By Richard Sullins | richard@rantnc.com
It’s possible to look at the most recent numbers for the spread of COVID-19 in Lee County and see the glass as either half-full or half-empty. So, let’s do both and start with a view from 40,000 feet.
The county is approaching a total of 10,000 COVID cases as of November 22, with 9,586 having been officially reported since the pandemic began in March 2020. 110 persons have died in the county from the virus, but none in the past month.
37 cases have been reported in the past week, a drop of 20 percent from the previous week. 1,105 COVID tests were performed by medical staff during that same period and that represents an increase of 11.84 percent, but the percentage of tests that are coming back from the labs with a positive result has dropped to 3.13 percent. That’s the lowest since the pandemic started.
There is also good news among the numbers getting vaccinated, particularly among the elderly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported today that 99.9 percent of all adults aged 65 and older in Lee County have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, and 84.7 percent of the above-65 group are fully vaccinated.
Among all adults ages 12 and up in the county, 39,235 persons (75.2 percent) have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 31,321 (60.1 percent) are fully vaccinated. If another surge of COVID arrives during the winter months, at least three-fourths of all Lee County adults will have some amount of protection and three-fifths will be fully protected.
But these same numbers also show that a trend first reported by The Rant last month has continued and is actually growing larger – greater numbers of Lee County residents are opting only for one shot.
The disparity between the percentage of persons that are fully vaccinated versus having received just one dose of the vaccine grew even larger in November. The percentage having received at least one dose by the end of September was 65.4, versus 55.1 percent that had been fully vaccinated, a difference of 10.3 percent. By the end of October, that difference had grown to 12 percent and in November, the differential stood at 15.1 percent.
The actual numbers of persons who have received at least one dose grew from 36,768 in October to 39,235 in November, a month-to-month increase of 6.71 percent. Among persons who are fully vaccinated, the numbers rose from 30,496 in October to 31,321 in November, an increase of only 2.75 percent. That means that during the month of November, the number of persons having received a single dose grew at a rate that was two and a half times faster than those who became fully vaccinated.
The county continues to be in a “substantial” state of community spread of the COVID virus and that is important for the ending of the masking mandate that Lee County Schools have been under since August. At its November meeting, the school board voted 4-2 to leave the current masking mandate in place until 10 consecutive calendar days of “moderate-level” transmission of the virus have been recorded in the county before the next board meeting on December 14.
If that goal can be reached, a special called meeting of the board would be convened to review the situation and consider further action. With Monday’s status still at the “substantial” level, the earliest that meeting could be called is now December 3.
Lee County Health Department Director Heath Cain said that booster shots are now available, and that demand for them is beginning to increase.
“We have administered 2,784 booster vaccinations so far and we are seeing demand slow down over the last couple weeks as this past week, we provided 252 booster shots,” he said. “With the announcement from the FDA today concerning boosters of Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines for all adults, the demand should trend up once again.”
Cain said the county’s next vaccination clinic for booster vaccines will be November 30 from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center. The CDC and the Food and Drug Administration have authorized the use of booster vaccines for all adults 18 and older to extend protections against the virus among those who have previously received the vaccinations. Persons who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine can get the booster six months after their second shot and those who were immunized with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can receive their booster two months after their initial shot.
Vaccinations have also been approved for children ages 5 through 11 for the COVID vaccines, according to Cain.
“We plan to provide the 5-to-11-year-old pediatric Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine once more December 17 at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center from 2 to 4 p.m.,” he said. “The second clinic for the 5-to-11-year-olds will be January 7 at the same time, again at the Civic Center.”
To register for either the booster or the pediatric clinics, call the Health Department at 919.842.5744 or visit at www.leecountync.gov.
so right now, most of Lee county is vaccinated to some degree, and the overlap seems to show that most should be in the very safe range….however, it still spreads. This shows me that regardless of being vaccinated or not, the spread is still happening and probably will forever….this man made debacle is continually morphing in ways we really know nothing about. The survival rate is extremely good, especially since it is delta that is spreading so much and delta has been shown to be less deadly, so that is good. So, the masks need to come off…give the kids a break for heaven’s sake. I can bet you 3/4 of them will continue to wear them, mandate or not….it is the new thing now in their socially withdrawn existences. I pray Lee county give these kids their lives back. I think we all understand the rules and mask or not, most are doing their best to keep away from unknown people, and isolating/distancing when possible when functioning in our work and school lives (and if not masks are useless). Masks are irrelevant really when people follow the basic rules….that is why the spread of the flu is so way down…people are actually washing their hands more and staying home if not feeling well. So enough with the mandates….we are not children. Covid is here to stay….best learn to LIVE with it and quit forcing everyone into meager demeaning existences…some lives even altered to a point of ruin. Life is toooooo short to live like this and those that are forcing the issue need to step back and see how you are seriously stressing people out and scaring our kids half to death. 0 deaths for a whole month….did you catch that?
Pcfreeland is correct.
I think we all want things to get back to normal. Zero deaths in the last month is AWESOME! It shows how the combination of vaccines, masks, hand washing, and social distancing is working. We still have too many people refusing the vaccine. Remember, we were doing all except vaccines for the first 9 months of the pandemic, including remote learning. During that time, cases kept going up. But I feel confident that those actions did slow the spread.
If you’ve gone in stores anytime in the last 6 months, you’ve probably noticed less than 50% of the customers wearing masks, so I think that helped increase the spike we saw late summer. Over confidence in the vaccines and warmer weather lulled people. Too many were choosing to remain unvaccinated. I think it’s going to take longer, possibly next spring before we can truly say masks are no longer needed. The sooner school age children are vaccinated, the sooner the masks go away.
The expected winter spike will take care of most of the rest of the unvaccinated. Either natural immunity or death will remove them as dangers to society as a whole. I’m ready for big holiday gatherings to get that ball rolling. Get it done and over with. Those who have done all they can to protect themselves and others are now ready. Those who chose to say no to vaccines have had plenty of chances now. Lets expose the rest of the population quickly, and move on.
Vaccinated or not you can still get it and spread it.
Well, of course you can. It’s not magic. Odds are you won’t do either though, and if you get it, you’re much more likely to survive. That’s why we’re ready for it to finish spreading. Get on with it, and catch it already! Survive or die, your choice. I don’t care which you choose now.
Interesting how the vaccine has now become a social status. If you have it then you are part of the morally superior group, if you don’t have it then you are a pariah. While completely ignoring the facts of the vaccine. 1) it doesn’t prevent you from catching the virus. 2) it doesn’t prevent you from spreading the virus. 3) yes you can still die from the virus, just less likely. 4) over 20,000 people have died from the vaccines, 1% reported. 5) over 100,000 negative reactions from the vaccines, More than ALL other vaccines combined for the last 20 years. SO marginalizing peoples concerns over the safety of the vaccines or the need to vaccinate their children that have a bigger chance of negative reactions to the vaccine than they have of dying from the virus. Is ignorant at best. If you want to get the shot, Great! Others don’t and their reasons for not getting it is no less valid than your reasons for getting it. People that compare the vaccines to established vaccines like Polio or Measles is using flawed logic. These vaccines prevent you from ever catching Polio and Measles. THEY WORK! And you only have to take them once. The COVID Vaccines may help you survive at best. BTW ask yourself, now that the nation has had hundreds of millions of people vaccinated why did more people die this year than last year when we had no vaccines? Don’t say “The Unvaccinated” that is flawed logic considering there are more people vaccinated than unvaccinated. Simply put, vaccinated people are still dying and it isn’t being reported. Lastly, the shot is free, (Tax Payer funded) what isn’t free is your medical treatments if you have adverse reactions, if you have life altering reactions, or if you die. NOBODY is responsible for you if the vaccines kill you or mess you up permanently. Has anyone connected the dots that the very same pharmaceutical companies that you demonized and sued for millions of dollars over opioids is now making billions in taxpayer funds for these vaccines. Wahoo we sued big bad pharma, we showed them!!!! They are now making record profits, stocks going through the roof and it is all paid for by you the taxpayer. Good Job, your law suits did absolutely nothing.
Believe what you want to believe. Just hurry up and catch it! I’m ready for normalcy.
Well said !!
A different mike
Really?!!?? Go ahead a catch it! Ready for normalcy! Do you honestly think the democrats will let this go? They love this pandemic! They love stoking fear and division. “Get vaccinated to protect the vaccinated from the unvaccinated” (lame duck puppet president Biden quoted in a press conference). You want normalcy and they want socialism
Let’s Go Brandon
Just Saying,
Ironically Joe Biden said that anyone that had as many COVID deaths as Trump should not be President. Well there has been more deaths from COVID under Bidens Presidency in less time, so I am wondering when he is going to resign? Don’t forget there was a vaccine when Biden took office and there was no vaccine during Trumps Presidency.
Biden is a joke, which makes the fact that Brandon beat your punk-ass Hitler wannabe even sweeter. I do think it’s funny how they are taking that Brandon thing as their own, and making it seem as you support him by saying “Let’s go Brandon”. You need to come up with one for Harris. She might be your next POTUS. Trumpy bear is done. You need to get another fascist to take his place. Liberal tears are good, but conservative/fascist (same thing) tears are the best!
A different mike
You need a time out and a good cry. If you really think trump was fascist then what is Biden? Mandate after mandate and executive order after another. Kamala is the cackling bitch that has no place in office. Biden is red pilling America.
FJB. Let’s Go Brandon
Brandon says “FAC”. I agree with that sentiment.
You really need to look up the definition of Fascist. Like most Leftists you practice the flawed logic of projection.
Gotta love it when the media steps on their own toes. They are reporting that it is the unvaccinated that are catching the Omicron variant. Then later one of their reporters points out a very obvious observation about the Omicron variant now showing up in Europe. To be able to fly internationally you have to be fully vaccinated. SO all of the people catching and spreading the Omicron variant around the world are fully vaccinated travelers.
One version of the fourteen characteristics of fascism:
1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays. (see recent caravans/parades of Trump flags combined with American flags, and or Rebel flags)
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of “need.” The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
(See conservatives supporting water boarding and worse by sending suspects to “black” sites for interrogation)
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
(See conservatives always spreading fear of illegals “They are rapists and criminals” and muslims “they are terrorists”.)
4. Supremacy of the Military
Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
(The military receives roughly 65% of the budget, yet we have veterans walking the street homeless, and without the mental health care they need.)
5. Rampant Sexism
The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.
(See acceptance of “Grab em by the pu$$&” and “she’s a dog” or ranking women by numbers 1-10)
6. Controlled Mass Media
Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.
(you know where to look)
7. Obsession with National Security
Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
{see all the different boogymen the far right have used in the last 20 years)
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined
Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government’s policies or actions.
(see Trump holding up a bible. Surprised he didn’t burst into flames)
9. Corporate Power is Protected
The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
(Both sides are guilty of this, Republicans are worse)
10. Labor Power is Suppressed
Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed .
(Republicans have always been anti-union. They have just gotten worse in recent years.)
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
(See the last 40 years. Conservatives hate an educated populace. The more people know, the less likely they will support them.)
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment
Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
(See the Patriot Act)
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
(Both sides are guilty of this.)
14. Fraudulent Elections
Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.
(see making it illegal to hand out water during long lines for elections, or reducing the opportunity to vote for those most likely to vote for the opposition. A party that knows they have the right platform for the majority of the people will try to make it easier to vote. The will want to expand voting rights, not restrict.)
Both Dems and Repubs have traits of fascism, but the conservative republicans are hands down the worst of the bunch. It’s an americanized version. Sort of a mix of traditional fascism and nazi traits. They love a good authoritarian.
A different mike.
You are correct. But who controls the media? Liberal leftist idiots. That’s why they all spew the same shit about Trump. If you are offended by the flag the. Find another country. I will help you pack and buy you a 1 way ticket to socialism.
OK first your assertion that the Defense budget is 65% of the federal budget is patently false. In fact social safety net programs AKA mandatory spending is 65% of the budget, which does not include defense spending. Ironically the primary function of ALL government is defense and security of the nation, NOT provide income, food, and housing. However 65% of the budget does exactly that. Interestingly, defense is not considered mandatory but instead, discretionary. The fact that you didn’t do a 10 second google search before making a statement to confirm or deny your facts is a clear example of peoples lack of ability to look for the facts and just spew liberal talking points that they assume are accurate. Regardless of if you are liberal or conservative, you have to look for the facts and be accurate in your assertions. You have to be able to call balls and strike even if they do work against your own beliefs. As for the rest of your post you are pointing out the Democrat playbook if you can’t see that, then you have gathered your information the same way you gathered your data for the defense budget and may I suggest you start doing some deep diving, unbiased research and apply fact based critical thinking towards your goals.
Source:
https://www.cbo.gov/publication/57170
D.Roberts – Guilty as charged. I should have specified discretionary spending. That number is really around 50% in normal years. I still stand by the assertion that the current Republican party is embracing fascism.
You are creating a false dichotomy by saying I am using the Democratic playbook as a way to dismiss my charges. Just because Democrats are pointing these things out, doesn’t make them false.
The examples of the 14 characteristics I pointed out are accurate, with the noted error on the percentage of the budget.
I would expand on your opinion of the goal of government. While I agree that the defense of the nation is part of it, I also believe the security includes food and housing.
I honestly think most republicans have been slowly gaslighted into becoming fascists without even knowing it. You should take the quiz i linked for Just Saying as well. I think you may be left of him.
Just Saying – I think we just found our local fascist.
Who controls the media? CNN, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, and NBC are all owned by large conglomerates, which are publicly traded companies. So I guess you could say the general public owns them. They have boards of directors and CEO’s who all work at the pleasure of the stockholders. FOX is also publicly traded, but owned by Rupert Murdoch with a 39% stock share. Everything that is presented on FOX is at the pleasure of the Murdoch family.
I never said I was offended by flags. I love our flag. I pointed out the use of them as a prop. It is part of the fascist movement to make people think that this is the way “real” Americans should act.
Find another country? I could say the same to you. You want an authoritarian as your leader? Very unamerican.
In your narrow minded view, if you’re not a “conservative” (fascist), you are commie socialist.
I suggest you take this quiz, and answer honestly to see where you stand politically.
https://www.arealme.com/political-spectrum-test/en/
Mike, i took the test and the result is I am a centrist. To be honest many of the questions were strategically vague and any logical person would not be able to give a solid agree or disagree because the issue in the question is nuanced and depends on the particulars of a situation. For example do I think a mandatory minimum wage hurts business? Yes and no. A mom and pop store may not be able to afford 15 dollars an hour but wal-mart can. But even then wal-mart is going to adjust their business practices to compensate for the increase in labor by reducing the number of employees and automating many of their processes. They have already started doing this by using the self checkout lines. What use to take 6 employees to run 6 checkout lines now only takes one employee to monitor 6 lines and the customer checks themselves out. With a mandatory 15 Dollar minimum wage for example Wal-mart just cut their labor costs by paying only one person 15 dollars an hour instead of 6. So yes basic pay went up but employment went down. Do I think government regulations hurt business again, yes and no. In a perfect world yes it hurts business but there are too many people that have historically abused employees so then the government had to step in to ensure ethical business practices. Do I think that their religions that pose a threat to the US security? Again, yes and no. They only pose a threat if they refuse to recognize that the US is a Constitutional republic and you can practice your faith as long as it doesn’t violate the Laws of the Constitution. Someone’s faith only becomes a threat if they refuse to acknowledge the laws of the nation they live in. Do I think that healthcare should be provided by the federal government? NO. A prime example of the failure of single payer healthcare is the Veterans Administration healthcare system. This is a federally funded (Single Payer/Taxpayer) medical system that we all know is broken badly. The VA only treats veterans and primarily treats them for service related injuries or illnesses. Realize that the VA system is only responsible for 3% of the population. If the federal government can’t effectively provide medical care for 3% of the population then how can anyone think they can provide for 100% of the population? I think that we all get caught up in the conservatives are fascists and the liberals communist stuff because nobody is communicating anymore. We are all just talking at each other. Most people are very reasonable when you get them to calm down and actually listen to each other. However, so many people start freaking out if you question their information or the logic they are applying to a situation then they start yelling and calling you a racist, fascist, communist etc… you get wonderfully idiotic statements that I have heard so many times in the last 5 years, “Your facts don’t out-weigh my opinion” when we as a society refuse to acknowledge facts that refute what we believe to be true then we are a society choosing willful ignorance. A core foundation of western civilization was the ability to reason with each other. We prided ourselves on the teachings of the great philosophers, Plato, Socrates, Francis Bacon, John Locke, Tocqueville, etc. We were a nation that recognized the rights of the individual and worked towards that goal. Now for some reason the mindset of the collective is permeating our society. The mindset that everyone is owed something even if they have done nothing to earn it. Do the poor need help? Yes. However they need help to get out of their poverty, not be comfortable in it with no exit strategy, creating generational poverty instead of generational wealth. I can pontificate endlessly on the good intentions that have lead to ruin of many people in this country. What we need to do is stop looking backwards to point fingers and blame and start learning from mistakes of the past and ensure they aren’t repeated in the future. The USA was never perfect and the founding fathers knew it, that is why they said “In order to form a MORE PERFECT union” they knew we weren’t perfect but we must strive for perfection and that can only be done by moving forward.