New Study Shows Mask Mandates Had Zero Effect in Florida or Nationwide, But the Lie Continues by Scott Morefield
Scott Morefield
6-8 minutes
Obviously, no amount of evidence, data, trends, facts, studies, or science will ever convince most ‘public health officials’ that
masks aren’t doing squat to stop the spread of COVID-19. Cases and deaths continue to spike (yes, many of these are super-sensitive PCR test-driven numbers, but still) despite the fact that well over 90% of the country
are complying with their absurd mandates. Yet, predictably, the virus keeps going right on virusing, as highly contagious respiratory viruses, unfortunately, tend to do, especially once cold weather hits.
Nevertheless, those of us who are mask skeptics have a
difficult chore in front of us. Given that most of the country is under a mask mandate of some form or another, we can point to spikes all day AFTER these mandates were put in place only to have our opponents simply say, “Look how bad it would have been WITHOUT masks!”
It’s a tough argument to counter given the fact that our overlords have sold masking as a low-cost, easy “solution” that’s totally worth it even if they “save one life,” or something (nevermind the health risks - let’s
censor docs who talk about those!). So, how DO we prove that things wouldn’t have been worse without masks? One way is to look at data from the few free states remaining.
In Florida, for example, most counties have so far bravely refused to implement mask mandates while others, usually in high population centers, have done so. Justin Hart and the team at
Rational Ground (follow them on Twitter
here - it’s worth it) just released a comprehensive data analysis of masked vs non-masked counties in the state. A total of 22 of 67 counties in the state have implemented a mask order at some point during the period of May 1 through December 15. It may not sound like many, but these include almost all of Florida’s largest metro areas. To be more than fair, if an area added a mask order at some point during the outbreak, the study’s authors gave a 14 day period to allow time for cases to begin subsiding. “Cases were summed for both mandate and non-mandate jurisdictions and adjusted per 100,000 people for days the mandates were or were not in effect,” wrote the authors, describing the methodology used.
If masks did even close to as advertised, one would expect to see the counties that went maskless to be absolute dumpster fires next to the counties that implemented mandates, right? At the very least, the numbers should favor the masked areas by more than a percentage point or two. So, how did it go? Yep, it was the Mask Cult’s worse nightmare:
“When counties DID have a mandate in effect, there were 667,239 cases over 3,137 days with an average of 23 cases per 100,000 per day. When counties DID NOT have a countywide order, there were 438,687 cases over 12,139 days with an average of 22 cases per 100,000 per day.”
In other words, counties with mask-mandates in place actually did WORSE than those that refused to implement them. (Yeah, color
me shocked.) The authors even accounted for population density in their analysis, suggesting that it didn’t have an impact on the numbers because four of the 12 most populous counties in Florida never had a countywide order. “When the eight DID have an order in effect, there were 64 cases per 1,000. In periods 11 of 12 DID NOT have one, there were 40,” they wrote.
“But that’s just Florida,” you say. “They’re weirdos anyway. Surely masks have worked in the rest of the country.” Well, I’m glad you asked! The good folks at Rational Ground went on to
compare national numbers, pitting the states that resisted the urge to impose a statewide mask mandate against those that masked up. How did those compare?
“When states DID have a mandate in effect, there were 9,605,256 cases over 5,907 total days and averaged 27 cases per 100,000 per day. When states DID NOT have a statewide order there were 5,781,716 cases over 5,772 total days averaging 17 cases per 100,000 people per day.”
So there you have it, incontrovertible data evidence that mask mandates do little to nothing to stop or even slightly curb the spread of COVID-19. If masks were the answer, wouldn’t you expect to see a drop in cases not long after mask mandates are implemented? At the very least, wouldn’t you expect to see cases level off and STAY leveled off? What you would NOT expect would be what has actually happened, for cases to spike as they have done since November seemingly all across the country, regardless of whether or not a mandatory masking policy was in place.
Further, wouldn’t you also expect states and areas that MASKED HARRDERRR than anyone else, states
like California that have the ‘bold leadership’ to insist the plebes under their control mask up outside on hiking trails and sitting alone in parks, to have the lowest case counts of all? Just look at the latest per capita numbers there compared to Florida and tell me with a straight face that mask mandates ‘work.’ As Dave Rubin
adeptly pointed out earlier this month, Florida’s numbers “should be ten times higher” than California’s. I mean, nobody is asking for masks to work perfectly, but hell, shouldn’t we expect SOME performance?
Numbers and data like this get down to the brass tacks. We can pit our doctors, scientists, and epidemiologists against their doctors, scientists, and epidemiologists on the
actual science behind whether forcing people to put a moist, bacteria & virus-laden piece of cloth over the holes through which they breathe actually works to contain a virus that’s infinitesimally smaller than its threads (and yes, there are plenty of doctors, scientists, and epidemiologists on Team Reality too, and a bunch of them are on
this must-follow Twitter list!), but if mask-mandates aren’t actually WORKING to curb the spread, why do we have them in place?
It’s complete and
utter nonsense, of course. You know it, I know it, and the powers-that-be likely know it too. So why do they insist on continuing the charade? Whatever it is, it has NOTHING to do with either public health or real science.
LOL Sore loser tries again, fails. I love it. Florida Governor Desantis, considered one of the worst governors in the United States LOL!
Why not just say Hitler was a good man, LOL!
https://news.yahoo.com/second-democ...e-santiss-vaccine-distribution-100026167.html
2nd Democrat calls for investigation of DeSantis's vaccine distribution
WASHINGTON — The sole Democrat elected to statewide office in Florida is calling on the U.S. House of Representatives coronavirus committee to investigate the state’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, for “alleged political favoritism” in coronavirus vaccine distribution.
That call comes in a letter that Florida’s agriculture commissioner, Nikki Fried, will send on Monday morning to Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., who heads the coronavirus committee, and Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, its ranking Republican member. The letter was obtained by Yahoo News over the weekend.
A Moderna COVID-19 vaccine vial. (Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“My office has received frequent complaints” about the state’s vaccine strategy, Fried writes, charging DeSantis with “an inept distribution of vaccines at best, and corrupt political patronage at worst.”
It is the second such call, coming days after Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., asked the Department of Justice to investigate DeSantis on much the same grounds. Crist’s
letter, sent on Feb. 21, alleged that DeSantis, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, “is establishing vaccine distribution and administration sites in select locations to benefit political allies and donors, over the needs of higher risk communities.”
Crist and Fried are both potential gubernatorial candidates, making their requests for an investigation impossible to separate from politics. Then again, the pandemic has been hounded by politics from the start. It may just be that the politics in Florida are more bare-knuckled and consequential than they are in most other places.
Fried, one of DeSantis's most unstinting critics, told Yahoo News that "Florida’s vaccine distribution has been chaotic and without a plan. It’s been inequitable, with Black and Hispanic residents left behind. And it’s been corrupt, with the Governor’s donors and political allies getting special access.”
“The message is clear,” she said. “If Ron DeSantis likes you, or if you give his campaign money, you can cut in line ahead of seniors, teachers, and essential workers. It’s despicable and it needs to stop.”
In an email to Yahoo News, DeSantis spokeswoman Meredith Beatrice said that “the insinuation that politics play into vaccine distribution in Florida is baseless and ridiculous,” pointing to vaccination clinics at Florida A&M University, a historically Black college, and,
in partnership with the Biden administration, in underserved areas of Miami, Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville. The DeSantis administration has
recently held vaccination drives in churches, which has helped to correct racial disparities. Vaccination sites have also come to Walmart and Winn-Dixie outlets.
Nikki Fried at a concert in support of Florida Democratic candidates Sen. Bill Nelson and Andrew Gillum in 2018. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
While controversies about the coronavirus vaccine abound across the country, the relationship between DeSantis and Florida’s Democrats has become particularly acrimonious, preventing the kind of cooperation that would presumably make the vaccination effort more efficient.
Although he enjoyed
a surprising measure of bipartisan support in his first year in office, DeSantis has more recently faced harsh criticism from Democrats for his handling of the pandemic, which has mirrored that of Trump. The scramble for vaccines has only deepened such frustrations, renewing fears that DeSantis, like Trump, is interested only in catering to his most loyal supporters.
“He is treating Black people like an afterthought,” says state
Rep. Omari Hardy, a Democrat who represents West Palm Beach. Hardy told Yahoo News he supported an investigation of DeSantis.
“We all deserve to know whether the governor is rewarding his donors and supporters by granting them privileged access to this life-preserving resource,” Rep. Hardy said, adding that if DeSantis has as much confidence in his vaccine plan as he appears to, he should “welcome” such an inquiry.
(The governor’s office noted that he
held a vaccination clinic early last month in West Palm Beach with Anquan Boldin, the former professional football player.)
DeSantis’s primary goal has been to vaccinate the state’s large population of seniors. Beatrice, the governor’s spokeswoman, noted that those efforts have included outreach to veterans of World War II and the Korean War, as well as Holocaust survivors. In prioritizing the elderly, however,
DeSantis is going against federal guidelines that call for essential workers to be at or near the front of the vaccination line.
Then-President Donald Trump at a "COVID-19 Response and Storm Preparedness" event with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in Belleair, Fla., in July. (Tom Brenner/Reuters)
DeSantis has been criticized for allegedly
hiding data about the pandemic’s ravages in assisted-living facilities,
keeping coroners from providing accurate coronavirus fatality statistics and
misrepresenting the number of young people who have fallen ill with COVID-19. He was among the most eager governors to open up his state, which earned plaudits from conservatives averse to lockdowns. Some saw the rush as irresponsible, however, and the nickname
“Death Santis” took hold among his critics.
When coronavirus vaccines first became widely available in January, DeSantis faced criticism for setting up vaccination sites in Publix supermarkets shortly after the company donated $100,000 to DeSantis’s political committee. Moreover, the specific Publix outlets where the vaccination sites were located
were all in Republican counties won by Trump in November. A spokesperson for the company
called such allegations “absolutely incorrect.”
Fried was elected in 2018 to serve as Florida’s agriculture secretary. As the only Democrat in DeSantis’s Cabinet, she has frequently sparred with the governor, most recently over his order that flags be lowered across the state to mark the death of Rush Limbaugh, the radio talk show host.
Fried cites several instances of alleged favoritism, in which real-estate magnates supportive of the governor allegedly received vaccine shipments to be used exclusively in their developments.
Those developments, according to reports cited by both Fried and Crist, include the
wealthy enclaves of Boca Royale Golf & Country Club and Kings Gate Golf & Country Club, both of which received “pop-up” vaccination sites. Both sites were developed by
Patrick Neal, a major DeSantis donor.
A representative for Neal Communities, the development company founded by Neal, did not immediately return a request for comment.
DeSantis also coordinated with developer and donor Rex Jensen to deliver 3,000 vaccine doses to Lakewood Ranch, a well-heeled planned community situated in a part of Manatee County where nine out of 10 people are white. County official Vanessa Baugh, a Republican who heads the Manatee County board of commissioners, is
being investigated for setting up that event in a way that specifically targeted wealthier ZIP codes. Revelations about that vaccination event led Crist to
ask acting U.S. Attorney General Monty Wilkinson to investigate DeSantis.
A representative for Lakewood Ranch declined to comment. Baugh did not answer a request for comment.
The governor has responded to questions about the Lakewood Ranch vaccine shipment with the kind of bluster that has marked his handling of the coronavirus from the start. “Look, if Manatee County doesn’t like us doing this, then we are totally fine with putting this in counties that want it,” he told reporters. Congressional or federal investigators could seek records from DeSantis and local officials like Baugh should they take up the calls by Crist and Fried.
The vaccination effort has been a complex brew of politics, policy and science. It has picked up pace in recent weeks, but it has also run into problems at every level of government, in Republican and Democratic jurisdictions alike. Elected officials and public health leaders have struggled to balance the need to vaccinate quickly and the need to do so equitably.
Last week, Democratic Sens. Ben Cardin of Maryland and Bob Menendez of New Jersey
introduced legislation to help ramp up vaccination and public health efforts in underserved communities. “It’s unacceptable that marginalized communities suffering the highest COVID-19 mortality rates aren’t receiving their fair share of vaccinations nor access to education on preventative measures,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who also supports the measure.
The lack of comprehensive reporting only compounds frustration and confusion. Many states do not report data about racial distribution of the vaccine. Florida does release those statistics,
along with 33 other states; according to Fried’s letter, 11 percent of white Floridians have been vaccinated, but only 4.3 percent of African Americans and 4.8 percent of Latinx residents received vaccines.
Similar disparities have been observed in
Maryland,
California and many other states. Democrats insist that DeSantis is exacerbating those disparities instead of trying to correct them, as most other governors appear to be doing.
Such accusations first surfaced in late January, when Carlos Hernández, the Republican mayor of Hialeah, Fla., charged that DeSantis was freezing him out of the state’s distribution plans. “We are the 5th largest city in the state of Florida and the one most affected and we have no communication and no help whatsoever from the Governor or his office,”
Hernandez said at the time.
A woman receives the COVID-19 vaccine from a paramedic at a church in Tampa on Feb. 14. (Octavio Jones/Reuters)
DeSantis has long sought to model his coronavirus response to that of former President Donald Trump, who lifted the then congressman out of obscurity with a 2018 tweet endorsing his unlikely bid for the governorship. He has shunned masks, business closures and other measures public health officials say are necessary to keep people safe. More than 30,000 people have died on his watch. Nevertheless, some conservatives have celebrated DeSantis’s response to the pandemic, especially contrasted to that of Gavin Newsom of California and Andrew Cuomo of New York, both of whom have faced challenges of their own.
The governor has aggressively defended his push to vaccinate seniors as apolitical and grounded in science. Risk of falling seriously ill with or dying from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, rises significantly with age, and Florida has one of the oldest populations in the United States.
For state representatives from communities of color, there is little doubt about what is happening. “Gov. DeSantis has come up with plans that leave Black people behind,” says state Rep. Hardy of West Palm Beach. “We have had to scratch and claw for the doses we’ve been able to get into the Black community.”
State Rep. Michele Rayner, whose district includes parts of the Tampa Bay area, says much the same thing. Asked by Yahoo News if she believed that the DeSantis administration was equitably distributing vaccines, she quoted James Baldwin, the famous Black novelist and social critic: “I can't believe what you say, because I see what you do.”
Rayner and Hardy both said that to get vaccines to the communities they represent, they went to Jared Moskowitz, who heads Florida’s emergency department and has long been seen as an advocate of sound public health measures
like mask-wearing. Moskowitz announced last month that he is leaving his post.
Meanwhile, the more contagious B117 strain of the coronavirus is spreading across Florida. A recent Miami Herald editorial noted that Florida is “ground zero” for that new strain and urged DeSantis to leave politics aside and vaccinate as many Floridians as quickly as possible.
“The last thing Floridians need,”
that editorial said, “is a politician with a hurt ego retaliating against critics by withholding life-saving vaccines.”