First Lady Tests Positive For Covid-19

 

In perhaps the most high- profile reminder so far that Covid-19 is still out there:

First lady Jill Biden tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday and is experiencing “mild symptoms,” the White House said. President Joe Biden has tested negative. 

The diagnosis has upended the first lady’s plans to begin teaching the fall semester at Northern Virginia Community College on Tuesday. She is working with the school to “ensure her classes are covered by a substitute,” Vanessa Valdivia, the first lady’s spokesperson, said.

Dr. Biden, who remains at the family’s home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, typically teaches on Tuesday and Thursdays. [snip]

Last summer, the first lady tested positive for Covid-19 while vacationing in South Carolina in August. President Biden tested positive last July. Both experienced rebound cases shortly after being treated with Paxlovid.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters in July in the White House briefing room that anyone who meets with the president is still tested for Covid-19 before their meeting after members of Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s delegation tested positive ahead of a bilateral meeting.

“We have testing protocols when – anytime somebody meets with the president,” Jean-Pierre said at the time. “So, I can tell you that anybody who meets with the president does indeed get tested. I do. We all do.”

Jill Biden’s diagnosis comes amid renewed attention to Covid-19 as the world approaches the fourth virus season since the coronavirus arrived on the scene...

President Biden tested negative after the First Lady's positive test and continues to be monitored.  

While the public health emergency was lifted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in May 2023, the virus continues to be a presence and a concern for public health.  New vaccines for the most recent strains of the virus will be available in the Fall.  The CDC still recommends that "everyone 6 years and older should get 1 updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of whether they’ve received any original COVID-19 vaccines." (More guidance at this link.)

In the meantime, we wish the First Lady a speedy recovery.

From One Disaster To Another: Abbott's Bad Move

Right on cue, likely to distract from his disastrous handling of the Texas' electric grid and water supply failure, incompetent and corrupt Texas Governor Greg ''Yabbadabba" Abbott (Secession-TX) announced that he was reopening the State's businesses "100%" and cancelling the State's mask mandate. His premature and reckless act has nothing to do with public health and safety and everything to do with currying favor with right wing Trumpers who have long bridled at restrictions imposed to fight the pandemic. Fittingly, he made his announcement to boosters at the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce who were mostly without masks and packed into a conference room.

Local leaders in Texas criticized Abbott's decision, including the Republican Mayor of Fort Worth Betsy Price:

"Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, a fellow Republican, called Abbott’s order 'premature' and asked him to allow more people to get the vaccine.

'I am calling on Gov. Abbott to open up additional vaccine tier categories so that more people are eligible to get a vaccine if they want one,' Price said in a statement. 'As the state’s directive has changed, so must our response. Now, more than ever, vaccines and testing must be readily available.'”

Businesses in Texas who don't want to become COVID-19 superspreader sites thanks to Abbott's action are reacting skeptically here and here. More importantly, health experts in Texas are calling out Abbott for his reckless move, here, here and here for example. Of course, when infections, hospitalizations and deaths rise over the next few weeks, the deceitful Abbott will find someone else to blame (Green New Deal? AOC?).

Abbott didn't learn from last summer's premature "reopening" of business and facilities in Texas. Instead of flattening the curve of infections, his decision led to new infections, new hospitalizations and unnecessary deaths. As then, it's all on him.

(photo: Abbott pondering how to screw things up more. Bob Daemmrich for Nexstar)

The Mess Inherited And The Effort Needed

The damage left behind:

Another 900,000 people filed new unemployment claims last week, former President Donald Trump’s last in office, a snapshot of the significant labor market challenges facing President Biden.

An additional 423,000 people in 47 states filed new claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, the program created to help gig and self-employed workers.

All told, nearly 16 million people were claiming benefits as of January 2nd, the last week available for that measurement. [snip]

President Biden inherits one of the worst job markets of any president, with the country’s unemployment rate at 6.7 percent and nearly 10 million less people with jobs than at the beginning of last year, as the pandemic has wreaked havoc on industries like tourism, hospitality and food service.

And, speaking of the pandemic --

Our daily update is published. States reported 1.8M tests, 186k cases, 122,700 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19, and a record 4,409 deaths. pic.twitter.com/5WYUdLQoFw

— The COVID Tracking Project (@COVID19Tracking) January 21, 2021

Over 400,000 deaths to date in America.

This is just part of what the Biden-Harris Administration has to begin to address immediately, some of it subsumed under the pending COVID relief bill.  The laundry list is long, though:  addressing immigration policy, climate action, police reform, racial equity, voting rights, domestic terrorism, and more. We're lucky we have a competent Administration coming in to tackle this daunting list.

But fighting the pandemic and helping fellow citizens who are hurting should not simply be on the shoulders of the Administration.  Of course, first of all, follow the health guidelines and get vaccinated as soon as you are eligible.  But, as citizens, we should reflect right now on other ways we can help, at the local, state or national level.  We each know how and what talents, resources, and time availability we can bring to bear on helping our fellow citizens. Some of us are donating or volunteering at food distribution centers, or are prepared to help with vaccinations through the Medical Reserve Corps.  For retirees wishing to volunteer, AmeriCorps Seniors offers different time commitments and requirements tailored to your situation, and is one place to begin if you're serious about linking with a partner organization.  Even the smallest effort, multiplied by millions, can make a difference.

This, rather than any phony papering over of the recent past, is what "unity" should look like.

"Rounding The Corner"

 

U.S. breaks daily record for coronavirus cases with over 84,000 new infections https://t.co/txde530nqj pic.twitter.com/I4WPiaEjtI

— Reuters (@Reuters) October 24, 2020

 

Reuters: 

The United States broke its daily record for new coronavirus infections on Friday as it reported 84,218 new cases due to outbreaks in virtually every part of the country, according to a Reuters tally.

The spike in cases comes less than two weeks before the presidential election on Nov. 3 and is hitting battleground states such as Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. On Thursday, the United States reported a near-record 76,195 new cases.

"Rounding the corner"?  Looks more like a "dark winter" to us.

Vote the incompetent incumbent and his enablers out.