After months of declining numbers, COVID cases are surging back up, thanks to the Delta variant, and thanks to those who’ve refused to get vaccinations. Scientists have said the virus will continue to evolve as long as not enough people are inoculated against it. But that hasn’t stopped a number of Republican governors — among them Florida’s Ron DeSantis — from underplaying their severity, even getting in the way of progress. Now a journalist has an idea for how to ensure people don’t forget what they’ve done.
https://twitter.com/WUTangKids/status/1424138045167656963
As per Insider, CNN’s Jim Acosta unloaded on DeSantis and others, including Texas’ Greg Abbott and South Dakota’s Kristi Noem, who’ve come out against measures like mask mandates, even as their constituents increasingly contract a highly transmissible and deadly disease.
“People should not have to die so some politicians can own the libs,” Acosta said during a segment on Saturday. “They’re not owning anybody. They may end up owning the pandemic because they’re prolonging it. Perhaps it may be time to start naming these new variants after them. Why not call it the DeSantis variant instead of the Delta variant?”
DeSantis has been the most flamboyant of the Republican governors who haven’t let rising cases among their constituents sway them to side of public health measures. He’s barred schools from enforcing mask mandates, pledged to keep CDC guidelines away from cruise ships, even sold anti-Dr. Fauci merchandise. Meanwhile, COVID-related cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in Florida have all skyrocketed. One in five cases now originate in DeSanti’s state.
“We can sell beer koozies that say ‘Don’t Florida my Fauci’ and use the money to pay for all the funerals in the days to come,” Acosta said.
Right now, only half of the U.S. has been fully vaccinated. At the rate we’re going, we’ll probably wind up seeing the Abbott Variant sometime soon.
(Via Insider)