Good morning, RVA! It's 79 °F, and today looks a lot like yesterday—hot, humid, highs in the 90s. We should see temperatures drop a bit and some rain move in over the weekend, though!
Water cooler
The Washington Post got their hands on an internal CDC document that, for the first time I've seen, says the Delta variant of the coronavirus "appears to cause more severe illness than earlier variants." We've talked a lot about how Delta is more transmissible than previous variants, but I don't think I've heard the CDC or other healthfolks come out and say that Delta causes more serious illness. The WaPo says the data behind that terrifying news should be published today. As we move into a space where the coronavirus is easier to pass around (as easy as chickenpox this internal document says!), I think we have to shift away from solely thinking about and tracking COVID-19 cases. There's a huge difference between having a few sniffles and ending up in the hospital on a ventilator. Even with this new news, we know the vaccines help us prevent the latter. I super agree with this quote allllllll the way down at the bottom of the aforelinked article: "'We really need to shift toward a goal of preventing serious disease and disability and medical consequences, and not worry about every virus detected in somebody’s nose...It’s hard to do, but I think we have to become comfortable with coronavirus not going away.'"
Super related, yesterday the Governor tweeted this about the CDC's new guidance to wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status: "All Virginians should consider wearing a mask in public indoor settings where there is increased risk of #COVID19 transmission, as the new @CDCgov guidance recommends. This is not a requirement, but a recommendation." This is...not the strongest possible language. Given the previous paragraph about the Delta variant, I still think its best to just shove a mask in your bag when you go out and put it on when you go indoors. It's not a big deal, you'll live, and you could help keep someone else alive, too. According to the CDC Data Tracker, Richmond, Henrico, and Chesterfield are all experiencing "substantial" levels of community transmission.
River rats! Maybe heed this press release from the Virginia Department of Health: "VDH Issues Recreational Water Advisory for Tuckahoe Creek and Parts of the James River Due to Sewage Release." It sounds like a pipe burst in Goochland which sent 300,000 gallons of "raw, undiluted" sewage heading into the James River. VDH recommends that you avoid any activity that would submerge your body into the river—wading, swimming, kayaking, noodling, that kind of stuff. The advisory stretches from Robious Landing down to Belle Isle.
A couple years ago, my son and I ate our way through an enormous list of local wing spots, and this thread on /r/rva lists a bunch of places that have popped up since then. Maybe time to get the ol' list out, make some additions, and start placing some orders!
Quick reminder that the City will host their third and final Tacos for Transportation event this Saturday at the Blackwell Pool from 11:00 AM–3:00 PM. Stop by, fill out a transportation survey, get a free taco. Tacos for Transportation!
This morning's longread
Megan Rapinoe Is Still Changing the Game
Megan Rapinoe!
But her appeal also lies in the insuppressible spirit and deeply felt sense of right and wrong she’s displayed since she was a kid. “When Pinoe speaks, everyone listens,” Sauerbrunn says of the team’s equal pay discussions. “She can inspire and move people in a way that I haven’t seen a lot of other people be able to do.” In March, for Equal Pay Day, Rapinoe and teammate Margaret Purce spoke alongside President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at the White House. (“Have you ever watched them play? They are incredible!” exclaimed President Biden.)
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