Corona Log Entry- April 13, 2021

April 13, 2021- Corona Log Entry

         It has been a few weeks since my last log entry. After a brief period, when it looked like we had the virus on the run, it has come raging back. Testing for infections puts much of the U.S in the 8% range, with recent spikes in new infections. The March “College Break” wave of infections is just about to emerge. Hundreds of thousands of college kids, crowding together on beaches and in bars. will wreak a terrible toll of new infections. Public air and rail travel are also rising. People are feeling more comfortable after they have been vaccinated.

        The worst of the new viral variants are attacking younger and younger populations. In that 75 million Americans, mostly over 60 years of age, have been fully vaccinated, the virus will start feeding on the  younger and as yet unvaccinated population. The Corona death toll has risen to 563,000 souls and is still rising. Medical experts hope that by mid-Summer, most of the U.S. adult population will be fully vaccinated. Vaccines for children are still being tested.

       Many U.S. states are being hard hit by the virus.  Michigan in particular is at capacity in the use of  their hospitals beds for Corona patients and pleading for more of the vaccines. New York, Florida, Arizona and California are also struggling. Exacerbating the situation is public push-back to “open” bars, gyms and restaurants for full usage. Most of these venues are considered super spreaders of the virus. Florida today is ending the requirement to wear masks, as are several southern states,  in any of these venues, bowing to public pressure. “That ain’t good” from a disease prevention viewpoint.

        Another complication is the concern over vaccination safety. The CDC ordered a “pause” in the use of the new Johnson & Johnson, one-shot vaccination, over concerns that rare blood clots have occurred in several people after they were vaccinated. There were similar concerns raised in the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine. It will come down to a judgement call. Do the vaccine do more good than harm?

       In Europe and Asia, the scourge has also spiked. Many countries are “shutting down” their business sectors once again,  to help halt the spread of Covid-19. Almost all of them require a recent, negative Covid-19 test, and a two-week quarantine, for entering visitors. This is strangling the tourist trade. In Canada, the viral spike caused Premier Trudeau to issue a “four-week self-isolation order for all Canadians, asking them to stay home, except for necessary trips for food and medical care. In Africa and South America, vaccine supplies are skimpy and the human devastation is large. Lack of viral and death reporting mechanisms have kept them all from the international spotlight. That horror is yet to unfold.

       Financially, the Dow Jones sails along near the 3,800-point level, as if they were operating in a vacuum. Gas prices at the pump soared in the last few weeks and then began to recede. Supplier manipulation is responsible for most of the surge. The Housing market is red hot, with little inventory and prices skyrocketing for existing homes.

        In Washington, the new focus of Congress  is on President Biden’s proposed Two-Trillion-dollar infrastructure bill. I don’t think the Republicans are opposed to all of the goodies that will land in their district,  in the form of new roads and bridges. What they are opposed to is Biden’s proposed raising of the corporate income tax, to the pre-Trump levels of 28%. Everyone, it seems, wants a free lunch.

       As background, the trial of a Minneapolis policeman in the killing of a black motorist rivets the nation’s attention. To make matters worse, recent shootings of black motorists, by police have added fuel to an already combustible situation.

        In SW Florida, many of the elderly population has been fully vaccinated. The push is on to get the vaccines into the arms of the rest of the population. We go about our lives in a near normal state. The seasonal outflow of tourists, families and visitors is once again giving residents a breath of less crowding and easier commerce. The deadly specter of Corona is less evident here for the time being. We take things one day at a time.

                                             -30

                                       (710 words)

                                  Joseph Xavier Martin