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Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a common and dangerous virus we don’t hear much about. It is a serious respiratory disease. Along with influenza and covid, these diseases cause millions of hospitalizations around the world for people of all ages. No vaccines exist to protect our populations. Could there be a universal pan-covid vaccine which could protect against the flu, RSV, and all future coronavirus variants? From what I read, I think so. The mRNA vaccines by Moderna and BioNTech-Pfizer have shown the new modern technology can be adapted and produced very quickly. The U.S. Army is working on such a pan-vaccine. More on that another time.
We are still struggling to get the optimum combination of vaccination, testing, and hygiene. Things are far from under control but a peak is in sight. New York and Connecticut are already seeing a decline. Other areas of the country will likely follow soon. The WHO dashboard shows what is going on country by country. Globally, as of January 19, 2022, there have been 332.6 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 5.6 million deaths. A total of 9.6 billion vaccine doses have been administered. The unvaccinated continue to be a major problem caused by politicalization. Some hospitals are still filling up and some are stopping elective procedures to make beds and staff available for care of the unvaccinated. The unvaccinated are being very unfair to all of us but especially toward our hospitals.
Investment in space companies hit a record $14.5 billion in 2021. SpaceX continues to put hundreds of satellites in orbit. The launch of the Webb observatory continues as a really big and important event. As of Friday afternoon the Webb had only 26 thousand miles to go to get to L2 where it will go into orbit around the Sun. The Webb is traveling at 500 mph and is 97% of the way there. Visit the “Where is Webb?” page and see a snapshot of the current status. The primary mirror wings are now fully deployed and latched into place. Next up in the wavefront process will be moving mirrors in the micron and nanometer ranges to reach the final optical positions for an aligned telescope. The process of telescope alignment will take approximately three months.. It will be worth the wait, and eventually we will be treated to some spectacular images from near the beginning of time.
NASA teams plan to fire Webb’s thrusters at 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 24 to insert the space telescope into orbit around the Sun at the second Lagrange point, or L2,
Scientists and engineers operating NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will answer questions about the mission’s latest milestones in a NASA Science Live broadcast at 3 p.m. EST Monday, Jan. 24. The broadcast will air live online on the NASA Science Live website, as well as YouTube.
United Launch Alliance launched an Atlas 5 rocket from pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 2 p.m. on Friday. The mission, known as USSF 8, will launch two U.S. Space Force satellites for the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program.
The book is underway but no forecast just yet about when it will be published. I am pleased with progress so far, and will keep you updated.
The GAMMAT stocks, tech stocks in my “other” category, and crypto are still getting hammered. The 10 year t-note yield moving up above 1.8% accounts for some of the rout but there are many other factors at play. Netflix disappointed and seemed to lead the way down for Tech. Tech are under pressure by regulators. Many of the tech stocks are growing but are not profitable. The market is punishing them bigtime. Some pundits are saying the market is oversold while others say this is the beginning of a big correction to the downside. I remain bullish but will have to be more patient.
Crypto is down to $1.7 trillion and 15% of gold. There are many factors at play with crypto. Regulation, competition from a Fed-based crypto of its own, etc. The Fed said it would only move on the central bank crypto if Congress and the White House back it. I see little chance of that in foreseeable future. When you look under the covers of crypto, many developments are taking place. NFTs are becoming very real. DeFi is exploding. Venture capitalists are pouring billions into crypto and blockchain startups. It will be interesting to see if buyers come in for crypto at the lower prices. I am holding on.
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