Thursday has served as Covid day since the pandemic.  No more, but here is an update, for I keep knowing of people who are still getting infected. What to know about the FLiRT variants of Covid-19 .  New variants are distant Omicron relatives from JN.1, which was responsible for the surge of cases this past winter. FLiRT because mutations include the letters F and L for one, and R and T for the other. KP.2 in particular is rising, now accounting for 25% of new cases at the end of April.  However, KP.2 is less infectious than JN.1. Current vaccines protect against FLiRT variants. Here is the  latest summary : Total cases. #1  USA  112 million #2  India  45 million #3  France 40 million #4  Germany  39 million Total deaths. #1  USA 1,219,487 #2  Brazil  711,380 #3  India  533,570 Of course, India significantly under reports.   One WHO report estimates that their death toll is 10 times higher than reported. For political reasons, WHO tends to protect China.  Chances are overwhelming that

Sakata with a population of almost 100,000 is in Yamagata Prefecture. However, it was 127,000 in 1960.   Many immigrants to Hawaii came from this area.   From the 17th to 19th century, Sakata was very prosperous because it was a shipping route for the Sea of Japan into the country, November is the wettest month, but it was sunny yesterday.   This city escaped damage in World War II, with only one air raid.   The Sakata Festival from May 19-21 is their major historical event.   You can catch the bullet train from Tokyo to Niigata, then transfer north to Sakata. City most known for the 2013 film,  Oshin  (click on it to watch the entire movie), which followed the 297 15-minute episodes of  Oshin , the serialized morning television drama, which aired in 1983 and 1984.   Here is a typical episode . I had never before heard of Sakata, but if you decide to visit, here is Trip Advisor link on  Things to do in Sakata . We decided to skip any tour today and essentially did nothing.  We woke up