Thursday, September 23, 2021

Meet COVIDIOT and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee

 




New York Times, 9/23/2021 (highlight added]
It was here [Williamson County] that an explosive debate over masking in schools — one of the most effective strategies for keeping students learning in person safely during the pandemic — made the county a poster child for divisions over coronavirus safety measures. A video clip of a county school board meeting last month, showing protesters heckling and threatening medical professionals and parents who supported a universal mask mandate as they left the meeting, drew national attention and a rebuke from President Biden.

Williamson County came close to setting a new record for highest 7-day average of new Covid cases on September 14, 2021.  The record was set on January 8.


New York Times


Original 9/23/2021 post starts here

New York Times, 9/20/2021


Print headline is straightforward, not wishy-washy.

Covid Battle 
In Tennessee 
Is Hampered 
By Politics
Tennessee has recently been reporting more new coronavirus cases, relative to its population, than any other state — as of Monday, an average of 109 for every 100,000 people — and the state’s hospitalizations and deaths have also been very high, according to a New York Times database. 
Only 44 percent of the state’s population has been fully vaccinated, and its hospitals are being inundated with Covid-19 patients. 
In interviews, officials said that Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, was politically constrained by a deeply conservative legislature and a political base that became more uncompromising during the pandemic.

Hmm, no wonder the number of new cases has dropped.  So has testing.

New York Times (arrow added)

All 95 Tennessee counties are at an extremely high risk for Covid spread.



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