Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings to Lift Mask Mandates

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Orlando Mayor Jerry Demings said he is considering loosening mask mandates. “We are working with the department of health on a plan to phase reducing requirements of wearing facial coverings and social distancing,” Demings said. “We are reviewing how CDC requirements are evolving along with COVID infection data and a plan will be announced soon.” he said.

Demings has previously stated that the mandate could end entirely once more than 70% the county is fully vaccinated. His hope is to lift the mandate by June depending if there is still COVID-19 spread. As of April 5, 2021, there are two cases of the highly contagious and potentially more dangerous South African variant of COVID-19 in Orange County.

As of April 19, 2021, 53.5% of Orange County’s residents 40+ have had at least one dose of vaccine. 29.7% of all Orange County residents have had one dose of the vaccine. Orange County now has 120 vaccination sites available. Demand has dropped for vaccinations a the Convention Center site.

AdventHealth, in partnership with Orange County Government and the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, is hosting a Town Hall to discuss vaccine hesitancy with community leaders. The Town Hall will take place on Monday, April 26, 2021 at 4:30 p.m. and you can view it live on Orange TV at ocfl.net/OTVLive.

There were 2,765 new cases of COVID-19 on April 30, 2021 and 14 deaths. There have been 1,270 deaths since March 1, 2021. According to the Florida Community Dashboard, Orange County Florida does NOT meet the criteria for the next phase of reopening.
Decrease in ER Visits for COVID-like illness: NO
Decrease in ER Visits for influenza-like illness: NO
Decrease in new cases by date: NO
Decrease in percent positivity OR positivity below 10%: NO  

Data Massacre

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The situation in India continues to get worse. Crematories can not keep up with the dead. A dog crematorium is being converted into a crematorium for humans to try and keep up with the deaths.

Families fight for the right to cremate their loved ones while people gasp for breath outside completely full hospitals. They are turned away to die at home or on the street. One person put his dying mother on the street because he did not want to care for her. Doctors are literally being beaten by people frustrated that their loved ones have died.

On April 28, 2021 there were 360,960 cases of COVID-19 reported in India. That number is likely very low since the country has lagged in it’s ability to test for the virus. Reporters on the ground found crematories that had over 100 cremations each day. However the death reports for that area were far less that that, making it clear that COVID-19 related deaths are being under reported. Families are being forced to bury their dead in their back yards.

Less than three months ago Prime Minister Narendra Modi declaration of victory over Covid-19. The first wave of the virus wasn’t as bad as expected. India is the largest manufacturer of vaccines and they began to send vaccines to other countries while India’s vaccine distribution to citizens lagged. Emergency field hospitals which had been build during the first wave were dismantled. Over 600,000  Hindus gathered on the Ganges River for Kumbh Mela, another superspreader event. Like our former president, Modi began holding massive political rallies which were most certainly superspreader events. Such rallies were being held as recently as two days ago. It is no surprise that countries with arrogant Narcissistic and science denying leaders are having the worst outbreaks of COVID-19. Case numbers surged through April 2021. The official death toll for April 28, 2021 was 3,645 but that number could be half of the actual daily death toll.  Overall the country surpassed 200,000 deaths.

The national vice-president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Dr. Navjot Dahiya said, “The scarcity of medical oxygen has become the reason for the death of many patients in every part of the country against the fact that several projects for installing the oxygen are still pending with the Union government for clearance, but no heed was given to such an important need by the Modi government.” People are dying because they can not find an $80 oxygen cylinder. When there was an oxygen leak at a hospital 22 patients died gasping for air. India declined assistance offered by the United Nations of its integrated supply chain for COVID-19-related material. The second wave is a result of incompetence and arrogance.

Crates of ventilators and oxygen concentrators from the UK arrived at an airport in the Indian capital of New Delhi on April 27, 2021. A shipment of medical equipment from Germany is also set to to be airlifted to India in the coming days. The European Commission (EU) which includes, Ireland, Belgium, Romania, Luxembourg, Portugal and Sweden will be sending a shipment that includes oxygen concentrators and ventilators. The World Health Organization (WHO) is also providing critical equipment and supplies to India. Several other nations, including the U.S., Israel and Pakistan have also pledged to send medical supplies. For those suffering and dying today this may be too little too late.

 

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.