Kevin Modglin comments

I think it's good to celebrate the accomplishments and positive points of your country, and even to take pride in it and teach patriotism in schools. But, it has to be truthful and balanced. Celebrate the accomplishments, but don't gloss over or ignore the failures. Teach the failures and ask the students about what can be learned from them. Also, look at other countries to see where they do well and don't. Patriotism turns toxic when it elevates one person or group over another, usually by burying the truth about how they are human too and have failed in the past.

The manager of one of the public health centers in Tokyo told the health ministry panel that the number of elderly people testing positive for the coronavirus has been rising recently despite most of them having been vaccinated, suggesting the country's vaccination program "is reaching its limit" in slowing the pandemic.

Being vaccinated doesn't mean you can't get coronavirus again, it just means that your immune system has learned how to fight it. So, it's normal for someone who is vaccinated to be able to get the virus, spread the virus to others while the immune system is ramping up its response, and have flu symptoms as a result.

That's why wearing a mask is still necessary even if you've been vaccinated.

The real benefit for being vaccinated is that when you are exposed to the coronavirus, you won't get as sick and you'll recover a lot faster.