Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog May 2026

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. May was the fastest month of 2026. The COVID-19 headline was some people qualify for COVID-19 era IRS tax refunds which must be filed before Jul 10. Ebola outbreaks in the African countries Democratic Republic Of Congo and Uganda.

Tue May 5. Shopped at Nob Hill first thing in the morning.

The Food And Drug Administration (FDA) blocked a publication supporting vaccine safety for COVID-19 and shingles. Scientists analyzed millions of patient records. The serious side effects were very rare. Vaccines saved millions of lives. The publication was blocked because the author's conclusions didn't support the data. The conclusions were flawed.

Thur May 7. Errands at Bank Of America, AAA, Microcenter, and Barnes & Noble.

The USA monitored US residents who traveled the MV Hondius cruise ship. Arizona, California, Georgia, Texas, and Virginia reported travelers aboard the ship. No symptoms shown. No cases documented.

Three people died, three suspected infections, and five other confirmed cases at the MV Hondius. The outbreak started at a birdwatching expedition from Argentina to Cape Verde.

Dutch Health Ministry officials said a flight attendant working with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines was hospitalized and tested for Hantavirus. A Dutch woman died after contracting the Hantavirus being a passenger on the flight from Johannesburg, South Africa to Amsterdam.

The Hantavirus is a rodent-borne virus; in particular, the Andes virus strain can transmit human-to-human. The virus starts with flu-like symptoms including fever, fatigue, muscle aches, diarrhea, and vomiting. The virus can be severe. The virus can be a deadly respiratory infection. There is no vaccine. The Center For Disease Control (CDC) said the death rate is between 30% and 40%.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said risk to the general public is low. There is no global outbreak. The incubation period is up to six weeks.

Wed May 13. CIA whistleblower James Erdman III testified at the Senate Homeland Security Committee. He said Dr. Anthony Fauci influenced intelligence about the origins of COVID-19 at a laboratory in China. There was a cover up. The virus leaking from a lab was downplayed. The intelligence focused on animals being the origin.

Fri May 15. Shopped at Lucky first thing in the morning. All the people who wore masks were Asians.

Sun May 17. Shopped at Costco. Nobody wore masks. I continued wearing my two masks.

Thur May 21. I watched part of the Paul McCartney interview to the end of the last The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.

Sun May 24. Shopped at Nob Hill.

Wed May 27. Thunderstorms with pea sized hail.

Sat May 30. Ate lunch at The Olive Garden.

Family Dynamics

Blogger's Note: May is pic month. I'm catching up posting pics from my smart phone. Enjoy!

I played a popular classic board game for the first time solo. A Safeway deal is better than a Costco deal. A clean residence is proper maintenance. Families change for the worst--blame life. Replace wear and tear car parts is proper maintenance. There is enough marriage wisdom to avoid a clique marriage husband makes wife's dreams come true. Families must share family history to avoid the clique history always repeats itself. Only death, taxes, and health care costs never decreasing are certain. Physical injuries is not a valid reason to stop exercising.

Baby Wipes

Baby wipes should be a top invention included with plumbing, freon, internet, light bulb, soap, and coffee. Consider other names for baby wipes. Call them poo poo wipes. Call them save people's butts. Children use them. Adults use them. Remove the sweat. Remove the grim. Remove the slime. Remove the dirt. Remove the poop. Instant clean. Instant freshness. Bring them for vacations. Bring them for emergencies. Baby wipes can minimize uncomfortableness. Baby wipes can help people fall asleep faster.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog January 2026

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. The year started slow which sped up during the last week. My intuition told me the first days of 2026 few people were happy.

Fri Jan 2. Take out dinner at Blue Sky Restaurant.

Sat Jan 3. Night time shopping at Safeway.

Mon Jan 5. The Center For Disease Control (CDC) released a new schedule recommending the flu and COVID-19 vaccines administered after consulting a health care provider. Also, all children receive vaccines for 11 diseases instead of 18 diseases. Parents can get their children for all 18 diseases. Insurance covers the costs for all the vaccines shots.

The 11 vaccines are the following: measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzal type B (Hib), HPV, and chicken pox. The flu and COVID-19 vaccines are recommended based on clinical decision making.

Thur Jan 8. Shopped at Costco Business Center in the morning. Shopped at the Great Mall and Lucky in the afternoon.

Sat Jan 17. Picked up my car at S&K Auto Services for repairs.

Tue Jan 20. The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the United States six years ago today. A man returned from Wuhan, China to Washington state.

A quick errand at the post office.

Thur Jan 22. The US withdrew from the World Health Organization (WHO). The US was part of the WHO for 78 years. The withdrawal weakens global responses to new outbreaks. The WHO is the United Nations' health agency. It's mandated to coordinate responses to global health threats, technical assistance to poorer countries, help distribute vaccines, and set health guidelines.

The US was the biggest donor with millions of dollars and specialized health staff. The US pays $111 million a year in member dues on average and $570 million in voluntary contributions on average.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order to withdraw from WHO because of the COVID-19 global pandemic mishandle, no reforms, and the inability to be independent from political influence. Also, no Americans served as the chief executive. The WHO was created in 1948. The US owes the WHO $133 million in financial obligations.

Public health experts said the withdrawal hurt global health initiatives and research to identify new viral threats.

Tue Jan 27. Shopped at Nob Hill first thing in the morning.

Wed Jan 28. The CDC reported people in the US lived longer because death rates returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2024. Life expectancy continued to rise since 2022. The death rate dropped 4% between 2023 and 2024. Life expectancy increased six months to 79 years old.

The ten leading causes of death accounted for 70% of deaths in 2024. Heart disease and cancer were the top two totaling 600,000 people each. COVID-19 dropped out of the top ten. Regardless, tens of thousands die from COVID-19 yearly.

A Compilation My Changes Blogs

Here are my top blogs about changes in my life from Aug 4, 2005 to Dec 31, 2024. Blogs written from Jan 1, 2025 to Dec 31, 2025 are considered for A Second Look 2025 written in Dec 2026.

Connecting My Dots Backwards written on Dec 13, 2011. I wrote about the changes when I realized I must grow up on Sat Oct 4, 2008.

Top Ten Daily Changes After O'Connor Hospital written on Oct 21, 2017. I was admitted as an in-patient for the first time in my life. I was diagnosed with Acute Gallstone Pancreatitis. Some of the changes included drinking less water, changing my job searching schedule, and changing my dental care.

My Four Mount Rushmore Greatest Moments In My Life written on Aug 9, 2020. The first day I cosplayed, the day I grew up, self job training, and The Shawshank Redemption movie are the four moments. Also, the four moments changed my life forever.

Top Ten Plus One Equals Top Eleven Life Changes Since The COVID-19 Global Pandemic written on Feb 11, 2023. The sum of the small life changes added to big permanent life changes. Examples included cooking, shopping in the morning, closing my windows before I sleep, and boiling water at home.

Side note: I rewrite the Connecting My Dots Backwards blog with a new blog post detailing the immediate changes when I realized I grew up on Sat Oct 4, 2008. Also, the title of the new blog is more accurate.

Update On A Past Blog

I watched the movies Planes, Trains & Automobiles on Mon Jan 12, 2026 and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation on Tue Jan 13, 2026 while I exercised on the stationary bike. The two movies used to be traditional movies I watched during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. The two movies were a late consolation for the bad Christmas 2025 Good Way Depression And Bad Way Depression written on Jan 6, 2026.

I Didn't Get Sick On Thur Jan 8, 2026

I went shopping inside a mall to exchange a Christmas gift I didn't want. I exited the store I exchanged the gift. I walked inside the mall heading to the exit. A man walking towards me coughed multiple times without covering his mouth approximately three feet away. I detoured away from the man. I felt phlegm in my throat immediately. I swallowed multiple times. I wore two masks.

I felt mucus down my throat multiple times later in the day. I feared I got sick. I didn't panic. I drank a can of Coke for lunch and a can of Coke for dinner. I exercised at home with a limited workout due to a left tricep muscle injury. There was no point not doing any exercises. I was still healthy. I took advantage before I got sick.

Furthermore, the air was dry. The temperature range was the mid 60s and the upper 30s. My body is weak when my body adapts to a big temperature range.

I'm lucky. I woke up on Fri Jan 9 without a sore throat. No symptoms of a stomach flu. No symptoms of RSV. No symptoms of potential COVID-19. Maybe it was allergies. Maybe my body falsely overreacted. Maybe the COVID-19 vaccine prevented my sickness. I wear new masks as a precaution even though the masks I wore on Thur Jan 8 were in good condition.

State Of Raymond Mar 2026

Blogger's note 1: Today's blog is posted at both Innovating Common Knowledge and Finding Raymond Mar.

Blogger's note 2: Today's blog is edited minimally for grammar.

Today's blog is a life status update. These updates are in no particular order.

The Negatives. I start 2026 with an upper left arm injury since Nov 2025. The injury is not shoulder related. The injury is muscle related. My research leads me to a left tricep muscle injury. I think it's a strain. More research needed. Treatments are rest, ice, and Diclofenac Sodium Topical gel. I tried Biofreeze. Advil didn't work after five days. Consulting a sports injury doctor is possible.

Another negative is no new job skills to learn. A friend suggested the open source machine learning PyTorch. My quick research tells me PyTorch is not a fit for my career. I need more research. I learned everything I could learn including PowerBI, HTML, SQL, Linux, and Power Pivot in the meantime. Python and Excel are reviews.

My car needs to be serviced by an automotive technician. An initial check is my car needs a new fan belt. I anticipate more problems for my 2005 Toyota Camry.

Another anticipation is the household eats more take out food. The household eats more processed foods. The household maintaining the daily meals quality declines. I must be more proactive unnecessarily through no fault of my own.

Grew Up On Sat Oct 4, 2008. I realized I must grow up on Sat Oct 4, 2008. The growing up changes I made paid off immediately; for example, new clothes, new mattress, new physical workout plans, and new Gaming PC. Similarly, the changes I made since Jan 1, 2026 also paid off immediately; although, they were smaller changes. I rearranged my desk, I used a longer USB cord to charge my phone, I coated the baking pan with butter to roast chicken to experiment, I played classic arcade games, and I played the Puerto Rico board game with four players as a solo player.

2009 Again? 2026 began with a partial 2009 feeling. Ignorant bliss. Less than too much free time today compared to 2009. Fewer friends, family, and acquaintances to support me today compared to 2009. More serious non-income generating work today. Less serious non-income generating work in 2009.

I bring back the beginner mentality. I need to find new life skills to learn. I tell myself, "I don't know what to do" multiple times. Be a beginner again intelligently. Be ignorant intelligently.

All previous personal projects were completed. Some personal projects are maintained by reviewing or by practicing. Maintenance is not new projects.

No anime, no ballroom dancing, no Accutane treatment, no vacations, no hiking, and no college classes. However, video games are significantly reduced. Counter Strike 2 is the next video game for which I play for the first time. Yes reading books, yes exercise, and yes cooking.

Money. Money resources are not a problem. I continue keeping my expenses in check. I spend intelligently. However, no budget restrictions like the Sat Oct 4, 2008 when I made changes growing up. Black Friday 2025 was like Black Friday 2008. Black Friday 2025 was goods upgraded or goods replaced.

My Foundation. I either improve my existing foundation or create a new foundation. I'm going nowhere. I'm regressing slowly. I'm losing the ability to live an awesome boring life.

The current life path destination is an unsuccessful life. There is failure at the end of the road. Blame life. Nobody wants to live a failed life. No rational person wants to live a George Costanza. There are successes; there must be failures.

I did everything correctly. I learn professional skills. I learn life skills. I ate heathy. I helped the family. I don't buy junk. No rewards. I'm an example of a person who did everything correctly and didn't get the desired results.

On the other hand, I speak up for myself. I share my thoughts and my feelings. I choose the timing. Be tactical. Speak intelligently.

No 2025 Momentum To 2026. 2026 is the first year since I don't know when the last time no momentum from the previous year. No carry over. No ideas, plans, and unfinished projects continuing from 2025 to 2026. My usual activities reading books, writing blogs, and exercising are excluded. Mahjong is excluded. The Counter Strike 2 next video game is excluded.

However, the Black Friday 2025 purchases a 14TB external hard drive and a new gaming PC mouse were upgrades which could have been purchased years ago.

I'm Out Of Bullets. The totality of my life is empty clips. Inside and outside the house. Inside and outside my body. There's nothing. The mini gun is dry. Reloading is possible. I don't know where to find ammunition.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog December 2025

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. December was the slowest month of the year. Too many national headlines and world headlines. All respiratory illnesses including COVID-19 were overshadowed. The rain fell during the Christmas holiday.

Mon Dec 1. Shopped at Microcenter for Cyber Monday and Stevens Creek Toyota for Black Friday pickup.

Fri Dec 5. Shopped at Lowe's. Also shopped at Under Armour and ASICS for Black Friday pickups.

Sat Dec 6. Vice President Of Public Health Advocacy at Northwell Health Sandra Lindsay became the first person in the US to receive the COVID-19 vaccine five years ago.

Mon Dec 8. Picked up a Cyber Monday order at CVS.

Tue Dec 9. The Food And Drug Administration (FDA) investigate deaths related to the COVID-19 vaccine for all age groups. An early analysis examined 96 children deaths. 10 of the 96 deaths were linked to the vaccine. The World Health Organization (WHO) said more than 700 million doses administered in the US. Serious side effects are rare. The FDA requires death after vaccination reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) regardless of low probability the vaccine was the cause of death.

Thur Dec 11. Shopped at Sports Basement and World Market.

Fri Dec 12. The Center For Disease Control (CDC) released a study COVID-19 vaccines protect healthy children from severe illness. The vaccines reduced emergency room and urgent care visits due to COVID-19 by 76% for ages 9 months to 4 years and 56% for ages 5-17. 98,000 children were the total count in the study from Aug 2024 to Sep 2025. Immunity levels varied from previous COVID-19 infections and vaccinations. The study concentrated on added protection.

Shopped at Sports Basement. More people shopped today compared to yesterday.

The FDA proposes "black box" warnings on COVID-19 vaccines. The text includes warnings about the risks of death or reactions causing disabilities. The proposal is not finalized.

Thur Dec 18. Dentist appointment in the morning. Shopped for used books at the Saratoga Library and Los Gatos Library. Ate lunch at Chipotle.

Tue Dec 23. Ran errands at O'Reilly Auto Parts, Bank Of America, and Illusive Comics And Games.

Tue Dec 30. I voted. Ate lunch at Panda Express.

Costco Oroweat Bread Is Not $7.49

My parents purchased a pack of Oroweat Country Style Buttermilk two loaves of bread at Costco to make stuffing for Thanksgiving Day. I ate a slice of bread. No jellies. No butter. No spreads. The slice tasted terrible compared to the past. Oroweat changed the recipe. Oroweat changed the baking process. Oroweat changed the packaging. No secondary plastic wrap. Either raise prices or lower costs. The answer is obvious. Lower costs. Keep retail prices as low as possible. Inferior ingredients. Inferior materials. Lower workmanship.

I share my experiences. Oreo cookies, spices, some fast food restaurants, fruits, Cheerios, and baked goods. Also, non-edible goods. Shaving gel, toothpaste, soap, clothes, batteries, medical services, and automobile parts.

Be suspicious of no price change since the COVID-19 global pandemic. Question why the price increase is lower than expected during the inflation. Some goods change for the worse. Some services change for the worse. Coke raise prices. The product is the same. People accept the higher Coke prices.

Oroweat made the business decision. Reduce quality to minimize retail price increase. Customers still buy the $7.49 bread at Costco.

There is inflation. There is shrinkflation. There is lower quality. There is lower quantity. There is a combination of any of these.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog October 2025

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. The last two weeks of October slowed down. I was a little more happier.

Wed Oct 1. Shopped at Target and Costco.

Fri Oct 3. Shopped at Target and Stevens Creek Toyota.

Mon Oct 6. The Center For Disease Control (CDC) dropped the universal COVID-19 vaccine recommendation. Patients age 6 months and older are recommended to discuss the benefits and risks with their doctor before receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. The CDC said people under age 65 with underlying conditions benefit the most. People under age 65 with no increased risk for COVID-19 benefit the least. Many insurers cover the cost in 2025 and 2026.

85% of the US adult population received the primary vaccine. 23% of the US adult population received the latest booster. Patients don't need a prescription.

Pfizer and Moderna updated their vaccine for the LP.8.1 strain. The strain dominated the US population in early 2025. Novavax updated their vaccine for the JN.1. LP.8.1 accounted for 3% of the cases as of Sep 27, 2025. The XFG strain is the dominate strain affecting 85% of new cases.

Thur Oct 9. Fastest week while doing little productivity. It was the fastest week of 2025.

Fri Oct 10. President Donald Trump received the COVID-19 booster and flu vaccine at Walter Reed Medical Center. Trump received another physical exam. He received a physical exam in Apr 2025.

Mon Oct 13. Got my COVID-19 booster. First day of rain.

Shopped at Target and O'Reilly Auto.

Wed Oct 15. All 13 Bay Area Public Health Departments recommend the flu, COVID-19, and RSV vaccines. People age 6 months and older are recommended to get the updated flu and COVID-19 vaccines. Infants, the elderly, and pregnant women should also get the RSV vaccine.

Sat Oct 18. Neighborhood dumpster day.

Tue Oct 21. Watched a 2025-2026 NBA season opener game. It was the Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers from the 8:00 in the third period to the end.

Thur Oct 23. The MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and the University Of Florida published a preliminary research in Nature. The mRNA COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer or Moderna can extend the lifespan for people with advanced lung or skin cancer while taking immunotherapy drugs. The vaccines improved the immune system to fight tumors.

Tue Oct 28. Shopped at Safeway.

Throwback Blog: Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog January 2023

Throwback Blog: Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog January 2023

Blogger's Note: Throwback blogs are blogs from my past. I start posting past blogs reflecting what I wrote. It's like my "A Second Look" blogs for which I give myself feedback.

Today's throwback blog is titled Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog January 2023 written on Feb 1, 2023. Bay Area people remember the big rain storm in Jan 2023 causing widespread power outages. The tripledemic COVID-19, the flu, and the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) was weak. California ended the public health emergency on Feb 28, 2023. President Joe Biden ended the COVID-19 national emergency on May 11, 2023. The ending emergencies seemed they happened a long time ago.

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. The COVID-19 winter surge tripledemic COVID-19, the flu and the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) was weaker than expected. Strong winter rains. Near freezing temperature lows. Jan started the year slowly.

Tue Jan 3. Went to the bank. Shopped at Smart & Final and Nike Outlet. More people wore masks and more people didn't wear masks.

The biggest rain storm in decades arrived in the Bay Area.

Wed Jan 4. The World Health Organization (WHO) said the omicron variant XBB.1.5 is the dominant and the most transmissible COVID-19 variant. There is no evidence XBB.1.5 made people sicker. The initial research concluded XBB.1.5 is more resistant to vaccines compared to XBB and XBB.1. Infection rates doubled every two weeks. XBB.1.5 was identified in 29 countries.

Thur Jan 5. 90% of people with long COVID-19 started with mild symptoms according to a study published in the American Medical Association. Long COVID-19 is defined as the continuation or development of symptoms three months after the initial infection. Fatigue, shortness of breath, and cognitive problems such as brain fog are common long COVID-19 symptoms. Women are twice as likely as men and four times as likely as children to develop long COVID-19. COVID-19 patients hospitalized increase their risk with long COVID-19 with longer lasting symptoms. Researchers don't know why some symptoms disappear, reappear, and new symptoms develop. Other symptoms include loss of smell, loss of taste, insomnia, gastrointestinal problems, and headaches. The initial evidence shows lower risk of long COVID-19 from omicron. Most people in the research were infected with deadlier variants.

Mon Jan 9. 89% of the residences in the Henan province in China tested positive with COVID-19. The province is the third most populated. Total infection 88.5 million. A possible reason for the spike is ineffective China vaccines compared to the effective US vaccines.

Tue Jan 10. Power outage started at 2:30am. The household listened to the news with the emergency radio. It was the first time the household turned on the emergency radio due to the weather. The emergency radio was used two times overall. Power was restored at 4:30pm.

Secretary Of Defense Lloyd Austin officially rescinded the COVID-19 vaccination mandate for the military. The 2023 National Defense Authorization Act required the mandate dismissal.

The Washington Post reported an international expert estimates 5,000 people die each day and 1,000,000 people die in China from COVID-19 for 2023. The Chinese government official stated 5,200 people died since the start of the pandemic.

Satellite images of certain China provinces showed cars and crowds at crematoriums and funeral homes.

Wed Jan 11. The US renewed the COVID-19 public health emergency to April 2023. The emergency protected public health insurance coverage for millions, provided hospitals with greater flexibility to respond to patient surges, and expanded telehealth. Hospitals lose flexibility deploying staff, adding beds, and caring patients during surges when the public health emergency ends. Millions are expected to lose health insurance under Medicaid.

President Joe Biden said the pandemic was over in Sep 2022.

Thur Jan 12. A hospital in Beijing in China reported half of its 2,000 staff tested positive for COVID-19. They all recovered taking traditional Chinese medicine. Pfizer's Paxlovid is in short supply. A local manufacturer is contracted to manufacture Paxlovid available in three to four months to the Chinese people.

Fri Jan 13. The Center For Disease Control (CDC) said a possible safety problem with Pfizer bivalent COVID-19 vaccine. Regardless, the CDC recommended people are updated with vaccines. It's possible people 65 and older increases their chances of a stroke.

Sat Jan 14. China reported 59,938 deaths from COVID-19 since Dec 2022. 5,503 deaths were due to respiratory failure and 54,435 deaths were due to COVID-19 plus other health ailments.

The CDC reported the tripledemic didn't happen. RSV and flu cases and hospitalizations declined in Dec 2022; although, some states experienced higher illnesses than other states. COVID-19 hospitalizations increased in Dec 2022. The RSV and flu mostly affected the children.

Mon Jan 16. Multiple celebrities tested positive for COVID-19 after the Golden Globes on Sun Jan 8, 2023. Jamie Lee Curtis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, and Jen Statsky were some of the celebrities. Experts said it was no surprise because many people gathered indoors and poor COVID-19 safety practices.

The CDC said weekly COVID-19 cases topped 400,000 for the last six weeks. Weekly deaths increased with 3,907 reported as of Jan 11, 2023. However, flu cases declined.

Wed Jan 18. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell tested positive for COVID-19. Mild symptoms. Powell is fully vaccinated and boosted up to date.

Thur Jan 19. I shopped at Target to purchase Bar Keepers Friend to clean sinks. I shopped at Smart & Final. I purchased the last pack of chicken.

Fri Jan 20. Shopped at Costco and Sports Basement. The cell phones and service booth was closed. The booth was covered with Costco services displays. Costco was dead inside at the 10am hour. I exchanged a Christmas gift at Sports Basement.

Wastewater samples show COVID-19, flu, and RSV rates declined in the Santa Clara County. Hospitalizations declined 30% from one month ago. COVID-19 hospitalizations were less severe because more people have antibodies and more vaccinated people.

Sat Jan 21. Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the China Center For Disease Control And Prevention said 80% of the people in China is infected with COVID-19. Infections increased during the Lunar New Year. The government reported 60,000 people died from COVID-19 as of Jan 12, 2023.

Sun Jan 22. Watched Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers football game.

Mon Jan 23. Shopped at Smart & Final. There were lots of customers at 9:45am.

The Food And Drug Administration (FDA) assessed the COVID-19 vaccine administered as an annual one shot like the annual flu shot before the flu season. Two doses may be needed for the children, the elderly, or the immune compromised. The goal is improved vaccine coverage rates and simplify vaccine deployment. Currently, most people receive the original COVID-19 vaccine two times separated 3-4 weeks apart. A booster is administered three to four months later.

Wed Jan 25. The North Korea capital Pyongyang was locked down for five days due to an unspecified respiratory illness. Citizens measured their temperatures which are reported to a hospital by phone four times a day. North Korea declared the pandemic ended on Aug 2022.

Thur Jan 26. The FDA pulled AstraZeneca's Erusheld from the market because it's not effective against at least 90% of the COVID-19 subvariants in the US. Erusheld is ineffective against BQ.1, BQ.1.1, and the XBB subvariants.

The CDC said omicron XBB.1.5 accounts for 49% of new cases. XBB.1.5 is adaptable to evade antibodies which block infection. 93% of new cases are the BQ and XBB variants.

Sat Jan 28. Shopped at Costco. It was busy at 9:45am. I avoid parking in the area next to the gas station in the future. I was lucky I found an open space near the entrance.

Sun Jan 29. Watched the San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles football game. I also watched the Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs starting at the 2:00 in the second quarter football game.

Mon Jan 30. The WHO said COVID-19 remains a global health emergency. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the world transitions out of the emergency phase of the pandemic in 2023. Reduce hospitalizations. Minimize deaths. The health system manages COVID-19 in a sustainable way. At least 90% of the world population has some immunity to COVID-19. Tracking has declined detecting new variants difficult. Regardless, COVID-19 continues to kill. Resources must continue to research COVID-19.

President Joe Biden ends the COVID-19 national emergencies on May 11, 2023. The federal government roles are reduced for the COVID-19 pandemic response. The medically insured pay some out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19 vaccines, tests, and treatments. The medically uninsured pay fully for COVID-19 vaccines, tests, and treatments.

Tue Jan 31. The following are anticipated changes for COVID-19 government policy when the US public health emergency ends on May 11, 2023:

*The FDA authorizes COVID-19 home testing kits, vaccines, boosters, and products for emergency use. However, insurers no longer are required to cover the costs for home testing kits. Vaccines and boosters are free because the government purchased them. Congress didn't fund future vaccine and booster purchases.
*Medicaid enrollment increase during the pandemic because states can't remove people during the public health emergency. States can remove ineligible people in Apr.
*Title 42 allows the federal government to deny people seeking asylum to prevent COVID-19 spreading inside the US borders. The end of the public health emergency may end Title 42.
*More patients use telehealth to communicate with their doctors on a smartphone or a computer. Patients under Medicare pay nothing because Medicare covers the service cost. Congress extends telehealth for Medicare to the end of 2024.
*State public health emergency varies state by state. California public health emergency ends Feb 28, 2023.
*Hospitals no longer receive an extra 20% financial compensation for treating COVID-19 patients on Medicare.

The House passed two bills to end the COVID-19 government public health emergency. The bills are the Pandemic Is Over Act and the Freedom For Health Care Workers Act. The freedom act ends the mandate federal health care workers must be vaccinated.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog September 2025

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. There was no summer day 100 degrees or higher. Cooler summer. COVID-19 news was reported as non-top of the hour importance.

Mon Sep 1. President Donald Trump said, "Many people think they are a miracle that saved millions of lives. Others disagree! With [the Center Of Disease Control] (CDC) being ripped apart over this question, I want the answer, and I want it now." Trump was between the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines in 2020 during his first term and the vaccine skepticism with the MAGA and Health And Human Secretary (HHS) Robert F Kennedy, Jr. Trump said Operation Warp Speed was a great achievement. Trump is supporting Kennedy's efforts to revamp vaccine policies.

Wed Sep 3. California, Oregon, and Washington announced an alliance to establish vaccine regulations for their states. The HHS said the three states' COVID-19 policies show distrust in public health agencies. HHS ensures policies are based on science and not on politics. Other states formulate their own policies and recommendations.

Sun Sep 7. 2,000 days ago since Tue Mar 17, 2020.

Mon Sep 8. Shopped at Safeway, Lowe's, and Costco. A few more customers and a few more employees wore masks.

A close family member tested positive for COVID-19 for the third time.

Tue Sep 9. The US death rate caused by COVID-19 was out of the top ten in 2024. The rate decreased from 750.5 per 100,000 people in 2023 to 722.0 per 100,000 people reported by the CDC and the National Center For Health Statistics. The three leading causes of death remained unchanged from 2023 to 2024. They were heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injury.

The CA Public Health Department reported hospitalizations increased, deaths doubled, and wastewater levels were very high in the last 30 days. The state blamed vaccine confusion. For instance, nobody under the age of 65 can receive a booster. If the person under the age of 65 is considered high risk, then the person can receive the booster.

Thur Sep 11. Virginia, Connecticut, New Jersey, Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico, New York, and Minnesota are some states to expand COVID-19 vaccines. These states break away from the federal government health agencies guidance on the COVID-19 restrictions. Anyone age six months or older can receive a vaccine.

Fri Sep 12. Shopped at Costco. Ate dinner at In-N-Out.

Wed Sep 17. California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii formed the West Coast Health Alliance. The alliance announced vaccine recommendations against the CDC recommendations. All residents older than six months can receive a flu shot. All babies receive the RSV vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccine is available for children from six months to 23 months old; adults age 65 and older; everyone younger than age 65 with risk factors or in contact with at-risk people, pregnant women, and anyone who wants the vaccine.

Massachusetts is leading a bipartisan eight Northeast states to discuss coordinating vaccine recommendations. New Mexico pharmacists administer the COVID-19 vaccine based on state health department guidelines.

Thur Sep 18. JAMA Network Open published a study from nine teams of researchers. A universal COVID-19 vaccine recommendation can save thousands of more lives compared to limiting the recommendation to high risk groups. High risk groups recommendation only reduce 90,000 hospitalizations and 7,000 deaths. All groups recommendation reduce 126,000 hospitalizations and 8,000 deaths.

Fri Sep 19. The CDC recommended the COVID-19 vaccine to anyone who wants the vaccine shot. Many major medical insurance companies cover the costs in 2025 and 2026. A doctor prescription is not required. States can disclose a list of at least six vaccine risks to patients.

Many CDC panelists are selected by Kennedy. The panelists question the vaccine's benefits. Regardless, the panelists allow people access to the vaccine. They should consult with their health care provider for which it's not a requirement.

Sat Sep 20. Ate lunch at Amakara. Shopped at Lowe's.

Thur Sep 25. Shopped at Costco.

The Green Steno Notebook 10

Blogger's note: There are three consecutive Green Steno Notebook blogs. Today is the second of three.

The picture above is the notebook I acquired on the first day of my new white collar job. I wrote notes during my job training. I wrote other notes, reminders, and knowledge thereafter. I share many of them. Here is the tenth blog.

*Aug 25, 2020. Furnace and A/C unit in garage. Furnace on top. A/C condenser on bottom. The power switch is on the left of the unit. Air flows down for the air filter. Top panel removed turns off the unit for safety. The black switch out powers off. The black switch in powers on as long as top panel is inserted.

Used air compressor to air blast A/C unit. Water and some sludge flowed out. The drainage is located to the left of the garden hose in the backyard.

*Sep 8. Don't boil water from the hot water heater. The deposits form the hot water heater are unsafe to drink. The deposits include metallic parts which corrodes water.

*Sep 13. Riichi Mahjong observation. I play online. Players call on dragon tiles and wind tiles early. I might as well discard dragon tiles and wind tiles early. Why did it take me a long time to figure out the problem?

*Sep 20. The Big Short (2015) movie. Use the tabletop game Jenga as a presentation prop. Also, if you don't want to do the deal, then hang up.

*Sep 23. Shower without washing hair. Wash body first. Wash backside second. Wash face third. Shower with washing hair. Wash hair first. Wash face second. Wash body third. Wash backside fourth.

*Oct 11. Listen to 106.5 FM on Sun mornings to keep in touch with today's popular music.

*Oct 12. Rearranged my room. Bookshelves, storage bins, and desk drawers contents. Consolidated desk items. 90% cleaned.

*Oct 18. Dad noticed the ceiling fan blades wabble and shakes when the ceiling fan is on. He checked the screws. Screws are loose. He tighten them.

*Oct 18. Debris on top of my car's intake manifold.

*Oct 22. Accidentally swallowed mouthwash. I lost my concentration.

*Oct 27. Kitchen faucet leaked. Replaced the cartridge.

*Oct 31. G.I. Joe cartoon titled Arise, Serpentor, Arise Part 5 is the episode where the US President knelt in front on Serpentor. "G.I. Joe, why, right here."

*Nov 4. Set aside four white colored socks for my white color workout shirts. These four white color socks and my white color workout shirts tell me it's time to wash my whites.

*Nov 8. Use my florescent desk lamp as additional lightning when I take pictures on my cell phone.

*Nov 13. If I need a rest and there is a folded blanket, then place the folded blanket at the end of my mattress to prop up my legs.

*Nov 24. Clean gutters. Summary. Detach black drainage from downspout at left side of house. Place a ladder on the middle of the roof rafter to sturdy the ladder. If the water is resting on the gutter, then use a hose or fill gutter with water. Shoot water down to downspout. Remove leaves with hand when possible to avoid water on the roof. The roof is designed for water to flow down. Not up.

*Dec 4. For Nov 28. Replacing boot laces. Always buy the laces one size or one unit above. Buy the longer length size laces.

*Dec 14. My dad experienced vertigo. Hospital didn't know the cause. Hospital didn't admit him for an in-patient examination. Dad researched. Found possibilities. Told hospital. Hospital wanted an in-patient examination.

*Jan 12, 2021. hemorrhage: a heavy discharge of blood from the blood vessels; ruptured blood vessel. A rapid or uncontrollable loss or outflow; the loss of assets.

*Jan 16. Toothpaste tube almost out. Squeeze the toothpaste pointing down. Gravity the toothpaste remaining out of tube.

*Jan 26. Jan 2021 feels like Jan 2009; in particular, biggest rain storm of the year with weather warnings. Flood warnings. Wind warnings.

*Feb 16. Bloody nose after I jogged on a cool day. I ate Belvita Chocolate. I suspect chocolate. No chocolate before workout.

*Mar 8. Movie with the stopwatch. Movie is 2 Days In The Valley.

*Mar 11. Denatured alcohol banned in CA. Reason is bad air quality.

*Mar 30. Web articles before the pop-up ad must subscribe to read article. Quickly press Ctrl+A. Then Ctrl+C to copy and paste to Word or a text based program.

*Apr 15. Running land on feet or forefoot or mid-foot instead of heels on ground. Avoid excess stress on Achilles, knees, and calves. Keep legs moving forward. No bouncing. Moving forward longer distance. Blogger's note: Not an expert at jogging.

*Jun 14. Stairway bathroom toilet water main hose burst.

*Jul 8. Neighborhood street lights changed from amber color to LED white color.

*Aug 10. Suggested replace car battery every five years. It's seven years for me because less electronics. I replaced the car battery in 2008 and 2015.

*Aug 24. Interview question. What is culture? My answer is undefined. Culture is an intuitively defined.

*Aug 24. Pre-dream or pre-sleep dream before I went to sleep. I brushed my teeth between pre-sleep and sleep. The pre-dream was my brother and I were at a nearby retail strip mall with a Japanese supermarket. There was an outdoor video arcade with carnival games. Closes at midnight. We exited well before midnight. Mom and dad waited. The four of us drove off in a fire truck. Mom drove. I sat on the driver side rear. We drove south to an indoor shopping mall and strip mall. We shopped inside at 11:45pm. One store was Toys R Us. The Toys R Us looked like a dry cleaners.

*Sep 2. Baking tri-tip. No sizzling. Color is white. Not ready. Color is not brownish. Tri-tip must still be cold inside.

*Sep 9. First time I overwrite an old file to a new file on my new desktop. Old file on my USB drive. New file on my new desktop. I want to backup from my new desktop to my USB drive. I actually incorrectly backup from my USB drive to my desktop.

*Sep 9. The nickel arcade near my neighborhood was Hi-5 Nickel.

*Sep 23. I heard It's All Too Much by The Beatles twice while jogging.

*Oct 22. Headlight restoration. Polishing is more important than applying polish for a clear shine.

*Nov 10. Squirm (1976) is a horror movie involving worms. A childhood horror movie. The Swarm (1978) is deadly bees. Kingdom Of The Spiders (1978) is killer tarantulas.

*Nov 12. Shopping at Safeway. Did price math on my head. I didn't add correctly. Didn't get the extra discount. Don't be lazy. Use a calculator.

*Nov 18. Adam & Eve store. Low inventory. Supply chain problems.

*Dec 1. Home Depot doesn't sell flowers. A Target store may sell flowers.

*Dec 2. Christmas song Christmas In Jail.

*Dec 6. Avoid schools when children are present or when school starts and school ends. Extra driving time because of parents picking up their children and children crossing the street.

*Dec 11. I spilled the boiling water pot filled with vinegar to remove oxidation. I held the pot with my wrists instead of my hand.

*Dec 16. Read my personal bible. Link to download: Inspiration Cheer Up.

*Dec 18. A bloody sock the last two jogs. First time I wore sweatpants jogging. Full moon. Nearby school a neighborhood Christmas celebration. There was a hay ride. Minimal attendance because of COVID-19 Omicron.

Remove fresh blood off clothes. Run cold water from the faucet. Soak cold water with detergent. Repeat soaking if necessary. Soaking 10-12 hours. Hang dry. Best in sun.

*Dec 25. Watched Cowboy Bebop episodes 1-5.

*Jan 1, 2022. For Dec 31, 2021. Everyone has. Not everyone have.

*Jan 9. Wrap towel around my waist. Tuck underneath. Look down at towel wrapped. Wrap down and in.

*Jan 13. The bath scrub brushes sold at Bed Bath & Beyond are different lengths.

*Jan 27. Haircut early afternoon. Jogged after haircut. Full sun. Wore my long sleeve workout shirt and shorts. I forgot to switch my underwear from boxers to jogging briefs.

*Feb 25. Dream last night area with warehouse and industrial buildings. Finished shopping at Costco. Book fundraiser big sale. The catch was a lottery. If you won or chosen in lottery, you purchase books at wholesale prices. Otherwise, you waited. Can't purchase. Most be chosen. Changed from ten winners top of hour to five winners top of the hour and five winters bottom of the hour. Most noted book was Harry Potter first edition Scholastic hardback set volumes 1-7. Initially, I entered warehouse because I saw people buying high-end bedsheets at discount prices.

*Mar 13. Dream professional football quarterback Baker Mayfield and another quarterback fought against each other. Then fought me on a cliff at the high school where I graduated. Then I drove my Toyota Camry out of the high school to an unknown downtown Saturday night before Super Bowl Sunday. There were dancers dancing and wearing masks.

*Mar 14. Another dream people wore masks. Galaktican arcade. There was a public transit station. Bart Simpsons was on a round spinning playground toy. Time passes. Sherri and Terri were on the toy. Some patrons wore masks in the arcade.

*Mar 16. I dreamed last night I was at the west side hills in Fremont, CA. Two entries to enter another dimension black & white colors only. Checkpoints. People can enter or not enter at their will.

*Apr 6. Middlefield Road road trip on bicycles from Sunnyvale, CA to Redwood City, CA. Inspired when I helped my dad with an errand in Menlo Park, CA.

Professional Knowledge Shared As Common Knowledge

Here are knowledge from professionals in their fields people should know. The information can be false. Some professionals may not do. The reader should do their due diligence to verify. Source: What's a "secret" from your profession that everyone should probably know? from Reddit.

1. Financial institutions use older versions of Excel.

2. Document everything.

3. Daycare teachers clean toys and equipment.

4. Gloves are not necessary to handle old books, rare books, and special collection books. Clean and dry hands are the best. Wearing gloves are more likely to rip a page because the person can't feel them well compared with bare hands. There are exceptions such as handling artifacts, moldy items, toxic books, and photographs.

5. Bibles are not rare. The Bible is the most printed book in the world.

6. You need two coats of paint.

7. Bacteria and microbes as a whole are small cells or capsules. They are bad at sticking to random solid objects by themselves. It's like hanging on a rocky hillside with your hands. Water from above hits you. You're going to be flushed down wherever the water goes. A simple water rinse can remove 99% of the bacteria.

8. There are corrupt employers who don't pay their workers, close the business, and reopen under a different name. They fraudulently transfer all their assets under another person's name.

9. Dog and cats need rabies vaccine because rabies is transmissible to humans. Also, pets can have fleas regardless of being indoor pets or outdoor pets. Fleas can be anywhere. And a local veterinarian likely doesn't see wildlife and reptiles.

10. Generally speaking, retail stores don't hide stuff in the back. We want to sell. If it's in the back, it doesn't sell. Everything we sell is out.

11. Fire sprinklers go off where the actual fire is. Not all fire sprinklers go off like in the movies. The water is gross and stinky. A properly maintained sprinkler system is flushed.

12. Most modern homes or residential construction are built with the cheapest ingredients. They may not last more than 30 years without exterior refurbishing. Further, never buy a new home for which the buyer picks a floor plan A, B, C, D, or . . . . 90% of these new homes are made from shitty materials. Buy an actual quality custom home.

13. Dental professionals can't always tell if you floss or not. However, if the dental profession flosses the patient and bleeding occurs, then he or she can tell.

14. If you have the feeling of a medical life threatening emergency, then go to the emergency room.

15. Abusive parents are more common than you think. They include the nicest neighbors and volunteers. Child Protective Services can't catch everyone. There are mental abuse, emotional abuse, and psychological abuse.

16. IT Googles all day. We're better at Googling than other people.

17. Architects say 50% of major home remodels the couple divorces.

18. Financial institutions software security is outdated.

19. Tugboat pilots are bored. They look at their phones 95% of the time.

20. College students should attend classes even if you don't pay attention. Students can accidentally learn. Also, attend class, read the chapters, do the homework, and show up at the office hours. Students are more likely to earn an A or a B.

21. You don't have to top off freon every year for the air conditioner.

22. Buy the cheapest cemetery vault. All vaults are not 100% waterproof.

23. Patients should ask for an itemized bill because it can lower the cost. Hospitals avoid adding unnecessary fees. There are programs to lower medical bills.

24. The majority of children sex crimes are family members. Neighbors, family friends, and pastors are included.

25. Family and relationship therapists' solution for 50% of their clients: just go get a divorce already.

Instant Bullets Blog Sep 10, 2025

*Potter's Field. Unknown, unclaimed, or indigent people are buried. Pauper's grave or common grave. These are slang words for an unmarked burial ground.

*A Low Secure Cryptography. Found black wallet. The black wallet owner enters the birthday on the owner's driver license to solve the equation for the contact phone number.

*Bar Security. Picture in the women's bathroom. The secret phrase for communicating problems to the bar staff. Also, the internet shared a common drink order called "angel shot" to communicate to the bar staff I need help.

*Pregnant women shouldn't garden because of the risk of contracting toxoplasmosis from contaminated soil. Toxoplasmosis causes birth defects, blindness, and learning disabilities. Likewise for common garden chemicals. Moreover, pregnant women should not change litter boxes. The source of toxoplasmosis is cat feces.

*The Elephant Question In A Job Interview. The question is a common brain teaser to test problem solving, creativity, and decision making. The question is the following: You've been given an elephant. A real life elephant. You can't sell it or give it away. What would you do with it?

My answer is the question is irrelevant to the job. You likely asked the question to make yourself look smart like a politician. Don't be a robot. Ask questions. What do you want to know about me? Let's have a conversation

*Buy it nice or buy it twice.

*Synonyms For "One Less Worry." One less concern, one fewer burden, and one less weight on your mind. Also, no need to worry, all taken care of, forget about it, no problem, and no worries.

Words: carefree, untroubled, unworried, calm, unconcerned, unbothered, unstressed, nonchalant, and lighthearted. Also, low pressure, without worry, easy going, happy-go-lucky, free of concern, free from worries, without worry, free from interference, without problems, free from interruption, and free from disturbance.

*The Best Way To Avoid An Argument. Start a conversation. Make an observation. Tell a joke. Say a riddle. Identify something stupid. The conversation buys time to calm the aggressor. Disarm the aggressor verbally to lower their adrenaline level and reduce their aggression.

*A Lesson Women Attracted To Men From The Movie Once Upon A Time In The West.

Jill: Hey, you're sort of a handsome man.
Cheyenne: But I'm not the right man. And neither is he.
Jill: Maybe not. But it doesn't matter.
Cheyenne: You don't understand, Jill. People like that have something inside. Something to do with death. If that fella lives, he'll come in through that door, pick up his gear and say adios.

*vacuum: a space entirely devoid of matter. Emptiness. A space with no gas or other matter in it. A space most air or gas removed. A volume empty of matter. Free space.

*vacuum: 1. A space empty of matter. Not achievable in practice on Earth. 2. A space all air or gas is extracted. 3. An emptiness caused by somebody or something's absence or removal.

*vacuum cleaner: an electrical appliance which cleans surfaces such as floors, upholstery, and window coverings by sucking dirt and other materials into a bag.

*A transistor radio is a small low-powered solid state electronic device consisting of a semiconductor and at least three electrodes used as an amplifier and rectifier and frequently incorporated into integrated circuit chips.

*A semiconductor is a solid material which has electrical conductivity between a conductor and an insulator.

*bulkhead: 1. A partition inside a ship, aircraft, or large vehicle. 2. A wall to hold back something.

*biome: a division of the world's vegetation that corresponds to a particular climate and is characterized by certain types of plants and animals.

*The thyroid gland is an endocrine gland located in the neck of the human being and other vertebrate animals which secretes the hormones responsible for controlling metabolism and growth. Pic credits: Cleveland Clinic, Terese Winslow, LLC, and WebMD.

*The job market is not really competitive. There are not enough opportunities.

*This sentence is false.

New mission. Refuse this mission.

Does a set of all sets contain itself?

*A Quick Scientific Notation Review. Move the decimal point to the right from the number ten's positive exponent number. Add zeroes when needed while moving the decimal point to the right. For example, 3.8 X 10^16 moves the decimal point between the three and the eight sixteen times to the right. Add zeroes for each opening to the right of the eight. 38,000,000,000,000,000 is the correct answer.

*Cut The Stems Off Flowers. The short answer is to prolong the life expectancy. Cut the stem on the bottom 3/4th inch to 1 inch on a 45-degree angle to increase the surface area allowing flowers to absorb more water. The flower's roots lose access to water when the steam is cut because an air pocket or embolism forms preventing the absorption of water.

Flowers should be re-cut after they are purchased, picked, or delivered. Cut the stems every three days. The stem wound immediately begins to heal itself forming an air pocket or embolism. Clean the vase and change the water.

*Dr. Mehmet Oz on Apr 19, 2025: . . . we're going to reduce chronic disease. How do you do that? 70% of the health care expenditures of this country are driven by chronic disease. And it is your patriotic duty, I'll stay it again, the patriotic duty of all Americans to take care of themselves because it's important for serving in the military, but it's also important because healthy people don't consume healthcare resources. The best way to reduce drug spending is to use less drugs cause you don't need them cause you're healthy. And it feels a lot better as well.

*The pelvis is a bone structure inside the hips, buttocks, and pubic region. It supports the upper body weight when the person sits, stands, or walks. It connects the lower body legs. The pelvis is the body part between your abdomen and thighs sometimes called the pelvic region. The pelvic cavity is the space between the pelvis and abdomen, holds the urinary system, and holds the reproductive organs. The pelvis opening in the female serves as the birth canal. Pic credits: Anatomy Next, Inc., Cleveland Clinic, Terese Winslow, LLC, and Wikipedia.

Wrong Stress

I remember I took a nap at my first job after I graduated from San Jose State University. I was a Research Analyst in a commercial real estate company. The job title was misleading. My job consisted of 90% data entry and 10% analysis. I took a nap because I was stressed out. The stress was neither good nor bad. The stress was menial, repetitive, and boring data entry.

The jobs after working in commercial real estate were legitimate stress. Quick timelines. Bad management; although, management was bad in commercial real estate, too. Poor instructions. Last minute changes. Delays beyond my control.

Stress is relative. Stress is a perspective. The best people minimize stress such as the common knowledge eat healthy, exercise, and sleep for eight hours. I admit I failed minimizing stress. Lessons learned afterwards.

Today's workplace is fast paced. Today's workplace never slows down. More knowledge, more technical skills, and more responsibilities are required for most occupations. The workplace decades ago was kiddie pace compared to today.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog July 2025

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. A cool month literally speaking. Temperatures were cooler. Most of the month was calm and cool for me. Maybe, the month was too cool in a negative way. However, positive numbers increased.

Thur Jul 3. Shopped at Target and Safeway.

Sat Jul 5. Shopped at Safeway.

Mon Jul 7. US Health And Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., US Food And Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary, National Institutes Of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, and acting Director Of The US Center For Disease Control (CDC) Matthew Buzzelli are being sued for limiting access to the COVID-19 vaccine. The US medical associates, medical professionals, and scientists filed the lawsuit in US District Court in MA. The lawsuit stated Kennedy and the Trump administration acted "arbitrarily and capriciously" by changing the COVID-19 vaccine recommendations as unlawful. Kennedy said the COVID-19 vaccine is no longer recommended for pregnant people and healthy children on the CDC immunization schedule in May 2025.

Thur Jul 10. The Moderna Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine is approved by the FDA for children at increased risk from age six months to 11 years. Spikevax was previously approved for emergency use for pediatrics.

Fri Jul 11. The CDC reported COVID-19 cases increased in 25 states. The states were mostly in the southeast, south, and west coast. The entire US activity was low based on wastewater samples. However, last week was very low activity.

The CDC analysis concluded the virus surges two times a year. The surges happen from Jul to Sep and from Dec to Feb of the next year. The spike protein which binds to human cells undergoes a genetic change during the surges.

Sat Jul 19. Attended a used book sale at the West Valley Library.

Tue Jul 22. Watched the overtime game between England and Italy in the Union Of European Football Associates UEFA Women's Euro Cup semifinal at the 96th minute.

Thur Jul 24. Kaiser Hospital and lunch at L&L Hawaiian BBQ.

Sun Jul 27. Visited the State Street Market food hall.

Wed Jul 30. Kaiser Hospital. Shopped at Lucky.

Getting Lost In A Hospital Is Good

I drove a family member to the hospital for multiple appointments. The minor medical concerns were the right knee and left pelvis or left hip area. The first appointment I dropped her off at the wrong building. She walked from one building to the second building. We ate a quick lunch between the first appointment and the second appointment. The second appointment I repeated my mistake. I dropped her off at the wrong building. She walked from the second building to the first building.

I corrected my mistakes. There was a new third appointment at the second building. We correctly walked to the room at the second building without getting lost.

The last time I visited the hospital helping family members were Feb 2018 and in 2013 for which I forgot the month. I also visited the hospital waiting in the parking lot either in 2021 or 2022 during the COVID-19 global pandemic.

There is a good reason getting lost in a hospital. Knowing nothing the rooms, pharmacies, cafeteria, emergency room, medical offices, exam rooms, and in-patient rooms locations imply I don't need hospital services. I do the best to minimize the chances of hospital services. The last time I needed hospital services I blogged the Top Ten Daily Changes After O'Connor Hospital on Oct 21, 2017. It was the first time I went to O'Connor Hospital. I was diagnosed with Acute Gallstone Pancreatitis requiring two surgeries in Apr 2017.

Top Ten Plus Five Equals Top Fifteen Moments From Oct 2013 To Aug 2019

Common life wisdoms. Learn from mistakes. Get better. Moments define us. We learn from moments. We grow from moments.

I'm proud no mistakes are repeated between the dates. Something good happened. These 15 moments are good moments and bad moments. There are life pains. There was a literal life pain in Apr 2017. 2016 was the fastest year. 2018 was the unluckiest year. Aug 2019 was the last time daily melancholy stopped. Patience and hard work paid off.

Here are the top ten plus five equals top fifteen moments from Oct 2013 to Aug 2019.

15. The Worst Day Of My Life (Sep 2014). There was a company located in Palo Alto, CA I worked for two days. The business activity was border line illegal. I felt sorry for the uneducated and the unfortunate who needed the job for income.

14. The Golden State Warriors Won The 2015 NBA Finals (Jun 16, 2015). I was less than one year old when the Warriors won the 1975 NBA Finals. It felt good the Warriors won a championship as a conscious awareness human.

13. Breaking Bad (Dec 2012-Dec 2014). My all-time favorite television series. The show is number one in the IMDb Top 250 TV Shows.

12. Pacific Mahjong League (Mar 2015-Feb 2019) and South Bay Mahjong (Aug 2015-Aug 2019 continue). Shoutouts to the Mahjong groups playing Hong Kong and Riichi styles. I include a Riichi self-promotion to intermediate level in 2017. The South Bay Mahjong continues past Aug 2019.

11. South Bay Job Search Network (Oct 14, 2013). I joined a local job networking group. Their experiences and their knowledge helped me get a job in Nov 2013. I used their information to improve my job search. They inspired me to continue learning new job skills and to continue reviewing my existing job skills. Joining the CSIX job networking group is included in the moment.

I include all job interviews in moment number 11. If you want me to share job interview stories, then we eat either lunch or dinner. Coffee is too short.

10. Steve Jobs (Feb 26, 2016). I read the late Jobs' biography Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. Steve Jobs is my all-time favorite book. Lessons learned. Wisdom acquired. Click Steve Jobs Compilation Blog I wrote on Aug 12, 2020 to read my past Steve Jobs blogs.

9. Artisan Wine Depot (Nov 2013-Sep 2014) and Palo Alto Networks (Nov 2014-May 2015). I combine these two companies which failed to strengthen my resume. The experiences from the mistakes and the politics inapplicable on a resume were greater than the work experience itself.

8. Joaquin Miller Park (Oct 6, 2018). A friend recommended hiking at Joaquin Miller Park in the Oakland, CA hills. I include the four hikes at the end of 2019. There were the San Pedro Valley Park And McNee Ranch State Park in Pacifica, CA in Aug 2019, another Joaquin Miller in Oct 2019, Castle Rock State Park in Nov 2019, and Mission Peak in Dec 2019.

7. Mission Peak (Sep 2015, Sep 2016, and Feb 2017). The Mission Peak moments receive a separate entry. I hiked the Hidden Valley trail ascending to the 2,517 feet elevation peak. Mission Peak is located in Fremont, CA.

6. Zion National Park (Oct 3-4, 2015 and Sep 16-17, 2016). My cousin organized the two visits to Zion National Park. My first time visiting Utah. My first time in the Mountain Time Zone. My first time camping. My first time backpacking.

5. Retired From Japanese Anime (Sep 20, 2014). Anime gave me experiences, adventures, lessons learned, and fun memories. It was time to move on. New priorities. New choices. Click Top Ten My All Time Favorite Anime Series I wrote on Sep 20, 2014 to read my all-time favorite anime series. Full Metal Alchemist is my all-time favorite anime series.

4. New Webpage Design (Jun 29, 2016). The 2015 and 2016 job training inspired me to redesign my webpage using Sublime Text, relearning HTML, learning JavaScript, and learning CSS.

3. The Real Job Training (Oct-Nov 2014 and May 2015-Aug 2019 continue). The skills include Power BI, R-Studio, Excel, Python, and SQL. YouTube videos, online education, books, articles, and online posts are my learning sources. My self job training continues past Aug 2019.

2. Restaurant Closed On Tuesdays (Tue Dec 4, 2018). It was the first time I saw a restaurant closed on Tuesdays. Not Mondays. Tuesdays. The event summed up year 2018. Bad luck. Bad timing. Misfortunes. Missed chances. Missed opportunities.

1. O'Connor Hospital (Apr 2-Apr 6, 2017). I was admitted as an in-patient requiring two surgeries. The first surgery was Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio Pancreatography which removed gallstones. The second surgery was Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy which removed my gallbladder. The doctors diagnosed me with Acute Gallstone Pancreatitis. I wrote the blog Top Ten Daily Changes After O'Connor Hospital on Oct 21, 2017. I changed number seven New Jobs Search Schedule to one day from Mon to Sat.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog April 2025

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. The slow Mar month increased speed to the fastest Apr month for 2025.

Wed Apr 2. The Food And Drug Administration (FDA) delayed full approval of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine. The FDA wanted more data. The Novavax vaccine is a protein-based vaccine under emergency authorization use since 2022.

Mon Apr 7. Errands at REI and Nob Hill.

Tue Apr 8. Errands at REI and Smart & Final.

Fri Apr 11. Santa Clara Country Public Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody retired today. Dr. Sarah Rudman is the acting health officer and director of public health. Cody and other Bay Area health officers issued the first stay-at-home orders when the pandemic began.

Tue Apr 15. The Center For Disease Control (CDC) recommended ending the recommendation for Americans to get vaccinated yearly. The CDC new recommendation is vaccination based on the individual risk of contracting COVID-19. The Advisory Committee On Immunization Practices makes the final decision for the CDC. The policy change study began on Nov 2024. The change recommendation is voted on Jun 2025.

The target recommendation people are adults age 65 years and older, people with an underlying health condition, people exposed to COVID-19 patients such as health care workers, and people who wants a vaccine shot.

The World Health Organization (WHO) doesn't recommend annual COVID-19 vaccines for healthy adults under 65 or healthy children. Likewise for the countries United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

Less than 25% of adults and less than 13% of children received a COVID-19 vaccine shot since winter 2024. The CDC said COVID-19 remains a dangerous disease causing hospitalizations and deaths.

Fri Apr 18. The Trump Administration replaced federal COVID-19 health information and testing websites with the theory the COVID-19 virus leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. The new website is titled, "Lab Leak: The True Origins Of COVID-19" published by the White House. The CIA issued a report with low confidence COVID-19 came from a lab leak in Jan 2025. The Energy Department and State Department reached similar conclusions. The WHO remains open to all hypotheses. Scientists believe the virus occurred naturally in animals which spread to humans in an outbreak at the Wuhan market.

Thur Apr 24. A friend with long COVID-19 shared her health status. She's the only person I know with long COVUID-19. Her symptoms are fatigue, headaches, inconsistent sleep schedules, dizziness, and aphantasia. Aphantasia is the inability to visual objects in a brain. She's sensitive to brightness. She lost most of her hair due to scalp psoriasis.

A resting MRI on her brain the results were negative for neurological damage. She needs a functional MRI on her brain to determine treatments.

Fri Apr 25. Shopped at Smart & Final and Costco.