Proceeding as Safely as Possible (Pandemic Part XI)

Although coronavirus is still around and cases are increasing in parts of the country, with the election coming up, the daily news about it seems to have slowed. Therefore, this post covers a greater time period than others. We are heading into fall and back-to-school, though, so I expect things to start popping again. Not in a good way, of course. This is 2020, after all.

Nephew Sam returned to the University of Massachusetts in August. I sent him a mask that said "2020" showing one star out of five and "Very bad, do not recommend."

 Tues., Aug. 18

• 170,000 Americans dead.

Wed., Aug. 19

• Massachusetts made the seasonal flu shot mandatory for all kids in daycare and K-12, as a precaution to conserve resources for COVID patients.

Sat., Aug. 22

• Massachusetts wants all teachers teaching remotely to do so from a classroom.

Sun., Aug. 23

• 5.6 million cases in the U.S.

Mon., Aug. 24

• First case of someone contracting COVID a second time was documented.

Thurs. Aug, 27

• 180,000 Americans dead.
• Trump gave his Republican National Convention acceptance speech to 1,500 people on the White House's South Lawn. There was no distancing and few masks. Afterwards, fireworks spelling "Trump 2020" went off over the Washington Monument.

Sun., Aug. 30

• Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn told the Financial Times that the agency would be open to granting emergency approval for a vaccine before final large-scale trials are complete.

Mon., Aug. 31

• The White House abruptly ordered the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending coronavirus tests for many people exposed to COVID-19 infections, alarming health experts.
• One of President Trump’s top medical advisers — Scott Atlas, a neuroradiologist from Stanford’s conservative Hoover Institution — urged the White House to embrace a controversial “herd immunity” strategy to combat the pandemic. The idea is to basically let the virus run its course through the population until there aren't enough people who haven't had it to sustain it.

Tues., Sept. 1

• Trump won't join global effort to develop a vaccine because WHO is involved.
• It would have been Sarah's first day of 7th grade, but the start of school is delayed to Sept. 16 to give teachers time to prepare for remote learning.
• Six million cases, 181,000 deaths in U.S.
• Cases were increasing in the Midwest (IA, SD, ND, MN, WI).
• Massachusetts had 128,809 cases, 9,053 deaths.

Wed., Sept. 2

• The CDC issued a moratorium on evictions that would cause renters to be homeless or move in with others.

Thurs., Sept. 3

• The CDC told states to prepare vaccine distribution plans by late October, implying a vaccine will be ready by then.

Sat., Sept. 5

• The Kentucky Derby ran with no spectators. Women wore matching hats and masks at parties.
• The University of Washington pandemic model predicted  the U.S. COVID-19 death toll could more than double, from about 183,000 fatalities to 410,000 by the end of the year, as colder weather and lax social distancing habits accelerate the outbreak.

Mon., Sept. 7

• The Boston Marathon began virtually, with runners who qualified racing against themselves and submitting their times for competition. The virtual race ends Sept. 14.

Tues., Sept. 8

• AstraZeneca stopped the trial of its COVID vaccine because one person came down with a mysterious disease.

Wed., Sept. 9

• A University of San Diego study using anonymized cellphone location data and virus case counts traced nearly 267,000 cases to the Sturgis (SD) motorcycle rally held in early August.

Sarah will start school remotely Wednesday, with her first day in person on the 21st. She will have a hybrid schedule (two days in person, three at home) for the first quarter. Grades 8-12 will be completely remote. 

There were outbreaks following Memorial Day and Independence Day, and the same is expected for Labor Day. Experts are predicting another wave in October/November. The virus is not done with us yet. With Sarah returning to school part-time and Don flying back to Minnesota for his father's burial at the end of the month, I'm trying to have faith that, with proper precautions, we can stay healthy. It's all I can do.