Pandemic Report
There are some interesting analyses about how the pandemic has transitioned, including this Texas post. There is still a stubbornly high positive rate (10-12%), but provider tests went down from the thousands to the hundreds. Hypotheses for the drop include:
- People still get COVID-19, but are less eager to test because they previously had it with milder symptoms.
- Testing requirements for travel, returning to school or college, or returning to the office have been lifted.
- Symptoms of the current COVID-19 strain, which is still a variant of omicron, are often mild such as a runny nose or congestion, which doesn't make people automatically think about COVID-19. People have milder symptoms because they have built up some immunity from vaccinations, previous infections or coming into contact with the virus while out and about.
- People are testing at home or using a telehealth service that doesn't report testing.
Other Notes
Assuming a recent pattern of weekly pageviews, the blog readership is tracking roughly parallel to the last two subpar months.
I decided to resume my Nutrisystem subscription. I had stopped it some time back at my former residence when their delivery service left the boxes elsewhere 2 of my last 3 months. It's not that my diet isn't working; I'm just about 5 pounds over my year low when I was sick for 2-3 weeks and probably dehydrated. In fact, at a recent quarterly health check, my provider noticed I had lost some 20-odd pounds since my last visit--and worried if not intentional it could be indicative of a serious health issue I still have a lot to lose, something I realize whenever I shop for clothes. But I now love ratchet belts which help as you lose inches around the belt. There are some benefits to the Nutrisystem approach including as easier-to-follow, more disciplined approach with good portion control. I don't have freezer space for their newer frozen meals and treats options. For me, the shelf-stable and/or microwaveable options work better. It's hard to compare because Nutrisystem often rotates its offerings, but some of my old favorite preferences like meat lasagna weren't available. I could swear their boxes held 28 vs. 20 days of food. I'm currently transitioning back into the plan (I have leftovers)
Over the past week, I was the victim of a "bait-and-switch" scam on eBay, and I discovered it's all but impossible to get a live eBay agent. I've filed a dispute with my credit card issuer. I also found another customer who also ran into the same problem, probably just before me and I saw it in a customer believe. More discussion below.
The background is I have a very painful condition which requires my rotating very expensive bandages (coming out of my pocket), a relevant brand name being Aquacel, used by my providers; I've tried other bandages but have found them more uncomfortable. Amazon, from my Internet searches, has been competitive but expensive, with a 10 pack of 4" x 5"bandages, roughly at last check, $100; it is common to splice a larger bandage into smaller ones to deal with various size wounds. They also sell a 10-pack of 2" x 2" for $40. In the latter case, $4/bandage; Keep this in mind.
I've made a few bandage purchases on eBay at decent discounts. Some vendors sell stand-alone bandages at higher prices but the listings are explicit. So, after buying 3 boxes of bigger bandages, I came across a listing of smaller bandages which included a photo of 10 bandages. The guy seemed to be selling bundles at $20+, with a volume discount, so I ended up buying up buying what I thought were 30 bandages for $56. Why? It would be more convenient than splicing bigger bandages for smaller wounds. So, I finally got the delivery and thought it was empty but found 3 wrapped bandages at the bottom of the envelope. WHAT THE HELL?
The seller claims his listing was accurate, and if I didn't realize I was buying bandages at literally 5 times the Amazon cost, it wasn't his problem. Never mind I could have gotten a virgin box of 10 from Amazon with plenty to spare. I am sorely tempted to expose the scammer here but am waiting to see what happens with my credit card issuer. Going back to the other victim of this scam, he thinks that the seller has in the interim edited the listing and resigned himself to the vendor's theft. It's not my last $56 but I resent someone stealing from me.
