No question that this latest Omicron BA.2 subvariant is increasing COVID-19 cases in the U.S.  There is a one week delay before hospitalizations increase, but early signs indicate that this effect will be minimal, and maybe not even that, for a combination of vaccinations and past infections have resulted in few serious illnesses.  From the   New York Times   this morning: About that Federal mask mandate: It was stricken down by Florida federal judge Kathryn Mizelle ( right ).  She was appointed to this position by Donald Trump after he had lost re-election, and she snuck through the Senate on a party-line vote before the Democrats assumed leadership.  She clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and at the age of 33, is now in a lifetime judgeship role. You would think that this decision was typically partisan, and that it would be a simple matter for the White House to appeal that decision.  Eventually the Supreme Court would uphold Mizelle...

  Here is a portion of an email I sent to a friend this morning: I've been trying to find out for almost two years now what the asymptomatic rate for COVID-19 is.  These are the individuals who are going around innocently infecting people.  The CDC and Fauci seem to think 40-45%.  I have read reports ranging from 20% to 90%.  I think this figure is closer to 90% than 45%.  When China shut down Shanghai these past two weeks they tested everyone.   Here is an article indicating that the asymptomatic rate is 97% !!! Shanghai counted more than 20,000 new cases on April 7, but the asymptomatic rate has stood at around 97%, far higher than anywhere else in the world, where it has been closer to 50%. The resultant sense is that this 97% rate is so high because those suffering from only mild COVID symptoms were placed into that category.  This Omicron BA.2 subvariant is relatively benign compared to Delta and other wave-producers.  But what, then, wh...

      From  Worldometer  (new  COVID-19 deaths yesterday):            DAY    USA    WORLD      Brazil      India      South Africa June     9     1093     4732         1185        246       82 July    22      1205     7128         1293      1120     572 Aug    12      1504     6556        1242        835     130 Sept     9      1208      6222       1136       1168       82 Oct     21      1225      6849         571   ...