The View from the Hermitage, Day 385

The Professor had his second Moderna shot Friday evening. He was joking yesterday morning that he must have gotten the placebo because he felt fine. He was not saying that by late afternoon when he was running a low-grade fever and was curled up on the couch with a blanket over him. By bedtime, he was feeling a bit better, but I still encouraged him to sleep in the guest room where it is darker and quieter than our bedroom and he'd be sleeping alone rather than with the car and the dog. Oh yeah, with me, too. He was up only two-and-a-half hours after I'd gotten up and said he felt normal. My second Pfizer shot is next week. I was pretty wasted the day after my first one, so we'll see just how the second one goes. I have read that the reaction to the second shot is often more extreme than the reaction to the first shot was.

Florida dealt and may still be dealing with Spring Break. Places in California such as Santa Monica Pier have been flooded with crowds for Easter weekend. Whether this is a good thing or a potential super-spreader is hard to say. Half the adults in Los Angeles County have been vaccinated, and Eric Garcetti, LA mayor, says, "Every metric we are following locally is headed in the right direction." I hope he's right, but somehow during the pandemic, I've won more bets with myself by choosing the more pessimistic option.

The talking head experts disagree on whether we are in or approaching a fourth wave. Michael Osterholm, a member of POTUS's covid-19 advisory board predicts the next two weeks will bring "the highest number of cases reported globally since the beginning of the pandemic." At the same time, Scott Gottlieb, FDA director under XPot, counters, "What we're seeing is pockets of infection around the country, particularly in younger people who haven't been vaccinated and also in school-age children." Interesting that one is in the camp of the current President, while the other was and may still be affiliated with the ex-President, not that that would have any effect on their outlooks.

The British variant is rising exponentially in the US. Said variant makes people more infectious for more days, not something to dismiss without thought. In addition to the homegrown California and New York variants, there is now a new one from Oregon. Devi Sridhar, professor of public health at the University of Edinburgh, warns that, "We don't have evolution on our side. This pathogen seems to always be changing in a way that makes it harder for us to suppress." I read in another article that each variant should really be treated as a separate epidemic, but have to wonder just how confusing that would get. 

England plans to launch nine vaccine passport pilots at various events. People will not be able to gain access to those without paper or electronic documentation of vaccination, a recent negative covid test, or natural immunity up to six months after a positive covid test. Pilot events include a comedy club, nightclub and cinema; the world snooker championship; and an FA Cup semi-final and final. I know little about the political divisions in England, but senior Tories supposedly view the idea of covid passports as "divisive and discriminatory," while a government science adviser warns that passports might give people a false sense of security. 

One of the top stories on today's online feed of The New York Times was a profile of a local business owner who served one term in the US House of Representatives, Denver Riggleman. He lost to his challenger in the Republican primary last spring; one key issue was that Mr. Riggleman had performed a marriage ceremont for two of his constituents who both happened to be male. The more I learn about Mr. Riggleman, the more I like him. From the profile, I learned that he was one of only two House Republicans to speak in favor of a resolution denouncing QAnon. Doing so actually led to death threats along with attacks that he was a traitor, some of which came from members of his own family. He first ran in 2018. When elected, he joined the conservative Freedom Caucus and was endorsed by XPot. Now, he says it "gives me shivers" to be called a Republican. He says that many House Republicans were privately appalled at XPot's conduct but would not speak out for fear of losing elections and reluctance to admit that they had been taken in. Mr. Riggleman now works for the Network Contagion Research Institute, studying the spread of disinformation in American politics and how to thwart it. 

Mr. Riggelman is contemplating running for Governor this year as an Independent. If he does, I will give serious consideration to voting for him. While I usually vote Democratic, I have occasionally voted for a Republican, typically someone with integrity whom I know personally or know much about.