A tropical week – Mitigation of Biden’s border policies – Increase in vaccinations – Evening statistics
There is an explanation of why the personal element is missing from recent entries. It has been so hot this entire week that my excursions out of doors have been minimal. At times it has been like a steam bath outside, with temperatures close to 100 degrees and well over 90% humidity. There have been heat advisories and warnings to avoid unnecessary outdoor activity posted during the entire week. Such periods are not unknown in the DC area, of course, although they usually occur earlier in the summer season. Nor has this issue been confined to a single region; this past week is said to have been one of the hottest on record for the entire nation, on both coasts and in the interior. Temperatures moderated today; it was still well into the 80s and at one point was just under 90 degrees, but at any rate I could go outside without wilting and was able to mow the lawn without any strain. According to the forecasts, tomorrow will begin a series of days with more seasonable weather, in the 80s for the most part but not going much beyond the mid-80s.
Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Federal judge, has blocked the Biden administration’s efforts to overturn the policy that requires migrants to stay in Mexico until their US immigration court date is held. It is unclear why Biden is showing such an extraordinary blindness in this matter. State and Federal agencies tasked with defending the border have been greatly overburdened as a result of his earlier directives. It is much easier to bar a person from entering the country at all until his legal status is determined than to allow a person to enter on a temporary basis, provide lodgings for him for an indefinite period until a hearing decides whether or not he can remain, and then attempt to repatriate him if the judgment goes against him. If the potential emigrants were all confined to a single isolated location (as they were many decades ago on Ellis Island), that would be another matter; but when they are scattered across a border that extends nearly 2,000 miles they become much more difficult to track. The states of Texas and Missouri had filed a lawsuit against the administration earlier this year, stating that “Dangerous criminals are taking advantage of the lapse in law enforcement and it’s resulting in human trafficking, smuggling, a plethora of violent crimes, and a massive, unprecedented burden on state and Federal programs for which taxpayers must foot the bill.” Judge Kacsmaryk’s decision will probably not be allowed to remain the last word on the subject, but at any rate it will put a temporary halt to the madness of admitting several thousand persons of indeterminate legal status and little documentation to the country, particularly while it is in the throes of a pandemic.
The spread of the delta variant has resulted in an increase of vaccination rates. The number of people receiving a first dose each day has nearly doubled since July 11, when that figure stood at 7.5 new doses per 10,000 people. Now it is nearly 15 new doses per 10,000 people. In Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Arkansas, and Missouri, vaccinations have increased by 95% since mid-July. This increase should not be exaggerated; the pace of vaccinations is still far below the amount of doses seen in the period from January to April. But at any rate the trend is now in the right direction. At this point the tallies of Americans who are vaccinated are as follows: 80.7% fully vaccinated and 90.9% single dose for seniors, 61.6% fully vaccinated and 71.8% single dose for adults 18 years or older, 59.2% fully vaccinated and 69.6% single dose for everyone 12 years or older, and 50.6% fully vaccinated and 59.5% single dose for all Americans regardless of age.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 207,473,688; # of deaths worldwide: 4,366,048; # of cases U.S.: 37,435,422; # of deaths; U.S.: 637,438.