David J. Danto

Business travel thoughts in my own, personal opinion

eMail: ddanto@IMCCA.org Follow Industry News: @NJDavidD

It Ain’t Over

I’m sure you’re a movie buff and you remember the scene. In the first Jaws movie, a group of idiots catch a shark and their useless mayor calls the crisis over. The expert – Hooper in this case – tells Brody and the mayor that it’s a hundred to one shot that this is the cause of the killings – meaning the crisis is far from over – but nobody listens to him. Nobody wants to hear from an annoying expert when they think their problems are behind them.

Does this ring any bells for you?

· In the past couple of weeks most states in the US and many countries in the world have dropped their mask mandates and eliminated safety measures meant to prevent the spread of COVID.

· United Airlines has told their few unvaccinated (stupid) employees that they can come back to work this month.

· And, in his best Larry Vaughn (the mayor of Amity Island in Jaws) impersonation, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian has said the coronavirus crisis is effectively over as far as the travel sector is concerned.

So should we all celebrate? Um, no. Just as in Jaws, the killer is most definitely still out there.

· COVID infections are starting to spike again in Europe.

· Hong Kong went from 'zero-COVID' to what is right now the world's highest death rate.

· A surge in Omicron variant infections has prompted Chinese authorities to lock down residents, close factories and stop traffic.

· The new Omicron variant (BA.2) is being found in much of the US wastewater, and the number of infections due to it is doubling every week or two.

I was having an on-line chat with one of our frequent readers about the lockdown in China earlier this week. I lamented that the headline “Chinese cities again go into lockdown due to Coronavirus” would be routinely ignored by most people here in the US. To get people interested, the headline should have said “New iPhones will be delayed due to disease outbreak in their factory.” At least that might have gotten people’s attention – which of course is sad.

We all want COVID to be over. The real truth is it is not. A US ex-President just got it…The Vice-President’s husband just got it…LOTS of people are getting it…not just in the US but around the world.

Now that you know all this what should you do? Well that’s easy. Get vaccinated – using the two shot MRNA regimen from Pfizer or Moderna…and then get a booster shot. If it’s been six months since your booster shot get another one. Sadly, the vaccine is not preventing infections, but it is usually preventing serious issues and deaths. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the chart below comparing Hong Kong elderly deaths due to the “mild” Omicron variant in a society that did not effectively vaccinate to the society in New Zealand that did get 98% of people vaccinated:

Also, keep wearing N95 or KN95 masks…even if no one else is…even if assholes make fun of you. It will save your life.

Can you hear the music creeping up from behind you in your head? I can. Sadly, it’s not the “fat lady singing.”

This article was written by David Danto and contains solely his own, personal opinions.

All image and links provided above as reference under prevailing fair use statutes.

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As always, feel free to write and comment, question or disagree. Hearing from the traveling community is always a highlight for me. Thanks!