Covid News Increasingly Upbeat in the USA

 March 3, 2020

Late yesterday (Mar 2) President Biden announced an assurance that there will be sufficient vaccines for every American by the end of May. A total mood booster. We can look forward to a somewhat normal summer that involves travel.

But the CDC has again reminded the public and state leaders to be mindful of the variants of concern. The governor of Texas - Greg Abbot - in open defiance of the warning lifted the mask mandate of a state still seeing high new daily infections. This pandemic has certainly been an education on human behavior.

March 8

According to Michael Osterholm, a leading infectious disease expert, we are now in the eye of the hurricane. A month ago the B117 variant comprised 1 - 4% of Covid cases. It's now the virus strain in 30-40% of cases. The turning point, he says, is 50% and then cases could shoot up again, like it did in Europe. France and Italy continue to battle with a stubborn plateau of over 20,000 new daily cases. The race is on between vaccinating and worrisome virus mutants. New York's newly sequenced mutant is cause for concern too. Meanwhile, more states are loosening restrictions. People are letting down their guard. On a hike up the Bill Wallace trail on Saturday late afternoon we were astonished at the fully occupied campground and RV Park at the trailhead. Multifamily groups, unmasked, gathered close together, totally ignoring the pandemic! Annoyingly, one such cluster (covidiots!) hung out on a section of the trail, oblivious to our need to get past them safely! Is it any wonder that suppression of the virus has been such a struggle!

Air travel is on the increase Schools in our area are now open (within CDC guidelines). This morning I saw kids with their bouncing backpacks on the school campus across Stow Grove Park. A strange and beautiful sight. The roads are full of traffic like normal times. People keep asking when will life return to normal. Obviously, it'll be a gradual process. And each new day I'm seeing it in action. If vaccination wins over the variants - to be revealed in 3 weeks - then we are surely on a one way road to normal times. Amazingly, the USA for the first time since last summer, isn't the worst performing country. Brazil is currently the global epicenter and yesterday recorded twice as many daily new cases (80,000) as the USA. California continues to improve, now in 4th position of new daily infections. New York has become the US epicenter again and their numbers are worrying.

The CDC has issued guidelines for fully vaccinated people. They can now mix with other fully vaccinated people indoors, unmasked. Makes me even more impatient for my vaccine shots! Currently, essential workers - educators and those in the food industry - are receiving their shots. Next will be below 65's with health issues. My age group will follow. That could happen by the end of this month.

March 11

How wonderful it is to wake up to uplifting events and news! A storm system in our area has dumped over an inch of rain in the last couple days. After 5 dry weeks of springlike temperatures at a critical part of our rainy season, it's a thrill to see, smell and hear precious rain. Fruit trees, about to burst into blossom, have a shot at a healthy spring growth. Our garden is suffused with spring scents - citrus blossoms, wisteria, lavender, jasmine. How lucky we are to step out the house and into such beauty everyday!

President Biden scored a huge win with the American Rescue Plan signed into law. Republicans obstinately refused to vote for it so it past Congress on strict party lines. Sigh! An infusion of close to $2 trillion into the economy is geared toward special programs to rescue low income communities. More ambitious and far reaching than previous relief programs, this law could well seal Biden's legacy.

It's been a year since the WHO declared Covid 19 a pandemic. A year since worldwide lockdowns. A year since I've eaten at a restaurant and swam at the gym pool. It's a great feeling to know that we're inching closer to the end. Dr. Fauci et al still express concern at the high daily infections, with only a slight drop from the previous week. Travel over Spring break is discouraged. The potential for another surge exists. Europe appears to be in worse shape than us. Parts of Italy will go into lockdown over Easter weekend. Germany's case numbers appear to fluctuate. Vaccination obstacles continue. Latin America is currently the hardest hit part of the world. They need help. We need to fix our situation and then send resources to the developing world urgently.

President Biden commemorated the pandemic's sombre anniversary by delivering his first prime time address to the nation since inauguration day. Hope was the theme on this 50th day of his presidency. Pleas for unity, patience, and vigilance were accompanied by assurances of vaccine availability. He has ordered states to open up the vaccination queue to every American adult by May 1. Yippee! He set July 4 as a goal when families can gather together and celebrate. Biden's agenda has been surprisingly progressive and courageous. A glorious end to one of the best days in a year.