WSJ: Asia’s “zero COVID-19 tolerance” countries: https://www.wsj.com/articles/as-coronavirus-surges-in-u-s-and-europe-some-other-places-see-even-one-case-as-too-many-11604399645 . “Zero COVID-19 tolerance” is a slogan summarizing a group of policies long advocated here. These include widespread testing, contact tracing and quarantining exposed individuals. “First control the virus, then open the economy” is a lesson these countries have taken to heart, with considerable economic benefits. There are also significant social benefits. Now and in the future, this will also be a source of national pride.
US mortality gap widens over peer countries: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2020-11-02/the-pandemic-impacts-the-widening-mortality-gap-between-the-us-and-peer-countries%20?src=usn_nl_coronavirus .
The immune system is a computational device; COVID-19 is extraordinarily good at hacking it: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/11/09/how-the-coronavirus-hacks-the-immune-system .
WSJ: Temperature scanners don’t detect fever in humans: https://www.wsj.com/articles/security-industry-asks-for-more-regulation-of-new-crop-of-thermal-cameras-11604409453 . If this is true, was equipment sold on dishonest promises? This is especially serious where there is high foot traffic, for example retailers and office buildings.
Public health experts worry about the pandemic in the next 60 days: https://www.sun-sentinel.com/coronavirus/sns-nyt-trump-coronavirus-20201104-oqkohjzmmvefbhupehzvnvc5iy-story.html (NY Times; link replaced 5/24/21). While it still looks like a Biden win, should Trump win these concerns will be multiplied.
WSJ: Peru: a report and a personal story: https://www.wsj.com/articles/i-covered-covid-19s-surge-in-peru-then-death-came-to-my-own-family-11604412000 . It is striking that 7 in 10 Peruvians report knowing someone who has died from COVID-19. The denial of care to the elderly is also troubling.
COVID-19 early warning system: poop and spit: https://khn.org/news/the-best-covid-warning-system-poop-and-pooled-spit-says-one-colorado-school/ . Without doubt, this newsletter contains sentences more unusual than the sum total of my prior writing.
WSJ: Vaccine trial updates: https://www.wsj.com/articles/investors-should-keep-vaccine-hopes-in-check-11604403182 .
Novavax vaccine update: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/11/will-small-long-shot-us-company-end-producing-best-coronavirus-vaccine .
Reuters tally: US COVID-19 hospitalizations exceed 50,000: https://www.equities.com/news/coronavirus-hospitalizations-exceed-50-000-tuesday-highest-level-in-three-months .
WSJ: Redemption delays for real estate funds: https://www.wsj.com/articles/real-estate-slump-forcing-big-funds-to-delay-investor-redemption-requests-11604408401 . This is potentially a huge problem and bears watching. The sale of commercial real estate at fire-sale prices in order to satisfy redemptions may lead to a rush to the exits. Taking loans on the properties could work if prices recover, but increases leverage if properties do not.
WSJ: That chip has sailed: https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-fewer-chips-say-made-in-the-u-s-a-11604411810 . As we have been following, chip manufacture is increasingly dominated by Asia. The increasing importance of Taiwan in this market may create a strategic flashpoint in US-China relations.
WSJ: More oil production cuts on horizon: https://www.wsj.com/articles/saudis-other-opec-producers-consider-deeper-cuts-amid-pandemic-11604421735 .
Historic mental illness: Van Gogh: https://www.cnn.com/style/article/van-gogh-delirium-intl-scli/index.html . This article summarizes recent research. Van Gogh is thought to have suffered delirium from alcohol withdrawal after hospital admission.
Santorum is still a punching bag: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/cnn-panel-explodes-trump-unfounded-claims-mail-ballots-pennsylvania-091240961.html . Seriously, voter suppression has been a long-term policy of the Republican Party, most noticeably in the South (where it previously was a Democratic policy). It is un-American, undemocratic, unconstitutional, and it must stop. “One person, one vote”. Furthermore, Americans should be encouraged to vote, and that should be government policy.
Praise for Fauci: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/harrison-ford-trump-fauci_n_5fa0f1c2c5b63dc9a5c0117b . The Lincoln Project and Harrison Ford point out your choice on the firing decision.
AP fact check: https://apnews.com/article/ap-fact-check-donald-trump-virus-energy-dbaf877840db860f397921f0aa4f3a51 . The great headline – Trump’s errant final pitches – is a clever reference to Fauci and his opening pitch for the Washington Nationals.
We have had fact checking for a long time; the Internet has completely altered the nature of the task. Even after the Trump failure, somewhere this loudmouth will be blabbering every day. “Fake news” is now a permanent and damaging part of the American lexicon. The challenge is to reassert the supremacy of facts.
This is not exactly a new problem. “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics”. This phrase was popularized in the US by Mark Twain. The science journal Nature in 1885 referred to “the three classes [of witnesses] – simple liars, damned liars and experts”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lies,_damned_lies,_and_statistics .
WSJ: COVID-19’s effects on voting: https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-coronavirus-changed-election-2020-voting-and-polling-stations-11604444111 .
The early vote website https://electproject.github.io/Early-Vote-2020G/index.html has updated its “final” early vote total to 101.2 million, with 35.9 million in person and 65.2 million by mail. The final Democratic early vote margin expands to 7.1 million, 22.2 million to 15.1 million for reporting states.
WSJ: Early Senate results: https://www.wsj.com/articles/senate-election-2020-results-11604378353 . As of 1 am Eastern 11/4, of the called races there have been 0 gains by either party in the Senate or the House. However, none of the closest races have been called (8 Senate, 122 House).
Exit poll data: Trump gains among Latinos, loses elderly voters: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-exitpoll/trump-showing-new-strength-with-latinos-losing-some-older-voters-exit-polls-idUSKBN27J2T9 .