The View from the Hermitage, Day 387

Globally, North Korea has pulled out of the Olympics in Tokyo, citing coronavirus concerns. I think that they officially claim not to have had any cases, but if you believe that, well, that's up to you. As for Japan, it appears to be entering a fourth wave in large part to variants that are more infectious and may be somewhat vaccine-resistant. To complicate matters, vaccines are not yet widely available in Japan. Moving to the Middle East, only pilgrims who have been immunized--two doses or one dose at least 14 days prior--or who have recovered from covid will be allowed to enter Mecca on an umrah pilgrimage. Such a pilgrimage is not mandatory and can be done at any time, unlike the hajj. The restriction begins at the start of Ramadan, which is next Monday. One also needs to be immunized or recovered to enter the Prophet's mosque in the holy city of Medina. 

A senior official from the European Medicines Agency says that it is "clear" there is a link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and the rare form of blood clotting being seen, but he does not know a specific cause. The EMA later said that it hd not yet reached a conclusion, the review is ongoing, and they will release the results tomorrow or the next day. Starting in two weeks, there will be quarantine-free travel between Australia and New Zealand. What economic effect this might have is not clear. It is thought that the first travelers will not be tourists spending money but people visiting relatives. England will start easing lockdown next week, allowing pubs, shops, hairdressers, and gyms to reopen. Finally, covid-19 is spreading faster in India right now than it did at any time in 2020.

Turning from coronavirus to foreign affairs, Vladimir Putin has signed a law that would let him run for two more terms as president, extending his rule until 2036. He will turn 69 this year, so he would be in his eighties then. He is currently in his fourth term which ends in 2024. He was president from 2000 to 2008 and returned in 2012. XPot must be oh so jealous and wonder why he could not get similar rules passed here.

A crowd of 38,328 people, many not wearing masks, watched the Texas Rangers lose to the Toronto Blue Jays yesterday. It was the highest publicly documented attendance at an event during the pandemic. Super-spreader? That remains to be seen. 

The UK variant has now been identified in all 50 states. The states with the largest increases in cases are states with a strong variant presence. The recent increase in covid hospital admissions is because of adults under 50. No longer are the elderly occupying the majority of hospital covid beds. It seems that the Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children or MIS-C can emerge several weeks after a child gets the virus. Many children who developed MIS-C were asymptomatic when they were infected or had very mild cases. MIS-C appears to occur when patients' bodies have produced a maximum level of antibodies. 

A survey of American parents reported that 74 percent were concerned about a fourth wave. Other results included that 71 percent had already gotten vaccinated or intended to as soon as possible; however, only 52 percent said that they were likely to get their child vaccinated as soon as the child was eligible. I was not surprised to see that Republicans were most reluctant to have their children vaccinated. I was a bit surprised to see that only 28 percent of parents reported that they had worked from home or remotely in the last week. I know that states have been relaxing restrictions, but I thought more people would still be working remotely. 

In terms of remote work, 26 percent of workers plan to look for a job at a different company once the pandemic has subsided. Concern over career growth was the motivator for 80 percent of those workers, while 75 percent said that the pandemic made them rethink their job skills. Most workers said that they would like to work remotely at least part of the time after offices reopen, but nearly half of remote workers said they would be nervous about job security if they stayed remote while other workers went back to the office. 

Remember the toilet paper and cleaner shortages at the pandemic's dawn? Restaurants have been dealing with a national ketchup shortage. Covid-19 upended the condiment world order as takwout boosted the demand for ketchup and other condiment packets. Many managers are using generic versions, pouring bulk ketchup into individual cups. Costco has become quite popular. 

I found the cake pan and this morning baked a chocolate cake with coffee buttercream icing. Dinner will be The Professor's choice, Mongolian beef. And perhaps tomorrow I shall discuss the two days and counting it is taking me to go through photography equipment and documentation while pondering which camera no longer with us took the 55mm filters that don't fit any of the current cameras in the family.