COVID Knows No Borders

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Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General of Global Communications, for the United Nations, has launched a new initiative called Only Together.

She described the initiative in an interview with WebMD‘s Chief Medical Officer, John Whyte, MD.

“Scientifically, it’s very clear. Only when everyone everywhere is vaccinated will we get out of this pandemic. But how to deliver that message in a way that hits people’s hearts? We decided to launch a campaign that allows people to think about what will I be able to do when I can get back to the things I love. And that’s the first thing. So people are saying I will hug again, I will dance again, I will go to a concert again. It’s very much engaging with interactions with other people. It’s not really materialistic at all. But the secondary message, which for us is the primary message, is for people to then say, I know that I can only do this when everyone has the chance to be vaccinated.”

“The virus travels. That’s the thing. The virus knows no borders. And I don’t think anybody wants to close the borders of the United States or of any country indefinitely. That has major economic consequences, trade consequences, supply consequences. But also just I know that not everybody travels internationally, but the reality is that we are a globalized world that depends and relies on each other.“

“And the reality is that the COVID-19 virus is opportunistic, and it’s looking to cling on to people who are traveling, and to continue to come back. And if it can’t latch on to people who’ve been vaccinated or who have antibodies, it will mutate. So the faster we get everyone around the world– this is just the strategic self-interest part– vaccinated, the faster we can all go back to doing what we love.“

“But the other thing is just it’s a moral issue, really. I mean, we have countries, low-income countries that did not have the financial means, the clout to negotiate deals with pharmaceutical countries early on. And many of them haven’t received a single dose. And what we’re talking about are front line health care workers. We can identify with that. Our doctors, our nurses, they haven’t been vaccinated. And yet, they’re dealing well over a year with people with coronavirus, putting their lives at risk every day. And so this isn’t acceptable. We need to get at least them vaccinated. And that’s what we’re working on.”

 

One Third Test Positive

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The Wall Street Journal reported that a flight from Deli, India to Hong Kong was packed tight like sardines in a tin can. All passengers had to stay at a quarantine hotel upon arrival. More than a third of the passengers on flight UK6395, 52 so far — have tested positive for COVID-19. They had all tested negative before the flight.

One passenger, Mrs. Fathima said she feared her family picked up the infections on the April 3, 2021 journey, despite wearing masks almost the entire time and avoiding using the restrooms on board. Some passengers — including one in the same row — coughed repeatedly during the six-hour flight, people took masks off to eat, and some parents walked their crying children up and down the aisle, she said.

There is a debate as to weather the passengers were infected on the flight or in the quarantine hotel. Genome testing is being done to try and figure out the source of infection.  COVID spread could still have happened on flight UK6395 if a highly infectious patient had not worn a mask properly, or if germs had contaminated common facilities such as toilets when a passenger did not flush the water closet with the lid closed. Forbes reported that a new case study from New Zealand’s Ministry of Health finds that Covid-19 can spread on long-haul flights. In September, 2020 two other international studies came to the same conclusion. And last month, an Irish study linked 59 Covid-19 cases to one seven-hour flight.

According to The Sun, Poonam Nanda, the director of Nanda Travel, based in Hong Kong, added: “This one flight appears to be an astonishing outlier and we are all confounded by these numbers.” Hong Kong has now banned all flights from India starting  May 3, 2021 for 14 days.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently eased its domestic and international travel guidance for vaccinated people, stating that travelers who are fully vaccinated “can travel safely within the United States” but noted a greater risk for international travel. However, the agency is still discouraging nonessential travel due to rising numbers of Covid-19 infections. Driven by extremely contagious variants that have invaded all 50 states, the virus is currently hitting healthier 30 to 50 year-olds hard.

Eureka Superspreader

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The Eureka Pentecostal Church in Eureka, California has been linked to about 110 cases of COVID-19 in Humboldt County. On April 23, 2021, a mobile testing van from the County Public Health Branch was parked in front of the church. The church’s administration confirmed that members have tested positive. “We had gone over an entire year with no outbreak at the church, but despite our best efforts, the virus was introduced to our congregation,” a statement from the church said.

Members of Eureka the Pentecostal Church recently posted videos shot at a regional youth gathering held April 9 and 10 in Stockton. The videos show singers and musicians on stage at an indoor venue, performing for a crowd of hundreds of people who can be seen dancing, jumping up and down and singing in close proximity to one another. Very few in the audience were wearing masks.

Tyler Sullivan, the youth president of a Pentecostal organization called Western District Youth Division, announced the event, saying, “After almost a year of us not being able to come together, we are finally coming together for an in-person, district-wide youth gathering” at the Christian Life Center in Stockton. Regarding capacity for the event, Sullivan said, “With churches and regulations being at only 25 percent [capacity] as of this moment, we are only going to allow 1,200 registrants in per service.” Videos posted on social media make it clear they met or exceeded the capacity expectations. The audience mostly failed to maintain social distancing and face coverings, as recommended by the CDC and other public health organizations.

On April 23, 2021, the Humboldt County Joint Information Center announced that 20 more county residents have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases this week to 130.

 

 

India on Fire

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On April 24, 2021, India reported 349,691 new cases of Covid-19, the fourth day in a row the country has set a world record for daily infections during the coronavirus pandemic, according to government and scientific tallies. The country’s testing is haphazard at best so those numbers are a vast under count. The country also reported its highest daily death toll for the ninth consecutive day, adding 2,767 fatalities in the past 24 hours.

India’s heath care system has broken under the load. Everything is in short supply — intensive care unit beds, medicine, oxygen and ventilators. Bodies are piling up in morgues and crematoriums, and authorities have been forced to hold mass cremations at makeshift sites.

At one hospital a faulty valve in the main oxygen tank caused a leak that resulted in 22 patient deaths. People are being turned away since hospitals are full to capacity. People are dying as they wait with no oxygen. Oxygen tankers require police escorts. On April 21, 2021, Saroj Hospital and Batra Hospital told families to take their patients away as they were running out of oxygen. Many people are dying at home.

People stood in long lines literally all day long with no social distancing in the hopes of getting remdesivir. There is now a black market for the drug in India. Nurses at a prominent private hospital in Meerut  stole a dying patient’s remdesivir and auctioned it off. Dr. Randeep Guleria said, Remdesivir is not a magic bullet and is given only to patients who are hospitalized, have moderate to severe disease and whose oxygen saturation is below 93.

One of America’s highly regarded epidemiologists and bio statisticians has said that according to her mathematical projections,  Professor Bhramar Mukherjee of Michigan University told Karan Thapar of The Wire that India could have 500,000 daily COVID-19 cases and 3,000 daily COVID-19 deaths by May 1, 2021. She said, the peak will come in mid-May when India could see over 800,000 daily infections and in terms of deaths, the peak could be two weeks later at the end of May.

Pre-Pandemic: Stanley Coll Haddock, Artist

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Stanley Coll Haddock, was asked to draw rain when he was a child in school in Puerto Rico. Most kids drew the drops falling vertical, his rain was diagonal. She fell in love with him. She encouraged his art work and that motivated him in school. He constantly drew in school. All his note books were filled with drawings.

Stanley went to the University of Plastic Arts in San Juan Puerto Rico. After University he got married right away and painting was put on hold. He worked in commercial art for about 17 years. He became an illustrator. He worked with airbrush. He painted on the side any time he had spare time. He was discovering what he wanted to do in his own art.

After he left the commercial art job he worked at a newspaper in Puerto Rico. That helped him transition towards the art naive. The art for the newspaper was produced at a more personal level.

Stanley went to dinner with his brother after dinner they walked by an art gallery, which had a piece of art he had created. He was shocked to see it there. This gallery had a lot of naive art. The gallery owner encouraged him to continue with his naive art.

Naive artist have little knowledge of contrast, light, shadows, they instead draw from the interior and produce what they see. He became creating art naive full time in his early 40s in 1997. The art came from his soul, his own self. It was what he trusted the most. Naive can be the most natural form of expression. There are no limits in form, color or perspective. In Puerto Rico there was a certain pressure to express yourself in a certain way.

The artist moved to Florida to be close to an ailing family member. Everyone knew him as an art naive painter in Puerto Rico. The move to Florida also made his artwork change. He was copying his own self. He needed to change.  Expression comes from change. He is satirical he expresses culture in a funny way and it is not far from reality. People relate to the situations. The work comes organically. Artists should be free to express themselves.  Art can be subject to the change in mood every day. He transforms every day. There are no rules when creating naive art. He is free to express himself as he chooses.

His work often reflects the Urban Street scene. There are little details in day to day events which inspire him. There is no limit. People have hair rollers, beer cans or walk around barefoot. It reflects the day to day.

Two days after this interview, WHO declared COVID-19 a world wide pandemic and my own work underwent a drastic change.

Holy COVID-19

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Unemployed Jesus is getting a two day gig at the Holy Land. The theme park has been closed since March of 2020 because of the pandemic. In order to maintain it’s tax except status the theme park must offer free admission once a year. So to save on taxes the park wants to fling open its golden gates for a super spreader extravaganza.

Masks are encouraged inside the park and social distancing is an option as well as limited admissions. However the large crowds that will arrive will not be social distancing as they press forward in long lines to try and get in. It will be a disaster which I have seen play out before.

On April 18, 2020 the park fired 120 employees when it ended its theatrical shows, so local actors other than Jesus are not likely to get work for the two days of chaos. Crowds can crush together into tight rooms to see dioramas and a model of Jerusalem and of course see the holy shark which is thankfully outside.

A spokesperson for Holy Land said there are no plans to keep the park open after the two free admissions days “due to ongoing pandemic and economic concerns.” Therefor it seems odd that they are fine with creating a health hazard for the sake of saving on their taxes.

Pre-Pandemic: Baldwin Dog Park

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Pam and I used to take our dogs to the dog park almost every weekend. We haven’t gone to the dog park for a year now. I pass Baldwin Park every Sunday when I drive to Crealde School of Art to teach. I have seldom seen a mask as I drive by and I have made it a game to count the number of mask less mouth breather I see. The number usually exceeds 20 and I don’t count people facing away from me.

Now that Pam an I have our first shot of vaccine e are thinking forward to place we might go again when fully vaccinated. The dog park will certainly e one of those treks out into the world again. Our pups get to walk around the block fairly often and we go on weekend to much less crowded parks for careful distanced walks.

Pam is making plans to see family again. She used to visit her parents every holiday but hasn’t seen them in a year. We are also considering having house guests who have been fully vaccinated. Simple pleasure may once again be coming. I am even considering getting out to sketch outdoor theater so my sketchbook will once again fill with discoveries as I explore the world again.

COVID-19 on Everest

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So you have survived a year long pandemic and want to find a way to prove you are truly alive. Some people feel the need to climb Mount Everest to fill that need. The mountain climbing season was abandoned last year due to the pandemic but the mountain was opened up for climbers again in 2021.

The Mount Everest base camp is basically a garbage heap from the abandoned refuge from 3  years of climbers waste. You might think that climbing to the top of the highest mountain inn the world might socially distance you from the COVID-19 virus, but you would be wrong.

A member of an expedition at the 17,600 foot high Base Camp tested positive for COVID-19. The infected patient was originally thought to be suffering from high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) and was evacuated by helicopter to a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal. Upon arrival, the person tested positive for COVID-19. The rest of their expedition team then began quarantining at Base Camp. It is easy to mistake the virus for symptoms commonly caused by extreme altitude. Doctors at the base amp are not able to test for COVID-19.

The Nepal government has issued 338 permits to climb Everest which is a quite crowded climbing season. Masks re worn only sporadically at the base camp. Climbers are supposed to supply a negative COVID test but this is voluntary. Some climbers claim to have been vaccinated but again paperwork is voluntary. Nepal shares an open border with India which now has the highest rate of COVID-19 infections in the world.

Vaccinate!

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Americans may be finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. More than a quarter of the county has been fully vaccinated, and more than 264 million COVID-19 vaccine shots have been administered as of April 20 2021.

The demand for vaccine shots has begun to slow down in some parts of America. With plenty of vaccine supply on hand and eligibility open to all residents 16 and older, officials are struggled to fill appointments. A sizable portion of the population has what experts call “vaccine hesitancy.” As South Florida hits 40% immunization, the vaccinations are slowing down.

Experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, estimate somewhere between 70-85% of the country needs to be immune to the virus — either through inoculation or previous infection — to suppress its spread. But the US is nowhere near those levels yet and the slowing demand — especially now that eligibility has opened up — means getting there might be a taller task than some local officials expected. Cowards and Magats aint doin’ their part.

In Orange County, Mayor Jerry Demings said that vaccine supply is up, yet thousands of vaccine appointments are open. “Our goal is to still get up to that 79% of our population (vaccinated) and I believe we can get there,” Demings said. As of April 19, 2021, 30% of Orange County’s population is fully vaccinated. Orange County Florida health officials no longer have access to a critical statewide database that gives local decision-makers information including on COVID-19 vaccine distribution rates. The state revoked Orange County’s access to the Florida Department of Health database after the county turned over three heat maps as part of a public records request. The maps show vaccine distribution rates by zip code and do not disclose any exempt or personal information. WFTV was the first to report the state pulling access to the database. The maps show lower-income neighborhoods including Pine Hills have had fewer vaccines distributed than historically higher-income communities such as Winter Park. It is important to know which zip codes have low vaccination rates because those areas likely need better vaccine messaging due to hesitancy.

On April 19, 2021, President Joe Biden said in a Twitter video,  “Folks, I have good news, everybody is eligible as of today to get the vaccine. We have enough of it, you need to be protected, and you need in turn to protect your neighbors and your family.”

“So please get the vaccine,” the president said.

Robo Servers

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Some Orlando restaurants who are desperate for workers have offered $400 signing bonuses. There are plenty of people who need the work but are not willing to enter a workspace full of mask less open mouth chewers in the age of COVID-19.

Robot Servers are being employed by some restaurants to maintain social distancing and stand out from their competitors. A Chinese restaurant uses robot greeters and servers that chat with guests, take orders and run food from the kitchen.

U & Me Revolving Hot Pot in Orlando, Florida down by Disney opened in May 2020. The restaurant employs a conveyor belt and autonomous robots to assist in serving diners. A “pilot” robot helps guide customers to their assigned table where a conveyor belt allows individually plated dishes, each in a protective cover, to roll past the table. Some items are delivered to the table via a multi-shelved delivery robot. The robots at U & Me are from Shanghai-based Kennon Robotics.

In the UK, a restaurant called Robotazia features up cycled robots made from vacuum cleaners, cement mixers and other detritus in a sci-fi themed space. Also up and running is a fleet of grocery delivery robots. The 100 lb autonomous self-driving robots can carry deliveries within a four mile range at a “pedestrian speed.” Available in the UK for several years now, are rolling out across the US as well, in Virginia, DC, California and Arizona.