Confusion                                             #172

By Hank Silverberg 

Are you confused? Once again we are getting conflicting guidance from our leaders about Covid-19. The CDC decided this week that we no longer have to wear masks if we are fully vaccinated and in small groups, both outside and inside. But if you are not vaccinated, you still should wear the mask.

While I'd like to think most people understand this, I know better. And even if you do understand it, the rules are going to really make us all a bit annoyed. 

(Six of my seven masks).

Here's a good example. The day the new rules were announced I attended an event with my wife. It was her annual Lion's Club picnic. There were about 30 people there, it was outside and most of us had ditched the masks. I like those people and everyone there that day was over 50 and had been vaccinated. It was great to see faces again and breathe easily. 

But the following day a trip to the supermarket made me nervous again. The store had not removed the "masks required" sign because there are often  hundreds of people inside. But for the first time in months I saw a lot of shoppers without the face coverings. My wife and I both had ours on. I was okay until I got to the deli counter. Two people there were not wearing masks and were standing way too close, practically breathing down my neck.  

I am fully vaccinated and I had a mask on, so logically there was nothing to worry about. But still I wondered, were they vaccinated? Had they been exposed to Covid? 

Online and talking with friends and family everybody seems relieved. Things are getting back to normal. Broadway is getting ready to re-open,  there are fans at the ballpark again and tourist sites are booking summer stays. There are happy faces at Disney World! The questions have changed to "Can I get tickets to Hamilton?" rather than "When is your vaccine scheduled?" 

But don't throw away those masks just yet.   

When Will the Pandemic Be Over? | SELF

The numbers look good. Cases are down, deaths are down, vaccination numbers are up in many parts of the world.  But some experts are predicting more flare-ups as variants spread. India, which has been ravaged by Covid-19 the last two weeks, is a good example. India COVID: 24,943,241 Cases and 274,008 Deaths - Worldometer (worldometers.info)

Until most of the world is vaccinated, Covid-19 will still kill and can still spread to anyone not vaccinated.  Fact: only 36.7% of the American public (121 million people) has been fully vaccinated as of this weekend. 

That's nowhere near herd immunity or a safety zone.  

The guide we have comes from history. Smallpox was first recorded 3,000 years ago and was one of the most devastating diseases known to man.  The first Smallpox vaccine was developed in the late 19th century, but despite improvements in medicine, Smallpox remained murderous for another century because most places did not vaccinate much of their population. A massive effort by the World Health Organization, started in 1967, finally lead to the eradication of Smallpox by 1979. WHO | Smallpox

So, what's my point here? Don't let your guard down just yet and encourage everyone to get the vaccine. All indications are that children will be able to get the vaccine before they go back to school in the fall. Get them vaccinated, too. 

Since there are still some misinformed people who won't get the vaccination, it's best to keep that mask handy when you are near large groups of people.

And most importantly, continue to take the advice of the scientists and ignore the pundits and politicians. Science has been mostly right about Covid-19 so far.  

 Work at Home?

If you've been working at home for the past year because of the pandemic and really don't want to go back to that 90 minute commute, here's a thought. Would you go back to the office if your company offered you a $30,000 raise to do so?  A survey published in The Business Journals asked that question to employees at some of the biggest companies in the country. Surprisingly, 64% said

(Upsplash)

they would stay home and not take the money. This all assumes your company is open to the idea. At Google, 67% preferred a permanent "work from home" set up.  The same with 64% at Amazon and 62% at Microsoft. It's not the same at JPMorgan Chase, the giant banking company, where 53% said they would take the cash bonus and go back to the office.   https://www .linkedin.com/feed/news/30k-raise-or-work-from-home-5059540

What's missing in all this is the negative side effects of work from home. Companies lose direct mentoring for new workers, and workers loose the comradery, team work and sense of mission that comes from daily in-person contact with bosses and co-workers. And perhaps the biggest negative--home loses that feeling of comfort and rest away from the stress of work.     

Either way, the idea that this is even being considered is an indication of how the pandemic may have changed our society. Telecommuting is not a new concept. But many companies haven't  offered it because they feel management would lose control of the workforce. There's a risk for workers too. At home you are out of sight, but also out of mind when raises and promotions come up.  

As Virginia goes, so goes the nation?

Last week I wrote about the strange Virginia
Republican State Convention which chose political unknown Glenn Youngkin as their nominee for Governor. All of the candidates had pretty much towed the party line, still approving of Donald Trump and either agreeing with him on the national election results or avoiding that issue. Youngkin had avoided Trump's claims of voter fraud and Joe Biden's election. After Youngkin got the nomination and a wholehearted endorsement from Trump, Youngkin's campaign started circulating an excerpt from a Bloomberg Radio interview where he was asked if Biden's win was legitimate. 

 “Of course! He’s our President. He slept in the White House last night. He’s addressed a Joint Session of Congress. He’s signing executive orders that I wish he wasn’t signing. So, let’s look forward and just recognize that what we have to do is lead.”

Sounds like an effort to distance himself from Trump, but don't buy it. It's disingenuous. 

Youngkin will face whoever wins the June 8th Democratic primary. Former Governor Terry McAuliffe is way ahead in all the polls in a field of five for that primary. 

Trump LOST Virginia by 10% in 2020, and if statewide GOP candidates continue their obsession with the former president, Virginia is very likely to stay blue for quite a while. 

Virginia GOP nominee's independence from Trump up for debate (yahoo.com)

Dumbest quote of the week!

I'm not going to post it. It comes from "45" talking once again about the election results. If I posted it, even in context, it might be flagged by some computer algorithm as "false and misleading" and deleted by Facebook, Twitter and other places I post this blog. Let's just say it's more of his old fiction about rigged elections and the like. 

(Your comments and suggests on this blog are welcome)

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