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Food for thought today, Zonies. We know that @dougducey was all in with Trump, hosting rallies throughout Arizona with few wearing masks up until the end of October. These rallies were the seeds of our present outbreak, as was known at the time. These rallies caused outbreaks.
Yesterday, it was reported that the Trump administration was promoting the idea of herd immunity. It is largely accepted by the scientific community that “going for herd” would result in unacceptable morbidity and mortality, but this didn’t stop Trump at al.
Yesterday, @dougducey holds a press conference equal parts “rah rah the vaccine will save us”, and denial that it won’t be able to save us until the summer. At one point, he appeared to frame his inaction as an attempt to keep “well-paid” people with “state-funded” jobs
...from suggesting that a lockdown is a good tool to deploy, because Ducey believes that these scientists are not considering the impact of a lockdown, and thus want to “throw people out of work”. This is a false dichotomy and represents either a *catastrophic* misunderstanding..
...of the facts on the ground, whereby plans have been offered to him for providing economic support for those who would suffer under a lockdown. He won’t consider these remedies. So, the only question remaining on the table is...
Is @dougducey still trying to “go for herd”, when the scientific community, doctors, nurses, families of loved ones, nursing home staff are UNIVERSALLY calling for a lockdown? What other explanation can there be for his willful and destructive negligence?
Let us not forget the actively *obstructive* actions Ducey took to throw up barriers to mitigation. In chronological order.
1. He refused to follow the carefully-crafted state pandemic guidance, leading to the resignation of Wendy Smith-Reeve, the director of the Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (DEMA) in March. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.fox10phoenix.com/news/arizonas-director-of-emergency-management-resigns.amp
2. Up until July, Ducey specifically *forbade* local masking ordnances, until our brave mayor, @TucsonRomero, went ahead and mandate masks anyway. https://www.google.com/amp/s/tucson.com/news/local/governor-backs-down-allows-tucson-other-locales-to-mandate-mask-wearing/article_5fcc9392-b0de-11ea-8f69-7f019d7e5320.amp.html
His administration also demanded that university COVID19 modelers “pause their work”, which was met with such backlash that they instantly reversed course. https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.azcentral.com/amp/3092804001
Currently, the governor’s orders regarding no lockdowns prevent any municipalities from enacting their own public health measures. Ducey wants full control to do nothing, while preparing to blame the people of AZ when he’s forced into a lockdown. And he will be forced.
In the meantime, when asked about the welfare of our healthcare workers, who are breaking under unmitigated stress, he punts to Cara Christ who delivers a non-answer. No one appears to be considering the effects of PTSD that are already emerging among HCWs.
A lockdown is not only possible, but required.
If he needs a way to pitch this, here it is: The vaccine will work better if we have a lockdown. Undermining the very infrastructure that we have in place to deliver vaccines is not going to encourage or promote vaccine uptake when the herd is ready for vaccination come spring.
There is currently a large COVID19 outbreak at the Pima County Health Department. Last week, 20 or so maskless “activists” who apparently hate public health stormed the health department. The PCHD director is now infected. https://kvoa.com/news/top-stories/2020/12/16/pima-county-health-department-director-tests-positive-for-covid-19/
Cullen has been a critical figure in attempting to maintain any kind of control of COVID19. She is a leader. She has been working nonstop in our community. What impact does it have when a preventable disease knocks out the director of a large county health department?
...as well as the others at PCHD that are sick. No words of encouragement or concern from Ducey about this.
The example of what is happening at PCHD is simply an example of what will continue to happen as Ducey refuses to take action. PCHD is administering the first vaccine today in Tucson—ironically too late for those who have been on the front lines since the word go.
How are they meant to keep up the massive amount of work that must be done to even respond to COVID19, let alone prevent it through vax administration, when large swathes of PCHD must isolate or quarantine?
These are the things that will continue to occur until finally we break through our delicate equipoise and are careening about with a previously-unimaginable, and wholly preventable, public health disaster.
