Stellenbosch

Stellenbosch – 28 May 2021 – South Africa

Editor note:

Another article from Tom Allin – World Traveler. I know some of us Harrison County travelers should see what real travelers do.

By Tom Allin

We are back on the road but without the 4Runner. We packed last night, had breakfast, packed the rental car and began our drive to Franschhock with a walking tour stop scheduled for Stellenbosch and a lunch afterwards.

Other than the light rain it appeared to be a good day – don’t you hate optimistic people.

OK — light rain, a rental car that is low to the ground rather than our high 4Runner, first time driving in South Africa and my memory has blanked out several other issues that may have had led me to be slightly stressed. But I had Nancy, my navigator and entertainment director, in the right hand seat so let’s get on the road.

I don’t remember any wrong turns. For the most part the highway driving was easy and the highway was well signed. The highway was well maintained, hell I wish I-20 in Texas was as well maintained as the highway out of Cape Town.

Maybe we made one or two wrong turns, but it didn’t take us to long to find downtown Stellenbosch and most importantly a parking space – a head in parking space!

We paid the city parking attendant and began walking towards Stellenbosch on Foot. As you probably guessed from the name it was a company that provides walling tours. Drops of rain were falling but I not going to say it was raining but more like a drizzle.

Use the links below to read Tom’s complete story

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Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens – 24 May 2021 — South Africa

Editor note:

Today I received this email from Tom Allin – World Traveler. He forwarded photos and a story. I know some of us Harrison County travelers should see what real travelers do.

By Tom Allin

Today was a day to stretch our legs and begin our self-education on South African plants. We arrived at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens by Uber a few minutes before 9:00 am and left a little after 3:00 pm. We did stop for lunch.

Let me begin with why we are here. Seven years ago, when putting together our Drive Around the World one of the things to see on my list were the world’s best Botanical Gardens. Nancy and I both enjoy flowers, plants, cactus, succulents, trees, where they grow and botanical gardens. You would be hard pressed to look at any list of the world’s best botanical gardens and not find Kirstenbosch on the list.

I am going to get the scientific stuff out of the way early. South Africa has over 140 of the 200 natural orders of plants in the world and over 25,000 species of flora, including a floral kingdom found nowhere else in the world. The Cape Floral Region Protected Areas is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is recognized as one of the most special places for plants in the world in terms of diversity, density, and number of endemic species.

In short, South Africa’s is one of the most unique flora locations in the world.

Use the links below to read Tom’s story

CLICK HERE TO READ THE COMPLETE STORY

ANDROID USERS CHICK HERE TO READ THE COMPLETE STORY

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CORONAVIRUS INFO PROVIDED BY DR. JIM HARRIS – 5/20/2022

AREA COUNTS ARE SLOWLY CLIMBING BUT AREA DANGER REMAINS “LOW.” NEW NUMBERS ON TUESDAY. HAVE A NICE WEEKEND.

FROM THE NYT:

1. The F.D.A. authorizes Pfizer-BioNTech boosters for children ages 5 to 11.

”…More than eight million of the 28 million children in that age group in the United States have received two vaccine shots, and will now be eligible for the extra dose at least five months after their second shot. (The newly authorized booster dose is the same strength as the first two shots. In a news release on Tuesday, Pfizer said its clinical trial data showed that the additional shot produced a strong immune response in the age group, generating neutralizing antibodies against both the Omicron variant and original version of the virus[NOTE FROM HOPKINS]

FROM HOPKINS SUGGESTIONS:

1. BA.4/BA.5 SUBVARIANTS On May 12, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reclassified the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 sublineages from variants of interest to variants of concern (VOC). BA.4 and BA.5 were first identified in South Africa in January and February 2022, respectively. Since their identification, they have spread to other parts of the world, including to Portugal, where BA.4/5 currently account for around 37% of cases. Similar to other Omicron subvariants, such as BA.2, BA.4 and BA.5 appear to be significantly more transmissible than previous variants. BA.5 has an estimated growth advantage of 13% over BA.2 under laboratory conditions. Even individuals previously infected with an Omicron variant do not appear to be well protected against infection from BA.4/BA.5. Notably, BA.4/BA.5 contain enough mutations in key sites to evade both naturally acquired immunity and previous vaccinations. Fortunately, BA.4 and BA.5 do not appear to cause more severe disease than previous variants, although more studies are needed to solidify this observation. In the US, BA.2 and BA.2.12.1 still remain the dominant subvariants at this time, but it is likely that more cases will result from BA.4/BA.5 infection as the summer approaches and as more cases are imported from South Africa and Europe.

2. Moderna last week released data showing its 2-dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccine is safe and effective in inducing strong immune responses and preventing COVID-19 in children aged 6 to 11 years.

3. ”Around the globe, Australia’s death rate is about one-tenth of the rate in the US. In other words, if the US had the same death rate as Australia, 900,000 people might have been saved. One important trait differentiates the US and Australian responses: trust. At the beginning of the epidemic, 76% of Australians said they trusted the healthcare system, compared with about 34% of Americans, and 93% of Australians said they felt supported by their friends, colleagues, or communities. Australia’s leadership worked quickly to translate much higher levels of public trust in science and institutions, as well as interpersonal trust, into action, urging individuals to take steps that would prove vital to protecting themselves and their communities. Early in the pandemic, Australia’s politicians and public health officials—who adopted a “one voice” cooperative approach—moved to close borders; quarantine international travelers; implement isolation, surveillance, and contact tracing tactics; and enforce long-term lockdowns. Unlike the US, Australia’s non-partisan response to the pandemic, national health insurance program, smaller gaps in income inequality, and a concept of “mateship”—of not wanting to let down one’s neighbor—helped the nation comply with public health guidance and vaccination requirements. All of these measures helped Australia weather the pandemic and reach a vaccination rate of more than 95% among people aged 16 years and older, which is proving vital during its latest surge of cases due to the Omicron variant.”

4. Scent Dogs in Detection of COVID-19: Triple-blinded Randomised Trial and Operational Real-life Screening in Airport Setting (BMJ Global Health) This large randomised controlled triple-blinded validation study with a precalculated sample size conducted at an international airport showed that trained scent dogs screen airport passenger samples with high accuracy. One of our findings highlights the importance of continuous retraining as new variants emerge. Using scent dogs may present a valuable approach for high-throughput, rapid screening of large numbers of people.

Paxlovid for Covid Infection: 6 Facts

(J. Harris: Good simple article with CDC reference for details.)

The White House opens up another round of free, at-home virus tests to order through the Postal Service.

(J. Harris: It takes about one minute to order these free tests on line.)

FROM BECKERS:

1. Christus Health blocks ransomware attack

FROM JAMA

1. SARS-CoV-2 RNA Can Persist in Stool Months After Respiratory Tract Clears Virus

”…After respiratory samples tested negative, a small proportion of the 113 study participants continued to shed SARS-CoV-2 RNA in their feces—about 4% of them for at least 7 months—and those people were more likely to report ongoing gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, researchers reported in the journal Med….The findings provide more evidence that SARS-CoV-2 infects the gut as well as the lungs and could help explain why some people with “long COVID” have persistent abdominal pain, nausea, and other GI symptoms, according to the authors.

…In [A] new study, fecal SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in about half of the participants within the first week after a polymerase chain reaction–confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19. At 4 months, no participants were still shedding viral particles from the respiratory tract, but 12.7% continued to shed SARS-CoV-2 RNA in feces. At 7 months, 3.8% were still shedding SARS-CoV-2 in feces….”

QUESTIONS RAISED: 1. Why would SARS-CoV-2 linger in the gut longer than in the respiratory tract? 2. Is live, infectious SARS-CoV-2 commonly shed in stool? 3. How might persistent fecal shedding change how wastewater epidemiology interprets findings? 4. Does SARS-CoV-2 directly infect gut tissue? 5. Might the SARS-CoV-2 RNA found in feces at the later time points represent reinfection, not persistent infection? 6. Could persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection of the gut help explain postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2, commonly known as long COVID?

2. First Breathalyzer Test to Diagnose COVID-19

3.Severity and Incidence of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children During 3 SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic Waves in Israel

AND LASTLY:

1. There’s a fine line between a numerator and a denominator. (…Only a fraction of people will get this joke.)

2. What do dentists call their x-rays?

Tooth pics!

3. Did you hear about the first restaurant to open on the moon?

It had great food, but no atmosphere.