We are not less than two weeks away from the great Pittston Tomato Festival, and I’ll have a very active second half of August.
The Sunday Dispatch usually puts out a special tabloid Tomato Festival section, and I’ll be exercising my fingers with all the typing I’ll be doing in writing some of those special feature articles.
With the Delta variant rising in Luzerne County, we just might be getting this festival in under the wire. It seems like the festival date and Delta are rushing in from different directions on what will get here first.
I have a feeling the Delta variant will infiltrate Greater Pittston in strength in the next four weeks. If you haven’t taken notice, our COVID numbers in Luzerne County have been increasing again, and just when we were getting used to low case numbers under five and 10 per day, this past Thursday that number jumped to 52, up from 40s the day before.
Two weeks ago, virus positivity was up 2.6% and last week it climbed to 3.9%.
As of this past week, there are over 625 individuals being hospitalized the COVID-19, where 141 of those people are in intensive care, statewide.
Just as in the initial wave back in March and April of 2020 took a bit of time before the virus sunk its teeth in Luzerne County, the Delta variant is slowly penetrating back into the county and Greater Pittston.
I can recall after the initial shutdown in 2020, it took a long while before I actually knew another that contracted COVID personally. Now, all these months later, I know at least 10 people that have died from the virus.
The Delta variant isn’t anything to mess with, and I for one am glad I have been vaccinated. I know as time goes on, the strength of my vaccine loses some of its potency, so I do realize I’ll be getting a booster shot at some point. I’m fine with all of that.
As I’ve been saying all along, trust the science, not the politicians.
Remember this as well: Dr. Fauci is not the CDC, he’s merely a mouthpiece for all that goes on and if anything, he’s just passing on info by the CDC. He’s not setting policy, he’s not advising carelessly. He’s taking decades of experience he’s acquired from working with infectious disease when he was on the forefront of the AIDS and Ebola crises.
It baffles me as to why he’s looked upon as the devil or the enemy. He’s neither; he’s on our side. He’s a man of medicine and not a man of party.
Let’s keep in mind; this is not a virus of just the United States. People lose fact that this pandemic is worldwide, and not only have approximately 170 million Americans received the vaccine, but millions more around the world.
It makes absolutely zero sense not to get a vaccine shot. We’ve received vaccines in our childhood and once this vaccine gets 100% approved by the FDA, there will be no more excuses as to why you won’t get a vaccine shot.
Luckily for Pennsylvanians, we rank 5th in the country as far as residents of the state that received the vaccine with both doses. That makes over 63% of all Pennsylvanians over the age of 18 that are fully vaccinated.
Even governors of states like Arkansas, who opposed the vaccine, are now acknowledging the vaccine is the way to go to climb out of this mess. Doing nothing will not help but only prolong the virus’s spread.
It’s just common sense, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. I’m ready to roll up my sleeve for the booster shot.
Well, the Tomato Fest is around the corner as well as summer vacations winding down and schools gearing up for another year. I don’t know why summer flies by and winter drags on.
The long awaited paving project of Wyoming Avenue in West Pittston has finally gotten underway this past week.
It’s a minor inconvenience for what will end up being smooth transportation on Route 11.
Milling of the road was done in one day, and the paving another, and I for one can’t wait to drive on the avenue without dodging covered over ditches from water and sewer projects. I also hope, fingers crossed, they raise the manhole covers to the level of the paved road.
It’s a crime to have a freshly paved road and the manhole covers are two to four inches deep, essentially making them a two-foot-wide pothole.
That reminds me, I need a frontend alignment on my car from all the potholes, uneven patching and manholes.
Rumor has it my street will be paved in the near future. It has been well over 35 years since it was paved last, and it will also be a welcomed relief to have that done. When you drive down my street, it’s like crossing the country in a covered wagon back in the old west.
This trillion-dollar federal government infrastructure bill can’t come fast enough for me. We live in 2021, not 1905. All of our roads should be like driving on glass, and not a third world country.
Since I’m ranting, Pennsylvania law states you may make a right turn at a red light; some people still don’t get it and don’t turn.
Quote of the week
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” – Bernard M. Baruch
Thoughts of the week
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Bumper stick
“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” – Milton Berle
