Tag: COVID-19
-
Covid Tyrants: Never Forget
by Kerry Dougherty The decals on the floors are wearing away. Much of the Plexiglas is gone, too. And what exactly did people do with all those stupid cloth masks they loved to wear just five years ago? (I had one: a black mask made of cheesecloth with holes so big I could drink through…
-
March 12, 2020. Our First Day in Covid Hell.
by Kerry Dougherty Never forget what happened six years ago today. And how power-drunk despots like former Gov. Ralph Northam used a pandemic – and phony science – to stomp all over the constitutionally protected rights of Virginians. It could happen again. You’ve been warned. Yep, it was March 12, 2020, when Northam declared a state…
-
A New Outbreak of Covid-19 Hysteria
by Carol J. Bova The Covid-19 pandemic may have faded from public consciousness, but controversy over how best to fight the virus rages unabated. For the week ending, June 7, 2025, The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) reported Covid-19 was responsible for 0.3 percent of emergency room visits — compared to 0.2 percent for influenza…
-
When Will We Apologize for the Shutdowns?
by Chap Petersen Exactly five years ago, March 23, 2020, Virginia’s Governor issued “Executive Order 53” which shut down the state economy in order to “flatten the curve” of COVID19 infections. It would continue in force until June 30, 2021, or over fifteen months. Under strict legal penalty, schools were closed, small businesses shuttered and…
-
COVID Still Kicks Flu Butt as Cause of Mortality in Va.
by James A. Bacon In the previous post I criticized Virginia’s response in 2020 and 2021 to the COVID epidemic, particularly the shutdowns that ignored the impact on jobs and the economy, foregone medical procedures, K-12 schooling, mental health and addiction. Let me emphasize: that’s not to say that COVID was not a huge public-health…
-
Whatever Could Account for the Decline in Opioid Deaths?
by James A. Bacon Opioid deaths in Virginia have declined markedly since the end of the COVID epidemic, reports Virginia Public Media (VPM). The fatalities, many of which were attributable to fentanyl overdoses, peaked at 2,229 in 2021 and have fallen to a predicted 1,552 this year — down 30%. That number is still frightfully…
-
Virginia Federal COVID Bucks Still Flowing, With $2B More to Go
By Steve Haner Virginia still has $1.7 billion in federal COVID “free money” to spend and two years in which to spend it, from just one of the multiple grant programs President Joe Biden and Congress authorized and paid for with federal debt. That first and largest program is for general government expenditures (State and…
-
COVID Virus Makes Leap to Wild Animals
by James A. Bacon Hey, childless cat ladies, you might be giving your pets COVID! OK, I’ll admit this story really doesn’t have anything to do with childless cat ladies. I’m shamelessly piggybacking on the J.D. Vance childless-cat-lady furor. I should be trying to panic all pet owners, not just childless cat ladies. You all…
-
Is the Cure Worse Than the Disease?
by James A. Bacon Dave Singer is a radiologist at a Virginia hospital. He’s not a front-line physician with primary responsibility for patient care, but, as an in-house expert in reading x-rays, CT scans, MRI scans, and other medical images, he reviews hundreds of cases weekly. His vantage point allows him to spot patterns that…
-
COVID Questions Linger
by James A. Bacon There is still much we don’t know about the COVID-19 virus and the effect it has on the human body. One enduring mystery is the syndrome dubbed “long COVID,” when symptoms persist months or years after the infection. Why do some people get it while others don’t? What are the risk…
-
Shown the Door, Petersen Calls Out COVID Fascists
By Steve Haner Reading Chap Petersen’s biographical “Rebel,” it is pretty easy to understand why a year ago his fellow Democrats threw him out of office in a primary. In fact, the mystery is that he survived as long as he did. The book tells a history that many would like to ignore or actively…
-
Move Over Covid: Sharks Are Back
by Kerry Dougherty Great news! Sharks are swarming off the coast of the Outer Banks. Nine great whites so far. One, named Breton, is a 13-foot adult male weighing over 1,400 pounds according to a story in Saturday’s Virginian-Pilot. Why is this good news? Because it’s a sign that Covid is truly over. The general…
-
Last Gasp for Masks
by Kerry Dougherty A friend of mine went to the dermatologist yesterday. The medical office was in the Sentara Leigh medical complex in Norfolk and she was required to wear a face diaper. Hey, there were a total of 5 cases of covid yesterday in Norfolk. That’s 2 cases for every 100,000 residents. There may…
-
Another Social-Justice Narrative Circles Down the Drain
by James A. Bacon Now that Democrats have de-confirmed Virginia’s state health commissioner, Colin Greene, they have effectively set a new qualification for the office: it is no longer permissible to express skepticism that “systemic racism” is, in the words of Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, “a public health crisis.” Ironically, only a few days after…
-
Has COVID Already Peaked for Winter 2023?
Last year in Virginia, the COVID-19 hospital count hit its winter season peak on January 12 at more than 3,700 beds occupied. Now the 7-day average is below 1.100, and Thursday’s daily count (reported Friday) dropped below 1,000 to 990. The most recent peak was Jan. 4. Flu and RSV are also on the wane,…