Excerpts from the article below. It can be read in its entirety at this link:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/01/health/us-coronavirus-saturday/index.html

The Covid-19 case surge is altering daily life across the US. Things will likely get worse, experts warn
By Christina Maxouris, CNN
Updated 10:27 AM ET, Sat January 1, 2022

(CNN) Previous rules of virus are 'out the window'

The latest surge, which has sent case numbers exploding across the globe, is fueled by the Omicron variant, the most contagious coronavirus strain yet, health experts say. The virus is now "extraordinarily contagious" and previous mitigation measures that used to help now may not be as helpful, CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner told CNN on Friday.

"At the beginning of this pandemic... we all were taught, you have a significant exposure if you're within six feet of somebody and you're in contact with them for more than 15 minutes. All these rules are out the window," Reiner said. "This is a hyper-contagious virus."

Now, even a quick, transient encounter can lead to an infection, Reiner added, including if someone's mask is loose, or a person quickly pulls their mask down, or an individual enters an elevator in which someone else has just coughed.
"This is how you can contract this virus," Reiner said.

I could be the crazy one, but climbing Mt. Everest -- with a Covid-19 outbreak at base camp -- is a terrible idea. SAR-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) can trigger a respiratory tract infection.

BBC: Covid cases at Everest base camp raise fears of serious outbreak
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-56984320

Mountaineers and authorities at Everest base camp in Nepal have told the BBC they are seeing rising numbers of climbers with Covid-19 symptoms and rising numbers of positive tests, raising fears of a serious outbreak.

Base camp officials said they had received reports of 17 confirmed cases from hospitals in the capital Kathmandu, where a number of climbers have been sent from the base camp and higher camps to be treated.

Countries in the EU are reinstating total lockdowns. The rate of new infections in some EU countries are staggering.


New variants blamed as Italy, France, Germany and Poland see infection rates surge

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/14/thid-covid-wave-sweeps-across-eu-and-forces-new-restrictions

A third wave of the Covid pandemic is now advancing swiftly across much of Europe. As a result, many nations – bogged down by sluggish vaccination campaigns – are witnessing sharp rises in infection rates and numbers of cases.

The infection rate in the EU is now at its highest level since the beginning of February, with the spread of new variants of the Covid-19 virus being blamed for much of the recent increase.

Several countries are now set to impose strict new lockdown measures in the next few days – in contrast to the UK, which is beginning to emerge slowly from its current bout of shop and school closures and sports bans.

In Italy, authorities recorded more than 27,000 new cases and 380 deaths on Friday. “More than a year after the start of the health emergency, we are unfortunately facing a new wave of infections,” said prime minister Mario Draghi. “The memory of what happened last spring is vivid, and we will do everything to prevent it from happening again.”

From Monday most of Italy will be placed under lockdown and people will only be allowed to leave their homes for essential errands. Most shops will be closed, along with bars and restaurants.

In France, authorities have reported a similar grim situation, with health minister Olivier Véran describing the situation in the greater Paris region as tense and worrying. “Every 12 minutes night and day, a Parisian is admitted to an intensive care bed,” he revealed.

President Macron has imposed curfews and other social restrictions in several regions, and many doctors are now pressing him to introduce a national lockdown as a matter of urgency.

In Germany, 12,674 new Covid infections were reported on Saturday, a rise of 3,117 from the previous week, as the head of the country’s infectious disease agency acknowledged that the country was now in the grip of a third wave of Covid-19.

Similarly in Poland, 17,260 new daily coronavirus cases were reported on Wednesday, the highest daily figure since November. New pandemic restrictions are likely to be announced this week, government officials have indicated. Poland already has imposed tight restrictions on social gatherings, most schools are closed, and restaurants can only serve meals for delivery.

In addition, both Hungary and the Czech Republic have reported high infection rates and deaths from Covid and health officials have warned figures are likely to get worse in coming weeks.

Donald Trump got a not so welcome homecoming to NYC on his first trip there since leaving the Oval Office. Protesters stood in front of a balloon caricature and held ‘Indict Trump’ signs outside Trump Tower.

https://hollywoodlife.com/2021/03/08/donald-trump-new-york-return-protest-photo/

Trump Greeted by Lone Supporter and Angry Protesters in return to New York
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-greeted-lone-supporter-angry-protesters-he-returns-new-york-1574618

Not too long ago I posted/referenced an article about a scientist who captured images of SARS-CoV-2 under an electron microscope. The article stated that the virus is 10,000 times smaller than the circumference of one human hair. (This scientist states that's it's 1,000 times smaller -- but who's measuring?) It seemed incredible to me, even knowing that viruses cannot be seen with the human eye. Now an English mathematician did the work and has concluded that all of the Coronavirus in the world can fit inside of a soda can! Perhaps his work may inspire some folks to wear a mask already.


https://theconversation.com/all-the-coronavirus-in-the-world-could-fit-inside-a-coke-can-with-plenty-of-room-to-spare-154226

&feature=emb_logo

But the question is, will they let the agents use the toilets?

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-extends-post-presidency-secret-service-protection-to-13-family-members

Even though his presidency is over, Donald Trump hasn’t stopped granting special favors to his family. According to The Washington Post, Trump extended temporary Secret Service protection to 13 members of his family, including his sons Donald Jr. and Eric, his daughters Tiffany and Ivanka, and their respective spouses and children. They will receive around-the-clock, taxpayer-funded protection for the next six months.

The Former Presidents Act of 1958 grants Trump—as well as former First Lady Melania Trump—lifetime Secret Service protection. His 14-year-old son Barron will be protected until he turns 16. Former Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama only extended their Secret Service protection to their college-aged children, according to the Post.

Link from WaPo (pay wall): https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-extended-secret-service-protection-for-13-members-of-his-family-as-he-left-office/2021/01/20/31ef3e9e-5b3c-11eb-b8bd-ee36b1cd18bf_story.html

Source: Mediaite

As the United States goes into the New Year breaking single-day records for coronavirus deaths, data from the Centers for Disease Control suggests the true cumulative U.S. death toll is approaching half a million.

Last week saw two new record daily totals of conformed Covid deaths of over 3,700, and as of Friday, the official U.S. death toll was 347,870. That’s according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 Dashboard, which is generally regarded as the official source for confirmed coronavirus figures. But according to the latest available figures from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the true current death toll is likely much greater — and could surpass half a million in a matter of weeks.

CDC tracks the number of deaths reported in excess of the average number of expected deaths based on prior years, and the latest figures show that since the pandemic began, 431,792 more people than expected have died.

The news comes as vaccinations lag far behind what is necessary to end the pandemic — and portends months more of escalating national tragedy. The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation projects an additional 200,000 U.S. coronavirus deaths by April.

Read more: https://www.mediaite.com/news/jaw-dropping-new-cdc-figures-suggest-true-u-s-coronavirus-death-toll-approaching-half-a-million/

Here's why critics say Trump can't be trusted with America's national secrets after leaving office

https://www.alternet.org/2020/11/trump-national-security/

Can a scorned President Donald Trump be trusted with the United States' national secrets after leaving office next year? It's a question floating around as the embattled president wages war on not only the Democratic Party but also certain aspects of his own party.

Former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer David Priess and other former intelligence officials are warning President-elect Joe Biden to forego the country's longstanding tradition of briefing the former president on international developments due to the potential threat he may pose after exiting the White House.

According to NBC News, Jack Goldsmith, who served as a senior U.S. Department of Justice official under the George W. Bush administration, expressed concern about Trump compared to past presidents who have left the office. "This is not something that one could have ever imagined with other presidents, but it's easy to imagine with this one," said Goldsmith.

Be sure to check out the DJTrump library. There's even a Grift Shop.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/25/trump-2024-president-reelection-bid-domain

Source: Yahoo! News

With COVID-19 cases increasing in 46 states, 10 of which broke single-day records for new cases on Thursday, America has officially entered what experts refer to as the “exponential” phase of spread — a rapid multiplying of cases that can’t be contained through traditional measures. On Thursday alone, the U.S. saw 160,000 new cases of the virus, more than any day since the pandemic began.

In California, the second state to surpass 1 million cases, thousands of people in cars lined up at Dodger Stadium on Thursday to get tested; in parts of Washington state, individuals waited four to five hours.

The current spike in cases — which some states are calling a third wave — has brought more than 100,000 new cases a day since Nov. 4. But that’s not counting those that may be going undetected. “We have widespread, uncontrolled COVID-19 in many parts of the country,” says Dr. Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “And we know the cases reported are an underestimate of what is out there ... we’re missing many cases because people aren’t getting tested. So the true number is much higher than what we’re actually seeing.”

Adalja says that exponential spread means a virus is no longer increasing on a linear scale but is instead spiking at a rapid rate. Dr. Oguzhan Alagoz, an engineering professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who models the spread of infectious diseases, agrees, saying exponential spread refers to an “unbelievably high growth rate.” In this case, that means new COVID-19 cases in many parts of the country are doubling or tripling each week. Part of this, he says, is due to the fact that COVID-19 seems more contagious than other viruses.

Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/we-blew-it-us-reaches-explosive-covid-19-spread-as-virus-is-nearly-impossible-to-control-experts-say-210948870.html