City Mouse

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The numbers of deaths from COVID-19 in 2021 has already surpassed the number of deaths in 2020. Urban Americas are dying half as often from COVID-19 infections compared to their  rural American counterparts.

Vaccinations are the most effective way to prevent Covid-19 infections from turning deadly. Roughly 41 percent of rural America was vaccinated as of September 23, 2021, compared with about 53 percent of urban America, according to an analysis by The Daily Yonder, a newsroom covering rural America. Limited supplies and low access made shots hard to get in the far-flung regions at first, but officials and academics now blame vaccine hesitancy, misinformation and politics for the low vaccination rates.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for some people who completed their two-dose series of the Pfizer vaccine at least six months ago. Getting fully vaccinated — including your boosters if you qualify — is the right thing to do because it protects others from getting COVID-19.

Boosters are suggested for:

  • People 65 or older
  • People who have a medical condition that puts them at high risk
  • People who work in a setting where they could be exposed to the virus like teachers and store clerks.

Only 57% of the Americans population has been fully vaccinated. Many elite city dwellers got their vaccine booster shots early by taking advantage of the nation’s vaccine surplus and loose tracking of those who have been fully vaccinated. As of August 11, 2021, 1.1 Million Americans had already gotten the booster shot. An NBC News analysis of CDC data shows that the number of people receiving booster shots is outpacing those getting their first or second doses of the initial vaccination.

On October 14, 2021 the FDA’s advisory committee will meet to discuss and potentially recommend approval of booster shots for people who received Moderna’s vaccine.

October 15, 2021  that committee will meet to potentially recommend approval of boosters for those who received Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Also, that day, the committee will discuss potentially mixing and matching vaccine boosters — that is, getting a booster that’s different from your original vaccine.

Then, about a week and a half later, on October 26, 2021 the FDA has scheduled a meeting to approve the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.

Country Mouse

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HuffPost reported that COVID-19 is killing rural Americans at twice the rate of urban residents.

The first surge of COVID-19 in the spring of 2020 initially hit urban areas hardest, with high rates of infections and deaths, according to the study for the Rural Policy Research Center published in September 2021. At the time, many rural communities were largely untouched.

But subsequent waves of the pandemic tore through rural areas, where many people are older, in poorer health, unvaccinated. Rural rates of infections and deaths began pulling ahead of metropolitan areas at the beginning of summer 2020, the study noted.

Since the pandemic began, about 1 in 434 rural Americans have died from COVID-19, compared with roughly 1 in 513 urban Americans. But as of mid-September 2021, metropolitan areas were experiencing a seven-day average death rate of 0.41 per 100,000 people, while rural communities had an average death rate of 0.85.

Alan Morgan, head of the National Rural Health Association, told NBC News, “We’ve turned many rural communities into kill boxes,” he added. “And there’s no movement towards addressing what we’re seeing in many of these communities, either among the public, or among governing officials.”

The Washington Post reported earlier this month that COVID cases and deaths were notably higher in Republican states than in Democratic states.

Of the 23 states that had new per capita case totals higher than the U.S. average, 21 voted for the former president in November, the Post noted. Sixteen of them were among the 17 states with the lowest rates of vaccination.

The newspaper called it an “inescapable overlap of pandemic and politics” as Republicans battle against mask and vaccine mandates, essentially killing their constituents.

700,000 Pixels

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On the National Mall in Washington D.C. workers are placing small white flags for each life lost to COVID-19. As a country we have surpasses 700,000 deaths. No single image of the field of flags can convey the enormity of the loss.

I tried to figure out how to that large a number in a single image. I thought how many dots did Georges Pierre Seurat use to finish one of his large pointillist paintings like the La Grande Jatte? No one knows there are too many dots to count.

Then I wondered how many pixels are in one of my digital paintings? I realized I could create a canvas with just over 700,000 pixels and this image is the result.

What would 700,000 people look like lying head to toe and shoulder to shoulder? If each person was 6 feet tall then one side of the image would be 5,028 feet long, or almost 17 football fields.

If you look at just a small detail of the image you can see that each star consists of about 9 pixels and each square of the large pill is maybe 20 pixels wide.

The display of flags at the National Mall came to an end on October 4, 2021 after being in place for two weeks. Artist Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg created the installation. Some who visited the installation were able to write the name of their loved one on a flag.

Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics announced on October 1, 2021 early results that indicate their experimental oral antiviral drug molnupiravir might reduce the risk of death or hospitalization from Covid-19 by half. This could be a game changer to save lives but hey, we thought having free vaccines would be a game changer. In a news release, the company said 7.3% of 385 patients who received the antiviral were either hospitalized or died from Covid-19, compared with 14.1% of the 377 patients who received a placebo, which does nothing. In countries that are desperately waiting for vaccines this could save lives. The anti viral would not be a replacement for vaccines but another tool to help stop deadly outcomes.

“This is the most impactful result that I remember seeing of an orally available drug in the treatment of a respiratory pathogen, perhaps ever,” Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Friday.

 

Brett Kavanaugh Tests Positive for COVID-19

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Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh tested positive for COVID-19 just days before the justices were set to return to the courtroom to begin a new term, the court announced October 1, 2021. This is a breakthrough case since all Supreme Court justices have been vaccinated since January 2021. He is not experiencing any symptoms.

He was informed on September 30, 2021 ahead of a ceremonial swearing-in for Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett set for on October 1, 2021. Court officials said Kavanaugh, 56, would not attend Barrett’s investiture ceremony. Kavanaugh will participate in next week’s oral arguments remotely from home.

The Supreme Court announced in September 2021 that it would conduct oral arguments in person starting October 4, 2021 after more than a year in which COVID-19 forced them to debate their docket virtually. The return to the courtroom will be limited to the justices, attorneys and journalists as the court’s building remains closed to the public.

Amy Coney Barrett tested positive for COVID-19 last year before she was confirmed, The Washington Post reported at the time.

Kavanaugh underwent a contentious confirmation process in which a a handful of women accused him of sexual misconduct despite his fervent denials. Comedian Steve Hofstetter apparently alluded to the Kavanaugh accusers, saying the justice “has no problem with something entering someone’s body without their permission.”

SAK in a Pandemic

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Pam’s niece was visiting from the mid-west in August and she wanted to treat her to an evening at SAK Comedy Lab.

SAK strongly encourages all non-vaccinated students to wear a face mask while in the class area.

An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. COVID-19 is a contagious disease that can, in some instances, lead to severe illness and death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), senior citizens and people with underlying medical conditions are especially vulnerable.

Pam, her niece and I wore masks the entire time. Under this situation I wore a KN-95. I noticed that ushers also wore masks but as the audience filled in the seats there were no masks in sight. None. When the audience had filled in I turned around and saw that one lone woman also wore a mask.

The SAK seats up to 60% of their pre-covid maximum capacity. They provide one seat open between groups. That is a full two feet of social distancing. They advised online that, if you are uncomfortable being in a venue that feels somewhat dense with people, now might not be the best time to attend their shows. They politely request that all guests wear a mask in the venue regardless of vaccination status. It can be removed when you are seated with your food and drink. If wearing a mask while at a live venue isn’t your thing, they completely understand. I can vouch for the fact that veeeeery few took this advice seriously.

The performers are all vaccinated and are not masking while on stage. The performances consisted of some of the cast belting out some amazing show tunes. Chase Padget whose work I have admired from past Fringe shows was among the cast, and he did a stellar job. They all killed it. If you want to laugh yourself to death, this is the place to do it.

A few weeks after this performance, on August 20, 2021, a member of SAK’s Front of House staff reported a positive Covid-19 test. Because the staff work closely together, they decided to take their shows down for the weekend out of an abundance of caution. This was the first time since the pandemic began that they took a show down.

In August 2021 alone, more than 9,000 residents died in Florida from COVID-19, making it the most deadly month of the pandemic in the Sunshine State. Yet looking around this audience you would think that COVID was a thing of the past. Florida is way ahead of the nation’s other five largest states in a race no one wants to win. In the last six months, Florida has recorded nearly 90 deaths for every 100,000 residents, by far the highest among the six largest states. Florida’s death rate over that period is more than three times higher than in New York and more than five times higher than in California. In fact, only Texas has a rate that is at least half of Florida’s.

 

Pandemic Studio

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For the past 18 months I have been getting up each morning and immediately stepping over these storage crates to work in the studio. I start the morning by sharing the post of the day on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I then look up the daily hospital rates and United States risk assessment map which I put on the sidebar of the days article.

As I eat breakfast, I browse through he days news looking for the latest horror that needs to be illustrated. Some mornings I wake up with the idea fresh in my head. Some of the best and strangest ideas occur to me as I am trying to wake up.

With the idea in mind I start researching on Google images. This part of the process is quite fun as I get lost down various rabbit holes and the idea may morph as my research leads down strange tangents.

An older version of Photoshop is used to cobble together my ideas and then I e-mail that composite to myself  so I can use it as reference for the painting which is done in Procreate on an iPad. My goal is usually to get the drawing done by lunch and then have the painting done with enough time to write an article by midnight. Some days, like today,, I post work that is unrelated to the pandemic so I can have a few moments of peace were I am not analyzing the situation our country is still in. Social isolation for an artist isn’t that bad if the world is in a tail spin, and you feel the need to document every moment of the free fall. I am also thankful to be with a partner who has made the pandemic incredibly bearable. Laughter and time spent together in our bubble make the time fly by.

The pandemic is far from over, but moments of peace and quiet are as important as the endless insanity.

Genie Out of the Bottle

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After 18 months, with much fanfare, Disney‘s Aladdin returned to the New Amsterdam Theater on Broadway. The show was then summarily shut down when there were breakthrough cases of COVID-19 among the cast. One of their washes for the genie should have been an infection free run of the show.

All performances of the popular musical through Sunday, Oct. 10, are off. In a statement, the company said, “Although negative PCR testing allowed us to move safely forward with last night’s performance of Aladdin at The New Amsterdam Theatre, additional breakthrough COVID-19 cases were detected within the company today.”

Blythe Adamson, the epidemiologist working with Disney Theatrical Productions on its Broadway shows said, “This 12-day pause allows the Aladdin company ample time to ensure that people with breakthroughs recover, and any other potential breakthroughs are identified before the Aladdin company gathers again.”

Added Disney, “Because the wellness and safety of our guests, cast and crew remain our top priority, we feel the prudent decision is to cancel performances starting tonight, Friday, October 1 through Sunday, October 10. We will continue to provide support to the affected Aladdin company members as they recover. The Broadway League announced that all Broadway venues would continue to require COVID vaccinations for audiences, performers and staff through the end of the year, at which time the policy will be reviewed for another possible extension.

In Flight

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COVID-19 has been shown to spread on airplanes by infected passengers. There is scarce reliable data, so the understanding of how exactly COVID-19 transmits during flights is limited.

Airplanes have been a primary way the virus quickly spread around the world. The most risky times are boarding and departing the plane. There are no social distancing practices when people crush into the aisles to get their luggage from overhead compartments and wait on top of one another to get off the flight.

During on board dining, everyone takes off their masks at the same time to eat. Which of course raised the risks of infection. The option to serve passengers at alternating times to maintain social distancing while eating is a logistical problem airlines are unwilling to consider.

When an airlines middle seats are left vacant, the risk of infection is reduced. A CDC study, using laboratory modeling, found that leaving the middle seat open can reduce COVID exposure by up to 57%. However airlines are packing passengers into the cabin like cattle.

Air vents are designed to push air downward and into the aisles. The air is then recirculated and mixed with 50% of outdoor air. Passengers’ exhaled air is cleaned with HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters, which are also used in hospital operating rooms, for example. These filters are designed to retain 99.95% of airborne particles of a wide variety of sizes, greatly reducing the risk of infection. experts say that air circulation and filtration systems alone cannot completely protect against infection. HEPA filters can only clean particles that reach it — so passengers need to minimize risks, such as wearing face masks, to help avoid coming into contact with particles that did not reach the filter. Aiming the air nozzle right at your face at full velocity, even if it is too cold, is the best option to avoid swapping air with infected fellow passengers.

Researchers focused on long-haul flight EK488 from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Auckland, New Zealand. Using genomic sequencing, scientists found that four passengers on board became infected by one of two other passengers on the flight. Two of the passengers infected were not wearing face masks. When passengers and crew move about in the aircraft cabin, it can affect the direction of airflow, and increase the risks of infection.

Experts encourage passengers to refrain from eating or drinking while on board. This might not be an option on a very long flight so being brief and perhaps refraining from immediate consumption might reduce risks. “If a passenger briefly removes his or her mask to eat or drink, other passengers in the vicinity should keep their masks on,” said a Harvard University report on COVID risk mitigation on planes. Each moment a face mask is removed on the plane — including eating and drinking during a flight — the risk of infection increases. The longer a passenger eats, the greater the risk of infecting someone, said epidemiologist Ulrichs.

Red Menace

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CNN reporter Chris Cillizza reported that Red Covid is killing Americans. This menace was perpetuated by the former president who made basic health measures a political talking point he hoped would get him re-elected.

States that voted Democratic for Joe Biden  in the last election are showing much higher vaccination rates that states that voted Republican. The spread is startling when seen on a graph. Not getting vaccinated has become a point of pride among the Republican base right up until they are gasping their last breaths with a tube down their throats.

More than 9 in 10 self-identified Democrats (92%) report that they have had at least one dose of one of the three vaccines for Covid-19. That number among Republicans? Just 56%.

Republican governors were slower to adopt both stay-at-home orders and mandates to wear face masks. “Governors’ party affiliation may have contributed to a range of policy decisions that, together, influenced the spread of the virus,” the study’s senior author, Dr. Sara Benjamin-Neelon the Bloomberg School’s Department of Health, Behavior and Society, said in a statement. “These findings underscore the need for state policy actions that are guided by public health considerations rather than by partisan politics,” she added.

Dubbing it “Red Covid,” The New York Times‘ David Leonhardt wrote: “The political divide over vaccinations is so large that almost every reliably blue state now has a higher vaccination rate than almost every reliably red state.  Because the vaccines are so effective at preventing serious illness, Covid deaths are also showing a partisan pattern. Covid is still a national crisis, but the worst forms of it are increasingly concentrated in red America.”
There are two Americas right now. The one that is intelligent enough to take safety precautions kike wearing masks  and got vaccinated and the other who is ignorantly willing to go to slaughter to make a political point. Choose wisely.

Misinformation Mind Parasites

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Andy Norman, reported that America is facing a pandemic of ignorance.  Insane QAnon theories have captured the minds of many and anti vaccine rhetoric is spreading like wildfire with reason and thought being abandoned for blind devotion to baseless doctrine.

In his provocative book Mental Immunity: Infectious Ideas, Mind-Parasites, and the Search for a Better Way to Think, Newman unearths this growing scourge. In this era,  misinformation is more common, and spreads even faster than the virus.

He explained, “Parasites require a host, bad ideas require a host. Parasites often compromise the health of their hosts. Bad ideas can also compromise the mental well being of their hosts. Parasites can leap from body to body. Bad ideas can leap from mind to mind.”

Facebook algorithms have nurtured this tsunami of misinformation. Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the social media giant has removed 18 million posts containing misinformation about COVID-19, but would not say how many times the posts had been viewed or shared.

A White House study 12 misinformation super spreaders they dubbed, the “disinformation dozen”.  Misinformation experts have condemned platforms for taking down some of the most egregious accounts, but not others. For instance, the anti-vaccine figurehead Robert F. Kennedy Jr. still has an account on Facebook, despite being banned from Instagram, which is owned by Facebook.

 The Washington Post reported that a new peer-reviewed study from researchers at New York University and the Université Grenoble Alpes in France will show that misinformation got six times as much engagement on Facebook as real news. Pages that post more misinformation regularly got more likes, shares, and comments. Truth be damned, Facebook wants clicks.

Vaccine misinformation remains very high on Facebook. President Joe Biden said that the tech giants such as Facebook are “killing people” by failing to tackle the problem. Experts who study online misinformation say it has still largely failed to address the issue and that falsehoods about the vaccine are still reaching millions of people. Rather than tackle the issue, Facebook founder Zuckerberg has decided to instead start placing pro-Facebook messaging in its news feed. It is the usual adage of deny, deflect and do a distracting dance while raking in the dough. The mighty dollar trumps death.