COVID-19 roundup
Wednesday, Dec 8, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* IIS Radio…
Gov. JB Pritzker says he’s not planning to institute a new COVID-19 vaccine mandate like the one in New York City.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio is enacting a mandate for private sector workers. Pritzker was asked if that’s something we could see in Illinois.
“That again is not something that we’ve been looking at,” said Pritzker. “We have people that are getting vaccinated every day in Illinois. We want more people to get vaccinated. I think you can see as more people get sick and go into the hospital nearly all of them are unvaccinated and that is causing a real problem.”
Mayor Lightfoot is also not interested in doing that.
* Center Square…
Pritzker was asked about Carroll’s bill [to deny COVID-19-related health insurance coverage for the unvaxed] on Tuesday. The governor didn’t sound enthusiastic about it.
“From my perspective, we want everybody to get vaccinated,” Pritzker said. “We certainly don’t want to penalize people.”
Not to mention that it violates federal law.
* Also from that story, Rep. David Friess (R-Red Bud) made his feelings known about the Carroll bill…
“It is not the role of the State to interject itself between its citizens and their health care providers.”
The lengths to which the right has gone to co-opt pro-choice rhetoric never ceases to amaze me.
* WBBM Radio…
Denying someone their job because of their vaccination status is discrimination, according to State Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) and the “Freedom Act” that he is pushing for would outlaw this practice. […]
When asked if people should have the peace of mind to go to work with the assurance everyone around them is vaccinated, Niemerg responded by saying “Well, shouldn’t everybody that has the right to go to work understand that they are not going to be discriminated upon as a condition of employment?”
He only appears to care about people who are willing and even eager to spread disease.
* Rep. Niemerg represents part of Clay County…
Within Illinois, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Calhoun County with 1,203 cases per 100,000 per week; Vermilion County with 994; and Clay County with 925. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.
Is it time to start calling these people pro-covid legislators?
* Sun-Times…
Public health officials on Tuesday announced 78 more COVID-19 deaths across Illinois, the state’s highest one-day toll in 10 months.
That’s almost four times as high as Illinois’ daily coronavirus death rate over the past month, and it’s the most fatalities reported in a day since 102 lives were lost statewide Feb. 11, at the tail end of the state’s worst surge of the pandemic.
The state is now averaging 41 deaths per day over the past week, up from about 23 per day during the first week of November, according to figures from the Illinois Department of Public Health.
One day can be an anomaly, but yikes. Tuesday’s numbers haven’t been released as of this writing.
…Adding… It may have been an anomaly. The daily death toll dropped to 14 on Tuesday.
* It’s off the charts in Michigan…
As of Monday, 4,404 people were admitted to Michigan hospitals with confirmed cases of the virus. Of them, 40 were children, according to Michigan Medicine, which supplies the state health department with hospitalization data.
That breaks a pandemic record set on April 8, 2020, when 4,365 people were hospitalized with the virus during an initial surge that had the nation reeling as so little was known about the virus, how it spread and how to treat it.
Get your shots, people.
…Adding… Hannah Meisel…
According to IDPH data, only 0.05% of fully vaccinated Illinoisans have ended up hospitalized for a COVID infection, and even fewer — 0.014% — have died from the virus.
Again, get your shots.
- Roadrager - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 12:59 pm:
==Is it time to start calling these people pro-covid legislators?==
It’s been time since January 20th, if not before that.
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 1:00 pm:
=Denying someone their job because of their vaccination status is discrimination, =
How does that work with drug testing? I am sure he would like to drug test people applying for public aide.
Never mind. I know how this ends.
=Is it time to start calling these people pro-covid legislators?=
Yes
- TheInvisibleMan - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 1:07 pm:
= they are not going to be discriminated upon as a condition of employment =
There’s a danger in being too vague about these situations.
Under his lose definition, someone voting for him over his opponent be discriminating as well.
Adam Niemerg better not run for re-election, as he wouldn’t want to cause someone to have to apply any discrimination and even worse be the beneficiary of that discrimination.
Discrimination is not always illegal. I discriminate constantly between fast food and a homemade sandwich. The sandwich always wins. I also discriminate between men and women on who I want to have a relationship with.
Should I be worried about a lawsuit from burger king for discrimination now.
We usually save discrimination as a crime for things people have no control over. Like the color of their skin.
It’s not illegal to discriminate against hiring a sex offender to manage a day care center. Oh, I see where he’s going with this now…
- Pundent - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 1:14 pm:
=Is it time to start calling these people pro-covid legislators?=
Consider this. Many employers service customers who require visitors to show proof of vaccination to come on site. How can you hire a someone that can’t even go onto a customer site?
- Cool Papa Bell - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 1:27 pm:
Niemerg kept referring to “patriots” in his press conference. Ugh.
And from Hannah Meisel’s NPR report today..
“According to IDPH data, only 0.05% of fully vaccinated Illinoisans have ended up hospitalized for a COVID infection, and even fewer — 0.014% — have died from the virus.’
Get your shots.
- Candy Dogood - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 1:28 pm:
Our society has become the victims of people who would rather play pretend than do what they can to address a deadly pandemic and protect others.
- Pundent - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 1:44 pm:
Perhaps the better question for Niemerg and others is “what exactly should we be doing to address the pandemic and minimize its consequences”? For all of the criticisms I’ve heard on masks, capacity limitations, mandatory testing, vaccine requirements, etc. I’ve yet to hear a strategy to actually do something to improve things. If you only stand in opposition of any attempt to curtail the pandemic, the unmistakable conclusion is that you must be pro-Covid.
- Techie - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 1:55 pm:
I came here to make the same point JS Mill did regarding drug testing. That kind of discrimination has been legal for decades and counting.
The significant difference, of course, is that your coworker who likes to smoke a joint now and then in their free time isn’t putting you at greater risk of contracting a potentially debilitating or deadly disease.
- PublicServant - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 2:05 pm:
They’re just competing for the “Craziest” title.
- supplied_demand - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 2:10 pm:
==If you only stand in opposition of any attempt to curtail the pandemic, the unmistakable conclusion is that you must be pro-Covid. ==
This is their entire shtick. By the time someone in the media has thought to challenge them on providing actual solutions, they have already moved on to the next distraction. The newest distraction is posting Xmas pictures with guns on social media.
- Norseman - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 2:13 pm:
=== “It is not the role of the State to interject itself between its citizens and their health care providers.” ===
Friess: unclear on the truth or his party’s positions.
- Anon221 - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 2:18 pm:
“Pro-Covid” legislator… gives the acronym “PC” a whole new twist (banned punctuation)
- Duck Season - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 2:35 pm:
- According to IDPH data, only 0.05% of fully vaccinated Illinoisans have ended up hospitalized for a COVID infection, and even fewer — 0.014% — have died from the virus. -
Nonsensical statistic, the stats for the entire population both vaxxed and unvaxxed wouldn’t be much higher.
- Just Me 2 - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 2:37 pm:
What does Niemerg tell someone with a compromised immune system who wants to go to work but can’t because so many at work aren’t vaccinated, refuse to test, and won’t even wear a mask? “Sorry, you’re SOL. Also, no unemployment benefits for you either.”
- Publius - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 2:45 pm:
My employer makes you get a drug test, credit check, and a physical. They won’t let you work with out it.
- Lefty Lefty - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 3:06 pm:
I saw in my daily update from my local health department that 30 of the 78 deaths were related to bookkeeping updates.
Meanwhile, another neighbor died of COVID yesterday - definitely an anti-mask anti-vax Qanon type. We all feel terrible for his kids. RIP.
- Lurker - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 3:08 pm:
At some point we need to believe in Darwin and let them believe in God. I am past that point. Quit wasting time and resources on the willingly unvaccinated.
- NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 3:19 pm:
At some point someone needs to do a pro-vax Lee Elia-esque tirade (replete with profanity) against people who refuse to get vaccinated or do not advocate workplace vax mandates. It would warm my heart to hear this.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 3:28 pm:
Duck season, about 0.20 percent of Illinois residents have died of covid. According to my calculator that is 14.8 times higher
- Ducky LaMoore - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 3:32 pm:
“Nonsensical statistic, the stats for the entire population both vaxxed and unvaxxed wouldn’t be much higher.”
In my county, .5% of people have died from Covid. 1 out of every 200. If the county had a .014% death rate, there would be less than 1 death. Granted, this mixes the timetable between when vaccines were available and when they were not. But those vaccination numbers are not insignificant. It is a 3471% difference.
- Cool Papa Bell - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 3:40 pm:
To the stat - What it really means is this, every death since about late May or early June has been totally preventable. Nearly every single person dying today would be alive if they were fully vaccinated.
But sure - call it useless.
- Roadrager - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 3:46 pm:
==At some point we need to believe in Darwin and let them believe in God. I am past that point. Quit wasting time and resources on the willingly unvaccinated.==
The problem with this argument (and I get it, believe me, I am done with these people too) is that all of these people and their personal liberties are going to keep cooking up new variants that can break through the vaccinated like you and me, to the point that a mutation could seriously hinder vaccine efficacy.
We only get through to the other side of this by helping people who do not want to help themselves, and definitely do not want to help others. It’s been two years now, and I don’t like our odds.
- Glenn - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 4:08 pm:
Many Pro-Covid people are the same ones who complain about shortages of paid help who “don’t want to go back to work.”
Maybe the paid help don’t want someone’s infectious breath in their face.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 5:26 pm:
Norseman Not only that but Friess is unclear on his own position since he is an avowed abortion foe.
- Manchester - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 5:43 pm:
I am sick to death of Republicans catering to the “I don’t wanna get vaccinated and you can’t make me” crowd. The whole lot of them are nothing but a bunch of spoiled two year old toddlers. On second thought, there’s at least hope the two year olds will mature out of their tantrums.
- Occasionally Moderated - Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 5:46 pm:
Niemerg was on KWQC last night and his statement was something to the effect of “people should be fre to consult with their doctors and then make a decision”
I thought to myself what doctor is going to give any advice except to get vaccinated…. Sheesh what weird way to try to make an argument.