The pandemic is over, and because of vaccinations, the mortality rate for COVID-19 is approaching that of the seasonal flu.  The World weekly  case count dropped 25% this past week .  Then again, some countries are faring better than others.  For example, regarding the weekly case % change over the past week: #1    Costa Rica  +92,800% #2    Guinea Bissau  +26,400% #3    Estonia  +23,900% #14  Canada  +534% #25  Brazil  +73% #30  Thailand  +39% #36  South Korea +14% #44  Denmark  +2% #45  Mexico  -2% #70  Germany  -30% #89  USA  -55% Deaths in the past week per million population. #1    New Zealand  11 #2    Denmark  8 #3    Hong Kong  4 #4    Germany  4 #14  Canada  1 #17  S. Korea  1 #25  USA  0.7 Okay, but what about China ?  Still, pretty much careful ...

    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     ...

The number of new COVID-19 cases is now increasing in the U.S.: With all those vaccinated, why is this happening?  For one, only  48% of Americans  were fully vaccinated as of yesterday.   Further : An Associated Press analysis of available government data from May shows that “breakthrough” infections in fully vaccinated people accounted for fewer than 1,200 of more than 107,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations. That’s about 1.1% . Furthermore: And only about 150 of the more than 18,000 COVID-19 deaths in May were in fully vaccinated people. That translates to about 0.8%, or five deaths per day on average. The July 4th weekend is being blamed for this upsurge.  Just about every COVID-19 death today is thus preventable.  JUST GET VACCINATED!!!  NOW!!!  And it's free.  Go to just about  any pharmacy , like CVS or Walgreens.  Save your life during your lunch period, or on the way home.  It's only your own life at stake, and mostly t...

I have regularly reported on King Kamehameha Day, and here is one from five years ago .  Today is a state holiday, but the annual Saturday floral parade has been cancelled, and there is discouragement about being at the statue when leis are draped over King Kamehameha on Friday.  Best I can find is that the local Olelo channel 53 will be showing this event from 12:30-1:30 today. How many people have died from COVID-19? Between seven million and 13 million people have died of Covid, according to   an analysis by The Economist magazine . The pace has been speeding up, too: More people have already died in 2021 than did in all of 2020 . The Worldometer site I have been using indicates today that 3.8 million have perished.  The Johns Hopkins data used by many also says 3.8 million deaths.  Where are most of the still unreported deaths?  Africa ( second from the right ) and especially Asia ( right-most graph ), which includes the who region centered in India:...