Muh Muh Muh My Corona (virus)

Wouldn't want people thinking Christmas gatherings are safe.

 

Christmas gatherings are not safe.

Too much mistletoe. That shit is dangerous.

 

Great column.



"Had the virus killed one out of three people, we would have beaten it months ago. But one or two out of 100? Those are odds a lot of folks have decided they can live with, even if it means a half-million or more will die. Had a nuclear weapon killed so many, we would have laid waste to the world to have our revenge. But a few hundred dead at a time? Everybody’s got to go some time, right? The incrementalism of this disease is what makes it so deadly. The virus is bad enough to be deeply disruptive to our country but mild enough that we won’t take collective action to stop it."

 

That is a very good point.

 

Because in the midst of a pretty consequential pandemic "our schedule" is so important with respect to authorization.

ON EDIT: Jeez, I gotta work on my word choice.

 

They aren't.

 

Having said that, and having been an obnoxious pest about prevention in South Dakota and all points west of 11th Avenue, I submit the following with a loud, local, exasperated JFC:

Party With Nearly 400 People Is Shut Down in Manhattan

 

Ditto on your JFC ...

 

No, we wouldn't have. Vaccine would not have happened, and the virus would have lain in wait until we finally came out of our homes, as it still continued to kill the most essential of workers. Store shelves would be empty. Hospitals would have caved under the onslaught.

Closer to two out of 1,000, when you consider the number actually infected, instead of "confirmed."

Well, I guess that would have made the world a better place. Good solution.

 

The party stuff happens all over. It's JFC all over.

The difference is, when it happens in Manhattan, it's a straight, well-written news story without 17 epidemiologists being called to doomily intone what must be done, and there's no Dr. Fauci begging please, please, please don't see your family on Thanksgiving.

 

My friend, Dr. Fauci speaks to the entire nation, not merely “New York, New York.”

 

Just one.

While the constant partying and violation of coronavirus rules seem at odds with the worsening situation in New York City, there are several explanations for why people would continue to embrace risky behavior, said Jay Van Bavel, an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at New York University, who has written about how to align behavior with public health directives during the pandemic.

He said some people may increasingly be “suffering fatigue from lack of social interaction” and younger people who tend to frequent parties may believe they are not at risk for severe health consequences.

He said misinformation may also dilute public officials’ warnings and lead people to believe the risks are not severe. With the Trump administration underplaying the risk of the virus, warnings get muddied, he said.

Meanwhile, the relative lack of financial support for struggling small businesses could drive people to search for other ways to make money, including through parties and other events.

“It manifests in all these little problems,” he said. “They all kind of pop up, and it’s like that game where you’ve got to smash the groundhog that pops up — you smash one down and another one pops up.”