Feeling Almost Normal (Pandemic Part XXIII)

What a month of change! It seems as though we're really putting this thing behind us in the U.S., at least if you're vaccinated. The improvement has come so rapidly it's been jarring.

Of course, the rest of the world isn't as fortunate, but President Biden is turning his attention there and sending vaccines overseas.

Thurs., May 6

• A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed the Pfizer vaccine protected against all infections, including asymptomatic.

Mon., May 10

• Only 3 in 10 parents said they'd get their 12-15 year-olds vaccinated as soon as possible.
• 43% of American adults were fully vaccinated.
• The FDA granted emergency use authorization for the Pfizer vaccine in 12-15 year-olds.
• CDC Dir. Walensky decided to lift masking and distancing restrictions but didn't announce it.

Tues., May 11

• The U.S. daily average of new cases was 43,000.
• CDC Dir. Walensky told a Senate health committee that masks and distancing were still necessary, despite hostile questioning from Republican Senators.

Wed., May 12

• The CDC approved the Pfizer vaccine for 12-15 year-olds.
• I got a vaccine appointment for Sarah for next day!
• U.S. deaths from the virus were at a 10-month low.

Thurs., May 13

• The CDC said people who were fully vaccinated didn't need to wear masks indoors or outdoors. Pres. Biden announced it maskless in the Rose Garden.
• Sarah got her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the Northampton Senior Center. We had to wait about 30 minutes for them to mix up a new batch, since it was the end of the day and they didn't want to waste any vaccine. We got McDonald's for Sarah's dinner after.

Fri., May 14

• There was political fallout from the CDC's abrupt turnaround on masks. People were confused and anxious about the new guidance.

Sat., May 15

• Two weeks after my second shot, I was fully vaccinated!

Sun., May 16

• 36% of Americans were fully vaccinated; there were 35,000 new daily cases and 600 daily deaths. 
• There was continued criticism of the CDC mask decision and how it was handled. The White House was caught unaware; staff said that's because the CDC operates independently and not politically. 
• COVID was spreading to villages in India, which had been spared in first wave.

Mon., May 17

• Gov. Baker announced mask requirements would be lifted May 29.
• Baker said employers could book blocks of vaccine appointments at mass vaccination sites, and mobile vaccine setups would be sent to employers with 35 or more employees.
• Pres. Biden announced the U.S. would send 20 million FDA-authorized vaccines and 60 million AstraZeneca vaccines abroad in the next two weeks.

Wed.  May 19

• There were 4,529 deaths in India, a daily global record. The previous record was 4,400 in the U.S. on Jan. 20.
• The European Union agreed to open its borders to vaccinated travelers, including Americans, a change that could go into effect within the next two weeks.
• Republicans in the House of Representatives, some of whom have gone maskless at the Capitol in defiance of the rules, were trying to force a vote on wearing masks in the chamber.
• People were flocking to tattoo parlors to express themselves.
• COVID cases were down in all 50 states for the first time. There were 31,000 new daily cases, about the same as last June.

Thurs., May 20

• The U.S. hit 33 million cases; 587,000 deaths.
• The FDA eased guidelines for the Pfizer vaccine, saying it could be refrigerated longer after thawing.
• The European Union opened its borders to vaccinated international travelers.
• Pres. Biden signed the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act, focused on violence against Asian Americans.

Fri., May 21

• The 7-day average number of cases was 27,815, the lowest since June 22 and less than one-tenth the infection rate during the winter surge.

Sat., May 22

• Governors were setting up lottery cash prizes for vaccinated residents; Ohio’s jackpot was $1 million. West Virginia was giving $100 savings bonds to young people who got a shot. Maine was giving away hunting and fishing licenses. Memphis was setting up an automobile raffle.

Sun., May 23

• One prominent model, from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, forecasted fewer than 7,000 daily cases—a level not seen since March 2020, soon after the virus first seeded itself in the United States.
• Sarah went to the movies with a friend.
• The U.S./Canada border was closed until June 21.

Mon., May 24

• Pres. Biden wanted 70% of adults to have at least one shot by July 4th. All the New England states and New Jersey had already reached it.  
• Investigators at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were studying a handful of cases of heart muscle inflammation in young people, mostly males, after vaccination.
• The Biden administration was planning to allow more federal employees to continue working from home post-pandemic.

Tues., May 25

• Biotechnology company Moderna announced that its two-shot coronavirus vaccine produced the same immune response in teenagers as adults, and it planned to submit the data to U.S. regulators in early June.
• Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra urged the World Health Organization to undertake another investigation into the early days of the outbreak. It had not been ruled out that the virus may have accidentally been released from a laboratory in Wuhan, but that was being called into question.

Wed., May 26

• The majority of the Navajo Nation, the largest Native American tribe in the United States, were immunized – about 70 percent were fully vaccinated. Leaders of other tribes said their vaccination numbers were similar. Reasons included their sovereignty to distribute vaccines and cultural values that emphasize community.
• In Washington, D.C., the racial gap in coronavirus infections had widened, with Black residents accounting for more than 80 percent of newly reported cases.
• The 7-day average of new cases was lower than it had been in 11 months.
• President Biden said he had asked U.S. intelligence agencies to “redouble their efforts” to determine the origin of the coronavirus and deliver a report within 90 days, an abrupt departure from the previous White House position of relying on the World Health Organization to uncover how the contagion started. 

Thurs., May 27

• A prominent Japanese physician was warning that a new strain of the coronavirus could emerge in Tokyo if the Olympic Games were held there in July as planned.
• More than half of American adults were fully vaccinated.

Fri., May 28

• The 7-day average of new cases was 22,000; it was 68,000 a month ago. 
• The proportion of women in the workplace hadn't been so low since 1988.
• The relief of being vaccinated against the coronavirus was being replaced by concerns about how long immunity would last and when a booster would be needed.
• Tens of millions of U.S. travelers — eager to leave their homes and COVID doldrums behind — were set to make Memorial Day weekend the type of holiday coming-out moment that President Biden had hoped for Independence Day.
• The AAA estimated 37 million people would travel 50 miles or more this weekend — a 60 percent jump from last year, when the driver advocacy group didn’t bother to release its traditional Memorial Day travel forecasts two months into the pandemic. The expected total would still be 13 percent below pre-pandemic levels.

Sat., May 29

• A new virus variant was discovered in Vietnam.
• Massachusetts fully opened, with mask and capacity limits dropped. This was well ahead of Gov. Baker's August projection.

Mon., May 31

• The adjusted rates in several states showed the pandemic was spreading as fast among the unvaccinated as it did during the winter surge. 

Wed., June 2

• Pres. Biden declared June a national month of action for vaccination. 63% of American adults had had at least one shot; he wanted 70% by July 4.
• Biden launched an effort to recruit 1,000 Black-owned barbershops and salons to accelerate coronavirus vaccinations, calling it "Shots at the Shop."
• Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, was in lockdown for two weeks and trying to test all nine million residents.

Thurs., Jun. 3

• Pres. Biden tasked Vice Pres. Harris with boosting vaccine rates.
• There were no high-risk communities on the Massachusetts COVID map--only 5,099 active cases statewide--and no high-risk states in the U.S.
• The White House announced it would share 25 million vaccine doses globally by the end of June. Roughly three-quarters would be routed through international public health organizations to Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa. The remaining doses would go directly to countries experiencing severe coronavirus outbreaks, including India. 
• Chinese officials continued to block the world’s ability to get answers about the coronavirus’s origin, as the subject remained murky and politically volatile. 
• The U.S. reached 595,000 deaths.
• The U.S. new daily case rate dropped 29% in the last week.
• Sarah got her second Pfizer vaccine at the Northampton Senior Center--a completely different experience from the first! We arrived 10 minutes early, and there was no line outside. We were ushered into the waiting room and didn't even have time to sit and complete the form before being taken to the vaccine room. The nurse had each person track their 15-minute post-shot waiting period (instead of waiting until the last person to set the timer). We left half an hour after arriving.

Fri., Jun 4

• In Jan., 16,000 Americans were being admitted to the hospital daily; now down to 2,600.
• The U.S. was opening up, but businesses were struggling to find employees. Possible causes were fear of working with maskless, unvaccinated coworkers; lack of access to affordable childcare; and continued extended unemployment benefits. Some employers were offering "signing bonuses."
• It was reported the IRS sent $1 billion in stimulus checks to dead people and foreigners.
• Trump and his cronies were renewing attacks on Dr. Anthony Fauci. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) called for his resignation and for a “full congressional investigation” into the origins of COVID. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a frequent Fauci critic, also renewed calls for his resignation while Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) declared, “In Florida, we choose freedom over Fauci-ism, and we’re much better off for doing that.”
• CDC Director Walensky urged parents to get their teenagers vaccinated, as more were ending up in hospitals.

Sat., Jun 5

• The seven-day average of daily new cases dipped below 20,000 for the first time since March 2020.
• Nearly 170 million of Americans had received at least one dose of the vaccine, representing 61% of the eligible population and 51% of the total population.
• At an event in North Carolina, Trump railed against Dr. Fauci, with the crowd roaring with laughter when he said Fauci was a “radical masker” who might want people to wear three or four masks and goggles for years to come.

I went shopping in Hadley and Northampton yesterday. It was the first time since before the pandemic--and really since I started working for the Fish and Wildlife Service four years ago--that I've had a leisurely trip without concern for time or safety. I was giddy! 

Stores had removed the one-way arrows on their aisles, and some people weren't wearing masks. I wore one in stores, just because I feel as though it makes others feel safer. Ironically, I think the vaccinated people are wearing masks, and the unvaccinated aren't (exactly the opposite of CDC guidance). Not Don, though, he's adamant about not wearing his; he says he's done his part and he's going to enjoy the benefits.

I hit the grocery store at lunchtime, and it was busy, but I almost enjoyed the crowd. The plastic dividers to place between orders on the check-out conveyor were even back. Even the little things bring comfort.

Sarah will be fully vaccinated on the 17th, which means she can be with friends indoors and out this summer. I hope we'll be able to host one or two at the cabin. 

Happy days are here again! (I'm just not 100% sure they'll last...yet.)