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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> spike@rainier66.com <spike@rainier66.com> <br><br><o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>>…<a href="https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/usa/florida/">https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/usa/florida/</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>>…After two long years of wondering… it is entirely possible we will find out a whole bunch of answers in the coming week or two. If the fatality rate in Florida launches like one of Mr. Musk’s creations, then the nightmare continues indefinitely, we can look forward to more lockdowns and mandates of all kinds, failed businesses, another horrifying round of death and social destruction. If it doesn’t… good chance this nightmare is coming to a close. ….spike<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I just got a pile of fresh data from Florida and I can cheerfully report so far so good, along with a huge caveat: we may not have complete data because of the Christmas holiday.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The death rate reported today shows a weekly average lower than the week before.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>But this is preliminary data. The agency reporting (Florida Today) can’t guarantee the number won’t change, and it can only go up.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>If it doesn’t go up much… it suggests most of those new cases in Florida are the apparently-mild omicron and that omicron generally isn’t fatal (or even particularly severe.)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Let’s get our Tigger on, and hope for the best.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>spike<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><img border=0 width=156 height=186 style='width:1.625in;height:1.9375in' id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D7FB27.60BB4160"><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>…woohoo!<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>