The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 231 (731)

I've mentioned before my respect for Eric Topol previously of the Cleveland Clinic and now at Scripps. How do you think I felt when I read this opening line from a column by Topol published in today's Guardian: "When it comes to Covid, the United States specializes in denialism." First, we denied that the novel coronavirus could transmit from human to human. Then we denied that the virus was airborne. Finally, we denied that boosters were needed longer than we should have. 

Global cases seemed to bottom out in early March but are now rising again. The UK and Europe have seen five covid surges; each time, a surge in the US follows a few weeks later. Case rates are rising in over half of the EU nations. What happens across the pond doesn't stay over the pond. The UK and Europe are now seeing a sixth surge, and we don't seem to be all that concerned. I also follow a local emergency medicine doctor, and his take is, "Well folks, I think we’re going to have an issue here with the #BA2variant. I’ve been watching the trends in Europe and some early signs that cases are rising here."

The BA.2 variant (some call it a subvariant) seems to go in a cycle of being touted then pooh-poohed. We might want to keep a sharp eye on it as it currently accounts for over 30 percent of our new cases. Maybe if it had its own Greek letter, we would take it more seriously. We seem to know that it is more transmissible that Omicron, but I've heard both sides to the question of whether it is more serious. 

In terms of rising numbers of cases, Dr. Fauci says his counterparts in the UK cute three factors. First, BA.2 is, as mentioned, more transmissible. Second, society is reopening and people are mingling indoors without wearing masks. Finally, immunity is waning. Pfizer has asked the FDA to authorize a second booster for people over the age of 65. I've read different opinions on just how necessary that booster would be. In the US, 65 percent of people over the age of 65 have gotten the initial two vaccinations and a third, booster one. In many European and Asian countries, that percent is over 90. 

Expanding from people over the age of 65 to everyone, the US as a nation is doing a dismal job with vaccinations. We rank 65th in the world in terms of the percent of population being "fully" vaccinated with two doses; 64 percent have gotten those. We rank 70th in terms of three shots, one being a booster; only 29 percent have gotten all three. The argument is being made that so few people over the age of 65 would get the second booster that it wouldn't really do much good. I'd get another booster if they offered me one. 

On the world stage, the war in Ukraine continues. There was an earthquake of magnitude 7.3 off the coast of Japan, after which tsunami warnings were posted. And on a smaller scale, we are evidently looking at the appearance of Asian jumping earthworms that, unlike non-jumping earthworms, hurt the soil's ability to retain water. Oh, yeah, we aren't out of the pandemic woods yet either.