Vaccine miscalcuations

 The vaccine situation in Australia is a mild clusterfuck.  But at least the spread of the delta variant has lit a fire under the seats of both the government and population.  As I write this, I am half-vaccinated, and scheduled for my second dose of AstraZenica.  However, projections are that Australia will not reach 70% vaccination rate until the end of the year or slightly later.

The initial problem was two-pronged - a strategy that made perfect sense, but didn't pan out.  The government decided to put all or most of its eggs in one basket - contracts for AstraZenica.  That is the vaccine that can be stored at refrigerated temperatures; it's a traditional vaccine; not the RNA technology. Arrangements were made for both importation and locally licensed production.  The easier storage and transportation of AstraZenica, combined with easily ramped-up local production made it a logical choice.  And then news came out of the rare possibility of a clotting disorder.  

The USA paused to make sure all doctors were aware of how to treat the condition, should it arise, and issued the data on who was most at risk.  Australia, which at that moment had virtually zero COVID cases, outside of quarantined incoming travelers, decided to declare AstraZenica only be used for people over 60 years old.  For people under 60, since there was little risk of catching COVID, and less risk of it being fatal, the Pfizer vaccine was recommended - as soon as supplies arrived.  And there was a contract for Pfizer from a supplier in Italy.  Which all seemed fine until the delta variant hit Italy and the EU decided it couldn't spare the supply.  

At that point, things were getting back to normal in Sydney.  There was a flare-up in Melbourne, but lockdown knocked it back.  And so there was no urgency among the population to get vaccinated, since there were virtually no cases on the loose.  At that point I was happy to be in Australia instead of the US.  We went to a theater to see Hamilton (wearing masks).  Then... delta variant.  One limousine driver - who happened to do a fair amount of shopping while contagious, and even brief contacts were coming up positive.  And two guys from a moving company, who drove a truck from Sydney to Melbourne, then Adelaide - not only carrying the virus to those cities and small towns along the route, but as news of their fine of a thousand dollars each hit the news, within a day or two, news also that their mother had just died from the delta variant.  Shortly after, I received a text from my physician's office saying their switchboard had gone from 80 calls a day to about 800; seems everyone was looking for vaccine.  The physician's office gave an email address for regular patients who couldn't get through their phone line.

The Prime Minister, feeling heat for having gone entirely with AstraZenica at the outset, announced, apparently without broader consultation with medical groups, that those under 60 should consider getting the AstraZenica vaccine - the risks from COVID were now higher than any risk from AstraZenica.  This caused backlash from one state premier, and another, who had requested Pfizer as a priority for areas with critical threat, complained about the lack of supply - the federal government's responsibility.  

As a direct result of this back-and-forth about the risks of AstraZenica, some of the public, even those over 60 with little risk, began to see Pfizer as the preferred alternative.  Except there wasn't enough supply.  An acquaintance who will remain unnamed said they registered a false birth date for their mother, in hopes that she could get Pfizer along with the family members under 60.  Considering you are required to present your Medicare card (everyone here has Medicare) - I doubt the fake birthday will go unnoticed; the question is whether it will cause a disturbance at the vaccination site.  It seems if they were smart, they'd have both vaccines on hand for just such situations.  

And so, as the delta variant is still spreading in the community: 105 people hospitalized; an additional 32 in ICU in Sydney; we have a fair number of younger people who are saying they'll take whatever vaccine they can get as soon as possible.   But we also have a significant chunk of all ages who want Pfizer, and are holding off, not getting AstraZenica in hopes of getting Pfizer before they catch COVID.  The Prime Minister has said he will not rush any shipments of Pfizer to critically affected areas; everyone will have to wait (some of this almost seems a retaliation for criticisms by state premiers).  As I mentioned; I already have my first shot, and an appointment in a couple of weeks for my second at my regular physician's office.  They moved the date forward by a few days because they're re-shuffling to have fewer people in the waiting area, due to increased virulence of the delta strain.  My wife was vaccinated with Pfizer as a priority, since she works in healthcare.  I could have gotten Pfizer as her spouse, but at that point, already had an appointment with my physician, and carried through that route.

Test workaround Facebook ban

Go crazy, thrill-seekers.

Jetski group criticised for 300km trip through croc-infested Far North Queensland waters

Misinformation now rules!

 Facebook's new policy in Australia is that links to known Australian and even established international news media outlets (via URL identification) will now be blocked.  Apparently, links to half-baked, non-professional "news" sites will not be blocked.  This means that established journalism is no longer allowed in Australian Facebook, but crackpots and amateurs will NOW RULE !!!

Make-up and face masks...

 From where I sit, while I have seen people of all genders ignore suggestions to wear masks, but the videos I've seen of people getting a bit crazy about the issue have been women.  Of course, this is not a scientific sample, but I did actually run into friend of a friend, woman who said "I just can't do masks".  I'm wondering how much of this is about make-up?  I have known women who would rather die than appear in public without make-up, and a face mask confounds the problem.  And so, literally, they may die or subject those around them to potential death because of this make-up issue.  When I Google, first page I see all sorts of tips on how to apply make-up that complements the face mask.  Aie.  Unfortunate that something like that has become an issue to the point of people losing it in public.  Thoughts??

Exercise overrated - fitness underrated

My theory on exercise is that it's overrated.  Look at Stephen Hawking - he didn't get much exercise for the last fifty years of his life and he lived to 76, which isn't bad.  Look at people lying in nursing homes who don't leave their beds for years.  The difference - those people don't eat whatever they want.  They are fed by a tube, get weighed, and their institutional diets adjusted accordingly.  So diet is probably more important than exercise in preventing sludge buildup.

But if you want to do something besides lie in bed all day, or if you want to walk instead of having someone push you in a wheelchair; if you want to climb a mountain or paddle a canoe, fitness is important.  And if you want to avoid injury, you work your way up to it gradually. 

Return of the ammo-sexuals

A friend who's a hospitalist; physician in Oregon lamented the revived protests by the ammo-sexuals.  Ah yes - I remember the word from back when one group decided to seize federal land and other groups across the country became adamant about their right to carry firearms into grocery stores. 

The ammo-sexual is the hero of countless movies where justice is eventually meted out by a gun.  Or a sword.  The courts are too slow and corrupt for an action movie.  When America Was Great™ the hero was always a male; even the lone woman with enough grit to live alone in the countryside eventually realized the advantages of having that alpha male around.  She could resist every man's clumsy advances until the true alpha male came into town.

How the city-slicker from New York City became the hero of ammo-sexuals, and hero of the Religious Right, and now it seems maybe even anti-vaxxers (at least the ones on the libertarian end of the movement), was a coalition shuffling that surprised even The Great Orange One. 

And now, as The Great Orange One's stature seemed to be on the verge of humbling by an invisible virus that defied his hunches and a Deep State of scientists and physicians, newly joined by Bill Gates standing in for George Soros, the ammo-sexuals are back in the streets to rescue their hero.

They are the white alpha males, whose asses had generally been kicked around until The Great Orange One rose to power.  And now The Deep State was telling them whether they could leave their homes, go to work, or even cough in public without their neighbors casting an eye of aspersion.  The Great Orange One initially denied the common enemy, then relented to the so-called experts.  The ammo-sexuals felt The Great Orange One's pain as he struggled to intuitively crunch the numbers and balance between lives lost and points of the Dow Jones.  He vacillated enough times to give the day traders a few rallies and short-calls.  But no one tells The Great Orange One OR the ammo-sexuals what to do. They don't want government handouts to stay at home - they want jobs and to walk freely in public.  They're tired of standing aside for The Deep State of scientists, and doctors, and even an invisible virus - no, they are not afraid.  They are the alpha males.  They are the ammo-sexuals.

As the United States becomes number one*

*in the number of deaths.

While the election of Donald Trump seemed like a step backwards for the United States, his actual leadership (or lack thereof) is what diminished the US as a consistent anchor in global politics.  Similar to the domestic front, the attention and global markets shifted from "what is the United States going to do" to "what kind of mood is Donald in today?"  "Who will be the next person in his administration to get fired?"

Still, because of US economic and military might, other leaders were required to humor him, and stay on top of the tweets, even as they sorted out how they were going to manage in a world that no longer had the US as a consistent global voice.  And of course, every country has its own set of priorities.  The pandemic has only heightened that trend, with the only upside being that Trump has virtually zero (actually, less than zero) standing in this global situation.  While the US consulate has made some posts about US assistance to other countries, the headlines have been dominated by every country scrambling to save their own people (and Republicans in the US pushing policies to increase deaths in some countries they consider enemies).  At least in Australia, the only major collaborative news was about China sending a team to Italy.   And so, it seems this pandemic, at least as far as the Trump administration is concerned, has cemented the US position as a non-leader.  Even Trump himself has tried to push his "states rights" agenda towards saying that the management of the pandemic is up to governors; not a federal issue.  While another administration might have thought globally in response to a global issue, as I say, Trump's response has been less than zero; overall increasing the likelihood of deaths. 

Does this mean the end of an empire?  The United States is still a large population with a large economy and that doesn't end overnight.  Regardless of whether the US has good leadership or not, its economy will still carry weight, even if its military becomes dysfunctional and demoralized.  But lack of leadership will definitely be a factor in recovery.  Economists and Congress seem to have grabbed the reins, but in the absence of any sense of shared destiny, the US recovery may take the same path as its initial response to the danger - too much partisan squabbling and not enough coherent action.  Inside the United States, the last catastrophe was known as the sub-prime mortgage crisis.  Outside the US, it's referred to as the GFC - Global Financial Crisis.  Even if the US is not a leader, it drags the rest of the world along whatever trajectory.  In that regard, seeing the decline of the US as a global leader is like the death of a drug cartel leader.  While it's an opportunity for someone, it means a lot of unrest and violence as they claw their way into the void.