Here We Go Again (Pandemic Part XXV)

What a difference a month makes. In my last post, I was frustrated by those who chose not to get vaccinated and gave the virus a chance to mutate, but I felt safe from contracting the virus myself. Over the following days, I became comfortable going to stores without a mask, confident I was protected.

Now, I wear a mask in stores once again and even ordered some new KN95 and cloth masks that provide more protection. Nearly every place in the country is seeing dramatic increases in the number of cases, due to the Delta variant, and now we know that vaccinated people can contract and spread the variant. Fortunately, they rarely become seriously ill and hardly ever die.

It's hard not to be angry with the people who have chosen not to get the vaccine. Many are white evangelicals, who believe God will take care of them. It never occurs to them that maybe He's trying to take care of them with the vaccine.

Tues., Jul. 6

• The Delta variant made up 50% of new infections in the U.S.
• COVID cases were rising in 10 states.
• Prime Minister Boris Johnson said England would open up despite rising cases.
• Pres. Biden said his vaccination strategy was switching from mass vaccination sites to mobile clinics, neighborhood canvassing, and primary care physicians.
• In Israel, studies showed the Pfizer vaccine was less effective in preventing mild-to-moderate COVID against the Delta variant. 
• 95% of eligible Williamsburg residents had received at least one vaccine dose.

Wed., Jul. 7

• 99% of COVID deaths were in unvaccinated people. 
• Every COVID patient who died in Maryland in June was not vaccinated.
• I turned 58! It was a wonderful day, with lunch in Hadley with my supervisor, Christine, and her friend Beth; Don's grilled skewers for dinner, with Mom; dreamy carrot cake; and a Louise Mosrie concert at the Grange.

Thurs., Jul. 8

• It was announced that spectators would not be allowed at Tokyo-area Olympic events.
• A study showed a single dose of a two-shot vaccine offered little protection against the Delta variant. England tried to stretch its vaccine supply by delaying second doses, which could have contributed to the country's current surge.
• Pressure was increasing for the U.S. to lead a global vaccination effort before the virus was completely out of control.

Fri., Jul. 9

• Pfizer sought emergency-use authorization for a third shot to protect against the Delta variant. The Department of Health and Human Services emphasized that people don't need a booster yet.
• Cases were increasing in half of states and some counties in states where they weren't increasing overall.
• The Delta variant was spreading across Africa, with cases increasing 20% in the last week. It was particularly bad in South Africa. Only 3% of Africans were vaccinated.
• Republicans were making door-to-door vaccinations political, saying the government would use private medical information to identify people and would force them to take the vaccine. Some also said it would lead to gun confiscation. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) compared the effort to “medical brown shirts showing up at their door ordering vaccinations.” Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) took to Twitter the next day to offer her own Nazi comparison, labeling the door-knockers “needle Nazis.”
• The CDC said vaccinated students and teachers wouldn't need to wear masks when they return to school. About 1 in 4 teenagers between ages 12 and 15 were fully vaccinated in the U.S., as were 1 in 3 teens who were 16 or 17.
• South Korea was held up as a model country for its test-and-trace response early in the pandemic. But a new coronavirus wave, following relaxed restrictions and a delayed vaccine campaign, had been its most severe.
• Countries removing their coronavirus precautions were doing so at a “perilous point,” the World Health Organization director general warned, as global deaths from COVID exceeded 4 million.

Sat., Jul. 10

• The audience at the Conservative Political Action Committee conference cheered that Biden didn't meet his vaccination goal.
• We received an email from Talya at Hampshire Gymnastics saying they would have a recreational team in the fall and inviting Sarah to participate. She decided not to have a competitive team anymore.

Sun., Jul. 11

• 99.5% of people who died were unvaccinated. 

Mon., Jul. 12

• The FDA was expected to announce a new warning on the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, related to autoimmune disorder.
• Israel started giving boosters to at-risk populations.

Tues., Jul. 13

• The number of new daily cases in the U.S. doubled in the last three weeks. There were 23,600 daily new cases.
• 55.6% of all Americans had received at least one shot of a vaccination.
• The top vaccine official in Tennessee was fired for issuing a memo to doctors telling them to give vaccines to minors without parental permission, according to state law.

Wed., Jul. 14

• Drug overdose deaths were up 40% in 2020.
• Pop star Olivia Rodrigo went to the White House for a day-long visit with Pres. Biden and Dr. Fauci. The event was pushed on social media, in an effort to reach young adults.

Thurs., Jul. 15

• 62% of Mass. residents were fully vaccinated, but cases were ticking up.
• Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned that false information spread on social media like Facebook posed a public health risk.

Fri., Jul. 16

• Cases were rising in all 50 states and had tripled over the last three weeks.
• Hospitalizations and deaths among unvaccinated people were rising, and the pandemic was becoming a more localized crisis, in communities where not enough people were vaccinated.
• The pandemic was being driven by 90 million eligible Americans who hadn't yet been vaccinated.
• Just four states with low vaccination rates made up 40% of new cases last week, and nearly half of all new cases were in Florida.
• Pres. Biden said of social media companies who don't stop the spread of misinformation about the vaccine: "They're killing people." The president appeared to refer to the “disinformation dozen,” the small group of people identified by the Center for Countering Digital Hate who contribute an outsize share of vaccine hoaxes.

Sat., Jul. 17

• Los Angeles County required people to wear masks indoors again, due to a rapid and sustained rise in cases.
• The first case of coronavirus was diagnosed inside Olympic Village, six days before the games were to start.
• Sarah and Julia attempted the sleepover that was cancelled at the beginning of the pandemic. They made cookies, but then Julia decided she wasn't ready to spend the night. Perhaps the third time will be the charm.

Sun., Jul. 18

• The Delta variant appeared to be about 225% more transmissible than the original SARS-CoV-2 strains. One recent pre-print study from China found that people who were infected with delta have — on average — about 1,000 times more copies of the virus in their respiratory tracts than those infected with the original strain and were infectious earlier in the course of their illness.
• In Massachusetts, there had been about 4,450 confirmed breakthrough cases or about .1% of all vaccinated people.
• Indonesia was a virus hotspot.

Mon., Jul. 19

• At the Tokyo Olympics, three members of South Africa's soccer team tested positive from within the Olympic Village, requiring dozens of their teammates to quarantine. A gymnast, an alternate on the U.S. women’s team, had tested positive too. So had 17-year-old U.S. tennis competitor Coco Gauff, who withdrew from the games after her diagnosis. 
• In France, starting Aug. 1, anyone who wants to enter cafes, restaurants, theaters, long-distance trains or shopping malls must have proof of vaccination or a negative test. 
• Canada announced it would open its borders to vaccinated Americans on Aug. 9.
• The Dow had its worst day in almost a year, based on fear of what the Delta variant would do to the economy.

Tues., Jul. 20

• A White House official and a member of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's staff--both vaccinated--were diagnosed with the virus.
• As a result of the virus, the average life expectancy for Americans dropped 1.5 years in 2020, the largest single-year decline since World War II. Among Black Americans, life expectancy decreased by 2.9 years, while that of Latinos dropped by three years.
• Even Republican leaders were starting to encourage vaccination.
• The American Academy of Pediatrics released new guidelines for schools saying all people over the age of 2, regardless of vaccination status, should wear masks.
• In response to Sen. Rand Paul's allegations U.S. funds were used to fund “gain-of-function” research in viruses at a Chinese lab, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious-disease expert, declared: “Senator Paul, you do not know what you’re talking about, quite frankly, and I want to say that officially."
• A federal judge sided with Indiana University in a lawsuit brought by eight students over the school's mandate that all attendees be vaccinated.

Thurs., Jul. 22

• 40% of new cases were in three states: Florida, Texas, and Missouri.
• 2/3 of people who hadn't been vaccinated believed one of five myths about the vaccines.

Fri., Jul. 23

• The Delta variant was responsible for 83% of new U.S. cases.
• Tokyo Olympics opening ceremonies took place, with 1,000 people in stands that can hold 68,000.
• There were 34,000 daily new cases, and one out of five was in Florida.
• I took Sarah, Julia, and Lucia to Altitude Trampoline Park in Holyoke Mall to celebrate Sarah's birthday. We were all maskless.

Sat., Jul. 24

• Some 3,500 people protested in Sydney, Australia, after New South Wales tightened its regulations and the city’s lockdown entered its fifth week.
• We celebrated Mom's and Sarah's birthdays at our house, with all the family together for the first time in nearly a year-and-a-half.

Sun., Jul. 25

• Sarah turned 13, and we drove to Vermont for a week's vacation. 

Mon., Jul. 26

• A cluster of coronavirus cases in Provincetown, Mass., traced to July 4th celebrations, had grown to 500.
• Doctors, nurses, and medical groups called for mandatory coronavirus vaccinations for health workers; the Veterans Affairs Agency became the first federal agency to require vaccines for employees.
• The FDA asked Pfizer and Moderna to add more kids to their vaccine trials, to assess whether a rare inflammation of the heart muscle was more common in younger kids than teens. Children aged 5-11 may not be eligible for the Pfizer vaccine until early November. 
• St. Louis reinstated its mask mandate. 
• 49% of Americans were fully vaccinated; 57% had received one shot.
• 64% of Massachusetts residents were fully vaccinated; 72% had received one shot (83% of eligible population).
• 67% of Vermont residents were fully vaccinated; 75% had received one shot (85% of eligible population).

Wed., Jul. 28

• The CDC issued guidance saying everyone--vaccinated or not--should wear masks indoors in areas where transmission is high. Also said kids should wear masks in schools.
• The Office of the Attending Physician issued a mask mandate for all House of Representatives offices and chambers, causing anger among House Republicans. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy a "moron" for his remarks saying it wasn't based on science.
• Cases had been expected to soar in Britain, after England's economic reopening, but instead they were falling.
• England announced its borders would be open to vaccinated U.S. and European travelers later this summer.

Thurs., Jul. 29

• The Delta variant is as contagious as chicken pox.
• President Biden announced that all federal employees and on-site contractors would have to be vaccinated or be required to wear masks and undergo repeated testing, an order that would affect millions of workers (including me!) and was designed to be a model for other employers.
• Three Republican lawmakers filed a lawsuit against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) arguing that fines they had incurred for not wearing masks on the House floor were unconstitutional. The three were each fined $500 in May for mask violations.

Fri., Jul. 30

• A CDC document said the Delta variant could be spread by vaccinated people and was so contagious that it acts almost like a different novel virus, leaping from target to target more swiftly than Ebola or the common cold. It said health officials needed to “acknowledge the war has changed."
• A CDC study showed three-fourths of people infected in the Provincetown outbreak were vaccinated but few required hospitalization.
• Early research presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference indicated a case of COVID, particularly in an older person, could lead to cognitive decline such as memory problems. 
• There were 9,000 daily cases on June 29 and 60,000 daily cases on July 29.
• For the first time in six months, the CDC recorded more than 100,000 daily new COVID cases in the U.S. 
• I ordered KN95 masks and highly rated cloth masks for the three of us.
• Washington, DC, and Atlanta issued mask mandates.
• Disney and Walmart announced they were implementing vaccine mandates for some of their employees, becoming the latest corporate giants to embrace vaccination in the face of renewed pandemic restrictions.
• More than 856,000 vaccine doses were administered, the highest daily figure since July 3.
• Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that parents would be given the choice of whether their children follow mask rules in school this fall, challenging federal guidance and local school districts in what critics called an “irresponsible” and “appalling” decision amid a surge of infections. He threatened to withhold state funds from districts that didn't comply.

Sat., Jul. 31

• Vaccine holdouts in hot spots, including Louisiana, Arkansas, and Missouri, were rolling up their sleeves as the delta variant hit home.
• Disease trackers predicted the virus could spark 140,000 to 300,000 cases a day in the U.S. come August, fueled by the highly transmissible delta variant and the widespread resumption of normal activities.
• The rolling seven-day average was 70,000 cases a day, an increase of nearly 60,000 in the daily average in less than six weeks. Cases had risen to levels last seen in February.
• The CDC's eviction moratorium expired, putting people in peril as cases were rising.
• The Delta variant accounted for more than 93% of new infections in the U.S.

Sun., Aug. 1

• Florida had 21,683 new cases, most since pandemic began. There were 10,000 COVID patients in Florida hospitals, the most in the nation. Cases had risen 50% in the last week.

Mon., Aug. 2

• New cases in Missouri were up 800% since early June.
• After weeks of flagging, immunizations were up, with more than 4.7 million Americans getting their shots in the past two weeks.
• The U.S. belatedly hit President Biden's July 4th target of 70 percent of adults with at least one vaccine dose.
• Two-thirds of eligible adolescents had not been vaccinated.

Tues., Aug. 3

• The CDC issued a new eviction ban through Oct. 3.
• Stories in the news talked of people who refused to get vaccinated expressing regret as they died of COVID.

Wed., Aug. 4

• The World Health Organization called for a moratorium on vaccine booster shots through at least September, as poorer countries struggled to access shots, even for high-risk populations such as health-care workers and the elderly. Low-income countries had been able to give out only 1.5 doses of vaccines per 100 people “due to lack of supply,” while more than 80 percent of doses globally had gone to high and upper-middle income countries that represent less than half of the world’s population. The U.S. had sent more than 100 million vaccine doses to 65 countries, but experts said it wasn't enough.
• Mere months after Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed a bill that banned local mask mandates across Arkansas, he asked lawmakers to reconsider the prohibition so school districts might require children to don face coverings when they return to classrooms this fall.
• In response to governors who were blocking vaccine and mask mandates, Pres. Biden told them to help or "get out of the way."
• Officials were watching a new variant: "Delta-plus."
• Former president Barack Obama had planned to celebrate his 60th birthday with a large party on Martha’s Vineyard but scaled it back to family and close friends due to the Delta variant.

Thurs., Aug. 5

• In France, 230,000 people joined protests against new restrictions set to take full effect next week requiring vaccination, immunity, or a recent coronavirus test to access trains, restaurants, and other venues.
• Experts said the outbreak in Provincetown demonstrated the power of vaccines. The vast majority of the 1,000-plus cases, which included a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated people, resulted in mild cases or cases without symptoms. There had been no deaths. 
• Moderna, maker of one of the mRNA coronavirus vaccines, announced that six months after full vaccination the shots remain 93 percent effective.

Fri., Aug. 6

• The Biden Administration extended the pause on federal student loan repayments through January.
• Workers at U.S. hospitals were so exhausted and burned out that some were literally walking off the job.
• CNN fired three staff members for working in the office despite being unvaccinated against the coronavirus.
•  About 1 in 5 Americans were resistant to getting the shots.
• An Arkansas judge temporarily blocked the state from enforcing its ban on masks for government entities amid a rising number of cases and hospitalizations.

Sat., Aug. 7

• The Sturgis (SD) Motorcycle Rally began, with 700,000 people expected and no COVID precautions in place. The event was a superspreader last year, with far fewer attendees.
• Metro Atlanta schools reported hundreds of COVID cases, one week into the school year. Masks and vaccinations were not required in most districts.
• Sarah flew to Wisconsin with Emily to spend two weeks with her, Omar, Sophia, and Omarcito, before they all come to Vermont for a week.

Sun., Aug. 8

• The 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo closed. Athletes had to spit into vials every day to test negative for the coronavirus to train and compete in their events, and most were required to leave within 48 hours of competition. While there, they were confined to a "bubble" and, when not competing or training, stay in their rooms, including for meals. Still, Tokyo logged a record number of coronavirus cases the last week, burdening the hospital system amid a slow vaccine rollout, an increasingly apathetic public, and the government’s unsuccessful efforts to restrict the spread of the Delta variant.
• The seven-day rolling average of new cases in the U.S. was 109,000...about the same as six months ago.

So, here we are...right where we were in February as far as number of cases goes. The good news is that everyone dear to me is vaccinated, so we should be okay, even if we get the virus. But I'm frustrated that we're still dealing with the uncertainty and hassle of the pandemic. So much time, money, and energy lost. All due to self-serving politicians and their misguided followers.

When we postponed the Rodriguezes's visit to Vermont last summer, I never dreamed we'd have any concerns this year. With everyone except Omarcito vaccinated, the risk is small, but it's hard not to be a bit concerned.