I’ve kept up with all the news about the virus, though mostly by default; I don’t consider myself an alarmist, but because of the massive coverage it’s getting, it’s hard to miss it on cable news and on the web.
I’ve talked to various people about it at varying points along the way. The general consensus in my circle seemed to be that while H1N1 would probably cause a slightly more intense or lengthy bout of flu as compared with the regular seasonal flu, it wasn’t anything to worry about—at least not in the apoplectic way some people are doing.
And then I read this article from CNN, which says in part:
The H1N1 flu virus could cause up to 90,000 U.S. deaths, mainly among children and young adults, if it resurges this fall as expected, according to a report released Monday by a presidential advisory panel.
The H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu virus, could infect between 30 percent and 50 percent of the American population during the fall and winter and lead to as many as 1.8 million U.S. hospital admissions, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology reported.
The report says 30,000 to 90,000 deaths are projected as part of a “plausible scenario” involving large outbreaks at schools, inadequate antiviral supplies and the virus peaking before vaccinations have time to be effective ...
An H1N1 resurgence may happen as early as September, at the beginning of the school year, and infections may peak in mid-October, according to the report. However, the H1N1 vaccine isn’t expected to be available until mid-October, and even then it will take several weeks for vaccinated individuals to develop immunity, the report says.
(For comparison, the seasonal flu is responsible for up to 40,000 U.S. deaths annually, according to CNN.)
So, the government wants you to get the vaccine (which is actually two shots) ... but it isn’t available yet, and by the time you get it, it may be too late for it to work.
Yikes.
What do you think about all this? Are you in an at-risk group? Are you concerned about H1N1? Are you going to get the vaccine? Let me know in the polls below and in the sidebar.
If you live in east central Alabama and you’re looking for something interesting to do over the next couple of days, you might look into either of the two events Dr. Glen Browder has scheduled to discuss his new book, “The South’s New Racial Politics: Inside the Race Game of Southern History.“
Browder, a former U.S. congressman and Alabama secretary of state, is a professor of political science and American democracy at Jacksonville State University. You can check out his web sites here and here.
He writes of his new work, “I like to think you’ll find this concise new book original, unconventional, and provocative.“
Browder will host two book signings and discussions this week:
Tomorrow in Opelika at the Lewis Cooper Library, 200 S. 6th St., from noon until 1 p.m. Central time;
Thursday, Aug. 13, in Valley at the Bradshaw Public Library, 3419 20th Ave., from noon until 1 p.m. Eastern time.
(Please note the differences in the time zones.)
Tomorrow’s event is part of the Opelika library’s “Brown Bag Lunches” series. For more information, contact Marsha Sanson, via e-mail at msanson AT ci.opelika.al.us or by phone at 334-705-5380.
Thursday’s event is part of the Valley library’s “Lunch N Learn” series. For more information, contact John Tidwell, via e-mail at johntidwell AT chamberscountylibrary.org or by phone at 334-768-2161.
Opelika-Auburn News staff writer Joe McAdory has a story in tomorrow’s paper about Auburn businessman Tim Turnham’s sentencing before a federal court judge.
Auburn businessman Tim Turnham pleaded guilty two years ago to obstruction of justice as part of a sweeping corruption scandal involving former Alabama two-year college chancellor Roy Johnson of Opelika.
Wednesday, a federal court judge in Birmingham sentenced Turnham, 58, to two years probation and fined the Alabama Contract Sales Inc. executive $1,000, according to a report by The Birmingham News.
Turnham’s case was part of a scandal that led to numerous charges against leaders within the state’s two-year college system. Johnson is still awaiting sentencing ...
Turnham’s business allegedly doctored invoices for work and furnishings at Johnson’s Opelika home. At the time, Johnson was president of Southern Union State Community College.
Turnham admitted to investigators that his business overcharged colleges, ultimately putting thousands of dollars in the pockets of Johnson.
Tim Turnham is the brother of Alabama Democratic Party chairman Joe Turnham.
I’m glad to hear that Turnham has been cooperating with investigators. That is an important part of demonstrating true remorse for one’s illegal activities.
I’m similarly glad to hear that he has made restitution of nearly $1 million. There is no place for those who would cheat the taxpayers of this state, especially at a time when lawmakers are struggling to adequately meet their obligations, including its PACT promises.
I want to believe that Tim Turnham is doing what he can to make things right, and I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that he’s truly sorry for what he did, and not just that he got caught.
Here’s hoping that his cooperation with federal authorities will expose the other cheats and thieves that still remain out there.
Alabama two-year college Chancellor Bradley Byrne is about 12 hours away from announcing his candidacy for the GOP nomination to succeed Gov. Bob Riley.
The Byrne for Governor campaign will kick off in Mobile, his hometown, at 8:45 a.m. tomorrow. Three other stops—in Montgomery, Birmingham and Huntsville—round out the first day’s schedule.
I’m told that Byrne will be in Opelika Friday night at the Martha Harlan Banquet, the annual fundraising dinner for the Lee County Republican Executive Committee. I hope to meet him there and ask him a few questions about his new campaign.
What would you like to know? Anything you’d like me to ask him on your behalf? Let me know, and I’ll do my best to get the answers for you.
In the meantime, let George Altman from the Mobile Press-Register introduce you to Byrne, if you don’t know him already (yes, the article is archived. See? Wouldn’t micropayments be better?). Or, you can read any or all of these articles about some of Byrne’s work:
“State, local officials promise training for BFGoodrich workers,“ an article by Opelika-Auburn News reporter Brittany Whitley on Byrne’s efforts to reach out to the more than 1,000 workers soon to be unemployed due to the closing of BFGoodrich; April 22, 2009.
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