Life moves on but Biscuit is still stuck in his routine…

Biscuit is back in this week and is depressed by a number of really bad ideas that have even him confused. A lot of them relate to things like financial issues and political concerns, which don’t impress Biscuit much. He’s more interested in the reports of food shortages, restaurant closings, and why his vet and groomer can’t open yet.

1) Stock market drops 1800 points then rises over 400 because of “concerns about COVID-19 outbreaks.” There is no vaccine, the one drug we have is in short supply, and the ongoing COVID diagnoses will increase if only because of increased testing. None of this is news. Since there was no good reason why the market went up, I guess there’s really no need for a justification of why It went down.

2) Politicians using COVID as an election issue. It’s embarrassing that politicians continue to try to scare people in order to get votes. Mistakes have been made on both sides of the aisle, and it would be wonderful to see people working together to try to make things better. Partisanship is one of the major reasons the response to this pandemic has been so difficult.  

3) Vaccine deals. When the Chamber of Commerce, of all organizations, thinks that the current deals to develop COVID-19 vaccines “need more transparency,” you need to listen. The deals are being made between pharmaceutical firms and governments, with more than 150 vaccine candidates currently being developed across the world. They involve numerous industry collaborations between the private and public sectors, with government paying for most of the activity. What could possibly go wrong?!

4) Reports of hand sanitizer ignited in a hot car. While it may not seem a good idea to keep jellied alcohol (greater than 70%) in a hot vehicle, most cars don’t get to 700 degrees F. That is the actual temperature that causes sanitizer to spontaneously combust.

5) International travel. The government is preventing travel to China, and going to Brazil doesn’t look like much fun these days. I am now counting five international business trips that have been canceled. If I actually get on an airplane, I have to quarantine for 14 days anyway before I can go back to work. I think we’re going to be home this summer. 

6) Watching small businesses die. Favorite restaurants, coffee shops, and other small businesses are starting to drop like flies. Weren’t we supposed to be doing something with PPP loans to prevent this? 

7) Not wearing a mask in public. A few scenes from Myrtle Beach where a recent random count showed there were 516 people who did not wear masks, compared to eight who did. Come on! This is a respiratory virus, and the likelihood you’re going to get it from respiratory droplets is high compared to any other means of transmission such as surfaces, food, or other sources. Let’s do everyone a favor, especially people who are at high risk, and wear a friggin mask.

8) Selling substandard PPE. One would have thought that by now we’d have it figured out how to tell good from counterfeit PPE. But it turns out that even former White House aide Zach Fuentes is selling counterfeit PPE. And he got the government contract for the Navajo Nation hospitals in New Mexico and Arizona. Putting people’s lives at risk just to make money is the worst idea of the week.

In closing, I am happy they are opening our clinic on Monday so I can see patients again, which is the same day I can get my haircut!