February 9, 2021
PRO-NORMAL OR PRO-LIFE?:
Axios-Ipsos poll: No shared path back to normal (Margaret Talev, 2/09/21, Axios)
Perhaps the most important measure of when people anticipate they can return to normal is on the question of resuming in-person gatherings with family and friends outside the home.28% of overall respondents said they already have. That share surges for Republicans (42%), while it's dramatically less for Democrats (10%) and people 65 and older (15%).22% of overall respondents say they're waiting for themselves and their family and friends to get the vaccine.Getting everyone vaccinated is most important in the minds of respondents who had a bachelor's degree or higher (34%) and for seniors (29%).It was least important as a cue among those with a high school degree or less (14%).Given the health gains we're experiencing, why would we "return to normal," rather than maintaining sensible protective measures?
How COVID-19 is changing the cold and flu season: Measures meant to tame the coronavirus pandemic are quashing influenza and most other respiratory diseases, which could have wide-ranging implications. (Nicola Jones, 2/08/21, Nature)
In the Southern Hemisphere -- now past its winter -- seasonal influenza hardly struck at all. That looks as though it might happen in the north, too. Conversely, some common-cold viruses have thrived, and tantalizing evidence suggests that they might, in some cases, protect against COVID-19. [,,,]
In May, at the tail end of the first wave of COVID-19 deaths in many nations, and when some of the strictest lockdowns were in place, health workers noted an abrupt and early halt to the 2019-20 flu season in the Northern Hemisphere.
Posted by Orrin Judd at February 9, 2021 12:00 AM