Coronavirus Diary Day WTFK: April 28, 2021

Guys, I stopped counting how many days I’ve been keeping this record. It’s been well over a year, OK? For the sake of nostalgia, here are the latest numbers:

Worldwide Confirmed COVID-19 Cases / Deaths:

149,469,996 / 3,152,100

USA Cases / Deaths:

32,927,352 / 587,385

India Cases / Deaths:

17,997,267 / 201,187

Brazil Cases / Deaths:

14,446,541 / 395,324

France Cases / Deaths:

5,534,314 / 103,603

Russia Cases / Deaths:

4,787,273 / 109,367

UK Cases / Deaths:

4,409,631 / 127,451

Italy Cases / Deaths:

3,981,512 / 119,912

Now for a few worthy news items. First of all, the number of people in the USA getting vaccinated is pretty damn impressive, and at times, it almost feels as though our world is opening up again. The Hubs and I are both fully vaccinated, as well as many members of our immediate family, and a good chunk of our friends. We celebrated Easter at our house with a rather large group. We flew on an airplane in March for the first time in over a year (!!!!) to visit friends in Florida. Then we flew on another airplane in April to celebrate a friend’s 50th birthday in Jamaica. Of course, there are lots of safety protocols, and we’ve been happy to adhere. But if it feels like I haven’t posted an update in a while, that’s because I’m running around town pretending things are getting back to normal.

They’re not, though. India is suffering an enormous crisis as their case numbers explode. Experts believe the death toll there is far higher than reported. Borders around the world are still locked up tight, and if you can manage to get someplace, you need to jump through serious hoops. Vaccine roll-outs have not been equal from one country to another. While America seems to be doing quite well (so far), European nations are still struggling.

Having said that, the EU announced yesterday that it is exploring ways to allow vaccinated Americans to visit Europe this summer. Selfishly, that would be nice for me, as I’m scheduled to attend a wedding in Italy.

In other news, there’s this thing happening with cryptocurrencies right now. Will 2021 go down as the Year of Crypto? That’s actually possible. Bitcoin is trading at $55,000, and Ethereum at $2,600. Compared to a year ago, those numbers are quite simply outrageous. There are lots of reasons this is happening, and I’m no expert on the matter, but the overwhelming reaction is that the economic stimulus packages in response to the Coronavirus crisis may cause a jaw-dropping inflation rate in the very near future. Some folks (including me) are hedging their bets by burying money in the blockchain. I’m pretty curious to see how this pans out. Then again, I just want our old reality back. The world has gotten pretty fucking bizarre.

What hasn’t changed since a year ago? The Hubs still works from home. (Everyone still works from home). Public places still require masks (even outdoors). In many municipalities, children have not returned to in-person classrooms. My college freshman lives with me and takes all of his courses from the comfort of his bedroom lair. I’m still spending lots of time social distancing in the Adirondacks, and to be honest, I’m OK with that. Like many folks, I’ve become a bit of a recluse over the last year, and my FOMO has all but disappeared. (I’m hoping it comes back).

Having said that, the weekly fiasco at the grocery store has improved. I no longer feel the need to doomsday prep, although I’ll admit to keeping a small supply of toilet paper and canned goods. I’ve grown accustomed to talking with people through our masks, but I still can’t tell if they are smiling or frowning. Sometimes, not often, I go to a restaurant. I sat at a bar and had sushi with friends last night. The Bestie came to my house for lunch a few weeks ago. I’m grateful for these little things.

Also, no one I love has gotten seriously sick. I mean, people close to me have had COVID, of course. But no one in my immediate family. And for that, I am disproportionately grateful.

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