Starting the sixth week of a lockdown in Boston that began in earnest Tuesday, March 17th, St.Patrick’s Day, 2020.

One thing I think I’m seeing the last week, and I can’t be sure, is the appearance of more actual old-style news in “the news.”

There are actually a relatively high frequency of murders, and international relations incidents, and other “stuff” being reported in contrast to the ongoing, constant, slo-motion COVID-19 Olympics saga.

Okay, focus. Back on topic.

Here’s a story you don’t even have to read – just the headline – to understand how none of the numbers really mean anything. Nigeria has a population of 196 million, two-thirds as big as the United States. Chalks up only 17 deaths, but one of them is the chief-of-staff to the President. Go figure.

Nigerian Chief of Staff to the President Abba Kyari dies from COVID-19 in Lagos. Kyari is the highest profile person to die from the virus in Nigeria so far. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reports 493 total cases and 17 deaths from COVID-19. (Reuters)

And then suffers more deaths in some vague insurgent action. Some might say COVID-19 is the least of their worries.

Gunmen raid multiple villages in Nigeria’s Katsina State, killing at least 47 people, according to police. (Reuters)

Globally, the virus has plateaued in the last week as far as the reported numbers show, killing a steady 7,000 people a day with about 80,000 new cases each day. The good news is it doesn’t appear to be spreading as fast as a month ago. The bad news is there is really no evidence it is slowing down overall and it might actually be spreading faster but it is happening in places like Africa, India, Brazil, and Mexico with huge populations and lacking the resources to test for the virus or care for the sick or even record the cases.

Meanwhile,  in parts of the United States which have been lightly infected and fail to observe any cataclysmic effects of the pandemic there is a nascent movement to end the lockdown, send people back to work and restart the economy.

The reality is that 20% of the population of the United States is infected at an average rate of about 6 people per thousand. While the other 80% of the country is only infected at an average of under 1.5 per one thousand. The only part of the country infected at above 20 per 1000 is New York City. And that is only 2% of the population. Of those confirmed infected about 1 in 10 are hospitalized. And of those hospitalized, about 1 in 10 again end up dying.

There are reports and a fair amount of anecdotal evidence suggesting for every confirmed positive case there are ten more cases who show no symptoms meaning a lot more people have been infected and are hopefully immune. But the is little hard data in the form of random “anti-body” testing on significant parts of the population.

This has been promised for a couple of weeks now by the CDC and has been suggested as a requirement for opening up the economy, yet not much has come of that talk. It is an obvious failure of our corporate-commercial-university-big-pharma system.

Going forward we would do well to converting at least a quarter of our $1 Trillion-plus annual military/national-security budget to actual “defense.” The institution is called the Defense Department or the Department of Defense. In recent years it has  focused on rather vague threats like terrorism an global warming.

Maybe we should consider drafting everybody after high-school into a national medical service along the lines of the National Guard, but without guns. Train everybody to be an army medic, how to take blood, administer tests, setup quarantine/isolation units. Set up regional supply depots of N95 masks, gloves, and PPE equipment, along with respirators, ventilators, drugs, and anything else certain hotspots might need in the next pandemic.

And if you don’t want to do that, you can try out for the Navy SeALs or Delta Force. Why isn’t Joe Biden suggesting something like this? Why do I have to bring it up?

 

Sunday, Apr. 19th, 2020

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announces that the state will begin testing residents for COVID-19 antibodies as the state plans to reopen the economy. (Politico)

China revises the coronavirus death toll upward in Wuhan, where the virus originated, adding 1,290 more fatalities to bring the country’s reported deaths from COVID-19 to 4,632. (BBC)

Over 2,000 Israelis protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of endangering democracy in the country and using the coronavirus crisis to escape prosecution on corruption charges. (ABC News)

Trump says protesters demanding end to coronavirus lockdowns have ‘cabin fever’ President Trump on Sunday said that people who are calling on state governments to lift coronavirus stay-at-home orders have “cabin fever” and “want their life back.” There have been protests in some cities, with demonstrators shouting that they should be able to go back to work despite coronavirus continuing to spread across the country. Trump was asked by a reporter about a series of tweets he wrote on Friday, including one stating, “LIBERATE Virginia, and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege!” Trump denied that he was inciting violence. He instead praised the protesters, saying he had “never seen so many American flags at a rally as I’ve seen at these rallies. These people love our country. They want to get back to work.” Source: The Guardian

Pelosi says lawmakers are ‘close’ on more coronavirus aid House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Sunday during an appearance on ABC’s This Week that lawmakers are “very close to an agreement” on more coronavirus aid, echoing earlier reports that Republicans and Democrats are closing in on a solution. Pressure has been mounting for Congress to end its stalemate and pass the next phase of funding quickly; the small business relief fund has been depleted and 22 million Americans have lost their jobs over the last month. But Republicans and Democrats have clashed over the latter’s preference to include more money for state and local governments, as well as hospitals. Source: Politico

U.S. coronavirus death toll surpasses 40,000 As of Sunday evening, more than 40,000 people have died of the COVID-19 coronavirus in the United States, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more coronavirus cases than any other country, with over 755,500 confirmed cases reported. On Sunday, President Trump said he will use the Defense Production Act to compel a company to make more swabs for coronavirus testing. Two people with knowledge of the matter told CNN the company is Maine-based Puritan Medical Products, which makes flocked swabs. Source: CNN

Hong Kong police arrest at least 14 pro-democracy activists in raid Police in Hong Kong arrested at least 14 pro-democracy activists Saturday in connection with the city’s mass demonstrations throughout last year. Media tycoon Jimmy Lai and former legislators Martin Lee, Albert Ho, Leung Kwok-hung, and Au Nok-Hin were among those arrested. Lee is reportedly considered the founding father of Hong Kong’s democratic movement and helped write the city’s Basic Law when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Per Al Jazeera, the raids were the biggest crackdown on the movement since the anti-government protests began last June. Because of the novel COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, tensions between Beijing and Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement had eased slightly in recent months as the focus shifted to the virus. Source:  Deutsche Welle

A killing spree occurs in the small coastal town of Portapique, near Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada. At least 17 people are dead, including the perpetrator and a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer, thus making it the deadliest rampage in Canadian history. (CBC News)

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards announces it has increased patrols of the Persian Gulf following a confrontation between its Navy and the U.S.’s on Wednesday, and warns that “any error in calculation on [a foreign vessel’s] part will receive a decisive response”. (Reuters)

Mario Matthew Gatti of Pennsylvania, wanted for murder, is arrested at Jacksonville Beach, Florida. (Daily Beast)

South Korea, Spain, Israel continue coronavirus progress as Russia sees spike in cases The trajectory of the novel COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic continues to vary around the world. South Korea, which has garnered praise for its handling of the crisis, reported only eight new coronavirus cases Sunday, the first time the number has fallen into single digits since mid-February. Seoul extended its social distancing policy for 16 more days, but has begun to ease some restrictions. Elsewhere, Spain recorded its lowest daily death toll since March 22. Madrid is expected to extend its lockdown through early May, but is also likely to loosen some components, including allowing children to go outside. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday his country has “succeeded in [its] mission so far” as infection rates have declined over the past two weeks. Consequently, some businesses will be allowed to reopen. Russia, meanwhile, added 6,060 new cases Sunday, the country’s largest one day jump.  Source: CNBC

 

Saturday,  Sat 18th, 2020

Trump announces $19 billion plan to help agriculture sector during pandemic President Trump announced Friday that the United States Department of Agriculture will offer $16 billion in direct grants to farmers and ranchers who are struggling amid the novel COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, the department will purchase $3 billion in fresh produce, dairy, and meat to distribute to food banks, community organizations, and charities. The money will come from the $2.2 trillion congressional coronavirus economic relief bill, as well as separate USDA funds. The payments, which are expected to go out at the end of May, will reportedly account for 85 percent of farmers’ and ranchers’ losses between Jan. 1 and April 15. The plan also seeks to address disruptions in the supply chain by using commercial distributors like Cisco to package bulk products into pre-approved boxes of dairy, meat, and produce products. Source: ABC News

Some Florida beaches reopen amid pandemic Beaches and parks reopened in and around Jacksonville, Florida, on Friday afternoon with the permission of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) amid the novel COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. People are supposed to continue to practice social distancing in the recreation, most of which will only be accessible between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. each day. Chairs, coolers, sunbathing, towels, and blankets are not allowed, as exercise — not lounging — is meant to serve as the primary reason for people to head to the beach, but that reportedly wasn’t the case Friday when people, many without masks, were reportedly seen lounging on a crowded Jacksonville Beach. Officials have said they aren’t afraid to close beaches again if people don’t abide by the restrictions. Source:  CNBC

Bonanno crime family mobster Vincent Asaro is granted compassionate release and released from the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Missouri due to the coronavirus pandemic. (CNN)

The Department of Health and Social Care reports 5,526 new confirmed cases and 888 more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the United Kingdom’s death toll to 15,464 and 114,217 total cases. (RTÉ)

 

The End