Shutdown Diary
New daily reported cases fell 13.3%
New daily reported deaths fell 5.2%
Covid-related hospitalizations fell 8.4% Read more
Among reported tests, the positivity rate was 5.1%.
The number of tests reported fell 36%
According to CDC:
Daily case counts continue to drop, now roughly to a running average of about 73K a day. All the numbers are in the right direction but make no mistake: unvaccinated people are at risk and dying daily. One odd note about boosters: 50+ appears to have a higher rate than 65+.
Lots of developments this week; it looks like we may be about 2-3 weeks before Pfizer vaccines for 5-11 yo kids. We now have approvals of Moderna and J&J approvals, including mix or match. (One of my siblings with a qualifying health condition, a J&J vaccine recipient, will take a Moderna booster next week.) Expect fireworks as some parents respond to school vaccine mandate. Be clear: yes, children are less likely to suffer severe COVID complications, bur some kids have serious health issues, and children can also propagate the virus to people in riskier health groups, including the elderly.
I think federal employees and contractors must have complied with Biden's vaccine mandate by early December. I'm not sure to what extent employee unions or challenges to HIPAA will successfully challenge the mandate (I'm skeptical of their success); I don't think contractor management likes the possible risk of staff turnover. I'm not clear on whether the vaccination card is uploaded to a government or company secure website.
Windows 11 Is Here
Don't expect a detailed review here; I think only one of my PC's, a relatively new desktop replacement, qualifies. In fact, I'm writing this post on it. Just a few days ago I noticed download/upgrade button and launched the process. It was a lengthy process with multiple reboots. There are some definite visual cue differences, including a floating taskbar and more of a drag/drop approach to the system tray. I was a bit confused by the Windows Update history page which reflected my Windows 10 history. There are multiple ways to verify you're on Windows 11, including the fact I soon thereafter downloaded and applied my first Windows 11 patch.
Other Notes
It's Medicare enrollment season, and I'm getting deluged with cable ads and junk ads. You know you're getting old when you recognize Jimmie Walker shilling Medicare Advantage. It seemed like the highlight of any Good Times episode was Jimmie's signature "Dy-No-Mite". At least he's an improvement over Joe Namath's 50 commercials a day.
Well, Crown Jewel came and went. No title changes. They booked Lesnar into a screwjob loss to Reigns (the ref got knocked out by Lesnar's finisher to Reigns). They gave Lesnar a chance for revenge the next night, and Lesnar got suspended. There was an awkward exchange of women's brand titles, with Lynch teasing a reunification match. It's like Smackdown is teasing a Flair-Banks feud like the one a few seasons back where the title was flipped multiple times.
