Even if you follow the news, you might be forgiven for thinking that the SARS-COV-2 pandemic was largely in the past. You’d be wrong, of course. It is still very much with us, and has been growing steadily since (shortly…
Endemic Failure: Rapid COVID Tests Don’t Work Very Well
The cornerstone of any “endemic COVID” concept, including California’s newly-announced not-yet-a-plan, will have to be testing. Lots and lots of testing. And more effective testing than we’ve managed to do so far. For example, the local school district runs weekly…
Endemic: Just Another Word For “Giving Up”
Newsom’s grabbing for the brass ring before the ride stops. Again. Today’s infuriating headline is “California to unveil shift to ‘endemic’ approach to coronavirus“. Endemic. So, for those of you who haven’t been paying attention, “endemic” means accepting the disease…
Don’t Stop Now: Riding the Pandemic Tiger
It’s appropriate that we just entered The Year of The Tiger, since apparently a whole lot of folks need reminding about what “riding a tiger” means. ‘He who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount’. And he damn well should be. One thing about…
Just Stop It: This “Pandemic Of The Unvaccinated” Stuff Is Nonsense
This has been bugging me for a few weeks: Stop calling it a “pandemic of the unvaccinated”; that’s just not true. And it’s not helpful. It’s very much still a pandemic of everyone. First, it’s still a pandemic: That’s the…
Lowe’s And SARS-Cov-2: Good Policy, Bad Follow-through
So I was just at the local Lowe’s, because staying properly isolated during a pandemic involves a surprising number of trips to the hardware store on account of all the home-based projects that I’m getting done this summer, and I…
Good One, Gavin: Now Apologize For Making It Necessary
So, as Wonkette subtly points out in Gavin Newsom: Better Part Of Valor Is SHUTTING CALIFORNIA THE F*CK BACK DOWN, we’re putting the brakes on our brief dalliance with reopening public gathering places in the midst of a pandemic. So,…
Re-opening Your Business: There’s An App For That
So, my local county has decided to require a cell phone app for employees of “non-essential” businesses. Ugh. Just, ugh. First, this is exactly what I was saying is the wrong approach a few weeks ago in Don’t Get Comfortable:…
Social Distancing: Where There’s A Will …
Well, that was working for a while. But it’s not anymore. Take a look at the latest chart of cases from my local county: That tells a simple story: things started slowly but we saw the potential and reacted early…
Return to Normalcy: So, There Is Such A Thing As “Too Soon”
I know I said several weeks ago that There’s No Such Thing As “Too Soon”, but this is different. Really, really different. That post was arguing that it’s never “too soon” to talk about the causes and possible solutions to…