Corona Log entry- NOv. 11, 2020

Wed. November 11, 2020 Veteran’s Day

        It is a very soggy morning here in SW Florida. We are under a Tornado warning and experiencing heavy rains from Hurricane Eta. Strong winds are buffeting the coastal area. All Veteran’s day commemorations are postponed.

        The Corona virus is raging out of control all across the nation. Daily infection rates are up at the 120,000 level, with no signs of ebbing. It is nearing the Thanksgiving holidays. That means hundreds of thousands of college students will be headed home for the holidays. The good lord only knows what they will bring with them. And the coming tradition of Thanksgiving dinner, for large family groups, will add additional pressure to the mix. The Corona death toll now nears 240,000 souls lost.

       In perspective, several friends and I were talking about the 1918-1920 Spanish Flu pandemic. Apparently some 500 million people across the planet were infected with that virus, with some 5,000,000 people passing away from complications. In the United States at the time, the death toll was some 675,000 souls lost. And that was from a population about one half as large as our current 325 million. Further research shows that medically they had no idea what was hitting them. Flu vaccines weren’t developed until the 1940’s. The recommended treatment was to keep patients hydrated and as comfortable as possible, until they either recovered or passed on.

     The stock market has run up and down the ladder with concerns over the financial effect of the virus on the business sector. But, like most times, the market rebounded and is sailing along, perhaps to a financial cliff up ahead.

      The tourism and travel industry are particularly hard hit, with massive lay-offs. Giant Car Rental firm HERTZ is filing for bankruptcy. The restaurant and entertainment industry are struggling as well. People are still gun shy about dining in doors. And shortly outside dining will be a luxury for most of the country. The incoming administration has promised to try and get passed another stimulus package that will help states, local governments and businesses.

         Hospital beds are nearing capacity again, across the land, as Covid-19 cases spike. Urgent pleas by State Governors, asking citizens to wear masks, social distance and use other precautions to help keep the virus in check. Mercifully, the normal Flu season has not arrived early.

       The good news of course is Pfizer drugs and another British drug firm who are hot on the trail of a vaccine. Successful final trials, FDA approval and manufacturing hurdles are still ahead. But, it is at least offers a faint hope that help is on the way.

       The backdrop to all of this in America is still the Presidential election. The incumbent refuses to acknowledge that he lost. Republican allies in congress are cheering him on in his resistance. Th incoming President elect Joe Biden has asked for calm among citizens. His transition team is well under way and with eight years’ experience, as Vice President, and forty years as a U.S. Senator, Biden feels confident that his team will hit the ground running on Jan. 20^th, the date of his swearing in as president. Any occupants of the Oval Office still remaining will be escorted out by Capitol Police and secret Service personnel.

      In other news the Supreme Court held its first hearing about a challenge to the Affordable Care Act on Tues. Comments from several Supreme Court Justices reflect that it is their thinking that it is not their role to legislate. That is a function of Congress. Much of the “Obama Care “statute should survive the challenge.

      Two very close Senatorial races in Georgia have forced a run off election in early January. These two races could decide who controls the U.S. Senate for the next few years. We have just come out of one electoral battle royale and face two more months of another gigantic struggle. Democracy as is often said, can be a messy affair.

      On the local level flights of seniors will be returning to their northern abodes for the Holiday season through New Year’s. They all face various challenges travelling in airports and then must face varying terms of quarantine when they re-enter the various states. Still, the homing instinct, to be near children and grandchildren, is a strong one. May the good lord protect them in their travels.

       We will weather these next few days, of Hurricane Eta, and take one day at a time thereafter.

                                 (43,593 total words)