Morning statistics – Donald Trump and social distancing – Sa’di’s advice to rulers – Sad news from the U.K. – Plight of Mexico City – Aftermath of Memorial Day festivities – Evening statistics
Today’s statistics as of 9:00 AM — # of cases worldwide: 5,525,299; # of deaths worldwide: 347,114; # of cases U.S.: 1,686,807; # of deaths U.S.: 99,311. Russia’s case count continues to increase and the number of its cases still active is second only to the U.S. The mortality rate has risen slightly, but it is still low – slightly over 1%. It has been estimated that its medical workers are 16 times more likely to die than their counterparts in other European countries.
Deborah Birx has stressed to journalists that there is clear scientific evidence that facemasks are an effective prophylaxis for the virus. When she was thereupon asked why President Trump refuses to wear one whenever he goes out in public, she assured her interviewer that he is “able to maintain social distancing.” And indeed, I don’t see why anyone would go nearer than six feet to Donald Trump if he can possibly help it. Living as I do within 20 miles of his proximity is punishment enough.
In this indulgent mood towards our esteemed leader I must protest against the criticisms some have directed at Trump for enjoying a game of golf during the Memorial Day Weekend. The man is entitled to his relaxations like everyone else. There are other considerations besides. “An unjust king asked a holy man, saying. ‘What is more excellent than prayers?’ He answered: ‘For you to remain asleep ’till mid-day, that for this one interval you might not afflict mankind.’” (Sa’di, Gulistan) Trump, as I noted earlier, is well past 70 and doubtless spends fewer hours in sleep than he did during the days of his youth; but a game of golf will answer the purpose just as well.
I received a sad Email from a friend in Great Britain. He has lost several friends in the course of four weeks: one from a cancer that had previously gone undetected, one from a fall, one from a brain tumor, one from pancreatic cancer, and one from an auto accident. Even though none of these are attributable to the virus, the conditions created by the pandemic make matters even more stressful for mourners than usual. He has been permitted to attend only one of the funerals, and funerals are not allowed to include a wake or any kind of physical contact. There is need for a great deal of caution in the U.K., which has one of the highest mortality rates in the world: 14% of its cases have been fatal, and only Spain and Belgium exceed it in the proportionate number of deaths for the country’s population.
Mexico City has issued over 8,000 more death certificates than the average for the same period in the past this year. They may not all be due to COVID-19, but this figure suggests that the number of deaths due to the virus is seriously under-reported. The number of deaths from the virus for the entire country is reported at less than 7,500. Mexico has one of the lowest numbers of tests per population globally, which means that a significant number of people could have the virus without being aware of it.
Memorial Day weekend is over, and now it will be seen whether its celebrations have impeded the decline in the spread of the virus. There have been crowds at numerous beaches, in Florida in particular, and at the Lake of the Ozarks, where tourists flooded restaurants and bars, as well as in the lake itself, with no attempt at social distancing. St. Louis and Kansas City both have residents with vacation homes there, and when they return to these two cities the number of cases is almost certain to surge. In this area, at least, celebrations were muted, but there were still several large gatherings here and there.
Today’s statistics as of 8:30 PM — # of cases worldwide: 5,584,211; # of deaths worldwide: 347,613; # of cases U.S.: 1,706,226; # of deaths U.S.: 99,805. The number of deaths worldwide appears to be decreasing, so that is to the good. Brazil is steadily gaining. Its case count went up by nearly 3.5% today, as opposed to our 1.1% increase. Chile is also having difficulties, despite having the best economy of all of the South American nations. Its healthcare system is under strain from the 70,000 virus cases In Russia, Moscow has a strict lockdown. People have to download a QR “pass” onto their phones if they want to go more than 100 yards from their homes. Police are monitoring the streets to ensure that people don’t travel beyond prescribed limits and cameras are tracking drivers to verify that they are on the routes that they declared they were going to take when they downloaded the pass. This is quite an ominous development inasmuch as the Russian government is learning a great many lessons in how to employ technology to ensure authoritarian control.