12 thoughts on “C-19 Chat Post – June 28 2022”

  1. Thanks TK.

    President Biden is bringing back tours of the White House starting in July. Tours were ceased when the pandemic hit in March 2020. They will be conducted from Tuesdays – Saturdays with masks required. No proof of vaccination necessary.

    1. That’s good news.

      Toured the White House as a child in February 1976. My father and I took an Amtrak train down to DC and spent a few days in our nation’s capital. It was cold but not Boston-cold. I remember telling my father “Dad, it’s not as cold here as in Boston.” Went to the White House; then occupied by President Ford. Visited with Tip O’Neill at his office. Also got to see Hubert Humphrey and Bob Dole on the monorail.

      1. Off the top of my head, I recall that 1975-76 winter starting off quite snowy with a white Christmas but tailed off as the season went along but did get to normal snowfall officially, maybe a teeny bit above.

        Not surprisingly you were a weather enthusiast as a kid, that you noticed the subtle temperature difference. 😉

        I toured the White House with my parents in the summer of 1977. A hot summer if I recall. Overall not as impressive as it appears on television. My parents at the time thought the same. I suppose every single piece of furniture and item on them is considered “priceless” though. 😉

      2. I love your memory, Joshua. That is quite a list of folks you visited with. Thank you for sharing.

  2. I know this doesn’t relate to Covid. But it shows how careless we can be with health regulations. Although, I’m not sure regulation is the proper word. Mac and I didn’t have a microwave until 1987. A close friend was then head of Raytheon’s microwave division. He also didn’t feel they were safely controlled until then…yet they were being heavily marketed.

    How is this possible and why?

    Blurb from todays Boston Globe..

    “The natural gas used in homes in the Greater Boston area contains varying levels of toxic chemicals, according to a new study, upending the long-held idea that natural gas is a “clean” fossil fuel.

    In a first-ever look at the chemical makeup of gas coming into homes, scientists found benzene — a carcinogen for which there is no known safe level of exposure — in 95 percent of the samples, which were collected between December 2019 and May 2021, according to the study, published on Tuesday in the journal of Environmental Science & Technology.”

  3. Reviewed the nation’s Covid-19 numbers. We’re on an upward tick on all 3 major indicators, though Massachusetts is trending downward. The good news is the upward trend is quite gradual. The bad news is we’re in an upward trend nationwide. Hospitalizations and deaths are edging up. It’s not nearly as steep a climb as before, so that is good.

    Monkeypox has been found in 3 children, including a toddler, in Europe in the past 2 days. This is very concerning, as monkeypox in children is more virulent than in adults. It also demonstrates that the disease can be transmitted in multiple ways besides the sexual route.

  4. Today’s FDA decision is baffling. The booster vaccine being evaluated ONLY combats BA.1, which is nearly extinct in the U.S. Why approved something that doesn’t work? Why waste taxpayers’ money on boosters that won’t work? There is work being done on a BA.4/BA.5 booster that’s nearly completed. Review that, and then roll out a new booster. But, don’t roll out a useless BA.1 booster. I’m certainly not going to get it.

    1. I’m not sure I understand what you mean by evaluating. I get that it is BA1 specific but……..This is for a fifth vaccine?

  5. Monkeypox cases are increasing by 25% a day now in the U.S. (added 62 cases today) Official count is now 306, but as testing finally picks up a bit the cases will be in the thousands soon. There’s a large and concerning outbreak, especially now that we’re seeing a number of children contract it. It’s a small number, but that will also begin to climb rapidly soon. It’s evident that the virus has mutated and has become far more transmissible than it was in Africa. The good news is that as it has become more transmissible it appears to have lost its degree of lethality.

  6. Pre-Covid, I got asked to speak frequently. It was understood that speaking appearances would entail a fee. Vetting was minimal. I usually got invited based on my credentials. Gosh, even very early in my career this was the case.

    Post-Covid, I get asked to speak frequently. It’s often assumed I’ll speak and do workshops for free, which I refuse to. Vetting is extensive. Today, completed a 2nd round of interviews for a possible panel appearance (not even a presentation). The interviewers are interviewing 30-40 candidates. Though I did well during the interview, I didn’t make the cut. My expert opinion was too objective/neutral and not favoring the drug industry enough. I got an email just now saying that although they were “impressed” they feel they need someone more “aligned” with industry. So, 5 hours of work down the drain (no money, nothing).

    Is any of this related to Covid? Perhaps. I think there are now many more people like myself who are self-employed experts, and so there’s a larger crop of experts to choose from. I’ve heard from many colleagues who’ve left academic, government jobs, or the private sector to start on their own.

    As the French often say – I’m translating – “life is shit, deal with it.”

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