COVID CHRISTMAS UPDATE

 We have a vaccine that probably works. * But things are going to be worse before they are better. 

Item One:  a new strain of the Covid19 virus is racing through England. As with all variants of a virus, this new strain has a genetic fingerprint that makes it easy to identify. The belief is that the new strain is easier to transmit. There is a small amount of data that indicates the new strain is just a simple mutation that is no more deadly than any other strain of Covid19. There is almost no data as to whether the vaccine protects against the new strain. That data will come from England as health officials monitor those who have been vaccinated. If people with the vaccine contract Covid19 5% of the time or less, than the vaccine will protect against the new strain. If 50% of the people vaccinated contract the new strain of Covid19, then it's a whole new ballgame. 

Parts of England have been placed on a Tier IV lockdown, meaning that bars and restaurants are closed, as are most public places, and visitation among households is not allowed. For the hardest hit areas, the ban on visitation extends to Christmas day. 

Europe, no big fan of the UK these days anyway because of Brexit, is shutting down travel with England. The Chunnel between England and France is shut. Ireland, Italy, France, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, Turkey, Israel, and Saudi Arabia have banned flights from the UK for any passengers other than returning nationals.  Governor DeSantis of Florida invited all of London to Miami, and told them they could leave their mask at home. 

Item Two: California Hospitals are full. We are seeing the aftereffects of people mingling during Thanksgiving. While no patients are being turned away, hospitals are turning operating rooms and garages into Covid19 treatment centers. What this means is that if Americans celebrate the upcoming Christmas and New Years holidays by socializing with each other, than we will see yet another rise in infections and death the end of January. Welcome to 2021. 

Item Three: There are rumblings that the President should impose martial law. There are suggestions being made at the highest levels that the military will "re-run" the election in several close states that the President lost. A republican Congressman (Matt Gatez, Rep., Sleaze, Florida) and a Republican Senator Elect from Alabama, former Football Coach and noted constitutional scholar Tommy Tuberville plan to challenge Congress certifying the results of the electoral college in January. 

Here's how this plays out. The 117th Covid Congress is sworn in on January 3, 2021. On January 6, 2021, Congress meets to count and certify the votes of the electoral college. "The person having the greatest number of votes shall be the President." Article II, Sect. I. "Unless the person is a Democrat..." Article II, Sect I, Republican/QAnaon Constitution of the United States of Trump.

If any Congressmember objects to a State's total, then a Senator needs to object as well. If a senator (like Tuberviille)  objects to the State's total, then both chambers of Congress must debate the objection for a maximum of two hours. For an objection to be sustained, both chambers of Congress must vote by a majority to sustain the objection. 

After the objections are debated and voted on, the electoral votes are read out, and Vice President Mike Pence, newly vaccinated and the presiding officer of the Senate will declare the winners of the election. Then the VP will crawl back under the rock he crawled out from. 

Then there will be an inaugural, and on that day, January 20, 2021, Former President Trump will file papers as a candidate for the 2024 presidential election, which will allow his campaign to raise hundreds of millions of dollars. Unless he gets the new strain of the Covid19 from England, and loses his voice for good. 

* We say that the vaccines "probably" work, because it is a truism of vaccine investigation that you really need data from over three million people before getting a very good statistical view on the vaccine's effectiveness and side-effects. That data takes about three to five years. So we are still feeling our way with this new group of vaccines. For example, no one knows how long the vaccine will provide protection for. The only way data on that will be available is when previously vaccinated people get infected with Covid19. So here is what Rumpole says: Once you get vaccinated, be safe. Still wear your mask in public. Practice social distancing, which for a misanthropic blogger like us is easy,  continue to wash your hands and avoid crowds.