In January 2020, I walked off a Korean Airlines plane from Seoul to L.A. wearing a mask-- because I've been wearing masks on planes for decades and because there was all this whispering about some kind of a plague sweeping through China and Korea. I haven't stopped wearing a mask since. And when the CDC and Fauci assured us masks were unnecessary and maybe even counter productive soon after that, I pitied them and their stupidity or political correctness. I went everywhere with a mask and the reaction was hostile. Until it wasn't.
I went grocery shopping today. I didn't see a single person without a mask, not in the store and not on the street.
The CDC guidelines are badly thought-out and politically-motivated. I watched that pathetic, incompetent Rochelle Walensky, on Maddow's show last night and she made me want to puke. Maybe the guidelines can be relaxed a bit for fully vaccinated people. I stopped double masking and I only wear my N-99 now. I stopped wearing my surgical goggles, but I still wear my nitrile gloves-- and just ordered another box of them in fact.
Did you read how a fully vaccinated Bill Maher just came down with an unsymptomatic case of COVID? He had to cancel his show. I keep hearing about cases like that. I still don't want to get COVID, even if it is less likely to kill me. I don't mind masking up.
Besides, aren't the Trumpist asswipes who are the most hostile to vaccine and masks and social distancing exactly who will march into stores and restaurants without masks and with COVID? No vaccine passports? Masks for me.
This morning, Axios reported that 74% of people between 18-29 say vaccination should be required to return to campus or work, according to new Generation Lab/Axios polling, and 37% would refuse to come back unless those conditions are in place." That sounds smart.
The poll also showed that among the young people polled who aren't vaccinated, 66% said that if it was required to return to campus or work, they would get the vaccine, 15% would try to switch jobs or schools, while 13% would refuse to get the vaccine and still try to work or attend school; 2% (presumably Trumpist sociopaths) said they would forge proof.
As far as I'm concerned, COVID is still an existential threat. These were new cases and reported deaths in the dozen counties with the most new cases, just today:
India- 326,123 new cases/ 3,879 new deaths
Brazil- 84,486/ 2,189
USA- 38,285/ 733
Argentina- 27,363/ 599
Colombia- 16,581/ 490
Turkey- 11,394/ 242
Germany- 10,247/ 205
Iran- 10,145/ 202
Russia- 9,462/ 393
Nepal- 8,467/ 203
Italy- 7,567/ 182
Ukraine- 7,562/ 287
In the U.S., the most mask-unfriendly big state, Florida once again-- like every day for weeks-- led the way in new cases: 3,590. Florida also reported the most new deaths: 61.