The View from the Hermitage, Day 380

I'm not sure there was any positive news regarding the novel coronavirus that really isn't novel at all any longer. I did find some interesting distractions, though, so I'll see what I can do about inserting them in random locations. I have not looked at it in depth, but XPot has a new website, 45office.com. Would you like XPot or his lady for personal appearances or greetings? This is the place to go. The form you will have to fill out includes questions such as "Will Media be Present?" and asks whether any "Notable Attendees" might be there. There is a narrative on XPot's term that strangely omits any mention of two impeachments, an economic crash, the covid death toll, and the January 6 riot at the Capitol. Did he do anything else really?

International scientists are saying that we may need new vaccines as the current ones become ineffective. Two-thirds of the 77 scientists from 28 countries polled say that this could happen within a year. The other one-third? They give it nine months or less. Why might new vaccines be needed? Persistent low vaccine coverage may make it more likely for vaccine-resistant mutations to appear. Just one more argument for getting vaccines out to developing countries as soon as possible. 

Across the pond, Dutch covid cases rose for the seventh consecutive week, with only a five percent increase for cases in people over the age of 80. The national health agency expects cases will peak in late April as vaccination levels increase. In Sweden, the number of covid patients needing care in an ICU increased nine percent over last week. And Russia says that a third wave is emerging there. 

It shouldn't be surprising that visits to the world's top 100 museums and galleries fell 77 percent due to the pandemic. The Louvre remained the most visited, though its 2.7 million visitors were down 72 percent from 2019. The monetary loss was about 90 million Euros. The other most visited  places, though all lower than the year before were the Tate Modern in London, the Vatican Museums (down 81 percent), the British Museum, and the Reina Sofia in Madrid.

A group of medical experts in Japan have questioned whether the Tokyo Olympics should be held this summer. They have said that they think 50 to 70 percent of the general public should be vaccinated first, and that is not going to happen by July. Health care workers are the only Japanese to have been vaccinated so far.

As of yesterday here in the US, we've seen an average of over 65,000 new cases a day over the past two weeks, a 19 percent rise over the daily average two weeks ago. We're seeing some 1,000 deaths daily as well. Contributing factors include the relaxation of restrictions including mask-wearing, the growing prevalence of variants, and increased travel. On Sunday, March 28, 1.5 million people went through TSA screening at airports. One year ago, that number was 180,000. While more than one in three Americans has gotten at least one shot of vaccine and nearly one-fifth are fully vaccinated, we are still a long way from the 70 to 90 percent needed for herd immunity.  

France is dealing with toy thieves specializing in Legos. The US, Canada, and Australia have also dealt with Lego thievery. Evidently, there are collectors who want specific sets. A Cafe Corner Lego set that cost 150 Euros when it was released in 2007 sold, in its original box, last year for 2,500 Euros. Needless to say, sales of Lego sets have increased markedly during the pandemic. 

Should there be an international treaty to combat the future pandemics we know are coming? Leaders in the European Union and WHO along with heads of some nations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America have released a letter calling for such a treaty. They note that the current pandemic is a "stark and painful reminder that nobody is safe until everybody is safe." I admit to loving the notion that nobody is safe until everybody is safe. Can we remind vaccine-hesitant people who don't wear masks and want to stand right next to us of that thought? I wish.

In terms of the rising rates here in the US, consider the following. In terms of businesses, no states are considered "mostly closed." Hawaii, Oregon, California, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico are considered "mixed" in terms of opening, All the other states fall into a "mostly open" category. Masks? More states continue their mask mandates, but 16 have no restrictions. There are three states with partial mask mandates. Finally, four states--California, New Mexico, Wisconsin, and Kentucky--have stay-at-home advisories; all others no longer have any restrictions.

Nobody is safe until everybody is safe. Words worth remembering.