The first published science journal, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, was published in 1667 and consisted mostly of letters and brief dispatches. Credit… Album British Library, via Alamy. (Illustration from Carl Zimmer, “How You Should Read Coronavirus Studies, Or Any Science Paper,” NYTimes, 6-1-20)
The knowledge and assumptions that determine The Shed’s personal path through the pandemic are excerpted below. As the science evolves, our behavior will adapt accordingly. Godspeed and safe harbor to everyone. May we reach a common goal of the greatest possible health and wellbeing everywhere, for all, bar none.
Long Haul Ahead We will be in this pandemic era for the long haul, likely a year or more. The masks, the social distancing, the fretful hand-washing, the aching withdrawal from friends and family — those steps are still the best hope of staying well, and will be for some time to come.
Masks Beneficial Most experts now agree that if everyone wears a mask, individuals protect one another… And when combined with hand washing and other protective measures, such as social distancing, masks help reduce the transmission of disease…
Asymptomatic Spread … No one can afford to be cavalier about catching it. About 35 percent of infected people have no symptoms at all, so if they are out and about, they could unknowingly infect other people.
Herd Immunity Difficult We can’t count on herd immunity to keep us healthy… The antibodies that protect people against viruses infecting mucosal surfaces like the lining of the nose [in diseases such as influenza and whooping cough] tend to be short-lived.
Warm Weather No Guarantee We can’t count on warm weather to defeat the virus… If someone infected sits near you and coughs, or talks a lot or sings, it doesn’t really matter where you’re sitting and how nice a day it is… [The virus] has a world population with no immunity waiting to be infected. Bring on the sun; the novel coronavirus will survive…
Goal of Many Over 50 “As an older person, what I want is not to end up on a respirator…”
(All excerpts are from “Six Months of Coronavirus: Here’s Some of What We’ve Learned,” NYTimes, 6-3-20)
I live in Texas and devote much of my time to easel painting on an amateur basis. I stream a lot of music, mostly jazz, throughout the day. I like to read and memorize poetry.
EthicalDative 
View from The Shed
The knowledge and assumptions that determine The Shed’s personal path through the pandemic are excerpted below. As the science evolves, our behavior will adapt accordingly. Godspeed and safe harbor to everyone. May we reach a common goal of the greatest possible health and wellbeing everywhere, for all, bar none.
Long Haul Ahead
We will be in this pandemic era for the long haul, likely a year or more. The masks, the social distancing, the fretful hand-washing, the aching withdrawal from friends and family — those steps are still the best hope of staying well, and will be for some time to come.
Masks Beneficial
Most experts now agree that if everyone wears a mask, individuals protect one another… And when combined with hand washing and other protective measures, such as social distancing, masks help reduce the transmission of disease…
Asymptomatic Spread
… No one can afford to be cavalier about catching it. About 35 percent of infected people have no symptoms at all, so if they are out and about, they could unknowingly infect other people.
Herd Immunity Difficult
We can’t count on herd immunity to keep us healthy… The antibodies that protect people against viruses infecting mucosal surfaces like the lining of the nose [in diseases such as influenza and whooping cough] tend to be short-lived.
Warm Weather No Guarantee
We can’t count on warm weather to defeat the virus… If someone infected sits near you and coughs, or talks a lot or sings, it doesn’t really matter where you’re sitting and how nice a day it is… [The virus] has a world population with no immunity waiting to be infected. Bring on the sun; the novel coronavirus will survive…
Goal of Many Over 50
“As an older person, what I want is not to end up on a respirator…”
(All excerpts are from “Six Months of Coronavirus: Here’s Some of What We’ve Learned,” NYTimes, 6-3-20)
(c) 2020 JMN
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About JMN
I live in Texas and devote much of my time to easel painting on an amateur basis. I stream a lot of music, mostly jazz, throughout the day. I like to read and memorize poetry.