COVID19 Update - Day 135

US Tests: 48,794,970*

US Cases: 4,017,735*

US Deaths: 136,477*

Worldwide Cases: 15,356,780*

Worldwide Deaths: 626,357*

* - Numbers are a lower bound.  True numbers are being suppressed by the Trump administration

Trump took a rare visit to reality today, in which he finally did one responsible thing and cancelled the Republican National Convention, which had been scheduled to occur in Jacksonville:

Trump's last-minute decision to cancel the event follows a mad scramble by the Republican Party over the last few months to try and hold a conventional party gathering despite the ongoing pandemic that has already killed more than 140,000 Americans.

Delegates to the convention will still meet in Charlotte, N.C., as planned, but Trump's keynote Jacksonville speech will no longer take place.

A Thursday Quinnipiac University opinion poll of Florida voters shows that 62% of respondents thought it would be unsafe to hold a convention in the state, compared with 34% who thought it could be managed safely.

Just on Monday, the sheriff of Duval County said that his officers would be unable to provide security for the convention based on poor planning for the event and a lack of funding.

In another stunning development at the same press conference, he appeared to present an accurate map of #COVID19 hotspots:

Trump: The northeast has become very clean. The country is in very good shape, other than if you look South and West pic.twitter.com/6hfaeRSCp6

— Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) July 23, 2020

On a personal note (yes, I still do those sometimes), I gave blood again yesterday.  The last time I gave blood was on April 1, and I recall at the time being surprised that NO ONE was wearing masks --- not even the staff.

Well, that's changed.

I gave a double-dose of red blood cells, which is why I haven't given for 16 weeks.  I also recall that, back in April, I just assumed that all of the changes due to #COVID19 would be done and over with by July 22.  I seriously underestimated just how badly Trump would mismanage the response, although to be fair, I don't think anyone could have foreseen the culture war aspect of whiny, entitled idiots refusing to wear masks.

In contrast, as I entered to make my donation yesterday, I was confident that we will still be wallowing in #COVID19 fallout when I give my next donation --- on November 11, after the election.

I wonder what our world will look like then?