The progress of spring – The vaccine rollout in the U.S. – The vaccine rollout in Canada – Evening statistics
At this time of year the process of germination quickens to an almost breath-taking pace. The tree branches are rapidly becoming covered with leaves; we are already seeing the last of the cherry and pear blossom petals fluttering to the ground; the redbud is flowering; daffodils and tulips are blooming in the neighborhood gardens; the forest floor is carpeted with wildflowers. There is a kind of splendid insolence in this triumphant growth as it continues, as it does every year, unimpeded by any trials our species is undergoing.
The rollout of the vaccines certainly was not without hitches in the beginning, but it is continuing steadily now. Today as I passed by a CVS store I saw a notice that vaccinations are available; whereas, when I was attempting to get vaccinated earlier, CVS was not an option anywhere in the state. The Biden administration has announced that anyone 16 and older will be eligible for the vaccine by the 19th, two weeks earlier than originally scheduled. Staples is offering to laminate people’s vaccine cards gratis; but I can’t help wondering whether such a step is altogether advisable. It is possible that the cards will be further updated with records of booster shots in the future.
At this rate the U.S. is vaccinating slightly over 3 million people daily. It’s an impressive figure – more than one-sixth of the total global daily distribution – but one should not be over-optimistic. At this rate it will still take about three months before 75% of the population will be fully vaccinated.
However, for what may be the first time since the pandemic started, Canadians are envious of Americans. In December Prime Minister Trudeau boasted that he had procured a sufficient supply of vaccines for four times the amount of the nation’s population. But up to this date only 2% of the population has been fully vaccinated, and in the meantime Canada has been undergoing a third wave of the disease, one severe enough to warrant a new lockdown. The lockdown is being implemented on a province-by-province basis; but Ontario, the most populous of these, yesterday issued a stay-at-home order that will last a minimum of four weeks. The CDC has announced that even fully vaccinated Americans should avoid traveling to Canada. Canada has not produced any vaccines on its own, relying on imports; and it is evident that the delivery of these has undergone difficulties. However, Pfizer is scheduled to start delivering 1 million doses per week and AstraZeneca has agreed to deliver 20 million doses. Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are also approved in Canada, but neither of these has been able to deliver any appreciable quantity.
It should be added that even with the recent upsurge Canada’s death rate from the virus is little over one-third of our own and its incidence rate is less than 2.8% of the population, as opposed to 9.5% of ours.
I was too tired to write down any impressions yesterday, so I do not have the statistics for the 8th. Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 135,275,791; # of deaths worldwide: 2,927,486; # of cases U.S.: 31,800,130; # of deaths; U.S.: 574,808.