KELO-TV finds some anti-masker baloney from nameless clickers and from Governor Kristi Noem on the Internet, gets a real doctor to point out that it’s baloney, but then posts this proper fact-checking under the weak-kneed false-equivalency headline, “Masks: Helpful or Hurtful?”
With stupid behavior stoked by stupid advice causing a huge surge in coronavirus cases nationwide, straining hospital capacity and causing more economic damage, we don’t have time to coddle idiots who spread epidemiological lies; KELO’s headline should be, “Masks Help Stop Coronavirus: Wear ’em!” and the lead sentence should be, “Dr. Wendell Hoffman, an infectious disease specialist who knows more about coronavirus than the knucklehead who shared that Facebook meme, says masks prevent disease, and anyone who says otherwise is endangering your health”:
“This virus is spread through respiratory emissions, and so it’s being around that person who is infected and who projects those infected respiratory droplets out in front of them and into the space around them. So, we know that masks, just by common sense, would limit that,” Dr. Hoffman said.
…“The data regarding masks I don’t think is very mixed anymore. I think the data regarding masks use particularly indoors, particularly in those close settings, because remember we do believe this virus in fact is spread asymptomatically, and there are multiple observational studies that show patients who are infected with this virus can be infected and have either no symptoms or very minimal symptoms. So, I don’t think the science is very mixed anymore. And, I think there’s enough evidence for us to suggest that mask use in these indoor settings in particularly is going to be an effective strategy. There are studies that clearly show that those states who exerted more pressure on the population to wear masks were able to dampen down the transmission of the virus more so than in another setting,” Dr. Hoffman said.
…“The argument that masks don’t work I don’t think is fair. I would go back to the primary premise of where did the use of masks show prevention and that’s within the healthcare settings themselves, where once we started using aggressive personal protective equipment, including masks, the transmission to healthcare workers plummeted. We therefore know from our own experience that masks are part of that strategy. And so, there’s no mixture there. We would never walk into a COVID unit without wearing masks and wearing other protective equipment,” Dr. Hoffman said.
…“We fully anticipate that this is going to be here to stay. Therefore, we can’t wait for a vaccine, and even a vaccine does come we don’t know the kind of immune response we can expect, and that we’re going to need to continue to protect the most vulnerable in our community. Yes, the virus has a very low mortality in otherwise younger people, younger age groups, but those are exactly the people we need to step up to help us,” Dr. Hoffman said.
…“We’re not used to being told, ‘hey you need to cover your face,’ I get it. I’m not really crazy about having to wear a mask eight to ten hours a day either, but I do it because I believe that I can protect other people from me because I may be shedding the virus myself asymptomatically,” Dr. Hoffman said [Whitney Fowkes, “Masks: Helpful or Harmful?” KELO-TV, 2020.07.09].
A pandemic is no time to give idiots and liars equal time. Masks prevent coronavirus from spreading. Wear your masks.
For those of you who have not noticed, the SD-DOH PSA on coronavirus is running on the local news networks with some regularity. The other day I realized that the PSA did not mention masks, only “Cover your face when coughing or sneezing” nor did it mention social distancing, but only said “Avoid close contact.” So I went over to the SD-DOH website, and found that the “Precautions to Avoid Illness” do not list masks, either – all it says is “Avoid Close Contact.”
So is this carelessness, or cherry-picking, or censorship? How can we expect our citizens to follow CDC guidelines if the South Dakota Department of Health eliminates two of the only things we can do to protect ourselves?
The answer is, they don’t. Here in Sioux Falls, the number of retail businesses whose employees are wearing masks has plummeted. Ace Hardware – no masks. Even establishments that handle food, like Breadsmith, are no longer mandating masks “because they’re not required by the guidelines.” (I wrote the management and that was their reply.) Thank God that Hy-Vee, Costco, Lewis Drug are all still having their employees wear masks.
I’ve written the Governor, our Senators, our Representative, and the Sioux Falls mayor about this, and so far have heard crickets from all but TenHaken, who avoided the question (why has this information been altered?) to tell me he can’t mandate masks and besides, things are getting better.
I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’m living in Vichy France, where I know I live in a war zone, the government is constantly telling me everything’s fine, but they’re not working for me.
Apt comparison to Vichy.
Just saw Fat Nixon with a mask, yep, dude looks like a criminal.
Ten is nothing but a right winger like the gal with the shoes on the council all right wingers.Can Sioux Falls do better than these.
As soon as COVID Kristi finds out she’s not running for Vice President or Trump is trounced in the election, she’ll flip-flop big time on masks to salvage her hopes for re-election. Worst governor in all 50 states.
There does seem to be an almost anti-mask antifa-like coordinated group run by the Chambers of Commerce. grudznick’s guess is that the Chambers are not the real puppet-masters, but there is a small group of Illuminati who are really controlling the mask wearing messaging, and pulling all the strings from behind.
No pun intended.
One month from now the Governor and the good people on the Sturgis City Council are hosting a Covid party and we are all invited to join the fun. At a conservative estimate, 100,000 people from all over the country will fill the streets, bars and restaurants in Sturgis, Rapid, Deadwood and western South Dakota during the 80th Sturgis Rally. In New York and other states where the state leaders are trying to keep their citizens alive, they are compelling travelers from California, Florida, Arizona, and Texas where the virus is running wild to quarantine for 14 days when they come to their states. In South Dakota, our Governor is inviting them here, knowing they will all be cheek to jowl, drunk and happy, for about 10 days. At a conservative estimate, at least 1 per cent of those people will come already infected with covid 19. That is 1000 people.
1000 sick people who do not know they are sick can and will infect thousands more. Where is the State Health Department? Why is the Governor letting this happen? Why are the newspapers, television media, politicians, mayors and local politicians all silent and not even asking questions about this totally foreseeable disaster coming our way in about 30 days? This is reckless indifference to human life.
The GNOem has never wanted to be the governor so she fits right into what a republican truly is. They don’t like government unless they can personally profit from the position. Take a look at Grover Norquist or ALEC and you can see what I mean.
If GNOem really gave a care, she would have given the shelter in place and stopped the rally. Wyoming stopped the Cheyenne Frontier Days because of the Covid, so now you know that the governor of Wyoming is kind of a middle of the road republican, he ain’t an idiot, we have that market cornered.
Mr. Hanna, are you questioning South Dakota’s credentials as a pro-life state?