Only five people were fired, and it doesn't say what jobs they held.
Not sure that is the relevant part, but OK. Let's use 5. Is it worth the press and the feinting couches? "Should" we be firing health care workers?
My point is we have been getting media reports about how Kentucky hospitals are overwhelmed and how Kentucky hospitals (and other employers) are going to require vaccinations or fire employees (despite HIPPA and union contracts and other relevant "typical" employment issues). If they are overwhelmed - and if masks/visors work - then why fire ANYbody? Some guy in the laundry can't hurt a patient, and neither can an unvaccinated haz-mat-wearing care giver.
Plus, according to media, 20% of Kentuckians say "won't get a vaccine" and 80% will. But according to the scientists, 70% is when you start to end a pandemic by seriously limiting the spreadability.
Does the 20% have a right to say no? What if 50% of the 15% African Americans in Louisville say "no"? What if a black, female EMT says no? Fire her?
AND .... the numbers from the daily Governor reports don't seem to really support that drastic (?) action - especially given the actual history Covid, masks, visors, distancing, and vaccines. And of course, the typical "help the working man" bullspit we hear from the vote whores.
For example, yesterday showed that Kentucky has 1,437 ICU beds. 667 have Covid cases - 770 have non-Covid cases - 137 are still empty.
Kentucky has 1941 vents - 448 have Covid cases - 411 have non-Covid - 1082 are still available.
I have always wondered whether, in a state of 4.5 million people, those are enough ICU's and vents, but nobody wants to talk about that - the politicization of Covid dominates. So for the moment, I'll assume Trump prevented Kentucky hospitals from adding ICU and vents.
From an HHS report on ICU/vents in the US: "Over the three years studied, total ICU occupancy ranged from 57.4% to 82.1% and the number of beds filled with mechanically ventilated patients ranged from 20.7% to 38.9%. There was no change in occupancy across years and no increase in occupancy during influenza seasons. Mean hourly occupancy across ICUs was 68.2% SD ± 21.3, and was substantially higher in ICUs with fewer beds (mean 75.8% (± 16.5) for 5–14 beds versus 60.9% (± 22.1) for 20+ beds,
P = 0.001), and in academic hospitals (78.7% (± 15.9) versus 65.3% (± 21.3) for community not-for profit hospitals,
P < 0.001). More than half (53.6%) of ICUs had 4+ beds available more than half the time. The mean percentage of ICU patients receiving mechanical ventilation in any given hour was 39.5% (± 15.2), and a mean of 29.0% (± 15.9) of ICU beds were filled with a patient on a ventilator."
So 68% was "normal" and 82% (without pandemic) was the high. Kentucky is at 90%, still within the standard deviation - and despite masks and visors working prior to vaccines, hospitals now want to fire folks.
I fear we have lost our collective minds and what we think is important is notably NOT important, the numbers say we should be looking at other issues.
No matter what I read, I can't see any reason NOT to say "mask mandates indoors are enough - vaccines are voluntary". From Fauci to the numbers - that is a/the "reasonable" conclusion.