Veterans Day

Numbers for end of Lockdown Week 33

Worldwide (Map)  
November 12 – 52,070,000 confirmed infections; 1,274,000 deaths
October 15 – 38,426,375 confirmed infections; 1,091,250 deaths

US (Map)
November 12 – 10,258,100 confirmed infections; 239,700 deaths
October 15 – 7,911,500 confirmed infections; 216,860 deaths

SA (Coronavirus portal)
November 12 – 740,255 confirmed infections; 19,951 deaths
October 15 – 696,420 confirmed infections; 18,155 deaths

A somber Veterans Day in the United States yesterday. With 136,000 newly confirmed cases across the country in one day, we learn that,

More than 4,200 veterans have died from Covid-19 at hospitals and homes run by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and nearly 85,000 have been infected, according to the department. 
That death toll does not include an untold number who have died in private or state-run veterans facilities, including the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home in Massachusetts, which had nearly 80 deaths earlier this year. Two former administrators were charged with criminal offenses after an investigation found that “utterly baffling” decisions caused the disease to run rampant there.
American veterans are especially vulnerable to COVID-19 because of their age and underlying health conditions, some of which can be traced to exposure to the Vietnam-era defoliant Agent Orange and smoke from burning oilfields in the Persian Gulf.

News blues…

President Ramaphosa addressed the nation last night.  (36:11 mins) 

Key takeaways:
Virus still present across the land yet South Africans are forgetting this
Highest number of weekly new cases and deaths (more than 2,000 new cases today)
Covid far from over – and will remain “for some time to come”
Kudos to front line workers…
SA’s response widely recognized and commended around the world
Toll on health and wellbeing of SA
92 percent recovery rate
Pay attention to Eastern Cape with a resurgence: 50 percent higher number of cases now
Too many large gatherings, not enough mask wearing
Government response:
Implement resurgence plan: intervention include primary health care outreach, contact tracing, readiness
Wake up call: cannot relax or be complacent
Extending national state of disaster to Dec 15
Second area of concern:
Festive season – people want to travel, relax, gather and this poses a great threat to managing the pandemic
What we know and what we need to do:
Wear masks
Avoid poorly ventilated buildings
Don’t let your guard down
Download free Covid alert app
Public intervention:

Testing:
Vaccine coming… need about 750 million doses thru Africa
Manufactured in SA, too, to ensure sufficient supply to SA and continent
Social benefit intervention:
Economic reconstruction – from relief to recovery
Covid 19 grant extended to Jan 2021
UIF extended for another month
Alcohol sales back to regular hours
Travel returning to normal 

From Wed Nov 25 to Sun 29 – 5 days of mourning of Covid 19 and Gender-based Violence (GBV): 6 am to 6pm - wear black arm bands.

***

Healthy futures, anyone?

Disinformation and misinformation is the name of the game these days. Confusion reigns. For example, Tuesday’s post  presented information that Covid recovery plans threaten global climate hopes. Today, news reports, “Renewable energy defies Covid-19 to hit record growth in 2020: International Energy Agency expects green electricity to end coal’s 50-year reign by 2025" 
At the same time, “Rolls-Royce vows to create 6,000 UK jobs with nuclear power station plans: Engineering firm is part of consortium pushing for government backing."

There is no agreed upon way forward for healthy futures - at least not by public figures. 

Seeing is not believing....
Meanwhile, "fears for a million livelihoods in Kenya and Tanzania as Mara River fish die out: water biodiversity is on the brink, with dire consequences for the region known for the zebra and wildebeest migration":

Fish are being driven to extinction in the Mara River basin, putting the livelihoods of more than a million people in Kenya and Tanzania in jeopardy, according to WWF.
A report  by the wildlife NGO details how farming, deforestation, mining, illegal fishing and invasive species could sound a death knell for the transboundary river. 

The first stocktake of biodiversity in the river basin identified 473 native freshwater species including four mammals, 88 waterbirds, 126 freshwater associated birds, four reptiles, 20 amphibians, 40 fishes, 50 invertebrate species and 141 vascular plants. 

We, the people (who pay attention) know the Covid-19 pandemic is an outcome of humans’ dysfunctional relationship with nature.  Yet, as in so many other areas of public life, we continue to push against this inconvenient truth, pretending “technology”, “science”, “know-how” will overcome.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

The weather in this part of KZN – the Midlands – reflects my mood: damp, somber.
The birds continue cheerfully to twitter and build nests. Time for me to take a lesson from these extraordinary creatures and cheer up!