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shadowkatThe things that keep me going, day in and day out...are talks with my mother, and talks with my niece over the phone. Interactive chats with folks on GH fan board on FB. Interactions with you all...television, audio books, walks around my neighborhood, and the birds, cats, and squirrels frolicking outside my window.
Plus trees. Mustn't forget trees.
FB is weird. I was down to 120-126 friends, now all of a sudden I have 131.
I haven't accepted any new friends requests. Did they just all pop back?
Granted all I'm really posting are pictures of a graveyard, and occasional posts from NY Times.
I'm tired of our nasty toxic political environment.
Mother: I told your brother today that if the US Supreme Court overturned this election, I'd find a way to get your father out of this country. Because I cannot live in an authoritarian regime.
Me: Yeah, I agree. I'd have to flee to Canada then to New Zealand. (Either that or join the resistance. And I'm a tad old for that. Also not in the best of shape. Need to do more walking and more wall squats. Less drinking.)
Someone on FB posted an opinion piece about Trump looking to flee the country.
Me: Please? Pretty please with dancing santas and sugar plumbs on top?
I just want him to go away. I honestly don't care how.
Meanwhile...New York is Intensifying its Criminal Lawsuit against Trump
He may well be the first ex-President of the US to be charged a State for a crime. New York is serious, it's not a joke. That's why he's fighting so hard to stay President.
Oh, cousin from Texas, posted that maybe the Texas Attorney General is pleading with the Supreme Court to overturn the votes in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, and Wisconsin in the hopes for an early pardon. (Apparently the guy should have been charged and put in jail five years ago.)
And you thought your country's politics was bad - you've nothing on us. We have a corrupt politicians at the state, local and federal level.
It's all rather depressing if you think about it.
New York vs. the Corona Virus
Oh well there is good news in regards to New York's on-going and never-ending fight against the Corona Virus.
Per the Governor's email and briefing, they approved the vaccine finally. The White House basically bullied the FDA into approving it a week or two early. We get 170,000 doses from Pfzier, and 346,000 from Moderna - so 1.7 million in the first batch. This is enough to cover everyone in our first tier - the EMS workers, Heatlh Care workers, Home Health care workers, nursing homes, nursing home workers, and high risk health care workers. That's actually good news. They've allocated it by population and need around the state. NYC gets 72,000 doses. The Moderna/Pfizer vaccine is RNA Messenger, with none of the virus in it. It operates by sending messages to the cells to create T-cells that fight off and prevent the virus from taking hold. (The virus takes hold by telling the cells not to form T-cells. The vaccine counter-acts that.) The Moderna and Pfizer are the only vaccines world-wide that are 94-95% effective. China's is 84% effective, and the UK's has been abandoned at 70% effective and it has major side-effects in some cases.
We may have to wait until March or June for the next batch.
It was an interesting press conference. In that we had all these talking heads via Zoom, that no one but the Governor really knew or cared about.
Then when it came for questions - there was a sizable delay due to technical issues. The Governor got antsy - his patience may well be at its end.
[Although to be fair this is true of everyone at the moment - we're all snappish and irritable. I've noticed that it's been mentioned more than once on FB that people are more touchy and quicker to over-reacting at the moment. Also work - there's an underlying irritability. It's the holidays. Everyone is cooped up. No end in sight. The election won't end. COVID won't end. Both seem to be getting worse. And it's getting darker each day, colder, and we can't visit family or go anywhere to escape it. Cabin Fever plus Christmas holiday season...bleach.]
I was laughing at him.
Governor: so no questions. Cool.
Operator: We actually have a question from Laura from NBC.
Governor: Okay. (somewhat disappointed.)
[Long pause.] Governor stares bleakly at the empty room. He probably misses seeing the reporters.
Governor: Operator? Operator? Operator!
Operator: Sorry, we are experiencing technical difficulties, if you will give us a minute.
Governor (sighs), turns to his secretary: So is it our side or their side experiencing technical difficulties or do we know?
[I don't know if she said anything or not.]
Governor: Technology, wonderful when it works..
Another long fifteen minute pause. Governor audibly scratches his pen against his pad twice.
Finally we get the questions...
And then at that moment? Mother calls and I have turn it off.
Me: So I was watching the Governor, but all is well here. I even got another package from you today. It was -
Mother: You need to make sure you buckle your pants. And it's probably good if you button them first.
Me: Okay, that's nice but I don't have a buckle.
Mother: Are you standing up? Look make sure you buckle your pants before you stand up.
Me: And I'm just talking to myself...
Mother: Sorry, your father was fine, now he's decided to stand up. And I'm afraid his pants are going to fall down. I don't know why he's decided to get up now -
Me: Probably got bored. Like you got bored. You called me. Dad decided to get up and wander about.
Mother: Unfortunately - look I think he's going to go pee, can't tell. Can I call you back?
So I went back to the Governor, and mother called again. So I put the Governor on mute and close caption. When we were done, I unmuted the Governor and watched the end of the news conference. The poor Governor was on for an hour and a half.
"Last night, New York's independent COVID-19 Clinical Advisory Task Force unanimously approved the FDA vaccine panel's decision to recommend the Pfizer vaccine. The Task Force, which is chaired by Nobel laureate Dr. Charles Rice, was able to review data on the vaccine concurrently with the FDA, allowing for a thorough review for New Yorkers.
This added level of approval should give New Yorkers additional confidence in the vaccine. As we prepare for the great task of administering the vaccine, we simultaneously continue to act to slow the spread of the virus and to ensure hospital capacity. We are constantly calibrating our strategy with the goal of maintaining as much economic activity as possible, while protecting public health. Today we took several new measures to that end."
Here's what else you need to know tonight:
1. To protect hospital capacity, New York will implement new metrics to determine micro-cluster zones. Under these updated metrics, Red, Orange and Yellow Zones will now be determined as follows: A Red Zone will be implemented when a region reaches a critical hospital capacity—that is, when 90 percent of beds are full (after measures to increase capacity have been taken). An Orange Zone will be implemented if an area has a 4 percent positivity rate over the past 10 days (on a 7-day average) and is located in a region that has reached 85 percent hospital capacity. A Yellow Zone will be implemented if an area has a 3 percent positivity rate over the past 10 days (on a 7-day average) and is in the top 10 percent in the state for hospital admissions per capita over the past week and is experiencing week-over-week growth in daily admissions. It sounds complicated—but the basic idea behind these metrics is to ensure that hospital systems are not overloaded. [Note - no one is in a red zone at the moment. During the press conference, the Governor reiterated that we weren't going to close down the state. Other's have full closed and fully opened, like that, but he thinks that's far too traumatic for both people and the economy (we kind of did the full closure in the spring - but it was more of a rolling closure with a rolling open), and it is better to do it in stages and just for infected regions or clusters. Much less tramautizing on the economy and state as a whole.]
2. Starting Monday, December 14th, indoor dining in New York City will be suspended. This is in response to the continued increase in positive cases and hospitalizations, in addition to recently issued CDC guidance emphasizing the high risk of indoor dining. Outdoor dining, delivery and takeout will remain in place. This suspension will continue to be re-evaluated based on updated data over the coming weeks. [They've determined that gyms and hair salons are fine - the restrictions are working with those. But not so much with indoor dining - since you have to remove your mask to eat and drink - unless there's a way of doing that without taking off the mask and the Governor doesn't know about it. Sports - high contact sports like football - have also been suspended. Home health care delivery is another high risk category - it's right below living room spread. Which made me worry about my parents - but they've not had any home health care workers come in since the middle of last week. They stopped finally. Partly because it was expensive, partly because it was worrying them both (they don't like it on a good day - with COVID...) and partly because my Dad is better now and mother can leave him alone without worry. She's done it several times now with no incidents.]
3. The State Department of Health is directing New York hospitals to take additional steps to help keep capacity below 85 percent. Under the directive, hospitals must either add additional capacity, reduce elective surgeries, or a combination of both, in order to remain under 85 percent. This measure expands on the previously announced "Surge and Flex" protocol. [This worked very well in the Spring and kind of saved us, when they put it in place finally in late April early May.]
4. I will sign an Executive Order extending the State's moratorium on commercial evictions. This moratorium will provide support to small businesses and other tenants during these difficult times. These businesses need help now more than ever, and Congress must include support for bars and restaurants in the next stimulus package. [I wouldn't count on that happening until January. If that. I'm losing hope. The Republican Party is kind of a combination of the Grinch and Scrooge by way of Winter Warlock. We know who is getting coal in their stockings this Christmas.]
5. Total COVID hospitalizations rose to 5,321. Of the 212,672 tests reported yesterday, 10,595, or 4.98 percent, were positive. There were 1,007 patients in ICU yesterday, up 13 from the previous day. Of them, 546 are intubated. Sadly, we lost 87 New Yorkers to the virus. [Our testing is saving us. We are averaging 120,000 tests a day in the city, and over 200,000 tests daily state wide. We've tested 22 Million. We only have 19 Million in the state. Not that everyone has gone for a test. I haven't. But I also don't need to - no symptoms, no real exposure or contact with anyone outside of really brief contact with a mask in place. I'm actually feeling better now than I did this time last year.]
6. Gyms and personal care services will be permitted to open in Orange Zones with limited capacity. Starting Monday, December 14th, gyms, fitness centers, salons and barber shops—which are currently closed in Orange Zones—will be allowed to operate at 25 percent capacity. Employees must be tested for COVID-19 on a weekly basis. This is good news for establishments in Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, among other Orange Zone locations—and a testament to the success these industries have had across the state in keeping patrons safe.[Like I said, they discovered the hair salons and gyms and schools aren't a problem. People are actually safer in them than elsewhere in their communities. Has to do with a combination of the constant testing protocol, cleaning, and masks.]
Crazy Workplace
We now have on-site testing at various work locations. (Not that I'm near any of them. I'm still working remotely off of an 13 inch Macbook Pro. You can all applaud later.]
And on-site flu testing. [Already did that.]
And they are buying air purifiers for the areas where people have to come in to work and are indoors. [Not exactly sure how effective that is.]
I want to avoid where I work - it's on Long Island. Long Island isn't safe, it's populated by fascist idiots or mutant zombies. Take your pick.
New York City = Safe
Long Island? Suffolk County? Avoid like the plague, no pun intended, no I take that back - pun completely intended.
The World Vs the Virus
Per the NY Times Coronavirus briefing, which I get by email every night. They kind of take a breather on the weekends.
* British health officials recommended that people with a history of severe allergic reactions forgo Pfizer’s vaccine after two such people experienced anaphylaxis. Both have recovered. [When I read this, I kind of panicked, since I have allergies. Then I remembered that they aren't severe. But it is why they aren't giving the vaccine by drive-throughs and making people sit for fifteen minutes first.]
* Each Friday, The Times will take a look back at this week in virus data. More than 3,000 people died in the United States from the virus on Wednesday alone. “We’re seeing steady case growth and explosive increases in deaths,” our colleague Mitch Smith wrote.
Basically more people died on Wed of COVID in the US than they did in 9/11.
* The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer’s vaccine for emergency use on Friday; the U.S. is now the sixth country to clear the vaccine.
In Economic News...both the US and the UK are screwed because of the nitwit greedy conservatives who run their respective governments and don't have the fiscal sense god gave a monkey. (I decided not to say cat, since I think cats are smarter than humans and monkeys. And don't deserve to be part of the saying. Whoever made it up, obviously never owned a cat.]
* Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, have both said that it was looking more likely that Britain and the European Union would not come to an agreement on free trade by the end of year. Talks are expected to continue through the weekend.
* In the United States, hopes of reaching a deal on fresh fiscal stimulus before Congress breaks were diminished. On Thursday, aides to Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican majority leader, indicated that many Republicans would not agree to a bipartisan package that had emerged. The same day, data showed more than 947,000 people applied for unemployment benefits last week, a jump from the previous week.
Anyone else hope Santa runs Mitch and Boris over with his sleigh and twelve reindeer on Christmas Eve?
And..
* Australia has abandoned a vaccine — one of dozens being tested worldwide — after the inoculation produced some false positive test results for H.I.V. [I don't blame them. It was the University of Queensland Vaccine.]
* In the latest feline news, snow leopards can contract the coronavirus. Scientists have documented infections in house cats, tigers and lions, as well as dogs and mink.[Sigh. I really wish it didn't infect cats.]
* Women could suffer losses to retirement accounts as they disproportionately leave the work force during the pandemic.
* The Senate approved a stopgap bill to fund the government on Friday, delaying a potential shutdown. Negotiators now have one more week to reach an agreement on a spending package and a coronavirus aid plan.
* Vaccine makers in Britain and Russia will combine their vaccines, hoping to strengthen the efficacy of both.
Also...
"This holiday season won’t be the first time that the United States celebrated the winter holidays during a pandemic. Our colleague Jacey Fortin dug into the archives and spoke to historians about what the holiday season looked like in 1918, during a devastating influenza outbreak.
“The winter holidays in 1918 were marked by grievous loss,” Jacey wrote. “They came during a relative lull after the deadliest wave, in the fall. Another, smaller surge would peak shortly after New Year’s Day.”
If we heed the lessons of that holiday season, the past might well stay the past. If not, many more people could die before we emerge from this pandemic.
In 1918, as the flu dragged on, our forebears suffered pandemic fatigue, too. Families gathered for Thanksgiving, “often with an empty chair at the table,” Jacey wrote. World War I had just ended, and the Allied victory was an excuse to let loose and celebrate.
On Christmas Eve, The New York Times reported that thousands of soldiers were welcomed into homes in New York City and invited to dances and feasts. Some cities lifted monthslong shutdowns, opening churches and movie theaters. Shopping adapted, too; The Sacramento Bee reported that “merchants report a good holiday business.”
Revelry soon gave way to rising infection rates.
Shortly after the holidays, people started getting sick. Reports from a Chicago newspaper about families who had gathered for visits with their relatives were peppered “with notices about people who had fallen ill or died of influenza,” Jacey wrote. The third and final wave, which killed thousands more Americans, didn’t fade until the summer of 1919.
That could well happen in 2020. This week, Dr. Fauci warned of another surge of coronavirus cases after Christmas and said the holidays later this month could be a “greater challenge” than Thanksgiving. He also said that holiday gatherings should include fewer than 10 people."
The Amazon boxes are starting to stack up in my apartment. This means unpacking and putting up miniature or dwarf fake Christmas trees, plus wrapping or placing wrapped gifts under or around said trees may be in order.
Either that, or I could build myself a fort and barricade myself in my apartment. Although I kind of feel like I've been doing that already.
Did have a mini-conversation with a petite black woman, wearing a hat and scarf, and of course a mask, in the meat aisle about whether or not to by the minature and semi-expensive filet mignons.
Woman: There's not much there.
Me: You're right there isn't.
Woman: I mean if you put them on the stove - they'll sizzle to nothing.
Me: We'll I usually broil them.
Woman: Still - nothing.
Me: Not if you do it medium rare. (Pause) I'm admittedly picky.
Woman: Yeah me too. I've been standing here for twenty-minutes trying to decide.
Me: Yeah...it's hard to know really. Is it worth it?
Woman: It's like they split one helping into two.
Me: And pricy.
Woman: Exactly.
Me: Eh..I'll take this one. (I take off...but change my mind and come back thinking of returning them... Woman is still there. But the other two filets are gone, and there's nothing.)
Me: Ah, you changed you're still here.
Woman: Yep, but I decided to take them. I'll just chop them all up and make a meal - it'll work.
Me: I was going to change my mind, but heck, I'll take mine too.
I have mini-conversations with folks - not long enough to be a problem, and fully masked. And with a cart of a distance between us. But still. We've been unable to socialize for so long now - that we kind of enjoy it. And we're all a little depressed and irritable. Also apartment lobby has become package central. I try to pick up mine immediately - mainly because I know people steal.
Later, after I made myself spinach/feta sausage, brocolli rabe, mushrooms, and asian pear, acorn squash, apple, raisin and onion curry - I called niece. (I'd also had some wine and a cocktail.) We had a long conversation about Buffy - in which I explained that it was hard for her to understand how ground breaking it was - because back then the things it did were kind of insane. No one had done that before. While now, it's kind of either dated or expected.
She's watching "Skins" on Hulu.
Me: Skins was rather controversial and risque when it premiered. Now, not so much.
Neice: Really? I have a hard time imagining that. It's not a big deal at all.
Me: Yeah well, when it first aired - it was kids talking about sex, and having it - and whoa.
Niece: I guess I can kind of see that.
Same with Buffy. When Buffy first aired, the Spike/Buffy romance was shocking, not now. It's kind of predictable, almost a cliche now. Also, the Tara/Willow thing was a huge deal - now, kids, my niece's age, sort of expect it. In fact if they don't have a homosexual relationship or characters, kids my niece's age are turned off. The world has changed, and in a really good way - in some respects.
Ah well...with that a good night.
Plus trees. Mustn't forget trees.
FB is weird. I was down to 120-126 friends, now all of a sudden I have 131.
I haven't accepted any new friends requests. Did they just all pop back?
Granted all I'm really posting are pictures of a graveyard, and occasional posts from NY Times.
I'm tired of our nasty toxic political environment.
Mother: I told your brother today that if the US Supreme Court overturned this election, I'd find a way to get your father out of this country. Because I cannot live in an authoritarian regime.
Me: Yeah, I agree. I'd have to flee to Canada then to New Zealand. (Either that or join the resistance. And I'm a tad old for that. Also not in the best of shape. Need to do more walking and more wall squats. Less drinking.)
Someone on FB posted an opinion piece about Trump looking to flee the country.
Me: Please? Pretty please with dancing santas and sugar plumbs on top?
I just want him to go away. I honestly don't care how.
Meanwhile...New York is Intensifying its Criminal Lawsuit against Trump
He may well be the first ex-President of the US to be charged a State for a crime. New York is serious, it's not a joke. That's why he's fighting so hard to stay President.
Oh, cousin from Texas, posted that maybe the Texas Attorney General is pleading with the Supreme Court to overturn the votes in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, and Wisconsin in the hopes for an early pardon. (Apparently the guy should have been charged and put in jail five years ago.)
And you thought your country's politics was bad - you've nothing on us. We have a corrupt politicians at the state, local and federal level.
It's all rather depressing if you think about it.
New York vs. the Corona Virus
Oh well there is good news in regards to New York's on-going and never-ending fight against the Corona Virus.
Per the Governor's email and briefing, they approved the vaccine finally. The White House basically bullied the FDA into approving it a week or two early. We get 170,000 doses from Pfzier, and 346,000 from Moderna - so 1.7 million in the first batch. This is enough to cover everyone in our first tier - the EMS workers, Heatlh Care workers, Home Health care workers, nursing homes, nursing home workers, and high risk health care workers. That's actually good news. They've allocated it by population and need around the state. NYC gets 72,000 doses. The Moderna/Pfizer vaccine is RNA Messenger, with none of the virus in it. It operates by sending messages to the cells to create T-cells that fight off and prevent the virus from taking hold. (The virus takes hold by telling the cells not to form T-cells. The vaccine counter-acts that.) The Moderna and Pfizer are the only vaccines world-wide that are 94-95% effective. China's is 84% effective, and the UK's has been abandoned at 70% effective and it has major side-effects in some cases.
We may have to wait until March or June for the next batch.
It was an interesting press conference. In that we had all these talking heads via Zoom, that no one but the Governor really knew or cared about.
Then when it came for questions - there was a sizable delay due to technical issues. The Governor got antsy - his patience may well be at its end.
[Although to be fair this is true of everyone at the moment - we're all snappish and irritable. I've noticed that it's been mentioned more than once on FB that people are more touchy and quicker to over-reacting at the moment. Also work - there's an underlying irritability. It's the holidays. Everyone is cooped up. No end in sight. The election won't end. COVID won't end. Both seem to be getting worse. And it's getting darker each day, colder, and we can't visit family or go anywhere to escape it. Cabin Fever plus Christmas holiday season...bleach.]
I was laughing at him.
Governor: so no questions. Cool.
Operator: We actually have a question from Laura from NBC.
Governor: Okay. (somewhat disappointed.)
[Long pause.] Governor stares bleakly at the empty room. He probably misses seeing the reporters.
Governor: Operator? Operator? Operator!
Operator: Sorry, we are experiencing technical difficulties, if you will give us a minute.
Governor (sighs), turns to his secretary: So is it our side or their side experiencing technical difficulties or do we know?
[I don't know if she said anything or not.]
Governor: Technology, wonderful when it works..
Another long fifteen minute pause. Governor audibly scratches his pen against his pad twice.
Finally we get the questions...
And then at that moment? Mother calls and I have turn it off.
Me: So I was watching the Governor, but all is well here. I even got another package from you today. It was -
Mother: You need to make sure you buckle your pants. And it's probably good if you button them first.
Me: Okay, that's nice but I don't have a buckle.
Mother: Are you standing up? Look make sure you buckle your pants before you stand up.
Me: And I'm just talking to myself...
Mother: Sorry, your father was fine, now he's decided to stand up. And I'm afraid his pants are going to fall down. I don't know why he's decided to get up now -
Me: Probably got bored. Like you got bored. You called me. Dad decided to get up and wander about.
Mother: Unfortunately - look I think he's going to go pee, can't tell. Can I call you back?
So I went back to the Governor, and mother called again. So I put the Governor on mute and close caption. When we were done, I unmuted the Governor and watched the end of the news conference. The poor Governor was on for an hour and a half.
"Last night, New York's independent COVID-19 Clinical Advisory Task Force unanimously approved the FDA vaccine panel's decision to recommend the Pfizer vaccine. The Task Force, which is chaired by Nobel laureate Dr. Charles Rice, was able to review data on the vaccine concurrently with the FDA, allowing for a thorough review for New Yorkers.
This added level of approval should give New Yorkers additional confidence in the vaccine. As we prepare for the great task of administering the vaccine, we simultaneously continue to act to slow the spread of the virus and to ensure hospital capacity. We are constantly calibrating our strategy with the goal of maintaining as much economic activity as possible, while protecting public health. Today we took several new measures to that end."
Here's what else you need to know tonight:
1. To protect hospital capacity, New York will implement new metrics to determine micro-cluster zones. Under these updated metrics, Red, Orange and Yellow Zones will now be determined as follows: A Red Zone will be implemented when a region reaches a critical hospital capacity—that is, when 90 percent of beds are full (after measures to increase capacity have been taken). An Orange Zone will be implemented if an area has a 4 percent positivity rate over the past 10 days (on a 7-day average) and is located in a region that has reached 85 percent hospital capacity. A Yellow Zone will be implemented if an area has a 3 percent positivity rate over the past 10 days (on a 7-day average) and is in the top 10 percent in the state for hospital admissions per capita over the past week and is experiencing week-over-week growth in daily admissions. It sounds complicated—but the basic idea behind these metrics is to ensure that hospital systems are not overloaded. [Note - no one is in a red zone at the moment. During the press conference, the Governor reiterated that we weren't going to close down the state. Other's have full closed and fully opened, like that, but he thinks that's far too traumatic for both people and the economy (we kind of did the full closure in the spring - but it was more of a rolling closure with a rolling open), and it is better to do it in stages and just for infected regions or clusters. Much less tramautizing on the economy and state as a whole.]
2. Starting Monday, December 14th, indoor dining in New York City will be suspended. This is in response to the continued increase in positive cases and hospitalizations, in addition to recently issued CDC guidance emphasizing the high risk of indoor dining. Outdoor dining, delivery and takeout will remain in place. This suspension will continue to be re-evaluated based on updated data over the coming weeks. [They've determined that gyms and hair salons are fine - the restrictions are working with those. But not so much with indoor dining - since you have to remove your mask to eat and drink - unless there's a way of doing that without taking off the mask and the Governor doesn't know about it. Sports - high contact sports like football - have also been suspended. Home health care delivery is another high risk category - it's right below living room spread. Which made me worry about my parents - but they've not had any home health care workers come in since the middle of last week. They stopped finally. Partly because it was expensive, partly because it was worrying them both (they don't like it on a good day - with COVID...) and partly because my Dad is better now and mother can leave him alone without worry. She's done it several times now with no incidents.]
3. The State Department of Health is directing New York hospitals to take additional steps to help keep capacity below 85 percent. Under the directive, hospitals must either add additional capacity, reduce elective surgeries, or a combination of both, in order to remain under 85 percent. This measure expands on the previously announced "Surge and Flex" protocol. [This worked very well in the Spring and kind of saved us, when they put it in place finally in late April early May.]
4. I will sign an Executive Order extending the State's moratorium on commercial evictions. This moratorium will provide support to small businesses and other tenants during these difficult times. These businesses need help now more than ever, and Congress must include support for bars and restaurants in the next stimulus package. [I wouldn't count on that happening until January. If that. I'm losing hope. The Republican Party is kind of a combination of the Grinch and Scrooge by way of Winter Warlock. We know who is getting coal in their stockings this Christmas.]
5. Total COVID hospitalizations rose to 5,321. Of the 212,672 tests reported yesterday, 10,595, or 4.98 percent, were positive. There were 1,007 patients in ICU yesterday, up 13 from the previous day. Of them, 546 are intubated. Sadly, we lost 87 New Yorkers to the virus. [Our testing is saving us. We are averaging 120,000 tests a day in the city, and over 200,000 tests daily state wide. We've tested 22 Million. We only have 19 Million in the state. Not that everyone has gone for a test. I haven't. But I also don't need to - no symptoms, no real exposure or contact with anyone outside of really brief contact with a mask in place. I'm actually feeling better now than I did this time last year.]
6. Gyms and personal care services will be permitted to open in Orange Zones with limited capacity. Starting Monday, December 14th, gyms, fitness centers, salons and barber shops—which are currently closed in Orange Zones—will be allowed to operate at 25 percent capacity. Employees must be tested for COVID-19 on a weekly basis. This is good news for establishments in Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, among other Orange Zone locations—and a testament to the success these industries have had across the state in keeping patrons safe.[Like I said, they discovered the hair salons and gyms and schools aren't a problem. People are actually safer in them than elsewhere in their communities. Has to do with a combination of the constant testing protocol, cleaning, and masks.]
Crazy Workplace
We now have on-site testing at various work locations. (Not that I'm near any of them. I'm still working remotely off of an 13 inch Macbook Pro. You can all applaud later.]
And on-site flu testing. [Already did that.]
And they are buying air purifiers for the areas where people have to come in to work and are indoors. [Not exactly sure how effective that is.]
I want to avoid where I work - it's on Long Island. Long Island isn't safe, it's populated by fascist idiots or mutant zombies. Take your pick.
New York City = Safe
Long Island? Suffolk County? Avoid like the plague, no pun intended, no I take that back - pun completely intended.
The World Vs the Virus
Per the NY Times Coronavirus briefing, which I get by email every night. They kind of take a breather on the weekends.
* British health officials recommended that people with a history of severe allergic reactions forgo Pfizer’s vaccine after two such people experienced anaphylaxis. Both have recovered. [When I read this, I kind of panicked, since I have allergies. Then I remembered that they aren't severe. But it is why they aren't giving the vaccine by drive-throughs and making people sit for fifteen minutes first.]
* Each Friday, The Times will take a look back at this week in virus data. More than 3,000 people died in the United States from the virus on Wednesday alone. “We’re seeing steady case growth and explosive increases in deaths,” our colleague Mitch Smith wrote.
Basically more people died on Wed of COVID in the US than they did in 9/11.
* The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer’s vaccine for emergency use on Friday; the U.S. is now the sixth country to clear the vaccine.
In Economic News...both the US and the UK are screwed because of the nitwit greedy conservatives who run their respective governments and don't have the fiscal sense god gave a monkey. (I decided not to say cat, since I think cats are smarter than humans and monkeys. And don't deserve to be part of the saying. Whoever made it up, obviously never owned a cat.]
* Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, have both said that it was looking more likely that Britain and the European Union would not come to an agreement on free trade by the end of year. Talks are expected to continue through the weekend.
* In the United States, hopes of reaching a deal on fresh fiscal stimulus before Congress breaks were diminished. On Thursday, aides to Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican majority leader, indicated that many Republicans would not agree to a bipartisan package that had emerged. The same day, data showed more than 947,000 people applied for unemployment benefits last week, a jump from the previous week.
Anyone else hope Santa runs Mitch and Boris over with his sleigh and twelve reindeer on Christmas Eve?
And..
* Australia has abandoned a vaccine — one of dozens being tested worldwide — after the inoculation produced some false positive test results for H.I.V. [I don't blame them. It was the University of Queensland Vaccine.]
* In the latest feline news, snow leopards can contract the coronavirus. Scientists have documented infections in house cats, tigers and lions, as well as dogs and mink.[Sigh. I really wish it didn't infect cats.]
* Women could suffer losses to retirement accounts as they disproportionately leave the work force during the pandemic.
* The Senate approved a stopgap bill to fund the government on Friday, delaying a potential shutdown. Negotiators now have one more week to reach an agreement on a spending package and a coronavirus aid plan.
* Vaccine makers in Britain and Russia will combine their vaccines, hoping to strengthen the efficacy of both.
Also...
"This holiday season won’t be the first time that the United States celebrated the winter holidays during a pandemic. Our colleague Jacey Fortin dug into the archives and spoke to historians about what the holiday season looked like in 1918, during a devastating influenza outbreak.
“The winter holidays in 1918 were marked by grievous loss,” Jacey wrote. “They came during a relative lull after the deadliest wave, in the fall. Another, smaller surge would peak shortly after New Year’s Day.”
If we heed the lessons of that holiday season, the past might well stay the past. If not, many more people could die before we emerge from this pandemic.
In 1918, as the flu dragged on, our forebears suffered pandemic fatigue, too. Families gathered for Thanksgiving, “often with an empty chair at the table,” Jacey wrote. World War I had just ended, and the Allied victory was an excuse to let loose and celebrate.
On Christmas Eve, The New York Times reported that thousands of soldiers were welcomed into homes in New York City and invited to dances and feasts. Some cities lifted monthslong shutdowns, opening churches and movie theaters. Shopping adapted, too; The Sacramento Bee reported that “merchants report a good holiday business.”
Revelry soon gave way to rising infection rates.
Shortly after the holidays, people started getting sick. Reports from a Chicago newspaper about families who had gathered for visits with their relatives were peppered “with notices about people who had fallen ill or died of influenza,” Jacey wrote. The third and final wave, which killed thousands more Americans, didn’t fade until the summer of 1919.
That could well happen in 2020. This week, Dr. Fauci warned of another surge of coronavirus cases after Christmas and said the holidays later this month could be a “greater challenge” than Thanksgiving. He also said that holiday gatherings should include fewer than 10 people."
The Amazon boxes are starting to stack up in my apartment. This means unpacking and putting up miniature or dwarf fake Christmas trees, plus wrapping or placing wrapped gifts under or around said trees may be in order.
Either that, or I could build myself a fort and barricade myself in my apartment. Although I kind of feel like I've been doing that already.
Did have a mini-conversation with a petite black woman, wearing a hat and scarf, and of course a mask, in the meat aisle about whether or not to by the minature and semi-expensive filet mignons.
Woman: There's not much there.
Me: You're right there isn't.
Woman: I mean if you put them on the stove - they'll sizzle to nothing.
Me: We'll I usually broil them.
Woman: Still - nothing.
Me: Not if you do it medium rare. (Pause) I'm admittedly picky.
Woman: Yeah me too. I've been standing here for twenty-minutes trying to decide.
Me: Yeah...it's hard to know really. Is it worth it?
Woman: It's like they split one helping into two.
Me: And pricy.
Woman: Exactly.
Me: Eh..I'll take this one. (I take off...but change my mind and come back thinking of returning them... Woman is still there. But the other two filets are gone, and there's nothing.)
Me: Ah, you changed you're still here.
Woman: Yep, but I decided to take them. I'll just chop them all up and make a meal - it'll work.
Me: I was going to change my mind, but heck, I'll take mine too.
I have mini-conversations with folks - not long enough to be a problem, and fully masked. And with a cart of a distance between us. But still. We've been unable to socialize for so long now - that we kind of enjoy it. And we're all a little depressed and irritable. Also apartment lobby has become package central. I try to pick up mine immediately - mainly because I know people steal.
Later, after I made myself spinach/feta sausage, brocolli rabe, mushrooms, and asian pear, acorn squash, apple, raisin and onion curry - I called niece. (I'd also had some wine and a cocktail.) We had a long conversation about Buffy - in which I explained that it was hard for her to understand how ground breaking it was - because back then the things it did were kind of insane. No one had done that before. While now, it's kind of either dated or expected.
She's watching "Skins" on Hulu.
Me: Skins was rather controversial and risque when it premiered. Now, not so much.
Neice: Really? I have a hard time imagining that. It's not a big deal at all.
Me: Yeah well, when it first aired - it was kids talking about sex, and having it - and whoa.
Niece: I guess I can kind of see that.
Same with Buffy. When Buffy first aired, the Spike/Buffy romance was shocking, not now. It's kind of predictable, almost a cliche now. Also, the Tara/Willow thing was a huge deal - now, kids, my niece's age, sort of expect it. In fact if they don't have a homosexual relationship or characters, kids my niece's age are turned off. The world has changed, and in a really good way - in some respects.
Ah well...with that a good night.
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Date: 2020-12-13 02:29 am (UTC)