Don’t get blindsided by the news on the vaccine. Here is the inconvenient truth!
In the last 24 hours in Maryland 26 people died and there were 2152 new cases. Bringing the number of dead in our state to 4201 and total cases 171,823. There are 1144 people in the hospital with covid-19 here in Md as you read this, what a huge change from July.
Over the past week, the country has been averaging 158,265 cases per day, an increase of 79 percent from the average two weeks earlier.
11.5 million cases and a quarter of a MILLION people dead nationwide.
These numbers sound like they come from a war zone in a third world country but even then they would be shocking. If you can sit home and let these numbers sink in and still not be shocked then nothing will shake you.
If you do, in fact understand the gravity of this situation, are you sure you do not want to rethink your Thanksgiving plans? I suggest you do.
Even if you don’t catch covid-19, Thanksgiving is not the time you want to end up in the ER with hundreds of infected people who have it.
Plus the medical staff is now beyond the point of exhaustion. When you think YOU have 'covid fatigue' try putting yourself in the place of those who have been serving for these 9 months.
Now that the election is over and the news cycle is slowing down TV anchors are pouncing on the news put out by Moderna and Pfizer last week about having a vaccine that is over 90% effective.
Last week Monday, Pfizer said their vaccine was 90% effective but then Moderna said this week theirs was 94.5% effective. So today Pfizer revised their figures and it suddenly became 95% effective. Maybe if we wait another week the number will be even higher.
But all jokes aside, we are in the midst of a pandemic like no other and the whole management of it has been a comedy of errors. The only thing you can rely on is your own social behavior. That is the only thing under your control.
The earliest you will see (or want to take) a vaccine is March and a lot can happen between then and now.
Taking solace in the idea that there is a vaccine on the horizon is, in my opinion, a fool’s paradise. You are not guaranteed to still be here when it is finally available to you!
Somehow people are getting a false sense of security because “there is a vaccine” even though it is not available.
Please reread the email I wrote on how vaccine trials are conducted and what kinds of vaccines there are. Do you realize that a vaccine may be 95% effective today and show no efficacy 2 months later?
I know I am a party pooper and that is by design. The parties must wait, as inconvenient as it sounds.
There is, however, a glimmer of hope. The home test that I wrote about 5 months ago has just been approved. This means that home testing and possibly weekly testing at home with testing of contacts may soon be possible. As I wrote in April, testing is in some ways more critical than the vaccine at getting the pandemic under control.
The last piece of good news is that we will have a new corona virus task force with dedicated individuals determined to save lives and create a workable solution.
I don’t suggest traveling for the holidays or having out of town visitors but if you are determined to be ‘special’ please look at the Hot Spot maps on line. They are truly illuminating.
Please be safe, be well. Be a good citizen.
Pray for the essential workers who are already extended beyond their limits.
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