A Vacation Paradise—if You're a Covid-19 Virus
Little South Dakota has a population of 885,000 souls and Mount Rushmore. They get two US Senators, just like California.
SD is punching above its weight in the current pandemic surge. In covid-19 cases per 100,000, it’s number 2 in the US, following only its northern neighbor North Dakota (population about 800,000, including two Senators.) North and South Dakota have more deaths/100K than other states by a wide margin, too.
The Explanation:
South Dakota Gov. Kristi L. Noem (R) has opposed mask mandates and other measures despite the rapid spread in her state.
Noem is definitely playing for the other team.
A covid-19 denier, she banned lockdown orders and discourages masks and distancing. She echoes the White House claim that the epidemic will “magically disappear.”
Since the virus is disappearing, she rejected federal aid for unemployed workers in her state.
Noem will be up for reelection in 2022, She’s already raised over $10 million for her campaign. Maybe that’s why she’s so cavalier about risking the lives of her voters.
SD Hospitals Overwhelmed
Like many small states, SD has few intensive care beds. They are all full. Health workers are burning out.
Apparently many people in the state are fans of denial and conspiracy theories about covid.
A nurse, Jodi Doering said she has covid-19 patients who need 100-percent-oxygen breathing assistance and who will also swear they don’t have the illness… The NYT quotes her as saying “I think the hardest thing to watch is that people are still looking for something else and a magic answer and they do not want to believe covid is real.”
Things may be looking up for the governor’s reelection campaign.
Looks like a staycation again for our family. See you tomorrow.
