The World Health Organization on 11 February 2020 finally gave the virus from China a name, COVID-19, and a month later, announced that this was a pandemic. Six months henceforth, the World reached one million COVID-19 deaths on 20 September 2020. Less than four months later, 2 million on 15 January 2021, then three million in another three months. This trend is worrisome, but vaccinations will be the cure. At this writing, we are at 3.030 million deaths, a little more than 13 months after becoming a pandemic.
From the New York Times, the location of these coronavirus deaths is shifting to South America, although Europe and the Middle East are similarly affected, and recent reports worry a lot about India:
You might argue that every COVID-19 death brings human suffering, but that is the case of any death, and while there is immense joy at most births, population growth could well be Humanity's biggest problem. Annually:
- 140 million babies are born.
- 56 million people die.
- 18 million by cardiovascular diseases
- nearly 10 million from cancer
- almost 6.5 million by respiratory diseases
- The three million COVID-19 deaths would rank #4, for the current #4 is dementia, at 2.5 million deaths/year.
- 250 babies are born each minute versus 6 COVID-19 deaths/minute.
In any case, why are some regions hardly affected by this disease, while others are being decimated? One report indicates:
- Those countries with younger populations exhibit lower death rates.
- Countries historically practicing social distancing seem to be safer. In the Orient, for example, they don't shake hands.
- Warmer climates protect the community.
- Quick government action is key, and if you are dictatorial, all the better.
- African countries for example have a track record of Ebola, and they reacted quicker.
- China was able to quickly shut down the country.
I still think that those areas so far able to escape much of the turmoil probably went through some kind of earlier milder coronavirus flu or cold epidemic, and bodies have a way of remembering an enemy virus. Then, too, some say society is just at the beginning of the pandemic, and variants of COVID-19 will spread over the coming years.
Fourteen months into COVID-19, medical science continues to be puzzled. For one, there is no consensus of how many cases have been asymptomatic. The range is 30% from South Korea to 40% by Anthony Fauci/CDC to 80+%. Read this comprehensive medical analysis, and tell me what this means:
The proportion of COVID-19 cases that are symptomatic is well identified, with a CI ranging from 12.9 to 17.4% (Fig. 2).
Does this say that the asymptomatic rate is from 82.6% to 87.1%?
As this is spiritual Sunday, here are two articles related to religion. Almost a year ago the University of Chicago Divinity School and the Associated Press ran a poll:
- 82% of Americans say they believe in God.
- 63% believe that the virus is a sign from God telling humanity to change.
- 55% say they feel that God will somewhat protect them from being infected.
- By ethnicity, feel STRONGLY that God will protect them from the virus:
- 49% Black
- 34% Latino
- 20% White
About a year ago from Gallup on religion and COVID-19:
Sociologists consider religion to be a major social institution that can serve a significant integrative function in and for society, providing society with a major stabilizing force. A great deal of research, including analyses of Gallup data conducted by myself and my colleagues, has established the positive correlation between personal religiosity and wellbeing.
Also from Gallup on 29 March 2021:
- U.S. church membership fell below majority for the first time.
- Last year U.S. adults belonging to a church, synagogue or mosque dropped to 47%.
- 2018: 50%
- 1999: 70%
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