Morning statistics – Anak Krakatau, child of Krakatoa – Fortuitous discovery of a dust mask – Evening statistics
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 AM — # of cases worldwide: 1,709,014; # of deaths worldwide: 103,536; # of cases U.S.: 501,613; # of deaths U.S.: 18,277. Nearly 100,000 new cases in 24 hours, and about 35,000 of these in the U.S.
Krakatoa has been erupting. Not, thankfully, on the scale with which it erupted in 1883, causing the “year without a summer,” but erupting nonetheless. Actually, the original volcano was literally blown away in the 1883 eruption and the name of the peak that is now active is “Anak Krakatau,” and was formed from lava from subsequent eruptions – “anak” means “child” in Indonesian, the lingua franca of the archipelago. The fumes and ash have gone 1,640 feet into the air, but unlike a similar eruption two years ago, it does not appear forceful enough to create a deadly tsunami. (The one in 2018 killed over 400 people.)
Today I found a dust mask used and left behind by some workers who had done some repairs in the laundry room several years ago. I washed it and then wore it when I went out, and I am bound to say it works better than my home-made mask. It’s much less cumbersome and covers my nostrils and mouth more effectively. I will use this mask primarily, and use the home-made masks as backups.
Today’s statistics as of 11:30 PM — # of cases worldwide: 1,777,517; # of deaths worldwide: 108,862; # of cases U.S.: 529,887; # of deaths U.S.: 20,604. Our death toll has now surpassed that of Italy, which up to this point has been the nation with the greatest number of deaths. Its death toll is 19,468. However, its mortality rate is still considerably higher. The number of deaths from the virus in this country is now about 35% of the annual number of deaths from influenza. But of course the mortality rate is much greater, so as the number of cases continues to expand the number of deaths will also. I mention this because until recently it was still possible to see articles downgrading the severity of the epidemic by pointing out how many people we lose to other diseases every year and to influenza in particular. The ostrich instinct is very strong among certain political partisans, but I believe matters have come at this point to be so obvious that even the most obstinate can no longer ignore the severity of the disease.