Monday, June 21, 2021
My first exposure to plane travel with masks was uneventful. To be sure, face masks muted social interactions with my row-mates (which I am OK with). There were far fewer reasons to talk. (You don't have to go to the bathroom if you don't drink!) Nevertheless, I have started comfortably booking trips again, with a close eye on the impact of the Delta (or other) variants.
While my kids' activities are still a mix of remote and in-person now, children under 12 are still unvaccinated. And, vaccine approval in light of decreasing prevalence of COVID is complicated (see https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/953036).
All of these data and observations continue to point to the summer of the quasi-normal - A peri-pandemic (pause? pardon? perigee?) with the possibility of flare or further improvement. Time will tell. I don't recall ever being so happy to have outdoor walking meetings, barbecues, and abundant grocery aisles. Sunscreen over isolation!
-----
Data of note
U.S. Hotspot Map via N.Y. Times
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html
Delta Variant tracking dashboard
https://cov-spectrum.ethz.ch/explore/United%20States/AllSamples/AllTimes/variants/json=%7B%22variant%22%3A%7B%22name%22%3A%22B.1.617.2%22%2C%22mutations%22%3A[]%7D%2C%22matchPercentage%22%3A1%7D
-----
Look at the U.S. hotspot map above. Sort by hospitalization Unsurprisingly, the only places with rising hospitalization rates are those states with less than 40% of the population vaccinated.
I suspect we will see increasing stories like this from Bradenton, FL. Seventy-five percent of the Manatee County FL I.T. department are dead or sick with COVID. Guess how many of the 75% were vaccinated?
https://www.bradenton.com/news/coronavirus/article252212853.html
And from Israel, thanks to a loyal reader, I can share this article on the Delta variant impacting kids and teachers. Unfortunately, the article does not mention how serious these infections are or if kids are vaccinated.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-2nd-israeli-school-outbreak-in-a-week-44-kids-diagnosed-with-coronavirus/
The Atlantic had a well-done summary of the concerns about the Delta variant.
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2021/06/expect-unexpected-delta-variant/619245/
Teams deliver healthcare. And some team members go unrecognized.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-17/when-covid-deaths-occur-karl-gives-victims-dignified-exit
Data from immunosuppressed patients who received the 3rd dose of vaccine is starting to emerge. [But] "Although the third vaccine dose appears to raise the immune response of transplant recipients to higher levels than after one or two doses, these people may still be at greater risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection than the general population who have been vaccinated," says Werbel. "Therefore, we recommend that transplant recipients and other immunocompromised people continue to wear masks, maintain physical distancing and practice other COVID-19 safety measures."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/06/210615132300.htm
Infographics!
Thanks to some leftovers, I was part of a discussion regarding egg-based pies. I discovered the absence of a single Venn diagram or graphic delineating quiche from frittata from strata. But here is a start for some enterprising infographic artist:
https://eo7jybm9y56.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Frittata-vs-quiche.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1
from
https://www.cuisinevault.com/frittata-vs-quiche/
and
https://www.getcracking.ca/recipes/article/what-difference-between-stratas-xand-frittatas
And, you can review random facts about Antarctica now that we are all traveling and stuff.
https://assets.rbl.ms/19822305/origin.jpg
from
https://www.good.is/infographics/transparency-who-owns-antarctica
Bonus Round: Things I learned this week
1) I have, I believe, violated "numerous" rules of writing, per Umberto Eco. I think.
https://www.openculture.com/2021/06/umberto-ecos-36-rules-for-writing-well-in-english-or-italian.html
I do not want to tell you that I did not know the words cloying or preterition.
https://www.google.com/search?q=cloying+meaning
https://www.google.com/search?q=preterition+meaning
2) The medical T.V. show House had episodes based on the Annals of Medicine column from the New Yorker, written by Berton Roueche. A New Yorker subscription is required to read the original articles, but the summaries are free. Oddly, he was married to Dwight Eisenhower's niece.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berton_Rouech%C3%A9
https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/berton-roueche
3) Wild, feral pigs are more dangerous than sharks (for U.S. citizens)‽
And, there is a "best way" to deal with packs of 30-50 pigs in your yard. Of note, feral pigs carry numerous diseases and are copiously fecund.
https://www.popsci.com/wild-feral-hogs-safe/
An aside - the notion of bacteria-laden animals that inadvertently use infection as a weapon was on my mind when I wrote this. But, my model for this thought - the Komodo dragon - may have inappropriately maligned oral hygiene. I still don't advise kissing a Komodo. Even more random - the collective noun for Komodo dragons seems to be "bank. " (But I have not found a definitive source on this yet.)
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/the-myth-of-the-komodo-dragons-dirty-mouth
4) Blue animals (and the things that make them blue) deserve more attention.
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/06/animals-color-pigments-blue-jay/619243/
Clean hands and sharp minds,
Adam
My first exposure to plane travel with masks was uneventful. To be sure, face masks muted social interactions with my row-mates (which I am OK with). There were far fewer reasons to talk. (You don't have to go to the bathroom if you don't drink!) Nevertheless, I have started comfortably booking trips again, with a close eye on the impact of the Delta (or other) variants.
While my kids' activities are still a mix of remote and in-person now, children under 12 are still unvaccinated. And, vaccine approval in light of decreasing prevalence of COVID is complicated (see https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/953036).
All of these data and observations continue to point to the summer of the quasi-normal - A peri-pandemic (pause? pardon? perigee?) with the possibility of flare or further improvement. Time will tell. I don't recall ever being so happy to have outdoor walking meetings, barbecues, and abundant grocery aisles. Sunscreen over isolation!
-----
Data of note
U.S. Hotspot Map via N.Y. Times
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html
Delta Variant tracking dashboard
https://cov-spectrum.ethz.ch/explore/United%20States/AllSamples/AllTimes/variants/json=%7B%22variant%22%3A%7B%22name%22%3A%22B.1.617.2%22%2C%22mutations%22%3A[]%7D%2C%22matchPercentage%22%3A1%7D
-----
Look at the U.S. hotspot map above. Sort by hospitalization Unsurprisingly, the only places with rising hospitalization rates are those states with less than 40% of the population vaccinated.
I suspect we will see increasing stories like this from Bradenton, FL. Seventy-five percent of the Manatee County FL I.T. department are dead or sick with COVID. Guess how many of the 75% were vaccinated?
https://www.bradenton.com/news/coronavirus/article252212853.html
And from Israel, thanks to a loyal reader, I can share this article on the Delta variant impacting kids and teachers. Unfortunately, the article does not mention how serious these infections are or if kids are vaccinated.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-2nd-israeli-school-outbreak-in-a-week-44-kids-diagnosed-with-coronavirus/
The Atlantic had a well-done summary of the concerns about the Delta variant.
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2021/06/expect-unexpected-delta-variant/619245/
Teams deliver healthcare. And some team members go unrecognized.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-17/when-covid-deaths-occur-karl-gives-victims-dignified-exit
Data from immunosuppressed patients who received the 3rd dose of vaccine is starting to emerge. [But] "Although the third vaccine dose appears to raise the immune response of transplant recipients to higher levels than after one or two doses, these people may still be at greater risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection than the general population who have been vaccinated," says Werbel. "Therefore, we recommend that transplant recipients and other immunocompromised people continue to wear masks, maintain physical distancing and practice other COVID-19 safety measures."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/06/210615132300.htm
Infographics!
Thanks to some leftovers, I was part of a discussion regarding egg-based pies. I discovered the absence of a single Venn diagram or graphic delineating quiche from frittata from strata. But here is a start for some enterprising infographic artist:
https://eo7jybm9y56.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Frittata-vs-quiche.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1
from
https://www.cuisinevault.com/frittata-vs-quiche/
and
https://www.getcracking.ca/recipes/article/what-difference-between-stratas-xand-frittatas
And, you can review random facts about Antarctica now that we are all traveling and stuff.
https://assets.rbl.ms/19822305/origin.jpg
from
https://www.good.is/infographics/transparency-who-owns-antarctica
Bonus Round: Things I learned this week
1) I have, I believe, violated "numerous" rules of writing, per Umberto Eco. I think.
https://www.openculture.com/2021/06/umberto-ecos-36-rules-for-writing-well-in-english-or-italian.html
I do not want to tell you that I did not know the words cloying or preterition.
https://www.google.com/search?q=cloying+meaning
https://www.google.com/search?q=preterition+meaning
2) The medical T.V. show House had episodes based on the Annals of Medicine column from the New Yorker, written by Berton Roueche. A New Yorker subscription is required to read the original articles, but the summaries are free. Oddly, he was married to Dwight Eisenhower's niece.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berton_Rouech%C3%A9
https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/berton-roueche
3) Wild, feral pigs are more dangerous than sharks (for U.S. citizens)‽
And, there is a "best way" to deal with packs of 30-50 pigs in your yard. Of note, feral pigs carry numerous diseases and are copiously fecund.
https://www.popsci.com/wild-feral-hogs-safe/
An aside - the notion of bacteria-laden animals that inadvertently use infection as a weapon was on my mind when I wrote this. But, my model for this thought - the Komodo dragon - may have inappropriately maligned oral hygiene. I still don't advise kissing a Komodo. Even more random - the collective noun for Komodo dragons seems to be "bank. " (But I have not found a definitive source on this yet.)
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/the-myth-of-the-komodo-dragons-dirty-mouth
4) Blue animals (and the things that make them blue) deserve more attention.
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/06/animals-color-pigments-blue-jay/619243/
Clean hands and sharp minds,
Adam
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