Corona Log Entry March 27, 2021

Corona Log Entry – Sat. March 27, 2021

           It is a sunny and bucolic morning here in SW Florida. The temps will rise to a toasty 90 degrees this afternoon. To our north, Tornados have swept through Georgia and Alabama. Heavy rains will visit the coastal areas of the NE. Spring is here. It will just take a while to exert itself.

          The beaches, pools and golf courses are packed to the rafters in Florida. As usual, the youthful Spring Breakers are flocking to the beaches in hordes, and not thinking about wearing masks or social distancing. At that age, they are immortal. Medical experts expect a viral infection surge, during the next few weeks, from all of this mass congregating.

           The mass vaccinations proceed daily, with rising numbers of Americans getting their Covid-19 shots. Over one hundred million Americans have received their first vaccination. The Biden Administration hopes to o deliver 200 million vaccinations, in the first one hundred days of his administration. In spite of these herculean efforts, the death totals from Corona Infections are still rising. Some 550,000 Americans have passed since March of 2020 from Covid-19 related illnesses. Fortunately, hospitalization rate are down markedly. Wearing masks and taking other sanitary precautions do make a difference, regardless of the knucklehead palaver.

            Mary and I got our second “Moderna shot” two weeks back, hopefully inoculating us from the more serious effects of the scourge. Like most things in life, you get hit by the unexpected. In spite of two moderna shots, and a Flu shot, I got knocked down for a week by a nasty version of the stomach flu! Every day is a challenge.

            For a few weeks, there were questions as to the safety and efficacy of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Several European countries suspended the use of the drug. Later reports gave it an official approval rating. It is now back in use. The United States had ten million doses of this miracle drug held in reserve. As a collegial gesture, we have offered several million doses of the vaccine to Mexico and Canada, to help with their vaccination programs. The Johnson and Johnson “ one shot program” is a game changer and a big help in the effort to protect everyone. It is now a race between vaccination and infection.

           The kicker is the emergence of several variants (mutations) of the Corona Virus. No one is sure whether or not the current vaccinations will protect people from them. The variants are both deadly and super contagious. Medical researchers are already thinking about a “third shot” booster program, during the Fall of 2021, to cover these new strains.

           Our border with Canada is still closed. Supply shortage issues have slowed the rate of the Canadian Vaccination program. In that U.S shots will probably not be completed until mid to late summer, there is not much hope that the border will be opened until Fall or early Winter of 2021. Toronto is currently under lock down, to prevent infection spread. Similarly, much of Europe drifts in and out of lockdown. People everywhere are weary of “life under the virus” and getting careless with their precautions. The virus doesn’t care. It is lethal, and spreads everywhere that it can.

        For a few weeks, there was hope that the end of the Pandemic was near. Now, it is a “one day at a time” attitude, sort of like a “whack a mole” game, where officials respond to newer and more deadly outbreaks.

          In the public eye, there is less attention to the Virus and its effects. During Joe Biden’s first official press conference, the Corona virus was not mentioned even once. The Fourth estate is focused on the immigration issue along the U.S southern Border. It has been a difficult  problem for fifty years and won’t be solved any time soon.

         Basically, no one wants to admit to the facts of the issue. We desperately need the immigrant labor to harvest our crops. Without them, we would starve and the crops rot in the ground or on the vines. Yet, no one wants an “open border,” where any immigrant who feels the urge can walk on in. Further, any restrictions or added regulations would also apply to all of our borders and citizens from everywhere. Politics as usual, rears its ugly head.

       The financial markets sail along as if in another world. Retail gas prices are rising at the pump, now $2.89 a gal. in SW Florida. The price rises are solely a function of supplier manipulation. We need to turn our attention to Electric powered autos, like China.

         My own Corona Log Reports are getting more widely spaced. Like everyone else, I too am tired of talking about the matter. I will continue to monitor the struggle for a bit. Hopefully by late Spring, we will have the Pandemic on the run.

          “Un giorno ala volta” (One day at a time.)

                                             -30-

                                          (826 words)

                                   Joseph Xavier Martin