10 JUNE 2020, NOTES

Welcome, blog reader, on this Wednesday, the Tenth of June in the highly eventful year of 2020. There is much going on all around us these days and much to talk about. Today, however, it is time to check in on our weekly look at the COVID-19 pandemic. How are things going on this front?

Here are the statistics according to the website Worldometers as for the past three weeks:

CASES

                    May 20-May27    May 28-June 2     June 3-June 10

World         +703,501, +14%   +762,395, +13%   +873,945, +14%

U.S.             +154,790, +10%   +155,448, +9%     +164,485, +9%

SC               +1,360, +15%       +1,999, +19%       +2,813, +23%

AL               +2,949, +23%       +3,121, +20%       +2,671, +14%

DEATHS

World         +27,507, +8%       +30,094, +9%       +31,289, +8%

U.S.             +7,083, +8%         +7,437, +7%         +6,089, +6%

SC               +47, 12%               +55, +12%           +67, +13%

AL               +14, +2%              +73, +13%           +76, +12%

What these data tell us is that the coronavirus continues to spread around the world unabated and to kill people at about the same rate. In America, it continues to infect people at about the same rate. The "good" news here is that the numbers and rates of "new" deaths in the U.S. are noticeably declining. The bad news here is that this is uneven. There are "hot spots" in America where the virus is spreading at a quickening pace. South Carolina is one of those. Just look at the numbers for SC. In every period, the number and the rates escalated in the state. This is cause for alarm. As for Alabama, the spread may be leveling off. Nevertheless, 76 died in the Heart of Dixie in just the last week. My heart aches.

The raw numbers of the pandemic still stagger us as they have for over three months. Over seven million people in the world have fallen ill of the virus since it appeared just six months ago, over two million of those in the United States which remains the epicenter of the plague. In the world, nearly 400,000 people have died of the coronavirus, 114,000 of them Americans. The U.S. continues to be the hardest hit place in the world and our government seems helpless to do anything about it. At the moment, we are fixated on the massive street demonstrations and the impending national election. President Trump appears to me to be completely incapable of dealing with any crisis.

So, what is the outlook for the plague? Looking at the trajectory of the past few weeks, I think we can expect the disease to continue running rampant until we get a vaccine. The country has "re-opened" and thousands of people are out in the streets not practicing social distancing. Right now I am most concerned about the frightening figures from South Carolina where the virus is spreading faster than in most parts of the country. 

Going over the statistics of the pandemic always makes me sad and I have to pause to let everything sink in. This is hard. I wish this had not happened, but it did, and there is no way around it but to persevere. We are here for the living of this hour like it or not. Peace.

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P.S. Congratulations to Sam Skardon, Steve's son, who won the Democratic primary for SC Senate, District 41, yesterday. At 63% of the vote, we can now call him "Landslide Sam." He will be the Democratic candidate for that seat in the general election in November. Best wishes to Sam.