February Full Moon Facts

The Snow Moon was at its brightest on February 16 at 11:57am CT. However, I photographed it at 4am CT because I knew that would be the last clear sky I’d see for days. Stormy skies have since moved in with ice and falling snow.

Native American tribes in the northeastern US first used the name “Snow Moon” as a nod to the heavy amounts of snowfall that occurred in February, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. That seems to be accurate for February 2022 full moon here.

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Over 2000 Americans are Still Dying from COVID Each Day

“According to JHU. Over the past week, an average of 2,264 Americans succumbed to the disease every day. While most Americans -- about 65% (under 43% where we live) -- have been fully vaccinated, only 28% have received a booster dose, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And the pace of new vaccinations and booster shots given have dropped to among the slowest they've ever been.”

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Number of New COVID Cases Still Significant

“Mayo Clinic COVID-19 experts caution that the number of new COVID-19 cases is still significant. ‘It's very encouraging to see the rates come down from the omicron surge. But to put it in perspective, we are still having rates that are among the highest that we had during our delta surge — and really second only to omicron's peak in the pandemic so far. So we are far from out of the woods. COVID is still very much with us right now.’”

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Long Lasting

“Even as the latest COVID surge recedes, doctors and patient advocates warn that the virus could leave a new epidemic in its wake: millions more cases of the rare, mysterious condition known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Researchers increasingly see parallels between Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which (pre COVID) affected 1.5 million Americans. Long COVID has a barrage of symptoms including exhaustion, persistent pain and cognitive impairment that can linger. One in 3 COVID survivors will develop some sort of Long COVID. Now, there's evidence that one in every 10 infections may develop Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. That would equate to about 7.7 million news cases in the U.S.”

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New Normal

Although there are no COVID restrictions - nor COVID prevention guidelines - where we live, we have been vaccinated & boosted. We are also continuing to wear an N-95 mask when going out in public. Plus, we are avoiding all settings that involve large crowds. According to the latest science, our October booster shots may now just be starting to wane somewhat… So “extreme caution” is our current personal New Normal in a country where most everyone is “done with COVID” but COVID is not done with them.

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Once again, still healthy & from the “safety” of home, I have photographed another full moon in a World with COVID. No mask required. Sadly, this pandemic has seen so many full moons... too many. I long for a time when will again be able to safely photograph the moon from somewhere else, far from home (just like back in pre-Covid-days).