Despite the nation's focus being pulled to the murder of George Floyd, at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, and the widespread protests and rioting/looting (much of it apparently provoked and started by white supremacists and other outside agitators...many apparently chauffeured in cars and carrying power tools!?! GEEZ!) and blatant misinformation, the coronavirus is still with us. It is still infecting millions and killing thousands. There are 6.6 million cases globally (with 391,261 deaths) and more than 1,872,000 cases here (with more than 108,211 dead).
Although he was murdered by police who had him handcuffed on the ground, George Floyd was apparently also positive for the coronavirus at the time of his death, an autopsy reveals. As protests continue following his death, (people not social distancing or wearing masks), the CDC is warning about a potential spike in cases of infection. The tear gas used during the riots is far more dangerous than the police let on, especially during the pandemic.
The virus seems to attack people of color harder than others.
The more places re-open, the more the CDC is concerned people are not following their advice---and upping infection rates.
Because the virus' infection is largely from aerosol transmission, the spread from air conditioning is a concern.
The Republican National Convention, which wanted to allow thousands into an arena without masks and no social distancing, is looking for a new home since North Carolina's governor refuses to allow more than 10 people to assemble at a time. (I say let them have the convention---so they can see how real the virus truly is first hand.) Congratulations North Carolina.
New York is expanding its COVID 19 testing to cover recent protesters. A factory worker at Tesla in Buffalo tested positive after the factory re-opened.
Atlantic City, New Jersey is opening the doors to its casinos. In another part of New Jersey, carhops are making a comeback to help serve those wanting some fun outside of the house.
West Virginia has seen a spurt in the number of cases.
Balitmore, Maryland is hiring hundreds of contact tracers in an effort to curb the spread.
North Carolina has had an increase in daily cases...but has also had an increase in daily testing.
Florida added another 1,400+ cases yesterday and now has more than 60,000 people with the virus.
Seven athletes at Arkansas State University have tested positive. The governor of Arkansas warned residents that the virus' first wave is finally hitting them.
COVID 19 fears have many teachers in Michigan rethinking their career choices and leaving the profession.
Minnesota reported 29 more deaths and hundreds of more cases yesterday. Several restaurants in the Twin Cities are have stopped take-out services as several staff members have gotten infected.
South Dakota has a growing number of cases.
Wisconsin is about to hit the 20,000 cases mark.
An article on Axios says that there have been spikes in cases in Oregon, Texas, and Arizona.
San Antonio, Texas' stay-at-home orders have expired, but deaths and new cases are still on the rise.
In Tucson, AZ, 17 people at a 911 dispatch center have tested positive for the virus.
Utah has seen more cases and more deaths. The Salt Lake City Tribune has called this increase a "sharp spike".
Las Vegas, Nevada is re-opening its casinos...with some changes. Would you go now?
More portions of Washington state are moving towards re-opening.
Some who get COVID 19 have had to deal with the illness for months. Some have their symptoms disappear, only to return again with a vengeance. Others, who have not been exposed to coronavirus, may have a head start in warding it off because of a T-cell immune response after being infected by similar viruses.
Five of the most promising vaccines against the coronavirus that are in the works have been chosen for Trump's "Operation Warp Speed" to develop them as quickly as possible.
Dr. Anthony Fauci says that the US plans to start stockpiling a vaccine, once one is developed, even before it gets an FDA approval.
As work continues on vaccines, Dr. Fauci also cautions that any vaccine may not provide lasting immunity from the virus.
Experts suggest that next year's flu season combined with the coronavirus could cause healthcare to be overwhelmed. Getting a flu shot can help.
A plan for a possible coronavirus passport, a document that shows a traveler has recently been tested, is being discussed. It would eliminate the need for a 14-day quarantine upon arrival at their destination.
While pandemic continues, there is an effort out there trying to curb all of the false information and conspiracy theories that are clouding the judgement of many.
A judge has allowed a lawsuit against McDonald's by its employees to continue. The employees are suing the hamburger giant for failure to provide adequate protection during the pandemic.
Workers for Amazon have also filed a lawsuit saying the company is not protecting them.
Yet another study has shown that hydroxycloroquine does nothing to prevent COVID 19 infection.
A rise in drug overdoses could be linked to coronavirus stay-at-home orders and unemployment, a study suggests.
Global lockdowns are increasing childhood obesity, a study reports.
A traveling nurse in Michigan details how the virus took a toll on her in a different way.
GLOBAL:
The virus cases around the world are taking off at an exponential rate.
Brazil is being pummeled. Record death tolls are constantly being broken as the number of deaths there now greater than 31,000. The country will be the first to try Oxford's attempt at a COVID 19 vaccine.
Russia is claiming to have an effective treatment for the virus, which it says it will start using in hospitals soon. However, it appears that Russia has not been exactly honest on its death toll numbers if the more than 1,500 above yearly average death certificates being issued in St. Petersburg, which officially has only 171 COVID-19 deaths, are to be taken into account.
Sweden's scientists behind their "herd immunity" plan say they allowed for far too many deaths.
Iceland has virtually eliminated the virus from its shores.
CALIFORNIA:
Governor Newsom has signed an executive order allowing for easier access for voting for all Californians in the upcoming November election due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The state is seeing a rise in infection numbers amidst protests and re-openings. This has caused many to fear the return to "normalcy" is coming too soon.
Santa Maria has seen a huge number of cases, which has left health officials stumped as to why this is.
A murder in San Francisco's Glen Park district has authorities there questioning how the lockdown has been affecting people mentally.
Napa County is reporting a surge in cases.
All Together LA has merged with other LA area non-profit groups to deliver meals to seniors during the pandemic.
Los Angeles-area high schools have found creative ways to celebrate their seniors' graduations.
LOCAL:
There are 5,639 cases of the virus in the Valley. 2,438 have recovered and 149 have died.
ABC 30's news anchor Liz Harrison has announced that she has contracted the coronavirus.
A patient at CRMC survived COVID 19 after having had to undergo ECMO (ExtraCorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) to save her life. Amazing!
Yosemite is partially re-opening Friday to visitors with permits only.
The Merced Mall has re-opened with new safety precautions in place.
Fresno Unified is hoping to keep parents engaged with online classes for parents to take part in to help them work better with students and teachers and also learn basic computer skills. The school district is also planning on continuing its meal program through the summer.
Fair food is b-a-c-k!!!
CREATIVITY:
This was fun...a parody of MAMBO No. 5:
Here are two young brothers parodying a Beatles song:
Anyone for a LION KING parody?
Jimmy Kimmel and his kids are back with another lockdown version of WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE:
And, just in case you want to see it, here is a recent monologue of his:
The artist SHAG is back with his 12th quarantine coloring page. Go for it!
MAIL:
My friend Andrey lives in Italy. He works in construction. Although his English isn't perfect, he sent me this note on Tuesday.
"From yesterday, the mask here outside it's not mandatory," he said. "Everything it's open. I'm working in Venice close to casino. Almost all the teenagers guys they are without mask. And some of the old peoples."
Mauro, who also lives in Italy near Parma, also sent me a quick note.
"Here all come back to normality," he said. "Regions open the border and next week open also the European countries borders.
"We're fine. The hot season arrived and we started holidays times."
Kevin in Massachusetts sent a note. Most of it was about the riots, but some parts pertained to the virus.
"With the riot and looting in the Boston area last night, I am very sure that the corona will spike big time in about two weeks or so," he said. "In the black population, which is already the number one race class with corona in this state, the sick numbers will be very bad."
Michael in Florida sent this note:
"All is good with me," he said. "I've nothing exciting to report personally. It's work, home, hang out with my daughter, still need a haircut. Some places are open, but it's still limited. I walked the mall over the weekend and most stores were still closed, including every store my daughter was interested in.
"I did go to a friend's house over the weekend to celebrate her daughter's birthday. She is the same age as my daughter, so the kids got to interact some. It was a very small get together with only two adults and three kids all together.
"After looking into flights and talking with her mom, it looks like my daughter will be with me at least another 6 weeks. Hopefully we can do something exciting during that time.
"On the exciting news, we did get to see the Space X launch on Saturday. I'm close enough to watch it from my yard. That was cool, history in the making!"
Kim, the CNA in Wisconsin, sent a super quick update.
"St Joe's did 265 tests of all the employees and residents and all were negative," she said, "including me!"
SHIRLEY:
Shirley has been a naughty girl. The other day I found her trying to escape. She was climbing on a cardboard box I had blocking the loose fence board in the back. I rearranged the box, trying to block her...but she kept hanging around, looking for another avenue of escape.
I later caught her on her hind two legs, trying to get into the back yard behind me. I don't think she wanted to run away.,..but was just curious about the other yard. There are two dogs who sometimes come out back there. If she "escaped", I didn't want them hurting her.
But the last few nights, she came into the house on her own accord...
ME:
On Monday morning, I finally had a consultation (via TeleHealth) with Dr. Kazaryan, an immunologist. She had me do several things on camera to check my muscles. She is supposed to be sending me orders for some blood work and possibly an MRI of my legs. We'll see... Nothing has arrived yet, but I am thrilled to have FINALLY gotten to see an immunologist.
On Tuesday, I took my car, loaded up with recyclables and went to the recycle center. The car was packed. I was a bit weirded out as most of the customers there were not wearing masks.
Of the employees, one of them was wearing a mask and one was not. But, dang! I scored $49.75. Not bad!
Because Shirley has been trying to play escape artist out of the loose board in the fence, I needed to do something about it. So, I headed to Lowe's afterwards. I needed a board she couldn't climb and some nails. The staff was all wearing masks (more or less---some were fudging it), but about only half (or less) of the customers were complying.
I got a really thin sheet of wood to put up. It would not fit in the car, so I had to (badly) tie it to the roof of my car and drive slowly, trying to hold on to it the whole way home.I hammered it up. It's sloppy and white trashy...but it will work.
A notice was put on my door, letting me know that on Monday, the 8th, the city is going to seal the street . It was just repaved last week, if you recall.
The signs placed on the street echo the same thing---no parking on the street (or driving on it) after 7 a.m. That would normally be no big deal, except I finally got my muscle and nerve biopsy rescheduled. it is happening on Monday. I have to be there at 6 a.m. even though it won't happen until 8. I'm planning on Uber-ing over and back...but because of the street sealing, I'll have to walk to my house from Barstow...which is not that big of a deal. But--HOORAY! That is finally happening.
Also on Tuesday, I went to Harbor Freight. I needed a stool so i could sit and work on things closer to the ground. I have such a hard time getting up and down now. I got the round one on sale...with a coupon for an extra 20% off.
Afterwards, I made a quick stop at the DMV to drop off my old license plates. Everyone was masked...except, I forgot mine. Oops! I held my breath and just dropped the plates in a box drop anyway.
From there, I picked up groceries.
That afternoon, Erich, Ricki and I were supposed to have a Zoom call with our friends Barb and Norm in Omaha. Erich, Ricki and I got on, but Barb and Norm were still struggling trying to figure out how to get the app. Ricki had them on her phone on speaker...but we decided to postpone our call for a few days until they were better situated and had the app ready to go.
On Wednesday I did my first (and LAST) curbside pickup at IHOP. I got a coupon for a free stack of pancakes. I wanted something more than carbs, so I ordered a spinach and mushroom omelette as well. I also ordered a cup of (decaf) coffee, too...as I'm out and my ordered coffee (From Amazon) won't be here until the 10th.
I pulled into a pick up spot and waited...and waited and waited. Who knew you had to call when you arrived? Nothing about that is mentioned on the app.
I was distressed to see a large crowd (not social distancing--no masks) waiting to be seated inside. EEEK! It will be a LONG while before I venture into a restaurant again.
I eventually DID call...Oh, I was here? My food was ready. They would not take my coupon for the free pancakes as they were for the Glendale location. Huh? Glendale? I've never lived south of Fresno...and have never been to an IHOP in Glendale. WHY the hell would I get a coupon for the Glendale location? Whatever... I just paid for the damned pancakes, too. As I drove away, I realized I never got my coffee. ARGH! NEVER AGAIN!!!!
Later in the day, I had to run a bunch of errands for my insurance. I dropped off paperwork at my primary doctor's office and my cardiologist's office. Afterwards, I stopped to pick up a few more groceries...
On Wednesday night, using some large portobella mushroom caps I'd gotten at Costco a few days before, I made stuffed mushrooms again.
I forgot half of the things I was going to use (herbs, asparagus, a truffle sauce, etc), but they turned out okay. Again, each one was different.
That's about it. Monday's post will be posting early---Sunday night sometime--as I need to get to sleep for my biopsy appointment on Monday. Just a head's up.
Stay SAFE! Stay SHELTERED! Stay ALIVE!
CHEERS!
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