Neurodivergent workers fear facing discrimination as they return to the office

Neurodivergent workers fear for
their jobs if required to RTO.
(Photo by Christian Tarzi, Unsplash)

Neurodivergence encompasses people who may learn, think or behave differently than what is typical. Being neurodivergent can include diagnoses such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, intellectual disabilities, mental health conditions and more.

Neurodivergent challenges can be more common among rural residents who often live where access to medical and mental care for chronic conditions can be more limited. In fact, research published by Florida State University said that “The prevalence of adults living with disabilities is significantly higher in rural areas compared to metropolitan areas.”

“About a fifth of U.S. adults self-identify as neurodivergent,” according to an article by Danielle Abril at The Washington Post. For these workers, being in the office can be challenging.

During Covid, the number of people who worked from home went from 9 million to 28 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Now, workers are being called back into the office.

“Some neurodivergent workers discovered success working remotely during the pandemic and don’t feel comfortable disclosing their diagnoses due to fear of and prior instances of discrimination,” wrote Abril.

Through interviews with neurodivergent workers, Abril found that in some cases, after disclosing their diagnosis, workers have been fired days later or told to get it under control. However, “Even before the pandemic, companies were required under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) to offer accommodations, which might include adjustable work schedules, to people who disclosed their neurodivergence.”

In an interview with Abril, Amazon spokesperson Margaret Callahan said, “the company continues to believe that the advantages of being together … are significant.”

While working from home can create a more comfortable and productive environment for some workers, there is still a push by companies for employees to return to the office.

Kristyn Roth, chief marketing officer of the Autism Society of America, told Abril, “The job market right now is really competitive… If accommodations [like flexibility] are being cut and DEI services continue to be deprioritized, job opportunities become even more narrow for autistic or neurodiverse workers.”

More Americans are opting out of Covid-19 vaccinations; survey shows the choice can be based on political views

Pew Research Center graph

It has been four years since the U.S. rolled out lockdowns and mask mandates to slow the spread of Covid-19. Many Americans, both Republican and Democrat, received the country's first Covid-19 vaccine in fairly equal numbers. However, after that initial jump-off point, Covid-19 vaccines have become more partisan, and many Americans seem less concerned about the virus despite its continuing presence in the population.

"A new Pew Research Center survey finds that just 20% of Americans view the coronavirus as a major threat to the health of the U.S. population today, and only 10% are very concerned that they will get it and require hospitalization," report Alec Tyson and Giancarlo Pasquini for the Pew Research Center. "This data represents a low ebb of public concern about the virus that reached its height in the summer and fall of 2020, when as many as two-thirds of Americans viewed Covid-19 as a major threat to public health."

While it's hard to explain why so many U.S. citizens seem indifferent to the disease, vaccination numbers speak to an overall lack of public interest. "Just 28% of U.S. adults say they have received the updated Covid-19 vaccine, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended last fall to protect against serious illness," Pew reports. "This stands in stark contrast to the spring and summer of 2021, when long lines and limited availability characterized the initial rollout of the first Covid-19 vaccines. A majority of U.S. adults (69%) had been fully vaccinated by August 2021."

Historically, political affiliation hasn't been a factor in vaccination status. A Pew survey from 2023 reported: "Robust public confidence in the value of childhood vaccines for MMR, with no decline in the large majority who say the benefits outweigh the risks compared with surveys conducted before the coronavirus outbreak." The Covid-19 vaccination does not have that kind of unilateral support, but instead vaccine choices fall along party lines. Tyson and Pasquini write, "Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents remain more likely than Republicans and GOP leaners to say they've received an updated Covid-19 vaccine (42% vs. 15%). This 27-point gap in recent vaccination is about the same as in January 2022."

The gap is even more distinctly party-affiliated among Americans 65 and older, who are ironically more at risk of dying from the disease. Pew reports, "In the current survey, 66% of Democrats ages 65 and older say they have received the updated Covid-19 vaccine, compared with 24% of Republicans ages 65 and older. This 42-point partisan gap is much wider now than at other points since the start of the outbreak."

Tyson and Pasquini add, "Still, the virus continues to circulate widely in the United States, with wastewater data suggesting that cases in the early part of 2024 were among the highest they have been since the first omicron wave in 2022."

Opinion: An agriculture columnist reviews reader reactions to his four most controversial stances

The value of Covid-19 vaccines is still controversial topic
for journalists to discuss. (The Forum News Service photo)

Public distrust, newsroom layoffs, 24/7 work cycles and frequent online updates are just a few of the daunting challenges journalists face. In the case of controversial stories, public responses can double the pressure. Farm Journal columnist Jonathan Knutson writes, "I dislike the handful of profanity-laden emails and phone calls from readers who disagree with my column. To be clear, the vast majority of emails and phone calls from disagreeing readers are polite and use appropriate language, and I welcome their feedback." Knutson revisited his four most "difference-filled" stories.

Knutson covered GMOs and "The column noted the strong consensus of U.S. experts that GMOs are safe for humans to eat. That's good enough for me. . . Especially since GMOs increase food production in a world in which far too many people are hungry. . . . A few readers thanked me, but most respondents disagreed. They correctly pointed out that the majority of GMO-knowledgeable scientists in some parts of the world say GMOs aren't safe for humans. . . . My response then and now: I don't have a good answer for the foreign scientists' stance."

Knutson wrote on free trade's relationship to agriculture. "Most U.S. ag groups support freer trade. They say — and statistics and obvious real-world observations agree — that freer trade increases U.S. ag exports, which in turn increases grain prices and farmers' profit. . . . But my column criticizing former President Trump's trade-distorting, ag-harming trade policies drew angry responses from a number of his supporters, as well as a few officials from U.S. economic sectors hurt by freer trade. . . . My response then and now: Freer trade isn't perfect; the column noted that some U.S. workers are hurt by it. But freer trade helps American farmers, farm communities, ag-heavy states and the national economy overall."

What about human activities and their relationship to climate change? Knutson had been a skeptic for years, but around 2002, his opinion shifted. "I learned that 97% of climate scientists believe climate change is real and human activity contributes to it. I talked at length with a climate scientist who patiently answered my many questions.

"My column, which said that climate change is real and human activity contributes to it, drew angry responses from a number of readers. Their main argument was that climate scientists must support the climate-change-is-real position or lose their federal funding. . . . However, I also received positive responses from several respondents. One wrote: 'It's ironic that so many in ag praise the courage of GMO experts who tell them what they want to hear while they rip climate scientists who tell them what they don't want to hear.' . . . My take then and now: 97% of climate scientists say climate change is real, and I respect their overall professionalism and integrity."

Knudson tackled the Covid-19 vaccination debate and received angry and supportive responses. "Again, I'll stick with the vast majority of experts who say vaccinations are both safe and needed. . . . The takeaway: It's easy to praise experts who say what we want to hear and vilify experts who don't. And it's altogether too easy to accept dubious, dangerous internet 'facts' that lead to muddled minds and fanatical faith in bizarro-world conspiracy theories. Established science isn't perfect, but it's still the best bet available."

Each household can get four free Covid-19 tests, and some older tests are still good; plus a Covid 'refresher'

U.S. Government photo illustration

Just in time for the cold and flu season the federal government has relaunched its at-home Covid-19 test program. Every U.S. household is eligible for four free test kits sent directly from the U.S. Postal Service, but some older tests might also still be good, too. The easiest way to order kits is through covidtests.gov. "Officials say the tests are able to detect the latest variants and are intended to be used through the end of the year," reports Fenit Nirappil of The Washington Post. "The return of the free testing program comes after Americans navigated the latest uptick in covid cases with free testing no longer widely available."

Keep in mind many antigen tests have extended expiration dates, so tests purchased or received earlier could still be usable, reports Meryl Davids Landau of National Geographic. Check the chart available here to see if yours is still effective.

As temperatures dip and holiday seasons approach, people will spend more time inside. "Experts say free coronavirus testing proved to be an effective public health tool, allowing people to check their status before attending large gatherings or spending time with older or medically vulnerable people at risk of severe disease even after being vaccinated," Nirappil reports. "It also enables people to start antiviral treatments in the early days of infection to prevent severe disease."

If you have forgotten some of the testing details, Landau gives a brief Q & A "refresher."

Swab the throat or the nose? It turns out nasal samples concentrate more of the virus and are therefore more likely to yield a positive diagnosis.

Can you get sick within days of SARS-CoV-2 exposure? A recent study in France confirmed what people are feeling, that those exposed to Omicron develop symptoms earlier than they did after exposure to the original SARS-CoV-2 strain. . . . It’s possible that the incubation period is shorter due to the mutations.

How long should you isolate if testing positive for Covid? Whether a person has a positive test or is likely to have the disease based on symptoms and exposure, it’s crucial they go home and immediately isolate from everyone, including people with whom they live. . . . This isolation should continue for a minimum of five days, which starts the day after the positive test or the appearance of symptoms, according to the Center for Disease Control.

When is masking after isolation necessary? Once in public, the individual must wear a high-quality mask until 10 days have passed since symptoms began or testing positive. Remember: the first day is day zero. This is important because the sick person could be contagious for a full 10 days.

Who should take the antiviral drug Paxlovid? Those who are most likely to face hospitalization and death should talk with their healthcare provider about taking the antiviral medicine, Paxlovid, which continues to be effective against current strains.

Should you get the new vaccine? The Federal Drug Administration and CDC recently approved new Covid vaccines for people six months and older. The benefits of vaccination outweigh side-effect risks for all these age groups, the CDC noted.

How else can you protect yourself? Avoiding crowds and masking remain extremely effective protection measures, but most people don’t need to do them 24/7.

Embracing vaccines sooner rather than later can mean healthier months ahead

The timing of vaccines matters.
(Wall Street Journal illustration, from IStock images)

Covid, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) -- the vaccine season is upon us. To get the maximum protection from having to face a needle, start with a game plan. "Doctors generally suggest getting your flu and Covid shots before the end of October and say it's OK to get both those shots at the same time," reports Sumathi Reddy of The Wall Street Journal. "The most important thing, doctors say, is to get vaccinated. If you're in a doctor's office or a drugstore and can get your shots, it usually makes sense to do it."

Over the summer, there was a "bump" in Covid cases, and if you've been recently infected, putting off getting a booster for three to six months is wise. John Wherry, director of the Institute for Immunology at the University of Pennsylvania, told Reddy, "If your level of antibodies is quite high, the booster does very little good. You're kind of wasting your shot."

For Covid shots, "Sooner rather than later is good. . . especially if you are a senior or immunocompromised," Reddy reports. "The newly approved booster targets the dominant strains now circulating. Covid-19 test positivity rates have hovered around 14% for the past month, according to CDC data, up from 4% in June. Covid boosters from Pfizer and Moderna have already rolled out. The Novavax booster is expected later this fall."

Recommendations for the flu vaccine include getting it in September or October. Reddy adds, "Flu cases usually start ticking up in November and peak in January before trailing off at the end of March, says Wherry. . . . If you get sick with the flu before you've been vaccinated, you should still get the vaccine about a month later, he says. That's because the flu vaccine typically protects against four types or strains of influenza."

RSV vaccines are approved for seniors and some pregnant women; doctors say opting to have the vaccines sooner is best, Reddy reports, "because activity is picking up, and RSV tends to peak earlier than the other respiratory viruses, says Wherry. There is also a new RSV drug approved to protect infants. Cases are already starting to increase in the Southeast, according to the CDC."

What's going on with the latest Covid-19 vaccines? Here are answers to frequently asked questions.

Updated Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna have rolled out to pharmacies. The Food and Drug Administration approved the mRNA vaccines for everyone 6 months and older. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 13-1 to recommend that everyone 6 months and older should get the shots, and the CDC endorsed that recommendation.

Lori Robertson and Catalina Jaramillo of FactCheck.org, a service of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Robertson and Jaramillo compiled a list of common questions and answers about the vaccines, and here's a condensed version of their report:

How are these updated shots different from the last one? All of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines — the originals, the bivalent boosters and the latest updates — use the same mRNA technology to trigger an immune response to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. The spike protein is what the virus uses to enter cells.

The difference between the versions of the vaccines is in what type of spike protein they prompt the body to make. The mRNA in the 2023-2024 vaccines instructs cells to make the spike protein of omicron variant XBB.1.5. The variant became a concern at the end of last year, when the CDC projected it made up 40.5% of new CCovid-19 cases in the U.S., a figure that rose to nearly 90% by early March.

Who is eligible to get an updated vaccine? Everyone 6 months of age and older is eligible for these vaccines.The FDA said those age 5 and older can get a single dose of either mRNA vaccine if at least two months have passed since the prior Covid-19 vaccine dose. Unvaccinated people can also get a single dose. Children ages 6 months through 4 years who previously were vaccinated are eligible to get one or two doses, depending on which vaccines they have received and when. Children in this age group who haven’t been vaccinated against Covid-19 can get three doses of the latest Pfizer vaccine or two doses of Moderna’s. . . . Those who are immunocompromised can also receive additional doses.

What evidence supports the use of the updated vaccines? The FDA said it approved and authorized the latest formulas of the vaccines based on its evaluation of manufacturing data and data showing the immune response to these vaccines against prevalent variants is similar to that of previous versions of the vaccines against prior variants.. . . . The FDA is using a similar approach to the annual influenza vaccines, which are tweaked each year to combat the influenza strains expected for that season. Flu vaccines are approved each year without clinical studies because the changes, compared with prior vaccines, are small and because it wouldn’t be possible to test the vaccines each year in people before the flu season.

How effective are they? We don’t have vaccine effectiveness data for the updated vaccines specifically, but data on similar, previous vaccines show they were quite effective at preventing severe disease. And the research. . . .by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech shows the updated version increases neutralizing antibodies against the new and emerging variants.

How safe are they? Moderna’s clinical trial for the latest vaccine showed that the percentage of participants reporting mild side effects, such as pain, swelling, headache, fatigue and muscle aches, was similar to or, in many cases, lower than the reporting rates for the prior Covid-19 vaccines. But, the safety evaluation of this formula is based on hundreds of millions of doses of Covid-19 vaccines administered over the past few years.

Are the shots still free, and where can I get one? The vaccines are no longer provided by the federal government for free, but private insurance companies, Medicare and Medicaid, and some CDC programs will cover them.

For more detailed explanations and questions, read the full article here. 

When Americans no longer trust each other, the problem can be deadly. It hits rural areas the hardest, study shows

An unhealthy mistrust has spread across the U.S.
(ProMarket photo, University of Chicago)

Not being able to trust our neighbors or our country's leaders not only feels rotten, it can lead to physical illnesses. "People died in the pandemic because they didn't trust the government or their neighbors to do the right thing," reports Frank Morris of KCUR in Kansas City. "And it's not getting better. Today, distrust is making people sicker, especially where health care is fragile across giant swaths of rural America. . . . Tom Bollyky, director of the global health program at the Council on Foreign Relations, said while the worst of the pandemic has passed (for now), the United States' deadly epidemic of mistrust is raging unchecked."

Bollyky was the lead author of a large study published in The Lancet this year, "taking a fine-grain look at Covid death and infection rates across the United States and the many factors that contributed to the differences," Morris writes. Bollyky told him: "This pandemic has been less about the microbe spreading around and more about the people to which it's spreading. It's about us, and how we feel about each other, and how we hang together as a community."

Morris reports, "Covid death rates varied wildly between states. The government tracked these rates as deaths per million people. New Hampshire lost 218 residents per million to Covid during the research period. New Hampshire has the highest rate of interpersonal trust in the U.S., as measured by long-running surveys testing trust between individuals. . . . Covid-19 was almost twice as deadly in Missouri as it was in New Hampshire. Almost a dozen other states fared even worse, partly due to distrust."

The pandemic years didn't just erode interpersonal trust, it decreased Americans' faith in vaccines overall. Brock Slabach, chief operations officer at the National Rural Health Association, told Morris, "And then, to add insult to injury, we have lower rates, for example, of childhood immunization that directly comes out of the pandemic and mistrust in vaccines generally. And so we're going to see childhood diseases that we thought we'd eradicated returning."

During and continuing after the pandemic, patient-doctor trust plummeted, and that distrust could make the next pandemic worse. Slabach told Morris: "Through the pandemic, we've added this issue of mistrust in the very professionals that for centuries we've valued as an important source of information for health and healthcare. . . . If we have another health crisis, this will come right back because we've not addressed some of the underlying issues. And so we're still going to be facing higher rates of disease, higher spread of death because of this misinformation and the lack of trust that we have in those areas of our system that know what to do in response."

Reflecting on the pandemic as Covid-19 comes back, Iowa editor writes: 'This is a lot for any nation to absorb'

Art Cullen

As U.S. pharmacies roll out updated Covid-19 booster vaccines, it might be a good time to look at how much the pandemic still alters daily life around the planet. The trauma and changes brought on by Covid-19 still cast a long shadow, Iowa editor Art Cullen writes for his Storm Lake Times Pilot.

"It's impossible to forget: I was on the phone one dank morning in the spring of 2020 with brother John, who lives just a block east. We were isolating at home, trying to figure out what to do with the newspaper. Should we just shut it down? . . . We decided we couldn't quit. . . . . We're okay now, but the thought of it still traumatizes me. . . . People were dying every week. Some businesses never came back.

"We're still living it. The latest iteration of Covid spreads as classes resume. The psychological trauma persists. Friendships eroded through isolation and political extremity. Eating habits changed from dine-in to carry-out. Church attendance dropped even farther. . . . Shocks to the food system continue to ripple. . . The pork and poultry industries are beset by trouble as supply chains work out the huge whipsaws of the past four years. Food prices have moderated but continue to fire inflation sparked by the pandemic shutdown.

Cullen writes that changes go well beyond the United States. "The pandemic rewired world trade. China is reeling. Brazil has become the most-favored soybean trader with Asia. . . . These are huge changes that have not been fully digested. . . . 

"This is a lot for any nation to absorb. We are still working through it. . . . Early polling that confirms a general angst over everything — call it the blues or clinical depression. . . . The pandemic casts a shadow over our personal lives, our communities and politics. Supply shocks, inflation, rewriting world trade, and unkinking food supply chain links all are moving parts in this complex machinery. . . . American resilience is amazing. Democracy and justice have prevailed so far," Cullen writes.

"Still, we are not post-pandemic. It colors everything. Gov. [Kim] Reynolds last week rejected the idea of any more lockdowns. 'My answer—not on my watch,' she said. Not that anybody in Iowa was actually suggesting another shutdown. It just shows how the trauma of it still animates us."

Researchers develop scoring system to identify long Covid; ongoing study at 85 sites needs more rural participants

Epigram.org.uk

Researchers have developed a method to determine whether someone is suffering from long Covid-19, defined as "post-acute sequelae Covid." (Sequelae are conditions resulting from earlier disease or injury.) And they're looking for more rural participants.

"This symptom-based PASC definition represents a first step for identifying PASC cases and serves as a launching point for further investigations," the reserachers report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. "Future analyses must consider the relationships among age, sex, race and ethnicity, social determinants of health, vaccination status after index date, co-morbidities, and pregnancy status during infection."

"Researchers identified symptoms that are the most distinctive to long Covid, including: fatigue, especially after exercise; brain fog; dizziness; gastrointestinal symptoms; heart palpitations; issues with sexual desire or capacity; loss of smell or taste; thirst; chronic cough; chest pain; and abnormal movements," reports Karen Weintraub of USA Today. "Each self-reported symptom is given a score and someone with a score of 12 or more 'is a person who very likely has long Covid,' said Dr. Leora Horwitz, who helped lead the research from the New York University Grossman School of Medicine. "It doesn't mean these symptoms are the most common, or the most severe, or the most burdensome, or the most important to people. It just means that these are the ones that help us identify people who have long-term consequences."

The researchers studied 9,764 adults at 85 hospitals, health centers, and community organizations in 33 states. "More than 20% of people who've had Covid score high enough six months after their infection to meet this working definition of long COVID, although one-third of them no longer meet the criteria at nine months," Weinraub reports.

The National Institutes of Health funded the research, which is continuing. "The study is still looking for participants who are Hispanic or who live in rural areas," Weintraub notes.

Quick hits: As farmers mobilize for protest, one in 1979 is recalled; West Virginia crooner invites folks to visit state . . .

U.S. Rep. Dan Glickman, D-Kansas and later secretary of agriculture, left, with prized Polled Hereford bull "King George" and his owner, farmer and American Agriculture Movement communications czar Leon Riffel. (Photo courtesy of Crystal Carson)

As Farmers for Climate Action get ready for their early-March rally in Washington D.C., let's revisit the 1979 Tractorcade. "In early February 1979, David Senter — a fourth-generation farmer from Burleston, Texas — and more than 3,000 other striking farmers from around the country drove their tractors to the nation’s capital to demand parity for farmers. The predominant issues at that time were fair commodity pricing and country-of-origin labeling," reports Dan Sullivan of Lancaster Farming.

Spring planting will soon be upon us. Heirloom seeds are something special to consider as you plan your 2023 garden.

"Don't hesitate, come and see the Mountain State," croons Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. in his latest release, "Come Home to West Virginia." Murphy, who once washed cars, is working to keep jazz classics from what some call "the Great American Songbook" alive and is adding his own creations. He still lives in coal-rich Logan County and finds ways to celebrate Appalachian life through big-band music.

Read something unusual about America's last rural president: "A nuclear reactor was melting down. Jimmy Carter came to the rescue. As a 28-year-old Navy lieutenant, Carter was one of the few people on the planet authorized to go inside a damaged nuclear reactor," reports Gillian Brockell of The Washington Post.

Bison and Montana go together. In this outdoor classroom, a recent bison harvest highlights a growing number of state-level curriculum programs that teach students Native ceremony and food traditions.

Wikipedia map

Moffat, a small Scottish town of about 2,400, "first gained attention as a Victorian-era spa town known for its sulfur-rich springs. More recently, the town’s fame has taken a darker turn—literally. After upgrading its public lighting, in 2016, Moffat became the first European town to receive International Dark Sky Place certification," reports Blair Mastbaum of Atlas Obscura.

Catching Covid-19 may be the best way to avoid the worst of it, a new study from the University of Washington has found. Contracting the disease may offer more durable immunity, reports Julia Marnin of The Seattle Times.

Too hot? Too cold? "Cold is far more deadly. For every death linked to heat, nine are tied to cold," reports Harry Stevens of The Washington Post. It's a complex argument: "If cold was deadlier than heat, and the planet was getting hotter, global warming might actually save lives. But whose lives?"

How do human fingerprints get their special swirls? Their intricate patterns "are produced during fetal development by waves of tiny ridges that form on the fingertip, spread and then collide with each other — similar to the process that gives a zebra its stripes, or a cheetah its spots," reports Heidi Ledford of Nature.

"Phillip Andrew Marx takes care of chickens, ducks, and turkeys in exchange for money to help him graduate college with no student debt. . . . For Marx, he said he believes change starts with farmers, and he’s proud to work on projects related to farming and agriculture," reports Kristi Eaton of The Daily Yonder. This piece presents a new program in CaliforniaCorps, a job program for students, and it's a program other states can mimic.

Covid-19 death rates in rural and urban America seem to be reaching 'tentative equilibrium', Daily Yonder reports

Percentage difference between rural and urban death rates, by week
(Graph by The Daily Yonder)

As the pandemic moves into its fourth year, its ultimate impact on rural America seems to be leveling off.  "Weekly death rates are still higher in rural America than in metropolitan America, but the difference is nothing like it was in earlier phases of the pandemic," reports Sarah Melotte of The Daily Yonder. "Rural America has borne a disproportionately large share of the Covid-19 deaths. . . . But after years of sharply divergent death rates, rural and urban America have reached a tentative equilibrium."

In rural areas, surges of infection were often to blame for "the large gap between the cumulative death rates in rural and urban areas," Melotte writes. "Earlier in the pandemic, the weekly rural death rate was more than two times higher than the urban rate for months. In the last year, however, the gap – while still significant – has stabilized. . . . . Health experts say, the smaller gap between urban and rural death rates is reassuring because it means the nationwide death rate is relatively stable."

The cumulative impact of Covid in rural America tells a story. "By the first week of December 2020, rural and metropolitan counties had about the same number of cumulative deaths proportionately. . . . Since the initial coronavirus surge, which concentrated in New York, the rural death rate has been higher than the metro death rate during every single surge, including the current small surge."

That's explained partly by lower vaccination rates, Melotte reports: "Only 56% of rural residents are fully vaccinated today, compared to 67% of their urban counterparts. . . . Rural areas are, on average, poorer, older, and sicker than their urban counterparts."

Dr. Randy Wykoff, dean of the College of Public Health at East Tennessee State University, told Melotte: “For two years we saw massive spikes. But for the last 10 months, we haven’t. The question everybody is asking is, are we going to keep seeing the spikes?" Wykoff noted the prospect of annual vaccinations "that are targeted at the currently dominant strains of the coronavirus, similar to the way flu vaccines are developed," Melotte reports.

'We have survived the full body slam,' Iowa editor writes, reviewing what we have endured the past three years

Full body slam with Tom and Jerry (Gif, Tenor)

By Art Cullen, Editor
Storm Lake Times Pilot

What a weird run we’ve been on the past few years with the double-whammy of Covid-19 and Donald Trump.

The aftershocks of deep changes to our lives reverberate still.

The House finally elected a speaker with the 15th ballot on the second anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Trump had to call in to the House floor on Kevin McCarthy’s behalf. Images of Trump standing on the veranda at the White House in an orange glow after his release from the hospital with Covid rose to mind. He just stood there, suggesting invincibility yet looking as if he might fall over.

Storm Lake was getting walloped by the pandemic. People were dying every week. The meatpacking plants were ravaged. Walmart ran out of toilet paper overnight. Newell-Fonda won the girls state tournament again, and then that was all she wrote. Some businesses went under. We nearly did. The government came out with the biggest relief program since the Great Depression. Most of us survived because of it.

During this time Steve King, our congressman for 20 years, was unseated in a Republican primary because of his comments on race and culture. JD Scholten, who nearly beat King in 2018, was forced to stage drive-in campaign events at Frank Starr Park, where he spoke into a microphone and diehards in cars tuned in on FM radio. Scholten got walloped by Randy Feenstra, a more polite version of King.

There were those daily Covid briefings where Trump would contradict the medical experts standing next to him as the president talked up his latest snake-oil cure.

You couldn’t go to church. Catholics yearned for Holy Communion. Who would have thought you could not get communion? Michelle Obama made a brief return as First Lady in the absence of one to counsel the nation on having the Covid blues. Doctors here confirmed that they saw an increase in depression. It is depressing sitting at home looking out the window wishing you were anyplace else, doing something.

Relationships changed, or ended. Zooming became a verb. Remote work became a real thing. I, for one, got used to it. I fancy myself living the writer’s life. That’s been a good thing, sort of a dream come true, really. That, and voters told Trump to take his act back to Mar-a-Lago. They chose Biden and cooperation over Trump and violent treason.

Voters liked the infrastructure bill. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell last week shook hands with President Biden over a new bridge to connect Ohio and Kentucky while the House Republicans fought yesterday’s battles. Sen. Joni Ernst was one of a dozen Republicans to vote for protecting gay and interracial marriages, which drew a rebuke from the Pocahontas County Republican Central Committee. There are signs of moderation that made Ernst feel comfortable enough to be sensible.

At one point oil prices went into negative territory when interest rates were at zero. We worried that we couldn’t get paper to print because of huge supply chain kinks. You couldn’t even think about looking at a new car on a lot because they weren’t there. They still aren’t. Newsprint prices are stabilizing. Oil shot up as the economy came back, along with grocery prices. Then interest rates ratcheted up to combat inflation. Meatpackers raised wages significantly over the past five years — from about $16 per hour to start, to nearly $22 per hour starting wage now, plus with better health care benefits.

Restaurants have come back, but dining in is down nearly 20% from pre-pandemic times. Take-out is way up. Inflation is subsiding. Congress did big bipartisan things, like reshoring computer chip making to the USA from Asia. We are beginning to address climate change. Our saber rattling with China over trade is subsiding, and China has trouble all its own coping with a wave of Covid. The insurrection was driven at least in part by the frustration of the pandemic cast on a motif of fear. Many of the participants are thinking about it from jail. Voters called again for moderation in the November midterm election. Democracy holds on as aimless rebels are shunted aside. Trump’s popularity is waning. Costs are coming down as job creation holds up pretty well.

The sun came out clear last Friday. It seemed like we had been living in a cold gray cloud for so long that 24 degrees felt like May. The brave men and women who defended democracy two years ago embraced President Biden as he gave them medals for their valor. Zealotry is not having its finest hour. Supply is finding demand. Iowa has Covid under control as deaths and hospitalizations decline. You would like to think that the fever has broken.