Tuesday, January 19th, 2021
Ever since January 6th, 2021 people in the DMV area are on alert, expecting more violent protests; especially since these were, like the riots on the 6th, already announced on a variety of socialmedia platforms. It has remained surprisingly quiet. Then again who in their right mind would come to DC knowing 25.000 troops have been deployed to the city?
It is all a little crazy and does not feel like the greatest democracy in the world (and from earlier posts about the actual electoral system we already know there is nothing democratic about it) or a peaceful transition of power. Now that protests have not happened anywhere across the US there are concerned that they may happen tomorrow or that President-elect Joe Biden will be harmed in some way during the inauguration.
That these fears are even publicly expressed is wild enough. That there is enough cause to take them seriously is mind boggling. Sadly, though not unrealistic. The more we learn about the riots on January 6th in the running up to the inauguration, the more real the threat from the inside becomes. At least one congressional representative gave tours of the Capitol the day before and communicated with her “constituents” outside. These communications included information of the whereabouts of the Speaker of the House. If elected officials participate in such riots it makes them traitors in my books. And it does beg the questions if the use of the word “coup” might not be more appropriate than insurgence or riot, especially if the objective really was to stop the certification process of the election.
Clearly, current events are top of mind. Given the increased police presence everywhere, hardly surprising that we do not feel terribly safe. This is exacerbated by multiple reports of car jackings at gun point in my normally very safe affluent neighborhood. As a result, staying home is not hard. And like most days that is what we have been doing all day, safe for my short trip to the pool and an outing to practice in the park.
Daily reported cases continue to go down on a day to day basis with 149k new cases reported today to bring the total to 24.7 million out of 95.9 million globally. The roll out of the vaccinations continues to slug along. Even for counties able to administer doses effectively there are just not enough doses. Approving more vaccines seems critical. It has been a while since I last read about AstraZeneca/ Oxford vaccine. Sadly there is no real news as the FDA awaits a phase 3 trial with the half dose followed by a full dose shot to establish if that has greater efficacy.
Meanwhile people are asking three questions, but there is only one answers. related to Covid First, can someone who has been vaccinated still spread the disease? Second, will the vaccine remain effective as the virus itself evolves? And third, how long will the vaccine's protection last?
The answer to all three is: scientists do not yet know the definite answer to all of these questions.