As Covid Case Counts Rise, Don't Expect Leadership From Mayor Bronson

COVID-19 case counts are beginning to increase in every state across the country—the increase is being called the "Pandemic of the Unvaccinated," a title likely to make for an interesting documentary one day.

The increase in cases is fueled largely by the Delta variant of the coronavirus, a highly transmissible variant that is causing a new surge of new patients to frequent hospital emergency departments.

How much more infectious is the Delta variant?

In a completely unmitigated environment—where no one is vaccinated or wearing masks—it’s estimated that the average person infected with the original coronavirus strain will infect 2.5 other people. In the same environment, Delta would spread from one person to maybe 3.5 or 4 other people, according to F. Perry Wilson, MD, a Yale Medicine epidemiologist.

The COVID-19 vaccines are largely effective at preventing severe illness and hospitalizations caused by the Delta variant, and according to doctors, the most important thing you can do to protect yourself from Delta is to get fully vaccinated—but it's unlikely you'll hear those words from the lips of Anchorage Mayor and Covid-19 long-hauler David Bronson.

Anchorage's new Mayor criticized health mandates and business closures, and in very Trumpian fashion, also downplayed the importance of the Covid-19 pandemic. Since taking office, he has appointed David Morgan as Anchorage's new Health Director—a former district chairman of the Republican party.

Morgan made vile comments on social media about the Covid-19 pandemic—in one, quoting a "comedian" writing, “If you think the coronavirus panic in an election year right after three failed coup attempts against Trump is a coincidence, you might be as dumb as a rock!”

Morgan reportedly took down his Facebook account after Alaska Public Media inquired about his "jokes."

Emergency Departments in Anchorage are seeing an increase in the number of patients with Covid-19 related symptoms. As of Saturday evening, Anchorage Native Medical Center (ANMC) had 12 patients hospitalized with Covid-19.

On July 17, Vivian Prescott wrote on Twitter that there were no beds available at Alaska Regional or Providence hospitals for her father, a cardiac patient. According to Prescott, it took 29 hours before Prescott's father could settle into a bed at Alaska Regional Hospital.

On July 16, Rawstory Co-Host Shannyn Moore tweeted that a loved one of Moore's could not obtain a medevac from Homer to Anchorage "because of covid." I spoke to Moore, who confirmed the details of her tweet.

An emergency room nurse at ANMC, who wished to speak anonymously as many healthcare workers did last year fearing retribution from hospital administrators, told me that their time at the hospital the past month has been "challenging."

They say the hospital has been inundated with lines of patients in triage, ambulances, more traumas and that the additional "COVID-19 influx" is, in their opinion, stressing an already stressed system.

The same nurse says that they have "tremendous faith in the Covid-19 vaccines and their efficacy to keep the already vaccinated out of the hospitals," but says that Delta will hit the unvaccinated population the hardest.

According to a CBS News Poll conducted in June, thirty percent of Republicans have refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19—assumably protecting their right to die in an apparent effort to own us libs.

The same poll found that 52 percent of Republicans were either fully or partially vaccinated, while 77% of Democrats said they were either fully or partially vaccinated, which likely means that the people who voted for Mayor Bronson are largely unvaccinated.

The Save Anchorage group, which backed David Bronson for mayor last August, comprises members known to share misinformation on the Covid-19 vaccines and many members refuse to get vaccinated.

Not encouraging those who supported you to get the vaccine is an interesting career choice for Anchorage's mayor when you consider David Bronson only won the mayoral race by roughly 1,193 votes. But, unfortunately, it also shows a lack of appreciation by Mayor Bronson for Anchorage's healthcare workers, who are already feeling stressed at this early stage of a possible resurgence.

But you know, MAGA and stuff.

Everyone 12 or older is now eligible for the free Covid-19 vaccine. You can find more information here. You won't turn into a zombie. I promise.