At the end of week 67 of this blog, I've decided to keep going for a while. I may change the title at some point if I can come up with something catchy. Since I do leave the subdivision on rare occasion--usually medically related or to visit my mom--"hermitage" is not really accurate any longer. I've toyed with putting the stopping point at whenever WHO and Dr. Fauci declare the pandemic over. I'm not confident that will happen soon, though. I'm just waiting for the first vaccine-resistant variant to appear, wondering if the vaccines can keep pace with it.
The vaccination rate in the South is so low that some experts suggest the South could come to have its own distinct pandemic. There are various reasons for the North-South gap, several of which arise from a distrust of science. These are an underestimation of the pandemic in general and a fear of rapidly developed technology such as the mRNA vaccines. Many Southern states have a generally poor medical infrastructure. Finally, state leaders in many cases send mixed signals about the need for and value of vaccinations. This should not be because to put it bluntly, the wide majority of deaths right now are among unvaccinated people. Republican strongholds have particularly low vaccination rates. All 16 states that have so far met the July 4 goal of 70 percent partial immunization voted for POTUS in November 2020. Rural areas may have limited online access, restricting the flow of information. Finally, the are "hospital deserts" in rural areas and "pharmacy deserts" in urban ones, making it difficult for the people who want to be vaccinated to get immunized.
The vaccination rates in the Mountain West are not as low as those in the South, but are still alarming. In Idaho and Wyoming, fewer than 40 percent of the adult population have gotten even one dose. Montana, Utah, and Nevada have better rates but remain well below the national average of 54 percent. As in the South, political conservatism plays a major role. The sparse population, as with hospital and pharmacy deserts may make it hard for people to seek out vaccinations.
There's something not necessarily new about the Delta variant every day. It is more transmissible because people with Delta have higher viral loads. India has the most cases of Delta in the world, followed by the UK. The resurgences in Israel and Australia are being driven by Delta. The covid cluster in Sydney is now up to 110. New exposure hubs include a vaccination clinic at Sydney Hospital. A second link is a seafood wholesaler whose drivers tested positive; so far, 10 new cases are connected to this.
There are other outbreaks across Australia. The Northern Territory is facing its biggest threat since the pandemic began. A mine worker tested positive, and 15 people who had close contact are unaccounted for. Two of the miner's close contacts agreed to isolate but are now "uncontactable." A physiotherapist returned to Western Australia from Sydney. She quarantined until she tested negative then resumed her normal routine going to numerous venues and seeing clients before developing symptoms and testing positive. Western Australia's health minister noted that "this person did everything right" but there are still consequences.
Can your employer ask about your vaccination status? In the US, the answer is yes. In general, employers can require employees to be vaccinated as long as they provide exemptions or reasonable accommodations to employees not getting vaccinated for health or religious reasons. The employer must keep records private.They cannot ask why an employee is not vaccinated. There are risks associated with asking employees, though. Employees may believe that the employer should not be asking or invading their privacy. This could hurt employee relations and diversity efforts.
There's yet another cause for concern with vaccinations. Only three in 10 parents of children ages 12 to 17 intend to allow those children to be vaccinated immediately. This is setting up conflicts between kids who want to be vaccinated and parents who don't want to let them. Forty states require parental consent for vaccination of minors under 18. In Nebraska, that age is 19. In South Carolina, the age is 16 but a bill has been proposed to bar providers from vaccinating anyone without parental consent. The age in Oregon is 15 but at least one county has ordered country-run clinics to obtain parental consent for anyone under 18. In the District of Columbia, the age of consent is 11. In New York and New Jersey there are bills pending to make the age 14; Minnesota has a bill pending to make it 12. Some states including Tennessee and Alabama have bills pending to prevent public schools from requiring vaccinations.
There's always something ...
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