The Dakotas are 'as bad as it gets anywhere in the world' for COVID-19

[UpInArms]

Source: USA Today

South Dakota welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors to a massive motorcycle rally this summer, declined to cancel the state fair and still doesn't require masks. Now its hospitals are filling up and the state's current COVID-19 death rate is among the worst in the world.

The situation is similarly dire in North Dakota, with the state's governor recently moving to allow health care workers who have tested positive for COVID-19 to continue working if they don't show symptoms. It's a controversial policy recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a crisis situation where hospitals are short-staffed.

And now — after months of resisting a statewide mask mandate — North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum changed course late Friday, ordering masks to be worn statewide and imposing several business restrictions.

... snip ...

But Haseltine framed public health actions another way: Not enacting them is like standing in the way of an ambulance — the ambulance being proven health measures like mask mandates and social gathering restrictions. Even worse, encouraging large scale events in a pandemic as South Dakota has done is equivalent to manslaughter, Haseltine said.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/11/14/covid-19-north-south-dakota-masks-kristi-noem/6237635002/

[madaboutharry]

1. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is a first class moron.

She is a whole new kind of idiot.

The people of South Dakota should take the soaring Covid-19 numbers as a sign that electing Snow Queens to serve as governor is never a good idea.

[Wellstone ruled]

4. Oh you are so spot on.

Met her twice,and that was twice to many. Sad to say,SIL is her close personal friend. Just another Grifter.

[totodeinhere]

16. And of course that is why she is being mentioned as a possible contender for the

2024 Republican presidential nomination.

[Eyeball_Kid]

25. So who will the survivors of the dead COVID victims vote for in the next election?

My guess: Noem.

They will NOT associate this evil politician with the death of their loved ones. The mental connections to make are too complicated.

[BlueNProud]

2. Zero sympathy from me. F these people. They choose to be governed by lunatics.

[blockhead]

14. We're not all Republicans up here.

F you too.

[NCjack]

27. Blockhead, I know that there are many good DEMs in SD -- my wife and I are ex-residents.

[Demonaut]

22. enjoy your stay

[BlueStater]

3. Two of the least populated states in the country.

Thanks, Noem and Burgum.

You have to be really horrible at your job to have a virus spreading through states nobody lives in.

[usaf-vet]

5. Remind me are those Republican states?

[UpInArms]

6. Ugh ... disgustingly so

North Dakota
Updated: 1H Ago 99% In

Donald Trump 235,585 65.1%
Joe Biden 114,901 31.8%

South Dakota
Updated: 1H Ago 99% In

Donald Trump 261,043 61.8%
Joe Biden 150,471 35.6%

[usaf-vet]

7. So if the voting was today let me guess the Trump voters would be fewer. It might have something....

..... to do with Covid-19.

[Eyeball_Kid]

24. Trump's WORST MISTAKE:

Politicizing (exploiting) the pandemic as a means to increase his chances for re-election.

[usaf-vet]

30. We can't be talking about the same tRump he NEVER makes mistakes. Not to talk in generalities

but smart voters listen to scientists, wore masks, stayed in small distancing groups. Trump voters chose a self-thinning the herd approach. Appears as it worked, thinned Trump right out of the White House.

[Gilbert Moore]

8. Haseltine ?

William A. Haseltine is an American scientist, businessman, author, and philanthropist. He is known for his groundbreaking work on HIV/AIDS and the human genome. Haseltine was a professor at Harvard Medical School where he founded two research departments on cancer and HIV/AIDS.

[Warpy]

9. NM canceled every event this year

with bars and restaurants closing intermittently since March plus a statewide mask law since June. We're in bad shape, too, although not nearly as bad as the Dakotas.

I think what must be driving it here are (in order) schools, churches, and extended families that feel compelled to get together on weekends.

We're back on near lockdown again, but schools are in session in badly hit rural areas, churches are still demanding the faithful put their butts in the pews, and banning extended families from gatherings of more than 6 people is unenforceable.

I knew this was going to be really bad this winter. The only good thing is that it's still spreading more slowly than the average pre-vaccine flu used to.

[StevieM]

11. According to the CDC website New Mexico has had 65.9 cases per 100,000 people in the last 7 days.

North Dakota has had 169.2 cases per 100K. South Dakota has had 154.9 cases per 100K.

They are the two worst places on Earth, outside of San Marino.

The bronze medal goes to Iowa, which has had 135.2 cases per 100K. That puts them behind only San Marino and Andorra.

Wyoming, Wisconsin and Nebraska are also in pretty bad shape.

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#cases_casesper100klast7days

[Warpy]

12. Another site you might want to watch

https://covidactnow.org/?s=1324328 There is an interactive map and per county statistics, plus interactive state maps.

Half the population here lives in my greater metro area and the numbers here are not great, but they're not scary. Rural counties are doing the worst, as they are in most states.

The Dakotas have actually improved a little over last week.

[SpankMe]

10. Reagent-grade assholes

For these "let-the-people-decide-if-they-want-to-die" states, I'd like to see all of their bordering states blockade all routes from those states. If they think a mask mandate is an unacceptable assault on their liberty, I wonder what they'd think of the inability to travel between states?

[brush]

13. Republican governors are going to be a huge problem in stopping...

the spread of the virus. Too many horrendous decisions made favoring large crowd events and keeping spreader businesses open.

[Sherman A1]

23. Agreed

They will scream at the top of their lungs about freedom from a mask mandate all the while holding out their hands for federal funds.

[sandensea]

29. No one does hypocrisy like Repugs

Such is life.

[sandensea]

15. If Biden were ANYTHING like Cheeto, he'd threaten to withhold Covid funds until the Dakotas merged

But luckily for them, he's a gentleman and a pro all the way.

[mmbrevo]

26. Biden should withhold COVID funding from states

That refuse to follow safety protocols ie, mask mandates etc.

[sandensea]

28. He should - but as you know, no one does self-victimization like Repugs

"Biden is discriminating against red states - the real America!" they'd caterwaul non-stop on Faux News and Hate Radio.

He'll have to go for a federal mandate - although, of course, there's the Extreme Court to consider.

[safeinOhio]

17. Darwin award goes to ND.

Adapt to your environment to survive.

[Worried2020]

18. USA is in a heap of trouble . . .

.
.

I don't feel bad about us restricting border crossings

Hell - "if only" North America had restricted International travel at the first inkling of trouble . . . .

(sigh)

Well, Canada is not as bad off as the USA, but we were, and still are slow to implement the necessary measures t prevent this spread, unlike the Asians who grasped the dangers quickly and took the drastic measures necessary to slow down the spread of this bug



Interactive map and story at link

https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2020/11/14/covid-19-alert-the-10-riskiest-states-to-visit-right-now-ranked/?sh=31b8971399bd

W

[Bernardo de La Paz]

20. Coastal elites, anyone?

[usaf-vet]

31. STURGIS? Varoom.... varoom.....cough......cough.....cough.....cough!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

19. 2 mistakes: Red states thought they were immune and thought tRump would save them in the end. nt

[ProfessorGAC]

21. South Dakota Isn't Even Trying

Per Johns-Hopkins, they're testing under 3,000 per day. Illinois has about 14x the people and is averaging 100,000 tests per day.
At least North Dakota is up around 12,000 tests per day, at an even lower population.
ND governor just issued a mask mandate & gathering size limits.
Noem is still pretending this is no big deal. That why they had 1,800 new cases with only 3k tests. 60% positivity.

[usaf-vet]

32. The fewer you test the fewer the cases. The I'm a genius approach.

The, I'm a genius approach. The bigAa brain!

[ProfessorGAC]

33. Like I Said...

...they're not even trying.
North Dakota tested 12,000 people Friday. 5x the tests, 90% of the population.

[NickB79]

34. The residents are so brainwashed they aren't even demanding tests

Not a care in the world over infecting and killing other people. It's just like the flu, dontcha know?

[ProfessorGAC]

35. No Doubt

I'm sure you've seen the posts here about patients in ICU, and coming off ventilators, yelling at the medical pros because they said it was COVID.
There's no fixing that sort of willful ignorance.