Starting with something positive, US coronavirus numbers are the lowest they have been in almost one year. Case numbers are down in all 50 states. Maryland's seven-day positivity rate is at its lowest level ever. California recorded just three deaths Tuesday, the lowest daily total since the pandemic began. It can't hurt that 48 percent of the US population has gotten at least one shot of vaccine, and 37.5 percent are fully vaccinated. It is looking more likely that a vaccine booster shot will be needed within the next year, but studies are still ongoing.
The worldwide situation is not as positive as the US one. India just set a new record in deaths in one day, recording 4,529. The record broken was set in the US in January. Malaysia just recorded a new daily high in terms of new cases: 6,075.
To date, over 1,500,017,337 doses of vaccine have been given in 210 countries or territories. Three-fifths of those have been given in just three countries: China, 421.9 million; the US, 274.4 million; and India, 184.4 million. China was experiencing some vaccine hesitancy until there was a fresh covid scare, leading to 100 million vaccinations in just nine days. One in every four doses distributed throughout Australia is sitting unused in clinics prompting calls for a "major campaign" against vaccine hesitancy. Meanwhile, Canada is on the verge of catching up to the US in terms of first doses given, but only four percent of the eligible population is fully vaccinated.
A backlash is rising in Australia against the possibility that the country may not fully open up until mid-2022. Australia currently has some of the strictest international travel restrictions in the world, possibly the main reason for their success in fighting covid. The travel restrictions have left many Australians "stranded" in other countries and unable to get home due to limits on the numbers of flights as well as the quarantine required of people entering the country, even citizens. The number of citizens allowed to travel outside the country is also limited. On the flip side, Tunisia has ended a one-week lockdown despite having the highest reported deaths per capita of any African country.
Taiwan has raised its alert level to three. There is no lockdown, but masks are required to be worn outside of the home. Gatherings are limited to five indoors and ten outdoors. Public venues, sporting venues, and entertainment and recreation venues are closed. Shops and restaurants remain open with social distancing and customer registrations required. Level four restrictions would come after 14 consecutive days of over 100 cases and 50 percent of unknown origin.
In Olympic news, Canada's most decorated show jumper has announced that he will not compete at the Tokyo Games. Besides being a cancer survivor, he notes that Canada will not be sending a full show-jumping team. In bordering-on-the-bizarre news, authorities in Belgium were looking for a heavily armed soldier with links to extreme right-wing groups and who had made threats against a virologist who backed the covid lockdowns.
Finally, The New York Times broke vaccine hesitancy down according to underlying reason. The numbers for Virginia came close to mirroring the national ones. Both Virginia and the nation had eight percent in the "watchful" category, waiting to see what happens. The numbers for cost-anxious (this includes the time getting the vaccine would take) were seven percent for Virginia and nine percent nationally. The numbers for distrusting the "system" were lower than I might have thought: three percent for Virginia and four percent nationally. At the extreme were the "covid skeptics" who do not believe there is a threat: 13 percent for Virginia and 14 percent nationally.
It's back to early voting tomorrow, my only day this week. I have learned that one of the election officials with whom I'll be working on June 8 is among the vaccine resistant. I'll be keeping my mask on all day and hoping to eat outside away from said person.
2 comments:
Good luck avoiding the vaccine hesitant election official.
We voted yesterday (not in the primary since we're not registered in a party, but in hopes of defeating two resolutions which sadly were passed) and all election workers wore masks, though not all voters did. A neighbor who was also there (who had worked as a nurse before retiring) said something about "masks depleting oxygen to the brain" upon seeing our masks. I don't think there's an issue when I wear one for the short time I'm indoors (I was halfway to the front door of the grocery store today before I remembered). If I were an election official I'd want frequent breaks to head outdoors for fresh air.
"masks depleting oxygen to the brain"...so it's her contention that everyone in an operating room is at their most impaired mental state? I should think someone would have made that connection before now! (And shame on that nurse!)
C-in-Pf
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