The Daily Valet. - 4/30/21, Friday
✔️ Post-Vaxx Travel
Friday, April 30th Edition
If I’m going to live past 150, I’ll need a bigger retinol budget.
Cory Ohlendorf, Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
Today’s Big Story
Post-Vaxx Travel
As Americans venture back out, some clear summer travel hotspots are emerging for 2021
It’s been over a year since we all had to cancel most, if not all, future travel plans due to the coronavirus pandemic. (I think I still have some airline credits that need sorting out.)
But with vaccinations mounting in the U.S. just in time for warmer weather, many Americans are itching to venture out further than their backyards for a summer vacation.
Those who have been fully vaccinated will be able to visit the European Union this summer, president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen told the New York Times.
And while Americans will no doubt start setting their sights on Europe for upcoming trips, there are already some clear trends in vacation plans for Memorial Day through Labor Day, according to Condé Nast Traveler.
The hotspots, they found, range from affordable outdoor locales to more exotic and luxurious destinations. Part of the reason is likely the pandemic’s ongoing flight deals, which experts say should continue to live on for the foreseeable future—even as more Americans become inoculated and airborne.
Island getaways a popular: Two of Hawaii’s tropical islands are among Priceline’s most booked destinations. As is Puerto Rico. Mexican resort towns like Cabo San Lucas and Cancun are proving popular with West Coasters. Those looking to avoid crowds are booking national park areas from the Dakota to Wyoming and Montana.
And despite the overall trend toward domestic trips this summer, one standout international destination shows that Americans are also eager to jump back into bucket-list trip planning. Egypt, which remains open to Americans with a negative coronavirus test result, is the number 10 most-booked Memorial Day departure overall in the U.S. this year, according to Skyscanner.
↦ Meanwhile: New York City will reopen 100% on July 1, Mayor Bill de Blasio says.
India’s Surge Is Devastating
What we know about the Indian variant as coronavirus sweeps South Asia
There have been at least 18,376,500 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in India, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare. As of Thursday evening, 208,330 people had died. Experts say that the death count far exceeds official figures.
The country has recorded the world's sharpest spike in coronavirus infections this month, with political and financial capitals New Delhi and Mumbai running out of hospital beds, oxygen and medicines. Currently, only about 9% of India's 1.4 billion people have received a vaccine.
Scientists are studying what led to this unexpected surge, and whether a variant of the novel coronavirus first detected in India is to blame. Named B.1.617, has been reported in some 17 countries. The WHO has described it as a “variant of interest”, suggesting it may have mutations that'd make it more transmissible and evade vaccine immunity.
The CDC is warning Americans against all travel to India. The agency says “even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading variants.” It's a reminder that we're all connected and that until the world gets COVID under control, these variants could become problems for any and all of us.
↦ Meanwhile: Brazil tops 400,000 virus deaths amid fears of renewed surge.
Lab-Grown Mosquitoes Released
Billions of genetically modified mosquitoes buzz into Florida and soon Texas
On Thursday morning, workers from a British company placed basketball-sized cardboard boxes filled with mosquito larvae into six yards in the Florida Keys.
In a week or so, 12,000 mosquitoes will—one by one—begin buzzing out of each box, the first genetically modified bugs to be released in the United States. Under a two-year permit approved by the EPA, the British biotech firm Oxitec has been allowed to release over 1 billion GMO mosquitoes across 6,600 acres in Florida and Texas.
Because Florida mosquitoes are growing increasingly resistant to insecticide, the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (which has a $14 million annual budget to kill off as many bloodsuckers as possible), is trying a new tactic to get rid of the deadliest animal on earth. Oxitec's technology will kill off the specific mosquito that can carry dengue fever, Zika virus and yellow fever—diseases that have been relatively common, and deadly, in Florida.
Since only the female mosquitoes can bite and pass on disease, these genetically modified male mosquitoes all carry a “self-limiting” gene that's released when they mate with wild (potentially-diseased) female mosquitoes. The gene is then passed on to their offspring, causing female baby mosquitoes to die before they can reach adulthood.
↦ FYI: Why are there no mosquitoes at Walt Disney World? The reason is nothing short of magical.
How Long Can Humans Live?
Experts eye a future where we live to be 200
Human lifespans have significantly increased over the past two centuries. But just how long could human's naturally live? Some longevity theorists are theorizing that we could continue stretching our lives and keep blowing out birthday candles well past 150 years.
It sounds absurd. But did you know the number of “supercentenarians” (people alive over 110) has steadily increased over the last few decades? And studies have indicated that the risk of death plateaus after 100 (statistically, you're no more likely to die at 108 than 103).
Acclaimed science writer Ferris Jabr told the New York Times that by 2100, there will be 25 million centenarians scattered across the world. And with geneticists working on “resetting” cells back to their most youthful condition, that number could be even higher.
On one hand it's inspiring, thinking about putting off death. On the other, I'm already worried I won't have enough saved for retirement. And then there's the strain on both the planet's natural resources as well as our society's progress. One ethics director pointed out to Jabr that if the World War I generation were still around, we might not have the same civil rights we have today.
↦ Dig Deeper: CNN has a list of where to see the oldest living things on Earth.
In Other News
Other Things We’re Talking About Today
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Morning Motto
Let go of what doesn’t serve you.
↦ Follow: @positivedelight
That’s all for today...
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