The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 22 (522)

Covid hospitalizations in the US are hitting record highs for all age groups under 50. The most affected groups are people ages 30-39 and people under 18. Both of these groups are more than 30 percent over their previous peaks. Overall hospitalization numbers are rising but still below the highest numbers, those from January. If the numbers keep increasing at the same rate, though, there could be a new all-time record number of hospitalizations in just a month. Florida, Arkansas, Oregon, Hawaii, Louisiana, and Mississippi have all set pandemic records for hospitalizations in recent weeks. Alabama has no more ICU beds. Wednesday night, there were "negative 29" ICU beds available. People are waiting in emergency room hallways until there is an opening. Arkansas is getting close to their capacity. 

All teachers and school personnel including volunteers at all schools--public, private, and charter--in Washington State will need to be vaccinated as a condition of employment. This is the strictest state-level mandate set so far. There is a deadline of October 18 after which those not complying will face possible dismissal. There is no regular testing alternative. Exceptions will only be made for legitimate medical reasons and "sincerely held religious beliefs." So, how are "sincerely held religious beliefs" verified? Regular attendance at some house of worship belonging to a denomination not amenable to medical care? A letter from your pastor? Would Pastafarians qualify?

The White House is fighting back on the bans of mask mandates in schools. The Secretary of Education says that he will deploy the Education Department's civil rights enforcement arm to investigate states that block universal masking. Letters have been sent to the governors of Florida, Texas, Arizona, Iowa, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Utah admonishing their efforts to ban mask mandates. Perhaps more frightening than a ban on mask mandates is Florida's governor saying that the decision to quarantine children should be left up to the parents. It was one thing when he said that passing someone in the hall should not count as exposure, but when he mentioned that parents could opt out of quarantining their kids because of exposure within a classroom, it's a good thing he was not in the room with me. 

The clear plastic barriers in stores, restaurants, and other potentially crowded places actually do little to stop the spread of the virus. They do not allow exhaled particles to disperse. They change the airflow in the room, disrupt normal ventilation, and create "dead zones" where particles can build up and become highly concentrated. If we use partitions again at the polls in November, maybe I should exhale to the side.