An ominous sense hovers over this pandemic winter, tinged by the hope that a vaccine is on the way.
Overheard: "It sounds like good news," said one older man to a younger woman. "But how will they know where to find me to give me the shot?"
"Don't worry, Dad, you're on Medicare," she answered. "That is how they will find you, through your insurance."
So she is right, it is true that most folks will be informed by their insurance company when they can get the vaccination. But what about the 30 million or so Americans who have no insurance? They have been at the center of the public debate over health insurance for decades now, and are a prime reason the Affordable Care Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama in 2010.
I have searched but found no clear answer to this question. It certainly is a case for concern because while some uninsured are healthy young people, others are among the most vulnerable -- homeless, poor, aging minorities, often addicted and/or mentally ill. They sleep out on the streets, where droplets of Covid float freely on the incoming wind.
Who's going to identify them and reach out to them?
This is one of the logistical nightmares that will have to be solved to inoculate a large enough portion of the population to achieve herd immunity. It is problems like this one that the new administration will need to be addressing over the coming months. At least we will have some people at the helm who seem like they'll tackle the real issues as opposed to bullshit ones like trying to overthrow the results of the recent election.
Meanwhile it is the holiday season, Hanukkah and Christmas, closely followed by New Year's, when we wish each other good health for the coming year. But this winter, at least another hundred thousand of us, and probably many more, will die of Covid-19 before the worst will have passed.
While waiting for the spring to arrive, let's thank God that at least for now the would-be dictator is vanquished and soon will be evicted from the People's House. Finally the cavalry is in sight.
***
A true story:
One day some years ago I turned on the news to learn that one of those giant work cranes had fallen over in New York City. A lady was pinned underneath.
A reporter arrived at the scene, squatted down and pushed a microphone in her face.
"What happened, lady?"
"I was out walking on my lunch break, not bothering nobody when this happens," she said, gesturing with her free hand under the collapsed structure. "What's the world coming to, anyway, when you can't even go out on your lunch break without a crane falling on top of you?"
***
Here's some news and if you don't like it, at least be grateful a crane hasn't fall on top of you, at least not yet...
* Supreme Court rejects Texas' and Trump's bid to overturn election. The court's order, issued with no public dissents, to dismiss the challenge is the strongest indication yet that Trump has no chance of overturning election results in court, and that even the justices whom he placed there have no interest in allowing his desperate legal bids to continue. (CNN)
* Most health insurance plans in the U.S. will provide coverage for coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines with no cost-sharing for members, which means that people will not have to pay for the vaccine or its administration. But nearly 30 million Americans were uninsured in 2019, and that number has likely increased in 2020 as a result of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. (verywellhealth.com)
* ‘Numb’ and ‘Heartbroken,’ the U.S. Confronts Record Virus Deaths -- For the first time, the United States reported more than 3,000 coronavirus deaths in a day. But with cases still rising, experts warn “the worst is yet to come.” (NYT)
* U.S. consumers grew more confident in the economy in late November and early December, with people expecting the economic conditions to improve when the country begins to exit from the coronavirus pandemic, according to survey findings released Friday. (WSJ)
* “We'll be contending with 2020 for a generation, as this was the year that ended any notions of American innocence or feelings of invincibility, and begets our hopeful, but fragile and uncertain future.” (Nieman Lab)
* ‘I didn’t make it’: A Disney World waitress struggles to hold on to her middle-class life (WashPo)
* Navy to help UK protect fishing waters in case of no-deal Brexit, Guardian reports (Reuters)
* Midtown Is Reeling. Should Its Offices Become Apartments? -- The pandemic has created a crisis in New York City’s commercial real estate industry. Some leaders think it’s time to reimagine the city’s business districts. (NYT)
* Senate passes massive defense bill with veto-proof margin (WashPo)
* Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) teamed up on Thursday to introduce an amendment that would provide another round of direct payments to Americans as lawmakers struggle to reach a deal on another coronavirus relief package. The political odd couple says members of Congress shouldn’t leave town for the holidays without providing more help for the income cuts so many have faced during the health crisis. [HuffPost]
* The forecast for global warming is looking a little less bleak in the long term, but not so rosy in the short term. With numerous countries pledging to clean up their act and projected temperature rises now smaller than they once were, scientists and diplomats say the outlook for mid-to-late century is not as gloomy as it was when the historic 2015 Paris climate accord was signed. But they caution that impacts of warming already are hitting Earth harder than scientists predicted. And they say the use of coal, oil and natural gas that fuels climate change is not dropping as much as needed, despite cheaper renewable energy. (AP)
* United Airlines is telling some flight attendants whose colleagues test positive for COVID-19 to keep flying and monitor for symptoms, three employees told Reuters, raising concerns among staff about the policy. (Reuters)
* They’re Among the World’s Oldest Living Things. The Climate Crisis Is Killing Them. -- California’s redwoods, sequoias and Joshua trees define the American West and nature’s resilience through the ages. Wildfires this year were their deadliest test. (NYT)
* The Red List, an inventory of threatened species maintained by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, was updated Thursday. It lists more than 35,700 species — representing almost 30% of all plant and animal species evaluated by the IUCN — as currently threatened by extinction. These include all of the world’s freshwater dolphins, almost one-third of all oak trees and 40% of all amphibians. [HuffPost]
* An Unwelcome Silent Night: Germany Without Christmas Markets -- Across the country, city and town squares stand empty of the usual huts, sounds, scents and lights, as the coronavirus has forced the country to skip its beloved annual Christmas markets. (NYT)
* Dylan’s Catalog Sale Shows a Tax Advantage for Songwriters -- Bob Dylan’s song-catalog sale could offer benefits for both the music icon and the company that bought them (WSJ)
* Lockdown Gardening in Britain Leads to Archaeological Discoveries -- The finds this year, including a cache of gold coins from the reign of Henry VIII, come as Britain considers expanding the law to protect a broader range of artifacts from its centuries-old history. (NYT)
* Japan's hospitals facing medical glove shortage (NHK)
* In Blistering Retort, 4 Battleground States Tell Texas to Butt Out of Election -- The attorneys general of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Georgia asked the Supreme Court to reject a lawsuit from Texas seeking to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s victories. (NYT)
* Dylan has given us a second great American songbook, the product not of a tradition—but of one musician. (The Nation)
* Law School Applications Increase Upon Realization That Any Fucking Idiot Can Be Lawyer (The Onion)
***
Only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you
Shall I stay?
Would it be a sin
If I can't help falling in love with you?
Surely to the sea
Darling, so it goes
Some things are meant to be
Take my whole life too
For I can't help falling in love with you
Surely to the sea
Darling, so it goes
Some things are meant to be
Take my whole life too
For I can't help falling in love with you
For I can't help falling in love with you
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