Idaho Challenging Florida for Title of Top COVIDiot State

 

This blog has featured lots of coverage of Florida and its reckless pandemic behaviors and policies. I never thought any state could challenge their position as the Top COVIDiot State. But Idaho is making a serious run at it.  

According to data from the last seven days compiled by the NY Times, Idaho ranks 9th worst among states with 68 cases per 100K, a 19% increase over the previous week.  It ranks 12th worst with 37 hospitalizations per 100K, a 29% increase over the previous week.  And it ranks fourth worst with 1.22 deaths per 100K (no change info given). 

Here is a comparison table:

Florida is still beating Idaho on hospitalizations and deaths. But don't let that get you down, Idaho! Florida's case and hospitalization trends are downward whereas yours are upward. You can still take the lead!

I am gratified to see that Arizona is doing so well in this comparison. Our governor is fighting like hell be as pro-disease as his counterparts in Florida and Texas. Now I suppose I should include Idaho in that list. 

But the thing is, here the stupidity seems not to be filtering down to lower levels of government.  Like it is, for example, in Idaho.  

According to WaPo, Dr. Ted Epperly—former president of the American Academy of Family Physicians—served on the state's Central Health Board for 15 years. He was fired because he supported pandemic mitigations like masking and vaccinations. The horror! 

Even though the state medical association endorsed an epidemiologist, decision makers tapped a Dr. Ryan Cole for the post.  His qualifications:  
  • He is backed by the Republican Party.  
  • He is a diagnostic pathologist who does not practice clinical medicine. 
  • He gave a talk at the Idaho capitol where he said masks don't work, mRNA vaccines are bioweapons, and ivermectin horse paste is a good COVID-19 treatment.  
  • He called vaccines "needle rape" and "clot shots."
What more could you want?

Idaho's hospitals are in crisis mode and are now rationing care. But that problem pales in importance when compared to the sacred mission of promoting public illness and protecting freedom.

As another Republican member of the board noted, even recommending vaccination or that people talk to their physicians about it would be going “too far. People don’t want the government telling them what to do.”

Exactly!  Of course, people do expect the government and our health care system to step in and save their asses with extraordinary medical treatment after the fact. But hey that's completely different.

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