367: COVID Blame Game

Fear of the Delta variant is driving a wave of mask rollbacks. Don't blame our leadership class; blame your anti-vax neighbor. The media and politicians chant it's a pandemic of the unvaccinated. Links CDC Confirms That Viral Loads In Vaccinated People With Delta May Be Infectious, So Masks Are Necessary (https://sfist.com/2021/07/27/cdc-confirms-that-viral-loads-in-vaccinated-people-with-delta-are-indistinguishable-from-unvaccinated/) Walensky cited data from the last few days, still unpublished, taken from 100 samples from vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals with COVID infections. They found that the amount of virus in the noses and throats of vaccinated infected people was nearly "indistinguishable" from what was found in unvaccinated people, confirming what some experts have suspected. The increased viral load associated with the Delta variant appears to make vaccinated people equal spreaders of the virus. How Dangerous is the Delta Variant (B.1.617.2)? (https://asm.org/Articles/2021/July/How-Dangerous-is-the-Delta-Variant-B-1-617-2) Symptoms of Delta tend to be a little different than other strains, but that does not necessarily mean the associated symptoms are more severe. Fever, headache, sore throat and runny nose are common, while cough and loss of smell are not. * Pfizer data suggest third dose of Covid-19 vaccine 'strongly' boosts protection against Delta variant | CNN (https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/28/health/pfizer-third-dose-data-bn/index.html) * Google Mandates Vaccines for Workers and Delays Return to Office - The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/28/business/google-return-to-office-masks.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur) * NYC offers $100 cash incentive to get COVID vaccine - New York Daily News (https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/new-york-elections-government/ny-covid-nyc-vaccination-payments-20210728-lbdsauhamndirp4nm343uktxkm-story.html) * Duke University to require masks indoors due to surge of delta variant | CBS 17 (https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/durham-county-news/duke-university-to-require-to-masks-indoors-due-to-surge-of-delta-variant/) * Hundreds of San Francisco bars to require vaccination, negative Covid test to drink indoors (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hundreds-san-francisco-bars-require-vaccination-negative-covid-test-drink-n1275090) * Pfizer vaccine effectiveness drops to 84 percent after six months: data | TheHill (https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/565282-pfizer-biontech-vaccine-effectiveness-drops-to-84-percent-after-six-months) * House physician reinstates mask mandate amid Delta variant spread in the US | CNN (https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/28/politics/us-house-reinstates-mask-mandate/index.html) * Florida Doctors Blast Governor Ron DeSantis Over COVID-19 – CBS Miami (https://miami.cbslocal.com/2021/07/27/florida-doctors-blast-ron-desantis-covid-19/) * UK Covid cases are falling despite the easing of lockdowns, surprising the experts (https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/28/uk-covid-cases-are-falling-despite-the-easing-of-lockdowns-surprising-the-experts.html) * MGM Resorts requiring proof of vaccination from employees — or weekly COVID-19 tests for $15 | KLAS (https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/mgm-resorts-requiring-proof-of-vaccination-from-employees-or-weekly-covid-19-tests-for-15/) * Ex-FDA chief predicts CDC mask guidance will have "negligible impact" on Delta spread - Axios (https://www.axios.com/scott-gottlieb-cdc-guidance-delta-variant-spread-8b33b31b-6994-4e4f-99b0-234e216d7854.html) * Covid: No quarantine for fully jabbed US and EU travellers - BBC News (https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-57999362) * Houston’s Baylor College Of Medicine Will Announce Vaccine Requirement This Week – Houston Public Media (https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/health-science/2021/07/27/404316/houstons-baylor-college-of-medicine-will-announce-vaccine-requirement-this-week/) * MSP aprueba tercera dosis con Pfizer para todos los vacunados con Sinovac (https://www.elobservador.com.uy/nota/msp-aprueba-tercera-dosis-para-todos-los-vacunados-con-sinovac-con-pfizer-202172813510) * California urges wearing masks inside as coronavirus worsens - Los Angeles Times (https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-07-28/california-considers-drastic-actions-as-covid-cases-climb) * Over One-Quarter Of Positive COVID Cases In LA Are Fully Vaccinated People | LAist (https://laist.com/news/health/over-a-quarter-of-positive-covid-cases-in-la-are-fully-vaccinated-people) + CDC changes course on indoor masks in some parts of the US (https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/CDC-expected-to-backpedal-on-some-masking-16342759.php) * Researchers say more contagious COVID-19 variants are on the horizon - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MF-JFlWzcsQ) * CDC: COVID-19 may be a few mutations away from evading vaccines (https://nypost.com/2021/07/27/cdc-covid-19-may-be-a-few-mutations-away-from-evading-vaccines/?crl8_id=f2df12f4-8b8e-461d-b7cf-485c794aad67) + Kamala Harris -- "People need to get vaccinated, that's the only way we're gonna cut this thing off" - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5prR7MIYOXE) * Exclusive: Over half of Covid hospitalisations tested positive after admission (https://archive.is/N4cO6#selection-1429.0-1441.90) * Press Release: PayPal Partners with ADL to Fight Extremism and Protect Marginalized Communities - Jul 26, 2021 (https://newsroom.paypal-corp.com/2021-07-26-PayPal-Partners-with-ADL-to-Fight-Extremism-and-Protect-Marginalized-Communities) * V.A. Issues Vaccine Mandate for Health Care Workers, a First for a Federal Agency - The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/26/us/politics/veterans-affairs-coronavirus-covid-19.html) * Jen Psaki: There Is An "Active Discussion” To Reinstate Mask Mandate On Fully Vaccinated Americans - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQRUaygoEU0) * Antibodies from Sinovac's COVID-19 shot fade after about 6 months, booster helps - study (https://news.yahoo.com/antibodies-sinovacs-covid-19-shot-142748493.html) * American Airlines warns about jet fuel shortages around the U.S., asks pilots to conserve (https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/26/american-airlines-warns-about-fuel-shortages-around-the-country-ask-pilots-to-conserve.html) * PayPal to research transactions that fund hate groups, extremists (https://news.yahoo.com/paypal-research-blocking-transactions-fund-130316312.html) * What is the California gaming PC ban? - GameRevolution (https://www.gamerevolution.com/news/688435-gaming-pc-ban-california-colorado-hawaii-oregon-vermont-washington) * Amid Massive Sell-Off of Hospitals, Corporate Giant Chain Still Sues Patients : Shots - Health News : NPR (https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/07/26/1019916638/amid-massive-hospital-sell-off-corporate-giant-continues-suing-patients) * Pakistan bans domestic air travel for unvaccinated people - The Hindu (https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/pakistan-bans-domestic-air-travel-for-unvaccinated-people/article35528659.ece) * Colorado pays TikTok and Instagram influencers to tout COVID-19 vaccine - Axios (https://www.axios.com/colorado-paying-social-media-influencers-covid-vaccine-e281470e-6f1f-4b23-a1c5-a3f2ca8f9593.html) * Fauci: CDC Actively Considering Changing Mask Guidance as Delta Fuels COVID Surge – NBC New York (https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/coronavirus/fauci-cdc-actively-considering-changing-mask-guidance-as-covid-cases-soar/3173665/) * FBI Using the Same Fear Tactic From the First War on Terror: Orchestrating its Own Terrorism Plots - by Glenn Greenwald - Glenn Greenwald (https://greenwald.substack.com/p/fbi-using-the-same-fear-tactic-from) * Lab Alert: Changes to CDC RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 Testing (https://www.cdc.gov/csels/dls/locs/2021/07-21-2021-lab-alert-Changes_CDC_RT-PCR_SARS-CoV-2_Testing_1.html) * Israel says Pfizer vaccine efficacy in preventing infection drops to 39% (https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/s19okqv0u) * Democrats introduce bill to hold platforms accountable for misinformation during health crises | TheHill (https://thehill.com/policy/technology/564395-klobuchar-bill-would-hold-online-platforms-accountable-for-misinformation) * 2 shots of Pfizer vaccine 88% effective against Delta variant: study - National | Globalnews.ca (https://globalnews.ca/news/8050563/pfizer-astrazeneca-vaccine-delta-variant/) * Study suggests that the top 10 percent of gasoline-using drivers consume one-third of all the gas | Bothell-Kenmore Reporter (https://www.bothell-reporter.com/news/study-suggests-that-the-top-10-percent-of-gasoline-using-drivers-consume-one-third-of-all-the-gas/?ICID=ref_fark) * Early Release - Breakthrough Infections of SARS-CoV-2 Gamma Variant in Fully Vaccinated Gold Miners, French Guiana, 2021 - Volume 27, Number 10—October 2021 - Emerging Infectious Diseases journal - CDC (https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/27/10/21-1427_article)