Howdy from Texas!
SITREP Harris County, Texas and the greater Houston area.......
Hope you are all well there. I'm better than the other day. Still weak and trying to get lots of rest. Sometimes feel a bit wobbly but better, all in all. Cheryl, the kids, grandkids and great-grandson and their families are all doing well as far as I am aware. Cheryl and I will be e-mailing and calling all of them this weekend to touch base and see if there is anything we can help them with.
On the vaccine...... The Israelis seem to be close to having one and there are a couple in the works here as well. The Israelis have a shorter, less bureaucratic testing and approval process than do we, so I believe they will have the first one ready for distribution......
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/20 ... ccine.html
There is an existing medication...... Chloroquine, which is an anti-malarial drug and is also used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. This seems to help those with the Wuhan coronavirus. It is being evaluated just now. Hasn't yet been approved for use against the virus, but is in clinical trials. President Trump has said that he will take executive action to allow doctors who want to prescribe this medication for those affected with the virus to do so whilst the clinical trials are ongoing.
The local St. Paddy's Day parade was cancelled last week (in fairness, we never had an Orangeman's parade here, but if we had of, it would be cancelled as well). All dining areas of restaurants and all bars are closed here (anyone who wants booze will have to go to a liquor store or grocery store that sells it if they can find one that has any left) and restaurants are doing only take out, drive through or delivery (if available).
No public gatherings over 10 people. All churches and synagogues are closed (some of the larger ones have video that parishioners can tune into), schools closed, all courts are closed, trials and jury duty are suspended. Some grocery stores have taken to allowing only 20 people at a time to come in and have asked them to maintain a distance of 6 ft. between themselves and others even in the checkout line.
This past evening, Cheryl and I were on our way home from picking up a few things at the store(s). It was getting late, so we went through the drive through at Burger King. When we arrived at the window, the cashier was wearing a mask and gloves. I handed him a $20 bill and he freaked out a bit. When he had regained his composure, he put our change (both paper bills and coins) in a plastic tray that looked as if it had at one time been used to catch moisture under a refrigerator and squirted some sort of sanitizer on the change. Then he shoved it out the window.
I had to grab the tray and pluck the wet money out of it. The tray of course was not sprayed on the outer side I had to pick it up by and I remarked to Cheryl, 'Gee...... I wonder how many people have put their hands on this thing?!?' Thankfully, he handed us our meal in a brown paper bag and didn't squirt the bag. Oh, I realize he was only trying to do as he must have been instructed by management...... But it was rather surreal.Cheryl had some Clorox wipes in the car and as soon as we got away from the window and into the parking lot, we used them on our hands and wiped down the steering wheel and all dash knobs, shift lever, emergency brake lever, etc. Then we drove home and had our burgers.
Sporting events (football, basketball, baseball, soccer) both professional and otherwise have been curtailed. Several players have come down with the virus so the leagues have voluntarily shut it all down until further notice.
Tests are just now becoming available for those having symptoms. Tents have been set up and medical staff in masks and hazmat suits are administering tests to people who wait in long lines for hours in their cars and drive up. Its only for those already exhibiting symptoms, though.
Items in grocery stores and drug stores are either in short supply or non-existent due to panic buying. The highly partisan media here seem dead set on continuing their misrepresentations in order to cause panic, tank the economy and the stock market and unfairly 'spin' everything they can to make the President and the current administration appear in a bad light.
My G-d...... If people believed the lies these people have put forth over the past 3 plus years, they would conclude that our President is the anti-Christ! When the truth is that he is simply a man who loves America and is doing all he can to make our nation strong and prosperous and great again as once it was. And he has had to fight not only the opposition party but those in his own party who would rather have lost the 2016 elections than lose control of 'their' party...... Not to the President...... But to us...... The American people!
Frankly, the media have become so over the top with this nonsense that a great many people here no longer believe much of what they say. They have recently taken to repeating the Chinese communist party line rather than telling the truth about the virus and that was the final straw for Cheryl and myself. We have switched them off except for when the President makes a public address and takes the media's impertinent questions as he has every day since he declared a public emergency.
My apologies for saying so much about the media propagandists. But as you may imagine...... Those of us who know the truth have had about as much of their lies as we care to hear. Ever.
Stay well and safe and know that you and your families are ever in our thoughts and in our prayers.
Best regards to all,
Harry and Family