May 2020

Virus notes: May 1, 2020

MERCED (BLJ) – Merced County Public Health Department on May 1 reported 134 cases (three new) and three deaths.

California reported 50,659 cases (809 new)  and 2,073 deaths (59 new).

The United States reported 1,130,075 cases (34,630 new) and 65,603 deaths (  1,870 new).

The global report for May 1 is 3,344,274 cases (87,428 new) and 238,775 deaths (5,387 new).

 Three characteristics of the Very Visible Enemy:

Malignant narcissism;

Managerial incompetence;

Anti-government ideology.

 

 

Virus notes: May 2-3, 2020

MERCED (BLJ) –

Merced County Public Health Department on the morning of May 2 reported 140 cases (six new) and three deaths. However, the Merced Sun-Star reported that county Public Health Department “officials have recently said that the number of total coronavirus cases since the pandemic began is more likely 450 cases in Merced County, but insufficient testing capacity has led to an incomplete tally.

Stanislaus County reported 380 cases of COVID-19 (6 new) and 13 deaths.

Madera County reports 46 cases and 2 deaths.

Virus notes: May 4, 2020

MERCED (BLJ) – The Merced County Public Health Department reported 146 cases of COVID-19 on May 4 (six new) and three deaths.

California reported 55,657 cases (1,987 new) and 2,254 deaths (62 new).

The United States reported 1,208,674 cases (25,011 new) and 69,680 deaths (1,404 new).

The global figure is 3,584,274 cases (76,909 new) and 251,580 deaths (4,089 new).

 

Virus notes: May 5-6. 2020

MERCED (BLJ) – Merced County Public Health Department on reported 146 cases (six new) and three deaths.

California reported 58,790 cases (2,484 new) and 2,379 deaths (85 new).

The United States reported 1,243,456 (22,556 new) and 72,800 deaths (7.235 new).

The global report is 3,682,968 cases (64,643 new) and 257,906 deaths (4.525 new).

 

Virus notes: May 9-10, 2020

MERCED (BLJ) – Merced Public Health Department on May 9 reported 163 cases (17 new) and three dead. The double digit increase in cases in a couple of days is undoubtedly due to more testing. But the testing is still very inadequate and if the city and county politicians have their way, it will continue to be inadequate.

California reported 64,532 cases (834 new) and 2,630 deaths (351 new since May 6).

The United States reported 1,338,988 cases (25,190 new) and 79,522 deaths (1,597 new).

Tags: 

Sent to the US DOJ: Where Justice goes to die

Everyone from the local district attorney to the state attorney general in Georgia having managed to wiggle out of prosecuting the two white men who murdered 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery, the case has been referred to the US Department of Justice, where the murderers will probably be exonerated and will appear with the Trump on his autumnal campaign rally in Atlanta before a cast of hundreds of thousands of white supremacists who don't believe in the Germ Theory.  -- blj

5-10-20

Agence France Presse

Recess from the virus: Pronghorn antelope return to Death Valley

5-10-20

Los Angeles Times

Desert mystery: Why have pronghorn antelope returned to Death Valley?

by Louis Sahagun

More than a century after railroads, ranchers and hunters vanquished their ancestors, pronghorn antelope are returning to this unforgiving expanse of desert along the California-Nevada border.

Virus notes: May 13, 2020; The Meanness of Missy Betsy

MERCED (BLJ) – The Merced County Public Health Department on May 13 reported 180 cases (7 new)  and four dead (one new). Probably due to a combination of lax attention to masks and new testing stations.

California reported 71,141 cases (1,426 new) and 2,934 (132 new).

The United States reported 1,421,061 cases (21,156 new) and 84,763 deaths (1,744 new).

The global report for May 13 is 4,347,015 (84,964 new) and 297,197 deaths (5,236 new).

 

Tags: 

Virus notes: May 17, 2020; the manichaean struggle

MERCED (BLJ) – Early on May 17, the Merced County Public Health Department reported 200 cases of COVID 19 and six deaths (two new).

California reported 76,793 cases (1,857 new) and 3,204 deaths (95 new).

New York reported 348,232 cases (2,419 new) and 22,478 deaths (174 new).

The United States reported 1,497,244 cases (23,829 new) and 89,420 deaths (1,183 new).

Mexico reported 47,144 cases (2,112 new) and 5,045 deaths (278 new).

The global report was 4,635,830 cases (100,878 new) and 311,821 deaths (4,713 new).

 

Virus notes: May 18, 2020: Arundhati Roy on the pandemic

 

Thanks to the public spirit of the Financial Times, we are free to study this superb article on the pandemic by the great Arundhati Roy. -- blj

 

4-3-20

Financial Times

Arundhati Roy: ‘The pandemic is a portal’ |

The novelist on how coronavirus threatens India — and what the country, and the world, should do next

https://www.ft.com/content/10d8f5e8-74eb-11ea-95fe-fcd274e920ca

Virus notes: May 19, 2020: The four horsemen

MERCED (BLJ) – The Merced County Public Health Department on May 19 reported 222 cases (and increase of 22 cases in two days) and six deaths.

California reported 81,795 cases (2,956 new) and 3,334 deaths (73 new).

The global report for today is 4,893,195 cases (91,913 new) and 322,861 (4,396 new).

 

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Trump

Putin

Bolsonaro

Johnson

The United States reported 1,558,631 cases (20,801 new) and 92,258 deaths (1,564 new).

Russia reported 299,941 cases (9,263 new) and 2,837 deaths (115 new).

Virus Notes: May 23, 2020: Greed and Grudge Punch and Judy Show

MERCED (BLJ) – Merced County Public Health Department on May 22 reported 251 cases and six deaths.

California reported 90,631 cases (2,187 new) and 3,708 deaths (78 new).

The global report for May 23 was 5,267,452 cases (99.091 new) and 339,949 deaths (4.013 new).

On May 23 the tally for the Four Horsemen (Trump, Putin, Bolsonaro, and Johnson) was:

United States reported 1,652,157 cases (27,091 new) and 97,176 deaths (1,270 new).

Russia reported 335,882 cases (9,434 new) and 3,388 deaths (139 new).

Virus notes: May 27, 2020: authority posturing in Merced

  MERCED (BLJ) – On May 27, Merced County Public Health Department reported that there were 222 cases of COVID-19 in the county, no change for several days. But five days ago, they reported 251 cases. Also, the county’s figure for number of deaths hasn’t changed in more than a week. There doesn’t seem to be any law requiring the county to report the true number. But a few hours in the emergency ward yesterday was enough to convince one Badlands Journal editorial board member that the hospital staff looks overlooked and apprehensive, although very competent.

Virus notes: May 29, 2020: China and the West

MERCED (BLJ) – Merced County Public Health Department on May 29 at 2 p.m. reported 283 cases of COVID 19 (61 new cases since May 27) and seven deaths. The Merced County numbers are erratic at the moment. -- blj

California reported 103,886 cases (2,189 new) and 4,068 deaths (95 new).

The United States reported 1,783,132 cases (24,710 new) and 104,166 deaths (1,249 new).

The global report for the day was 5,919,364 cases (115,948 new) and 364,459 deaths (4,668 new).

Mexico reported 84,627 cases (3,227 new) and 9,415 deaths (371 new).