Xpot's second impeachment trial has started. While I have yet to watch any of it, I heard that a videotape of some of the insurrection including the noose intended for Vice President Pence was one of the first things shown. Watching a summary shown on a network's nightly news show is probably a better use of my time than watching it as it happens live.
Moving to the novel coronavirus front, a researcher from the World Health Organization says that it is unlikely that the virus escaped from a Chinese lab. I call that good news in that directing pent-up pandemic anger toward a bat or some other animal is safer to the world than potentially going to war against another nation.
Some researchers here are warning that we could see a surge in deaths from the covid variants given how far behind we are in tracking them. We currently rank 54rd in the world for covid-19 genetic sequencing despite having one of the most well-developed genomic infrastructures in the world. The CDC did not begin reviewing samples from states until November 2020 and currently received only 750 per week for sequencing. Variant B117 aka the British variant appears to be 50 percent more transmissible and could result in a summer surge if the vaccines end up being less effective against it.
A recent survey included the question "When do you anticipate returning to normal levels of attending in-person gatherings?" I found the results quite interesting. For the total US sample surveyed, 28 percent said that they already are attending in-person gatherings. The responses by political party did not surprise me: 42 percent of Republicans are already attending such gatherings compared to 10 percent of Democrats. Education didn't seem to affect current attendance, though the two groups were high school or less (28 percent) versus bachelor's degree or higher (27 percent).
I am disheartened that just over one-fourth of all respondents are already attending in-person gatherings. I concede that they may be doing so masked and distanced, but I don't really believe that's the case. That so many Republicans are already gathering in groups is surprising only in that I would not have been surprised to see a higher number. I've read several reports in which doctors or epidemiologists say that things are opening up too soon, and we'll see the effects down the road. I wonder if we'll be able to distinguish between the Super Bowl surge and the Valentine's one or if they'll basically run together.
One of the local drugstores is starting covid vaccinations on Friday. The appointment system will go live sometime tomorrow. To get an appointment, you must already be registered with the local health district and over the age of 65. This means that The Professor could try getting an appointment; he's not sure it's worth the hassle of the every-man-for-himself appointment process. I don't think I'd try getting an appointment in a scrum. The system of the district's sending you an email with instructions to follow seems much easier even if it means waiting longer. It's not as if I have in-person gatherings I want or need to attend.
I do, though, have dinner with The Professor to attend, and I'm making corn chowder tonight.
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Meeting in person? I remember that, or I think I do. I jumped the gun and stopped going anywhere before we went into lockdown, at the time I thought I was overreacting and letting anxiety rule my life. Ha, no. I see photos on Facebook that look as if nothing has changed, smiling happy people rubbing shoulders and having a good time. I have to check the time stamp to make sure that it's not a photo from several years ago. Maybe they live somewhere with so few cases that there is no risk, maybe they just don't care. I'm jealous rather than angry, I would like to be living my old life too.
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