This week’s numbers of infections and death around the world are rising so precipitously it feels appropriate to examine them, understand them, do our best not to contribute to further rise – and begin a new week fresh and hopeful….
Week 13’s numbers… compared with Week 12’s:
- June 25 - worldwide: 9,409,000 confirmed infections; 482,190 deaths
June 19 - worldwide: 8,489,000 confirmed infections; 454,007 deaths - June 25 - US: 2,381,540 infections; 121,980 deaths
June 19 - US: 2,191,100 confirmed infections; 118,435 deaths - June 25 - SA: 111,800 confirmed infections; 2,205 deaths
June 19 - SA: 83,890 confirmed infections; 1,737 deaths
News blues…
- Global report on numbers.
- South Africa sees its biggest ever single-day increase, a total of 111,796 includes more than 5,800 cases reported in the past 24 hours
- As the US records highest one-day total in coronavirus cases since April...
...the president and Feds Set To Cut Coronavirus Testing Funds As COVID-19 Cases Soar COVID-19 testing centers across five states are set to lose federal funding next week after the Trump administration decided not to extend the program that established them.
As a result, 13 testing sites across Colorado (1), Illinois (2), New Jersey (2), Pennsylvania (1) and Texas (7) will likely close if those states are unable to replace the necessary funding.
... Assistant Secretary for Health Brett Giroir confirmed that the program that originally funded 41 such sites across 48 states would end next week… [as] part of a planned transition to “more efficient and effective testing sites,” noting that the original end date had already been postponed once.
“All 13 sites were provided an extra 30 days from the original transition date in May,” Giroir said, “and I personally spoke with Governors from all 5 states involved, and/or their leadership designees, who agreed that it was the appropriate time to transition out of the original 13 sites and into the thousands of new testing options.”And Trump?
Trump is not just in denial but also indifferent to an unfolding American tragedy
... the best President Donald Trump cares to offer the thousands more Americans projected to shortly die of Covid-19 is the unsubstantiated prospect of a "beautiful surprise."The weirdest thing?
The US just hit its third highest ever peak of new coronavirus cases, multiple states are registering their own daily records and three are now taking the extraordinary step of imposing quarantines for citizens from pandemic hotspots. The world's most powerful nation lacks a coherent national strategy to meet another cresting viral crisis, the capacity or even the willingness to take steps that might stop it.
It is also led by a man who is suggesting by his actions and attitudes that he doesn't care that much about the unfolding tragedy.
Trump, who has previously predicted a "miracle" would occur or the virus would just disappear in the warmer weather, again declared falsely Wednesday that the danger had passed -- even with the nation racing towards another deadly summit of infection.
According to a Reuters poll 37 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of this health crisis.
How can 37 out of every 100 Americans approve?
Mindboggling.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
It’s tough to sustain vigilance against an unseen, mysterious, and, yes, controversial virus. It appears vast numbers of people cannot grasp the concept of a pandemic or its wide-ranging implications.Confused, contradictory messaging (Trump) – or too little messaging/too many messengers (Ramaphosa and Dlamini Zuma) – doesn’t help.
Add a dash of WhatsApp misinformation and voilà! People fill the gaps in their knowledge with wishful thinking.
After my quick walk-for-exercise around the neighborhood today, I dropped by a neighbor’s house. She displayed a WhatsApp message listing more than a dozen schools, malls, and business in Pietermaritzburg that had shut their doors due to a spike in infections in that city.
 |
| Graph shows 9 out of 10 Internet users in South Africa are active on WhatsApp Click to enlarge |
Back home, I researched the data and found that, yes, indeed, Pietermaritzburg (a 15- to 20-minute drive away) is:
… on high alert following a dramatic rise in the number of reported coronavirus infections across the city… Since last week, cases have been reported in at least five schools, shopping and retail outlets, city hall, and the electricity department in Havelock Road. A local magistrate, Mumsy Boikhutso, who tested positive for coronavirus, this week succumbed to Covid-19.Amen, Maphisa.
KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health’s Ntokozo Maphisa … called on the community not to be careless and to follow all the protocols of social distancing, wearing masks, sanitising and staying at home if possible.
“Covid-19 is a pandemic affecting the whole world … we must accept that this virus is with us… It is now up to us to follow the rules that are in place. We must think of ourselves and our loved ones. Let us not be careless.”
Friends, let’s be careful out there.
Read Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13
Watch Videos of Garden Creatures 
No comments:
Post a Comment