COVID IS ON THE RISE IN THE USA....and we are in St.PIERRE

Before reporting on our Azamara Journey cruise:

• About that war with Iran, ever wondered what exactly is President Donald Trump's Crushing Economic D-Day Campaign?  
• Well Iran responded.  Click on the link above
• Otherwise:
• Trump’s renewed economic threats come as negotiations between Washington and Tehran appear to have stalled amid disagreements over the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed by both countries on June 17.

• I yesterday featured the science of anti-aging.  Today, Time magazine countered with:

The science of longevity is booming, with researchers pursuing an increasingly ambitious goal: not simply extending life, but finding ways to keep people healthier for more of it.

TIME’s 2026 Longevity Leaders highlights 12 people pushing the field forward. They include Nobel-winning scientist Shinya Yamanaka, whose discovery helped lay the foundation for research into reprogramming human cells to behave as if they were younger, and scientists experimenting with ways to reverse cellular aging in different parts of the body. Others are working to distinguish legitimate advances from hype or rethinking how society should adapt to an aging population.

There is still no proven drug people can take to extend their lives. But some of the most established longevity advice is decidedly less futuristic: exercise, maintain muscle, and build strong social relationships. The emerging science may be sophisticated, but the larger goal is straightforward—finding ways to add not just more years to life, but more healthy years. —Mandy Oaklander

• 
  There was a rumor that COVID is back.  Not necessarily on the ship, but in the USA.  Checking with Google AI:

A COVID-19 test positivity rate of 5% or higher is generally considered by public health organizations, such as the World Health Organization, to mean the virus is actively and broadly spreading in a community, and that testing levels may be too low to capture the true scope of the outbreak. [1, 2]

Positivity Rate Thresholds

Public health groups use test positivity percentages to gauge community transmission levels:

Under 5%: Transmission is generally considered low and under control.
5% to 7.9%: Moderate community spread is occurring.
8% to 9.9%: Substantial spread is taking place.
10% or higher: High transmission and widespread active outbreaks are indicated. [1, 2, 3]

According to World Health Organization (WHO) reporting and surveillance data updates for August 2026, global SARS-CoV-2 activity remains generally low and stable overall, though recent sentinel testing data shows a global test positivity rate of approximately 1.8% to 3.4% depending on the specific surveillance week, alongside localized summer increases in certain regions. [1, 2]

Global Test Positivity Rates (Mid-2026)

Regional Breakdown (as of late July/August reporting):
• Eastern Mediterranean: ~6.5%
• South-East Asia: ~2.4%
• Western Pacific: ~2.3%
• Europe: ~2.1%
• Americas: ~1.6%
• Africa: ~0.99% []

The Sick Times reported on August 18:

• COVID-19 test positivity increased significantly, from 3.1% of COVID-19 tests returning positive results during the week ending August 1 to 3.7% positive during the week ending August 8.
• COVID-19 spread continues to increase across the U.S. as this summer’s wave keeps climbing. While levels are highest in the West and South, there are hotspots in all regions. The CDC as well as mainstream media sources are downplaying this wave as they have many others.

So, yes, COVID is doing it's late summer surge.  However, this has been annually expected, and the uptick is not quite yet worthy of serious concern.  The USA is about as worst as anywhere else, but a 3.7% positivity rate is not a major concern.  If this trend continues into September at 5% or higher, yes, precautions should be taken.  Watch this video made a couple of days ago.

Now, back to life on the Azamara Journey.  The WiFi today is about as bad as it has ever been, but I'll sneak in these photos and hope they develop by the time you read this posting. The first photo was taken from our cabin veranda as the ship arrived into St. John, Newfoundland, Canada.

 The next two photos are of downtown St. Johns.

Cocktails before dinner.

Then dinner.  Featured ribeye steak.

The photos today are not developing well into this posting, so I'll just add them to my blog tomorrow.

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