Lambda

Will we, the people, travel through the Greek alphabet to name emerging coronavirus variants before we knuckle down and accept the vaccine already?
We’ve gone through alpha, beta, gamma, and we’re facing lambda – the 11th letter of the alphabet.
It’s unbelievable to learn of vaccine “refuseniks” who have family and friends dead of Covid and still doubting vax efficacy. Moreover, the concept of ‘doing it for your community’ is entirely absent. Go figure….

News blues

A coronavirus variant known as Lambda, which has largely slid under the radar for the past nine months, is now causing almost all new infections in Peru.
Lambda (also known as C.37) was first detected in Peru in August 2020 and has spread to 29 countries, many in Latin America. And, since January 20, 2021, 668 Lambda infections have been reported in the United States. In Peru, Lambda is now responsible for more than 90 percent of new COVID-19 cases, a steep rise from less than 0.5 percent in December. The country has already suffered the world’s worst mortality due to COVID-19; the disease has killed about 0.54 percent of the population.

Read more >> 

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In South Africa, Prof Salim Abdool Karim, former chair of the ministerial advisory committee on Covid-19, stated that the country’s third wave was more than twice the peak of the first and second waves in the country. …

A further 413 Covid-19 related deaths were reported over the past 24-hour cycle, bringing the total fatalities to 66,385 to date.
“The majority of new cases today are from Gauteng (38%), followed by Western Cape (19%). Limpopo accounted for 12%; Mpumalanga accounted for 9%; North West accounted for 8%; Eastern Cape accounted for 5%; KwaZulu-Natal accounted for 4%; Free State accounted for 3%; and the Northern Cape accounted for 2% of today’s new cases,” the NICD said in a statement.
Gauteng has shown a decline in Covid-19 cases and might be slowly getting over the peak of the third wave…

Read more >> 

Healthy planet, anyone?

Back at the beginning of the pandemic, I fell for the story of dolphins reappearing in Venice’s canals. That was “fake news” and wishful thinking. 

This time around, I’ll keep an eye on the latest news about large cruise ships currently being banned from sailing into the centre of Venice from August 1 amid fears they are causing irreparable damage to the lagoon city. 
Italy's government has (for now?) adopted the decree, saying it …

"… represents an important step for the protection of the Venetian lagoon system…"
Instead, they [cruise ships] will be diverted to the city's industrial port of Marghera, although this is viewed as only a temporary solution, with ministers calling for ideas on a new permanent terminal.
Campaigners have for years been calling for cruise ships to be banned from sailing past the iconic St Mark's Square, saying they cause large waves that undermine the city's foundations and harm the fragile ecosystem of its lagoon.

As my late mother liked to say, “We’ll see….”
Money talks. Getting cruise ships “temporarily” to protect the Venetian lagoon system will be like getting US Senator Joe Manchin to give up donations from fossil fuel companies  and get on board with the desperately need infrastructure plan.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

I’ll head back up to the river today – where temps will be in upper 90s and into the low 100s. This is a far cry from temps in the inner bay where I visited over the weekend and where I almost needed a jacket.
Truth be told, I’m not so much looking forward to returning to the river – and the stifling heat. Then again, I can swim….

Masks required – again

News blues

Reprise! Another round of mask wearing recommended for residents of San Francisco Bay Area counties.

With cases of COVID-19 rising locally and increased circulation of the highly transmissible Delta variant, Bay Area counties… now recommend that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks indoors in public places.
Alameda County’s reported new cases are averaging 110 per day and the daily case rate is now 6.7 per 100,000 and rising.
Businesses are urged to adopt universal masking requirements for customers entering indoor areas of their businesses to provide better protection to their employees and customers. Workplaces must comply with Cal/OSHA requirements and fully vaccinated employees are encouraged to wear masks indoors if their employer has not confirmed the vaccination status of those around them.
Bay Area Health Officers will revisit this recommendation in the coming weeks as they continue to monitor transmission rates, hospitalizations, deaths, and increasing vaccination rates throughout the region.
Fully vaccinated people are well-protected from infections and serious illness due to COVID-19, and vaccinating as many people as possible, as soon as possible, continues to be our best defense against severe COVID-19 infection.

***

President Ramaphosa addresses the country post riots and looting  (30:00 mins) that coincides with an alarming rise of the Delta variant across the nation and the continent. 

Healthy planet, anyone?

With the Amazon rainforest now emitting more CO2 than it absorbs, cutting emissions is more urgent than ever, say scientists, with forest producing more than a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.

The giant forest had previously been a carbon sink, absorbing the emissions driving the climate crisis, but is now causing its acceleration, researchers said.
Most of the emissions are caused by fires, many deliberately set to clear land for beef and soy production. But even without fires, hotter temperatures and droughts mean the south-eastern Amazon has become a source of CO2, rather than a sink.
Growing trees and plants have taken up about a quarter of all fossil fuel emissions since 1960, with the Amazon playing a major role as the largest tropical forest. Losing the Amazon’s power to capture CO2 is a stark warning that slashing emissions from fossil fuels is more urgent than ever….

Read more >> 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Another heat wave coming up although temperatures over northern California are predicted to be slightly lower. Temps over Canada and the Rockies predicted to break new records.
I remain without assistance to install the small outboard motor on my inflatable. I expected the person I hired to service the motor to help with installation, too. Alas, when it came to installation, his “back was out” and he bailed. I’ve tried to find help around the marina – I intend to pay that person, I’m not looking for a freebie – but, so far, to no avail.
With so much on my mind right now – coming to terms with my mother’s death, and life, and the superficial intersection we shared over many years – the trauma of my country of origin, the trauma (climate change related, political, social) of my adopted country – being able to slip into the inflatable, start up the motor and slowly cruise the river would be a wonderful luxury and a privilege. That I can’t – the motor simply is too heavy for me to manage alone, particularly since the inflatable is already in the water – is a wasted opportunity for peace.
The social and logistical aspects of marina life are … challenging. The environment, however, is a wonderful gift I want fully to appreciate.

***

Logistics of my mother’s passing are challenging, too, more so with the breakdown of South Africa’s business and governmental sectors. The funeral service will work to obtain her death certificate from the doctor. The death certificate – the document required to begin the process of wrapping up her estate – must, however, go to the Department of Home Affairs. Having struggled with Home Affairs for more than years to obtain a simple passport (final processed through the SA Embassy in Los Angeles and not in South Africa), I have no expectation that her death will be processed in a timely manner.
My takeaway? South Africans are a patient people with amazing resilience.

Heavy heart

Worldwide (Map) 
July 15, 2021 – 1,888,565,400 confirmed infections; 4,061,275 deaths
Vaccinations delivered: one dose 934,242,100; fully 3,520,990,000
April 15, 2021 – 138,278,420 confirmed infections; 2,973,058 deaths

US (Map) 
July 15, 2021 – 33,952,000 confirmed infections; 608,120 deaths
Vaccinations delivered: one dose 184,132,770; fully 158,955,000
April 15, 2021 – 31,421,361 confirmed infections; 564,402 deaths

SA (Coronavirus portal) 
July 15, 2021 – 2,236,800 confirmed infections; 65,595 deaths
Vaccinations delivered: one dose 3,756,300; fully 1,344,700
April 15, 2021 – 1,560.000 confirmed infections; 53,500 deaths

Tracking coronavirus vaccinations around the world >> 

News blues

Jacob Zuma supporters and hangers-on have burned much of commercial KZN to the ground, and done a credible job of the same in Gauteng province.
Ignored for days by US press – busy with “the big lie” - South Africa suffered an insurrection attempt this week in two provinces, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. As food and fuel supply chains were disrupted and disabled, and, naturally, malls and liquor stores plundered, twelve masterminds planned and executed insurrection on social media, then lost control after looting spree.

Ever resilient, South Africans rally.

The past week not only revealed to us the vulgarity and the violence of a disastrous scheme to destabilise the country, but also the capacity for solidarity and community in the face of a total collapse of law and order.
In the startling spool of images and footage to emerge from convulsions of violence and looting that have taken place in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, which spread after the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma, many have stood out.
Read “Picking ourselves up” >> 

And, naturally,

• “Looting and unrest suspend Gauteng’s vaccine roll-out programme” 
• WHO Warns South Africa to Brace For Covid-19 Surge After Riots 

***

Global Coronavirus Cases And Deaths Rise, Dampening Hopes For A Return To Normal. COVID-19 deaths climbed last week after nine weeks of decline. Cases rose 10%, with the highest numbers recorded in Brazil, India and Indonesia. 

***

In the US, nearly all COVID deaths are now among the unvaccinated 

***

The Lincoln Project: Which side  (1:20 mins)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Amid the looting and the riots, and the rise in Covid infections across the country, my mother passed away, gently, in her bed. Two days before her 88th birthday.
Dealing emotionally with her death is one thing. Dealing logistically with her death, from 14,000 miles away, during riots is entirely another thing. Thank goodness I had the good sense while I was there to organize all the necessary details if she died while I was gone. She did. And the logistic kicked in. I’d chosen a funeral service on the basis of reputation. Before Covid lockdown in SA, the owners, visiting many retirement homes, had lightened retirees’ days by bringing in karaoke. They’d set up the mics and encourage singers. Retirees loved it. Based on their compassion, as well as their professionalism, my mother will be well taken care of by this company. It is, nevertheless, a challenge. Just getting her from the Care Center to headquarters in Pietermaritzburg posed a dilemma. The national freeway had been intermittently closed, burned trucks and vehicles cluttered the road, and rioters threatened. Moreover, her remains need to be transported yet another 25 miles to the crematorium. Crematoria in South Africa have a reputation for burning down without assistance from rioters and looters.
Next challenge? Dealing with extended family that seldom works together. I’ve explained that, when I return, we will all work together to plan her memorial that it is, naturally, quirky and requires mixing the ashes of all her dogs (Yes, she’s been collecting them for years) with her ashes then sprinkling them near her old property. Actually, she wanted them sprinkled on her old property. I explained it belongs to someone else now. Undeterred, she wants done what she wants done with her cremains. We’ll see.
It is alarming to talk on the phone with family located right next to a mall that’s being looted as we speak. Family had been advised to pack an emergency bag, ready to flee if the petrol station was set alight.”

Things are bad over there: shops looted and supply chains broken so no food, no petrol, little governmental know-how…. 

But, South Africans are resilient….

More lockdown

News blues

As a cohort of Zuma-supporters and hangers-on, predominantly Zulus – Zuma is Zulu – protest Zuma’s incarceration, President Ramaphosa addressed the nation on extended lockdown.  (28:09 mins)
Takeaways:
With the current delta variant third wave worse than first two waves, SA cabinet decided:
Adjusted Alert Level 4 for another 14 days
Gatherings prohibited
Curfew from 9pm to 4am
Sale of alcohol prohibited
Schools closed until July 26
Compulsory to wear masks over nose and mouth in public
Adjustments:
Restaurants able to operate while observing health protocols (50 people or 50% of normal capacity. Gyms, animal and game auctions, can operate with the usual safety protocols.
We know:
Reducing instances of close proximity helps contain infections and that the virus spreads at funerals, office, parties, taverns/restaurants. Therefore, we are prohibiting social and religious gatherings
Gauteng, with high levels of movement into/out of area, will be and limited
Prohibiting alcohol takes pressure off hospitals and frees up health care facilities to deal with Covid cases.
Vax program expanding at “reasonably rapid pace” – more than doubled in last 7 days
Govt and private sectors working to vax many people each day
After July 15, over 35-year-olds can register for vax in August
Encourage all eligible SA to register and get vaccinated.
Message: “vaccines do work and are effective”
Challenge: availability of vax doses.
AU and EU agree to improve supply to Africa. SA company will deliver 17 million doses as of July to SA and the rest of Africa. After October, the vaccine stock will double. J&J will adapt current arrangement to use vaccine in SA under license rather than under contract (more control for SA). Later, it may be produced in SA.
SA should have a pipeline of vaccine sufficient to meet targets.
It is the pandemic that poses greatest threat to economy than restrictions, but restrictions have consequences. We are doing all we can do to mitigate challenges posed.
Expired business licenses valid until 31 December, 2022.
And protests: “These acts endanger lives of people and our work to build the economy….Never any justification for violent, destructive actions…” “Ethnic mobilizations” must be condemned at all costs… All people of South Africa are equal before the law… rule of law safeguards against the misuse of power…. As a nation, we will not tolerate acts of vandalism and criminality – those doing so will be arrested and prosecuted… “
“Misuse of old video on social media rile up people… “ “We’re building up, not shutting down, not destroying, saving lives, rebuilding economy and creating jobs…

***

After months of data collection, scientists agree: The delta variant is the most contagious version of the coronavirus worldwide. It spreads about 225% faster than the original version of the virus, and it's currently dominating the outbreak in the United States.
A new study, published online…  sheds light on why. It finds that the variant grows more rapidly inside people's respiratory tracts and to much higher levels, researchers at the Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

Read “The Delta Variant Isn't Just Hyper-Contagious. It Also Grows More Rapidly Inside You” >> 

***

The pandemic has hit Indigenous communities disproportionately hard, compounded by generations of historical trauma and mistrust. According to an independent study done by the APM Research Lab published in March 2021, Indigenous Americans have the highest actual COVID-19 mortality rates nationwide, accounting for 256 per 100,000 deaths in the United States.

Read “How Indigenous leaders are pushing to vaccinate their hard-hit communities” >> 

***

Tracking coronavirus vaccinations around the world >> 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

KZN is aflame. Watching from afar – this time –  and concerned for family and friends there. Brought to you courtesy of Jacob Zuma, the guy who gave away South Africa’s needed financial resources to the Gupta brothers. Oh, and by the way, none of this ‘unrest’ reported on US/California television news.

Still hot here. More fires starting up again in California - earlier than ever.  Drought. 

Not good news for the future.

Hold on to your bibles!

News blues

After US Prez Biden suggested a program to go “door to door” to encourage vax hesitant to get the jab, Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn (N.C.) warned,

…health care workers coming to homes to vaccinate people could also be out to grab Americans’ guns and Bibles.
“Now they’re talking about going door-to-door to take vaccines to the people,” Cawthorn complained… adding that the plan would require a “massive” operation.
“Then think about what those mechanisms could be used for,” Cawthorn darkly warned. “They could then go door-to-door to take your guns. They could then go door-to-door to take your Bibles.”

Oh my. Will the whackidoodle-itude never end?

***

Meanwhile, in California’s LA County, new coronavirus cases are up 165% compared to last week, all involving the delta variant of the coronavirus. Health authorities are on high alert and again and urge residents to wear masks when they’re inside public spaces.

***

Five under vaccinated clusters could put the entire United States at risk as new data analysis identifies clusters of unvaccinated people, most of them in the southern United States. These areas are vulnerable to surges in Covid-19 cases and could become breeding grounds for even more deadly Covid-19 variants. 

***

After The Lincoln Project aired Toyota, that company decided that (at least for now, while the public is watching) it “… will No Longer Donate To Republicans Who Voted To Overturn 2020 Election. 
Toyota reversed course hours after the Lincoln Project released a damning video attacking the company for backing lawmakers who refused to certify the election.”
Way to go, The Lincoln Project!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Another day of overwhelming heat: 111F today, up on the river. I’m sheltering 25 miles away in my friend’s apartment, with air con! Drove up to the marina to water my plants yesterday – 106F – and to retrieve my small outboard motor from the person who’d serviced it. Plants – sun gold and beefsteak tomatoes, cucumber, parsley (more nutritious and hardier than lettuce), mint, and basil – appreciated my efforts. Also set up slow drip water bottles in the pots and laid wet dish towels over the soil surface. I mentioned to the plants that temps continue to soar and to sip slowly but regularly. 

Temp tomorrow: 106F.
I’ll stay in air con until Monday, then return to enjoy cool 97F heat – and wind gusts. Perfect fire weather? Don’t mention that dreaded possibility!

***

News from South Africa is not good. Big picture: Zuma supporters burn and pillage to protest the jailing of their hero.
Small picture: my mother is exhausted, weak, and abed. Since the Care Center is under tight lock down again, due to soaring rates of Delta variant, I’ve asked staff please, please, if it looks as if she’s “failing to thrive”, give my brother permission to visit. She adores him and seeing him in her final moments would give her a sense of peace.