Post #7245 J

Pandemic Report

The latest CDC weekly stats:

We continue to see some of the lowest stats nationally in the pandemic era although the upcoming hot. humid summer weather tends to suggest a summer surge: "Hot weather, human behavior patterns, and an easily mutating virus create the perfect recipe for COVID’s peak in the summer." Of particular concern is omicron variant NB.1.8.1 (Nimbus: a key symptom which is a painful sore throat) which is sweeping through south Asia and as you can see in the above chart is rapidly shooting up the chart domestically:

 "Data indicates that NB.1.8.1 does not lead to more severe illness compared to previous variants, although it appears to have a growth advantage, suggesting it may spread more easily. In other words, it is more transmissible," Subhash Verma, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, previously told CBS News.

Symptoms of the variant are broadly similar to those seen in earlier strains, Verma noted. Typical symptoms include respiratory issues such as cough and sore throat, as well as systemic issues like fever and fatigue.

HHS Secretary RFK. Jr's vaccine panel/policy is dramatically changing the vaccine marketplace and virus containment. (The lead COVID/RSV data scientist has resigned, and he has hired "a former mRNA researcher who has gone on podcasts claiming Americans were “hypnotized” into getting Covid-19 shots and that they might cause a form of AIDS is now part of a crucial committee that makes recommendations about vaccines to the federal government".):

 In May, the Food and Drug Administration said it will continue approving COVID-19 vaccine updates for seniors and those with an underlying medical condition, including pregnancy or diabetes, but will require vaccine makers to conduct major new clinical trials before approving them for wider use. 

The decision means many people without underlying conditions may not have access to updated shots this fall.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also said last month that he would remove the CDC's recommendation for children and healthy pregnant women to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Later that week, however, the CDC said that kids with no underlying health conditions "may receive" COVID-19 vaccines.

There's some worries that vaccine takers may have to pay up to $150 or so per vaccine shot out of pocket. 

Other COVID news items of note include:

• "A multi-institutional effort led by a team of Boston University researchers has discovered a vital mechanism that allows SARS-CoV-2 to evade the body’s immune system. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), details how the nonstructural protein 15 (nsp15) enables the virus to replicate while suppressing innate antiviral defenses."
• "COVID-19 patients with reduced kidney function who are vaccinated are more likely to survive"
• "The Food and Drug Administration has approved Moderna’s next-generation COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine, also known as mRNA-1283, utilizes messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), just like Moderna’s already-available COVID-19 vaccine, Spikevax. But it contains just 10 micrograms of mRNA per dose, compared to 50 micrograms in the available vaccine. The FDA licensed the vaccine for adults aged 65 and up as well as people aged 12 to 64 who have at least one condition that puts them at higher risk for severe COVID-19, the agency said on May 31. The vaccine is meant for “active immunization to prevent” COVID-19 for people who have been previously vaccinated with any COVID-19 vaccine."
• "New portable testing device from Mass General Brigham called LUCAS rapidly detects HIV and COVID-19 with high accuracy"
• "COVID Shot in the First Trimester Not Tied to Birth Defects"
• "Thyroid Storm Deaths Rose With COVID-19, Other Risk Factors"
• "Rheumatoid arthritis drug shows promise for treating excessive inflammation due to COVID-19"
• "Mental health recovery from long COVID takes three times longer than physical healing"
• "Small vessel disease found in long-term follow-up of severe COVID-19 patients"
• "Exposure to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as "forever chemicals," can alter one of the ways our immune system reacts to the coronavirus, possibly affecting vaccine efficacy"
• Prosecutors continue to go after COVID relief or other crimes:
• " Feds arrest 14 members of ‘transnational criminal network’ accused of stealing $30 million in COVID-19 relief funds and small business loans — here’s how big crisis profiteering is in America"
• "Morrison man to spend 46 months in federal prison for PPP loan fraud during COVID-19 pandemic"
• Legal or political developments relative to COVID continue:
• "Judge approves Pa. university’s $675K settlement of COVID-19-related suit"
• "Three R.I. health insurers pay over $1 million in fines for lapses in COVID coverage."

Other Notes

The blog continues to attract a high number of hits which doesn't seem to affect individual posts, probably most reaching double-digit pageviews. I seem to have plateaued at about 120 followers on X/Twitter. It seems like leftists and Democrats are now vastly outnumbered by Trumpkins on the platform. It's not clear why Musk allied himself to Trump, who owns and promotes a rival social media platform. In a way, leftists and Trumpkins seem to mostly propagate the same talking points, often repeating the same conspiracy theory or urban legend talking points. Let me give an example from tonight. I knew Congresswoman Omar was a regular target of Trumpkins. but I hadn't seen the allegation she had married her biological brother, which one Trumpkin argued she used to fraudulently enter the country and get naturalized. The incestual relationship allegation must have been repeated by at least another dozen other tweets tonight. It's not a new allegation over the past several years because at least half a dozen fact checkers have looked into the allegation. I think I'm achieving a certain contrarian presence where even if you don't agree with me, you're interested in what I have to say. I've probably gotten more single-impressioned (liked, retweeted) tweets than anyone else I know

I'm amused to see one of the networks is developing a DMV sitcom series. I probably had more experience than anyone you know, having held drivers licenses at least once in TX, FL, WI, IL, MD, WV, SC, CA, and AZ , 3 of those multiple times. I had to renew my drivers license this year, only it seems MD requires a vision test. I've done them occasionally at DMV's before, usually a formality. MD offers an alternative form signoff from your private optometrist. Back around 24 years ago, I had Lasik; I had been nearsighted, wearing hard contact lenses for several years before then. But I've never needed corrective lenses since Lasik through my last annual eye check last November. I didn't find the vision test stipulation by then, and I got some resistance about rescheduling a visit so soon to have the eyesight certification form filled. Not knowing my work schedule at year end, I didn't want to wait until the last weeks before my birthday to renew my license, so I took my chances at the DMV. I think they had had some machine setup issues because I couldn't clearly the first few letters on the bottom line (most of them yes, easily), and she flunked me when I hesitated.. I could push up my exam if I felt my vision had changed and I ised the DMV "failure" as a pretext. The optometrist's aide laughed when I told my story. She said she could name clients with 20/20 vision who had failed the DMV test. My vision was just as good if not better than last fall, no corrective lenses necessary. Apparently many who have had Lasik even more recently have resorted to things like reading glasses. About the only time I run into issues is tiny print on meds labels or like serial numbers on some computer hardware, but I bought a magnifying glass for those. Oh, I have had a couple of procedures over the years which kept me from driving a few weeks. The good news is that I won't have to worry about it again until 2033 . It was just weird because the last few years my vision has been tested at least twice a year.

I am so used to using my vpn on Internet connections  that I routinely have to deal with captcha challenges or rejected webpage connections. Never mind all the security alerts because my IPs vary from stored values. I like knowing there are checks against someone spoofing my identity, but quite frankly it's annoying dealing with codes, authenticators, passcodes, even biometrics like using fingerprints to open my Android.