The Road goes eve on and on ... Day 459 (959)

Happy Halloween! If the rain lets up, the friendly neighborhood inflatable T-Rex will be distributing candy here. If the rain does not let up, Rex will appear tomorrow evening, the Plan B for heavy rain tonight. We had so few kids here for so many years that they were taken in to trick or treat with friends in town. Two years ago, we had several families with kids and not wanting to see the pandemic cancel the kids' Halloween, I announced we would be setting out a bowl of candy on the porch and looking at costumes through the window. It worked, and we now have Halloween here. A lot of people even open their doors now to see the costumes first-hand.

The pandemic is not over. If it were, Shanghai's Disney Resort would not have closed suddenly with visitors stuck inside. Nor would Toronto hospitals be issuing alerts about overcrowded emergency departments. The CDC director tested negative after a course of Paxlovid but now has tested positive for a second time. I wonder, though, when they say she tested negative if they meant negative on two tests taken 48 hours apart. That is, after all, the guidance they were giving on their website. 

A study on non-mRNA vaccines and physical activity suggests that being active does help. A vaccine and low physical activity were 60 percent effective against contracting covid. A vaccine and moderate physical exercise were 72 percent effective; with high physical activity, the vaccine was 86 percent effective. Of course, more active people are probably, on average, at least a wee bit stronger than people who are not as active. 

A result of the pandemic that may or may not be good in the long run is that plans to build over 40 high-level (3 or 4) biosafety labs are proceeding in countries around the world. The argument for such facilities is that without them, certain geographic areas could not respond to the pandemic as well as they might otherwise have. India is building five BSL-3 labs and planning for nine more. Four institutions there have said that they will build BSL-4 labs. Globally, 27 BSL-4 labs are in the works in places including Kazakhstan, Singapore, and the Philippines. Not to cause any worry, a survey in the Philippines found that biosafety officers there had "only a weak understanding of biosafety." The argument that these labs are necessary for research somewhat overlooks the fact that at most labs, only 10 percent of the annual budget goes for research; the other 90 percent is needed to maintain the facility.

The coronavirus relies on our proteins to copy itself. Some researchers suggest that shutting off its access to those proteins would help slow or stop the spread. One such study has been published; the other has not yet been peer-reviewed. Some experts discount this work noting, "No matter what drug you approve, viruses will ultimately find a way around it." And to the suggestion that a drug cocktail might be developed as one was for HIV, one response is, "Trying to develop a combination therapy is more of a business challenge than a scientific challenge." 

 Looking ahead to the noted November holiday, Son #1 procured a frozen turkey; we had already procured a frozen tofurky for Son #2. The turkey is a bit larger than we usually get, but it seemed better to get it while we could than lose it by waiting for a smaller one. For the most part, the leftovers will freeze just fine.