The pandemic's unwelcome return

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Time for a much-needed reality check on vaccines and masks. No doubt about it, the Delta variant has changed the state of play on the pandemic. New data reveals that breakthrough cases are more likely, though still relatively rare, with this hardier strain of Covid than with the original coronavirus. Further, fully vaccinated people can spread the virus—albeit to a lesser degree than the unvaccinated—so mask mandates are returning in some places with substantial or high transmission of the virus. But though the data is new, the outcomes are not. Public health officials from the beginning warned that COVID-19 variants could develop that would challenge the wall of protection provided by the vaccines, potentially requiring the administration of booster shots (which the FDA has just approved for the immunocompromised). They also told us not to toss away our masks, as local outbreaks could still be mitigated by temporary universal masking practices. Are we happy to be back here again, with
soaring cases, just as a new school year is set to begin? No. Frankly, it stinks. But it's not totally unexpected either. The data that matters most shows that the vaccines, even during this surge of Delta, are dramatically reducing serious illness, hospitalizations, and deaths in the vaccinated. In this long pandemic fight, that is a victory. —Melissa Amour, Managing Editor

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** Fields: It should be about facts, not politics
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"A good many people were very vocal early on that they wanted life to get back to normal. Then, when offered the very thing they were told from the start would make that possible, pivoted to argue about their rights, cast doubts about how quickly the vaccines were developed, and said no one can tell them what to do. They're not wrong on that last part. We can't tell other people what to do. But going down that road has consequences, as we're seeing right now. I understand the advice of public health officials has frequently changed. It can be confusing. So is navigating an unprecedented pandemic. Viruses mutate. Recommendations for prevention change as more data becomes available. This is all being done in real time, and, frankly, the work of scientists, public health officials, and healthcare workers has been astonishing, while the handiwork of politicians has been baffling." —Ben Fields in
([link removed]) Charleston Gazette-Mail ([link removed])

Ben Fields is the opinion editor at the Charleston Gazette-Mail.

MORE: Supreme Court denies challenge to Indiana University vaccine mandate —Axios ([link removed])


** DMN Ed Board: Governor, please reconsider
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"The facts on the ground are changing quickly, and we badly need [Texas Gov. Greg Abbott] to assess those facts and revise the May 18 order to give local officials, including school superintendents, great flexibility to respond to the dangerous and rapidly spreading Delta variant. We are seeing the most positive cases that we have seen since February and more children are becoming sick from the virus than ever before. ... Misguided leaders dig in when they feel threatened. Great leaders look at all of the facts and have the strength and self-assurance to pivot based on a developing situation." —The Dallas Morning News ([link removed])

MORE: 'We will find you': Tennessee parents protest school mask mandate; people in masks heckled —NBC News ([link removed])


** Marcus: The more we learn, the worse it gets
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"What happened on Jan. 6 was horrifying: an attempted coup, inflamed by social media, incited by the defeated president, and televised in real time. What happened before Jan. 6, we are coming to learn, was equally horrifying: a slow-motion attempted coup, plotted in secret at the pinnacle of government, and foiled by the resistance of a few officials who would not accede to Donald Trump's deluded view of the election outcome." —Ruth Marcus in ([link removed]) The Washington Post ([link removed])

Ruth Marcus is the deputy editorial page editor for The Washington Post.

MORE: Emails: Senior DOJ officials wrangled over baseless Trump voter fraud allegations —Politico ([link removed])


** Rubin: The election threat we're not addressing
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"Democrats, in their efforts to pass legislation that would protect voting rights, have yet to address the biggest threat voters now face: the blatant attempt by state Republicans to override the will of the voters by taking control of election administration away from local officials and handing it to partisans. Such efforts cannot be countered by boosting turnout. The only way to foil Republicans' attempted election rigging is for Democrats to update and pass their reform bill and for the Justice Department to move aggressively against those who attempt to subvert democracy." —Jennifer Rubin in ([link removed]) The Washington Post ([link removed])

Jennifer Rubin is an attorney and political opinion columnist at
The Washington Post.

MORE: Nearly a dozen new state laws shift power over elections to partisan entities —ABC News ([link removed])
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** Weiner: The erosion of the separation of powers
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"The concept of the separation of powers—which depends on members of Congress unifying to protect legislative power—has collapsed in the U.S. We have become a de facto parliamentary system in which competing parties battle for executive power. The problem is that we have acquired all the vices of such a system but none of its virtues. ... As it stands—with Congress unwilling to unite against even a physical assault incited by the president—we have maintained the empty shell of the separation of powers around the core of a partisan system. The result is a system capable of abusing citizens but not governing them. It would be difficult to conjure a worse combination." —Greg Weiner in ([link removed]) The New York Times ([link removed])

Greg Weiner is a political scientist at Assumption University, a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, and the author of "The Political Constitution: The Case Against Judicial Supremacy."

MORE: Rep. Peter Meijer doesn't regret taking on Trump, and he could help remake the GOP —Detroit Free Press ([link removed])


** Rolón: Immigration reform needs security and compassion
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"For centuries, Americans have helped persecuted people rebuild their lives safely and without hostility. In moving to restore America's leadership on this front, I hope the Biden Administration receives bipartisan support to do what is right and make meaningful immigration reform a reality." —Orlando Rolón in ([link removed]) Orlando Sentinel ([link removed])

Orlando Rolón is the chief of police for the Orlando Police Department.

MORE: July saw highest number of illegal border crossings in 21 years —Axios ([link removed])


** Bourgault & Rashid: The Afghan press needs the world's help
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"The Taliban have already launched a major offensive, capturing rural districts and encircling provincial cities. In its wake, journalists have been systematically threatened and killed, media outlets shuttered, and studios repurposed to broadcast Taliban propaganda. In the past three months, 51 media outlets have closed. The Taliban commandeered six media stations, replacing independent journalists with lackeys. One thousand reporters and staff members have lost their jobs. Two journalists have been killed." —Jeanne Bourgault & Ahmed Rashid in ([link removed]) The New York Times ([link removed])

Jeanne Bourgault is the president and chief executive of Internews. Ahmed Rashid is a board member of the Committee to Protect Journalists and the author of "Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil, and Fundamentalism in Central Asia."

MORE: Mass Afghan government surrenders as Taliban fighters overrun three key cities in sweeping territorial gains —The Washington Post ([link removed])
Americans did not want to make adult choices about Afghanistan, either "stay and police the region" or "get out and take the consequences." They wanted "get out with no consequences." That wasn't an option. —Tom Nichols, professor of international affairs at the U.S. Naval War College and the Harvard Extension School (@radiofreetom)

Today, the 5 most-vaccinated states (14M people) had 580 hospitalized, 12 deaths.

In the 5 least-vaccinated states (16M people)? 6,600 hospitalized, 104 deaths

Per capita, least-vaccinated states have 10X hospitalizations and 7X deaths.

So yeah, vaccines are working. —Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health (@ashishkjha)

I have a degree in chemistry. My best subject was analytical chemistry, which focuses on analyzing substances. In our lab for that class, one of the major concerns was avoiding contamination. I'm also a mother and have been a stay-at-home mom while my kids are young. I've followed Covid since the beginning, and the scientific guidance makes sense.

I pulled my kids out of school before schools closed. I began homeschooling them when the new school year came because I was recovering from pneumonia and we wanted fewer disruptions in our kids' education. In February, the school district asked us to decide whether we would homeschool for the 2021-2022 school year, and looking at the data and not knowing if our kids would be eligible for vaccination yet, we decided to again homeschool. My kids have thrived where others are struggling. We have had a few Covid scares, but no Covid.

We get occasional looks because we've worn masks most of the time when others don't (I did stop for the period of time between being fully vaccinated and the CDC recommending everyone wear masks indoors). But I understand the data. How the contamination of Covid is spreading makes sense if you understand science even in the limited sense that I do. The changing guidance makes sense in the real world. And while I do feel able to protect myself and my family, I am frustrated that I can't seem to get through to so many people around me. They'd rather believe some random person on social media over anyone who might know what they're talking about. And I don't mean me. I mean the epidemiologists and health officials that I try to refer them to. —Amanda K., Idaho
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** The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.
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