Five Months In (Pandemic Part X)

I don't know what to say about the virus anymore. It's so hard to believe our country has reached this point. So I decided to list expressions that didn't exist or weren't widely used before COVID:

• flatten the curve
• social distancing
• herd immunity
• "You're on mute."
• Zoom bombing
• COVID-shaming
• curbside pickup

And here's what's been happening:

Mon., Aug. 3

• There were 4.6 million cases in the U.S.
• Dr. Deborah Birx said cases could hit 300,000 by year-end if people don't change behavior.
• The middle school/high school school committee voted on Zoom to start school with grades 8-12 fully remote and grade 7 in hybrid mode (each half of the class is in-person two days/week, and everyone is remote three days/week) for the first two weeks so students can meet teachers and peers.

Tues., Aug. 4

• In lieu of a national testing strategy, the governors of six states — Maryland, Virginia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Ohio — formed a compact they hope will solve the problem of testing delays.
• President Trump claimed the coronavirus is “under control as much as you can control it.”

Wed., Aug. 5

• Gov. Baker dropped Rhode Island from the list of states whose residents are exempted from COVID restrictions when coming to Mass.
• Joe Biden abandoned plans to accept the Democratic presidential nomination in Milwaukee, citing his concerns about COVID-19. All speakers were canceled, effectively turning the party's convention into a virtual event in which Biden will deliver an acceptance speech from his home state of Delaware.

Thurs., Aug. 6

• More than one million people have filed for unemployment insurance each of the last 20 weeks.
• Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine tested positive right before meeting with Trump, then tested negative on a follow-up test.
• Trump praised Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey for his handling of the virus, even though the virus is rampant in his state.

Fri., Aug. 7

• Due to an uptick in cases, Gov. Baker postponed the second step of Phase III of reopening the state, reducing outdoor gathering size limits from 50 to 25, whether public or private, and establishing a COVID Enforcement and Intervention Team. This followed multiple reports of large gatherings for weddings, graduations, etc.
• Ten percent of Americans are unemployed.
• A University of Washington model predicted 300,000 deaths in the U.S. by December.
• The 10-day Sturgis (SD) Motorcycle Rally began, expecting 250,000 people with few restrictions. It could become a super-spreader event.

Sat., Aug. 8

• With less than five percent of the world's population, the U.S. has more than 25 percent of infections and more than 20 percent of deaths.
• Congress still hadn't agreed on another COVID relief bill, so Trump signed an executive order reinstating unemployment benefits and the eviction moratorium while adding a payroll tax cut.

Sun., Aug. 9

• The U.S. hit five million cases (first country in the world to do so), with 165,000 deaths; cases had nearly doubled since end of June.
• There were 1,000 deaths/day, 40/hour in the U.S. COVID was the third-leading cause of death this year in the country.

Mon., Aug. 10

• The school committee met again on Zoom. They spent about an hour reconsidering their previous decision, then voted to uphold it.

Tues., Aug. 11

• The Big 10 and PAC 12 schools, along with UMass, canceled their fall sports seasons.
• White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi negotiated the next relief bill.
• Global cases of COVID topped 20 million.
• Russia approved the first COVID vaccine.
• Joe Biden officially announced Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate.

Wed., Aug. 12

• There were nearly 1,500 deaths in the U.S., deadliest day since May.

Fri., Aug. 14

• Don's dad Gordon died at 97. On top of this loss, there's the stress of Don traveling to Minnesota for the military burial service, as yet unscheduled.
• Yale University's rapid saliva test received emergency approval from the FDA. It was used on NBA players who have been playing "in the bubble" in Orlando, Florida.
• Canada extended the border closing to Sept. 21.

As if everything weren't bad enough already, Trump has to make it worse. He has one of his cronies running the U.S. Postal Service and working to slow down mail delivery to sabotage voting by mail this fall, which is necessary due to the pandemic. He knows he needs to suppress votes to win. What next?