There are currently 71,697,688 reported cases in the US and 867.868 deaths.
Tuesday, January 25, 2022
The Corona Virus, January 25, 2022
Monday, January 17, 2022
The Corona Virus, January 17, 2022
There are currently 65,814,876 reported cases in the US and 849,976 deaths.
Wednesday, January 12, 2022
I'm Covid Positive
I tested positive and my wife tested negative.
I am isolated in the playroom downstairs. It would be OK but one of the ceiling lights keeps flickering. I suppose I'll have to do something about that?
So far, other than a slightly stuffy nose and the occasional sneeze, no symptoms. That dam light is driving me crazy.
Tuesday, January 11, 2022
We Have an Information Problem
I'm reasonably well read. I don't say I see everything and I don't say I fully comprehend everything I do see but I'm pretty good. If I'm confused, then a lot of people are confused.
The data about vaccines and the coronavirus, particularly the Omicron variant strikes me as inconsistent. I've also noticed that different sources seem to be cherry picking data to make a point but I'm going to ignore that.
I have a simple question. Do the vaccines prevent infection by the Omicron variant? The data is really all over the map. Some studies seem to say no, some seem to say yes and others don't even address the question but rather talk about "asymptomatic cases." An "asymptomatic case" is still an infection that can be passed on to others.
Here's another question. What do people mean by "fully vaccinated?" Articles and studies really need to carefully define their terms. I know what "fully vaccinated" meant BEFORE boosters became a thing but what does it mean now?
Here's a third question. We know that immunity wanes. Are we keeping track of how quickly? At some point do people drop back in category of vaccination?
Maybe we should adopt some sort of system like this:
Category Zero - No vaccination
Category One - One shot or after x months in Category Two
Category Two - Two shots or after y months in Category Three.
Category Three - Two shots plus a booster.
I'm assuming that one would never get all the way back to Category Zero after some vaccination but maybe a time limit needs to be defined there as well.
I'm also ignoring previous infection. How does that play into this all? Is that equivalent to a shot? I know this is really complicated but I think we need some sort of yardstick to figure out how things are.
It would be nice if somebody were trying to come up with consistent terminology and ways to measure risk.
The Corona Virus, January 11, 2021
There are currently 61,584,415 reported cases in the US and 837,911 deaths.
Tuesday, January 04, 2022
The Corona Virus, January 4, 2022
There are currently 56,155,350 reported cases in the US and 826,063 deaths.
Saturday, January 01, 2022
Not Detected
We all got tested for Covid last Thursday and everyone came back negative including the daughter that had tested positive.
I have to assume that she had a false positive.
Update: I spoke too soon. My daughter's final result was positive despite her hubby and two kids being negative.
She did two home tests and they were negative
They all went for another PCR test and hubby and the two boys were negative. They lost my daughter's sample so she went to another site, paid $200 for a PCR test and came back negative.
So, it looks like we hade two false positives. Either that or the vaccines really held up. But the youngest wasn't vaccinated.
Tuesday, December 28, 2021
The Corona Virus, December 28, 2021
There are currently 52,208,788 reported cases in the US and 816,707 deaths.
Tuesday, December 21, 2021
The Corona Virus, December 21, 2021
here are currently 51,208,308 reported cases in the US and 805,301 deaths.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2021
The Corona Virus, December 9, 2021
I'm switching to the New York Times database for national cases and, rather than count individual days, I'm going to use the 7-day average. I'm also going to include only from June 1, 2021.
There are currently 49,505,034 reported cases in the US and 791,933 deaths.
Monday, December 13, 2021
The Corona Virus, December 13, 2021
There are currently 49,929,628 reported cases in the US and 796,175 deaths.
Thursday, December 09, 2021
The Corona Virus, December 9, 2021
I'm switching to the New York Times database for national cases and, rather than count individual days, I'm going to use the 7-day average. I'm also going to include only from June 1, 2021.
There are currently 49,505,034 reported cases in the US and 791,933 deaths.
Sunday, December 05, 2021
Ouch
So, I was outside doing some minor repairs. Then I came inside and suddenly I couldn't breathe. I had to sit down and catch my breath. Things were OKish as long as I wasn't moving too much.
The next morning, Monday, things weren't much better so I decided to call my pulmonologist. They did some phone diagnostics and made me an appointment for that Friday.
I was OK as long as I didn't exert myself. Exerting myself was going to the store and having to stop and suck breath for five minutes. Also going to the dentist to finally get my new choppers and having to suck air just before I went into the office.
Anyway Friday comes around and I drive to the pulmonologist. Getting from the parking lot to her office was a challenge. I had to stop in the lobby, sit down and suck air again. It was so bad I had to rip off my mask to breathe.
To make a long story short one x-ray latter I was informed that I had a collapsed lung.
I ended up in the hospital for nine days which is a whole different tale of woe including eventual surgery. When I got home, my computer was dead. Talk about kicking a guy when he's down? I'm using my wife's little notebook but I ordered a new rig. Probably no virus updates until then.
Wednesday, November 24, 2021
All Guilty in Ahmaud Arbery Case
A jury in Georgia has found all three defendants guilty of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery.
Travis McMichael, who fired the shots, was found guilty on all nine counts, including malice and felony murder.Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Ahmaud Arbery Case Goes to Jury
In Georgia the summations are done; the judge has charged the jury and the case is now in the hands of the jury.
I thought the prosecutor did a good job in laying things out while the defense, not so much.
I think of verdict of guilty is the right result. I might be OK with letting Roddie Bryan off hook because I honestly think he was acting stupidly and not maliciously. He saw his neighbors chasing someone, assumed they knew what they were doing, and foolishly decided to help.
But there is no excuse for what Travis and Gregory McMichael did. The citizens arrest excuse is surpassed in absurdity only by their self-defense claim.
It seemed to me that the defense was expecting to lose the jury trial and was setting their ducks up for an appeal.
Let's hope the verdict is guilty and then they can try their luck. I don't think they'll have any more success in the appeals court than they had with the trial judge.
The Corona Virus, November 23, 2021
There are currently 48,536,041 reported cases in the US and 786,247 deaths.
My grandson missed his shot again due to a slight fever. He's better and will go next Friday. My daughter got hers last Wednesday. My oldest daughter will get hers on December 3. My son-in-law will get his with my grandson.
Friday, November 19, 2021
Rittenhouse Verdict
Kyle Rittenhouse has been found not guilty on all counts. Honestly, that doesn't surprise me any. Unfortunately it sends the wrong sort of message about vigilantism.
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
A Tale of Two Trials
There are two trials underway in parallel.
The first is in Kenosha Wisconsin where Kyle Rittenhouse is on trial for killing two people and wounding another. Rittenhouse was 17 at the time and went to Wisconsin with his trusty AR-15 to help protect property during BLM demonstrations over the killing of a black man by police.
The actions by Rittenhouse are all on video. The two men he killed and the one he wounded were all white. He is claiming self defense.
The question on the table is basically whether an armed person can shoot and kill unarmed people and still call it self defense.
There was also a weapons charge for a 17 year old carrying a dangerous weapon. However the statute in question was so ambiguous that the judge dismissed that charge over the objections of the prosecution.
I suspect that Rittenhouse is either going to be acquitted or convicted of a minor lessor charge. I certainly don't see a homicide conviction.
The judge in this case, Bruce Schroeder, has been making himself too much of an issue and is catching a lot of flak.
Meanwhile, down in Georgia, the three men charged with killing Ahmaud Arbery are being tried. In February of 2020 Arbery was jogging through the neighborhood when he was chased down by Gregory McMichael, an ex-police officer, his son Travis McMichael and a neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan.
The two McMichaels claimed they were trying to make a "citizens arrest" because they suspected Arbery of trespassing on an unfinished house in the area. Bryan claims he was just following to see what was going on. Bryan video taped the incident.
Travis McMichael had a shotgun and claims Arbery tried to take the gun away from him. That can be seen struggling over the gun. The struggle resulted in Arbery being shot and killed.
The big story here has been some of the strange interaction between Kevin Gough, lawyer for Roddie Bryan, and the judge. Gough complained about "black pastors," including Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton, being in the gallery which Judge Timothy Walmsley called "reprehensible." There was also what the judge called clearly racist juror challenges at the start of the trial. The jury finally selected is all white except for one African American.
The judge in this case, in contrast to the Rittenhouse case, has been universally complimented on his professionalism.
I'm not sure where this one is going. It could go either way.
The Corona Virus, November 16, 2021
There are currently 47,906,315 reported cases in the US and 776,392 deaths.
Tuesday, November 09, 2021
The Corona Virus, November 9, 2021
There are currently 47,339,363 reported cases in the US and 768,694 deaths.
