san diego: dialed in: CoViD-19: US Surpasses 800k Deaths, 50M+ Cases | Omicron On The Rise As Data Trickles In | 9 Years Since Sandy Hook | Biden-Harris Title X In Effect | House Votes To Hold Meadows In Contempt

CHVRCHES Mobile Phone Pic (Taken 12.13.21)

When it rains, often the first thing I do is pack up my bag and go to the San Diego Zoo. But today's storm was the brutal kind, not the gentle watch-the-elephants-frolic-in-the-mud kind. It just feels a little irresponsible to be out on the roads when I don't have to. San Diego got kinda pummeled today and while it's needed, it's always a concern when considering how our San Diego infrastructure can handle it. I saw some video from Tijuana and the Tijuana River and it looked pretty bad. LA and Riverside and the Bay Area and Tahoe all had gnarly footage, too. The downstairs apartment used to always take in water with heavy rain, but I haven't heard anything, though the neighbors are in the process of moving out so I'm not sure we'd know anything anyway. The new building next door, however, had a nice deep moat around it for a few hours.

Because I was home I watched way too much news. I often complain about the dumb man-on-the-street interviews but today I caught an interview with a woman who made sense for once on a point that always drives me crazy: the position that San Diegans don't know how to drive in the rain. This stupid comment drives me crazy every time I hear it because (1) a solid majority of people are generally bad drivers and (2) our infrastructure can't handle rain. So the woman was saying that the roads were crazy, but it's to be expected because most people's cars aren't tuned up for it - they don't check their wipers or tire pressure or headlights which can be dangerous, especially when our roads have months and months of oil buildup. Spot on.

And today I learned what "areal flooding" is and it's the exact reason why everyone needs to slow down. "Areal flood warning in our area are issued when an area gradually picks up 1 to 2 inches of rain. It's a warning that indicates the potential for standing puddles of water on a roadway. Creeks and streams are ...stressed in this occasion, as they may grow out of their banks." I am not exempt from bad driving but I think becoming a pedestrian/bicyclist who was without a car for several years as well as having a partner who was a taxi driver for 20 years made me a better, safer, and more considerate driver, but I still think everyone should have to retake the driver's test every 5 or 7 years and that our state needs far more public outreach about how much our roads are changing with bike amenities, road diets on freeways, busses on shoulder, and other things that weren't around 10, 20, years ago. It's even worse after the pandemic. The road rage is real and it is is constant.

Stay safe out there.

COVID-19:

Omicron is getting more defined - In both good and bad ways - Ground Truths/Dr. Eric Topol (12.13.21)

Omicron spreading rapidly in U.S., could bring punishing wave of infections , CDC warns - The Washington Post via Stars and Stripes (12.14.21)

Two things that would help enormously - less travel during Christmas, and more consistent wearing of masks - are not likely to happen, because people are so tired of the pandemic and have tuned out many public health messages

Omicron Variant: What You Need to Know - CDC (12.14.21)
Early U.K. Data: Two Vax Doses Don't Cut It Against Omicron — But booster bumps effectiveness to more than 70%, technical briefing finds - MedPage Today (12.13.21)
Omicron accounts for 3% of new US COVID-19 cases - Becker's Hospital Review (12.14.21)
Omicron poses 'very high' risk but data on severity limited - Reuters (12.13.21)

COVID toll hits 800,000 to close out year filled with death - AP News (12.14.21)

U.S. records over 50 million Covid cases - NBC News (12.13.21)
U.S. Hits 800,000 Covid Deaths 22 Months After the First - Statista (12.14.21)

California revives mask mandate as hospitals fear hard winter wave of COVID-19 cases - LA Times via Stars and Stripes (12.14.21)

Evidence makes it clear that masks help reduce transmission of the virus, Ghaly said. The coronavirus is airborne and can spread from infected people even if they are asymptomatic.

Pfizer Announces Additional Phase 2/3 Study Results Confirming Robust Efficacy Of Novel COVID-19 Oral Antiviral Treatment Candidate In Reducing Risk Of Hospitalization Or Death - Pfizer Press Release (12.14.21)

Merck’s COVID pill loses its lustre: what that means for the pandemic. Molnupiravir was initially heralded by public-health officials as a game-changer for COVID-19, but full clinical-trial data showed lower-than-expected efficacy. - nature (12.13.21)