<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>OK well, I am ready to call this good news. If we compare the death rate to the new case rate in Florida in December, it looks a lot like the South Africa experience: they caught the omicron, it appears to be not that different from a seasonal flu in severity. There has been enough time now: a full month since it was very clear that the case rate was rising sharply. In the other three waves, the death rate followed the case rate by about 9 to 13 days. Now we have 30 days behind us on this latest surge, and the reports are fairly consistent: it isn’t delta or alpha.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The South Africans think the omicron confers not immunity but notable increased resistance to delta and alpha, and if so… we are near the end of this nightmare. The Florida governor did the right thing in keeping everything open, not destroying businesses, not messing up the students.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Today the US supreme court decided by 6 to 3 majority that the federal government does not have the authority to mandate a vaccine. That 3 justices disagreed is the part I found most astonishing. I sure don’t see anything in the enumerated powers that would suggest the fed can do a workaround using the OSHA to require vaccines.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>In any case, check out this data from the CDC:<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 width=690 height=383 style='width:7.1875in;height:3.9895in' id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D808C4.EB1E18A0"><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 width=687 height=343 style='width:7.1562in;height:3.5729in' id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image002.jpg@01D808C4.EB1E18A0"><o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>