Pandemic Report
The latest CDC weekly statistics:
Well, with autumn hours away, the summer 2024 wave has peaked and is slowly on the decline, although a key indicator for me will be seeing test positivity percentages breaking under double digits again. Two major stories have been dominating the news this past week: the new international spreading variant and new evidence on the origins of COVID-19.
The new variant is XEC, "a combination of two other SARS-CoV-2 [omicron] variants known as KP.3.3 and KS.1.1." Over half the states have at least one case. "So far, XEC causes the same symptoms as other covid-19 variants such as fever, sore throat, cough and muscle aches and pains." The best defense is o get one of the 3 major 2024/2025 vaccine updates recently approved
"New analysis of samples from Wuhan animal market supports its role as a central site of early spread of Covid-19.":
Species present in the areas where the highest numbers of SARS-CoV-2 samples were found include raccoon dog, hoary bamboo rat, dog, European rabbit, Amur hedgehog, Malayan porcupine, Reeves’s muntjac, Himalayan marmot and masked palm civet...The researchers identified the species of animals at the market through a technique called metagenomic sequencing, which reads all the genetic material present in a sample and then sifts through to understand where it came from....The analysis, which was published Thursday in the journal Cell, doesn’t prove that the animals were infected by the virus, but their DNA was found very near the virus, sometimes on the same swab. That means it’s a strong possibility the animals were infected at the market.. Of the animals present at the market, rabbits, dogs and raccoon dogs are known to be susceptible to Covid-19 infections. Raccoon dogs have also been shown to transmit the infection, making them a strong candidate to be the animals that first passed the virus to humans....Their analysis shows that SARS-CoV-2 virus present at the market emerged at the same time as the virus from the larger pandemic, suggesting that they are one and the same. If it had come from somewhere else first and then traveled to the market where its spread was amplified — as a lab leak theory of Covid-19’s origin suggests — the timing of the emergence of the virus found in the market would have been different than the emergence of the virus that caused the pandemic, Andersen said. The pandemic virus would have an earlier birthdate.
Other related news of interest:
- "New York City's former COVID czar Dr. Jay Varma was caught on hidden camera bragging about attending drug-fueled sex parties with his wife during the pandemic."
- Novavax, a protein-based vaccine alternative to the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, is getting some traction in international markets and in places like Florida whose surgeon general advises against mRNA vaccines.
- Bu the end of the month, you will be able to order up to 4 free COVID-19 tests per household at this website.
- ""Now, research from the University of Pittsburgh, University of Ottawa and University of Washington has shown that not only are there two seasonal COVID-19 waves, but the spikes in cases are also following a six-month pattern geographically...On six month cycles, waves of higher COVID-19 cases appear to move north-south and east-west in addition to the seasonal trends that have been present since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the study."
- "Research Shows Severe COVID-19 Contributes to Long-Lasting Cognitive Impairment"
- The prosecution of COVID relief fraud continues:
- Three Arizona women used inmate identities to collect COVID unemployment benefits.
- A Georgia lawyer pled guilty to EIDL fraud.
Other Notes
The blog now seems to be on track for the long term trend. I had a "viral tweet" (which I say about tweets that connect for over 1K impressions; perhaps common for others but as my late friend Bruce would say I'm more of a acquired taste.
In this case, the Harris campaign put out a clip of Jane Fonda canvassing a Michigan neighborhood for Harris. I quoted the tweet recalling my Dad got orders for Vietnam when I, the oldest of 7, wasn't even a teen. As far as I care, Hanoi Jane could go to hell. Just some other pieces of the story: I remember playing an evening news anchorman in my Grandfather's bedroom channeling my inner Walter Cronkite.. I remember reporting the latest week casualties. There's a reason I mention that. When my Dad was getting ready to take off (we joined other military families at an army post outside Salina, KS). It hit me like a truck my Dad was headed to a war zone (he was a USAF tech sergeant and wouldn't be fighting on the frontline, but I knew he wouldn't be safe, and I wasn't ready to be the man of the house). I even refused to say goodbye at the airport. In some weird state of mind, I was convinced he couldn't die because we hadn't said goodbye. Now by some miracle, Dad's orders got changed to Thailand soon after arrival,
My Dad made it back. Others weren't as lucky. I had a younger Army brat friend, a passionate Green Bay Packers fan. I wasn't into NFL football at the time, being more of a baseball/basketball guy. I brutally teased him to tears that the Packers suck. I remember I hadn't seen my friend in a while and asked my mom if she had seen him. She told me his Dad had been killed and they had moved (I never got to say goodbye). I had to live with the mistakes I had made in our friendship, making him cry over the Packers. I would have done anything for the Packers to win the next Super Bow. for my friends and his late dad.
There are things Hanoi Jane did--like pose with an anti-aircraft gun aimed at US pilots and her betrayal of US POW's By the way, I was secretly a war critic, but I didn't want to do anything that would reflect on him. He was tight-lipped about his Vietnam experience.
Well, egg prices are still about as expensive this week at Walmart and Lidl. I was hoping to find a relative bargain on 18-pack cage-free brown eggs but pricing had changed. Still, I could buy Eggland's Best, a premium brand (one of a few well-known brands Lidl carries) at a lower price than the private regular vendor they use. Still, I remember buying them at about $1.49.dz just a few weeks back, and more than double that now.
I'm going to promote my favorite "new" (to me) YouTube channel: Only the Truth Matters. I've embedded a sample video below, which is a charming first love but separated story. Just a warning though: this is an exception with an English translation voiceover. If you aren't fluent French, you can make use of closed-caption translations (via CC toggle and you can set translation via the gear menu). Familiar readers may know French was my first language, but when my kindergarten teacher couldn't cope with me, the folks went English only at hone, and I eventually lost my fluency not able to practice the language (I also have exposure to Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese). I use the closed captioning as a crutch.
The show has a certain format centered over an invitation to connect with some special interest context. Maybe it's a father who separated from her mother shortly after birth, a secret office crush, an estranged family member, a long-separated BFF, etc. One of the people initiates contact through the show. The other person gets an invitation to the show. The second party isn't told the identity of the first party. There is a curtain between them. The male co-hosts interview the second guest and give up to 2 clues in the form of a video question. I don't think any guest has ever guessed from the clue. Keep in mind there is a curtain between the two and the first can see/hear the second. The second is given a chance to see and talk to the first. At the end the second is given a chance to open the curtain or leave. I think most guests choose to meet the other but quite a few times they won't, like the office crush already in a relationship, and some estranged relationships can't be bridged over a few minutes.
