Free Republic

Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis may be vindicated for his refusal to impose pandemic lockdowns, as well as vaccine and mask mandates, after the Sunshine State posted the lowest number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths per capita in the nation. On Friday, the Sunshine State reported 1,393 new cases of COVID-19, roughly six cases per every 100,000 residents. The state also reported just one death in the past week. By contrast, Michigan leads the nation in daily coronavirus cases per capita - with a 7-day rolling average of 560 per 100,000 residents - despite Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer imposing...

Japanese supercomputer simulations showed that wearing two masks gave limited benefit in blocking viral spread compared with one properly fitted mask. The findings in part contradict recent recommendations from the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that two masks were better than one at reducing a person's exposure to the coronavirus. Researchers used the Fugaku supercomputer to model the flow of virus particles from people wearing different types and combinations of masks, according to a study released on Thursday by research giant Riken and Kobe University. Using a single surgical-type mask, made of non-woven material, had 85% effectiveness...