In "Recommended Reading," a Wall Street Journal survey of breakthrough cases states what should be obvious, but it is something rarely brought up in breathless news stories: "Breakthrough infections...are making up a growing portion because of rising numbers of vaccinated people..." Well, yes.
Meanwhile, in Europe, the only thing spreading faster than Covid is violent protests against draconian selective lockdowns and punishments aimed at the unvaccinated.
Covid-2019
Covid-2019
Sunday, November 21, 2021
In "Recommended Reading," the New York Times continues to try to shape elite opinion toward letting go of the lockdown mentality with a guest essay called "I’m 87, Triple Vaxxed and Living My Life Again."
Covid-2019
Saturday, November 20, 2021
The CDC "endorses" vaccine boosters for all adults now. That's right, the same agency that had no idea six months ago that boosters might be necessary. In other news, The New York Times reports that a New York State Assembly report will show next week that former governor Andrew Cuomo "materially misrepresented" Covid deaths in nursing homes. That's right, the same newspaper of record that six months ago was hailing Cuomo as having handled the state's response to Covid perfectly. It's all in "Recommended Reading," of course.
Covid-2019
Friday, November 19, 2021
In "Recommended Reading," a new paper in the prestigious journal "Science" has identified the first known Covid case as a worker in the Wuhan seafood market. But don't jump to conclusions about infected bats or pangolins. No animal from the market has ever tested positive. And the market is within walking distance of the Chinese CDC, where experiments with coronaviruses have been going on for years, and (like all biohazard labs, including those in the US), there is a long history of human error leading to leaks.
Covid-2019
Thursday, November 18, 2021
We are not happy to have to reiterate that new cases are moving in a less than ideal direction in the US, and globally on average (though it's not universal). It boggles the mind that with so much vaccination everywhere in the world we could contemplate another "dark winter" of Covid like last year. We actually don't think that's going to happen. But it is happening in some places already, particularly Germany and Austria.
Covid-2019
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
In "Recommended Reading," as new cases make new all-time highs in Germany (remember, Germany was celebrated last year as a country that "got it right"), a new law is coming that grants broad powers to restrict economic and social participation by the non-vaccinated. There is one silver lining: unlike such laws in the US, the German law would deem a prior recovery to be as good as a vaccination. Yes, that at least is "getting it right."
Covid-2019
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
In "Recommended Reading" the New York Times reports on Austria's draconian measures to isolate the unvaccinated from economic and social life. Do we detect a certain envy?
Covid-2019
Monday, November 15, 2021
A federal appeals court has unanimously upheld the block on the Biden administration's OSHA vaccine mandate. We have the pull-no-punches decision in "Recommended Reading." In other news, the New York Times asks, "Why Don’t We Have a Covid Vaccine for Pets?" The newspaper of record. Seriously.
Covid-2019
Sunday, November 14, 2021
We've been saying all along that the work-from-home revolution unleashed by the pandemic lockdowns would usher in a new era in productivity -- as firms and individuals optimize employment arrangements by exercising options they never knew they had before. But we forgot about government. In "Recommended Reading," a story in the New York Times (of course) celebrating (of course) the interventions by the government (of course) of a European country (of course) to limit the freedom of employers and employees to negotiate this new world unconstrained by arbitrary laws. Sigh...
Covid-2019
Saturday, November 13, 2021
We're probably getting some statistical noise from the Veterans Day holiday, which delayed reporting for many government health agencies. But that flattening out of new US cases is starting to turn into a gentle rise. Even flat isn't good enough. Non-increase does point to herd immunity, but the point of herd immunity is eventual die-off of the infectious agent.