THE ARRIVAL OF MORE OMICRON SUBVARIANTS

        From Worldometer (new  COVID-19 deaths yesterday):

          DAY  USA  WORLD    Brazil    India    South Africa

June     9     1093     4732         1185        246       82

July    22      1205     7128         1293      1120     572

Aug    12      1504     6556         1242        835     130

Sept     9      1208      6222       1136       1168       82

Oct     21      1225      6849         571        703       85

Nov    25       2304    12025        620        518      118

Dec    30       3880    14748       1224       299      465

Jan     14       4142    15512       1151      189       712

Feb      3       4005    14265       1209       107      398

Mar     2        1989     9490        1726       110      194

April   6         906     11787         4211       631       37

May    4         853    13667        3025       3786      59 

June   1         287    10637         2346      3205      95

 July   7          251      8440        1595        817     411

Aug    4          656    10120        1118         532     423 

Sept  22       2228      9326          839        279     124

Oct    6         2102      8255          543        315       59

Nov   3         1436      7830         186         458       23

Dec    1        1633      8475          266        477       28

Jan    7         2025      6729         148        285      140

       28          2732   10,516         779        862      133

Feb  2           2990   12,012         946        991      175

        24         1823     9,809         996        304        40

Mar    2        1778      7,756         335        173        28

         11        1022      6002         465           88       28

         16         982      5579          354           59       40

         18         721       5214         380           69       39

         23         771       4695         294           67         6 

         24         649      5008          300           82       33

         31          676      4287         276           28       44

Apr     1          439     4056          290           52       12 

           7          409      3554         253           44         5 

          14         331      3383         158           21       16

          21         299      3347           86           54       65 

          28         247      2783          124          60         4 

May    4          305      2020            51          55       30

Summary:

• Well, this pandemic seems to be lingering, with definite hotspots here and there.
• The U.S. had the most deaths yesterday with 305, #2 Germany 222, and #3 UK 227.
• Germany was #1 with 166,960 cases, #2 U.S. 71,798 and #3 South Korea 49,499.
• Interestingly enough, Taiwan, with a population of 24 million, which has largely escaped this COVID virus, and is #111 in deaths, had 28,365 cases yesterday.
• Only a few weeks ago on April 18 they reported a single-day high of 551 new cases.  They were fearing reaching 1000 by the end of April.
• On April 27 they topped 10,000 new cases for the first time.
• Their vaccination rate is quite high, and only seven people had died this year.
• 99% of those infected in this wave are either asymptomatic or not seriously ill.
• Yesterday Taiwan had 28,365 new cases and 5 new deaths.
• China, with the largest world population of 1.44 billion, is #108 in total deaths, with 5,128. 
• The U.S. has had slightly more than one million deaths.
• Worldometer has the World at 6.3 million deaths.
• WHO just reported that countries are undercounting COVID deaths, and India alone had 4.7 million deaths.  The World death toll is 15 million.  
• Interestingly enough, 57% were males.
• 43% females.
• These countries have the worst undercounts:

• One more graphic shows excess deaths compared to the norm for 2020/21.  Note that 2022 is not included, and this year China, Japan and Australia are being especially affected by COVID-19:

• China reported 16 new deaths yesterday.
• Only reported 362 new cases yesterday.
• China is not counting asymptomatic cases, which happen to waver around 98% more recently in the country.  Thus, 362 really means 18,100 new cases yesterday for China.
• Shanghai peaked at 27,605 cases three weeks ago, is now down to "only' 10,000 new cases/day, and is beginning to ease their lockdown.
• However, Beijing is nearing that feared total lockdown, with cases rising.  Already mass transit is being limited and there are indoor ban for restaurants, theater and malls.

What is prolonging this pandemic?  A wide variety of Omicron subvariants:

• In South Africa, they are BA.4 and BA.5.
• BA.2 is haunting the USA, with BA.2.121.1 soon to overtake.
• China shows BA.4, BA.5 and BA.2.21.1.
• The scary one is BA.2.12.1, for this strain is infecting vaccinated people in China.
• However, those Chinese vaccines are not as effective as those in the West.
• Yet, most experts contend that other subvariants could develop to overcome any vaccine.
• The current reading of the future has the pandemic continuing into the mid-summer, with fewer hospitalizations and deaths.
• Plus, Pfizer's Paxlovid and AstraZeneca's Evusheld should materially reduce serious infections.

15 Craigside has joined the COVID crowd, as one resident and at least 8 staff infections have quarantined 16 apartments.  Subsequently, I don't go down to eat in the dining room and need to pay $1.50/meal for pick-up.  Seems unfair under these conditions, for I pay for those meals anyway.  The good news is that no one is dying.  We received our second booster last week.

It can be worse, for a Carnival cruise ship from Miami docked on Tuesday in Seattle with at least 100 testing positive.  Everyone was supposedly vaccinated.  I've long  been advocating for a full booster requirement, as those two (or one J&J) vaccinations lose effectiveness.  A Fortune article way back in January indicated that all 92 U.S. cruises with passengers reported COVID cases.

What is this?

Chicago welcomes the seasonal Spring gnat swarm.  They could be gone by Sunday, and should surely dissipate by the following weekend.  Of course, this is not the only city with this problem, as these midges, chironomids or lake flies are merely living their life cycle.  Canada, Louisiana and any site with large freshwater bodies of water or swamps have them.  There are 4000 species, and some do bite.  And you don't want breathe in too many of them.

Well, what about something positive?  Today was once Boy's Day in Japan, and those koi displays were floated.  They combined both sexes and now have a national holiday on May 5 and call it Children's Day, but symbolically retained those fish displays.  Not a holiday in Hawaii, but the Arcadia family of companies, of which we are one, note this occasion. 

Of course, today is also Cinco de Mayo, and my dinner tonight will be an upgraded Mexican Tacos, with copious amounts of Margarita.   As tomorrow is also the Kentucky Derby, which features Mint Julep, I'll perhaps begin tonight with something called Mint Julep Margarita.  Finally, today happens to be a special once in a lifetime day calling for mucho gala festivity.  As I said on May 1, THIS WILL BE A GREAT WEEK.

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