DEATHS AND MORTALITY RATES

Thursdays have shifted from Covid to anything of medical or lifestyle worthiness.  But to start, I count ten pandemic waves:

The tenth one was tiny, and occurred this past summer.  Will there be an eleventh?

• There usually is a winter uptick in respiratory virus ailments, as is expected for some combination of the seasonal flu, Covid and RSV.
• 15 Craigside has schedule a day next week to administer the updated Covid vaccine.  Everyone should get this shot.
• Reduces symptoms, hospitalization rate and death.
• Latest data seem to indicated that vaccinated people are less liable to get Long Covid.

How terrible was this Covid Pandemic?

• Nearly 7 million people died, a mortality rate of just under 0.1% of the world population.
• The USA Covid mortality rate is 0.34%.  This is more than three times the world average.  However, the world count is known to be too low.
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  During the 14th century, the bubonic plague, or Black Death, killed 25 million Europe, a mortality rate of around 33%.
• The Spanish Flu a century ago killed, perhaps, 50 million, a mortality rate of 2.5%.

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  World War II killed 70 million, a mortality rate of 3%.
• Second Congo War killed 5.4 million in a country then with a population of 49 million = 11%.

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  Heard of the 30-year war?  Occurred in Central Europe from 1618 to 1648.  The population of Europe dropped from 78 million in 1600 to 74.6 million in 1650. 8 million died = 11%.
• Russian Revolution from 1917 to 1922 = 10%

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  Lushan Rebellion in China between 755 AD and 763 AD, 16 million deaths, population around 50 million = 72%.

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  In the USA, 98,268 died from preventable drug overdose in 2021 = 0.3%.  Note that this recent pandemic mortality rate was "only" 0.1%.

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  Did you know that around half a million U.S. citizens live in Israel?
• 27 Americans are known to have been killed in this Israel-Hamas War.  That is a mortality rate of 0.0054%.
• So far, 1300 Israelis have died in this war, or a mortality rate of around 0.1%
• Estimated Hamas mortality rate so far is around 0.56%.

Otherwise, the world still turns.  About the Israel-Hamas War:

• This a day for pause.
• The siege of the Gaza Strip is preventing people moving in or out, but electricity will soon be totally cut off, while water and food are being stopped.  Israel has indicated this blockade will not change until all hostages are released.  There is a humanitarian crisis looming.
• Israel has called up 360,000 reservists, and many are heading for the Gaza Strip border.  There will be an attack, but when, and what will this accomplish?  How can Israel permanently eliminate the Hamas when the leaders are already in Iran and Qatar, and most of the terrorists are now part of a family?

What is happening to the House speaker vote?  

• Nothing.  
• Steve Scalise cannot get 217 Republican votes, and Republicans don't want to repeat the debacle of 15 ballots when Kevin McCarthy finally prevailed.  
• It was worse in 1855-56 when it took 133 votes over a two month period.  But then there were not Israel-Hamas and Ukraine-Russia Wars.
• There is, of course, what I've been hinting on for a long time...a bipartisan solution.

There was a $1.765 Powerball winner last night.  Second-most winning ever.  Numbers were 22, 24,40, 52, 64 and the Powerball 10.  There were 35 consecutive drawings without a big winner, stretching back to July 19, when some else in California won $1.08 billion.  There was a $2.04 billion winner, also in California, last November.  Remember, the odds are 1 in  292.2 million.  Powerball is played in 45 states, DC, Puerto Rico and U.S.Virgin Islands.  Not Hawaii.

Want to watch the Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs NFL game tonight at 8:15 EDT?  You need to live in Kansas City or subscribe to Amazon Prime.

The big question is, will Taylor Swift show up for the game?   She did not go to Minneapolis this Sunday.  The media reported she will.  The Chiefs have not lost since she began appearing.

Second question?  Will Travis Kelce even play?  He has a sore ankle.  I replaced him on one of my fantasy teams.

She was in Los Angeles last night for the premiere of her movie, The Eras Tour.  Amazingly enough, Rotten Tomatoes reviewers rated this film at 100%!!!  What was scheduled for a Friday night opening in the USA has been advanced to tonight.

Finally, nice Honolulu sunset yesterday from 15 Craigside.

There is a super typhoon in the Pacific.  Bolaven strengthened to 180 MPH yesterday, maintaining that power today, but made a right turn and will totally miss Japan.

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