June 14 has lots of connections. It's Flag Day! It's the birthday of a wise old man, now deceased, I knew in my years-ago church-going days. It's also the birthday of someone I think of as a daughter-in-law. It's a good day.
Lots of Little today:
The Rolling Stones are on a 60th anniversary tour and have postponed a stadium concert in Amsterdam because 78-year-old Mick Jagger has tested positive for covid. There's no word yet on their concert scheduled for Friday night. You remember rocker Mick Jagger, right? The guy who said that if he was still doing rock and roll when he'd be in his sixties, he should be shot or otherwise disposed of? Yeah, that Mick Jagger.
The CDC has added three countries to its Level 3 list (the places they don't want you to visit): Mexico, New Caledonia, United Arab Emirates. I can't say that any of those are high on my list of places to go and things to see, so this has little effect for me.
A couple of notable people are in the midst of covid relapses. The US Health and Human Services Secretary who tested positive just one month ago is again testing positive. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tested positive in January and tests that way again, now, in June.
Long covid continues to loom. One in every five covid infections leads to long covid. Vaccines only offer a 15 percent reduction in the risk of developing long covid. Long covid is the main reason I still wear a mask when around other people, even outdoors, and pass on indoor activities involving too many other people.
As for getting vaccinated or boosted, please do so if you're eligible. But keep that mask on and some cautions in place. Looking at covid deaths in Oregon in May, 58.1 percent were in fully vaccinated people.
FDA's committee of independent vaccine experts is debating the merits of the Moderna vaccine for children between the ages of six and 17. The doses being considered are half adult strength for children ages six through 11 and adult strength for those between 12 and 17.
China is making lab tests for covid a permanent feature of daily life. A person needs a negative test result to go shopping, ride a bus or the subway, and take part in public activities. One problem with this is that hourly workers are not paid for the time it takes to get tested. Another is that some local governments are diverting money from poverty alleviation projects to cover testing costs; total costs are estimated to be in the billions of dollars. Shanghai will shift the cost of the tests to residents as of August. Needless to say, this is not a popular decision.
Queen Elizabeth still reigns, Ukraine is still fighting back, and thoughts and prayers have not brought GOP and Second Amendment advocates to their senses. I will keep praying for that, though.
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