Thanks to commentor Another Scott:
The German capital’s tourism authority has launched a controversial advertisement campaign featuring an elderly woman wearing a face mask and showing the middle finger to those who do not abide coronavirus measures.
Above the image of the woman wearing a floral-patterned mask and giving onlookers the finger, the poster reads: “A finger-wag for all those without a mask.”
Visit Berlin and the Berlin Senate on Tuesday launched the advert, entitled “We obey the corona rules,” aiming to prevent further spread of the coronavirus and to highlight the importance of safeguarding the health of the elderly…
Coronavirus cases are rising in America, sparking worries the next big wave has begun https://t.co/ybJFnLQiYq
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) October 14, 2020
“Birx replaced a functional, if imperfect, CDC data system—well understood by hospitals and state health departments—with an error-ridden and unreliable filter on hospital needs that sometimes displays nonsensical data, such as negative numbers of beds.” https://t.co/zUK2gbwwQs
— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) October 14, 2020
During the #coronavirus pandemic, people in the US are dying at higher rates than elsewhere in the world.
Over the last 5 months per capita deaths in the US, both from #COVID19 & other causes, have been far greater than in 18 other high-income countries.https://t.co/8d3HPAal3R— MicrobesInfect (@MicrobesInfect) October 14, 2020
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European countries, and even regions inside countries, are applying drastically contrasting strategies to combat the resurgence of COVID-19. @JWilsonBCN and @Karel_Janicek examine the different measures being taken in Europe. https://t.co/IryWfqC9eE
— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) October 14, 2020
France imposed curfews while other European nations are closing schools, canceling surgeries and enlisting student medics as overwhelmed authorities face the nightmare scenario of a COVID-19 resurgence at the onset of winter https://t.co/si1fDN1MY8 pic.twitter.com/VHxgB1EjHh
— Reuters (@Reuters) October 15, 2020
Spain has become the coronavirus hotspot in Western Europe. At Madrid’s Infanta Sofia hospital, intensive care staff are feeling emotionally exhausted on a level even worse than in the first wave https://t.co/X4vEs3i64a pic.twitter.com/K7xIrOkUGs
— Reuters (@Reuters) October 15, 2020
Germany posts record daily increase in coronavirus cases https://t.co/0O0xGRga1w pic.twitter.com/3HypYHDC7C
— Reuters (@Reuters) October 15, 2020
“On a psychological level, I have to say I still have not recovered.” For the medical personnel who fought the coronavirus in Italy’s hardest-hit region of Lombardy in the spring, the long-predicted resurgence came too soon. https://t.co/1zmKUujiNX
— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) October 14, 2020
Meanwhile in the Italian senate, when the senator refuses to wear a mask. pic.twitter.com/6ZF91EyfJz
— Channa Prakash (@AgBioWorld) October 14, 2020
The U.K. government’s new COVID-19 strategy appears to be unraveling as regional leaders in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland are charting their own paths, saying Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan hasn’t gone far enough. https://t.co/ENeBdyYs5D
— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) October 14, 2020
Polish officials warn of rising infection, new curbs https://t.co/R3SMg5nDpd pic.twitter.com/b6SlwqjrvO
— Reuters (@Reuters) October 15, 2020
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, Israel had one of the largest income gaps and poverty rates. A second nationwide virus lockdown has widened those gaps, dealing a new blow to an economy already hit hard by the first round of restrictions. https://t.co/UqKpsGEdJA
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 14, 2020
⚡ Russia confirmed 13,754 new Covid-19 cases Thursday, bringing its official number of cases to 1,354,163 https://t.co/b1RdeIo3oK
— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) October 15, 2020
Russian hospitals are near capacity with coronavirus patients as new infections break records and authorities attempt to slow the second wave of the virus, a top health official saidhttps://t.co/RccsVJdbVG
— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) October 14, 2020
India’s peak holiday season set to send COVID-19 cases surging https://t.co/6IrRteGhAn pic.twitter.com/SwchgzTnZm
— Reuters (@Reuters) October 15, 2020
Two health officials in the northern Chinese city of Qingdao have been fired after China’s latest coronavirus outbreak. https://t.co/tgc5BcH8TM
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 15, 2020
Indonesia officially has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in all of Southeast Asia, overtaking the Philippines today with 4,411 new infections today. https://t.co/kcTkvnZCe9
— Stanley Widianto (@stanleywidianto) October 15, 2020
Brazil registers 749 coronavirus deaths on Wednesday https://t.co/kthGV5P4tU pic.twitter.com/2fhZcwj7Hl
— Reuters (@Reuters) October 15, 2020
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Yes, you can be reinfected with the coronavirus. But it’s extremely unlikely. More than 38 million people have been infected with the coronavirus globally, but fewer than 5 of those cases have been confirmed by scientists to be reinfections https://t.co/ml9K8jgz5E
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) October 14, 2020
‘Long COVID’ may affect multiple parts of body and mind, doctors say https://t.co/RbL0vcHcBg pic.twitter.com/Ymtqt1NPua
— Reuters (@Reuters) October 15, 2020
U.S. health officials are planning an extra layer of safety scrutiny for the first people vaccinated when COVID-19 shots become available. https://t.co/lyhbOySHaY
— AP Health & Science (@APHealthScience) October 14, 2020
NEW Correspondence—80+ researchers warn that a so-called #herdimmunity approach to managing #COVID19 is “a dangerous fallacy unsupported by the scientific evidence” #WCPH2020 https://t.co/2gTtklAkwx pic.twitter.com/q4YNZFJM22
— The Lancet (@TheLancet) October 14, 2020
“The societies that are doing the best all over the world right now in fighting covid, are all countries that have decided not to pursue herd immunity, but instead to go into a deliberate lockdown followed by cluster studies” – @Laurie_Garrett w/ @NicolleDWallace pic.twitter.com/vriPDVhgyp
— Deadline White House (@DeadlineWH) October 14, 2020
Evidence that one of the #Covid19 vaccines works sufficiently well to warrant its use could make testing the others seriously complicated, @sciencecohen writes in a meaty discussion of vaccine trial ethics. https://t.co/rW0jRyCkuW
— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) October 15, 2020
China’s largest vaccine manufacturer is expected to announce some level of approval for a coronavirus vaccine in October. Many citizens haven’t waited to get injected. https://t.co/xH5eQYbkDt
— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) October 14, 2020
Russia has approved its second coronavirus vaccine, President Vladimir Putin announced Wednesday as the country faces down a second wave of the virushttps://t.co/iIz87NKPYa
— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) October 14, 2020
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The @washingtonpost live focused on #COVID19 yesterday w/@EricTopol and I — stream it here: https://t.co/TVF8eR2Rd7
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) October 14, 2020
Full transcript at the link.
Brigham Young University-Idaho is warning about college students trying to contract #COVID19 to make money donating plasma with antibodies https://t.co/APGYXM33Ev
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) October 14, 2020
Florida adds nearly 3,000 #COVID19 cases and more than 60 deaths https://t.co/z0I2WRPU8F
— Crawford Kilian (@Crof) October 14, 2020
Gov. Cuomo threatens to withhold state funds from local govts that don’t comply with #coronavirus restrictions. Several Orthodox Jewish communities are in the state-declared “red zones” where the case positivity rate is 6.2% https://t.co/5wF3aiphew
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) October 14, 2020
opiejeanne
I am having minor surgery on my right hand next week to remove a ganglion cyst on the first knuckle of my middle finger, so on Sunday I’m being tested for COVID-19, using the long Q-tip.
So, yay for getting rid of this painful annoying cyst!
NotMax
Total number of reported cases in U.S. passes 8 million.
mrmoshpotato
@opiejeanne: Gotta keep the middle fingers healthy in these times.
You never know when you’ll need them.
Anya
@opiejeanne: Best wishes for a smooth and speedy recovery. COVID test sucks. I had to do it recently when I was informed that I became into contact with someone who has tested positive.
Anya
Is there a religious related reason why some of the Orthodox Jewish communities in NY are in not complying with COVID restrictions or are these local communities just being extra MAGA?
OzarkHillbilly
But but but doesn’t Russia have the bestest manliest Putin approved vaccine ever???
opiejeanne
@Anya: Thanks, and I hope you’re ok.
OzarkHillbilly
Yes is my understanding, tho I am ignorant as to the particulars. They are also known for measles outbreaks because they refuse vaccinations.
NotMax
@Anya
Part of it is that the Lubavitcher sect is – what’s the technical term? Oh yeah, nuts.
opiejeanne
@mrmoshpotato: I amused the x-ray techs when they asked if I could stick out my middle finger. I am 70 and have white hair, and they just didn’t expect me to turn and give them the finger.
These techs were in their 30s at least, and they were talking about space exploration and movies, and I suggested they watch Apollo 13. They didn’t realize that the Apollo 13 mission did not go to the moon on a space shuttle.
It was a jolt to realize that they weren’t alive when that mission went haywire. One asked me what they flew on and I told her it was a rocket. They both kind of goggled at me. I think they thought I was pulling their legs.
OzarkHillbilly
@NotMax: That too, but I thought that went without saying.
OzarkHillbilly
@opiejeanne: Thanx, as if I wasn’t already feeling old.
Brachiator
Unfortunately, Trump, being Trump, is moving towards a formal policy of herd immunity. His new advisor, Scott Atlas, is pushing hard for this and attempting to shape health policy. Atlas was added to the pandemic task force in mid-August. A recent Twitter message from Atlas reads like a typical rant from the addled brain of the Orange Menace himself.
Atlas echoes his master in the weird insistence on opening schools (which is a sideways method of saying open up all businesses).
Of course, Atlas is a neuroradiologist, not an expert on infectious diseases.
But these fools cannot contain their own foolishness. Dopes who applaud this are also declaring their opposition to any future vaccine, insisting that they will be “brave” and outfight the virus.
opiejeanne
@OzarkHillbilly: It’s bad enough when you talk to teenagers but when it’s adults approaching middle-age it does sometimes knock you back a bit.
But if you feel old, just think how John McCain’s mother must have felt at 108.
WereBear
Toxic masculinity on steroids for everyone!
Brachiator
@opiejeanne:
And they were pulling your finger!
Good luck with the surgery.
ETA:
And the mother had a twin sister who lived to 99.
opiejeanne
@Brachiator: I saw that. An identical twin.
YY_Sima Qian
Yesterday, China reported 1 new domestic confirmed case (previously asymptomatic) and 0 new domestic asymptomatic cases, at Qingdao in Shandong Province. This case is 1 of the 2 dock workers who had tested positive on 9/24, not from the Pulmonology hospital cluster. There have been no new cases reported at Qingdao, for a total of 13 confirmed cases, 1 in critical condition, 3 serious, 7 moderate and 2 mild. All the patients who contracted COVID-19 at the Pulmonology hospital were already suffering from tuberculosis, which may explain the high percentage of moderate to serious cases.
As of 8 AM on 10/15, 206,225 individuals among staff, patients and caretakers at medical facilities have been been tested, all negative. 9,947,304 residents have been swabbed as part of the city-wide mass screening, 7,743,274 results obtained so far are all negative. The authorities expect to complete all 11M residents by the end of today, with results by tomorrow. The source of the newest cluster is still unknown, certainly curious as all staff at the Pulmonology hospital have tested negative.
Yesterday, China reported 10 new imported confirmed cases and 23 imported asymptomatic cases and 2 imported suspect cases:
Yesterday, Hong King did not report any new cases. Today, the city reported 12 new cases, 4 from local transmission, 2 of them without clear sources of transmission.
Nelle
@mrmoshpotato: When I had hand surgery, the brace had my middle finger raised, the others down. For six weeks. I still have the brace, figuring it might come in handy. I probably should have made them to sell as a fundraiser. (Without the surgery, I couldn’t have controlled the middle finger -a ruptured digital band just at the base of the middle finger- so you can see how necessary the surgery was. For embroidery, right?)
opiejeanne
@Brachiator: Thansks for the good luck wish. I will admit that I’m a little nervous about the procedure because they’re not just removing the cyst, they’re going to scrape away the little bone spurs that caused the problem. It looks like a giant blister, but you can’t drain it the way you would a blister. It’s caused by arthritis, which was a total surprise, but my left hand has been bugging me for months and the diagnosis was also arthritis in my wrist, where the thumb attaches. The fix for that is drastic compared to this finger business, so we’re trying therapy first to find a way to live with it with the least amount of pain.
Anya
@opiejeanne: I am fine, thanks! It’s such an inconvenience when you live with others but I am symptom free and tested negative so just staying in isolation for a bit longer. It’s been 12 days after my last contact with the person so two more days and I am out of quarantine.
Patricia Kayden
OzarkHillbilly
@opiejeanne: I had an aunt who lived to 98. Sharp as a tack to her final days. Lived too long. She’d buried brothers and sisters, buried her own children, seen a beloved grandson go to prison. Couldn’t walk the last decade or so. her last year or two was unable to knit because of arthritis. A thing she loved, made her feel like she could still contribute (made afghans for all her siblings, grandchildren, dozens of nieces and nephews, grand nieces/nephews etc). Was actually relieved when she was finally diagnosed with cancer and knew the end was finally coming.
blacque_jacques
@OzarkHillbilly:
I guess they’re having anti-mask demonstrations too. Oh, wait, they’re not.
Meanwhile, here in NL, we had 7305 new cases the past 24 hours, down from 7393 the previous period. 301 in ICU, up 24 since yesterday. 1475 currently in hospital.
We’re calling the second wave the #Ronaissance…well, I am, anyway.
YY_Sima Qian
The most recent cluster at Qingdao is apparently the 4th instance of nosocomial transmission at the city since the start of the pandemic, twice in Feb. during the height of the first wave, once in early Apr. after the 1st wave was eradicated, and now. The Pulmonology hospital is a small Tier 3 hospital whose primary purpose is to treat tuberculosis patients, with only a 4 story building for its wards. Imported COVID-19 cases are probably treated at different floors from the the TB patients. The set up could have had holes in the separation between the two areas. Not sure why Qingdao did not designate a physically isolated wing of a major Tier 1 hospital to treat imported cases. That might be the reason the party secretary of the municipal health commission has been suspended.
jl
Thanks for the many great links. Laurie Garrett got carried away in the msnbc clip. Some of the successful countries she mentioned did not need general lockdowns.
I think the Reuters clip is sloppy and misleading and sensationalistic. Ap story better.
Individual European countries are adopting very different approaches because each is facing its own unique situation, some far more serious than others, some outbreaks due to different causes than others. They are far better off than we are because they know where the problems come from, while still have no clue.
mrmoshpotato
@opiejeanne:
Some British humor for you.
SFAW
@opiejeanne:
Good luck with the surgery!
I think it would be good humor if you were to take a post-surg picture with your hand splinted up, showing us that you think we’re all “Number 1” (so to speak).
jl
@jl: while WE still have no clue.
Amir Khalid
Malaysia’s daily Covid-19 numbers. DG of Health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah reports 589 new cases today, for a cumulative reported total of 18,129 cases.
586 new cases are from local infection, including 133 non-Malaysians. Sabah has 304 cases: 165 close-contact screenings, 25 from existing clusters, 13 from the new Olive cluster, and 101 from other screenings. Selangor has 150 cases: 125 from existing clusters, 13 close-contact screenings, nine symptomatic persons, and three from other screenings. Perak has 52 cases: 50 from existing clusters, two from the new Bah Pengkalan cluster. Kedah has 31 cases: 28 from the Tembok prison cluster, and three symptomatic screenings. Penang has 16 cases, 15 from existing clusters and one severe acute respiratory illness screening. Negeri Sembilan has 11 cases: nine close-contact screenings, one from the Bah Kasturi cluster, and one person who recently travelled to a high-risk zone in Sabah. KL has eight cases: four from existing clusters, two persons who recently travelled to a high-risk zone in Sabah, one close-contact screening, and two from other screenings. Labuan has six cases: three people back from high-risk zones in Sabah, two from the new Saguking cluster, and one from the Bah Bundle cluster. Sarawak has two cases, one close-contact screening and one person back from a high-risk zone in Sabah. Melaka has two cases, one close-contact screening and one person with severe acute respiratory illness. Kelantan has two cases, both screened when signing on to ship’s crew. And Putrajaya has one case, from the new Bah Pasir cluster.
Three new cases are imported, all non-Malaysians arriving from Indonesia (two) and Ukraine.
409 more patients recovered and were discharged, the highest daily number of Covid-19 patients recovered, for a total of 12,014 patients recovered — 66.3% of the cumulative reported total. 5,945 active and contagious cases are currently in hospital; 103 of them are in ICU, 31 of them on respirators.
Three new covid-19 deaths were reported today, all in Sabah: a 54-year-old woman with hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and thyroid disease; a 68-year-old man with diabetes; and a 100-year-old woman. This brings the total to 170 deaths — 0.94 of the cumulative reported total, 1.40% of resolved cases.
SFAW
That’s one of the more disappointing/distressing things I saw in this post: that she apparently took “active measures” to sabotage the CDC. I mean, I know that’s what the Murderer-in-Chief wants/wanted, as do Jared and all the other “Let’s destroy a functioning government” traitors. But that an alleged “leader” in that field turns out to have just as little integrity as Mattis and the rest of the whores (apologies to prostitutes everywhere) bothers me, for some inexplicable reason.
Just another name to add to the firing/indicting list, I guess.
debbie
Ohio reported more than 2,000 new cases yesterday, the highest number of infections since the earliest days of the pandemic. Just brilliant, Buckeyes. //
mrmoshpotato
@SFAW: But her emails! – and she was overprepared! Isn’t that right Upchuck Toddler?
Amir Khalid
@NotMax:
I have to agree. Matt McIrvin and I discussed this a few days ago: In Judaism preservation of life takes priority over any religious observance; refusing to wear masks and observe social distancing is not only very risky, but strictly speaking also un-Jewish.
Sloane Ranger
Meanwhile, here in the UK. Yesterday, we had19,724 new cases, which is 2000 more than we had a week previously. This is a new all time high (not counting the 4th October figures, which included the cases they had just discovered behind the filing cabinet). Figures by home nation are:
England – 16,132 (up @2000)
Northern Ireland – 1217 (up @300)
Scotland – 1429 (up @100)
Wales – 946 (up @200).
It is too early to say if the new measures each country has put in place is having any effect as these infections were all baked in beforehand.
Deaths – There were 137 new deaths within 28 days of a positive test, 108 were in England, 4 in Northern Ireland, 15 in Scotland and 10 in Wales. This is the first time Scotland has hit double digits in quite a while. The weekly number of deaths with COVID on the Death Certificate was 343 as of Friday 2nd October.
Testing – There were 264,713 tests processed out of a capacity of 344,426. This is more in line with what we have been seeing recently and may mean my concerns about the Roche shortages showing were unwarranted. We’ll see if this continues.
Hospitalisations – 680 people were admitted on a single day last Saturday (most recent national figure available). There were 4650 actually in hospital in total as of last Monday and 516 were on ventilators last Tuesday. So, there is a steady uptick in all metrics.
In the meantime, I had a guy in yesterday to give my central heating system a much needed powerflush, the water was black and yucky as it came out. What has this to do with COVID you ask?
Well, as he was leaving, he mentioned he was driving back to Leicester where he lived. Leicester is still on lockdown due to its high number of cases. I was always intending to clean the house thoroughly after he’d done his thing but, as you can imagine, I went mad and I could still smell the disinfectant when I woke up this morning!
TS (the original)
@SFAW:
And yet another task for Biden/Harris to sort out. After 4 years of a president* & his administration doing nothing, the Federal employees are sure going to notice the difference. I hope someone (or two or three) writes a book about the change.
TS (the original)
@Sloane Ranger:
Scotland, I think, has a population around 5 million – similar to Melbourne (Australia). When Melbourne cases reached 700 in a day, they implemented a massive lockdown with a curfew and no-one allowed to travel more than 5km – except for work, emergencies and similar. Most (but not all) is still in place & the average cases over 14 days has just dropped to single figures.
I don’t know if this was the best way to go, but it seems to be the only way to get cases down. If I was in the US or the UK I doubt I would be travelling anywhere, as it is, we venture out rarely & I live in a state with virtually no cases for weeks (incoming o/seas arrivals excepted).
Sloane Ranger
@TS (the original): You’re right about Scotland’s population. Nicola Sturgeon has been more bullish that our own Boris. She’s all but closed pubs for example, but she’s not gone for a full lockdown – yet. She’s left it on the table though.
Princess
The Czechs had one of the smallest outbreaks in Europe originally because they went to full mask wearing in March. Then they completely reopened, ended mask mandates etc. and now we see where they are. Masks save lives. It should be a huge example for the rest of the world — both their success and their failure, but no one cares about the Czechs so no one pays attention.
mrmoshpotato
@TS (the original):
Would you like the handful of countries we Yanks aren’t currently banned from?
Wanna go to Canadia? Nope! BANNED!
charon
@OzarkHillbilly:
The only religious reason is that they culturally believe whatever the rabbi says and some of the rabbis are real crackpots, same as some Christian pastors are real crackpots.
Also, very Trumpy version of Zionism so they take the Orange Moloch seriously also.
charon
@OzarkHillbilly:
” … They are also known for measles outbreaks because they refuse vaccinations. …”
Not part of the religion, just crackpot anti-vax rabbi stuff.
charon
@Amir Khalid:
” … In Judaism preservation of life takes priority over any religious observance; … “
Exactly, people with health issues that preclude do not fast on Yom Kippur.
TS (the original)
@mrmoshpotato:
Well no-one is allowed into Australia – except movie stars (to make movies) and millionaires (to bring in money), so the US isn’t alone in this.
I was, however, talking about internal travel. The furthest I have travelled since February is about 30km from home – to visit my dentist (who moved a couple of years ago and used to be much closer to my place).
bbleh
FWIW, the poster reads “We obey the coronavirus rules.” I dunno where the other language came from.
TS (the original)
@Sloane Ranger:
It isn’t easy to implement the full lockdown. There is a lot of resentment & argument – however the majority seem to accept it – some with more positive thinking than others. Melbourne implemented massive fines ($1000+) for not following the shut down rules – that also has an impact.
SiubhanDuinne
@blacque_jacques:
Just brilliant. I’ve shared with a bunch of Cdn/NL friends.
YY_Sima Qian
@Princess: I suspect resumption of schools is a big part of it. Most European countries shut down schools the first time around, before implementing more restrictive lock downs. Schools were already shut for Chinese New Year during China’s 1st (and so far, only) wave, and did not resume until a couple of months after eradication, and even then just for 3 weeks to close out the springs semester before summer break. Most East Asian countries shut schools as one of the first restrictions to implement. However, there seems to be a real relevance to do so in Europe this time around.
Robert Sneddon
@TS (the original): The political understanding is that you can implement a hard lockdown once and for nearly all countries that’s already happened, in April or May. After that fatigue sets in and people will not follow the strong recommendations or even laws on lockdowns, travel restrictions etc. and there aren’t enough cops to enforce these repeated restrictions even if they were imposed.
The scientific advisors aren’t politicians, they have an engineering solution to COVID-19 that would fix most things (a “circuit breaker” hard lockdown for two weeks or so) but dealing with this disease is inherently a people problem and that’s where politicians, leaders of the polis (the people) come in. They have to figure out what they can do while knowing well what they can’t get away with. Just ordering everyone to do something doesn’t mean it gets done.
Robert Sneddon
Three students got caught holding a big party at their rented house in England a couple of weeks ago. They got fined £10,000 each. News like this still won’t stop some people dodging the rules although it may deter most folks which is all you can really hope for.
StringOnAStick
@opiejeanne: I had one of those taken from a foot. The results are wonderful because it was affecting my ability to walk. The process was less than pleasant because it was on the bottom of my foot but the surgery was from the top.
I’m glad it’s your hand, your recovery should go well. Do your PT! I have a PT friend who specialises in hands; he tells his patients to “dance with your hand”, meaning do lots of increasingly exotic motions (ever been to a Grateful Dead concert?) to restore the amazingly complex movement capabilities of hands.
J R in WV
@opiejeanne:
My own grandma grew up in the era of steamboats delivering things into her small river-boat town, through RRs with steam locomotives, Dodge autos, to fly in a 737 and see the Apollo Missions (mostly) land on the moon.
I (barely) remember traveling on a regular RR service with a coal-burning steam engine. It was when the local RR services inally announced the end of steam engine-powered passenger service in SW WV. So mid-1950s. I was 4+ or 5 years old then. When we went through one of the very many tunnels, smoke and cinders came in the open windows, and the seats were oak and iron benches, no electric lights, at least in the daytime. Just like in the Western movies, only noisy and smelly too.
I also remember the first series of polio vaccination shots, not long after that last steam-powered RR trip. No charge, everyone wanted one. Stood in line for them like voting in GA.
Brachiator
@J R in WV:
Polio shots? I remember standing in line at school and getting a sugar cube embedded with the polio vaccine.
I recently removed the small band aid covering where I got a recent flu shot. Above it is the small round scar where I got the smallpox vaccine years and years ago. My niece and nephew, born after smallpox had been eliminated, asked me about the scar once and were amazed that there could be such a thing.
opiejeanne
@Brachiator: We were given the Salk vaccine injection at school, in spring of 1956. It was too late for a kindergarten classmate who got polio in November. We got booster shots every year or so.
We later got the sugar cube vaccine which was much nicer than getting stuck with a needle.. I don’t remember when, but maybe it was 1962?