A high survival rate nullified by a high infection rate – Disabilities among COVID survivors – Resurgence in Spain – The saga of John Pierce, continued – Mysterious deaths of hikers in Mariposa County – Another march on the Capitol pending – Evening statistics
“The survival rate for COVID is over 99%.” Such and such-like are the arguments of those who are still attempting to minimize the effects of the disease; and indeed, a mortality rate of 0.2% does not, at first glance, sound like much. But when the percentage figure is translated into a simple ratio, it means that 1 in 500 Americans have died of COVID since the pandemic began. After this current wave of infections comes to an end, the number of Americans who have lost their lives to the virus may be as much as 750,000.
And that figure does not include the disabilities inflicted by the disease on many who recover and are discharged from hospitals. In the words of one physician, “for those who survive, the devastation is like nothing I’ve ever seen. Holes in lungs, muscle wasted, organs failing one by one – millions of people will suffer physical, psychological, and financial consequences that will last months or years, a toll difficult to quantify.”
Does anyone remember the severity of the situation in Spain some months ago? It now has an immunization rate of nearly 70% among the entire population. This figure is even more surprising when it is taken into account that children under the age of 12 are not yet eligible for the vaccine. The number of hospitalizations has been steadily declining; and out of every 100 ICU beds currently occupied, only 18 are COVID patients.
The mystery surrounding John Pierce deepens. Pierce, it may be remembered, is the lawyer who had defended Kyle Rittenhouse and is currently defending 17 people charged with participating in the January 6th riot. I say “currently,” but in fact he has not responded to prosecutors since August 23rd, either by phone or Email. Initially it was said that he was afflicted with COVID and was on a ventilator. This information came from his associate, Ryan Marshall, who has been responding in Pierce’s stead. The Justice Department is not pleased with this arrangement, since Marshall is not merely has no license to be an attorney, but is currently facing felony criminal fraud charges in a state court in Pennsylvania. Prosecutors have flatly told the judges that they will not accept communications from him. In the meantime, efforts by both the courts and the press to contact Pierce himself have been in vain; the phone lines at his office have been disconnected and the message on the cell phone number provided on his website says that it is no longer in his name.
Patrick Leduc, a Florida lawyer who represented another defendant from the Capitol riot, says that he doesn’t know how much Pierce charged for his work as defense attorney, but that he’s heard of some attorneys requiring retainers of at least $100,000. “I just feel awful for these defendants. Several have probably invested their entire life savings,” he said. He also noted that there is “zero” chance that Pierce’s behavior in missing hearings and sending a non-lawyer in his place could be part of any sort of defense strategy. Pierce might really be seriously ill; he might also be involved in murky financial skullduggery. It would not be the first time, if so; nearly all of the 70-odd attorneys once associated with his firm, Pierce Bainbridge, have initiated several lawsuits against it, alleging financial misconduct and debts exceeding $60 million. While I do not believe that there is anyone less sympathetic to the January 6th rioters than myself, I certainly think that these clients of his have been badly treated – to find their suits suddenly placed in abeyance on account of his non-appearance and probable desertion, and possibly with the money that they paid in lawyer’s fees being embezzled as well
There is a news item that to most readers would be of little importance, but which is of some interest to hikers. The Savage Lundy Trail in Mariposa County has been closed after a family of three and their dog were found dead, with no signs of trauma, no obvious cause of death, and no suicide note. Whatever affected them must have acted quickly, since they appear to have all died at approximately the same time. At one point it seemed possible that the cause was leakage of gases from a nearby mine, but investigators have since eliminated that possibility. The State Water Resources Control Board is testing waterways in the area for toxic algae blooms. Such a cause of death is less unlikely than it sounds: the toxins produced by the algae can be acquired simply by swimming in lakes or rivers with such blooms, and since these toxins attack the livers of mammals, their effects do not become apparent until a few days after they are ingested.
There is to be another rally at the Capitol on the 18th organized by extremist groups such as the Vain Boys and the Oath Breakers – er, I meant to say, the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, of course; I am always making that mistake. This time, it is to be hoped, the police will be deployed as soon as any signs of rioting occur, instead of hours after the event. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger made a statement in which he said, “We are closely monitoring September 18 and we are planning accordingly. After January 6, we made Department-wide changes to the way we gather and share intelligence internally and externally.” Which is very well as far as it goes, but measures will have to be taken externally in addition to ensure that the police are not hamstrung as they were during January 6th.
Although the population of Texas is less than a quarter of the entire population of Mexico, its number of COVID cases is greater. Until the middle of July, the death rate had declined to 20 per day; it is now over 200. And yet, as states go, it is very much middle of the road, ranking 28th of the states in per capita COVID cases and 24th in per capita deaths.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 219,901,282; # of deaths worldwide: 4,555,566; # of cases U.S.: 40,498,707; # of deaths; U.S.: 662,769.