College Football Super Spreaders

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College football stadiums across America have been packed this Labor day weekend. The number in attendance at some of the country’s biggest stadiums was staggering. The University of Michigan hosted Western Michigan with close to 110,000 spectators standing shoulder to shoulder. The University of Texas defeated Louisiana on September 4, 2021, cheered by more than 91,000 screaming and cheering fans. And the list could go on and on as more than 80 games were played during the long weekend.

“I don’t think it’s smart,” said Dr Anthony Fauci of the huge college football crowds, amid a surge of Covid-19 cases in the US.

“Outdoors is always better than indoors, but even when you have such a congregate setting of people close together – first, you should be vaccinated. And when you do have congregate settings, particularly indoors, you should be wearing a mask,” the president’s leading infectious diseases expert told CNN on Tuesday.

Penn State, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Alabama are planning for full-capacity crowds and are not asking for vaccination records. Iowa fan and critical care pharmacist at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Alyssa Sykuta, commented on her team’s fans waving to the Children’s Hospital behind the stadium before the game on September4, 2021. “As an Iowa fan this is one of my favorite college football traditions, but in the context of the past 18 months, it is cringe worthy,” she wrote on Twitter. “Maybe a moment of silence to honor kids at @UIchildrens who have been impacted by Covid instead? And for the love of God mask up and get vaxxed.” “ICUs are full, children are being hospitalized as schools reopen. College football stadiums full of mask less fans. I don’t understand,” said a retired hospital employee Rick Green on Twitter.

Experts have pointed out that being outdoors is less likely to spread the virus but if you are sitting shoulder to shoulder with thousands of other shouting fans the doesn’t just disappear. On top of that people gather in the bathrooms and then in bars after the game further heightening the chance of spread.

The 2021 NFL season begins on September 9, 2021 when defending Super Bowl champions Tampa Bay host the Dallas Cowboys with a capacity of more than 65,000 people. Masks are not required but recommend for the game.

Super Immunity

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NPR reported that new studies have found cases of “Super Immunity” against COVID-19 infection in some individuals. Some researchers refer to the phenomenon as “Bulletproof.” Immunologist Shane Crotty prefers “hybrid immunity.”

Over the past several months, a series of studies has found that some people mount an extraordinarily powerful immune response against COVID-19. Their bodies produce very high levels of antibodies, but they also make antibodies with great flexibility, likely capable of fighting off the coronavirus variants circulating in the world but also likely effective against variants that may emerge in the future.

In a study published online last month, Paul Bieniasz and his colleagues found antibodies in these individuals that can strongly neutralize the six variants of concern tested, including delta and beta, as well as several other viruses related to SARS-CoV-2, including one in bats, two in pangolins and the one that caused the first pandemic, SARS-CoV-1.

So who are these super immune individuals? Were they bit by a spider or irradiated with a Vita-Ray? No, these super immune individuals are people who have had a “hybrid” exposure to the virus. Specifically, they were infected with the coronavirus in 2020 and then immunized with mRNA vaccines in 2021. These findings show how powerful the mRNA vaccines can be in people with prior exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Researchers don’t know if everyone who has had COVID-19 and then an mRNA vaccine will have such a remarkable immune response. The study only reported data on 14 patients.

I am wondering if this super immune response will also result from people who get fully vaccinated and then have a breakthrough infection of COVID-19.  Since we are all likely to meet this virus at some point, it would be reassuring to think we would become super immune after suffering through a minor infection. This research I believe has not been done yet.

Mass Psychosis

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The insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021 was a failure, but the boiling anger continues to bubble up at school board meetings across America. Anti maskers are teaming up with the Proud Boys to threaten school boards about mask mandates.

A school board meeting in North Carolina got so chaotic that protestors attempted to overthrow the officials and install themselves as the new school board. Parents are being trained as front line disruptive soldiers. They are being taught how to die and kill others in the process.

Parents are also being trained to heckle and harass health care professionals who advocate masks to slow the spread of the virus. One petite nurse was purposefully bumped by an angry mask less dad as she was about to give testimony at a school board meeting.

The right continues to stoke the mob who need to vent their anger at anyone they can, be it school boards, who are trying to protect their children, or health care workers who are trying to save their life when they inevitably get sick from the virus.

It is fairly easy to seduce a loud minority to riot. So many have lost touch with reality and have descended into delusions. Ideas are expressed only through brute force. Anger is the fuel that radicalizes the white middle class who fear extinction s they commit viral suicide. The anger left over from the attempted insurrection is not fading away but rather getting more intense as it moves into every neighborhood.

As health care workers deal with the unvaccinated dying in their hospitals, they are often subjected to harassment because people refuse to accept the reality of the virus even as they are taking their last breaths. At the beginning of the pandemic heath care workers were hailed as heroes, but as time wore on they became villains in peoples minds who deny science and basic health measures. Health care workers have been the primary targets of coronavirus-related acts of violence, harassment, and discrimination recorded by the International Committee of the Red Cross across more than 40 countries. A total of 611 incidents were recorded between February 1, 2021 and July 31, 2021.

Endemic

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We are in the midst of the worst of the Delta wave of the pandemic right now, but there is talk of learning to live with the virus. Endemic means, “in the population, restricted or peculiar to a locality or region.

Unlike Ebola which was contained, this virus has been allowed to rage out of control. It is likely that everyone will at some point be infected by COVID-19. Herd immunity is impossible with so many people unvaccinated. People have the choice to be vaccinated before they are infected which protected from severe illness and death,  or get infected without getting vaccinated. A vast majority of the people dying from COVID-19 in southern hospitals right now are unvaccinated.

Professor Andrew Pollard of the Oxford Vaccine Team has said that it is clear that vaccinated people can become infected and they can spread the virus around though they are more than 90% protected from hospitalization or death. Only 50% of fully vaccinated individuals however will be protected from infection. This will make achieving herd immunity near impossible. You will at some point come in contact with the virus. Nothing available stops the transmission of the virus. More infectious variants are possible in the future. A winter wave is inevitable.

Viruses spread where there are enough susceptible individuals and in America there are plenty of people who have refused to get vaccinated and they are ample fuel too keep the virus burning. The virus will not disappear on its own. The hope is that enough people will gain immune protection from vaccination and from natural infection such that there will be less transmission and much less COVID-19-related hospitalization and death, even as the virus continues to circulate.

If everyone will be infected then mass testing becomes a mute point. Instead, testing might only be done on a clinical basis. German chancellor Andrea Merkel is ending free testing starting October 11, 2021. It will be less important to record every case of COVID-19 as the virus becomes endemic. In the future, testing might be limited to people who are sick enough to go to the hospital. For unvaccinnated individuals that is often too late.

The 1918 Spanish Flu took about 3 years to become endemic, but outbreaks flared up again in 1968 and 2009. Like COVID-19 the Spanish Flu had a tame first wave which built complacency, and then much more deadly subsequent waves. In America 675,000 died from the 1918 Spanish Flu. To date 653,265 Americans have died from COOVID-19, so it looks like we will exceed the number of deaths from the Spanish Flu. New modeling shows that the virus is spreading from older adults to younger children as COVID-19 becomes endemic. COVID-19 may behave like other common-cold coronaviruses, affecting mostly young children who have not have been vaccinated or exposed to the virus.

Hating Mini Me

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The former 45th US president hates his mini me. “Trump f#cking hates DeSantis,” a confidant told Vanity Fair. “He just resents his popularity.” Earlier this year, a 2024 straw poll taken at the Western Conservative Summit saw DeathSantis slightly ahead of Trump, 74 percent to 71 percent.

Former adviser Jason Miller predicted that Trump “definitely will” seek the 2024 Republican nomination. But former Trump adviser Sam Nunberg predicted to Vanity Fair that since DeSantis is “primed to push Trump off the throne,” Trump will “offer Governor DeSantis a joint ticket.”

“Trump tells people, ‘I made Ron,'” a prominent GOP source told Vanity Fair anonymously. “Trump says that about a lot of people. But in this case, it’s actually true.”

DeathSantis is following in his mentors footsteps by killing as many Floridians as he can. As children return to schools he is fighting tooth and nail to keep schools from enforcing mask mandates. He lost this case in court but is appealing. He was late to close down and early to open while he blocks local governors from protecting citizens from the virus.

On August 31, 2021, more Florida children were hospitalized with COVID-19 than in any other state, reflecting a rapid rise in serious illness among an age group still not eligible for vaccination. In Florida, 46 pediatric patients were admitted to hospitals with confirmed infections On September 3, 2021 and 22 more were hospitalized with suspected cases, according to federal data. DeathSantis is fueling his political fire with the health of children. Oddly some voters might not appreciate a candidate who is actively trying to kill their children.

The governor asked the former president to postpone a campaign style rally in Florida as bodies were being removed for the site of a seaside condo collapse that killed 98 people. The former president refused. Trump’s post-presidency operation is led by Susie Wiles who lead DeathSantis’s governor campaign. “There’s a huge rift between the DeSantis and Trump [camps],” a source said, pointing directly to the conflict over the rally. (Like others interviewed for this piece, the source was granted anonymity to speak candidly.)

So, which of these men could kill more Americans? How many could they kill if they work together?

Cone of Shame

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This is Sprout‘s enclosure for now while he recovers. We finally went a whole day without his wound opening up. The vet supplied this plastic cone to keep him from getting at the stitched leg.

The cone freaks him out. He keeps bumping it up against the cage and we discovered that he can not drink from his water  bowl while it is on. Pam ordered an inflatable neck cone which resembles an airplane pillow. It is rather large and makes him look like he has a lions mane. It doesn’t restrict his movements as much or freak him out and he can drink from his dish. We take it off any time we are there watching him now. but it goes back on when we leave the room.

He was very restless this first day. He would lie down then get up then lie down again over and over. He was never comfortable. Pam got in the enclosure with him and kept him company for much of the afternoon. Donkey lay outside his enclosure jealous that he was getting so much attention. Friends got him several stuffed toys and this was the first time Donkey could not steal them from him and destroy them.

Pam put a bath mat down so he cant slip on the wooden floor. he spends most of his time on the dog bed sleeping now and Pam brings him outside alone when it is bathroom time. Donkey gets locked in the back bedroom so she can not terrorize him when he goes outside. She had been rather good about his confinement although she still lusts for his stuffed animal.

Sprout is finally on the road to recovery. Over time he will be going to hydro therapy and short walks to start getting using the surgically patched knee.

Sprout Needs More Stitches

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The next morning we woke up to start the weekend. We woke up however to find that Sprout‘s stitches had once again busted open in the same place. Pam was in tears as we got sprout ready to once again go to the Emergency vet.

This time I wrapped the wound tight but on the trip there it slipped down because of the shape of his leg. I had wanted to secure it with a large band aid at the top but was vetoed. That probably would have slipped as well.

The wait  at the Veterinary Emergency Clinic Waterford wasn’t as long because I didn’t have time to finish the sketch. This vet, Kim Al-Mayyah, was very kind and she explained how she planned to relieve the pressure on the stitches by doing a series of stitches across the wound to distribute the pressure.

Pam was convinced that the way Sprout sits is part of the problem. He tends to sit right on the wounded leg and when he get up he awkwardly stretched the skin on that let. A vets assistant came in and said we have to be diligent about keeping him in his collar so he is never tempted to lick the wound. The vet also put in many sub cutaneous stitched in the muscles to further alleviate pressure on the joint. I wish this vet had performed the original surgery. She was thorough and a solid day has gone by and the stitched are still holding. Sprout is never out of our sight now. Pam took time off work and this 4 day Labor Day weekend is devoted to making sure he is on the road to recovery.

Knee Surgery

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Pam and I have two dogs, Sprout who is older and Donkey who is a rambunctious and large pup. One day donkey jumped off the bed onto Sprouts back and he let out an ear piercing squeal. He is usually stoic and silent so this was very out of the ordinary. In the days that followed Sprouts back leg began to shake any time we went for a walk. His vet only prescribed pain medications and some vitamins.

Over time however Sprout stopped using this back leg preferring to hobble about on three legs. Pam finally found a better vet who looked deeper into what was happening.

A ligament called the Cranial Cruciate Ligament had torn. This ligament holds the two bones together allowing the knee to rotate. When it is torn the joint floats forward and back grating the bones against one another. A meniscus acts as a shock absorber and because of the way the joint was broken it began to tear.

The vet decided to do surgery. He drilled a hole in the bone and used essentially a string to substitute for the torn ligament. He also removed a bone spur. The surgery resulted in a 4 inch long suture down and over the knee joint. We were given a series of instructions for his care in the weeks to follow. He came home with a cone around his neck to keep him from licking or tearing at the wound. We took off the cone when he got settled in. Pam had set up two dog crates and several gates to make him an open space in the living room. He is not allowed to jump up on furniture or the bed so he stays confined. He was so drugged up and woozy from the gas that he immediately passed out.

That evening however Pam discovered that his stitches had torn open. There was a one inch gaping wound on his knee. Thankfully it wasn’t bleeding but the muscles poked to the surface. I have first aid bandages and let Pam do her best at covering the open gash so we could get him to an emergency vet. The vet who had performed the surgery was out of the office until the next week due to the Labor Day weekend. We waited in the vets office for an eternity. We waited much of the time in our car to avoid the other people in the waiting room. 9 out of 10 people who entered to vet wore face masks. As I did this sketch I could hear a girl crying for about half an hour in the waiting room. I also over heard a phone conversation about a dog that had overdosed on a bottle of its owner’s Claritin.

A vet finally took Sprout out back and we waited for her to sew his knee back up. When we got back home late that night once a gain Sprout immediately collapsed and we went to bed.

Professors COVID-19 Die In

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Thousands of students across the country are already in quarantine over COVID-19 exposures. More than 500 universities have said they will require coronavirus vaccination and masks this year.

However, professors at dozens of universities with less stringent health requirements are using protests, petitions and even resignations to press their demands for tighter coronavirus prevention methods. Much of the protest is coming in states where Republicans politicians, have fiercely opposed vaccine or mask requirements, leaving universities with few tools to combat the spread of the virus.

A University of Georgia professor resigned August 31, 2021 after a student in his class refused to wear a mask. Irwin Bernstein, 88, was teaching a psychology seminar when a female student allegedly arrived at the class without a mask. She was told to retrieve one from the advising office and offered a mask by another student, which she reportedly did not wear over her nose. Bernstein reportedly asked the student again to pull up her mask, but when she refused, he resigned from his teaching role and left the classroom.

“At that point I said that whereas I had risked my life to defend my country while in the Air Force, I was not willing to risk my life to teach a class with an unmasked student during this Pandemic,” Bernstein said in a statement to the Red and Black, the school’s independent student newspaper. “I then resigned my retiree-rehire position.”

At Georgia College and State University, Dr. Meridith Styer asked a rhetoric class  to wear masks because she had a family member for whom COVID could be fatal, she said one student declined. Styer, who holds a doctorate in rhetoric and political culture, resigned last week over her institution’s response to the incident in her class. “I am leaving because of USG policy and the way it’s being enforced on Georgia College’s campus,” she said. “The USG’s policies caused me to make this choice and I would make the same choice to put family above my job again.”

Jeremy Fischer, a tenured ethics professor at the University of Alabama, Huntsville (UAH), has resigned his position after expressing his disagreement with the school’s COVID-19 policy. Fischer, who has been at the school for seven years, posted his resignation letter, which he addressed to the university president, provost, college dean and department chair, on Twitter. “We know what it takes to protect community health and very likely save lives, and we have the ability to do it; what is lacking is the collective willingness to do so,” he wrote. “And I find myself compelled to consider whether my continued relationship with UAH might render me complicit in a moral atrocity. Therefore, I have decided to resign my position as associate professor of philosophy, effective immediately.”

A video posted on Twitter showed an absolutely packed Virginia Tech footballs stadium with over 65 thousand screaming fans. It is tiring to have to keep documenting such insane super spreader events. Colleges just don’t give a damn about mitigating the spread of the virus. College football is a huge money maker. Bling always trumps public health. It is no longer a matter of if you might be infected, but when.

COVID-19 Test

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My girlfriend had not seen her family in over 18 months. She usually visits them every holiday. Several children had been born that she had never seen other than on social media videos.

We have both been extremely careful by self isolating and wearing masks. We were both vaccinated the first chance we had.  In some ways she is even more careful them I am. When she said she had to get back out to the Midwest to see family therefor, I supported her. I have no desire to travel by plane in a pandemic but if anyone can do it safely she is the person. I stayed behind to watch her dogs while she was gone.

Her parents live on a wide open farm but they look after the grandchildren quite often and that means the home is a it like Grand Central station. Both parents had been vaccinated because they knew their daughter would not visit otherwise. The siblings and their children, some being too young to get vaccinated, however were another issue.

My girlfriend was so thankful for the time she got to spend with family. She took a COVID home test at her parents and another test when she got back home. She tested negative with the home test kit she had purchased. Then she got a call from her mom. Someone in the family had just tested positive for COVID-19. Home test kits aren’t 100% accurate so we both decided we had to get nasopharangeal Swab PCR tests to be sure. I needed to teach a class on the weekend and wanted to be sure I was not infected. We decided to go to the Econ Soccer field test site. We got there an hour early in the morning and cars were already lined up. It must be horrible to live in this neighborhood that has so many cars waiting for COVID tests.

Once 9 Am rolled around the cars inched up quickly. We had to register online and we quickly filled out the information as we inched forward. My girlfriend was swabbed first. The test involved scrapping deep inside her nose until she cried. I was afraid my testor might be just as gung ho but my nasal swabbing didn’t bother me as much. I was hoping to get the results before my class but it became clear that wouldn’t happen. It takes several days for results. I tried to set up a virtual class with my students, but couldn’t wrangle them all. It was safer just to cancel the class and reschedule.

My girlfriend got her results first and she tested negative. That was some relief but I was still anxious to see my results. I have been coughing for weeks, which I assumed  was allergies. Finally, three days later I got my results. Getting to the results however was a major digital nightmare of forms and pop up windows along with setting up a digital password. All I wanted to read was negative or positive. It took about half an hour to navigate thorough the site. I then finally read the sentence I was searching for, “The reference interval for this assay is negative. A negative result does not rule out the presence of PCR inhibitors in the patient specimen.” What is a reference interval? What is an assay? Whatever, I sighed relief and started another horrific COVID-19 illustration.