Effects of Isaias – The annual physical – Star signs and sleep – States’ test-positive rates – Explosion in Beirut – Evening statistics
An annual physical in the mid-afternoon certainly breaks up the day. And much of the morning it was raining very heavily, the result of being on the fringes of the area affected by Hurricane Isaias. The streets were certainly wet but they were not flooded. Our area was only moderately affected in comparison with the coastal regions; it simply rained a good deal during the night and continued until about 11:00; then it tapered off and gave way to a sunny afternoon. The lower temperatures and reduced humidity made for very pleasant walking. But between the heavy rain in the morning and the physical in the afternoon, there was not much opportunity for going out. I simply strolled about in the city for a bit once the rain was over; there was not sufficient time to drive anywhere.
The physical itself presented a contrast to previous ones. Normally when I go to the doctor’s office the waiting room is crowded with people. Today there was only one other person in the waiting room when I entered, and no one else came in after me. As a result, I did not have to wait long after the administrative staff recorded my insurance information; it had to be updated because I have recently switched to Medicare. After the nurse saw me and took the usual measurements, there was not much delay in seeing the physician either. Are people becoming more reluctant to enter doctors’ offices for fear of infection? Today’s physical was the most expeditious that I can remember, even in previous years when I was able to obtain appointments early in the morning and was the first one on the list of patients for the doctor to examine.
The initial results were satisfactory: temperature – 97.7 degrees; weight – 138 lbs. with shoes on; heart rate – 57 per minute; blood pressure – 116/68, no EKG abnormalities. All of which was pleasant to learn. The physician did inquire about the slight weight loss since the last physical, but I accounted for it by saying that the recent lack of social events meant that I was eating a good less party food and also that I was out on the trails more frequently than before in order to fill up my time; and he seemed satisfied with that explanation. I still have to go out for blood analysis, and my physician also recommended seeing a dermatologist once every three years to verify that I am free of potentially cancerous moles. So I will have to make appointments for those this week. I also will have to arrange to get various vaccines this coming month: those for shingles and pneumonia, in particular.
There is an article full of suggestions about the best accoutrements to help people sleep better – based on their astrological signs. It seems those born under my sign are considered the lovers of the zodiac and that I therefore – not having a significant other to sleep beside – would sleep most comfortably with a body pillow. I don’t think I’m going to rush out to get one, though. We Libras are very skeptical.
The WHO says that states and/or countries should not re-open until their test positive rates are below 5% for 14 consecutive days. At this point only 15 states meet that criterion and, regrettably, neither Virginia nor Maryland are among them. They are not doing as badly as most others – a little over 6% in Virginia and just under 6% in Maryland – but we cannot be said to have completely flattened our curve. The District of Columbia is doing well, however: just under 2%. One of the problems is that people simply are not heeding the health officials’ pleas to stop attending large social gatherings. Even in New Jersey (which is one of the 15 that have been testing under 5%) police recently had to break up a gathering of over 700 people at a house rented out via Airbnb. It took the police nearly 4½ hours to fully clear the residence.
An immense blast occurred in Beirut, with shock waves that could be felt as far away as Cyprus. At least 78 people were killed and 4,000 wounded. Many people’s apartments are now windowless or destroyed altogether. The state energy company’s tower block headquarters in east Beirut was badly damaged. The exact cause is unknown but a mass of combustible chemicals stored in a warehouse might have triggered it. President Trump has declared it to be an attack but at this point, without any evidence of hostile agency, there is no reason to suspect that it was anything other than an accident.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 18,682,667; # of deaths worldwide: 703,116; # of cases U.S.: 4,917,630; # of deaths U.S.: 160,257. Today saw over 50,000 new cases in the U.S. but that is still less than the new case increases of 60,000-70,000 we’ve been sustaining recently. The death toll, alas, was well over 1,000 again.