Casa Feliz

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On May 13, 2021 the CDC had announced that fully vaccinated people can participate in many of the activities that they did before the pandemic.

I still refused to hold Crealde School of Art classes indoors choosing instead to take my students to outdoor sites to sketch. On this weekend we went to Casa Feliz in Winter Park.

My first lesson was to make sure you are always in the shade because the Florida sun can be hellish. Most of my students scattered to shady shops under trees but this student decided to sit on the stone wall around the back patio. Within 15 minuted she was baking in the sun.

No one wore masks outside but I wore my mask any time I approached a student. I approached this student and suggested she back up into the shade since the basic outlines of her sketch were established. Adding color to a sketch needn’t always be done in the exact spot where the sketch was started.

I had to do this sketch super fast since I spent most of my time visiting each student and offering feedback and suggestions. The backs of most of my sketches in this sketchbook have the rough sketches I did for each student to advise them on how to set up compositions.

On July 18, 2021 it was reported, that the latest Covid-19 hospital patients are unvaccinated and increasingly younger. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported 1,008 daily coronavirus cases with just one week to go before the start of the Olympics.

Ghost Light

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A ghost light is an electric light that is left on the stage of a theater when the theater is unoccupied and would otherwise be completely dark. A popular theatrical superstition is that every theater has a ghost, and some theaters have traditions to appease ghosts that reach far back into their history. One such superstition states that ghost lights provide opportunities for ghosts to perform onstage, thus appeasing them and preventing them from cursing the theater or sabotaging the set or production.

Many theaters forced to close during the COVID-19 pandemic have renewed the tradition of ghost lights as a way of indicating the theaters will one day re-open. The Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, Canada has burned a ghost light through both the 1918 and 2020 pandemics.

On July 30, 2021 it was announced that Broadway audiences will need masks and proof of vaccination when shows reopen in the fall. Theaters will only reopen to 100 percent capacity. Audiences must wear masks except while eating or drinking in designated locations. The Metropolitan Opera plans to bar children under 12, who are ineligible to be inoculated against coronavirus. All of New York’s 41 Broadway theaters are mandating documentation of full vaccination before allowing indoor entry to patrons, performers, backstage crew and theater staff for all shows.

Exceptions are being made for children under 12 and people with a medical condition or closely held religious belief that prevents vaccination. These guests must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of the performance start time, or a negative COVID-19 antigen test taken within six hours of the performance start time.

Pass Over raised the curtain on August 4, 2021 at the August Wilson Theatre. Proof of full vaccination was already required to get a seat at Bruce Springsteen’s sold out solo show seating 1,721, which opened on  at the St. James Theatre June 2021. “A uniform policy makes it simple for our audiences and should give even more confidence to our guests about how seriously Broadway is taking audience safety,” League president Charlotte St. Martin said in the statement.

 

Independence Day

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On March 12, 2021 President Joe Biden declared July 4 could mark the start of US “independence from this virus.” In a July 4, 2021 speech, he celebrated the “heroic” vaccination campaign on the country’s Independence Day holiday. He hadn’t learned from history that declaring victory too early is often short sighted.

In Barnstable County, Massachusetts people gathered in large groups to celebrate the holiday. It was the Hot Vax Summer Celebration and people wanted to party mask less as they had before the pandemic broke out. Pool parties and shirtless conga lines were in store.

469 COVID-19 cases were identified among people who attended. 346 (74%) occurred in fully vaccinated people. Among five COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized, four were fully vaccinated; no deaths were reported.

The bottom line conclusion was that the  SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant is highly transmissible and can be spread between vaccinated individuals. The study implies that the viral load of vaccinated and unvaccinated persons infected with SARS-CoV-2 is similar. Because of this study the CDC has recommended on July 27, 2021 that all individuals both vaccinated and unvaccinated should wear masks indoors or when in crowds. The delta variant of the coronavirus is more contagious than previously thought. It is more communicable than Ebola and can spread faster than the chickenpox. While vaccines appear to remain strong against the virus, new evidence suggests that fully vaccinated people with so-called breakthrough infections may be every bit as infectious as those yet to receive their shots, even if their own cases remain relatively mild. As of July 31, 2021 the P-Town outbreak had ballooned to 965 cases.

Provincetown, Massachusetts, has restored its indoor mask mandate after a cluster of Covid-19 cases followed the Fourth of July holiday.

Anti-Mask Grave Diggers

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Indonesia is making Anti Maskers dig graves for COVID-19 victims. As a punishment for violating Indonesian mask mandates, eight people who refused to wear face masks to combat the spread of COVID-19 were, in fact, ordered by a local official to dig graves, USA TODAY reported.

Leaders in Cerme, a district located in East Java, had set out stricter policies surrounding the enforcement of social distancing and mask-wearing due to a recent uptick in COVID-19 cases.

Indonesian news site Tribune News reported that Suyono, the leader of Cerme, proposed grave digging as a punishment to those who violated the local mask mandate due to a lack of gravediggers in the area.

“There are only three available gravediggers at the moment, so I thought I might as well put these people to work with them,” Suyono told Tribune News. “Hopefully, this can create a deterrent effect against violations.”

Suyono said two people were assigned to each grave, one to dig the grave and the other to insert wooden boards into the burial holes to support the corpses. However, the violators did not participate in the actual burials and were forbidden from touching the bodies, Australia SBS News reported. The task was left to health officials who were wearing proper protective equipment.

Those in Creme caught not wearing a mask have the option of accepting a fine of 150,000 rupiah, which is equivalent to $10 in the U.S., or accepting a “social punishment,” according to Suyono.

Suyono told CNN that while most people have accepted social punishments, such as push-ups or cleaning, he hopes grave digging would show “firsthand the real and serious effect of COVID-19” and added that none of the gravediggers were present when the bodies were buried.

According to Johns Hopkins University, Indonesia is the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak with the highest death toll in Southeast Asia. Mask-wearing ha been required since April 2021. On July 22, 2021 there were 1449 deaths in Indonesia and that is most certainly under reported. There have been over 3 million cases and over 30,000 deaths to date in the country.

Lollapalooza

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Lollapalooza was a four day concert event in Chicago which wrapped up on August 1, 2021. An estimated 100,000 people attended.

Leading up to the festival, Chicago’s COVID-19 daily case rate was quintuple what it was a month ago. It does not take a seasoned epidemiologist to see that this will be a super spreader event. You can be sure that there will be a sharp increase in cases of COVID-19 in Chicago and the surrounding area in two weeks time.

Concert goers had to show proof of vaccination or a COVID test that was negative to attend. Videos posted showed staff barely checking vaccination cards on entry. The Delta variant is proving quite successful at breaking through and infecting fully vaccinated individuals. When a vaccinated person get the virus they may be asymptomatic or just show symptoms of a common cold. Their airways however can carry as much of the virus as an unvaccinated person and they can easily spread the virus to 8 or 9 other people. The ancestral strains of COVID -19 only spread to 2 or 3 other people

A study from Israel shows that the Pfizer vaccine is showing decreasing efficacy over time. The study found that there was only a 41% symptomatic protection against getting infected. The original protection against symptomatic infection when the shots were first given was 90%. Dr. John Campbell from England speculates that the timing between vaccine doses accounts for this reduction in efficacy. Israel had 3 weeks between shots. The UK had 8 weeks or more between shots and the efficacy is over twice as high. In the United States we have 3 weeks between doses just as in Israel. It is fair to assume that vaccinated individuals in the United States have an increasing chance of infection over time but remain safe from severe disease and death.

In May 2021 Lollapalooza festival goers were told they needed to show a negative COVID-19 test taken 24 hours or less before entering, that number was increased to 72 hours, allowing a much longer window to theoretically contract the virus before the festival. Earlier this month, the Verknipt festival in the Netherlands admitted unvaccinated attendees as long as they had a negative test taken within 40 hours of entering. The festival was later linked to 1,000 COVID-19 cases among its 20,000 attendees. So if that math holds up Lollapalooza may result in 5000 or more infections. Now lets say those 5000 people spread the virus to 8 friends and family. That would be 40,000 people infected.

At the Rolling Loud hip-hop festival in Miami two weekends ago. Tens of thousands of people showed up daily to the festival, which did not require masks, vaccinations or negative tests. Last week, the rapper Dess Dior and the actor Alexa Leighton, among others, announced on social media that they had tested positive for COVID-19. Their infections coincided with a larger spike in Florida at large, in which COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have risen dramatically.

Lollapalooza was an outdoor event but the hundreds of thousands of people were packed in like sardines. Delta has also proven effective at spreading better outdoors. It has spread at soccer matches. Basically anyone who went to Lollapalooza who was not vaccinated is at a very high risk of getting infected and having severe symptoms. When I saw photos of the crowds I just could not believe what I was seeing. This was absolute insanity and Chicago’s Mayor Lori Lightfoot seemed to think it was a great idea.

Post script: As of September 6, 2021, according to Chicago City officials there are 200 confirmed cases of COVID-19 associated with the Lollapalooza concerts.

What Virus? What Insurrection?

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Since the start of the pandemic, science deniers have been saying that this COVID-19 is just like the flu. Politicians like the former president and the GOP have played down its lethality and spread.

Many unvaccinated people are denying the virus even exists right up to their dying breath. The curse the doctors and nurses who give them the news that they may have to go one a ventilator. Some beg for the vaccine but it is too late.

People grasp at conspiracy theories which give them someone to blame These theories are easier to believe that the science. The deniers refuse to wear a face mask or publicly disregard social distancing rules. Some deniers raise their indignation to an unnecessarily dramatic level of outrage. It is their rights, that they feel are most important. They care only about themselves. They fear loosing their grip on the only reality they can grasp. Facts no longer matter to them.

Around 13% of Americans think that the coronavirus probably or definitely isn’t real, according to a global survey from YouGov. In this alternate universe, GOP lawmakers are arguing that the rioters who used flagpoles as weapons, brutally beat police officers and chanted that they wanted to hang Vice President Mike Pence were somehow acting peacefully in their violent bid to overturn Joe Biden’s election win. COVID deniers and conspiracy theorists need an enemy and Biden fits the bill although the ex president was impeached twice and still under investigation for his criminal acts. One GOP called the terrorists “A mob of misfits” and another refereed to them as “Tourists.” The big lie that the election was stolen is as believable as the idea that the virus does not exist.

So many in Florida have been acting like the virus does not exist or is just a seasonal flu. They are paying the ultimate price but we all have to suffer because of their ignorance and selfishness. Florida just broke a record with over 21,000 cases of COVID in one day. This is the highest surge sine the start of the pandemic. Republican Florida Governor Ron DeathSantis has resisted mandatory mask mandates and vaccine requirements, and he has limited local officials’ ability to impose restrictions meant to stop the spread of COVID-19. His denial ism and ignorance is literally killing his constituants.

 

 

Delta Infects Faster then Smallpox

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An internal CDC Powerpoint presentation was leaked that claimed that the Delta variant of COVID -19 is more transmissible than smallpox. From 1958 to 1977, the World Health Organization conducted a global vaccination campaign that eradicated Smallpox, making it the only human disease to be eradicated. You have to winder if Smallpox would still be with us if today’s polarized political situation existed back when that vaccine roll out happened.

The war against COVID-19 has changed. Delta is highly contagious. Whereas the original strain of COVID-19 might result in a person spreading the infection to about two other people, the Delta variant can spread to 8 or 9 other people. It likely results in more hospitalizations.

The bombshell in the report is that breakthrough cases can be as transmissible as in unvaccinated cases. Vaccinated individuals are much less likely to be infected. Vaccinated individuals might not even know they are infected so they can circulate in public and spread the virus without knowing. Vaccines prevent about 90% of severe infections but they are less effective against protecting against breakthrough infections.

The CDC therefor reversed its position on masks insisting the vaccinated and unvaccinated people must wear masks indoors. The ancestral strains of covid-19 spread about as fast as the common cold. It is believed that the COVID Delta variant spreads faster that the Spanish Flu and Smallpox. The variant might also be slightly more deadly that the original stains of COVID-19.

The unvaccinated in America are driving the recent surge in COVID cases. Floriduh reported over 21,000 cases in one day (July 30, 2021) which is the highest case count since the pandemic began. In the same breath, the Governor Ron DeathSantis signed an order making it illegal for schools to require students to wear masks. The state reported 409 deaths this week, bringing the total to more than 39,000. Go get the vaccine. It works. If you  have kids heading too school this fall, insist that they wear masks or keep them home. Don’t listen to DeathSantis who continues to treat masks as a political football rather than a temporary health measure.

State of Emergency

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Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida and Disney Land in Anaheim California are requiring cast members and guests to mask up indoors on Friday, July 30 2021. The mandate will apply to everyone in the parks two years of age and older, regardless of vaccination status. Masks will remain optional for all guests in outdoor common areas.

Jerry Demings the Mayor or Orange County declared a state of emergency due to the huge spike in cases due to the Delta variant of COVID-19 which is filling hospitals at a never before seen rate.

Video I saw yesterday showed long lines of people in Disney World waiting in lines for rides with no social distancing set up. All the distancing markers had been taken down when the CDC declared about a month ago that anyone who is vaccinated can go mask less. Universal Studios has decided to “Urge” guests to wear masks indoors. All of the Central Florida theme parks have been functioning at full capacity allowing guests to spread the virus all across the country. The numbers of people filling local hospitals far exceeds the numbers seen back in March of 2020 when the parks decided they needed to shut down to stop the spread.  After a solid year COVID isolation Americans want to get away and many are coming to Central Florida. There is money to be made filling the parks.

It has been found that the Delta variant causes breakthrough cases and those infections carry as much viral load as if an unvaccinated person were infected. The symptoms for a vaccinated parson are similar to having a cold so they might unknowingly infect others spreading the virus. 30% of people now testing positive in Orange Couunty are vaccinated. 1,371 people tested positive for COVID-19 on July 27, 2021. Since testing has been dropping the number of cases is likely higher. 95% of people who are hospitalized for COVID-19 are unvaccinated.

The CDC released a document that stated that the Delta variant spreads as easily as Chickenpox. The earlier variants of COVID spread about the same as a common cold infecting one or two other people. However Delta infects 8 or 9 other people and causes more severe infection. Vaccinated individuals who get infected can spread the virus as easily as unvaccinated individuals.

Mask Inside

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The CDC has done an about face and recommends that everyone, both unvaccinated and vaccinated should mask up when inside if you live in areas with “substantial or high transmission” of COVID-19. They are recommending this because of  new data on the highly contagious Delta variant.

Florida is now the epicenter of the pandemic in America, so the entire state is high risk. They also said that masks should be required of everyone inside K-12 schools.

The primary reason for this about face is that less than half of the country is vaccinated and many of those people are refusing to get the jab. Another finding is that vaccinated people are becoming infected although their cases are mild, resembling a common cold. However infected vaccinated individuals can carry as high a viral load as an unvaccinated individual and therefor they can spread the virus to others.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings declared a State of Local Emergency for Orange County. He recommends that people should mask up inside. All Orange County employees will have to be vaccinated by August 31, 2021. Orange County broke the record for the all time high of new cases 1,371 on July 27, 2021. The mayor asked that all businesses mandate vaccinations. To date there have been 1,390 deaths in Orange County. Certain health care providers in Orange County have reported that up to 30% of their positive COVID-19 test results have come from vaccinated people. Approximately 95% of patients in the intensive care units of certain health care providers in Orange County are unvaccinated people. CDC has determined that levels of community transmission in Orange County, Florida are “high” which is the highest classification.

Don’t DeathSantis My Floriduh

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Floriduh Governor Ron DeathSantis has driven the state into the deep end of the pandemic pool.He is more interested in reelection stunts than working to protect his constituents from the virus.

The state is now the epicenter of the pandemic. With less than half of Floridians vaccinated the Delta variant is finding and attacking the unvaccinated. One in five cases in America are now from Florida. The state is seeing an average of 49.3 new daily Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people, according to data from the Brown School of Public Health. That’s nearly double the threshold for “red” designation on the risk-assessment map.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Deming declared a state of emergency, but his hands are tied because DeathSantis will not allow for mask mandates. Demings “strongly recommended’ that people wear masks indoors. Yet he can not enforce the recommendation. The CDC has said that everyone in high risk areas must wear a mask indoors, vaccinated or unvaccinated due to the heightened risk presented by the highly transmissible Delta variant.

DeathSantis’s goal is to dis-inform, deny, and deflect. He has blocked the Florida Health department from posting daily COVID case numbers. It shouldn’t take unending media requests and lawsuits to jar loose information the public needs to understand this horrible pandemic. It shouldn’t take unending media requests and lawsuits to jar loose information the public needs to understand this horrible pandemic. The media have to send constant requests for the numbers and fight the Governor in lawsuits to get the information. Tax payers foot the bill for his need to hide the numbers. Do not trust this man with your life. stay informed and follow the advise of health experts.

Despite this surge in cases Florida theme parks are filling to capacity with no mask requirements. There is money to be made as the guests infect one another and spread the virus across the country. DeathSantis has also been fighting the cruise ship industry insisting that the infected should be allowed to board ships to infect whoever they like. Norwegian Cruise Line filed a lawsuit against Florida, saying that said the state’s ban hurts its ability to prevent the spread of the virus onboard ships.

Advent heath hospital in Orange County is at capacity. Sick patents are lining the halls of the ER. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC said, “If you are not vaccinated, you remain at risk.” “The good news is that if you are fully vaccinated, you are protected against severe Covid, hospitalization and death, and are even protected against the known variants, including the Delta variant.” However a study done in Israel points out that the Pfizer vaccine has been loosing its efficacy. At first it was said that the Pfizer vaccine offered 94% protection against infection. However the Israel study found it is now just 35% effective against infection. The upside is that the vaccine is still very effective, protecting against serious illness and hospitalizations. Pfizer is working on a booster shot but the CDC is slow to course correct. The CDC is now considered that everyone wear masks when indoors.

The DeathSantis campaign merchandise thumbs it’s nose at science and the pandemic, taking aim at Dr. Fauci. You can order a t-Shirt that says, “Don’t Fauci My Florida.” I think a t-Shirt that says, “Don’t DeathSantis My Floriduh.” would be more accurate. DeathSantis also has beer koozies that say, “How am I going to drink my beer with a mask on?” It does take an idiot to not know how to drink a beer and them lift a mask back in place. A better Koozie might say “How am I going to drink this beer, since I am on a ventilator.”