Springing Out of Covid Captivity

May 13 

The CDC stunned us all on May 13 when it announced that vaccinated people can ditch their masks. Everyone's going, "Wha--wha--what?" Sure, we must still cover up in a crowded situation, healthcare setting, or public transportation, but this is a turning point. A year of imploring the nation to wear a face covering has instilled something in us. Somehow, letting go of this tangible piece of fabric feels a bit radical. City and state ordinances have to be heeded, so, in California, we continue to mask up at Trader Joe's and the Farmer's Market for another month. But outdoors - at beaches and parks - we're seeing bare faces again.

Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, at an MSNBC town hall on May 12, in addressing vaccine hesitancy, dazzled me with her brilliance. I came across this lead scientist of the Moderna vaccine last summer on the CNN website. She was the first bright spark after lockdown, assuring us that an effective vaccine was on the way. I hadn't seen what she looked like until the other day when I caught the second half of the town hall streaming live on YouTube. Dr. Fauci and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy were among the panel of experts available to address concerns. I was impressed at their patience and respect toward the guests who asked questions. Then Kizzy Corbett came on. A striking black woman, young, full of self-confidence, with a sparkling personality. She described the research she'd been working on for years that led to the mRNA vaccine. And I wondered why this amazing scientist isn't splashed all over the media.

The battle to persuade the hesitant to get vaccinated is on. Governors have come up with incentives. Most notably, in Ohio 5 vaccinated residents will win a one million dollar lottery. Businesses are doing their part. Free Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Free beer. McDonald's displaying messages on cups.

May 16

My goodness! The backlash to the CDC's mask guidelines has been something. How to implement this? How to catch unvaccinated cheaters? The pivot has bewildered everyone. Six weeks ago we were told we're looking into the eye of the B1.1.7 hurricane. A month ago, the director, Dr. Walensky pleaded for adherence to safety protocols. Their warnings must've worked. There was indeed a slight surge in April, but vaccination efforts kicked into high gear right then. A steady drop in Covid numbers began, and despite the emergence of another frightening variant from India - the B1.617 - Dr. Rochelle Walensky tells us vaccinated people can revert to pre-Covid times. The decision is science based, data driven. More importantly, Covid numbers are low. On Worldometers today, a Sunday, the USA recorded 17, 834 new infections. The lowest since March 25, 2020. The exit doors are now visible!

Comfortable with outdoor dining

Life out of captivity is super. Leslie hosted our first in person book group on May 14. We were ten people around a table dining on potluck contributions. Socked in by heavy fog in the past 2 weeks, we had to be indoors. A beautiful evening - which felt simultaneously normal and novel. Conversation hopped from topic to topic - our skills a bit rusty. But we relished our moments together and felt so grateful for our privilege as Americans. In fact, Linda's sister, Ann from Florence, Italy, was with us because she had flown here to get vaccinated.

It's great to be relaxed about dining at a restaurant again. For now we opt to be seated outdoors -especially as it's spring time. This week we pigged out on the creative offerings of Masala Spice, an Indian restaurant a mile from home. It felt poetic since this was the last place we'd dined at before lockdown in March 2020.

India is still in crisis mode. Now, an extremely severe cyclone is walloping the west coast of the country. The B1.167 variant on a rampage in that country has become a concern in the UK. It appears to dominate over the B117. What havoc is it going to cause just as the UK is preparing to loosen protocols? Globally, new daily infections are on a decline. Let's hope this trend holds forever.

Eclipsing Covid news is the conflict in the Gaza strip. In retaliation to rockets fired by Hamas, Israel launched air strikes. Two vastly unequal powers militarily. The Palestinians at the losing end.

May 20

The sun appeared this week and today spring warmth has returned. Mum in South Africa received her first Pfizer shot today at the Ladysmith Provincial Hospital. The country opened up vaccinations to its senior population on May 17 and amazingly just 3 days later she was able to show up without an appointment and get her shot. Let's hope things go smoothly and rapidly as winter approaches there.

Just found out that Israel and Hamas have agreed to a cease-fire. Thank goodness! An 11 day nightmare over. But the root causes - ousting Palestinians from East Jerusalem and other places - haven't been addressed and this has to be a priority in the coming months.

At this stage of the pandemic my motivation to keep this blog is falling. So I want to record current Covid numbers. The USA - now in 4th place on Worldometers, below Argentina - recorded 28,500 new infections. In California there were 1,477 new cases. South Africa is experiencing hotspots and they recorded 3,500 new cases. The UK recorded 2,600 new cases - a slight rise due to the B1.617.2 variant.

Looking ahead I'm guessing the wealthiest countries will emerge out of the pandemic within the next 6 months. The developing world will need resources from the USA and Europe to deal with their disasters. After India, Latin America is in bad shape. It seems like they've been in this state all through the pandemic. Outside intervention is badly needed.

Covid Update in Late Spring

 May 10

In the first weirdly wonderful week of May, my daily routine changed to absorb new activities that are now available to me as a fully vaccinated person in a place where Covid is on the wane. Having access to my gym pool again is such a big deal that I made it my first destination every morning after my caffeine fix. A jacuzzi soak before and after a swim never felt so luxurious, especially with the thick fog that ushered in the month. As week 2 begins I must be more disciplined and include cardio exercise. My stamina on the exercise bike and cross trainer the first time after a 14 month pause amazed me. The outside setting works better than indoors at the moment with the weather as cool as it is. We call it May Gray. Almost everyday in the last 2 weeks the sky has been the color of slate and the air crisp, bordering on chilly. Nobody complains. Fire season is upon us and foggy days lower the risk. I gulp in fresh air, listen to a podcast or audiobook, and pump the pedals as hard as I can manage. An unbeatable way to start the day.

A podcast favorite is "Pod Save the World" hosted by Ben Rhodes and Tommy Vietor. This pair of Obama administration alumni deliver informative current news focused on foreign policy. Rhodes impressed me with his political astuteness in his masterful memoir "The World As It Is" in which he describes his 8 years working with President Obama. In fact I found his rendition of key moments far more absorbing than Obama's in his memoir "The Promised Land". On the podcast Ben and Tommy have enthused about Biden appointees and go behind the scenes on issues regarding the Middle East, China, etc. So I exercise both body and mind simultaneously!

Change is definitely the operative word these days. This week we cancelled our CSA farm box. Farmer's market shopping is back on our weekly agenda. Getting out in public means paying more attention to my clothes and appearance. I now have to wriggle back into skinny jeans and dig up favorite tops that have been hibernating in my closet. I'm hoping to have my hair cut later this week - after 14 months!

The house has to be clean and tidy all the time. Two days last week friends (vaccinated, of course) dropped in unexpectedly. Then, on the weekend we had friends over for dinner. Conversations these days are funny. Inevitably, everyone asks whether you had Pfizer or Moderna followed by a sharing of side effects after the 2nd dose. Giddy times. Until you check the news.

Today's Covid live updates on CNN and the New York Times were refreshingly positive for the US. Daily infections continue to decline and the numbers are now as low as they were in September 2020. No state is experiencing an increase in daily cases. Roughly 50% of American adults have had at least one dose of the vaccine. Health experts are saying that when we get to 60% the Covid scene will dramatically change. Exponential decay, one guessed. Wow! The FDA is evaluating the Pfizer vaccine for 12 - 15 year olds and could green light it by Thursday. Most welcome news here in Santa Barbara where outbreaks among high school kids have become frequent.

But it's hard to feel excited. The developing world is struggling with vaccination efforts. India's crisis hasn't abated. Brazil's numbers are still explosive. The variant driving India's numbers has spread around the globe. WHO deems it a VOC. That's something to make us nervous. South Africa is bracing for a winter surge and their infectious disease experts are expressing worry about the India variant. The country has received Pfizer shipments and they're about to begin vaccinating their senior population.

Much of Europe is making excellent progress with vaccinating their population. New Covid infections are finally on a decline in France, Germany and Turkey. Deaths in the UK are nearing 0. On May 17, Covid restrictions will end. Since much of the population is still waiting for their second dose, we're keeping our fingers crossed. If things continue to improve we are likely to spend the month of August in England.

Covid isn't the only topic on our minds these days. There's plenty of other interesting stuff competing for attention. At the moment everyone is talking about a unique species of cicadas found in the Southeast USA. They are periodic cicadas and areabout to emerge from underground 17 years after the eggs were laid. They will trill loudly, mate, lay eggs and die. Then 17 years from now ... Side note: There's also a 13 year periodic species of cicadas.

I'm so looking forward to the sounds of a summer that promises to be bright out here.

May Starts Merrily for Me

 May 3

When I looked at Facebook today I was amazed that not a single ad for face masks appeared. Wow, it really is a transition time. Unlike anything I've ever experienced. Now that many in my orbit are fully vaccinated life is different. On the last day of April Premi and Sri dined with us at the same table out on our patio where the light and temperature provided charming ambience for this big moment. Then, after a scrumptious dessert of rhubarb tart from Gypsy Hill Bakery - run by a Londoner out of her private kitchen - when it got chilly, we continued our energetic conversation indoors, in our living room. It felt wildly special. This simple act that we used to take for granted in the before times, deprived of for 14 months, took on new meaning.

Two days later we ferried a meal of Spanish tortilla, grilled zucchini and blueberry cobbler over to our friends Anna and Petar who live a mile from our place. In the past 12 months we visited them weekly, sitting at separate tables spaced out on their deck enjoying wine, chitchat and satisfying mountain views. On Sunday, May 2, we were able to sit at the same table and enjoy a meal together. We sure missed that intimate, convivial social experience.

Another huge moment was when I swam for the first time in 14 months on the first day of May. A warm, spring Saturday morning ensured a delightful welcome. When my fitness center re-opened in June 2020, it was dramatically redesigned for outdoor workouts in accordance with Covid protocols. So, even though Santa Barbara remained in the strictest purple tier through much of the pandemic, GVAC, in limiting its membership, was able to stay open. Gyms were deemed high risk so I kept away. Until now. The pool area is now surrounded by cardio machines and weights arranged under shade awnings. A soak in the jacuzzi followed by pool laps never felt as heavenly as it did on that first day back at the gym. My upper arms hurt afterwards. It delighted me.

California's Covid numbers are as low as they were last spring - below 2000 new daily cases and fewer than 50 daily deaths. In the US the 14 day average of new daily cases now hovers at 50,000, a big decline from 2 weeks ago. A few states are still struggling with increases. Oregon has some hotspots, which surprises me. We've learned and continue to learn that things can change. It is reassuring that health officials are projecting optimism. The biggest Covid concerns in the US are about persuading people to get their vaccine shots. Everyone has an opinion on how to do this, but the general feeling is that a large enough percentage won't budge. Herd immunity may not be a realistic goal.

Every morning we wake up to distressing news of India's crisis. The Modi government celebrated too early and are paying dearly. Election rallies and the Kumbh Mela pilgrimage turned out to be super spreader events that produced the 2nd wave that India had astonishingly avoided until now.

I can't believe a third of the year is over. And what a messy process the global vaccination process is turning out to be. If Americans are more co-operative with health officials, and get things under control here, it would free up the government to provide much needed help to the developing world.

May 5

On NPR's Morning Edition I felt sick to hear a report of thousands of expired AstraZeneca vaccine dumped by a few African countries due to their inability to deploy and disseminate their supplies. This, while an India in crisis is in dire need of these life-saving vaccines! What a tragic situation! And here in the US unused vaccine supplies have to be trashed too due to stubborn resistance. Health officials are scratching their heads, struggling to figure out how to persuade half the adult US population that vaccines are the only exit strategy from the pandemic.

Along with distressing stuff is plenty of good stuff. Daryl and I strolled on State Street for the first time since it was transformed to be pedestrianized. Utterly delightful it was, especially because the Tuesday Farmer's Market lent its vibrancy. Calmly sauntering among masked locals, it was spring's bounty on full display that hogged our attention. Purchasing rhubarb, apricots, Harry's strawberries (the best in the universe), and cherries were as stress free as the before times. The many new and atmospheric wine bars, breweries and restaurants with big outdoor seating areas are reasons State Street will undoubtedly become a weekly ritual for us.

After absorbing State Street's charm we joined Stephen and Jacqueline for a meal at Zaytoons. Our first sit down meal at a restaurant since last March. It's quite the hot spot in town, largely because of their Mediterranean style  courtyard. Tables, each with its own fire centerpiece, spaced out and surrounded by planter box hedges for added intimacy, a central fountain, and gorgeous landscaping provide an unbeatable setting. Stephen and I splurged on their "Spring Fling" cocktail - elderflower, cucumber and vodka - to celebrate this moment. Over a shared Vegetarian Feast( composed of Middle Eastern mezzes) we caught up on all that had happened since we were last together - many months ago.

The first days of May have really exposed how rocky this part of the pandemic journey is turning out to be. In particular, while wealthy countries are hurtling toward normal, the developing world struggles on.