Today is the day before we get an indication of the future of democracy. Being in a small, rural precinct, I don't anticipate any protests or problems tomorrow. As always, we will do our utmost to see that the election is run fairly, and that any eligible voter arriving between 6:00 am and 7:00 pm is able to vote. We will also offer same-day registration and allow all those who register that way to vote provisional ballots. I move up to precinct chief after this election, so I will be doing my best to note the little things I might otherwise not pay attention to.
Of course, should the political party known by the color red and the animal elephant win majorities in both houses of Congress, I expect action will be taken to end the remaining coronavirus mitigation measures and financial assistance. The military mask mandate will become a relic of the past. It may well be that after such actions are taken, I will have an easier time finding COVID news about which to post. The pandemic is not over yet.
Apple has announced that iPhone 14 shipments will be "temporarily impacted" by COVID restrictions in China. The factory in Zhengzhou is "currently operating at significantly reduced capacity." There was no indication of just how long the delay would be. Anyone having an iPhone 14 on their winter holiday wish list may want to think of a Plan B. Given the goal of zero COVID, it may be a while to get the factory back to normal capacity.
A 26 percent reduction in long COVID was seen for COVID patients treated with Paxlovid. Paxlovid has also been linked to reductions in deaths (by 48 percent) and hospitalizations (by 30 percent) once the acute phase of the illness has passed. There was no difference by number of vaccinations/boosters a person had had, prior infection with COVID, or unvaccinated status. The average age of patients in this study was 65, but the benefit for patients under the age of 60 was the same as that for patients over 70. This finding adds a third way to prevent long COVID. First, not getting COVID is 100 percent effective in avoiding long COVID. Second, prior vaccination and boosters are 30 to 50 percent effective. Third, we now have Paxlovid.
Hospitalizations are not down everywhere. Many emergency rooms are so crowded that a person might wait hours just to be triaged. Lines are going outside at some hospitals. It could be eight to 10 hours before a patient actually sees a doctor. Since winter's slippery surfaces are on the way, let's be careful out there. Sitting in the emergency room waiting to be seen while holding a towel over a bleeding broken nose is no way to spend an evening. Trust me on that one.
Finally, the BQ.1.1 variant is fading in France raising hopes that it will stay low here and allow us to avoid a winter holiday COVID wave. The bivalent booster induces some cross-immunity against BQ1.1, adding to an optimistic view. I'm not counting any eggs now, though, remembering how Omicron was announced just after Thanksgiving last year and the winter wave that followed.
Don't expect to hear from me tomorrow. My mind will be elsewhere, as will my body. Here's hoping we still have a secure democracy to wake up to on Wednesday.
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