Coronavirus in the United States - news and thoughts

30% - still not hacking it.

 

That’s actually a foolish take for someone in the healthcare field, since basically everything a nurse administers is a drug based on “data” or what someone else (doctor/pharmacist) instructs them to do for administering treatment. It’s like Facebook has turned half our population into “natural healing” demon sperm quacks.

But I guess at least eventually she woke up to the reality around her. So that’s a good thing. I know a few that have been like that, and are still like that despite the hospital that employs them again going into full crisis mode. They are talking about turning the cafeteria into a covid ward! Facebook groups trumping reality. Boggles the mind.

 

Deaths lag cases. We add 20,000 new cases on Monday, but those cases aren't resolved for a couple weeks. The deaths in the numerator are from the new cases from a couple weeks previous. Every time there is a spike the death rate drops. And every time cases taper off, the death rate spikes.

Looking at your monthly death rates we can see this. 08/20 was the tail end of a spike in cases, so while cases were dropping, deaths were from the higher number of cases a couple weeks earlier and made the rate look higher. 11/20 was the beginning of another spike, increased numbers of cases, but deaths were from the smaller number of cases a few weeks earlier. 2/21 looked really bad, but that was coming out of the big winter peak, cases were a third of what they had been a month earlier, but the deaths were still high from that earlier peak.

 

I have three similar and recent stories in my life - previous deniers, quietly getting "the jab".

It takes a special stubbornness to hold on to beliefs that go against reality.

I'm glad to hear these stories. Hope they spread faster than Covid

 

COVID outbreaks in rural Texas districts signal a troubled back-to-school season

Less than a week after students returned to school in the rural West Texas town of Iraan, district officials were facing a COVID crisis on two fronts — the virus was rapidly infecting students and staff, and so many teachers were sick or in quarantine that there weren’t enough left to run the classrooms.

The district was forced to shut down just six days after it had welcomed students back, Iraan-Sheffield ISD Superintendent Tracy Canter announced Monday. About 16 percent of students were either COVID-positive or in quarantine, as were 28 percent of teachers, she said in an interview.

“We have more cases here in the first week than we had all of last year combined,” Canter said.

In East Texas, two other rural districts — Bloomburg and Waskom ISDs — made similar choices this week, closing some or all of their schools. Their decisions could spell the future for larger districts in urban counties, where shutdowns may be the only way to quell a surge in COVID cases compounded by conflicting local and state orders on mask mandates and low vaccination rates among children.

 

I think most would be surprised to find out how many anti vaccine and even covid deniers are in some form of medical profession.

 

I have a fourth story, but she wasn't a denier. She was just waiting for full approval. She's currently waiting on an ICU bed. Mid 40s, a bit overweight. Otherwise healthy. Has narrowly avoided intubation 4x.

Talking to my wife last night, she expressed great regret.

 

There’s probably going to be a lot of that in TX and FL especially (though obviously not limited there).

Despite their idiotic stance on masks, not clear the mask policy would have kept the schools open much longer either. The virus situation is so bad in some of these places it just overwhelms that as an issue. The reality is the problem is the vaccination rates were too low. That problem trumps the mask issue by a factor of like x1000. The teachers especially should have had 100% vaccination rates.

 

It has been interesting watching those who support mitigation measures being accused of politicizing the disease by those who bare actually doing so. This is just another example of the effectiveness of disinformation. The “hear is what the main stream media won’t tell you” crowd, that then spreads sand buys into disinformation. It should be enough to convince people to get the vaccine to just look at the experiences in hospitals now. Overwhelmingly unvaccinated. Yet, the disinformed will cling to the few vaccinated who get seriously ill as their “proof.” As if public health measures are somehow liberal. On and on it goes.

 

Health First in Brevard County has just 56.5% of their staff vaccinated, with Palm Bay Hospital leading the way with a stellar 30%.

Florida Today

 

improved treatments

 

It will be interesting to see how the folks that aren't keen on falling all over themselves for a booster shot are disparaged.

 

That’s not really accurate though, unless the monoclonal antibody treatments start proving effective. Maybe that one will move the needle on therapeutics more substantially (we can hope), but it’s usage hasn’t been all that widespread yet (our hospitals just getting them now for the first time).

Even the remdesivir that has been almost universally used for hospitalized patients based on early study data, has very mixed results in real world data, some studies even suggesting it too is useless against severe illness.

I think the only thing moving the needle on severe outcomes are vaccines (substantial effect), and maybe if these treatments are administered early enough. But if your condition progresses to severe illness, there is essentially nothing hospitals can do except give oxygen and/or life support in extreme cases. They can pump you full of steroids and fluids and these experimental drugs, and that had some small effect, but there is still no functional “cure” from any of them.

 

This directly contradicts early speculation about the Delta variant relative to the Pfizer vaccine protection. It is both interesting and timely, being release just a day or two before the US announces support for booster shots for the entire vaccinated population. I also wonder if these data will change people's minds about boosters.

I know that I had been under the impression that the Delta variant, much like Beta, was able to evade several different anti-bodies. If that is not the case, then maybe a booster is worth it?

Covid-19: Treatments, Cures, and Vaccines | Page 60 | Swamp Gas Forums

 

Theoretically, I agree. But 48 days into a spike I would not expect the death rate to still be dropping.

 

Did she actually come into work sick?

 

Using that method of calculation, for as long as daily new cases are increasing, the death rate will be artificially low. And for as long as daily new cases are decreasing the death rate will be artificially high.

 

That pretty much contradicts everything coming out of the govt. What a shit show.

 

I think it's pretty simple: Better treatments due to a better-informed science/medical community + more highly vaccinated populace.