News and notes from around the interweb:
- Gulf Air launches new fifth freedom routes “part of a wider plan to expand its global network beyond Bahrain.” They’ll be flying Athens, Greece – Larnaca, Cyprus and Bangkok – Singapore.
- When should travelers get their flu shot this year? I usually get mine in early November. I want it to have kicked in by Thanksgiving, and retain its greatest effectiveness through the peak of the season (which I guess will start later in Texas than the Northeast). But this is not based on studying the matter at all. (HT: Ken A.)
- Sober travel goes mainstream
- Controlling sonic booms could allow supersonic planes to fly over land (New Yorker)
- Singapore, expected to hit 2/3rds of the population fully vaccinated in August, makes plans to open up and ‘live with Covid-19’
- Delta’s new “masked up” safety video almost seems like a waste, doing this now when hopefully the U.S. transportation mask mandate has just a couple of months to run.
@ Gary — The mask mandate will not end in a couple le of months. Mark my word. Because Trump morons who refuse to get vaccinated.
The proposal put forth by Singapore is the most rational I’ve heard from any Asian country.
Of course, proper large scale vaccination of its citizens makes this possible.
However I will believe it when I see it..:that travel corridor with HKG is waiting to happen.
@Gene
Unfortunately, I believe you are correct. It’s pathetic and ironic that the “patriots” who have refused to wear a mask because of their God-given liberties and cry the loudest about lockdowns are directly responsible for the CONTINUED NEED for masks and lockdowns.
Singapore is to be commended for reaching a pragmatic approach to dealing with covid. It is going to be endemic, it is not life threatening for the majority of people, and there are means to protect the majority of the population.
As for the oft-repeated but erroneous statements about vaccination rates, there is clear data that shows that the greatest gap between vaccination rates at the race level are among blacks and Hispanics, not whites. While no one is asked to give their political affiliation when they are vaccinated, the racial groups that are lagging are not strong Republican voting blocks. The good news is that the rate of new vaccinations is growing among previously less vaccinated groups but there is still a racial gap. Facts, not politics, is all that matters.
@Gene – I don’t want more virus hosts incubating mutations, but wearing a mask only during travel isn’t going to stop that. So I’m good with anti-vaxxers just assuming Covid risk. And yes I realize there’s a small number of people for whom a vaccine isn’t indicated or who do not develop robust immune responses.
The countries behind the “COVID Curtain” (Australia, Japan, Canada, etc.) are at some point going to need to realize that zero COVID is simply not possible and managing it like other diseases is better than staying isolated forever. Those who want to live will get vaccinated; those who choose not to get vaccinated will sometimes die prematurely; and life can go on.
In normal times about 10,000 people a day die in the U.S. today’s rolling 7-day COVID death rate is 306. Each is a preventable tragedy, but the existence of the virus should no longer be allowed to disrupt daily life.
@DaveS – Very well said.
@Gene – Must you politicize this? You must still have Trump Derangement Syndrome. “Trumpers” are just one small slice of the vaccine hesitant pie.
FWIW, the most accurate predictor of vaccine uptake is not red/blue or ethnicity, but education level. That works across all demographic categories. The higher the education level, the more likely people are to get vaccinated.
Before people start making comments about this group or that, please note there are uneducated people across all categories – political, ethnic, and racial. And there are also some highly educated people who are prominent anti-vaxxers. Stop rooting for your “team” or insulting the other “team” and just do the right thing, get vaccinated and encourage others to do so, regardless of “team”.
@ Gary — Delta’s video is genious because it reminds people that they were the airline who cared the most about passengers’ health during the worse of the ongoing pandemic. It’s brilliant because it’s true. And the pandemic is nowhere close to being over.