Post #7799 J

Endemic Report

CDC weekly stats:

The Sick Times:

The summer wave is now almost uniformly up across the country, although at a post-pandemic low. There were 2 major news items over the week: the FDA approved the first mRNA vaccine beyond COVID (Moderna flu); the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress over his Fifth Amendment saturated hearing, and Fauci's fanatical opponent Rand Paul has referred the matter to the Justice Department.. At least 3 state attorneys general (including FL and LA and WV) have opened investigations into Fauci, including allegations of profiteering off the pandemic and/or of access to relevant information.

Other COVID- related news items:

• "Night shifts and chronic insomnia may increase long COVID risk"
• "BioNTech lowers 2026 sales outlook as COVID vaccine demand softens"
• "A lab-leak proponent is in line for Fauci’s old job"
• "Virus reactivation in acute and long COVID-19"
• "UT-led study finds COVID-19 can awaken hidden viruses throughout the body"
• "FDA approves XOCOVA, a new COVID-19 drug that can help stop infection after exposure"
• "Evolutionary history may help explain why some people develop more severe COVID-19 than others"
• "Some COVID-19 Patients Suffered Heart Damage, an Overlooked Coronavirus Protein May Explain Why"
• "Remdesivir Tied to Better Long-Term Health for Kidney Transplant Recipients With COVID-19"
• "Study details long COVID’s effect on patients’ wellbeing"

• COVID relief fraud/other crimes:
• "Former top Chicago Public Schools executive charged with COVID loan fraud"
• "Chicago lab owner pleads guilty, cooperating against ex-Loretto Hospital executive in COVID-19 test scheme"
• "Fayetteville man charged with stealing nearly $1M in COVID-19 fraud scheme: Prosecutors"
• "Duo took bribes, kickbacks for approving $1.9M in Ohio COVID-19 unemployment payments, feds say"
• 'Morgantown man sentenced to 30 days for COVID-19 relief and tax fraud scheme"

• Legal/political issues:
• "Arbutus Responds to Moderna’s Appeal of District Court Infringement Judgment over"COVID Vaccines:
• "Tuberville wants to prosecute Fauci for COVID-19 deaths in AL"
• "COVID-19 Evidence Challenges Kennedy Jr. Claims as Vaccines Reduce Severe Illness"
• "8 misleading Fauci claims we've fact-checked"
• "Why MAGA Is So Obsessed With Fauci"
• "Fauci told Congress higher COVID-19 fatality rate than he calculated in diary: ‘More like 0.2-0.3%’"
• "‘Morning Joe’ Fact-Checks RFK Jr.’s Latest ‘Outrageous’ COVID Claims: ‘It’s a Lie’"
• "Imperial Valley doctor wins new court protection for speaking freely about COVID-19"
• "After years of debate, former COVID response coordinator acknowledges pandemic source 'probably a lab leak'"
• "Why was Fauci held in contempt for pleading the 5th, and what happens next?"
• "Fact-check: Kennedy says the US had the highest COVID death rate on earth. Fact-check: Kennedy says the US had the highest COVID death rate on earthIn its tracking of global COVID-19 cases and deaths through March 2023, Johns Hopkins University found that Peru’s population was hit hardest with a rate of 665.84 deaths per 100,000 people. The U.S.’s per capita death rate was nearly half that with 341.11 deaths per 100,000 people. That is the 14th highest rate. Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia, and Romania were a few of the countries with higher per capita death rates than the U.S."
• "Senate investigators obtain Fauci iPhone from HHS in COVID-19 actions probe"
• "CDC didn't say COVID-19 vaccines are 'largest carcinogenic exposure in history'"

Other Notes

Blog page views averaged an elevated 11K per day.No new essays yet this month. X/Twitter followers are at a multi-month low of 200 followers. No new popular tweets.

My new pet peeve is Walmart's recently hidden tipping delivery charge. On a recent order, I didn't even know until I later looked at the detailed receipt that it had assessed an $11 tip for an order that amounted to 3 small plastic bags of items, only one of which was a food item.  Other items were shipped free. It flagged one item for home delivery that it decided could be shipped with the other items, which it didn't. One of the delivered items was also a swapped item (not food).  Substitute items are unfortunately not uncommon, which surprises me given Walmart's reputation for logistics. Amazon does a much better job of alerting you of inventory issues. As for the tip thing, Walmart AI says you have up to 3 hours after delivery to modify the absurd tip, but all I could do was add to it, not reduce it. I know I used to see the tip before placing the order, and I had adjusted the tip accordingly. I'm not against tipping, but I don't like Walmart's idea of charging you before delivery. I routinely tip waiters and barbers, but I adjust based on the quality of my experience. If I have to hunt down a server to get my coffee refilled or get my bill, I'm not as generous. Oh, Walmart has a tipping-included subscription add-on, but again, that ignores the whole concept behind tipping. It's one thing if someone is delivering a 50-lb bag of dog food.

A second Walmart complaint is that Walmart reset "my Walmart location"  without my knowledge or consent. There is a location technically closer to where I live, but it is not the supercenter where I've shopped over the past decade. The issue is that your online shopping is limited by your Walmart location, so I was all of a sudden limited to a fraction of my typical shopping items. I don't know why Walmart is doing this, but it is annoying.What's the purpose of choosing a store if they overwrite it?