Dear Reader:

Worldometer, Sept 16: getting very close to reported 30 million cases, and closer to 1 million deaths worldwide (30; 1). There are closer to 7 million cases and over 200 thousand deaths in the U.S, 1197 new deaths yesterday. Greatest increases in new cases is in India, next- in the US, next in Spain, next in Brazil.

ABC News, Next Twin disasters: How the West Coast fires might impact the Covid-19 pandemic (Sept 15): “Now we’re battling two public health crises,”… a pulmonologist at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and volunteer medical spokesperson for the American Lung Association, told ABC News. And it gets worse: The two forces of nature may interact with each other.

“When we have public health concerns from wildfires to hurricanes, we worry about worsening spread of the virus,”… Wildfire smoke causes air pollution by creating..microscopically small particles that may bypass filters in the nose and throat and penetrate deep into the lungs. These particles can cause airway inflammation, leading to increased susceptibility to respiratory infections, aggravation of underlying respiratory conditions and increased risks for hospitalization and death from pneumonia.

“Ongoing studies will give us more information on wildfire smoke and COVID-19, but we do know that air pollution makes COVID-19 worse, especially if you have underlying conditions,” said Simone Wildes, M.D., an infectious disease specialist.. The combination of airway inflammation caused by irritants in smoke plus underlying conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease create a ‘perfect storm” for poor COVID-19 outcomes, she added.

“Even if you have great working lungs, if you breathe in remnants from fires, your lungs may be impaired and ill-prepared to fight off the virus,” said Galiatsatos… Now, experts are concerned that the wildfires may add to the pandemic’s strain on California’s hospitals. “Hospitals are going to have to treat a lot of breathing problems as a result of damage from fire exposure. Capacity will be stretched,” said Wildes. As people are forced to flee from the fires and take refuge together, social distancing efforts may be compromised. Shelter crowding is a major concern, she said, but so are the effects of inhaling toxins from wildfire smoke…COVID-19 and smoke inhalation can result in similar symptoms — shortness of breath, sore throat, cough..”

CBS News, Trump says “I don’t think science knows” about climate (Sept 15): “President Trump landed in California Monday framed by a smoky sky. He made a rare West Coast swing as wildfires ravage California, Oregon and Washington, and has already approved emergency declarations for the states.

“In California, the president questioned climate change, and blamed the fires on poor forest management even though many forests in California are federally managed. California National Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot disagreed that the rapidly spreading wildfires could entirely be blamed on forest management. He told Mr. Trump, ‘We want to work with you to really recognize the changing climate, and what it means to our forests.’ Crowfoot warned, ‘If we ignore that science, and sort of put our head in the sand, and think it’s all about vegetation management, we’re not going to succeed together protecting Californians.’ The president claimed the climate would “start getting cooler. ‘I wish science agreed with you,” Crowfoot replied. ‘I don’t think science knows,” the president responded.

“The smoke has  destroyed air quality up and down the West Coast, yielding the eerie orange images of San Francisco last week. Together, the dozens of fires have burned more than 3 million acres.  The president has long denied the impact of man-made influence on climate change”.

USA Today, Western Wildfires, Joe Biden cites climate change (Sept 15): “Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Monday cited climate change as a key factor in the fires blazing through much of the West, but Donald Trump on a visit to a California wildfire command center blamed ‘forest management’ for not controlling the situation…

“If you give a climate denier four more years in the White House, why would we be surprised that we have more America ablaze?.. Wally Covington, professor of forestry at Northern Arizona University, attributed the fires to the decades-old failure of policymakers in addressing climate change and the effects of aggressive fire suppression on forests.’I was hopeful back in the ’90s and ’80s that maybe we would reverse climate change effects. Now I’m kind of pessimistic,” Covington said…

“The wildfires and recent extreme weather underscore an urgent need to address climate change, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said Monday. Biden was speaking shortly before President Donald Trump was to meet in California with Gov. Gavin Newsom and others to discuss the fires.Biden said the tragedy requires “leadership, not scapegoating” and that “it’s clear we are not safe in Donald Trump’s America.’… California Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted: ‘The hots are getting hotter. The wets are getting wetter. Climate change isn’t something that is going to happen in the future. It’s happening right NOW.”

NBC News, Majority of adults don’t trust Trump’s comments on Covid-19 vaccine (Sept 15): “A majority of American adults don’t trust what President Donald Trump has said about a coronavirus vaccine… 58 percent of adults who identify as Republicans or lean Republican say they trust what Trump has said about a vaccine… Just 3 percent of Democrats and those who lean Democratic say they trust the president’s vaccine rhetoric, while 88 percent say they don’t… There have also been reports that political appointees have tried to control messaging from the scientific experts, and experts raised concerns that the Trump administration was eroding faith in public health”.

anita