In NYC the vaccine effectiveness has dropped from 93% to 79%. Wear a mask.

New COVID-19 Cases and Hospitalizations Among Adults, by Vaccination Status — New York, May 3–July 25, 2021: 

During May 3–July 25, 2021, the overall age-adjusted vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization in New York was relatively stable (91.9%–95.3%). The overall age-adjusted vaccine effectiveness against infection for all New York adults declined from 91.7% to 79.8%.

Some of the breakthrough cases are particularly nasty.  Masking, social distancing, handwashing--all the stuff we learned during the first round applies now.  Do it for the immunocompromised.

New COVID variant detected in South Africa, most mutated variant so far - The Jerusalem Post

New COVID variant detected in South Africa, most mutated variant so far - The Jerusalem Post: The study also found that the C.1.2 lineage has a mutation rate of about 41.8 mutations per year, which is nearly twice as fast as the current global mutation rate of the other variants. The scientists stated that this short period of increased evolution was also seen with the Alpha, Beta and Gamma variants, suggesting that a single event, followed by a spike in cases, drove faster mutation rates.

I honestly don't know what to think of this.  

Many Older Americans Still Aren’t Vaccinated

Many Older Americans Still Aren’t Vaccines: The Delta variant has hit many areas with clusters of vulnerable seniors particularly hard. Low elderly vaccination rates in Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana and Nevada have coincided with surging rates of hospitalization and death.

The data visualization in this article is impressive.

Delta Air Lines really doesn’t want to call the delta variant the ‘delta variant’

Delta Air Lines really doesn’t want to call the delta variant the ‘delta variant':

Most haven’t stuck around long enough, or wreaked enough havoc, to become household names. Delta — unfortunately for Delta — was different. The variant accounted for 93.4 percent of new infections in the United States by the end of July.

In his note Wednesday, Bastian also referred to “the most recent virus variants” and simply “the variant” — the term he told the Wall Street Journal he preferred to use last month. His message said that employees who do not get vaccinated will have to be tested weekly and pay a $200 monthly insurance surcharge.

Delta’s rise is fuelled by rampant spread from people who feel fine

Delta’s rise is fuelled by rampant spread from people who feel fine:

Cowling and his colleagues analysed exhaustive test data from 101 people in Guangdong who were infected with Delta between May and June this year, and data from those individuals’ close contacts. They found that, on average, people began having symptoms 5.8 days after infection with Delta — 1.8 days after they first tested positive for viral RNA. That left almost two days for individuals to shed viral RNA before they showed any sign of COVID-19.

And yet my school doesn't require masks.  Ugh.

South Dakota Covid cases quintuple after Sturgis motorcycle rally

South Dakota Covid cases quintuple after Sturgis motorcycle rally

They went from 644 cases to 3,000+ and seven people died.  

Highly Vaccinated Israel Is Seeing A Dramatic Surge In New Cases : Goats and Soda : NPR

Highly Vaccinated Israel Is Seeing A Dramatic Surge In New Cases : Goats and Soda : NPR: After reviewing data on breakthrough infections in Israel, the U.S. announced a booster shot campaign beginning in late September for anyone eight months after their second shot. The U.K. has promised boosters soon, and Turkey is offering Pfizer shots to those immunized with the Sinovac vaccine to help citizens planning to travel, since some countries will not recognize the Chinese vaccine. Israel has lowered the minimum age for boosters to 40. "The triple dose is the solution to curbing the current infection outbreak," Anat Ekka Zohar of Maccabi said in a statement. Boosters are not being offered in the Palestinian territories yet, and the World Health Organization has called on countries to stop giving COVID-19 booster shots in order to help poorer countries get vaccinated.

Vaccination is the answer.  Distancing is the answer.  Everything is fluid, and the uncertainty is exhausting.  I guess we will all either learn to get comfortable with chaos or develop chronic addiictions to food, drugs or Netflix to numb the anxiety.