NOTES, 9 NOVEMBER 2020
It is Monday, November 9, 2020, and time to check in on the crises we have been following for months now. Two must get our attention today, the pandemic and the political.
PANDEMIC. The fall spike is here. The charts of new cases and deaths are skyrocketing, just as the experts said they would. The pandemic is running unchecked in the world, especially in America.
Our usual source, Worldometers, shows that there are now more than 50m cases of COVID-19 in the world. As of this morning it is listing 50,828,987 cases. This is up 8% in the last week, November 2-9. This compares with the 9% rise of the prior week (Oct. 26-Nov. 2). As for deaths in the world, there were 53,451 last week, a rising rate of 4%, the same as the earlier week. As of today, 1,263,602 people have died of the plague in the world.
The United States has passed the 10m mark of cases. The U.S. is reporting 10,288,480 cases, up 8% last week, up from the 7% of the earlier week. As for deaths, the U.S. is reporting 243,768, a rising rate of 3%, the same as the earlier week. This means app. 1,000 American are dying of covid every day. The U.S. continues to have the most cases and most deaths, in this pandemic, than any country in the world. There is no respite in sight.
The disease also continues to run rampant in South Carolina although last week saw a slight decline in rates. In the past week, SC reported 6,771 new cases for a total of 185,688. This was a rising rate of 4%, down slightly from the 5% of the earlier week. As for deaths in SC, the state reported 90 last week for a total of 4,036, a rising rate of 2%, a significant improvement over the 4% of the previous week.
Alabama is also reporting a slight improvement in rates. There, the state reported 8,795 new cases for a total of 203,687, a rising rate of 5%, down a bit from the 6% of the earlier week. As for deaths, AL reported 111 last week for a total of 3,084, a rate of 4%, the same as the earlier week.
In Charleston County, SC, the pandemic is spreading at about the same rate. It reported 473 new cases last week for a total of 17,953, a climbing rate of 3%, the same as the earlier week. As for deaths in the county, there were 6 last week for a total of 285. This is a rising rate of 2%, up slightly from the 1% of the previous week.
Bottom line, the pandemic is in its third, and greatest (so far) phase of expansion. New cases and deaths are increasingly at alarming rates. This is on track to worsen as winter sets in.
POLITICAL CRISIS. I have nothing new to say today on this subject. I have written about the election in several recent blog postings so I will skip it for now. Once I have had a chance to digest the news and reflect a bit, I will return with comments on the political crisis in America.
Autumn is a glorious season, particularly in areas where deciduous trees proliferate. I for one am getting out to enjoy the beauty of the season.
My garden is an eclectic mix of tropical and non-tropical plants. Since we have not had a killing frost yet, these banana trees contrast nicely with the brilliant red of this maple tree.
Some of the camellias in my garden are in full bloom. This is Winter's Fire Ice Angels, an early and prolific flowering camellia japonica.
