Covidnor Abbott

I have no reason to wish the Covidnor well. I’m not running for office, so I don’t have to dole out faux compassion for public consumption. Abbott failed miserably at “personal responsibility.”

Honestly, my initial response was probably, “¡Andale, por pendejo!” after seeing him fiddlin’ around unmasked with fellow bigots at various campaign stops.

That said, Greg Abbott is just another “rare” breakthrough case of the virus. His press release says he’s in good health, fully vaccinated (and other sources say boosted?), and asymptomatic. So, how did he qualify for monoclonal antibodies?

You may be eligible for this treatment if you have tested positive for COVID-19, are 12 years of age or older (and at least 88 pounds), and are at a greater risk of developing severe COVID-19 symptoms. In May 2021, the list of high-risk* characteristics has expanded to include many more people.

*High risk includes any of the following characteristics:

65 years of age or older

Overweight (body mass index over 25)

Pregnancy

Chronic kidney disease

Diabetes (Type 1 and Type 2)

Weakened immune system

Currently receiving immunosuppressive treatment

Cardiovascular disease/hypertension

Chronic lung disease

Sickle cell disease

Neurodevelopmental disorders

Medical-related technological dependence

Of course, it is also specified that one can start the treatment early, even if one doesn’t feel too sick.

Like with most illnesses, a patient must be in charge of their treatment and advocate for themselves to ensure everything possible is being done for them. That doesn’t happen often, especially in communities of color who may not be too trusting of medical facilities until they are really needed, or just don’t know how to advocate for themselves. And if one is uninsured with even less access to medical care, well, they me be out of luck.

So, when Dr. Vin Gupta posted this on Twitter, I completely agreed with him.

So, yes, while the Covidnor of Texas is a privileged prick, he knows how to use that privilege for himself, while politicizing every aspect of the pandemic to keep right-wing nut-jobs happy. So, I won’t wish him anything as he and his fellow Trump followers have downplayed COVID-19 from the start and continue policies designed to make people sick, like no mask mandates and “volunteer” vaccinations.

That said, get vaccinated. And Mask-Up! Don’t be like the Covidnor.

And if you get a breakthrough case, even though people downplay it by saying only “.0009 percent” out of the 150 million vaccinated get it, advocate for yourselves and your sickened family members. Tell the docs you want what Abbott is having.

And if those who downplay breakthrough cases want to see how a good leader doles out inclusive stats about ones community, watch the Mayor of San Antonio. He doesn’t hide from the reality that 11% of hospitalizations in San Antonio are breakthrough cases. We need that kind of information nationally.