Study: Republican-led states had highest COVID cases and death rates

[TomCADem]

Of course, many of the same GOP governors are easing restrictions as a new study finds their policies linked to more COVID-19. The interesting thing this trend became clear even as some Republican governors such as DeSantis in Florida tried to suppress testing with the same zeal that Republicans display toward voting by closing testing centers, which even drew a rebuke from Florida's Republican Senator, Rick Scott.

https://www.salon.com/2021/03/12/study-republican-led-states-had-highest-covid-cases-and-death-rates/

A new study found that while states with Democratic governors suffered from higher COVID-19 incidences and fatality rates at the outset of the global pandemic, states with Republican governors suffered more severely as the COVID-19 crisis continued throughout the second half of 2020.

The analysis published on Tuesday in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Medical University of South Carolina reviewed 19 COVID metrics across 50 U.S. states between Mar. 15 and Dec. 15.

"From March to early June, Republican-led states had lower COVID-19 incidence rates compared with Democratic-led states," stated the study. "On June 3, the association reversed, and Republican-led states had higher incidence."

The researchers noted that Republican states reached up to 1.8 times the amount of deaths in Democratic states by Aug. 5. The test positivity discrepancy peaked on June 23, when it was 1.7 times higher in Republican states than that of Democratic states.

[Arthur_Frain]

1. This will continue.

The majority of republicans will resist the vaccine.

They won’t learn.

[TomCADem]

2. CNN: Atlas push to 'slow the testing down' tracks with dramatic decline in one key state

The interesting thing is that the trend was apparent despite efforts by some Republican governors to aid Trump by trying to cover-up the growth of the pandemic just as Trump was holding large rallies in battleground states.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/29/politics/atlas-desantis-testing-covid-florida/index.html

Washington (CNN)Shortly after joining the White House as President Donald Trump's pandemic adviser, Dr. Scott Atlas launched a quiet effort that seemed counterintuitive to some of his colleagues -- encouraging officials to limit Covid-19 testing mainly to people experiencing symptoms.

Atlas, a neuroradiologist, not an infectious disease expert, strongly supported a decision in August to revise federal guidelines to de-emphasize the need to test people without symptoms, according to two sources familiar with the process. He shared his view with state officials, including Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and several others in Florida, according to transcripts of public events and accounts from private meetings in that state.

During a joint tour on August 31, Atlas and DeSantis urged public health officials in several Florida cities to focus less on universal testing and more on opening the economy and schools. In private and public meetings, according to transcripts and personal accounts, the two spoke in favor of testing people for Covid-19 primarily if they're experiencing symptoms, a controversial view among epidemiologists. 

"The purpose of testing is to stop people from dying," Atlas said during one stop, captured on video. "When you start introducing closure of schools because people have positive, asymptomatic tests, that's sort of not the purpose of testing."   

[GopherGal]

4. Some of this retrospective we're seeing this week is infuriating.

the two spoke in favor of testing people for Covid-19 primarily if they're experiencing symptoms, a controversial view among epidemiologists. 

"Controversial"?? !! ?? Is that like saying "the earth is flat" is a controversial view among geologists?

I don't think many professional epidemiologists would endorse the "if we don't test for it, it isn't there" approach.

What stage of development is it where object permanence is acquired? I think we give TFG too much credit when we say he's a toddler. But I think America's in dire straights if/when he finds people who agree with him.

[Tree Lady]

3. Even more so with vaccines

There are maps that show percentages of states where people received shots and red states are the least. It will catch up in a few months with cases.

[TomCADem]

5. As vaccines become more available, it will be interesting to see...

...whether this translates to differing levels of herd immunity between red and blue states. In red states with folks plugged into right wing media pushing various QAnon conspiracies, will there be a ceiling in terms of getting people vaccinate where people simply refuse to get vaccinated for the same reasons they refuse to wear a mask.

Of course, if this translates to higher rates of death and infection in red states from COVID-19, rather than attribute it to right wing media, watch this same media blame some deep state conspiracy to infect Red States.

[Tree Lady]

6. Talking to my daughter this morning

In San Antonio, she said everyone is still wearing masks and all stores still require them. Her area is more liberal so will be interesting to see when all are vaccinated that want it. She is waiting being only 39. They are on 2 lists with the state and military. Her husband works in office so wasn't on early list to get it. Even military was prioritizing. They live off base because her husband is retiring this summer after 20 years Air Force.