Omicron Detected in California

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The first United States confirmed case of the Omicron variant has been detected inn California. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the case was in an individual who traveled from South Africa on November 22, 2021 and tested positive for Covid-19 on November 29, 2021.

That individual, Fauci said, is self-quarantining and close contacts have tested negative for the coronavirus so far. The person was fully vaccinated and is experiencing “mild symptoms, which are improving at this point,” Fauci said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted, “As we continue to learn more about Omicron, there is no reason to panic but we should remain vigilant. We know how to protect ourselves from COVID – get vaccinated, get your booster & wear a mask.”
Scientists are working to determine how transmissible the variant is, how sick it makes people and how well current vaccines work against it. The United States restricted travel from South Africa and seven other countries on November 29, 2021 which is seven days after this first case arrived on a flight from Africa. As always too little too late. The genie is out of the bottle.
Health officials are urging people to get vaccinated against Covid-19, or get a booster if they’re eligible. Other measures such as masks, handwashing, physical distancing and good ventilation will still work against the Omicron variant.

World War O

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Walls and borders do not stop the virus. Travel bans might gently slow the spread but are not a solution. on will become the dominant strain of COVID-19 around the world. Everyone will be exposed to it. The hope is that it is not as deadly as Delta. We will knw this in several weeks. Only world wide equitably distributed vaccinations and a change in human behavior will help slow the virus spread.

In a Huff Post article Max Brooks the author of World War Z, pointed out the general public’s disregard of science and argued that the biggest threat to the United States is “the gap between the American people and those who protect them.”

“One of the reasons [COVID-19] has been such a devastating plague in the United States is it’s a generational problem,” Brooks said. “If this had hit us 40 years ago, there would have been enough Americans still alive and in positions of authority who still remember the dark days of polio and whooping cough — the pre-vaccine days when viruses and bacteria used to kill and cripple a large portion of our population.”

Most members of today’s U.S. population “grew up post-World War II and don’t have the muscle memory and gut terror of germs,” leading to the current situation in which the coronavirus has blindsided America, Brooks said. He argued that all the scientific knowledge in the world isn’t “worth a warm bucket of hamster vomit” if it isn’t succinctly communicated to the average American.

Retirement Party

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David Krepcho is the CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank and he will be retiring in January. Staff organized a party in his honor in the Second Harvest warehouse.

For those who are not aware, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is a private, nonprofit organization that collects, stores and distributes donated food to more than 550 feeding partners in six Central Florida counties: Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia. Last year, with the help of numerous donors, volunteers and a caring, committed community, the food bank distributed enough food for 73 million meals to partner programs such as food pantries, soup kitchens, women’s shelters, senior centers, day care centers and Kids Cafes.

Local musician Beth McKee performed on piano as people filtered into the venue. She is the President of the Swamp Sistas La La Foundation and a very fine musician.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings declared November 15, 2021 to be David Krepcho day with a decree. All staff of the event wore masks but very few attendees wore masks. After the event I learned that Demings had lifted the mask requirements for city workers. From were I sat I was at least 22 feet from others. The warehouse was thankful quite spacious which offered dilution. It felt good to be back on location sketching an event. I used to sketch on location every day but over the past 20 months this might be the third event I have sketched on location. Most of my attention no is devoted to doing a painting a day documenting the pandemic.

I got to learn quite  bit about Dave that I did not know. For instance he got his start working at an Ad agency in Miami. Hurricane Andrew resulted in his interest in with disaster relief programs which lead him to Second Harvest. He is also a rather amazing photographer. Several of my sketches done on location at Second Harvest were framed and offered as a retirement gift. This sketch will be a part of that set. I was impressed the gorgeous frames the staff picked.

Leaving the event I was given a party bag. Inside was a Spoon full of Hope Tomato Basil soup. That is what Pam and I had for dinner that evening. I added some Mozzarella and Pam advised me to add a splash of cream. With a grilled cheese sandwich if made a fine dinner. The soup is made by Second Harvest Food Bank and all proceeds support their culinary training program, a no cost culinary and life skills program that helps those in need become more self sufficient, while pursuing rewarding careers in the food industry.

State of Emergency

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New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) declared a state of emergency to prepare for a new coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa. Her declaration on November 26, 2021 is one of the first emergency steps taken by a state in the U.S. against the new variant, known as Omicron, whose discovery was announced November 25, 2021.

“We continue to see warning signs of spikes in COVID-19 this winter, and while the new Omicron variant has yet to be detected in New York State, it’s coming,” Hochul said in a tweet.

The executive order, in effect until at least Jan. 15, 2022 allows nonessential procedures to be postponed in hospitals in order to increase hospital capacity. This is one of the few examples of a politician acting proactively rather than re-actively to the pandemic.

President Joe Biden has already restricted travel from several countries in southern Africa in order to mitigate the spread of Omicron. However those travel restrictions do not come into effect until November 28, 2021. That allows hundreds or thousands of passengers to fly into the United States before the restrictions take effect.The president also issued a proclamation that people entering the United States must be vaccinated. However there is a huge loophole. The proclamation only apples to US citizens returning to the states.

Two flights out of South Africa to Amsterdam landed with 60 passengers infected with COVID-19. It has not yet been established how many of those were the Omicron strain. Had those same passengers landed in Orlando International airport, they would already be in Disney World busy infecting others. In Johannesburg, South Africa, holiday travelers rushed back to the airport and stood in long lines to fly back home from vacations before the ban came into effect.

Despite the bans, the new variant has already been found in at least a dozen countries. Most of the cases detected have been in travelers returning from the region.

Mercy Kitchen

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Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida collects, stores and distributes donated food through a powerful hunger relief network spanning 6 counties: Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia. Their programs are fighting hunger and feeding hope.

When they opened the on the south end of Mercy Drive, I did several sketches of the opening of the building and of volunteers at work sorting food. At that facility there is the Darden Foundation Community Kitchen, a 2,000-square-foot, commercial kitchen space. Food could be prepared there and distributed to the community.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the community needs more than doubled. The kitchen was no longer large enough to meet the demand.

As a result of CARES Act funding through Orange County and financial support from the community, the food bank expanded into the new 20,000-square-foot facility, two miles from its main warehouse. Mercy Kitchen includes an expanded production kitchen, a cooler and freezer area, dry storage, and six receiving and distribution bay doors to support Second Harvest’s operations.

Volunteers and staff at this location support hunger relief efforts by packing meals for kids, seniors and veterans. Programs supported at Mercy Kitchen include:

  • 7-Day Breakfast and Lunch Boxes
  • Kids Café after school program
  • Summer Food Service Program

As I was sketching volunteers were busy preparing packaged school lunches. The assembly line work was fast an furious and the volunteers seemed to have a blast. They wanted to get a group photo together outside the building after their shift. 23,000 meals are prepared at the kitchen each day. Weekly 5,500 seven-day boxes (77,000 meals) and 450 family meal boxes (9,900 meals) are distributed to people in need.

Bring Hope Home is Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida’s newest innovation in response to the high demand for home-delivered food due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program utilizes external delivery partners as well as volunteer drivers to safely transport perishable and nonperishable food items directly to those in need in a contact-free manner. Besides this program they also partner with 550 feeding partners in Central Florida. They include emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, senior centers, day cares and more.

Our network of partners help us distribute food to six counties in Central Florida, including: Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia county.

I was glad to see that masks are required at Second Harvest. Now that the hospitalizations are slowly dropping due to COVID-19 there has been just a minor decline in the demand for food. The pandemic is far from over.  It will likely take many years before Mercy kitchen will see pre-pandemic levels of demand.

Omicron

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A new variant has shown up in South Africa and the World Health Organization (WHO) has labeled it Omicron. This variant has been spreading faster than the Delta variant which Europe, Northern American states and the world in it’s grip.

“Initially it looked like some cluster outbreaks, but from yesterday, the indication came from our scientists from the Network of Genomic Surveillance that they were observing a new variant,” Minister of Health Joe Phaahla said, stressing that it is currently unclear where the variant first emerged.

Initially given the number, B.1.1.529, it was rumored that t might be called Nu, the 13th letter in the Greek alphabet but they called it instead Omicron after the 15th letter of the Greek Alphabet. I had already started my painting of Gnu’s, which are like wildebeests,  stampeding, and since I was close to finishing I stayed the course.

Omicron has an unusually high number of mutations, with more than 30 in the key spike protein. It is believed that it is infecting the vaccinated as well as the unvacinated. Only about 21% of the population has gotten the jab. Many scientists have been warning that there should be a concerted effort to vaccinate the entire population of the world, but rich countries have instead been focused on providing third booster shots with the vaccines that they have hoarded for their own populations. By hoarding vaccines new mutations are able to develop in countries where much of the population is unprotected. Even so, half of the population in countries like America have refused to get vaccinated.

UK officials announced that six African countries will be added to England’s travel “red list” after the UK Health Security Agency flagged concern over the variant.The United States as always is slow to react. The United States will restrict travel from South Africa and neighboring countries effective November 29, 2021, a senior Biden administration official said. With air travel open for several more days over the Thanksgiving holiday it is very likely the Omicron virus has already arrived in America. The financial markets have begun to tumble, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 2.5%, its worst day since late October 2020.

No Immunity

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Every person vaccinated is another brick in the wall to try and reach herd immunity against COVID-19. As of 6 a.m. November 23, 2021 only 59 % of the country’s population, according to the CDC‘s data. That leaves plenty of unvaccinated human fuel for the virus to burn through.

As we approach the holidays, the hospitalizations are again on the rise. Americans have grown weary and are returning to pre-pandemic life styles with no masks and no social distancing. Even when American locked down at the beginning of the pandemic, only 35% truly locked down and isolated. Many European countries locked down far harder but like America they re-opened too  soon.

Only 42% of Germans are vaccinated. The German health minister, Jens Spahn, has warned citizens that they would be either “vaccinated, cured or dead” from COVID-19 by the end of winter as several European countries impose restrictions amid surging infections. As intensive care beds fill up fast, Germany’s worst-hit regions have ordered new shutdowns, including the closure of Christmas markets. In regions with high hospitalisation rates, the unvaccinated will be barred from public spaces like cinemas, gyms and indoor dining.

Austria has only 42% of it’s population vaccinated. They are experiencing a huge surge in cases that is forcing the country into a hard lock down. At first only the unvaccinated had to stay at home, but now everyone is in a forced lockdown to try and slow the spread of the virus. Everyone in the country has been mandated too get vaccinated.

What is happening in Europe can and likely will occur in America again as complacency, ignorance and misinformation allows people to let their guard down.  With winter the once hoped for wall  of immunity will collapse.

COVID-19 Dodgeball

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CNN reported that Covid-19 cases in children are up 32% from two weeks ago, according to new numbers published November 22, 2021 by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). For the week ending November 18, 2021 there were at least 141,905 new cases among children, with children making up a disproportionate share of the cases, representing more than a quarter of all new Covid-19 cases for the past week.

Early in the pandemic, kids accounted for fewer than 3% of confirmed cases. That is because parents helped to keep them at home, socially isolated.  Now parents are glad to have the kids out from underfoot and back in school. Some schools are trying to keep the kids protected with masks and some form of social distancing, but some state governors are doing everything in there power to keep the kids unmasked so the virus can spread unchecked.

Cases have dropped since a horrific summer surge in the south, but now the cases are rising again as winter sets in. The number of children with Covid-19 is still considered “extremely high,” the AAP report said. This marks the 15th week in a row that child Covid-19 cases are higher than 100,000. But 939 children have died from Covid-19 in the United States since the start of the pandemic, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Children ages 5 and older are now eligible to get Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine. A study conducted by Pfizer showed that its vaccine efficacy was more than 90% against symptomatic disease. A survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that two-thirds of parents want to wait and see, or are refusing to vaccinate their children. Misinformation, mistrust and insanity are resulting in plenty of children that the virus can burn through. Those kids return home and infect the parents and grand parents and the dynamic dance of death continues.

Backyard

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I am teaching a sketchbook class with one of my Elite Animation Academy students. For this class, I asked her to get away from her desk and sketch something she sees every day.

I moved myself to the backyard for the lesson and sketched along with her. Ironically I have never sketched the backyard with its lush tropical plants and palm tree.

It was nearing sunset so I had to work fast as I added colors, with the tops of tree catching the fading sun.

The neighbors roof is covered with a blue tarp. They put it up after one of the last hurricanes. They have this interesting old stove pipe that sticks up, perhaps for a wood burning stove or fireplace. I am used to seeing these on the roofs of crematoria.

Colors were vibrant and bright as I began the sketch and gradually faded as the sun dipped closer to the horizon. I was in the shade the entire time.

This was a trial run to see how the new iPad is working. My old iPad‘s battery kept dying in an hours time even when it was plugged in. It made conducting classes a challenge. Ultimately I had to invest in the new iPad and a new laptop with enough power for Photoshop and video editing software. I am still working on the transition while backing up my files as best as possible.

I can say the iPad worked great for the duration of the sketch. I only stopped sketching because it as getting too dark and mosquitos started to bite.

Still Birth

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Having COVID-19 around the time of delivery will increase the risk of still birth. The risk of still birth is worst with the Delta variant.

The CDC released a study on November 15, 2021 bout the risks of still births due to COVID-19 infection.The study compared women with COVID-19 to women without COVID-19.

Pregnant women are at an increased risk for severe COVID-19 infection. Over 1 million births were in the study. Among those births there were 8,154 still births or about 0.65%.

21,553 women with COVID-19 were in the study. Of these women there were 273 still births or about 1.26%. The risk of still birth when infected with COVID-19 is close to double.

Prior to the pandemic still births were at about 0.59%. But during the pandemic women who did not have COVID at the time of birth experienced stillbirths at a rate of 6.4%. This in itself it a marked increase. Perhaps the women had been infected and recovered by the time of birth. It is also possible that omen avoided health care during the pandemic.

Prior to the Delta variant the risk of still birth was 0.98% or an adjusted relative risk of 1.47.  During the Delta variant surge the risk rose to 2.7% or an adjusted relative risk of 4.04 so still births were more than 4 times more likely during the delta variant.

It is safe to assume that in other developed countries the rates of still births would be comparable and in undeveloped nations the numbers of still births would likely be higher.