A meeting with an old friend – Mask-wearing in DC – Hiking in the area of Occoquan and Ft. Belvoir – Promising developments in the U.S. – Increasing difficulties in India and Brazil – Evening statistics
Yesterday I met with KT, whom I have known since childhood. We have both been vaccinated, and as a result felt confident enough to dine indoors at a restaurant – all the more readily since the cool temperatures made outside dining uncomfortable. It was the second time that I have dined indoors at a restaurant since the vaccination, and it still felt oddly venturesome to do so. Afterwards we strolled together in the vicinity of the magnificent cathedral of Washington and its grounds, as well as some of the trails in the Tregaron Conservancy and along Newark St., where several 19th-century houses are still standing. We had a wonderful time together, with our visit lasting for five hours. When one meets with someone with whom one’s friendship dates from the time of being an elementary school student, there are numerous memories that recur and there never is any danger of conversation flagging, particularly when circumstances force them apart for several months. We each had the pleasure of knowing that the other has kept well and active during the trying times when the pandemic was at its height and that we now have the ability to pursue activities that we have been forced to eschew for so many months.
The residents of DC , incidentally, are much more conscientious about wearing masks while walking on the streets. In the suburban area of Fairfax, many go maskless outside at this point; but in DC every single pedestrian was wearing one. Occasionally I saw signs exhorting the residents to use masks and to exercise social distancing practices. It is perhaps just as well to have a uniform practice in such matters. Those who have been vaccinated may be subject to much less risk if they walk without facemasks and arm-in-arm with others; but it will be a source of great social tension if some are subject to pandemic-related restrictions and others are not.
The weather was considerably warmer today, and I went with RS to explore routes that can be used for hiking along the vicinity of the Potomac and Occoquan Rivers. We started from Occoquan and skirted around Occoquan Regional Park to Meadowood and Ft. Belvoir, about 21 miles in all, with a few ascents (not very steep ones) that amounted to perhaps 700 feet. Ft. Belvoir has a network of trails open to the public, some of which lead to views of the Chesapeake Bay or, more precisely, of a few of the inlets that drain into the estuary. Wildflowers tend to be less numerous in this region than in the piedmont, but we did see many wisteria and dogwood trees in bloom. On one trail we saw some pinxter azaleas just beginning to blossom.
Hospitalizations related to COVID have dropped by 80% from the amount at the beginning of January among Americans 65 and older. This development is encouraging; seniors have accounted for accounted for about 8 in 10 deaths since the pandemic began. However, the nation appears to be unable at this point to reduce the current average of over 60,000 new cases per day, comparable to the rate seen during the surge of the previous summer. The new cases are chiefly among younger people who have not yet been vaccinated. Michigan in particular has seen a substantial increase of cases. Hospitalizations there among people in their 50s have increased 700 percent since late February, outpacing all other age groups. The cases that have required hospitalization tend to be less severe on the whole than the earlier ones on account of the younger age and, in consequence, the greater resilience of the patients. Our overall rates are declining with respect to the global population at large; the U.S. currently accounts for 22% of the COVID infections and nearly 19% of the deaths – still disproportionately high, but significantly less so than even a few months ago.
The situation in India is diametrically opposed to the one here. After having case levels plummet to record lows as recently as February, the recent rise in cases is like an explosion. Nearly 800 variants of the virus have been detected in the country. The hospital beds are nearly all occupied by now, with next to none available for new patients. As resources for hospitals become more strained, law and order is beginning to break down. Oxygen tankers are forced to travel under police guard to forestall looters. The black market trade in medical equipment has soared. Today the country endured an increase of over 345,000 new cases and over 2,600 deaths. High as these figures are, they are almost certainly under-estimates. With test kits in short supply, the number of reported cases is only a fraction of the number of actual ones; and the deaths are also under-reported because many people have died outside of hospitals and never got tested.
Brazil, similarly, has seen soaring death rates. The gravediggers at Vila Formosa cemetery, the largest one in Sao Paolo, had never seen more than 10 night burials in a single 24-hour period until the pandemic began. By May, 2020, machines were brought in to dig 60 graves per day and at this point the cemetery is trying to accommodate digging 200 graves per day. In 12 months the cemetery has filled in 26 lots, an area that in pre-pandemic times would yield more than two years of burials.
Yesterday’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 145,293,301; # of deaths worldwide: 3,083,663; # of cases U.S.: 32,665,038; # of deaths; U.S.: 584,179.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 146,218,253; # of deaths worldwide: 3,098,834; # of cases U.S.: 32,734,571; # of deaths; U.S.: 585,030.