There are currently 2,094,069 cases of the coronavirus in the US. We have had 115,732 deaths. The CDC predicts that by July 4th we will have 130,000 dead.
VIRUS NEWS:
Virus deaths are expected to go down somewhat over the summer, followed by a sharp spike in September, according to a new model.
A new mutation of the virus could make it far more contagious than it currently is.
Dr. Anthony Fauci cautions people attending rallies or protests to wear a mask and social distance if possible. The doctor also said that a return to "normalcy" probably won't happen for at least another year.
Entry into Donald Trump's re-election fundraiser at his New Jersey golf club requires a negative COVID 19 test.
The president's campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma (which was thankfully changed from its original Juneteenth date) is a "dangerous move," according to experts.
As Wall Street and the rest of the country panic about the 2nd wave we are starting to experience, an article on NPR points out that this is just a new surge in the first wave. A second wave sis still a few months off. Jeepers, this is going to be so bad...
One article points out the obvious...that re-opening the states has not gone so well. DUH!
A 70-year-old man, survived COVID 19, was hospitalized for 62 days and received a bill for $1.1 million.
ICU doctors are taking what they know from this first wave of infections and are gearing up for future spikes/waves.
The CDC has revised its guidelines for mask wearing and social gatherings. Basically--avoid the gatherings and WEAR A MASK! How hard is that to understand?
The CDC is also warning that the US may have to re-implement strict coronavirus measures if cases rise "dramatically." (But you know Trump will never call for that---and will do everything to discourage it.)
The president's National Economic Council Director, Larry Kudlow, told Fox News that there is no second wave and the economy is not going to shut down again. (Trump will never let that happen.)
The Defense Department is seeing more and more cases in the military.
Researchers in Texas and California concluded in yet another report that wearing face masks is the best way to prevent transmission of the virus. A German study concluded more or less the same thing. Hello? I know this sounds like a broken record, but how hard is it to understand? WEAR A MASK!
Moderna had already announced that it plans to start its human trials for a vaccine it is developing by July. Johnson & Johnson also plan to start human trials next month for a vaccine it is developing.
Sinovac says that preliminary tests for its attempt at a vaccine has shown immune responses.
The FDA wants 30,000 people to volunteer for vaccine trials.
Australian researchers have developed a new drug that breaks up blood clots and could be used in the fight against COVID 19.
Vice President Mike Pence, head of the Coronavirus Task Force, promised nursing homes proper PPE. What they got instead was faulty, sub-standard junk.
As businesses start to re-open, there is more and more concern from business owners over protection from COVID 19 lawsuits.
Some landlords are harassing or threatening unemployed tenants for rent or to leave during the crisis.
As schools ready for fall re-openings, this is what families could expect them to be like.
Lockdowns that have been sedentary put children at risk for obesity.
One restaurant in Texas is putting people over profits, by re-hiring furloughed employees and paying them more.
A empanada restaurant in New York has donated more than 3,000 meals to healthcare workers.
Summer travel appears to be making a slow comeback. Is it safer to fly or drive? This report looks at that.
The movie and TV industry can return to work--with strict rules to ensure safety.
Thrift stores, at least in some areas, are overflowing with donations as many spent the lockdown time cleaning house.
A 90-year-old couple reunited after 5 weeks after the wife contracted the virus.
My friend Vye sent me this chart, which shows the risk with the virus for various activities and places:
STATES:
New York is claiming victory about flattening the curve and is planning its re-opening. However, Governor Cuomo cautions that businesses that violate the social distancing rules will lose their licenses:
Massachusetts had more than 105,000 cases with more than 7,500 dead as of Friday. The state added 336 on Saturday and another 208 on Sunday. The state is now 5th in the nation for most coronavirus cases.
Florida reported a startling one-day new virus case number of 1,902 on Friday (beating the previous high on Thursday of 1,698). More than 2,500 were reported on Saturday. Yes, have your Republican National Convention there, Mr. President, and forget all about social distancing and masks as is your plan. The herd of stupid could use a good thinning. GEEZ!
Alabama is reporting record-high hospitalizations.
Pennsylvania is re-opening as the state hits 78,000 cases. Governor Wolf has asked the state's supreme court to intervene and nullify the state's legislature's resolution to re-open.
As of Friday, the number of cases in Minnesota had risen for the third straight day in a row. More cases were added Saturday and Sunday.
Iowa added 365 new cases on Sunday with one death.
Indiana added 407 more virus cases on Sunday.
Wisconsin is busy testing. Of the 11,628 tests done Thursday, 320 were positive for COVID 19. That is under 3%.
A model from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences shows that the state could reach as many as 175,000 active virus cases with 3,100 hospitalizations by October.
Kansas now has 11,000 cases.
Texas is starting to see its infection rate "soar" again. It saw 2,331 cases on Saturday alone.
Arizona had a record 1,654 new cases of the virus on Friday. Phoenix-area restaurants are closing again due to COVID 19 exposures and increasing numbers.
Oregon had another single-day record high number of cases on Friday. The Oregon Supreme Court sided with the state's governor on statewide lockdown restrictions. The governor also plans to release some prisoners to keep COVID 19 infections in prisons hopefully lower.
Alaska is still getting a trickling of cases...
Hawaii reported another 15 new cases on Friday. Another 17 were reported on Saturday. As the island state deals with virus cases, its dried up tourist industry has caused Great Depression era levels of unemployment.
While Oregon and Utah hold off on further re-openings as their case counts continue to climb, other states are going full-tilt open, despite their climbing numbers (and this includes states like Texas, Arkansas, Arizona and California). EEK! There are 20 states with escalating numbers.
GLOBAL:
Sometime today, we should hit 8 million cases of infection throughout the world. There have been 433,458 deaths globally as well.
The indigenous people of the Amazon in South America are really being hit hard by this outbreak.
A video shows how hospitals are overrun with patients in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, while healthcare workers there accuse the government of sacrificing them for the pandemic.
Brazil has overtaken the UK as the country with the 2nd highest death toll (behind the US).
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Colombia has risen to more than 50,000.
Chile's health minister quits over the country's response to the coronavirus. During the country's lockdown, needy residents signal for help by waving red flags.
China's cases have risen to their highest level in the last two month.
Nursing homes in the UK have been devastated.
The editor of LANCET blasted the UK's government for the handling of the virus outbreak.
On the plus side, the UK's death toll rose by 36 yesterday. That is the lowest number for the country since lockdown there started.
Italy's top officials are being questioned by prosecutors over their response to the virus. In the meantime, the country will move into its third phase of reopening today.
In Russia, Vladimir Putin says country is recovering a lot quicker than the US.
A holy man in India who offered COVID exorcisms has caught the virus and died.
New Zealand, the country that seems to have beat the virus, welcomed fans back to the stadium for the first sporting event there in months.
CALIFORNIA:
San Mateo County is looking to re-open businesses sooner than later.
A dry cleaner in Los Angeles, Steamer Cleaners, is helping those unemployed with an upcoming job interview by offering free cleaning for interview clothing.
LOCAL:
Fresno police report that shootings are up 30% since the COVID 19 lockdown precautions went into place.
Free COVID 19 testing was recently provided for residents in southwest Fresno.
Nail salons and tattoo parlors will be opening this week across the state...but not in Fresno County, as the infection rates here are on the rise.
Movie theaters and other family recreation businesses, such as Blackbeard's Family Fun Center, are frustrated as they wait for the okay to re-open.
Fresno Unified is keeping its summer school program online.
Graduating Gurnick Academy nursing students celebrated with a drive thru pinning ceremony.
Hume Lake is canceling its summer camp program due to COVID 19 for the first time in 74 years.
CREATIVITY:
This article on CNN discussed ways to bring about creativity while in the midst of the pandemic.
This is a bit old (April), but I've just seen it. It is a woman who goes back in time to discuss things to herself in January of this year.
If you are interested, here is a more recent sequel:
I love parodies. Here is a COVID 19 take on Aqua's BARBIE GIRL song:
I really loved this parody of GASTON from BEAUTY AND THE BEAST:
This is a compilation of quarantine parodies:
Here is another Jimmy Kimmel monologue with a great fake commercial for the planned Republican National Convention.
And how about a little virus humor for horror movie fans?
MAIL:
I had a quick note from my friend Mauro in Italy. He also included some photos of he and his wife, Natalia:
"I'm in holiday," he said. "Here all come back to normality... Vasto... little city in the middle of Italy...we are in travel around."
Mikey in Iowa sent me an email with a shocking revelation about the COVID 19 numbers in his state:
"We have been keeping busy with tending to the gardens and trying to get outside as much as possible," he said. "Things here are pretty much the same. As of today, though, the whole state has re-set their COVID case numbers. I'm not quite sure whether it's because they want people to get out more to help out the economy, or if it is some stunt the republicans are doing to try to make Trump look better or what. I've attached two screen shots I took of the Iowa COVID map. The first one I took was about two weeks ago and you can see that the numbers are pretty high in most counties. The second screen shot I took today. Miracle of miracles! The number of infected magically went down to a new starting point of 0. Our county was at 14 as of yesterday, and now it is only at 1. I know some people have recovered and some have died, but the map is supposed to show the total number of infected. I'm wondering if this happened in all states, or just a few key republican states. Either way, I know to get the correct total for our county, I now have to add 14 to the current count.
"The seed store continues to thrive, and that is a good thing. The dogs, cats, chickens, and goats are all doing fine. I just found a big crack in my windshield, so it looks like I will be getting a new one soon."
OldNumbers:
New Numbers:
SHIRLEY:
My concern for Shirley grows. After several days of getting up late and then having her just hang out in the flower bead near the patio, Shirley didn't even emerge from her box on Friday until after 3 pm. I gave her some food, of which she may have eaten a piece of lettuce--I'm not sure. She was only out a few minutes and then she turned around and went back in her box.
On Saturday, it was a bit better. She came out of her box around 1 p.m. This time she actually went outside. She sat in the closest flower bed for the longest time, before finally going out to her favorite bush by the rear fence. Again, I don't think she ate anything. She just sat there. She didn't come back by the end of the day as she usually does and I had to go get her to bring her in.
On Sunday, although we heard her moving about in her box a little bit, she never bothered to come out at all.
Of course I am worried about her--but don't know what to do. I had joined an online tortoise forum a while back. One of the main moderators actually lives here in Clovis and has a lot of tortoises. I had asked her about tortoise vets in the area. She said that there used to be two...but now there was really no one.
I went ahead and posted my concerns on the tortoise forum website and had this reply from someone else:
"Their lifespan is said to be 60-80 years old with some living longer. I would assume she’s just being an old lady. They can go a long time without water and food, although it’s not the best thing for them it doesn’t immediately mean that it’s sick or dying. I would suggest you do some extra soaks in a tub and make sure she has plenty of grass and weeds to eat. (Grass-weeds and such are their main diet) no fruit unless it’s a very rare treat and even then only give her a cactus pear or something that she might find naturally. She’s beautiful by the way. Honestly because she could have been 15-20 years old already I would make sure food and water are constantly near by and try not to let her stress. It dose look like she is at the end stage of her life. That doesn’t mean she will die soon or anything. But because you don’t know, I would be prepared."
ME:
On Friday night about 10:15 p.m., someone came to the door. It was my alcoholic neighbor from down the street. She said she had lost her keys and could I take her to the store? Translation: Can you take me to the liquor store and buy me a bottle? She's pulled that on me before. Really! I told her no way.
On Saturday, I was standing at the kitchen sink and I noticed this pickup truck pull up into my driveway. I certainly had no idea who it could be. My initial thoughts were that it was one of the tree people coming to collect the bill (which has already been paid) or maybe a court summons from the next door neighbors about the fence. I quickly closed the shades and told Erich, who was sitting in the dining room, to be quiet.
The guy left quickly. When I opened the door to see what he had left, it was a box of cookies. I picked it up, put it on the credenza right inside the door and locked the door again. I looked inside and saw the wonderful chocolate chip cookies within. Mmm. They were still warm! I picked up the box and took it in to show Erich. There was no note attached, just the written message "Enjoy!" I don't know who sent them or why. Maybe because of my procedure? I don't know---but it was a swell (and yummy) gesture.
Later, Erich sat on the living room couch to watch TV and I went in there about something for a moment. As I turned to leave, I saw a second box of cookies sitting on the credenza. Huh? Apparently I got two boxes. I brought them in, but only carried one to the dining room, accidentally leaving the second on the credenza. Zowie! Two boxes of cookies!?
And the second box was a different kind. The cookies had white chocolate chips and tasted like cinnamon rolls or something. Delicious! THANK YOU whoever sent them. WOW!!!!
I am kind of a mess. My right foot has been swollen now for weeks, probably a complication of the surgery I was told I needed on it a few years back by this venous doctor who performed the procedure. Now my left foot is swollen---a result of the procedure I had last Monday, I am guessing. The ankle incision site (where the nerve for the nerve biopsy was obtained) is still having some leakage--nothing major, but still evident. I was told that the foot would be forever after numb. That seems to be the case. I'd rather not have a numb foot---but I really want/NEED to know what is wrong with me. If the nerve biopsy will tell me, so be it.
However, I was not informed that the muscle biopsy on my thigh would lead to numbness, too. Yikes! There is a big area from the left side of my incision and down that is numb. I don't think I realized it before because it was kind of swollen. Today and yesterday, my leg was itching and there is just this dead-feeling thing where my leg should be.
I've been scratching it too much apparently, The red spots in the photo below to the left of the band-aid-like strip is a result of the scratching. I don't even quite understand how something so numb can itch. It's just horrible. It has me worried and is driving me crazy every time I touch it. And that itching! UGH!
Hopefully the numbness is from the swelling--and not permanent. It's awful. Elevating it only seems to make it worse, somehow. It's so uncomfortable...yet so hard to describe.
Last night, Erich and I splurged and ordered dinner out. We opted for Mexican food and ordered from a place called Salsa's in Old Town Clovis.
The website indicated it was take out or delivery only. We were fine with that. However, as we got closer, we noticed that DiCicco's (an Italian restaurant next door) was advertising dining in. Would Salsa's be the same?
Salsa's was having indoor seating. Although the seating in the cavernous room was fairly broken up, those along the one wall did not seem that far from each other. Erich seemed to want to eat there. I was a open to it, but a bit weirded out by it all. Fortunately, our order was already ready, put in containers and bags and ready to go.
So we took it home to eat...and had margaritas as well. MMMM!
Stay SAFE! Stay SHELTERED! Stay ALIVE!
CHEERS!
Continue to the next part HERE.
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