Coronavirus tidbits

The line is back at 24th St. and Capp in the Mission. "Get tested here. Get your vaccine here." It looks as if the Delta virus surge and the return of indoor masks have captured a lot of people's attention.

Unidos en Salud is on the job -- and taking advantage of the chance to offer more of the sort of health care that's inaccessible to so many in the Mission. There's testing here for diabetes and HIV as well as COVID.

• • •

People in San Francisco seem to be taking the renewed indoor mask mandate pretty well. The Chron's headline on its human interest story reads 'How hard is it to get a shot?' For weary San Franciscans, the masks are back.

At the Academy of Sciences, visitors were a mix of resigned and resentful of the unvaccinated.

“It’s ironic you have to wear one in a scientific building,” said Melissa Olcomendy, a preschool teacher, adding that it was discouraging that so many of her fellow homo sapiens had rejected the science and failed to roll up their sleeves for a shot.

“It’s insane,” she said. “But if we have to wear masks again to keep everyone safe, that’s what we have to do.”

“It does feel like we're being re-traumatized,” said Jessica Whitelock of San Francisco, who was taking in the giant tropical fish tank with her son, Caleb, 10. “Masks are the new normal.”

• • •

Meanwhile at the Bulwark, Charlie Sykes highlights a poll that asked who people in this country blame for the Delta COVID-19 surge, divided by vaccination status.

Click to enlarge.

Vaccinated respondents blame the unvaccinated. The unvaccinated are sure the culprits are foreigners -- and the mainstream media! Yikes!

He points out that Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis -- who has demeaned vaccination and forbidden cities to enact mask mandates -- is trying to build a presidential campaign on COVID denial. Says Sikes:

Anyone who thinks that failure to manage COVID could hurt a Republican with political aspirations hasn’t been paying attention. If anything, the opposite is true. 

That's a terrifying reality.