An unlikely side effect of the pandemic is that there is apparently but one color of the year. Paint and other companies each year tout their chosen color for the coming year. It seems that the one for 2022 is a shade of muted green-grey. Here's what different companies call that shade:
How did the different companies come up with very similar colors? One theory is that we all pretty much followed the same routine in the past 18 months, a routine that brought mental health to the forefront. Green-grey is seen as a soothing color, which may be just what we all need right now. One interior designer says that it reflects a renewed appreciation for the outdoors and a sense of harmony and relief. "We're in this moment of cherishing nature and wanting to transfer that inside. Wild, but not risky." To pick the color of the year, companies study lifestyle trends, search engine data, and trade shows. The color chosen must represent the political climate, economic health, social behavior, and the general collective mood. Evidently the companies think that green-grey does this. Behr calls the color "spiritual reemergence." PPG says that it symbolizes "new beginnings in a post-pandemic world."
For reference, here's what the PPG website shows as "olive sprig."
Around the world, Europe had over half the world's covid deaths in the first week of November according to WHO. New cases were highest in Russia, Britain, and Turkey. Berlin is set to ban unvaccinated people from restaurants, bars, gyms, and hairdressers. After five months of silence, Singapore's restaurants and bars can again play recorded music, just not too loudly. Starting on Wednesday, "soft recorded music" will be allowed, though live music will remain banned. It is not clear if "soft" is in reference to the volume of genre of the music. In July, South Korea said that music played at gyms could be no faster than 120 beats per minute. Africa has seen a higher covid fatality rate in people with diabetes, HIV, and hypertension. The prevalence of diabetes has been growing rapidly in Africa, and 70 percent of the people with it don't know they have it.
The White House has made a deal with Johnson & Johnson and COVAX to distribute the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in conflict zones and other hard-to-reach areas. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine only requires one dose and is easier to store and transport than the mRNA vaccines are.
A federal judge ruled that Texas's ban on mask mandates violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. At the same time, a court in Pennsylvania struck down their mask requirement in schools. The governor appealed, and the mask mandate remains in place for now. Is it a good idea or a bad one that states determine these things on their own, absent any national oversight? That's mostly a rhetorical question given that I've read the Constitution.
Some people are evidently saying that the pandemic is over. New flash, folks: It isn't. Looking at the percent change in covid cases per 100,000 people in the last two weeks, seven states saw a rise of over 10 percent: Vermont, New Hampshire, Michigan, Minnesota, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. The per capita rate went down over 20 percent in Alaska and Idaho, and down between 10 and 20 percent in Montana and Wyoming. All the other states stayed pretty much the same.
I found a covid vaccine tracker that reports on the vaccines that have reached trials in humans. There are 49 vaccines in Phase 1, which means testing safety and dosage. Forty-seven vaccines are in Phase 2, expanded safety trials. There are 41 in Phase 3 which is large-scale efficacy tests. Eight vaccines have reached Phase 4, seeking approval for use. Science working for the public good. Unfortunately, there have been around 100 laws passed that take power away from the hands of public health officials. In other words, the people who know something about science, medicine, and health won't be the ones making decisions in those areas. Be afraid; be very afraid.
1 comment:
I suppose that it is a colour that defines the year, my mood could certainly be described as grey. I aspire to something with a bit more life and zing rather than institutional-wall calming. It doesn't say "new beginnings" to me, it looks to be at the other end of the spectrum, more of a mould. Colour me unimpressed.
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