Delta Variant Upends World’s Pandemic Response | What We’ve Learned from COVID-19 | Australia: The Cost of Zero Covid

America Is Getting Unvaccinated People All Wrong  (Ed Yong, The Atlantic)
They’re not all anti-vaxxers, and treating them as such is making things worse.

What We’ve Learned from COVID-19  (John Fund and Joel Hay, National Review)
In the greatest failure of public-health policy in history, the ‘experts’ have ignored the massive harms caused by their own lockdown measures.

Three States — Florida, Texas and Missouri – Account for about 40% of the U.S. New Covid-19 Cases  (Madeline Holcombe, CNN)
While Covid-19 cases in the United States have been rising in almost every state over the past week, a handful have been driving the bulk of the nationwide surge.
White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zientstold reporters Thursday the country has “fundamentally changed the course of this pandemic” and the threat of serious disease and death now is to the unvaccinated.

Florida Leads U.S. in Covid-19 Cases as Hospitalizations Surge  (Arian Campo-Flores, Wall Street Journal)
Driving the rise are the Delta variant, large numbers of unvaccinated, relaxation of preventive measures and more indoor time.

He said counties with the highest case rates have significantly lower vaccination rates than other areas. And a few states have seen many of the new cases.

“This week, just three states Florida, Texas and Missouri, three states with lower vaccination rates accounted for 40 percent of all cases nationwide,” Zients said at a White House news conference. “For the second week in a row, one in five of all cases occurring in Florida alone. And within communities, these cases are primarily among unvaccinated people.”

“Patience Has Worn Thin”: Frustration Mounts over Vaccine Holdouts  (Dan Diamond and Tyler Pager, Washington Post)
Seven months after the first coronavirus shots were rolled out, vaccinated Americans — including government, business and health leaders — are growing frustrated that tens of millions of people are still refusing to get them, endangering themselves and their communities and fueling the virus’s spread.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) on Thursday lashed out amid a surge of cases in her state, telling a reporter it’s “time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks.” The National Football League this week imposed new rules that put pressure on unvaccinated players, warning their teams could face fines or be forced to forfeit games if those players were linked to outbreaks.
“I think for a lot of leaders, both in government and in business, patience has worn thin,” said Matt Gorman, a Republican strategist. “There is an urgency that might not have been there a month ago.”

Vaccinated America Has Had Enough  (David Frum, The Atlantic)
In the United States, this pandemic could be almost over by now. The reasons it’s still going are pretty clear.

As Coronavirus Surges, GOP Lawmakers Are Moving to Limit Public Health Powers  (Frances Stead Sellers  and Isaac Stanley-Becker, Washington Post)
Across the country, GOP lawmakers are rallying around the cause of individual freedom to counter community-based disease mitigation methods, moves experts say leave the country ill-equipped to counter the resurgent coronavirus and a future, unknown outbreak.
In some states, anger at perceived overreach by health officials has prompted legislative attempts to limit their authority, including new state laws that prevent the closure of businesses or allow lawmakers to rescind mask mandates. Some state courts have reined in the emergency and regulatory powers governors have wielded against the virus. And in its recent rulings and analysis, the U.S. Supreme Court has signaled its willingness to limit disease mitigation in the name of religious freedom.

In Alabama and Louisiana, Partisan Opposition to Vaccine Surges Alongside Delta Variant  (Erin Banco, Politico)
Many people are turning down Covid vaccines because they are angry that President Donald Trump lost the election and sick of Democrats thinking they know what’s best.

Australia Proves the Cost of Zero Covid  (Matthew Lynn, The Spectator)
The U.K. is growing at the fastest pace in 80 years. The United States, fueled by President Biden’s stimulus program, is expanding at a breath-taking pace, while Sweden is growing at a rapid rate. Most of the global economy is bouncing back from the Covid recession at remarkable speed. There is, however, one exception. Australia. What has long been one of the most successful economies in the world is heading back not just into lockdown but into recession as well — and giving the world a sharp lesson in the cost of ‘zero Covid’.
Over the last year, Australia, along with New Zealand, has been heaped with praise for the way it has managed to keep Covid-19 under control. There is, of course, plenty of justification for that. Infection and death rates are dramatically lower than they are in most other countries. And yet, there is a price attached. Many local economists are now forecasting that a recession is almost certain in the latest quarter.