to the administration and that he was demoted because he would not promote Trump’s pet faux cure, the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine.

Bright also said he was trying to sound the alarm over COVID-19 as early as January, saying the government needed to start stockpiling essential equipment like M-95 masks, ventilators and testing equipment.

According to Bright, Trump only saw the pandemic as a political problem, not a health issue. Because of Trump’s ignorance, arrogance and selfishness, this pandemic will be a problem much longer than it had to be, with more people dying and a longer economic depression with more people losing their jobs.

Trump is excited about being in Arizona to tout his “success” with COVID-19, with states reopening their economies. As places in middle America, like in Arkansas, Nebraska, Wisconsin, the South, western states, see the novel coronavirus spread, we can be sure Trump will be trying to convince America the pandemic has disappeared.

If we get lucky, by this time next year we will have a reliable vaccine. If we’re smart, on January 20, 2021 we will have a new president with a Democratic Senate Majority Leader.

As of now there are 1.23 million confirmed infections in the U.S. with 71,855 fatalities and 164,000 recoveries. By the time you read this those numbers will be old.

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I just checked into some of the crazy shit on Facebook. The Trumpers are working hard, tap-tap-tapping away at their keyboards. They still chat about the deep state, how this pandemic is all a hoax to bring down Trump.

Earlier today I made the mistake of getting involved in a Facebook spat. A woman claimed Trump never said he was more persecuted than Lincoln. So I posted the video of him doing exactly that — on Fox News. Her reply was illuminating. “Ok, you win.  So if all you Dems are so smart and think you can do a better job ….then run for president smartass. So the only candidate best fit the Dems have to run against Trump is Binden! Come on. Oh and Obama’s deep state is about to crumble. Nothing but thugs running that administration and FBI. How impressive! Comey…Mccabe…Paige….Stork all those idiots and the Obama admin knew all about it all along. But you never here that on your Msn news. How come? You are a jackass oh no wait your perfect in everyway! You must be God himself!”

No one has ever called me god before. As an atheist I’m not sure whether to consider that a compliment or an insult. It’s amusing.

Over 70,000 dead and counting. How much of a success is that, Jared Kushner? Happy Cinco de Mayo.

If you wish to read the rest of my posts about this pandemic, click here.

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UPDATE: Special tip of the hat to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who underwent a medical procedure and is expected to make a recovery and return to the court for business on Wednesday.

Top photo by Claudia Gestro — An L.A. area drive-up testing site