GOP Covid Politics Is Deadly
The Republican attack on healthcare officials, masks, and vaccinations is helping the Delta variant spread in a deadly 4th wave.
The GOP attacks on healthcare officials, masks, and vaccinations is popular with the Republican party base, but is also helping the Delta variant spread in a deadly 4th wave that threatens to overwhelm hospitals. Red counties have nearly twice the infection rate and much lower vaccination rates as blue counties.
A healthcare worker prepared to conduct Covid-19 tests at a mobile testing site in Palmetto, Fla., on Monday.Credit...Octavio Jones/Reuters
Florida may face its worst wave ever as the Delta variant spreads., The New York Times | 8/2/2021
By Adeel Hassan
As the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus rips through the unvaccinated population in the United States, Florida is heading toward its worst outbreak since the start of the pandemic.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has opposed mask mandates and vaccine requirements and has restricted local officials’ ability to put steps in place that, scientists say, would stem the rising tide of cases.
The frustration over masking mandates that has been playing out around the country erupted in Missouri Tuesday night during a county council meeting that focused on the new mask mandates issued just the day before. Dr. Faisal Khan, the acting director of the St Louis County Health Department called to testify during that meeting, faced racial slurs, verbal attacks and even physical intimidation.