[Bonburner]

Originally Posted by Opie

TEXAS AND MISSISSIPPI CASES DECREASE AFTER MASK MANDATES LIFTED

Texas and Mississippi lifted their mask mandates at the beginning of March. Democrats and media of course framed this as stupid Republicans risking lives. In the nearly three weeks since the mask mandates were lifted, Texas and Mississippi's new case levels have decreased.

In Texas from March 10, when Governor Abbott's order went into effect, to the present:
New COVID cases dropped by more than 35%.
The weekly mortality average dropped nearly 50%.

In Mississippi from March 3rd to the present:
New Covid cases dropped by more than 57%.
The weekly mortality average dropped 65%.

Compare this to New York and Michigan, states that still have mask mandates and saw increases in cases.
In NY, new cases increased by 7% from March 3 to March 30.
In Michigan, new cases increased by nearly 300% from March 3 to March 30.

Florida never had a mask mandate.
Since the start of the pandemic, March 2020, there have been 33,337 deaths and 2.05M cases out of a population of 21.5 million.
By contrast, New York has had 49,790 deaths and 1.87M cases out of a population of 19.5 million.
Florida also has more seniors, at 20.9% of the population.
Compared to 16.9% of New York. SOURCES: US Census
So New York has had a mask mandate, an aggressive lockdown, a smaller population, AND fewer vulnerable seniors than Florida, yet has more deaths.

I don't live in any of those states, but there's a big statistical word called "confounder". It's definitely worthwhile assessing the differences amongst the state populants' behaviors if you were in the public health field.

I have seen splashes of article headlines regarding some businesses still requiring masks, and some counties still requiring masks despite state requirements laxing. But again, I haven't actively followed other states.

Originally Posted by Capt Spaulding

In Texas, the Governor's mask mandate ended on 3/2. Cases declined for 2 weeks then hit a plateau and have begun to increase slightly. This despite the fact that many counties, particular densely populated places like Harris and Travis have maintained local mandates. Two weeks. The lag time is two to three weeks. I suspect pretty strongly this will bite us in the ass.

Reminds me of Abbott declaring the state "open for business the week before Memorial Day 2020. On May 30th the state recorded 1100 cases. On July 15, we exceed 11,000 for the day. His life is a tribute to wishful thinking triumphing over intelligence.

Supposedly the Texas Rangers are going to fill the ballpark for their opening home game. Sounds like a perfect opportunity for a super-spreader event. 40+ thousand unmasked, anti-vaxing, boneheaded morons sitting shoulder to shoulder yelling like banshees. It'll be interested to see if Rona shows up and what she's wearing.

There is no shortage of idiots in my home state.

Thanks for confirming