Category: Health

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Trump Supporter Denied COVID-19 Threat Until Tragedy Struck

Dallas conservative Tony Green (image via GoFundMe)
Openly gay Dallas conservative Tony Green thought the COVID-19 pandemic was a ‘scamdemic’ until reality clapped back as he and his entire family fell ill from the coronavirus. In an essay for the Dallas Voice, Green admits he voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and traveled “deep into the conspiracy theory trap” of the coronavirus health threat. That was until 14 members of his family tested positive for the virus. One family member died and another is currently on life support. Green says from the beginning of the COVID-19 health treat, he was totally down for “all the defiant behavior” of Trump’s more radical followers: “I was a hard-ass that stood up for my God-given rights.’” From the beginning, he bought into the pandemic being a ‘hoax,’ writing, “I believed the mainstream media and the Democrats were using it to create panic, crash the economy and destroy Trump’s chances at re-election.” And so, the 43-year-old Republican and his partner hosted a family party on Saturday, June 13. No one wore face masks The next morning, he woke up sick. By Monday, June 15, his partner also grew ill as well as his parents. His in-laws, who had attended the party, traveled to be present at the birth of their first grandchild. The couple took Green’s father-in-law’s mother and one of his partner’s sisters along. The father-in-law and the sister became sick that night. Two days, later, his father-in-law’s mother developed symptoms as well as the new daddy and mommy. Everyone tested positive for the coronavirus except the newborn. On June 24, ten days after the house party, Green and his father-in-law had to be hospitalized. As the virus attacked Green’s nervous system, hospital staff had to save him from a near-stroke.

“Imagine the sound and vibration of an old-fashioned electric heater going through your whole body. Imagine gasping for air with every step you take. Imagine rubbing Icy Hot all over your head to soothe a painful headache. Imagine your eyes in a bowl of water while you’re still seeing through them. Imagine collapsing and waking up in the ER only to find out COVID-19 attacked your central nervous system, and the doctor had just saved you from a stroke.”

His father-in-law’s mother was admitted to the hospital the next day, and less than a week later, she died from COVID-19. No family members were with her as she passed away even though her son lay in the hospital room next to hers. On the day of her funeral, July 14, five more family members tested positive for the coronavirus. That evening, his father-in-law was put on a ventilator. Today, Green is brutally candid about the anguish he bears. “You cannot imagine the guilt I feel, knowing that I hosted the gathering that led to so much suffering,” writes Green. “You cannot imagine my guilt at having been a denier, carelessly shuffling through this pandemic, making fun of those wearing masks and social distancing. You cannot imagine my guilt at knowing that my actions convinced both our families it was safe when it wasn’t.” “The coronavirus is very real and extremely contagious,” he says to pandemic deniers. “Before you even know you have it, you’ve passed it along to your friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors.” “Trust me,” he adds. “You do not want this virus. And you do not want your loved ones suffering and dying from this because you are taking a ‘political stand’ or protecting the economy over their lives.” Green closes by admitting “I am calling myself out first,” and warns “If we continue being more worried about the disruption to our lives than we are about stopping this virus, not one American will be spared. Not one.” On Monday, Green told NBC News many friends of his remain unconvinced the virus is truly deadly. “I don’t think they’re going to change their opinions unless it bites them in the butt like it did me,” he said.

He says he came forward with his story to help people be more vigilant about wearing masks as the CDC reports increasing evidence that face coverings help prevent people who have COVID-19 from spreading the virus to others.

On July 2, the governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, reversed course issuing an executive order mandating face masks in public in any county with 20 or more cases of the coronavirus.

“Wearing a face covering in public is proven to be one of the most effective ways we have to slow the spread of COVID-19,” Abbott said in a statement announcing his executive order.

At this writing, John Hopkins University – which is tracking the pandemic – reports 149,961 deaths have occurred in the U.S. from COVID-19. (source: Dallas Voice)

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Legislator Calls Mask Mandate ‘Draconian,’ Now Hospitalized With COVID-19

Arkansas State Sen. Jason Rapert (image via Facebook)
A virulently anti-LGBTQ lawmaker in Arkansas who decried his state’s face mask mandate as “draconian” has been hospitalized after testing positive for the coronavirus.  State Sen. Jason Rapert (R-Conway) has also been diagnosed with pneumonia. ArkansasOnline reports he is in the hospital and responding well to treatment. The 48-year-old self-described social and fiscal conservative criticized Gov. Asa Hutchinson just a week ago when the face mask mandate went into effect. “There is no question that Covid19 is serious and can be very deadly for those with underlying conditions and the elderly,” wrote Rapert on his Facebook page. “But the fact is 99% of our nation has not been afflicted and this pandemic is no worse statistically than other severe outbreaks we have endured without draconian measures isolating the healthy and shutting down our entire economy. Even though he’s told his Facebook followers that “we have all been doing our best to wear a mask,” the senator preached (sans face mask) at the Potsville Assembly of God on July 6 about not being a “slave to fear.”

Earlier this year, Rapert denounced an appearance by openly gay Tony/Grammy/Emmy Award-winner Billy Porter on the children’s television series Sesame Street and called for defunding his state’s PBS affiliate. Rapert promoted an online petition expressing disgust over “Sesame Street’s decision to push drag queens on children,” and demanding that the show drop the episode featuring Porter.

When one commenter asked Rapert if Jesus would “approve of [his] judgment and intolerance,” Rapert dismissed the query saying, “You are totally amiss and you know it. Christians do not support anti-Biblical behavior. The Bible is clear on certain sins — including homosexuality.” Page Six asked Porter about the kerfuffle and the Pose star replied, “If you don’t like it, don’t watch it.” “Like, what about me singing with a penguin [on the show] has anything to do with what I’m doing in my bedroom?”  Rapert has also called for bombing the Middle East with nuclear weapons, and in 2017 sponsored a resolution calling for a federal constitutional convention to add an amendment to the U.S. Constitution defining marriage as between a man and a woman.  In 2015, he claimed Pride parades were held on Sundays to “mock Christians” and “try to intimidate people who believe in the Word of God.” In 2014, the state senator called for impeaching the judge who overturned his state’s ban on same-sex marriage. Rapert is currently the only announced candidate for lieutenant governor in 2022.

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Fitness Transformation During Quarantine Inspires Twitterverse

Chicago-based Realtor Greg Bloomer (via Instagram)
So, what did you do during these past months of coronavirus lockdown? Chicago Realtor Greg Bloomer rocked social media recently by sharing his inspiring fitness transformation over the past three months. On his Instagram account,  he shared that he realized he was becoming depressed during the first month of lockdown and began to gain weight. So, he decided to make some changes for himself. In addition to following a keto diet (low carb), he’s been pumping out more than 45 minutes of cardio 4-5 times a week.

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So I wasn’t going to post this on Instagram, because… well yeah (sorry grandma), but after the overwhelming reaction on Twitter and the article on @queerty I have decided to share. It’s been 90 days since I decided to make a big change in my life. A month into quarantine I was depressed and gaining weight which scared the hell out of me. I had always wanted to lose weight, and was actually working out about 3-5 times a week before quarantine which helped my health greatly, but I wasn’t shedding lbs. I decided to give a keto (very low carb) diet a chance, and the results have been almost unbelievably quick. I am also doing 45+ minutes of cardio 4+ times week. It’s not easy, but seeing the change has been extremely motivating for me. I don’t hate the attention either…. I feel better than I have in possibly my entire life, and am proud to post this picture. Being overweight (which I still am) is always difficult as it’s been so stigmatized, especially in the gay community. There is no right body type — whatever makes you happy, and has you feeling good, is the right answer for you. If someone doesn’t like it, they can choke. I’m excited to see what happens in the next 90 days! Sorry in advance for being a thot on the internet.

A post shared by Greg Bloomer (@thegregbloomer) on

Acknowledging the effort hasn’t been easy, Bloomer says the results kept him motivated. And an added bonus: “I don’t hate the attention either.” The 29-year-old adds that he feels “better than I have in possibly my entire life.” Bloomer also shares that he’s struggled with the way he looks for some time because being overweight is “so stigmatized, especially in the gay community.” He underscores in his message that he believes “there is no right body type – whatever makes you happy, and has you feeling good, is the right answer for you.” He closes his post saying he’s excited for his next 90 days of progress and ‘apologizes’ for “being a thot on the internet.” On Twitter, he shared the before/after pics saying he hesitated posting them because he’s still “not totally comfortable” in his own skin, BUT he deservedly felt a bit of pride in hitting the 90-day mark of his current fitness journey, “So idgaf.” The Twitterverse, by the way, is totally comfortable with Bloomer sharing his journey.

He may not have seen it, but I think Bloomer was already pretty woofy. He was totally rocking the furry goodness. He also gets bonus points for sharing his adorbs Corgi, Bisquit, with the InstaVerse. Props to Bloomer for making changes that empower him and for sharing the inspiring journey with others. Check out more from his Instagram below.

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Almost fell off of my bike trying to take this 🤗

A post shared by Greg Bloomer (@thegregbloomer) on

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I’m hungry for attention. #Help

A post shared by Greg Bloomer (@thegregbloomer) on

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Report: 18 States In Coronavirus ‘Red Zone’

The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit newsroom, obtained an unpublished report prepared for the White House coronavirus task force regarding 18 states currently in the coronavirus “red zone.” Included in the report were recommendations to roll back reopening measures as more and more cases are confirmed and test positivity continues to rise. From CNN:

The “red zone” is defined in the 359-page report as “those core-based statistical areas (CBSAs) and counties that during the last week reported both new cases above 100 per 100,000 population, and a diagnostic test positivity result above 10%.”

The report outlines measures counties in the red zone should take. It encourages residents to “wear a mask at all times outside the home and maintain physical distance.” And it recommends that public officials “close bars and gyms” and “limit social gatherings to 10 people or fewer,” which would mean rolling back reopening provisions in these places.

The report comes despite President Donald Trump’s insistence that states reopen and a push to send the nation’s children back to school, even as cases increase.

“Now we’re open, and we want to stay open and we will stay open. We’re not closing. We’ll put out the fires as they come out,” Trump said at a White House event earlier this month.

The 18 states currently in the red zone for cases: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. These 11 states are in the red zone for test positivity over ten percent: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas, Washington. All of those – except for Washington state – are in the red zone for cases as well.

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Trump Admin: Hospitals To Bypass CDC, Send Coronavirus Data To HHS

Donald Trump
In a move that surprised many health officials, the Trump administration has ordered all data regarding the treatment of coronavirus patients to be sent directly to the Department of Health and Human Services instead of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In light of Donald Trump’s claims the virus death count figures have been ‘inflated,‘ health experts worry the data could be distorted for political gain. From the New York Times:

The new instructions are contained in a little-noticed document posted this week on the Department of Health and Human Services’ website, Sheryl Gay Stolberg reports. From now on, H.H.S., and not the C.D.C., will collect daily reports about the patients that each hospital is treating, how many beds and ventilators are available, and other information vital to tracking the pandemic.

Officials say the change will streamline data gathering and assist the White House coronavirus task force in allocating scarce supplies like personal protective gear and the drug remdesivir. Some hospital officials welcome the move, saying it will relieve them of responding to requests from multiple federal agencies, though others said the C.D.C. should be collecting the data.

“The C.D.C. is the right agency to be at the forefront of collecting the data,” said Dr. Bala Hota, the chief analytics officer at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

Public health experts have long expressed concerns that the administration is politicizing science and undermining the disease control centers; four former C.D.C. directors, spanning both Republican and Democratic administrations, said as much in an opinion piece published Tuesday in The Washington Post. The data collection shift reinforced those fears.

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CA Governor Shuts Down Restaurants, Bars, Theaters & More Due To COVID-19 Surge

Gov. Gavin Newsom (CA)

Gov. Gavin (image via Facebook)
Governor Gavin Newsom of California has announced on Monday he’s moving his state back to a modified version of his original stay-at-home order after reports that there had been 8,358 new COVID-19 cases reported in the state over the past 24 hours. Additionally, the number of deaths in the Golden State due to the virus at this writing totals 7,053 according to Johns Hopkins University. More from Deadline:

Hospitalizations over the past 14 days are up 28 percent. ICU admissions have risen 20 percent. Both of those counts are down in comparison to where they were two weeks ago, from 50 percent and 39 percent, respectively.

The test positivity rate, according to state figures, has risen to about 7.7 percent over the last seven days. That’s up substantially.

As a result, “We are moving back into a ‘modification mode’ of our original stay-at-home order,” said Newsom. “This is a new statewide action, effective today.”

The governor announced that he is requiring all counties to close their restaurants, movie theaters, family entertainment centers, wineries, zoos and bars.

Additionally, L.A. and 29 other counties on the state’s monitoring list must close fitness centers, places of worship, nail and hair salons and indoor malls. Other L.A.-local counties impacted include Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Diego, Orange and virtually every other county in Southern California.

Newsom did not announce an end date to the re-instated order.

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Trump Retweets Game Show Host’s COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories

L-R Chuck Woolery, Donald Trump
Donald Trump retweeted messages from politically conservative former game show host Chuck Woolery that accuses the Centers for Disease Control and physicians of “outrageous lies” about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Woolery alleges in one tweet that doctors and scientists, among others, are exaggerating the fallout of the coronavirus in order to hurt Trump’s reelection prospects. “The most outrageous lies are the ones about Covid 19,” read Woolery’s tweet. “Everyone is lying. The CDC, Media, Democrats, our Doctors, not all but most, that we are told to trust. I think it’s all about the election and keeping the economy from coming back, which is about the election. I’m sick of it.” That was followed by another tweet (also retweeted by Trump) declaring “This is so much evidence, yes scientific evidence, that schools should open this fall. It’s worldwide and it’s overwhelming. BUT NO.” It’s not clear what “lies” Woolery was accusing the CDC of making. But it’s disconcerting that the president of the United States would further dangerous remarks like these leading his followers into deeper disbelief about the ravaging effects of the coronavirus. It’s worth noting that other countries are re-opening schools because they took far more stringent steps against the pandemic as it began.

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Chris Wallace Calls Out Betsy DeVos For Threatening To Defund Schools

Good for Fox News’ Chris Wallace for calling out so-called Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Wallace asked DeVos about a threat she and Donald Trump have issued saying they plan to cut off funding for schools that don’t agree to re-opening schools this fall during the coronavirus pandemic. “Both you and the president have threatened to cut off funding for schools systems that don’t open fully in the fall,” Wallace explained. “Are you and the president unilaterally going to cut off funding that’s been approved by Congress — and most of the money goes to disadvantaged students or students with disabilities?” First of all, many school systems do intend on delivering classes online at the very least. So those teachers and administrators ARE trying to do what they can safely. Second, the idea that the re-opening of schools is only about students is ludicrous. Schools need adults – teachers and staff – to operate. Children could be bringing the coronavirus to school and infecting those adults. OR passing it on to other students who could then infect their grandparents…#smh Watch below.

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Filed Under ‘Life Comes At You Fast’

I really don’t need to comment. I’ll just let this all speak for itself. On April 28, a Facebook user named Richard Rose in Ohio posted the above message. On July 1, he was officially quarantined having tested positive for the coronavirus. The next day, he shared this: Shortly before his death from COVID-19 on July 4, this was posted on his Facebook: I’ll add to this the tale of a 30-year-old Texas man via The Daily Mail:

A Texas man has died after attending a “Covid party” because he thought coronavirus is a hoax, authorities said.

The man was 30 years old at the time of his death, according to Methodist Healthcare Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jane Appleby.

Appleby told news organizations that the patient, who has not been named, had attended a so-called Covid party prior to contracting coronavirus.

“This is a party held by somebody diagnosed by the Covid virus and the thought is to see if the virus is real and to see if anyone gets infected,” Appleby told News 4 San Antonio.

The man who attended the party then became critically ill.

While in the hospital, Appleby said that just before he died, he looked at his nurse and said, “I think I made a mistake, I thought this was a hoax, but it’s not.”

Appleby also told KSAT that, “He didn’t really believe. He thought the disease was a hoax. He thought he was young and he was invincible and wouldn’t get affected by the disease.”

I get no joy from sharing this. But, it’s an obvious cautionary tale to those who continue to refuse to wear a mask or even believe the COVID-19 crisis exists. (h/t Boy Culture)