Over the last two months it seems that the US MSM has been gleefully talking up the caseloads and death tolls from a recent Covid-19 surge in the Southern US states, especially Texas and Florida.
It isn’t too hard to guess that this was done because those states are run by Republicans, in keeping with the politicisation of this supposedly medical and scientific problem. No, the narrative was that since these states were packed with stump-toothed, gun-totin’, MAGA-hat wearing Trumpers who are “vaccine hesitant”, it was not a surprise that Covid was surging through such moronic populations. The only regret seems to have been that not enough were subsequently dying, but that’s Delta for you.
For those of us who have been following the progress of this virus over the last eighteen months it seemed more likely that the reason was that in the summer months the population of such states retreats indoors to an AC environment. Respiratory viruses love that, so as Fall approached and temperatures and humidity dropped, Southerners would get outside more, while Northerners would start to be the ones who retreated indoors, and a Covid-19 Delta surge would happen in the latter states.
Voila:
The New England region has been hit by this third wave of the virus:
According to statistics from The Associated Press, the five states with the highest percentage of a fully vaccinated population are all in New England, with Vermont leading, followed by Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. New Hampshire is 10th.
According to the AP data, full vaccination rates across the six New England states range from a high of 69.4% in Vermont to 61.5% in New Hampshire.
Maine is having a surge in COVID-related hospitalisations despite 84% of everyone over 12, 85.3% of everyone over 18, and 98.4% of everyone over 65 being at least partially vaccinated.
But aside from the actual news is the way the MSM is reporting it, using two of their time-tested strategies:
- Stop covering the news when it’s good for the Republicans.
- Stop assigning political blame when the news is bad for Democrats.
An example of the first strategy: Media stops covering FL COVID data:
“Why is it that you are not hearing about the Florida COVID caseload so much anymore? We were here talking to you about it in July because the media was convinced Ron DeSantis… ‘doesn’t care about old people or children dying of COVID”
…
“[Florida] didn’t implement a mask mandate, didn’t do COVID passports and the cases still went down,” said Travis, after Sexton referenced a 50% decline in COVID cases across the Sunshine State in the past 2 weeks.
The second strategy shows up with these examples of MSM coverage of this surge in the NE states:
- ASSOCIATED PRESS – There are constant reminders for most New England states of just how vicious the delta variant of COVID-19 is.
- YAHOO NEWS – Cases are still climbing and hospitals have been pushed to the brink in some states as the highly contagious Delta variant continues to spread.
- BOSTON HERALD – Infections have been higher amid the more highly contagious delta variant.
By contrast to the reporting on Florida and Texas, in none of these reports do we see blame for this new outbreak being leveled at politicians and their COVID policies. It’s all attributed to the vicious nature of a particularly contagious strain alone.
This current surge in the Northeast screws the MSM talking points, because this sector of the country has long been held up as an example of forthright behavior regarding the pandemic. Yet, despite all claims and lectures, they are experiencing the same type of surge seen in states across the country. But the MSM cannot demonize those voters, they can’t attribute the problem to vaccine resistance, and they can’t blame things on political decisions, because on every factor they’re the side the MSM has taken – the Democrat and Left-wing side.
As a result, in just one month, there has been a turnaround as “reckless” GOP leadership and policies are pushed aside and the nefarious nature of the Delta variant rises to the top of the responsibility reports. BTW, at the same time, those GOP states with better numbers than earlier are forgotten in the coverage.
Readers might like to inform me whether this trend has been seen in the NZ MSM? I’d be willing to bet the same thing was seen here in reporting on the USA.
No Minister 
Also noted media have gone quiet on all the “superspeader” American Football events that are also concentrated in the Red states. From that we can assume it another thing they got wrong. Or maybe they have stopped reporting it because of the Brandon chants.
I think it actually died months ago when Fauci’s snivelling about big crowds for baseball games being super-spreader events also crashed and burned.
In fact the only super-spreader event that comes to mind from this year was some gay get together in … Boston???, and it was very much a close contact event.
We don’t have different government the way the US has with different rules, so instead we get the constant doom and gloom from “experts” plastered across the media.
Just read a terrible one from the Herald, why give him oxygen without presenting the ramifications from a philosophical point of view – it’s criminal.
Covid 19 Delta outbreak: NZ needs 95% vax rate before even thinking of Xmas freedom – top expert
Oh, you mean reporting on the USA, on NZ like the USA .. I blame the small print 🙂
*NOT on NZ like the USA .. 2nd time lucky
95% That’s insane.
There are 4.2 million eligible for vaccination out of the nation’s five million people, which is 84% of the population, meaning 84% vaxxed IF we got a 100% hit rate on all 4.2 million.
But as I understand it the government’s goal is 90% of that 4.2 million – which means on a total population basis that the vaccination rate will therefore be 75.6%.
If they think that an 85% vax rate, would be “giving Kiwis the virus for Christmas” WTF would 75.6% do?
I realise the following is a joke question, but has any journalist run these numbers and popped the question to Adern or Hipkins?
I doubt it, Tom, not when they are asking questions, or is it making statements like this:
https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2021/10/general_debate_11_october_2021.html#comment-3038929
True Lucia. I have not been able to see my dear Mother in a rest home for weeks despite being fully vaccinated. This government is using “health” to enact communist policies and separate families. The Borders of Auckland will become our Berlin Wall.
I’m so sorry to hear, that Chris.