The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 38 (538)

I hope no one missed me yesterday and instead concentrated on the lighter side of life. (I shall not burst into Monty Python words and music here; I promise.) I figured out that I really was taking sick leave yesterday to combat a case of covid fatigue. That's the supposed cause of declining willingness to follow the guidance of public health experts. It is perhaps not a surprise that the share of Americans who feel hopeful today is down to 34 percent from 48 percent in March.

About 39.5 million Americans have been diagnosed with covid. A recent study suggests that the number may really be much higher. About twice as many people may have been infected as have been counted. A large study of donated blood found that 80 percent of Americans ages 16 and older have some level of immunity, likely through vaccination. The number of people who have yet to be vaccinated means that not all the samples showing immunity got that immunity from a vaccine.

The Greek names of the various variants confuse me. I found one list of the "variants of concern" as Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta, and the "variants of interest" as Eta, Iota, Kappa, Lambda, and Mu. So what happened with Epsilon, Zeta, and Theta? Are they the "variants of disinterest"? There is concern that the new Mu variant might be able to evade antibodies. Mu was identified in Colombia in January and is now responsible for 39 percent of covid cases there. Dr. Fauci notes that mu is not yet common in the US though it has a "constellation of mutations that suggests it would evade certain antibodies." There is as yet no evidence  supporting this. More from Dr. Fauci: "Bottom line, we are paying attention to it. We take everything like that seriously, but we don't consider it as an immediate threat right now."

Our neighbors to the north are seeing their share of anti-vaccine sentiment. An anti-vaccination rally in Vancouver clogged streets outside hospitals, slowing ambulances, delaying patients trying to enter for treatment, and disturbing the patients inside. There were also protests in Kamloops, Victoria, Kelowna, Prince George, and Nanaimo, all in British Columbia. There have also been protests in Toronto, Montreal, and Winnipeg. Right now, British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec, and Ontario require proof of vaccination for some activities. Saskatoon is working on developing a vaccine passport but vaccinations are not yet mandatory for any activity or job there. The policies differ between provinces. Quebec's list of places requiring vaccination is longer and more stringent than Ontario's will be when it takes effect later this month. One good thing: in British Columbia, Quebec, and Ontario, the announcement that vaccination would be required for certain activities was followed by an increase in appointments for vaccination.

Talked with Son #2 and DiL= last night. She is on the faculty at a large public university in the state capital, Richmond. She said  that a department there had a get-to-know-each-other reception for its first-year graduate students. Masks were required, but after going through a luncheon buffet, everyone sat down to eat shoulder-to-shoulder, masks off for eating and drinking. One of those students tested positive for covid, putting the entire group of first-year graduate students under quarantine for two weeks.

The local university has its first home football game tonight. The stands will not be full--I don't remember in what year the last sell-out crowd was--but the masks attendees must wear while in the inside concourses, rest rooms, concession stands, etc. are only suggested to be worn in the open air outdoor stadium. This may not end well. Meanwhile, the requirement of masking while in all buildings but dormitories has been extended to October 1. At least they're doing something right.